Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the eyes-in-the-sky department: In September NASA's James Webb Space Telescope investigated an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, and "revealed the presence of carbon-bearing molecules including methane and carbon dioxide."
Webb's discovery adds to recent studies suggesting that [planet] K2-18 b could be a Hycean exoplanet, one which has the potential to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water ocean-covered surface... The planet's large size — with a radius 2.6 times the radius of Earth — means that the planet's interior likely contains a large mantle of high-pressure ice, like Neptune, but with a thinner hydrogen-rich atmosphere and an ocean surface. Hycean worlds are predicted to have oceans of water. However, it is also possible that the ocean is too hot to be habitable or be liquid.
NASA's announcement included some additional context:
K2-18 b orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18 in the habitable zone and lies 120 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. Exoplanets such as K2-18 b, which have sizes between those of Earth and Neptune, are unlike anything in our solar system. This lack of equivalent nearby planets means that these 'sub-Neptunes' are poorly understood, and the nature of their atmospheres is a matter of active debate among astronomers. The suggestion that the sub-Neptune K2-18 b could be a Hycean exoplanet is intriguing, as some astronomers believe that these worlds are promising environments to search for evidence for life on exoplanets...
The abundance of methane and carbon dioxide, and shortage of ammonia, support the hypothesis that there may be a water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere in K2-18 b.
Long-time Slashdot reader Baron_Yam noticed some sites resurfacing the news from September this week with more spectacular headlines, like "NASA discovered a planet twice as big as Earth with a gas that is 'only produced by life'" and "Discovery... sparks huge excitement among astronomers.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the 500-pounds-of-toner department: They're calling it "the world's largest 3D printer," but also "the factory of the future" — not just a 3D printer, but a manufacturing system.
It's the succcessor to a 3D printer that could create an entire house, cutting construction time and labor, according to the Associated Press. And this one "may one day create entire neighborhoods."
It has a voracious appetite, consuming as much as 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of material per hour... The university wants to show how homes can be constructed nearly entirely by a printer with a lower carbon footprint. The buildings and construction sector accounts for roughly 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to the production and use of materials such as cement, steel and aluminum that have a significant carbon footprint, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Such printed buildings can be recycled, which is unique compared to current construction. "You can basically deconstruct it, you can grind it up if you wish, the 3D printed parts, and reprint with them, do it again," Dagher said before the event...
But it can be used for a variety of other creations and already has been used for a range of things, from boats to defense department structures.
The project is partly funded by the U.S. military, according to the BBC. "Maine University says it hopes the printer can be used to make affordable housing, as well as bridges, boats and wind turbines."
Posted by from MMO Champion
The War Within Alpha - The Ringing Deeps Main Story Quest Preview
Today we are looking at the main story quest for the Ringing Deeps. Keep in mind this quest chain is missing context and will likely change over time. MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!
By Candlelight
After taking the Coreway down from Dornogal, you and Speaker Brinthe meet some Machine Speakers at the entrance to the Ringing Deeps. She notices that the Nerubians have destroyed much of the location and wonders if the High Speaker is aware of this development.
Brinthe decides to lend your aid to helping get Ironhaul Station back up and running. Foreman Uzjax, the Machine Speaker in charge at the location, suggests you move an overturned mine cart blocking the station's main junction.
Upon investigating the blockage you find a Skardyn is responsible. Brinthe is concerned that the corrupted earthen have made their way down here, but Foreman Uzjax tells her to disregard it. Brinthe thanks you for aiding the Machine Speakers, but whispers that you should tread carefully as they are loyal to the "powers that be."
Brinthe remarks that they need to find the High Speaker. He sent her to the surface because she was "reasonable." Therefore, she believes she might be able to reason with him to help do something about the Nerubian presence here. She asks you to meet her in the Machine Speaker city of Gundargaz further in the zone.
Before you can head off, Magni, Moira, and Dagran arrive. Furthermore, the High Speaker appears before you. Brinthe introduces him, but he is pompous and indifferent to your presence. With nothing else to do, you continue to Gundargaz.
You reconvene inside a building where Brinthe laments the failed encounter with the High Speaker. She says he seems distracted and obsessed. She suggests dealing with the challenges facing the Ringing Deeps to convince the Machine Speakers to turn their attention to help against the Nerubians.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the military-microphones department: "South Korea is considering prohibiting the use of iPhones and smart wearable devices inside military buildings," reports the Defense Post, "due to increasing security concerns."
But the blog Apple Insider argues the move "has less to do with security and more to do with a poorly crafted mobile device management suite coupled with nationalism..."
A report on Tuesday morning claims that the ban is on all devices capable of voice recording and do not allow third-party apps to lock this down — with iPhone specifically named... According to sources familiar with the matter cited by Tuesday's report, the iPhone is explicitly banned. Android-based devices, like Samsung's, are exempt from the ban...
The issue appears to be that the South Korean National Defense Mobile Security mobile device management app doesn't seem to be able to block the use of the microphone. This particular MDM was rolled out in 2013, with use enforced across all military members in 2021.
