Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the moving-forward department: Microsoft has pledged more than $4 billion in cash and technology services to train millions of people in AI use, targeting schools, community colleges, technical colleges and nonprofits. The company said it will launch Microsoft Elevate Academy to help 20 million people earn AI certificates.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company would "serve as an advocate to ensure that students in every school across the country have access to A.I. education." The announcement follows Tuesday's news that the American Federation of Teachers received $23 million from Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic for a national AI training center. Last week, dozens of companies including Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI signed a White House pledge promising schools funding, technology and training materials for AI education.
Posted by from MMO Champion
Unveiling Pandaria: A Journey Through the Zones of Mists of Pandaria Classic
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
Hidden by mists for millennia, Pandaria emerges on the horizon—a land of ancient secrets, breathtaking landscapes, and soul-stirring new adventures. Mists of Pandaria Classic invites heroes to step ashore and discover a world that is both serene and savage, where harmony and conflict dance in equal measure.
Each zone of Pandaria is a chapter in a saga that unfolds across rolling jade hills, mist-shrouded peaks, and vibrant villages. Whether you are a fresh-faced wanderer or a seasoned champion, Pandaria’s seven main zones teem with stories to unravel, challenges to conquer, and wonders to explore.
The Jade Forest: Gateway to Discovery
The journey begins in the lush expanse of the Jade Forest, where towering bamboo groves sway beneath the watchful gaze of jade statues and cloud-piercing mountains. This is the gateway to Pandaria—a place where the Alliance and Horde’s first steps are met with both opportunity and danger.
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Posted by msmash from Slashdot
From the closer-look department: Researchers analyzing DNA from 1,313 ancient humans across Eurasia found that zoonotic pathogens first appeared in human populations around 6,500 years ago, coinciding with the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to livestock farming.
The genomic study, published in Nature, identified 5,486 DNA sequences from bacteria, viruses and parasites in blood remnants from bones and teeth spanning 37,000 years. Zoonotic pathogens were detected only in remains 6,500 years old or younger, peaking around 5,000 years ago when pastoralist communities from the Steppe region migrated into Europe with large herds. The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis first appears in the dataset between 5,700-5,300 years ago.
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the getting-with-the-times department: The UK police plan to spend up to 75 million pounds ($102 million) to digitize their vast archive of VHS tapes, aiming to preserve evidence by converting analog media into digital files integrated with evidence management systems. The procurement includes both in-house solutions and outsourced services, with additional funding earmarked for converting other legacy formats like microfiche and DVDs. The Register reports: According to a tender notice published last week, Bluelight Commercial - a not-for-profit buyer that acts on behalf of the emergency services - says the police force requires either in-house technology or outsourced services to convert the arcane magnetic tape format to digital storage. The notice, which sets out procurement plans, says the framework agreement will help forces with the "conversion of analog media to digital records, including metadata for integration with a digital evidence management system."
In the first lot of the framework, Bluelight asks for in-house VHS media digitization software, hardware, and training to "enable a Police Force to convert VHS tapes to digital files." This chunk of the arrangement could be worth 50 million pounds ($68 million) for four years, excluding VAT. The second lot asks for outsourced VHS media digitization "for the provision of conversion services delivered completely by a third party with electronic files being returned securely to the customer force." The output is also set to be ingested by a digital evidence management solution. It could be worth up to 25 million pounds ($34 million) over the same period. In addition, Bluelight Commercial is looking for a provider to help with more niche media digitization, including converting microfiche, CD, DVDs to an electronic file format, in an arrangement which could be worth a total of up to 25 million pounds ($34 million).
Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the world-first department: Two Chinese satellites, SJ-25 and SJ-21, have reportedly completed the first autonomous high-altitude orbital docking. "Although unconfirmed, this is thought to be the first orbital refueling at such a height -- the two satellites are currently over 20,000 miles from Earth," reports ExtremeTech. From the report: Orbital refueling is an important component in keeping satellites and space stations in low Earth orbit flying, but any efforts beyond that have been merely speculative until the past few years, when serious efforts from a range of private and national entities have explored its possibilities. China may have gotten ahead of the curve with this latest docking, though, in an impressive world first that raises serious concerns for satellites from nations and entities that align themselves differently from China's goals and ambitions.
In January, a satellite designated SJ-25 was launched "for the verification of satellite fuel replenishment and life extension service technologies," according to the Chinese state-owned designer, Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (via Ars Technica). Sometime last week, it matched orbits with the SJ-21 satellite, which previously conducted space debris maneuvering tests in 2021 and has remained in a geosynchronous orbit ever since.
