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Submission + - US government ramps up mass surveillance (theconversation.com) 2

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

People have little choice when buying devices, using apps or opening accounts but to agree to lengthy terms that include consent for companies to collect and sell their personal data. This “consent” allows their data to end up in the largely unregulated commercial data market. The government claims it can lawfully purchase this data from data brokers. But in buying your data in bulk on the commercial market, the government is circumventing the Constitution, Supreme Court decisions and federal laws designed to protect your privacy from unwarranted government overreach.

Still nothing to hide?

Submission + - Tesla Admits Pre-2023 Hardware Will Never Achieve Full Autonomy

Submitted by DeanonymizedCoward
DeanonymizedCoward writes: According to Gizmodo, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted on an earnings call that Tesla's "Hardware 3," used in most pre-2023 models, does not have the capability to support fully autonomous driving. “Unfortunately, Hardware 3, I wish it were otherwise, but Hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD,” Musk said during the call. “We did think at one point it would, but relative to Hardware 4 it has only 1/8 the memory bandwidth of Hardware 4.”

All hope is not (yet) lost for owners of older Tesla vehicles, though: Musk proposes a "discounted trade-in" program, as well as the deployment of "mini-factories" to streamline the installation of new computers and cameras into older vehicles. It remains to be seen whether this will materialize.

Submission + - Little Caesars drone delivery proves even terrible pizza can fly (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: Flytrex is expanding its drone delivery ambitions with a new partnership with Little Caesars, and the hook here is scale. The companyâ(TM)s new Sky2 drone can carry up to 8.8 pounds, which is enough for two large pizzas, sides, and drinks in a single flight. That may not sound like a big leap, but most drone delivery efforts so far have been limited to small, lightweight orders. This setup stretches to about four miles and Flytrex claims roughly 4.5 minutes from takeoff to drop-off, with direct integration into restaurant ordering systems to cut down on delays. The drone itself uses an eight-motor design for redundancy, dual batteries, and high-precision navigation, plus onboard AI managing flight operations.

If you care about the tech, this is one of the more practical implementations weâ(TM)ve seen, especially with recent FAA approvals for beyond visual line of sight flights and partnerships forming across the delivery ecosystem. If you care about the food, well, thatâ(TM)s a different conversation. As someone from Long Island, Iâ(TM)m not convinced that shaving minutes off delivery time suddenly makes chain pizza desirable, even if it arrives via autonomous octocopter. Still, convenience tends to win, and if suburban customers can get dinner dropped in their yard without dealing with traffic or drivers, this kind of system might actually stick.

Submission + - Your phone's next speed boost may come from magnetic chips (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: A new technology has been proposed that could fundamentally solve the issue of smartphones overheating during high-spec gaming or extended video streaming. Researchers at KAIST have discovered the principle of processing signals using the minute vibrations of magnets (spin waves) instead of electrons. This method significantly reduces heat generation and power consumption while enabling instantaneous frequency switching within the several GHz range. This breakthrough is expected to pave the way for smart devices with less heat and longer battery life, as well as ultra-low-power, high-speed computing.

Submission + - Billionaire backer sues Trump family's crypto firm over alleged extortion (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Alain Williams
Alain Williams writes: The Trump family's World Liberty crypto venture is being sued by one of its billionaire backers over allegations of extortion.

Justin Sun has accused World Liberty of an "illegal scheme" to seize his WLFI tokens, a cryptocurrency issued by the company.

Sun alleges the firm, co-founded by US President Donald Trump and his son Eric Trump, has "frozen" all of his tokens and stripped him of his right to vote on governance issues.

Submission + - The Demand Destruction of Oil (theconversation.com)

Submitted by hwstar
hwstar writes: For the first time ever, more than 50 nations will gather next week in Colombia to hash out how to wind down and end their dependence on coal, oil and gas. The history-making conference was planned before the Iran war. But this year’s energy crisis has greatly raised the stakes.

