Computers & Linux News

Scientists Successfully Replicate Historic Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Three Times

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 21:02
After producing a nuclear fusion reaction last year that released more energy than it used, scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California (LLNL) say they have successfully replicated the process at least three times this year. "This marks another significant step in what could one day be an important solution to the global climate crisis, driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels," reports CNN. The announcement appears in a December report (PDF) from the LLNL. From the report: After making their historic net energy gain last year, the next important step was to prove the process could be replicated. Brian Appelbe, a research fellow from the Centre for Inertial Fusion Studies at Imperial College London, said the ability to replicate demonstrates the "robustness" of the process, showing it can be achieved even when conditions such as the laser or fuel pellet are varied. Each experiment also offers an opportunity to study the physics of ignition in detail, Appelbe told CNN. "This provides valuable information to the scientists in addressing the next challenge to be overcome: how to maximize the energy that can be obtained." There are different ways of creating energy from fusion, but at NIF, scientists fire an array of nearly 200 lasers at a pellet of hydrogen fuel inside a diamond capsule the size of a peppercorn, itself inside a gold cylinder. The lasers heat up the cylinder's outside, creating a series of very fast explosions, generating large amounts of energy collected as heat. The energy produced in December 2022 was small -- it took around 2 megajoules to power the reaction, which released a total of 3.15 megajoules, enough to boil around 10 kettles of water. But it was sufficient to make it a successful ignition and to prove that laser fusion could create energy. Since then, the scientists have done it several more times. On July 30, the NIF laser delivered a little over 2 megajoules to the target, which resulted in 3.88 megajoules of energy -- their highest yield achieved to date, according to the report. Two subsequent experiments in October also delivered net gains. "These results demonstrated NIF's ability to consistently produce fusion energy at multi-megajoule levels," the report said. There is still a very long way to go, however, until nuclear fusion reaches the scale needed to power electric grids and heating systems. The focus now is on building on the progress made and figuring out how to dramatically scale up fusion projects and significantly bring down costs.

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In Contrast To Cruise, Waymo Is Touting Its Vehicles' Safety In New Report

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 20:25
Waymo has a new peer-reviewed study (PDF) to share that shows how safe its autonomous cars are compared to cars driven by humans. SFist reports: As the Chronicle notes, the study covers the 1.76 million driverless miles that Waymo's cars have registered in San Francisco so far, along with about 5.4 million miles registered elsewhere. It compares data about vehicle crashes of all kinds, and finds that Waymo vehicles were in involved in crashes resulting in injury or property damage far less often than human-driven cars. In fact, the "human benchmark" -- which is what Waymo is using to refer to human averages for various driving foibles -- is 5.55 crashes per 1 million miles. And the Waymo robot benchmark is just 0.6 crashes per 1 million miles. The overall figure for crash rates found Waymo's to be 6.7 times lower (0.41 incidents per 1 million miles) than the rate of humans (2.78 per million). This included data from Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The report's "Conclusions" section is less than definitive in its findings, noting that the data of police-reported incidents across various jurisdictions may not be consistent or "apples-to-apples." "The benchmark rates themselves... varied considerably between locations and within the same location," the report's authors say. "This raises questions whether the benchmark data sources have comparable reporting thresholds (surveillance bias) or if other factors that were not controlled for in the benchmarks (time of day, mix of driving) is affecting the benchmark rates." Still, the report, one of several that Alphabet-owned Waymo has commissioned in recent months, is convincingly thorough and academic in its approach, and seems to be great news for the company as it hopes to scale up -- starting with the enormous LA market. Waymo, like Cruise previously, has sought to convince a skeptical public that driverless vehicles are, in fact, safer than humans. And this is another step toward doing so -- even if people are going to be naturally wary of sharing the road with too many robots.

