An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: The Trump administration will pay $1 billion to a French company to walk away from two U.S. offshore wind leases as the administration ramps up its campaign against offshore wind and other renewable energy. TotalEnergies has agreed to what’s essentially a refund of its leases for projects off the coasts of North Carolina and New York, and will invest the money in fossil fuel projects instead, the Department of Interior announced Monday.

The Trump administration has tried to halt offshore wind construction, but federal judges overturned those orders. Environmental groups denounced the TotalEnergies deal as an alternate way to block wind projects. President Donald Trump has gone all in on fossil fuels, which he says is the way to lower costs for families, increase reliability and help the U.S. maintain global leadership in artificial intelligence.

TotalEnergies pledged to not develop any new offshore wind projects in the United States. TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said in a statement that the company renounced offshore wind development in the United States in exchange for the reimbursement of the lease fees, “considering that the development of offshore wind projects is not in the country’s interest.” Pouyanne said the refunded lease fees will finance the construction of a liquefied natural gas plant in Texas and the development of its oil and gas activities, calling it a “more efficient use of capital” in the U.S. After it makes those investments, TotalEnergies will be reimbursed, up to the amount paid in lease purchases for offshore wind, according to the DOI.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Built by Jelle’s Marble Runs, Marblopolis is a marble run amusement park featuring 30 different attractions, all connected via almost 1/4 mile of track. The park can accommodate up to 400 fun-loving marbles at a time, and, I think I speak for everyone here when I ask, what happens if a 401st visitor shows up? Do all the rides break? If that marble were me, it would probably ride something spinny then puke funnel cake on another marble, who would then puke on another marble, and on and on. Like a domino maze, but a puking marble run.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says he understands the concerns about “AI slop” with DLSS 5 but insists the feature preserves a game’s underlying geometry and artistic intent. “I think their perspective makes sense, ” said Huang during a recent appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast. “And I could see where they’re coming from because I don’t love AI slop myself. You know, all of the AI-generated content increasingly looks similar, and they’re all beautiful… so I’m empathic toward what they’re thinking. That’s just not what DLSS 5 is trying to do.” Tom’s Hardware reports: Although Huang is striking a more conciliatory tone, much of his response is similar to what we heard at GTC [where Huang said gamers were “completely wrong.”] The artist determines the geometry, we are completely truthful to the geometry… so every single frame, it enhances, but it doesn’t change anything.” There was some confusion about how DLSS 5 worked when it was first announced, and although the inner workings of it still aren’t clear on a technical level, Huang has said that it isn’t a general-purpose generative AI model. He describes it as “content-controlled generative AI.” On the other end of the spectrum, Huang also said that it isn’t a post-processing filter. The technical details of DLSS 5 live somewhere between that space, and we likely won’t know them until later this year when the feature is set to release.

“The question about enhancing, DLSS 5… in the future, you could even prompt it. You know, I want it to be a toon shader. I want it to look like this, kind of. You could even give it an example and it would generate in the style of that, all consistent with the artistry, the style, the intent of the artist,” Huang continued. “All of that is done for the artist so they can create something that is more beautiful but still in the style that they want.” Although the talking points about DLSS 5 remain unchanged, it seems that Huang has at least heard the criticism. “I think that they got the impression that the games are going to come out the way the games are… and then we’re going to post-process it. That’s not what DLSS is intended to do.”

Huang also made assertions that DLSS is “integrated” with the artist, and suggested that it would put the power of generative AI in the hands of artists working in game development […]. Although DLSS 5 looks like it’s doing a lot, Huang said that it’s just another tool, not an essential feature. “The gamers might also appreciate that, in the last couple of years, we introduced skin shaders to game developers, and many of those games have skin shaders that include sub-surface scattering that makes skin look more skin-like… [DLSS 5] is just one more tool. They can decide what to use,” Huang ended the conversation about DLSS 5. Immediately after, without missing a beat, he said 1993’s Doom was the most influential video game ever made.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Jupiter’s colossal storms generate lightning flashes at least 100 times more powerful than those on Earth, according to scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft.

The findings were published March 20 in the journal AGU Advances. Researchers used data recorded by Juno in 2021 and 2022, after NASA granted an extension to the spacecraft’s operations upon completing a five-year science campaign at Jupiter. Juno remains in good health, but NASA officials have not said if they will approve another extension for the mission. The issue is money.

Questions about the future of Juno and more than a dozen other robotic science missions began swirling nearly a year ago, when the Trump administration asked mission leaders to submit “closeout” plans for how to turn off their spacecraft. Ars first reported the news soon after the White House released a budget request that called for slashing NASA’s science budget by nearly half.

