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Submission + - Here's Where to Track (and Predict!) Your Congresscritter's Insider Trades (pjmedia.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Want to find out how much money your congresscritter makes from insider trading? Ever been curious to see the correlation between bills, votes, big-money donations, and shockingly handsome investment returns? Would you be interested in an A.I. geared to predict lucrative congressional trades before they happen?

There's a website for that.

It's called GovGreed, and it's an AI-powered search engine that "fuses [machine learning], deep learning, and 7 intelligence layers to predict which politicians will trade — and in which sectors — before the 45-day disclosure window even opens."

Over on X, Ricardo dug into the "crazy" numbers and found that "56% of every stock purchase made by Congress in the last 16 months was on a stock directly affected by a bill the buyer later voted on."

Worse — or better, if you're a member of America's insider-trading nomenklatura — Ricardo also revealed that "343 of 540 Congress members actively trade stocks while holding access to nonpublic legislative information."

But wait, there's more.

GovGreed's AI identified 752 "triple signals" in the sitting Congress. A triple signal is when a congresscritter sits on the committee writing a bill, "they traded stock in a company affected by that bill, AND they received campaign contributions from that same industry."

Triple signals trade at 5.4 times the normal rate of congressional trades, he found.

In other words, Congress isn't just trading on insider information. Congress generates the information, influenced by donations from the very companies whose futures are written by Congress. The result? While the S&P 500 so far is on track to generate a 10.8% return in 2026, Congressional traders earned 10.2% in the last 30 days, according to the site.

Submission + - Dinosaurs Were Thriving Until Asteroid Struck, Research Suggests (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Dinosaurs would not have become extinct had it not been for a catastrophic asteroid strike, researchers have said, challenging the idea the animals were already in decline. About 66 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period, a huge space rock crashed into Earth, triggering a mass extinction that wiped out all dinosaurs except birds. However, some experts have argued the dinosaurs were already in decline. Now researchers say the dating of a rock formation in New Mexico throws doubt on that idea, suggesting dinosaurs were thriving until the fateful impact.

Dr Andrew Flynn, the first author of the research at New Mexico State University, said: “I think based on our new study that shows that, at least in North America, they weren’t going towards extinction.” Writing in the journal Science, Flynn and colleagues report how they dated a unit of rock called the Naashoibito Member in the San Juan basin using two methods. Flynn said the perception that overall dinosaur diversity was falling before the asteroid hit could be a result of there being fewer exposed rocks, and hence fossils, dating to the end of the Cretaceous period than earlier in the epoch. “It looks like, as far as we can tell, there’s no reason they should have gone extinct except for [the] asteroid impact,” he said.

Submission + - Trump Eyes Government Control of Quantum Computing Firms (arstechnica.com) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Donald Trump is eyeing taking equity stakes in quantum computing firms in exchange for federal funding, The Wall Street Journal reported. At least five companies are weighing whether allowing the government to become a shareholder would be worth it to snag funding that the Trump administration has “earmarked for promising technology companies,” sources familiar with the potential deals told the WSJ.

IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum are currently in talks with the government over potential funding agreements, with minimum awards of $10 million each, some sources said. Quantum Computing Inc. and Atom Computing are reportedly “considering similar arrangements,” as are other companies in the sector, which is viewed as critical for scientific advancements and next-generation technologies. No deals have been completed yet, sources said, and terms could change as quantum-computing firms weigh the potential risks of government influence over their operations. [...]

The administration will lean on Deputy Commerce Secretary Paul Dabbar to extend Trump’s industry meddling into the quantum computing world, the WSJ reported. A former Energy Department official, Dabbar co-founded Bohr Quantum Technology, which specializes in quantum networking systems that the DOE expects will help “create new opportunities for scientific discovery.” While the firm he previously headed won’t be eligible for funding, Dabbar will be leading industry discussions, the WSJ reported, likely hyping Trump’s deals as a necessary boon to ensure US firms dominate in quantum computing.

Submission + - Microsoft's Mico Is a 'Clippy' For the AI Era (techcrunch.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft has a new Clippy, and it’s an AI friend called Mico. At the company’s Copilot fall release press event on Thursday, the company introduced a range of new features and updates for its AI chatbot, but one that telegraphed how the tech giant intends to bring AI to consumers was the official introduction of its AI chatbot’s “face” — an expressive avatar blob named Mico.

