https://slashdot.org/ News for nerds, stuff that matters en-us Copyright 1997-2016, SlashdotMedia. All Rights Reserved. 2021-04-22T16:46:15+00:00 Dice help@slashdot.org Technology 1970-01-01T00:00+00:00 1 hourly https://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/topicslashdot.gif https://slashdot.org/ http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/_CBej5AVR2E/supreme-court-slashes-ftcs-power-to-seek-monetary-awards The U.S. Supreme Court slashed the Federal Trade Commission's power to seek monetary awards in court, throwing out a legal tool the consumer-protection agency has used to collect billions of dollars over the past decade. From a report: The justices on Thursday unanimously said the FTC can't seek consumer redress when it invokes a provision that lets the agency go straight to federal court to try to stop an alleged fraud. The ruling is a triumph for business trade groups, which urged the court to curb the agency's powers. The FTC in 2012 dramatically ramped up its use of the decades-old provision to recoup money. The agency reported winning so-called restitution and disgorgement of almost $12 billion in 2016 alone, including $10 billion in a settlement with Volkswagen AG stemming from its diesel-emissions scandal. Writing for the court, Justice Stephen Breyer said the FTC retains other avenues to get restitution for consumers, though those tools involve a more complicated process. "If the commission believes that authority too cumbersome or otherwise inadequate, it is, of course, free to ask Congress to grant it further remedial authority," Breyer wrote.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Supreme+Court+Slashes+FTC's+Power+To+Seek+Monetary+Awards%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3dGW7Nx"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F22%2F165201%2Fsupreme-court-slashes-ftcs-power-to-seek-monetary-awards%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/165201/supreme-court-slashes-ftcs-power-to-seek-monetary-awards?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18740484&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/_CBej5AVR2E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> msmash 2021-04-22T16:04:00+00:00 court checks-and-balances yro 9 9,7,5,4,2,1,0 https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/165201/supreme-court-slashes-ftcs-power-to-seek-monetary-awards?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/eYbVwC8udgc/canonical-launches-ubuntu-2104-hirsute-hippo Canonical released Ubuntu 21.04 with native Microsoft Active Directory integration, Wayland graphics by default, and a Flutter application development SDK. Separately, Canonical and Microsoft have announced performance optimization and joint support for Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu. Canonical blog adds: "Native Active Directory integration and certified Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu are top priorities for our enterprise customers." said Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical. "For developers and innovators, Ubuntu 21.04 delivers Wayland and Flutter for smoother graphics and clean, beautiful, design-led cross-platform development." You can read the full list of new features and changelog here.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Canonical+Launches+Ubuntu+21.04+'Hirsute+Hippo'%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3gwwFw3"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F22%2F1418253%2Fcanonical-launches-ubuntu-2104-hirsute-hippo%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://news.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/1418253/canonical-launches-ubuntu-2104-hirsute-hippo?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18740020&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/eYbVwC8udgc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> msmash 2021-04-22T15:20:00+00:00 ubuntu moving-forward news 19 19,18,15,13,5,2,1 https://news.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/1418253/canonical-launches-ubuntu-2104-hirsute-hippo?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/IDDrxqwzXTc/foxconn-mostly-abandons-10-billion-wisconsin-project Hmmmmmm writes: Taiwan electronics manufacturer Foxconn is drastically scaling back a planned $10 billion factory in Wisconsin, confirming its retreat from a project that former U.S. President Donald Trump once called "the eighth wonder of the world." Under a deal with the state of Wisconsin announced on Tuesday, Foxconn will reduce its planned investment to $672 million from $10 billion and cut the number of new jobs to 1,454 from 13,000. The Foxconn-Wisconsin deal was first announced to great fanfare at the White House in July 2017, with Trump boasting of it as an example of how his "America first" agenda could revive U.S. tech manufacturing. For Foxconn, the investment promise was an opportunity for its charismatic founder and then-chairman, Terry Gou, to build goodwill at a moment when Trump's trade policies threatened the company's cash cow: building Apple's iPhones in China for export to America.