Stephen Miller driving congressional aides crazy with calls
Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is so involved in every aspect of the Trump administration’s efforts to radically reconfigure American democracy that congressional aides have reportedly begun complaining about his incessant phone calls.
Ignoring the fact that his “outreach wasn’t always welcome,” Miller would call congressional aides for lengthy, aimless conversations about illegal immigration that contained no specific requests, according to a damning new Wall Street Journal report.
One aide likened Miller to a “grandmother who wouldn’t stop talking,” and compared his phone calls to podcasts. Other aides said that Miller would call to scold them about how they had worded something in a press release or framed an issue in a social media post.
Stephen Miller Is Driving Congressional Aides Crazy With Non-Stop Calls
A new report details just how far Miller’s reach is in the Trump administration.Catherine Bouris (The Daily Beast)
Rozaŭtuno likes this.
Should I Disable WebSocket Connection on My Web Browser?
Should I Disable WebSocket Connection on My Web Browser (in terms of privacy)?
Considering disabling WebSocket connections for security reasons. Any experience or thoughts? Have you disabled WebSockets? Any notable issues or performance changes?
like this
L'impresa del rapace canino, che registra un tempo di rilievo sul percorso dell'agility dog - Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri
L'impresa del rapace canino, che registra un tempo di rilievo sul percorso dell'agility dog - Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri
Non è tecnicamente erroneo dire che tutti i mammiferi, inclusi gli umani, siano dei diretti discendenti del prototipo dei pesci primordiali, un tipo di creature la cui evoluzione si è divisa, frammentata ed adattata ad una grande varietà di fattori a…Jacopo (Il blog di Jacopo Ranieri)
Grassley Takes Aim at Radical Activist Groups’ Foreign Ties
The People’s Forum and Code Pink may be obligated to register as foreign agents due to Chinese Government funding and influenceBUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to assess whether The People’s Forum and Code Pink are obligated to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), due to the group’s reported Chinese Communist Party ties.
“Evidence suggests that The People’s Forum and Code Pink have been funded and influenced by Mr. [Neville Roy] Singham and the communist Chinese government, both of which are foreign principals. The evidence also suggests that The People’s Forum and Code Pink have engaged in covered political activities that directly advance the communist Chinese government’s political and policy interests,” Grassley wrote.
“Secretive foreign lobbying and public relations campaigns by China and other adversaries undermines the political will and interests of the American people. The People’s Forum and Code Pink’s reported role in advancing policies in favor of the communist Chinese government is more than alarming and their potential obligation to register as foreign agents for purposes of FARA ought to be investigated,” Grassley continued.
Read Grassley’s letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel HERE.
Background:
Neville Roy Singham is a social activist and billionaire who reportedly “works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide.” Singham has reportedly attended Communist Party workshops focused on “promoting the party internationally,” shares office space and staff with the Shanghai Maku Cultural Communication Company and co-produces a YouTube show that’s partially financed by China’s propaganda department.
The People’s Forum, self-described as a “political and cultural hub,” is also funded in large part by Singham – who reportedly donated over $20.4 million through a series of shell organizations and donor advisory groups. The People’s Forum offers courses titled, “Lenin and the Path to Revolution” and “China75 – When the People Stand Up.” The group joined Code Pink in hosting a conference moderated by the Qiao Collective, known as “a diaspora Chinese media collective.” Further, the Executive Director of the People’s Forum openly pedaled Chinese propaganda when appearing on CGTN, a Chinese state-owned media group. DOJ directed CGTN to register under FARA in 2019.
Code Pink, self-described as a “grassroots organization working to end U.S. warfare and imperialism,” was founded by Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, and has reportedly received roughly a quarter of its donations from organizations with ties to Singham. Since marrying Singham in 2017, Evans and Code Pink have “stridently support[ed] China,” with Evans publicly describing the Uyghurs, an ethnically Muslim minority group, as “terrorists” and defending their mass detention. Further, Code Pink activists have met with the House Select Committee on China to directly advocate for Chinese interests, including denying evidence of forced labor in the Uyghurs’ native region of Xinjiang.
Grassley Takes Aim at Radical Activist Groups’ Foreign Ties | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is urging the...www.judiciary.senate.gov
AEOI condemns US attack on nuclear sites, accuses IAEA of complicity
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) issued a statement denouncing what it described as brutal and illegal attacks on the country's nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan on Sunday at dawn.
