Comment Behold the bureaucratic mindset at work (Score 1) 72
Yes, those things are desirable. That doesn't create a duty on the state to enforce them, which, of course, generates lots of lovely jobs enforcing them...
Comment Someone more cynical than me (Score 0) 72
Good to know you exist. As to the downvoter of your comment - is he on contract to the State of California?
Comment He's in France at the moment (Score 1) 152
He'll get to you soon...
Comment WHY is it illegal? (Score 1) 72
The freedom to do stupid things would appear to be a part of what freedom means.
Comment They're admitting this (Score 1) 11
What aren't they admitting? Of course this applies to both Chinese and US AI firms...
Comment Careful (Score 2) 114
The NSA takes it badly when their people are identified, let alone charged.
Comment Great phrase, thank you (Score 1) 75
'That barrel you're scraping probably has a hole in the bottom by now.'
I'll try to remember that one and use it elsewhere
Comment Releasing mathematicians into the world? (Score 0) 136
If Mathematicians are made redundant by AI, then a source of VERY intelligent people will be available to use to benefit the rest of us - or at least our corporate masters. This might prove to be a good thing...
Submission + - UK vegetables 20-50% less nutritious than in the 1960s (telegraph.co.uk)
Bruce66423 writes: 'The nutritional value of fruit and vegetables has fallen by up to 50pc since the Sixties because of declining soil quality, according to a new study.
'The study found that many crops had lost 20pc to 50pc of several key nutrients.
'Will Summers, a senior associate at the firm, said: “For 60 years we’ve measured food security in calories and tonnes per hectare.
'“On those measures we’ve done remarkably well. But we’ve been quietly hollowing out what’s inside our food.”
'The decrease in nutrient and vitamin value is thought to be down to declining soil quality and crops being selectively bred for their ability to grow quickly, rather than there being any focus on their health benefits.'
'The study found that many crops had lost 20pc to 50pc of several key nutrients.
'Will Summers, a senior associate at the firm, said: “For 60 years we’ve measured food security in calories and tonnes per hectare.
'“On those measures we’ve done remarkably well. But we’ve been quietly hollowing out what’s inside our food.”
'The decrease in nutrient and vitamin value is thought to be down to declining soil quality and crops being selectively bred for their ability to grow quickly, rather than there being any focus on their health benefits.'
Submission + - Russian owned snooping software used by US secret service (telegraph.co.uk)
Bruce66423 writes: British police forces, including specialist units within the Metropolitan Police, have used Oxygen Forensics software to break into the phones of suspects during live investigations, public documents show.
The Virginia-based company behind the software has been accused in the US of having hidden its Russian ownership to avoid sanctions, before it was awarded government contracts.
Its American chief executive and a Russian national were arrested last week after a US investigation found the company had sought to hide its ownership in an alleged attempt to avoid sanctions and scrutiny.
By September 2024, the US Secret Service had awarded Oxygen a five-year contract for its software.
The Virginia-based company behind the software has been accused in the US of having hidden its Russian ownership to avoid sanctions, before it was awarded government contracts.
Its American chief executive and a Russian national were arrested last week after a US investigation found the company had sought to hide its ownership in an alleged attempt to avoid sanctions and scrutiny.
By September 2024, the US Secret Service had awarded Oxygen a five-year contract for its software.
Comment Really? (Score 1, Flamebait) 70
'Trump choose the idiots that dropped the ball.'
The Defense Manpower Data Center is an element of the US military. So the question is whether the leadership is political or civil service, and, more significantly, why should the leadership be responsible for a security flaw by the staff. Is it really Trump's fault if a programmer doesn't block this?
Comment It's got to be Trump's fault - somehow... (Score 0, Flamebait) 70
And the fact that there are people who will claim this is why politics is so obnoxious these days. Yes, some things are as a result of decisions by the elected. But far more often it's because some low level guy made the wrong call. We had this game in the UK recently when our air traffic control system crashed. Blame the top guy? Why? Some programmer got it wrong, as did the testing regime. It's fun to score political points. DON'T - unless you can actually demonstrate a reason to do so.
Comment Garbage in, garbage out (Score 1) 164
Is anyone really surprised if the chatbots trot out the misinformation that is available on the internet?
Comment Great link, thank you (Score 1) 74
The nuclear powers have been far more forthcoming that I thought. Watched 'Hunt for Red October' recently
Submission + - When and why black holes burp (theguardian.com)
Bruce66423 writes: 'Scientists have solved the mystery of when black holes “burp” – when the astronomical bodies launch jets after feeding on stars, blasting material enormous distances in space.
'Scientists know from rare observations of stars being torn apart by black holes – a process that involves a stretching effect known as “spaghettification” – that “only about half of the star that gets too close to the back hole will end up eventually being swallowed by that black hole”, Goodwin said.
'The other material is launched back into space in powerful jets and outflows, sometimes so large they “can influence the entire evolution of a galaxy”, she said. “You can think of it as a black hole burp.”'
'Scientists know from rare observations of stars being torn apart by black holes – a process that involves a stretching effect known as “spaghettification” – that “only about half of the star that gets too close to the back hole will end up eventually being swallowed by that black hole”, Goodwin said.
'The other material is launched back into space in powerful jets and outflows, sometimes so large they “can influence the entire evolution of a galaxy”, she said. “You can think of it as a black hole burp.”'
