NYC Wegmans Is Storing Biometric Data On Shoppers' Eyes, Voices and Faces schwit1 shares a report from Gothamist: Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets, according to new signage posted at the chain's Manhattan and Brooklyn locations earlier this month. Anyone entering the store could have data on their face, eyes and voices collected and stored by the Rochester-headquartered supermarket chain. The information is used to "protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees," according to the signage. The new scanning policy is an expansion of a 2024 pilot. The chain had initially said that the scanning system was only for a small group of employees and promised to delete any biometric data it collected from shoppers during the pilot rollout. The new notice makes no such assurances. Wegmans representatives did not reply to questions about how the data would be stored, why it changed its policy or if it would share the data with law enforcement. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=NYC+Wegmans+Is+Storing+Biometric+Data+On+Shoppers'+Eyes%2C+Voices+and+Faces%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2231258%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2231258%2Fnyc-wegmans-is-storing-biometric-data-on-shoppers-eyes-voices-and-faces%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

NYC Wegmans Is Storing Biometric Data On Shoppers

schwit1 shares a report from Gothamist: Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets, accor...

at Slashdot.

NYC Wegmans Is Storing Biometric Data On Shoppers

schwit1 shares a report from Gothamist: Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets, accor...

Utah Allows AI To Renew Medical Prescriptions sinij shares a news release from the Utah Department of Commerce: The state of Utah, through the Utah Department of Commerce's Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Doctronic, the AI-native health platform, to give patients with chronic conditions a faster, automated way to renew medications. This agreement marks the first state-approved program in the country that allows an AI system to legally participate in medical decision-making for prescription renewals, an emerging model that could reshape access to care and ultimately improve care outcomes. Politico provides additional context in its reporting: In data shared with Utah regulators, Doctronic compared its AI system with human clinicians across 500 urgent care cases. The results showed the AI's treatment plan matched the physicians' 99.2 percent of the time, according to the company. "The AI is actually better than doctors at doing this," said Dr. Adam Oskowitz, Doctronic co-founder and an associate professor of surgery at the University of California San Francisco. "When you go see a doctor, it's not going to do all the checks that the AI is doing." Oskowitz said the AI is designed to err on the side of safety, automatically escalating cases to a physician if there's any uncertainty. Human doctors will also review the first 250 prescriptions issued in each medication class to validate the AI's performance. Once that threshold is met, subsequent renewals in that class will be handled autonomously. The company has also secured a one-of-a-kind malpractice insurance policy covering an AI system, which means the system is insured and held to the same level of responsibility as a doctor would be. Doctronic also runs a nationwide telehealth practice that directs patients to doctors after an AI consultation. In Utah, patients who use the system will visit a webpage that verifies they are physically in the state. Then the system will pull the patient's prescription history and offer a list of medications eligible for renewal. The AI walks the patient through the same clinical questions a physician would ask to determine whether a refill is appropriate. If the system clears the renewal, the prescription is sent directly to a pharmacy. The program is limited to 190 commonly prescribed medications. Some medications -- including pain management and ADHD drugs as well as injectables -- are excluded for safety reasons. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Utah+Allows+AI+To+Renew+Medical+Prescriptions%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2227211%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2227211%2Futah-allows-ai-to-renew-medical-prescriptions%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Utah Allows AI To Renew Medical Prescriptions - Slashdot

sinij shares a news release from the Utah Department of Commerce: The state of Utah, through the Utah Department of Commerce

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Utah Allows AI To Renew Medical Prescriptions - Slashdot

sinij shares a news release from the Utah Department of Commerce: The state of Utah, through the Utah Department of Commerce

