#[1]alternate [2]News for nerds, stuff that matters [3]Search Slashdot [4]Slashdot RSS [5]Slashdot * [6]Stories * + Firehose + [7]All + [8]Popular * [9]Polls * [10]Software * [11]Apparel * [12]Newsletter * [13]Jobs [14]Submit Search Slashdot ____________________ (BUTTON) * [15]Login * or * [16]Sign up * Topics: * [17]Devices * [18]Build * [19]Entertainment * [20]Technology * [21]Open Source * [22]Science * [23]YRO * Follow us: * [24]RSS * [25]Facebook * [26]LinkedIn * [27]Twitter * [28]Youtube * [29]Mastodon * [30]Newsletter Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at [31]m.slashdot.org and keep reading! Nickname: ____________________ Password: ____________________ [ ] Public Terminal __________________________________________________________________ Log In [32]Forgot your password? [33]Close binspamdupenotthebestofftopicslownewsdaystalestupid freshfunnyinsightfulinterestingmaybe offtopicflamebaittrollredundantoverrated insightfulinterestinginformativefunnyunderrated descriptive typodupeerror Do you develop on GitHub? You can keep using GitHub but automatically [34]sync your GitHub releases to SourceForge quickly and easily with [35]this tool so your projects have a backup location, and get your project in front of SourceForge's nearly 30 million monthly users. It takes less than a minute. Get new users downloading your project releases today! [36]Sign up for the Slashdot newsletter! or [37]check out the new Slashdot job board to browse remote jobs or jobs in your area. [38]× 170693106 story [39]Education [40]Microsoft and Jeff Bezos Tap Excel, Not Python Or R, To Teach Kids Data Science [41]52 Posted by [42]BeauHD on Wednesday April 05, 2023 @06:00AM from the R-you-serious dept. [43]theodp writes: Are you ready to rock it with #datascience?" [44]asks a tweet from Club for the Future, the tax-exempt foundation founded [45]and funded by Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, which is partnering with Microsoft's Hacking STEM to show how data science is used to determine a Go/No-Go launch of a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. Interestingly, while Amazon founder Bezos and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are big backers of nonprofit Code.org and joined other tech [46]CEOs for CS last fall to get the nation's Governors to "update the K-12 curriculum, for every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer science," Microsoft and Blue Origin have opted to teach kids aged 11-15 good old-fashioned Excel skills in their [47]Introduction to the Data Science Process mini-course, not Python or R. "Excel is a tool used around the world to work with data," Microsoft explains to teachers who have been living under a rock since 1985. "In these activities, students learn how to use Excel and complete all steps of a mission by engaging in the data science process. In this mission, students analyze key weather data in determining flight safety parameters for a New Shepard rocket and ultimately make a Go/No-Go decision for launch. Students learn how to use Excel while engaging in this dynamic Data Science Process activity [which is not unlike [48]PLATO 'data science' activities of 50 years ago]." Blue Origin last September [49]pledged to inspire youth to pursue space STEM careers as part of the Biden Administration's efforts to increase the space industry's capacity to meet the rising demand for the skilled technical workforce. apply tags__________ 170693178 story [50]Power [51]Rhode Island Considering Solar For All New Construction and Parking Lots [52](pv-magazine-usa.com) [53]27 Posted by [54]BeauHD on Wednesday April 05, 2023 @03:00AM from the no-time-like-the-present dept. Rhode Island representative Jennifer Boylan has submitted legislation that [55]would mandate the inclusion of solar power in all newly constructed single-family dwellings, multi-family dwellings, large commercial buildings, and parking lots exceeding 16,000 sq. ft. From a report: The legislation, titled the [56]Solar Neighborhoods Act (PDF), calls for the Rhode Island Building Code Commission to establish new code requirements for each of the aforementioned construction types. The document specifies that, at a minimum, the Code Commission must add code provisions to address: - Static load roof strength, requiring that roofs where solar equipment could be placed support a minimum of six pounds per square foot; - Placement of non-solar-related rooftop equipment, considering positioning that avoids shading solar equipment and maximizes continuous roof space; - Sizing and provision of extra electrical panels to accommodate the addition of an appropriately-sized future solar energy system; and - Provision of space for a solar energy system DC-AC inverter in the utility room or on an outside wall. The legislation also recommends that the Code Commission consider amending the building code to account for roof orientation and angle, roofing materials that minimize or require no roof penetrations, conduit for wiring from roof to electrical panels, and the inclusion of level 2 electric vehicle charging infrastructure. [...] The legislation further requires outdoor parking lots larger than 16,000 sq. ft to install raised solar-panel canopies covering at least 50% of