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Sign of the times

460K views 8K replies 41 participants last post by  ekim68 
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HP covers printer's USB port with warning sticker to make sure you don't go right ahead and use it


HP wants you to print things through its cloud service, wherein you pay a subscription fee for ink and your usage is routed through its servers. To encourage you to do this, it covers the USB port on one model with a sticker with a No Smoking-style "No USB" logo on it–lest you simply plug in your printer and start printing things with it before you've endured the hard sell via network setup.
 
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The Reddit Protest Is Finally Over. Reddit Won.


The last major holdouts in the massive protest against Reddit’s controversial API pricing have relented, abandoning the so-called “John Oliver rules” which only allowed posts featuring the beloved TV host in certain dissident subreddits. It marks the end of months of fighting, which included site-wide blackouts. Now it seems the battle has come to a close. The Reddit protest is over, and Reddit won.
 
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CNET Deletes Thousands of Old Articles to Game Google Search


Tech news website CNET has deleted thousands of old articles over the past few months in a bid to improve its performance in Google Search results, Gizmodo has learned.

Archived copies of CNET’s author pages show the company deleted small batches of articles prior to the second half of July, but then the pace increased. Thousands of articles disappeared in recent weeks. A CNET representative confirmed that the company was culling stories but declined to share exactly how many it has taken down. The move adds to recent controversies over CNET’s editorial strategy, which has included layoffs and experiments with error-riddled articles written by AI chatbots.
 
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Why lasers could help make the electric grid greener


That's where the laser sensors come in, says Marmillo, co-founder of LineVision, the company that makes them. Sensors can help utilities get real-time data on their power lines, which can allow them to send more renewable electricity through the wires. This tech is part of a suite of innovations that could help the U.S. increase its grid capacity faster and cheaper than building new transmission lines.
 
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Biden’s climate law has led to 86,000 new jobs and $132 billion in investment, new report says


A year after Democrats passed their sweeping $750 billion climate and health care law, it’s leading to a surge of clean energy projects and job creation, according to a recent Bank of America report.

More than 270 new clean energy projects have been announced since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with private investments totaling $132 billion, according to the report. These investments are expected to be accompanied by more than 86,000 jobs, including 50,000 jobs related to electric vehicles.
 
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Growing evidence linking wildfire air pollution to dementia


It’s well established that any air pollution is likely to be bad for your health, with it claiming some 6.5 million lives around the world each year. But one type of emission is being increasingly linked to age-related dementia, and it’s also surging due to wildfires.
Particulate matter (PM) is a chemical composition the likes of sulfates, carbon, nitrates or mineral dusts. While it stems from vehicle and industrial emissions due to fossil fuel burning, eyes are now on a growing source of the hazardous compound: wildfires, and other types of burning of organic matter, such as through agriculture.
 
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AI fears overblown? Theoretical physicist calls chatbots ‘glorified tape recorders’


The public’s anxiety over new AI technology is misguided, according to theoretical physicist Michio Kaku.

In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, the futurologist said chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT will benefit society and increase productivity. But fear has driven people to largely focus on the negative implications of the programs, which he terms “glorified tape recorders.”
 
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