After nearly 20 years on the platform, The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says it is leaving X. "This isn't a decision we made lightly, but it might be overdue," the digital rights group said. "The math hasn't worked out for a while now." From the report: We posted to Twitter (now known as X) five to ten times a day in 2018. Those tweets garnered somewhere between 50 and 100 million impressions per month. By 2024, our 2,500 X posts generated around 2 million impressions each month. Last year, our 1,500 posts earned roughly 13 million impressions for the entire year. To put it bluntly, an X post today receives less than 3% of the views a single tweet delivered seven years ago. [...]

When you go online, your rights should go with you. X is no longer where the fight is happening. The platform Musk took over was imperfect but impactful. What exists today is something else: diminished, and increasingly de minimis.

EFF takes on big fights, and we win. We do that by putting our time, skills, and our members' support where they will effect the most change. Right now, that means Bluesky, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and eff.org. We hope you follow us there and keep supporting the work we do. Our work protecting digital rights is needed more than ever before, and we're here to help you take back control.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Waymo is launching a pilot with cities and Google's Waze to share pothole data collected by its robotaxis, giving local transportation departments a new way to find and fix road damage more quickly. "We realized, hey, once we're at scale, we can actually share this data with cities, which is something that they've asked for and something that we collect at scale," said Arielle Fleisher, Waymo's policy development and research manager. "And so we figured out a way to make that happen." The Verge reports: Waymo uses its perception hardware, including cameras and radar, as well as accelerometers and the vehicle's physical feedback system, to log every pothole its vehicles encounter. These sensors detect physical changes to the road's surface, such as tilt and movement when the vehicle encounters irregularities. Originally, Waymo knew it needed the ability to detect potholes so it could ensure that its vehicles slowed down to avoid damage or injury to the passenger. Later, the company realized this could be invaluable data for cities, too.

Under the new pilot program, that data will now be made available to cities' departments of transportation through a free-to-use Waze for Cities platform, which provides access to real-time, user-generated traffic data that officials can then use to make important decisions -- such as pothole repair. The platform also allows for Waze users to validate pothole locations through their own observations, decreasing the chances that city officials will be led astray by false positives.

Currently, many cities rely on a patchwork of non-emergency 311 reports and manual inspections to address their pothole problems. Waymo developed this pilot program after collecting years of feedback from city officials about the state of their highways and surface streets. The company is launching the new pilot in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, where Waymo says it has already helped the city identify approximately 500 potholes. Fleisher said that Waymo would be open to expanding the project to other street maladies based on further feedback from officials. The company is eager to learn what other types of street condition or safety data might be valuable, she said. "We want to be responsive to cities," Fleisher said. "They are interested in safer streets and potholes are really a tough challenge for cities. So we really wanted to meet that need as part of our desire to be a good partner and to ultimately advance our goal for safer streets."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: [Five skilled workers aged 50 and older spoke] to the Guardian about how, after struggling to find work in their fields, they have turned to an emerging and growing category of work: using their expertise to train artificial intelligence models. Known as data annotation, the work involves labeling and evaluating the information used to train AI models like Open AI's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini. A doctor, for example, might review how an AI model answers medical questions to flag incorrect or unsafe responses and suggest better ones, helping the system learn how to generate more accurate and reliable responses. The ultimate goal of training is to level up AI models until they're capable of doing a job as well as a human could -- meaning they could someday replace some of these human workers.

The companies behind AI training, such as Mercor, GlobalLogic, TEKsystems, micro1 and Alignerr, operate large contractor networks staffed by people like Ciriello. Their clients include tech giants like OpenAI, Google and Meta, academic researchers and industries including healthcare and finance. For experienced professionals, AI training contracts can be a side hustle -- or a temporary fallback following a layoff -- where top experts can, in some cases, earn over $180 an hour. But that's on the high end. For some older workers [...], it represents another thing entirely: a last refuge in a brutal job market that is harder to stay in, or re-enter, the older they get. For many of them, whether or not they're training their AI replacements in their professions is besides the point. They need the work now.

