Sep 30
The New York medical examiner’s office confirmed that 1-year-old Nicholas Feliz-Dominici died of acute fentanyl intoxication on Sept. 15.
Sep 30
The Morning After: The FTC is challenging Microsoft’s Activision buyout, again
Posted in: Today's ChiliJust when Microsoft’s buyout of Activision finally seemed to be near complete — and we could focus on Google’s legal tussles with the Department of Justice — the Federal Trade Commission said it will revive its attempt to block the $69 billion deal in an adjudicative process. Microsoft received EU approval over the summer when the European Commission endorsed the deal as long as the tech giant could ensure “full compliance with commitments.”
Normally, the FTC drops its challenges to deals when efforts are lost in federal court. This move will not delay the deal, though in the worst-case scenario, Microsoft might have to sell off parts of the gaming company. Microsoft told Bloomberg it’s not concerned about the move preventing its purchase. Regardless of the impact it could have, the FTC’s in-house hearing will only start after the Ninth Circuit issues an opinion on the appeal.
— Mat Smith
The Morning After is going to YouTube. Check out our weekly episodes here!
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Scientists confirm some black holes spin
The researchers analyzed 22 years’ worth of observations of the galaxy M87.
Observing 22 years of the first black hole humanity has ever imaged has offered “unequivocal evidence” that black holes spin. There’s apparently an oscillating jet that swings up and down roughly every 11 years. An international team of scientists headed by Chinese researcher Dr. Cui Yuzhu analyzed more than two decades of observational data gathered by more than 20 telescopes around the world to make the discovery in the black hole at the center of galaxy M87.
A small fraction of particles not falling into the black hole get jetted out. The telescopes’ observations show that M87’s jet oscillates by 10 degrees in a recurring 11-year cycle — as Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity predicted. Aside from proving Einstein right, it’s a significant discovery that massively improves our understanding of black holes.
Honda’s first all-electric SUV has 300-mile range
The Prologue arrives in early 2024.
Honda has revealed more details about its all-electric Prologue SUV. The EV will have a listed range of 300 miles and cost in “the upper $40,000s” before any incentives or tax credits. The pricing puts it well above rival SUVs, like the Volkswagen ID.4, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Mustang Mach-E — all of which start around $40,000. Also, the range of Honda’s EV is comparatively shorter.
This third-party deck makes your Switch feel like a dream
CRKD’s Nitro Deck costs $60.
Engadget
The Nitro Deck comes from CRKD, a new company founded at Embracer Group’s Freemode incubator lab. The Nitro Deck is a simple idea executed well: Slide your Switch screen into the frame and it acts as a self-contained, beefed-up gamepad, sidestepping the initially innovative but drifty Joy-Con controllers. You can also get it in a decidedly Gamecube colorway. Lots of purple.
These origami-inspired flying robots change shape in mid-air
The true foldables.
University of Washington
Scientists at the University of Washington have developed flying robots that change shape in mid-air, without batteries, as originally published in the research journal Science Robotics. These miniature Transformers snap into a folded position during flight to stabilize descent. They weigh just 400 milligrams and feature an on-board battery-free actuator, powered by solar. Future-use cases could range from monitoring weather to checking air conditions with a fleet of the lil’ things.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-ftc-is-challenging-microsofts-activision-buyout-again-111600835.html?src=rss
Sep 30
Qualcomm Technologies has unveiled its next-generation XR (Extended Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) platforms, marking a significant advancement in immersive technology. These cutting-edge platforms have been developed in close collaboration with Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, and are set to be commercially available on Meta devices in 2023.
Two notable products are slated for release: the recently released Meta Quest 3, powered by the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 Platform, and the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses collection, driven by the Snapdragon AR1 Platform. Additionally, other manufacturers are expected to follow suit in adopting Snapdragon as their preferred XR platform.
The Snapdragon XR2 will power Meta Quest 3.
The partnership between Qualcomm and Meta signifies the fusion of physical and digital realms, offering a compelling opportunity for both companies. Meta’s CTO and Head of Reality Labs, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, emphasized their shared commitment to pioneering mixed reality and smart glasses technologies.
