In a memo to employees earlier this week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a vision for a near-future in which "personal [AI] superintelligence for everyone" forms "the beginning of a new era for humanity." The newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs—freshly staffed with multiple high-level acquisitions from OpenAI and other AI companies—will spearhead the development of "our next generation of models to get to the frontier in the next year or so," Zuckerberg wrote.

Reading that memo, I couldn't help but think of another "vision for the future" Zuckerberg shared not that long ago. At his 2021 Facebook Connect keynote, Zuckerberg laid out his plan for the metaverse, a virtual place where “you're gonna be able to do almost anything you can imagine" and which would form the basis of "the next version of the Internet."

Zuckerberg believed in that vision so much at the time that he abandoned the well-known Facebook corporate brand in favor of the new name "Meta." "I'm going to keep pushing and giving everything I've got to make this happen now," Zuckerberg said at the time. Less than four years later, Zuckerberg seems to now be “giving everything [he's] got" for a vision of AI “superintelligence," reportedly offering pay packages of up to $300 million over four years to attract top talent from other AI companies (Meta has since denied those reports, saying, “The size and structure of these compensation packages have been misrepresented all over the place").

Once again, Zuckerberg is promising that this new technology will revolutionize our lives and replace the ways we currently socialize and work on the Internet. But the utter failure (so far) of those over-the-top promises for the metaverse has us more than a little skeptical of how impactful Zuckerberg’s vision of “personal superintelligence for everyone" will truly be.

Looks like Zuck is angling for the golden shoehorn award (a real thing at one of the papers I worked for). It would be nice if all these failures actually put a dent in Meta's income, but who's really going to notice tens of billions being lost when you essentially own a money-printing scheme?

Meta’s “AI superintelligence” effort sounds just like its failed “metaverse”

Zuckerberg and company talked up another supposed tech revolution four short years ago.

^{Kyle Orland (Ars Technica)}

The traffic receded as Chicago withdrew into the distance behind me on Interstate 90. Barns and trees dotted the horizon. The speakers in my rental car, playing Spotify from my smartphone, put out the opening riff of a laid-back psychedelic-rock song. When the lyrics came, delivered in a folksy vibrato, they matched my mood: “Smoke in the sky / No peace found,” the band’s vocalist sang.

Except perhaps he didn’t really sing, because he doesn’t exist. By all appearances, neither does the band, called the Velvet Sundown. Its music, lyrics, and album art may be AI inventions. Same goes for the photos of the band. Social-media accounts associated with the band have been coy on the subject: “They said we’re not real. Maybe you aren’t either,” one Velvet Sundown post declares. (That account did not respond to a request for comment via direct message.) Whatever its provenance, the Velvet Sundown seems to be successful: It released two albums last month alone, with a third on its way. And with more than 850,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, its reach exceeds that of the late-’80s MTV staple Martika or the hard-bop jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. As for the music: You know, it’s not bad.

It’s not good either. It’s more like nothing—not good or bad, aesthetically or morally. Having listened to both of the Velvet Sundown’s albums as I drove from Chicago to Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this week, I discovered that what may now be the most successful AI group on Spotify is merely, profoundly, and disturbingly innocuous. In that sense, it signifies the fate of music that is streamed online and then imbibed while one drives, cooks, cleans, works, exercises, or does any other prosaic act. Long before generative AI began its takeover of the internet, streaming music had turned anodyne—a vehicle for vibes, not for active listening. A single road trip with the Velvet Sundown was enough to prove this point: A major subset of the music that we listen to today might as well have been made by a machine.

I don't understand streaming music as a concept. My collection of individual tracks stands at about 1,700 (clocking in at 190 hours -- that is 22 hours more than a week), and there are several full albums atop that.

In my 40s, new music discovery has been a low priority, but if I'm really in the mood, I'll find a weekly radio mix from known quality DJs and hop over to Beatport if something moves me.