The statement referred to the aggression as a violation of international law, particularly the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
According to the statement, the United States has openly acknowledged its role in the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, both through cyberspace operations and public remarks by its president. The targeted sites, it emphasized, are under constant surveillance by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under the Safeguards Agreement and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
AEOI condemns US attack on nuclear sites, accuses IAEA of complicity
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran denounced recent attacks on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, accusing the US of violating the NPT and criticizing the IAEA’s silence.Al Mayadeen English (AEOI condemns US attack on nuclear sites, accuses IAEA of complicity)
like this
Israel, US war-gamed airstrikes on Iran during Biden admin - report
Israel, US conducted joint drill simulating airstrikes on Iran | The Jerusalem Post
The exercise was unprecedented as it war-gamed offensive actions against Iranian nuclear capabilities for the first time, the source informed ABC.The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com
Child Welfare Experts Horrified by Mattel's Plans to Add ChatGPT to Toys After Mental Health Concerns for Adult Users
Child Welfare Experts Horrified by Mattel's Plans to Add ChatGPT to Toys After Mental Health Concerns for Adult Users
After Mattel announced a collaboration with OpenAI, some experts are sounding the alarm on the dangers that interactive AI poses to children.Frank Landymore (Futurism)
like this
MacOS Preview equivalent
Title mostly says it all. Preview is unironically an incredible piece of software. Between feature set and ease of use, I have yet to come across any FOSS that is comparable. Anyone know of a Linux alternative?
EDIT: Due to popular demand I should explain Preview more. It’s a “fully fledged” PDF editor, but somehow it’s completely different from something like Adobe Acrobat. The way most users will interact with it is as a seemingly very plain image viewer, but if you open a PDF you can add fillable boxes, rearrange pages, split and merge PDFs, etc. I cannot place exactly why it’s workflows feel so much better than something like Acrobat.
like this
Preview is one of the things mac os got right. it's hard to copy. If you think about it, it does not make sense that a tool called preview that most people use to quickly read pdf (and other) files, is also a lightweight pdf editor, which is often more useful than acrobat or pdfedit or whatever you use.
It's not logical. no one will make a clone of it.
you'll have to get used to other tools.
like this
‘Why we fly the Mexican flag at the L.A. protests’
cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/32068142
By Enrique Acevedo
Enrique Acevedo is anchor of the news program “En Punto” on Televisa.from World Outlook
[reprinted from Washington Post]"The opinion column below first appeared in the Washington Post on June 14, 2025. World-Outlook publishes it for the information of our readers. We think it tackles an important cultural dimension of the recent protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s intensified wave of workplace raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The headline, subhead, photo, and text below are taken from the original. The endnote is by World-Outlook."
‘Why we fly the Mexican flag at the L.A. protests’
By Enrique Acevedo
Enrique Acevedo is anchor of the news program “En Punto” on Televisa.from World Outlook
[reprinted from Washington Post]"The opinion column below first appeared in the Washington Post on June 14, 2025. World-Outlook publishes it for the information of our readers. We think it tackles an important cultural dimension of the recent protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s intensified wave of workplace raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The headline, subhead, photo, and text below are taken from the original. The endnote is by World-Outlook."
‘Why we fly the Mexican flag at the L.A. protests’ - World-Outlook
This opinion column, which first appeared in the Washington Post on June 14, 2025, tackles an important cultural dimension of the recent protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s intensified wave of workplace raids and deportations o…world-outlook.com (World-Outlook)
Tough, Tiny, and Totally Repairable: Inside the Framework 12 [iFixit teardowns]
Tough, Tiny, and Totally Repairable: Inside the Framework 12
We asked: Can it be done? A convertible touchscreen laptop that’s also repairable, really? The Framework 12 is a pastel repair geek’s dream.Elizabeth Chamberlain (iFixit)
Tough, Tiny, and Totally Repairable: Inside the Framework 12 [iFixit teardowns]
Tough, Tiny, and Totally Repairable: Inside the Framework 12
We asked: Can it be done? A convertible touchscreen laptop that’s also repairable, really? The Framework 12 is a pastel repair geek’s dream.Elizabeth Chamberlain (iFixit)
adhocfungus likes this.
A US law firm is taking NordVPN to Court over "deceptive" auto-renewal pricing – here's what we know
A US law firm is taking NordVPN to Court over "deceptive" auto-renewal pricing – here's what we know
An active class action lawsuit alleges NordVPN uses "deceptive and illegal" auto-renewal practicesChiara Castro (TechRadar)
FundMECFS likes this.