Read full article

Comments

The Federal Communications Commission has released a notice today designating any consumer routers manufactured outside the US as a security risk. The rule states that new foreign-made product models for network routers will land on the Covered List, a set of communications equipment seen as having an unacceptable risk to national security. Previously purchased routers can still be used and retailers can still sell models that were approved by the prior FCC policies. In an exception to the usual rule, routers included on the Covered List can continue to receive updates at least through March 1, 2027, although the date could potentially be extended.

The move stems from a goal in the White House’s 2025 national security strategy that reads: “the United States must never be dependent on any outside power for core components—from raw materials to parts to finished products—necessary to the nation’s defense or economy.” The notice from the FCC states that companies can apply for conditional approval for new products from the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security. However, that requires the businesses to provide a plan for shifting at least some of their manufacturing to the US in order to receive that conditional approval. 

Few, if any, brands known for consumer-grade routers currently build products stateside. It seems likely this sweeping provision could face legal challenges from and cause confusion for the many companies that have production facilities overseas. In addition to Chinese tech giants like TP-Link, US companies will also be affected. NetGear, Eero and Google Nest are all headquartered domestically but have manufacturing in Asia. At least some of that manufacturing activity happens in regions like Taiwan that have historically been on good terms with the US. Until the sector sorts out this new restriction, don’t expect to see any new router models on store shelves.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-bans-all-new-foreign-made-network-routers-223622966.html?src=rss

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

The deals from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale have been surprisingly good so far, even though the sale is not supposed to start until this Wednesday, March 25. As is the case with other big Amazon sales, I’m going to make your life a little easier and highlight all the deals as our team covers them. All of our recommended deals have been vetted using price-tracking tools, so you can trust that the sales we’re talking about are actually good deals, and not just hype designed to fool you.

You can read more details about the spring sale here, like what to expect, how long it’ll last, and some tips to make your experience better. You can also just browse what’s on sale here. We’ll continue highlighting new deals as we find them, but you can scroll through to see earlier deals that may still be active.

After years of integrating (read: shoving) Copilot into as many Windows apps as possible, Microsoft seems to have made a shocking discovery: users don’t want Copilot crammed into as many Windows apps as possible. On Friday, Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s President of Windows & Devices, published a post on the official Windows Blog, walking readers through changes the company was making to Windows in response to user feedback. While Davuluri stopped short of saying the words “all this AI was a mistake,” he did say, “What came through [from user feedback] was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better.” So, now, we have a bunch of changes that, hopefully, make Windows better.

Copilot is taking a step back in future versions of Windows 11

Chief among those changes is an AI regression. In a bullet point titled “Integrating AI where it’s most meaningful, with craft and focus,” Davuluri says that Microsoft is going to be “more intentional” about where and how it puts Copilot throughout the operating system. The goal going forward will be on experiences that are “genuinely useful and well-crafted.” Notably, Microsoft is now “reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points.” While more changes could come in the future, the omissions start with Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad. Davuluri doesn’t say how much Microsoft is pulling back Copilot from these apps, but with any luck, the company will at least make AI features a bit less prominent.

This first round of changes might not be perfect, but it does seem to address the core complaints users have had about Copilot in Windows 11. Take a look at Windows and technology forums like Reddit, and you’ll see plenty of criticisms here. This thread, for example, is full of them: One user posts “I hate the process by which they are cramming it into every single tool, changing it on an almost daily basis and leaving most of the features on by default,” while another says “This reminds me of Windows 8, but on steroids.” One even tried to use it in a technical way, to no avail: “I [set up] a Copilot agent as a supplemental training resource and it has a mind of its own. I give it instructions to not do something and it just does the opposite.”

While I’m sure there are Copilot features that some users find useful, the fact is that most of these functions just aren’t necessary to do the things people want to do with their machines. If they were, Microsoft probably wouldn’t need to cram Copilot into as many different corners of the OS as possible, to prove to the world (or investors) that it was taking AI seriously. The company made a dedicated Copilot key for PCs, and even went to extreme lengths to trick people into using Copilot. If you have to trick customers into using your product, that product probably isn’t worth using.

Other changes coming to Windows 11

Too much Copilot isn’t the only complaint that users have about Windows 11. In fact, people have been complaining about Windows 11 since its launch, well before the generative AI boon that kicked off in late 2022. As such, Davuluri’s post is full of plans for improving Windows 11 for the better, supposedly in direct response to user feedback.

