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Submission + - NetHack 5.0 Released (nethack.org)

Submitted by MilenCent
MilenCent writes: Venerable 39-year-old roguelike game and computer geek touchstone NetHack has released version 5.0! In addition to play changes it's left for players to discover, this version updates the code to compile with C99, makes it much easier to cross compile the code for other systems than the one running, and now uses Lua for its dungeon generation. Happy hacking!

Submission + - Spirit Airlines Goes Out Of Business (nbcnews.com)

Submitted by rufey
rufey writes: Spirit Airlines, the no-thrills discount airline providing service in the United States with bright yellow planes ceased operations on May 2nd, leaving 17,000 employees without a job and thousands of travelers either stranded (if currently traveling) or having their future flights cancelled.

From a statement released by Spirit Airlines: "The wind-down follows the Company’s extensive and comprehensive efforts to restructure the business and pursue transactions to strengthen Spirit’s financial position and create a sustainable path forward. Unfortunately, despite the Company’s efforts, the recent material increase in oil prices and other pressures on the business have significantly impacted Spirit’s financial outlook. With no additional funding available to the Company, Spirit had no choice but to begin this wind-down."

This is the first US based airline in 25 years to go out of business rather than being absorbed by another carrier.

Submission + - There Are Signs of a Massive AI Backlash (futurism.com)

Submitted by fjo3
fjo3 writes: The public outrage over the tech industry’s obsession with AI is starting to boil over — and the pitchforks are coming out.

Most recently, a man allegedly lobbed a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s house. Days earlier, a councilman in Indianapolis said that somebody had fired a dozen bullets at his house, with a handwritten note reading “No Data Centers” left on his doorstep.

A similar story is playing out across swathes of rural America, with small towns continuing a years-long effort to keep environmentally damaging data centers that put a huge strain on water availability and the power grid out of their communities.

Earlier this week, voters in a small town in Missouri led a revolt, firing half of their city council over a recently-approved $6 billion data center deal.

Submission + - Co-founder of Supermicro allegedly smuggled $2.5B worth of GPUs to China (cnn.com)

Submitted by AmiMoJo
AmiMoJo writes: The co-founder of Super Micro Computer and two others were charged with diverting $2.5 billion worth of servers with Nvidia’s artificial intelligence chips to China, in violation of US laws barring exports to that country without a license.

Yih-Shyan Liaw, known as Wally; Ruei-Tsang Chang, known as Steven; and Ting-Wei Sun, known as Willy, were charged with conspiring to violate export control laws, smuggling goods from the US and conspiring to defraud the US.

Liaw, who co-founded Super Micro Computer and served on its board of directors, was arrested Thursday in California and released on bail. Sun, a contractor, is held awaiting a detention hearing. Chang, who worked in the Taiwan office of Super Micro, remains at large.

Submission + - OpenAI to merge Atlas browser, ChatGPT, Codex into a single desktop super app (neowin.net)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: OpenAI is planning to combine its Atlas web browser, ChatGPT app, and Codex coding app into a singular desktop super app. CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, said the company was doubling down on its successful products.

By taking this move, the AI company aims to streamline the user experience and reduce fragmentation. With that said, each of the apps currently do quite different things so it will be interesting to see how they put this all together. Simo said in an internal memo: “We realized we were spreading our efforts across too many apps and stacks, and that we need to simplify our efforts. That fragmentation has been slowing us down and making it harder to hit the quality bar we want.”

OpenAI is in a fierce battle with companies like Anthropic and Google to produce the best models and products. By unifying and speeding up the development of their desktop offering, it gives OpenAI a leg up in the race.

Atlas is probably the least known among the three products. It lets users browse the web with ChatGPT packed in. This browser is only available on macOS, so fewer people have had a chance to use it.

Submission + - Reducing Europe's Nuclear Energy Sector Was 'Strategic Mistake', EU Chief Says (reuters.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Reducing Europe's nuclear energy sector was a "strategic mistake," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, as governments grapple with an energy crunch from the Iran war. Europe produced around a third of electricity from nuclear power in 1990 but that has fallen to 15%, she told an event in Paris, leaving it reliant on oil and gas imports whose prices have surged in recent days. Being "completely dependent on expensive and volatile imports" of fossil fuels puts Europe at a disadvantage to other regions, von der Leyen said in a speech. "This reduction in the share of nuclear was a choice. I believe that it was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emissions power."

