Comment What could possibly.... (Score 1) 30
...go right?
Pffft.
Comment Re:AI PCs are the 3D TVs of today (Score 1) 46
iOS is using on device machine learning models for text translation and dictation today.
Submission + - Nature-inspired computers are shockingly good at math (phys.org)
alternative_right writes: Neuromorphic computers, inspired by the architecture of the human brain, are proving surprisingly adept at solving complex mathematical problems that underpin scientific and engineering challenges.
Comment Re:no AI please (Score 2, Insightful) 46
Define AI. Modern smartphones use ML tools and models everywhere, from text prediction to touch detection to voice recognition to photo processing. They're not just limited to chat bots.
Comment What they don't admit... (Score 2) 46
Obviously they aren't going to say so; but their 'AI' marketing was not so much 'confusing' as 'fucking stupid and actively irrelevant'. You bother me with a video of a parent and child watching video on a laptop on the couch and tell me that Dell means longer battery life with AI? And the one with a generic small business owner sitting in front of a Dell, which acts intelligently so you can run your business. So, what do you mean by that exactly? Auto-dimming backlight based on ambient light? Nothing in particular? Seriously? Sure, if you take a suitably expansive view there's probably a bit of DSP in there somewhere, pretending that the built in speakers suck less than they do, which you could call 'AI'; but that's really reaching.
Nobody is going to be honest enough to do so; but they weren't 'confused' so much as you just dumped non-sequiturs in front of them and pretended that you were delivering some sort of profound and delightful insight; which you were not. I realize "Dell: a new laptop's battery will probably be less fucked than your old ones' is" is not an exciting slogan; but that's basically what you actually had to offer, so obviously pretending that the NPU was magic left everyone puzzled.
Nobody is going to be honest enough to do so; but they weren't 'confused' so much as you just dumped non-sequiturs in front of them and pretended that you were delivering some sort of profound and delightful insight; which you were not. I realize "Dell: a new laptop's battery will probably be less fucked than your old ones' is" is not an exciting slogan; but that's basically what you actually had to offer, so obviously pretending that the NPU was magic left everyone puzzled.
Submission + - Utah allows AI to renew medical prescriptions (utah.gov) 1
sinij writes:
This agreement marks the first state-approved program in the country that allows an AI system to legally participate in medical decision-making for prescription renewals, an emerging model that could reshape access to care and ultimately improve care outcomes.
Hopefully opioids are excluded.
Submission + - NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, voices and faces (gothamist.com)
schwit1 writes: Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets, according to new signage posted at the chain's Manhattan and Brooklyn locations earlier this month.
Anyone entering the store could have data on their face, eyes and voices collected and stored by the Rochester-headquartered supermarket chain. The information is used to "protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees," according to the signage. The new scanning policy is an expansion of a 2024 pilot.
The chain had initially said that the scanning system was only for a small group of employees and promised to delete any biometric data it collected from shoppers during the pilot rollout. The new notice makes no such assurances.
Wegmans representatives did not reply to questions about how the data would be stored, why it changed its policy or if it would share the data with law enforcement.
Anyone entering the store could have data on their face, eyes and voices collected and stored by the Rochester-headquartered supermarket chain. The information is used to "protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees," according to the signage. The new scanning policy is an expansion of a 2024 pilot.
The chain had initially said that the scanning system was only for a small group of employees and promised to delete any biometric data it collected from shoppers during the pilot rollout. The new notice makes no such assurances.
Wegmans representatives did not reply to questions about how the data would be stored, why it changed its policy or if it would share the data with law enforcement.
