Chromebooks Outsold Macs Worldwide in 2020, Cutting Into Windows Market Share

New numbers show 2020 was the first year that Chromebooks outsold Macs, posting impressive market share gains at the expense of Windows. From a report: Computers powered by Google’s Chrome OS have outsold Apple’s computers in individual quarters before, but 2020 was the first full year that Chrome OS took second place. Microsoft’s Windows still retained majority market share, but also…

Climate Activist Jailed in India as Government Clamps Down on Dissent

Before anyone outside her hometown knew her name, Disha Ravi spent four years raising awareness among young people in Bangalore about the effects of climate change. Now the 21-year-old activist is jailed in New Delhi. The allegation: She distributed a “tool kit” in the form of a Google Doc containing talking points and contact information for influential groups to drum up…

Two WHO Team Members Dispute Report China Wasn’t Cooperative for Covid-19 Investigation

Friday the New York Times (following up on reports from the Wall Street Journal) wrote that China had “refused to hand over” important raw data to a 14-member World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the coronavirus, reporting that “their Chinese counterparts were frustrated by the team’s persistent questioning and demands for data.” But Saturday two of those 14 team…

Darknet Crypto Kingpin JokerStash Retires After Illicit $1 Billion Run

The kingpin or kingpins of the world’s biggest illicit credit card marketplace have retired after making an estimated fortune of over $1 billion in cryptocurrency, according to research by blockchain analysis firm Elliptic shared with Reuters. From the report: The “Joker’s Stash” marketplace, where stolen credit cards and identity data traded hands for bitcoin and other digital coins, ceased operations this…

Cops Are Playing Music While Citizens Are Filming To Trigger Copyright Filters

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Last Friday, a man entered the Beverly Hills police department, only to be treated to a mini DJ set that could potentially get his Instagram account banned. Sennett Devermont was at the department to file a form to obtain body camera footage from an incident in which he received a ticket he felt…

Can Artificial Intelligence Restore 85-Year-Old Popeye Cartoons?

A Slashdot reader shared an anonymous tip about “new consumer-grade artificial intelligence employed to restore 85 year-old Popeye cartoons, using only the available digital copies as sources for the remastering.” It’s eerie to see vintage cartoons like Popeye the Sailor meets Sindbad the Sailor upgraded to high resolution. It’s apparently the work of Cartoon Renewal Studios, a group “Dedicated to the…

YouTube Extends Trump’s Suspension For a Second Time

YouTube on Tuesday said it’s again extending its suspension of former President Donald Trump, who’s been banned from posting videos to his channel since Jan. 12. Comments on Trump’s videos will also remain disabled indefinitely. CNET reports: “In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the Donald J. Trump channel will remain suspended,” a YouTube spokesperson confirmed to CNET….

Parler Users Breached Deep Inside US Capitol Building, GPS Data Shows

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: At least several users of the far-right social network Parler appear to be among the horde of rioters that managed to penetrate deep inside the U.S. Capitol building and into areas normally restricted to the public, according to GPS metadata linked to videos posted to the platform the day of the insurrection in…

Facebook Bans Trump From Posting For Remainder of His Term in Office

Facebook will ban President Donald Trump’s account from posting for at least the remainder of his term in office and perhaps “indefinitely,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post on Thursday. From a report: “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post….