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Submission + - Pirating back in vogue as enshitification stretches patience, and wallets (theguardian.com) 1

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: Even journalists have noticed — and some are resorting to piracy, again

'A decade and a half on from the Pirate Bay trial, the winds have begun to shift. On an unusually warm summer’s day, I sit with fellow film critics by the old city harbour, once a haven for merchants and, rumour has it, smugglers. Cold bigstrongs in hand (that’s what they call pints up here), they start venting about the “enshittification” of streaming – enshittification being the process by which platforms degrade their services and ultimately die in the pursuit of profit. Netflix now costs upwards of 199 SEK (£15), and you need more and more subscriptions to watch the same shows you used to find in one place. Most platforms now offer plans that, despite the fee, force advertisements on subscribers. Regional restrictions often compel users to use VPNs to access the full selection of available content. The average European household now spends close to €700 (£600) a year on three or more VOD subscriptions. People pay more and get less.

'A fellow film critic confides anonymously: “I never stopped pirating, and my partner also does it if he doesn’t find the precise edition he is looking for on DVD.” While some people never abandoned piracy, others admit they have recently returned – this time turning to unofficial streaming platforms. One commonly used app is legal but can, through community add-ons, channel illicit streams. “Downloading is too difficult. I don’t know where to start,” says one film viewer. “The shady streams might bombard me with ads, but at least I don’t have to worry about getting hacked or caught.”'

Personally, as a reader not a viewer, I find a few months of Netflix and my BBC iplayer access as a result of having a TV in the UK, sufficient, along with rather more DVDs than I will ever actually watch...

Submission + - Conscious Reality Is Only a Memory of Unconscious Actions (vice.com)

Submitted by ZipNada
ZipNada writes: “Our theory of consciousness rejects the idea that consciousness initially evolved in order to allow us to make sense of the world and act accordingly, and then, at some later point, episodic memory developed to store such conscious representations,” Budson and his colleagues said in the study. “Our theory is that consciousness developed with the evolution of episodic memory simply—and powerfully—to enable the phenomena of remembering.”

The researchers note that many previous studies have hinted at the key role of episodic memory in consciousness, but they take this hypothesis to the next level by suggesting that the process of remembering episodes in our life is the foundation of our conscious minds. They note that this origin story of consciousness could explain a host of phenomena, such as our frequent inability to control our thoughts and our capacity to unconsciously complete complex tasks, such as driving or making music. The study could also have major implications for understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases, such as semantic dementia and Alzheimer disease.

Submission + - China Starts Operating First 4th-generation Reactor, Readying Giant Nuclear Ship (reuters.com)

Submitted by hackingbear
hackingbear writes: China has started commercial operations at a new generation nuclear reactor that is the first of its kind in the world, state media said on Dec 5. Compared with previous reactors, the fourth generation Shidaowan plant, a modular 200 megawatt (MW) high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor (HTGCR) plant developed jointly by state-run utility Huaneng, Tsinghua University and China National Nuclear Corporation, is designed to use fuel more efficiently and improve its economics, safety and environmental footprint as China turns to nuclear power to try to meet carbon emissions goals. In a related development, Shanghai-based Jiangnan Shipyard has unveiled a design for an innovative new giant container ship — with a load capacity starting at 24,000 standard containers — powered by a thorium molten-salt nuclear reactor, an alternative 4th gen design. “The new ship model uses nuclear energy as a clean energy source and adopts an internationally advanced fourth-generation molten salt reactor solution. The proposed design of super-large nuclear container ships will truly achieve ‘zero emissions’ during the operation cycle of this type of ship,” the journal Marine Time China said in its official WeChat account. Shipbuilders from Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Europe have come up with similar designs but none of these countries has a modern and reliable operating reactor to make the design a reality. But China has carried on and, earlier this year, got the first thorium-based molten salt reactor, which needs little amount of water to cool down, making it safer and more efficient, up and running in the Gobi desert.

Submission + - MIT create battery alternative out of cement, carbon black, and water (theregister.com)

Submitted by KindMind
KindMind writes: According to The Register, a combination of cement and carbon black crystals can act as a capacitor. From the story:

"Researchers at MIT claim to have found a novel new way to store energy using nothing but cement, a bit of water, and powdered carbon black – a crystalline form of the element.