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Foxconn+Mostly+Abandons+%2410+Billion+Wisconsin+Project%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F32GoFk1"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F22%2F1354201%2Ffoxconn-mostly-abandons-10-billion-wisconsin-project%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://news.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/1354201/foxconn-mostly-abandons-10-billion-wisconsin-project?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18739888&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/IDDrxqwzXTc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> msmash 2021-04-22T14:40:00+00:00 usa end-of-road news 57 57,54,45,38,9,7,3 https://news.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/1354201/foxconn-mostly-abandons-10-billion-wisconsin-project?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/WoSJeJ_R54Q/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet William Robinson shares a report: The growing list of "firsts" for Perseverance, NASA's newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet's thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen. A toaster-size, experimental instrument aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) accomplished the task. The test took place April 20, the 60th Martian day, or sol, since the mission landed Feb. 18. While the technology demonstration is just getting started, it could pave the way for science fiction to become science fact -- isolating and storing oxygen on Mars to help power rockets that could lift astronauts off the planet's surface. Such devices also might one day provide breathable air for astronauts themselves. MOXIE is an exploration technology investigation -- as is the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) weather station -- and is sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for STMD. "MOXIE has more work to do, but the results from this technology demonstration are full of promise as we move toward our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars. Oxygen isn't just the stuff we breathe. Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home." For rockets or astronauts, oxygen is key, said MOXIE's principal investigator, Michael Hecht of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Haystack Observatory.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=NASA's+Perseverance+Mars+Rover+Extracts+First+Oxygen+from+Red+Planet%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3ayqCDl"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F22%2F1350241%2Fnasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/1350241/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18739852&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/WoSJeJ_R54Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> msmash 2021-04-22T14:00:00+00:00 nasa moving-forward science 28 28,27,25,20,4,1,0 https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/1350241/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/-BYFx3-nt0c/how-oneweb-lied-about-a-near-miss-collision-with-a-spacex-satellite In a follow-up to a story previously reported, Slashdot reader Turkinolith shares a report from Teslarati: In the latest trials and tribulations of a SpaceX Starlink competitor that went bankrupt after spending $3 billion to launch just 74 small internet satellites, it appears that OneWeb knowingly misled both media and US regulators over a claimed 'near-miss' with a Starlink satellite. Back on April 9th, OneWeb went public with claims that SpaceX had mishandled its response to a routine satellite collision avoidance warning from the US military, which monitors the location of satellites and space debris. According to OneWeb government affairs chief Chris McLaughlin, SpaceX disabled an automated system designed to detect and automatically command Starlink satellite collision avoidance maneuvers to let OneWeb move its satellite instead. McLaughlin also stated that "Coordination is the issue -- it is not sufficient to say 'I've got an automated system.'" He also recently criticized the maneuverability of Starlink satellites, claiming that "Starlink's engineers said they couldn't do anything to avoid a collision and switched off the collision avoidance system so OneWeb could maneuver around the Starlink satellite without interference." As it turns out, OneWeb's "near-miss" appears to have been a farce and the company scrambled to promise to retract those statements in an April 20th meeting with the FCC and SpaceX. In an apparent attempt to capitalize on vague fears of "space debris" and satellite collisions, OneWeb -- or perhaps just McLaughlin -- took it upon itself to consciously misconstrue a routine, professional process of collision-avoidance coordination between OneWeb and SpaceX. McLaughlin ran a gauntlet of media outlets to drag SpaceX through the mud and criticize both the company's technology and response, ultimately claiming that SpaceX's Starlink satellite was incapable of maneuvering out of the way. Instead, according to a precise, evidenced timeline of events presented by SpaceX to the FCC, the coordination was routine, uneventful, and entirely successful. OneWeb itself explicitly asked SpaceX to disable its autonomous collision avoidance software and allow the company to maneuver its own