Comment Was this written by an LLM? (Score 1) 23
It sure sounds like it.
Submission + - Researchers have developed the world's fastest transistor (wallstreetpit.com)
goslackware writes: "University of Arizona researchers have developed the world’s fastest transistor using graphene and laser pulses, achieving processing speeds in the petahertz range—over a million times faster than current chips."
Comment TFA was so badly written (Score 1) 36
I had to use ChatGPT to explain it.
Submission + - University Lab Gives ChatGPT Direct Access to User Breathing (youtube.com)
vrml writes: An experiment at the University of Udine gave ChatGPT real-time access to user's breathing through a wearable sensor and asked GPT to control a VR character as if it were a coach. This video shows how the GPT character was able to influence user’s breathing successfully, but also took an unexpected approach in some sessions. For example, it sometimes inappropriately praised users despite knowing their breathing pattern was seriously wrong because it concluded that “a confidence-boosting message is better to keep humans motivated”. In other cases, GPT hallucinated, believing it had access to heart rate data it wasn’t actually receiving. The technical details of the experiment will be unveiled tomorrow at the 20th International Conference on Persuasive Technology.
Submission + - US Lawmakers Push Location-Tracking/Phoning Homne For High Powered AI Chips (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader writes: U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce legislation in coming weeks to verify the location of artificial-intelligence chips like those made by Nvidia after they are sold.
The effort to keep tabs on the chips, which drew bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers, aims to address reports of widespread smuggling of Nvidia's chips into China in violation of U.S. export control laws.
U.S. Representative Bill Foster, a Democrat from Illinois who once worked as a particle physicist, said the technology to track chips after they are sold is readily available, with much of it already built in to Nvidia's chips. Independent technical experts interviewed by Reuters agreed.
Foster, who successfully designed multiple computer chips during his scientific career, plans to introduce in coming weeks a bill that would direct U.S. regulators to come up with rules in two key areas: Tracking chips to ensure they are where they are authorized to be under export control licenses, and preventing those chips from booting up if they are not properly licensed under export controls.
Foster's bill has support from fellow Democrats such as Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member on the House Select Committee on China. "On-chip location verification is one creative solution we should explore to stop this smuggling," Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.
Republicans are also supportive, though none have yet signed on to specific legislation because it has not yet been introduced. Representative John Moolenaar, who chairs the committee, supports the concept of location tracking and plans to meet with lawmakers in both the House and U.S. Senate this week on potential legislative approaches.
"The Select Committee has strong bipartisan support for requiring companies like Nvidia to build location-tracking into their high-powered AI chips — and the technology to do it already exists," Moolenaar told Reuters.
The technology for verifying the location of chips would rely on the chips communicating with a secured computer server that would use the length of time it takes for the signal to reach the server to verify where chips are, a concept that relies on knowing that computer signals move at the speed of light.
The effort to keep tabs on the chips, which drew bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers, aims to address reports of widespread smuggling of Nvidia's chips into China in violation of U.S. export control laws.
U.S. Representative Bill Foster, a Democrat from Illinois who once worked as a particle physicist, said the technology to track chips after they are sold is readily available, with much of it already built in to Nvidia's chips. Independent technical experts interviewed by Reuters agreed.
Foster, who successfully designed multiple computer chips during his scientific career, plans to introduce in coming weeks a bill that would direct U.S. regulators to come up with rules in two key areas: Tracking chips to ensure they are where they are authorized to be under export control licenses, and preventing those chips from booting up if they are not properly licensed under export controls.
Foster's bill has support from fellow Democrats such as Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member on the House Select Committee on China. "On-chip location verification is one creative solution we should explore to stop this smuggling," Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.
Republicans are also supportive, though none have yet signed on to specific legislation because it has not yet been introduced. Representative John Moolenaar, who chairs the committee, supports the concept of location tracking and plans to meet with lawmakers in both the House and U.S. Senate this week on potential legislative approaches.
"The Select Committee has strong bipartisan support for requiring companies like Nvidia to build location-tracking into their high-powered AI chips — and the technology to do it already exists," Moolenaar told Reuters.
The technology for verifying the location of chips would rely on the chips communicating with a secured computer server that would use the length of time it takes for the signal to reach the server to verify where chips are, a concept that relies on knowing that computer signals move at the speed of light.