Google Will Now Only Release Android Source Code Twice a Year Google will begin releasing Android Open Source Project (AOSP) source code only twice a year starting in 2026. "In the past, Google would release the source code for every quarterly Android release, of which there are four each year," notes Android Authority. From the report: Google told Android Authority that, effective 2026, Google will publish new source code to AOSP in Q2 and Q4. The reason is to ensure platform stability for the Android ecosystem and better align with Android's trunk-stable development model. Developers navigating to source.android.com today will see a banner confirming the change that reads as follows: "Effective in 2026, to align with our trunk-stable development model and ensure platform stability for the ecosystem, we will publish source code to AOSP in Q2 and Q4. For building and contributing to AOSP, we recommend utilizing android-latest-release instead of aosp-main. The aosp-latest-release manifest branch will always reference the most recent release pushed to AOSP. For more information, see Changes to AOSP." A spokesperson for Google offered some additional context on this decision, stating that it helps simplify development, eliminates the complexity of managing multiple code branches, and allows them to deliver more stable and secure code to Android platform developers. The spokesperson also reiterated that Google's commitment to AOSP is unchanged and that this new release schedule helps the company build a more robust and secure foundation for the Android ecosystem. Finally, Google told us that its process for security patch releases will not change and that the company will keep publishing security patches each month on a dedicated security-only branch for relevant OS releases just as it does today. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Google+Will+Now+Only+Release+Android+Source+Code+Twice+a+Year%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2154225%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2154225%2Fgoogle-will-now-only-release-android-source-code-twice-a-year%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Google Will Now Only Release Android Source Code Twice a Year - Slashdot

Google will begin releasing Android Open Source Project (AOSP) source code only twice a year starting in 2026. &#34;In the past, Google would relea...

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Google Will Now Only Release Android Source Code Twice a Year - Slashdot

Google will begin releasing Android Open Source Project (AOSP) source code only twice a year starting in 2026. &#34;In the past, Google would relea...

Vietnam Bans Unskippable Ads Vietnam will begin enforcing new online advertising rules in February 2026 that ban forced video ads longer than five seconds and must allow users to close ads with just one tap. "Furthermore, platforms must provide clear icons and instructions for users to report advertisements that violate the law, and allow them to opt out, turn off, or stop viewing inappropriate ads," reports a local news outlet (translated to English). "These reports must be received and processed promptly, and the results communicated to users as required." From the report: In cases where the entity posting the infringing advertisement cannot be identified or where specialized laws do not have specific regulations, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is the focal agency to receive notifications and send requests to block or remove the advertisement to organizations and businesses providing online advertising services in Vietnam. Advertisers, advertising service providers, and advertising transmission and distribution units are responsible for blocking and removing infringing advertisements within 24 hours of receiving a request from the competent authority. For advertisements that infringe on national security, the blocking and removal must be carried out immediately, no later than 24 hours. In case of non-compliance, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security, will apply technical measures to block infringing advertisements and services and handle the matter according to the law. Telecommunications companies and Internet service providers must also implement technical measures to block access to infringing advertisements within 24 hours of receiving a request. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Vietnam+Bans+Unskippable+Ads%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2148253%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F2148253%2Fvietnam-bans-unskippable-ads%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Vietnam Bans Unskippable Ads - Slashdot

Vietnam will begin enforcing new online advertising rules in February 2026 that ban forced video ads longer than five seconds and must allow users ...

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Vietnam Bans Unskippable Ads - Slashdot

Vietnam will begin enforcing new online advertising rules in February 2026 that ban forced video ads longer than five seconds and must allow users ...

Study Casts Doubt on Potential For Life on Jupiter's Moon Europa Jupiter's moon Europa is on the short list of places in our solar system seen as promising in the search for life beyond Earth, with a large subsurface ocean thought to be hidden under an outer shell of ice. But new research is raising questions about whether Europa in fact has what it takes for habitability. Reuters: The study assessed the potential on Europa's ocean bottom for tectonic and volcanic activity, which on Earth facilitate interactions between rock and seawater that generate essential nutrients and chemical energy for life. After modeling Europa's conditions, the researchers concluded that its rocky seafloor is likely mechanically too strong to allow such activity. The researchers considered factors including Europa's size, the makeup of its rocky core and the gravitational forces exerted by Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet. Their evaluation that there probably is little to no active faulting at Europa's seafloor suggests this moon is barren of life. "On Earth, tectonic activity such as fracturing and faulting exposes fresh rock to the environment where chemical reactions, principally involving water, generate chemicals such as methane that microbial life can use," said planetary scientist Paul Byrne of Washington University in St. Louis, lead author of the study published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. "Without such activity, those reactions are harder to establish and sustain, making Europa's seafloor a challenging environment for life," Byrne added. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Study+Casts+Doubt+on+Potential+For+Life+on+Jupiter's+Moon+Europa%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1913207%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1913207%2Fstudy-casts-doubt-on-potential-for-life-on-jupiters-moon-europa%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Study Casts Doubt on Potential For Life on Jupiter

Jupiter

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Study Casts Doubt on Potential For Life on Jupiter