Around 80% of the trapped oil was destined for the Asia-Pacific. Faced with dwindling supply, the region’s governments are implementing emergency measures such as sending workers home, banning government travel, rationing fuel and cutting school hours. The problem is especially bad in the Pacific. Many island nations use diesel for power generation. In response, leaders declared a regional emergency.

But this energy crisis is different from half a century ago in that fossil fuel alternatives are ready for prime time. Since the 1970s, the price of solar panels has fallen 99.9%, while the cost of wind has fallen 91% since 1984. Battery prices have fallen 99% since 1991.

This year’s oil shock shows signs of creating an unplanned social tipping point – a threshold for self-propelling change beyond which systems shift from one state to another. Climate scientists warn of climate tipping points which amplify feedback and accelerate warming. But social scientists also point to positive tipping points – collective action that rapidly accelerates climate action.

Submission + - Chinese passive switch spying on you (pilulerouge.ca)

Submitted by antatack
antatack writes: Canadian company find affordable network hardware could secretly enable large-scale espionage, creating serious risks for privacy and national security.
From the original article in french.

Submission + - Trump Administration to Begin Refunding $166 Billion in Tariffs 1

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: After a Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Feb. 2026, many tariffs imposed by the Trump administration were declared illegal, because the president overstepped his authority.
As a result, the U.S. government now has to refund a massive amount of money, around $160-170+ billion, paid mainly by importers.
On April 20, 2026, the administration launched a system/portal (run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection) so companies can start filing claims to get their money back.

Who gets the money?
— Primarily importers and companies, since they were the ones who directly paid the tariffs.
— Consumers generally won’t get refunds, even though they often bore the cost through higher prices.

How it will work
— Claims are submitted electronically.
— Refunds (with interest) could take 60–90 days per claim, but the overall process may take much longer due to scale and complexity.

Challenges and uncertainties
— The process is logistically huge (hundreds of thousands of importers, millions of shipments).
— There are legal disputes over whether companies must pass refunds on to consumers.
— Delays and administrative issues are expected, possibly stretching the process over years.

Submission + - Two new studies about how many birds die from wind turbines (euronews.com)

Submitted by ZipNada
ZipNada writes: The energy company Vattenfall and the tech company Spoor have analysed the extent to which wind turbines endanger birds at the offshore wind farm in Aberdeen. Over a period of 19 months — from June 2023 to December 2024 — video recordings of a wind turbine were made with the help of AI-supported analyses. A total of 2,007 bird flight paths near the monitored turbine were examined.

"By combining AI-powered detection and detailed expert analysis, we can replace assumptions with concrete observations and measure actual behaviour in the immediate vicinity of wind turbines," says Ask Helseth, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Spoor.

The study found that there was not a single collision

A study by the German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) also shows that migratory birds almost completely avoid wind turbines.

For one and a half years, researchers analysed over four million bird movements with the help of radar and AI-based cameras. The result showed that over 99.8 per cent of migratory birds reliably avoided the wind turbines.

Submission + - Government Workers Say They're Getting Inundated With Religion (wired.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Federal workers across multiple U.S. agencies are complaining that Christianity is flooding into their workplaces in ways they've never seen before—and they feel powerless to speak up.

It started after President Trump returned to office and signed an executive order in February 2025 creating a White House Faith Office and similar offices inside federal agencies. Since then, religion has crept into everyday government life in a big way...Secretary Brooke Rollins sent an agency-wide Easter email titled "He has risen!" with explicitly Christian messaging. One employee called it "grotesque" and suspected AI wrote it. A formal complaint was filed with the Office of Special Counsel.

Department of Labor hosts monthly worship services with pastors and political figures. One speaker, Alveda King, said she was "more concerned about" nonreligious employees—a comment that rattled staffers who felt it implied atheists were going to hell.

Health and Human Services, under vaccine denier RFK Jr., expanded funding for faith-based addiction treatment and gave workers the afternoon off for Good Friday.

Department of Defense has seen the most dramatic shift, with Secretary Pete Hegseth hosting monthly prayer services featuring high-profile Christian nationalist figures like Doug Wilson, who has advocated for a theocracy and argued women shouldn't vote. Hegseth himself has called the U.S. war with Iran a "holy war."
Employees are afraid to push back—only 22.5% of federal workers in 2025 say they could report wrongdoing without retaliation, down from nearly 72% in 2024.

