Multiple German warships have been targets of sabotage attempts, including a corvette-class vessel that had metal shavings poured into its engine system. Germany's naval chief warns of increasing Russian threats while reporting attempted break-ins at naval bases and approaches to uniformed personnel.
#navalsecurity #militarysabotage #russia-germany #defenseinfrastructure #nato
Google has unveiled Flash 2.0, a high-performance AI model that reportedly outperforms recent reasoning models from DeepSeek (R1) and OpenAI (o3-mini), marking a significant advancement in AI model capabilities and competition among tech giants.
#aimodels #google #techcompetition #machinelearning #innovation
OpenAI has replaced its diversity, equity, and inclusion commitment page with a new 'building dynamic teams' page, removing explicit DEI language while maintaining similar themes about different backgrounds and perspectives. This change aligns with a broader trend among tech companies distancing themselves from DEI terminology amid political and legal pressures, including recent moves by Meta, Google, and Amazon.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/13/openai-scrubs-diversity-commitment-web-page-from-its-site/
#corporatepolicy #dei #techindustry #organizationalchange #politicalimpact
OCR4all provides a completely free, open-source optical character recognition solution without any paywalled features or private code restrictions.
#ocr #opensource #software #documentation #accessibility
Amazon will discontinue the Kindle's 'Download & Transfer via USB' feature on February 26th, 2025, citing low usage and potential misuse for e-book piracy. Users can still transfer books via Wi-Fi, use Calibre, and sideload e-books through USB cable after the change.
https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/amazon-removing-download-and-transfer-on-the-kindle-feb-26th
#kindle #e-readers #digitalrights #amazon #technologyupdate
A reflection on Google's evolution from a revolutionary search solution in the early 2000s to its current state of declining quality, exploring the limitations of centralized search and proposing personalized alternatives to navigate the web. The author advocates for a more conscious approach to web searching and experiments with building a personalized search index based on bookmarks and social media links.
https://search.technomancy.us/why
#searchengines #webhistory #google #internetculture #digitalprivacy
The email discusses the role and challenges of Linux kernel maintainers, emphasizing that their power is limited to rejecting code rather than commanding development. A key point is made about the importance of becoming part of the community and building trust, particularly for teams wanting to introduce potentially disruptive features like Rust support.
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20250208204416.GL1130956@mit.edu/
#linuxkernel #communitymanagement #codequality #rustintegration #maintenance
Apple has resumed advertising on X (formerly Twitter) after a year-long hiatus following Elon Musk's controversial remarks in November 2023, with ads promoting Safari's privacy features and Apple TV+ content, despite past controversies surrounding Musk's public statements.
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/02/12/apple-advertising-x
#apple #socialmedia #digitaladvertising #corporateethics #platformpolitics
Technical error message indicating the absence of a GitHub Pages site, providing guidance for users attempting to publish content through this platform.
#githubpages #webdevelopment #documentation #errormessage #technicalsupport
A problematic unofficial OBS Studio Flatpak package in Fedora is causing confusion and frustration among users who mistake it for the official release. The situation highlights broader issues with Fedora Flatpaks' distribution and opt-out mechanisms, while potentially undermining the extensive work put into official Flathub releases.
https://gitlab.com/fedora/sigs/flatpak/fedora-flatpaks/-/issues/39#note_2344970813
#softwaredistribution #packagemanagement #obsstudio #fedora #flatpak
SQL Noir presents an innovative educational game where players solve mysteries through SQL queries, combining detective storytelling with database learning.
#sqllearning #educationalgames #interactiveteaching #databaseskills #mysterygames
MapTCHA is an open-source CAPTCHA solution that combines bot prevention with OpenStreetMap improvement by having users verify AI-predicted building outlines in aerial imagery. The system leverages human verification to validate both known and unknown cases, aggregating responses through voting to suggest new locations for OSM mapping while using fAIr, an open-source AI mapping system by HOT.
#captcha #openstreetmap #aimapping #computervision #geospatial
New court documents reveal that Marko Elez, a 25-year-old DOGE employee, had limited write privileges to Treasury Department payment systems for one day due to an administrative error. Treasury implemented strict security measures around Elez's system access, contradicting previous reports about his administrative-level privileges. While Elez assisted in automating payment review processes, no unauthorized changes were made to Treasury systems during his brief employment.
#governmentsecurity #systemaccess #treasury #doge #compliance
The Trump administration's sudden freeze on USAID funding and subsequent agency dismantling has severely disrupted global tuberculosis control efforts, affecting diagnosis, treatment, and research programs worldwide. As USAID accounts for approximately one-third of international TB funding ($406 million in 2024), the freeze has forced the closure of critical TB services in high-burden countries, leaving patients without access to essential medications and diagnostics. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the administration while experts warn about potential increases in drug-resistant TB cases and heightened risks to global public health.
#healthcarepolicy #globalhealth #tuberculosis #usaid #trumpadministration
PhD enrollment numbers are declining in several countries due to high living costs, low stipends, and limited career prospects, prompting concerns about potential talent drain in academia. Countries like Australia, Japan, Brazil, and the UK are experiencing this downward trend, with some governments responding through increased funding and scholarships. Financial insecurity remains a primary deterrent for potential doctoral candidates, with stipends often falling below minimum wage levels.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00425-4
#highereducation #academicfunding #phdprograms #globaleducation #academiccareer
Mobile and landline data growth rates are showing a consistent decline, suggesting bandwidth demand may plateau around 2027, contrary to industry predictions of continued exponential growth. Current consumer applications rarely require more than 1 Gb/s, with even demanding use cases like 4K streaming and AI applications comfortably operating within existing 4G/5G capabilities. The telecommunications industry may need to shift focus from bandwidth expansion to improving efficiency, reliability, and addressing digital divide issues.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/iridium-satellite
#telecommunications #networktechnology #6g #datagrowth #industryanalysis
A marketplace listing shows failed startup assets being sold or sought, including Herman Miller chairs and Mac computers, with listings spanning from California to New York with varying budgets.
#startupequipment #officefurniture #appleproducts #usedelectronics #liquidation
Kagi Search introduces Privacy Pass authentication, allowing users to access search services anonymously while verifying their right to access, alongside a new Tor onion service for enhanced privacy. The feature enables users to perform searches without linking them to their accounts, making tracking technically impossible rather than just policy-based.
https://blog.kagi.com/kagi-privacy-pass
#privacy #authentication #searchengine #cryptography #security
TSMC executives are set to negotiate with the U.S. government over three potential cooperation options, including setting up an advanced packaging factory and potentially partnering with Intel Foundry Services. The proposed arrangements could significantly impact TSMC's operations and relationships with existing partners, while raising concerns about balancing U.S. interests with shareholder value.
https://techsoda.substack.com/p/tsmc-faces-tough-choices-amid-rumors
#semiconductorindustry #tsmc #us-taiwanrelations #intel #manufacturing
Microsoft Edge's transition to Chromium in 2020 revealed text rendering inconsistencies on Windows, leading to extensive research and experimentation with text contrast values. The collaboration between Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome teams resulted in improved text rendering defaults for all Chromium-based browsers on Windows, implementing a contrast value of 1.0 to match native Windows applications.
https://developer.chrome.com/blog/better-text-rendering-in-chromium-based-browsers-on-windows
#webbrowsers #textrendering #chromium #microsoftedge #windows