Comment Why is this legal? (Score 1) 1
They have sensitive PII of people who have zero association with the school.
Submission + - California Dethroned: Fortune 500 Crown Goes to Texas (californiaglobe.com)
schwit1 writes: The 2026 Fortune 500 list shows Texas leading California in Fortune 500 companies 57-56.
Data from the 2026 Fortune 500 list show Texas leading with 57 headquarters, compared with California’s 56, marking a reversal from two years ago, when California held the lead, Fox Business reports.
“Additionally, corporations in Texas generated $2.8 trillion in revenue, while those in California reported $2.7 trillion in revenue.”
Data from the 2026 Fortune 500 list show Texas leading with 57 headquarters, compared with California’s 56, marking a reversal from two years ago, when California held the lead, Fox Business reports.
“Additionally, corporations in Texas generated $2.8 trillion in revenue, while those in California reported $2.7 trillion in revenue.”
Submission + - NASA admits mismanagement and human errors caused 2025 Goldstone antenna damage (behindtheblack.com)
schwit1 writes: NASA today released its completed investigation into the November 2025 incident that severely damaged its Goldstone antenna in California when workers allowed the antenna to "over rotate" beyond its acceptable limits, putting it out of commission.
You can read that report here [pdf], but be warned that large sections are redacted, apparently in an effort to protect the identities of those responsible.
Nonetheless, it is very clear that the management and work situation at Goldstone was a mess, and that the mishap was caused not by faulty engineering but by faulty work practices and bad management. Unfortunately, nowhere in the report is it said that there will be any management changes. This fact might have been redacted, but I suspect not. It is typical of government agencies like NASA after incidents like this to whitewash the investigation, concluding simply that "we should have done better and we now we will!"
The repairs will cost NASA about $4.6 million, and will likely not be completed until 2028.
You can read that report here [pdf], but be warned that large sections are redacted, apparently in an effort to protect the identities of those responsible.
Nonetheless, it is very clear that the management and work situation at Goldstone was a mess, and that the mishap was caused not by faulty engineering but by faulty work practices and bad management. Unfortunately, nowhere in the report is it said that there will be any management changes. This fact might have been redacted, but I suspect not. It is typical of government agencies like NASA after incidents like this to whitewash the investigation, concluding simply that "we should have done better and we now we will!"
The repairs will cost NASA about $4.6 million, and will likely not be completed until 2028.
Comment Case was about Jarkesy not the underlying offenses (Score 4, Informative) 72
The primary question presented to the Supreme Court was whether the administrative enforcement and forfeiture provisions of the Communications Act of 1934 violate the Seventh Amendment and Article III of the Constitution by allowing the FCC to impose steep monetary penalties without guaranteeing the defendant a right to a jury trial.
The FCC fined ATT and Verizon for illegally sharing location data. The companies said this was not permitted because Jarkesy required a jury trial.
The majority distinguished the FCC's process from the unconstitutional SEC framework struck down in Jarkesy. Because the Communications Act leaves the ultimate mechanism of forced collection up to a subsequent federal court proceeding—where a jury trial remains available if a carrier refuses to pay—the preliminary administrative fact-finding by the FCC is a constitutionally permissible mechanism.
The 2 companies can refuse to pay the fines. The FCC could then take them to court where a trial would decide.
Comment Amazon wanted to Rings of Powerify Stargate (Score 5, Interesting) 96
https://x.com/AI_EmeraldApple/...
The rumor is that the show writer, Martin Gero, would not budge on compromising lore or elements within the show for a "wider modern audience" as they did with Rings of Power for LoTR lore.
Martin Gero wanted to create a show that maintained continuity in the story and lore of the old shows, including the mythology and tech, while respecting the 17 seasons of history.
Amazon instead wanted something new for the "modern audience" that's more accessible, reimagined, with more modern casual sensibilities.
Because the showrunners wanted to maintain integrity rather than turn Stargate into another "modern audience slop" like Rings of Power, Amazon leadership canceled it. The franchise heavyweight, like Joseph Mallozzi, was very excited for the fresh stories Gero worked on. Amazon says they are still open to Stargate, just not "this" version... yes they wanted to Rings of Powerify Stargate.
Submission + - Samsung ditches New Jersey for Texas — costing Garden State 1,000 jobs (nj.com)
schwit1 writes: Samsung is pulling up stakes in New Jersey and heading to Texas, a move that could leave roughly 1,000 Garden State workers facing a stark choice: relocate or risk losing their jobs.
The South Korean tech giant confirmed this week that it will move its US headquarters from Englewood Cliffs, NJ, to its existing campus in Plano, Texas, marking a stunning reversal less than a year after it celebrated the opening of a new headquarters in Bergen County.
The relocation is expected to be completed by the end of the year, according to company statements.
Samsung's new Englewood Cliffs headquarters opened less than a year ago. The tech giant now plans to move its US headquarters to Plano, Texas, by the end of the year.
The South Korean tech giant confirmed this week that it will move its US headquarters from Englewood Cliffs, NJ, to its existing campus in Plano, Texas, marking a stunning reversal less than a year after it celebrated the opening of a new headquarters in Bergen County.