The government's position: these events are voluntary and legally permitted. A public policy professor quoted in the piece put it plainly: "The Trump administration has opened a new chapter in the integration of Christianity into the daily work of government."

Submission + - Cell phone for limited use? Avoid carrier lock? Avoid ads?

Submitted by Futurepower(R)
Futurepower(R) writes: How to buy a cell phone for a low price and avoid carrier lock and advertisements?

Some people use a cell phone only when they are not at home and want to call or do a search. Which low-cost not-locked phones would be best for that?

People who use a cell phone extensively, for watching movies, for example, are often happy to pay more.

The cell phone industry is possibly the most complicated for buyers in the history of the world.

For example, the Samsung Galaxy model A36 cell phone has 7 versions. Other than the A36, there are many other Samsung versions.

Other complications: Cell phones often come with no case, no charger, and no screen shield. Also, the prices given in a search are often low because of being locked to a particular carrier.

The cell phone service providers would be T-Mobile and AT&T.

Submission + - Fusion Energy: Definition, Links to articles, and Quotes

Submitted by Futurepower(R)
Futurepower(R) writes: Amazing! Fusion Energy would change our lives in many very positive ways.

Food would be much cheaper. All cars and trucks would eventually be electric, no pollution.

> Definition
Fusion energy is the process of combining light atomic nuclei (typically deuterium and tritium) to form heavier ones, releasing massive amounts of energy, mimicking the sun's power.

> World Economic Forum
5 ways fusion energy can change the world for the better
Feb 16, 2023, more than 3 years ago.
https://www.weforum.org/storie...

"Fusion energy is arguably the most exciting human discovery since fire. From the way we heat our homes to more water in times of drought, here’s just a glimpse of how fusion power could help change the world."

"Under the fusion-powered grow lights, hydroponically grown strawberries or lettuce or other crops can be grown to maturity without the use of pesticides and other harsh chemicals."

> U.S. Department of Energy
DOE Explains...Fusion Energy Science
https://www.energy.gov/science...

"A pickup truck filled with fusion fuel has the equivalent energy of 2 million metric tons of coal, or 10 million barrels of oil."

> ITER ("The Way" in Latin) is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today.
https://www.iter.org/fusion-en...

"Some of the advantages of fusion:"

"Abundant energy: Fusing atoms together in a controlled way releases nearly four million times more energy than a chemical reaction such as the burning of coal, oil or gas..."

"No CO. No long-lived radioactive waste. No risk of meltdown."

> Fusion developers go public as AI boom widens funding sources
March 23, 2026 Investment in Fusion stocks
https://www.reuters.com/busine...

> Fusion Industry Association
https://www.fusionindustryasso...

> Fusion news from MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
https://news.mit.edu/topic/fus...

> Dallas Teen Builds Groundbreaking Nuclear Fusion Reactor
Mar. 29, 2026
https://nationaltoday.com/us/t...

"12-year-old Aidan McMillan achieves fusion, becoming the youngest person to replicate the sun's energy source".

> Best Fusion Energy Stocks of 2026 and How to Invest in Them
Jan 30, 2026
https://www.fool.com/investing...

Submission + - AMD says it will buy Intel (techspot.com)

Submitted by ZipNada
ZipNada writes: In a move that feels less like a corporate transaction and more like the final punchline to a 40-year industry rivalry, AMD announced Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Intel, the company it has spent decades chasing, imitating, undercutting, suing, licensing from, and lately outperforming.

The all-stock transaction, which AMD described as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to unify x86 innovation," would combine the two companies under a single umbrella just a few years after such an outcome would have sounded ridiculous.

For most of modern computing history, Intel was the empire and AMD the scrappy survivor, the perpetual second source that somehow kept finding ways to stay alive. Now, after a bruising run of manufacturing delays, product stumbles, strategic resets, and a historic reversal in investor confidence, Intel is poised to be absorbed by the smaller company it long treated as a footnote.

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