Following LLVM adding Zstd compressed ELF debug sections support, GCC 13 in conjunction with newer Binutils has also introduced support for Zstd-compressed debug sections…
Source: Phoronix – GCC 13 Lands Support For Zstd-Compressed Debug Sections
Monthly Archives: September 2022
Vulkan 1.3.230 Published With Six New Extensions
This week’s Vulkan spec update is on the larger side with six new extensions being introduced…
Source: Phoronix – Vulkan 1.3.230 Published With Six New Extensions
Comet Lake based PC available in barebone and customizable models
The Mitac E410-13CMI is an industrial grade embedded system powered by the Intel Comet Lake 10th Gen processor. This fanless PC provides support for dual 4K displays, up to 64GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Wi-Fi 6/Bluetooth 5.1 and several other peripherals. The Mitac E410-13CMI embedded system ships the following processor only: i3-10100T — 4C/8T, 3.0GHz – […]
Source: LXer – Comet Lake based PC available in barebone and customizable models
Fedora 38 Cleared To Accelerate GnuTLS With Kernel TLS
The proposal for accelerating GnuTLS with kernel TLS has been approved for Fedora 38 that will debut next spring…
Source: Phoronix – Fedora 38 Cleared To Accelerate GnuTLS With Kernel TLS
Adobe vows to continue offering Figma's free plan if its buyout is approved
In an interview with Bloomberg, Adobe Chief Product Officer Scott Belsky has reassured worried Figma users that the online collaborative design platform’s acquisition will not change its pricing model and ease of use. If you’ll recall, Adobe announced in mid-September that it’s purchasing Figma for roughly $20 billion in cash and shares. Users understandably raised concerns about the merger, seeing as Adobe’s programs are quite expensive.
Belsky said in the interview that Figma will remain a “freemium” offering with a basic tier that’s available at no cost. Figma co-founder Dylan Field added that Adobe isn’t planning any price increase and that the platform will remain free for education. Adobe does have changes planned for the platform, of course, including integrating features from its software portfolio, as well as its library of fonts and stock images.
According to Belsky, though, any update Adobe rolls out won’t be obstructive and won’t make it difficult to navigate the platform’s interface. Perhaps most importantly for those who use Figma for collaborations, it will continue allowing file sharing without additional fees — users won’t have to get a Creative Cloud subscription to work on the same document.
Adobe’s suite of programs will undergo changes due to the acquisition, as well. The company plans to adopt Figma’s collaborative features and may build multi-user web platforms for its programs. Adobe Express and Acrobat might also get their own versions of Figma’s whiteboard and presentation functions. “We would only want to amplify and continue and learn from the things that Figma has done to become a viral product in the enterprise and throughout the world,” Belsky said.
There is one Adobe program that might not survive the acquisition: Figma’s direct competitor Adobe XD. The company has no immediate plans to kill the software, but it will “reevaluate where [it] want[s] to shift [its] resources and focus” once Figma comes in. Both parties expect the deal to close sometime in 2023, so long as it gets approval from both regulators and shareholders.
Source: Engadget – Adobe vows to continue offering Figma’s free plan if its buyout is approved
Amazon boosts wages for hourly workers across the US
Amazon has announced that it’s spending nearly $1 billion boosting wages for hourly workers in the US amid criticism of its labor practices and a pitched union battle. The increase will take the starting wage for most front-line warehouse and transportation employees to over $19 per hour, while pay in fulfilment and elsewhere will rise to $16 an hour. The company’s minimum wage will remain at $15 per hour.
Amazon is also expanding its “Anytime Pay” program to all employees, allowing them to access up to 70 percent of their eligible pay at any time with no fee, rather than the usual once or twice a month. It also added a new development program that allows employees to advance to engineering roles after 12-14 months of training.
Amazon is the second largest employer in the US after Walmart, with a total workforce of over 1.5 million. Most of those are hourly workers in warehouses or delivery, or retailer workers at Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh. The average hourly pay in the US is $32.36, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and $28.10 in the “transportation and warehousing” category.
In April this year, 8,000-plus workers at a Staten Island facility voted to unionize, and Amazon lost its initial appeal for a re-vote. It’s also facing a House committee probe into a deadly warehouse collapse that killed six workers during a tornado. Last June, the panel accused Amazon of “obstructing” the probe by refusing to hand over key documents related to an internal review.
Source: Engadget – Amazon boosts wages for hourly workers across the US
Five Stages of a Software Development Life Cycle

Developing software is a complex task, and many details should be kept in mind so you don’t miss something important. As technology progresses, software developers need to correspond to the latest advances to develop really efficient software. It is not easy but in the end, the quality product is always worth the resources that were put into its development.
Technology helps save time and other resources, but detailed work has to be done in order to create a robust solution. But what does it take to make a high-quality product, and what are the cycles of software development consists of?
Let’s analyze the process of software development life cycle and have a look at some software development trends to get a bigger picture.
What is the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?
The software development life cycle is a term that describes the main cycles of software development consists of, and the general pattern it has. The structure of the cycle allows developers to have a reliable plan which will allow for the software to be effective. Planning also saves time and helps organize the whole process. Hard work combined with lots of analysis contributes to creating software with efficient functions and high-quality design. Such products serve longer and can help businesses achieve their goals.
All of the stages in this cycle are interconnected, and each of them provides the result for the next one. The final stage summarizes everything as the implemented software is tested.
So, what are the five stages of a software development life cycle?
Analysis Of The Requirements
This is the most important stage of the whole process of software development. Before you start developing software, all of the company’s requirements need to be analyzed. This is why starting a discussion with various specialists is helpful. All the sides of the process of development need to be understood and addressed. Otherwise, there will be misunderstandings right at the beginning of the process of development, and it will lead to further complications. By getting a picture of what purposes is software needed, what are the conditions of utilization, who will use it, and what is the desired outcome of this utilization, you may get to know what general requirements for software the company has. Also, knowing the purposes helps understand how the company’s professional goals can be achieved in an easier way and how a digital solution may help.
If you have a clear plan of what the process of usage will look like, it will not take you much time to design the product and know the particular details that are required for the software to be efficient. This analysis is also necessary for the definition of quality requirements and effective risk management.
The main goal of requirement analysis is to make sure the goals are clear, and developers have a clear picture of what the software will be used for and how to serve the company’s needs well.
Design Development
The design stage defines all of the next stages of effective software development. You need to have a clear picture of what a solution should look like and what the components will be.
The “Requirement Specification” document, created in the first stage of the process, has a special guide for developers. Both the software and system design are developed according to these instructions. This is important in order to define what parts of the design are especially important. The different parts of the product which are created during this stage are:
- various parts of the system;
- what hardware is required;
- the entire architecture.
The result of the design development constitutes the final product and is used in the next stage to make enhancements. After the process of designing, the coding will take place. The design plan is created by lead developers and technical architects, and all of the main requirements are incorporated into it. The process is somehow similar to company website development, as it also includes robust architecture and detailed structure. Knowing the structure allows us to easily navigate the process of the creation of the product.
Implementation
The process of coding itself is done in this part of the software development life cycle. The necessary data is created and placed in a database by an admin, and the interface is created. The design specifications allow developers to produce code that is used in the next stage of the cycle. This stage of the cycle is the longest and it takes the most effort. But in addition, this stage is critically important as it makes the core of the software development. IT web development companies spend a lot of resources on this stage.
This stage also implies many changes can be made so the developers need to be prepared for high pressure. But quality execution of the process of coding prevents potential mistakes in the future.
Testing
Testing is required in order to know if the product meets all of the necessary requirements and if nothing is missing. In order to know the readiness of the software, various methods of testing are being implemented, including system testing, unit testing, integration testing, and so on.
After these kinds of tests, you can evaluate whether the software is suitable for the desired requirements and is ready to be used. Testing is essential to understand the weak parts of the products and prevent potential issues as there is always a chance for some mistakes to appear.
Maintenance
This is the final stage in which the software is ready to be utilized. If all of the requirements of planning and design are met, then the product is suitable for the company’s needs and may perform all necessary functions.
This stage is also critical for the whole process of development as the practical usage of the product may indicate what the potential issues are, and what are the weak parts of the software. Even QA testing does not prevent additional problems from occurring. When noticed, these problems may be addressed by the marketplace development agencies and all of the requirements met. Routine maintenance and regular upgrades are essential for keeping the product high quality.