The materials can be cleverly combined to create supercapacitors, which could in turn be used to build power-storing foundations of houses, roadways that could wirelessly charge vehicles, and serve as the foundation of wind turbines and other renewable energy systems – all while holding a surprising amount of energy, the team claims.

According to a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 45 cubic meters of the carbon-black-doped cement could have enough capacity to store 10 kilowatt-hours of energy – roughly the amount an average household uses in a day. A block of cement that size would measure about 3.5 meters per side and, depending on the size of the house, the block could theoretically store all the energy an off-grid home using renewables would need."

Submission + - Cats Migrated with Humans All Over the World (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by guest reader
guest reader writes: Nearly 10,000 years ago, humans settling in the Fertile Crescent, the areas of the Middle East surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made the first switch from hunter-gatherers to farmers. They developed close bonds with the rodent-eating cats that conveniently served as ancient pest-control in society’s first civilizations.

A new study at the University of Missouri found this lifestyle transition for humans was the catalyst that sparked the world’s first domestication of cats, and as humans began to travel the world, they brought their new feline friends along with them.

While horses and cattle have seen various domestication events caused by humans in different parts of the world at various times, her analysis of feline genetics in the study strongly supports the theory that cats were likely first domesticated only in the Fertile Crescent before migrating with humans all over the world. After feline genes are passed down to kittens throughout generations, the genetic makeup of cats in western Europe, for example, is now far different from cats in southeast Asia, a process known as 'isolation by distance.'

Lyons, who has researched feline genetics for more than 30 years, said studies like this also support her broader research goal of using cats as a biomedical model to study genetic diseases that impact both cats and people, such as polycystic kidney disease, blindness and dwarfism.

In a 2021 study, Lyons and colleagues found that the cat's genomic structure is more similar to humans than nearly any other non-primate mammal.

Submission + - Has the 40-year old mystery of the "Wow!" signal been solved? (newatlas.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Astronomers have confirmed that the Wow! signal, thought to be the most promising detection by SETI of alien life, was actually caused by a comet.

Last year, a group of researchers from the Center of Planetary Science proposed a new hypothesis that argued a comet might be the culprit. The frequency could be caused by the hydrogen cloud they carry, and the fact that they move accounts for why it seemingly disappeared. Two comets, named 266/P Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs), happened to be transiting through that region of space when the Wow! signal was detected, but they weren’t discovered until after 2006.

To test the hypothesis, the team made 200 radio spectrum observations between November 2016 and February 2017. Sure enough, 266/P Christensen was found to emit radio waves at a frequency of 1,420 MHz, and to double check, the researchers moved their radio telescope by one degree. As expected, the signal vanished, and only returned when the telescope was trained back on the comet.

Submission + - AskSlashdot: Resources for creating a new Software QA Plan - Existing Project

Submitted by DarkHorseman
DarkHorseman writes: I'm looking into a new position with my employer and have the opportunity to take the team further with the creation of a Quality Assurance framework that will be used into the foreseeable future.

This is software that's been being developed for >10 years and is used company-wide but now is the time for the QA process to be formalized.

I'm curious what slashdotters would consider the best resources to prepare me to provide invaluable contributions in this area?

Submission + - suggestions for taking a business out into the forest? 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I'm also a huge fan of primitive survival reality TV. I am also self-employed in web troubleshooting and hosting services. I have to be available 24/7, but a lot of my work is just being online for a few minutes at a time. I often think about taking my business "outdoors", camping, 3-7 days or so at a time — but staying online. Has anyone had experience with this? How did you do it, in terms of internet connectivity and portable power? Satellite internet or long distance wifi antennaes and a very tall pole? I've looked at some portable power stations with solar attachments, but the idea of hand-cranking to recharge if it's overcast isn't fun, after all, the point is to relax. But I'm willing to manually recharge if it's realistic (would prefer pedaling though!) I happen to have a Toughbook CF-52 (I just thought it was cool) but I may need to replace that with a more eco-friendly laptop as well. Thanks!