[...] "There's just a lot of desperation out there," Johnson said. As opportunities narrow, many turn to what Joanna Lahey, a professor at Texas A&M University who studies age discrimination and labor outcomes, calls "bridge jobs" -- lower-paying, less demanding roles that help workers stay financially afloat as they approach retirement. Historically, that meant taking temp assignments, retail and fast-food work and gig roles like Uber and food delivery. Now, for skilled workers -- engineers, lawyers, nurses or designers, for example -- using their expertise for AI data training is becoming the new bridge job. "[AI] training work may be better in some ways than those earlier alternatives," Lahey told the Guardian.

AI training can offer flexibility, quick income and intellectual engagement. But it's often a clear step down. Professionals in fields such as software development, medicine or finance typically earn six-figure salaries that come with benefits and paid leave, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to online job postings, AI training gigs start at $20 an hour, with pay increasing to between $30 and $40 an hour. In some cases, AI trainers with coveted subject matter expertise can earn over $100 an hour. AI training is contract-based, though, meaning the pay and hours are unstable, and it often doesn't come with benefits.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

BrianFagioli writes: Little Snitch, the well known macOS tool that shows which applications are connecting to the internet, is now being developed for Linux. The developer says the project started after experimenting with Linux and realizing how strange it felt not knowing what connections the system was making. Existing tools like OpenSnitch and various command line utilities exist, but none provided the same simple experience of seeing which process is connecting where and blocking it with a click. The Linux version uses eBPF for kernel level traffic interception, with core components written in Rust and a web based interface that can even monitor remote Linux servers.

During testing on Ubuntu, the developer noticed the system was relatively quiet on the network. Over the course of a week, only nine system processes made internet connections. By comparison, macOS reportedly showed more than one hundred processes communicating externally. Applications behave similarly across platforms though. Launching Firefox immediately triggered telemetry and advertising related connections, while LibreOffice made no network connections at all during testing. The early release is meant primarily as a transparency tool to show what software is doing on the network rather than a hardened security firewall.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Williams have announced the appointment of Dan Milner from rivals Mercedes to act as their new Chief Engineer – Vehicle Technology.

Bill Hammack, aka The Engineer Guy, is an amazing engineering educator and in this video he explains how duct tape is designed to simultaneously do three things well: “a) adhere with light pressure, b) stay in place, yet c) be removable”.

Controlling the stickiness of tape is of utmost importance. In fact, a key element of engineering tape is controlling its stickiness — and only by doing that can tape be wound into a useful roll. If the tape sticks too tightly to itself, we could not use it.

Gotta be honest: I was not expecting Silly Putty to make a relevant guest appearance during his explanation. And I love the ramp & ball test for tape stickiness near the end…a very elegant and simple bit of engineering:

Pressure sensitive tape predates much of the most elementary molecular understanding of adhesion; tape has been mass produced since the early twentieth century. That engineers developed and refined tape without this knowledge is no surprise — recall that the purpose of the engineering method is to solve problems before we have full scientific knowledge.

Tags: Bill Hammack · design · engineering · science · video

Someone ported Mac OS X to the Nintendo Wii. “Since its launch in 2007, the Wii has seen several operating systems ported to it: Linux, NetBSD, and most-recently, Windows NT. Today, Mac OS X joins that list.”

Galicia, Spain-based artist Abi Castillo continues to create iterative self-portraits through her evolving ensemble of ceramic personas. Her delicate yet emotive figures are an invitation to consider the inner self, transformation, and the beauty of the natural world.

Femininity, nature, and symbolism play a central role within Castillo’s sculptures, contrasting with the notion of concealment and ambiguity. “This ambivalence between mysticism and drama, between monstrosity and beauty, is all very present,” she explains in an artist statement.

Though each ceramic character is distinct, her body of work carries overarching formal motifs including colorful hairstyles and wide eyes with light blue irises. Organic elements—such as flowers, insects, coral, and marine foliage—wrap themselves around Castillo’s figures, evoking a sense of protection through delicate armor.

Last time we checked in with Castillo, she mentioned plans to move into a larger studio, where she works now. The artist shares that this opportunity has given her larger creative freedom, and she is looking forward to an exciting year including a group exhibition with Beautiful Bizarre Magazine opening next week at Outré Gallery in Melbourne. For updates and studio views, find Castillo on Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Abi Castillo’s Ceramic Beings Contrast Delicacy With the Natural World appeared first on Colossal.