The company explains that Mico (its name a nod to “Microsoft Copilot”) is meant to offer consumers a “warm” and “customizable” visual presence that “listens, reacts, and even changes colors to reflect your interactions.” If the talking AI helper immediately brings to mind Microsoft’s infamous productivity assistant, Clippy, you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that. It seems that Microsoft has decided to embrace the reference to its age-old companion, as there’s even an Easter egg where, if you tap Mico a number of times, it will transform into Clippy.

The feature is enabled by default when you’re using Copilot’s voice mode, but users can turn it off if they choose. It’s initially available in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., and will be able to save memories of your conversations and learn from your feedback, Microsoft says. A “Learn Live” mode for U.S. users can make Copilot a tutor that guides you through concepts instead of just providing an answer. The company notes it’s made other improvements in areas like health-related questions and deep research, too.

Submission + - A SiriusXM Update Sent Some Audi Screens Into A Forced-Reboot Loop For Months (thedrive.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: This week, a reader wrote to us sharing that the infotainment in their 2020 Audi A4 had been “rebooting every five minutes all year.” It looks like the problem was caused by a compatibility issue with a SiriusXM app update. Audi tells us the situation’s been rectified, but it illustrates a serious pain point in modern cars—myriad apps interacting with a diverse population of in-car software systems. Our reader was not the only Audi owner affected. “Randomly restarting” Audi infotainment screens have been discussed on Reddit, the Audiworld forum, and elsewhere, going back many months. Audi’s recall notice and related service action only went out this summer.

It looks like this particular problem was caused when the satellite radio app pushed an update that was supposed to work on the latest version of Audi’s infotainment software, but not all cars were running that. Then SiriusXM reverted, which, I guess, did not solve the problem for every owner. Audi now states that the problem has been fixed and originated with the SiriusXM app, but really, the automaker bears more than a little blame, too. [...] I dropped our own contacts at Audi a note about how and why this might have happened, and they added this clarification: "At the beginning of the year, SiriusXM did a programming update which was addressed via a software update to the MMI. However, as not all customers had their cars updated and SiriusXM then reverted back to the previous category numbering. Nonetheless, a MMI update is recommended as the two versions do seem to cause the issue."

Submission + - AI Assistants Misrepresent News Content 45% of the Time (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: New research coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC has found that AI assistants – already a daily information gateway for millions of people – routinely misrepresent news content no matter which language, territory, or AI platform is tested. The intensive international study of unprecedented scope and scale was launched at the EBU News Assembly, in Naples. Involving 22 public service media (PSM) organizations in 18 countries working in 14 languages, it identified multiple systemic issues across four leading AI tools. Professional journalists from participating PSM evaluated more than 3,000 responses from ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity against key criteria, including accuracy, sourcing, distinguishing opinion from fact, and providing context.

Key findings:
— 45% of all AI answers had at least one significant issue.
— 31% of responses showed serious sourcing problems – missing, misleading, or incorrect attributions.
— 20% contained major accuracy issues, including hallucinated details and outdated information.
— Gemini performed worst with significant issues in 76% of responses, more than double the other assistants, largely due to its poor sourcing performance.
— Comparison between the BBC’s results earlier this year and this study show some improvements but still high levels of errors.

Submission + - It takes less than $1k to access unencrypted satellite data: study (itbrew.com)

Submitted by Nerval's Lobster
Nerval's Lobster writes: Have you ever been tempted to spend less than $1,000 on satellite equipment—just so you can show how much sensitive data can be easily accessed?

Computer scientists from the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Maryland answered “yes” to that question. In a research paper published Oct. 13, they wrote that they can use satellites to access large amounts of sensitive and unencrypted traffic from a variety of sectors, including the telecommunication, retail, and even the military.

The setup. The researchers focused their study on geostationary (GEO) satellites, which orbit the Earth’s equator, receiving and amplifying signals from the ground. Hardware used to conduct the study included a Ku-Band satellite dish, a low-noise block downconverter to amplify weak signals, and a dish motor to enable automated movement for tracking purposes, among other materials. In total, the equipment ran the researchers just under $700, or roughly what you’d pay to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Wichita, Kansas.