satellite out of the way after SpaceX made it clear that the Starlink spacecraft could also manage the task. The event was neither "urgent" or a "close call," as OneWeb and media outlets later claimed. SpaceX says it has been coordinating similar avoidance maneuvers with OneWeb since March 2020. Most damningly, SpaceX says that immediately after OneWeb disseminated misleading quotes about the event to the media, "OneWeb met with [FCC] staff and Commissioners [to demand that] unilateral conditions [be] placed on SpaceX's operations." Those conditions could have actually made coordination harder, "demonstrating more of a concern with limiting [OneWeb's] competitors than with a genuine concern for space safety." Crucially, despite lobbying to restrict its competitors, "OneWeb [has] argued forcefully that [it] should be exempt from Commission rules for orbital debris mitigation due to their status as non-U.S. operators." In simple terms, OneWeb is trying to exploit the FCC to suppress its competition while letting it roam free of the exact same regulations.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=How+OneWeb+Lied+About+a+Near-Miss+Collision+With+a+SpaceX+Satellite%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3dCujd7"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F22%2F0016207%2Fhow-oneweb-lied-about-a-near-miss-collision-with-a-spacex-satellite%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/0016207/how-oneweb-lied-about-a-near-miss-collision-with-a-spacex-satellite?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18733200&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/-BYFx3-nt0c" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T13:00:00+00:00 communications false-narratives science 44 44,40,37,27,8,5,1 https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/0016207/how-oneweb-lied-about-a-near-miss-collision-with-a-spacex-satellite?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/qTcP8zYw7U0/groundbreaking-effort-launched-to-decode-whale-language In what may be the largest interspecies communication effort in history, scientists plan to use machine learning to try to decode what Sperm whales say to one another. National Geographic reports: [Sperm whales "speak" in clicks, which they make in rhythmic series called codas. Shane Gero, a Canadian biologist, had been tracking sperm whales off the Caribbean island nation of Dominica for over thirteen years, using underwater recorders to capture codas from hundreds of whales.] On Monday, a team of scientists announced that they have embarked on a five-year odyssey to build on Gero's work with a cutting-edge research project to try to decipher what sperm whales are saying to one another. Such an attempt would have seemed folly even just a few years ago. But this effort won't rely solely on Gero. The team includes experts in linguistics, robotics, machine learning, and camera engineering. They will lean heavily on advances in artificial intelligence, which can now translate one human language to another without help from a Rosetta Stone, or key. The quest, dubbed Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative), is likely the largest interspecies communication effort in history. Already, these scientists have been at work building specialized video and audio recording devices. They aim to capture millions of whale codas and analyze them. The hope is to expose the underlying architecture of whale chatter: What units make up whale communication? Is there grammar, syntax, or anything analogous to words and sentences? These experts will track how whales behave when making, or hearing, clicks. And using breakthroughs in natural language processing -- the branch of artificial intelligence that helps Alexa and Siri respond to voice commands -- researchers will attempt to interpret this information. Nothing like this has ever been attempted. [T]he goal isn't to get whales to understand humans. It's to understand what sperm whales say to one another as they go about their lives in the wild.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Groundbreaking+Effort+Launched+To+Decode+Whale+Language%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F32zyaBz"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F22%2F003227%2Fgroundbreaking-effort-launched-to-decode-whale-language%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/003227/groundbreaking-effort-launched-to-decode-whale-language?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18733150&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/qTcP8zYw7U0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T10:00:00+00:00 communications never-attempted-before science 65 65,62,55,46,10,1,1 https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/22/003227/groundbreaking-effort-launched-to-decode-whale-language?