The report talks about user complaints about the software, and inconsistent limitations depending on make, model, and operating system. A military official speaking to the publication says that deficiencies on Android would be addressed in a software update. Discussions are apparently underway to extend the total ban downwards to the entire military. The Army is said to have tried the ban as well...
Seven in 10 South Korean military members are Samsung users. So, the ban appears to be mostly symbolic.
Thanks to Slashdot reader Kitkoan for sharing the news.
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the Rabbit-response department: It's another speech-recognizing, AI-powered handheld device "about half the size of a phone," writes CNET. (Though the $199 device comes with a keyboard and a tiny 2.8-inch screen.) "The Rabbit R1 can identify items in its environment. Point it at a plant, and it can tell you what kind it is. Aim it at your lunch, and it can tell you what's in it.
"it also feels a bit like a novelty so far...."
It can call an Uber, order dinner from Doordash, translate conversations, record voice memos, play songs from Spotify and more. Your phone can already do all of those things, but [CEO and founder Jesse] Lyu is promoting the Rabbit R1 as a faster and more natural way to do so... So far, the Rabbit R1 feels fun, fresh and interesting, but also frustrating at times. It intrigues me, but it also hasn't convinced me yet that there's room for another gadget in my life.... Many of the things it can do today feel smartphone-esque, like asking for the weather or playing songs on Spotify...
Visual search is the most interesting feature so far... It's pretty accurate for the most part so far. When I pointed it at my salad during lunch, it was able to tell me most of the ingredients. That's not what I asked. After all, who orders a dish without knowing what's in it? I asked the Rabbit R1 to tell me how many calories were in my lunch. While it couldn't provide the answer I wanted, I was impressed with its response... Overall, Rabbit R1's visual analysis worked pretty well for identifying things like plants and characters from pop culture. When describing my colleague's sneakers, the Rabbit R1 got the brand wrong...
So far, I've used the Rabbit R1 to take voice memos, translate speech from Spanish to English, and answer basic questions about things like weather forecasts. These features work as expected for the most part.
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the world's-most-populous-country department: What happened after India banned TikTok? The move "mostly drew widespread support" notes the Associated Press, in a country "where protesters had been calling for a boycott of Chinese goods since the deadly confrontation in the remote Karakoram mountain border region."
"There was a clamour leading up to this, and the popular narrative was how can we allow Chinese companies to do business in India when we're in the middle of a military standoff," said Nikhil Pahwa, a digital policy expert and founder of tech website MediaNama. Just months before the ban, India had also restricted investment from Chinese companies, Pahwa added. "TikTok wasn't a one-off case. Today, India has banned over 500 Chinese apps to date."
At the time, India had about 200 million TikTok users. And the company also employed thousands of Indians.
TikTok users and content creators, however, needed a place to go — and the ban provided a multi-billion dollar opportunity to snatch up a big market. Within months, Google rolled out YouTube Shorts and Instagram pushed out its Reels feature. Both mimicked the short-form video creation that TikTok had excelled at. "And they ended up capturing most of the market that TikTok had vacated," said Pahwa.
TikTok is also banned in Nepal and Somalia, according to Mashable, and the Associaterd Press adds that it's now also banned in Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan "and restricted in many countries in Europe."
Their article concludes that "for the most part, content creators and users in the four years since the ban have moved on to other platforms." They quote one frequent TikTok user as saying they just switched to Instagram after the ban, and "It wasn't really a big deal."
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the reset-player-one department: An anonymous reader shared this report from the Times of India:
Several Apple customers were inexplicably locked out of their Apple ID accounts Friday evening in a major service disruption, forcing them to reset their passwords across all devices and services. According to user reports on social media, the widespread outage began around 8 p.m. ET. People complained that they were abruptly signed out of their Apple IDs on Macs, iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices.
When attempting to sign back in with their existing passwords, they received an error message preventing access... To regain access, users had to go through Apple's account recovery process to reset their Apple ID passwords. However, many reported difficulties even completing the reset process initially due to high demand...
The outage affected iCloud services like iCloud Drive, iMessage, FaceTime, and the App Store. Third-party apps and services that integrate with Apple ID sign-in were also disrupted for those impacted.
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the nyet department: This week Russia vetoed a UN resolution that proposed banning nuclear weapons in space, CNN reports.
But it all happened "amid U.S. intelligence-backed concerns that Moscow is trying to develop a nuclear device capable of destroying satellites."
In February, President Joe Biden confirmed the US has intelligence that Russia is developing a nuclear anti-satellite capability. Three sources familiar with the intelligence subsequently told CNN the weapon could destroy satellites by creating a massive energy wave when detonated...
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Wednesday's vote "marks a real missed opportunity to rebuild much-needed trust in existing arms control obligations." A US and Japan-drafted resolution had received cross-regional support from more than 60 member states. It intended to strengthen and uphold the global non-proliferation regime, including in outer space, and reaffirm the shared goal of maintaining outer space for peaceful purposes. It also called on UN member states not to develop nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction designed to be placed in Earth's orbit....
Experts say this kind of weapon could have the potential to wipe out mega constellations of small satellites, like SpaceX's Starlink, which has been successfully used by Ukraine to counter Russian troops. This would almost certainly be "a last-ditch weapon" for Russia, the US official and other sources said — because it would do the same damage to whatever Russian satellites were also in the area.
