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Comment Re:AI Killer App? (Score 1) 39

by Wolfrider (#63865644) Attached to: OpenAI Debuts Next Version of Its Image Generation Tool

> the AI generated content that's starting to show up on YouTube is just awful

Bruh, you said it. Something approaching a majority of 'tube video thumbnails are getting to be obviously AI-generated and it's really annoying. More than half the time the thumbnail has nothing to do with the video, and is not even featured in it when you watch. Basically false advertising.

Submission + - Scrums are cancer

Submitted by RUs1729
RUs1729 writes: Interesting discussion at devops.com (https://devops.com/scrum-cancer-linux-6-5-richixbw) in which the case is made that scrums are worse than useless. Let fireworks begin.

Submission + - The IBM mainframe: How it runs and why it survives (arstechnica.com) 2

Submitted by AndrewZX
AndrewZX writes: Mainframe computers are often seen as ancient machines—practically dinosaurs. But mainframes, which are purpose-built to process enormous amounts of data, are still extremely relevant today. If they’re dinosaurs, they’re T-Rexes, and desktops and server computers are puny mammals to be trodden underfoot.

It’s estimated that there are 10,000 mainframes in use today. They’re used almost exclusively by the largest companies in the world, including two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, 45 of the world’s top 50 banks, eight of the top 10 insurers, seven of the top 10 global retailers, and eight of the top 10 telecommunications companies. And most of those mainframes come from IBM.

In this explainer, we’ll look at the IBM mainframe computer—what it is, how it works, and why it’s still going strong after over 50 years.

Submission + - Google accused of pillaging the last drops of drinking water for its data center (techtimes.com)

Submitted by sonlas
sonlas writes: An unprecedented water crisis in Uruguay may worsen due to a Google project to build a new Data Center. In a statement, Google said the hub would serve Google users worldwide, processing requests for services such as YouTube, Gmail and Google Search. Over half of the country's 3.5 million inhabitants have lost access to drinking water since May due to severe drought. The announcement of Google's data center construction, which would require 7.6 million liters of water each day, equivalent to the domestic daily use of 55,000 people. has faced significant public opposition.

In response to the water scarcity, the Uruguayan government declared a state of emergency on water resources a month ago. To meet vital needs, the government has resorted to mixing fresh water with saltwater from the Rio de la Plata estuary. However, the water remains nearly undrinkable due to brown residues making it "nauseating."

The recent announcement of Google's data center construction has fueled public discontent. In protest, many demonstrators tagged the word "pillage" on the walls of the capital.

This is the latest example of how climate change will introduce competition for resource use at a global level. Will we soon have to choose between watching a youtube video, and having someone far from us having access to drinking water?

Comment Re:Unfortunate (Score 1) 44

by Wolfrider (#63693010) Attached to: Reddit is Getting Rid of Its Gold Awards System

> But Reddit also kind of screwed up a good thing a couple of years ago by adding so many more awards

Not really. They just made awards into emojis. It was occasionally funny+ to be able to award something like an animated waddling duck to a skating post. Picking out the "right" (or least appropriate) award for a post was sort of fun for me.

Submission + - Tech-Backed Code.org Officially Adopts a No CS, No HS Diploma Stance

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: On Wednesday, tech-backed nonprofit Code.org announced it was excited to "officially launch our 10th policy recommendation for all states to require all students to take computer science to earn a high school diploma."

"Artificial intelligence has increased the urgency to ensure our students are adequately prepared for a rapidly changing world," explained Code.org, whose Board of Directors includes Microsoft President Brad Smith and CTO Kevin Scott, who oversee Microsoft's Responsible AI Council, as well as execs from Amazon, Google, and YouTube. "It is no longer sufficient for students to know how to use technology; they must be creators and thoughtful contributors. [...] Without a graduation policy, we will not be able to ensure all students genuinely have the opportunity to learn computer science. [...] For a state to meet this policy recommendation, the state must have a policy that requires all students to earn a credit named 'computer science' or has a related name that includes 'computer science'."

