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Submission + - Stewart Cheifet, Computer Chronicles Host, Dead at 87 (goldsteinsfuneral.com)

Submitted by Pibroch(CiH)
Pibroch(CiH) writes: According to the obituary linked, Stewart Cheifet of Computer Chronicles fame has died. The obituary states he passed Dec 28, 2025.

Cheifet and Digital Research founder Gary Kildall hosted the public television show The Computer Chronicles starting in 1984, and Stewart continued to host the show well into the 1990s. He was well-known for his affable presence and adeptness at interviewing guests and finding out the straight dope about their products. He had recently undergone spinal surgery and had somewhat disappeared from public view after the death of his wife Peta in 2024.

Submission + - Aurora lights: The science behind the nighttime spectacle (dw.com) 1

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Huge explosions on the surface of the sun, known as solar storms, regularly eject vast streams of electrically charged particles. Some of this plasma ends up traveling toward Earth and is pulled toward the planet's magnetic poles.

"These particles then slam into atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere and essentially heat them up," explained astronomer Tom Kerss on the Royal Museums Greenwich website. "It's very much like heating a gas and making it glow."

The different colors of light depend on the elements in the atmosphere. Oxygen, which makes up about 21% of the atmosphere, emits a green color when heated, while nitrogen tints the light purple, blue or pink.

Submission + - Beijing Ruled AI-caused Job Replacement Illegal (globaltimes.cn)

Submitted by hackingbear
hackingbear writes: China's state-affiliated Global Times reported that Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security ruled in a labor dispute arbitration that "AI replacing a position does not equal to legal dismissal," providing a case reference for resolving similar cases in the future. A worker with surname Liu had worked in a technology company for many years, responsible for traditional manual map data collection. In early 2024, the company decided to full transition to AI-managed autonomous data collection, abolishing Liu's department, and terminated Liu's labor contract on the grounds that "major changes have occurred in the objective circumstance on which the hiring contract was based, making it impossible to continue implementing the labor contract." Liu objected to the firm's termination, claiming it was unlawful and applied for arbitration. The labor board ruled that the company's introduction of AI technology was a proactive technological innovation implemented by the enterprise to adapt to market competition, and that termination of Liu's labor contract on the grounds that the position was replaced by AI shifts the risk of normal technological iteration onto the employee. The arbitration committee noted that, against the backdrop of the rapid development of AI technology, employers should properly accommodate affected employees through measures such as negotiating changes to the labor contract, providing skills training, and internal job reassignment. If it is indeed necessary to terminate the labor contract, employers must strictly comply with relevant laws and avoid simply applying "major changes in the objective environment" as grounds for termination. "This ruling safeguards Liu's legitimate rights and interests, providing reassurance to the vast number of workers, helping alleviate employees' anxiety about AI," Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Submission + - Rob Pike gets spammed with AI slop

Submitted by Anomolous Cowturd
Anomolous Cowturd writes: An AI bot let loose on the world by an outfit called AI Village has seen fit to waste a legend's time and patience. See an article by Simon Willison about it.

Says Rob on Bluesky: "Fuck you people. Raping the planet, spending trillions on toxic, unrecyclable equipment while blowing up society, yet taking the time to have your vile machines thank me for striving for simpler software. Just fuck you. Fuck you all. I can't remember the last time I was this angry."

Submission + - AI doesn't care about Ethics: Why technoskepticism must be political 1

Submitted by TheBAFH
TheBAFH writes: Here's a philosophy paper that rejects the opposing extreme positions of technophilia and technophobia and defines technoskepticism which "offers a vision where technological development is not an end in itself but a means to foster an autonomous society based on humanistic values, critical thought, and democratic self-governance. "
The paper is about "AI", but the core ideas apply in technology in general.

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