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Comment Re:Taxpayer-funded should always mean Open Source (Score 1) 41

It's not that simple, because some of the data in there might be proprietary. Sometimes manufacturers of electronic components only let you have them if you sign an NDA. Accidentally releasing even stuff like schematic symbols and associated notes could cause problems for CERN.

I had a quick look because this is of great interest to me, and it seems like they don't have any 3D models. My guess would be that it's for licencing reasons, because even though the models are often freely provided on manufacturer websites, that doesn't mean they are free to distribute. Presumably the footprints and schematic symbols were all made by CERN.

Comment Re:Ban on updates?! And more distinctions without (Score 1) 74

Often the hardware is the same, but they have software locks in place to e.g. stop you using WiFi bands that are not legal in the US. On top of that they have to provide support for new firmware, and TP Link often replace devices that are out of warranty but which were bricked by a firmware update.

Comment Re:Worst UX ever? (Score 1) 46

Android has had this for years. I'm not sure if it's the same on every phone, but on Pixel long press the bar at the bottom of the screen and it opens Google Lens or whatever it's called now. From there you circle what you are interested on screen, and it invokes Gemini AI on it. It can also do stuff like copy text or translate it for you, which is handy when you need to use an app in a language you don't read.

Comment The geothermal plant already exists [Re:MS Pow...] (Score 1) 68

The summary says that this thing is supposed to be geothermal powered. So they just have the cart before the horse here. They need to set up the geothermal power plant first, then build the datacenter after the power plant is operational.

The geothermal plant already exists: https://www.globalelectricity....

Apparently, Microsoft was proposing to build the data center there and tap into the existing geothermal power, not build new geothermal power (the summary was a little confusing about that).

Comment Re:and the question everyone is asking is (Score 1) 26

It's worth figuring out what your threat model is. There probably are ways that some government agencies can get into iPhones or decrypt these messages, and they probably are collecting all the encrypted data in case quantum computers can decrypt it later.

But are they going to waste any of that on you? Unless you are a high value target for them, and unless they intend to avoid any judicial process where their capabilities might become public, they probably aren't going to use their best tools to help the local cops break into your phone.

Comment Re:Unpopular but correct opinion (Score 1) 179

You're assuming the companies with these fleets of (currently largely non-existant) robots are still going to solvent if the bubble pops. That seems highly unlikely in many cases given the business model for AI is apparently "borrow massive amounts of money to fund it using the promise future orders as collateral". Asset strippers have no interest in salvaging a business; their business model is to buy the physical assets cheap, dump the debt on to bagholders (the shareholders), and sell the assets off to whoever wants it, hopefully for more than the cents on the dollar paid they probably for it. I buy stuff from these auctions from time to time; it's a great way to get nearly new, and often still on the market, kit at a fraction of the retail price.

Also, Facebook might not be the best counter example there. Remember what happened to many of the hires, business units, servers, and services, Meta setup when Zuck went all-in on the Metaverse? What do you think he'll do if going all-in on AI doesn't pan out for him?

Comment Re:Unpopular but correct opinion (Score 2) 179

Yeah, but these are Humanities students. That, by its very definition, is an area where AI should have very limited use, where it is applied should be done really, really, carefully, and job losses are far less likely than in many other fields. Sure, there's analysis of datasets, especially of geographical and historical data, but that is one of the areas where a specifically trained model can really be of use, but an AI is never going to painstakingly brush away dirt from some ancient historical site, and I shudder to think what would happen if AI hallucinations get let loose on philosophy or religion. That said, it would probably be very amusing watching those who buy into the output; and doubly so if the model was trained on the Butlerian.Jihad from Dune, less so for actual crusades, jihads, and "holy" wars.

Still, if these presumably tech savvy Gen Z students are not fans of the tech, regardless of whether that's because the recognise how its being used by corporates or some other reasons, then I think the people that need to be more worried about this are those that have built the massive pyramid trillions of dollars of debt to build something that few seem to want or trust. Like the .com boom, the bubble must pop sooner or later and sort out who is a "pets.com" and who is a "google.com", and there are growing indication that, unlike .com, the demand that will be required to pay for it all just isn't there, and we're already way beyond the scale of any previous government bailouts. That kind of crash only has one outcome; a lot of shareholders (which includes pension funds) are going to lose their shirts.

Comment Re:Symptomatic of US decline (Score 3, Informative) 212

In Europe, Ford is not a prestige badge. They are competing with the likes of Renault, VW, Nissan, and Honda. And now of course the Chinese brands like MG, BYD, Jaecoo, Sonoda, Cherry, Omoda, and others.

They just aren't offering much for the European market. We aren't keen on light trucks, and most of their EVs are shitty fossil conversions. That just leaves the dwindling fossil market for them.

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