the parking lot's surface, and that 5% of the parking spaces must feature electric vehicle charging stations. Moreover, 20% of parking spaces should be equipped with the infrastructure, such as underground wiring, to accommodate additional EV charging stations in the future. The report notes that California has already implemented a new construction solar mandate, and a similar measure is under consideration in Massachusetts. apply tags__________ 170691966 story [57]Privacy [58]Inside the Bitter Campus Privacy Battle Over Smart Building Sensors [59](technologyreview.com) [60]21 Posted by [61]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @11:30PM from the pros-and-cons dept. An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: When computer science students and faculty at Carnegie Mellon University's Institute for Software Research returned to campus in the summer of 2020, there was a lot to adjust to. Beyond the inevitable strangeness of being around colleagues again after months of social distancing, the department was also moving into a brand-new building: the 90,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art TCS Hall. The hall's futuristic features included carbon dioxide sensors that automatically pipe in fresh air, a rain garden, a yard for robots and drones, and experimental super-sensing devices called [62]Mites. Mounted in more than 300 locations throughout the building, these light-switch-size devices can measure 12 types of data -- including motion and sound. Mites were embedded on the walls and ceilings of hallways, in conference rooms, and in private offices, all as part of a research project on smart buildings led by CMU professor Yuvraj Agarwal and PhD student Sudershan Boovaraghavan and including another professor, Chris Harrison. "The overall goal of this project," Agarwal explained at an April 2021 town hall meeting for students and faculty, is to "build a safe, secure, and easy-to-use IoT [Internet of Things] infrastructure," referring to a network of sensor-equipped physical objects like smart light bulbs, thermostats, and TVs that can connect to the internet and share information wirelessly. Not everyone was pleased to find the building full of Mites. Some in the department felt that the project violated their privacy rather than protected it. In particular, students and faculty whose research focused more on the social impacts of technology felt that the device's microphone, infrared sensor, thermometer, and six other sensors, which together could at least sense when a space was occupied, would subject them to experimental surveillance without their consent. "It's not okay to install these by default," says David Widder, a final-year PhD candidate in software engineering, who became one of the department's most vocal voices against Mites. "I don't want to live in a world where one's employer installing networked sensors in your office without asking you first is a model for other organizations to follow." All technology users face similar questions about how and where to draw a personal line when it comes to privacy. But outside of our own homes (and sometimes within them), we increasingly lack autonomy over these decisions. Instead, our privacy is determined by the choices of the people around us. Walking into a friend's house, a retail store, or just down a public street leaves us open to many different types of surveillance over which we have little control. Against a backdrop of skyrocketing [63]workplace surveillance, prolific [64]data collection, increasing [65]cybersecurity risks, rising concerns about privacy and smart technologies, and fraught power dynamics around [66]free speech in academic institutions, Mites became a lightning rod within the Institute for Software Research. Voices on both sides of the issue were aware that the Mites project could have an impact far beyond TCS Hall. After all, Carnegie Mellon is a top-tier research university in science, technology, and engineering, and how it handles this research may influence how sensors will be deployed elsewhere. "When we do something, companies [and] other universities listen," says Widder. Indeed, the Mites researchers hoped that the process they'd gone through "could actually be a blueprint for smaller universities" looking to do similar research, says Agarwal, an associate professor in computer science who has been developing and testing machine learning for IoT devices for a decade. But the crucial question is what happens if -- or when -- the super-sensors graduate from Carnegie Mellon, are commercialized, and make their way into smart buildings the world over. The conflict is, in essence, an attempt by one of the world's top computer science departments to litigate thorny questions around privacy, anonymity, and consent. But it has deteriorated from an academic discussion into a bitter dispute, [67]complete with accusations of bullying, vandalism, misinformation, and workplace retaliation. As in so many conversations about privacy, the two sides have been talking past each other, with seemingly incompatible conceptions of what privacy means and when consent should be required. Ultimately, if the people whose research sets the agenda for technology choices are unable to