Headway Premium offers 1o to 15-minute summaries of non-fiction bestsellers, and it’s on sale for $59.97 right now (reg. $299) through September 4.
Source: LifeHacker – Headway Premium Is on Sale for Right Now
Monthly Archives: August 2023
AI fever turns Anguilla’s “.ai” domain into a digital gold mine
Enlarge / Thirst for the “.ai” domain has put Anguilla on the global technology map. (credit: Getty Images)
Anguilla, a tiny British island territory in the Caribbean, may bring in up to $30 million in revenue this year thanks to its “.ai” domain name, reports Bloomberg in a piece published Thursday. Over the past year, skyrocketing interest in AI has made the country’s “.ai” top-level domain particularly attractive to tech companies. The revenue is a boon for Anguilla’s economy, which primarily relies on tourism and has been impacted by the pandemic.
$30 million from domains may not sound like a lot compared to the billions thrown around in AI these days, but with a total land area of 35 square miles and a population of 15,753, Anguilla isn’t complaining. Registrars like GoDaddy must pay Anguilla a fixed price—$140 for a two-year registration—and the prices are rising due to demand.
Bloomberg says that Anguilla brought in a mere $7.4 million from .ai domain registrations in 2021, but all that changed with the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT last year. Its release spawned a huge wave of AI hype, fear, and investment. Vince Cate, who has managed the “.ai” domain for Anguilla for decades, told Bloomberg that .ai registrations have effectively doubled in the past year. “Since November 30, things are very different here,” he said.
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Source: Ars Technica – AI fever turns Anguilla’s “.ai” domain into a digital gold mine
Meta's Supreme Court Is Investigating a Nazi Squidward Meme on Instagram
Meta’s Oversight Board, the Supreme Court-like entity tasked with reviewing Facebook and Instagram’s most contentious content moderation conundrums, is taking on a case involving a bizarre and unpleasant mashup: a Nazi Squidward meme.
Source: Gizmodo – Meta’s Supreme Court Is Investigating a Nazi Squidward Meme on Instagram
Federal health dept. says marijuana should be downgraded to Schedule 3 drug
Enlarge / Marijuana plants in a greenhouse in Santa Cruz, California. (credit: Ian Philip Miller / Getty Images)
As dozens of states have legalized recreational and medicinal use of marijuana in recent years, the federal government has maintained its classification as a Schedule 1 controlled substance—keeping marijuana in a group defined as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” which includes heroin and LSD.
The incongruity has muddled marijuana regulation and enforcement, stifled cannabis businesses, and hampered medical research. But the situation could soon ease.
The Department of Health and Human Services has recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration that it should downgrade marijuana from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule 3 controlled substance, which is defined as having “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” The move would put marijuana in the ranks of ketamine, testosterone, and products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine.
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Source: Ars Technica – Federal health dept. says marijuana should be downgraded to Schedule 3 drug
18 Fascinating Facts We Learned From the Indiana Jones 5 Making-of Doc
How perfect of a match was Harrison Ford’s stunt double on the set of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny? The stunt double could literally unlock Ford’s phone with Face ID. This is just one of the fascinating, but not always essential, facts we enjoyed in a brand new making-of documentary.
Source: Gizmodo – 18 Fascinating Facts We Learned From the Indiana Jones 5 Making-of Doc
The Best Labor Day Sales on Home Improvement Tools
Labor Day weekend is a great time for hardware sales, but some retailers will mark down tool kits or specific brands, so it can be hard to figure out the best deals. Here’s a rundown of some of the best savings you’ll find for the holiday weekend. All sales are accurate at the time of writing, but they may change, of…
Source: LifeHacker – The Best Labor Day Sales on Home Improvement Tools
Google Chrome’s New Tool Lets You Copy and Paste Screenshots From Videos
Students, teachers, and vintage TV screencappers, the Chrome browser has a new feature that makes taking screenshots of scenes easier than before. Google used a blog post about helpful classroom tools to subtly announce the ability to copy a frame from a video. It’s available in the latest release of Chrome and will…
Source: Gizmodo – Google Chrome’s New Tool Lets You Copy and Paste Screenshots From Videos
First Qi2 chargers look to expand MagSafe-like wireless charging beyond Apple
Enlarge / Belkin’s BoostCharge Convertible Qi2 Wireless Pad to Stand. (credit: Belkin)
The first wireless charging devices that support the Wireless Power Consortium’s (WPC) Qi2 wireless charging standard were detailed today. The chargers and subsequent Qi2 products will feature Apple MagSafe-like technology and promise a secure, more efficient wireless charge with the help of magnets. We don’t know which smartphones will support Qi2, but there’s hope that with the right compatibility, it will be easier to charge an Android phone with a secure magnetic connection. The new charging standard will also expand the number of chargers that can power Android and iOS devices wirelessly.
