Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the schwartz-awakens department: "Spaceballs 2" is officially in development nearly 40 years after the original parody hit theaters. The sequel, produced by Amazon MGM Studios and set for a 2027 release, will see Rick Moranis returning as Dark Helmet, Mel Brooks reprising his role as Yogurt, and Bill Pullman returning as Lone Starr. You can watch the teaser trailer on YouTube. IGN reports: A trailer for the sequel to the classic '80s sci-fi Star Wars parody arrived today. Although it mostly comes with a special message from Brooks himself and a familiar text crawl that pokes fun at the long, long list of sequels that have come to theaters in the last 38 years, this is the most official look at Spaceballs 2 we've seen yet.

"After 40 years, we asked, 'What do the fans want?' Brooks says in the Spaceballs 2 trailer. "But instead, we're making this movie." He added one final send-off: "May the Schwartz be with you."

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the privacy-nightmare department: Meta's standalone AI app is broadcasting users' supposedly private conversations with the chatbot to the public, creating what could amount to a widespread privacy breach. Users appear largely unaware that hitting the app's share button publishes their text exchanges, audio recordings, and images for anyone to see.

The exposed conversations reveal sensitive information: people asking for help with tax evasion, whether family members might face arrest for proximity to white-collar crimes, and requests to write character reference letters that include real names of individuals facing legal troubles. Meta provides no clear indication of privacy settings during posting, and if users log in through Instagram accounts set to public, their AI searches become equally visible.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the first-known-infections department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Two European journalists were hacked using government spyware made by Israeli surveillance tech provider Paragon, new research has confirmed. On Thursday, digital rights group The Citizen Lab published a new report detailing the results of a new forensic investigation into the iPhones of Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino and an unnamed "prominent" European journalist. The researchers said both journalists were hacked by the same Paragon customer, based on evidence found on the two journalists' devices.

Until now, there was no evidence that Pellegrino, who works for online news website Fanpage, had been either targeted or hacked with Paragon spyware. When he was alerted by Apple at the end of April, the notification referred to a mercenary spyware attack, but did not specifically mention Paragon, nor whether his phone had been infected with the spyware. The confirmation of the first-ever known Paragon infections further deepens an ongoing spyware scandal that, for now, appears to be mostly focused on the use of spyware by the Italian government, but could expand to include other countries in Europe.

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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the aggressive-bets department: Meta has invested $14.3 billion in Scale AI while recruiting the startup's CEO to join its AI team, marking an aggressive move by the social media giant to accelerate its AI development efforts. The unusual deal gives Meta a 49% non-voting stake in Scale, valuing the company at more than $29 billion. Scale co-founder Alexandr Wang will join Meta's "superintelligence" unit, which focuses on building AI systems that perform as well as humans -- a theoretical milestone known as artificial general intelligence.

Wang will remain on Scale's board while Jason Droege takes over as interim CEO. The investment represents Meta's intensified push to compete in AI development after CEO Mark Zuckerberg grew frustrated with the lukewarm reception of the company's Llama 4 language model, which launched in April. Since then, Zuckerberg has taken a hands-on approach to recruiting AI talent, hosting job candidates at his personal homes and reorganizing Meta's offices to position the superintelligence team closer to his workspace.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the how-about-that department: Japan must stop being overly optimistic about how quickly its population is going to shrink, economists have warned, as births plunge at a pace far ahead of core estimates. From a report: Japan this month said there were a total of 686,000 Japanese births in 2024, falling below 700,000 for the first time since records began in the 19th century and defying years of policy efforts to halt population decline. The total represented the ninth straight year of decline and pushed the country's total fertility rate -- the average number of children born per woman over her lifetime -- to a record low of 1.15.

But public and parliamentary dismay over the latest evidence of Japan's decline was intensified by the extent to which the figures undershot population estimates calculated by government demographers just two years ago. The median forecast produced by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS) in 2023 did not foresee the number of annual births -- which does not include children born to non-Japanese people -- dropping into the 680,000 range until 2039.

Posted by Black Convoy from TFW2005


Thanks to 2005 Boards member TJOmega for sharing in our boards photographic proof of his sighting and purchase of the new Sonic x Transformers Wingtail & Blue Booster 2-Pack at US retail.   While this pack has been around at stores for some days, it was street dated and not available for purchase. Now, it was finally found and bought at Coconut Point Target, Florida. We also have some in-hand images courtesy of Power12354 and pokemonsdoom which you can find after the jump. Happy hunting!