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/9UXAQNsyL6o/texas-on-track-to-add-record-solar-power-capacity-by-end-of-2022 According to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Texas will add a record 10 GW of utility-scale solar capacity by the end of 2022, compared with 3.2 GW in California. A third of all U.S. utility-scale solar capacity planned to come online in the next two years (30 GW) will be in Texas. Reuters reports: California currently has the most installed utility-scale solar capacity of any state - about 16 gigawatts (GW). One gigawatt can power about 1 million U.S. homes. But since solar power is on only about a third of the time, a gigawatt of solar can only power about 330,000 homes. Texas added 2.5 GW of solar capacity in 2020, and EIA said it expected the state to add another 4.6 GW in 2021 and 5.4 GW in 2022, bringing the state's total to 14.9 GW. Solar is expected to make up the largest share of capacity additions in Texas between 2020 and 2022, with almost half of the additions, compared with 35% for wind and 13% for gas, according to EIA projections.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Texas+On+Track+To+Add+Record+Solar+Power+Capacity+By+End+of+2022%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3xeqLFQ"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhardware.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F2119208%2Ftexas-on-track-to-add-record-solar-power-capacity-by-end-of-2022%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2119208/texas-on-track-to-add-record-solar-power-capacity-by-end-of-2022?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732770&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/9UXAQNsyL6o" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T07:00:00+00:00 power catching-California hardware 69 69,65,57,52,22,13,5 https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2119208/texas-on-track-to-add-record-solar-power-capacity-by-end-of-2022?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/lDOgSNAOlck/with-a-push-from-apple-rival-aluminum-makers-team-up-against-co2 An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from a Bloomberg article, written by Joe Deaux: As David DeYoung, then a director of business technologies at Alcoa, walked into Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters in September 2015, he knew that the stakes were high. DeYoung led a group of engineers who'd spent decades pursuing the holy grail for the notoriously dirty aluminum industry: a way to smelt the metal without producing any direct carbon emissions. Apple, which Harbor Intelligence analyst Jorge Vazquez estimates uses almost 15,000 metric tons of aluminum annually for its electronics gear, had invited DeYoung to explain a potentially revolutionary carbonless manufacturing process for aluminum that his group was developing. Alcoa was on the verge of ending the DeYoung team's yearslong search. To make the tension even worse, moments before DeYoung stepped into a roundtable with Apple engineers, he received word Alcoa was splitting into two publicly traded companies -- casting another cloud on his unit's project. So Apple's interest in reducing the carbon footprint of its metal casings looked to be key to saving the funding. But it wasn't until later in 2015 that the payoff from that meeting came, with help from an unexpected source. That's when Vincent Christ, a manufacturing information technology expert from Rio Tinto Group Plc, flew to Cupertino for a similar visit. The London-based company, one of Alcoa's biggest rivals, was also struggling to develop a way to produce aluminum through a process that would emit oxygen instead of carbon dioxide. While heading back to the airport after an hourslong confab with Apple engineers, Christ received a call. Apple had an idea: Rio Tinto and Alcoa were both close to the answer they were looking for, but neither company seemed able to do it on its own. So why not combine efforts? "We had the engine, but we didn't have the wheels, chassis, or body, and Rio brought that all to the party," says DeYoung, who holds a Ph.D. from MIT. "[Apple] said, 'You guys really ought to talk to Rio,' and we were like, 'Yeah, we have already.' But then we said we'll talk to them again, and Apple actually facilitated that second contact." The result was the creation of Elysis, a joint venture between Alcoa and Rio Tinto with investments from Apple, the government of Canada, and the provincial government of Quebec, which is one of the biggest aluminum-producing regions in the world. The venture has developed a technology that makes so-called green aluminum, whose production doesn't emit carbon dioxide. If the partners can make the process work at commercial scale, it could be used to retrofit existing smelters, transforming them from some of the dirtiest industrial polluters into the kind of green manufacturing facilities business and government are shifting toward. "Elysis has developed a process that substitutes carbon with inert materials -- it won't say what they are -- to make the anode that conducts the electricity causing the chemical reaction," reports Bloomberg. "Elysis' operating costs are about 15% lower than those of conventional smelting, in part because the carbon anodes used in the chemical reaction must be replaced after 25 days, while Elysis' inert material lasts two years. The carbonless process also requires fewer workers, since there's no need to frequently change out the cathodes sitting in the pots of molten alumina." The immediate hurdle for Elysis is to prove it can crank up the amperage used during carbonless smelting to industrial-strength power levels, which would allow higher daily production rates, says CRU Group analyst Greg Wittbecker. "Elysis announced on April 20 it will begin installing commercial inert anode prototype cells on a smelter in Quebec in an effort to prove it can retrofit existing smelters," adds Bloomberg. "A pivotal moment will be if or when governments implement carbon credit or carbon tax programs that would penalize low-cost aluminum made in plants in China and India that use power from coal-fired plants."