iain.davidson100 has added a photo to the pool:
John from Brisbane has added a photo to the pool:
We came across this delightful scene on the Cataract River in northern New South Wales (Sandy Hill area) just off the Bruxner Highway. After the terrible storm we had in Brisbane last night (with more expected all week), I could easily pick up sticks and go settle in a nice spot like this where all I could hear is the bubbling river. Still, this part of the state is hardly without its own weather traumas, being subject to terrible flooding. On second thoughts, if we set up here, I would have to drive that horrible highway for any supplies at all!
Company has hitherto thought different about sackings
Apple, which unlike its Big Tech peers has not made substantial job cuts, is reportedly in the process of eliminating several dozen positions in its sales organization.…
Poisoned PNGs contain malicious code
A fresh wave of ClickFix attacks is using fake Windows update screens to trick victims into downloading infostealer malware.…
Multiple internal studies allegedly buried by the company
Is Meta acting like a tobacco company denying cigarettes cause cancer, or an oil giant downplaying climate science? Lawyers in a recent court filing claim the social media titan buried internal research for years suggesting its platforms can harm children's mental health.…
An anonymous reader shares a report: The average American now holds onto their smartphone for 29 months, according to a recent survey by Reviews.org, and that cycle is getting longer. The average was around 22 months in 2016.
[...] Research released by the Federal Reserve last month concludes that each additional year companies delay upgrading equipment results in a productivity decline of about one-third of a percent, with investment patterns accounting for approximately 55% of productivity gaps between advanced economies.
The good news: businesses in the U.S. are generally quicker to reinvest in replacing aging equipment. The Federal Reserve report shows that if European productivity had matched U.S. investment patterns starting in 2000, the productivity gap between the U.S and European economic heavyweights would have been reduced by 29 percent for the U.K., 35 percent for France, and 101% for Germany.
[...] Research released by the Federal Reserve last month concludes that each additional year companies delay upgrading equipment results in a productivity decline of about one-third of a percent, with investment patterns accounting for approximately 55% of productivity gaps between advanced economies.
The good news: businesses in the U.S. are generally quicker to reinvest in replacing aging equipment. The Federal Reserve report shows that if European productivity had matched U.S. investment patterns starting in 2000, the productivity gap between the U.S and European economic heavyweights would have been reduced by 29 percent for the U.K., 35 percent for France, and 101% for Germany.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Some members of the maker community are distraught about Arduino's new terms of service (ToS), saying that the added rules put the company's open source DNA at risk. Arduino updated its ToS and privacy policy this month, which is about a month after Qualcomm announced that it's acquiring the open source hardware and software company. Among the most controversial changes is this addition: "User shall not: translate, decompile or reverse-engineer the Platform, or engage in any other activity designed to identify the algorithms and logic of the Platform's operation, unless expressly allowed by Arduino or by applicable license agreements ..."
In response to concerns from some members of the maker community, including from open source hardware distributor and manufacturer Adafruit, Arduino posted a blog on Friday. Regarding the new reverse-engineering rule, Arduino's blog said: "Any hardware, software or services (e.g. Arduino IDE, hardware schematics, tooling and libraries) released with Open Source licenses remain available as before. Restrictions on reverse-engineering apply specifically to our Software-as-a-Service cloud applications. Anything that was open, stays open."
But Adafruit founder and engineer Limor Fried and Adafruit managing editor Phillip Torrone are not convinced. They told Ars Technica that Arduino's blog leaves many questions unanswered and said that they've sent these questions to Arduino without response. "Why is reverse-engineering prohibited at all for a company built on openly hackable systems?" Fried and Torrone asked in a shared statement. There are also concerns about the ToS' broad new AI-monitoring powers, which offer little clarity on what data is collected, who can access it, or how long it's retained. On top of that, the update introduces an unusual patent clause that bars users from using the platform to identify potential infringement by Arduino or its partners, along with sweeping, perpetual rights over user-generated content. This could allow Arduino, and potentially Qualcomm, to republish, modify, monetize, or redistribute user uploads indefinitely.
In response to concerns from some members of the maker community, including from open source hardware distributor and manufacturer Adafruit, Arduino posted a blog on Friday. Regarding the new reverse-engineering rule, Arduino's blog said: "Any hardware, software or services (e.g. Arduino IDE, hardware schematics, tooling and libraries) released with Open Source licenses remain available as before. Restrictions on reverse-engineering apply specifically to our Software-as-a-Service cloud applications. Anything that was open, stays open."