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Warner Bros. Discovery In Talks To Merge With Paramount Global

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 19:45
According to Axios, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, met with Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish to discuss a possible merger. "The combination would create a news and entertainment behemoth that would likely trigger further industry consolidation," reports Axios. From the report: Zaslav also has spoken to Shari Redstone, who owns Paramount's parent company, about a deal. WBD's market value was around $29 billion as of Wednesday, while Paramount's was just over $10 billion, so any merger would not be of equals. The meeting between Zaslav and Bakish, which sources say lasted several hours, took place at Paramount's headquarters in Times Square. The duo discussed ways their companies could complement one another. For example, each company's main streaming service -- Paramount+ and Max -- could merge to better rival Netflix and Disney+. It's unclear whether WBD would buy Paramount Global or its parent company, National Amusements Inc. (NAI), but a source familiar with the situation says that both options are on the table. WBD is said to have hired bankers to explore the deal. The deal could drive substantial synergies. WBD could use its international distribution footprint to boost Paramount's franchises, while Paramount's children's programing assets could be essential to WBD's long-term streaming ambitions. CBS News could be combined with CNN to create a global news powerhouse. CBS' crime dramas, such as "NCIS" and "Criminal Minds," could be combined with Investigation Discovery and TruTV. CBS Sports' footprint could be combined with WBD's. For example, CBS and WBD's Turner Sports currently share TV rights for March Madness.

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The Rise and Fall of Usenet

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 19:02
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet: Long before Facebook existed, or even before the Internet, there was Usenet. Usenet was the first social network. Now, with Google Groups abandoning Usenet, this oldest of all social networks is doomed to disappear. Some might say it's well past time. As Google declared, "Over the last several years, legitimate activity in text-based Usenet groups has declined significantly because users have moved to more modern technologies and formats such as social media and web-based forums. Much of the content being disseminated via Usenet today is binary (non-text) file sharing, which Google Groups does not support, as well as spam." True, these days, Usenet's content is almost entirely spam, but in its day, Usenet was everything that Twitter and Reddit would become and more. In 1979, Duke University computer science graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived of a network of shared messages under various topics. These messages, also known as articles or posts, were submitted to topic categories, which became known as newsgroups. Within those groups, messages were bound together in threads and sub-threads. [...] In 1980, Truscott and Ellis, using the Unix to Unix Copy Protocol (UUCP), hooked up with the University of North Carolina to form the first Usenet nodes. From there, it would rapidly spread over the pre-Internet ARPANet and other early networks. These messages would be stored and retrieved from news servers. These would "peer" to each other so that messages to a newsgroup would be shared from server to server and to user to user so that within hours, your messages would reach the entire networked world. Usenet would evolve its own network protocol, Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP), to speed the transfer of these messages. Today, the social network Mastodon uses a similar approach with the ActivityPub protocol, while other social networks, such as Threads, are exploring using ActivityPub to connect with Mastodon and the other social networks that support ActivityPub. As the saying goes, everything old is new again. [...] Usenet was never an organized social network. Each server owner could -- and did -- set its own rules. Mind you, there was some organization to begin with. The first 'mainstream' Usenet groups, comp, misc, news, rec, soc, and sci hierarchies, were widely accepted and disseminated until 1987. Then, faced with a flood of new groups, a new naming plan emerged in what was called the Great Renaming. This led to a lot of disputes and the creation of the talk hierarchy. This and the first six became known as the Big Seven. Then the alt groups emerged as a free speech protest. Afterward, fewer Usenet sites made it possible to access all the newsgroups. Instead, maintainers and users would have to decide which one they'd support. Over the years, Usenet began to decline as discussions were replaced both by spam and flame wars. Group discussions were also overwhelmed by flame wars. "If, going forward, you want to keep an eye on Usenet -- things could change, miracles can happen -- you'll need to get an account from a Usenet provider," writes ZDNet's Steven Vaughan-Nichols. "I favor Eternal September, which offers free access to the discussion Usenet groups; NewsHosting, $9.99 a month with access to all the Usenet groups; EasyNews, $9.98 a month with fast downloads, and a good search engine; and Eweka, 9.50 Euros a month and EU only servers." "You'll also need a Usenet client. One popular free one is Mozilla's Thunderbird E-Mail client, which doubles as a Usenet client. EasyNews also offers a client as part of its service. If you're all about downloading files, check out SABnzbd."

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Ask Slashdot: What Are Some Methods To Stop Digital Surveillance In Schools?