<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=With+a+Push+From+Apple%2C+Rival+Aluminum+Makers+Team+Up+Against+CO2%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3gr03nv"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F2115213%2Fwith-a-push-from-apple-rival-aluminum-makers-team-up-against-co2%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://apple.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2115213/with-a-push-from-apple-rival-aluminum-makers-team-up-against-co2?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732756&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/lDOgSNAOlck" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T03:30:00+00:00 business working-together apple 66 66,61,53,45,15,6,2 https://apple.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2115213/with-a-push-from-apple-rival-aluminum-makers-team-up-against-co2?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/Fu9Jbwvz7_k/sleeping-less-than-6-hours-a-night-in-midlife-raises-risk-of-dementia-30-study-finds According to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, six hours or less of sleep a night between the ages of 50, 60 and 70 was associated with a "30% increased dementia risk," independent of "sociodemographic, behavioral, cardiometabolic, and mental health factors," including depression. CNN reports: "Sleep is important for normal brain function and is also thought to be important for clearing toxic proteins that build up in dementias from the brain," said Tara Spires-Jones, who is deputy director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, in a statement. Spires-Jones was not involved in the study. "What's the message for us all? Evidence of sleep disturbance can occur a long time before the onset of other clinical evidence of dementia," said Tom Dening, who heads the Centre for Dementia at the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham in the UK, in a statement. "However, this study cannot establish cause and effect," said Denning, who was not involved in the study. "Maybe it is simply a very early sign of the dementia that is to come, but it's also quite likely that poor sleep is not good for the brain and leaves it vulnerable to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease." Because the new study followed a large population over an extended period of time, it adds "new information to the emerging picture" on the link between sleep deprivation and dementia, said Elizabeth Coulthard, an associate professor in dementia neurology at the University of Bristol in the UK, in a statement. "This means that at least some of the people who went on to develop dementia probably did not already have it at the start of the study when their sleep was first assessed," said Coulthard, who was not involved in the study. "It strengthens the evidence that poor sleep in middle age could cause or worsen dementia in later life," she said.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Sleeping+Less+Than+6+Hours+a+Night+In+Midlife+Raises+Risk+of+Dementia+30%25%2C+Study+Finds%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3gvUQLc"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F2058227%2Fsleeping-less-than-6-hours-a-night-in-midlife-raises-risk-of-dementia-30-study-finds%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2058227/sleeping-less-than-6-hours-a-night-in-midlife-raises-risk-of-dementia-30-study-finds?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732696&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/Fu9Jbwvz7_k" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T02:02:00+00:00 science importance-of-sleep science 60 60,57,49,38,15,11,7 https://science.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2058227/sleeping-less-than-6-hours-a-night-in-midlife-raises-risk-of-dementia-30-study-finds?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/tdvmW7CG0cQ/apple-now-selling-more-m1-macs-than-intel-based-models-says-tim-cook Despite only being released in November, sales of the M1-powered MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini now represent the majority of Mac sales, outperforming Mac computers powered by Intel processors, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. MacRumors reports: Cook made the remarks during Apple's "Spring Loaded" event yesterday, where it introduced a completely redesigned 24-inch iMac powered by the M1 Apple silicon chip. Cook says that the M1 and Apple silicon "isn't just an upgrade, but a breakthrough," while touting Mac's industry-leading customer satisfaction. According to Cook, the four M1-powered Macs now outperform the five remaining Intel-powered computers in its lineup in terms of sales. During the keynote, Cook's comment went largely unnoticed but is likely to be a key point the CEO makes during Apple's upcoming earnings call, which is being held on April 28.