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[32]Close binspamdupenotthebestofftopicslownewsdaystalestupid freshfunnyinsightfulinterestingmaybe offtopicflamebaittrollredundantoverrated insightfulinterestinginformativefunnyunderrated descriptive typodupeerror [33]Sign up for the Slashdot newsletter! OR [34]check out the new Slashdot job board to browse remote jobs or jobs in your area Do you develop on GitHub? You can keep using GitHub but automatically [35]sync your GitHub releases to SourceForge quickly and easily with [36]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! [37]× 172555541 story [38]Medicine [39]How Two Pharmacists Figured Out That Decongestants Don't Work [40](scientificamerican.com) [41]16 Posted by [42]BeauHD on Friday December 22, 2023 @05:00AM from the more-you-know dept. In 2005, the reclassification of pseudoephedrine to behind-the-counter status led to widespread use of oral phenylephrine in OTC decongestants, despite [43]evidence of its ineffectiveness. Randy Hatton, a clinical professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida, and his colleague worked to bring this issue to the FDA's attention, [44]revealing loopholes in the regulatory process for older OTC drugs. Hatton writes in an opinion piece for Scientific American: Before the FDA required that drugs had to be proven effective, it determined whether OTC drugs were effective through expert panels that reviewed existing data. These [45]OTC monographs establish what older OTC ingredients can be marketed without FDA approval. The oral decongestant monograph panel reviewed a few published studies and multiple unpublished studies for phenylephrine. Of the unpublished studies, [46]only four studies showed oral phenylephrine was effective, while seven showed it was no better than placebo. We requested copies of all evidence used by the nasal decongestant review panel via a Freedom of Information Act request and performed a systematic review and meta-analysis ourselves. [...] The FDA has multiple regulatory processes for different types of medicinal compounds. People are perhaps most familiar with the [47]New Drug Application process, which leads to clinical trials for prescription drug approvals. However, many OTC or nonprescription drugs are regulated differently. In fact, a law passed in 1951, the Durham-Humphrey Amendment to the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, created the categories of prescription and nonprescription drugs. In 1962, the act was amended again so that drugs had to be shown to be effective, hence the requirement for well-done clinical trials. But what about the drugs that were approved before 1962? This is the loophole that some OTC drugs fall through. For prescription drugs, FDA tried to address pre-1962 approvals through a review of over 3,000 prescription drugs. Most of those drugs have now been reviewed and addressed, but there are still unapproved prescription drugs on the market today, such as an extended-release form of oral nitroglycerin. For nonprescription drugs, FDA [48]established the OTC monograph process 10 years after the 1962 amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which required products not proven effective to be reconsidered. FDA formed advisory panels grouping hundreds of ingredients into 26 categories based on the products' uses. After gathering all available information, both published and unpublished, from manufacturers, the advisory panels issued final reports to FDA about whether [49]these ingredients were GRASE (generally recognized as safe and effective), not GRASE, or inconclusive. GRASE ingredients can be used in nonprescription drugs without FDA approval if the use matches the monograph. "The oral phenylephrine example shows that FDA needs more funding to look at these old drugs," concludes Hatton. "We need public funds to support independent researchers who want to examine these products objectively. The government should be able to spend millions to save consumers billions on ineffective products. Companies that market these products have no incentive to prove they don't work. Nonprescription drugs must be effective -- not just safe." apply tags__________ 172552471 story [50]NASA [51]US Commits To Landing an International Astronaut On the Moon [52](arstechnica.com) [53]18 Posted by [54]BeauHD on Friday December 22, 2023 @02:00AM from the group-effort dept. During a meeting of the National Space Council, Vice President Kamala Harris said an international astronaut [55]will land on the Moon during one of NASA's Artemis missions. "Today, in recognition of the essential role that our allies and partners play in the Artemis program, I am proud to announce that alongside American astronauts, we intend to land an international astronaut on the surface of the Moon by the end of the decade," Harris said. Ars Technica reports: Although the National Space Council is useful in aggregating disparate interests across the US government to help form more cohesive space policies, public meetings like the one Wednesday can seem perfunctory. Harris departed the stage soon after her speech, and other government officials read from prepared remarks during the rest of the