The use case for streaming is ... you don't want to choose what you listen to, pay monthly for stuff you'll never own and pay for a higher data plan? That sounds like radio with really expensive extra steps (I ceased listening to the radio after being thrust into the rave scene in the late '90s, and through interactions with others came to the conclusion that I was missing out on nothing.).

I'm sure "AI" can produce perfectly milquetoast music, but are you ever going to want to listen again? I have tracks I've listened to hundreds of times because they mean something to me emotionally (and often have a temporal element wherein I remember where I was living and what I was doing the first time I heard it) -- and most of my tracks do not have lyrics.

Layering nonsensical lyrics atop forgettable melodies sounds more like torture than a service providing any value.

My Road Trip With the Velvet Sundown

Nobody cares if music is real anymore.

^{Ian Bogost (The Atlantic)}

What distinguishes Zohran Mamdani’s socialism is not its aims. It’s his willingness to take seriously the problem of how to get there.

What Can Zohran Accomplish? - Dissent Magazine

What distinguishes Zohran Mamdani's socialism is not its aims. It’s his willingness to take seriously the problem of how to get there.

^{Dissent Magazine}

The move blindsided the State Department, Ukraine, European allies and members of Congress, who demanded an explanation from the Pentagon.

The Defense Department held up a shipment of U.S. weapons for Ukraine this week over what officials said were concerns about its low stockpiles. But an analysis by senior military officers found that the aid package would not jeopardize the American military’s own ammunition supplies, according to three U.S. officials.

The move to halt the weapons shipment blindsided the State Department, members of Congress, officials in Kyiv and European allies, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.

Critics of the decision included Republicans and Democrats who support aiding Ukraine’s fight against Russia. A leading House Democrat, Adam Smith of Washington, said it was disingenuous of the Pentagon to use military readiness to justify halting aid when the real reason appears to be simply to pursue an agenda of cutting off American aid to Ukraine.

Hegseth halted weapons for Ukraine despite military analysis that the aid wouldn’t jeopardize U.S. readiness

Suspending the shipment of military aid to Ukraine was a unilateral step by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to four sources.

^{Gordon Lubold (NBC News)}

A group of Florida Democratic state lawmakers was blocked from entering the Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention facility in the Everglades Thursday, despite citing legal authority for an official legislative site visit.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried issued a statement following the incident, saying, "Lawmakers on the ground were just blocked from entering a state-funded detention site because of so-called 'safety concerns.' This is a taxpayer-funded facility, run by the State of Florida. Our elected officials have every legal right to walk through those gates."

Fried added, "What are Ron DeSantis and his administration trying to hide? If it's unsafe for lawmakers to visit, how is it safe for anyone inside?"

Democratic lawmakers denied entry to Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention site

Ahead of the attempted site visit, the Democratic lawmakers said, "As lawmakers, we have both the legal right and moral responsibility to inspect this site."

^{CBS Miami Team (CBS Miami)}

A new analysis of over 25,000 broadcast mentions shows how mainstream media led with Israel over rent, child care, and transit.

How Broadcast Media Covered Zohran Mamdani's Win

^{Waleed Shahid (Waleed’s Substack)}

Legal experts are concerned that immigration judges with only six weeks of training will not uphold constitutional protections for migrants.

Florida plans to deputize 9 National Guardsmen as immigration judges to increase deportations

^{Autumn Billings (Reason.com)}

Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has slammed “US mercenaries” for the killing of hundreds of starving Palestinians in Gaza, accusing the EU of being “unwilling” to take any action against “these crimes.”

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/us-mercenaries-killed-510-starving-palestinians-in-gaza-former-eu-chief/

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/32689383

By #MEE staff
Published date: 3 July 2025 20:22 BST Last update: 07:00 EDT

"The day before she was released, on Monday, Sakeik was awoken by guards and told that she was going to be removed from the detention facility in Texas, where she was being held. An officer told Sakeik that she was being deported, but then she was not.