The post Sonic x Transformers Wingtail & Blue Booster 2-Pack Available At US Retail appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the passwordless-future department: During this week's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple unveiled a secure import/export feature for passkeys that addresses one of their biggest limitations: lack of interoperability across platforms and credential managers. The feature, built in collaboration with the FIDO Alliance, enables encrypted, user-initiated passkey transfers between apps and systems. Ars Technica's Dan Goodin says it "provides the strongest indication yet that passkey developers are making meaningful progress in improving usability." From the report: "People own their credentials and should have the flexibility to manage them where they choose," the narrator of the Apple video says. "This gives people more control over their data and the choice of which credential manager they use." The transfer feature, which will also work with passwords and verification codes, provides an industry-standard means for apps and OSes to more securely sync these credentials.

As the video explains: "This new process is fundamentally different and more secure than traditional credential export methods, which often involve exporting an unencrypted CSV or JSON file, then manually importing it into another app. The transfer process is user initiated, occurs directly between participating credential manager apps and is secured by local authentication like Face ID. This transfer uses a data schema that was built in collaboration with the members of the FIDO Alliance. It standardizes the data format for passkeys, passwords, verification codes, and more data types. The system provides a secure mechanism to move the data between apps. No insecure files are created on disk, eliminating the risk of credential leaks from exported files. It's a modern, secure way to move credentials."

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the big-moves department: Shopify is launching stablecoin payments for its merchants later this year, starting with USDC in collaboration with Coinbase and Stripe. Fortune reports: The publicly traded tech company lets merchants -- including vintage clothes sellers, cosmetics businesses, and electronics companies -- set up their own online marketplaces. By late June, Shopify will let a select group of users accept payments in USDC, a stablecoin issued by the crypto company Circle, which recently had one of the year's hottest IPOs. "In our own philosophical framework, we are extremely aligned with everything that crypto stands for," Tobias Lutke, the CEO of Shopify and a Coinbase board member, said onstage at a Coinbase conference on Thursday.

Shopify will then gradually expand access to merchants across its network in the U.S. and Europe before opening up stablecoin payments to every merchant who uses its platform. The e-commerce company worked with Coinbase to develop a payments protocol to handle chargebacks, refunds, and other intricacies of retail payments on Coinbase's blockchain, Base. It also collaborated with fintech giant Stripe, one of Shopify's payments processors, to integrate stablecoins into the e-commerce company's existing software stack. "I think other payment processors will look at what Shopify is building and be like, 'Holy crap,'" Jesse Pollak, a Coinbase executive who oversees the crypto exchange's wallet and blockchain divisions, told Fortune.

Posted by from MMO Champion
Mists of Pandaria Classic Development Notes: Celestial Dungeons & Class Updates

Originally Posted by Blizzard
(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Today we’ve updated the Mists of Pandaria Classic Beta with lots of changes!

Weekend Raid Testing

In our eighth week of Beta, It’s finally time to take on our remaining 2 early-expansion raids:

Delve into the rotting home of the Klaxxi and confront their sha-tainted queen in the Heart of Fear.

Chase the Sha of Fear to the Terrace of Endless Spring, where it has caused the guardians to devolve into fits of terror. Defeat it to restore peace to this sacred place.

Raid Testing Schedule

Heart of Fear and Terrace of Endless Springs raid testing will begin on Friday, June 13 at 1:00 p.m. PDT and end on Monday, June 16 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.

Level 90 template characters will be available for the raid, with item level 463 gear (Heroic Dungeon rewards).

Vendors are available in the following locations:

Shrine of Two Moons – The Golden Terrace

Shrine of Seven Stars – The Summer Terrace

Orgrimmar – Valley of Strength

Stormwind – Trade District

Vendors include:

Instructaur, to teach you max-level professions.

Flaskataur, for all of your flask, potion, enchant, and gem needs.

Glyphtaur, to acquire your glyphs.

Dungeontaur, to acquire Heroic Pandaria dungeon loot (including rare and epic pieces) and reputation tokens for the major Pandaria factions.

Donjon Rade, to teleport you to the raid.

Celestial Dungeons

Celestial Dungeons is a new optional game mode that’s now available for testing. Please leave any feedback on this feature in FEEDBACK: Celestial Dungeons thread.

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the less-show-more-sell department: Amazon has quietly doubled the ad load on Prime Video to 4-6 minutes per hour, up from the 2-3.5 minutes initially discussed when ads launched in 2024. AdWeek reports: According to six ad buyers and documents reviewed by ADWEEK, the current ad load on Prime Video now ranges from four to six minutes per hour. And while that could bring down CPMs, buyers will be watching whether this impacts user experience. "Prime Video ad load has gradually increased to four to six minutes per hour," an Amazon representative wrote to an ad buyer in an email obtained by ADWEEK. The exchange occurred earlier this month.

