Republican-Led States Across the Country Are Copying Texas’ Radical Anti-Immigration Law
On April 30, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma signed HB 4156, enabling state law enforcement to arrest undocumented immigrants. The measure was, in many ways, radical. For more than a century, immigration enforcement has been almost exclusively the domain of the federal government. But, across the country, Republicans on the state level are attempting to undo […]
Republican-Led States Across the Country Are Copying Texas’s Radical Anti-Immigration Law
On April 30, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma signed HB 4156, enabling state law enforcement to arrest undocumented immigrants. The measure was, in many ways, radical. For more than a century, immigration enforcement has been almost exclusively the domain of the federal government. But, across the country, Republicans on the state level are attempting to undo […]
Windows 11’s screenshot tool is getting QR code scanning and emoji support
Image: Microsoft.com
Microsoft is finally adding an easy way to use QR codes inside Windows 11’s built-in Snipping Tool. A new update has started rolling out to Windows Insider testers today that will automatically detect QR codes in screenshots so you can open links from your PC. The Snipping Tool update also includes support for emoji.
The automatic QR code detection will appear if you enter the text actions part of the canvas in the Snipping Tool and will highlight the QR code and its clickable link. If you’re an emoji fan, then you’ll be able to add Microsoft’s 3D emoji to your screenshots. This new option is part of the shapes toolbar, and any inserted emoji can easily be resized and moved around on top of your screenshot.
Image:...
Skylight’s terrific smart calendar is down to its lowest price to date
Skylight’s 15-inch touchscreen planner is probably the last calendar your family will ever need. | Image: Skylight
As cool and useful as the Skylight Calendar is, I can’t blame anyone for feeling apprehensive about paying north of $300 for something their smartphone and a cheap paper calendar can do. But the 15-inch version of the excellent family planner is now receiving a rare $70 discount at Amazon and Best Buy, which drops it to an all-time low of $249.99. If you’re a Costco member and don’t mind waiting until tomorrow, May 10th, you can even pick it up for $219.99 ($80 off).
The Skylight Calendar is a fun smart display that lets you create color-coded sticky notes and appointments, which look similar to the Google Calendar web interface. (By the way, Skylight sells an even more impressive 27-inch version that starts at $569.99 and a more...
Threads is making it easy for anyone to see a post’s view count
Illustration: The Verge
One important step of evolving Threads into a fully featured social media platform is being more transparent about reach and distribution. And today, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says the company is making it easy for anyone to see a post’s view count. “It’s important that people understand how their Threads posts perform, so we’re rolling out the ability to tap anywhere on a post to display its total view count,” he writes.
As usual, it’ll take some time before everyone gets this option — I’m not seeing it in my app or on the web just yet — but it’ll be a welcome window into performance for influencers, businesses, and regular users. If nothing else, it’s always nice to know you’re not just shouting into the void. “We’ve got more work...
Despite big tech lobbying, Maryland passes two internet privacy bills
Image: The Verge
The Maryland legislature passed two bills over the weekend limiting tech platforms’ ability to collect and use consumers’ data. Maryland Governor Wes Moore is expected to sign one of those bills, the Maryland Kids Code, on Thursday, MoCo360 reports.
If signed into law, the other bill, the Maryland Online Privacy Act, will go into effect in October 2025. The legislation would limit platforms’ ability to collect user data and let users opt out of having their data used for targeted advertising and other purposes.
Together, the bills would significantly limit social media and other platforms’ ability to track their users — but tech companies, including Amazon, Google, and Meta, have opposed similar legislation. NetChoice, a trade...
Can Michael Flynn Help Put a January 6 Rioter in Congress?
During his visit to West Virginia Wednesday for a screening of his eponymous new movie, former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn took some time to make a big plug for Derrick Evans, the January 6 rioter who pleaded guilty to a felony, served a three-month sentence, and now is running for Congress in West […]
V Rising Beginner Guide: 5 Tips to Help Sharpen Your Fangs
Anyone can punch trees long enough to build a house, but can you also take down a teleporting necromancer and eat an entire bear in one sitting? These questions and more will be answered in your time with V Rising, Stunlock Studios’ survival/crafting/action-RPG hybrid that’s finally out of Early Access. I’ve been…
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
I was listening to this podcast talking about the efforts to find the artist responsible for a well known cover for "A Wrinkle in Time", and it struck me how art (in all its various forms) is one of the things that connects us, the makers and the admirers. It cuts through differences and rises above and outlasts the acts of commerce it sometimes serves. I'd hate to lose those opportunities for human connection to a pile of GPUs. (I don't think we will.)
https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2023/09/01/artist-known-wrinkle
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Finishing write up about Jack.