What We Know So Far About the Supposed ‘Mother of All Data Breaches’
What We Know So Far About the Supposed 'Mother of All Data Breaches'
Some say more than 16.5 billion credentials are involved. One thing is for sure: the dark web is swimming in stolen data.Lucas Ropek (Gizmodo)
The TSA has issued an urgent warning about criminals using fake USB charging ports, free Wi-Fi honeypots to steal your identity ahead of summer holidays
The TSA has issued an urgent warning about criminals using fake USB charging ports, free Wi-Fi honeypots to steal your identity ahead of summer holidays
Criminals turn USB chargers and free Wi-Fi into identity-stealing goldminesEfosa Udinmwen (TechRadar)
Senate Parliamentarian Blocks Republican Attacks on SNAP, CFPB in Reconciliation Bill
Democratic senators are celebrating the removal of harmful Republican proposals from Trump's spending bill, protecting millions from cuts to vital programs. But will the GOP find other ways to slash assistance?
Senate Parliamentarian Blocks Republican Attacks on SNAP, CFPB in Reconciliation Bill
"We will be fighting this bill every single day until Republicans bring it to the floor," said Sen. Jeff Merkley.julia-conley (Common Dreams)
Now look how Republicans will overrule her unlike useless Biden with the minimum wage.
The role of the parliamentary staff is advisory, and the presiding officer or Senate may overrule the advice of the Parliamentarian.
Dystopika - Exclusive Anniversary Update Launch Trailer (Cyberpunk City-Builder)
Save 40% on Dystopika on Steam
A city-building sandbox for futuristic cities. No goals, no management, just creativity and dark cozy vibes.store.steampowered.com
New Texas law requires Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms
Governor Greg Abott signs bill into law but challenge expected from critics who consider it unconstitutional
Truth Social Crashes as Trump Live-Posts Iran Bombing
The social network started experiencing global outages within minutes of Donald Trump posting details of a US military strike on Iran.
https://www.wired.com/story/truth-social-crashes-as-trump-live-posts-bombing-iran/
The new government is probably too weak, Israel probably don't care anymore and will focus on clearing off Palestine.
So the US probably got handed off this hot potato because, if no western countries is doing it, China or Russia will come in and cause chaos later.
So… Once Iranian government falls.
I wouldn’t take that as a given.
So the US probably got handed off this hot potato because, if no western countries is doing it, China or Russia will come in and cause chaos later.
Is this a joke? Western imperialist states entering would create chaos, while China and/or Russia entering would be stabilizing. Iran, China, and Russia are major BRICS partners, and have shared regional security interests.
Who do you think organizes, funds, trains, and equips the various groups of Salafi jihadist terrorist groups that wreak havoc in Western and Central Asia? The United States, with some assistance from Israel and probably the UK. The US has wanted regime change in Iran ever since the puppet regime they installed in the US-orchestrated 1953 coup was overthrown in the 1978 revolution. The US has wanted to regain its imperialist control of Iran for the last 47 years.
Edit to add a primer: The blueprint of regime change operations How regime change happens in the 21st century with your consent
[H]ere’s the step-by-step process summarized:
1. A strategic country is selected as a target.
2. Stories start being fed to the media about human rights abuses or just concerning developments (lack of democracy, dwindling economy, etc).
3. To help lay the basis, the government may make official reports the media can then use. They might also use humanitarian NGOs (Amnesty, HRW…) or outright CIA outfits (World Uyghur Congress, Radio Free Europe…).
4. Stories start coming out more and more often. The volume of coverage regarding the target country becomes much bigger than before the campaign.
5. At the same time, groups and individuals in the target country, that have been funded by the imperialist country, are being put in the spotlight. They have been groomed for years, laying somewhat dormant until it’s time to activate them.
6. Stories about these groups call them champions of democracy, freedom fighters, etc. A clear limit is drawn: they are good people, and the government that’s preventing them from achieving their policies are the bad guys. This is the basis of a color revolution.
7. Slowly, public opinion starts to shift. We don’t necessarily act on this opinion yet though, we plant the seeds to make later consent easier. Each seed makes the next one easier to plant and grow.
8. The imperialist country continues the campaign but also starts small, probing actions to see what it can get away with. It might enact sanctions or query the UN for intervention. It will also call these acts “moral” and underline that they are meant to sanction the country until it becomes a democracy again, further digging the good vs. evil line.
9. Meanwhile, everything the target country does to prove its innocence and lawful conduct is not published or gets blocked (e.g. request for a UN delegation visit). Their point of view is never printed in the media or if it is, only when they can spin it in a good way.
10. Slowly, regime change is brought up. Subconsciously at first (e.g. “China would be free if it wasn’t for the communist party”, which implies destroying it and the system it built). Later, it can be more overt (e.g. Iran).
11. Finally, consent has been manufactured and public opinion has completely shifted on the target country. People come to see invasion as the only solution, and they will happily support it once it happens. It may not happen for several years though, as material reasons might not make invasion possible. Sometimes, a color revolution (which is mostly carried by nationals of the country in question but funded and trained by the imperialist country) is the best thing we can do..
If the operation succeeds:
- If the operation succeeds, a pro-US dictator will be ‘elected’ or seize power. The election will be called fair and democratic, as was the case in Ukraine 2014. This president will be paraded around in the West and become a media figure that everyone comes to know. This is what happened to Zelensky, but also to Pinochet in his time and Juan Guaido.
- Inside the country, everything gets privatized and sold to US and European companies under the directives of the dictator. This is rarely talked about or if it is, it’s presented as banal — e.g., “Ford to open factory in Argentina”. Quality of life plummets, actual humanitarian crises start, etc.
- The media still publishes stories on the country, but always in a good light, and not as many as during the operation. They might sometimes call to unrest in the country but always as a distant, abstract phenomenon.
- As long as the dictator plays by our rules, the country keeps being talked about positively. As soon as he starts to become too independent, we will use the chaotic post-coup situation to repeat the process with a new President.
The reason that our media have incessantly repeated Iran-backed this, Iran-controlled that for decades is to convince us that Iran is the big bad guy behind the small bad guys terrorizing good guy Israel.
By now it should be obvious that Israel never was the good guy. Israel is a US-backed genocidal, fascist, settler-colonial state seeking Lebensraum for a Greater Israel. And the supposed “bad guys” have just been trying to survive under threat the of the small imperialist state, Israel, a state which only exists thanks to significant, continued support from the big imperialist state, the US.
General Wesley Clark 📺
That is why Iran accurately, metaphorically calls the US the “Great Satan” and Israel the “Small Satan”.
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
like this
Last time USA attached Iraq, the instability generated in the region boosted ISIS and created terrorist attacks waves in Europe, killing hundreds (on top of all the dead people directly impacted in the country attacked of course).
So cool, here we go again thanks to the US people who are not fucking able to use their brain when voting.
Browser Timezone & Privacy Concerns
Browser Timezone & Privacy Concerns
How can I hide my "timezone" from sniffing sites?
From my understanding, websites can access both the timezone of my browser (without using javascript) and the timezone of my local machine (using javascript). my question being
- If a website has access to my local machine's timezone, does it mean it has access to other information on/about my local machine?
- According to Privacy - How can I hide my "timezone" from sniffing sites? - Super User, we must disable JavaScript to block timezone access. However disabling javascript is not really feasible as it breaks most of websites. Is there a workaround that allows us to block JavaScript from running specific commands?
- Maybe my understanding of JavaScript is incorrect, but if a website has the privilege of running any program on my computer through the web browser, it can retrieve all the information it needs. If I don't disable JavaScript while using the browser, I don't see the point in resisting fingerprinting, like spoofing my device info.
appreciate any help!
like this
Set your system time to UTC.
but then the time display on my system would be incorrect wouldn't it
- disable permission for a software running on local machine from attaining local timezone and other information? (like firewall or something similar)
- disable permission for a website from attaining local timezone information passed to the browser inside browser using browser extension?
What is the Green Party US? What are the political views of the Green Party?
In this video I discuss the viewpoints of the Green Party on several different topics. We first look at an overview of the fundamental views of the party itself, including their 4 Pillars. Then we talk about their stances in the following areas:
Taxes - 00:58
Economy - 1:47
Healthcare - 2:36
Civil Rights - 3:20
Education - 4:00
Environment - 4:48
Although there are many other views of the Green Party, this is meant to give a brief and informative introduction to the Green Party's platform.
Information for this video was pulled from the following sources:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polit.…
gp.org/platform
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
How is DuckAI able to stores chat conversations?
I’m curious about how DuckAI is able to stores chat conversations.
How it is able to store my conversation for over a month?