Jupiter

Nvidia's New G-Sync Pulsar Monitors Target Motion Blur at the Human Retina Level Nvidia's G-Sync Pulsar technology, first announced nearly two years ago as a solution to display motion blur caused by old images persisting on the viewer's retina, is finally arriving in consumer monitors this week. The first four Pulsar-equipped displays -- from Acer, AOC, Asus and MSI -- hit select retailers on Wednesday, all sharing the same core specs: 27-inch IPS panels running at 1440p resolution and up to 360 Hz refresh rates. Nvidia claims the technology delivers the "effective motion clarity of a theoretical 1,000 Hz monitor." The system uses a rolling scan scheme that pulses the backlight for one-quarter of a frame just before pixels are overwritten, giving them time to fully transition between colors before illumination. The approach also reduces how long old pixels persist on the viewer's retina. Previous "Ultra Low Motion Blur" features on other monitors worked only at fixed refresh rates, but Pulsar syncs its pulses to G-Sync's variable refresh rate. Early reviews are mixed. The Monitors Unboxed YouTube channel called it "clearly the best solution currently available" for limiting motion blur, while PC Magazine described the improvements as "minor in the grand scheme of things" and potentially hard for casual viewers to notice. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Nvidia's+New+G-Sync+Pulsar+Monitors+Target+Motion+Blur+at+the+Human+Retina+Level%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1859211%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1859211%2Fnvidias-new-g-sync-pulsar-monitors-target-motion-blur-at-the-human-retina-level%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Nvidia

Nvidia

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Nvidia

Nvidia

Elite Colleges Are Back at the Top of the List For Company Recruiters The "talent is everywhere" approach that U.S. employers adopted during the white-hot pandemic job market is quietly giving way to something much older and more familiar: recruiting almost exclusively from a small set of elite and nearby universities. A 2025 survey of more than 150 companies by Veris Insights found that 26% were exclusively recruiting from a shortlist of schools, up from 17% in 2022. Diversity as a priority for school recruiting selection dropped to 31% of employers surveyed in 2025, down from nearly 60% in 2022. GE Appliances once sent recruiters on one or two passes through 45 to 50 schools each year; now the company attends four or five events per semester at just 15 universities, including Purdue and Auburn. McKinsey, the consulting firm that expanded recruitment well beyond the Ivy League after George Floyd's murder, recently removed language from its career page that said "We hire people, not degrees." The firm now hosts in-person events at a shortlist of about 20 core schools, including Vanderbilt and Notre Dame. Most companies now recruit at up to 30 American colleges out of about 4,000, said William Chichester III, who has directed entry-level recruiting at Target and Peloton. For students outside elite schools or those located near company headquarters? "God help you," he said. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Elite+Colleges+Are+Back+at+the+Top+of+the+List+For+Company+Recruiters%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1814242%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1814242%2Felite-colleges-are-back-at-the-top-of-the-list-for-company-recruiters%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Elite Colleges Are Back at the Top of the List For Company Recruiters - Slashdot

The &#34;talent is everywhere&#34; approach that U.S. employers adopted during the white-hot pandemic job market is quietly giving way to something...

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Elite Colleges Are Back at the Top of the List For Company Recruiters - Slashdot

The &#34;talent is everywhere&#34; approach that U.S. employers adopted during the white-hot pandemic job market is quietly giving way to something...

HarperCollins Will Use AI To Translate Harlequin Romance Novels Book publisher HarperCollins said it will start translating romance novels under its famous Harlequin label in France using AI, reducing or eliminating the pay for the team of human contract translators who previously did this work. 404Media: Publisher's Weekly broke the news in English after French outlets reported on the story in December. According to a joint statement from French Association of Literary Translators (ATFL) and En Chair et en Os (In Flesh and Bone) -- an anti-AI activist group of French translators -- HarperCollins France has been contacting its translators to tell them they're being replaced with machines in 2026. The ATFL/ En Chair et en Os statement explained that HarperCollins France would use a third party company called Fluent Planet to run Harlequin romance novels through a machine translation system. The books would then be checked for errors and finalized by a team of freelancers. The ATFL and En Chair et en Os called on writers, book workers, and readers to refuse this machine translated future. They begged people to "reaffirm our unconditional commitment to human texts, created by human beings, in dignified working conditions." <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=HarperCollins+Will+Use+AI+To+Translate+Harlequin+Romance+Novels%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1624238%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1624238%2Fharpercollins-will-use-ai-to-translate-harlequin-romance-novels%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

HarperCollins Will Use AI To Translate Harlequin Romance Novels - Slashdot

Book publisher HarperCollins said it will start translating romance novels under its famous Harlequin label in France using AI, reducing or elimina...

at Slashdot.

