Plato’s Final Hours Recounted In Scroll Found In Vesuvius Ash
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Guardian:

Newly deciphered passages from a papyrus scroll that was buried beneath layers of volcanic ash after the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius may have shed light on the final hours of Plato, a key figure in the history of western philosophy. In a groundbreaking discovery, the ancient scroll was fo … ⌘ Read more

Breakthrough Achieved In Nanometer-Resolution Imaging of 3D Chemistry
“A leap in our ability to see the chemistry of matter in three-dimensions at the nanoscale was achieved, allowing scientists to understand how nanomaterials are chemically arranged,” writes Slashdot reader Hovden:

Traditionally, seeing matter at the smallest sizes requires too many high-energy electrons for 3D chemical imaging. The … ⌘ Read more

Microsoft Details How It’s Developing AI Responsibly
Thursday the Verge reported that a new report from Microsoft “outlines the steps the company took to release responsible AI platforms last year.”

Microsoft says in the report that it created 30 responsible AI tools in the past year, grew its responsible AI team, and required teams making generative AI applications to measure and map risks throughout the development cycle. Th … ⌘ Read more

The US Just Mandated Automated Emergency Braking Systems By 2029
Come 2029, all cars sold in the U.S. “must be able to stop and avoid contact with a vehicle in front of them at speeds up to 62 mph,” reports Car and Driver.

“Additionally, the system must be able to detect pedestrians in both daylight and darkness. As a final parameter, the federal standard will require the system to apply the brakes automatical … ⌘ Read more

AI-Powered ‘HorseGPT’ Fails to Predict This Year’s Kentucky Derby Winner
In 2016, an online “swarm intelligence” platform generated a correct prediction for the Kentucky Derby — naming all four top finishers, in order. (But the next year their predictions weren’t even close, with TechRepublic suggesting 2016’s race had an unusual cluster of just a few top racehorses.)

So this year Decrypt.co tried crafti … ⌘ Read more

U.S. Seeks to Build World Pressure on Russia Over Space Nuclear Weapon
An anonymous reader shared this report from the New York Times:

American officials are trying to increase international pressure on Russia not to deploy an antisatellite nuclear weapon in space, and have obtained information that undermines Moscow’s explanation that the device it is developing is for peaceful scientific purposes, a s … ⌘ Read more

Multinational ISP Offers $206M In Secured Notes Backed By IPv4 Addresses
CircleID reports that Multinational internet service provider Cogent recently announced that it was offering $206 million in secured notes (a corporate bond backed by assets). “The unusual part is what it’s using as security: some of its IPv4 addresses and the leases on those IPv4 addresses.”

All internet service providers (ISPs) … ⌘ Read more

Ubuntu Criticized For Bug Blocking Installation of .Deb Packages
The blog It’s FOSS is “pissed at the casual arrogance of Ubuntu and its parent company Canonical….. The sheer audacity of not caring for its users reeks of Microsoft-esque arrogance.”
If you download a .deb package of a software, you cannot install it using the official graphical software center on Ubuntu anymore. When you doubl … ⌘ Read more

NASA’s Moon Capsule Suffered Extensive Damage During 2022’s Test Flight
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Washington Post:

The heat shield of the Orion spacecraft intended one day to carry astronauts to the moon under NASA’s Artemis program suffered unexpected damage in more than 100 places as the spacecraft returned to Earth during an uncrewed test flight in 2022, according to a watchdog … ⌘ Read more

Finding Land for US Wind Farms Might Be Easier Than We Thoughth
The Washington Post reports that wind turbines “only take up five percent of the land where they’ve been built, new research shows.”

The rest of the space can be used for other purposes, such as agriculture, according to a study published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology. This means developers could f … ⌘ Read more

Jack Dorsey’s Block Is Investing 10% Of Its Bitcoin Profits Into Monthly Bitcoin Purchases
An anonymous reader shared this report from the blog Bitcoinist:

Jack Dorsey’s financial services and digital payments company, Block Inc., announced it will begin investing 10% of its monthly Bitcoin-related gross profits into BTC purchases. This announcement was made following the release of Block’s … ⌘ Read more

When a Politician Sues a Blog to Unmask Its Anonymous Commenter
Markos Moulitsas is the poll-watching founder of the political blog Daily Kos. Thursday he wrote that in 2021, future third-party presidential candidate RFK Jr. had sued their web site.

“Things are not going well for him.”