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Posted by BeauHD from Slashdot
From the back-from-the-dead department: An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Filmmaker Peter Jackson owns one of the largest private collections of bones of an extinct New Zealand bird called the moa. His fascination with the flightless ostrich-like bird has led to an unusual partnership with a biotech company known for its grand and controversial plans to bring back lost species. On Tuesday, Colossal Biosciences announced an effort to genetically engineer living birds to resemble the extinct South Island giant moa -- which once stood 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall -- with $15 million in funding from Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh. The collaboration also includes the New Zealand-based Ngai Tahu Research Centre. "The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do," said Jackson. "Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa."
The moa had roamed New Zealand for 4,000 years until they became extinct around 600 years ago, mainly because of overhunting. A large skeleton brought to England in the 19th century, now on display at the Yorkshire Museum, prompted international interest in the long-necked bird. Unlike Colossal's work with dire wolves, the moa project is in very early stages. It started with a phone call about two years ago after Jackson heard about the company's efforts to "de-extinct" -- or create genetically similar animals to -- species like the woolly mammoth and the dire wolf. Then Jackson put Colossal in touch with experts he'd met through his own moa bone-collecting. At that point, he'd amassed between 300 and 400 bones, he said.
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Posted by from MMO Champion
Patch 11.2 PTR - Build 61871
Build 61871 has been deployed to the Public Test Realms.
Ghosts of K'aresh Development Notes - July 8, 2025
Blizzard has posted the Development Notes for Build 61871.
Achievement Changes
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
Dungeons
Feats of Strength
The War Within Keystone Conqueror: Season Three Attain a Mythic+ Rating of at least 1500 during The War Within Season Three.
Account Wide. Title: The Unbound. Account Wide.
Unbound Hero: The War Within Season Three Name changed from "[PH] Hero: The War Within Season Three" to "Unbound Hero: The War Within Season Three". End The War Within Mythic+ Season 3 with a Mythic+ Rating in the top 0.1% of all players in your region.
Title: The Unbound Hero.
War Within
Exploration
Phase-Lost-and-Found (New) Collect all of the Phase-List item appearances found from Phase Diving orbs. 10 points.
Strings Changes
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
OPTION_TOOLTIP_ACCESSIBILITY_FONT_SIZE - Adjust the display size of text
used throughout the game in menus like Text to Speech, social features, and pop-up messages
SPELL_FAILED_CUSTOM_ERROR_2431 (New) - This mount cannot enter Untethered Space.
Misc Changes
Originally Posted by MMO-Champion
LFG Dungeons
Dungeons
Manaforge Omega (New) - Disrupt Manaforge Omega's operations, or else risk a reborn Dimensius feasting on reality itself. Map: Manaforge Omega. Roles: .
Mounts
Ground Mounts
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Posted by from MMO Champion
Ghosts of K'aresh Development Notes - July 8, 2025
Originally Posted by Blizzard
(
Blue Tracker /
Official Forums)
THE WAR WITHIN SEASON 3
Additional raid and dungeon testing this week. See the schedules for more information:
Raid testing schedule
Dungeon testing schedule
CLASSES
Death Knight
Hero Talents
Deathbringer
Manaforge Omega 4-set bonus – Exterminate deals 20% increased damage, and Reaper’s Mark can stack up to 15 additional times. Upon exploding, Reaper’s Mark increases your critical strike chance by 10% for 8 seconds.
Rider of the Apocalypse
An issue causing the Manaforge Omega 2-set bonus to not grant the bonus damage to Undeath and Trollbane’s Icy Fury has been resolved.
Frost
Trollbane’s Icy Fury bonus from the Manaforge Omega 2-set bonus has been increased to 20% (was 10%).
Trollbane’s Obliterate from the Manaforge Omega 4-set bonus now deals Frost damage if was triggered from an Obliterate that consumed Killing Machine.
Trollbane’s Frostscythe damage from the Manaforge Omega 4-set bonus has been increased by 100%.
Unholy
An issue causing Whitemane’s Epidemic to benefit from the Mastery twice has been resolved.
Whitemane’s Death Coil damage increased by 100%.
Whitemane’s Epidemic damage from the Manaforge Omega 4-set bonus has been increased by 50%.
Whitemane’s Undeath bonus from the Manaforge Omega 2-set bonus has been increased to 20% (was 10%).
San’layn
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