GNU/Linux

• Desktop/Laptop

  • TecMint ☛ 5 Reasons Why I Hate GNU/Linux – Do You Hate (Love) Linux?

    Reading online forums (a part of my hobby), I often come across questions like, “Hi, I am new to Linux, just switched over from Windows. Which Linux Distribution should I use? Oh, and I am an Engineering Student.”

Leftovers

• Kev Quirk ☛ Adding a Watch Wearing Log to This Site

  Everyone knows I'm a watch geek, but I've now taken it one step further and added a watch wearing log to this site.

  Ok, so what am I talking about here? Well, you know how I'm a watch nerd, and have my collection listed on this site? Well, I decided to build upon this by adding a random watch picker, and watch wearing log too.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Getting Things Done: A personal retrospective

  I started university and my IT career in the mid-2000s. This was the era of the iPod, ZFS launching in FreeBSD, Suzumiya Haruhi taking over the world, and getting CD-ROMs from your school with software and PDFs for your classes. Wait, does your laptop not have a CD-ROM drive? Wow, it must be old!

• James G ☛ (More) ideas, various and sundry

  Part of the joy of the web and software for me is that you can take an idea and turn it into something that many people can use or read. This website, for example, was an idea, and now exists as a place for me to write and share my thoughts.

  However, making things on the web is time consuming and takes a lot of energy. I am realising my limits and that I may have many ideas that I would like to exist but that I do not plan to work on. There are so many things I would love to exist on the web, and I hope that by sharing my ideas perhaps it will light a spark in someone's mind that empowers them to make something wonderful.

• James G ☛ Ideas, various and sundry: Part III

  After writing the (More) Ideas, various and sundry blog post earlier today, I started to think of more ideas I would like to share. I thought about calling this post (Even More) Ideas, various and sundry), except I wasn't sure what the series would be called if I did another post. Hence, the series will not use "Part: ..." to distinguish between posts.

• NYPost ☛ NYC’s former ‘hottest bachelor’ Eric Schmidt, 69, spotted with wife — after plowing $100M into 30-year-old girlfriend’s company

  Michelle Ritter and the ex Surveillance Giant Google boss haven't been seen together publicly since April 2023.

• Hackaday ☛ Supercon 2023: Exploring The Elegance Of The Voja4

  When you design an electronic badge, the goal is to make a device that’s interesting and has enough depth to keep your attendees engaged for the duration of the con but not so complicated that they can’t become proficient with it before they have to head home. It’s a difficult balance to nail down, and truth be told, not every Supercon badge has stuck the landing in this regard.

• Hackaday ☛ Trying To Build A Communications Device With A 1-Pound Laser And A 7805

  You can get a red laser diode pretty cheap these days—as cheap as £1 in fact. [Beamer] had purchased one himself, but quickly grew bored with just pointing it at the walls. He decided to figure out if he could use it for some kind of communication, and whipped up a circuit to test it out.

• Hackaday ☛ Quad-Motor Electric Kart Gets A Little Too Thrilling

  [Peter Holderith] has been on a mission to unlock the full potential of a DIY quad-motor electric go-kart as a platform. This isn’t his first rodeo, either. His earlier vehicle designs were great educational fun, but were limited to about a kilowatt of power. His current platform is in theory capable of about twenty. The last big change he made was adding considerably more battery power, so that the under-used motors could stretch their legs a little, figuratively speaking.

• Latvia ☛ Investigation underway of firefighters, border guards used as money mules

  The Internal Security Bureau (IDB) has investigated six criminal cases this year in which firefighters and border guards were recruited as money mules in fraud schemes, reports TV3's "Nekā personīga/Nothing Personal" broadcast and news agency LETA.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ How the Cockroach Took Over the World

    A genetic analysis of the German cockroach explained its rise in southern Asia millenniums ago, and how it eventually turned up in your kitchen.

  • Science Alert ☛ New Discovery Hints at What General Anesthesia Actually Does to The Brain

    We've never really understood it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Astronomers Reveal Stunning New Image of Triple-Star System Gleaming in Space

  • Science Alert ☛ Plant Virus Fights Cancers in Mice With 'Widespread Effectiveness'

    Could it protect people, too?

