Notices by Ars Technica (arstechnica@mastodon.social), page 6

Vaporizing plastics recycles them into nothing but gas

Polypropylene and polyethylene can be broken down simultaneously.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/vaporizing-plastics-recycles-them-into-nothing-but-gas/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Anker recalls three iPhone MagSafe power banks due to smoke, fire risk

"Manufacturing defect": Anker is recalling all units “out of an abundance of caution.”

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/anker-recalls-three-iphone-magsafe-power-banks-due-to-smoke-fire-risk/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

New study takes the Earth’s temperature over a half-billion years

With one exception, a strong link between carbon dioxide and global temperatures.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/new-study-takes-the-earths-temperature-over-a-half-billion-years/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Re-opened Three Mile Island will power AI data centers under new deal

Microsoft would claim all of the nuclear plant's power generation for at least 20 years.

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/09/re-opened-three-mile-island-will-power-ai-data-centers-under-new-deal/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Cops bust website crooks used to unlock 1.2 million stolen mobile phones

iServer provided a simple service for phishing credentials to unlock phones.

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/09/cops-bust-website-crooks-used-to-unlock-1-2-million-stolen-mobile-phones/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Robot placed under the control of a fungal overlord

A mushroom's response to environmental changes can be used to control a robot.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/robot-placed-under-the-control-of-a-fungal-overlord/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Due to AI fakes, the “deep doubt” era is here

As AI deepfakes sow doubt in legitimate media, anyone can claim something didn't happen.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/09/due-to-ai-fakes-the-deep-doubt-era-is-here/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Physicists discover “hidden turbulence” throughout van Gogh’s Starry Night

Scientists measured scaling of the brush strokes to arrive at their conclusions.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/physicists-discover-hidden-turbulence-throughout-van-goghs-starry-night/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Google backs privately funded satellite constellation for wildfire detection

"Authorities will have high-resolution imagery that is updated globally every 20 minutes."

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/google-backs-privately-funded-satellite-constellation-for-wildfire-detection/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

OpenAI threatens bans for probing new AI model’s “reasoning” process

OpenAI does not want anyone to know what o1 is “thinking" under the hood.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/09/openai-threatens-bans-for-probing-new-ai-models-reasoning-process/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Archaeologists believe this Bronze Age board game is the oldest yet found

Origins of Hounds and Jackals , aka Fifty-Eight Holes , may lie in Asia rather than Egypt.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/archaeologists-believe-this-bronze-age-board-game-is-the-oldest-yet-found/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Omnipresent AI cameras will ensure good behavior, says Larry Ellison

"We’re going to have supervision," says billionaire Oracle co-founder Ellison.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/09/omnipresent-ai-cameras-will-ensure-good-behavior-says-larry-ellison/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Bizarre, nine-day seismic signal caused by epic landslide in Greenland

Unidentified seismic object resulted in skyscraper-high tsunami.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/bizarre-nine-day-seismic-signal-caused-by-epic-landslide-in-greenland/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

How starfish ditch limbs when attacked

A signaling molecule that's so potent injected animals may drop more than one limb.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/09/how-starfish-ditch-limbs-when-attacked/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Navy captains don’t like abandoning ship—but with Starliner, the ship left them

"As the commander of pilot of your spacecraft, you don’t want to see it go off without you."

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/navy-captains-dont-like-abandoning-ship-but-with-starliner-the-ship-left-them/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Researchers still don’t know how 1.3 million Android streaming boxes were backdoored

Infection corrals devices running AOSP-based firmware into a botnet.

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/09/researchers-still-dont-know-how-1-3-million-android-streaming-boxes-were-backdoored/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Rogue WHOIS server gives researcher superpowers no one should ever have

.mobi top-level-domain managers changed the location of its WHOIS server. No one got the memo.

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/09/rogue-whois-server-gives-researcher-superpowers-no-one-should-ever-have/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

The 2024 VW Golf GTI is the last of its kind with a manual transmission

Get the manual while you can.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/09/the-2024-vw-golf-gti-is-the-last-of-its-kind-with-a-manual-transmission/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Europe’s privacy watchdog probes Google over data used for AI training

Meta and X have already paused some AI training over same set of concerns.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/09/europes-privacy-watchdog-probes-google-over-data-used-for-ai-training/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

Android now allows apps to block sideloading and push a Google Play version

"Select Play Partners" can block unofficial installation of their apps.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/android-now-allows-apps-to-block-sideloading-and-push-a-google-play-version/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social