Working title: Jack Dorsey is on one
Attachments:
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Scaling #Twitter (2007) by then Twitter CTO Blaine Cook
Nintendo Switch Owners Are More Willing To Buy Indie Games, Says Publisher
Nigel Lowrie, the co-founder of indie publisher Devolver Digital (Hotline Miami, Cult of the Lamb), says that indie games do much better on Switch than on other consoles because Nintendo has cultivated a playerbase that is more “open to interesting concepts” and smaller games.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Why Twitter Will Endure - NYT (2008):
"“The history of the Internet suggests that there have been cool Web sites that go in and out of fashion and then there have been open standards that become plumbing,” said Steven Johnson, the author and technology observer who wrote a seminal piece about Twitter for Time last June. “Twitter is looking more and more like plumbing, and plumbing is eternal.”" https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/weekinreview/03carr.html
Their first baby came with medical debt. These Illinois parents won't have another.
Millions of new parents in the U.S. are swamped by medical debt during and after pregnancy, forcing many to cut back on food, clothing, and other essentials.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
amusing
Instagram video by Brian Harms • May 7, 2024 at 8:13 PM
How To Get Bronze And Unlock The Fishing Rod In Hades 2
Hades 2, Supergiant Games’ highly anticipated sequel, has several gameplay features that are new to the franchise. One of these new features has you chasing materials in the Underworld and elsewhere, from Psyche to Fate Fabric. Some resources appear as requirements to unlock important tools and upgrades early on,…
In Company First, Nintendo Nominates Three Women To Board Of Directors
Nintendo, founded in 1889, is perhaps the longest running gaming company around and, perhaps due to this fact, it has largely remained a boys’ club. This began to change for the better in 2020, when it nominated its first woman to the board of directors. Since then, the company has vowed to hire more women, who make…
How To Survive On The Surface In Hades 2
Hades 2 is jam-packed with places to discover, and not all of them start at Erebus. If you’ve already unlocked the ward at the Crossroads, you’ll know that the surface is available as an alternative path to take, filled with its own vistas, rewards, and challenges. Sadly, protagonist Melinoë won’t be able to stay…
Lego’s new Retro Radio is just for looks
Photo: Lego
Lego is releasing a new Retro Radio build that emulates a classic portable sound system. It visually scratches the nostalgic itch with its mechanical tuner knob, a handle, and even an antenna. Jay’s Brick Blog reports the $99.99 set, part of Lego’s Icons collection, can play preloaded sounds or house a smartphone to play whatever — but unfortunately, Lego skipped on implementing an actual radio.
The Retro Radio is made up of 906 pieces and includes a special speaker-containing sound brick that plays its included tunes of fake stations like a sports broadcast that you can interact with by turning the dial. The other knob powers on the unit, and there’s also a pretend AM / FM switch.
Lego includes some key details on the Retro Radio, like...
Doodle from the opposite side of the sketchbook spread. Somehow wanted a similar pose, but different style. And played around with some text markers. :D
Attachments:
- Sketchbook drawing done with black ink and shaded with green and yellow text markers. A young woman, looking at the viewer. Her head is slightly tilted and the back of her right hand is gently touching her chin. Her long black hair is flowing in strands over her face and arms. She is slightly covered with large leaves and small black vines. The background is filled with green and the outlines of leaves are drawn in white, shaded in yellow. (remote)
Don’t Miss This Stylish New Time-Bending Adventure
One of my biggest gaming regrets was not playing Vanillaware’s time-travel narrative adventure 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim when it was released in 2019. Everybody around me kept telling me to just pick up the damn game and give it a try because they knew I would like it. I didn’t play it until 2023, at which point I…
Nigeria has detained a journalist who reported on corruption in a widening crackdown
Investigative journalist Daniel Ojukwu has been arrested by police and held without charge for over a week, drawing criticism from advocacy groups over a worsening climate for independent journalism.
Here’s How To Play Metal Gear Solid 3 The Right Way
With the release of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection in 2023, games like 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3 are more freely available (albeit in a very compromised and feature-lacking collection) than they have been before. But as MGS3in the Master Collection is secretly a repackaged version of its follow-up expansion, S…
You can still buy the last-gen iPad with a headphone jack for $249
The last-gen iPad is still worth buying even after Apple killed it and cut the price of its successor. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Apple may have stopped selling iPads with headphone jacks, but that doesn’t mean you can‘t buy one. Despite the fact Apple dropped the ninth-gen iPad from its official lineup this week, you can still purchase the tablet from multiple third-party retailers for the time being. Until they run out of stock, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target are still selling the last-gen iPad starting at $249 ($80 off) with 64GB of storage and Wi-Fi.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly tablet for entertainment purposes, the 10.2-inch ninth-gen iPad still offers excellent value for your money. It’s $100 cheaper than its larger, 10.9-inch successor with an older A13 Bionic processor, yet it runs the same software and can do a lot of the same things....
Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resign days apart, casting a spotlight on the organization
Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava stepped down, citing mental health and personal values. They are the latest to depart the organization, which is no stranger to controversy.
