Thomas Hawk posted a photo:
Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley are pressing the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to provide better information on how much electricity data centers actually use. In a joint letter sent to the EIA on Thursday, the two senators press the agency to publicly collect "comprehensive, annual energy-use disclosures" on data centers, saying it's "essential for accurate grid planning and will support policymaking to prevent large companies from increasing electricity costs for American families." Wired reports: In December, EIA administrator Tristan Abbey said at a roundtable that he expects the EIA "is going to be an essential player in providing objective data and analysis to policymakers" with respect to data centers. The agency announced on Wednesday that it would be conducting a voluntary pilot program to collect energy consumption information from nearly 200 companies operating data centers in Texas, Washington, and Virginia, which will cover "energy sources, electricity consumption, site characteristics, server metrics, and cooling systems."
While the senators praise the EIA pilot program, their letter includes several questions about how the agency plans to move forward with more data collection, such as whether or not the energy surveys will be mandatory and whether or not the EIA will collect information on behind-the-meter power. This information will be especially crucial, the senators say, to make sure that big tech companies that signed the agreement at the White House earlier this month pledging that consumers won't bear the costs of data center electricity use will stick to their promises. "Without this data, policymakers, utility companies, and local communities are operating in the dark," the senators write.
The EIA mandates that other industries, including oil and gas and manufacturing, provide regular data to the agency; Hawley and Warren assert that the EIA should be able to collect similar information from data centers under the same provision. The provision is broad enough, Peskoe says, that it could absolutely be interpreted to encompass data centers. Yesterday, Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced a bill that would "enact a reasonable pause to the development of AI to ensure the safety of humanity." It calls for a federal moratorium on AI data centers until stronger national safeguards are in place around safety, jobs, privacy, energy costs, and environmental impact.
While the senators praise the EIA pilot program, their letter includes several questions about how the agency plans to move forward with more data collection, such as whether or not the energy surveys will be mandatory and whether or not the EIA will collect information on behind-the-meter power. This information will be especially crucial, the senators say, to make sure that big tech companies that signed the agreement at the White House earlier this month pledging that consumers won't bear the costs of data center electricity use will stick to their promises. "Without this data, policymakers, utility companies, and local communities are operating in the dark," the senators write.
The EIA mandates that other industries, including oil and gas and manufacturing, provide regular data to the agency; Hawley and Warren assert that the EIA should be able to collect similar information from data centers under the same provision. The provision is broad enough, Peskoe says, that it could absolutely be interpreted to encompass data centers. Yesterday, Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced a bill that would "enact a reasonable pause to the development of AI to ensure the safety of humanity." It calls for a federal moratorium on AI data centers until stronger national safeguards are in place around safety, jobs, privacy, energy costs, and environmental impact.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
JPMorgan is piloting a system that monitors junior investment bankers to avoid burnout (source paywalled; alternative source). "[T]he bank will seek to match up hours claimed by the bankers with digital activity," reports Bloomberg. "The tool won't be used for evaluation purposes, but is designed to provide a better estimate of employee workloads." From the report: The program will monitor the weekly digital footprint, including video calls, desktop keystrokes, and scheduled meetings, the Financial Times reported earlier, adding JPMorgan plans to roll out the effort more widely across its investment bank. Banks on Wall Street are known for heavy working hours, but can in return offer salaries of as much as $200,000 for entry-level analyst and associate roles. "Much like the weekly screen time summaries on a smartphone, this tool is about awareness -- not enforcement," a representative for JPMorgan said in a statement. "It's designed to support transparency, well-being, and encourage open conversations about workload."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
In 2002, Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine, Let Forever Be, etc.) made a great video for Kylie Minogue's Come Into My World. I guess he has mortgage payments to make because he just remade it as a commercial for a purse but that's neither here nor there. What I'm here to complain about is that the official Kylie Minogue YouTube channel (1.5M subscribers) has the "Official video" (45M views) "Full HD, Remastered".
Now, I'm old enough to remember when "remastered" meant "we re-scanned the 35mm negative". Let's take a look at the upper left quadrant of the first 15 seconds of that video at half speed. On the left: a 702x576 rip I made of the video in 2003 from the SD DVD release, Directors Series Volume 3: The Work of Michel Gondry; on the right, the 1392x1062 "Official Full HD Remaster".
Pay special attention to the text on the white sign at about 8 seconds in. Full-screen it for the true zalgo-level, AI-upscale, edge-detect horrorshow.
This is why I have trust issues.
Memorabilia from Jaws, Cast Away and The Lord of The Rings also went under the hammer
A light-up C-3PO head used in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back has fetched more than US$1m at an auction.
The prop was part of a collection of film and TV memorabilia that went under the hammer on Wednesday as part of the Spring Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction at Propstore auction house in Los Angeles.
Continue reading...American wins 6-1, 6-1 to continue domination of rival
Gauff will play Sabalenka or Rybakina in Miami Open final
With her hopes of a monumental result at the Miami Open all but over, Karolina Muchova’s desperation deep in her semi-final match against Coco Gauff brought her into the forecourt. Down 1-6, 0-4, a sweet backhand drop volley from Muchova offered her a chance to put away an easy smash with Gauff stranded at the net.
Muchova, one of the most skilled volleyers in the game, would have won that point against almost any other player, but a bad match up in tennis can cause chaos in the mind. This time, Muchova inexplicably chose to stroke the smash straight in the direction of a surprised Gauff, who reflexively directed her backhand half-volley into the open court for a clean winner. Not long after, Gauff closed out her dominant, composed performance without drama to reach the final of her home tournament for the first time in her career with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Muchova.
