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Comment Re:A basic law of commerce... (Score 1) 127

by lumenistan (#64351519) Attached to: Microsoft's New Era of AI PCs Will Need a Copilot Key, Says Intel
Commerce is not simple Newtonian physics - often it's subject to a bunch of factors that your statement does not factor in. There are examples where "we BSed to convince this ill-informed rich person to fund it and that let us get way more brand awareness" or "I knew a guy with the right political influence" and other such variables led to the market not being even presented with superior tech, so a crappier option just became the default.

Submission + - Drugmakers Are Set to Pay 23andMe Millions to Access Consumer DNA (bloomberg.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: GSK Plc will pay 23andMe Holding Co. $20 million for access to the genetic-testing company’s vast trove of consumer DNA data, extending a five-year collaboration that’s allowed the drugmaker to mine genetic data as it researches new medications. Under the new agreement, 23andMe will provide GSK with one year of access to anonymized DNA data from the approximately 80% of gene-testing customers who have agreed to share their information for research, 23andMe said in a statement Monday. The genetic-testing company will also provide data-analysis services to GSK.

23andMe is best known for its DNA-testing kits that give customers ancestry and health information. But the DNA it collects is also valuable, including for scientific research. With information from more than 14 million customers, the only data sets that rival the size of the 23andMe library belong to Ancestry.com and the Chinese government. The idea for drugmakers is to comb the data for hints about genetic pathways that might be at the root of disease, which could significantly speed up the long, slow process of drug development. GSK and 23andMe have already taken one potential medication to clinical trials: a cancer drug that works to block CD96, a protein that helps modulate the body’s immune responses. It entered that testing phase in four years, compared to an industry average of about seven years. Overall, the partnership between GSK and 23andMe has produced more than 50 new drug targets, according to the statement.

The new agreement changes some components of the collaboration. Any discoveries GSK makes with the 23andMe data will now be solely owned by the British pharmaceutical giant, while the genetic-testing company will be eligible for royalties on some projects. In the past, the two companies pursued new drug targets jointly. GSK’s new deal with 23andMe is also non-exclusive, leaving the genetic-testing company free to license its database to other drugmakers.

Submission + - SPAM: Maryland Motor Vehicles agency wants to know about your Sleep Apnea

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Man goes to the doctor for a sleep apnea diagnosis, a few months later he gets a letter from the state of Maryland about his sleep apnea, and they won’t tell him how they found out about it.

Dr. David Allick, a dentist in Rockville, was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea in June 2022. Months later, he received a letter from the MVA requesting additional information about his diagnosis in order “to determine your fitness to drive.” The September 2022 letter noted failure to return the required forms, which included a report from his physician, could result in the suspension of his license.

Allick said he isn’t clear how the state learned about his medical diagnosis. But more importantly, he said he was previously unaware of a little-known Maryland law requiring people to report their sleep apnea diagnosis to state driving authorities.

Allick said he still has questions about what prompted the ordeal.

How is this not a HIPAA violation?
Link to Original Source

Submission + - Google Calls In Help From Larry Page and Sergey Brin for AI Fight (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Last month, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google’s founders, held several meetings with company executives. The topic: a rival’s new chatbot, a clever A.I. product that looked as if it could be the first notable threat in decades to Google’s $149 billionsearch business. Mr. Page and Mr. Brin, who had not spent much time at Google since they left their daily roles with the company in 2019, reviewed Google’s artificial intelligence product strategy, according to two people with knowledge of the meetings who were not allowed to discuss them. They approved plans and pitched ideas to put more chatbot features into Google’s search engine. And they offered advice to company leaders, who have put A.I. front and center in their plans.

The re-engagement of Google’s founders, at the invitation of the company’s current chief executive, Sundar Pichai, emphasized the urgency felt among many Google executives about artificial intelligence and that chatbot, ChatGPT. The bot, which was released by the small San Francisco company OpenAI two months ago, amazed users by simply explaining complex concepts and generating ideas from scratch. More important to Google, it looked as if it could offer a new way to search for information on the internet. The new A.I. technology has shaken Google out of its routine. Mr. Pichaideclared a “code red,” upending existing plans and jump-starting A.I. development. Google now intends to unveil more than 20 new products and demonstrate a version of its search engine with chatbot features this year, according to a slide presentation reviewed by The New York Times and two people with knowledge of the plans who were not authorized to discuss them.

Submission + - SPAM: Israel, Cyprus and Greece Agree To Link Power Grids Via Subsea Cable

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Cyprus, Greece and Israel on Monday signed an initial agreement to build the world’s longest and deepest underwater power cable that will traverse the Mediterranean seabed at a cost of about $900 million and link their electricity grids. The project, called the Euro-Asia interconnector, will provide a back-up power source in times of emergency, said Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who was in Nicosia to sign a memorandum of understanding with his counterparts. Cypriot Energy Minister Natasa Pilides said it marked “a decisive step towards ending the island’s energy isolation, and consequently, our dependence on heavy fuels.”

The cable will have a capacity of 1,000-2,000 megawatts (MW) and is expected to be completed by 2024, according to Israel’s energy ministry. With a length of about 1,500 km and a maximum depth of 2,700 meters, it will be the longest and deepest subsea electricity cable to have ever been constructed, it said. Calling the project a "2,000 mega-watt highway," Pilides said the first stage is expected to be operational within 2025. It will cover three sections of the Mediterranean: some 310 kilometers between Israel and Cyprus, about 900 kilometers between Cyprus and Crete, and about 310 additional kilometers between Crete and mainland Greece. Greek power grid operator IPTO has started construction of the Crete-mainland part, seen concluding by 2023. The Greek operator and Eurasia have been working closely to make sure the two cables link to each other efficiently, an IPTO official said. The European Union has recognized the cable as a “Project of Common Interest”, categorizing it as a project it is willing to partly finance.
Link to Original Source

Comment Re:S'not Wooden (Score 1) 82

by jesse (#47539713) Attached to: A Warm-Feeling Wooden Keyboard (Video)

Hi @dotdancohen, We're using Matias Quiet Click switches. We're definitely aware that different folks have different preferences and assuming we can make the numbers and logistics go, we hope to offer several other Matias Alps options including their louder variant.

The ÂTron isn't for sale. (Nor is the Fingerworks or any of the other weirder stuff.)

I'd love to hear/read more about the leather keycaps.

And yep, I've actually been documenting my prototypes on GH :)

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