Probably uses the localStorage API.
developer.mozilla.org/en-US/do…
Window: localStorage property - Web APIs | MDN
The localStorage read-only property of the window interface allows you to access a Storage object for the Document's origin; the stored data is saved across browser sessions.MDN Web Docs
In Militarizing Push, Russian School Children To Build Drones
In Militarizing Push, Russian School Children To Build Drones
Russia will soon teach high school students how to build and fly drones, which have become a key weapon in the war between Moscow and Kyiv.Current Time (RFE/RL)
like this
Some other sources covering this:
forbes.com/sites/davidhambling…
Russian Schoolchildren Are Learning To Fight The Next Drone War
In response to a decree by Putin, Russian schoolchildren are now learning to build and fly drones. It is a strong indication of how they see the future of war.Forbes
In Militarizing Push, Russian School Children To Build Drones
In Militarizing Push, Russian School Children To Build Drones
Russia will soon teach high school students how to build and fly drones, which have become a key weapon in the war between Moscow and Kyiv.Current Time (RFE/RL)
"Iniziativa strampalata di Conte, si atteggia a leader di un centro sociale". Picierno stronca la manifestazione “Stop Rearm Europe”
Sempre più convinti oltretutto, non ci sono alternative ormai per loro
Picierno: “Corteo contro riarmo Ue? Iniziativa strampalata di Conte, un raduno da centro sociale”
L'europarlamentare del Pd contro la manifestazione pacifista: "Basta col pacifintismo e il populismo d'accatto"Il Fatto Quotidiano
Spain Is Right to Reject Increased Military Spending
Spain Is Right to Reject Increased Military Spending
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has broken ranks with other NATO leaders as he refused to commit to spending 5 percent of GDP on defense. It’s a welcome move, and a rare voice of dissent from Europe’s rush to remilitarize.jacobin.com
adhocfungus likes this.
A Coal Miner’s Daughter Takes On DOGE Amid Rising Cases of Black Lung Disease
A Coal Miner’s Daughter Takes On DOGE Amid Rising Cases of Black Lung Disease
Researchers working to prevent deaths from the disease, which has killed over 75,000 miners, received layoff notices.Meg Duff (Truthout)
Discarded Clothing by UK Fast Fashion Brands Found in Protected Wetlands in Ghana: Report
- EcoWatch article
- report cited
UK brands found in ‘fast fashion graveyard’ in African conservation area
Clothes discarded by UK consumers and shipped to Ghana have been found in a huge textile dumpsite in a protected African conservation area.Richa Syal (Unearthed)
adhocfungus likes this.
We caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech
We caught 4 more states sharing health data to Big Tech trackers
Health care exchanges in Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island shared sensitive user health data with Google, LinkedIn and SnapchatTomas Apodaca (CalMatters)
adhocfungus likes this.
Abandon “Abundance” - The latest Democratic fad sidelines equality and justice in favor of a focus on cutting red tape. This is not the path forward.
Abandon “Abundance”
The latest Democratic fad sidelines equality and justice in favor of a focus on cutting red tape. This is not the path forward.Nathan J. Robinson (Current Affairs Inc)
adhocfungus likes this.
Bay Area guerrilla ‘bench collective’ installs seating at 8 Mission bus stops
Doesn't sound like much, but waiting for a bus on a bench can make a huge difference.
Guerrilla urbanism is awesome!
Bay Area guerrilla ‘bench collective’ installs seating at 8 Mission bus stops
A group of transit activists have dropped eight benches of their own making into the Mission, where residents are (mostly) grateful.Jordan Montero (Mission Local)
FundMECFS likes this.
ChatGPT May Be Linked to 'Cognitive Debt,' New Study Finds
cross-posted from: rss.ponder.cat/post/212339
Welcome back to the Abstract!
This week, we’re moving in next to anacondas, so watch your back and lock the henhouse. Then, parenthood tips from wild baboons, the “cognitive debt” of ChatGPT, a spaceflight symphony, and a bizarre galaxy that is finally coming into view.
When your neighbor is an anaconda
Anacondas are one of the most spectacular animals in South America, inspiring countless myths and legends. But these iconic boas, which can grow to lengths of 30 feet, are also a pest to local populations in the Amazon basin, where they prey on livestock.
To better understand these nuanced perceptions of anacondas, researchers interviewed more than 200 residents of communities in the várzea regions of the lower Amazon River about their experiences with the animals. The resulting study is packed with amazing stories and insights about the snakes, which are widely reviled as thieves and feared for their predatory prowess.
“Fear of the anaconda (identified in 44.5% of the reports) is related to the belief that it is a treacherous and sly animal,” said co-authors led by Beatriz Nunes Cosendey of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve and Juarez Carlos Brito Pezzuti of the Federal University of Pará.