Conclusion
The development of software is a complex and detailed process, and there are many aspects that need to be seen and enhanced during its various stages. Good software requires thorough planning, elaborate design, and many hours of coding, and after that, a product may be utilized. In order to create something that will serve for a long time and be effective in its work, many minor stages have to be finished and the final outcome enhanced. Even after the software is created, new updates need to be constantly performed.
In order to stay up to date, developers need to follow the latest technological trends and use quality tools. By combining technology with analysis and research, professionals can create a really robust solution.
Many stages of the software development life cycle may seem difficult, but all of them are necessary for quality software. Mistakes are inevitable in this process, too, so it is necessary to learn from them and use the experience which was gained in developing software for better results in the future.
Written by Adam Eaton
Source: TG Daily – Five Stages of a Software Development Life Cycle
The Upcoming Stumble Guys of Web 3! Seize the Initiative of Puffverse – PuffGo

The Rise of Party Game
Stumble Guys of Kita Games has finally reached its breakthrough two years after its launch, with its monthly revenue exceeding 100 million RMB. It is a battle royale party game, racing up with 32 players dashing through chaotic obstacle courses. Run, jump, and dash to the finish line until the best player takes the crown!
Party Game is definitely one of the main props in the game genre in the current mobile game market. As GameLook has reported, the Party Game is the one and only category that has held up in the face of declining overall U.S. mobile Game revenue this year. In August this year, the authoritative gaming industry Rollic also gave a very optimistic outlook for the future development of the Party Game category.
For instance, Flappy Bird, which can’t be missed when it comes to the Party Game, is the originator of the Party Game and was developed by a Vietnamese named Don Nguyen. This is a user-friendly game and is so simple that everyone can get on it instantly even without focusing on the game wholeheartedly. This type of easy-but-additive mode attracted massive players with over 50 million downloads within a short period of time. From then on, the Party Game mode has been set. Party Game is destinated to go viral on Web 2, as the multiplayer model and social fever are the main factors that reinforce its popularity, and what comes along is the skyrocketing discussion and sensation.
The Coming of the Party Game in Web 3
Web 3 games have incorporated economic elements into the game, giving players the ability to generate, collect, earn, and utilize tokens, from which they can gain actual income. Puffverse recently released details about its upcoming Web 3.0 gaming project, PuffGo. As a metaverse that is powered by an outstanding development team, PuffGo is only a small part of the whole ecosystem, but they chose PuffGo to be the first one to introduce Puffverse to the public.
In terms of PuffGo’s storyline, the Puff team has spiced up the characters and story for fun and interactivity. To have a sneak peek, it’s an interlocking story in which all characters interact with one another in some way. The story starts with the missing of the Demon King and the invasion of the Demon King City by the vicious Moru evil group, which is led by a cunning and self-centered character – Mr.B. All the main characters are related to the invasion somehow. They all have unique personalities.
Skill to Earn
While many existing Web 3 games are primarily webpage games, a comprehensive metaverse world with a content-rich storyline utilizes economic features for players to have fun, as well as integrate with Web 3 assets.
The game contains a wealth of level themes and gameplay and offers a variety of matchplay modes to choose from. Players can collect game characters with different appearances, personalities, and abilities, and change them into various costumes. In addition, players can take advantage of the specialties of different characters to participate in a variety of level plays. Each character comes with abundant skills and strategies that can be used wisely to compete for higher ranking and better resource rewards. In terms of level setting, players experience things distinctively depending on whether they have NFT character assets or not. The modes differ in the number of participants, the way to form a team, and the rewards.
Players can improve their individual combat capacities or team attributes with a reasonable combination to get the victory. This is how Skill to Earn works! The point is to really master the game, using your game experience, and actually finish the match. The game aims to provide players with an entertaining and differentiated game experience, allowing them to use each character with strategies to diverse theme-level games with varied costumes. Characters each have distinct personalities and figures, with their own storylines, unique skills, and attributes that play to their strengths in different application scenarios. With them, players can live and play carefreely and immerse themselves in the NFT game metaverse – Puffverse to have the best game experience in the crypto world.
