Hollywood Director Found Guilty of Blowing $11 Million Netflix Budget on Crypto and Ferraris
December 12, 2025 at 10:40PM
December 12, 2025 at 10:40PM
yro.slashdot.org
Hollywood Director Found Guilty of Blowing $11 Million Netflix Budget on Crypto and Ferraris
Carl Rinsch, the director behind the 2013 Keanu Reeves film "47 Ronin," has been found guilty of defrauding Netflix out of $11 million that was meant to fund a science fiction series called "Conquest," which the streaming company ultimately cancelled in 2021…
Washington Post's AI-Generated Podcasts Rife With Errors, Fictional Quotes
December 12, 2025 at 11:26PM
December 12, 2025 at 11:26PM
news.slashdot.org
Washington Post's AI-Generated Podcasts Rife With Errors, Fictional Quotes
The Washington Post's top standards editor Thursday decried "frustrating" errors in its new AI-generated personalized podcasts, whose launch has been met with distress by its journalists. From a report: Earlier this week, the Post announced that it was rolling…
The Immediate Post-College Transition and its Role in Socioeconomic Earnings Gaps
December 13, 2025 at 12:05AM
December 13, 2025 at 12:05AM
news.slashdot.org
The Immediate Post-College Transition and its Role in Socioeconomic Earnings Gaps
A new study of roughly 80,000 bachelor's degree recipients from a large urban public college system finds that characteristics of a graduate's first job can explain nearly two-thirds of the otherwise-unexplained earnings gap between students from low-income…
China Leads Research in 90% of Crucial Technologies - a Dramatic Shift this Century
December 13, 2025 at 12:44AM
December 13, 2025 at 12:44AM
slashdot.org
China Leads Research in 90% of Crucial Technologies - a Dramatic Shift this Century
China is leading research in nearly 90% of the crucial technologies that "significantly enhance, or pose risks to, a country's national interests," according to a technology tracker run by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) -- an independent…
'Apple Tax is Dead in the USA'
December 13, 2025 at 01:25AM
December 13, 2025 at 01:25AM
news.slashdot.org
'Apple Tax is Dead in the USA'
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has almost entirely upheld a scathing April ruling that found Apple in willful violation of a 2021 injunction meant to open up iOS App Store payments in its long-running legal battle against Epic Games. A three-judge panel…
Berlin Approves New Expansion of Police Surveillance Powers
December 13, 2025 at 02:30AM
December 13, 2025 at 02:30AM
yro.slashdot.org
Berlin Approves New Expansion of Police Surveillance Powers
Berlin's regional parliament has passed a far-reaching overhaul of its "security" law, giving police new authority to conduct both digital and physical surveillance. From a report: The CDU-SPD coalition, supported by AfD votes, approved the reform of the…
Amazon Prime Video Pulls AI-Powered Recaps After Fallout Flub
December 13, 2025 at 04:36AM
December 13, 2025 at 04:36AM
entertainment.slashdot.org
Amazon Prime Video Pulls AI-Powered Recaps After Fallout Flub
An anonymous reader shares a report: Amazon Prime Video has pulled its AI-powered video recap of Fallout after viewers noticed that it got key parts of the story wrong. The streaming service began testing Video Recaps last month, and now they're missing from…
Arkansas Becoming 1st State To Sever Ties With PBS, Effective July 1
December 13, 2025 at 05:00AM
December 13, 2025 at 05:00AM
entertainment.slashdot.org
Arkansas Becoming 1st State To Sever Ties With PBS, Effective July 1
joshuark writes: Arkansas is becoming the first state to officially end its public television affiliation with PBS. The Arkansas Educational Television Commission, whose members are all appointed by the governor, voted to disaffiliate from PBS effective July…
New Kindle Feature Uses AI To Answer Questions About Books - And Authors Can't Opt Out
December 13, 2025 at 05:40AM
December 13, 2025 at 05:40AM
news.slashdot.org
New Kindle Feature Uses AI To Answer Questions About Books - And Authors Can't Opt Out
An anonymous reader shares a report: Amazon has quietly added a new AI feature to its Kindle iOS app -- a feature that "lets you ask questions about the book you're reading and receive spoiler-free answers," according to an Amazon announcement. The company…
The Data Breach That Hit Two-Thirds of a Country
December 13, 2025 at 06:22AM
December 13, 2025 at 06:22AM
yro.slashdot.org
The Data Breach That Hit Two-Thirds of a Country
Online retailer Coupang, often called South Korea's Amazon, is dealing with the fallout from a breach that exposed the personal information of more than 33 million accounts -- roughly two-thirds of the country's population -- after a former contractor allegedly…
Google Translate Expands Live Translation To All Earbuds On Android
December 13, 2025 at 07:00AM
December 13, 2025 at 07:00AM
tech.slashdot.org
Google Translate Expands Live Translation To All Earbuds On Android
