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Submission + - James Webb Space Telescope confirms 1st 'runaway' supermassive black hole (space.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Astronomers have made a truly mind-boggling discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): a runaway black hole 10 million times larger than the sun, rocketing through space at a staggering 2.2 million miles per hour (1,000 kilometers per second).

That not only makes this the first confirmed runaway supermassive black hole, but this object is also one of the fastest-moving bodies ever detected, rocketing through its home, a pair of galaxies named the "Cosmic Owl," at 3,000 times the speed of sound at sea level here on Earth. If that isn't astounding enough, the black hole is pushing forward a literal galaxy-sized "bow-shock" of matter in front of it, while simultaneously dragging a 200,000 light-year-long tail behind it, within which gas is accumulating and triggering star formation.

Submission + - Firefox Will Ship with an "AI Kill Switch" to Completely Disable all AI Features (9to5linux.com) 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: From a report on 9to5Linux.com:

"On Tuesday, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo was named the new CEO of Mozilla Corporation, the company behind the beloved Firefox web browser used by almost all GNU/Linux distributions as the default browser."

"In his message as new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo stated that Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software while remaining the company’s anchor, and that Firefox will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions."

"What was not made clear is that Firefox will also ship with an AI kill switch that will let users completely disable all the AI features that are included in Firefox. Mozilla shared this important update earlier today to make it clear to everyone that Firefox will still be a trusted web browser."

Comment Re: Making a note... (Score 1) 94

One can somewhat mitigate this with Japanese specifically, as it uses only ~2000 or so Kanji if I remember correctly; and by and large even those are composed of regular radicals; plus hirigana, katakana, and furigana.

Not to discount how challenging it would still be though - it still remains a large number of characters that need individual testing once all of those components have been put together.

Comment Re:Not wikipedia... (Score 1) 237

by Asteconn (#65758212) Attached to: Wikipedia Drama Goes Mainstream

We live in a post-truth world now; this is the new normal.

Firstly - there are a lot of angry and distrustful people in English speaking nations now, and no amount of facts nor data is going to quell their anger. If something disagrees or disproves with their established in-group gospel, to them whatever it is clearly either wrong or a lie.
And secondly - we have a ruling elite now that embrace blatant mistruths and are perfectly comfortable doing absolutely anything that isn't explicitly illegal, and willing to push their luck as far as possible even if it is illegal.

Submission + - Why Volvo Is Replacing Every EX90's Central Computer (insideevs.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: On Monday morning, I spoke to a Volvo EX90 owner who reported a litany of issues with her 2025 EX90: malfunctioning phone-as-a-key functionality, a useless keyfob, a keycard that rarely worked quickly, constant phone connection issues, infotainment glitches and error messages. I was surprised not because I hadn't heard of these kinds of problems, but because I experienced them myself over a year ago at the EX90 first drive again. At the time, Volvo said software fixes were imminent. Today, we know the issues go deeper. To solve them, Volvo announced on Tuesday that it will replace the central computer of every 2025 EX90 with the new one from the 2026 EX90. It's a tacit admission that the company can't solve the EX90's issues while simultaneously launching its next-generation software-defined vehicles, and that it's easier to replace the original computer than to build bug-free software for it. But for some, the damage to the Volvo brand has already been done.

Comment People still watch TV? (Score 2) 137

by Asteconn (#65590738) Attached to: Impoverished Streaming Services Are Driving Viewers Back to Piracy

Honestly, I'm legitimately surprised that there is enough of a market for TV to support an industry.

Not just with the enshitification and commercial operators trying to wring viewers for every penny they have; and not even for myself there hasn't been a single compelling reason to even bother with an online subscription, let alone something like a TV license — it's just bad value. I can get more entertainment value per hour from a half-arsed £5 game from Steam or GOG than TV could ever hope to match.

Comment People still watch TV? (Score 1) 1

Honestly, I'm legitimately surprised that there is enough of a market for TV to support an industry.

Not just with the enshitification and commercial operators trying to wring viewers for every penny they have; and not even for myself there hasn't been a single compelling reason to even bother with an online subscription, let alone something like a TV license — it's just bad value. I can get more entertainment value per hour from a half-arsed £5 game from Steam or GOG than TV could ever hope to match.

Submission + - Pirating back in vogue as enshitification stretches patience, and wallets (theguardian.com) 1

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: Even journalists have noticed — and some are resorting to piracy, again

'A decade and a half on from the Pirate Bay trial, the winds have begun to shift. On an unusually warm summer’s day, I sit with fellow film critics by the old city harbour, once a haven for merchants and, rumour has it, smugglers. Cold bigstrongs in hand (that’s what they call pints up here), they start venting about the “enshittification” of streaming – enshittification being the process by which platforms degrade their services and ultimately die in the pursuit of profit. Netflix now costs upwards of 199 SEK (£15), and you need more and more subscriptions to watch the same shows you used to find in one place. Most platforms now offer plans that, despite the fee, force advertisements on subscribers. Regional restrictions often compel users to use VPNs to access the full selection of available content. The average European household now spends close to €700 (£600) a year on three or more VOD subscriptions. People pay more and get less.

'A fellow film critic confides anonymously: “I never stopped pirating, and my partner also does it if he doesn’t find the precise edition he is looking for on DVD.” While some people never abandoned piracy, others admit they have recently returned – this time turning to unofficial streaming platforms. One commonly used app is legal but can, through community add-ons, channel illicit streams. “Downloading is too difficult. I don’t know where to start,” says one film viewer. “The shady streams might bombard me with ads, but at least I don’t have to worry about getting hacked or caught.”'

Personally, as a reader not a viewer, I find a few months of Netflix and my BBC iplayer access as a result of having a TV in the UK, sufficient, along with rather more DVDs than I will ever actually watch...

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