Sharon Stone is in talks to play Victoria Kord, the main villain in DC Comics’ forthcoming film Blue Beetle, reports The Wrap. She joins a stacked cast that includes Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle, the also-just-announced Raoul Max Trujillo (Mayans M.C., Apocalypto) as Carapax the Indestructible…
Source: Gizmodo – Sharon Stone Returns to Comic Book Villainy for Blue Beetle
Learn about the inode in Linux and how it works. The inode data structure stores all the metadata about a file or directory, except for the file name and the file data.
The post inodes in Linux Explained appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – inodes in Linux Explained
A glance at François Brunelle’s photography is often disorienting. For years, the Canadian photographer has dedicated himself to creating portraits of pairs of people that look so remarkably similar that you would think they’re siblings, or at least part of the same family. However, the pairs featured in his photos…
Source: Gizmodo – None of These 14 Doppelgangers Are Actual Twins
Companies are offering interest-free advances to people with poor credit in exchange for detailed personal data. Wired: Tulloch [Editor’s note: the anecdote character in the story] is one of a growing number of US workers turning their personal data over to private companies in exchange for paycheck advances, fueling an industry potentially worth up to $12 billion, by some estimates. In 2020, $9.5 billion in wages were accessed early, according to the research firm Aite-Novarica Group, up from $6.3 billion in 2019. These early payouts can be habit-forming; a 2021 report from the Financial Health Network found that more than 70 percent of pay advance users took out consecutive advances.
What Tulloch didn’t know was that when he signed up for the app, a company called Argyle was retrieving the data that would be used to decide how much money to give him. It builds the technology that allows companies like B9 to extract a wealth of data from payroll accounts — up to 140 data points. These can include shifts worked, time off, earnings and promotions history, health care and retirement contributions, even reputational markers like on-time rate or a gig worker’s star rating and deactivation history. For every worker that uses its product, Argyle charges customers like B9 a fee, plus an additional monthly charge for continuous monitoring. This makes for a valuable data trove; it’s further upstream than banking data, providing a fuller picture of a worker’s earnings, deductions, and behavior. Some estimate that payroll data could be worth $10 billion. Argyle pegs it at 10 times higher.
Argyle is part of an emerging set of payroll data companies founded over the last four years to cash in on workers’ personal information. They build secure connections between payroll providers like Paychex and businesses that want to access that data, like B9. Argyle acts like a courier, shuttling data from one account to another, the same way banking data is transmitted to apps like Venmo. Its competitors include Atomic, Pinwheel, Truv, and Plaid (which builds those bank integrations but recently began releasing payroll products). The data that workers provide can be used to underwrite financial products like loans, mortgages, insurance policies, and buy-now-pay-later apps; simplify direct deposit switching; or verify income and employment for apartment and job applications.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Workers Are Trading Staggering Amounts of Data for ‘Payday Loans’
In mid-February, we reported on the plan to
unite the two kernel devices that provide random numbers;
/dev/urandom was to effectively just be another way to access the
random numbers provided by /dev/random. That change made it as
far as the mainline during the Linux 5.18 merge window, but it was
quickly reverted when problems were found. It may be possible to
do that unification someday, but, for now, there are environments that need
their random numbers early on—without entropy or the “Linus jitter dance”
being available on the platform.
Source: LWN.net – [$] Problems emerge for a unified /dev/*random
YouTube’s copyright claim system has been repeatedly abused for bogus takedown requests, and Bungie has had enough. TorrentFreakreports the game studio has sued 10 anonymous people for allegedly leveling false Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) claims against a host of Destiny 2 creators on YouTube, and even Bungie itself. The company said the culprits took advantage of a “hole” in YouTube’s DMCA security that let anyone claim to represent a rights holder, effectively letting “any person, anywhere” misuse the system to suit their own ends.
According to Bungie, the perpetrators created a Gmail account in mid-March that was intended to mimic the developer’s copyright partner CSC. They then issued DMCA takedown notices while falsely claiming to represent Bungie, and even tried to fool creators with another account that insisted the first was fraudulent. YouTube didn’t notice the fake credentials and slapped video producers with copyright strikes, even forcing users to remove videos if they wanted to avoid bans.
YouTube removed the strikes, suspended the Gmail accounts and otherwise let creators recover, but not before Bungie struggled with what it called a “circular loop” of support. The firm said it only broke the cycle by having its Global Finance Director email key Google personnel, and Google still “would not share” info to identify the fraudsters. Bungie hoped a DMCA subpoena and other measures would help identify the attackers and punish them, including damages that could reach $150,000 for each false takedown notice.
We’ve asked Google for comment. The lawsuit won’t force YouTube to reform its DMCA system, but Bungie is clearly hoping this will add some pressure. As it is, the company believes the fake takedown requests did lasting damage by creating a “chilling effect” for Destiny‘s YouTube stars (who were afraid to post new videos) and damaging the community at large.
Update 3/29/22 5:40pm Eastern: “We take abuse of our copyright takedown process seriously and terminate tens of thousands of accounts every year for violating our policies, which prohibit submitting false information in a takedown request,” a YouTube spokesperson told Engadget over email. “We’ll continue our work to prevent abuse of our systems, and we’re committed to taking appropriate action against those who knowingly misuse our tools.”