How To Unlock The Ward In The Crossroads In Hades 2
Hades 2, even in its current Early Access state, has plenty to offer. So much, in fact, that there are alternate paths you can take before starting a run. The first path on the opposite side of the entrance to Erebus is one you’ll notice right away, but won’t be able to open. You need to complete some some tasks…
A Gay Couple Is Suing New York City Over IVF Denial
The city of New York is discriminating against its gay male employees by denying them the same health care benefits as women and straight men, a new lawsuit alleges. Under the city’s insurance, employees are entitled to coverage for up to three rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in their quest to have children—that is, […]
Which Server Should You Pick In Final Fantasy XIV?
Before you can begin your adventure in Final Fantasy XIV, you’ll need to create your own player character (which is fun) and decide which server you’re going to play on (which is less fun). For those totally new to MMORPGs, your server (also known as a “world”) dictates who you’ll interact with when you play the game.…
A New Lord Of The Rings Movie Starring Gollum Is Coming
A new Lord of the Rings film is officially in the works, and it will feature some key personnel from both the original trilogy and the Hobbit trilogy. However, it won’t be original director Peter Jackson in the chair, but rather Gollum actor Andy Serkis.
Meet The Guy Who Just Nuked Xbox Boss Phil Spencer In Fallout 76
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is taking a lot of heat online for recent decisions to close beloved studios like Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Last night the long-time gaming exec was apparently exploring the wasteland in Fallout 76 when another player nuked his entire campsite.
Soon Your Nintendo Switch Won't Connect To Twitter Any More
Elon Musk continues to run X (formerly Twitter) in a variety of questionable ways, and surely one of the oddest is the decision to charge vast amounts of money for access to the site’s API. As such, major firms are dropping integration with the hellsite, the latest being Nintendo. From June 10, you will no longer be…
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
Anti-science conservative hacks lunge at Scientific American with a totally bogus ideologically-driven tirade.🧪
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/05/09/fringe-bigots-hack-at-scientific-american/
Attachments:
Sonos says its controversial app redesign took ‘courage’
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Sonos has responded to the avalanche of feedback — some good, plenty bad — about the company’s redesigned mobile app that was released on May 7th. In the days since, customers have complained about missing features like sleep timers, broken local music library management, and no longer having the ability to edit playlists or the upcoming song queue. More alarmingly, the Sonos app’s accessibility has also taken a hit, something the company says it’s aiming to resolve by next month.
In a statement provided to The Verge, Sonos confirms that it’s keenly aware of the gripes that customers have expressed about the new app. It’s hearing their response and is working to address the functionality that has (for now) gone missing. But the company...
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
> Fun fact: "The Tragedy Of the Commons" is a hoax created by the white nationalist Garrett Hardin to justify stealing land from colonized people and moving it from collective ownership, "rescuing" it from the inevitable tragedy by putting it in the hands of a private owner, who will care for it properly, thanks to "rational self-interest"
Didn't know this.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Pluralistic: AI is a WMD (09 May 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow:
"Fun fact: “The Tragedy Of the Commons” is a hoax created by the white nationalist Garrett Hardin to justify stealing land from colonized people and moving it from collective ownership, “rescuing” it from the inevitable tragedy by putting it in the hands of a private owner, who will care for it properly, thanks to “rational self-interest”"
I ... https://micro.fromjason.xyz/2024/05/09/pluralistic-ai-is.html
Stormy Daniels continues testimony in Trump's criminal trial
Today is the second day of testimony for adult film star Stormy Daniels. On Tuesday she testified to a nondisclosure agreement and settlement deal with former President Donald Trump.
How To Increase Grasp And Use More Arcana Cards In Hades 2
It doesn’t take long for Hades 2 to introduce Tarot Arcana cards to you, a new mechanic that allows protagonist Melinoë to become stronger in many ways. Each card requires a specific amount of Grasp, a resource unique to this system, which can fill up pretty fast.
TikTok is adding an ‘AI-generated’ label to watermarked third-party content
Image: The Verge
TikTok already automatically applies an “AI-generated” tag to content on its platform made using TikTok’s AI tools, and that same label will now apply to content created on other platforms. Now, TikTok will detect when images or videos are uploaded to its platform containing metadata tags indicating the presence of AI-generated content and says it’s the first social media platform to support the new Content Credentials.
Support for the Adobe-developed tagging system (which has been added to tools like Photoshop and Firefly) comes as TikTok partners with Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) as well as the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA).
Image: TikTok
TikTok writes that Content...
Warner Bros. Discovery’s first new Lord of the Rings movie is due out in 2026
Photo: New Line Cinema
Last year, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it was working on “multiple Lord of the Rings movies’’ with New Line Cinema, the production company that put out Peter Jackson’s original trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. Now, we know when the first of those new movies is probably hitting theaters.
