‘Devastating’ Melt of Greenland, Antarctic Ice Sheets FoundFound

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are now losing more than three times as much ice a year as they were 30 years ago, according to a new comprehensive international study.

China Building Cyberweapons To Hijack Enemy Satellites, Says US Leak

Document assesses Beijing’s ambitions to disrupt communications during wartime.

== I probably access stack overflow everyday
Stack Overflow Will Charge AI Giants For Training Data

The programmer Q&A site joins Reddit in demanding compensation when its data is used to train algorithms and ChatGPT-style bots.

== was going to include an article titled ‘Cities Keep Building Luxury Apartments Almost No One Can Afford’
== came across the following opinion piece and decided to include it instead
“Luxury” construction causes high rents like umbrellas cause rain

The NIMBY mindset persists in the face of evidence.

This is how much sea level rise has sped up, UN agency reports

Antarctic sea ice hits record low, ocean temperatures hit record high amid heat wave.

== always fascinated me, I have a small bronze copy in the bedroom
Scientists Finally Solved the Mystery of How the Mayan Calendar Works

Scholars show how multiple planet movements tie into the 819-day Mayan calendar. The movements of all major planets visible to the ancient Mayans fit into this extended calendar.

New York’s First Offshore Wind Farms To Launch This Year

New York has an ambitious goal to fight climate change, and it includes the nation’s first major offshore wind farms.

Biden To Pledge $500 Million To Stop Deforestation In Brazil

President Joe Biden announced plans to boost U.S. funding to help developing countries combat climate change and slash deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest during a meeting with world leaders on Thursday.

Maine energy: Much delayed US-Canada hydro project gets go-ahead

An energy project that sparked an uproar has been given the go-ahead in Maine after a jury ruled a referendum on the proposal was unconstitutional.

A Tech Industry Pioneer Sees a Way for the US To Lead in Advanced Chips

Tech pioneer Sutherland argues that instead of looking for more expensive technology, the US must focus on training a generation of young engineers who can think outside the box.

== yjc, I suspect the real reason is the cost to remove it
Why Site C wants to leave construction debris at the bottom of the Peace River

B.C. Hydro says leaving 45 structures underwater is better for the fish

== you gotta love some of the names given to software apps and concepts
This new technology could blow away GPT-4 and everything like it

The Hyena code is able to handle amounts of data that make GPT-style technology run out of memory and fail.

Scientists Identify Mind-Body Nexus In Human Brain

The relationship between the human mind and body has been a subject that has challenged great thinkers for millennia

== for any of you into video editing, I currently use Hitflim Express for my limited needs
Why Video Editors Are Switching To DaVinci Resolve In Droves

There are times in the technology world when migrations occur, when a significant number of users move from one or more platforms to another. Sometimes the shifts are small, but sometimes they are massive,…

== yjc
1,000-year-old canoe recovered from N.C. lake moves Waccamaw tribe members to tears

‘An opportunity to actually handle and touch our history is just a blessing,’ says Waccamaw Siouan Tribe chief.

Chromebook Expiration Date, Repair Issues ‘Bad For People and Planet’

US Public Interest Research Group slams Google for selling schools short-lived, repair-resistant kit

== I went through one in my final year at RMC
Why Universities Should Return To Oral Exams In the AI and ChatGPT Era

This type of oral assessment – or viva voce as it was known in Latin – is a tried and tested form of educational assessment.

Release the mosquitos!

A mosquito factory will open in 2024 and produce 100 million bugs each week

== lengthy read
Europe Spins Up AI Research Hub To Apply Accountability Rules on Big Tech

Seville, Spain-based algorithmic transparency center to support enforcement of EU’s Digital Services Act

Global Rice Shortage is Set To Be the Biggest in 20 Years

There’s a strained supply of rice as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as weather woes in rice-producing economies like China and Pakistan.

Drones may better navigate unfamiliar surroundings with the help of liquid neural networks

Researchers at the MIT believe they’ve found a more effective way of helping drones fly through unknown spaces, thanks to liquid neural networks.

95-Million-Year-Old “Near-Complete” Dinosaur Skull Is First Of Its Kind In Australia

The researchers believe that these bones lend support to the theory that there was a land bridge between what is now Australia and South America linking the continents via Antarctica.

== a followup/repeat of ealier article (couple lists ago)
The Car Thieves Using Tech Disguised Inside Old Nokia Phones and Bluetooth Speakers

Motherboard posed as an interested buyer to learn more about the wild world of car hacking.

GPT-4 Will Hunt For Trends In Medical Records Thanks To Microsoft and Epic

Generative AI promises to streamline health care, but critics say not so fast.

Quebec’s SAAQ teaching the ‘Dutch reach’ to protect cyclists from getting doored

Provincial agency hopes simple tweak in how drivers open their doors will prevent sometimes deadly accidents

India to have more people than China by mid-2023, UN says

India is set to overtake China to become the most populous country in the world by the middle of this year, data released by the United Nations shows.

What If Your Tesla Could Run on Sodium?

Researchers from the United States have made a critical discovery that has the potential to make sodium-ion batteries significantly safer and cheaper compared to lithium-ion batteries.

Python Software Foundation Raises EU Open Source Concerns

The Python Software Foundation is concerned about plans by the European Union regarding distributing open source software.