But Adafruit founder and engineer Limor Fried and Adafruit managing editor Phillip Torrone are not convinced. They told Ars Technica that Arduino's blog leaves many questions unanswered and said that they've sent these questions to Arduino without response. "Why is reverse-engineering prohibited at all for a company built on openly hackable systems?" Fried and Torrone asked in a shared statement. There are also concerns about the ToS' broad new AI-monitoring powers, which offer little clarity on what data is collected, who can access it, or how long it's retained. On top of that, the update introduces an unusual patent clause that bars users from using the platform to identify potential infringement by Arduino or its partners, along with sweeping, perpetual rights over user-generated content. This could allow Arduino, and potentially Qualcomm, to republish, modify, monetize, or redistribute user uploads indefinitely.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An anonymous reader shares a report: As part of the settlement with Universal, Udio has amended its terms of service, and users can no longer download their outputs. This has AI music makers furious, and with good reason. Unfortunately, they have little recourse, as the contract they sign when creating a Udio account includes a waiver of the right to bring a class action.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
AMSTERDAM (ANP) - Het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven is kwetsbaar voor uitval van voorzieningen als stroom en internet. Het merendeel van de bedrijven kan al binnen een halve dag niet meer functioneren zonder elektriciteit, telecom of andere ICT-diensten, blijkt uit de jaarlijkse Nederlandse Innovatie Monitor. Na een week kan nog slechts 6 procent van de bedrijven opereren zonder stroom, 10 procent zonder telefonie en internet en 18 procent zonder ICT-diensten.
Volgens onderzoeksleider Henk Volberda, hoogleraar strategie & innovatie aan de UvA, onderstreept dit "de grote afhankelijkheid" van het bedrijfsleven van deze voorzieningen. Veel bedrijven hebben wel enkele voorzorgsmaatregelen getroffen, maar de omvang daarvan blijft beperkt. Gevraagd naar hun noodpakket met getroffen voorzorgsmaatregelen voor het uitvallen van vitale voorzieningen, blijkt dat een op de vijf bedrijven nog niets heeft ondernomen. Organisaties die meer maatregelen nemen, zijn volgens Volberda gemiddeld weerbaarder.
Bedrijven zijn daarnaast verdeeld over de invloed van geopolitieke risico's op hun bedrijfsvoering. Voor het bedrijfsleven als geheel geldt dat 43 procent de geopolitieke spanningen als enigszins tot zeer invloedrijk ervaart, terwijl 38 procent aangeeft hier beperkt of geen last van te ondervinden. Bij ondernemingen die vooral internationaal actief zijn, is de invloed van geopolitieke risico's volgens Volberda "duidelijk groter".
Hogere defensie-uitgaven
Bedrijven verwachten ook dat de hogere defensie-uitgaven leiden tot verdere krapte en verdringing op de arbeidsmarkt voor onderzoekspersoneel, maar zien tegelijkertijd ook kansen. "Hogere defensie-uitgaven kunnen de vraag in bestaande markten stimuleren en toegang bieden tot nieuwe markten", aldus Volberda.
Bedrijven hebben wel een inhaalslag gemaakt in organisatorische en personele capaciteiten die nodig zijn om kunstmatige intelligentie (AI) effectief toe te passen. Met name jonge, internationaal actieve bedrijven in de ICT-sector en zakelijke en financiële dienstverlening kennen volgens Volberda een "hoge AI-volwassenheid".
De aandacht voor het klimaat is verder afgenomen. Slechts een derde van de bedrijven heeft nog ambitieuze klimaatdoelstellingen, tegen bijna twee derde in 2022. Ook de klimaatinvesteringen zijn gehalveerd, van 4 naar 2 procent van de omzet. Volgens Volberda is het zorgelijk dat "vooral bedrijven met de grootste ecologische voetafdruk minder ambitieus zijn geworden".
Het merendeel van de Nederlandse bedrijven loopt direct vast bij een aanval op de vitale infrastructuur, blijkt uit nieuw onderzoek. Bedrijven lijken hun aandacht voor duurzaamheid te verleggen naar de inzet van AI.
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World Thru Lenz has added a photo to the pool:
A thread of “feel good” YouTube channels to watch. E.g.: “CinemaTherapy. Two former college roommates (one a filmmaker, the other a therapist) analyze movies.”
