Starting in March 2020, public transport in Luxembourg will be free of charge. Primarily a social measure, this policy will also be implemented to decrease congestion in the capital region. From a report: Luxembourg’s public transportation system is already heavily subsidized as fares in the country are as low as $2.2 per two hours. Even so, the country has the highest…
Tag: borders
Taurus? Here’s your constellation
How to find to find the constellation Taurus in your night sky. Plus the names of some of its bright stars and star clusters and its mythology. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/taurus-heres-your-constellation…
The US Government Begins Limiting Some Exports of AI Software
“The Trump administration will make it more difficult to export artificial intelligence software as of next week, part of a bid to keep sensitive technologies out of the hands of rival powers like China,” reports Reuters. The Verge has more details: The ban, which comes into force on Monday, is the first to be applied under a 2018 law known as…
Russia ‘Successfully Tests’ Its Unplugged Internet
The Russian government says it has successfully tested a country-wide alternative to the global internet. Details of what the test involved were vague but, according to the Ministry of Communications, ordinary users did not notice any changes. The results will now be presented to President Putin. The BBC reports: The initiative involves restricting the points at which Russia’s version of the…
FaceApp and Other Russian Apps Pose Potential Counterintelligence Threats, Says FBI
The FBI warned in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Monday that it considers mobile applications developed in Russia, including the popular photo-aging app “FaceApp,” to be “potential counterintelligence threats.” Axios reports: FaceApp is a Russian-owned mobile application that allows users to upload photos of themselves and see what they may look like at a different age. Experts…
Pisces? Here’s your constellation
How to see the constellation Pisces. Plus sky lore and science. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/pisces-heres-your-constellation…
Bill Gates Says Open Research Beats Erecting Borders in AI
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates spoke out against protectionism in technological research around topics like artificial intelligence, arguing that open systems will inevitably win out over closed ones. From a report: In conversation with Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait at the New Economy Forum in Beijing on Thursday, Gates was skeptical about the idea that ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions could ever lead…
Facebook Crypto Boss: ‘I Don’t Think of Bitcoin as a Currency’
David Marcus, the head of Facebook’s cryptocurrency projects, says that Bitcoin is digital gold, but it’s not a good currency for transactions. From a report: “I don’t think of Bitcoin as a currency. It’s actually not a great medium of exchange because of its volatility,” Marcus said speaking at the New York Times DealBook Conference in New York. “I see it…
This Is How the US Military’s Massive Facial Recognition System Works
Over the last 15 years, the United States military has developed a new addition to its arsenal. The weapon is deployed around the world, largely invisible, and grows more powerful by the day. From a report: That weapon is a vast database, packed with millions of images of faces, irises, fingerprints, and DNA data — a biometric dragnet of anyone who…
Now Googlers Are Protesting Company’s Cloud Deals With Big Oil
Activists inside Google are calling on management to ditch deals with oil and gas companies, the latest flare-up inside the technology giant. Bloomberg reports: In a letter published on Monday, more than 1,100 workers asked Google Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat to release a “company-wide climate plan” that commits to cutting carbon emissions entirely. The letter also asks Google to drop…