Source: Engadget – Bungie lawsuit aims to unmask YouTube copyright claim abusers
A critical test of NASA’s upcoming Space Launch System rocket starts this Friday, but the live broadcast of the wet dress rehearsal promises to be a dull and silent affair owing to security concerns. We live in uncertain times, no question, but some experts say this muzzling is over the top and unhelpful.
Source: Gizmodo – Why NASA Will Be Keeping Many Details of This Weekend’s Megarocket Test Secret
Former President Donald Trump seems to want you to believe he took a phone detox during the most tumultuous hours of his presidency.
Source: Gizmodo – Trump: ‘I Have No Idea What a Burner Phone Is’
Porteus Kiosk 5.4 is here more than five months after Porteus Kiosk 5.3 to bump the kernel version from Linux 5.10 LTS to Linux 5.15 LTS. Learn more here.
The post Gentoo-Based Porteus Kiosk 5.4 Released with Linux Kernel 5.15 LTS appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – Gentoo-Based Porteus Kiosk 5.4 Released with Linux Kernel 5.15 LTS
Good news for crypto buffs: You can now buy NFTs that are linked to specific tracts of land in the Brazilian rainforest. While the company claims that it’s a bold new vision for conservation, it’s in reality a harbinger of a wave of problematic crypto-driven greenwashing.
Source: Gizmodo – Amazon Rainforest NFTs Put Greenwashing on the Blockchain
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images)
Over the last few decades, there’s been a heavy emphasis on techniques that fall under the concept of “proactive policing.” These generally involve identifying the areas of a city that have the highest crime rates and applying more aggressive policing in those locations. While there have been some successes, the approach has often bred resentment, as methods like stop-and-frisk policing generated antagonism between the police and the communities they were meant to help.
In a 2018 report on proactive policing, the US’s National Academies of Science examined approaches meant to keep intensive policing from creating friction with communities. The report found that one promising technique, called “procedural justice,” lacked evidence of efficacy—we couldn’t tell whether it consistently reduced crime and/or improved community relations.
So, some of the people behind the National Academies report decided to change that, running their own controlled study on procedural justice in three US cities. The results aren’t decisive, but they suggest the technique might reduce crime and community friction.
Read 10 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – A controlled experiment focuses on improved policing method
If a startup from New Jersey has its way, the next Ray Kroc will be a robot. In the last week, a company called RoboBurgerinstalled an autonomous burger chef in Jersey City’s Newport Centre Mall. Over on its website, RoboBurger breathlessly describes its vending machine as the “biggest innovation in hot food vending since the invention of the microwave.”
Inside of a frame that occupies about 12 square feet, the RoboBurger features everything it needs to make a complete – if somewhat visually unappealing – burger in approximately six minutes. And while there may not be any humans involved, the machine uses the same five-step cooking process employed by many quick-service restaurants. An automated griddle grills the patty at the same time the machine toasts the bun. When you order your burger, you can decide whether you want ketchup, mustard and cheese on it. There’s even a built-in cleaning system that is up to the standards of the National Sanitary Foundation. Oh, and you can pay for your burger with both Apple Pay and Google Pay. Handy that.
And while we can’t speak to the taste of the burger, RoboBurger claims it only uses the best ingredients possible. The patty is made from grass-fed Angus beef that isn’t subjected to antibiotics. As for the bun, it’s a potato one that comes from a local bakery. If you can’t make it to New Jersey for a taste test, fret not. RoboBurger says it plans to bring its automated burger chef to airports, malls, colleges and other similar venues across the country in the coming weeks and months.
Source: Engadget – No one asked for a hamburger vending machine, and RoboBurger answered
If the idea of Jumanji got combined with the violence from Saw, then filtered through a stand-up arcade machine, you’d have the new Netflix film Choose or Die. From director Toby Meakins and writer Simon Allen, Choose or Die stars Iola Evans (The 100) and Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game) as two people who stumble upon…
Source: Gizmodo – Choose Or Die Looks Like an 8-Bit Horror Version of Jumanji
The Federal Trade Commission sued Intuit in federal court on Monday, claiming it has deceived customers for years by marketing its TurboTax software as free and then charging most users when they file their income taxes. From a report: Around 56 million people filed their taxes with TurboTax in 2021, according to an Inuit shareholder presentation in January. Those individuals filed 54 million W-2 and 40 million 1099 tax forms, the company said. The FTC sued Intuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, asking for an immediate halt to its “bogus” advertising as taxpayers rush to meet the April 18 deadline to file their 2021 income taxes. The agency also issued a parallel administrative complaint on Monday. That proceeding will determine whether Intuit’s conduct violated the FTC Act, the lawsuit said. Much of Intuit’s advertising tells consumers they can file their income taxes for free online using TurboTax, but that’s not true for most users, including independent contractors in the gig economy who get a 1099 tax form, the FTC said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – FTC Sues TurboTax Owner Intuit for Advertising Tax Software as ‘Free’
This morning, Sony finally unveiled its games-on-demand service in a blog post with more asterisks than the lease on your first apartment.. It’s a revamp of PS Plus called… [drum roll] wait for it… [another drum roll] PS Plus.
