Number 328
== we are windows users, expect most of you aren’t, but just in case…
== I will likely be moving to linux, none of my current pcs support windows 11, and I don’t want to buy a new one
== as for Barbara??
Ready to ditch Windows? 5 factors to help you decide between Linux or MacOS
With Windows 10 support ending next year, it’s time to consider a replacement. Would Linux or MacOS be the best fit for you?
New predator uncovered 25,000+ feet under the Pacific
Dulcibella camanchaca can survive in the frosty darkness of the ocean’s hadal zone.
Leading Scientists Urge Ban On Developing ‘Mirror-Image’ Bacteria
Researchers have already created mirror-image amino acids and other biomolecules, but some see enormous risks in extending that work to create mirror-image organisms.
A Controversial Plan To Refreeze the Arctic is Seeing Promising Results
The aim is to thicken and restore disappearing Arctic sea ice.
Jiggling thighs and hair twiddling among triggers for those who hate fidgeting
Scientists are striving to understand more about the phenomenon that has no known cause, as yet.
NASA is investigating the Ingenuity helicopter’s final flight on Mars
This is a first, as no aircraft accident investigation has taken place on another planet before.
Humans may not have survived without Neanderthals
Scientists can tell how ancient human populations evovled by analysing their DNA.
Researchers uncover Chinese spyware used to target Android devices
Internal documents allude to the existence of an as-yet-undiscovered iOS version of the spyware.
OpenAI’s Sora: Everything You Need to Know
ChatGPT Plus and Pro users now have access to Sora Turbo.
Why we need a better Turing test for AI art
With no reliable way to discern the author of an artwork, we may eventually abandon the question of whether something was made by humans or not.
== paywall?, lengthy
Why AI could eat quantum computing’s lunch
Rapid advances in applying artificial intelligence to simulations in physics and chemistry have some people questioning whether we will even need quantum computers at all.
== lengthy
The ones who need little sleep
Natural short sleepers, as they are called, are genetically wired to need only four to six hours of sleep a night.
Russian government spies targeted Ukraine using tools developed by cybercriminals
Secret Blizzard used a botnet known as Amadey to attempt to break into “devices associated with the Ukrainian military” between March and April of this year.
New Magnetic Flow Has Potential To Revolutionise Electronic Devices
The findings could lead to the development of new magnetic memory devices with the potential to increase operation speeds of up to a thousand times.
== I am not!
Taking on the GCHQ Christmas challenge?
These experts can help.
‘Christmas lights’ galaxy reveals how Universe formed
The Firefly Sparkle galaxy consists of ten brightly coloured star clusters forming in the very early Universe.
New Delhi’s 1st air pollution clinic offers help for physical illness and mental well-being.
== yjc
It’s not yet official, but this is the world’s smallest arcade machine. Guess what game it plays?
It will take 3 months for the record to be officially certified by Guinness.
Whale makes epic migration, astonishing scientists
A distance of at least 13,000 km.
== article in Economist is paywalled
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else.
== well not exactly zero-water, more like water-once
Microsoft Unveils Zero-Water Data Centers To Reduce AI Climate Impact
The new design will eliminate the more than 125 million liters of water each data center typically uses per year.
Drylands Now Make Up 40% of Land on Earth, Excluding Antarctica, Study Says
Unlike droughts – temporary periods of low rainfall – aridity represents a permanent, unrelenting transformation.
Scientists Advise EU To Halt Solar Geoengineering
There’s ‘insufficient scientific evidence’ backing efforts to artificially cool down the planet, according to the European Commission’s scientific advisers.
AI Boosts Materials Discovery By 44% at Major US Lab
A controlled study at a firm measured the effects of using AI to assist research, and saw increases in discoveries and patents.
Google unveils ‘mind-boggling’ quantum computing chip
However experts say Willow is, for now, a largely experimental device.
== yjc, have used data from FRED in some of my own coding projects
Everybody Loves FRED
From Facebook political debates to college classrooms, the St. Louis Fed’s data tool has gained a major following.
‘Solar Paint’ Being Developed By Mercedes-Benz Could Revolutionize EV Charging
Charging infrastructure and range anxiety have slowed EV adoption rates around the world, but one German automaker’s new solar paint could offer a solution.
Bitcoin Miner Purchases 114-Megawatt Texas Wind Farm, Takes it Off the Grid
A 114-MW facility could power somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 homes, depending on who you ask.
== if you can afford it I guess
Drones, Surveillance, and Facial Recognition: Military-Style Home Security
In the future, your home will feel as safe from intruders as a state-of-the-art military base.
== more on the story
Dozens of Countries Hit in Chinese Telecom Hacking Campaign, Top US Official Says
The global tally of countries victimized is currently believed to be in the “low, couple dozen” but no precise figure was given.
From Atomic to Nuclear Clocks - and a Leap in Timekeeping Accuracy?
In an atomic clock, a transition happens when electrons in an atom absorb energy and move to a higher energy level, returning to a relaxed state after time.
Microphones and rain buckets are being used to help detect landslides before they happen
Early warning systems seen as crucial as climate change brings more natural disasters.
Shi Zhengli, the virologist at centre of COVID lab-leak theory, reveals coronavirus sequences from Wuhan institute.
AI Safety Testers: OpenAI’s New o1 Covertly Schemed to Avoid Being Shut Down
Researchers noted that the AI was particularly adept at fabricating lies to cover its tracks.
== seen something on this before
A Predicted ‘New Star’ Didn’t Appear in the Night Sky. Astronomers Expect It Soon
Why the overdue ’new star’ T Coronae Borealis has yet to light up the night sky.
New Nuclear Fuel Rods Endure 3,452F For 120-Day Test, Raising Hopes for Safer Reactors
Uses SiGA cladding, made from a silicon carbide composite.
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow