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Submission + - Thorny issue plaguing lithium-ion batteries laid bare in new study (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Lithium dendrites, i.e. tiny crystalline thorns that grow off of lithium-ion battery anodes during charging, have been a persistent challenge for the world's most widely used form of energy storage. "Dendrites can penetrate the battery's separator, causing catastrophic short circuits and safety hazards," said Qing Ai, a former research scientist at Rice University who is a first author on a new study published in Science that reports for the first time exactly how these tricky structures behave inside batteries. "Despite decades of study, the fundamental nanomechanical properties of lithium dendrites remained a mystery—until now."

Submission + - Executives say AI boosts productivity but the real gain is just 16 minutes per w (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: A new study suggests the productivity boost from artificial intelligence may be far smaller than executives claim. According to research cited in Foxitâ(TM)s State of Document Intelligence report, while 89 percent of executives and 79 percent of end users say AI tools make them feel more productive, the actual time savings shrink dramatically once people account for reviewing and validating AI-generated output.

The survey of 1,000 desk-based workers and 400 executives in the United States and United Kingdom found executives believe AI saves them about 4.6 hours per week, but they spend roughly 4 hours and 20 minutes verifying those results. End users reported a similar pattern, estimating 3.6 hours saved but 3 hours and 50 minutes spent reviewing AI work. Once that âoeverification burdenâ is factored in, executives gain just 16 minutes per week, while end users actually lose about 14 minutes.

Submission + - Solar in poor countries is creating a huge lead hazard (slowboring.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Off-grid systems use cheap old-fashioned batteries that aren’t recycled properly.

A new report from the Center for Global Development documents that most of these systems use lead-acid batteries, like Americans use in cars. Lead-acid batteries work for a while and then need to be recycled. If they're recycled safely, that's fine. But in poor countries, most lead-acid batteries are not recycled safely and they become a huge source of toxic lead poisoning.

C.G.D. believes that decentralized solar systems are currently generating somewhere between 250,000 and 1.5 million tons of unsafe lead-acid battery waste per year, a number that could grow much higher.

Americans have mostly heard about lead issues in recent years due to the tragic situation in Flint, Michigan. But on the whole, lead exposure via faulty water pipes is a relatively minor issue. Across American history, the biggest culprits for lead exposure have been lead paint and leaded gasoline. Both were phased out decades ago, but old paint chips and lingering lead in soil have remained problems for years, albeit at diminishing rates.

The global situation is quite different and much worse, to the point that in low- and middle-income countries, half of children have blood lead levels above the threshold that would trigger emergency action in the United States.

It sounds fantastical to cite numbers this high. But there is credible (albeit somewhat uncertain) research indicating that five million people per year die as a result of lead-induced cardiovascular impairments. And roughly 20 percent of the gap in academic achievement between poor and rich countries is due to lead's impact on kids' cognitive development.

Submission + - Seagate just unleashed 44TB hard drives (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: Seagate says it is now shipping its Mozaic 4+ HAMR-based hard drives at up to 44TB per drive, with production deployments already underway at two hyperscale cloud providers. The company claims the platform is the only heat-assisted magnetic recording implementation currently operating at scale, and it is targeting a path from todayâ(TM)s 4+TB per disk toward 10TB per disk, eventually enabling 100TB-class drives. In a one-exabyte deployment, Seagate estimates Mozaic could improve infrastructure efficiency by roughly 47 percent compared to standard 30TB drives, cutting both footprint and energy consumption.

While GPUs dominate AI headlines, large-scale storage remains the economic backbone of training and archival workloads. HAMR uses a tiny laser to heat the disk surface during writes, allowing higher areal density without sacrificing stability. With most major cloud storage providers reportedly qualified on the Mozaic platform, Seagate is positioning spinning disks, not flash, as the long-term answer for cost-effective AI-scale data growth.

Submission + - LibreOffice says its UI is way better than Microsoft Office's (neowin.net) 1

Submitted by darwinmac
darwinmac writes: While many users choose Microsoft Office over LibreOffice because of its support for the proprietary formats (.docx, .xlsx, and .pptx), others prefer Office for its "better" ribbon interface. These users often criticize LibreOffice for having a "clunky" UI instead of the "standard" ribbon interface you would find in Word, Excel, and other Office apps.

Now, Neowin reports that LibreOffice is fighting back, arguing that its UI is actually superior because it is customizable, with several modes such as the classic toolbar interface, an Office-inspired ribbon layout, a sidebar-focused design, and more. Furthermore, it argues that there is no evidence that the ribbon offers "superior usability" over other interface modes.

Incidentally, the characterisation of ribbon-style interfaces as "modern" or "standard", used by several users, is not based on any objective usability parameter or design principle, but is the result of Microsofts dominance in the market and the huge investments made when the ribbon was introduced in Office 2007 as a new paradigm for productivity software.

Before this, LibreOffice had also criticized its competitor OnlyOffice, accusing it of being "fake open source" because it believes OnlyOffice is working with Microsoft to lock users into the Office ecosystem by prioritizing the formats mentioned earlier instead of LibreOffice's own OpenDocument Format (ODF).