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Google has increasingly moved toward keeping features locked to its hardware products, but the Translate app is bucking that trend. The live translate feature is breaking out of the Google bubble with…
Bill Gates' Daughter Secures $30 Million For AI App Built In Stanford Dorm
December 13, 2025 at 07:40AM
December 13, 2025 at 07:40AM
tech.slashdot.org
Bill Gates' Daughter Secures $30 Million For AI App Built In Stanford Dorm
Phoebe Gates, Bill Gates' youngest daughter, has raised $30 million for the AI shopping app she built in her Stanford dorm room with classmate Sophia Kianni. The app is called Phia and is pitched as a way to simplify price comparison and secondhand shopping.…
Russian Hackers Debut Simple Ransomware Service, But Store Keys In Plain Text
December 13, 2025 at 08:20AM
December 13, 2025 at 08:20AM
it.slashdot.org
Russian Hackers Debut Simple Ransomware Service, But Store Keys In Plain Text
The pro-Russian CyberVolk group resurfaced with a Telegram-based ransomware-as-a-service platform, but fatally undermined its own operation by hardcoding master encryption keys in plaintext. The Register reports: First, the bad news: the CyberVolk 2.x (aka…
US To Mandate AI Vendors Measure Political Bias For Federal Sales
December 13, 2025 at 09:00AM
December 13, 2025 at 09:00AM
yro.slashdot.org
US To Mandate AI Vendors Measure Political Bias For Federal Sales
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The U.S. government will require artificial intelligence vendors to measure political "bias" to sell their chatbots to federal agencies, according to a Trump administration statement (PDF) released on Thursday.…
Doom Studio id Software Forms 'Wall-To-Wall' Union
December 13, 2025 at 09:20AM
December 13, 2025 at 09:20AM
games.slashdot.org
Doom Studio id Software Forms 'Wall-To-Wall' Union
id Software employees voted to form a wall-to-wall union with the CWA, covering all roles at the Doom studio. "The vote wasn't unanimous, though a majority did vote in favor of the union," notes Engadget. From the report: The union will work in conjunction…
Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices By 50% For DIY Laptops
December 13, 2025 at 09:40AM
December 13, 2025 at 09:40AM
hardware.slashdot.org
Framework Raises DDR5 Memory Prices By 50% For DIY Laptops
Framework Computer raised DDR5 memory prices for its Laptop DIY Editions by 50% due to industry-wide memory shortages. Phoronix reports: Framework Computer is keeping the prior prices for existing pre-orders and also is foregoing any price changes for their…
Arizona City Rejects Data Center After Lobbying Push
December 13, 2025 at 10:20AM
December 13, 2025 at 10:20AM
news.slashdot.org
Arizona City Rejects Data Center After Lobbying Push
Chandler, Arizona unanimously rejected a proposed AI data center despite heavy lobbying from Big Tech interests and former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Politico reports: The Chandler City Council last night voted down a request by a New York developer to rezone land…
Ukrainians Sue US Chip Firms For Powering Russian Drones, Missiles
December 13, 2025 at 11:30AM
December 13, 2025 at 11:30AM
yro.slashdot.org
Ukrainians Sue US Chip Firms For Powering Russian Drones, Missiles
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Dozens of Ukrainian civilians filed a series of lawsuits in Texas this week, accusing some of the biggest US chip firms of negligently failing to track chips that evaded export curbs. Those chips were…
Chinese Whistleblower Living In US Is Being Hunted By Beijing With US Tech
December 13, 2025 at 03:00PM
December 13, 2025 at 03:00PM
yro.slashdot.org
Chinese Whistleblower Living In US Is Being Hunted By Beijing With US Tech
A former Chinese official who fled to the U.S. says Beijing has used advanced surveillance technology from U.S. companies to track, intimidate, and punish him and his family across borders. ABC News reports: Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang was recuperating…
Germany Covers Nearly 56 Percent of 2025 Electricity Use With Renewables
December 13, 2025 at 06:00PM
December 13, 2025 at 06:00PM
hardware.slashdot.org
Germany Covers Nearly 56 Percent of 2025 Electricity Use With Renewables
Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from Clean Energy Wire: Renewable energy sources covered nearly 56 percent of Germany's gross electricity consumption in 2025, according to preliminary figures by energy industry group BDEW and research institute…
蟒蛇在一千万年前就体型巨大
剑桥大学领导的研究团队根据委内瑞拉发现的距今 1240 万年的化石重建了古代水蟒（anacondas），发现这种热带蛇类体长达 5.2 米。1240 万年到 530 万年前的中新世中晚期，由于更温暖的全球气温，广阔的湿地和丰富的食物，很多动物体型远大于其现代近亲。中新世巨型动物如 12 米长的凯门鳄（Purussaurus），3.2 米长的巨型淡水龟（Stupendemys）都已经灭绝，但水蟒作为一种巨型动物仍然存活了下来。研究团队测量了 183 块水蟒脊椎骨化石，它们来自至少 32 条蟒蛇。结果显示古代水蟒体长约为 4-5 米，与现代的水蟒差不多。研究人员认为这展现了蟒蛇超强的适应能力。 via Solidot
剑桥大学领导的研究团队根据委内瑞拉发现的距今 1240 万年的化石重建了古代水蟒（anacondas），发现这种热带蛇类体长达 5.2 米。1240 万年到 530 万年前的中新世中晚期，由于更温暖的全球气温，广阔的湿地和丰富的食物，很多动物体型远大于其现代近亲。中新世巨型动物如 12 米长的凯门鳄（Purussaurus），3.2 米长的巨型淡水龟（Stupendemys）都已经灭绝，但水蟒作为一种巨型动物仍然存活了下来。研究团队测量了 183 块水蟒脊椎骨化石，它们来自至少 32 条蟒蛇。结果显示古代水蟒体长约为 4-5 米，与现代的水蟒差不多。研究人员认为这展现了蟒蛇超强的适应能力。 via Solidot