HarperCollins Will Use AI To Translate Harlequin Romance Novels - Slashdot

Book publisher HarperCollins said it will start translating romance novels under its famous Harlequin label in France using AI, reducing or elimina...

UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow An anonymous reader shares a report: The Open Rights Group is warning politicians that the UK is leaning far too heavily on US tech companies to run critical systems, and wants the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill to force a rethink. The digital rights outfit says the bill, which is due to receive its second reading in the House of Commons today, represents a rare opportunity to force the government to confront what it sees as a strategic blind spot: the UK's reliance on companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and data analytics biz Palantir for everything from cloud hosting to sensitive public sector systems. "Just as relying on one country for the UK's energy needs would be risky and irresponsible, so is overreliance on US companies to supply the bulk of our digital infrastructure," said James Baker, platform power programme manager at Open Rights Group. He argued that digital infrastructure has become an extension of geopolitical power, and the UK is increasingly vulnerable to decisions taken far beyond Westminster's control. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=UK+Urged+To+Unplug+From+US+Tech+Giants+as+Digital+Sovereignty+Fears+Grow%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1353214%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1353214%2Fuk-urged-to-unplug-from-us-tech-giants-as-digital-sovereignty-fears-grow%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The Open Rights Group is warning politicians that the UK is leaning far too heavily on US tech companies to ru...

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UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The Open Rights Group is warning politicians that the UK is leaning far too heavily on US tech companies to ru...

HP Pushes PC-in-a-Keyboard for Businesses With Hot Desks HP this week announced the EliteBoard G1a at CES 2026, a Windows computer built into a full-size 93-key desktop keyboard that the company is marketing to businesses where employees use hot desks and need a portable computing environment they can carry between workstations. The device connects to a USB-C monitor for both video output and power delivery over a single cable, and HP includes a USB-to-HDMI adapter for displays that lack USB-C input. Inside runs an AMD Ryzen AI 5 or 7 processor paired with AMD Radeon 800 integrated graphics and an NPU capable of up to 50 TOPS, qualifying it as a Copilot+ PC by Microsoft's standards. The device can be configured with up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. The keyboard weighs between 1.49 and 1.69 pounds depending on configuration and measures 14.1 by 4.7 by 0.7 inches, lighter than most laptops but longer and thicker than some. An optional 32Wh battery offers up to 3.5 hours of unplugged use. The EliteBoard G1a ships in March. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=HP+Pushes+PC-in-a-Keyboard+for+Businesses+With+Hot+Desks%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1420211%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1420211%2Fhp-pushes-pc-in-a-keyboard-for-businesses-with-hot-desks%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

HP Pushes PC-in-a-Keyboard for Businesses With Hot Desks - Slashdot

HP this week announced the EliteBoard G1a at CES 2026, a Windows computer built into a full-size 93-key desktop keyboard that the company is market...

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HP Pushes PC-in-a-Keyboard for Businesses With Hot Desks - Slashdot

HP this week announced the EliteBoard G1a at CES 2026, a Windows computer built into a full-size 93-key desktop keyboard that the company is market...

Razer Thinks You'd Rather Have AI Headphones Instead of Glasses Razer today unveiled Project Motoko, a concept pair of over-ear headphones equipped with dual cameras that the gaming peripherals company believes could serve as an alternative to the smart glasses that have proliferated across the wearable AI market. The headphones feature two 4K cameras positioned on the earcups along with near and far field microphones, all powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Users can point the cameras at objects and ask questions to AI assistants including those from OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI and Microsoft. Basic queries run locally on the device while more complex requests require a phone or PC connection. Razer's pitch centers on battery life: the wireless headset has achieved up to 36 hours on a charge during testing, according to the company, compared to the eight hours rated for Meta's second-generation Ray-Ban AI glasses. The company also argues that over-ear headphones offer more privacy since audio responses aren't audible to bystanders. The concept remains unfinished, Bloomberg News cautioned. During a product demonstration, the headset's dual cameras failed occasionally to recognize objects even in a moderately lit room. Razer has not committed to final pricing but indicated the headphones would command a "slight premium" over other high-end headphones and would be available later this year. The company's most expensive current headset costs $400. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Razer+Thinks+You'd+Rather+Have+AI+Headphones+Instead+of+Glasses%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1444201%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1444201%2Frazer-thinks-youd-rather-have-ai-headphones-instead-of-glasses%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Razer Thinks You

Razer today unveiled Project Motoko, a concept pair of over-ear headphones equipped with dual cameras that the gaming peripherals company believes ...