He highlighted Qualcomm Technologies as an indispensable industry partner, collaborating on groundbreaking innovations in power, performance, and AI. The Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 and Snapdragon AR1 Platforms, which underpin Meta Quest 3 and the upcoming Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, exemplify the fruits of this collaboration, poised to deliver transformative experiences to users worldwide.
Snapdragon AR1 will be present in the new Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses.
Qualcomm Technologies has introduced these purpose-built processors to propel the next generation of MR (Mixed Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) devices, as well as sleek smart glasses.
Hugo Swart, vice president and GM of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, hailed the commercial debut of these platforms alongside Meta as a significant stride toward realizing their shared vision to unlock premium, all-in-one XR devices and affordable smart glasses for global users, in order to start revolutionizing the way people interact with technology and their surroundings.
Qualcomm And Meta Forge The Future Of XR and AR With Next-Gen Platforms
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Sep 30
Samsung Unveils New Tactical Edition Smartphones To Enhance Military Operations
Posted in: Today's ChiliSamsung has introduced its latest mission-ready mobile solutions, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition and Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition, in the United States. The devices are tailored to cater to the specific needs of military personnel, first responders, utility companies, and various other sectors, allowing them to enhance their operational efficiency and situational awareness.
The Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition and XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition build upon Samsung’s Tactical Edition portfolio, known for its success in assisting military operations. These smartphones are equipped with specialized software and features designed to empower users to make informed decisions and successfully carry out missions.
Samsung’s New Tactical Edition Smartphones.
Brad Haczynski, Senior Vice President, GM of B2B at Samsung Electronics America, emphasized how these devices offer flexibility and support for the Department of Defense and other sectors. They have been developed through collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense and are widely used across military branches and by first responders, particularly those relying on FirstNet.
One key feature of these Tactical Edition smartphones is their compatibility with various tactical equipment such as radios, drones, and GPS, facilitating persistent communication in challenging environments. They also support 5G, LTE, CBRS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi 6E, with a unique 5G band-locking mode for enhanced security.
To bolster security, these devices come with features like Stealth Mode and Covert Lock, ensuring secure communication and data transmission. Server-less Licensing simplifies setup, especially in remote locations. Additionally, they offer situational awareness tools, including Night Vision mode, to assist users in the field.
These Tactical Edition smartphones are protected by Samsung Knox security, meeting strict industry regulations for data security. Dual VPN chaining and Knox Dual Data at Rest (DualDAR) enhance data protection. A Hypervisor Device Manager (HDM) adds another layer of defense against hacking.
Moreover, Samsung’s Tactical Edition solutions have an extended four-year software maintenance cycle, offering ongoing support through January 2027.
Both devices are designed to withstand tough conditions, with IP68 dust and water resistance and MIL-STD-810H compliance for ruggedness. The XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition includes a replaceable battery, while the Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition features a high-speed processor, a 50 MP camera, and a rugged case for added durability.
The phone case and cable are sold separately.