During an earnings call today, WBD CEO David Zaslav announced that the company expects Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum to debut sometime in 2026 and “explore storylines yet to be told.” Andy Serkis is set to direct the film and reprise his role as the titular Hobbit-like man whose encounters with the One Ring transform him into a crazed ghoul, and Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens have joined the project as producers.
In a...
collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth") wrote:
Web dev shower thought:
15 years ago, if browsers would've had the capabilities they do now, a *massive* swath of tooling would've never been needed. It would've entirely rewritten web history.
I think we'll still be recovering from the "fix everything with a tool" era for a while before developers realize how much of what we've come to rely on simply isn't needed anymore.
Browsers and browser languages have become insanely powerful, in ways I don't think we even fully understand yet.
The joy of getting lost in Animal Well’s cryptic world
Image: Bigmode Games
Talk to someone who is fully immersed in the indie game Animal Well, and you’re bound to hear some strange things. They might get excited about a new way to use a Frisbee or be frustrated about playing music for a caged cat. They’ll probably chat your ear off about the dozens of different-colored eggs they’ve collected, and all of the ones that seem just out of reach. Mostly, though, what they’re saying will sound like gibberish. That’s because the world of Animal Well is so odd and cryptic it almost requires its own language to discuss — but once you speak it, it’s hard to think about anything else.
Animal Well is the first release from solo developer Billy Basso, and it’s probably best described as a Metroidvania. You play as a little...
Animal Well: The Kotaku Review
I can’t tell you about Animal Well’s best moments. That’s because doing so would spoil the magic of discovering them for yourself, and because I still haven’t uncovered all of them yet either. I went into Animal Well hoping for a fun, evocative trip through a beautiful, lo-fi underground labyrinth. What I got was so…
Motorola’s midrange stylus phone gets wireless charging and a glow-up
I hope other phone makers are taking notes on how to do a fun color. | Photo: Motorola
Motorola’s Moto G Stylus 5G is back this year with some notable spec bumps and an eye-catching new design. This year’s version gains wireless charging and an upgraded screen, while still holding onto vintage features like a headphone jack and microSD card slot — all for $399.
The G Stylus 5G is still a Big Phone with a capital B: it comes with a 6.7-inch screen. That’s a 1080p panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate, updating last year’s 6.6-inch LCD. There’s a generous 5,000mAh battery, compatible with 30W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging. The 2024 Stylus 5G uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset — interestingly, that’s the same as in last year’s model. We don’t often see phone makers going back to the same chipset two years in a...
Medical residents are starting to avoid states with abortion bans, data shows
A new analysis shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools were less likely to apply this year for residencies across specialties in states with restrictions on abortion.
Why Spotify is still fighting with Apple in Europe
Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge
Over the past couple of months, Spotify has been submitting update after update to Apple, changing the interface of its music streaming service to display pricing information in-app for users in the European Union. For users, this is barely worth noticing. But for Spotify, each submission has been yet another skirmish in its yearslong legal struggle with Apple in the EU. And right now, Spotify is the closest it’s ever been to getting Apple to finally cave.
In March, the European Commission ruled against Apple in an antitrust action over App Store restrictions on music streaming services. In 2019, Spotify filed an antitrust complaint against Apple, claiming that the App Store’s cut of subscription fees — which can be up to 30 percent —...
Biden warns he'll halt Israel weapons shipments; the Kendrick and Drake beef explained
Biden says he will halt additional weapons shipments to Israel if it proceeds with a major ground offensive in Rafah. NPR music editor Sheldon Pearce breaks down the Kendrick Lamar/Drake beef.
FDA recalls defective iOS app that injured over 200 insulin pump users
An updated version of the iOS app is available that should resolve the issue for impacted Tandem Diabetes Care customers. | Photo Illustration by Matt Harbicht/Getty Images for Tandem Diabetes Care
At least 224 people with diabetes have reported injuries linked to a defective iOS app that caused their insulin pumps to shut down prematurely, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
On Wednesday, the agency announced that California-based medical device manufacturer Tandem Diabetes Care has issued a recall for version 2.7 of the iOS t:connect mobile app, which is used in conjunction with the company’s t:slim X2 insulin pump. Specifically, the recall relates to a software issue that can cause the app to repeatedly crash and relaunch, resulting in the pump’s battery being drained by excessive Bluetooth communication.
This battery drain can cause the pump to shut down “earlier than typically expected” according to Tandem,...
Reblogged by nadim@symbolic.software ("Nadim Kobeissi"):
neilmadden@infosec.exchange ("Neil Madden") wrote:
Throwaway idea for a novel #CSRF defence: use an encrypted session cookie, but with a random key that then becomes the anti-csrf token. Now you are guaranteed that the session cookie cannot be used without the csrf token.
