Comment Please let in one last batch ... (Score 5, Insightful) 146
to replace Trump and his cronies. It would be very hard for them to do a worse job.
Comment "But I was frightened ..." (Score 2) 218
"This big, ugly Boarder Officer was in my face and frightened me. My brain/memory did not work properly, the stress of it all made me remember the wrong password which wiped my 'phone."
This may be true. However if they have it in for you they will get you.
Comment Re:They don't even write good software! (Score 2) 159
Tesla is awful due to the lack of physical controls where they would really make sense. It is an actively driver-hostile car.
It is also dangerous as it makes you take your eyes off the road
Comment Re:incentives (Score 1) 160
Sorry I was not clear - OpenAI is who I mean by "it".
Comment Re:incentives (Score 3, Insightful) 160
Either way a crime was committed and they should be prosecuted.
Comment Re:Of COURSE you can't use sweetener or cream... (Score 1) 189
I drink my coffee black -- without milk or sugar as they take away from the good taste. I drink a good coffee (ground beans) not the gnat's pee that is Nescafe.
Submission + - D&D players raise millions in real-life campaign against 'corporate elite' (theguardian.com)
Alain Williams writes: Just before their election day, six Los Angeles city council candidates stood on stage at Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre. But they weren’t there for a debate or a black-tie gala. They were there to play Dungeons and Dragons.
Comedian Brennan Lee Mulligan guided the politicians through a short D&D campaign to defeat corporate villains and an evil dragon. Hundreds of enthusiastic fans in the crowd pledged additional donations up to $150 each to give the candidates what is called an “auto crit” for maximum damage to the dragon.
If this sounds like a bizarre merging of politics and play, organizers say it is not. “Most people want to be tapped and told how to help,” said Mulligan, a longtime DSA member and the dungeon master of D&D-themed hit YouTube series Critical Role and Dropout’s Dimension 20. “Then, lo and behold, there’s this new way to participate, bringing the platform I have to bear.”
The DSA-LA show raised $30,000 for the city’s primary election in June; five of the candidates onstage that night either won re-election or advanced to the general in November. The event is just one in a wider resistance movement by players of D&D and other tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) against the current political climate – ICE raids, attacks on transgender rights and the rise of artificial intelligence. Over the past few years, groups across the country have been playing TTRPGs online and in person to raise money to develop games that express their frustration with the federal government and instruct people on how to help those most affected by its policies.
Comedian Brennan Lee Mulligan guided the politicians through a short D&D campaign to defeat corporate villains and an evil dragon. Hundreds of enthusiastic fans in the crowd pledged additional donations up to $150 each to give the candidates what is called an “auto crit” for maximum damage to the dragon.
If this sounds like a bizarre merging of politics and play, organizers say it is not. “Most people want to be tapped and told how to help,” said Mulligan, a longtime DSA member and the dungeon master of D&D-themed hit YouTube series Critical Role and Dropout’s Dimension 20. “Then, lo and behold, there’s this new way to participate, bringing the platform I have to bear.”
The DSA-LA show raised $30,000 for the city’s primary election in June; five of the candidates onstage that night either won re-election or advanced to the general in November. The event is just one in a wider resistance movement by players of D&D and other tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) against the current political climate – ICE raids, attacks on transgender rights and the rise of artificial intelligence. Over the past few years, groups across the country have been playing TTRPGs online and in person to raise money to develop games that express their frustration with the federal government and instruct people on how to help those most affected by its policies.
Submission + - US police now armed with Israeli spy vans simulating mobile phone towers (cybernews.com)
schwit1 writes: If you thought Flock was bad check out Falconet.
Falconet from Israeli company Cognyte serves as a cell tower simulator that intercepts cell phone data from all devices within range. Police mount these systems in Tahoes so the vehicles can collect information while driving through areas without any direct interaction with targets.
This mobile approach generates ongoing records of phone locations and communications for everyone nearby rather than only suspects, which creates comprehensive movement profiles and bypasses traditional warrant requirements under the Fourth Amendment.
Cognyte sells the technology directly to U.S. agencies, as shown by the Texas Department of Public Safety purchase of four Tahoes where over three point eight million dollars went to the interception equipment. Adoption spreads through routine vehicle procurement with little external review of how the collected data is stored or shared.
