An Anonymous Coward writes:https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/19/us_crosswalk_button_hacking/Some pranksters altered the voices on crosswalk buttons in some US cities. The hardware had a control app available on Google Play and Apple App Store along with a listed default PIN of 1234.
turgid writes:At phys.org there is an article about a lone black hole discovered by astronomers at the University of St Andrews.Lone black holes are very rare, and the discovery was challenged, since lone neutron stars are far more common but subsequent observations confirm the lone black hole moving through the constellation Sagittarius.
Booga1 writes:Researchers explored a new range of colors using a different kind of laser vision. Direct laser stimulation of individual photoreceptors:
aliks writes:The stated aim is to promote better security by encouraging automation of certificate renewal, and this is the narrative promoted by vendors who will coincidentally benefit mightily from increased certificate and services sales.The story was picked up by most of the usual tech channels such as Computerworldhttps://www.computerworld.com/article/3960658/vendors-vote-to-radically-slash-website-certificate-duration.htmlwho have a decent summary of the likely consequences, but here is an exercept from the press release of one vendor: Sectigohttps://www.sectigo.com/resource-library/sectigo-cab-reduce-ssl-tls-certificates-lifespan-47-daysScottsdale, AZ - April 14, 2025 - Sectigo, a global leader in digital certificates and automated Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM), today announced that the CA/Browser (CA/B) Forum ballot it endorsed to reduce the maximum validity term of SSL/TLS certificates to 47 days by 2029 has passed. This groundbreaking move to shorten digital certificate lifespans seeks to enhance online security, drive automation in certificate management, and ready systems for quantum computing challenges by improving crypto agility.The newly approved measure, initially proposed by Apple and endorsed by Sectigo in January 2025, will gradually reduce certificate lifespans from the current 398 days to 47 days through a phased approach:March 15, 2026: Maximum TLS certificate lifespan shrinks to 200 days. This accommodates a six-month renewal cadence. The Domain Control Validation (DCV) reuse period reduces to 200 days.
aliks writes:Glyn Moody writing for the techdirt.com site has a good summary of the status of Deepseek - with an added bonus of lots of links to his source material. Longish article, covering a lot of ground including usage of AI for social surveillance by the Chinese governmenthttps://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/14/deepseek-is-already-being-applied-widely-across-chinas-industries-and-used-for-government-surveillance-and-propaganda/
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-dies-on-easter-monday-aged-88.htmlPope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.Read more of this story at SoylentNews.
upstart writes:The Israeli spyware maker, still on the US Commerce Department's "blacklist," has hired a new lobbying firm with direct ties to the Trump administration, a WIRED investigation has found:
upstart writes:The new general AI agent from China had some system crashes and server overload-but it's highly intuitive and shows real promise for the future of AI helpers:
upstart writes:Modern science wouldn't exist without the online research repository known as arXiv. Three decades in, its creator still can't let it go.:
Tech Review has a short article that attempts to describe "vibe coding" and discuss some of the ramifications, https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/16/1115135/what-is-vibe-coding-exactly/
fliptop writes:Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), said on Tuesday its key processor chips would soon be made at TSMC's (2330.TW), opens new tab new production site in Arizona, marking the first time that its products will be manufactured in the United States: