Comment Re:Of COURSE you can't use sweetener or cream... (Score 1) 133
I drink my coffee black -- without milk or sugar as they take away from the good taste. I drink a good coffee (ground beans) not the gnat's pee that is Nescafe.
Submission + - D&D players raise millions in real-life campaign against 'corporate elite' (theguardian.com)
Alain Williams writes: Just before their election day, six Los Angeles city council candidates stood on stage at Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre. But they weren’t there for a debate or a black-tie gala. They were there to play Dungeons and Dragons.
Comedian Brennan Lee Mulligan guided the politicians through a short D&D campaign to defeat corporate villains and an evil dragon. Hundreds of enthusiastic fans in the crowd pledged additional donations up to $150 each to give the candidates what is called an “auto crit” for maximum damage to the dragon.
If this sounds like a bizarre merging of politics and play, organizers say it is not. “Most people want to be tapped and told how to help,” said Mulligan, a longtime DSA member and the dungeon master of D&D-themed hit YouTube series Critical Role and Dropout’s Dimension 20. “Then, lo and behold, there’s this new way to participate, bringing the platform I have to bear.”
The DSA-LA show raised $30,000 for the city’s primary election in June; five of the candidates onstage that night either won re-election or advanced to the general in November. The event is just one in a wider resistance movement by players of D&D and other tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) against the current political climate – ICE raids, attacks on transgender rights and the rise of artificial intelligence. Over the past few years, groups across the country have been playing TTRPGs online and in person to raise money to develop games that express their frustration with the federal government and instruct people on how to help those most affected by its policies.
Comedian Brennan Lee Mulligan guided the politicians through a short D&D campaign to defeat corporate villains and an evil dragon. Hundreds of enthusiastic fans in the crowd pledged additional donations up to $150 each to give the candidates what is called an “auto crit” for maximum damage to the dragon.
If this sounds like a bizarre merging of politics and play, organizers say it is not. “Most people want to be tapped and told how to help,” said Mulligan, a longtime DSA member and the dungeon master of D&D-themed hit YouTube series Critical Role and Dropout’s Dimension 20. “Then, lo and behold, there’s this new way to participate, bringing the platform I have to bear.”
The DSA-LA show raised $30,000 for the city’s primary election in June; five of the candidates onstage that night either won re-election or advanced to the general in November. The event is just one in a wider resistance movement by players of D&D and other tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) against the current political climate – ICE raids, attacks on transgender rights and the rise of artificial intelligence. Over the past few years, groups across the country have been playing TTRPGs online and in person to raise money to develop games that express their frustration with the federal government and instruct people on how to help those most affected by its policies.
Submission + - US police now armed with Israeli spy vans simulating mobile phone towers (cybernews.com)
schwit1 writes: If you thought Flock was bad check out Falconet.
Falconet from Israeli company Cognyte serves as a cell tower simulator that intercepts cell phone data from all devices within range. Police mount these systems in Tahoes so the vehicles can collect information while driving through areas without any direct interaction with targets.
This mobile approach generates ongoing records of phone locations and communications for everyone nearby rather than only suspects, which creates comprehensive movement profiles and bypasses traditional warrant requirements under the Fourth Amendment.
Cognyte sells the technology directly to U.S. agencies, as shown by the Texas Department of Public Safety purchase of four Tahoes where over three point eight million dollars went to the interception equipment. Adoption spreads through routine vehicle procurement with little external review of how the collected data is stored or shared.
Once active the systems permit warrantless collection of private cell phone data across entire communities during normal patrols, which enables potential misuse and leaves individuals with no effective way to discover or contest the surveillance.
https://x.com/JoshWalkos/statu...
Falconet from Israeli company Cognyte serves as a cell tower simulator that intercepts cell phone data from all devices within range. Police mount these systems in Tahoes so the vehicles can collect information while driving through areas without any direct interaction with targets.
This mobile approach generates ongoing records of phone locations and communications for everyone nearby rather than only suspects, which creates comprehensive movement profiles and bypasses traditional warrant requirements under the Fourth Amendment.