• Education

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong urges 4 schools to step up nat. security curriculum, including 2 for special needs students

    Hong Kong’s education authorities have urged four schools to bolster their national security education curricula, including two institutions for special needs students. The government reports have been prepared by the Education Bureau under the School Development and Accountability (SDA) framework since the 2003-2004 school year.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Matter 1.3 specification adds support for water and energy management, electric vehicle chargers, and various household appliances

    The Connectivity Standard Alliance (CSA) has just announced the release of the Matter 1.3 specification and SDK with energy reporting, support for water and energy management devices, electric vehicle chargers, several new “major appliances”, namely various kitchen appliances and laundry dryers, and various other features.

  • Hackaday ☛ 3D Printed Braille Trainer Reduces Barrier To Entry

    Accessibility devices are a wonder of modern technology, allowing people with various needs to interact more easily with the world. From prosthetics to devices to augment or aid someone’s vision or hearing, devices like these can open up many more opportunities than would otherwise exist. A major problem with a wide array of these tools is that they can cost a fortune. [3D Printy] hoped to bring the cost down for Braille trainers which can often cost around $1000.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ The Disease Detectives Trying to Keep the World Safe From Bird Flu

    When a child in a small Cambodian town fell sick recently, his rapid decline set off a global disease surveillance system.

  • Pro Publica ☛ How 3M Execs Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe

    Kris Hansen had worked as a chemist at the 3M Corporation for about a year when her boss, an affable senior scientist named Jim Johnson, gave her a strange assignment. 3M had invented Scotch Tape and Post-­it notes; it sold everything from sandpaper to kitchen sponges. But on this day, in 1997, Johnson wanted Hansen to test human blood for chemical contamination.

    Several of 3M’s most successful products contained man-made compounds called fluorochemicals. In a spray called Scotchgard, fluorochemicals protected leather and fabric from stains. In a coating known as Scotchban, they prevented food packaging from getting soggy. In a soapy foam used by firefighters, they helped extinguish jet-fuel fires. Johnson explained to Hansen that one of the company’s fluorochemicals, PFOS — short for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid — often found its way into the bodies of 3M factory workers. Although he said that they were unharmed, he had recently hired an outside lab to measure the levels in their blood. The lab had just reported something odd, however. For the sake of comparison, it had tested blood samples from the American Red Cross, which came from the general population and should have been free of fluorochemicals. Instead, it kept finding a contaminant in the blood.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Noem’s Support for Families, Children Hasn’t Lived Up to Her Public Claims, Critics Say

    Last month, former President Donald Trump announced he would not pursue a federal abortion ban, as many of his supporters hoped, and he criticized states with bans that make no exception for rape or incest.

    Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, who at the time was on a short list of candidates to become Trump’s pick for vice president, responded immediately. Even though her state’s ban has neither exception and is considered one of the strictest in the country, Noem highlighted the parts of Trump’s message that she agreed with and sidestepped the rest.

  • New Yorker ☛ Is “Love Is Blind” a Toxic Workplace?

    Reality-TV contestants are barely paid, and the experience can feel like abuse. Former cast members of Netflix’s megahit are speaking out—and calling for solidarity.

  • JURIST ☛ UK PM apologizes to victims as Infected Blood Inquiry issues final report

    UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized “wholeheartedly” to every victim of the country’s infected blood scandal after the final report of an inquiry into contaminated blood transfusions was released Monday.

  • Press Gazette ☛ ITV Post Office drama led to ‘sea change’ in coverage of infected blood scandal

    Channel 5 News chief correspondent Tessa Chapman describes covering infected blood scandal.

  • France24 ☛ 'Day of shame': UK inquiry finds cover-up of NHS infected blood scandal

    An infected blood scandal in Britain was no accident but the fault of doctors and a succession of governments that led to 3,000 deaths and thousands more contracting hepatitis or HIV, a public inquiry reported on Monday.

  • Federal News Network ☛ VA should admit failure of its new e-health record system

    The evidence is clear and irrefutable that this system does not meet the needs of veterans, the clinicians who care for them or the VA as a whole.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia has a high rate of death from circulatory disease

    Within the European Union, Latvia is among the countries with the highest incidences of deaths from circulatory diseases according to Eurostat data published May 17.