“The interviewees convey that the anaconda is a silent creature that arrives without making any noise, causing them to feel uneasy and always vigilant during fishing…with the fear of having their canoe flooded in case of an attack,” the team added. “Some dwellers even reported being more afraid of an anaconda than of a crocodile because the latter warns when it is about to attack.”
One of the Amazonian riverine communities where the research was conducted. Image: Beatriz Cosendey.
But while anacondas are eerily stealthy, they also have their derpy moments. The snakes often break into chicken coops to feast on the poultry, but then get trapped because their engorged bodies are too big to escape through the same gaps they used to enter.
“Dwellers expressed frustration at having to invest time and money in raising chickens, and then lose part of their flock overnight,” the team said. “One interviewee even mentioned retrieving a chicken from inside an anaconda’s belly, as it had just been swallowed and was still fresh.”
Overall, the new study presents a captivating portrait of anaconda-human relations, and concludes that “the anaconda has lost its traditional role in folklore as a spiritual and mythological entity, now being perceived in a pragmatic way, primarily as an obstacle to free-range poultry farming.”
Monkeying around with Dad
Coming off of Father’s Day, here is a story about the positive role that dads can play for their daughters—for baboons, as well as humans. A team tracked the lifespans of 216 wild female baboons in Amboseli, Kenya, and found that subjects who received more paternal care had significantly better outcomes than their peers.
Male baboon with infant in the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya. Image: Elizabeth Archie, professor at Notre Dame.
“We found that juvenile female baboons who had stronger paternal relationships, or who resided longer with their fathers, led adult lives that were 2–4 years longer than females with weak or short paternal relationships,” said researchers led by David Jansen of the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease. “Because survival predicts female fitness, fathers and their daughters may experience selection to engage socially and stay close in daughters’ early lives.”
This all reminds me of that old episode of The Simpsons where . While Homer was clearly hurt, it turns out that baboons might not be the worst animal-based insult for a daughter to throw at her dad.
A case for staying ChatGPT-Free
ChatGPT may hinder creativity and learning skills in students who use it to write essays, relative to those who didn’t, according to an exhaustive new preprint study posted on arXiv. This research has yet not been peer-reviewed, and has a relatively small sample size of 54 subjects, but it still contributes to rising concerns about the cognitive toll of AI assistants.
Researchers led by Nataliya Kosmya of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology divided the subjects — all between 18 and 39 years old — into three groups wrote SAT essays using OpenAI’s ChatGPT (LLM group), Google’s search engine, or with no assistance (dubbed “Brain-only”).
“As demonstrated over the course of 4 months, the LLM group's participants performed worse than their counterparts in the Brain-only group at all levels: neural, linguistic, scoring,” the team said. “The LLM group also fell behind in their ability to quote from the essays they wrote just minutes prior.”
When I asked ChatGPT for its thoughts on the study, it commented that “these results are both interesting and plausible, though they should be interpreted cautiously given the early stage of the research and its limitations.” It later suggested that “cognitive offloading is not always bad.”
This study is a bop
Even scientists can’t resist evocative language now and then—we’re all only human. Case in point: A new study likens the history of Asia’s space industry to “a musical concert” and then really runs with the metaphor.
“The region comprises a diverse patchwork of nations, each contributing different instruments to the regional space development orchestra,” said researchers led by Maximilien Berthet of the University of Tokyo. “Its history consists of three successive movements” starting with “the US and former USSR setting the tone for the global space exploration symphony” and culminating with modern Asian spaceflight as “a fast crescendo in multiple areas of the region driven in part by private initiative.”
Talk about a space opera. The rest of the study provides a comprehensive review of Asian space history, but I cannot wait for the musical adaptation.
Peekaboo! I galax-see you
In 2001, astronomer Bärbel Koribalski spotted a tiny galaxy peeking out from behind a bright foreground star that had obscured it for decades, earning it the nickname the “Peekaboo Galaxy.” Situated about 22 million light-years from the Milky Way, this strange galaxy is extremely young and metal-poor, resembling the universe’s earliest galaxies.
The Peekaboo galaxy to the right of the star TYC 7215-199-1. Image: NASA, ESA, Igor Karachentsev (SAO RAS); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
A new study confirms Peekaboo as “the lowest-metallicity dwarf in the Local Volume,” a group of roughly 500 galaxies within 36 million light-years of Earth.