come to a consensus on privacy, where does that leave the rest of us? apply tags__________ 170691756 story [68]Crime [69]FBI Seizes Bot Shop 'Genesis Market' [70](krebsonsecurity.com) [71]7 Posted by [72]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @10:02PM from the another-one-bites-the-dust dept. Several domain names tied to Genesis Market, a bustling cybercrime store that sold access to passwords and other data stolen from millions of computers infected with malicious software, [73]were seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) today. KrebsOnSecurity reports: Sources tell KrebsOnsecurity the domain seizures coincided with "dozens" of arrests in the United States and abroad targeting those who allegedly operated the service, as well as suppliers who continuously fed Genesis Market with freshly-stolen data. Active since 2018, Genesis Market's slogan has long been, "Our store sells bots with logs, cookies, and their real fingerprints." Customers could search for infected systems with a variety of options, including by Internet address or by specific domain names associated with stolen credentials. But earlier today, multiple domains associated with Genesis had their homepages replaced with a seizure notice from the FBI, which said the domains were seized pursuant to a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. But sources close to the investigation tell KrebsOnSecurity that law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada and across Europe are currently serving arrest warrants on dozens of individuals thought to support Genesis, either by maintaining the site or selling the service bot logs from infected systems. The seizure notice includes the seals of law enforcement entities from several countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. [...] One feature of Genesis that sets it apart from other bot shops is that customers can retain access to infected systems in real-time, so that if the rightful owner of an infected system creates a new account online, those new credentials will get stolen and displayed in the web-based panel of the Genesis customer who purchased that bot. "While some infostealers are designed to remove themselves after execution, others create persistent access," reads a March 2023 report from cybersecurity firm SpyCloud. "That means bad actors have access to the current data for as long as the device remains infected, even if the user changes passwords. SpyCloud says Genesis even advertises its commitment to keep the stolen data and the compromised systems' fingerprints up to date. "According to our research, Genesis Market had more than 430,000 stolen identities for sale as of early last year -- and there are many other marketplaces like this one," the SpyCloud report concludes. apply tags__________ 170691688 story [74]Databases [75]A Collection of Fun Databases For Programming Exploration [76]7 Posted by [77]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @09:25PM from the new-to-you dept. Longtime Slashdot reader [78]Esther Schindler writes: When you learn a new tool/technology, you need to create a sample application, which cannot use real in-house data. Why not use something fun for the sample application's data, such as a Star Wars API or a data collection about World Cup contests? Esther Schindler, Slashdot user #16185, [79]assembled a groovy collection of datasets that may be useful but also may be a source of fascinating internet rabbit holes. For those interested in datasets, Esther also recommends the [80]Data is Plural newsletter and the website [81]ResearchBuzz, which shares dataset descriptions as well as archive-related news and tools. "Google Research maintains a [82]search site for test datasets, too, if you know what you're looking for," adds Esther. There's also, of course, [83]Kaggle.com. apply tags__________ 170691618 story [84]Chrome [85]Chrome 112 Released With WASM Garbage Collection Trial, CSS Nesting [86](phoronix.com) [87]18 Posted by [88]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @08:45PM from the new-and-improved dept. Google today [89]promoted the Chrome 112 web browser to their stable channel on all supported platforms. Phoronix reports: Starting as an origin trial with Chrome 112 is WebAssembly (WASM) Garbage Collection support. Yes, garbage collection to allow for efficient support for high-level managed languages with WebAssembly. This trial support allows for compilers targeting WASM to integrate with a garbage collector in the host VM. Also on the WebAssembly front with today's Chrome browser update is making WebAssembly tail call support available out of the box. This adds explicit tail call and indirect tail call opcodes. This support is useful for correct/efficient implementations of languages that require tail call elimination, compilation of control constructs that can be implemented with it, and other computations being expressed as WASM functions. Meanwhile by default in Chrome 112 is now CSS nesting support as the ability to nest CSS style rules inside other style rules for increasing modularity and maintainability of style sheets. Chrome 112 also adds support for the CSS animation-composition property. Behind a developer flag is also the background-blur feature that allows using a native platform's API for camera background segmentation. This is intended for use with web-based video conferencing applications running within the web browser to make use of native platform APIs. A full list of changes is available on the [90]Chrome Releases blog. apply tags__________ 170691468 story [91]AI [92]Stanford Releases 386-Page Report On the State of AI [93](techcrunch.com) [94]17 Posted by [95]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @08:02PM from the here-and-now dept. An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Writing a report on the state of AI must feel a lot like building on shifting sands: by the time you hit publish, the whole industry has changed under your feet. But there are still [96]important trends and takeaways in Stanford's 386-page bid to summarize this complex and fast-moving domain. The AI Index, from the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, worked with experts from academia and private industry to collect information and predictions on the matter. As a yearly effort (and by the size of it, you can bet they're already hard at work laying out the next one), this may not be the freshest take on AI, but these periodic broad surveys are important to keep one's finger on the pulse of industry. This year's report includes "new analysis on foundation models, including their geopolitics and training costs, the environmental impact of AI systems, K-12 AI education, and public opinion trends in AI," plus a look at policy in a hundred new countries. But the report goes into detail on many topics and sub-topics, and is quite readable and non-technical. Only the dedicated will read all 300-odd pages of analysis, but really, just about any motivated body could. For the highest-level takeaways, let us just bullet them here: - AI development has flipped over the last decade from academia-led to industry-led, by a large margin, and this shows no sign of changing. - It's becoming difficult to test models on traditional benchmarks and a new paradigm may be needed here. - The energy footprint of AI training and use is becoming considerable, but we have yet to see how it may add efficiencies elsewhere. - The number of "AI incidents and controversies" has increased by a factor of 26 since 2012, which actually seems a bit low. - AI-related skills and job postings are increasing, but not as fast as you'd think. - Policymakers, however, are falling over themselves trying to write a definitive AI bill, a fool's errand if there ever as one. - Investment has temporarily stalled, but that's after an astronomic increase over the last decade. - More than 70% of Chinese, Saudi, and Indian respondents felt AI had more benefits than drawbacks. Americans? 35%. The full report can be found [97]here. apply tags__________ 170691418 story [98]Security [99]IRS-Authorized eFile.com Tax Return Software Caught Serving JS Malware [100](bleepingcomputer.com) [101]23 Posted by [102]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @07:20PM from the crucial-timing dept. eFile.com, an IRS-authorized e-file software service provider used by many for filing their tax returns, has been [103]caught serving JavaScript malware. BleepingComputer reports: eFile.com was caught serving malware, as spotted by multiple users and researchers. The malicious JavaScript file in question is called 'popper.js'. The development comes at a crucial time when U.S. taxpayers are wrapping up their IRS tax returns before the April 18th due date. BleepingComputer can confirm, the malicious JavaScript file 'popper.js' was being loaded by almost every page of eFile.com, at least up until April 1st. As of today, the file is no longer seen serving the malicious code. On March 17th, a Reddit [104]thread surfaced where multiple eFile.com users suspected the website was "hijacked." At the time, the website showed an SSL error message that, some suspected, was fake and indicative of a hack. Turns out that's indeed the case. [...] The malicious JavaScript file 'update.js', further attempts to prompt users to download next stage payload, depending on whether they are using Chrome [update.exe - VirusTotal] or Firefox [installer.exe - VirusTotal]. Antivirus products have already started flagging these executables as trojans. BleepingComputer has independently confirmed these binaries establish a connection to a Tokyo-based IP address, 47.245.6.91, that appears to be hosted with Alibaba. The same IP also hosts the illicit domain, infoamanewonliag[.]online associated with this incident. Security research group, MalwareHunterTeam further analyzed these binaries, and stated that these contain Windows botnets written in PHP -- a fact that the research group mocked. Additionally, the group called out eFile.com for leaving the malicious code on its website for weeks: "So, the website of [efile.com]... got compromised at least around middle of March & still not cleaned," [105]writes MalwareHunterTeam. apply tags__________ 170691396 story [106]The Courts [107]Music Labels Win Legal Battle Against Youtube-dl's Hosting Provider [108](torrentfreak.com) [109]32 Posted by [110]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @06:40PM from the cease-and-desist dept. A German