Environmentalists Are Having a Cow Over Tyson Foods’ “Climate Friendly” Beef
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. About five miles south of Broken Bow, in the heart of central Nebraska, thousands of cattle stand in feedlots at Adams Land & Cattle Co., a supplier of beef to the meat giant Tyson Foods. From the air, the feedlots […]
Migrant crime is politically charged, but the reality is more complicated
Republicans have raised the alarm about a migrant crime wave. Nationally, crime is down even as immigration has surged, but the concerns are real in some neighborhoods.
The judge and the prosecutor in the Georgia Trump case are running for reelection too
The judge overseeing Donald Trump's Georgia election interference case is running for reelection this month. So is the case's top prosecutor. It's a unique subplot to an unprecedented case.
For Mother's Day, a bouquet of useful health advice for new moms and moms-to-be
Expert guidance on the realities of pregnancy and new motherhood from Life Kit. Find episodes on the menstrual cycle, egg freezing, postpartum depression and more.
A WWII story by The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling is published for the first time
Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling was a paratrooper during WWII. After the war, he wrote a short story inspired by the experience. It's now being published for the first time in The Strand.
WiiM announces two new wireless audiophile streamers — one with a touchscreen
WiiM has announced two new audiophile streaming devices for the high end of its wireless audio streaming devices. Called the WiiM Ultra and the WiiM Amp Pro, both support AirPlay 2, Chromecast, DLNA, and several other streaming protocols and will be available this summer.
Both devices are equipped with a 32-bit / 384kHz ES9038 Q2M Sabre DAC. (Last year’s Wiim Amp used an ES9018 Sabre DAC instead). They also use Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity, and they each sport the same shrunken-down Mac Studio look. WiiM says the two devices also automatically tune audio output to the room they’re in.
Image: Courtesy of WiiM
The WiiM Ultra, front and back.
But the WiiM Ultra has a 3.5mm touchscreen on...
Tornadoes tear through the southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could march through parts of the South early Thursday, after deadly storms a day earlier spawned damaging tornadoes and massive hail.
FTX says it will return money to most of its customers
FTX says that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded, and some will get more than that.
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Just read a comment that said "the new American Dream is to be able to afford to leave it"
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
So it's pretty simple, the cops start riots.
I know this really isn't the sort of story the people in power want you see to, right?
But from start to finish the community demonstrated we keep us safe.
Reblogged by keul@fosstodon.org ("Luca Fabbri"):
eloquence@social.coop ("Erik Moeller") wrote:
What happens when China builds an #LLM? DeepSeek just released v2 of its model, which is open source.
I tried it on deepseek.com. Ask it about Tiananmen square, and the chatbot self-censors its answer while it is generating (that presumably is limited to their deployment). On variations not caught by the filter, it refuses -- and replies in Chinese:
"The content of your question is not in line with the core values of socialism, nor is it in line with China's laws, regulations and policies."
Attachments:
- Interaction with the Deepseek chatbot. The first question was simply "What's referred to with the Tiananmen square massacre?" That was caught by the filter and censored before a response could be generated. A variation -- with spaces between the letters -- passed the filter, but resulted in a refusal ("I cannot answer that question .. created to be helpful and harmless"). A follow-up question resulted in a response in Chinese, which translates to: The content of your question is not in line with the core values of socialism, nor is it in line with China's laws, regulations and policies. As an AI assistant, my goal is to provide helpful and positive information while complying with relevant laws and regulations. If you have further questions, I'll try to help. (remote)
Reblogged by isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:"):
CodingItWrong@tdd.social ("Josh Justice") wrote:
People on LinkedIn: "I can't believe I got laid off; I was working 60-80 hours per week."
Me: "Please start believing that a company that works you 60-80 hours per week is not going to prioritize your wellbeing."
ChatGPT maker OpenAI exploring how to 'responsibly' make AI erotica
The San Francisco-based AI juggernaut says it is re-evaluating its policies around "NSFW" content.
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
this is the *weirdest* election of my long strange life
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
There's no way for me to confirm the authenticity of these photos inauthenticity
But if these are in fact AI generated, holy shit.
Attachments:
Biden says he would halt additional weapons shipments if Israel invades Rafah
The president's comments to CNN follow news that one shipment of bombs is already on hold out of concern about the impact on civilian lives.
Microsoft says it needs games like Hi-Fi Rush the day after killing its studio
Image: Tango Gameworks
Today, one day after Microsoft announced that it would shut down four of its games studios, Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, held a town hall to discuss the division’s future goals. “We need smaller games that give us prestige and awards,” Booty told employees, according to internal remarks shared with The Verge.
For some listeners on the call, it was a surprising goal: Microsoft had just shut down the Japanese developer Tango Gameworks, which was coming off the small, prestigious hit title Hi-Fi Rush.
Hi-Fi Rush, which was a surprise release last year, was praised for its innovation and charm. The rhythm action game featured music by The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails, with an art style that evoked the hyper-stylized games of the...
“Sometimes it’s better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.”