“This makes the Peekaboo dwarf one of the most intriguing galaxies in the Local Volume,” said co-authors Alexei Kniazev of the South African Astronomical Observatory and Simon Pustilnik of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of the Sciences. “It deserves intensive, multi-method study and is expected to significantly advance our understanding of the early universe’s first building blocks.”
Thanks for reading! See you next week.
Update: The original headline for this piece was "Is ChatGPT Rotting Our Brains? New Study Suggests It Does." We've updated the headline to "ChatGPT May Create 'Cognitive Debt,' New Study Finds" to match the terminology used by the researchers.
From 404 Media via this RSS feed
Teachers Are Not OK
AI, ChatGPT, and LLMs "have absolutely blown up what I try to accomplish with my teaching."Jason Koebler (404 Media)
Your TV Is Spying On You
Your TV Is Spying On You
Your TV is taking snapshots of everything you watch.Naomi Brockwell (Ludlow Institute)
like this
Your TV Is Spying On You
Your TV Is Spying On You
Your TV is taking snapshots of everything you watch.Naomi Brockwell (Ludlow Institute)
How to "Reformat" a Hardrive the American way
cross-posted from: sh.itjust.works/post/40679506
So for Friday night, myself and my friends got rather board.
And as the resident "Things collector" i got 2 Maxtor touch sense 2 external hardrives. However those who were alive in 2000's know Maxtor went bankrupt and haven't made hardrives for a very long time.
One of these drive i got BRAND NEW, in box at a flea market. sadly time got to the platters first, i spent a few hours trying to reformat or partition them and all i got was write errors. I tried different utility's with no avail and decided to cut my losses, so i asked the boys what we should do with them? Immediately my friend had an idea, to bring out his 9mm and see how a hardrive would fair! We all took turns and they were pretty hard to hit (we made the mistake of drink soda before hand). We eventually landed some shots on the center of the drives and MAN it actually stopped 2 bullets!!!
going into this we all expected the disk to be unreadable after the fact, but didnt think the hardrives would stop a 9mm bullet!!We then took the hdd's apart after are volley of bullets, and alot of the chips were damaged and all the platters were bent. But when we took off the top case, it looked so freakin cool i had to keep it
adhocfungus likes this.
Inheritance tax referendum spooks Swiss super-rich
Inheritance tax referendum spooks Swiss super-rich
Bankers and lawyers warn of exodus ahead of public vote on 50 per cent rate for the very wealthyMercedes Ruehl (Financial Times)
adhocfungus likes this.
This proposed tax only applies to the ultra ultra ultra rich. Like it only applies to about 2000 people in the entirety of switzerland, which is a billionaire haven.
Both chambers of Swiss parliament plus the executive branch rejected it by large margins (unsurprisingly, parliament has a bourgeois majority).
(Also this financial times article is ludicrously biased, but it’s the financial times so no suprises there…)
NFC will work from further away to improve 'reliability' in tap to pay and more
NFC is an increasingly useful technology in the modern world, and now it’s getting a range boost as the standard will now operate at 2cm away, nearly four times the previous requirement in a change aimed at improving the reliability of actions such as tap to pay.
NFC will work from further away to improve ‘reliability’ in tap to pay and more
NFC is an increasingly useful technology in the modern world, and now it’s getting a range boost as the standard...Ben Schoon (9to5Google)
सोशल मीडिया धमकी: हिमाचल पुलिस ने डिप्टी सीएम और विधायक को धमकी देने वाला युवक गिरफ्तार
Himachal News: हिमाचल पुलिस ने सोशल मीडिया धमकी मामले में एक युवक को गिरफ्तार किया है। उसने फेसबुक पर डिप्टी सीएम मुकेश अग्निहोत्री और गगरेट विधायक राकेश कालिया को धमकी दी थी। हरोली यूथ कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष शुभम जोशी की शिकायत पर हरोली थाने में एफआईआर दर्ज हुई। डीएसपी मोहन रावत ने बताया कि युवक इंजीनियरिंग स्नातक है। पुलिस ने उसे हिरासत में लेकर जांच शुरू की।
धमकी की शुरुआत
पुलिस के अनुसार, युवक ने गैंगस्टर अमरीश राणा की गिरफ्तारी पर फेसबुक पोस्ट के कमेंट में धमकी दी। उसने लिखा, “लोग फिर से तलवार मांग रहे हैं,” और जवाब में कहा, “इस बार इसका इस्तेमाल राजनेता पर होगा।” सोशल मीडिया धमकी ने स्थानीय लोगों में दहशत पैदा की। हरोली निवासी अरुण कुमार ने पुलिस को सूचित किया, जिसके बाद कार्रवाई हुई।