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Apple+Now+Selling+More+M1+Macs+Than+Intel-Based+Models%2C+Says+Tim+Cook%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3dD3GEU"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F2047243%2Fapple-now-selling-more-m1-macs-than-intel-based-models-says-tim-cook%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://apple.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2047243/apple-now-selling-more-m1-macs-than-intel-based-models-says-tim-cook?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732654&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/tdvmW7CG0cQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T01:25:00+00:00 mac out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new apple 156 156,154,136,106,23,10,5 https://apple.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2047243/apple-now-selling-more-m1-macs-than-intel-based-models-says-tim-cook?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/rCo3iK_sQ74/tiktok-sued-for-billions-over-use-of-childrens-data TikTok is facing a legal challenge from former children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield over how it collects and uses children's data. The BBC reports: The claim is being filed on behalf of millions of children in the UK and EU who have used the hugely popular video-sharing app. If successful, the children affected could each be owed thousands of pounds. TikTok said the case was without merit and it would fight it. Lawyers will allege that TikTok takes children's personal information, including phone numbers, videos, exact location and biometric data, without sufficient warning, transparency or the necessary consent required by law, and without children or parents knowing what is being done with that information. The claim is being launched on behalf of all children who have used TikTok since 25 May 2018, regardless of whether they have an account or their privacy settings. Children not wishing to be represented can opt out. "TikTok is a hugely popular social media platform that has helped children keep in touch with their friends during an incredibly difficult year," says Ms. Longfield. "However, behind the fun songs, dance challenges and lip-sync trends lies something far more sinister." She alleges the firm is "a data collection service that is thinly veiled as a social network" which has "deliberately and successfully deceived parents." She added that those parents have a "right to know" what private information is being collected via TikTok's "shadowy data collection practices." In response, TikTok said: "Privacy and safety are top priorities for TikTok and we have robust policies, processes and technologies in place to help protect all users, and our teenage users in particular. We believe the claims lack merit and intend to vigorously defend the action."<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=TikTok+Sued+For+Billions+Over+Use+of+Children's+Data%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3gvN582"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F2044236%2Ftiktok-sued-for-billions-over-use-of-childrens-data%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://tech.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2044236/tiktok-sued-for-billions-over-use-of-childrens-data?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732642&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/rCo3iK_sQ74" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T00:45:00+00:00 social under-fire technology 18 18,18,16,12,1,1,1 https://tech.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2044236/tiktok-sued-for-billions-over-use-of-childrens-data?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/BbQYIh6TF3w/europe-proposes-strict-rules-for-artificial-intelligence An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: The European Union unveiled strict regulations on Wednesday to govern the use of artificial intelligence, a first-of-its-kind policy that outlines how companies and governments can use a technology seen as one of the most significant, but ethically fraught, scientific breakthroughs in recent memory. The draft rules would set limits around the use of artificial intelligence in a range of activities, from self-driving cars to hiring decisions, bank lending, school enrollment selections and the scoring of exams. It would also cover the use of artificial intelligence by law enforcement and court systems -- areas considered "high risk" because they could threaten people's safety or fundamental rights. Some uses would be banned altogether, including live facial recognition in public spaces, though there would be several exemptions for national security and other purposes. The108-page policy is an attempt to regulate an emerging technology before it becomes mainstream. The rules have far-reaching implications for major technology companies that have poured resources into developing artificial intelligence, including Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft, but also scores of other companies that