Sakeik was first threatened with deportation on 12 June when ICE agents brought her to the tarmac at Fort Worth Alliance Airport and told her they were deporting her to “the border of Israel.”

A US federal judge had previously ordered that Sakeik could not be deported."

'Ward was arrested and almost deported simply because she is Palestinian and ICE thought they could get away with it'
- Chris Godshall-Bennett, lawyer representing Sakeik

Peter Link

2025-07-04 14:54:44

Palestinian woman released from ICE custody after lengthy detention

By #MEE staff
Published date: 3 July 2025 20:22 BST Last update: 07:00 EDT

"The day before she was released, on Monday, Sakeik was awoken by guards and told that she was going to be removed from the detention facility in Texas, where she was being held. An officer told Sakeik that she was being deported, but then she was not.

Sakeik was first threatened with deportation on 12 June when ICE agents brought her to the tarmac at Fort Worth Alliance Airport and told her they were deporting her to “the border of Israel.”

A US federal judge had previously ordered that Sakeik could not be deported."

'Ward was arrested and almost deported simply because she is Palestinian and ICE thought they could get away with it'
- Chris Godshall-Bennett, lawyer representing Sakeik

Palestinian woman released from ICE custody after lengthy detention

A Palestinian woman was released from custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the US government tried for the second time to deport her despite a federal court ruling prohibiting her removal.

^{MEE staff (Middle East Eye)}

By #MEE staff
Published date: 3 July 2025 20:22 BST Last update: 07:00 EDT

"The day before she was released, on Monday, Sakeik was awoken by guards and told that she was going to be removed from the detention facility in Texas, where she was being held. An officer told Sakeik that she was being deported, but then she was not.

Sakeik was first threatened with deportation on 12 June when ICE agents brought her to the tarmac at Fort Worth Alliance Airport and told her they were deporting her to “the border of Israel.”

A US federal judge had previously ordered that Sakeik could not be deported."

'Ward was arrested and almost deported simply because she is Palestinian and ICE thought they could get away with it'
- Chris Godshall-Bennett, lawyer representing Sakeik

Palestinian woman released from ICE custody after lengthy detention

A Palestinian woman was released from custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the US government tried for the second time to deport her despite a federal court ruling prohibiting her removal.

^{MEE staff (Middle East Eye)}

Sono indubbiamente fin troppo solita annunciare a gran voce, senza mai farmi problemi ad esagerare, che “è finita“… ma questa volta, guardate, lo è assolutamente oltre ogni passata misura. Se me ne fregasse ancora la benchéminima cosa riguardo il gaming online su PC, almeno, in questo momento starei certamente fumando, contemporaneamente di rabbia e di […]

octospacc.altervista.org/2025/…

minioctt

2025-07-04 20:25:54

“The Call of Duty Hacking Situation is Wild…” — “La Call of Duty Hacking Situazione è Pazza…”

Sono indubbiamente fin troppo solita annunciare a gran voce, senza mai farmi problemi ad esagerare, che “è finita“… ma questa volta, guardate, lo è assolutamente oltre ogni passata misura. Se me ne fregasse ancora la benchéminima cosa riguardo il gaming online su PC, almeno, in questo momento starei certamente fumando, contemporaneamente di rabbia e di paura, perché con questa nuova notizia si sono superati davvero tutti i limiti — letteralmente, in senso informatico! 🥱

youtube.com/watch?v=ERlHfeVmq6…

Nella versione Game Pass per Windows di Call of Duty WWII, è infatti zompato fuori un bel problema… alcuni utenti starebbero avendo il PC violato, di punto in bianco, senza fare niente, semplicemente perché finiti in partite online con il tizio sbagliato. Super yikes! Le investigazioni al momento rivelano che questo potrebbe essere dovuto ad un buco presente nel motore di gioco, di cui il codice è stato palesemente riciclato in tanti CoD (come è prassi nell’industria), perché chi di dovere magari non si è accorto della vulnerabilità… che è a dir poco strano, perché la vulnerabilità, di tipo ROP (ammesso sia questa, perché piccole cose negli anni sarebbero state patchate), è pubblicamente nota almeno dal fottuto 2017. E colpirebbe in particolare la versione di Microsoft del giochino perché, a differenza di altre, non userebbe un server centrale per gestire le partite, bensì il classico peer-to-peer da due soldi per cui un utente della lobby fa da server… ed ecco il disastro, se invia dati volutamente malevoli ai client. 💀