Cognyte sells the technology directly to U.S. agencies, as shown by the Texas Department of Public Safety purchase of four Tahoes where over three point eight million dollars went to the interception equipment. Adoption spreads through routine vehicle procurement with little external review of how the collected data is stored or shared.
Once active the systems permit warrantless collection of private cell phone data across entire communities during normal patrols, which enables potential misuse and leaves individuals with no effective way to discover or contest the surveillance.
https://x.com/JoshWalkos/statu...
Submission + - Garbage trucks may soon start spying on people (msn.com) 1
fjo3 writes: Garbage trucks could soon do more than collect trash—they may also help identify code violations using artificial intelligence (AI).
Officials in Cape Coral, Florida, recently considered equipping sanitation trucks with AI-powered cameras that would photograph properties as crews complete their normal collection routes.
The system would have been designed to identify potential issues such as overgrown lawns, peeling paint, and illegal dumping, and to flag violations so the city staff can review them later before taking enforcement action.
Officials in Cape Coral, Florida, recently considered equipping sanitation trucks with AI-powered cameras that would photograph properties as crews complete their normal collection routes.
The system would have been designed to identify potential issues such as overgrown lawns, peeling paint, and illegal dumping, and to flag violations so the city staff can review them later before taking enforcement action.
Comment Re:Stupid people do stupid things (Score 1) 42
I cannot understand why anyone would think that fights are entertainment - be they humans or robots.
Submission + - FOSS LibreMailCal status update, moved from pre-alpha to alpha (techtalkhawke.com)
kmleon writes: Status update on privacy/control enhancing FOSS app LibreMailCal: email, calendaring, contacts, chat, files, ERP, Notifications, Project Management, Social Media & Videos, video conferencing, all-in-one, self-hostable, cross-platform.
Comment So their AI was just Deloitte or PwC (Score 5, Interesting) 81
This is exactly what companies like PwC come in and do. The AI just did it faster.
Comment Re:Oh fuck right off (Score 1) 27
LLMs have already reduced the time from bug report to usable exploit below the time that it takes for patches to be released.
Bullshit. if they are that fucking good then they should also be able to patch it just as fast. Its a zero sum game. Fuck off with your bullshit too.
Comment Oh fuck right off (Score 2) 27
Your shitty chat bot is not a national security risk.
Comment Management (Score 1) 40
Linus has completed his career migration to full time manager.
Comment Re:Unprecedented (Score 0) 39
3 million years of evolution fucktard
Comment Romero (Score 4, Insightful) 56
"I know what it feels like to leave id while id goes on. It's a strange and painful thing to step away "
They aren't "stepping away" John. They are being kicked to the fucking curb
Comment Re:Unprecedented (Score 2, Insightful) 39
Leaded gasoline is estimated to have killed over 100,000,000 people, reduced the collective IQ of the entire planet and permanently polluted most waterways over the course of 50-60 years, all based on lies by General Motors and some others.
The demonization of cholesterol has lead to the sickest generation in human history with the highest rates of diabetes ever recorded and a massive increase of heart disease, cancer, stroke, despite claiming to reverse these conditions. We're then told its genetic to cover the lie, as if our genes somehow changed so significantly over the last 40 years that the rates of these diseases increased orders of magnitude. We now have the lowest levels of cholesterol in human history and the highest rates of disease, yet they continue to lie.
There are analogs to this. This is not new to humanity. It's just the tip of the iceberg.
Comment Re:Seems like a great way to end up with no conten (Score 3) 70
I have been telling friends about this sort of thing for a long time. The usual reply is "meh", or in a rare case when they listen properly "meh, how will this affect me/what can I do ?". The problem is that most people do not read T&Cs before clicking "I have read and understand them and I agree."; this is because the wording of the T&Cs is deliberately such that it sucks the will to live from most people; the interesting bits 'hidden' 2/3 of the way down usually below long paragraphs on something boring like web site copyright and it not being liable for stuff.
The so called agreements are anything but; there should be regulation on how they are written so that they are fair to both consumer/client and the provider. But that will not happen.
Comment Re:That leaves the problem that LLM may not stay.. (Score 1) 29
A growth mindset would say, hire more. If LLM's are a force multiplier then you increase productivity dramatically by burning the candle at both ends. The bottleneck then becomes sales.