court has ordered hosting provider Uberspace to [111]take the website of the open-source youtube-dl software offline. The ruling is the result of a copyright infringement lawsuit, filed by Sony, Warner and Universal last year. Uberspace will appeal the verdict and, meanwhile, youtube-dl's code remains available on GitHub. TorrentFreak reports: After hearing both sides, the district court of Hamburg ruled on the matter last week, handing a clear win to the music companies. The verdict wasn't immediately made available to the public but the music companies were quick to claim the win in a press release, stating that Uberspace must take youtube-dl's website offline. According to Frances Moore, CEO of the global music industry group IFPI, the court's decision once again confirms that stream-ripping software is illegal. "YouTube-DL's services have enabled users to stream rip and download copyrighted music without paying. The Hamburg Regional Court's decision builds on a precedent already set in Germany and underscores once again that hosting stream-ripping software of this type is illegal. "We continue to work globally to address the problem of stream ripping, which is draining revenue from those who invest in and create music," Moore [112]adds. Interestingly, the open source youtube-dl code [113]remains available on the Microsoft-owned developer platform GitHub. Whether the music companies have any plans to target the problem at this source is unknown. Uberspace's legal representative German Society for Civil Rights (GFF) informs TorrentFreak that the decision doesn't come as a total surprise since the court already declared YouTube's "rolling cipher" to be an effective technical protection measure in an earlier case. That said, the defense believes that the order, which effectively amounts to a blanket ban on youtube-dl, failed to take the software's potentially legitimate uses into account. In addition, GFF believes that the court's decision severely restricts the hosting provider's freedom to operate. "If web hosts have to delete an entire website on demand of the rightsholders even in complex situations with no legal precedent, this poses a threat to the business model of web hosts and ultimately to the free flow of information on the Internet." Uberspace says it will appeal the judgement and GFF is confident the hosting provider will ultimately prevail. apply tags__________ 170691368 story [114]Businesses [115]Amazon, Despite Climate Pledge, Fought To Kill Emissions Bill In Oregon [116]20 Posted by [117]BeauHD on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @06:00PM from the saying-one-thing-doing-another dept. An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Washington Post: Amazon has branded itself as a climate crusader, touting its commitment to renewable energy and sustainable practices. But in Oregon, it [118]helped quietly quash a climate bill that would have regulated its data centers. The bill would have set a 100 percent carbon emissions reduction deadline of 2040 for high energy users. Its goal was to rein in industries with outsize carbon footprints, like cryptocurrency mines and data centers, of which Amazon is planning three more in the state that would be powered by fossil fuels. Though the bill would have matched the timeline of Amazon's own "Climate Pledge," which promises net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, the company helped kill it, said Oregon state Rep. Pam Marsh. "Amazon's representatives were in the Capitol lobbying against the bill from the very first moment of discussion," said Marsh, chair of the Oregon House climate committee and sponsor of the bill, [119]HB2816. Though Amazon did not testify publicly, Marsh said the company's lobbyists helped organize the opposition and "successfully nurtured fear that our energy requirements would drive away the development of data centers." "No one wants that," Marsh continued, "but we do want them to use energy in a responsible, sustainable manner." In addition to the Climate Pledge, Amazon has set a goal of moving entirely to renewable energy by 2025; the company has spent millions on solar and wind energy projects and is the largest private purchaser of clean energy. From its $2 billion climate fund to the Climate Pledge, Amazon has invested heavily in creating the perception that it's an environmental leader. But its dealings in Oregon show that, behind the scenes, it wants to call the shots on how that transition happens. Amazon spokesperson David Ward said in a statement that "a number of organizations, including Amazon, oppose HB2816 because the bill does not address the build-out of electric infrastructure that is needed to bring more clean energy to the grid." "Building new renewable projects requires infrastructure investments in the grid and today there are hurdles in key areas like permitting and interconnection," he continued. "Accelerating energy infrastructure permitting and interconnections for renewables like solar and wind would have a greater impact on reducing emissions, bringing more clean energy to the grid, and helping achieve our goal of accessing more clean energy in Oregon." Oregon's biggest business organizations are all opposed to the bill, [120]reports Government