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Razer Thinks You

Razer today unveiled Project Motoko, a concept pair of over-ear headphones equipped with dual cameras that the gaming peripherals company believes ...

Microsoft Office Is Now 'Microsoft 365 Copilot App' Longtime reader joshuark shares a report: As spotted by Bluesky user DodgerFanLA, going to Office.com now greets you with the following helpful explainer: "The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office) lets you create, share, and collaborate all in one place with your favorite apps now including Copilot.*" Never has an asterisk been more relevant to me than following the words "your favorite apps now including Copilot." About a decade ago, hardware company Corsair attempted to pivot from its classic logo -- a subtle trio of ship sails -- to a newer, edgier look, a pair of crossed swords that gave off regrettable '2000s tribal tattoo' energy. The rebrand didn't last long: after a fierce outcry from people who correctly thought the new logo sucked, Corsair swapped to a refreshed take on the sail logo, which it's been using ever since. Corsair was established in 1994, and made about $1.4 billion last year -- which I bring up because today Microsoft, a slightly bigger company, has slipped on its own rebranding banana peel. The company is seemingly all but ditching the Office name -- which it introduced four years before Corsair existed, and which drove more than $30 billion in revenue just last quarter -- with a catchy new name: "Microsoft 365 Copilot app." The company had already downplayed the Office name, despite it being perhaps the most universally recognized software in existence, by renaming its cloud version of Word, Powerpoint, etc. Office 365 in 2010, then Microsoft 365 in 2017. Now when you want to open up a Word document, you can get to them by launching the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Intuitive! Should Microsoft just go ahead and rebrand Windows, the only piece of its arsenal more famous than Office, as Copilot, too? I do actually think we're not far off from that happening. Facebook rebranded itself "Meta" when it thought the metaverse would be the next big thing, so it seems just as plausible that Microsoft could name the next version of Windows something like "Windows with Copilot" or just "Windows AI." Copilot is the app for launching the other apps, but it's also a chatbot inside the apps. Any questions? <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Microsoft+Office+Is+Now+'Microsoft+365+Copilot+App'%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1313225%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F06%2F1313225%2Fmicrosoft-office-is-now-microsoft-365-copilot-app%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Microsoft Office Is Now

Longtime reader joshuark shares a report: As spotted by Bluesky user DodgerFanLA, going to Office.com now greets you with the following helpful exp...

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Microsoft Office Is Now

Longtime reader joshuark shares a report: As spotted by Bluesky user DodgerFanLA, going to Office.com now greets you with the following helpful exp...

'Godfather of SaaS' Says He Replaced Most of His Sales Team With AI Agents joshuark shares a report from Business Insider: Jason Lemkin, known to some as the Godfather of SaaS, says the time has come to push the limits of AI in the workplace. Lemkin, the founder of SaaStr, the world's largest community of business-to-business founders. In a recent podcast Lemkin said that this means he will stop hiring humans in his sales department. SaaStr is going all in for AI agents, which are commonly defined as virtual assistants that can complete tasks autonomously. They break down problems, outline plans, and take action without being prompted by a user. He said the company now has 20 AI agents automating tasks once handled by a team of 10 sales development representatives and account executives. That move to AI was rapid from an entirely human workforce. During the SaaStr Annual a yearly gathering of over 10,000 founders, executives, and VCs, two of its high-paid sales representatives abruptly quit. Lemkin said he turned to Amelia Lerutte, SaaStr's chief AI officer, and said, "We're done with hiring humans in sales. We're going to push the limits with agents." Lemkin's calculus was that it just wasn't worth the cost of hiring another junior sales representative for a $150,000 a year position who would eventually quit, when he could use a loyal AI agent instead. [...] Lemkin said SaaStr is training its agents on its best humans. "Train an agent with your best person, and best script, then that agent can start to become a version of your best salesperson," he said. Lemkin said that the net productivity of agents is about the same as humans. However, he said, agents are more efficient and can scale -- just like software. Many companies are experimenting with AI agents, but risks remain. One of the big ones is the threat of data leaks and cybercrime. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status='Godfather+of+SaaS'+Says+He+Replaced+Most+of+His+Sales+Team+With+AI+Agents%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F2317208%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F2317208%2Fgodfather-of-saas-says-he-replaced-most-of-his-sales-team-with-ai-agents%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

'Godfather of SaaS' Says He Replaced Most of His Sales Team With AI Agents - Slashdot

joshuark shares a report from Business Insider: Jason Lemkin, known to some as the Godfather of SaaS, says the time has come to push the limits of...

at Slashdot.