The relocation is expected to be completed by the end of the year, according to company statements.
Samsung's new Englewood Cliffs headquarters opened less than a year ago. The tech giant now plans to move its US headquarters to Plano, Texas, by the end of the year.
Submission + - Q-day looms. Threatens to kick off the biggest cybersecurity crisis ever (cnn.com)
schwit1 writes: The clock is ticking on Q-Day, the looming yet unknown date when quantum computing will have the capacity to quickly and easily break the encryption keys that keep most internet communication safe.
Experts have known about the hypothetical risk of Q-Day since the 1990s. But Google recently warned that quantum computers may be able to hack some encrypted systems by 2029 — a timeline that drastically narrows the window to safeguard data that many cybersecurity specialists had previously predicted. The new estimate means that governments, companies and other entities may have far less time to prepare.
“It’s the day when people, perhaps adversaries, will have access to a quantum computer that can break cryptographic codes that are in use,” said Michele Mosca, cofounder and CEO of cybersecurity company evolutionQ.
Q-Day marks the moment a quantum computer gains enough resources and stability to crack conventional cryptography. When that happens, every financial transaction, medical file, email, location history and crypto wallet protected by today’s commonly used algorithms could be unlocked by a machine capable of solving the complex math that currently keeps sensitive data secure.
At that game-changing turning point, “everything’s safe — safe, safe — and then suddenly it’s not safe. It’s a very drastic jump,” said Mosca, who is also a professor at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
Experts have known about the hypothetical risk of Q-Day since the 1990s. But Google recently warned that quantum computers may be able to hack some encrypted systems by 2029 — a timeline that drastically narrows the window to safeguard data that many cybersecurity specialists had previously predicted. The new estimate means that governments, companies and other entities may have far less time to prepare.
“It’s the day when people, perhaps adversaries, will have access to a quantum computer that can break cryptographic codes that are in use,” said Michele Mosca, cofounder and CEO of cybersecurity company evolutionQ.
Q-Day marks the moment a quantum computer gains enough resources and stability to crack conventional cryptography. When that happens, every financial transaction, medical file, email, location history and crypto wallet protected by today’s commonly used algorithms could be unlocked by a machine capable of solving the complex math that currently keeps sensitive data secure.
At that game-changing turning point, “everything’s safe — safe, safe — and then suddenly it’s not safe. It’s a very drastic jump,” said Mosca, who is also a professor at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
Submission + - Not alive, but not dead: disembodied human brains used for drug testing (science.org) 3
schwit1 writes: By restoring some functions to intact brains from deceased donors, the startup Bexorg hopes to create a better drug development test bed for neurodegenerative diseases
Comment Dell needs to match the Huawei MateBook Fold (Score 1) 113
Submission + - RIP: Marcia Lucas, Oscar-Winning Star Wars Editor, Dies at 80 (thewrap.com)
schwit1 writes:
Marcia served as part of a three-person crew editing both "Star Wars" and "Return of the Jedi." On the first film, she worked alongside Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew and was personally responsible for editing the Battle of Yavin — otherwise known as the iconic "trench run" sequence near the end of the film. For "Return of the Jedi," Marcia shared credit with Sean Barton and Duwayne Dunham, with George citing her as responsible for the "dying and crying" scenes to Time.
That "dying and crying" is pretty significant in "Return of the Jedi," a film that hinges its third act not on a massive battle (though there's plenty of space action, too), but on a father sacrificing himself because his son believes he's not beyond redemption. In general, Marcia has been credited as, in some respects, the heart of the "Star Wars" franchise, working tirelessly to ensure that moments like Han Solo's grand return to the Rebellion at the end of the original film landed with emotional impact for the audience.
Flashback: Marcia Lucas, the 'secret weapon' behind the original Star Wars . And Raiders of the Lost Ark: "'[Marcia] was instrumental in changing the ending of Raiders, in which Indiana delivers the ark to Washington. Marion is nowhere to be seen, presumably stranded on an island with a submarine and a lot of melted Nazis. Marcia watched the rough cut in silence and then levelled the boom. She said there was no emotional resolution to the ending, because the girl disappears. 'Everyone was feeling really good until she said that,' Dunham recalls. 'It was one of those, 'Oh no we lost sight of that.' 'Spielberg reshot the scene in downtown San Francisco, having Marion wait for Indiana on the steps on the government building. Marcia, once again, had come to the rescue.'"
Comment Re:Second biggest (Score 2) 73
Widely accepted estimate for the 1917 Halifax Explosion is ~2.9 kilotons of TNT.
Minor Scale (1985, New Mexico) — the largest non-nuclear manmade explosion ever.
It used 4,744 tons of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil, equivalent to ~3.2 kilotons of TNT. It was a deliberate U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency test to simulate nuclear blast effects.
Submission + - Blue Origin rocket New Glenn 4 explodes during static fire (orlandosentinel.com)
symbolset writes: Many sources. Including Orlando Sentinel.
All personnel accounted for. The rocket, planned to launch Project Leo internet satellites for Amazon in the coming days is lost. The detonation was significant, likely destroying the launch pad and ground support equipment nearby. Speculation is it could be a year or more before Blue Origin can attempt another launch as this is their only launch facility. Another New Glenn booster was on a hangar nearby that appears damaged. No status on that booster yet.
