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Submission + - Nobody owns the moon—researcher suggests that could be a problem (phys.org) 2

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: It's true, nobody owns the moon. But that doesn't mean that anybody can do whatever the heck they want. Taking that argument to the extreme, do we really want some giant corporate logo burned into the regolith for the world to see, so that every time you gaze up into the night sky you're reminded of the existence of some Silicon Valley startup—because, of course, it would be some Silicon Valley startup to pull a stunt like that.

[ Obviously this is relevant too: https://www.garretthardinsocie... — submitter. ]

Submission + - Judge Sanctions Lawyers Defending Alabama's Prison System For Using ChatGPT (apnews.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A federal judge reprimanded lawyers with a high-priced firm defending Alabama’s prison system for using ChatGPT to write court filings with “completely made up” case citations. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco publicly reprimanded three lawyers with Butler Snow, the law firm hired to defend Alabama and other jurisdictions in lawsuits against their prison systems. The order sanctioned William R. Lunsford, the head of the firm division that handles prison litigation, along with Matthew B. Reeves and William J. Cranford. “Fabricating legal authority is serious misconduct that demands a serious sanction,” Manasco wrote in the Wednesday sanctions order.

Manasco removed the three from participating in the case where the false citations were filed and directed them to share the sanctions order with clients, opposing lawyers and judges in all of their other cases. She also referred the matter to the Alabama State Bar for possible disciplinary action. [...] “In simpler terms, the citations were completely made up,” Manasco wrote. She added that using the citations without verifying their accuracy was “recklessness in the extreme.” The filings in question were made in a lawsuit filed by an inmate who was stabbed on multiple occasions at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Jefferson County. The lawsuit alleges that prison officials are failing to keep inmates safe.

Submission + - Linux kernel could soon expose every line AI helps write (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: As AI continues to reshape how software gets written, even the Linux kernel isnâ(TM)t immune to its influence. Sasha Levin, a respected developer and engineer at Nvidia, has proposed a patch series aimed at formally integrating AI coding assistants into the Linux kernel workflow.

The proposal includes two major changes. First, it introduces configuration stubs for popular AI development tools like Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Codeium, Continue, Windsurf, and Aider. These are symlinked to a centralized documentation file to ensure consistency.

Second, and more notably, it lays out official guidelines for how AI-generated contributions should be handled. According to the proposed documentation, AI assistants must identify themselves in commit messages using a Co-developed-by: tag, but they cannot use Signed-off-by:, which legally certifies the commit under the Developer Certificate of Origin. That responsibility remains solely with the human developer.

One example shared in the patch shows a simple fix to a typo in the kernelâ(TM)s OPP documentation. Claude, an AI assistant, corrects âoedontâ to âoedonâ(TM)tâ and commits the patch with the proper attribution:

Co-developed-by: Claude claude-opus-4-20250514
Levinâ(TM)s patch also creates a new section under Documentation/AI/ where the expectations and limitations of using AI in kernel development are laid out. This includes reminders to follow kernel coding standards, respect the development process, and understand licensing requirements. There are things AI often struggles with.

While some developers may see this as a helpful step toward transparency, others might argue that codifying AI usage in one of the most human-driven open-source projects sends the wrong message. Should kernel development really be assisted by tools that donâ(TM)t fully grasp the consequences of their code?

Levinâ(TM)s proposal doesnâ(TM)t change the development process overnight. For now, itâ(TM)s just a request for comments (RFC). But it does raise a bigger question: how much AI is too much when it comes to open-source code that runs on billions of devices?

Let us know what you think. Should Linux welcome AI assistants into the fold, or keep the kernel strictly human-made?

Submission + - EPA moves to slash Obama-era gas can regulations (theblaze.com)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

Zeldin shared a letter Thursday encouraging manufacturers to "produce cans that best meet consumer needs," including gas cans "with vents to facilitate fast and smooth fuel flow." This push comes in response to regulations previously implemented by former President Barack Obama in 2009 that removed vents in gas cans in order to reduce vapor emissions.

I have 25L metal jerrycan, but due to regulations it is next to impossible to pour gas without spilling. This is a clear case where regulations had the opposite effect.

Submission + - Fujitsu execs 'should have known' Horizon IT system was flawed

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Post Office and Fujitsu execs 'should have known' Horizon IT system was flawed

First volume of inquiry report focuses on the scandal's human impact

“Senior Post Office staff – and those working for suppliers Fujitsu and ICL – knew or should have known about the defects causing errors in the Horizon system that contributed to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of branch workers, 13 of whom committed suicide, most probably as a result, according to the first volume of a government report into the computer scandal.”
Software

Submission + - Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal), Reviewed In Depth (tomshardware.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I came across this heavy-duty review of Ubuntu 11.04 today. It covers basically every aspect of the new release from installation to post-install essentials. The new Unity interface is broken down into its individual elements and explained ad nauseam. Overall the article is objectively balanced, the author does a good job of pointing out specific design flaws and shortcomings instead of complaining about how Unity doesn't work for him specifically. The walkthrough of the uTouch gesture language is exciting (wish I had multi-touch), though a full listing of keyboard and mouse shortcuts come in handy, too. Towards the end of the article there are benchmarks between Lucid, Natty with Unity, and Natty with the Classic interface. The performance of the Unity interface isn't bad at all, but that kernel power issue does rear its ugly head. Pretty much everything about the new Ubuntu in one article — an interesting and informative, if not long read.

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