Hope you got the chance to test out Twitter’s CoTweet feature, as the company suddenly dropped the ability for Twitter users to co-author tweets Tuesday.
Source: Gizmodo – Twitter Offers No Explanation as It Puts an End to CoTweets
Monthly Archives: January 2023
Marvel Snap's Most Hated Card Gets Another Huge Change
Today’s big Marvel Snap update added the much-requested (and much-delayed) battle mode for friends. But it also made some changes to a few cards, including a surprise buff for Wolverine and a much-needed nerf to The Leader, a card many claimed was too OP and unfair in its previous state.
Source: Kotaku – Marvel Snap’s Most Hated Card Gets Another Huge Change
DOJ probes AI tool that’s allegedly biased against families with disabilities
Enlarge (credit: d3sign | Moment)
Since 2016, social workers in a Pennsylvania county have relied on an algorithm to help them determine which child welfare calls warrant further investigation. Now, the Justice Department is reportedly scrutinizing the controversial family-screening tool over concerns that using the algorithm may be violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by allegedly discriminating against families with disabilities, The Associated Press reported, including families with mental health issues.
Three anonymous sources broke their confidentiality agreements with the Justice Department, confirming to AP that civil rights attorneys have been fielding complaints since last fall and have grown increasingly concerned about alleged biases built into the Allegheny County Family Screening Tool. While the full scope of the Justice Department’s alleged scrutiny is currently unknown, the Civil Rights Division is seemingly interested in learning more about how using the data-driven tool could potentially be hardening historical systemic biases against people with disabilities.
The county describes its predictive risk modeling tool as a preferred resource to reduce human error for social workers benefiting from the algorithm’s rapid analysis of “hundreds of data elements for each person involved in an allegation of child maltreatment.” That includes “data points tied to disabilities in children, parents, and other members of local households,” Allegheny County told AP. Those data points contribute to an overall risk score that helps determine if a child should be removed from their home.
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Source: Ars Technica – DOJ probes AI tool that’s allegedly biased against families with disabilities
Release the Sadder Cut of The Last of Us' Latest Episode
After its first two episodes, everyone knew The Last of Us was good, but episode three really put things on a whole new level. Titled “Long, Long Time,” the extended flashback beautifully told the love story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), two men who fall in love and prove that good things are…
Source: Gizmodo – Release the Sadder Cut of The Last of Us’ Latest Episode
Still Hunting For A PS5? Sony Shares A Positive Update On The Console Shortage
From the Raspberry Pi to PlayStation 5s, supply chain shortages across the tech industry have hit everyone. In the case of the PlayStation 5s, however, Sony says finding a PS5 will probably get more accessible this year.
The company claims the PS5 shortage is over, according to its PlayStation account on Twitter. That comes along with a
Source: Hot Hardware – Still Hunting For A PS5? Sony Shares A Positive Update On The Console Shortage
The Sims 4's Big Baby Update Is Looking Promising
The latest Behind the Sims Summit gave a look at what’s to come for the life sim franchise across The Sims 4, mobile games The Sims Mobile and The Sims FreePlay, and The Sims 5 (we mean Project Rene). And yes, babies that aren’t objects will come soon.
Source: Kotaku – The Sims 4’s Big Baby Update Is Looking Promising
This Savory Risotto Cake Is Italy's Best Kept Secret
I’m proud to say I’ve eaten a lot of Italian food in my day. Growing up in New Jersey, if we ever went out to eat, it was likely Italian. It’s a rich, expansive cuisine that’s full of adored classics (I love a towering eggplant parm), but our commitment to those classics can prevent us from discovering lesser known…
Source: LifeHacker – This Savory Risotto Cake Is Italy’s Best Kept Secret
EU wind and solar energy production overtook gas last year
Energy generated from solar and wind power reportedly overtook natural gas in the European Union (EU) for the first time last year. The data comes from UK clean-energy think tank Ember (via Bloomberg), which projects the gap to grow.
Solar and wind energy rose to an all-time high of 22 percent of the EU’s 2022 electricity use. Meanwhile, Ember projects fossil-fuel generation to drop by 20 percent this year — with gas falling the fastest.