That includes changes to taskbar customization, including the ability to move the taskbar to the top or to the sides of your screen. File Explorer will also launch faster, with reduced flicker and smoother navigation. Widgets will also be “quieter” by default, with new controls for when they appear. Updates are another major Windows 11 pain point which are getting addressed this year. Soon, you’ll be able to skip updates when setting up a new device so you can start using it faster. You’ll also be able to restart or shut down your PC without having to update, and you can pause updates for longer, if you don’t feel like installing the latest software version.

Windows Insiders will also note some changes: Davuluri says that Microsoft will make it easier to navigate the program, with clearer descriptions for each channel (so you know what you’re signing up to test), easier access to new features (the thing most Insiders are there to test), higher quality updates, and more transparency into how user feedback impacts future Windows builds. To that point, the general Feedback Hub is getting redesigned, so Insiders can share their feedback (and see other users’ feedback) easier.

You can read Davuluri’s full post to see all the details on Microsoft’s plans for Windows 11, but, in my view, this is all a good sign. Microsoft seems to understand that its current OS is too busy and in your face, whether that involves its AI or its other features. By toning down the design across the board, Windows could be an OS that gives users more control over how it works and responds—which is really what it should have been all along.

When setting up any new internet-connected device, don’t stick with the default settings. Doing so introduces security risks, and it’s also a less-than-optimal way to use the features available to you. If you have a Ring camera or doorbell, there are a whole host of changes you can make to minimize annoyance and maximize privacy.

Snooze Motion Alerts when you’re outside

Motion alerts are among the most useful features of any security camera, but you don’t need a notification to your phone when you are the one moving around your property. You can snooze alerts in certain situations, such as when you’re outside doing yard work or hosting a party. Global Snooze pauses alerts for all cameras and doorbells for a set duration, while Alerts Snooze allows you to pause notifications from a specific device. When Snooze is enabled, you’ll still get Doorbell Rings and Priority Alerts.

In the Ring app, tap the motion icon, choose the snooze duration, and tap Start Snooze. For a single device, tap the More icon on the camera you want to snooze and tap the bell icon to turn Alerts Snooze on or off.

If you have monitoring via Virtual Security Guard, you can turn on Motion Snooze for enrolled devices to temporarily pause that service.

Optimize Motion Zones to exclude certain areas

Another way to curate motion alerts is to customize your Ring camera’s Motion Zones—for example, to exclude busy streets with lots of cars driving by as well as private, low-traffic areas you don’t need to monitor. You can add up to three motion zones per device under your camera’s Settings > Motion Settings > Camera Motion Zones. Tap Add Zone, drag the edges of the zone boundaries within your camera’s view, and hit Save.

Set up Smart Alerts to reduce unnecessary notifications

In addition to narrowing motion zones, you can choose whether you receive motion alerts and/or recordings specifically for people, vehicles, and packages while minimizing notifications from other sources of movement. (Not all Ring devices are compatible with all three Smart Alert categories, and you’ll need a Ring subscription to use these features.) To enable Smart Alerts, go to your device’s Settings > Motion Settings > Smart Alerts, then tap Enable Feature > Continue and choose your preferred alerts.

Customize your Neighborhood Area for relevant alerts

Neighbors is an online community through which Ring users can share footage and receive updates for their area. It is the broad umbrella for controversial features like Community Requests and Search Party (which I’ll get into below), but it could be useful for keeping abreast of issues in your neighborhood—like fire or other safety alerts—even if you don’t make your camera’s content public. You can customize your area so you’re only getting relevant alerts, especially if your neighborhood is more active on the app. Go to Menu > Neighbors > Settings > Customize Neighborhood to adjust the boundaries of your area.

Turn off Community Requests from law enforcement

Community Requests is a Neighbors feature through which law enforcement can ask users to share video from their Ring devices. While Ring says that footage isn’t shared automatically, and law enforcement doesn’t have access to live feeds, many users still have privacy concerns related to this type of collaboration. (Note that Ring also had a short-lived partnership with Flock Safety, which would have made it easier for law enforcement agencies to request Ring camera footage using Flock’s software.)

You can simply ignore Community Requests in your Neighbors feed, or you can turn these requests off entirely under Neighborhood Settings > Feed Settings. Deselect Community Requests and hit Apply.