Submission + - Chinese Fusion Reactor Breaks Plasma Density Limit (futurism.com)
hackingbear writes: Scientists at China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) program rang in the new year with a stunning accomplishment: empirical evidence that they used the device to achieve nuclear plasma densities once thought to be beyond human capabilities. To reach a point where fusion reactor can power itself — a sustainable fusion reaction — requires that gnarly plasma to stay hot, dense, and stable for long stretches of time. For years, it was understood that higher plasma densities would inevitably result in instability, collapsing the fuel before it could ignite, a threshold known as the Greenwald limit. In deuterium-tritium fusion, the fuel must be heated to about 13 keV (150 million kelvin) to reach optimal conditions. At such temperatures, the amount of fusion power produced increases with the square of the plasma density. This new research seemingly flips all that on its head. As the EAST team explains, the method basically involves creating a high gas pressure environment in the reactor prior to plasma formation, which allows the plasma to interact with the reactor wall in a much less destructive way than it would otherwise. Scientists also manually pump extra energy into the plasma as it heats, allowing an even rise in density. The result is a plasma that remains stable even as its internal density rises, resulting in fuel densities “far exceeding empirical limits.” While there are still plenty of breakthroughs left before humanity achieves practical power production with fusion, shattering the Greenwald represents a major item on the to-do list — and another notch on China’s lengthy green energy belt.
Comment Re:birth control (Score 1) 51
I think that would depend on how the numbers work out: the current situation is one where there isn't UBI; but there are programs aimed specifically at dependent children, certain classes of disability that preclude regular employment, and some supplementary assistance for people who are working but earning below a certain amount.
If anything, a switch to UBI would seem to make spawning for profit less attractive: as it stands dependent children reliably qualify for certain welfare benefits; while working age adults without substantial disabilities typically qualify for relatively little unless they are working but earning a pittance(eg. the food stamps as a de-facto subsidy for walmart payroll situation) or they can prove an active but currently unsuccessful search for employment, in places that have some sort of job-seeker's allowance. In that case someone who thinks that they can parent on the cheap does potentially have an incentive to pop out a bunch of dependents.
If you qualify for UBI just because the "U" in "UBI" stands for "Universal", though, pumping out children looks like an arduous real job that you no longer have a direct incentive for: unless UBI is a cardboard box and 1500 calories of nutri-gruel a day, you can skip changing diapers and listening to screaming children and just UBI whatever hobby you actually enjoy, since now you automatically qualify without needing to make some dependents.
If it turns out that (contrary to what we've seen basically worldwide once people get a little money and some options) it was really just work-life balance depressing fertility rates and UBI makes people breed like rabbits into a populationpocalypse then perhaps we have an issue; but, in terms of breeding just for the welfare money, the fact that you can get the UBI without the hassle seems like it would actively discourage anyone who doesn't specifically want children from having them for financial reasons.
If anything, a switch to UBI would seem to make spawning for profit less attractive: as it stands dependent children reliably qualify for certain welfare benefits; while working age adults without substantial disabilities typically qualify for relatively little unless they are working but earning a pittance(eg. the food stamps as a de-facto subsidy for walmart payroll situation) or they can prove an active but currently unsuccessful search for employment, in places that have some sort of job-seeker's allowance. In that case someone who thinks that they can parent on the cheap does potentially have an incentive to pop out a bunch of dependents.
If you qualify for UBI just because the "U" in "UBI" stands for "Universal", though, pumping out children looks like an arduous real job that you no longer have a direct incentive for: unless UBI is a cardboard box and 1500 calories of nutri-gruel a day, you can skip changing diapers and listening to screaming children and just UBI whatever hobby you actually enjoy, since now you automatically qualify without needing to make some dependents.
If it turns out that (contrary to what we've seen basically worldwide once people get a little money and some options) it was really just work-life balance depressing fertility rates and UBI makes people breed like rabbits into a populationpocalypse then perhaps we have an issue; but, in terms of breeding just for the welfare money, the fact that you can get the UBI without the hassle seems like it would actively discourage anyone who doesn't specifically want children from having them for financial reasons.
Comment Which users asked for this? (Score 1) 105
Which users asked for this?
Change for changes sake is just disruptive and not in a good way.
Comment Seriously? (Score 4, Insightful) 51
"His first objection: if AI can truly do everything, then everyone can have everything they need, making the question of who owns the robots somewhat moot."
Ah, of course. Because a wealthy society is automatically an egalitarian society; as anyone who takes a quick look outside can clearly see.
If anything, the threat of utopian abundance rendering wealth nigh-irrelevant will probably encourage people who wish to retain the feeling of being wealth to double down, since the only way to know that you are ahead will be the option to look down on the huddled masses being kept in line by securibots.
