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Submission + - Washington Post Announces Transition to 'Modern' All-GenAI Content Format 1

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: Inspired in part by Amazon's success in using LLMs to eliminate the cost of Java programmers, Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos on Wednesday announced that the Post is pivoting to a 'modern' all-GenAI content format. "Our HR AI agents are notifying our remaining journalists that their services are no longer needed and thanking them for creating past content that powers the AI models that are replacing them," added Matt Murray, the Post’s executive editor.

It's the latest cost-cutting move at WaPo, which laid off more than 300 journalists in February as it closed its sports and books sections and fired all staff photographers, blaming the layoffs in part on "the rise of generative A.I." The move, Bezos explained, will also enable the Post to use GenAI-produced images to accompany its GenAI-produced news stories, eliminating the need to pay freelance photographers.

At the end of 2024, Mr. Bezos described the Post's struggles to cut costs and boost readership in an interview at a conference hosted by The New York Times: “We saved The Washington Post once, and we’re going to save it a second time,” he said at the time. "And now, thanks to the magic of Amazon Bedrock," Bezos said Wednesday in a zoom call from his $500 million yacht Koru (his home away from homes), "we're going to save it again."

Submission + - Zuckerberg Humiliated on Stage After AI-Powered Smart Glasses Keep Glitching (dnyuz.com)

Submitted by fjo3
fjo3 writes: Tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg was humiliated onstage not once, but twice, as his attempts to showcase the brilliance of Meta’s new AI-powered glasses were met with dismal failure.

Speaking at the company’s annual Meta Connect conference, Zuckerberg introduced the company’s second-generation smart Ray-Bans and a new neural wristband, as part of his vision for an AI that serves people in real-time.

Business Insider reported the vision unraveled when the AI glitched moments after the request, ignoring basic instructions and insisting that the employee had “already combined these ingredients.”

Submission + - Beer drinkers are mosquito magnets, according to a festival study (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Researchers set up a pop-up lab in connected shipping containers in 2023, and around 500 volunteers took part. First, they filled out a questionnaire about their hygiene, diet and behavior at the festival. Then, to see how attractive they are to mosquitoes, they placed their arm into a custom-designed cage filled with the pesky insects.

The cage had tiny holes so the mosquitoes could smell the person's arm but couldn't bite them. A video camera recorded how many insects landed on a volunteer's arm compared to a sugar feeder on the other side of the cage. By comparing the video footage and questionnaire answers, researchers saw some clear results emerge.

Participants who drank beer were 1.35 times more attractive to mosquitoes than those who didn't. The tiny vampires were also more likely to target people who had slept with someone the previous night. The study also revealed that recent showering and sunscreen make people less attractive to the buzzing menace.

Submission + - Burger King Uses Copyright Law to Nix Security Research (bankinfosecurity.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Self-described ethical hacker "BobDaHacker" posted Saturday a blog post disclosing authentication bypass and other vulnerabilities in the "Assistant" system used by Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International, parent company to the hamburger chain as well as Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs.

The "Assistant" system is deployed across RBI brands, BobDaHacker said in the now-deleted report, which remains archived online.

The blog post, titled "We Hacked Burger King," was up for less than 48 hours, until the researcher said they received a copyright infringement notice transmitted by threat intel firm Cyble. "Their complaint specifically states that our use of the 'Burger King' trademark was unauthorized and creates 'a high degree of confusion among the public that the website is in some way endorsed by/or linked with our client,'" BobDaHacker said in a statement posted to the URL where their research previously was live.

Here it is on the wayback machine

Submission + - For Sale: 1990 Airstream NASA 025 Command Vehicle (hemmings.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Imagine pulling into Burning Man driving this?

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own your own NASA vehicle this is the NASA 025 command vehicle. NASA 025 was designed to land crewed missions at Edwards Air Force Base. It is the one and only of its kind ever built. Has only 8240 miles on it as driven from Ohio to California then around the Edwards base

As Edwards AFB is a massive dry lake bed space missions (both public and secret) would often land in remote areas of the base miles from the tower. This vehicle would be the onsite command center complete with communications and atmospheric monitoring.

Submission + - Apple opens Detroit manufacturing academy (cnbc.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Apple opens manufacturing academy in Detroit as Trump ramps up pressure to invest in U.S.

The Apple Manufacturing Academy will be located in downtown Detroit and will be administered by Michigan State University.

The academy will offer workshops on manufacturing and artificial intelligence to small and medium-sized businesses, Apple said.

Trump has called for Apple to move iPhone production to the U.S. and is implementing tariffs that will likely raise the company's costs.

Submission + - Google getting rid of URL shortener. If you depend on it, sucks to be you. (googleblog.com)

Submitted by davecotter
davecotter writes: So Google’s staring at its old goo.gl links and thinking, “Why is this perfectly functioning service still even a thing?” After many businesses and users adopted it like it was the second coming of the way-too-long hyperlink, Google’s now decided to yank the plug. Starting August 23, 2024, you’ll get a flashy “don’t say we didn’t warn you” pop-up, and by August 25, 2025, goo.gl links (unless made by Google itself) will vanish into the 404 abyss.

Translation: Thanks for trusting us—now pack up and find a new shortener.

Submission + - China creates remote-controlled cyborg BEES that could be used for spy missions (dailymail.co.uk)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Chinese scientists have successfully turned bees into cyborgs by inserting controllers into their brains.

The device, which weighs less than a pinch of salt, is strapped to the back of a worker bee and connected to the insect’s brain through small needles.

In tests the device worked nine times out of 10 and the bees obeyed the instructions to turn left or right, the researchers said.

The cyborg bees could be used in rescue missions – or in covert operations as military scouts.