'Godfather of SaaS' Says He Replaced Most of His Sales Team With AI Agents - Slashdot

joshuark shares a report from Business Insider: Jason Lemkin, known to some as the Godfather of SaaS, says the time has come to push the limits of...

Corporation for Public Broadcasting To Shut Down After 58 Years After Congress approved President Donald Trump's rescission package eliminating federal funding, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting voted to dissolve after 58 years, rather than continue to exist and potentially be "vulnerable to future political manipulation or misuse." The shutdown leaves hundreds of local public TV and radio stations facing an uncertain future. Variety reports: The CPB was created by Congress by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 to support the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. The org noted that the rescission of all of CPB's federal funding came after years of political attacks. "For more than half a century, CPB existed to ensure that all Americans -- regardless of geography, income, or background -- had access to trusted news, educational programming, and local storytelling," said CPB president/CEO Patricia Harrison. "When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility: CPB's final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks. [...] "CPB's support extends to every corner of the country -- urban, rural, tribal, and everywhere in between," the org noted. "In many communities, public media stations are the only free source of trusted news, educational children's programming, and local and national cultural content." The CPB said that without funding, its board determined that "maintaining the corporation as a nonfunctional entity would not serve the public interest or advance the goals of public media. A dormant and defunded CPB could have become vulnerable to future political manipulation or misuse, threatening the independence of public media and the trust audiences place in it, and potentially subjecting staff and board members to legal exposure from bad-faith actors." As it closes, CPB is distributing its remaining funds, and also supporting the American Archive of Public Broadcasting in digitizing and preserving historic content. The CPB's own archives will be preserved at the University of Maryland, which will make it accessible to the public. "Public media remains essential to a healthy democracy," Harrison added. "Our hope is that future leaders and generations will recognize its value, defend its independence, and continue the work of ensuring that trustworthy, educational, and community-centered media remains accessible to all Americans." <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Corporation+for+Public+Broadcasting+To+Shut+Down+After+58+Years%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fentertainment.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F235245%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fentertainment.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F235245%2Fcorporation-for-public-broadcasting-to-shut-down-after-58-years%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Corporation for Public Broadcasting To Shut Down After 58 Years - Slashdot

After Congress approved President Donald Trump

at Slashdot.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting To Shut Down After 58 Years - Slashdot

After Congress approved President Donald Trump

GNOME and Firefox Consider Disabling Middle Click Paste By Default Both GNOME and Firefox are considering disabling middle-click paste by default, arguing it's a confusing, accident-prone X11 relic that dumps clipboard contents without warning. Phoronix reports: A merge request for GNOME's gsettings-desktop-schemas was opened this weekend to disable the primary-paste functionality by default that allows using the middle mouse button for pasting. Jordan Petridis argued in that GNOME pull request that middle-click paste is an "X11'ism" and that the setting could remain for those wanting to opt-in to enabling the functionality [...]. The gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-enable-primary-paste true command would be a way of restoring the primary paste (middle click paste) for those desiring the functionality. The decision over the default has been tasked to GNOME's design team for consideration. Separately, Mozilla is also considering disabling middle mouse button paste by default too. [...] Another option being considered is having the option to enable/disable it at either the GTK toolkit level or Wayland compositor level. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=GNOME+and+Firefox+Consider+Disabling+Middle+Click+Paste+By+Default%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F2059225%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F2059225%2Fgnome-and-firefox-consider-disabling-middle-click-paste-by-default%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

GNOME and Firefox Consider Disabling Middle Click Paste By Default - Slashdot

Both GNOME and Firefox are considering disabling middle-click paste by default, arguing it

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GNOME and Firefox Consider Disabling Middle Click Paste By Default - Slashdot

Both GNOME and Firefox are considering disabling middle-click paste by default, arguing it