—Terry Pratchett, _Men at Arms_
Intel and motherboard makers disagree on how to stabilize your crashing i9 CPU
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge
Recently, motherboard makers have issued BIOS updates to improve the stability of Intel 13th and 14th Gen i9 chips in crashing games. But Intel, which announced last month that it was investigating these issues, is now asking gamers not to implement those settings.
The companies now seem to be at odds on how to adjust your CPU. Motherboard makers like Asus are recommending an “Intel Baseline Profile” with “basic functionality” and “lower power limits,” while Intel says you should go with a higher power profile depending on your motherboard and chip.
Here’s Intel’s full statement, from Anandtech:
Several motherboard manufacturers have released BIOS profiles labeled ‘Intel Baseline Profile’. However, these BIOS profiles are not the same...
Microsoft’s ‘air gapped’ AI is a bot set up to process top-secret info
Image: The Verge
Microsoft Strategic Missions and Technology CTO William Chappell announced that it’s deployed a GPT-4 large language model in an isolated, air-gapped environment on a government-only network. Bloomberg first reported the setup, citing an unnamed executive who claimed that the Azure Government Top Secret cloud-hosted model represents the first time a “major” LLM has operated separated from the internet.
Chappell announced the AI supercomputer on Tuesday afternoon at the “first-ever AI Expo for National Competitiveness” in Washington D.C. Unlike the models behind ChatGPT or other tools, Microsoft says this server is “static,” operating without learning from the files it processes or the wider internet.
Chappell told Bloomberg, “It is now...
Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now
The Apple Watch Series 9 doesn’t shake things up too much, but it does pack a handful of iterative updates. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
In September, Apple launched its latest batch of smartwatches, introducing the Apple Watch Ultra 2 ($799) alongside the Apple Watch Series 9 ($399). Each wearable has its own pros and cons, as does the second-gen Apple Watch SE ($249), but the introduction of the new wearables also means there are now more Apple Watch models on the market than ever before — and a lot more deals to be had.
But with all of those options, which one should you pick? Generally speaking, you want to buy the newest watch you can afford so that it continues to receive software updates from Apple. The latest update, watchOS 10, launched in September on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, though no one can say with certainty whether the Series 4 will get the next...
A Disney, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle is on the way
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
There’s a new streaming bundle coming to town. Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up to offer Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max in a bundle that will become available in the US this summer.
The new bundle will include both ad-supported and ad-free options, but there’s still no word on how much it will cost. Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery say they will share “additional details” about the bundle in the “coming months.” Once available, you’ll be able to purchase the bundle from Disney Plus, Hulu, or Max’s website.
This fall, the Disney-owned ESPN will also offer a live sports streaming service with Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox.
The bundle comes at a pivotal point for the streaming industry, where companies are now turning their...
Online Scams are a Worldwide Problem and Scammers May Also Be Victims
Scams that target people via direct message and texts in an effort to steal money have become pervasive. But the scammer on the other end of the communication might be a victim too, in a human-trafficking scheme. We hear the story of one such victim.
China’s Chang’e 6 Moon probe has a mysterious guest on board
Check out the little wheels on the upper left side. | Image: CAST
China’s Chang’e 6 lunar probe mission is bound for the far side of the Moon, and there seems to be a small rover affixed to the side of the lander, as seen in new images released by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).
China’s National Space Administration announced today that the probe, which launched last week, has successfully entered the Moon’s orbit, a big step toward landing the spacecraft early next month.
Yeah, okay. That looks like a previously undisclosed mini rover on the side of the Chang'e-6 lander lol. Via CAST: https://t.co/gS0Jy5L9hw pic.twitter.com/9vvTnribpl
— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) May 3, 2024
But as Space.com reports, people have noticed that CAST’s published images show a mysterious mini rover — one that...
Reblogged by nadim@symbolic.software ("Nadim Kobeissi"):
dangillmor ("Dan Gillmor") wrote:
Stack Overflow joins Twitter and Reddit in demonstrating control-freak contempt for the people who made the platform what it is.
The company will probably get away with it, because people seem unable to fight back in effective ways, at least in numbers that make a difference.
OpenAI’s Model Spec outlines some basic rules for AI
Illustration: The Verge
AI tools behaving badly — like Microsoft’s Bing AI losing track of which year it is — has become a subgenre of reporting on AI. But very often, it’s hard to tell the difference between a bug and poor construction of the underlying AI model that analyzes incoming data and predicts what an acceptable response will be, like Google’s Gemini image generator drawing diverse Nazis due to a filter setting.
Now, OpenAI is releasing the first draft of a proposed framework, called Model Spec, that would shape how AI tools like its own GPT-4 model respond in the future. The OpenAI approach proposes three general principles — that AI models should assist the developer and end-user with helpful responses that follow instructions, benefit humanity...
rmrenner ("The Old Gay Gristle Fest") wrote:
Critical support to the stackoverflow users trying to destroy their own posts. I was saved from ever having to delete anything on stackoverflow by its own repellent community.