About Puffverse
It is pretty smart to release PuffGo, the Web 3 gaming, as the first step of Puffverse, considering the heat Stumble Guys and Fall Guys have brought. But there’s more beyond the game itself.
The typical single-character settings were abandoned in favor of a character set that emphasizes “Who I am” by letting the users choose from different characters. Each character has their own character traits — Everyone is born different, and everyone can confidently be their best self — There is always a role whose character can be projected onto the individual player, triggering the maverick GenZ users’ empathy for “being brave and being yourself,” allowing them to accept and integrate into Puff’s world. Puffidentity is what matters the most, and it can be used across all products in Puffverse.
The main focus of the Puffverse team right now is mostly on creating a Disney-like metaverse. Puffs will be the character inside our metaverse. Users can access our metaverse through TVs, mobiles, virtual reality headsets, and other devices to play socially, competitively, and for fun. To earn profitably, players can even design their own UGC land in the metaverse. The team has extensive experience in the gaming industry with reliable partners and will keep enhancing the game’s quality and providing players with a variety of experiences.
Behind Puffverse
Puffverse, as the pioneer that combined web 3 with Party Games, attracted the attention of massive investors. Starting from 2019, due to the limits imposed by the epidemic, the majority of people worldwide are unable to travel as freely as before, but the socialization need still remains. With 300 million users worldwide, Xiaomi is a user-centered platform where quality content and platform will complement one another to create positive feedback in a loop. As a result, a team from Xiaomi decided to expand the investment in content production while choosing this track in the medium casual competitive category given the overall situation at the time (COVID-19). Hopefully, this will increase the viscosity of the platform and product users. The team also collaborated with Unity to develop the underlying framework of the product and designed a full set of Unity technology to realize the product planning. Unity provided all the technical support for the Puff project, and the best TA team in the world was brought in to realize the Puff product’s art and animation. The team created the base framework of the editor based on Unity to give the best action game experience to the users after it was introduced to the public.
The crypto world needs some excitement and freshness. Puffverse and its first product, PuffGo, will definitely be the most-anticipated gem among many.
Written by Awais Ahmed
Source: TG Daily – The Upcoming Stumble Guys of Web 3! Seize the Initiative of Puffverse – PuffGo
5 Best Free Self-Hosted Music Streaming Software
If you’re a music lover looking for free and open-source music server software to build your own self-hosted live streaming audio server for your extensive music collection, you’ve come to the right place. This article shows you the five best music streaming services you can install for free and fully control your music collection.
Source: LXer – 5 Best Free Self-Hosted Music Streaming Software
AiDot Inc. Obtained Level 5 Certification of CMMI-DEV V2.0

After more than two months of audit and confirmation by the CMMI Institute of the United States, AiDot Inc. officially passed the software CMMI-DEV V2.0 certification evaluation and obtained the Level 5 certification, which is currently the strictest and most authoritative certification in the international software research and development field.
This is another important milestone for AiDot Inc. to obtain authoritative certification in terms of product quality, innovation strength, management, and service level.

What does CMMI level 5 company mean?
Passing the CMMI 5 level certification indicates that AiDot Inc.’s software technology research and development capabilities, project management capabilities, quality assurance capabilities, and solution delivery capabilities continue to maintain the international advanced level, and can provide customers with more mature industry solutions. Higher quality service is of great significance to the sustainable development of the company in the future.
Statistics data from the official website of CMMI shows that only 15.8% of the 10,987 CMMI-certified companies have achieved Level 5 certification. According to SEI (Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University), software development companies that CMMI certified and actually implement the CMMI management model, have improved project estimation and control capabilities by about 40%-50%, and productivity has increased by 10%-20%. Product error rates fell by more than a third.
AiDot’s scope of this evaluation included 19 process time domains such as software requirements development management, technical solution implementation, project management (including planning, estimation, monitoring, risk management, quantitative management, etc.), Agile software development practices, root cause analysis, decision analysis, peer review, testing management, training management, configuration management, quantitative management, organizational process assets, and high-level governance. The evaluation team unanimously determined that AiDot Inc.’s software R&D process system complied with the high maturity specifications and requirements of CMMI-DEV V2.0, and successfully passed the 5-level certification of CMMI-DEV V2.0.