Source: Kotaku – The New PS Plus Isn’t Game Pass, But That’s OK
Remember PowerVR? Unlike a lot of names from the early PC 3D accelerator market, PowerVR didn’t fade away, it simply moved on. Unable to compete with high-powered silicon from NVIDIA and AMD (neé ATI), PowerVR shifted its focus toward the mobile market. This ended up being quite lucrative as it supplied several generations of iPhone (among
Source: Hot Hardware – PowerVR-Based Fenghua 1 GPU Makes A Splash In China As An Alleged GeForce RTX 3060 Rival
A judge has ordered Activision Blizzard to pay $18 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing the company of fostering a sexist, discriminatory workplace. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit in September and that same afternoon, Activision Blizzard agreed to set up an $18 million fund for employees who experienced sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination at the studio. Today’s ruling approves this plan.
The fund will be distributed among people who worked at Activision Blizzard from September 1st, 2016, to today. Eligible employees and former employees have to opt-in to receive a payout, and they can submit claims relating to sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and retaliation.
Today’s ruling isn’t the end of the legal issues for Activision Blizzard, and it may even complicate efforts still underway by other agencies. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing first sued the studio in July 2021 following a two-year investigation into allegations that sexism, gender-based harassment and a “frat boy culture” pervaded the Activision Blizzard offices. That state-level lawsuit is still in progress, while the $18 million ruling today applies only to the federal case filed by the EEOC.
Anyone who signs on as a claimant in the EEOC suit will not be eligible to participate in the state’s case, at least when it comes to harassment, retaliation or pregnancy discrimination. If they have additional claims, such as pay inequities, they can bring those to the DFEH lawsuit.
The DFEH and EEOC have been battling for dominance with their lawsuits against Activision Blizzard. Lawyers for the California agency have expressed concern that a federal settlement might prevent them from pursuing additional damages at a state level. The DFEH case is scheduled to go to trial in February 2023.
“The DFEH will continue to vigorously prosecute its action against Activision in California state court,” spokesperson Fahizah Alim said last week.
Additionally, the DFEH, activists and Activision Blizzard employees have argued the $18 million figure is far too low to properly compensate all potential claimants, which could add up to hundreds of people. Communications Workers of America, the labor union backing Activision Blizzard employees during this time, called the sum “woefully inadequate” in a letter to the EEOC in October.
“This would provide the maximum settlement for only 60 workers,” the CWA letter reads. “If any significant number of workers received the maximum under federal law, there would be little available for many other workers adversely affected. We are concerned about how the EEOC got to that number and how it believes that number will be fairly distributed. Please explain.”
California’s DFEH fought against a similar ruling in the case of Riot Games. Following a 2018 class-action lawsuit claiming rampant sexual harassment and discrimination at the studio, Riot was originally ordered to pay $10 million to eligible employees. The DFEH blocked that payout, arguing it was much too small, and the amount was eventually increased to $100 million.
A spokesperson for the EEOC provided the following statement to Engadget following today’s federal ruling: “We are pleased that the judge has indicated her intent to sign the consent decree. The consent decree not only provides monetary relief to potential claimants that were impacted by sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and related retaliation at Activision Blizzard throughout the United States, but also puts in place significant injunctive relief at Activision Blizzard to prevent and address discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.”
Source: Engadget – Activision Blizzard agrees to pay million to settle its federal sexual harassment case
The Chrome team: The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 100 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux. Chrome 100 is also promoted to our new extended stable channel for Windows and Mac. This will roll out over the coming days/weeks. Chrome 100.0.4896.60 contains a number of fixes and improvements — a list of changes is available in the log.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Chrome 100 Has Arrived
The peaceful, zen-like puzzle gameplay of Unpacking (the real game, that is) will soon be available to the PlayStation crowd. As Polygonsays, Witch Beam and Humble Games have announced that Unpacking will be available on PS4 and PS5 this spring. It’s launching alongside physical releases from Limited Run Games for the PS4, PS5 and Switch versions.
The game is already available in digital form on Macs, Switch, Windows PCs and Xbox consoles.
Unpacking was considered one of the stand-out games of 2021 precisely because it served as an antidote to the chaos and noise of the real world (and, we’d add, many other video games). All you do is unpack items as you settle into a new home — and, ultimately, a new life. The audio and visuals are relaxing by themselves, but the mechanics also encourage patience and curiosity. Throw in a subtle, near-wordless approach to storytelling and you might return just to give yourself a break.
Kontron announced a “Pi-Tron CM4” industrial mini-PC (or SBC) based on a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with GbE and 10/100 LAN, 3x USB, 2x COM, CAN-FD, DIO, HDMI 2.0, MIPI-DSI/CSI, 40-pin GPIO, and M.2 B-key.
Source: LXer – Raspberry Pi CM4 powered system available as SBC or mini-PC