Possible link to Mr. Raccoon's claimed Adobe break-in

A new extortion crew has targeted “several dozen high-value” corporations through phishing and helpdesk social-engineering, according to Google.…

FTC lawsuit lingers, while encouraging signs point to Iowa bill succeeding too

Agriculture manufacturing giant John Deere has agreed to a proposed $99 million settlement following a class action lawsuit in Illinois.…

PEGEIA (ANP) - Schaker Anish Giri is er bij het Kandidatentoernooi op Cyprus niet in geslaagd voor de derde keer op rij te winnen. Na zeges op Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa uit India en de Amerikaan Fabiano Caruana, moest de 31-jarige Nederlander donderdag in de tiende speelronde tegen de Amerikaan Hikaru Nakamura genoegen nemen met een remise.

Koploper Javokhir Sindarov won wel, van Praggnanandhaa. De Oezbeek vergrootte daarmee zijn voorsprong op nummer 2 Giri tot 2 punten. Na een rustdag op vrijdag volgt zaterdag de elfde speelronde.

De winnaar van het Kandidatentoernooi, dat duurt tot en met 16 april, strijdt om de wereldtitel tegen regerend kampioen Dommaraju Gukesh uit India.

DEN HAAG (ANP) - De politie heeft een man aangehouden op verdenking van meerdere brandstichtingen in Den Haag. De branden werden allemaal gesticht in hetzelfde gebied in het zuidwesten van de stad.

De eerste reeks gebeurde eind vorig jaar en zorgde volgens de politie voor veel onrust in de buurt. In de nacht van dinsdag 7 april kwamen er weer meldingen van branden binnen bij de politie op onder andere de Loosduinsekade, de Loosduinseweg, de Warmoezierstraat en de Bussumsestraat.

Op camerabeelden uit de Warmoezierstraat was een persoon te zien. In de buurt van de Bussumsestraat troffen agenten een man aan die voldeed aan het signalement van deze persoon. De man werd aangehouden en terwijl agenten hem fouilleerden, kwam er rook uit een ondergrondse container. In totaal vonden dinsdagnacht zeven branden plaats.

Uit onderzoek is gebleken dat de 25-jarige man uit Den Haag mogelijk ook betrokken was bij de brandstichtingen van eind 2025. Hij wordt vrijdag voorgeleid aan de rechter-commissaris.

NYON (ANP/BLOOMBERG) - Nike is in exclusieve onderhandelingen om de wedstrijdballen te maken die gebruikt worden in de mannenedities van de Champions League en andere Europese voetbaltoernooien voor clubs. Daarmee neemt het Amerikaanse sportkledingconcern mogelijk een contract over dat zijn Duitse rivaal Adidas al een kwart eeuw in handen heeft.

Dit staat in een verklaring van UC3, het samenwerkingsverband van de Europese voetbalbond UEFA en European Football Clubs die de marketing en zaken rond commerciële rechten voor Europese clubcompetities afhandelt. Er wordt gepraat over de jaren 2027 tot 2031. Financiële details werden niet bekendgemaakt. Zolang de onderhandelingen lopen, worden er ook geen nadere mededelingen gedaan.

Nike probeert al langer om dergelijke lucratieve contracten in de wacht te slepen. Twee jaar geleden versloeg Nike concurrent Adidas al door hoofdsponsor te worden van de Duitse nationale voetbalteams, een stap die ook kritiek opleverde van onder andere hooggeplaatste bestuurders in Berlijn.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

date stamped on slide, June 1966

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Aan de Prins Alexanderlaan in Rotterdam-Alexander is donderdag een man aangereden door een metro. Hij raakte zwaargewond en is naar het ziekenhuis gebracht. Op dat moment was hij wel nog aanspreekbaar.

De Libanese bevolking werd deze week geteisterd door de zwaarste Israëlische luchtaanvallen van de afgelopen decennia. „Het was als de apocalyps, het einde der tijden. Explosies, rook, vuur. Geen licht, geen lucht, niets.”

Twee Kamerleden hebben een motie van treurnis ingediend tegen Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, minister van Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (D66). De motie volgt op Sjoerdsma’s handelen omtrent de kabinetssteun aan hulporganisatie UNRWA.

The Last Shadow Puppets

gnsk has added a photo to the pool: