jwz – Autonomous murderbots still going great

Feb 022023
 

Self-driving cars are causing mayhem on SF streets In letters to the California Public Utilities Commission seeking to curtail their expansion, the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency and County Transportation Authority documented at least 92 incidents between late May and December where self-driving taxis created mayhem on city streets — disrupting traffic, Muni transit and emergency responders. Jan 22: Firefighters were battling a two-alarm apartment blaze on the corner of Hayes and Divisadero streets when a driverless Cruise car entered the active firefighting scene and nearly ran over fire hoses on the street. Firefighters at the scene stood in front of the car to try to get it to stop, but the autonomous vehicle came to…

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 2023-02-02  Comments Off on jwz – Autonomous murderbots still going great

Techdirt. – ShotSpotter Employees Not Only Have The Power To Alter Gunshot Reports, But Do It Nearly 10% Of The Time

Feb 022023
 

What’s being presented by ShotSpotter as good news for people who feel they’ve been wrongly accused, doesn’t actually appear to be all that comforting.
ShotSpotter’s mic tech and AI combine forces to report possible gunshots to law enforcement customers. It’s very hit or miss, he said with all possible puns intended. ShotSpotter says it’s nearly 100% accurate and can play an important part in reducing gun crime.
Actual customers say something else:

A 2013 investigation of the effectiveness of ShotSpotter in Newark, New Jersey revealed that from 2010 to 2013, the system’s sensors alerted police 3,632 times, but only led to 17 actual arrests. According to the investigation, 75% of the gunshot alerts were false alarms.

97% accuracy? Not what…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.techdirt.com/2023/02/01/shotspotter-employees-not-only-have-the-power-to-alter-gunshot-reports-but-do-it-nearly-10-of-the-time/

 2023-02-02  Comments Off on Techdirt. – ShotSpotter Employees Not Only Have The Power To Alter Gunshot Reports, But Do It Nearly 10% Of The Time

Hackaday – RP2040 DMA Hack Makes Another ‘CPU Core’

Jan 212023
 

[Bruce Land] of Cornell University will be a familiar name to many Hackaday readers, searching the site for ‘ECE4760′ will bring up many interesting topics around embedded programming. Every year [Bruce] releases yet more of the students’ work out into the wild to our great delight. This RP2040-based project is a bit more abstract than some previous work and shows yet another implementation of an older hack to utilise the DMA hardware of the RP2040 as another CPU core. While the primary focus of the RP2040 DMA subsystem is moving data between memory spaces, with minimal CPU intervention, the DMA control blocks have some fairly complex behaviour. This allows for a Turing-complete CPU to be implemented purely…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://hackaday.com/2023/01/20/help-needed-on-thumb-image-rp2040-dma-hack-makes-another-cpu-core/

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The Onion – CEOs Explain Why They Oppose A 4-Day Workweek

Jan 102023
 

While European companies have begun experimenting with four-day workweeks, American companies have yet to adopt the practice. The Onion asked American CEOs to explain why they oppose a shorter workweek, and this is what they said.

Read more…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.theonion.com/ceos-explain-why-they-oppose-a-4-day-workweek-1849920651

 2023-01-10  Comments Off on The Onion – CEOs Explain Why They Oppose A 4-Day Workweek

Richard Stallman’s Political Notes – American teenagers perceive basic adult activities as risky

Dec 272022
 

Many American teenagers have so little experience of independent activity
that they perceive basic adult activities as risky.

It is plausible that this is a frequent result of treating adolescents
like children, and children like infants.

External feed Read More at the Source: https://stallman.org/archives/2022-sep-dec.html#26_December_2022_(American_teenagers_perceive_basic_adult_activities_as_risky)

 2022-12-27  Comments Off on Richard Stallman’s Political Notes – American teenagers perceive basic adult activities as risky

Planet PostgreSQL – Peter Eisentraut: PostgreSQL hidden gems

Dec 272022
 

There is a PostgreSQL major release every year, and every release has
about 200 changes listed
in the release notes. A handful of those are typically listed at the
top as “major items”, which are highlighted for the benefit of the
public. Sometimes, a feature that was not highlighted as major turns out later
to have a significant impact. Consider these features that flew under
the radar at the time: PostgreSQL 9.4: replication slots This is the one that always comes to my mind when I think back about “hidden gems”. At the time perhaps not fully understood, replication slots are now absolutely essential for any replication setup. PostgreSQL 9.5: pg_rewind pg_rewind existed as an external project outside…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://postgr.es/p/5Aj

 2022-12-27  Comments Off on Planet PostgreSQL – Peter Eisentraut: PostgreSQL hidden gems

World Socialist Web Site (en) – Roger Waters releases new versions of antiwar tracks on The Lockdown Sessions EP

Dec 262022
 

Internationally renowned rock musician and political activist Roger Waters has released an extended play recording of six songs from his Pink Floyd and solo catalog that highlight his decades of opposition to imperialist war and the threat of nuclear annihilation.