Code.org's call for a HS CS graduation requirement in response to recent AI breakthroughs comes two months after an Axios report on the launch of TeachAI, a Code.org-led effort supported by a coalition of tech and educational organizations (incl. Microsoft, OpenAI, Amazon, Meta, and Bill Gates-backed and ChatGPT-powered Khan Academy) that aims to help educators both use AI in the classroom and explain to their students how the technology works. "TeachAI," the initiative's website explains, "is committing to provide thought leadership to guide governments and educational leaders in aligning education with the needs of an increasingly AI-driven world and connecting the discussion of teaching with AI to teaching about AI and computer science."

Submission + - The Man Who Broke Bowling

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: In The Man Who Broke Bowling, GQ's Eric Wills profiles professional bowler Jason Belmonte, whose two-handed bowling technique made him both an outcast as well as one of bowling's greatest, changing the sport forever. Unlike the rest of us, a 7-year-old Belmonte was unconvinced by the taunts used to prompt kids into switching from bowling two-handed to one-handed ("It was, Come on, you’re a big boy now. It’s time to bowl properly," Belmonte recalls). As a result, Belmonte was able to develop a 600-rpm throw when most pro bowlers averaged 350-400, imparting a spin that "sends the pins into concussion protocol." Wills writes:

"When he first alighted on the professional bowling scene, Belmonte resembled an alien species: one that bowled with two hands. And not some granny shot, to be clear, but a kickass power move in which he uses two fingers (and no thumb) on his right hand, palms the front of the ball with his left, and then, on his approach, which is marked by a distinctive shuffle step, rocks the ball back before launching it with a liquid, athletic whip, his delivery producing an eye-popping hook, his ball striking the pins like a mini mortar explosion. Not everyone welcomed his arrival. He’s been called a cheat, told to go back to his native Australia; a PBA Hall of Famer once called the two-hander a 'cancer to an already diseased sport.'

If you're interested in more on the technical aspects of bowling — Belmonte's installed a tracking system in his parent’s bowling center back in Australia that generates reams of data he can sift through to find areas for improvement — Wikipedia goes into some of the physics of bowling balls.

Comment Re:Blackouts have become abuse of power (Score 1) 166

by Wolfrider (#63607998) Attached to: Reddit Says It Won't Force Subreddits Back Open

> I was fine with a day or two of protest to let Reddit know the mods were unhappy. But after a week it turns into mods killing off a resource that thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people found useful.

> At this point I feel like it may be time to find replacements on Reddit for subreddits I use, because I am starting to think the moderators may just permanently kill them out of spite for Reddit, ignoring the terrible loss it is to real people to have that conversation history just vanish forever.

Exactly right. I have no interest in this blackout because it prevents me from accessing useful tech-oriented communities where people are actively trying to engage and help others.

2 days blackout is ok-but-not-happy-about-it, more than that is Please GTFO and reopen the sub so we can regain access to all the useful historical posts and get back to helping others.

There is no gain in keeping a sub dead, all it does is hurt the community. And it obviously won't affect the CEO's opinion. If you're a mod and you don't like the situation, feel free to setup your own self-hosted community and allow others to take over. Those new people aren't "scabs" BTW because no money is involved, THEY'RE VOLUNTEERS.

Comment Re:Yea, and it's the result of whole generations (Score 1) 224

JFC, a mouse is literally an extension of your hand. It should take all of 5 minutes to teach someone left-click, right-click, possibly middle-click and scroll with a 3-button.

Everybody used to have home computers, a phone/tablet is NOT a substitute if you have to write a Word paper or work on a spreadsheet. Or browse the web for more than say 20 minutes. Or respond to a lengthy email. Proper keyboard is needed for that.

Submission + - Thousands of Reddit communities 'go dark' in protest of new developer fees (npr.org) 7

Submitted by koavf
koavf writes: Thousands of sections of the popular online message board Reddit are "going dark" for two days starting Monday to protest controversial new fees the site is charging third-party developers.

Some of the largest communities on Reddit are being set to private for 48 hours, meaning they will not be publicly available. By doing this, Redditers aim to pressure company executives to reverse their decision to charge developers for access to the site, which until now has been free.

In a Reddit post about the boycott, organizers wrote that the charges are "a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit."

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