Month: November 2021

Categories
Machine Learning

We mapped every large solar plant on the planet using satellites and machine learning | ScienceX

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Since 2010, the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy has dropped by an incredible 82 percent, giving the world a fighting chance to develop a zero-emissions energy system that may be less expensive than the fossil-fuelled system it replaces. According to the International Energy Agency, PV solar producing capacity will have to increase tenfold by 2040 if we are to fulfill the simultaneous goals of reducing global poverty and keeping global warming well below 2°C. There are still significant obstacles to overcome. Because sunlight varies throughout the day and between seasons, solar energy must be conserved for times the sun does not shine. Solar energy must also reach the farthest parts of the globe and locations where it is most needed, according to policy. 

Source: https://sciencex.com/news/2021-11-large-solar-planet-satellites-machinelearning.html 

Categories
Gaming

U.S. Senator Heartbroken Men Watch Porn And Play Video Games | Kotaku

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Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, a Republican, spoke out against the war on men at the National Conservatism Conference yesterday. He raised the alarm about declining marriage rates and college enrollment in a lengthy and rambling lecture, arguing that more and more men are falling out of labor and retreating into porn and video games. This isn’t the first time politicians have sought to incite moral panic over Pornhub and Fortnite; it’s also not the first time they’ve blamed them for the middle class’s decline. In his 2017 book, The Vanishing American Adult, Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican from Nebraska, blamed video games for fewer males working low-wage jobs. 

Source: https://kotaku.com/u-s-senator-heartbroken-men-watch-porn-and-play-video-1847975813 

Categories
Drones

It Sure Looks Like China is Turning Old Fighter Jets Into Drones | Popular Mechanic

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China appears to be transforming Cold War fighters into flying drones. Despite the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) discontinuing the type in 2010, dozens of Shenyang J-16 fighter planes have been observed on Chinese military airfields in satellite images. China may utilize the planes in a confrontation by disguising them as current fighter jets or deploying the drones to carry out their own combat missions. In October, Planet Labs, a satellite data business based in San Francisco, California, produced photographs of the planes. On the tarmac of Liancheng Airbase, at least 50 J-6s may be seen. The J-6 is a clone of the MiG-19, a single-seat, twin-engine fighter that first flew in the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s. 

Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a38028066/china-turning-old-fighter-jets-into-drones/ 

Categories
Cyber Security

Toronto subways hit by ransomware as US lawmakers slam ‘burdensome’ cybersecurity rules | ZDNet

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The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which oversees the city’s public transportation system, disclosed a cyberattack over the weekend that compelled operators to rely on radio, damaged the firm’s mail server, and rendered timetable data inaccessible on platforms and smartphones. The TTC revealed it was a victim of a ransomware attack in a statement on Friday, saying its IT personnel “detected strange network activity and began investigating.” The TTC’s Vision system, which allows operators to connect with Transit Control, is among the systems that have been impacted. 

Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/toronto-subways-hit-by-ransomware-as-us-lawmakers-slam-burdensome-cybersecurity-rules/ 

Categories
Artificial Intelligence

‘Is it OK to …’: the bot that gives you an instant moral judgment | The Guardian

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Ask Delphi is a bot that has been fed over 1.7 million samples of ethical judgments made by people on daily issues and events. It will tell you whether something is right, wrong, or indefensible if you raise an ethical dilemma. Delphi can be used by anyone. Users simply type a query into the bot’s webpage and wait for it to respond. The AI is fed a variety of scenarios, including those from the popular Am I The Asshole sub-Reddit, where Reddit users post personal difficulties and ask the audience to decide who was the asshole in the situation. 

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/02/delphi-online-ai-bot-philosophy