Opt out of Search Party’s surveillance

Ring launched its Search Party feature in a Super Bowl ad earlier this year, ostensibly to help users find lost dogs in their neighborhood. Search Party uses AI to identify pets in your Ring’s field of vision and pools the footage with other cameras. Obviously, this functionality comes with significant privacy concerns, not least of which is whether and how your footage could be shared with law enforcement to surveil people rather than pets. You can disable Search Party entirely under Control Center > Search Party. Choose the blue Pet icon next to each camera.

Disconnect from Amazon Sidewalk’s wireless network

Amazon Sidewalk uses your Ring device—and others in your neighborhood—to create a mesh network so said devices stay connected to the internet even if your wifi is weak or goes down. Amazon says that this feature provides security (because you’ll still get important alerts) and extends the range for other devices like smart lights, smart locks, and pet locators. But you may not want to use your bandwidth for this purpose nor introduce potential privacy concerns to your home network. You can disable Amazon Sidewalk in the Control Center on your Ring app.

Disable third-party provider sharing

Like many apps and services, Ring shares certain information with third parties for purposes like personalized ads. While the company says it does not sell users’ personal data, in 2020, researchers at the Electronic Frontier Foundation found that the Ring app was packed with third-party trackers that were sending personally identifiable information to analytics and marketing firms.

In response, Ring added an opt-out feature, so you can adjust your settings to keep this information private from third-party providers. In the Ring app, go to Menu > Control Center > Cookies and Third Party Service Providers and turn off Third-Party Web and App Analytics Cookies and Personalized Advertising.

Enable end-to-end encryption to protect your Ring footage

If you want maximum privacy for your Ring footage, consider enabling end-to-end encryption (E2EE), which prevents anyone except you from accessing your recordings. This adds an extra layer of protection against hackers as well as Ring itself (including compliance with law enforcement requests), as videos are hidden behind a passphrase and can be viewed only on your enrolled mobile device. You’ll also need a (paid) Ring Protect subscription. The major downside is that you lose access to a pretty sizeable list of features, including 24/7 video recording and Person Detection. To set up E2EE, go to your Control Center > Video Encryption > End-to-End Encryption.

Set up local storage for more space and better privacy

With a Ring Protect subscription, Ring will store your videos in the cloud for 180 days, which you can shorten to as little as one day if you are concerned about someone gaining access to your footage (and E2EE isn’t enabled). Unfortunately, without a Ring Protect subscription, there’s no easy option to store videos from your camera, and you will probably want to save recordings for at least some period of time. You can set up local storage to a MicroSD card through Ring Edge, though you’ll need to invest in a Ring Alarm Pro Base Station. This gives you more control, more space, and more privacy. Of course, another alternative is to look for a camera that offers local storage to begin with.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA) and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced (PDF) a bill on Monday that could prevent prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket from allowing users to wager money on sports events or play casino-style games. This bipartisan bill would not apply to FanDuel and DraftKings, which are subject to state-by-state gambling laws, rather than federal ones. “Sports prediction contracts are sports bets — just with a different name. And yet, these contracts are currently offered in all fifty states in clear violation of state and federal law,” Schiff said in a statement.

Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are regulated under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which is why Schiff and Curtis are able to address them under federal jurisdiction, rather than leaving them to state-regulated sportsbooks. But these senators argue that there isn’t much of a difference in practice between betting on sports via federally or state-regulated apps. Kalshi’s Super Bowl trading volume, for instance, reached over $1 billion this year — a 2700% increase year-over-year. “Too many young people in Utah are getting exposed to addictive sports betting and casino-style gaming contracts that belong under state control, not under federal regulators,” Curtis said in a statement. The report notes that Kalshi is temporarily banned in Nevada and is facing criminal charges in Arizona. “Kalshi may brand itself as a ‘prediction market,’ but what it’s actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement last week.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

President Trump’s pick for surgeon general, Casey Means, is in jeopardy, as at least four Republican senators have expressed misgivings over her medical qualifications, views on vaccines, and some dubious advice she’s given as a wellness influencer, according to reporting from The Washington Post.

Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) all expressed concern about her potential role in a confirmation hearing last month and appear to remain doubtful. Just one of those senators may be enough to block her nomination from advancing beyond the Senate Health committee.

Means, who was nominated more than 10 months ago, is known as a prominent wellness influencer within the Make America Health Again movement and a close ally of anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who started it. In the hearing, senators pressed Means on her views on vaccines, including shots against the flu and measles and a dose of hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. She largely dodged the questions, refusing to explicitly recommend the life-saving shots and avoided overtly contradicting Kennedy’s anti-vaccine views and misinformation.