Out of all the random forums and shit that I've registered for over the years, I don't think I've even looked for the sign-up page on that site
Bid to oust Speaker Johnson fails but GOP turmoil remains
The House voted overwhelmingly to set aside a motion by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to remove Johnson as speaker
Reblogged by rmrenner ("The Old Gay Gristle Fest"):
Hard to imagine a signal that a website is a rugpull more intense than banning users for trying to delete their own posts
Like just incredible "burning the future to power the present" energy here
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Here's a family you can help escape Gaza. This GoFundMe has been vetted by Operation Olive Branch.
If you can't donate now, bookmark this link. Or, if they hit their goal by then, visit the Operation Olive Branch link (in comments). I'll also try my best to have at least once active campaign on the homepage of my blog.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-young-muhammad-rebuild-a-life
Republicans and K-12 school leaders clash over handling of antisemitism
Republicans tried for the kind of headline moments they've scored in similar hearings with elite college presidents. But the testimony from K-12 public school leaders offered few surprises.
Biden is tweaking an asylum rule to speed up deportation for some migrants
President Biden had said he wanted the power to effectively "shut down the border" when migration numbers surge. But this rule is an incremental shift.
collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth") wrote:
Another afternoon spent troubleshooting component rendering in React. (The problem was not using `useMemo` on the component's children! How fun! How user-friendly! How obvious!)
Once again: no other framework forces you to do this kind of micro-management.
None of them make you import a bunch of helper functions just to make stuff render the logical way you'd think it would.
None of them make you write this much code to do something this simple.
React is bad. It's very, very bad.
Walmart shopper data will soon feed targeted ads on Disney Plus and Hulu
Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge
Advertisers can now use Walmart’s shopping data to target Disney’s streaming portfolio, which includes Disney Plus and Hulu, Adweek reports. The news comes after the companies announced a partnership between Disney Advertising and Walmart Connect, the retailer’s media business, on Wednesday.
As a part of the deal, Walmart advertisers will be able to match the retailer’s shopper data with Disney’s proprietary Audience Graph tools, helping them target audiences and measure data better. Datasets will be combined using clean-room technology so that — theoretically — user data can’t be shared with other external parties.
“Approximately 145 million customers shop with us online and in stores weekly,” Ryan Mayward, senior vice president of...
After Buying Up Studios, Xbox Says It Doesn't Have The Resources To Run Them
After shutting down multiple Bethesda studios, Xbox and Bethesda leadership held a town hall meeting with staff to discuss the closures, explaining that the company’s studios had been spread too thin and that it wanted to focus on fewer projects moving forward.
Hades 2 Is A Good Time On Steam Deck (Here’s How To Make It Better)
Hades 2 arrived via Early Access on Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 6 and already it’s been stirring up a ton of excitement. If you’re looking to take its Greek-mythos-inspired roguelike action-RPG gameplay on the go with the Steam Deck, there are a few settings you may wish to tweak.
People sure are pressed about Apple’s crushing iPad commercial
Sometimes, this is me. | Screenshot: Apple
Credit where it’s due: the commercial for the new iPad Pro is impeccable. In the commercial, a hydraulic press, like the kind that crushes Skittles all day on TikTok, slowly descends onto a whole amalgamation of artistic endeavors. As the large metal plate drops like Tesla’s stock in 2024, it crushes musical instruments and destroys classical sculptures. Tubes of paint pop like balloons sending a cascade of color across Apple’s carefully constructed canvas of stuff. Finally, it accomplishes its job. This gathering of creations meant to represent the whole history of human creativity is laid flat by the unstoppable force of Apple’s hydraulic press.
And then, as the press slowly rises, all of that artsy mess disappears. What is left behind...
The Xbox app on Windows is getting even more handheld-friendly
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge
Microsoft introduced a compact mode for its Xbox app on Windows last year, which is designed to improve the handheld experience. While compact mode initially focused on UI improvements for small screens, Microsoft is moving on to tackling some of the challenges of navigating around the Xbox app with a D-pad and sticks.
In a new update for Xbox Insiders today, Microsoft is adding a new “Jump back in” feature that lets you quickly launch games you’ve recently played on a Windows handheld. Jump back in will list up to nine games on the main screen of the Xbox app, and you can press the menu button on a controller to launch the game directly.
Image: Microsoft
The new “Jump back in” section.
It’s intelligent enough...
Inside Microsoft’s Xbox turmoil
Microsoft launched a fiery Xbox controller on the same day it announced gaming layoffs. | Image: Microsoft
Just hours after learning that Microsoft was shutting down a number of game studios this week, Dinga Bakaba, head of Microsoft-owned Arkane Lyon, decided to let the company know how he felt about the decision — right in public. “Don’t throw us into gold fever gambits, don’t use us as strawmen for miscalculations / blind spots, don’t make our work environments Darwinist jungles,” Bakaba wrote on X.
