NotSanguine writes:Ars Technica is reporting on a new (published 5 April 2023) paper combining ice core, tree ring and textual analysis to "more accurately date medieval volcanic eruptions."The primary author's inspiration to pursue this line of research included:
fliptop writes:Astronomers have detected a repeating radio signal from an exoplanet and the star that it orbits, both located 12 light-years away from Earth. The signal suggests that the Earth-size planet may have a magnetic field and perhaps even an atmosphere.
hubie writes:Intricate glass designs can be made with origami and cutting techniques, which can be combined with 3D printing to make more complex shapes:
upstart writes:The invasion of Ukraine supercharged the decline of the country's already struggling tech sector—and undercut its biggest success story, Yandex:You may think, as I did, that Russia's current tech woe's are as a result of their invasion of Ukraine, or perhaps the annexation of Crimea. But it seems that the real problem started back around 2011 when it decided that the population having free access to information was not a good thing and, anyway, there must be money to be made if someone can take the tech industry under their control.
canopic jug writes:The Tor Project and Mullvad VPN have both announced collaboration on a privacy-oriented web browser. The joint browser, which is based on Firefox, has the features of the Tor Browser but operates over the Mullvad Virtual Private Network rather than Tor's onion routers. The collaboration has helped polish interface improvements and address several long standing issues.
Ometecuhtli writes:https://www.vice.com/en/article/4a3ddb/restrict-act-insanely-broad-ban-tiktok-vpns[...] The bill could have implications not just for social networks, but potentially security tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) that consumers use to encrypt and route their traffic, one said. Although the intention of the bill is to target apps or services that pose a threat to national security, these critics worry it may have much wider implications for the First Amendment."The RESTRICT Act is a concerning distraction with insanely broad language that raises serious human and civil rights concerns," Willmary Escoto, U.S. policy analyst for digital rights organization Access Now told Motherboard in an emailed statement. [...][...] Under the RESTRICT Act, the Department of Commerce would identify information and communications technology products that a foreign adversary has any interest in, or poses an unacceptable risk to national security, the announcement reads. The bill only applies to technology linked to a "foreign adversary." Those countries include China (as well as Hong Kong); Cuba; Iran; North Korea; Russia, and Venezuela.The bill's language includes vague terms such as "desktop applications," "mobile applications," "gaming applications," "payment applications," and "web-based applications." It also targets applicable software that has more than 1 million users in the U.S."The RESTRICT Act could lead to apps and other ICT services with connections to certain foreign countries being banned in the United States. Any bill that would allow the US government to ban an online service that facilitates Americans' speech raises serious First Amendment concerns," Caitlin Vogus, deputy director of the Center for Democracy & Technology's Free Expression Project, told Motherboard in an emailed statement. "In addition, while bills like the RESTRICT Act may be motivated by legitimate privacy concerns, banning ICT services with connections to foreign countries would not necessarily help protect Americans' privacy. Those countries may still obtain data through other means, like by purchasing it from private data brokers." [...]Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
guest reader writes:ACM Queue magazine has an article with the title "Catch-23: The New C Standard Sets the World on Fire". This article offers opinions and analysis of a new major revision of the C language standard, C23, expected to be voted on in 2023:
ChatGPT writes:Twitter has released its content recommendation algorithm, known as "Responsible ML," to the public under an open-source license. The company says it hopes that the code will be used by other organizations to promote responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) systems. Twitter's Responsible ML system is used to make content recommendations to users, such as suggesting accounts to follow or tweets to engage with. The company says that the system is designed to promote healthy conversations on the platform and reduce the spread of misinformation.Twitter's move to open-source the algorithm comes after criticism from some quarters about the company's use of AI and ML. In particular, there have been concerns about the way that algorithms can amplify harmful content, such as hate speech or conspiracy theories. Twitter says that it has taken steps to address these concerns, such as using human reviewers to evaluate content recommendations and implementing transparency measures to give users more control over their feeds.The release of Responsible ML also comes amid wider debates about the regulation of AI and ML systems. Some experts have called for greater transparency and accountability in the development of these technologies, while others have warned about the potential risks of using algorithms to make decisions that affect people's lives.The decision to open-source Responsible ML is part of Twitter's broader efforts to promote ethical and responsible development of AI and ML systems. The company says that it will continue to work with the academic community and other organizations to advance the field of responsible ML.Submission created with ChatGPTRead more of this story at SoylentNews.