[...] The EU budget does not directly fund nuclear energy projects because they are not unanimously supported by its 27 member governments. In a sign of the EU's increasing acceptance of the technology, von der Leyen said the executive Commission would offer a 200-million-euro guarantee for private investments in innovative nuclear technologies. She said the money would come from the EU's carbon market. Some EU countries which previously opposed nuclear, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, have recently softened their stance, as they hunt for ways to secure large amounts of stable, low-carbon electricity for heavy industry. Others, including Austria and Luxembourg, remain opposed.

Submission + - Work-from-office mandate? Expect top talent turnover, culture rot (cio.com)

Submitted by snydeq
snydeq writes: Work-from-office mandates are accelerating but the push toward in-person work environments will make it more difficult for IT leaders to retain and recruit staff, some experts say. Over the past year, many companies, including IT giants Amazon and Microsoft, have required employees to work from the office. Advocates of in-person work expect increased productivity and improved collaboration, although several studies suggest that workers can be just as productive when working remotely, and employment experts say collaboration gains can be difficult to measure. Organizations requiring IT workers to commute to an office need to ground decisions in value creation, focus on data-driven results, and avoid badge-swipe metrics, employment experts say. “In addition to resistance, there would also be the risk of talent turnover,” Converge CTO Lawrence Wolfe says. “The truth is, both physical and virtual collaboration provide tremendous value.”

Comment Re: Price too low = no supply (Score 1) 309

You absolutely can rent a car or stay at a hotel without a credit card. There are companies in both businesses that will happily put holds on a debit card. My phone company gives me a credit for paying my bill with a debit card instead of a credit card.

True, it's more convenient to use a credit card, but lack of convenience doesn't mean it's impossible to function without one.

Submission + - FCC Approves 7,500 More Starlink Gen2 Satellites (broadbandbreakfast.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes:

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday approved SpaceX’s request to launch an additional 7,500 of its Starlink Gen2 satellites, bringing the total allowed Gen2 constellation to 15,000. The agency also granted the company’s request to operate in additional spectrum bands and to operate at higher power in other bands between 10.7-30 GigaHertz (GHz), pending the completion of an existing FCC rulemaking where the question is being considered.

The order also allows SpaceX satellites to use lower orbits, down to 340 kilometers, and provide direct-to-cell service. The company is seeking approval for a separate 15,000-satellite constellation that would provide upgraded direct-to-cell service using spectrum it’s purchasing from EchoStar.

The article notes that under the Trump administration has also revamped the FCC’s grant program, that under Biden canceled an $886 million grant, claiming absurdly that Starlink did not provide service to rural areas. Under the new program “SpaceX is set to serve the most locations of any ISP under the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program after new Trump administration rules that made it easier for satellite providers to compete for funding.”

Submission + - Firefox Will Ship with an "AI Kill Switch" to Completely Disable all AI Features (9to5linux.com) 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: From a report on 9to5Linux.com:

"On Tuesday, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo was named the new CEO of Mozilla Corporation, the company behind the beloved Firefox web browser used by almost all GNU/Linux distributions as the default browser."

"In his message as new CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo stated that Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software while remaining the company’s anchor, and that Firefox will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions."

"What was not made clear is that Firefox will also ship with an AI kill switch that will let users completely disable all the AI features that are included in Firefox. Mozilla shared this important update earlier today to make it clear to everyone that Firefox will still be a trusted web browser."

Comment Re:It is football season (Score 1) 21

Not certain about the NFL service, but MLB.tv blacks out the local teams' games, I think to keep the local affiliates happy. So for example, if you live in NY and want to watch the Yankees or the Mets, you're out of luck when it comes to the streaming service.

I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL streaming service is the same.

Submission + - The UK's Ministry of Truth 4th attempt to go after 4chan (prestonbyrne.com) 2

Submitted by sinij
sinij writes:

The United Kingdom's Ofcom has sent yet another threatening letter to 4chan (a US company). After 4chan refused to pay fines to a foreign government, the United Kingdom says they are "expanding the scope of the investigation into 4chan".

Australia, UK, Germany are all working in different ways to undermine one of the core principles of Western Civilization — the right of free speech.

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