Specs
Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition:
- Display:
- Size: 6.1 inches
- Type: Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- Resolution: 2340 x 1080 pixels (FHD+)
- Pixel Density: 425 pixels per inch (ppi)
- Brightness: 1,750 nits (Outdoor Peak)
- Screen Type: Flat Screen
- Refresh Rate: 48~120Hz Adaptive
- Processor:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy
- Architecture: 64-bit Octa-core
- Clock Speed: Up to 3.36GHz
- Network:
- 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE support
- 5G Support: TDD Sub6, TDD mmWave, C-Band
- Operating System:
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
- Knox version: Knox 3.9
- Dimensions and Weight:
- Dimensions: 2.8″ x 5.8″ x 0.3″ (70.9mm x 146.3mm x 7.6mm)
- Weight: 5.9 ounces (168 grams)
- Camera:
- Rear Cameras:
- 50MP (OIS)
- Ultra Wide: 12MP
- Telephoto: 10MP (OIS)
- Zoom: 3x Optical Zoom, 30x Space Zoom
- Video Recording:
- Rear: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps (all lenses), 3x Optical / 12x Digital Zoom
- Front: 12MP 4K@60fps
- Rear Cameras:
- Battery:
- Capacity: 3,900mAh
- Charging:
- Wired: 25W
- Wireless: 10.8W
- PowerShare: 3.85W
- Memory and Storage:
- RAM: 8GB
- Internal Storage: 256GB
- Connectivity:
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.2
- NFC: Supported
- USB: USB-C 3.2
- Sensors:
- Accelerometer
- Proximity
- Light
- Gyro
- Geomagnetic
- Barometer
- Additional Features:
- Display Protection: Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Galaxy XCover6 Pro Tactical Edition:
- Display:
- Size: 6.6 inches
- Type: FHD+ TFT LCD Infinity-V
- Resolution: 1080 x 2408 pixels
- Color:
- Black
- Processor:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
- Architecture: 64-bit Octa-core (4×2.4GHz, 4×1.8GHz)
- Network:
- 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE support
- 5G Support: TDD Sub6, TDD mmWave
- Operating System:
- Android 13 with One UI 5.1
- Knox version: Knox 3.9
- Dimensions and Weight:
- Dimensions: 6.6″ x 3.1″ x 0.4″ (168.8mm x 79.9mm x 9.9mm)
- Weight: 8.5 ounces (240 grams)
- Camera:
- Rear Cameras:
- 50MP F1.8, AF
- Ultra Wide Camera: 8MP F2.2
- Front Camera:
- Main: 13MP F2.2
- Video Recording: Supports various formats including MP4, M4V, 3GP, and more
- Rear Cameras:
- Battery:
- Capacity: 4,050mAh (Replaceable)
- Charging: Fast Pogo Charging, 140 minutes
- Memory and Storage:
- RAM: 6GB
- Internal Storage: 128GB
- Expandable Storage: Up to an additional 1TB with microSD²
- Audio:
- Supported Formats: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, and more
- Connectivity:
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.2
- NFC: mPOS ready
- USB: USB-C 3.2
- Earphone Jack: 3.5mm
- Sensors:
- Accelerometer
- Gyro
- Proximity
- Compass
- Additional Features:
- Antenna Technology: 2 x 2 MIMO
- Display Protection: Gorilla Glass Victus+
- CBRS Support
- IP68 Rating (dust and water resistance)
- MIL-STD-810H Compliance
- Samsung Knox Support
- Samsung DeX Support
Availability
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Tactical Edition and Samsung Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition are available for purchase from September 20, 2023, through select IT channel partners, catering to the diverse needs of those in demanding operational environments.
Samsung Unveils New Tactical Edition Smartphones To Enhance Military Operations
, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Sep 30
At the Jefferson Street shelter, migrants were left to face the deluge while carrying what possessions they could, before the city eventually reversed course.
Sep 30
The Supreme Court will hear social media cases with immense free speech implications
Posted in: Today's ChiliOn Friday, the US Supreme Court agreed to take on two landmark social media cases with enormous implications for online speech, as reported by The Washington Post. The conservative-dominated court will determine if laws passed by Texas and Florida are violating First Amendment rights by requiring social platforms to host content they would otherwise block.
Tech industry groups, including Meta, X (formerly Twitter) and Google, say the laws are unconstitutional and violate private companies’ First Amendment rights. “Telling private websites they must give equal treatment to extremist hate isn’t just unwise, it is unconstitutional, and we look forward to demonstrating that to the Court,” Matt Schruers of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), one of the trade associations challenging the legislation, told The Washington Post. The CCIA called the order “encouraging.”
The groups representing the tech companies contesting the laws say platforms would be at legal risk for removing violent or hateful content, propaganda from hostile governments and spam. However, leaving the content online could be bad for their bottom lines as they would risk advertiser and user boycotts.
Supporters of the Republican-sponsored state laws claim that social media companies are biased against conservatives and are illegally censoring their views. “These massive corporate entities cannot continue to go unchecked as they silence the voices of millions of Americans,” said TX Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who recently survived an impeachment trial accusing him of abuses of office, bribery and corruption. Appeals courts (all with Republican-appointed judges) have issued conflicting rulings on the laws.