event. Nevertheless, Harris' announcement highlighted the role the space program plays in elevating the soft power of the United States. It was widely assumed an international astronaut would eventually land on the Moon with NASA. Harris put a deadline on achieving this goal. NASA has long included astronauts from its international partners on human spaceflight missions, dating back to the ninth flight of the space shuttle in 1983, when West German astronaut Ulf Merbold joined five Americans on a flight to low-Earth orbit. This was seen by US government officials as a way to foster closer relations with like-minded countries. The inclusion of foreign astronauts on US missions also repays partner nations who make financial commitments to US-led space projects with a high-profile flight opportunity for one of their citizens. Among the international partners contributing to Artemis, it seems most likely a European astronaut would get the first slot for a landing with NASA. ESA funded the development of the service modules used on NASA's Orion spacecraft, which will ferry astronauts from Earth to the Moon and back. These modules provide power and propulsion for Orion. ESA is also developing refueling and communications infrastructure for the Gateway mini-space station to be constructed in orbit around the Moon. A Japanese astronaut might also have a shot at getting a seat on an Artemis landing. Japan's government has committed to providing the life-support system for the Gateway's international habitation module, along with resupply services to deliver cargo to Gateway. Japan is also interested in building a pressurized rover for astronauts to drive across the lunar surface. In recognition of Japan's contributions, NASA last year committed to flying a Japanese astronaut aboard Gateway. Canada is building a robotic arm for Gateway, but a Canadian astronaut already has a seat on NASA's first crewed Artemis mission, albeit without a trip to the lunar surface. apply tags__________ 172552179 story [56]Medicine [57]California Workers Say Herbicide Is Giving Them Parkinson's [58](latimes.com) [59]24 Posted by [60]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @10:30PM from the connecting-the-dots dept. An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Los Angeles Times: It was the late 1980s when Gary Mund felt his pinky tremble. At first it seemed like a random occurrence, but pretty quickly he realized something was seriously wrong. Within two years, Mund -- a crew worker with the Eastern Municipal Water District in Riverside County -- was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The illness would eventually consume much of his life, clouding his speech, zapping most of his motor skills and taking away his ability to work and drive. "It sucks," said Mund, 69. He speaks tersely, because every word is a hard-won battle. "I was told the herbicide wouldn't hurt you." The herbicide is paraquat, an extremely powerful weed killer that Mund sprayed on vegetation as part of his job from about 1980 to 1985. Mund [61]contends the product is responsible for his disease, but the manufacturer denies there is a causal link between the chemical and Parkinson's. Paraquat is manufactured by Syngenta, a Swiss-based company owned by the Chinese government. The chemical is [62]banned in at least 58 countries -- including China and Switzerland -- due to its toxicity, yet it continues to be a popular herbicide in California and other parts of the United States. But [63]research suggests the chemical may cross the blood-brain barrier in a manner that triggers Parkinson's disease, a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement. Now, Mund is among thousands of workers suing Syngenta seeking damages and hoping to see the chemical banned. Since 2017, more than 3,600 lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts seeking damages from exposure to paraquat products, according to Syngenta's [64]2022 financial report (PDF). [...] Paraquat is 28 times more toxic than another controversial herbicide, Roundup, according to a report from the Pesticide Action Network. (Roundup has been banned in several parts of California, including a 2019 moratorium by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors forbidding its use by county departments.) Paraquat also has other known health effects. It is listed as "highly toxic" on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website, which says that "one small sip can be fatal and there is no antidote." The EPA is currently reviewing paraquat's approval status. However, both the EPA and Syngenta cited a 2020 U.S. government Agricultural Health Study that found there is [65]no clear link between paraquat exposure and Parkinson's disease. A 2021 [66]review of reviews similarly found that there is no causal relationship. apply tags__________ 172552047 story [67]Lord of the Rings [68]Tolkien Estate Wins Court Order To Destroy Fan's 'Lord of the Rings' Sequel [69](nytimes.com) [70]72 Posted by [71]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @09:02PM from the you-shall-not-publish dept. Remy Tumin reports via the New York Times: It was supposed to be what a fan described as a "loving homage" to his hero, the author