The increase, which Amazon had telegraphed to investors but has not publicly acknowledged to consumers, gives the company significantly more inventory to sell across its rapidly expanding streaming business. "They told us the ad load would be increasing," said Kendra Tang, programmatic supervisor at Rain the Growth Agency. "That's been confirmed recently when we noticed more avails in the system."

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the mass-exodus department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has lost another senior leader: executive director Bridget Bean departed on Wednesday. Bean, who served as the de facto agency boss for five months between former CISA director Jen Easterly's departure in January and Madhu Gottumukkala's appointment to the deputy director post last month, said she was "officially retiring from Federal service once again" in a LinkedIn post. "My time at CISA has been truly remarkable," she wrote. "Having had the privilege to serve as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Director of CISA for 5 months has been a profound honor."

CISA's executive leadership page now lists Gottumukkala as its acting director, and the agency remains without a Senate-confirmed leader. President Trump nominated Sean Plankey to serve as the agency's director, and his nomination is scheduled for consideration (PDF) by the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee today. However, his appointment still requires a full Senate vote. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has said he will continue to block Plankey's confirmation until CISA releases an unclassified report on American telecommunications networks' weak security.

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Posted by Tony_Bacala from The Toyark


McFarlane Toys held their 5th stream showing off goods today.  A hefty focus on Superman and the new movie product, but a lot of non movie stuff was shown too.  Read on to check out pics and some quick notes ...

The post McFarlane Toys Show Ep 5 Recap – New Superman Movie, Multiverse, Super Powers, Collectors, Digital, Multiverse & More! appeared first on The Toyark - News.

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the new-and-improved department: The PCI-SIG, which oversees the development of the PCIe specification, has officially released the final spec for PCI Express 7.0. "The PCIe 7.0 specification increases the per-lane data transfer rate to 128 GT/s in each direction, which is twice as fast as PCIe 6.0 supports and four times faster than PCIe 5.0," reports Tom's Hardware. "Such a significant performance increase enables devices with 16 PCIe 7.0 lanes to transfer up to 256 GB/s in each direction, not accounting for protocol overhead. The new version of the interface continues to use PAM4 signaling while maintaining the 1b/1b FLIT encoding method first introduced in PCIe 6.0." From the report: To achieve PCIe 7.0's 128 GT/s record data transfer rate, developers of PCIe 7.0 had to increase the physical signaling rate to 32 GHz or beyond. Keep in mind that both PCIe 5.0 and 6.0 use a physical signaling rate of 16 GHz to enable 32 GT/s using NRZ signaling and 64 GT/s using PAM4 signaling (which allows transfers of two bits per symbol). With PCIe 7.0, developers had to boost the physical frequency for the first time since 2017, which required tremendous work at various levels, as maintaining signal integrity at 32 GHz over long distances using copper wires is extremely challenging.

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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the first-of-its-kind department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Last week, electronics engineer Lorentio Brodesco announced the completion of a mock-up for nsOne, reportedly the first custom PlayStation 1 motherboard created outside of Sony in the console's 30-year history. The fully functional board accepts original PlayStation 1 chips and fits directly into the original console case, marking a milestone in reverse-engineering for the classic console released in 1994. Brodesco's motherboard isn't an emulator or FPGA-based re-creation -- it's a genuine circuit board designed to work with authentic PlayStation 1 components, including the CPU, GPU, SPU, RAM, oscillators, and voltage regulators. The board represents over a year of reverse-engineering work that began in March 2024 when Brodesco discovered incomplete documentation while repairing a PlayStation 1.

"This isn't an emulator. It's not an FPGA. It's not a modern replica," Brodesco wrote in a Reddit post about the project. "It's a real motherboard, compatible with the original PS1 chips." It's a desirable project for some PS1 enthusiasts because a custom motherboard could allow owners of broken consoles to revive their systems by transplanting original chips from damaged boards onto new, functional ones. With original PS1 motherboards becoming increasingly prone to failure after three decades, replacement boards could extend the lifespan of these classic consoles without resorting to emulation.

< This article continues on their website >

Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the new-and-shiny department: Microsoft quietly teased its next-generation Xbox by showcasing its collaboration with Asus "to bring two Xbox Ally handhelds to the market later this year," writes The Verge's Tom Warren. From the report: The Xbox Ally handhelds run Windows, but the Xbox team has worked with Windows engineers to boot these PC handhelds into a full-screen Xbox UI. The Windows desktop doesn't even fully load, and you use the Xbox app UI as a launcher to get to all your games (even Steam titles) and apps like Discord. While the combination of Windows and Xbox here is intriguing, it's the way that Microsoft is positioning these devices that really caught my attention.