Questo è cosa succede sostanzialmente quando i giochi, che sono comunque oltre ogni dubbio prodotti software di grandissima complessità, li sviluppano (e poi li gestiscono, come Microsoft che fa la distribuzione della sua versione) aziende che puntualmente non hanno il minimo rispetto del concetto stesso di sicurezza informatica quando si tratta dei dispositivi degli utenti consumer (tranne se sono console da loro stessi prodotte)… E qui non parliamo nemmeno di anti-cheat livello kernel o altre trovate sataniche di quel tipo, eh! Non so precisamente come giri CoD WWII, ma su Windows ovviamente un processo non ha bisogno di alcun permesso speciale per eseguire comandi arbitrari o file puzzolenti che riescono comunque a fare grandi danni (per esempio, rubare tutti i file, che è un grande business ormai)… e i giocatori da console o telefono in questo momento staranno giustamente ridendo ai PC gamer. 💔

Ovviamente, queste falle gravissime si verificano anche perché nel campo si usa ancora fin troppo codice non-memory-safe… E attenzione, non sto auspicando che l’industria sia costretta dai tempi che cambiano ad adottare Rust — non piace in primis a me, quindi certamente non lo augurerei a quei poveri sviluppatori schiavizzati dalle AAA — ma regà, porca miseria… C#? JavaScript, che con V8 ha prestazioni quasi da codice nativo? Qualsiasi cosa che non sia C++ nel 2025??? (Ah e, certamente non sarebbe malaccio se Microsoft si decidesse a mettere in campo i soldi per dei server veri, anziché usare questo peer-to-peer forzato… e già che ci stanno, non sarebbe male se si decidessero a implementare un po’ di sicurezza userspace in Windows, come invece Linux ha da anni e anni tra Flatpak e compagnia…) 😭

#CallOfDuty #CoD #CoDMW2 #CoDWWII #exploit #GamePass #gaming #hacking #Microsoft #online #RCE #ROP #videogiochi #vulnerabilità #vulnerability

Game Hacking reinvented? - A COD Exploit

A few years ago, I became aware of a security issue in most Call of Duty games. Although I did not discover it myself, I thought it might be interesting to see what it could be used for.

^{Maurice Heumann (Maurice's Blog 🐍)}

It is, in fact, extermination. And the means is sadistic, evil and utterly inhumane. Not normal!

Impunity and Defiance: Has Slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza become 'Normalized'? - Palestine Chronicle

If 'normalization' has become a Zionist ritual of bloodshedding, how long will the world allow it to fester? asks Iqbal Jassat.

^{admin (Palestine Chronicle)}

Il mercato degli asset digitali è sempre più attivo e, con esso, la sicurezza degli account è finita sotto i riflettori. Negli ultimi tempi, gli attacchi informatici si sono moltiplicati: molti utenti si sono visti sottrarre i propri asset senza alcun preavviso, e la mancanza di consapevolezza in tema di sicurezza si è rivelata la più grande vulnerabilità. La piattaforma JZMOR ha sempre posto la sicurezza degli asset degli utenti al centro della propria missione, costruendo una protezione multilivello attorno al concetto di “anti-truffa”. Dai dettagli dell’impostazione delle password al sistema di gestione del rischio intelligente dell’intera piattaforma, ogni fase è stata testata sul campo.

