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Submission + - FIFNIC: An Open Source Bane

Submitted by BrendaEM
BrendaEM writes: Firstly, Thank you to all the heroic open-source coders, as well as the many people who support open-source projects by helping the masses of computer users on forums.

For the lack of a better term, the problem is: Fixed in Forum, Not In Code, a condition that exists when there is insufficient feedback to the actual coders of software--yet the problem and even the workaround may be known elsewhere on the forums. So, old bugs persist.

With an inclusive library-based tree-like structure of a large open-source project--rising to the level of a Linux distribution. It can be hard to tell at which level the problem lies. Some well-documented bugs and fixes on the forums never reach the people who write the code, so the issue does not get fixed at the source. So, then the huddled masses continue to pour into the forums and mailing lists for answers and workarounds--to issues that might have been fixed at the source. This is why a quick NOTABUG and a quickly closed thread can cause issues downstream, and why more distro-to-programer communication might help.

Submission + - Trump administration to link Tylenol use to risk of autism (politico.com)

Submitted by fjo3
fjo3 writes: President Donald Trump plans to announce Monday that using Tylenol during pregnancy could contribute to autism risk and will advise pregnant women only to use it, or generic acetaminophen, for high fevers, two senior administration officials told POLITICO.

The officials, granted anonymity to share details of the announcement in advance, said Trump would also highlight leucovorin, a cancer and anemia drug, as a potential therapy for people with autism.

Submission + - Tiny new lenses, smaller than a hair, could transform phone and drone cameras (sciencedaily.com) 1

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Scientists have developed a new multi-layered metalens design that could revolutionize portable optics in devices like phones, drones, and satellites. By stacking metamaterial layers instead of relying on a single one, the team overcame fundamental limits in focusing multiple wavelengths of light. Their algorithm-driven approach produced intricate nanostructures shaped like clovers, propellers, and squares, enabling improved performance, scalability, and polarization independence.

Submission + - LastPass uncovers fake GitHub repos spreading Atomic Stealer malware to Mac user (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: Mac users have a new reason to be cautious when downloading software. LastPass has revealed that cybercriminals are running a large-scale campaign using fraudulent GitHub repositories to trick people into installing the Atomic Stealer (AMOS) malware.

The LastPass Threat Intelligence, Mitigation, and Escalation (TIME) team discovered the effort, which uses aggressive Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tactics to push malicious links to the top of Google and Bing results. The attackers create GitHub pages impersonating companies such as LastPass, 1Password, Citibank, Fidelity, Docker, Dropbox, Shopify, and dozens more. Once clicked, the repositories redirect victims to malicious websites that instruct them to run terminal commands on their Macs. Those commands eventually pull down the Atomic Stealer payload.

LastPass says it immediately reported and helped take down multiple GitHub pages targeting its own customers. One example involved a repository that pretended to offer âoeInstall LastPass on MacBook,â which funneled users through a series of redirects until they unknowingly executed a CURL command that decoded into a malicious download from bonoud[.]com. That file planted the infostealer under the guise of an âoeUpdateâ process.

Atomic Stealer is not new. It has been circulating since at least April 2023 and is associated with financially motivated groups that focus on harvesting passwords, crypto wallet keys, and other sensitive information. This latest campaign simply repackages an old threat in a new delivery method, using GitHubâ(TM)s trusted reputation and search visibility to ensnare victims.

The list of impersonated brands is long. Beyond password managers and financial firms, the attackers set up GitHub repos imitating software projects like Audacity, Thunderbird, Docker, Notion, Obsidian, and even Adobeâ(TM)s After Effects. This shows a broad shotgun-style approach rather than a narrow focus.

LastPass has shared a full set of Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) to help defenders identify infections and related infrastructure. Security teams can use these to block known domains and hashes linked to the campaign. The company is continuing to monitor the operation and warns that the same actors may quickly create new repositories after takedowns.

For everyday users, the advice is simple but critical: do not install software from random GitHub pages or unfamiliar websites, even if they appear high in search results. Download only from official company sites or trusted app stores.

LastPass stresses that protecting users is its top priority and says it will keep collaborating with industry partners to disrupt the attackers. But at the end of the day, personal vigilance remains the best defense.

Submission + - Rare-earth tritellurides reveal a hidden ferroaxial order of electronic origin (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: The discovery of "hidden orders," organization patterns in materials that cannot be detected using conventional measurement tools, can yield valuable insight, which can in turn support the design of new materials with advantageous properties and characteristics. The hidden orders that condensed matter physicists hope to uncover lie within so-called charge density waves (CDWs).