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 18:20
Longtime Slashdot reader Kreuzfeld writes: Help please: here in Lawrence, Kansas, the public school district has recently started using Gaggle (source may be paywalled; alternative source), a system for monitoring all digital documents and communications created by students on school-provided devices. Unsurprisingly, the system inundates employees with false 'alerts' but the district nonetheless hails this pervasive, dystopic surveillance system as a great success. What useful advice can readers here offer regarding successful methods to get public officials to backtrack from a policy so corrosive to liberty, trust, and digital freedoms?

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This Is How Much Money Solar Panels Can Save You - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 18:00
These formulas help you determine how solar panels will cut your energy bill and how much they'll lower your long-term costs.

Best Internet Providers in Greensboro, North Carolina - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 17:45
Fiber-optic coverage spans most of Greensboro, but is it the best internet for your home? Here’s a look at the best internet providers in Greensboro.

Best Internet Providers in Irvine, California - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 17:40
Irvine residents receive the second-fastest speeds of any city in the country, and there are plenty of good options to choose from.

Microsoft Announces More Xbox Leadership Changes As Activision's Bobby Kotick Departs

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 17:40
Tom Warren and Ash Parrish report via The Verge: Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is stepping down officially December 29th. Microsoft has not appointed a direct replacement and instead has rolled the suite of Activision Blizzard executives -- including Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, Activision publishing president Rob Kostich, and Activision Blizzard vice chair Thomas Tippl -- under Microsoft's game content and studios president Matt Booty. Kotick's departure comes just two months after some big Xbox leadership changes that saw Sarah Bond promoted to Xbox president, leading all Xbox platform and hardware work, and Matt Booty promoted to president of game content and studios, including overseeing Bethesda and ZeniMax studios. Now Booty is getting even more responsibilities with Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and Xbox Game Studios all under his watch. Microsoft is largely keeping the leadership team of Activision Blizzard in place, with some executive-level exceptions. Activision Blizzard chief communications officer Lulu Meservey will leave the company at the end of January. Humam Sakhnini (vice chairman, Blizzard and King) will also depart at the end of December. A number of Activision Blizzard executives will depart in March, too. Brian Bulatao (chief administrative officer), Julie Hodges (chief people officer), Armin Zerza (chief financial officer), and Grant Dixton (chief legal officer) are all reporting to their Microsoft Gaming equivalents. While Thomas Tippl (vice chairman, Activision Blizzard) is reporting to Matt Booty for now, he will depart Microsoft in March alongside other Activision Blizzard executives. "Thomas, Brian, Julie, Grant and Armin will continue to help us with the transition through March 2024," says Xbox chief Phil Spencer, in an internal memo obtained by The Verge. Additionally, a memo from Matt Booty announced some of the changes taking place at ZeniMax and Bethesda, including that Jill Braff has been named the new head of those studios. Braff worked on the integration team when ZeniMax and Bethesda joined Xbox back in 2021 and will lead the studios' development teams. [Both memos can be read below The Verge's reporting.]

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US Regulators Propose New Online Privacy Safeguards For Children

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 17:02
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to bolster the key federal rule that has protected children's privacy online, in one of the most significant attempts by the U.S. government to strengthen consumer privacy in more than a decade. The changes are intended to fortify the rules underlying the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, a law that restricts the online tracking of youngsters by services like social media apps, video game platforms, toy retailers and digital advertising networks. Regulators said the moves would "shift the burden" of online safety from parents to apps and other digital services while curbing how platforms may use and monetize children's data. The proposed changes would require certain online services to turn off targeted advertising by default for children under 13. They would prohibit the online services from using personal details like a child's cellphone number to induce youngsters to stay on their platforms longer. That means online services would no longer be able to use personal data to bombard young children with push notifications. The proposed updates would also strengthen security requirements for online services that collect children's data as well as limit the length of time online services could keep that information. And they would limit the collection of student data by learning apps and other educational-tech providers, by allowing schools to consent to the collection of children's personal details only for educational purposes, not commercial purposes. [...] The F.T.C. began reviewing the children's privacy rule in 2019, receiving more than 175,000 comments from tech and advertising industry trade groups, video content developers, consumer advocacy groups and members of Congress. The resulting proposal (PDF) runs more than 150 pages. Proposed changes include narrowing an exception that allows online services to collect persistent identification codes for children for certain internal operations, like product improvement, consumer personalization or fraud prevention, without parental consent. The proposed changes would prohibit online operators from employing such user-tracking codes to maximize the amount of time children spend on their platforms. That means online services would not be able to use techniques like sending mobile phone notifications "to prompt the child to engage with the site or service, without verifiable parental consent," according to the proposal. How online services would comply with the changes is not yet known. Members of the public have 60 days to comment on the proposals, after which the commission will vote.

