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Computers/Internet (General/Chat)

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  • Dilbert.com has been taken offline [VANITY]

    03/13/2023 5:59:42 AM PDT · by ShadowAce · 26 replies
    Dilbert.com ^ | 13 March 2023 | Self
    Well, I went to the site to get my daily fix of Dilbert, and it is no longer there. I thought Scott Adams owned the URL, but now I'm guessing that the syndicate owns it.
  • March Madness betting to top $15 billion this year

    03/12/2023 7:44:40 PM PDT · by Libloather
    Fox Business ^ | 2/12/23 | Eric Revell
    March Madness tips off this week and about one-quarter of all American adults are poised to collectively bet $15.5 billion on this year’s NCAA men’s Division I basketball tournament, according to data from the American Gaming Association (AGA). The AGA conducted a survey that found 68 million American adults will place bets on March Madness this year, with the vast majority – 56.3 million – planning to participate in a bracket contest. About 31 million Americans will place a traditional wager online, with a retail sportsbook, or with a bookie, while another 21.5 million plan to bet casually with friends....
  • GPS-enabled headphones help deputies bust thief in San Bernardino County

    03/12/2023 6:24:38 PM PDT · by BenLurkin · 19 replies
    A 34-year-old Chino Hills man was arrested Sunday after stealing a backpack that contained GPS enabled headphones that led deputies to his location, authorities announced. Deputies with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department responded to the 5400 block of Wild Sage Place at around 8:40 a.m. on reports of a vehicle burglary. Using the GPS tracking, the victim was able to pinpoint the location of the headphones at a business parking lot on Mountain Avenue in Chino, where deputies found the 34-year-old suspect in possession of the stolen property.
  • Roku Channel Recommendations

    03/11/2023 3:19:37 PM PST · by ducttape45 · 103 replies
    3/11/2023 | Me
    Good evening fellow Freepers. I just got me a Roku device and I'm looking for suggestions for what I should add to my channel lineup. I got some already, but I'm looking for more conservative news channels as well as family friendly movie/TV channels to subscribe to. Thanks all!
  • Ripping: Personal Use Box Set with Subtitles

    03/11/2023 12:33:59 PM PST · by CptnObvious · 2 replies
    03/11/2023 | Self
    ALL RIPPING IS FOR PERSONALUSE ACCORDING TO LOCAL LAWS> With that proviso said I thought I would share some thoughts about Subtitles for box sets. What a pain in the Butt! First, I am convinced that the industry figures you are handicapped if you deploy subtitles. Maybe because of the various laws, but once deployed subtitles seem to be ON BY DEFAULT and you may have the option to turn them off PER USE, This is opposite of what I want, which is OFF by default and selectable for use like on a DVD Player. So be forewarned; some hard...
  • Ripping: Video Jitters

    03/11/2023 10:38:10 AM PST · by CptnObvious · 6 replies
    03/11/2023 | Self
    Ripping: Video Jitters You rip a video and it is fully of jitters. Every now and then the video pauses. Maybe for just enough to notice, but sometimes for what seems like a long time. What causes video jitters while encoding them?The Number 1 Cause: Overclocking Most of the systems we use today are built on gaming computers. The first core is built to handle the overclocking most folks give it. The subsequent cores can only handle the overclocking for shorter periods of time as the game gets more intense. When the limits are exceeded, either in watts and time...
  • Free Republic not showing threads when logged in

    03/10/2023 7:27:06 AM PST · by Blue Highway · 34 replies
    FreeRepublic.com ^ | 3/10/23 | Blue Highway
    I’ve noticed the last few days when hitting news/activism or EVERYTHING ELSE which is how I normally browse the threads of the day, it comes up blank and says “your query returned no results”. I’ve tried everything browser related clearing the history, cache and cookies. Even did an update. Then I tried Safari browser on my iPhone and the same issue. I just realized if I sign out the threads appear as normal. As soon as I sign in, the same black screen and error prompt appears.
  • 'Sushi terrorist' and 2 accomplices arrested in Japan after viral prank

    03/09/2023 2:59:20 PM PST · by BenLurkin · 7 replies
    npr ^ | 03/08/2023 | KAITLYN RADDE
    Japanese police arrested three people on Wednesday in connection with an unsanitary prank at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, according to the Japanese state broadcaster NHK. The viral videos from early February showed one of them — 21-year-old Yoshino Ryoga, dubbed a "sushi terrorist" by the Japanese public and media — putting his saliva on utensils and sushi and licking the spout of soy sauce bottles at a Kura Sushi restaurant in Nagoya City. The restaurant chain filed a complaint for damages with police on Tuesday and received an apology from Ryoga. Police also arrested two teenagers on suspicion of obstructing...
  • Fun and Games with ChatGPT... which I now call 'ShatGPT'.