"This is an Xbox," said Microsoft during the reveal, clearly expanding its marketing push beyond a single console to every screen and device. It all felt like a true Xbox handheld reveal. There was even an 11-minute-long behind-the-scenes video on the Xbox Ally handhelds, filmed in a similar style to Microsoft's "Project Scorpio" Xbox One X reveal from nearly nine years ago. "This is a breakthrough moment for Xbox," Carl Ledbetter, a 30-year Microsoft design veteran, says in the video. Ledbetter helped design the original IntelliMouse, the Xbox 360 Slim, the Xbox One X, and plenty of other Microsoft devices. When Ledbetter is involved, you know it's more than just a simple partner project with Asus.

"For the first time, a player is going to be able to hold the power of the Xbox experience in their hand, and take it with them anywhere they want to go," says Xbox president Sarah Bond, in the same video. Microsoft thinks of the Xbox Ally handhelds as Xbox consoles with the freedom of Windows, and I think the next-gen Xbox is going to look very similar as a result.
Related

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the outage-report department: Multiple popular services -- including Google, Google Cloud, AWS, Spotify, Discord, Cloudflare, Google Nest, Azure, Box and Shopify -- are experiencing at least a partial outage globally that began around 2:25pm ET Friday, according to user complaints with reports flooding in across social media and outage tracking sites. Cloudflare has confirmed ongoing issues that started within the past hour. It remains unclear what prompted the outage.

More details to follow.

Posted by AzT from TFW2005


Transformers issue #22 is scheduled for July arrival: ONE HAS FALLEN. ONE WILL RISE. The Autobots and Decepticons prepare to make their final stand—and this time there’s no turning back. Discuss the preview with fellow readers on the 2005 boards! The full list of variant covers is below: TRANSFORMERS #22 Cover A by Daniel Warren Johnson & Mike Spicer (Lunar Code: 0525IM441) TRANSFORMERS #22 Cover B by Jorge Corona & Mike Spicer (Lunar Code: 0525IM442) TRANSFORMERS #22 Cover C (1:10 Copy Incentive) (Connecting) by David Nakayama (Lunar Code: 0525IM443), featured TRANSFORMERS #22 Cover D (1:25 Copy Incentive) by Manabu Yashiro » Continue Reading.

The post Skybound’s Transformers, 2-Page Preview of Issue #22 appeared first on Transformer World 2005 - TFW2005.COM.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the but-why department: BrianFagioli writes: Barbie is getting a brain upgrade. Mattel has officially partnered with OpenAI in a move that brings artificial intelligence to the toy aisle. Yes, you read that right, folks. Barbie might soon be chatting with your kids in full sentences, powered by ChatGPT.

This collaboration brings OpenAI's advanced tools into Mattel's ecosystem of toys and entertainment brands. The goal? To launch AI-powered experiences that are fun, safe, and age-appropriate. Mattel says it wants to keep things magical while also respecting privacy and security. Basically, Barbie won't be data-mining your kids... yet.

Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the price-you-pay department: More than a dozen private browsing apps on Apple and Google's app stores have undisclosed ties to Chinese companies, leaving user data at risk of exposure to the Chinese government, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project. From a report: Thirteen virtual private network (VPN) apps on Apple's App Store and 11 apps on Google's Play Store have ties to Chinese companies, the tech watchdog group said in the report released Thursday.

Chinese law requires Chinese companies to share data with the government upon request, creating privacy and security risks for American users. Several of the apps, including two on both app stores and two others on Google Play Store, have ties to Chinese cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. government, according to the report. The Tech Transparency Project previously identified more than 20 VPN apps on Appleâ(TM)s App Store with Chinese ties in an April report. The iPhone maker has since removed three apps linked to Qihoo 360.

Posted by from MMO Champion
Legacy of Arathor Content Update Notes

Originally Posted by Blizzard
(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Take your adventures further in the Legacy of Arathor update. You’ll amp up the challenge in Overcharged Delves, go Lorewalking with Lorewalker Cho, get a helping hand with the new Assisted Highlight and Single-Button Assistant… and more.

---

NEW CAMPAIGN QUESTLINE - RISE OF THE RED DAWN




While attention has been focused on Khaz Algar, a new enemy has risen in the Arathi Highlands, threatening to shatter the tenuous peace between Stromgarde and Hammerfall. Join Faerin, Danath, and Geya'rah as they attempt to expose a conspiracy, defuse tensions, and grapple with the legacy of Arathor. Experience this new storyline with branching viewpoints based on your character’s faction as you brave the journey ahead. [LEARN MORE]

Players will receive a few new rewards for their efforts:

Alliance players will receive a new Stromgarde Tabard and the title “[Name] of Stromgarde”.

Horde players will receive a new Hammerfall Tabard and the title “[Name] of Hammerfall”.

All players will receive the Lamplighter’s Pauldrons transmog inspired by Faerin’s own shoulders.

---

GO LOREWALKING WITH LOREWALKER CHO




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