Currently, wireless iPhone charging is limited to 7.5 W unless you have a MagSafe charger, which supports 15 W. The limitation has given shoppers a reason to buy a MagSafe charger over various non-Apple chargers, including those following the Qi standard. It took five years after Android phones started adopting Qi for Apple (with the iPhone 8 series) to get on board. In January 2023, months ahead of Apple’s expected iPhone 15 launch, WPC announced that Apple “provided the basis for the new Qi2 standard building on its MagSafe technology.”
Along with other WPC members, Apple helped create the standard’s Magnet Power Profile. When finalized, the Qi2 standard will have mandates for magnet strength and dimensions to ensure foolproof alignment between transmitters and receivers for a consistent charge and less heat-inducing energy loss. The WPC sees the design as enabling wireless charging of new product categories, including tablets and smartwatches (it’s targeting the standard at phones and wireless earbuds to start).
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Source: Ars Technica – First Qi2 chargers look to expand MagSafe-like wireless charging beyond Apple
‘G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra’ continues the retro beat-‘em-up renaissance
A new G.I. Joe beat ’em up is on its way. Hasbro, developer Maple Powered Games and publisher Freedom Games announced G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra today. The upcoming retro game will let you play as series stalwarts Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Roadblock and other classic characters. It joins TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and Double Dragon reboot as the latest evidence that 2D side-scrolling punch-fests are enjoying an unexpected 2020s renaissance.
The game’s developers promise a variety of locales to bash and kick your way through as you try to defeat Cobra. “Navigate land, air, sea, and even space through iconic locations like Cobra Island, the Pit, Cobra’s top-secret underwater base, and more as you thwart the devious Cobra Commander’s latest scheme to take over the world,” the game’s announcement reads. It promises an arsenal of weapons, explosives and more.
Hasbro / Maple Powered Games / Freedom Games
G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra has story and arcade modes, each supporting up to four co-op players (online or locally). It includes “lovingly hand-drawn pixel art” and “classic style cartoon cutscenes.” The soundtrack, crafted by Tee Lopes (composer of its spiritual sibling, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge), appears to include a modern take on the animated series’ classic theme song. (No word yet on whether it will take timeouts for “Knowing is half the battle” PSAs.)
“G.I. Joe is one the most iconic brands from the 80s and it was the golden era of arcade games. To celebrate the growing popularity of retro themed games we’re thrilled to partner with Maple Powered Games and Freedom Games to bring G.I. Joe fans our first ever Hasbro Retro Arcade experience in this exciting interpretation of a classic 2D beat ‘em up,” said Eugene Evans, Hasbro’s SVP of Digital Strategy and Licensing.
G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra will launch on Switch, Windows, macOS and Linux in Q1 2024. You can wish-list the game today on Steam and Epic.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gi-joe-wrath-of-cobra-continues-the-retro-beat-em-up-renaissance-212256623.html?src=rssSource: Engadget – ‘G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra’ continues the retro beat-‘em-up renaissance
UK Government Seeks Expanded Use of AI-based Facial Recognition By Police
UK’s Home Office is looking to increase its use of controversial facial recognition technologies to track and find criminals within policing and other security agencies. From a report: In a document released on Wednesday, the government outlined its ambitions to potentially deploy new biometric systems nationally over the next 12 to 18 months. The move comes after privacy campaigners and independent academics criticised the technology for being inaccurate and biased, particularly against darker-skinned people.
MPs have previously called for a moratorium on its use on the general population until clear laws are established by parliament. The government is calling for submissions from companies for technologies that “can resolve identity using facial features and landmarks,” including for live facial recognition which involves screening the general public for specific individuals on police watch lists.
In particular, the Home Office is highlighting its interest in novel artificial intelligence technologies that could process facial data efficiently to identify individuals, and software that could be integrated with existing technologies deployed by the department and with CCTV cameras. Facial recognition software has been used by South Wales Police and London’s Metropolitan Police over the past five years across multiple trials in public spaces including shopping centres, during events such as the Notting Hill Carnival and, more recently, during the coronation.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – UK Government Seeks Expanded Use of AI-based Facial Recognition By Police
All the Ways to Remove a Security Tag From Clothing
As an anti-theft measure, clothing stores affix certain items with security tags that will set off an alarm should you attempt to leave with the tag still on the garment. Some tags will also ruin a garment by spilling ink from the tag if you try to remove it yourself. This usually isn’t a problem, as long as the tag…
Source: LifeHacker – All the Ways to Remove a Security Tag From Clothing
Chrome now lets you copy frames from videos for easy sharing
Google has just made it easier than ever to capture video stills while using its Chrome web browser. The company highlighted the struggle faced by users when attempting to capture video frames — noting that screenshots often produced lower-quality images with the video’s progress bar shown across it. If you’re using Chrome (or another Chromium-based browser, like Microsoft’s own Edge), that’s now a thing of the past. Starting today, users can hit pause at any time during a video, right-click, and select the new “Copy Video Frame” option from the pop-up menu.