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2022/12/27/nfjw-d27.html

 2022-12-26  Comments Off on World Socialist Web Site (en) – Roger Waters releases new versions of antiwar tracks on The Lockdown Sessions EP

Techdirt. – Tom Lehrer Puts Whatever He Hadn’t Already Donated To The Public Domain Into The Public Domain

Dec 262022
 

Hopefully, you already know who Tom Lehrer is, and are already familiar with his music, but if you’re somehow in the dark, I suggest you read this excellent profile, or visit his unofficial official YouTube channel. Or, visit his website where you can download everything for free (he even begs you not to send him money).
We’ve written about Lehrer twice before, both regarding his views on effectively releasing his music in the public domain. Back in 2014, we wrote about how a fan had basically put all of his works on YouTube, and then contacted Lehrer to apologize. Lehrer told him there was nothing to apologize for: he was glad the works were out there. The…

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 2022-12-26  Comments Off on Techdirt. – Tom Lehrer Puts Whatever He Hadn’t Already Donated To The Public Domain Into The Public Domain

Deeplinks – The Battle For Online Speech Moved To U.S. Courts: 2022 in Review

Dec 262022
 

EFF and our supporters have fought off numerous wrongheaded attempts by Congress to regulate online speech, including several that we wrote about last December.
The bevy of bad internet regulation proposals coming out of Congress hasn’t stopped. In 2022, the EARN IT Act was re-introduced. This wrongheaded bill would have allowed states to strip away critical legal protections for any websites, apps, or platforms, as long as state lawmakers linked their proposals to child abuse. If passed, the EARN IT Act would encourage censorship and prod companies away from using encryption. 
This bill, which produced massive pushback from EFF supporters, died in the Senate, but not before a committee vote that endorsed the bill.
Meanwhile, two laws that were…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/2022-battle-online-speech-moved-us-courts

 2022-12-26  Comments Off on Deeplinks – The Battle For Online Speech Moved To U.S. Courts: 2022 in Review

The Onion – Existential Horror At Wealthy Elite Selling Off Humanity’s Future Successfully Sublimated Into Yelling At Cashier

Dec 262022
 

FISHERS, IN—An encouraging scene reportedly unfolded at a local Kroger supermarket Monday morning when a local woman’s existential horror at the wealthy elite selling off humanity’s future was successfully sublimated into yelling at a cashier. Sources confirmed that Teresa Baker showed an astounding capacity for…

Read more…

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 2022-12-26  Comments Off on The Onion – Existential Horror At Wealthy Elite Selling Off Humanity’s Future Successfully Sublimated Into Yelling At Cashier

Jacobin – What Is “At-Will Employment,” and Why Does It Matter?

Dec 262022
 

Socialist New York City councilor Tiffany Cabán recently introduced legislation requiring “just cause” for firing workers. We spoke to a labor law scholar about why scrapping “at-will” employment would bring a major measure of democracy to the workplace.
Under the existing “at-will” employment regime, most workers in the United States could be fired tomorrow for any reason, without explanation. (E. F. Joseph / Anthony Potter Collection / Getty Images) In the United States, we often take for granted the immense power our employers have over us. Consider, for instance, the fact that your boss could fire you tomorrow for absolutely no reason. Didn’t get a hearing to defend yourself? What about…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://jacobin.com/2022/12/at-will-employment-just-cause-nyc-caban/

 2022-12-26  Comments Off on Jacobin – What Is “At-Will Employment,” and Why Does It Matter?

Hackaday – Alpakka: A Creative Commons Game Controller

Dec 262022
 

Input Labs’ mission is to produce open-source hardware and software for creating gaming controllers that can be adapted to anyone. Alpakka is their current take on a generic controller, looking similar to a modern Xbox or PlayStation controller but with quite a few differences. The 3D printed casing has a low-poly count, angular feel to it, but if you don’t like that you can tweak that in blender to just how you want it. Alpakka emulates a standard USB-attached keyboard, mouse, and Xinput gamepad in parallel so should just work out for both Linux and Windows PC platforms. The firmware includes some built-in game profiles, which can be selected on the controller.
No special parts here, just 3D prints, a…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://hackaday.com/2022/12/22/alpakka-a-creative-commons-game-controller/

 2022-12-26  Comments Off on Hackaday – Alpakka: A Creative Commons Game Controller

Hackaday – Encoding NTSC With Your Hands Tied

Dec 252022
 

Generally, when trying to implement some protocol, you are constrained by your hardware and time. But for someone like [EMMIR], that’s not enough. For example, NTSC-CRT is a video signal encoding/decoding simulator with no hardware acceleration, floating point math, or third-party libraries. Just basic C.
While NTSC has officially gone dark in America, people still make their own ATTiny-powered transmitters. NTSC is a bit of a strange standard and is sometimes referred to as never-twice-the-same color, but it does produce a distinct look.
That look is what [EMMIR] was going for. It encodes a message in a ppm format into NTSC and then back in ppm with some configurable noise. It can do this in real-time as an…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://hackaday.com/2022/12/25/encoding-ntsc-with-your-hands-tied/

