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JPEG-XL Image Support Returns To Latest Chrome/Chromium Code

After widespread backlash over its 2022 decision to remove JPEG-XL support, Google has quietly restored the image format in the latest Chrome/Chromium codebase. Phoronix reports: Back in December they merged jxl-rs as a pure Rust-based JPEG-XL image decoder from the official libjxl organization. At the end of December they did more JPEG-XL plumbing with the enums and build flags for the support. Now as of yesterday they wired up the JXL decoder! The jxl-rs-powered JPEG-XL image decoding is gated by the enable_jxl_decoder build flag but it's enabled by default.

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Taiwan Issues Arrest Warrant for OnePlus CEO for China Hires

Prosecutors in Taiwan issued an arrest warrant [non-paywalled source] for the chief executive officer of the Chinese smartphone company OnePlus, stepping up the island's efforts to block China's tech players from recruiting Taiwanese talent. From a report: The Shilin district prosecutors office issued the warrant for CEO and co-founder Pete Lau and indicted two Taiwanese citizens who worked for him, according to an indictment by the office. OnePlus, a niche player whose phones run on a customized version of Android, is suspected of illegally recruiting more than 70 engineers in Taiwan.

The autonomous territory has stepped up its efforts to stop Chinese companies from raiding workers, who are often coveted because of their technical knowledge and experience. The Taiwanese officials put such limitations in place because they say recruiting from the semiconductor sector and other tech operations could jeopardize national security.

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Apple Bundles Creative Apps Into a Single Subscription

An anonymous reader quotes a report from MacRumors: Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription: Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad; Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad; Pixelmator Pro on the Mac and iPad; Motion on the Mac; Compressor on the Mac; and MainStage on the Mac.

Pixelmator Pro was previously only available on the Mac, but it is coming to the iPad. Apple Creator Studio subscribers will also receive access to exclusive AI features and premium content across not only the Final Cut Pro and Pixelmator Pro apps, but also the iWork apps Numbers, Pages, and Keynote, and the Freeform app later this year. So if you want the best, fully-featured versions of all of these apps going forward, you will need to subscribe to the bundle.

Apple says there will be separate Creator Studio and one-time purchase "versions" of each app. If you have both versions installed on your Mac, the Creator Studio versions will have "unique icons" so that they stand out, according to Apple. Apple Creator Studio will be available through the App Store starting Wednesday, January 28. All new subscribers will be able to receive a one-month free trial, and customers who purchase a new Mac or a qualifying iPad model with an A16, A17 Pro, or M-series chip or later will be eligible for an extended three-month free trial. "If you are not interested in subscribing to the new Apple Creator Studio bundle introduced today, you will officially start to miss out on some new features," adds MacRumors in a separate article. If you bought the apps via a one-time purchase, or plan to do so in the future, "you will no longer have access to all new features," though they will continue to receive updates.

"There are some exceptions, as Apple says Logic Pro and MainStage will have all the same features whether they are subscription or one-time-purchase versions," notes MacRumors. "It looks like most if not all of the new features that will be limited to Creator Studio subscribers will be powered by AI, as Apple repeatedly describes them as 'intelligent' features. The apps are continuing to receive other new features that do not require a subscription over time, so one-time purchasers are not completely left out."

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EV Roadside Repairs Easier Than Petrol or Diesel, New Data Suggests

Electric vehicles are more likely to be fixed at the roadside than petrol or diesel cars despite public fears to the contrary, according to new breakdown data from the AA. From a report: New research from Autotrader and the AA, carried out in December among more than 2,000 consumers, found 44% of respondents are concerned about the risk of breakdowns or roadside repairs when considering switching to an EV. Concern was highest among drivers aged 75 and over, with 56% saying they were worried.

The North East recorded the highest level of concern at 52%, while women were slightly more likely to express reservations than men - 46% versus 41%. Even so, AA call-out data indicates EVs are more likely to be successfully repaired at the roadside than a 12-volt battery in a petrol or diesel car.

Separately, industry data continues to indicate growing readiness to service electric cars. A recent Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) survey of aftermarket businesses found 81.2% of UK workshops are already equipped to work on EVs, according to the campaign partners.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

VS roepen Amerikanen in Iran op te vertrekken

WASHINGTON (ANP/RTR/AFP) - De Verenigde Staten raden hun burgers die in Iran zijn aan om dat land onmiddellijk te verlaten. De afdeling consulaire zaken van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken meldde dat op X.

Het ministerie raadt mensen aan om over land te vertrekken naar Turkije of Armenië als dat veilig is.

In Iran zijn de grootste protesten tegen de regering sinds jaren uitgebroken en de Amerikaanse regering beraadt zich op een reactie. President Donald Trump dreigde met "zeer sterke actie" als de Iraanse regering demonstranten gaat ophangen, zoals ze had gedreigd.

Volgens mensenrechtengroepen zijn er veel demonstranten gedood. HRANA, een in de VS gevestigde mensenrechtenorganisatie die zich bezighoudt met Iran, meldt meer dan 2000 geverifieerde doden bij de protesten.

Trump riep Iraniërs dinsdag op te blijven demonstreren. "Hulp is onderweg", zei hij. Onlangs dreigde de Amerikaanse president met militair ingrijpen in Iran, als er in het land demonstranten worden gedood.


Vier arrestaties bij Iraanse ambassade na gooien met stenen

DEN HAAG (ANP) - Bij de Iraanse ambassade in Den Haag zijn dinsdagavond vier mensen aangehouden. Ze gooiden met stenen naar de ambassade en probeerden het hek bij het gebouw over te klimmen, bevestigt de politie berichtgeving van 112-website Regio15.

De arrestaties waren rond 21.00 uur. Of er meer mensen bij de ambassade vernielingen aanrichtten, weet de politiewoordvoerder niet. Volgens hem waren er gedurende de dag demonstraties bij de ambassade aan de Duinweg.

Regio15 meldt dat er na de arrestaties extra bewaking is ingezet bij en rondom de ambassade. De politie kan daar niets over kwijt.

In Nederland wordt de afgelopen dagen net als in Iran zelf gedemonstreerd tegen het regime van dat land. Mensenrechtenorganisaties geven aan dat in Iran met dodelijk geweld wordt opgetreden tegen de demonstranten en dat dit al tot veel slachtoffers heeft geleid.


photo

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

photo

The Marlon D. Beltran Collection

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

The Marlon D. Beltran Collection

date stamped on slide, February 2001

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How Will the Miracle Happen Today? “Kindness is like a breath. It...

How Will the Miracle Happen Today? “Kindness is like a breath. It can be squeezed out, or drawn in. You can wait for it, or you can summon it. To solicit a gift from a stranger takes a certain state of openness.”

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