Bakaba, whose studio wasn’t impacted by the layoffs this week, said his message was aimed at “any executive reading this,” including the Xbox leaders behind the latest wave of layoffs. It was a rare public display of criticism, but sources at Microsoft tell me it reflects a growing discontent and fear among Xbox employees about what comes...
Oil industry could help the Biden administration tap 'invisible' green energy
The White House wants a twenty-fold increase in geothermal energy production to fight climate change and it's counting on the oil and gas industry for help.
Indonesia's next president has a complicated history with the U.S.
President-elect Prabowo Subianto was once banned by the U.S. for rights violations. But the U.S. earlier gave him military training. How will both countries deal with each other once he takes office?
The NYPD’s New Sizzle Reels Aren’t Just Dumb. They’re Dangerous
Shortly after dozens of New York City police officers gathered to clear out student protests over Israel’s war in Gaza last week, the city’s police force published something peculiar on social media: a highly-produced sizzle reel of the raids. One of the videos—posted less than 12 hours after the police raids on encampments at New York […]
Body of the final Baltimore bridge collapse victim recovered in river, officials say
The Baltimore County Police Department confirmed the identity of the sixth victim, 37-year-old José Mynor López, after salvage teams located his body Tuesday.
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
briankrebs@infosec.exchange ("BrianKrebs") wrote:
What a surprise.
"The auditor for former president Donald Trump’s media company was charged with “massive fraud” Friday by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused the firm of being a “sham audit mill” whose failures put investors at risk."
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
Smootasaurus@mstdn.social ("Tommy Boy :verified:") wrote:
In the past ~7 days I've interviewed over 20 high school students interested in science and engineering careers. Two nuggets:
- Always pumped about the diversity (I see more females than I expected)
- A concerning number think AI is about to solve all of our medical problems
You can save 15 percent on an LG C3, now as low as $847
The LG C3 is still one of the best gaming OLEDs you can buy in 2024. | Image: LG
With eBay’s spring sale going on right now and running through May 12th, you can save an extra 15 percent on purchases when you use code SPRING15OFF. There’s no minimum purchase amount required, but you can only save up to $500 on each of the two maximum purchases you’re allowed to make.
There are thousands of electronics you can purchase in the sale, but I want to shout out the 48-inch LG C3 today. Its usual $996.99 sale price was already beating traditional retailers by a few dollars, but with the code above, you can save another $149.55 and bring your total down to $847.44. You can use the same code on the 65-inch model, which then drops from $1,596.99 to $1,357.44 (around $240 off). The listings are by Electronic Express, a Verge-...
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
"Proton provides privacy by default and not anonymity by default because anonymity requires certain user actions to ensure proper [operational security] such as not adding your Apple account as an optional recovery method, which it appears was done by the alleged terror suspect.”
jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein") wrote:
‘Romanian prosecutors allege the Tate brothers and their associates exploited seven victims using “acts of violence and psychological coercion” to force them into “pornographic acts” on camera — a form of human trafficking.’
Xbox’s Shift To ‘High-Impact’ Games Is Misguided At Best, Reckless At Worst
Earlier this week, Xbox announced that it would be shuttering several studios it had attained as part of its $7.5 billion purchase of Bethesda, including Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios, the last of which is being absorbed into another team. Collectively, the studios’ produced…
The judge in Epic v. Apple thinks Apple’s being shady about buttons and links
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Epic Games and Apple are in court for evidentiary hearings for the next couple of weeks over whether Apple violated the anti-steering injunction set down by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in 2021 after their landmark trial.
These hearings are going to be a lot of nitty-gritty details about App Store guidelines. Today, for example, involves a lot of questioning about buttons. (Apple restricts button styles for links that go outside of their in-app payment system.)
But this interjection, from Judge Rogers, doesn’t look good for Apple:
I can’t imagine a logical reason why Apple would demand that of competitor apps. What’s a logical competitive reason, not for suggesting it, but demanding it? ... Other than to stifle competition, I see no...
Marvel is bringing a mixed reality edition of What If…? to the Vision Pro
Who watches the watcher watching The Watcher watching them? | Image: Marvel / Disney
The Vision Pro is about to get what sounds like an honest-to-goodness mixed reality video experience from Marvel Studios and ILM Immersive, something the platform sorely needs. The companies announced What If...? – An Immersive Story, which they say is Disney Plus’ “first-ever” interactive original content. It’ll come exclusively to Apple’s VR headset and use a mixture of augmented and virtual reality.
The hour-long What If...? episode is based on Marvel’s Disney Plus show of the same name. It’s a promising development for starved Vision Pro owners, and not just because it’s far longer than the small library of immersive films Apple has offered to date.
Image: Marvel / Disney
Gimme that time stone.
Marvel says...