Comment So glad I am a 70s Child (Score 1) 77

by al0ha (#65441249) Attached to: Meta Is Creating a New AI Lab To Pursue 'Superintelligence'
I have got to say I am so glad I am a 70s child and at best have maybe 20 - 30 years left in this life.
What I know from my life experience is some humans will always choose to do the wrong thing; and that guarantees that if AI ever becomes sentient, it will be the end of humanity. Well, if it doesn't kill off humankind much earlier just due to the colossal tax it is placing on the global climate which is already out of control.
Humans will never leave earth in any meaningful way, I wish fools like Musk would stop with the lunacy. All it does is give other fools like him a reason to continue destroying the only place in the universe that humankind can exist.

Submission + - US Seen Trading Chips For Chinese Rare Earths (investors.com)

Submitted by hackingbear
hackingbear writes: U.S.-China trade talks are continuing in London today with the focus on Beijing's export restrictions of rare earth magnets that threaten to hit the brakes on manufacturing of autos, high-tech and defense gear. U.S. President Trump authorized Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and fellow U.S. negotiators to walk back recent U.S. moves to suspend exports of jet engines, chip-design software and ethane. However, some on Wall Street think Beijing is in position to demand a much broader reversal of chip export controls. It's "unrealistic," wrote Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, "for Washington to assume that China is going to ease up controls on rare earths if the U.S. does not do the same as regards exports of U.S. tech products." China views U.S. export controls, some of which were dated as far back as 1996, on chips and chip equipment "as the equivalent of a declaration of economic war against China, since it amounts to a deliberate effort to prevent the upgrading of the mainland economy." The S&P 500 is edging back toward its record high as markets see little doubt that President Trump will get a deal done, given the disastrous consequences for the economy if he doesn't. Earlier this month, several carmakers, both traditional and electric, are considering moving part of the manufacturing process to China in order to secure supplies of rare earth magnets which are used by the dozen in every vehicle. This could include building electric motors in Chinese factories or shipping American-made motors to China to have the magnets installed. "U.S. efforts to diversify rare earth supply may gather pace, but building capacity outside China will take years and remains both costly and difficult to execute," the UBS strategist wrote.

Submission + - Tech Giants' Indirect Emissions Rose 150% In Three Years (reuters.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Indirect carbon emissions from the operations of four of the leading AI-focused tech companies rose on average by 150% from 2020-2023, due to the demands of power-hungry data centers, a United Nations report (PDF) said on Thursday. The use of artificial intelligence by Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta drove up their global indirect emissions because of the vast amounts of energy required to power data centers, the report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the U.N. agency for digital technologies, said.

Indirect emissions include those generated by purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by a company. Amazon's operational carbon emissions grew the most at 182% in 2023 compared to three years before, followed by Microsoft at 155%, Meta at 145% and Alphabet at 138%, according to the report. The ITU tracked the greenhouse gas emissions of 200 leading digital companies between 2020 and 2023. [...] As investment in AI increases, carbon emissions from the top-emitting AI systems are predicted to reach up to 102.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, the report stated.

The data centres that are needed for AI development could also put pressure on existing energy infrastructure. "The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is driving a sharp rise in global electricity demand, with electricity use by data centers increasing four times faster than the overall rise in electricity consumption," the report found. It also highlighted that although a growing number of digital companies had set emissions targets, those ambitions had not yet fully translated into actual reductions of emissions.

Submission + - Chinese PhD student arrested smuggling biological materials, deleting evidence (foxnews.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Federal authorities expose Chinese national's attempt to bring concealed worm specimens to American laboratory

"The alleged smuggling of biological materials by this alien from a science and technology university in Wuhan, China—to be used at a University of Michigan laboratory—is part of an alarming pattern that threatens our security," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said. "The American taxpayer should not be underwriting a PRC-based smuggling operation at one of our crucial public institutions."

This is less than a week after two Chinese nationals were arrested on federal charges for bringing 'head blight' fungus into US.

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