The article notes that in March Russian President Vladimir Putin "told officials that space projects, including the setup of a nuclear power unit in space, should be a priority and receive proper financing."
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 for sharing the news.
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the words-in-your-mouth department: "A former high school athletic director was arrested Thursday morning," reports CBS News, "after allegedly using artificial intelligence to impersonate the school principal in a recording..."
One-time Pikesville High School employee Dazhon Darien is facing charges that include theft, stalking, disruption of school operations and retaliation against a witness. Investigators determined he faked principal Eric Eiswert's voice and circulated the audio on social media in January. Darien's nickname, DJ, was among the names mentioned in the audio clips he allegedly faked, according to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office.
Baltimore County detectives say Darien created the recording as retaliation against Eiswert, who had launched an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said on Thursday. Eiswert's voice, which police and AI experts believe was simulated, made disparaging comments toward Black students and the surrounding Jewish community. The audio was widely circulated on social media.
The article notes that after the faked recording circulated on social media the principal "was temporarily removed from the school, and waves of hate-filled messages circulated on social media, while the school received numerous phone calls."
The suspect had actually used the school's network multiple times to perform online searches for OpenAI tools, "which police linked to paid OpenAI accounts."
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the quality-assurances department: Reuters reports that America's Federal Aviation Administration "is investigating a union's claims that Boeing retaliated against two employees who in 2022 insisted the planemaker re-evaluate prior engineering work on 777 and 787 jets."
The employees' union "said the two unidentified engineers were representatives of the FAA, which delegates some of its oversight authority and certification process to Boeing workers."
The FAA noted on Tuesday that in 2022 it boosted oversight of planemakers by protecting aviation industry employees who perform agency functions from interference by their employers. A December 2021 Senate report found "FAA's certification process suffers from undue pressure on line engineers and production staff."
"Boeing can tell Congress and the media all it wants about how retaliation is strictly prohibited," said SPEEA Director of Strategic Development Rich Plunkett. "But our union is fighting retaliation cases on a regular basis, and, in this specific case, Boeing is trying to hide information that would shed light on what happened...."
Last week, Boeing quality engineer whistleblower Sam Salehpour, who raised questions about Boeing widebody jets, told senators he was told to "shut up" when he flagged safety concerns. He has said he was removed from the 787 program and transferred to the 777 jet due to his questions.
Boeing has "zero tolerance for retaliation," according a statement quoted by Reuters, in which the company says they "encourage our employees to speak up when they see an issue. After an extensive review of documentation and interviewing more than a dozen witnesses, our investigators found no evidence of retaliation or interference. We have determined the allegations are unsubstantiated."
The union's version of the story? "After nearly six months of debate, the two engineers, with backing from the FAA, prevailed. Boeing re-did the required analysis."
< This article continues on their website >
Posted by EditorDavid from Slashdot
From the one-Ring-to-rule-them-all department: America's Federal Trade Commission "is sending more than $5.6 million in refunds to consumers," reports the Associated Press, "as part of a settlement with Amazon-owned Ring, which was charged with failing to protect private video footage from outside access."
In a 2023 complaint, the FTC accused the doorbell camera and home security provider of allowing its employees and contractors to access customers' private videos. Ring allegedly used such footage to train algorithms without consent, among other purposes. Ring was also charged with failing to implement key security protections, which enabled hackers to take control of customers' accounts, cameras and videos. This led to "egregious violations of users' privacy," the FTC noted.
The resulting settlement required Ring to delete content that was found to be unlawfully obtained, establish stronger security protections and pay a hefty fine. The FTC says that it's now using much of that money to refund eligible Ring customers.
According to their announcement Tuesday, the FTC is now sending 117,044 PayPal payments to affected consumers...
Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005
Third Party company Cang Toys, via their
Weibo account, have shared images of their CT-Chiyou 05X Thorilla & CT-Chiyou 08 Rusirius) Purple Version. This is a new take on the G1 Predacons, using a very interesting design, stylized for sure but still very recognizable as the classic G1 characters plus some new original Predacons. This a special purple redeco of CT-Chiyou 05X Thorilla and CT-Chiyou 08 Rusirius. They are new gorilla and wolf characters which are also part of the combiner mode. Cang toys have already revealed
CT-Chiyou 01X Ferocious,
CT-Chiyou 03X Firmament, CT-Chiyou-04X Kinglion, CT-Chiyou-07X Dasirius and
CT-Chiyou 02X Landbull purple versions.
» Continue Reading. The post
Cang Toys CT-Chiyou 05X Thorilla & CT-Chiyou 08 Rusirius Purple Version appeared first on
Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.
From side-scrolling Metroidvanias to upbeat, humorous soulslikes, from the depths of the sea to the stars above, this week’s reviews run the gamut. Read on to find out what we thought of this week’s releases. 
With folks flocking back to the Appalachian wastelands of Fallout 76, we’ll help you survive and thrive with some great builds. We’ll also help you optimize your build in Mario Kart, make Cait Sith crush it on the battlefield in FF7 Rebirth, and more. 