Technology. "That includes Oregon Business & Industry and the Technology Association of Oregon, and the national trade group TechNet." Aside from Amazon and its lobbying behind the scenes, no other major tech company has taken a position on the bill. apply tags__________ 170690986 story [121]Businesses [122]Amazon Lays Off About 100 Employees in Its Gaming Divisions [123](bloomberg.com) [124]10 Posted by msmash on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @05:20PM from the more-layoffs dept. Amazon [125]laid off about 100 employees in its video-game divisions as part of its broader cutbacks, affecting workers at Prime Gaming, Game Growth and the company's San Diego studio. From a report: "Our resources will be aligned to support our focus on content," Games Vice President Christoph Hartmann wrote in a memo to employees Tuesday. "Going forward, we will continue to invest in our internal development efforts, and our teams will continue to grow as our projects progress." Amazon has struggled to capitalize on its resources in gaming, including through its Crown channel, an entertainment show on the Twitch streaming service. Twitch [126]recently cut about 400 positions. The company has canceled and even removed titles from sale since the division kicked off in 2012. Amazon has only released one internally developed game -- the online role-playing title New World, which suffered a steep decline in its player base after the September 2021 launch. The Irvine, California-based New World team will continue to grow, Hartmann said. apply tags__________ 170690958 story [127]Technology [128]American Teens Aren't Excited About Virtual Reality [129](cnbc.com) [130]114 Posted by msmash on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @04:41PM from the no-buy dept. Virtual reality hasn't caught on with American teens, according to a new survey from Piper Sandler released on Tuesday. From a report: While 29% percent of teens polled owned a VR device -- versus 87% who own iPhones -- [131]only 4% of headset owners used it daily, the investment firm found, and 14% used them weekly. In addition, teenagers didn't seem that interested in buying forthcoming VR headsets. Only 7% said they planned to purchase a headset, versus 52% of teens polled who were unsure or uninterested. The survey results suggest that virtual reality hardware and software has yet to catch on with the public despite billions of dollars in investment in the technology from Big Tech companies and a number of low-cost headsets on the market. Teenagers are often seen as early adopters of new technology and their preferences can provide a preview of where the industry is going. apply tags__________ 170690940 story [132]IT [133]After 11 Years, Atlassian Customers Finally Get Custom Domains They Don't Want [134](theregister.com) [135]36 Posted by msmash on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @04:01PM from the tough-luck dept. Atlassian customers' eleven-year quest for custom domains continues, with the Australian upstart's [136]proposed solution failing to satisfy. The Register: As The Register reported in 2022, Atlassian floated the idea of custom domains for its custom apps in 2011. Yes, 2011. The ticket for the change is called "CLOUD 6999" and has become infamous for the length of time it has remained unresolved. An unidentified wag has even made t-shirts bearing the CLOUD 6999 name. Atlassian promised last year to sort it out some time in 2023, and in February posted an update on its initial designs. It hasn't gone down well. Atlassian's proposed solution requires "a company-branded domain name, a list of options for the 1st-level subdomain keyword, and a 2nd-level subdomain at your own choice." Atlassian cloud admin experience chap Luke Liu explained that structure as delivering URLs such as internal.support.acme.com or people.knowledge.acme.org. One of Atlassian's stated company values is "Don't #@!% the customer." But plenty of Atlassian customers feel well and truly #@!%ed by the custom domain plan. "The cloud roadmap specifically uses an example of 1 level," wrote one commenter on the 1,445-item thread discussing CLOUD 6999. "The team managing this seems to be completely lost and disconnected from the user base." apply tags__________ 170690576 story [137]Businesses [138]Branson's Virgin Orbit Files For Bankruptcy After Launch Failure Squeezed Finances [139](reuters.com) [140]35 Posted by msmash on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @03:20PM from the end-of-road dept. Virgin Orbit, founded by Richard Branson, [141]filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday after the satellite launching business [142]struggled to secure long-term funding following a [143]failed launch in January. From a report: The filing comes less than two years after Virgin Orbit first went public at a valuation of roughly $3 billion. But the January mishap left the company scrambling for new funding and forced it to halt operations. "We believe that the Chapter 11 process represents the best path forward to identify and finalize an efficient and value-maximizing sale," Virgin Orbit Chief Executive Dan Hart said in a statement. The company, which was spun off from space tourism firm Virgin Galactic