Submission + - CATL unveils 1.1M mile EV battery, charges in 12 min, retains 80% @ 3,000 cycles (interestingengineering.com)

Submitted by fahrbot-bot
fahrbot-bot writes: Interesting Engineering is reporting that CATL, formally known as Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, has introduced a new fast-charging electric vehicle battery platform designed to significantly reduce charging times while maintaining long-term durability.

The company released performance data for its 5C battery, stating it can fully charge in about 12 minutes while supporting extended cycle life.

The engineering focus behind the platform centers on enabling ultra-fast charging without accelerating battery degradation. A 5C charge rate allows a battery pack to accept high power input, enabling rapid replenishment comparable to short refueling stops.

According to the company’s testing, the battery retained at least 80 percent of its original capacity after 3,000 full charge and discharge cycles under standard temperature conditions. This translates to a projected driving lifespan approaching 1.5 million miles.

The battery was also evaluated under high-temperature conditions to assess real-world endurance. At 140F, it maintained 80 percent capacity after 1,400 cycles, indicating sustained performance even under thermal stress, though with reduced cycle life compared to moderate conditions.

Material innovations underpin the system’s performance. The cathode features a protective coating to reduce structural breakdown during rapid cycling, while the electrolyte contains additives that detect and seal microscopic cracks that could accelerate degradation.

The separator incorporates a temperature-responsive coating that moderates ion movement during heat buildup, helping stabilize the cell during repeated fast charging.

Submission + - It's finally happening: daylight savings to be scrapped in British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)

Submitted by Vegan Cyclist
Vegan Cyclist writes: The BC government today announced that this will be the last time we change the clocks for daylights savings, and come autumn, we'll remain on the same time.

From their media release summary:

* B.C. will adopt permanent, year-round daylight saving time after clocks shift forward an hour on Sunday, March 8, 2026

* People and businesses will have eight months to prepare for the elimination of the next time change, previously scheduled for Nov. 1, 2026

* Eliminating twice-yearly time changes reduces disruptions for families, simplifies scheduling and provides an extra hour of evening light during the winter months

Some quick facts:

* B.C.â(TM)s new time zone, Pacific time, will be aligned with the Yukon year round.

* From November until March annually, Pacific time will match Alberta and other regions observing mountain standard time.

And of interest to the wider North American reader:

"From March until November every year, Pacific time will align with California, Washington, Oregon and other Pacific daylight time jurisdictions.

Neighbour jurisdictions like Washington, Oregon and California are all in the process of creating or enacting similar legislation."

Submission + - Norwegian Consumer Council Targets 'Enshittification' (forbrukerradet.no) 1

Submitted by DeanonymizedCoward
DeanonymizedCoward writes: The Norwegian Consumer Council, an independent, governmentally funded organization that advocates for consumer’s rights, has released a report addressing the trends of 'enshittification' in consumer goods and services and laying out some steps consumers can take to buck the trends.

"It should be easy for consumers to make sustainable choices every day. Consumers have the right to be protected against exploitation – both financially and digitally. To ensure this, we work to provide easy access to information, enforceable rights, and sufficient redress options when something goes wrong," says the organization.

They have also released a YouTube video making light of the matter,

Submission + - "Keep Android Open" Project Demands Software Freedom for Users (keepandroidopen.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: You, the consumer, purchased your Android device believing in Google’s promise that it was an open computing platform and that you could run whatever software you choose on it. Instead, as of September 2026, they will be non-consensually pushing an update to your operating system that irrevocably blocks this right and leaves you at the mercy of their judgement over what software you are permitted to trust.

You, the creator, can no longer develop an app and share it directly with your friends, family, and community without first seeking Google’s approval. The promise of Android — and a marketing advantage it has used to distinguish itself against the iPhone — has always been that it is “open”. But Google clearly feels that they have enough of a lock on the Android ecosystem, along with sufficient regulatory capture, that they can now jettison this principle with prejudice and impunity.

Submission + - CISA replaces bumbling Acting Director after a year (techcrunch.com)

Submitted by DeanonymizedCoward
DeanonymizedCoward writes: The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is reportedly in crisis following major budget cuts, layoffs, and furloughs under the Trump administration, says TechCrunch. The agency has now replaced its acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, after a turbulent year marked by controversy and internal turmoil. During his tenure, Gottumukkala allegedly mishandled sensitive information by uploading government documents to ChatGPT, oversaw a one-third reduction in staff, and reportedly failed a counterintelligence polygraph needed for classified access. His leadership also saw the suspension of several senior officials, including CISA’s chief security officer.

Submission + - AI hurts your credibility even if your work is great, study finds (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: New research from Florida International University suggests that simply disclosing AI use can damage a creatorâ(TM)s reputation, even when the creative output itself is identical. In one experiment, participants evaluated the same video game soundtrack but were given different descriptions of the composer. Some were told it was written by Hans Zimmer, while others were told it came from an unknown student. When AI collaboration was disclosed, ratings dropped across the board, regardless of whether the name attached carried prestige.

The study found that reputation offered only limited protection. Participants were slightly more willing to believe a well known composer remained in control of the creative process, but overall perceptions of authenticity and competence still declined. Researchers say the issue is not performance quality but perception. Once AI enters the picture, audiences begin questioning whether the creativity is genuine, suggesting that, at least for now, AI carries a reputational tax.

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

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