Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Submission Summary: 1 pending, 244 declined, 134 accepted (379 total, 35.36% accepted)

Submission + - Comedian sued for $27m over mistranslation of 'Lion King' lyric (latimes.com) 1

Bruce66423 writes: 'Grammy-winning composer Lebo M is suing comedian Learnmore Jonasi for $27 million, claiming he falsely translated the “Lion King” opening chant as “Look, there’s a lion.”

'Jonasi was served court papers while performing onstage. He claims his podcast translation was comedy and not presented as authoritative fact.
'After a public social media dispute, Lebo M’s legal team recently signaled interest in exploring a structured settlement with the comedian.

'The Grammy-winning composer behind the signature opening chant in the song “Circle of Life” for “The Lion King” movies is taking a comedian to court for allegedly damaging his reputation by misrepresenting the song’s meaning on a viral podcast episode.'

Seriously?

Submission + - LA to Managua via Tokyo (latimes.com)

Bruce66423 writes: A man got on the wrong plane at LAX and ended up in Tokyo rather than Houston, where his connecting flight to take him to Managua was due to leave from.

It appears security is less than impressive...

Submission + - Neural cluster very different in men and women (jpost.com) 1

Bruce66423 writes: 'Neural 'on/off' switch discovery may shed light on sex differences in social behavior

'What makes this neural cluster unusual is its binary activity pattern: it is consistently active in females but largely inactive in males, only turning on during major social or reproductive events.

'The research, published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, also shows that the cluster’s activity is dynamic, not fixed. In males, it turns on only after sexual contact or reproductive experience, demonstrating that the brain can adapt neural circuits based on life events. Before sexual maturity, males and females show similar levels of activity, but after puberty, the cluster disappears in males until these social or reproductive triggers occur.

'“This shows the brain can ‘flip’ neural states to match social and reproductive circumstances,” Dr. Rokni said. “It’s an example of how experience can shape behavior differently in males and females.”'

Submission + - New, faster solution to removing PFAS (the 'forever chemicals') from water (theguardian.com)

Bruce66423 writes: 'New filtration technology developed by Rice University may absorb some Pfas “forever chemicals” at 100 times the rate than previously possible, which could dramatically improve pollution control and speed remediations.

'Researchers also say they have also found a way to destroy Pfas, though both technologies face a steep challenge in being deployed on an industrial scale.

'A new peer-reviewed paper details a layered double hydroxide (LDH) material made from copper and aluminum that absorbs long-chain Pfas up to 100 times faster than commonly used filtration systems.'

Submission + - UK facial recognition deployment catching someone every 34 minutes (dailymail.co.uk)

Bruce66423 writes: Nice spin:

'Since the cameras were switched on, crime has plummeted compared to November last year.

'So far, police have made 100 arrests, with a third being for offences of violence against women and girls including strangulation and sexual assault.

'Others include those wanted on recall to prison and for burglary and possession of offensive weapon offences.'

The article quotes a false positive rate of 1 in 33,000. A promise to pay the victim of a false positive £10,000 for the first occurrence would help convince me that there isn't an issue. Second time £20,000, third £40,000 etc. If they're really confident, they won't have a problem with this, will they?

Submission + - Cory Doctorow explains how legalising reverse engineer would end enshitification (theguardian.com)

Bruce66423 writes: 'Donald Trump’s tariffs have opened up a new possibility for the technology we have become increasingly dependent on. Today, nearly all of our tech comes from US companies, and it arrives as a prix fixe meal. If you want to talk with your friends on a Meta platform, you have to let Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg eavesdrop on your conversations. If you want to have a phone that works, you have to let Apple’s Tim Cook suck 30p out of every pound you spend and give him a veto over which software you can run. If you want to search the web, you have to let Google’s Sundar Pichai know what colour underwear you’ve got on.

'This is a genuinely odd place for digital computers to have got to. Every computer in your life, from your mobile phone to your smart speaker to your laptop to your TV, is theoretically capable of running all programmes, including the ones the manufacturers would really prefer you stay away from. This means that there are no prix fixe menus in technology – everything can be had à la carte. Thanks to the infinite flexibility of computers, every 10-foot fence a US tech boss installs in a digital product you rely on invites a programmer to supply you with a four-metre ladder so you can scamper nimbly over it. However, we adopted laws – at the insistence of the US trade rep – that prohibit programmers from helping you alter the devices you own, in legal ways, if the manufacturer objects. This is one thing that leads to what I refer to as the enshittification of technology.

'There is only one reason the world isn’t bursting with wildly profitable products and projects that disenshittify the US’s defective products: its (former) trading partners were bullied into passing an “anti-circumvention” law that bans the kind of reverse-engineering that is the necessary prelude to modifying an existing product to make it work better for its users (at the expense of its manufacturer). But the Trump tariffs change all that. The old bargain – put your own tech sector in chains, expose your people to our plunder of their data and cash, and in return, the US won’t tariff your exports – is dead'

Submission + - Exercise can be powerful in helping depression (telegraph.co.uk)

Bruce66423 writes: 'Exercise may be as good at treating depression as psychological therapies and possibly antidepressants, a study suggests.