in 2017, sends satellites into orbit using rockets launched from a modified Boeing 747 plane. The Long Beach, California-based company lodged the filing seeking a sale of its assets in a Delaware court days after announcing the layoff of roughly 85% of its 750 employees. Virgin Orbit listed assets of about $243 million and total debt at $153.5 million as of Sept. 30. The company went public in December 2021 through a blank-check merger, raising $255 million less than expected. apply tags__________ 170690716 story [144]Math [145]Mathematicians Invent New 'Einstein' Shape [146](theguardian.com) [147]39 Posted by msmash on Tuesday April 04, 2023 @02:40PM from the 'miracle-that-disrupts-order' dept. One of mathematics' most intriguing visual mysteries has finally been solved -- thanks to a hobbyist in England. From a report: The conundrum: is there a shape that can be arranged in a tile formation, interlocking with itself ad infinitum, without the resulting pattern repeating over and over again? In nature and on our bathroom walls, we typically see tile patterns that repeat in "a very predictable, regular way," says Dr Craig Kaplan, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. What mathematicians were interested in were shapes that "guaranteed non-periodicity" -- in other words, there was no way to tile them so that the overall pattern created a repeating grid. Such a shape would be known as an aperiodic monotile, or "einstein" shape, meaning, in roughly translated German, "one shape" (and conveniently echoing the name of a certain theoretical physicist). "There's been a thread of beautiful mathematics over the last 60 years or so searching for ever smaller sets of shapes that do this," Kaplan says. "The first example of an aperiodic set of shapes had over 20,000 shapes in it. And of course, mathematicians worked to get that number down over time. And the furthest we got was in the 1970s," when the Nobel-prize winning physicist Roger Penrose found pairs of shapes that fit the bill. Now, mathematicians appear to have found what they were looking for: [148]a 13-sided shape they call "the hat." The discovery was largely the work of David Smith of the East Riding of Yorkshire, who had a longstanding interest in the question and investigated the problem using an online geometry platform. Once he'd found an intriguing shape, he [149]told the New York Times, he would cut it out of cardstock and see how he could fit the first 32 pieces together. "I am quite persistent but I suppose I did have a bit of luck," Smith told the Guardian in an email. apply tags__________ [150]« Newer [151]Older » Slashdot Top Deals Slashdot Top Deals [152]Slashdot Deals Slashdot Poll Recently, an open letter signed by tech leaders, researchers proposes delaying AI development. Do you agree that AI development should be temporarily halted? (*) Yes ( ) No (BUTTON) vote now [153]Read the 39 comments | 3679 votes Looks like someone has already voted from this IP. If you would like to vote please login and try again. Recently, an open letter signed by tech leaders, researchers proposes delaying AI development. Do you agree that AI development should be temporarily halted? 0 Percentage of others that also voted for: * [154]view results * Or * * [155]view more [156]Read the 39 comments | 3679 voted Most Discussed * 224 comments [157]Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits * 184 comments [158]Less Than Half of US Workers Use All Their Vacation Days * 123 comments [159]Google To Cut Down on Employee Laptops, Services and Staplers for 'Multi-Year' Savings * 118 comments [160]Labor To Consider Age-Verification 'Roadmap' For Restricting Online Pornography Access * 114 comments [161]American Teens Aren't Excited About Virtual Reality [162]Your Rights Online * [163]Inside the Bitter Campus Privacy Battle Over Smart Building Sensors * [164]FBI Seizes Bot Shop 'Genesis Market' * [165]Music Labels Win Legal Battle Against Youtube-dl's Hosting Provider * [166]Amazon, Despite Climate Pledge, Fought To Kill Emissions Bill In Oregon * [167]Labor To Consider Age-Verification 'Roadmap' For Restricting Online Pornography Access [168]This Day on Slashdot 2012 [169]EA Defends Itself Against Thousands of Anti-Gay Letters 1069 comments 2011 [170]Arizona Governor Proposes Flab Tax 978 comments 2010 [171]Wikileaks Releases Video of Journalist Killings 1671 comments 2005 [172]U.S. to Require Passport To Re-Enter Country 1223 comments 2004 [173]New Tool Cracks Apple's FairPlay DRM 1126 comments [174]Sourceforge Top Downloads * [175]TrueType core fonts 2.2B downloads * [176]Notepad++ Plugin Mgr 1.5B downloads * [177]VLC media player 899M downloads * [178]eMule 686M downloads * [179]MinGW 631M downloads Powered By [180]sf [181]Slashdot * [182]Today * [183]Tuesday * [184]Monday * [185]Sunday * [186]Saturday * [187]Friday * [188]Thursday * [189]Wednesday * [190]Submit Story RADIO SHACK LEVEL II BASIC READY >_ * [191]FAQ * [192]Story Archive * [193]Hall of Fame * [194]Advertising * [195]Terms * [196]Privacy Statement * [197]About * [198]Feedback * [199]Mobile View * [200]Blog * * (BUTTON) Icon Do Not Sell My Personal Information Trademarks property of their respective owners. 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