About CMMI:
CMMI is the Software Capability Maturity Integration Model, was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense and jointly developed by CMU-SEI (Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute), is the industry standard for measuring the capability maturity and project management level of software enterprises, and is also the most authoritative software capability assessment system in the world. CMMI maturity level 5 is the optimizing level, which is the highest level.
About AiDot:
AiDot is a smart home platform that connects devices across brands and ecosystems. With AiDot, your home becomes a connected space that makes your life simpler, safer, and more entertaining.
The AiDot app is the central part of the platform for controlling all smart home devices installed in your home. No matter where you are, you can control “Works with AiDot” devices in your home, including lights, switches, outlets, cameras, sensors, and household appliances, or create scenes and automation around your routines.
“Works with AiDot” (WWA) is a mark of interconnectivity across different brands and categories. You can easily control any product featuring the WWA label with AiDot app. Brands that have joined the AiDot ecosystem include well-known smart device brands, such as Linkind, OREiN, Mujoy, Winees, WELOV, Syvio, GoGonova, Ganiza, etc.
For more information, visit: www.AiDot.com
Contact us: marketing@aidot.com
Source: TG Daily – AiDot Inc. Obtained Level 5 Certification of CMMI-DEV V2.0
An All-Electric Passenger Plane Completed Its First Test Flight
A prototype all-electric passenger plane took off for the first time yesterday in a test flight that marks a significant milestone for carbon pollution-free aviation. The Verge reports: The nine-passenger commuter aircraft called Alice took off at 7:10AM yesterday from Washington state’s Grant County International Airport. Alice is ahead of much of the pack when it comes to all-electric aircraft under development. It could become the “first all-new, all-electric commercial airplane” if the Federal Aviation Administration certifies it to carry passengers, The Seattle Times reports.
Alice’s maker, Washington state-based company Eviation, is targeting commuter and cargo flights between 150 and 250 miles. That’s like flying from New York City to Boston or from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Yesterday’s test flight lasted just eight minutes, though, with the aircraft reaching an altitude of 3,500 feet. The purpose of the flight was to gather data to improve the design of the plane, which still has a long way to go before it can take off with passengers on board. Alice will eventually come in three configurations: a nine-passenger commuter plane, a six-passenger luxury plane, and an e-cargo version. The limited size has to do with battery capacity.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – An All-Electric Passenger Plane Completed Its First Test Flight
How to Install Docker Swarm on Debian 11
Docker Swarm is a container orchestration built on Docker Engine. It allows you to create and deploy a cluster of Docker nodes with multiple servers. This tutorial shows you how to set up Docker Swarm on Debian 11 servers.
Source: LXer – How to Install Docker Swarm on Debian 11
JTB Goes Big Into EV Charging
Akihabara News (Tokyo) — A subsidiary of major travel agency JTB has announced that it is going big into Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, building out a national network in support of tourist activities.
The partnership aiming to realize the plan is between its subsidiary JTB Communication Design and Terra Motors.
Using Terra Charge equipment, the partners aim to control about 10,000 charging points within such structures as condominiums, commercial facilities, and supermarkets; while at the same time adding another 5,000 charging points at accommodation and leisure facilities–locations meant to support tourism around Japan.
The partners’ press release explained that “we will not only provide optimal charging spots, but also propose ways to spend time while during the charging process (promoting activities such as cycle sharing, sightseeing, and locations to find gourmet food) to encourage excursions, increase stay times, and increase consumption.”
The charging spots will be supplied with local travel information and special discount coupons.
The aim is to have all of this infrastructure in place by the end of 2025.
Recent Electric Vehicle Related Articles
Software Hinders Japan Electric Cars
Japan Automakers Dead Last in EV Forecast
Japan Automakers Playing Catch-Up on Electric Vehicles
Nissan Keeps Delaying Ariya Launch
Nissan Alliance Set To Triple EV Investment
The post JTB Goes Big Into EV Charging appeared first on Akihabara News.
