canopic jug writes:Forty years ago in January of 1984 was the launch of Apple's then new, graphical PC, the MacIntosh. Many sites are covering the milestone. What are Soylentils' thoughts on the different stages of MacIntosh hardware and software over time? Its old operating system, its current Mach microkernel plus Darwin-based operating system, and choice of CPUs have been quite defining. Has it lived up to the ambition of becoming a tool to amplify human intellectual capacity, a bicycle for the mind, of sorts? Have people learned how use computers or do the computers now use them?
SomeGuy writes:Write the amount you wish to pay someone on a piece of paper, and mail it in. Simple. No expensive computing device needed, no browser dependencies, no compatibility headaches, and no web site to get hacked.But getting your check to where it needs to go has become a lot more difficult lately.This last year has seen a huge increase in mail drop box break ins. The once familiar blue drop boxes around the country are either being covered up or removed. Even the post office is warning, don't send checks through the mail. The attacks on the postal service have continued.CBS News reported that Pittsburgh-area post office collection boxes were broken into. Boston.com reports on a string of mail collection box thefts at post offices and strip malls. In Tampa Bay, ABC Action News reports of brazen thieves stealing checks from mail as postal workers pick it up. But now even taking your check directly in to a post office is not a guarantee. WSBTV in Atlanta reports a postal employee was fired for stealing thousands of checks.Paying most bills with cash has already been not an option for a long time. New, more secure mail pickup boxes are on the way. A spokesperson for the Postal Inspection Service emphasizes "There is no plan to stop until the mail is secure,"But, will the problems be solved before digitally enamored begin to look down on and ignore checks like they do landline telephones? Will rampant crime leave us with no other alternative than electronic payments?Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
fliptop writes:The future of Sports Illustrated looked dire Friday after the publisher of the diminished outlet announced mass layoffs because its license to use the iconic brand's name in print and digital was revoked:
canopic jug writes:Software engineer and security researcher, Adnan Khan, has found and published a supply chain attack carried out via Microsoft GitHub's runner images. The project used in the proof of concept is PyTorch.
Apple AirDrop Leaks User Data Like a Sieve. Chinese Authorities Say They're Scooping It Up.upstart writes:Chinese authorities are exploiting a weakness Apple has allowed to go unfixed for 5 years:
NYT reports that USA greenhouse gas emissions reduced last year. They open with a graph of U.S. electricity generation by source from 2005-2023 showing natural gas, nuclear, coal and renewable power generation. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/10/climate/us-carbon-emissions-2023-climate.html or https://archive.is/wNgDx
ElizabethGreene writes:@KenKirtland17 on Twitter has created a fascinating infographic summary of NASA's plan (PDF) for sending Astronauts to Mars.It shows 13 SLS Block 2 Cargo launches from 2032 to 2038 and two crewed SLS Block 2 launches to build various spacecraft in Cislunar space. The spacecraft are then fueled by an unspecified number of Commercial Launch Vehicle flights. The mission series culminates with 4 people making a nuclear-powered 180-day trip to Mars, 2 people spending 30 days on the surface, and a 350-day return trip with both Venus and Lunar flybys.Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
canopic jug writes:OpenSSH developer, Damien Miller, has announced plans to remove support for DSA keys from OpenSSH in the near future. His announcement describes the rationale, process, and proposed timeline.