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Soft Costs: The Hidden Costs of Installing Solar Panels - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 16:31
Getting solar panels adds up to more than just the cost of the panels themselves. Here are some of the things that make going solar so expensive.

New York City Council Member-Elect Used AI To Answer Questions

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 16:22
Susan Zhuang, a Democrat who will soon represent the 43rd Council District in Brooklyn, New York, admitted to using AI when answering questions from a local news publication, according to a report by the New York Post. From a report: In a text message sent to the Post, Zhuang wrote that she uses "AI as a tool to help foster deeper understanding" because English is not her first language. The responses in question were included in an article from City & State, which asked local council member-elects to fill out a questionnaire about their personal interests and policies.

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LG's 2024 Soundbars Have a Unique Up-Firing Audio Trick to Fool Your Ears - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 16:17
Most of the new range also incorporates wireless Dolby Atmos.

Sony Has Sold 50 Million PS5 Consoles Over Three Years

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 15:40
The PlayStation 5 has officially hit the 50 million sales milestone, Sony confirmed in a blog post. From a report: That's an impressive figure, considering the litany of supply chain issues that kept PS5s in limited supply after its November 2020 launch. And notably, the PS5 manage to reach 50 million sales just a week longer than it took the PlayStation 4, which wasn't bogged down by as many supply chain issues or a worldwide pandemic. Sony has also outsold the Xbox Series X and S by almost three to one this year, the Financial Times reports, based on data from Ampere Analysis.

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Get Unlimited Microsoft Visio Pro 2021 Access for Just $30 at StackSocial - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 15:31
Visio Pro 2021 let's you create polished flowcharts, timelines and more -- and this deal saves you over $250 on a lifetime license.

Sirius XM Is Sued by NY Over 'Frustrating' Cancellation Process

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 15:00
Sirius XM Radio was sued by New York state for making it difficult for customers to cancel subscriptions to the broadcaster's online radio services, in violation of state and federal consumer protection laws. From a report: A probe by the AG's office found that Sirius trains employees to keep customers seeking to cancel on the phone or in a chat for a "frustrating" six-part conversation that includes asking them a series of questions and pitching as many as five "retention offers," New York Attorney General Letitia James said Wednesday in a statement.

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These Surprisingly Good Sony Headphones Are Back Down to Just $38 - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 14:51
The CH-520 wireless headphones list for $60, but you can get them now for 37% off in all three colors.

Microsoft Copilot Gets a Music Creation Feature via Suno Integration

SlashDot - Wed, 2023-12-20 14:20
Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft's AI-powered chatbot, can now compose songs thanks to an integration with GenAI music app Suno. From a report: Users can enter prompts into Copilot like "Create a pop song about adventures with your family" and have Suno, via a plug-in, bring their musical ideas to life. From a single sentence, Suno can generate complete songs -- including lyrics, instrumentals and singing voices. Copilot users can access the Suno integration by launching Microsoft Edge, visiting Copilot.Microsoft.com, logging in with their Microsoft account and enabling the Suno plug-in or clicking on the Suno logo that says "Make music with Suno." [...] AI algorithms "learn" from existing music to produce similar effects, a fact with which not all artists -- or GenAI users -- are comfortable, especially in cases where artists don't consent to having an AI algorithm train on their music and didn't receive compensation for it.

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Solar Cheat Sheet: Your Guide to Getting Solar Panels - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 14:18
CNET has the answers to all your solar panel questions, even those you didn't know you had.

Best Way to Buy Solar Panels: Monthly Financing vs. Cash Savings - CNET

CNET News - Wed, 2023-12-20 14:14
Solar financing means taking on high-interest debt, albeit with immediate financial upsides. But according to experts, waiting to buy with cash savings may not be the best move either.

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