Comment Trump threatens the NOAA (Score 5, Informative) 19
Trump is cutting the NOAA budget -- the organisation that it important as it monitors the weather. The orange despot does not like those who produce facts that contradict his lies.
Comment Fixing this is not at all urgent (Score 0) 167
None of the managers or responsible officials live near by so the stench, pollution and health issues are not as important as cutting costs to increase profits and so get that end of year bonus.
Submission + - Zuckerberg faces questions over why superyacht reportedly declined to help ship (theguardian.com)
Alain Williams writes: Mark Zuckerberg has faced questions over why a small cruise ship in south-east Alaska rescued a stranded skiff and its crew when his 387ft superyacht had been closer.
The Silicon Valley billionaire’s yacht, worth a reported $300m, is said to have “repeatedly” declined to assist when a nearby boat called for help last week.
Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, was not on board at the time, a spokesperson told Forbes.
When a nearby 21ft skiff ran out of fuel between Petersburg and Juneau, the Alaska Beacon reported operators of a cruise ship that was further away than Zuckerberg’s yacht came to the rescue.
“I’m on a small-ship Alaska cruise with my son,” a passenger on the UnCruise Adventures ship Wilderness Legacy posted on Bluesky.
“Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht – which was closer – and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this).”
The Silicon Valley billionaire’s yacht, worth a reported $300m, is said to have “repeatedly” declined to assist when a nearby boat called for help last week.
Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, was not on board at the time, a spokesperson told Forbes.
When a nearby 21ft skiff ran out of fuel between Petersburg and Juneau, the Alaska Beacon reported operators of a cruise ship that was further away than Zuckerberg’s yacht came to the rescue.
“I’m on a small-ship Alaska cruise with my son,” a passenger on the UnCruise Adventures ship Wilderness Legacy posted on Bluesky.
“Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht – which was closer – and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this).”
Submission + - AI push is putting banks at mercy of tech firms, warns Moody's (theguardian.com)
Alain Williams writes: The rating agency Moody’s has said the race to adopt AI is putting big banks at the mercy of a small group of Silicon Valley firms, leaving them vulnerable to widespread outages and price gouging by profit-hungry tech bosses.
The financial sector’s efforts to integrate AI into day-to-day operations will eventually cut costs and increase revenues across the City and Wall Street, Moody’s said.
But that will require “substantial investments”, and with so many rivals racing towards the same goal, many of those benefits will end up being “competed away”.
AI will also create bigger risks around data privacy, cybersecurity, fraud and so-called “deposit flight”, as well as an overdependence on a small number of tech firms, the rating agency warned.
The financial sector’s efforts to integrate AI into day-to-day operations will eventually cut costs and increase revenues across the City and Wall Street, Moody’s said.
But that will require “substantial investments”, and with so many rivals racing towards the same goal, many of those benefits will end up being “competed away”.
AI will also create bigger risks around data privacy, cybersecurity, fraud and so-called “deposit flight”, as well as an overdependence on a small number of tech firms, the rating agency warned.
Comment Re:gnome is not my favourite ui (Score 1) 25
Gnome has gone downhill after version 2, fortunately that has been kept alive as the Mate desktop.
Comment They ought to install a Flock at the White House (Score 4, Insightful) 162
there will then be a good chance of finding some crooks.
Comment Does Microsoft not sign packages ? (Score 2) 31
If so how are bad packages installed ? Debian keeps keys in
Comment Re:Netcraft Confirms (Score 3, Interesting) 89
For most at-home end users Linux has been good enough for years. Most of these people only use two applications: a web browser (through which they also get web based email), you have a choice of many with Linux; and an office suite (word processing and spreadsheet) that Open Office does excellently. They will not need to use the command line.
Other needs: printing is easy via CUPS; system updates easy; package installation easy; Gimp OK for simple image editing; music playing - well supported; SANE does scanners well.
It just needs someone to do the installation and provide a little initial hand holding and most people then just get on with it. Their main problem is fear of the unknown before they start -- so do your bit and offer to hold peoples' hands.
Yes: there are always people who need something special that you can only find on MS Windows or a Mac; but I am talking about the 80% of home users.
Comment Please let in one last batch ... (Score 5, Insightful) 148
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) 160
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.