The shifts stem largely from reducing reliance on gas and coal after Russia invaded Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin ordered the cutoff of natural gas exports to the EU as retaliation for Western sanctions. Ember says the resulting high costs helped lower energy demand by around eight percent in Q4 2022 compared to the same quarter the previous year.
“There is now a focus on rapidly cutting gas demand — at the same time as phasing out coal,’’ the report said. “This means a massive scale-up in clean energy is on its way.” It expects nuclear power to remain flat in 2023, with a planned phase-out of German nuclear reactors canceling out a ramp-up from France. However, it projects hydropower to rise by around 40 terawatt-hours this year following a severe drought in 2022.
Source: Engadget – EU wind and solar energy production overtook gas last year
The next de-extinction target: The dodo
Enlarge / The Nicobar pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative, is quite a bit smaller and capable of flight. (credit: Samuel Hambly / EyeEm)
Colossal is a company that got its start with a splashy announcement about plans to do something that many scientists consider impossible with current technology, all in the service of creating a product with no clear market potential: the woolly mammoth. Since that time, the company has settled into a potentially viable business model and set its sights on a species where the biology is far more favorable: the thylacine, a marsupial predator that went extinct in the early 1900s.
Today, the company is announcing a third de-extinction target and its return to the realm of awkward reproductive biology that will force the project to clear many technical hurdles: It hopes to bring back the dodo.
A shifting symbol
The dodo was a large (up to 1 meter tall), flightless bird that evolved on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. As European sailors reached the islands, it quickly became a source of food for them and the invasive species that accompanied them. It went extinct within a century of the first descriptions reaching Europe.
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Source: Ars Technica – The next de-extinction target: The dodo
New York City Is Record-Breakingly Snow Free
Welp, it’s official: New York City has been snow-free for the longest time in its recorded history this winter. On Monday, January 29, the city surpassed the previous date of the longest amount of time without snowfall in a winter season, beating out a record set in 1970.
Source: Gizmodo – New York City Is Record-Breakingly Snow Free
How to Install MongoDB NoSQL Database on Rocky Linux 9
MongoDB is an open-source, cross-platform, and distributed NoSQL database system. Here’s hot to install it on a Rocky Linux 9 server.
The post How to Install MongoDB NoSQL Database on Rocky Linux 9 appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – How to Install MongoDB NoSQL Database on Rocky Linux 9
In Photos: Remembering the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster 20 Years Later
The 28th flight of NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia ended in disaster on February 1, 2003, while it was 27 miles above the state of Texas, marking the second catastrophic mission of NASA’s shuttle program. Twenty years later, the tragic event serves as an important reminder of the dangers posed by space exploration—and…
Source: Gizmodo – In Photos: Remembering the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster 20 Years Later
These National Pizza Day Deals Offer the Perfect Excuse
National Pizza Day, Thursday, Feb. 9, is one of many food holidays on our calendar—but I think we can agree that it’s among the upper echelon of food holidays (see also: National Burrito Day in the spring, National Chicken Wing Day in the summer, and International Beer and Pizza Day in the fall). As such, it offers…
Source: LifeHacker – These National Pizza Day Deals Offer the Perfect Excuse
James Gunn's New DC Slate: Your Burning Questions Answered
There’s a new DC Universe in town and it’s being run by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Tuesday, Warner Bros. announced the initial slate of projects coming from DC Studios, which will attempt to relaunch and recalibrate not just DC movies, but TV shows, games and more. It includes a new Superman movie, a new Batman…
Source: Gizmodo – James Gunn’s New DC Slate: Your Burning Questions Answered
Report: Halo Infinite Won't Get Story DLC, Series Switching To Unreal
Things are changing at Halo developer 343 Industries following massive layoffs across Microsoft—including reportedly 95 people at the Halo developer. The studio is switching to Unreal Engine, has no plans to make more story content for 2021’s Halo Infinite, and continues trying to figure out what to do with a supposed …
Source: Kotaku – Report: Halo Infinite Won’t Get Story DLC, Series Switching To Unreal
Top Gaming Influencer Group FaZe Clan Is Now A Penny Stock
When FaZe Clan, an esports company turned gaming lifestyle agency, went public last year it claimed to be worth $700 million. Just six months later it’s worth just a fraction of that. Whether it’s the controversy constantly swirling around some of its members or the fact that the esports bubble has finally popped,…
Source: Kotaku – Top Gaming Influencer Group FaZe Clan Is Now A Penny Stock
ChromeOS and Microsoft 365 will start playing nicer with each other this year
Enlarge / ChromeOS will feature better OneDrive and Microsoft 365 support “later this year.” (credit: Google)
Google and Microsoft don’t always take pains to make sure their products work great together—Google originally declared Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser “not supported” by the Google Drive web apps; Microsoft is always trying to make you use Bing—but it looks like Google’s ChromeOS will start working a bit better with the Microsoft 365 service later this year.
