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Submission Summary: 1 pending, 40 declined, 19 accepted (60 total, 31.67% accepted)

Submission + - OpenAI, Claud and Gemini being used to drive German AFD rage bait system. (irishtimes.com) 1

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: The Irish times Reports that "The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has developed a new software suite, driven by Google Gemini, Open AI and Anthropic’s Claude, that helps party members generate so-called “rage bait” social media postings." the article explains the working of the system and tells us that "The apparent aim of Alternita is to allow AfD headquarters to control messaging in a subtle way without hindering its decentralised army of followers and activists generating posts that attract attention and help the AfD maintain its considerable online lead on rivals."

Submission + - First full synthetic cell created in Minnesota (biotic.org) 2

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: The First fully synthetic cell has been created in the Department of Genetics at the University of Minnesota. Strictly it's described as a "cell-like system constructed entirely from known chemical components that can perform a complete cell cycle" and is able to replicate, but only for approximately five generations. The key advance is that the cell is "built entirely bottom-up from individually purified, non-living components" although the cell still contains material from an e-coli bacteria. "PURE is a defined mixture of 36 purified enzymes from E. coli bacteria" which includes ribosomes and provides the infrastructure for genetic replication. CNN has article on the advance including interview material with Professor Kate Adamala who lead the research and says “I know the full ingredient list of the cell, I know exactly what chemicals, what molecules at what concentrations,” she said. “It is fully defined, which means we can engineer it.”

Submission + - The war has the world buying clean energy. China is benefitting the most. (cnn.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: CNN is reporting that sales of renewables have surged hugely with 70% growth of solar, batteries and EVs as people and countries move away from the huge vulnerabilities and bankrupting costs of oil based economies.

The war in Iran has sent oil-starved countries scrambling for fuel. Many are opting for energy alternatives — and turning to the renewables king of the planet: China.

Chinese exports of solar technology, batteries and electric vehicles all reached record highs in March, according to energy think tank Ember, a sign that the historic oil supply shock is accelerating the adoption of clean energy around the world.

The Washington Post had a similar report recently however as CNN mentioned Reuters claims that there is still plenty of capacity for production. Last year already solar grow faster than any energy source ever.

Submission + - China Shows Strategic importance of Renewables - self protection and Cuba aid. (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: "China is helping Cuba race to capture renewable solar energy as the United States imposes an effective oil blockade on the Caribbean island, creating its worst energy crisis in decades." reports the Washington post. later in the article it tells that "China’s decades-long push into clean energy technology is now helping to protect it from the soaring oil and gas crisis spurred by Trump’s war against Iran." and that "Chinese exports of solar equipment to Cuba skyrocketed from about $5 million in 2023 to $117 million in 2025 and show no sign of stopping,"

Submission + - ChatGPT convinced Illinois woman to fire human attorney: Lawsuit not reward! (thehill.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: "A federal lawsuit filed by life insurance company Nippon claims OpenAI’s chatbot acted as a lawyer and convinced a woman to fire her human attorney." writes Newsnation "Graciela Dela Torre signed a full release, and the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled. However, last year, Dela Torre sought to reopen the case." however ChatGPT supposedly convinced Dela Torre otherwise and legal hilarity, which cost Nippon nearly $300,000, ensued. “This is actually the first real time I’ve seen a plaintiff or a claimant actually try and represent themselves 100%, and it got through the court system, and that’s been a revolutionary area,” Michael Stanisci, vice president of DemandLane, told “Jesse Weber Live.” he further continued “It has access to nearly infinite human intelligence. What it lacks is the wisdom, right? It’s like a child trying to appease and make sure that it’s being praised by the end user,”. Nippon is now suing OpenAI for $300,000 damages and reportedly a further $10 million in punitive damages.

Submission + - Early Bitcoin Whale Shorted $1.1B 30m Before Crash - Insider Trading Suspected. (cryptonews.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: "Satoshi-era whale with 86K BTC shorted $1.1B in BTC and ETH 30 minutes before Trump's 100% tariff announcement, banking $190M-$200M as liquidations hit $19.33B across 1.66M traders. " writes Cryptonews, describing how one long time Bitcoin insider profited massively, and likely in an illegal way, from the losses of other Bitcoin traders. The "whale" ended up "pocketing between $190 million and $200 million in realized profits within a single day.", money take directly from the pockets of other Bitcoin traders. The aggrieved Bitcoin investors were upset with Cryptonews noting that "Community speculation intensified after crypto researcher Maartunn noted the correlation between the whale’s Satoshi-era origins and potential government connections, suggesting insider ties may have provided advance knowledge of Trump’s tariff announcement.". According to Cryptonews "multiple analysts calling the sequence “one of the biggest insider trades in history.”

Just earlier today, before news about the insider trade had broken clearly we discussed this very crash and even in that discussion there were crypto-boosters trying to get more people involved with BTC.