J.R.R. Tolkien, and to "The Lord of the Rings," which he called "one of the most defining experiences of his life." A judge in California had another view. The fan, Demetrious Polychron of Santa Monica, Calif., [72]violated copyright protections this year when he wrote and published a sequel to the epic "Rings" series, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the Central District of California ruled last week. In a summary judgment, Judge Wilson found "direct evidence of copying" and barred Polychron from further distributing the book or any others in a planned series. He also ordered Polychron to destroy all electronic and physical copies of the published work, "The Fellowship of the King," by Sunday. As of Wednesday, Amazon and Barnes & Noble were no longer listing the book for sale online. Steven Maier, a lawyer for the Tolkien estate, said the injunction was "an important success" for protecting Tolkien's work. "This case involved a serious infringement of The Lord of the Rings copyright, undertaken on a commercial basis," he said. "The estate hopes that the award of a permanent injunction and attorneys' fees will be sufficient to dissuade others who may have similar intentions." apply tags__________ 172551925 story [73]Power [74]Android May Soon Tell You When It's Time To Replace Your Phone's Battery [75](androidauthority.com) [76]52 Posted by [77]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @08:25PM from the what-to-expect dept. The next version of Android [78]could give you an estimate of your battery's remaining capacity, which naturally degrades over time. "Android 14 laid the initial groundwork for the OS to track battery health information, but Android 15 could actually bring that information in front of users," reports Android Authority. It could also tell you whether your device's battery has been replaced. From the report: The manufacture date and cycle count aren't the only battery-related statistics that Android 14 exposes to apps through new APIs, though. Other battery health details like the date of first use, charging policy, charging status, and state of health are also available. The state of health is particularly interesting because it's an estimate of the battery's current full charge capacity, expressed as a percentage relative to the battery's rated capacity. For example, if your Pixel 8 battery's state of health is measured at 90%, that means its remaining full charge capacity is estimated to be about 4118mAh (compared to the rated 4575mAh). The Settings app currently doesn't show the battery state of health, but that's set to change in the future, as the latest version of the Settings Services app (an extension to the Settings app on Pixel and other devices) found within Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 has a new "battery health" page that is set to show the state of health. [...] Strings within the APK suggest this page will show you the "estimated percentage of charge the battery can currently hold compared to when it was new" (i.e. the state of health) before and after "recalibration" of the battery. We don't have the exact details on what "recalibration" entails, but given that one string suggests the "process may take a few weeks," we're guessing that it's simply the system collecting data over a longer period to provide a more accurate estimate of the battery capacity. Meanwhile, the "initial battery health values" are "based on lab results" and hence "may vary from your actual battery state." [...] We also learned that the Settings app itself will surface "tips" to the user when either the battery capacity is degraded or can't be detected, so the user doesn't have to manually check the "battery health" page. Lastly, we learned that Google is working on exposing more battery-related information to the OS, such as the part status and the serial number. [...] At the very least, we do know that Android will support reading the battery's part status and serial number, provided the battery exposes that information to the OS, and the vendor implements the [79]new version of the Android health HAL. The health HAL is the software responsible for bridging the gap between the OS APIs that read battery/charging information (i.e. everything we talked about before) with the software that controls the battery/charging chips. Version 2.0 of the health HAL needs to be implemented to support all the new Android 14 battery health APIs like state of health, which is why so few devices support that right now. apply tags__________ 172551819 story [80]AMD [81]Ryzen vs. Meteor Lake: AMD's AI Often Wins, Even On Intel's Hand-Picked Tests [82](tomshardware.com) [83]5 Posted by [84]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @07:45PM from the would-you-look-at-that dept. [85]Velcroman1 writes: Intel's new generation of "Meteor Lake" mobile CPUs herald a new age of "AI PCs," computers that can handle inference workloads such as generating images or transcribing audio without an Internet connection. Officially named "Intel Core Ultra" processors, the chips are the first to feature an NPU (neural processing unit) that's purpose-built to handle AI tasks. But there are few ways to actually test this feature