Continue reading...Russian president expected to continue invasion of Ukraine until his forces have secured remaining areas of eastern Donbas
Vladimir Putin has asked Russia’s oligarchs to donate to the country’s dwindling defence budget to continue its invasion of Ukraine, it has been reported.
The Russian president is expected to continue the conflict, which began in February 2022, until Moscow has secured the remaining areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region not under its control, according to the Financial Times.
At least two businessmen have told Putin they would be willing to make contributions to the defence budget after talks on Thursday, the newspaper reported.
Putin is understood to be pressing ahead with the invasion after Ukraine refused to withdraw unilaterally from Donbas during recent negotiations brokered by the US.
Russia will be in contact with the US about a new round of talks on a peace settlement as soon as conditions allow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov said Russia had not lost interest in peace talks but added that key issues – including territory – had yet to be settled.
The Kremlin’s defence bill has increased by 42% to reach Rbs13.1tn (£121bn) last year and it has sought to stabilise its economy through taxation.
The economy minister, Maxim Reshetnikov, said on Thursday that Russia was considering another windfall tax this year if the rouble continues to weaken. Russia raised Rbs320bn (£2.95bn) through a one-off 10% windfall levy on some large companies in 2023.
In January, the Kremlin increased VAT to 22% in a bid to raise an extra Rbs600bn over three years from small and medium-sized businesses.
Russia’s budget deficit for January and February swelled to more than 90% of the figure projected for the whole year as US sanctions forced Moscow to sell oil at significantly discounted prices.
Earlier, Putin cautioned that Russian companies and the government should take a guarded approach when deciding how to spend windfall gains from higher oil prices resulting from the war in the Middle East.
“Now that the prices of our traditional exports are rising, but the markets are in turmoil, there may be a temptation to take advantage of the situation,” he told business leaders in Moscow.
Putin added this temptation could involve squandering the extra revenue, paying it out in company dividends or, in the state’s case, expanding budget spending.
“We must remain prudent. If the markets swing one way today, they could swing the other tomorrow,” he added.
“A moderate degree of conservatism and a moderately conservative approach are needed, both in the corporate sector and in public finances.”
The Republic of Ireland were riding a wave of confidence into the World Cup playoff semi-final, according to Séamus Coleman, but it struck a rock on an agonising night in Prague. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side squandered the initiative twice against the Czech Republic, in normal time and in the penalty shootout, as their hopes of qualifying for a first World Cup in 24 years evaporated.
Ireland led 2-0 after 23 minutes courtesy of a Troy Parrott penalty and a calamitous own goal by Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar but they gifted the hosts a route back when Ryan Manning conceded a needless spot-kick. An 86th-minute equaliser from Wolves defender Ladislav Krejci took the game into extra time and then on to penalties.
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The post 10 Composition Mistakes That Are Quietly Ruining Your Photos (And How to Fix Them) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.
You’ve got a decent camera. You understand exposure. But something about your photos still feels… off. More often than not, the culprit isn’t your gear — it’s composition. The good news? These mistakes are easy to spot once you know what to look for, and even easier to fix. Here are ten composition habits that might be holding your photos back.
1. Putting the subject dead-centre every time The rule of thirds exists for a reason. Placing your subject slightly off-centre creates visual tension and a more natural, engaging image. Try positioning eyes, horizons, or focal points along the grid lines instead.
2. A cluttered, busy background Your background is working either for you or against you — there’s no neutral. Before you shoot, scan the whole frame. Distracting elements behind your subject? Move your feet, change your angle, or open up your aperture.
3. Cutting off limbs at the joints Cropping someone at the wrist, ankle, or knee looks awkward and unintentional. If you need to crop a person, do it between joints — mid-forearm, mid-shin, mid-thigh.
4. A horizon that’s not actually horizontal A tilted horizon is one of the most common and most fixable mistakes in photography. Use your camera’s built-in level (most have one), or spend 10 seconds straightening in post.
5. No clear subject Ask yourself: what is this photo of? If the answer is vague, your viewer won’t know where to look. Every strong image has a clear visual anchor. Find yours before you press the shutter.
6. Not using leading lines Roads, fences, rivers, staircases — these are gifts. Leading lines pull the viewer’s eye into the frame and give your image depth and direction. Look for them in every scene.
7. Shooting everything from eye level Eye level is comfortable, but it’s also predictable. Get low and shoot upward for drama. Get high and shoot down for context. Even a small change in angle can transform a photo entirely.
8. Ignoring negative space Empty space isn’t wasted space. Negative space gives your subject room to breathe and can make an image feel calm, deliberate, and modern. Don’t feel compelled to fill every corner of the frame.
9. Merging edges — where your subject “touches” the background When a tree, pole, or wall appears to grow out of someone’s head, it’s called a merge — and it’s distracting. Check your edges before shooting and adjust your position to separate the subject from the background.
10. Forgetting to simplify The best compositions usually have one thing to say. Before you shoot, ask: what can I remove from this frame? Great composition is often about subtraction, not addition.
The great thing about composition is that it costs nothing and improves everything. You don’t need a new lens or a camera upgrade — just a more intentional eye. Pick one of these to focus on during your next shoot and see what a difference it makes.
The post 10 Composition Mistakes That Are Quietly Ruining Your Photos (And How to Fix Them) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.