Just days ago NASA announced the selection of New Glenn for launch of two rapid development rovers later this year.
All personnel accounted for. The rocket, planned to launch Project Leo internet satellites for Amazon in the coming days is lost. The detonation was significant, likely destroying the launch pad and ground support equipment nearby. Speculation is it could be a year or more before Blue Origin can attempt another launch as this is their only launch facility. Another New Glenn booster was on a hangar nearby that appears damaged. No status on that booster yet.
Just days ago NASA announced the selection of New Glenn for launch of two rapid development rovers later this year.
Submission + - Yale Reinstates Mandatory Standardized Testing Admissions Policy (dailycaller.com)
schwit1 writes: Yale University is mandating standardized testing (SAT/ACT) scores for all first-year and transfer students after a 6-year test-optional hiatus, the university announced Wednesday.
Beginning in the fall admissions cycle, all undergraduate applicants must submit standardized testing scores from either the SAT or the ACT.
The office of undergraduate admissions dropped its mandatory requirement of scores in 2020 following the COVID-19 school shutdowns. Over a thousand other American universities did the same. (RELATED: Vast Majority Of Americans Say 4-Year College Just Not Worth It, Poll Shows)
Yale moved to a test-flexible admissions policy in 2024, allowing applicants to submit scores from either the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate. The university's reinstated policy marks a return to its pre-2020 requirements.
Beginning in the fall admissions cycle, all undergraduate applicants must submit standardized testing scores from either the SAT or the ACT.
The office of undergraduate admissions dropped its mandatory requirement of scores in 2020 following the COVID-19 school shutdowns. Over a thousand other American universities did the same. (RELATED: Vast Majority Of Americans Say 4-Year College Just Not Worth It, Poll Shows)
Yale moved to a test-flexible admissions policy in 2024, allowing applicants to submit scores from either the SAT, ACT, Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate. The university's reinstated policy marks a return to its pre-2020 requirements.
Submission + - China Is Testing Its State Surveillance Model Abroad (nytimes.com)
schwit1 writes: When a remote Pacific village asked for help with rowdy youth, the Chinese police arrived with a surveillance system. Then came the backlash.
Their solution was to introduce an obscure Mao-era community surveillance system: the Fengqiao Experience.
Named after Fengqiao, a town in eastern China, the system encouraged neighbors to spy and snitch on one another to root out political enemies. The system has been revived under Mr. Xi as part of a push to snuff out any challenges to the Chinese Communist Party.
In China, the system calls for the police to monitor individual households in sprawling apartment complexes, in one example assigning each unit a color code that denoted whether occupants presented a security risk. The police have also visited the homes of minority groups like Tibetans and Uyghurs to promote party policies. Government workers have visited churches to give “anti-cult” lectures. And companies are required to register their employees in police databases.
The idea of introducing such a heavy-handed style of state surveillance in the Solomon Islands alarmed local politicians and observers in nearby countries like Australia, who worried it could give the government the tools to stifle freedoms.
The Fengqiao pilot was suspended after an outcry. And the election this month of Matthew Wale, a prime minister who has historically been skeptical of Beijing, raises questions about China’s foothold in the country, and whether its ideas travel as easily as the party hopes.
Their solution was to introduce an obscure Mao-era community surveillance system: the Fengqiao Experience.
Named after Fengqiao, a town in eastern China, the system encouraged neighbors to spy and snitch on one another to root out political enemies. The system has been revived under Mr. Xi as part of a push to snuff out any challenges to the Chinese Communist Party.
In China, the system calls for the police to monitor individual households in sprawling apartment complexes, in one example assigning each unit a color code that denoted whether occupants presented a security risk. The police have also visited the homes of minority groups like Tibetans and Uyghurs to promote party policies. Government workers have visited churches to give “anti-cult” lectures. And companies are required to register their employees in police databases.
The idea of introducing such a heavy-handed style of state surveillance in the Solomon Islands alarmed local politicians and observers in nearby countries like Australia, who worried it could give the government the tools to stifle freedoms.
The Fengqiao pilot was suspended after an outcry. And the election this month of Matthew Wale, a prime minister who has historically been skeptical of Beijing, raises questions about China’s foothold in the country, and whether its ideas travel as easily as the party hopes.
Submission + - Two Indicted for Publishing AI Deepfake Porn In Violation of TAKE IT DOWN Act (justice.gov) 1
schwit1 writes: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, two criminal complaints were unsealed charging Cornelius Shannon and Arturo Hernandez with violations of the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which was enacted one year ago and prohibits the nonconsensual publication of AI-generated digital forgeries (deepfake) pornography. Shannon and Hernandez allegedly posted thousands of images and videos that appeared to depict real people nude and/or engaging in sexual acts. The victims included actresses, singers and political figures. Hernandez also posted hundreds of depictions of non-public figures appearing to engage in sexual acts. Hernandez was arrested today in Bedias, Texas, and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. Shannon was arrested today in New Jersey and will appear this afternoon in Brooklyn before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg.
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