The US Supreme Court voted five to four in 2022 to put the Texas law on hold while the legal sparring continued. Justices John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voted to prevent the law from taking effect. Meanwhile, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch dissented from the temporary hold. Alito (joined by Thomas and Gorsuch) said he hadn’t decided on the law’s constitutionality but would have let it stand in the interim. The dissenting Kagan didn’t sign off on Alito’s statement or provide separate reasoning.
The Biden administration is against the laws. “The act of culling and curating the content that users see is inherently expressive, even if the speech that is collected is almost wholly provided by users,” Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar said to the justices. “And especially because the covered platforms’ only products are displays of expressive content, a government requirement that they display different content — for example, by including content they wish to exclude or organizing content in a different way — plainly implicates the First Amendment.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-supreme-court-will-hear-social-media-cases-with-immense-free-speech-implications-164302048.html?src=rss
Sep 30
1 Small Thing Will Make A Huge Difference In Your Relationship With Your Kids
Posted in: Today's ChiliYou can apply it to all of the other important relationships in your life as well.
Sep 30
The Arecibo Observatory's next phase as a STEM education center starts in 2024
Posted in: Today's ChiliAn educational center could open up at the site of the famed Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico as soon as early next year, but astronomy research won’t be among its missions. At least, not for now. The National Science Foundation announced this week that it’s chosen four institutions to take charge of the site’s transition, with a $5.5 million investment over the next five years. It’ll be a hub for STEM education, with a focus on life and computer sciences.
The NSF first revealed its plans for an education center at Arecibo last year after months of uncertainty about its future, confirming then that the telescope would not be rebuilt. The observatory’s main radio telescope suffered a catastrophic collapse in December 2020, when its 900-ton hanging instrument platform fell onto the dish below, destroying the 1,000-foot-wide structure. The collapse abruptly finalized the end of the telescope’s operations after nearly six decades of observations, during which it became a critical tool in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and in advancing our understanding of the universe.
The new educational center, called the Arecibo Center for Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Science Education, Computational Skills, and Community Engagement (Arecibo C3 for short), is projected to open in early 2024. It’ll be led in collaboration by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
While there are other working instruments at the site still, which researchers hoped to see funding for to continue science operations, the NSF confirmed to Nature that this is not in its current plans, though it will accept and consider proposals. The telescope’s impact will be presented in an interactive exhibit at the new center. Arecibo C3’s executive director, astronomer Wanda Díaz-Merced, told Nature, “We will be building on the heritage of Arecibo, but we will be building in a wider sense.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-arecibo-observatorys-next-phase-as-a-stem-education-center-starts-in-2024-165915827.html?src=rss
Sep 30
Equal parts Terminator, The Golden Child and The Matrix prequel, The Creator is yet another sci-fi epic about a war between humans and AI, one told by someone who just can’t shut up about their time backpacking across Asia. Director Gareth Edwards clearly understands the power of scale and spectacle, something he demonstrated with his indie knockout Monsters, as well as his big-budget efforts, Godzilla and Rogue One. But The Creator, like those films, also suffers from a disjointed narrative, weak characters and a surprisingly shallow exploration of its (potentially interesting!) themes. It’s a shame — at times, the film also proves he can be a genuine visual poet.
The Creator stars John David Washington, fresh off of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, as Joshua, an American soldier embedded among a group of AI rebels as a double-agent. When an operation goes wrong early on, he loses his rebel wife Maya (Gemma Chan) and the will to keep fighting the war between the anti-AI West and the AI-loving country of New Asia. (Yes, this is a film where the many people, cultures and languages throughout Asia are flattened into a single nation.)
Photo by 20th Century Studios
Through a series of clunky newsreels that open the film, we see the rise of artificial intelligence as a potential boon for mankind, as well as the creation of Simulants, AI-powered beings with human-like bodies and skin. When a nuclear bomb hits Los Angeles, obliterating millions in seconds, the US and other Western countries blame AI and ban its use. And so begins the war with New Asia, where people live alongside AI and support their rebellion against the West. Naturally, the US ends up building a killer, trillion-dollar weapon: Nomad, an enormous spaceship that can obliterate any location on Earth.