Google says ChromeOS will add a “new integration” for Microsoft 365, making it easier to install the app and adding built-in support for OneDrive in ChromeOS’ native Files app. This should allow users to search for and access OneDrive files the same way they get to local files, or files stored in their Google Drive account. The integration will be added in “the coming months,” and users in ChromeOS’ dev and beta channels will be able to access it before it rolls out to all ChromeOS users later this year.
ChromeOS users can currently access OneDrive and other Microsoft 365 services through their web interfaces or Android apps installed via the Google Play Store, but they don’t integrate with the built-in ChromeOS Files app the way that Google Drive does. This integration will help close that gap for people who, for example, use Google products at home but Microsoft products at work or vice versa.
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Source: Ars Technica – ChromeOS and Microsoft 365 will start playing nicer with each other this year
'Westworld' will soon stream for free on Roku and Tubi after leaving HBO Max
Westworld fans who’ve been mourning the show’s disappearance from HBO Max will soon have another way to watch it. Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing free, ad-supported streaming (aka FAST) channels to Roku and Tubi in the coming months. One of those channels, called WB TV Series, will feature premium shows such as Westworld, Raised by Wolves, The Nevers and The Time Traveler’s Wife. WBD yanked all of those shows from HBO Max in December.
WB TV Series, and two other channels focused on reality and family-friendly shows, will debut on Tubi as soon as February 1st, according to Variety. Eleven more FAST channels from WBD are coming to the platform soon, including ones centered around baking competition series, classic movies from the late 20th century and true crime shows. The channels will arrive on the Roku Channel this spring. All told, WBD is bringing more than 2,000 hours of shows and movies to both platforms.
Meanwhile, WBD is preparing to merge HBO Max and Discovery+, a move that’s slated to start in the US this spring. The company hasn’t announced the name for the combined service just yet, but at one point the frontrunner was reportedly just “Max.”
Source: Engadget – ‘Westworld’ will soon stream for free on Roku and Tubi after leaving HBO Max
It’s OK to Give Up On Things
Sometimes quitting is a definitive act that requires soul searching. We tend to reserve this for big changes in our lives: leaving a job, breaking up with a partner, moving to a new city. Contrast that with those things we simply give up on—the things that fall by the wayside, without an explicit decision on our part.…
Source: LifeHacker – It’s OK to Give Up On Things
Lenovo announces a $2,345 FHD smart display for video calls
Smart displays have struggled to gain a foothold in a saturated market. Even an old smartphone or tablet can give the best smart displays a run for their money. From the Facebook Portal videoconferencing display and Amazon Echo Show 15 to Samsung’s series of desktop-sized smart monitors, companies have been trying to find a purpose that sticks. The next effort is Lenovo’s 27-inch ThinkView Plus. It attempts to find a niche for smart displays for business purposes but does so with a limiting focus on Microsoft Teams.
Announced at Information Systems Europe conference in Barcelona today, the ThinkView Plus is two parts videoconferencing display, one part USB-C monitor.
On the monitor side, you get decent connectivity options—one HDMI, one DisplayPort in and out, two USB-A ports, and one USB-C (versions not specified). However, at 1920×1080 resolution and a pixel density of only 81.6 pixels per inch, you’re not going to get the type of image quality you might expect from the price tag alone. Lenovo hasn’t specified the ThinkView Plus’ panel type or other related specs.
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Source: Ars Technica – Lenovo announces a ,345 FHD smart display for video calls