use the software to develop medicine, underwrite insurance policies and judge credit worthiness. Governments have used versions of the technology in criminal justice and the allocation of public services like income support. Companies that violate the new regulations, which could take several years to move through the European Union policymaking process, could face fines of up to 6 percent of global sales. The European Union regulations would require companies providing artificial intelligence in high-risk areas to provide regulators with proof of its safety, including risk assessments and documentation explaining how the technology is making decisions. The companies must also guarantee human oversight in how the systems are created and used. Some applications, like chatbots that provide humanlike conversation in customer service situations, and software that creates hard-to-detect manipulated images like "deepfakes," would have to make clear to users that what they were seeing was computer generated. [...] Release of the draft law by the European Commission, the bloc's executive body, drew a mixed reaction. Many industry groups expressed relief that the regulations were not more stringent, while civil society groups said they should have gone further.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Europe+Proposes+Strict+Rules+For+Artificial+Intelligence%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3gvIuCO"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F2030211%2Feurope-proposes-strict-rules-for-artificial-intelligence%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2030211/europe-proposes-strict-rules-for-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732606&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/BbQYIh6TF3w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-22T00:02:00+00:00 ai trying-to-make-sure-AI-can-be-trusted yro 54 54,51,42,38,7,4,1 https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2030211/europe-proposes-strict-rules-for-artificial-intelligence?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/xkx2YNQjR2I/amazon-ones-palm-scanning-payments-are-coming-to-whole-foods Amazon One is now testing its palm-scanning payment technology in Whole Foods, starting with a single store in Amazon's home city of Seattle. The Verge reports: The company has been using Amazon One payment technology in its Amazon-branded stores in the Seattle area (including Amazon Go and Amazon Books), but the Whole Foods rollout will make the most substantial expansion of the technology yet. The company says that thousands of customers have already signed up with Amazon One. According to an Amazon FAQ, the palm-scanning technology analyzes "the minute characteristics of your palm -- both surface-area details like lines and ridges as well as subcutaneous features such as vein patterns" in order to identify a customer, allowing them to use the biometric scan as an alternative (and, theoretically, faster) method of checking out than fumbling around with a credit card or cash. Customers will be able to register their palms at kiosks in the supported Whole Foods stores, allowing them to associate a physical credit card to that palm scan. And of course, Amazon One users will be able to link their Prime accounts to their scans to get the subscription service's discounts when shopping. Amazon One will debut at the Madison Broadway Whole Foods in Seattle as an additional payment option for customers, with plans to expand it to seven other Whole Foods stores in the Seattle area over the next few months. Amazon hasn't announced plans to further build out the palm-scanning payment system outside of the Seattle area.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Amazon+One's+Palm-Scanning+Payments+Are+Coming+To+Whole+Foods%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3asNNyM"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F2018221%2Famazon-ones-palm-scanning-payments-are-coming-to-whole-foods%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://news.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2018221/amazon-ones-palm-scanning-payments-are-coming-to-whole-foods?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732590&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/xkx2YNQjR2I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-21T23:20:00+00:00 money get-your-palms-ready news 32 32,32,30,26,5,3,1 https://news.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/2018221/amazon-ones-palm-scanning-payments-are-coming-to-whole-foods?