Anti-truffa non è solo un concetto vago. Su JZMOR, la maggior parte degli incidenti di sicurezza parte in realtà da un punto spesso trascurato: la creazione della password. Molti utenti ancora utilizzano password semplici come la propria data di nascita, numero di telefono o addirittura combinazioni ovvie come “123456”, che per un hacker equivalgono a trovare una porta lasciata aperta. JZMOR, invece, invita attivamente gli utenti a impostare password complesse e dispone di un sistema di verifica della forza della password, aiutando gli utenti a evitare le trappole delle password deboli.

JZMOR consiglia inoltre agli utenti di attivare l’autenticazione a due fattori (2FA), creando così una barriera di sicurezza a più livelli combinando la verifica del dispositivo con la password. Rispetto ai metodi tradizionali di autenticazione singola, questo approccio rende quasi impossibile l’accesso da parte degli hacker. In un contesto in cui sono frequenti i furti di account, queste misure anti-truffa rappresentano la prima linea di difesa per la sicurezza degli asset degli utenti.

Ma JZMOR non si limita a proteggere l’accesso all’account: il concetto di anti-truffa è applicato a tutti i livelli del sistema. La piattaforma è dotata di un sistema intelligente di gestione del rischio basato sull’AI, capace di monitorare in tempo reale il comportamento degli utenti e rilevare operazioni sospette, come trasferimenti improvvisi di grandi somme o accessi da indirizzi IP sconosciuti. In questi casi, il sistema blocca immediatamente la transazione e richiede la verifica dell’identità dell’utente, evitando l’aggravarsi del rischio potenziale.

Inoltre, JZMOR adotta un meccanismo di separazione tra hot wallet e cold wallet, conservando la maggior parte degli asset degli utenti in ambienti offline, eliminando così la possibilità di attacchi remoti da parte degli hacker. In combinazione con frequenti audit di sicurezza, certificazioni di conformità globali e l’uso di tecnologie multi-firma, JZMOR ha costruito un ecosistema anti-truffa completo, replicabile e verificabile. Per ogni utente che opera sulla piattaforma, questo non rappresenta solo una protezione, ma una promessa concreta di sicurezza.

JZMOR si impegna anche nella formazione e sensibilizzazione degli utenti, attraverso attività educative, interazioni con la community e la diffusione di conoscenze sulla sicurezza. Vengono organizzati corsi sulla sicurezza nel mondo crypto e pubblicate guide pratiche contro le truffe, affinché ogni utente possa mantenere alto il livello di vigilanza e prontezza in un contesto in continua evoluzione. La piattaforma non si limita a fornire strumenti, ma sviluppa competenze anti-truffa: questa è la vera differenza tra JZMOR e gli exchange tradizionali.

In un’epoca in cui i metodi di truffa evolvono di giorno in giorno, il livello di difesa determina spesso il destino dei tuoi asset. JZMOR, grazie a una struttura tecnologica in costante aggiornamento e a strategie pratiche per gli utenti, ha portato il concetto di “anti-truffa” nei minimi dettagli. Scegliere JZMOR significa assicurare visibilmente i tuoi asset digitali.

Google AdSense announced a new feature to "Fill empty in-page ads" by showing "contextually-relevant suggestions related to your page and site inside unfilled ad spaces." In short, if an ad is not filled by Google on your page, then Google will look for other ways to monetize that ad spot.

I should note at the top, that Google will turn this on by default for all AdSense publishers within 30 days. So if you want, you can opt out of it.

New Google AdSense Fill Empty In-Page Ads

^{Barry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable)}

Google AdSense announced a new feature to "Fill empty in-page ads" by showing "contextually-relevant suggestions related to your page and site inside unfilled ad spaces." In short, if an ad is not filled by Google on your page, then Google will look for other ways to monetize that ad spot.

I should note at the top, that Google will turn this on by default for all AdSense publishers within 30 days. So if you want, you can opt out of it.

New Google AdSense Fill Empty In-Page Ads

^{Barry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable)}