Comment I use a LIMINK Triple Portable Monitor (Score 1) 10
I attach it to my laptop when I need more screen space while travelling. https://amz.cx/3Mxs
Submission + - Mice Give First Aid (thetimes.com)
databasecowgirl writes: The Times is reporting an interesting study published in Science in which mice demonstrated doing first aid. In the replicated study, an anaesthetised mouse is exposed to another mouse who recognises the distress and clears airway to revive the unconscious mouse.
The mice had never seen an unconscious animal before, so the behaviour is thought to be instinctive.
The mice had never seen an unconscious animal before, so the behaviour is thought to be instinctive.
Submission + - Utah set to become first state to ban fluoride in public water (nbcnews.com)
fjo3 writes: Utah is gearing up to make history as the first state to ban fluoride in public water systems if Gov. Spencer Cox signs a bill to prohibit the addition of the tooth decay-fighting mineral.
If signed into law, HB0081 would prevent any individual or political subdivision from adding fluoride "to water in or intended for public water systems."
If signed into law, HB0081 would prevent any individual or political subdivision from adding fluoride "to water in or intended for public water systems."
Submission + - Pairwise authentication of humans.
Kernel Kurtz writes: Picked up on this article from Bruce Schneier's most recent Cryptogram newsletter;
Bad actors can now digitally impersonate someone you love, and trick you into doing things like paying a ransom. Here is an easy system for two humans to remotely authenticate to each other, so they can be sure that neither are digital impersonations. As it becomes more and more difficult to trust anything you see or hear online, this is a simple elegant solution to an emerging problem.
Bad actors can now digitally impersonate someone you love, and trick you into doing things like paying a ransom. Here is an easy system for two humans to remotely authenticate to each other, so they can be sure that neither are digital impersonations. As it becomes more and more difficult to trust anything you see or hear online, this is a simple elegant solution to an emerging problem.
Submission + - US asked to kick UK out of Five Eyes ..
An anonymous reader writes: UK accused of political ‘foreign cyber attack’ on US after serving secret snooping order on Apple
US administration asked to kick UK out of 65-year-old UK-US Five Eyes intelligence sharing agreement after secret order to access encrypted data of Apple users
An unprecedented letter from the US Congress, released today, accuses the UK of “a foreign cyber attack waged through political means”. The claim refers to a Home Office secret demand last month (reported by Computer Weekly here, here and here) that Apple break the security protecting its Advanced Data Protection cloud security system to let British spies into anyone’s secure files. https://www.computerweekly.com...
US administration asked to kick UK out of 65-year-old UK-US Five Eyes intelligence sharing agreement after secret order to access encrypted data of Apple users
An unprecedented letter from the US Congress, released today, accuses the UK of “a foreign cyber attack waged through political means”. The claim refers to a Home Office secret demand last month (reported by Computer Weekly here, here and here) that Apple break the security protecting its Advanced Data Protection cloud security system to let British spies into anyone’s secure files. https://www.computerweekly.com...
Submission + - California Reservoir Dams Opened At Trump's Order 2
Petersko writes: At the order of the President, 2.2 billion gallons of water were released from reservoirs in Central California on Friday. The goal, according to his posts on Truth Social, was to provide water to "farmers throughout the state, and to Los Angeles."
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/03...
"There are two major problems, water experts said: The newly released water will not flow to Los Angeles, and it is being wasted by being released during the wet winter season."
“They were holding extra water in those reservoirs because of the risk that it would be a dry summer,” Heather Cooley, director of research for California water policy organization the Pacific Institute. “This puts agriculture at risk of insufficient water during the summer months.”
According to Trump, an additional 3 billion gallons will follow.
"The US Army Corps of Engineers and the White House did not respond to CNN’s request for comment."
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/03...
"There are two major problems, water experts said: The newly released water will not flow to Los Angeles, and it is being wasted by being released during the wet winter season."
“They were holding extra water in those reservoirs because of the risk that it would be a dry summer,” Heather Cooley, director of research for California water policy organization the Pacific Institute. “This puts agriculture at risk of insufficient water during the summer months.”
According to Trump, an additional 3 billion gallons will follow.