Submission + - Facebook allows Turkish government to set the censorship rules for billions (facebook.com)

Submitted by feylikurds
feylikurds writes: Facebook has been blocking and banning users for posting Kurdish or anti-Turkish material. Many screenshots exists of Facebook notifying people for such.

You can insult any single historical figure that you like on Facebook except one = Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal "Ataturk". However, he should not receive special treatment and be protected from criticism, but rather should be treated and examined like everyone else.

In order to be accessible within Turkey, Facebook has allowed the repressive Turkish government to set the censorship rules for billions of their users all around the globe. Facebook censors Kurds on behalf of Turkey. To show the world how unjust this policy is, this group discusses Facebook's censorship policy as it relates to Kurds and discussions on how to get Facebook to change its unfair and discriminatory policy.

Submission + - New molecular transistor can control single electrons (gizmag.com)

Submitted by Eloking
Eloking writes: Researchers from Germany, Japan and the United States have managed to create a tiny, reliable transistor assembled from a single molecule and a dozen additional atoms. The transistor reportedly operates so precisely that it can control the flow of single electrons, paving the way for the next generation of nanomaterials and miniaturized electronics.

Submission + - Kaspersky Lab Reveals Cyberattack On Its Corporate Network

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In early spring 2015, Kaspersky Lab detected a cyber-intrusion affecting several of its internal systems. Following this finding the company launched an intensive investigation, which led to the discovery of a new malware platform from one of the most skilled threat actors in the APT world: Duqu. The attack exploited zero-day vulnerabilities and after elevating privileges to domain administrator, the malware was spread in the network through MSI files. The attack didn’t leave behind any disk files or change system settings, making detection difficult. Upon discovery, Kaspersky Lab performed an initial security audit and analysis of the attack. The audit included source code verification and checking of the corporate infrastructure. Besides intellectual property theft, no additional indicators of malicious activity were detected.

Submission + - After We're Gone: The Last Electrical Device Still Working 3

Submitted by Leomania
Leomania writes: After watching a post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi short on YouTube (there are quite a few) and then having our robot vacuum take off and start working the room, I just wondered what would be the last electric/electronic device still functioning if humans were suddenly gone. I don't mean sitting there with no power but would work if the power came back on; rather, something continuously powered, doing the task it was designed for. Are we talking a few years, decades, or far longer?

Submission + - What happens when Betelgeuse explodes? 1

Submitted by StartsWithABang
StartsWithABang writes: One of the great, catastrophic truths of the Universe is that everything has an expiration date. And this includes every single point of light in the entire sky. The most massive stars will die in a spectacular supernova explosion when their final stage of core fuel runs out. At only an estimated 600 light years distant, Betelgeuse is one (along with Antares) of the closest red supergiants to us, and it’s estimated to have only perhaps 100,000 years until it reaches the end of its life. Here's the story on what we can expect to see (and feel) on Earth when Betelgeuse explodes!

Submission + - Porn shrinks your brain (discovery.com)

Submitted by Bodhammer
Bodhammer writes: "German researchers looked at the brains of 64 men between the ages of 21 and 45 and found that one brain region (the striatum, linked to reward processing), was smaller in the brains of porn watchers, and that a specific part of the same region is also less activated when exposed to more pornography."

Real Genius Quote
"[Mitch Taylor speaking through the microphone so that Kent hears voices in his head]
Mitch: And from now on, stop playing with yourself.
Kent: It *is* God."

Submission + - Bullied Student Records Bullies, Gets Hit With Felony Charges For Violation (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Here comes another story highlighting the danger of schools "outsourcing" their disciplinary problems to law enforcement. As we've stated before, this does nothing more than turn routine misconduct into criminal behavior, which is a great way to derail a student's future.

A Pennsylvania teen, who claimed to have been bullied constantly (and ignored by school administration), made an audio recording of his tormentors using a school-supplied iPad. He brought this to the school's attention, which duly responded by calling the cops to have him arrested for violating Pennsylvania's wiretapping law. (h/t to Techdirt reader btr1701)

Maybe the future holds better outcomes, but for right now, everyone involved had a chance to stop this from reaching this illogical conclusion, but no one — from the administrators to their legal team to local law enforcement to the presiding judge — was interested in reining this in. In the end, it looks as though an innate desire to punish someone was satisfied every step of the way.

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