We went ahead and tried the feature but noticed it didn’t work as intended. On YouTube, evoking the new option required two right clicks instead of one. The first right-click brought up the native YouTube menu but after a second try, the menu with the new feature was available. When you click the “Copy Video Frame,” Chrome will capture what’s currently being shown and you’ll have the option to paste your image in supported text fields within the browser, like Google Docs. We were also able to paste the image into the Apple Notes app; from there, you can save the actual file.
As of right now, there is no option to save the copied video image directly to your desktop as a file. The feature is also limited when it comes to streaming services, with many of them restricting the ability to capture content. In fact, so far we’ve only gotten it to work on YouTube. So, while this feature may technically be helpful in a pinch, it may need some fine-tuning to be more useful. Chrome’s new “Copy Video Frame” is being rolled out today for Windows, Mac, Linux and ChromeOS.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chrome-now-lets-you-copy-frames-from-videos-for-easy-sharing-210657406.html?src=rss
Source: Engadget – Chrome now lets you copy frames from videos for easy sharing
Armored Core VI’s Fastest Money Farm Is A Rookie Pilot Murder Spree
A key aspect of Armored Core VI is earning cash to unlock new guns and mech parts. Once you complete a mission you can replay it as much as you want for extra pay, and players have now found one of the fastest money farms in the entire game: brutally murdering a rookie test pilot in under a minute, dozens of times in…
Source: Kotaku – Armored Core VI’s Fastest Money Farm Is A Rookie Pilot Murder Spree
Intel Shadow Stack Finally Merged For Linux 6.6
The Intel Shadow Stack support that is part of their Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET) has finally been merged for the Linux 6.6 kernel after it was previously rejected by Linus Torvalds…
Source: Phoronix – Intel Shadow Stack Finally Merged For Linux 6.6
PlayStation Plus Is About to Raise Prices (but Here's How You Can Avoid It)
This week, Sony announced its plans to raise prices on all three PlayStation Plus annual subscriptions around the world. These price hikes are sizable: Sony is raising its annual PlayStation Plus Essential plan by $20, its annual PlayStation Plus Extra plan by $35, and its annual Play Station Plus Premium plan by $40.
Source: LifeHacker – PlayStation Plus Is About to Raise Prices (but Here’s How You Can Avoid It)
Google Removes 'Pirate' URLs From Users' Privately Saved Links
To date, Google has processed more than seven billion copyright takedown requests for its search engine. The majority of the reported links are purged from Google’s search index, as required by the DMCA. Recently, however, Google appears to gone a step further, using search takedowns to “moderate” users’ privately saved links collections. TorrentFreak: A few hours ago, Eddie Roosenmaallen shared an email from Google, notifying him that a link had been removed from his Google Saved collection because it violates Google’s policy. The reason cited for the removal is the “downstream impact,” as the URL in question is “blocked by Google Search.”
“The following saved item in one of your collections was determined to violate Google’s policy. As a result, the item will be moderated..,” Google writes, pointing out a defunct KickassTorrents domain as the problem. Initially, it was suggested that this removal impacted Google’s synched Chrome bookmarks but further research reveals that’s not the case. Instead, the removals apply to Google’s saved feature. This Google service allows users to save and organize links, similar to what Pinterest does. These link collections can be private or shared with third parties.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Google Removes ‘Pirate’ URLs From Users’ Privately Saved Links
NASA Probe Spots Crashed Russian Moon Lander
NASA’s trusty Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has captured images revealing a fresh crater on the Moon’s surface. This crater is suspected to be the impact site of the ill-fated Luna 25 mission, Russia’s first lunar attempt in nearly five decades.
Source: Gizmodo – NASA Probe Spots Crashed Russian Moon Lander
Bethesda Exec Writes Fake Doctor’s Note To Excuse Starfield Players From Work
Bethesda’s head of publishing Pete Hines posted a boilerplate excuse note on Twitter for any Starfield fan who, ahead of the game’s official release on September 6, is rapidly starting to feel a little bit…feverish.
Source: Kotaku – Bethesda Exec Writes Fake Doctor’s Note To Excuse Starfield Players From Work
More Disney Lorcana Stock Is on Its Way to Local Stores
The Disney Lorcana trading card game arrived with a massive splash at Gen Con this year, with people staying in line overnight to get booster packs. The high demand continued after the convention, and now a Ravensburger spokesperson tells io9 that “additional booster product” will be arriving at local gaming stores in…
Source: Gizmodo – More Disney Lorcana Stock Is on Its Way to Local Stores
A Pig Kidney Has Now Survived Inside a Human Body for Six Weeks and Counting
Surgeons at New York University have reportedly reached another milestone in making pig-to-human organ transplants a reality. They now claim to have transplanted a genetically engineered pig kidney that has survived inside a human body for six weeks and counting—the longest period yet. It’s likely that larger clinical…
Source: Gizmodo – A Pig Kidney Has Now Survived Inside a Human Body for Six Weeks and Counting