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Submission + - Why GPS fails in cities. And how it was fixed (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Our everyday GPS struggles in “urban canyons,” where skyscrapers bounce satellite signals, confusing even advanced navigation systems. NTNU scientists created SmartNav, combining satellite corrections, wave analysis, and Google’s 3D building data for remarkable precision. Their method achieved accuracy within 10 centimeters during testing. The breakthrough could make reliable urban navigation accessible and affordable worldwide.

Submission + - Most Earth-Like Planet Yet May Have Been Found Just 40 Light Years Away (sciencealert.com)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: One of the worlds in the TRAPPIST-1 system, a mere 40 light-years away, just might be clad in a life-supporting atmosphere.

In exciting new JWST observations, the Earth-sized exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e shows hints of a gaseous envelope similar to our own, one that could facilitate liquid water on the surface.

Although the detection is ambiguous and needs extensive follow-up to find out what the deal is, it's the closest astronomers have come yet in their quest to find a second Earth.

Submission + - Declawing cats causes them lifelong pain. It's time to ban the practice, says re (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: Our findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, were striking: we discovered that declawing causes long-term nerve damage, increased sensitivity to pain, and exacerbated mobility issues, particularly in heavier cats. These animals' nervous systems are overloaded from an early age and eventually become exhausted, which leads to chronic fatigue, hypersensitivity and decreased well-being.

In other words, declawing cats condemns them to a life of pain.

Declawing does not mean simply cutting the claws. It involves amputating the last phalanx of each toe, usually on the front paws, sometimes on all four paws. The operation is performed using a scalpel blade, a surgical laser, or sterilized claw clippers.

Submission + - Colt Telecom attack claimed by WarLock ransomware, data up for sale (bleepingcomputer.com)

Submitted by Z00L00K
Z00L00K writes: UK-based telecommunications company Colt Technology Services is dealing with a cyberattack that has caused a multi-day outage of some of the company's operations, including hosting and porting services, Colt Online, and Voice API platforms.

The British telecommunications and network services provider disclosed that the attack started on August 12 and the disruption continues as its IT staff works around the clock to mitigate its effects.

The troubles are still ongoing today the 20th of August.

Submission + - Japanese Company Staff Implicated in Alleged Theft of Key TSMC Technology (cnn.com)

Submitted by hackingbear
hackingbear writes: Taiwanese authorities have detained three current and former employees of the world’s largest chip manufacturer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), for allegedly stealing trade secrets and took them to Japanese company Tokyo Electrons, prosecutors said Tuesday. Nikkei Asia first reported on Tuesday that TSMC had fired staffers suspected of illegally obtaining business secrets related to the manufacturing technology for the company’s 2-nanometer chip, the most advanced processor in the semiconductor industry that is expected to go into mass production this year. Taiwanese local media reported that a former TSMC employee now works at top chip manufacturing equipment supplier Tokyo Electron Ltd., and that the Japanese firm’s Taiwan office was raided by investigators. On Thursday, Tokyo Electron confirmed it had dismissed an employee of its Taiwan subsidiary who was involved in the case, and said the company was cooperating with authorities. “As of now, based upon the findings of our internal investigation we have not confirmed any evidence of the respective confidential information shared to any third parties,” it said in a statement.

Submission + - KDE's 'Other' Distro -- KDE Linux -- Now Avaible to Download in Pre-Alpha (theregister.com)

Submitted by king*jojo
king*jojo writes: KDE Linux is an all-new desktop Linux distro being developed as a showcase for the KDE desktop project. The project is still in a pre-alpha testing stage, but recently went public on the KDE website. Versions are available to download and try out.

KDE Linux is an entirely new and experimental OS. There's lots of room for confusion here, because KDE already has a demonstration distro, KDE Neon. KDE Linux is a totally separate and far more ambitious project. In terms of its underlying design, it's intended to be a super-stable end-user distro. This is in contrast with Neon, which is an experimental showcase for the latest and greatest code. Neon isn't meant to be anyone's daily driver.

Submission + - Linux kernel could soon expose every line AI helps write (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: As AI continues to reshape how software gets written, even the Linux kernel isnâ(TM)t immune to its influence. Sasha Levin, a respected developer and engineer at Nvidia, has proposed a patch series aimed at formally integrating AI coding assistants into the Linux kernel workflow.

The proposal includes two major changes. First, it introduces configuration stubs for popular AI development tools like Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Codeium, Continue, Windsurf, and Aider. These are symlinked to a centralized documentation file to ensure consistency.

Second, and more notably, it lays out official guidelines for how AI-generated contributions should be handled. According to the proposed documentation, AI assistants must identify themselves in commit messages using a Co-developed-by: tag, but they cannot use Signed-off-by:, which legally certifies the commit under the Developer Certificate of Origin. That responsibility remains solely with the human developer.