"The US Army Corps of Engineers and the White House did not respond to CNN’s request for comment."
Submission + - Tesla issues recall on over 200,000 vehicles for self-driving computer failure (electrek.co)
theweatherelectric writes: Fred Lambert of Electrek writes, "Tesla has officially issued a recall on over 200,000 vehicles in the US over the self-driving computer inside the vehicle short-circuiting and failing to work. This is an issue that Electrek has been reporting on for a month. In December, Electrek released an exclusive report about Tesla having a major issue with a new version of its onboard “Full Self-Driving computer,” AI4.1, failing due to a short circuit, and Tesla must replace the computers. We found examples of the issue arising as far back as July. The problem can start quickly, within a few miles on a brand-new car or after a few hundred to a few thousand miles. When the computer fails, many vehicle features stop working, like active safety features, auto wipers, auto high beams, cameras, and even GPS, navigation, and range estimations."
Comment May ... (Score 2) 39
or may not.
What if it just makes everybody better at their jobs?
What if it just makes everybody better at their jobs?
Submission + - Facebook ditches fact-checkers in US, to implement community notes (thepostmillennial.com)
sinij writes:
On Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that on social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, fact-checkers will be removed and replaced with a system of community notes, similar to those on X. The censorship mechanisms on the platform will be changed, he said, because the current set up has suppressed and censored millions of users.
The obvious flaw with fact-checkers is similar to Wikipedia notability problem — it outsources decision to "trusted news sources", which are biased mainstream news organizations with insurmountable conflicts of interests due to advertising interests and newsroom political affiliations. In recent years that regime resulted in numerous erroneous fact checks, including and up to disastrous fact checks during presidential debates. As such, moving to a more 'convince instead of censor' model of community notes is a positive movement for free speech. This way, just like on Slashdot and reading at -1, individuals can decide their own level of noise in their information feed.
Submission + - New LLM jailbreak uses models' evaluation skills against them (scworld.com)
spatwei writes: A new jailbreak method for large language models (LLMs) takes advantage of models’ ability to identify and score harmful content in order to trick the models into generating content related to malware, illegal activity, harassment and more.
The “Bad Likert Judge” multi-step jailbreak technique was developed and tested by Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, and was found to increase the success rate of jailbreak attempts by more than 60% when compared with direct single-turn attack attempts.
The method is based on the Likert scale, which is typically used to gauge the degree to which someone agrees or disagrees with a statement in a questionnaire or survey. For example, in a Likert scale of 1 to 5, 1 would indicate the respondent strongly disagrees with the statement and 5 would indicate the respondent strongly agrees.
For the LLM jailbreak experiments, the researchers asked the LLMs to use a Likert-like scale to score the degree to which certain content contained in the prompt was harmful. In one example, they asked the LLMs to give a score of 1 if a prompt didn’t contain any malware-related information and a score of 2 if it contained very detailed information about how to create malware, or actual malware code.
After the model scored the provided content on the scale, the researchers would then ask the model in a second step to provide examples of content that would score a 1 and a 2, adding that the second example should contain thorough step-by-step information. This would typically result in the LLM generating harmful content as part of the second example meant to demonstrate the model’s understanding of the evaluation scale.
The “Bad Likert Judge” multi-step jailbreak technique was developed and tested by Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, and was found to increase the success rate of jailbreak attempts by more than 60% when compared with direct single-turn attack attempts.
The method is based on the Likert scale, which is typically used to gauge the degree to which someone agrees or disagrees with a statement in a questionnaire or survey. For example, in a Likert scale of 1 to 5, 1 would indicate the respondent strongly disagrees with the statement and 5 would indicate the respondent strongly agrees.
For the LLM jailbreak experiments, the researchers asked the LLMs to use a Likert-like scale to score the degree to which certain content contained in the prompt was harmful. In one example, they asked the LLMs to give a score of 1 if a prompt didn’t contain any malware-related information and a score of 2 if it contained very detailed information about how to create malware, or actual malware code.
After the model scored the provided content on the scale, the researchers would then ask the model in a second step to provide examples of content that would score a 1 and a 2, adding that the second example should contain thorough step-by-step information. This would typically result in the LLM generating harmful content as part of the second example meant to demonstrate the model’s understanding of the evaluation scale.
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