Ah, of course. Because a wealthy society is automatically an egalitarian society; as anyone who takes a quick look outside can clearly see.
If anything, the threat of utopian abundance rendering wealth nigh-irrelevant will probably encourage people who wish to retain the feeling of being wealth to double down, since the only way to know that you are ahead will be the option to look down on the huddled masses being kept in line by securibots.
Submission + - VW Bring Back Physical Buttons (caranddriver.com)
sinij writes:
Volkswagen is making a drastic change to its interiors, or at least the interiors of its electric vehicles. The automaker recently unveiled a new cockpit generation with the refreshed ID. Polo that now comes with physical buttons.
Unfortunately, glued-on-dash tablet look is still there.
Submission + - Ubisoft Hacked by Four Different Groups (pcquest.com)
sinij writes:
Hackers breached Ubisoft's backend around 11 a.m. UTC on December 27, flooding countless accounts with billions of in-game Rainbow Six Siege credits, rare skins, and packs, while sending random fake ban messages. Ubisoft shut down all servers and the marketplace that afternoon to control the damage and also promised no punishments for players who spent the gifted credits and launching full transaction rollbacks with quality checks.
Submission + - Supercritical CO2 Generators Now In Production 1
cusco writes: https://kdwalmsley.substack.co...
Chinese engineers deployed the world's first commercially viable sCO2 power generators, at a steel mill in Guizhou.
The Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) generator converts waste heat into electricity. Compared to traditional steam and thermal systems, the sCO2 design is more than 85% more efficient, and produces 50% more electricity. . .
SCO2 is supercritical carbon dioxide. CO2 that’s maintained in a state above critical temperature and pressure, which is over 31 degrees Celsius and 1070 psi. Once there, CO2 acts both as a liquid and as a gas, and in industrial applications, that becomes very useful. As a gas, there is less resistance, and as a liquid, it provides greater thrust. And, turning CO2 into supercritical CO2 is more energy efficient than turning water into steam. . .
-----
Not everyone is as optimistic. Long article which assumes the Chinese will be sloppy with implementation for some reason.
https://cleantechnica.com/2026...
Experience with hydrogen suggests that expecting seals to remain effectively perfect over many years of continuous high pressure operation is absurdly optimistic, and there is little reason to assume supercritical CO systems will escape a similar long term reality. . .
Chinese engineers deployed the world's first commercially viable sCO2 power generators, at a steel mill in Guizhou.
The Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) generator converts waste heat into electricity. Compared to traditional steam and thermal systems, the sCO2 design is more than 85% more efficient, and produces 50% more electricity. . .
SCO2 is supercritical carbon dioxide. CO2 that’s maintained in a state above critical temperature and pressure, which is over 31 degrees Celsius and 1070 psi. Once there, CO2 acts both as a liquid and as a gas, and in industrial applications, that becomes very useful. As a gas, there is less resistance, and as a liquid, it provides greater thrust. And, turning CO2 into supercritical CO2 is more energy efficient than turning water into steam. . .
-----
Not everyone is as optimistic. Long article which assumes the Chinese will be sloppy with implementation for some reason.
https://cleantechnica.com/2026...
Experience with hydrogen suggests that expecting seals to remain effectively perfect over many years of continuous high pressure operation is absurdly optimistic, and there is little reason to assume supercritical CO systems will escape a similar long term reality. . .
Submission + - Namecheap takes down domain hosting video archives of Israeli war crimes (neosmart.net) 1
Devar writes: Namecheap.com, the popular domain name and webhosting platform, has taken over the Genocide.live domain name, which was home to a publicly accessible archive of over 16,000 videos documenting alleged Israeli war crimes, the vast majority of which were recorded since the onset of the war on Gaza in late 2023. The archive, formerly known as TikTokGenocide, was previously submitted as “evidence on the State of Israel’s acts of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza” by the South African UN delegation to the United Nations Security Council in February of 2025 and is also included in ongoing court proceedings of the International Court of Justice case South Africa (et. al.) v. Israel.
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Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.