पुलिस की त्वरित कार्रवाई
डीएसपी हरोली मोहन रावत ने बताया कि शिकायत के आधार पर युवक की पहचान की गई। उसे सरेंडर करने को कहा गया, जिसके बाद वह हरोली थाने पहुंचा। पुलिस ने उसे हिरासत में लिया। सोशल मीडिया धमकी की जांच में पुलिस यह पता लगा रही है कि क्या इसके पीछे कोई साजिश है। हिमाचल पुलिस इस मामले में गहन छानबीन कर रही है।
युवक ने मांगी माफी
गिरफ्तारी के बाद युवक ने फेसबुक पर माफी मांगी। उसने “शार्प शूटर नबाही वाला” नाम के अकाउंट से कहा कि उसने गलत टिप्पणी की थी। हालांकि, पुलिस ने पहले ही एफआईआर दर्ज कर ली थी। सोशल मीडिया धमकी ने हिमाचल में राजनेताओं की सुरक्षा पर सवाल उठाए। पुलिस अब यह जांच रही है कि युवक का कोई आपराधिक संबंध तो नहीं।
जांच में गहराई
पुलिस यह पता लगा रही है कि युवक ने धमकी स्वतंत्र रूप से दी या किसी साजिश का हिस्सा था। उसका गैंगस्टर अमरीश राणा से कोई संबंध है या नहीं, इसकी भी जांच हो रही है। हिमाचल में ऐसी घटनाएं चिंता का विषय बनी हैं। पुलिस ने कहा कि वह इस मामले को गंभीरता से ले रही है और जल्द पूरी सच्चाई सामने आएगी।
Apology after threat to Himachal Dy CM on Facebook - The Tribune
A youth has apologised for making threatening comments on his Facebook page against Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Congress MLA Rakesh Kalia.Tribune News Service (The Tribune)
FOSS stack for MIDI composition
I want to put together a stack for hobbyist midi music composition. I understand there are a few more components to it than one might expect, but I think VMPK and Qtracer are going to be part of it?
Any tutorial links or suggestions appreciated!
like this
GitHub - ryohey/signal: Online MIDI Editor: signal
Online MIDI Editor: signal. Contribute to ryohey/signal development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
nazgul666
in reply to Holeheadou92984 • • •You say that you want to do this for "privacy" and "security" reasons. Those two are not the same. What is the exact use-case which you want to prevent?
Disabling WebSockets will cause some Websites not to work properly anymore. Especially such which rely on live updates without reloading the site (most common use-case for WebSockets).
Holeheadou92984
in reply to nazgul666 • • •Sorry about the confusion I am referring to "privacy"
I have disabled WebSockets for past 2 years without knowing it and in my memory only 3 sites wouldn't work and I'm not sure it's because I disabled websocket.
I am really confused why websites for instance outlook still function while websocket is disabled
mundane
in reply to Holeheadou92984 • • •They probably have a fall back to long polling or similar.
What privacy concerns do you want to address by disabling ws? It's just another protocol that is more efficient for certain use cases. The information that can be sent via ws or normal http requests is the same, so from a privacy standpoint it doesn't really make a difference.
Holeheadou92984
in reply to mundane • • •sga
in reply to Holeheadou92984 • • •No, it is unnecessary, and it would break many auto updating websites, for example, if you use mail in web, then your mail provider has web sockets to get notifications from server to fetch you mail.
I generally would recommend to disable javascript , and have a whitelist for websites you trust (easily achievable by ublock, or no script). If they do not have js, most attack vectors are neutralised. If you can trust a website to run js, you can trust it to run web sockets.
Holeheadou92984
in reply to sga • • •Thanksalot my friend
I don't trust reddit for running JS but if I disable it the website weouldn't function correctly, is there a work around?
sga
in reply to Holeheadou92984 • • •dysprosium
in reply to sga • • •sga
in reply to dysprosium • • •nucleative
in reply to Holeheadou92984 • • •Websockets are often used for quality of life features like notifications and websites that are dynamic without needing to be refreshed. Almost went website with any kind of chat will use WS for example. Turning it off will make web browsing a little more annoying.
However websockets are also sometimes used for anti-fraud related software that can also leak information you may deem private.
Disabling websockets might prevent that data from getting out but of course all this depends on your threat model.
Holeheadou92984
in reply to nucleative • • •