'A review of 73 studies from researchers at the University of Lancashire found exercise may have a moderate benefit on reducing symptoms of depression when compared with no treatment or a placebo.

'Exercise was also as beneficial as psychological therapies, based on evidence from 10 clinical trials.'

The observation helps explain the explosion of depression in our culture today; too many people taking zero exercise.

My own experience was after being formally diagnosed with the mildest category of depression, regular gym sessions and now an exercise bike at home have largely kept me clear of symptoms.

Submission + - Man tailgates his way onto a flight at London Heathrow (telegraph.co.uk)

Bruce66423 writes: 'A man boarded a flight at Heathrow without a ticket, boarding pass or passport.

'The unnamed individual walked onto the 7.20am British Airways (BA) flight to Oslo, Norway, on Saturday after tailgating other passengers through security and evading checks at the departure gate.

'An aviation expert described the incident as a “significant lapse in security”, as a witness reported that cabin crew only detected the interloper because the flight was full and he kept sitting in passengers’ assigned seats.

'Police arrested the unnamed man, airport sources said, adding that he had passed through “full security screening” before reaching the gate.'

Given that he did go through the security check, this is merely embarrassing.

Compare and contrast

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-...

Submission + - African Swine Fever outlet 'may have leaked from research lab' (theguardian.com)

Bruce66423 writes: 'Authorities say strain of virus that has killed wild boars in Catalonia is one often used for experiments in secure facilities

'Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources.

'Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to its pork export industry, which is worth €8.8bn (£7.7bn) a year.

'The regional authorities initially believed the disease may have begun to circulate after a wild boar ate contaminated food that had been brought in from outside Spain, perhaps in the form of a meat sandwich discarded by a haulier.

'But Spain’s agriculture ministry has opened a new line of inquiry after concluding that the strain of the virus found in the dead boars in Catalonia was not the same as the one reported to be circulating in other EU member states. According to one report, the strain in question is instead similar to one detected in Georgia in 2007.'

Submission + - Yes, tattoos ARE bad for you (latimes.com)

Bruce66423 writes: 'Tattoo ink moves through the body, killing immune cells and weakening vaccine response

'''Tattoo ink doesn’t just sit inertly in the skin. New research shows it moves rapidly into the lymphatic system, where it can persist for months, kill immune cells, and even disrupt how the body responds to vaccines.

'Scientists in Switzerland used a mouse model to trace what happens after tattooing. Pigments drained into nearby lymph nodes within minutes and continued to accumulate for two months, triggering immune-cell death and sustained inflammation.'

Submission + - Oracle's credit status under pressure (latimes.com)

Bruce66423 writes: 'A gauge of risk on Oracle Corp.’s debt reached a three-year high in November, and things are only going to get worse in 2026 unless the database giant is able to assuage investor anxiety about a massive artificial intelligence spending spree, according to Morgan Stanley.'

First sign of the boom's inevitable collapsing?

Submission + - IT removes inconvenient emails from elected councillors' inboxes (manchestereveningnews.co.uk)

Bruce66423 writes: 'Salford council has announced an investigation into how a misconduct complaint against deputy mayor Jack Youd was removed from the email inboxes of councillors without their knowledge.

'On October 10, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) and Manchester Evening News (M.E.N) revealed that an anonymous email was sent to several councillors in January making a complaint against the deputy mayor.

'A message from a senior official at the council, seen by the LDRS and M.E.N, explained that the sender’s anonymous email address and the wording of the email ‘raised immediate concerns’ over IT security when it arrived, with the term ‘anonymous’ being associated with an ‘active hacking group’. The official’s message said the emails were removed from councillors’ inboxes in light of the security fears.'

The email alleged that the deputy mayor had had an affair with a council employee — not allowed — whilst his wife was another elected councillor...

Submission + - LADWP says it will shift its largest gas power plant to hydrogen (latimes.com)

Bruce66423 writes: 'The board of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on Tuesday approved a controversial plan to convert part of the city’s largest natural gas-fired power plant into one that also can burn hydrogen.

'The hydrogen burned at Scattergood is supposed to be green, meaning it is produced by splitting water molecules through... electrolysis. Hydrogen does not emit planet-warming carbon dioxide when it is burned, unlike natural gas.

'Although burning hydrogen does not produce CO2, the high-temperature combustion process can emit nitrogen oxides, or NOx, a key component of smog.

'the approved plan contains no specifics about where the hydrogen will come from or how it will get to the site. “The green hydrogen that would supply the proposed project has not yet been identified,” the environmental report says. 'Industry experts and officials said the project will help drive the necessary hydrogen production.'

Burning hydrogen produced by 'excess' solar or wind power is a means of energy storage. The hard question is whether it's the best solution to the storage problem given that other solutions appear to be emerging that would require less infrastructure investment (think pipes to move the hydrogen to the plant and tanks to store it for later use).

Slashdot Top Deals

[A computer is] like an Old Testament god, with a lot of rules and no mercy. -- Joseph Campbell

Working...