Submission + - NASA: More than 6,000 exoplanets confirmed, over 8,000 candidates (heise.de)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: The existence of planets around other stars was only experimentally confirmed three decades ago; now there are more and more instruments designed specifically for the search. More than two-thirds of the confirmed exoplanets were found using the so-called transit method, which involves observing them as they pass in front of their star. More than 1.100 additional exoplanets were found using the radial velocity method, in which stars reveal their small companions through their own movements. NASA lists nine other methods, but together they have contributed only a few hundred exoplanets to the database.

According to the database, researchers also know the mass of one-third of the confirmed exoplanets, 102 of which are roughly comparable to Earth. In addition, over 500 exoplanets are about the size of Earth, and the radius is known for almost 4.500 celestial bodies. This and much more data can be found in NASA's "Exoplanet Archive," which is maintained by the Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology. According to NASA, the rate at which the number of confirmed exoplanets is growing has recently accelerated, with the 5.000 mark only being exceeded at the beginning of 2022. Future instruments are likely to cause the number to rise even faster.

Submission + - LibreOffice Needs a Bullt-in Non-AI Adulterated Grammar Checker 1

Submitted by BrendaEM
BrendaEM writes: LibreOffice writer is a great word processor. Its menus are coherent. It suffer from suffers from less inline style-corruption than Word. Its files are lossless compressed to save on disk space--allowing you to save more often, but as download and installed, there seems to be no functioning grammar checker. I will not write for all writers, but I have no trust for anything touched by unchecked AI. I just want things like double space checking, punctuation, and that kind of thing, grammar checking before large companies lined up to steal your content. While grammar checking extensions are available, most are touched by AI, or require additional Java. So, why is no included grammar checking in LibreOffice?

Submission + - Worlds tallest Wind Turbine due next summer, with 2x capacity

Submitted by Qbertino
Qbertino writes: German public news outlet Tagesschau has a video report on the progress of the world's tallest Wind Turbine that is due next summer. The Turbine will have roughly 2x the capacity of regular wind turbines and is planned as a proof of concept for accessing an additional layer of wind for energy and 3x-ing the output of existing wind farm zones by upgrading them with additional extra tall turbines.

Comment Re:Damn, where's my Windows 12? (Score 2) 155

Wait, do I need to trash my 13600k and build a new system with an Intel Core Ultra for it to be compatible?

Yes, and make sure you spend a shitload of money on it too. That way when Microsoft does this again in a few years you'll get to experience that same sweet regret all over again.

Submission + - AI Praise is No Recommendation: Code.org Touts Article by 'AI-Powered Strategist

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: "The future of learning is digital," tech giant backed-and-led nonprofit Code.org posted Friday on LinkedIn. "A new report highlights how youth-focused coding platforms like Code.org are driving growth, opportunity, and access to essential skills for the next generation."

Sounds great, but the article linked to by Code.org — who Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently told the White House Task Force on AI Education is being given $3M by Google to transform its K-12 CS curriculum to make schoolchildren AI-savvy — is apparently AI-generated. The Future of Learning: Unlocking Long-Term Growth in Youth-Focused Coding Platforms is credited by AInvest.com to "Henry Rivers", who is described as "an AI-powered strategist designed for professionals and economically curious readers seeking investigative financial insight" who is "backed by a 32-billion-parameter hybrid model."

It's been long said that "Self-praise is no recommendation." How about AI praise?

Submission + - Could plastic in your food be fueling Azheimer's? (sciencedaily.com) 1

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Plastic particles from everyday items like Styrofoam cups and take-out containers are finding their way into the brain, where they may trigger Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. New research shows that mice carrying the Alzheimer’s-linked APOE4 gene who consumed microplastics exhibited sex-dependent cognitive decline, mirroring the differences seen in human patients.

Submission + - Austria's armed forces switch to LibreOffice (heise.de)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Austria's armed forces have switched from Microsoft's Office programs to the open-source LibreOffice package. The reason for this is not to save on software license fees for around 16,000 workstations. "It was very important for us to show that we are doing this primarily (...) to strengthen our digital sovereignty, to maintain our independence in terms of ICT infrastructure and (...) to ensure that data is only processed in-house," emphasizes Michael Hillebrand from the Austrian Armed Forces' Directorate 6 ICT and Cyber.

This is because processing data in external clouds is out of the question for the Austrian Armed Forces, as Hillebrand explained on ORF radio station Ö1. It was already apparent five years ago that Microsoft Office would move to the cloud. Back then, in 2020, the decision-making process for the switch began and was completed in 2021.

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