Source: Akihabara News – JTB Goes Big Into EV Charging
Lululemon to launch a subscription service that requires a Mirror home fitness device
On October 5th, Lululemon will launch a new membership service that requires a Mirror at-home fitness device. Lululemon Studio builds upon the 10,000 on-demand and livestream classes already accessible with a Mirror subscription. Members will get access to old online content from studio partners, can stream the new classes they release per week and can sign up for in-person classes at their brick-and-mortar locations at a discount. At the moment, the program lists eight partner studios, namely AARMY, Y7 Studio, DOGPOUND, FORWARD__Space, Pure Barre, Rumble, AKT and YogaSix. Members will also get discounts on Lululemon products and get early access to its events.
As The New York Times notes, the new program is part of the company’s efforts to expand Mirror’s reach. Lululemon purchased interactive home gym startup Mirror for $500 million back in 2020 during the height of COVID-related lockdowns, when people had no choice but to work out at home. As restrictions eased, people started flocking to gyms again. At-home fitness companies the found their sales dwindling and the demand for their products to be much, much smaller than before. Peloton, for instance, suffered a massive loss worth $757.1 million in the first three months of 2022. Lululemon itself slashed its Mirror sales outlook for 2021 to between $125 and $130 million from $250 million and $275 million.
In an interview with The Times, Lululemon chief executive Calvin McDonald, said: “What we saw in terms of connected fitness was a shift in change coming out of the pandemic where guests were really asking and looking for the convenience and the ability to not just have a solution to work out at home. Profitability is within our control. We’re choosing to invest to grow the business.” McDonald didn’t say how many users Mirror has, but it has apparently brought in new customers to the brand. He also said that the company expects Mirror to account for 5 percent of its sales in the next five years.
A Lululemon Studio membership will cost $39 a month, and all current Mirror subscription members will automatically become Studio members. Those who don’t have a Mirror yet will have to get one first. To lower the barrier of entry, Lululemon will cut Mirror’s price by almost 50 percent and will sell it for $795 (original price is $1,495) for a limited time starting on October 5th.
Source: Engadget – Lululemon to launch a subscription service that requires a Mirror home fitness device
Best Free and Open Source Alternatives to Apple Photo Booth
Photo Booth is a software application for taking photos and videos with an iSight camera. iSight is a brand name used by Apple to refer to cameras on various devices. The software offers live filters and the ability to replace backgrounds.
Source: LXer – Best Free and Open Source Alternatives to Apple Photo Booth
Scientists Create AI-Powered Laser Turret That Kills Cockroaches
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Everyone wants to be able to just zap a bug and have it go away. But now, thanks to a recent development from Ildar Rakhmatulin, a research associate at Heriot-Watt University interested in machine learning and engineering, this dream is now a reality. In the study — which was conducted last year but published in Oriental Insects last week — Rakhmatulin and his co-authors used a laser insect control device automated with machine vision to perform a series of experiments on domiciliary cockroaches. They were able to not only detect cockroaches at high accuracy but also neutralize and deter individual insects at a distance up to 1.2 meters. This is a follow-up of sorts to earlier projects, in which he used a Raspberry Pi and lasers to zap mosquitoes. However, for this project, Rakhmatulin used a different kind of computer which allowed for more precision in detecting the bug.
“I started using a Jetson Nano that allowed me to use deep learning technologies with higher accuracy to detect an object,” Rakhmatulin explained. The Jetson Nano is a small computer that can run machine learning algorithms. The computer processes a digital signal from two cameras to determine the cockroach’s position. It transmits that information to a galvanometer (a machine that measures electric current), which changes the direction of the laser to shoot the target. According to the paper, Rakhmatulin tried this configuration at different power levels for the laser. At a lower power level, he found that he could influence the behavior of roaches by simply triggering their flight response with a laser; this way, they could potentially be trained to not shelter in a particular dark area. At a higher power level, the cockroaches were effectively “neutralized,” in the paper’s language — in other words, killed. “I use very cheap hardware and cheap technology and it’s open source,” Rakhmatulin said. “All sources are uploaded in my GitHub and see how to do it and use it. If it can damage cockroaches, it can also damage other pests in agriculture.”
It’s not quite ready for household use though. “It’s not recommended because it’s a little dangerous,” Rakhmatulin said. “Lasers can damage not only cockroaches but your eyes.”