    03/09/2023 5:29:05 AM PST · by Lazamataz · 87 replies
    ChatGPT ^ | 3/9/2023 | By Laz A. Mataz
    When I first encountered ChatGPT, I was very impressed and quite intimidated that my job as a Senior Software Analyst would soon be obsolete. I am no longer impressed, nor am I intimidated. Here are two interactions I have had with the product that best highlight the disappointing performance of the product. The first one is quite funny. There is a third I will post, later today, in this thread. ME: how do I get in touch with you? CHATGPT: You can get in touch with me by simply typing your question or message in this chatbox and pressing enter....
  • Researchers Have Developed a New Kind of 'Unbreakable' Glass

    03/08/2023 11:02:04 PM PST · by Jonty30 · 44 replies
    https://interestingengineering.com/ ^ | Oct 01, 2021 | Christopher McFadden
    Researchers at McGill University have developed the strongest and toughest glass ever known. Inspired, in part, by the inner layer of mollusk shells, this glass does not shatter when hit, and acts more like plastic. The material, once commercially viable, could be used to improve cell phone screens, among other applications in the future. Interestingly, this may be an example of modern science rediscovering an old technology, now long lost. Apparently, a form of flexible glass existed during the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius Caesar. So the story goes, as told by Petronius, a glassmaker brought a drinking bowl...
  • Biden, Schumer are using ESG to come after your retirement savings and bipartisan efforts won't stop them

    03/08/2023 3:35:13 PM PST · by Libloather · 26 replies
    Fox Business ^ | 3/07/23 | Andy Puzder
    Progressive Democrats pushing the ESG (environmental, social and governance) agenda are focused on controlling the private decisions and beliefs of millions of Americans. Worse, they are increasingly willing to lie about what ESG is in order to gaslight Americans into compliance, or at least apathy toward this massive scheme. Take Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who recently penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed with this headline, "Republicans Ought to Be All for ESG." Schumer was expressing his support for a recent Labor Department rule allowing retirement fund managers to use workers’ savings to advance leftist political goals. Before rounding...
  • Michelle Yeoh Tweets, Deletes ‘Forbidden’ Post About Oscars Nominee Cate Blanchett

    03/08/2023 1:08:25 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 32 replies
    New York Post ^ | March 8, 2023 | Jack Hobbs
    Michelle Yeoh may have violated the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "References to Other Nominees" rule after posting Vogue article about fellow Best Actress nominee and two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. SNIP "Detractors would say that Blanchett’s is the stronger performance — the acting veteran is, indisputably, incredible as the prolific conductor Lydia Tár — but it should be noted that she already has two Oscars,” read the article. “Meanwhile, for Yeoh, an Oscar would be life-changing: Her name would forever be preceded by the phrase ‘Academy Award winner,’ and it should result in her getting meatier parts,...
  • Relativity Space to attempt first 3D-printed rocket launch

    03/08/2023 7:57:06 AM PST · by Red Badger · 28 replies
    UPI ^ | MARCH 8, 2023 / 10:17 AM | By Clyde Hughes
    Relativity Space will launch its first 3D printer-made rocket from the space station on Wednesday. Photo courtesy Relativity Space March 8 (UPI) -- The Relativity Space launcher Terran 1 will try to become the first 3D-printed rocket to reach space when it blasts off Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The test flight mission dubbed "Good Luck Have Fun" is scheduled to take off at about 1 p.m., EST. Some 85% of the mass of the 110-foot tall, two-stage rocket was made by a 3D printer and could play a key role in driving down the cost of...
  • Los Angeles considers funding for crime-fighting robot dogs