at present: software will need to be rewritten to specifically direct operations at the NPU. Intel has steered testers toward its Open Visual Inference and Neural Network Optimization ([86]OpenVINO) AI toolkit. With those benchmarks, Tom's Hardware tested the new Intel chips against AMD -- and surprisingly, AMD chips [87]often came out on top, even on these hand-selected benchmarks. Clearly, optimization will take some time! apply tags__________ 172551251 story [88]United Kingdom [89]Women In IT Are On a 283-Year March To Parity, BCS Warns [90](theregister.com) [91]106 Posted by [92]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @07:02PM from the progress-lacking dept. An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: It will take 283 years for female representation in IT to make up an equal share of the tech workforce in the UK, according to a report from the British Computer Society, the chartered institute for IT (BCS). BCS has [93]calculated that based on trends from 2005 to 2022, it would take nearly three centuries for the representation of women in the IT workforce -- currently 20 percent -- to reach the average representation across the whole UK workforce, currently at 48 percent. BCS's annual [94]Diversity Report also found that progress towards the gender norm was stalling in IT jobs. Between 2018 and 2021, the proportion of women tech workers rose from 16 percent to 20 percent. But there was no change in 2022, according to BCS analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics. Julia Adamson, BCS managing director for education and public benefit, said in a statement: "More women and girls need the opportunity to take up great careers in a tech industry that's shaping the world. A massive pool of talent and creativity is being overlooked when it could benefit employers and the economy. There has to be a radical rethink of how we get more women and girls into tech careers, and a more inclusive tech culture is ethically and morally the right thing to do. Having greater diversity means that what is produced is more relevant to, and representative of, society at large. This is crucial when it comes to, for instance, the use of AI in medicine or finance. The fact that 94 percent of girls and 79 percent of boys drop computing at age 14 is a huge alarm bell we must not ignore; the subject should have a broader digital curriculum that is relevant to all young people." apply tags__________ 172550983 story [95]Crime [96]Teen GTA VI Hacker Sentenced To Indefinite Hospital Order [97](theverge.com) [98]55 Posted by [99]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @06:20PM from the indefinite-orders dept. Emma Roth reports via The Verge: The 18-year-old Lapsus$ hacker who played a critical role in leaking Grand Theft Auto VI footage has been [100]sentenced to life inside a hospital prison, according to a report from the [101]BBC. A British judge ruled on Thursday that Arion Kurtaj is a high risk to the public because he still wants to commit cybercrimes. In August, a London jury found that Kurtaj carried out cyberattacks against GTA VI developer Rockstar Games and other companies, including Uber and Nvidia. However, since Kurtaj has autism and was deemed unfit to stand trial, the jury was asked to determine whether he committed the acts in question, not whether he did so with criminal intent. During Thursday's hearing, the court heard Kurtaj "had been violent while in custody with dozens of reports of injury or property damage," the BBC reports. A mental health assessment also found that Kurtaj "continued to express the intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible." He's required to stay in the hospital prison for life unless doctors determine that he's no longer a danger. Kurtaj leaked 90 videos of GTA VI gameplay footage last September while out on bail for hacking Nvidia and British telecom provider BT / EE. Although he stayed at a hotel under police protection during this time, Kurtaj still managed to carry out an attack on Rockstar Games by using the room's included Amazon Fire Stick and a "newly purchased smart phone, keyboard and mouse," according to a [102]separate BBC report. Kurtaj was arrested for the final time following the incident. Another 17-year-old involved with Lapsus$ was handed an 18-month community sentence, called a Youth Rehabilitation Order, and a ban from using virtual private networks. apply tags__________ 172551149 story [103]Games [104]8-Year-Old Chess Prodigy Wins Title At European Championships [105](bbc.com) [106]6 Posted by [107]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @06:00PM from the grandmaster-in-the-making dept. Eight-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan from London has been crowned [108]best female chess player at the European blitz championships, scoring 8.5/13 at the event and drawing with a grandmaster in a result described as "unbelievable." The BBC reports: The chess prodigy, who began playing aged five, said she was "proud" of her performance over the weekend. The tournament was held at the blitz time control -- a quick form of chess where players have just minutes on their clocks for their moves. Bodhana's opponents included grandmasters - the highest title given to the world's strongest players -- international masters and experts. "I always try my best to win, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't," Bodhana told BBC Radio 4's Today program. "I was very proud of myself when I got top girl in the European blitz." Asked if she gets nervous, she replied: "No, I just play the board." British International Master and commentator Lawrence Trent described Bodhana as "one of the greatest talents I've witnessed in recent memory." "The maturity of her play, her sublime touch, it's truly breath taking," he wrote on X. "I have no doubt she will be England's greatest player and most likely one of the greatest the game has ever seen," Mr Trent added. Bodhana will next compete at the International Chess Congress in Hastings, one of the world's longest running tournaments, on December 28. apply tags__________ 172550825 story [109]Robotics [110]Massachusetts Lawmakers Mull 'Killer Robot' Bill [111](techcrunch.com) [112]10 Posted by [113]BeauHD on Thursday December 21, 2023 @05:40PM from the first-to-do-it dept. An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch, written by Brian Heater: Back in mid-September, a pair of Massachusetts lawmakers [114]introduced a bill "to ensure the responsible use of advanced robotic technologies." What that means in the simplest and most direct terms is legislation that would bar the manufacture, sale and use of weaponized robots. It's an interesting proposal for a number of reasons. The first is a general lack of U.S. state and national laws governing such growing concerns. It's one of those things that has felt like science fiction to such a degree that many lawmakers had no interest in pursuing it in a pragmatic manner. [...] Earlier this week, I spoke about the bill with Massachusetts state representative Lindsay Sabadosa, who filed it alongside Massachusetts state senator Michael Moore. What is the status of the bill? We're in an interesting position, because there are a lot of moving parts with the bill. The bill has had a hearing already, which is wonderful news. We're working with the committee on the language of the bill. They have had some questions about why different pieces were written as they were written. We're doing that technical review of the language now -- and also checking in with all stakeholders to make sure that everyone who needs to be at the table is at the table. When you say "stakeholders" ... Stakeholders are companies that produce robotics. The robot Spot, which Boston Dynamics produces, and other robots as well, are used by entities like Boston Police Department or the Massachusetts State Police. They might be used by the fire department. So, we're talking to those people to run through the bill, talk about what the changes are. For the most part, what we're hearing is that the bill doesn't really change a lot for those stakeholders. Really the bill is to prevent regular people from trying to weaponize robots, not to prevent the very good uses that the robots are currently employed for. Does the bill apply to law enforcement as well? We're not trying to stop law enforcement from using the robots. And what we've heard from law enforcement repeatedly is that they're often used to deescalate situations. They talk a lot about barricade situations or hostage situations. Not to be gruesome, but if people are still alive, if there are injuries, they say it often helps to deescalate, rather than sending in officers, which we know can often escalate the situation. So, no, we wouldn't change any of those uses. The legislation does ask that law enforcement get warrants for the use of robots if they're using them in place of when they would send in a police officer. That's pretty common already. Law enforcement has to do that if it's not an emergency situation. We're really just saying, "Please follow current protocol. And if you're going to use a robot instead of a human, let's make sure that protocol is still the standard." I'm sure you've been following the stories out of places like San Francisco and Oakland, where there's an attempt to weaponize robots. Is that included in this? We haven't had law enforcement weaponize robots, and no one has said, "We'd like to attach a gun to a robot" from law enforcement in Massachusetts. I think because of some of those past conversations there's been a desire to not go down that route. And I think that local communities would probably have a lot to say if the police started to do that. So, while the legislation doesn't outright ban that, we are not condoning it either. Representative Sabadosa said Boston Dynamics "sought us out" and is "leading the charge on this." "I'm hopeful that we will be the first to get the legislation across the finish line, too," added Rep. Sabadosa. "We've gotten thank-you notes from companies, but we haven't gotten any pushback from them. And our goal is not to stifle innovation. I think there's lots of wonderful things that robots will be used for. [...]" You can read the full interview [115]here. apply tags__________ 172549487 story [116]IT [117]arXiv Now Offers Papers in HTML Format [118](arxiv.org) [119]7 Posted by msmash on Thursday December 21, 2023 @05:00PM from the moving-forward dept. arXiv [120]blog: arXiv's goal is equitable access to scientific research for all -- and to achieve this, we have been working to make research papers more accessible for arXiv users with disabilities. We are happy to announce that as of Monday, December 18th, arXiv is now generating an HTML formatted version of all papers submitted in TeX/LaTeX (as long as papers were submitted on or after December 1st, 2023 and HTML conversion is successful). HTML is not replacing PDF but will be an additional format available for arXiv users. Submitters will be invited to preview the HTML version of their papers during submission time, the same way they have always done with PDF. When accessing a paper's abstract page, readers will see a link to view the HTML paper right under the PDF link. The request to offer arXiv-hosted papers in HTML format comes directly from scientists with disabilities who face barriers to accessing the research they need. HTML formatted papers are more easily and accurately read by screen readers and other technologies, which can assist researchers with reading disabilities, including blindness, low vision, dyslexia, and more. apply tags__________ 172549329 story [121]Privacy [122]UK Police To Be Able To Run Face Recognition Searches on 50 Million Driving Licence Holders [123](theguardian.com) [124]22 Posted by msmash on Thursday December 21, 2023 @04:20PM from the how-about-that dept. The police will be able to run facial recognition searches on a database containing images of Britain's 50 million driving licence holders [125]under a law change being quietly introduced by the government. From a report: Should the police wish to put a name to an image collected on CCTV, or shared on social media, the legislation would provide them with the powers to search driving licence records for a match. The move, contained in a single clause in a new criminal justice bill, could put every driver in the country in a permanent police lineup, according to privacy campaigners. Facial recognition searches match the biometric measurements of an identified photograph, such as that contained on driving licences, to those of an image picked up elsewhere. The intention to allow the police or the National Crime Agency (NCA) to exploit the UK's driving licence records is not explicitly referenced in the bill or in its explanatory notes, raising criticism from leading academics that the government is "sneaking it under the radar." Once the criminal justice bill is enacted, the home secretary, James Cleverly, must establish "driver information regulations" to enable the searches, but he will need only to consult police bodies, according to the bill. apply tags__________ 172549387 story [126]Earth [127]Why the US Is Pumping More Oil Than Any Country in History [128](theatlantic.com) [129]139 Posted by msmash on Thursday December 21, 2023 @03:40PM from the closer-look dept. The politics of solving climate change may, paradoxically, [130]require producing more fossil fuels for a while. Roge Karma, writing for The Atlantic: By boosting domestic oil supply, the Biden administration seems to be contributing to the very problem it claims to want to solve. The reality is more complicated. "Pushing for reductions in U.S. oil production is like squeezing a balloon -- the production will 'pop out' somewhere else," writes Samantha Gross, an energy-and-climate expert at the Brookings Institution. The world's energy needs are growing rapidly, which means oil companies are going to supply it regardless of what the White House does. If the U.S. were to cut back tomorrow, prices would rise. In the short term, this would lead to less consumption and lower emissions. But those high prices would only entice producers in other countries to step in, as many did in the months after Russia's invasion. For that reason, reductions in U.S. oil production could actually result in higher overall emissions. The U.S. has one of the least emissions-intensive oil industries on the planet. Shifting production to countries with looser standards would likely be worse for the climate. But the deeper explanation for the Biden administration's actions has to do with the politics of climate change. Put simply, pursuing a decarbonization agenda requires Biden to maintain political support, and there is no surer way to lose political support than by presiding over high gas prices. Biden's approval rating has tracked gas prices for most of his presidency (although he hasn't yet benefited from recent improvements), and the drop in prices in the months leading up to the 2022 midterms may have contributed to Democrats' unexpectedly strong performance in those elections. Plus, when the price of energy goes up, the price of everything else tends to rise as well, sparking further inflation. apply tags__________ 172549459 story [131]Businesses [132]Hyperloop One To Shut Down [133](bloomberg.com) [134]96 Posted by msmash on Thursday December 21, 2023 @02:23PM from the end-of-tunnel dept. Hyperloop One, the futuristic transportation company building tube-encased lines to zip passengers and freight from city to city at airplane-like speeds, [135]is shutting down, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the situation. From the report: Once a high-profile startup, Hyperloop One raised more than $450 million since its founding in 2014, according to PitchBook. It built a small test track near Las Vegas to develop its transportation technology, and for a time took the name Virgin Hyperloop One after Richard Branson's Virgin invested. Virgin removed its branding after the startup decided last year to focus on cargo rather than people. Now, the company has laid off most of its employees, and is trying to sell its remaining assets, including the test track and machinery, according to one of the people, who asked to remain anonymous discussing private information. In early 2022, the company employed more than 200 people. The business has also closed its Los Angeles office. The remaining workers, tasked with overseeing the asset sale, were told their employment will end on Dec. 31. DP World, the Dubai-based conglomerate, has backed Hyperloop One since 2016 and owns a majority stake. The startup's remaining intellectual property will be transferred to DP World, a person familiar with the situation said. apply tags__________ 172549213 story [136]IT [137]Beeper Says It's Done Trying To Bring iMessage To Android [138](techcrunch.com) [139]55 Posted by msmash on Thursday December 21, 2023 @01:47PM from the enough-is-enough dept. Beeper is [140]giving up on its mission to bring iMessage to Android after implementing a series of fixes that Apple has knocked down one by one over the past month. From a report: Although the company has issued a complex workaround, it says it has no plans to roll out another one if this one is knocked down by Apple. "Each time that Beeper Mini goes 'down' or is made to be unreliable due to interference by Apple, Beeper's credibility takes a hit," the company wrote in a blog post. "It's unsustainable. As much as we want to fight for what we believe is a fantastic product that really should exist, the truth is that we can't win a cat-and-mouse game with the largest company on earth. With our latest software release, we believe we've created something that Apple can tolerate existing. We do not have any current plans to respond if this solution is knocked offline" apply tags__________ [141]« Newer [142]Older » Slashdot Top Deals Slashdot Top Deals [143]Slashdot Deals Slashdot Poll Do you have a poll idea? (*) Yes, I will post in the comments ( ) No ( ) Cowboy Neal probably does (BUTTON) vote now [144]Read the 81 comments | 4396 votes Looks like someone has already voted from this IP. If you would like to vote please login and try again. Do you have a poll idea? 0 Percentage of others that also voted for: * [145]view results * Or * * [146]view more [147]Read the 81 comments | 4396 voted Most Discussed * 136 comments [148]Why the US Is Pumping More Oil Than Any Country in History * 125 comments [149]The Rise and Fall of Usenet * 108 comments [150]New Regulations Will Turn California Wastewater To Drinking Water * 104 comments [151]Ask Slashdot: What Are Some Methods To Stop Digital Surveillance In Schools? * 98 comments [152]Scientists Successfully Replicate Historic Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Three Times Hot Comments * [153]Re:So basically... (5 points, Informative) by johngen86 on Thursday December 21, 2023 @04:18PM attached to [154]Why the US Is Pumping More Oil Than Any Country in History * [155]The rabbit hole goes even deeper (5 points, Informative) by williamyf on Thursday December 21, 2023 @09:32PM attached to [156]Tolkien Estate Wins Court Order To Destroy Fan's 'Lord of the Rings' Sequel * [157]Re:New Era (5 points, Informative) by drinkypoo on Thursday December 21, 2023 @09:39AM attached to [158]Wireless TVs Use Built-In Cameras, NFC Readers To Sell You Stuff You See On TV * [159]Re: They don't believe it either. (5 points, Informative) by ArmoredDragon on Thursday December 21, 2023 @08:31PM attached to [160]Women In IT Are On a 283-Year March To Parity, BCS Warns * [161]Re:Nothing done about larceny... (5 points, Insightful) by sphealey on Thursday December 21, 2023 @09:52AM attached to [162]Rite Aid Banned From Using Facial Recognition Software [163]This Day on Slashdot 2013 [164]Microsoft's Ticking Time Bomb Is Windows XP 829 comments 2011 [165]Do You Really Need a Smart Phone? 851 comments 2006 [166]Neuroscience, Psychology Eroding Idea of Free Will 867 comments 2005 [167]Britain to log all vehicle movement 914 comments 2004 [168]Paint.NET: The Anti-GIMP? 864 comments [169]Sourceforge Top Downloads * [170]TrueType core fonts 2.2B downloads * [171]Notepad++ Plugin Mgr 1.5B downloads * [172]VLC media player 899M downloads * [173]eMule 686M downloads * [174]MinGW 631M downloads Powered By [175]sf [176]Slashdot * [177]Today * [178]Thursday * [179]Wednesday * [180]Tuesday * [181]Monday * [182]Sunday * [183]Saturday * [184]Friday * [185]Submit Story IOT trap -- core dumped * [186]FAQ * [187]Story Archive * [188]Hall of Fame * [189]Advertising * [190]Terms * [191]Privacy Statement * [192]About * [193]Feedback * [194]Mobile View * [195]Blog * * (BUTTON) Icon Do Not Sell My Personal Information Copyright © 2023 Slashdot Media. 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