Slashdot reader SoftwareArtist shares an announcement from a Stanford University institute for environmental studies. “For some, visions of a future powered by clean, renewable energy are clouded by fears of blackouts driven by intermittent electricity…
Astronomers Nervously Counting Down to Christmas Eve Launch of $10B Webb Telescope
“What do astronomers eat for breakfast on the day that their $10 billion telescope launches into space?” asks the New York Times. “Their fingernails.”
The worst-case scenario is “You work for years and it all goes up in a puff of smoke,” they’re told…
Hospital’s Computer System Always Marks Up Costs Automatically, Leaked Records Show
“Ridiculous, seemingly arbitrary price markups are a defining characteristic of the $4-trillion U.S. healthcare system — and a key reason Americans pay more for treatment than anyone else in the world,” writes a business columnist for the Los Ang…
Guitarist Eric Clapton Successfully Sues Woman For Posting $11 Bootleg
Long-time Slashdot reader kjshark writes: Eric Clapton has successfully sued a German woman who posted an illegal recording for €9.95, about $11 on eBay. The CD was a single-bootlegged recording of a Clapton concert from the 1980s.
After Clapton…
Trial Ends For Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes
“Both sides made closing arguments this week in Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ fraud trial,” reports Business Insider:
Prosecutors said Holmes “chose to be dishonest” and that her allegations of abuse, which were a key part of her defense, were ir…
FSF Adopts New Governance Measures: a Board Member Agreement and Code of Ethics
The Free Software Foundation’s board “has approved and implemented two new measures designed to help make FSF governance more transparent, accountable, ethical, and responsible,” according to an FSF announcement.
First a Board Member Agreement “enume…
An Experimental Target-Recognition AI Mistakenly Thought It Was Succeeding 90% of the Time
The American military news site Defense One shares a cautionary tale from top U.S. Air Force Major General Daniel Simpson (assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance). Simpson describes their experience with an e…
Some Fans React Negatively to Disney’s Promos for Star Wars-Themed Hotel
SFGate pan’s Disney’s efforts at “hyping up its mega-expensive, hyper-immersive Star Wars hotel in Walt Disney World” — the Galactic Starcruiser — as its March 1st opening approaches:
Guests must book two nights — which will set you …
Google Finally Killed Its Internet Explorer Plugin, ‘Google Toolbar’
Ars Technica’s reviews editor remembers how Google Toolbar launched back when Internet Explorer “had a rock-solid monopoly” on December 11, 2000, and marked Google’s first foray into browser ownership. “Rather than idly sit by and live under Internet E…
Has the Corporate Climate Migration Begun?
“Companies large and small, some with longtime roots in their neighborhoods, are on the hunt for new real estate that is less prone to weather and climate extremes,” writes Axios:
The corporate migration underway indicates vulnerable communities may s…