    03/07/2023 3:03:19 PM PST · by BenLurkin · 21 replies
    The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday will consider accepting a donation for the Los Angeles Police Department to receive a dog-like robot, though critics worry about expanding police surveillance. The robot — a quadruped unmanned ground vehicle called Spot — is valued at about $280,000, which the Los Angeles Police Foundation plans to donate... If approved by the council on Tuesday, the LAPD would use the canine Boston Dynamics robot for reconnaissance in situations like SWAT incidents.
  • New Steganography Breakthrough Enables “Perfectly Secure” Digital Communications

    03/07/2023 11:58:07 AM PST · by ShadowAce · 23 replies
    SciTechDaily ^ | 7 March 2023 | University of Oxford
    A group of researchers has achieved a breakthrough in secure communications by developing an algorithm that conceals sensitive information so effectively that it is impossible to detect that anything has been hidden.The team, led by the University of Oxford in close collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, envisages that this method may soon be used widely in digital human communications, including social media and private messaging. In particular, the ability to send perfectly secure information may empower vulnerable groups, such as dissidents, investigative journalists, and humanitarian aid workers.The algorithm applies to a setting called steganography: the practice of hiding sensitive information...
  • Two types of dataset poisoning attacks that can corrupt AI system results

    03/07/2023 9:20:15 AM PST · by devane617 · 10 replies
    techxplore.com ^ | 03/07/2023
    A team of computer science researchers with members from Google, ETH Zurich, NVIDIA and Robust Intelligence, is highlighting two kinds of dataset poisoning attacks that could be used by bad actors to corrupt AI system results. The group has written a paper outlining the kinds of attacks that they have identified and have posted it on the arXiv preprint server. With the development of deep learning neural networks, artificial intelligence applications have become big news. And because of their unique learning abilities they can be applied in a wide variety of environments. But, as the researchers on this new effort...
  • The Most in-demand skills for 2023, according to Professional Network Site LinkedIn

    03/06/2023 5:56:02 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 33 replies
    ComputerWorld ^ | 03/06/2023 | Lucal Mearian
    The online job and social site listed the top skills in areas such as IT, as well as engineering, recruiting, sales, and marketing.LinkedIn today released an exhaustive list of skills employers prioritize when recruiting, posting, and hiring for jobs on the company's website.“It's true that topics like layoffs are trending on LinkedIn and conversations around 'recession' are up nearly 900% since last year," the company said in the report. "The rate of global LinkedIn member job change has flatlined for the first time since March 2021. No matter the setback, looming re-org, or change in strategy, learning in-demand skills can...
  • Tesla re-thinks 100-year-old automaking model, aiming to halve costs

    03/06/2023 12:51:12 PM PST · by Red Badger · 20 replies
    New Atlas ^ | March 03, 2023 | By Loz Blain
    Tesla told investors it can reduce costs by 50%, by expanding on the modular, parallel manufacturing innovations it developed for the Model Y. Tesla's next-gen vehicles will be built and tested in chunks that won't come together until the final line. At the company's 2023 Investor Day presentation, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy described how the company's organizational structure is designed to ensure full accountability and a collaborative approach that makes sure manufacturing and automation considerations are part of every engineering and design decision. "The places I used to work and the top manufacturing companies in the world,...
  • Looking for suggestions regarding Live TV Streams

    03/03/2023 6:23:57 PM PST · by LibertyWoman · 33 replies
    freerepublic ^ | 03/03/2023 | vanity
    A couple of years ago, I ran across a thread on here regarding live tv streaming. One of the sites listed was ustvgo along with some others that I can't recall because I immediately went to the ustvgo site which it was terrific. It had it all plus it was free. Since I don't have TV, I had it on my PC everyday and had access to all cable and network stations. In January it was taken down and the message left was 'sorry, we are closed'. After doing some research, it looks like some heavy weights got involved and...
  • A new Ford patent imagines a future in which self-driving cars repossess themselves

    03/03/2023 1:18:10 PM PST · by BenLurkin · 26 replies
    NPR ^ | March 3, 20231:37 PM ET | BECKY SULLIVAN
    Imagine it's the near future, and you've bought a new car with a self-driving mode. But hard times hit and you fall behind on loan payments – then, one day you find your car has driven itself away to the repossession lot. That's the vision of a new Ford patent published last month that describes a variety of futuristic ways that Ford vehicle systems could be controlled by a financial institution in order to aid in the repossession of a car. The company told NPR that the company has no intention of implementing the ideas in the patent, which is...