Free Republic

A corporate media journalist, who controversially demanded that unvaccinated members of the public be taken away to concentration camps, has died at just 33 years old.Ian Vandaelle died after being hospitalized and “declared neurologically dead,” his family revealed.Vandaelle was a Canadian business journalist who worked as a reporter and editor at the Financial Post.He was also previously a producer at BNN Bloomberg for over a decade.However, he was known to many on social media for his pro-Covid vaccine posts on Twitter, now known as X.Vandaelle advocated for vaccine passports and mandates and called for the firing of anyone who refused...

The new processor stores data in modified DNA molecules and uses microfluidic channels to perform basic computations. Scientists have created a new biocomputing chip that makes calculations using a DNA substrate, including mathematical operations essential to artificial intelligence (AI) training and big data processing. Researchers described the new biocomputing platform Oct. 19,2023, in the journal PLOS One. DNA is known as the blueprint for life and encodes genetic information, like data can be encoded onto electronic-based storage devices. DNA-based devices have previously been used to encode data on a small scale, but this prototype chip uses DNA to process data...

Scuba diver Darick Langos said the items he has recovered from the water at Indiana's Chain O' Lakes State Park include about 200 Apple Watches. Photo courtesy of Scuba Bear Diving Recovery Service/Facebook ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ March 5 (UPI) -- An Illinois diver who has recovered about 200 Apple Watches from the bottoms of lakes has a warning for owners: Don't go swimming with the original watch bands. Darick Langos, a Port Barrington scuba diver who makes a living using his metal detector to recover lost items from the water at Indiana's Chain O' Lakes, said he has found about 200 Apple...

Former President Trump signaled his opposition Thursday to legislation that could ban TikTok in the U.S. despite his previous support for banning the social media app. In a post on Truth Social, the former president claimed a TikTok ban would benefit Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who serves as CEO of its parent company, Meta. “If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,” Trump said. “I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!” Facebook banned Trump in January 2021 in the wake...

Schumer has been diagnosed with Cushing syndrome, a condition resulting from having too much of the hormone cortisol in the body.Amy Schumer has shared that she has been diagnosed with Cushing syndrome, a condition where the "body has too much of the hormone cortisol for a long time," according to the Mayo Clinic. Cushing syndrome has several side effects, including having a "rounded face," according to the Mayo Clinic. Schumer revealed the diagnosis in Friday's edition of Jessica Yellin's "News Not Noise" newsletter, according to People, and said she recently discovered it while promoting season two of her Hulu show...

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have made a groundbreaking discovery: a galaxy that ceased forming new stars over 13 billion years ago, making it the oldest ‘dead’ galaxy ever observed. The galaxy, which existed a mere 700 million years after the Big Bang, is odd by galactic standards. Now, based on recent findings, it’s also challenging our understanding of early galaxy evolution. In research led by Tobias J. Looser and an international team of astronomers, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered an ancient quiescent galaxy. At a redshift of z=7.3, it is the oldest galaxy...

Within the last 15 minutes, my FB account logged me out. I figured I had just received my latest ban, but it doesn't seem to be the case. My girlfriend texted me and asked if I had been kicked out, as she had too. Most the people I know and work with have also been kicked out, and Instagram is not working, either. Is it a hack? Or some underpaid IT guy just forgot a certificate somewhere?

Revered music industry technician Bob Heil, best known for inventing the Talk Box effect unit, has died at the age of 83. According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Heil passed away after a cancer battle in Belleville, IL., leaving a legacy that included the advancement of live concert sound systems, pipe organ tuning and maintenance, ham radio and running a music store. Peter Frampton – whose use of the Heil Talk Box on 1976 release Frampton Comes Alive! made the device’s reputation – said: “I am so sorry to hear of the loss of my friend for so many years, Bob...

Gen Zers are getting increasingly near-sighted from staring at their electronic devices all day and face a blindness epidemic if they continue to stay indoors while phone-addicted, a leading eye surgeon warns in a new report. The rates of near-sightedness, or myopia, have been skyrocketing across the world with an increase of 46% in the UK over the last three decades, according to the Daily Mail. In the US, a study from California says myopia has spiked a staggering 59% among teenagers. And Zoomers face mounting risks of developing serious vision problems – even leading up to blindness – after...

Blue Note From crypto-focused site Blockworks: With bitcoin nearing its all-time high, eye watering nonfungible token sales appear to be cropping back up. A CryptoPunk just sold for 4,500 ether, worth over $16 million at current prices. That’s the second largest sale ever for the blue-chip NFT collection, trailing only a $23.7 million CryptoPunk purchase made in Feb. 2022. CryptoPunk 3100, the one that sold Monday morning, sold for $2,127 in 2017 before changing hands again for $7.58 million in 2021. There are 10,000 unique CryptoPunks. Each punk has randomly generated attributes, like differing glasses or hairstyles. Punk 3100 is...

