Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror

Submission + - Washington State Wants DRM for 3D Printers (adafruit.com)

Submitted by ptorrone
ptorrone writes: Washington State lawmakers are proposing bills (HB 2320 and HB 2321) that would require 3D printers and CNC machines to block certain designs using software-based “firearms blueprint detection algorithms.” In practice, this means scanning every print file, comparing it against a government-maintained database, and preventing “skilled users” from bypassing the system.

Supporters frame this as a response to untraceable “ghost guns,” but even federal prosecutors admit the tools involved are ordinary manufacturing equipment. Critics warn the language is overbroad, technically unworkable, hostile to open source, and likely to push printing toward cloud-locked, subscription-based systems—while doing little to stop criminals.

Full analysis:
Washington’s 3D Printing Bills Are Bad for STEM, Business, and Open Source

Submission + - AI isn't getting smarter. We are getting dumber. (newatlas.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The point the op-ed makes is fundamental: AI cannot add anything to the information it has. It might be able to compile that information well, but its analysis is always going to be limited because it has no true creative spirit. It is merely a software program, albeit a very sophisticated one.

This quote from the essay will give you the sense:

Maybe you just use AI to clarify your thoughts. Turn the mottle of ideas in your head into coherent communicable paragraphs. It's OK, you say, because you’re reviewing the results, and often editing the output. You’re ending up with exactly what you want to say, just in a form and style that’s better than any way you could have put it yourself.

But is what you end up with really your thoughts? And what if everyone started doing that?

Stripping the novelty and personality out of all communication; turning every one of our interactions into homogeneous robotic engagements? Every birthday greeting becomes akin to a printed hallmark card. Every eulogy turns into a stamp-card sentiment. Every email follows the auto-response template suggested by the browser.

We do this long enough and eventually we begin to lose the ability to communicate our inner thoughts to others. Our minds start to think in terms of LLM prompts. All I need is the gist of what I want to say, and the system fills in the blanks.

Submission + - Work-from-office mandate? Expect top talent turnover, culture rot (cio.com)

Submitted by snydeq
snydeq writes: Work-from-office mandates are accelerating but the push toward in-person work environments will make it more difficult for IT leaders to retain and recruit staff, some experts say. Over the past year, many companies, including IT giants Amazon and Microsoft, have required employees to work from the office. Advocates of in-person work expect increased productivity and improved collaboration, although several studies suggest that workers can be just as productive when working remotely, and employment experts say collaboration gains can be difficult to measure. Organizations requiring IT workers to commute to an office need to ground decisions in value creation, focus on data-driven results, and avoid badge-swipe metrics, employment experts say. “In addition to resistance, there would also be the risk of talent turnover,” Converge CTO Lawrence Wolfe says. “The truth is, both physical and virtual collaboration provide tremendous value.”

Comment Corporation (Score 4, Insightful) 120

by Parsiuk (#65690060) Attached to: 'No Driver, No Hands, No Clue': Waymo Pulled Over For Illegal U-turn
When it comes to protections, like for example Intelectual Property or propert in general, corporations enjoy all the benefits which law provide. However, when it comes to responsibilities they suddenly can't apply to them. There's always an operator or owner of the vehicle. If there's an owner, the fine should by applied to them - no matter if it's a corporation or whatever.

Comment Re:And? (Score 5, Insightful) 30

Here's the thing.. There will be a quite substantial part of the population which will use it and degenerate their heads even further. Worst part? They have voting rights just like you and me, so we can expect even more clowns running the circus which in turn is going to make our lifes even more annoying and frustrating.

Comment Re:So in other words... (Score 1) 113

by Parsiuk (#65684452) Attached to: German Remote-Driving Firm Hopes To Make Private Car Ownership Redundant
I work from home, kids have 20 minutes to school, all shops are within walking radius. I need car maybe twice a month, it just sits on the driveway collecting dust and deprecating. I would seriously consider renting the car when I need it if it would be driven to my doorstep by someone remote so I can take over then. No need to worry about parking it, no need to worry if it breaks, no need to worry about value loss.

Comment Re:Why does YouTube search suck so badly? (Score 1) 21

Why? Because this doesn't make them any money. If they could, they would remove Search function completely and only spoon feed you short after short after short, with ads in between of course. Everything to keep you "engaged". Searching and any other brain activities are not desirable.

Submission + - Microsoft now pushing advertising through Windows (techradar.com)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

The notification is labelled âsuggestedâ(TM) and is for the Avowed Premium Edition, urging me to âforge my destinyâ(TM) and click a button that says âBuy Nowâ(TM) (or alternatively, thereâ(TM)s a button to âDismissâ(TM)).

This happens on all versions of Windows, including Pro. Zero surprise that Microsoft is finding creative ways to abuse paid customers.

Submission + - Social Security Administration will only communicate through Twitter (X) (federalnewsnetwork.com)

Submitted by smooth wombat
smooth wombat writes: The Social Security Administration has announced the only method it will communicate with the public or media is through posts on Twitter (X). This change took place after large numbers of communications staff were either fired or reassigned, sometimes to less senior positions. SSA Midwest-West (MWW) Regional Commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis told employees in a call Thursday that those regional offices will no longer issue press releases or “Dear Colleague” letters to advocate groups.

SSA is centralizing its process for responding to all inquiries, except those coming from members of Congress. For non-congressional inquiries, SSA regional offices will send their draft responses to SSA’s deputy commissioner of operations for review.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that SSA technicians received an email that read: “Effective immediately, do not respond directly to any public or congressional inquiries.”

Submission + - What If We Made All Advertising Illegal? 8

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: "What if we made all advertising illegal?" Kodo Simone provocatively asks. "It makes perfect sense. The financial incentives to create addictive digital content would instantly disappear, and so would the mechanisms that allow both commercial and political actors to create personalized, reality-distorting bubbles. [...] I know, it sounds surreal. Yet, many things once thought impossible are now considered basic standards of a decent society. I think there's a world where we'll look back on our advertising-saturated era with the same bewilderment with which we now regard cigarette smoke, child labor, or public executions: a barbaric practice that we allowed to continue far too long because we couldn't imagine an alternative."

Slashdot Top Deals

: is not an identifier

Close