Software Freedom Conservancy: Microsoft Should Resign from RIAA Over Youtube-DL Takedown Demand

“We believe that youtube-dl has substantial non-infringing uses,” argues the non-profit Software Freedom Conservancy. But while that software faces a DMCA takedown notice from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), GitHub’s owner Microsoft is also a paying member of the RIAA. The Software Freedom Conservancy argues that this leaves Microsoft “stuck between their industry association’s abuses of the law and…

SpaceX Will ‘Make Its Own Laws On Mars’

schwit1 writes: SpaceX will not recognize international law on Mars, according to the Terms of Service of its Starlink internet project. Elon Musk’s space company will instead reportedly adhere to a set of “self-governing principles” that will be defined at the time of Martian settlement. Musk revealed plans to create a self-sustaining city on Mars last week, though no timeframe is…

Scientists Discover Coral Reef Taller Than the Empire State Building

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: An enormous coral reef has been found at the northern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the first such discovery in 120 years, scientists say. At 500m (1,640ft) high, the reef is taller than New York’s Empire State Building and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Scientists on a 12-month…

Wikimedia Is Moving To GitLab

The Wikimedia Foundation, the American non-profit organization that owns the internet domain names of many movement projects and hosts sites like Wikipedia, has decided to migrate their code repositories from Gerrit to Gitlab. Slashdot reader nfrankel shares the announcement: For the past two years, our developer satisfaction survey has shown that there is some level of dissatisfaction with Gerrit, our code…

Elon Musk, Others, Criticize Microsoft’s Exclusive License for OpenAI’s GPT-3

“It looks like Elon Musk is increasingly unhappy with OpenAI, the AI research firm he helped found five years ago,” reports Business Insider: Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it was exclusively licensing GPT-3, a natural language AI-powered tool made by OpenAI. The announcement was met with some dismay on Twitter from users who had thought OpenAI’s mission statement was to make…

The Best Chrome Extensions To Prevent Creepy Web Tracking

Wired has highlighted several browser extensions that “are a simple first step in improving your online privacy.” Other steps to take include adding a privacy-first browser and VPN to further mask your web activity. An anonymous reader shares the report: Privacy Badger is one of the best options for blocking online tracking in your current browser. For a start, it’s created…

WeChat Users Won’t Be Targeted By Trump’s Order, US Says

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: WeChat users who download the Chinese app for personal or business communications won’t be targeted by President Donald Trump’s executive order that will prohibit using the app for some transactions, the U.S. said. The U.S. Commerce Department plans to clarify by Sept. 20 which transactions will be prohibited. But it doesn’t intend to…

What are the differences between the Michigan’s Master of Public Health in Population and Health Sciences and Master of Science in Population and Health Sciences?

Last year, Michigan’s School of Public Health announced their first online Master of Public Health in Population and Health Sciences degree. The success of the MPH degree spurred the launch of a Master of Science shortly thereafter from Michigan’s School of Public Health.  The two degrees share an emphasis on providing students with a foundational […]
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Master of Public Health or Master of Science: Which Is Right for You?

Last year, Michigan’s School of Public Health announced their first online Master of Public Health in Population and Health Sciences degree. The success of the MPH degree spurred the launch of a Master of Science shortly thereafter from Michigan’s School of Public Health.  The two degrees share an emphasis on providing students with a foundational […]
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California Wildfires Destroy Hidden Hill Observatory

New submitter fx4m writes: Historic Lick Observatory in California survived the current massive wildfires, but the nearby, much smaller Hidden Hill Observatory, run my the Tri-Valley Stargazers Astronomy Club, was not so lucky. The building, large amateur-built telescope, accessories, and electronics were all completely destroyed. Much of the assets of the science public outreach and education based non-profit organization went up…