Cybersecurity Nightmare in Japan Is Everyone Else’s Problem Too

And when the company was hacked in February 2022, it brought Toyota Motor Corp.’s entire production line to a screeching stop.

Japan Government To Use ChatGPT for First Time on Red Tape

Japan is using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to try and make its often opaque and complex government regulations easier to understand.

== have had previous article(s) on this idea
Scientists Want To Dump Iron Nanoparticles Into the Oceans To Save the Planet

They think they’ve finally figured out how to make ocean fertilization work.

The Fascinating and Evolving Story of Bacteria and Cancer

From in the tumor to tackling the tumor

Reddit Wants To Get Paid for Helping To Teach Big AI Systems

The company has not announced a pricing scheme.

== time for the western world to start thinking about its responsiblities
India Has Lost the Second-Largest Forest Area Among All Countries in Five Years

India lost 668,400 hectares (ha) of jungles on average between 2015 and 2020, a new report has said.

== ?$ wp
NSO Hacked iPhones Without User Clicks in 3 New Ways, Researchers Say

Examination of phones from Mexico led to the discoveries

== not sure it is of any use to most of us, but always been a fan of composting
The best way to compost your food scraps

Now as a city dweller, I still believe in composting and continue to do it – but no longer in my backyard.

== worth a read m’thinks
Stephen Hawking collaborator talks about the moment the famed physicist said it was ’time to stop playing God’

Hawking admitted to being wrong in his theory about what came before the Big Bang.

Nearly 6 million litres of water from oilsands sediment pond released into Athabasca River

Suncor says discharge was naturally occurring, not process water.

Biodiversity targets may be slipping out of reach - study

Ambitious targets to halt the decline in nature may already be slipping out of reach, a study suggests.

== yjc
Scientists Discover 1st ‘Neutron-Rich’ Isotope of Uranium Since 1979

Scientists have synthesized a previously unknown isotope of uranium, uranium-241, that may start to disappear after just 40 minutes.

Solar Sails Could Guide Interplanetary Travel, Says New Study

The team proposes a novel means of travel that could get us to the stars faster and cheaper.

Pacific Garbage Patch Providing a Deep Ocean Home For Coastal Species

Floating plastic is forming its own ecosystems with mixes of species.

Elon Musk says he wants to start ‘TruthGPT’ to rival OpenAI and Google

He wants to develop his own chatbot called TruthGPT, which will be “a maximum truth-seeking AI” — whatever that means.

Google wants you to lend your ears to help save coral reefs

‘Calling in our Corals’ lets you train a conservation-focused AI model by listening for fish sounds.

Mysterious spiral of light spotted in North caused by SpaceX rocket, physicist says

‘He was like, ‘You need to look at this, because I feel like I might be hallucinating.’’

== yjc
Archaeologists discover remains of Roman fortlet near Clydebank

The remains of a Roman fortlet have been discovered in West Dunbartonshire.

== yjc
Famously elusive wolverine photographed in south Calgary

The animal is rarely seen in the wild, not to mention a major city.

== Alberta perspective, but…
Climate change is impacting bird migration patterns.

‘Birds are like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, telling us about climate change and its impact’.

What is Auto-GPT? Everything to know about the next powerful AI tool

Auto-GPT can do a lot of things ChatGPT can’t do.

German artist refuses award after his AI image wins prestigious photography prize

A photographer has stirred up fresh controversy and debate after his artificial intelligence (AI) image won first prize at one of the world’s most prestigious photography competitions.

== people are beginning to really worry me
Debunking the 15-minute-city conspiracy theory — and why it erupted at Essex County council

Hundreds showed up at an April County of Essex meeting — many of them concerned about 15-minute cities.

After 18 Years, Europe’s Largest Nuclear Reactor Starts Regular Output

Construction of Finland’s OL3 reactor began in 2005. Work was originally schedule for completion in 2009.

Utah’s Record Snowfall ‘Buys Us Time’ for Drying Great Salt Lake

Now, after an incredible winter full of rain and snow, there is a glimmer of hope on North America’s largest terminal lake, where water levels had fallen to a record-low last fall amid a historic, climate change-fueled drought across the West.

Leaked Documents Show Russians Boasted Just 1% of Fake Social Profiles are Detected

Leaked Pentagon documents reveal Russian “troll factory” run from Kremlin

Google is reportedly developing a new AI-powered search engine

The search giant is scrambling to answer the threat of ChatGPT and Bing. A new report says the company is working on AI tools under the codename Magi that will be released next month.

Solar Projects in North Africa + Undersea Cables = Green Energy for Europe?

In its quest for green energy, Europe is looking to North Africa, where vast solar and wind farms are proliferating and plans call for submarine cables that will carry electricity as far as Britain. But this rush for clean power is raising serious environmental concerns.

Security researchers find LockBit ransomware can target macOS devices

Over the last several years, LockBit has become one of the most powerful ransomware gangs. While it has focused on Windows, Linux, and virtual host machines, it looks like the group has developed its first ransomware for Macs.

Why nobody knows Hiram Maxim, inventor of the incandescent lightbulb

Thomas Edison’s contributions to the advent of electrified lighting too might be overstated. In the excerpt below from his latest book, The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans, Dr. Bill Hammack, YouTube’s “The Engineer Guy,” recounts the tale of Hiram Maxim, an irrepressible engineer and inventor whose novel filament production method would have made him a household name — had Edison not reportedly made “a clean steal” of his revolutionary technology.