Read full article

Comments

Last week, Nvidia’s public reveal of DLSS 5—and its “generative AI” enhanced glow-ups of gaming scenes—drew widespread condemnation from the gaming community. In a podcast published Monday, though, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang tried to differentiate the technology’s optional, artist-guided graphical enhancements from the “AI slop” that Huang says he’s not a fan of.

As part of a nearly two-hour-long interview with the Lex Fridman Podcast, Huang was asked to explain the “drama” around DLSS 5 and “the gamers online [that] were concerned that it makes games look like AI slop.” Huang responded that he “could see where they’re coming from, because I don’t love AI slop myself… all of the AI-generated content increasingly looks similar and they’re all beautiful, so… I’m empathetic towards what they’re thinking.”

At the same time, Huang said DLSS 5 is decidedly separate that kind of “slop,” because it “is 3D conditioned, 3D guided.” The artists behind a game are still the ones creating the in-game structural geometry and textures that form the “ground truth structure” that DLSS 5 works from, Huang said. “And so every single frame, it enhances but it doesn’t change anything,” he said.

Read full article

Comments

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is a few days away, but the early deals are already popping off, making it a good time to score discounts on big-ticket items like laptops and tablets. Can’t decide between the two? Got both in one—and one of your best options is the Samsung 16” Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, a highly portable laptop/tablet combo with a screen that flips back 360 degrees. Ahead of the Amazon Big Spring Sale, it’s down to $1,199.99, $500 off the original $1,699.99 and its lowest price ever, according to price trackers.

16″ Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360

$1,199.99
at Amazon

$1,699.99
Save $500.00

$1,199.99
at Amazon

$1,699.99
Save $500.00

An upgrade from the original Galaxy Book Pro 360, the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 is designed to be more efficient, longer-lasting, and better at multitasking. It has an Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor, 1 TB of storage, 18 GB of RAM, and a 16-inch 3K AMOLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 500 nits. Despite its large footprint, it’s surprisingly slim at 12.8 mm, making it a solid option if you want more screen real estate without a lot of bulk. 

One of the best selling points in the battery life—you’ll get up to 25 hours. It can be used in laptop, tent, and tablet modes, and comes with an S-Pen to help out with creative work, editing, and note-taking.  Compared to cheaper combo devices, it has a good port selection, including Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, USB-A, and microSD. On the performance side, it’s best for everyday use and light gaming, as more demanding multitasking or intensive video editing might slow it down. 

All in all, the sturdy Samsung 16” Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 was already a great premium 2-in-1 laptop/tablet option, and at $500 off ahead of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, it’s a much easier sell.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is a few days away, but the early deals are already popping off, making it a good time to score discounts on big-ticket items like laptops and tablets. Can’t decide between the two? Got both in one—and one of your best options is the Samsung 16” Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, a highly portable laptop/tablet combo with a screen that flips back 360 degrees. Ahead of the Amazon Big Spring Sale, it’s down to $1,199.99, $500 off the original $1,699.99 and its lowest price ever, according to price trackers.

16″ Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360

$1,199.99
at Amazon

$1,699.99
Save $500.00

$1,199.99
at Amazon

$1,699.99
Save $500.00

An upgrade from the original Galaxy Book Pro 360, the Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 is designed to be more efficient, longer-lasting, and better at multitasking. It has an Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor, 1 TB of storage, 18 GB of RAM, and a 16-inch 3K AMOLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 500 nits. Despite its large footprint, it’s surprisingly slim at 12.8 mm, making it a solid option if you want more screen real estate without a lot of bulk. 

One of the best selling points in the battery life—you’ll get up to 25 hours. It can be used in laptop, tent, and tablet modes, and comes with an S-Pen to help out with creative work, editing, and note-taking.  Compared to cheaper combo devices, it has a good port selection, including Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, USB-A, and microSD. On the performance side, it’s best for everyday use and light gaming, as more demanding multitasking or intensive video editing might slow it down. 

All in all, the sturdy Samsung 16” Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 was already a great premium 2-in-1 laptop/tablet option, and at $500 off ahead of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, it’s a much easier sell.

Driving after a DUI conviction can be a dicey experience. Many states require drivers, if they want to keep using their cars, to install ignition interlock devices that measure alcohol levels before allowing the vehicle to start.

One of the most common is from Des Moines, Iowa-based Intoxalock, which takes the form of a small box with a plastic tube into which the driver blows. The box then measures the level of alcohol in the breath. You must be below your state’s legal limit to start the vehicle. (In some states, the system will also log your location using GPS and/or take a photo of you every time you blow in the tube.)

The interlock device can only be leased, and it costs around $70–$120 per month.

Read full article

Comments