You can view a video of the device in action here.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Scientists Create AI-Powered Laser Turret That Kills Cockroaches
Bipedal Robot Sets Guinness World Record For Robotic 100-Meter Sprint
A droid named Cassie has set a Guinness World Record for the 100-meter dash by a bipedal robot, “an impressive demonstration of robotics and engineering,” reports New Atlas. From the report: Cassie is the brainchild of Agility Robotics, a spin-off company from Oregon State University, and was introduced in 2017 as a type of developmental platform for robotics research. And Cassie has continued to come along in leaps and bounds since then, in 2021 demonstrating some impressive progress by completing a 5-km (3.1-mile) jog in just over 53 minutes. This achievement involved the use of machine learning algorithms to equip the robot with an ability to run, overcoming its unique biomechanics and knees that bend like an ostrich to remain upright. With this capability, Cassie joined a group of running bipedal robots that include the Atlas humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics and Mabel, billed as the world’s fastest knee-equipped bipedal robot. But in optimizing Cassie for the 100-meter sprint, the researchers had to head back to the drawing board.
The team spent a week fast-tracking Cassie through a year’s worth of simulated training designed to determine the most effective gait. But it wasn’t simply a matter of speed. For the Guinness World Record to stand, Cassie had to start in a standing pose, and then return to that pose after crossing the finish line rather than simply tumble over. This meant Cassie had to use two neural networks, one for running fast and one for standing still, and gracefully transition between the two. Ultimately, Cassie completed the 100-meter sprint in 24.73 seconds, establishing a Guinness World Record for a bipedal robot. This is a great deal slower than the sub-10-second times run by the world’s best sprinters, but the researchers believe progress will only accelerate from here. You can watch Cassie’s record-setting dash here.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Bipedal Robot Sets Guinness World Record For Robotic 100-Meter Sprint
CI Fuzz CLI: Open-Source Tool Simplifies Fuzz Testing for C++
Fuzz testing helps developers protect their applications against a variety of problems. CI Fuzz CLI is an open-source fuzz testing tool specifically for C++. Learn more here.
The post CI Fuzz CLI: Open-Source Tool Simplifies Fuzz Testing for C++ appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – CI Fuzz CLI: Open-Source Tool Simplifies Fuzz Testing for C++
Meta’s Toxic Algorithm 'Substantially Contributed' To Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar: Amnesty International

A new report from Amnesty International this week dives deeply into the Facebook-fueled atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya by Myanmar security forces in 2017 during the onset of a genocide estimated to have since claimed the lives of more than 25,000.
Source: Gizmodo – Meta’s Toxic Algorithm ‘Substantially Contributed’ To Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar: Amnesty International
EU Proposes Rules Making It Easier To Sue Drone Makers, AI Systems
The European Commission on Wednesday proposed rules making it easier for individuals and companies to sue makers of drones, robots and other products equipped with artificial intelligence software for compensation for harm caused by them. Reuters reports: The AI Liability Directive aims to address the increasing use of AI-enabled products and services and the patchwork of national rules across the 27-country European Union. Under the draft rules, victims can seek compensation for harm to their life, property, health and privacy due to the fault or omission of a provider, developer or user of AI technology, or for discrimination in a recruitment process using AI.
The rules lighten the burden of proof on victims with a “presumption of causality”, which means victims only need to show that a manufacturer or user’s failure to comply with certain requirements caused the harm and then link this to the AI technology in their lawsuit. Under a “right of access to evidence,” victims can ask a court to order companies and suppliers to provide information about high-risk AI systems so that they can identify the liable person and the fault that caused the damage.
The Commission also announced an update to the Product Liability Directive that means manufacturers will be liable for all unsafe products, tangible and intangible, including software and digital services, and also after the products are sold. Users can sue for compensation when software updates render their smart-home products unsafe or when manufacturers fail to fix cybersecurity gaps. Those with unsafe non-EU products will be able to sue the manufacturer’s EU representative for compensation. The AI Liability Directive will need to be agreed with EU countries and EU lawmakers before it can become law.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – EU Proposes Rules Making It Easier To Sue Drone Makers, AI Systems