Once active the systems permit warrantless collection of private cell phone data across entire communities during normal patrols, which enables potential misuse and leaves individuals with no effective way to discover or contest the surveillance.
https://x.com/JoshWalkos/statu...
Falconet from Israeli company Cognyte serves as a cell tower simulator that intercepts cell phone data from all devices within range. Police mount these systems in Tahoes so the vehicles can collect information while driving through areas without any direct interaction with targets.
This mobile approach generates ongoing records of phone locations and communications for everyone nearby rather than only suspects, which creates comprehensive movement profiles and bypasses traditional warrant requirements under the Fourth Amendment.
Cognyte sells the technology directly to U.S. agencies, as shown by the Texas Department of Public Safety purchase of four Tahoes where over three point eight million dollars went to the interception equipment. Adoption spreads through routine vehicle procurement with little external review of how the collected data is stored or shared.
Once active the systems permit warrantless collection of private cell phone data across entire communities during normal patrols, which enables potential misuse and leaves individuals with no effective way to discover or contest the surveillance.
https://x.com/JoshWalkos/statu...
Submission + - Garbage trucks may soon start spying on people (msn.com) 1
fjo3 writes: Garbage trucks could soon do more than collect trash—they may also help identify code violations using artificial intelligence (AI).
Officials in Cape Coral, Florida, recently considered equipping sanitation trucks with AI-powered cameras that would photograph properties as crews complete their normal collection routes.
The system would have been designed to identify potential issues such as overgrown lawns, peeling paint, and illegal dumping, and to flag violations so the city staff can review them later before taking enforcement action.
Officials in Cape Coral, Florida, recently considered equipping sanitation trucks with AI-powered cameras that would photograph properties as crews complete their normal collection routes.
The system would have been designed to identify potential issues such as overgrown lawns, peeling paint, and illegal dumping, and to flag violations so the city staff can review them later before taking enforcement action.
Comment Re:Stupid people do stupid things (Score 1) 42
I cannot understand why anyone would think that fights are entertainment - be they humans or robots.
Submission + - FOSS LibreMailCal status update, moved from pre-alpha to alpha (techtalkhawke.com)
kmleon writes: Status update on privacy/control enhancing FOSS app LibreMailCal: email, calendaring, contacts, chat, files, ERP, Notifications, Project Management, Social Media & Videos, video conferencing, all-in-one, self-hostable, cross-platform.
Comment Re:Seems like a great way to end up with no conten (Score 3) 70
I have been telling friends about this sort of thing for a long time. The usual reply is "meh", or in a rare case when they listen properly "meh, how will this affect me/what can I do ?". The problem is that most people do not read T&Cs before clicking "I have read and understand them and I agree."; this is because the wording of the T&Cs is deliberately such that it sucks the will to live from most people; the interesting bits 'hidden' 2/3 of the way down usually below long paragraphs on something boring like web site copyright and it not being liable for stuff.
The so called agreements are anything but; there should be regulation on how they are written so that they are fair to both consumer/client and the provider. But that will not happen.
Comment Re:cost? (Score 1) 108
How do you, an ordinary person, call the EMS if your mobile 'phone does not work because the cell tower has run our of electricity ?
Comment Re:cost? (Score 4, Insightful) 108
What will the cost of not doing this be to: customers, emergency services,
Submission + - report sheds light on ICE's booming arsenal of hi-tech surveillance tools (theguardian.com)
Alain Williams writes: Spending on government contracts with tech firms that use AI-powered tools to track immigrants has soared to record levels under Trump 2.0, report says.
A new report sheds light on the unprecedented growth of the US government’s immigration surveillance arsenal, revealing fresh details about how spending on technology and AI tools to find and track migrants has soared to record levels during Donald Trump’s second term.
The report, released this week, analyzed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) contracts with 11 companies the authors said provide surveillance tech. They found the money awarded to these firms doubled from 2024 to 2025, to just over $310m – and in 2026, that number soared to a record $513m.
A new report sheds light on the unprecedented growth of the US government’s immigration surveillance arsenal, revealing fresh details about how spending on technology and AI tools to find and track migrants has soared to record levels during Donald Trump’s second term.
The report, released this week, analyzed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) contracts with 11 companies the authors said provide surveillance tech. They found the money awarded to these firms doubled from 2024 to 2025, to just over $310m – and in 2026, that number soared to a record $513m.