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/KcntZgQGZOA/daily-mail-owner-sues-google-over-search-results The owner of the Daily Mail newspaper and MailOnline website is suing Google over allegations the search engine manipulates search results. The BBC reports: Associated Newspapers accuses Google of having too much control over online advertising and of downgrading links to its stories, favoring other outlets. It alleges Google "punishes" publishers in its rankings if they don't sell enough advertising space in its marketplace. Google called the claims "meritless." Associated Newspapers' concerns stem from its assessment that its coverage of the Royal Family in 2021 has been downplayed in search results. For example, it claims that British users searching for broadcaster Piers Morgan's comments on the Duchess of Sussex following an interview with Oprah Winfrey were more likely to see articles about Morgan produced by smaller, regional outlets. That is despite the Daily Mail writing multiple stories a day about his comments around that time and employing him as a columnist. In response, a Google spokesperson said: "The Daily Mail's claims are completely inaccurate. The use of our ad tech tools has no bearing on how a publisher's website ranks in Google search. More generally, we compete in a crowded and competitive ad tech space where publishers have and exercise multiple options. The Daily Mail itself authorizes dozens of ad tech companies to sell and manage their ad space, including Amazon, Verizon and more. We will defend ourselves against these meritless claims."<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Daily+Mail+Owner+Sues+Google+Over+Search+Results%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3dEirr1"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F1956238%2Fdaily-mail-owner-sues-google-over-search-results%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/1956238/daily-mail-owner-sues-google-over-search-results?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732544&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/KcntZgQGZOA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-21T22:40:00+00:00 google called-out yro 64 64,62,55,41,10,2,1 https://yro.slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/1956238/daily-mail-owner-sues-google-over-search-results?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/P9oU604AZF0/belarusian-regimes-thugs-shut-down-imaguru-the-countrys-key-startup-hub An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: After visits by unnamed masked intruders and the cancellation of its lease, Imaguru -- the country's key startup hub, event and co-working space in Minsk -- has effectively been shut down by the Lukashenko regime, which has led a brutal crackdown on its own people in recent months. But the company behind the space says it will defy the authorities and continue its activities online. Since 2013, Imaguru had become known as being the birthplace of a large number of startups from Belarus, including MSQRD, acquired by Facebook in 2017 -- as well as a landing pad for international investors visiting the country. Startups that have emerged from the space have attracted over $100 million in investments in recent years. The "Imaguru Startup HUB" leased the space from "Horizon Holding" in 2013, when it took over a dilapidated building from a state-owned company. But on April 16, 2021, Horizon told Imaguru it was unilaterally terminating its lease and the startup space has been given until April 30 to vacate. Imaguru says there has been no reason given for the lease termination, despite Horizon calling Imaguru a "flagship" leasehold for its property business. To outside observers, it looks like Horizon has come under pressure because of Imaguru's active support of the pro-democracy protests inside the country. In early March, unidentified men wearing masks broke into the office, "blocked the exit, put young event attendees against the wall, and brought them to the police station" said the company. [...] In recent months, the startup hub came out in solidarity with the protests inside the country following last year's tainted elections, recorded videos of solidarity with PandaDoc, who's employees have been jailed, and supported the general strike on October 26, 2020. In a statement, Imaguru said it is "not silent about lawlessness, repressions and persecution against civilians who defend their rights to an honest and fair choice ... Not silent about the regime shutting down the business, investment and startup environment ... Not silent about the massive relocation of startups from Belarus, about the catastrophe of this for the country and the role of the High Tech Park in this process."<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;"> <a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Belarusian+Regime's+Thugs+Shut+Down+Imaguru%2C+the+Country's+Key+Startup+Hub%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3sLaWmI"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F21%2F04%2F21%2F1952246%2Fbelarusian-regimes-thugs-shut-down-imaguru-the-countrys-key-startup-hub%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a> </div></p><p><a href="https://slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/1952246/belarusian-regimes-thugs-shut-down-imaguru-the-countrys-key-startup-hub?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&amp;utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&amp;id=18732520&amp;smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/P9oU604AZF0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/> BeauHD 2021-04-21T22:00:00+00:00 business keep-on-keeping-on slashdot 17 17,14,8,7,4,4,2 https://slashdot.org/story/21/04/21/1952246/belarusian-regimes-thugs-shut-down-imaguru-the-countrys-key-startup-hub?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed Search Slashdot stories query https://slashdot.org/search.pl