Viral Reddit Post About Food Delivery Apps Was an AI Scam A viral Reddit "whistleblower" post accusing a major food delivery app of systemic exploitation is "most likely AI-generated," reports the Verge. From the report: The original post by user Trowaway_whistleblow alleged that an unnamed food delivery company regularly delays customer orders, calls couriers "human assets," and exploits their "desperation" for cash, among other indefensible actions. Nearly 90,000 upvotes and four days later, it's become increasingly clear that the post's text is probably AI-generated. Considering the delivery app industry track record of exploitation of its drivers, it's easy to see why so many people believed this was the real thing. The Verge put the original 586-word Reddit post through several free online AI detectors, in addition to Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude. The results were mixed: Copyleaks, GPTZero, Pangram, Gemini, and Claude all pegged it as likely AI-generated, but ZeroGPT and QuillBot both reported it as human-written. ChatGPT played it down the middle. Reached by The Verge on Signal, Trowaway_whistleblow provided an image of an Uber Eats employee badge. That image was generated or edited with Google AI, according to Gemini. The image shows an Uber Eats logo above two black boxes, presumably covering an employee name and photo, and the words "senior software engineer." It's odd that an engineer's badge would have the Uber Eats logo, and not the Uber logo, according to Gemini. That, in addition to slightly misaligned words and warped coloration at the edge of the green border, are reasons Gemini thinks it's inauthentic. (Uber later confirmed that Uber Eats-branded employee badges do not exist.) "Not only are the claims fake, but they're also dead wrong," Uber spokesperson Noah Edwardsen told The Verge. Uber Eats' Andrew Macdonald wrote on X, "This post is definitively not about us. I suspect it is completely made up. Don't trust everything you read on the internet." DoorDash CEO Tony Xu also denied the redditor's "appalling" allegations. "This is not DoorDash, and I would fire anyone who promoted or tolerated the kind of culture described in this Reddit post," Xu said in a post on X. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Viral+Reddit+Post+About+Food+Delivery+Apps+Was+an+AI+Scam%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F2050220%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F2050220%2Fviral-reddit-post-about-food-delivery-apps-was-an-ai-scam%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Viral Reddit Post About Food Delivery Apps Was an AI Scam - Slashdot

A viral Reddit &#34;whistleblower&#34; post accusing a major food delivery app of systemic exploitation is &#34;most likely AI-generated,&#34; repo...

at Slashdot.

Viral Reddit Post About Food Delivery Apps Was an AI Scam - Slashdot

A viral Reddit &#34;whistleblower&#34; post accusing a major food delivery app of systemic exploitation is &#34;most likely AI-generated,&#34; repo...

SanDisk Says Goodbye To WD Blue and Black SSDs, Hello To New 'Optimus' Drives SanDisk is retiring the WD Blue and WD Black SSD brands and replacing them with a new "Optimus" line that carries the same model numbers as its predecessors. The move follows Western Digital's late-2023 decision to split into two companies -- one retaining the WD name for hard drives sold to NAS and data center customers, the other reviving SanDisk for solid-state storage. That separation effectively unwound WD's $19 billion acquisition of SanDisk a decade earlier. Under the new structure, the entry-level WD Blue SN5100 becomes the SanDisk Optimus 5100, mid-tier WD Black drives shift to Optimus GX, and high-end WD Black SSDs become Optimus GX Pro. The Optimus 5100 uses slower quad-level cell flash, the GX 7100 steps up to triple-level cell memory, and the GX Pro 8100 adds a PCIe 5.0 interface and dedicated DRAM cache. SanDisk offered no timeline for its WD Green and WD Red drives. The rebranding arrives as SSD prices climb on demand from AI data centers -- volatility that prompted Micron last month to discontinue its Crucial-branded consumer drives and RAM. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=SanDisk+Says+Goodbye+To+WD+Blue+and+Black+SSDs%2C+Hello+To+New+'Optimus'+Drives%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhardware.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F1957206%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhardware.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F1957206%2Fsandisk-says-goodbye-to-wd-blue-and-black-ssds-hello-to-new-optimus-drives%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

SanDisk Says Goodbye To WD Blue and Black SSDs, Hello To New

SanDisk is retiring the WD Blue and WD Black SSD brands and replacing them with a new &#34;Optimus&#34; line that carries the same model numbers as...

at Slashdot.

SanDisk Says Goodbye To WD Blue and Black SSDs, Hello To New

SanDisk is retiring the WD Blue and WD Black SSD brands and replacing them with a new &#34;Optimus&#34; line that carries the same model numbers as...