Back in 2021, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sued Daily Kos to unmask the identity of a community member who posted a critical story ab … ⌘ Read more

The Highest Observatory On Earth Is Now Open
The world’s highest astronomical site is officially open for business after being in the works for 26 years. Space.com reports: The Japanese University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory, or TAO, which was first conceptualized 26 years ago to study the evolution of galaxies and exoplanets, is perched on top of a tall mountain in the Chilean Andes at 5,640 meters (18,500 feet) above sea lev … ⌘ Read more

Geek-Friendly ‘Free Comic Book Day’ Titles Include Two Star Wars Books for May the Fourth
This year’s Free Comic Book Day coincided with Star Wars Day. So there’s two new free Star Wars titles being handed out today in comic shops around the world.

They’re among several geek-friendly titles among the 48 free comics that fans will get to choose from during this once-a-year event … ⌘ Read more

Extremist Militias Are Coordinating In More Than 100 Facebook Groups
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Join your localMilitia or III% Patriot Group,” a post urged the more than 650 members of a Facebook group called the Free American Army. Accompanied by the logo for the Three Percenters militia network and an image of a man in tactical gear holding a long rifle, the post continues: “Now more … ⌘ Read more

Lithium-Free Sodium Batteries Exit the Lab, Enter US Production
Natron Energy, a pioneer in sodium-ion battery technology, has officially commenced mass production of its lithium-free sodium batteries in its Holland, Michigan facility, offering an alternative energy storage solution with benefits such as faster cycling, longer lifespan, and safer usage compared to lithium-ion batteries. New Atlas reports: No … ⌘ Read more

Star Wars Day 2024 Celebrated With Videogames, Movie Marathons, Cartoons, and Mark Hamill
“It all started with the fans,” says 72-year-old actor Mark Hamill, in a montage of fans and actors in a newly-released video commemorating this year’s Star Wars day.

Or, as Tom’s Guide writes, “It’s such a nice feeling to be a part of a huge community since fans are the ones who created th … ⌘ Read more

Methane Emissions From Gas Flaring Being Hidden From Satellite Monitors
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Oil and gas equipment intended to cut methane emissions is preventing scientists from accurately detecting greenhouse gases and pollutants, a satellite image investigation has revealed. Energy companies operating in countries such as the US, UK, Germany and Norway appear to have … ⌘ Read more

US Official Urges China, Russia To Declare AI Will Not Control Nuclear Weapons
Senior Department arms control official Paul Dean on Thursday urged China and Russia to declare that artificial intelligence would never make decisions on deploying nuclear weapons. Washington had made a “clear and strong commitment” that humans had total control over nuclear weapons, said Dean. Britain and France have m … ⌘ Read more

Apple Announces Largest-Ever $110 Billion Share Buyback As iPhone Sales Drop
Apple reported fiscal second-quarter earnings that topped estimates, despite a 10% drop in iPhone sales. The company also announced that its board had authorized $110 billion in share repurchases, “a 22% increase over last year’s $90 billion authorization,” notes CNBC. “It’s the largest buyback in history, ahead of Apple’s … ⌘ Read more

Humans Now Share the Web Equally With Bots, Report Warns
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Independent, published last month: Humans now share the web equally with bots, according to a major new report – as some fear that the internet is dying. In recent months, the so-called “dead internet theory” has gained new popularity. It suggests that much of the content online is in fact automatically generated, and … ⌘ Read more

Sony Will Soon Require ‘Helldivers 2’ PC Gamers To Link Their Steam Accounts To PSN, Angering Users
“Players who made Steam purchases of Helldivers 2 are now, months after the fact, being told by Sony that their games will be useless unless linked to a PSN account,” writes longtime Slashdot reader Baron_Yam. From a report: Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment announced tod … ⌘ Read more

Senators Want Limits On TSA Use of Facial Recognition Technology For Airport Screening
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Jeff Merkley, John Kennedy, and Roger Marshall, is advocating for limitations on the Transportation Security Administration’s use of facial recognition technology due to concerns about privacy and civil liberties. PBS reports: In a letter on Thursday, the group of 1 … ⌘ Read more

AI Engineers Report Burnout, Rushed Rollouts As ‘Rat Race’ To Stay Competitive Hits Tech Industry
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: Late last year, an artificial intelligence engineer at Amazon was wrapping up the work week and getting ready to spend time with some friends visiting from out of town. Then, a Slack message popped up. He suddenly had a deadline to delive … ⌘ Read more

Germany Says Russia Will Face Consequences For ‘Intolerable’ Cyberattack
An anonymous reader shares a report: Relations between Russia and Germany were already tense, with Germany providing military support to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russian state hackers were behind a cyberattack last year that targeted the Social Democrats, the leading party i … ⌘ Read more