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New on MIT Technology Review – A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate

Dec 242022
 

A startup claims it has launched weather balloons that may have released reflective sulfur particles in the stratosphere, potentially crossing a controversial barrier in the field of solar geoengineering. That refers to deliberate efforts to manipulate the climate by reflecting more sunlight back into space, mimicking a natural process that occurs in the aftermath of large volcanic eruptions. In theory, spraying sulfur and similar particles in sufficient quantities could potentially ease global warming. It’s not technically difficult to release such compounds in the stratosphere. But scientists have mostly refrained from carrying out even small-scale outdoor experiments (though not entirely). And it’s not clear that any have yet injected materials into that specific layer of the atmosphere in the…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/24/1066041/a-startup-says-its-begun-releasing-particles-into-the-atmosphere-in-an-effort-to-tweak-the-climate/

 2022-12-24  Comments Off on New on MIT Technology Review – A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate

Incense In The Wind – Ramakrishna’s Natural Handmade Incense Sticks Orange

Dec 242022
 

 I picked up a sample of incense from my favourite Indian shop in Southampton the other day –  Shekhar’s Natural Handmade Incense Sticks Nag Champa – and it put me in mind of Ramakrishna’s Natural Handmade Incense, which some people have been recommending to me, and I was curious to compare them, so I decided to explore Ramakrishna’s incense, and have bought a big selection via GoaBay. I’m happy I did – it’s good stuff. It doesn’t quite live up to the hype, but it’s worth getting at a reasonable price. There is little difference between Shekahr and Ramakrishna – the incense is clearly made in the same manner with the same recipes, and packaged in the same way. They…

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 2022-12-24  Comments Off on Incense In The Wind – Ramakrishna’s Natural Handmade Incense Sticks Orange

Jacobin – Eugene V. Debs on the 1914 Christmas Truce

Dec 242022
 

Our Christmas present to you: a long-lost Eugene V. Debs article on the famed 1914 Christmas truce, in which German and British soldiers dropped their weapons for a day and played football together — displaying humanity in the face of barbarity.
An illustration of British and German troops suspending hostilities for Christmas in 1914. (Print Collector / Getty Images) The soldiers engaged in the European slaughter have become entirely too friendly with each other. They have in fact fraternized when they have had a chance instead of fratriciding.
And this has been pronounced a crime and threatened with punishment as the following cablegram explains:
The German army authorities have issued a general order…

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 2022-12-24  Comments Off on Jacobin – Eugene V. Debs on the 1914 Christmas Truce

Phoronix – Haiku R1 Beta 4 Released With Improved HiDPI, WiFi Updates, Wayland Compatibility Layer

Dec 232022
 

It was back in July 2021 that Haiku R1 Beta 3 was released for this spiritual successor to the BeOS operating system. Now before Christmas and closing out 2022, Haiku R1 Beta 4 has been released as the latest major milestone for this open-source operating system effort…

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 2022-12-23  Comments Off on Phoronix – Haiku R1 Beta 4 Released With Improved HiDPI, WiFi Updates, Wayland Compatibility Layer

jwz – Facial Recognition Gets Girl Scout Mom Kicked Out

Dec 212022
 

Radio Surveillance Music Hall: A sign says facial recognition is used as a security measure to ensure safety for guests and employees. Conlon says she posed no threat, but the guards still kicked her out with the explanation that they knew she was an attorney. […] Conlon is an associate with the New Jersey based law firm, Davis, Saperstein and Solomon, which for years has been involved in personal injury litigation against a restaurant venue now under the umbrella of MSG Entertainment. “I don’t practice in New York. I’m not an attorney that works on any cases against MSG,” said Conlon. But MSG said she was banned nonetheless — along with fellow attorneys in that…

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 2022-12-21  Comments Off on jwz – Facial Recognition Gets Girl Scout Mom Kicked Out

Deeplinks – User Generated Content and the Fediverse: A Legal Primer

Dec 212022
 

A growing number of people are experimenting with federated alternatives to social media like Mastodon, either by joining an “instance” hosted by someone else or creating their own instance by running the free, open-source software on a server they control. (See more about this movement and joining the fediverse here).
The fediverse isn’t a single, gigantic social media platform like Facebook or Youtube. It’s an expanding ecosystem of interconnected sites and services that let people interact with each other no matter which one of these sites and services they have an account with. That means people can tailor and better control their own experience of social media and be less reliant on a monoculture developed by a handful…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/12/user-generated-content-and-fediverse-legal-primer

 2022-12-21  Comments Off on Deeplinks – User Generated Content and the Fediverse: A Legal Primer
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