UK Government's New Pension Portal Operator Tells Users To Wait for AI Before Complaining Capita, the UK outsourcer that won a $323 million contract to administer the nation's Civil Service Pension Scheme for 1.7 million members, has responded to a disastrous portal launch by asking users to hold off on complaints until its new AI chatbots go live. The service launched on December 1 and immediately ran into problems including unrecognized passwords, broken links and placeholder text scattered across unfinished pages. In a December 17 email to members, The Register reports today, managing director Chris Clements said Capita was "working tirelessly" and promised "one of the biggest services in the United Kingdom with AI at its core" by March. He asked users whose enquiries were not urgent to wait until the new year before contacting support again. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=UK+Government's+New+Pension+Portal+Operator+Tells+Users+To+Wait+for+AI+Before+Complaining%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F1924237%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F1924237%2Fuk-governments-new-pension-portal-operator-tells-users-to-wait-for-ai-before-complaining%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

UK Government

Capita, the UK outsourcer that won a $323 million contract to administer the nation

at Slashdot.

UK Government

Capita, the UK outsourcer that won a $323 million contract to administer the nation

Flu Is Relentless. Crispr Might Be Able to Shut It Down Scientists at Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity are working on a Crispr-based treatment -- delivered as a nasal spray or injection -- that could stop influenza infections by targeting the virus's RNA and disrupting its ability to replicate inside human cells. The approach uses the Cas13 enzyme, a lesser-known cousin of the DNA-cutting Cas9, which can be engineered to seek out conserved regions of influenza's genetic code that are found in virtually all flu strains and are crucial to the virus's survival. The delivery mechanism would use lipid nanoparticles to ferry two molecular instructions to flu-infected cells in the respiratory tract: an mRNA that tells cells to produce Cas13 and a guide RNA that directs the enzyme to specific parts of the influenza virus's code. Cas13 then cuts the viral RNA and effectively stops the infection at the genetic level, Sharon Lewin, the infectious diseases physician leading the project, told Wired. Early safety testing at Harvard's Wyss Institute used a "lung on a chip" model to examine whether human cells producing Cas13 could fight off flu strains including H1N1 and H3N2. The institute's founding director Donald Ingber says the studies showed no off-target effects. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Flu+Is+Relentless.+Crispr+Might+Be+Able+to+Shut+It+Down%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F183201%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F183201%2Fflu-is-relentless-crispr-might-be-able-to-shut-it-down%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Flu Is Relentless. Crispr Might Be Able to Shut It Down - Slashdot

Scientists at Melbourne

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Flu Is Relentless. Crispr Might Be Able to Shut It Down - Slashdot

Scientists at Melbourne

Influencers and OnlyFans Models Dominate US 'Extraordinary' Artist Visas The O-1B visa, a work permit reserved for individuals deemed to possess "extraordinary ability" in the arts, has become the pathway of choice for social media influencers and OnlyFans models seeking to build careers in the United States. Immigration attorneys told the Financial Times that influencers now make up more than half their clientele for O-1B applications, a shift that has accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic as lawyers and talent managers have adapted the visa's criteria -- originally designed for traditional artists -- to fit the metrics of online fame. High follower counts and substantial earnings can establish commercial success under the visa's requirements, landing a brand promotion contract can qualify as an endorsement of talent, and appearing at a store opening can count as performing in a "distinguished production." The total number of O-1 visas granted annually increased by more than 50% between 2014 and 2024, even as overall non-immigrant visa issuance grew by just 10%. Fewer than 20,000 O-1 visas were granted in 2024. Some attorneys said they worry the fixation on algorithm-driven metrics could disadvantage traditionally trained artists whose work doesn't generate viral attention. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Influencers+and+OnlyFans+Models+Dominate+US+'Extraordinary'+Artist+Visas%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F166232%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F01%2F05%2F166232%2Finfluencers-and-onlyfans-models-dominate-us-extraordinary-artist-visas%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Influencers and OnlyFans Models Dominate US

The O-1B visa, a work permit reserved for individuals deemed to possess &#34;extraordinary ability&#34; in the arts, has become the pathway of choi...

at Slashdot.

Influencers and OnlyFans Models Dominate US

The O-1B visa, a work permit reserved for individuals deemed to possess &#34;extraordinary ability&#34; in the arts, has become the pathway of choi...