The tiny device can be equipped with cameras, listening devices and sensors that allow the insects to collect and record information.

Given their small size they could also be used for discreet military or security operations, such as accessing small spaces without arousing suspicion.

Submission + - Gen Z workers are quietly using AI to work less and live more (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: A new report shows something a lot of managers probably suspected. Gen Z is using AI at work. And many of them are using it to do something old-school employers might not expect. They are working less.

According to a June 2025 survey by AIResumeBuilder.com, 66 percent of full-time Gen Z workers use AI chatbots on the job. That alone is no surprise. But hereâ(TM)s the kicker. Nearly a third of those workers say AI lets them cut down the number of hours they work each week.

The poll included 1,882 U.S. workers between 18 and 28 years old. Among those who use AI, 29 percent admit it has trimmed their schedules. About a third of that group saves one to three hours per week. Another third gets back four to six hours. Seventeen percent have dropped seven to ten hours from their week. A small but bold group of Gen Zers have slashed their time even more. Seven percent cut 11 to 20 hours and nine percent now work 20 fewer hours or more.

Submission + - The Trump Phone no longer promises it's made in America (theverge.com) 1

Submitted by ArchieBunker
ArchieBunker writes: When the Trump Organization launched the Trump Mobile wireless carrier, it also launched a flagship phone called the T1 Phone 8002 (gold version). One of the phone’s main selling points was that it was to be made in America. We figured that was unlikely to be true. And we were right: sometime in the last several days, the Trump Mobile site appears to have been scrubbed of all language indicating the phone is to be made in the USA. (Like, for instance, the huge banner on the homepage that says the T1 is “MADE IN THE USA.” Just to name one example.)

Instead, the Trump Mobile website now includes what can only be described as vague, pro-American gestures in the direction of smartphone manufacturing. The T1’s new tagline is “Premium Performance. Proudly American.” Its website says the device is “designed with American values in mind” and there are “American hands behind every device.” Under Key Features, the first thing listed is “American-Proud Design.” None of this indicates, well, anything. It certainly doesn’t say the device is made in the USA, or even designed in the USA. There are just some hands. In America.

That’s not the only thing that appears to have changed about the phone since its launch last week. It was originally advertised to have a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen, but now the T1’s site says it’s 6.25 inches. The site used to list the phone as having 12GB of RAM, and now doesn’t list RAM at all. It’s not entirely clear what’s happening here — the Trump Organization hasn’t responded to a request for comment — but it looks like Trump Mobile may have switched suppliers for the T1. Whatever’s going on, it’s certainly another reason to doubt whether this phone is for real. (The badly photoshopped image of the phone hasn’t changed, though, so that’s something.)

When Trump Mobile first launched, it was also promising the T1 Phone 8002 would ship in September. Now, the only timing I could find was “later this year.” Probably best not to hold your breath.

Submission + - Jared Isaacman pre-fired because of Musk connection (theregister.com)

Submitted by Mirnotoriety
Mirnotoriety writes: “Jared Isaacman, former NASA Administrator nominee, has shared how the US space agency might have looked under his leadership and blamed his connections with Elon Musk for the abrupt withdrawal of his nomination.”

"I don't like to play dumb ... I don't think that the timing was much of a coincidence ... There were other things going on on the same day."

‘There were indeed. Elon Musk's departure from the Department of Government Efficiency was also announced. "Some people had some axes to grind," said Isaacman, "and I was a good visible target."’

Submission + - International Day of Slayer XX (June 6, 2025) (nationaldayofslayer.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: On June 6th, Hessians worldwide come together to do something upon which we can all agree — listening to Slayer! Finally, one of the most dismissed cultural groups in the world has a holiday to call its own. Join us in our cause to stand unified in our celebration of metal music and let us prove to the rest of society that we too have a voice.

Submission + - Elon Musk Goes Nuclear (theatlantic.com) 4

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

The world's richest man and the president of the United States are now openly fighting.

Trump threatened to cancel Space X government contracts and Musk accused Trump to be a frequent flyer to the Pedophile Island. This would be highly entertaining if not for the potential to wreck companies, ruin the economy, and sabotage legislative agenda.

Submission + - Nintendo erases gender from Miis on Switch 2 in what some see as a direct slap a (betanews.com)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: Nintendo has made a controversial change to its upcoming Switch 2 console by removing the option to select male or female when creating a Mii. Instead, users are presented with two vague âoestylesâ that lack any clear reference to gender. The company hasnâ(TM)t offered much explanation, but the decision is already fueling a growing backlash — particularly from conservative gamers who see the move as yet another erasure of traditional identity.

Miis have been around since the Wii era, allowing players to reflect their appearance and identity through their avatar. For many, that included expressing gender in a straightforward way. By eliminating this option, Nintendo has effectively stripped away a basic layer of self-representation that some gamers valued.

This isnâ(TM)t just a niche gaming issue anymore. With Donald Trump now serving his second term as President of the United States, and culture war topics dominating the national conversation, this change is likely to gain political attention. President Trump has frequently railed against what he calls âoewoke corporationsâ and âoeanti-family agendas,â especially from foreign companies operating in the U.S. market.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Touch typing. How important is it? 2

Submitted by tgibson
tgibson writes: As a grognard who learned how to type in an 8th grade classroom on a manual typewriter, my bias is to nod approvingly at touch typists and roll my eyes at those who need to stare at the keyboard while typing.

After 15 years I left industry and became a post-secondary computer science educator. Occasionally I rant to my students about the importance of touch-typing as a skill to have as a software engineer.

But I've been out of the game for some time now. Those of you hiring or working with freshly-minted software engineers, what's your take?

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