One example shared in the patch shows a simple fix to a typo in the kernelâ(TM)s OPP documentation. Claude, an AI assistant, corrects âoedontâ to âoedonâ(TM)tâ and commits the patch with the proper attribution:

Co-developed-by: Claude claude-opus-4-20250514
Levinâ(TM)s patch also creates a new section under Documentation/AI/ where the expectations and limitations of using AI in kernel development are laid out. This includes reminders to follow kernel coding standards, respect the development process, and understand licensing requirements. There are things AI often struggles with.

While some developers may see this as a helpful step toward transparency, others might argue that codifying AI usage in one of the most human-driven open-source projects sends the wrong message. Should kernel development really be assisted by tools that donâ(TM)t fully grasp the consequences of their code?

Levinâ(TM)s proposal doesnâ(TM)t change the development process overnight. For now, itâ(TM)s just a request for comments (RFC). But it does raise a bigger question: how much AI is too much when it comes to open-source code that runs on billions of devices?

Let us know what you think. Should Linux welcome AI assistants into the fold, or keep the kernel strictly human-made?

Submission + - EPA moves to slash Obama-era gas can regulations (theblaze.com)

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

Zeldin shared a letter Thursday encouraging manufacturers to "produce cans that best meet consumer needs," including gas cans "with vents to facilitate fast and smooth fuel flow." This push comes in response to regulations previously implemented by former President Barack Obama in 2009 that removed vents in gas cans in order to reduce vapor emissions.

I have 25L metal jerrycan, but due to regulations it is next to impossible to pour gas without spilling. This is a clear case where regulations had the opposite effect.

Submission + - Debian/trixie new stable release

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: What to expect from Debian/trixie #newintrixie

“Debian v13 with codename trixie is scheduled to be published as new stable release on 9th of August 2025.”

“As usual with major upgrades, there are some things to be aware of, and hereby I’m starting my public notes on trixie that might be worth for other folks. My focus is primarily on server systems and looking at things from a sysadmin perspective.”

Submission + - Satellite companies SES and Intelsat complete their merger (ses.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The Luxembourg-based satellite company SES has now completed its acquisition of the European-based satellite company Intelsat, giving the combined company 120 active satellites in a variety of low and high Earth orbits.

With a world-class network including approximately 90 geostationary (GEO), nearly 30 medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, strategic access to low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and an extensive ground network, SES can now deliver connectivity solutions utilising complementary spectrum bands including C-, Ku-, Ka-, Military Ka-, X-band, and Ultra High Frequency. The expanded capabilities of the combined company will enable it to deliver premium-quality services and tailored solutions to its customers. The company's assets and networks, once fully integrated, will put SES in a strong competitive position to better serve the evolving needs of its customers including governments, aviation, maritime, and media across the globe.

Both companies are long established, with Intelsat initially founded in the mid-1960s as a consortium of 23 nations aimed at launching the first geosynchronous communications satellites over the Atlantic and Pacific serving most of the Old World and linked to the New.

The merger is an attempt by both companies to compete with the new low-orbit constellations of SpaceX, Amazon, and from China.

Comment I'll just drop these here... (Score 0) 233

https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.3985
Or archive at: https://archive.li/Ibtfo

https://www.nature.com/news/engineered-bat-virus-stirs-debate-over-risky-research-1.18787
Or archive at: https://archive.fo/AlXBA

You can feel free to argue with me or post links to media articles "debunking" it all you want; but it's just too big of a coincidence and I believe this was a manufactured "chimera" (in their own words) of a virus that was released unintentionally or deliberately.

Comment Good quality is not necessarily expensive (Score 1) 249

by j0se_p0inter0 (#49025727) Attached to: How good is your audio equipment?
I have a good, yet older surround sound setup for the TV, but these days I'm all about the headphones because you can listen to those as loud as you want all day and night! If you keep an eye out on price-watching sites, it's really not that expensive for some quality stuff. I think I've spent about $450 on my DAC/amp/headphone setup by picking up things on sale or clearance, and it will last quite a while if you take care of it. But if you go down the "wood knobs, voodoo magic cables" route, the situation would be quite different...

Comment Re:OLD Hardware (Score 1) 179

by j0se_p0inter0 (#48940703) Attached to: FSF-Endorsed Libreboot X200 Laptop Comes With Intel's AMT Removed
Different guy here: I would love to get one of those but they are significantly more expensive (granted the hardware does look very nice, it's probably worth it). I'm tempted to pick up a Libreboot X200 sometime soon, with 8GB RAM and an SSD it should be more than adequate for running a lightweight desktop and doing all the stuff I typically do. The keyboard looks very nice.

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