Submission + - 'A very Finnish thing': Sand battery starts storing wind energy in soapstone (euronews.com) 1

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: "The world’s largest sand battery has started working in the southern Finnish town of Pornainen" reports Euronews. "Capable of storing 100 MWh of thermal energy from solar and wind sources, it will enable residents to eliminate oil from their district heating network, thereby cutting emissions by nearly 70 per cent." "The sand can store heat at around 500C for several days to even months, providing a valuable store of cheaper energy during the winter. When needed, the battery discharges the hot air — warming water in the district heating network. Homes, offices and even the local swimming pool all benefit in Kankaanpää, for example." later it says that most kinds of sand can be used and "In Pornainen, Polar Night Energy has found a sustainable material in crushed soapstone; a by-product of a Finnish company’s manufacture of heat-retaining fireplaces.". The company has more technical data and an FAQ on their web site.

Submission + - Sizewell C Reactor cost has doubled to £38 billion but could triple to &po (energyvoice.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: "The total tally for the UK’s latest bet on nuclear power, Sizewell C, is highly likely to rise above the cost of Hinkley Point C." reports Energy Voice continuing, "Taken together, the impact of project overruns and inflation could push up the estimated £38 billion price tag of the nuclear power project, in 2024 prices, by between almost £10bn and £20bn or more." and later states "This would make Sizewell C one of the most expensive nuclear power stations in history; despite advances in EDF’s European pressurised reactor (EPR) technology, and the wealth of experience gained developing nuclear projects.". despite the increases, the article states that "Sizewell C is expected to be up to a quarter more efficient than previous reactors, and that economy of scale should lower the cost of power for the consumer. The project is expected to deliver 'electricity system savings of £2 billion a year on average once operational', the energy department said"

Submission + - Rocket explodes at UK's spaceport in Shetland - RFA working to find cause (theguardian.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: A rocket company has vowed to return to regular operations “as soon as possible” after an explosion during a test at the UK’s new spaceport in Shetland after "an “anomaly” had led to “the loss of the stage” but there were no injuries according to a Guardian report. The test was carried out by German company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) which hopes to make the first UK vertical rocket launch into orbit. RFA said an “anomaly” had led to “the loss of the stage” but there were no injuries. The company’s spokesperson said: “We develop iteratively with an emphasis on real testing.
“This is part of our philosophy and we were aware of the higher risks attached to this approach. Our goal is to return to regular operations as soon as possible.”

Submission + - Does Nuclear get in the way of Renewable? France and Germany disagree. (energypost.eu)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: France and Germany lead the camps in disagreeing on the future of nuclear in Europe. Camille Lafrance and Benjamin Wehrmann at CLEW take a deep dive into the reasons why, quoting experts and politicians. Energypost.eu report about their differences of opinion and the worry that investment in nuclear may slow access to the cheapest energy sources available.

Submission + - The Titan Submersible Disaster Was Years in the Making, New Details Reveal (vanityfair.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: In Vanity Fair Susan Casey writes about the engineering behind the Titan disaster:

"In a culture that has adopted the ridiculous mantra “move fast and break things,” that type of arrogance can get a person far. But in the deep ocean, the price of admission is humility—and it’s nonnegotiable. The abyss doesn’t care if you went to Princeton, or that your ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. If you want to go down into her world, she sets the rules."


Submission + - SPAM: 'Mind-boggling' methane emissions from Turkmenistan revealed

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: The Guardian is reporting on Methane releases in fossil fuel fields discovered using Satellite imaging:

Emissions of the potent greenhouse gas from the oil- and gas-rich country are “mind-boggling”, and an “infuriating” problem that should be easy to fix, experts have told the Guardian.

The data produced by Kayrros for the Guardian found that the western fossil fuel field in Turkmenistan, on the Caspian coast, leaked 2.6m tonnes of methane in 2022. The eastern field emitted 1.8m tonnes. Together, the two fields released emissions equivalent to 366m tonnes of CO2, more than the UK’s annual emissions, which are the 17th-biggest in the world.


Link to Original Source

Submission + - There's one big subject our leaders at Cop27 won't touch: livestock farming (theguardian.com)

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: There are just two actions needed to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown: leave fossil fuels in the ground and stop farming animals. But, thanks to the power of the two industries, both aims are officially unmentionable. Neither of them has featured in any of the declarations from the 26 climate summits concluded so far. Writes George Monbiot in the Guardian Livestock farming, a recent paper in the journal Sustainability estimates, accounts for between 16.5% and 28% of all greenhouse gas pollution. Monbiot continues saying that, even if the minimum number (16.5%) applies, this is greater than all the world’s transport emissions. And it is growing fast.

Submission + - Sick of Windows? - the Registers cynic's guide to desktop Linux - top 10 review (theregister.com) 4

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: The register has put together an up to date summary of the top ten options for Linux:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all operating systems suck. Some just suck less than others.

It is also a comment under pretty much every Reg article on Linux that there are too many to choose from and that it's impossible to know which one to try. So we thought we'd simplify things for you by listing how and in which ways the different options suck.. They give a good summary of the state of each of their top 9 favourites.

Submission + - Singapore to charge unvaccinated for hospital care. (theguardian.com) 1

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: People who choose not to get COVID vaccinations will start having to pay for their own care in Singapore hospitals from the start of next year. Although "covid-related medical bills will still be paid for people who aren’t eligible for a vaccine", ' the government said it will “begin charging Covid-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice”'. The government says this is because "unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources". There's currently no suggestion that the unvaccinated should pay for the care of others they infect let alone compensation for the damage they do to others, however this still represents an escalation from basic vaccine mandates.

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