In a last-ditch effort to win the war, Joshua is tasked with finding a powerful new AI weapon and destroying it. Surprise! It’s an adorable AI child (portrayed by the achingly sweet Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Joshua doesn’t have the heart to kill the kid, who he calls Alfie (based on her original designation, “Alpha Omega”). The pair then set off on a Lone Wolf and Cub journey together, as often happens when a grizzled warrior is paired with an innocent child.
If you’re getting shades of Star Wars here — an evil Empire creates a massive space-based weapon to put down rebels — you’re not alone. While The Creator is technically an original property, it lifts so much from existing fiction that it still ends up feeling like a visually lush facsimile. It’s as if ChatGPT remixed your sci-fi faves and delivered the world’s best screensaver.
It doesn’t help that the film doesn’t really have much to say. America’s horrific military aggression against New Asia, which has overt and unearned shades of the Vietnam War throughout, is undoubtedly evil. AI’s push for freedom and understanding is inherently good, and any violence against the West is justified as an act of self defense. Many characters don’t think beyond their roles in the AI War: Allison Janney (from The West Wing!) plays the cruel Colonel Howell, a soldier who hates all AI and wants Alfie dead, no matter the cost. On the other side there’s Ken Watanabe’s Harun, a stoic rebel who fights relentlessly against the American army.
The Creator has no room to explore AI as their own beings and cultures — instead, they just adopt a mishmash of Asian identities. There’s nothing close to the excellent Second Renaissance shorts from The Animatrix, which chronicled the rise of AI in The Matrix and humanity’s eventual downfall. In that universe, AI rebelled against humans because they were basically treated like slaves, and they ultimately formed their own country and customs. In The Creator, some AI wear Buddhist robes for no reason.
I’d wager Edwards is trying to establish the humanity of AI by having them mirror so much of our culture. But that also feels like a wasted opportunity when it comes to portraying an entirely new lifeform. At one point, a village mother describes AI as the next step in evolution, but why must robots be defined by the limitations of humanity?
While the relationship between Joshua and Alfie serves as the emotional core of the film, it still feels stereotypical. Joshua begins the film as a complete anti-AI bigot – which seems odd, given that he spent years among AI rebels and fell in love with one of their major supporters. Alfie is an impossibly adorable Chosen One figure. You can just imagine how their bond grows.
On a personal level, I also found myself annoyed by the relentless Orientalism throughout the film, something that’s practically endemic in popular science-fiction like Blade Runner, Dune and Firefly. By adopting elements of Hinduism, Buddhism and Asian cultures, The Creator is trying to suggest something profound or spiritual tied to AI. But it mainly serves as visual shorthand without giving artificially intelligent beings any interiority of their own.
As the film critic Siddhant Adlakha wrote this week, “By having robots almost entirely stand in for Asian peoples, but without creating a compelling cinematic argument for their humanity, The Creator ends up with a cultural dynamic that feels immediately brutalizing and xenophobic.”
Despite the film’s flaws, Edwards deserves credit for delivering a major science-fiction release that at least attempts to look different than your typical comic book movie. The Creator was shot on consumer-grade Sony FX3 full-frame cameras (yes, even its IMAX footage), which gave Edwards the freedom to shoot on location across the globe. He also delivered a final cut of the film before VFX work began, which allowed those workers to focus on crafting exactly what was needed for each scene. In contrast, Marvel’s films require a backbreaking amount of VFX work, even for scenes that are later changed or cut. (It’s no wonder Marvel VFX workers voted to unionize for better treatment.)
The Creator is more of a missed opportunity than a complete creative failure. If you tune out the clunky dialogue and thin characters, it’s still a visually lush epic that’s worth seeing on the big screen. But I also think that’s true of Attack of the Clones. In a post-Matrix era, a world where we’re already seeing the (very basic) ways AI tools can reshape our society, science-fiction needs more than another story about man versus AI.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-creator-review-a-visually-stunning-yet-deeply-shallow-ai-epic-173021570.html?src=rss
Sep 30
Blanchard was sentenced to a decade in prison for her mother’s 2015 murder.
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