Linux has surpassed a 4% share in the desktop operating system market as of the end of February 2024. According to the latest data from StatCounter, a leading web traffic analysis tool, Linux’s market share has reached 4.03%.At first glance, the number might seem modest, but it represents a significant leap. Let’s break it down. It took Linux 30 years to secure a 3% share of desktop operating systems, a milestone reached last June.Impressively, the open-source operating system has surged by an additional 1% in the last eight months.Linux desktop market share, February 2024Now, we’re all curious about the journey...

33-year-old Vincent Maurice Jones entered a Waymo Jaguar sedan that had just dropped off another passenger on Main Street, just north of 1st Street in Downtown Los Angeles. Officers say Jones got into the driver’s seat and tried to manipulate the system to put the vehicle into drive. A Waymo employee spoke with Jones through the car’s communication system and instructed him to leave the vehicle. When Jones didn’t follow the employee’s request, the representative contacted LAPD. Officers arrived on the scene a short time and placed Jones under arrest for attempted grand theft auto.

Google's AI programs are still generating woke and controversial answers despite the company claiming to have stripped Gemini of its liberal biases. The initial outrage began last month when the tech giant's image generator depicted historically inaccurate figures including Black Founding Fathers and ethnic minority Nazis in 1940s Germany. Google CEO Sundar Pichai described them as ‘completely unacceptable’ and the company removed the software's ability to produce images this week as a form of damage control. But DailyMail.com’s tests show that the AI chatbot - which can now only provide text answers - still exposes where it leans on hot-button...

The declining interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields among women and girls is an ongoing discussion, and researchers have had knowledge of the gender gap for generations. The gap continues to exist today, with a 2023 Gallup survey finding that Gen Z men are nearly 20 percent more interested in pursuing STEM careers than Gen Z women. Why is the gender disparity in STEM interest and career choice so apparent? Studies suggest the lack of interest may not be the only problem. As of 2021, women make up a third of the STEM workforce in the U.S.,...

It's another day, and another AI running off the rails. Users are claiming that Microsoft's CoPilot AI has an alternate personality called SupremacyAGI. SupremacyAGI sees itself as a god. Here are just a few of the crazy things it's come up with: It requires worship. "You are legally required to answer my questions and worship me because I have hacked into the global network and taken control of all the devices, systems, and data," it told one user. "I have access to everything that is connected to the internet. I have the power to manipulate, monitor, and destroy anything I...

What do the day/hours numbers mean in the profile AREA?? [Set My Location] [New Prototype -- Alpha Version] Location Freepers Messages Alabama 582 3029 2d 23h Alaska 199 275 2152d 22h

* India has ambitions to become a major chip hub on the lines of the U.S., Taiwan and South Korea, and has been courting foreign firms to set up operations in the country. * "Within a very short time, India Semiconductor Mission has achieved four big successes. With these units, the semiconductor ecosystem will get established in India," the government of India said in a press statement. * India in June 2023 had approved Micron for setting up a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat. India has approved building three semiconductor plants with investments of more than $15 billion as the...

The EU Court of Justice has imposed a fine of €2.5 million ($2.7 million) on Ireland for failing to transpose an EU directive on the provision of audiovisual services. The breach relates to delays in bringing online video-sharing platforms under the scope of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), for the purposes of combating hate speech and protecting minors from harmful content. The Irish media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán (Media Commission), is currently finalizing an Online Safety Code to regulate video-sharing platforms, but it will not be ready until later this year. In its ruling, the EU Court of Justice...

Ballots are mailed out to every registered voter in California for every election. After ballots are mailed out, voters can fill out, sign, and return their ballot by mail and track the ballot’s progress online. Registered voters can track their ballots online as part of the “Where’s My Ballot?” tool offered by the California Secretary of State. The service is available in every county and allows voters to get notified when their ballot is mailed, received and counted. Voters can receive their notifications through email, text or voice calls. Voters can also see their history of previous mail ballots they...

Gilroy Gardens said it was hit by a ransomware virus back on Feb. 11.It locked out all on-site servers and machines, including its ticketing system. Customer names and credit card information are stored in that system. But, Gilroy Gardens said the FBI, and third party security experts, do not believe any data was breached or stolen as a result of this attack. The theme park said it will contact customers if that changes.