  • CS Monitor ☛ In swing state North Carolina, a shuttered hospital erodes trust in elected leaders

    When a North Carolina city lost its only hospital, its residents lost a sense of security and care for their well being. Health care is featuring prominently in the presidential election as the nation faces a worker shortage and more rural hospitals close.

  • New York Times ☛ In a House Race in N.H., a Famous Spouse, and a Traumatic Pregnancy

    Maggie Tamposi Goodlander, the wife of the national security adviser, is navigating a personal landscape with little precedent in her run for Congress in New Hampshire.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • CNBC ☛ How working for Big Tech lost ‘dream job’ status

  • "This Is An Obituary": Senua's Saga Hellblade 2 Fans Are Concerned Over Studio Head's Thank You Post

    So while Ninja Theory seems safe for now, there's just no way to know when layoffs or, god forbid, a complete studio closure could hit. Having new games in development hasn't stopped companies from closing studios in the past, so why would it be any different for Ninja Theory?

  • The Gamer ☛ Unfortunately, Ninja Theory Isn't Actually Safe From Microsoft

    The past two years have been terrible for the video game industry, with studios both big and small getting decimated by waves of layoffs as the pandemic boom ends. It feels like there isn’t a safe place for developers to work without the worry of losing their jobs, and that’s because they’re right – there is no safe place. The most recent wave was at Xbox, with a mass studio closure that affected Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin, among others.

    Understandably, there’s a lot of concern for Xbox’s remaining studios, especially Ninja Theory, who just released Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 today. The fear is so acute that on social media, Xbox fans urged players to buy the game to make sure that the studio made enough profit to justify its continued existence – if it makes enough money, the logic goes, Xbox won’t have a reason to shut it down.

  • Engadget ☛ Disney is laying off around 175 Pixar workers as it pulls back on original streaming shows

    Pixar is losing around 175 of its workers amid a Disney cost-cutting drive. It was reported as far back as January that layoffs were planned for the digital animation pioneer and the studio's headcount is being reduced by around 14 percent.

    According to The Guardian, the downsizing is part of moves to scale back on development of original shows and movies for Disney+ as the company tries to make its streaming division more profitable. As such, Pixar is expected to once again focus entirely on making theatrical feature films.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC just made “AI PCs” obsolete, leaving anyone who bought a 2024 laptop behind

    While exciting, Microsoft’s new requirements for PCs that do Hey Hi (AI) leave out anyone who bought an “AI PC” in recent months wishing that they’d waited.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Taiwan's President Lai urges China to stop military intimidation in inauguration speech

    Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te in his inauguration speech has urged China to stop its military intimidation against the self-governed island Beijing claims as its own territory.

  • France24 ☛ Iran's President Raisi, a symbol of the 'growing rift' between the regime and its people

    President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash comes at a turbulent time in Iran’s history as the country struggles with both internal dissent and rising regional insecurity. FRANCE 24 discusses Raisi’s legacy and the impact of his sudden death with Jonathan Piron, a historian specialising in Iran.

  • New York Times ☛ After Raisi’s Death, Speculation Over Iran’s Next Supreme Leader Turns to Khamenei’s Son

    Mojtaba Khamenei, 55, plays an influential role in the office of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has fostered ties within the security apparatus.

  • New York Times ☛ Taiwan’s President Vows to Keep Island Safe Amid Chinese Pressure

    President Lai Ching-te has pledged to stay on his predecessor’s narrow path of resisting Beijing without provoking it. It won’t be easy.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Beijing warns of ‘complete unification’ under ‘one China,’ as Taiwan inaugurates new leader Lai Ching-te

    Beijing’s top diplomat Monday said that Taiwan’s internal politics did not change the “fact” it was part of China, calling efforts towards the island’s independence “dangerous” after it swore in new President Lai Ching-te. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has long threatened to use force to bring the island under its control.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Taiwan’s new president urges China to ‘face reality’ and work toward peace

    The inauguration of Taiwan’s new president marks a fresh chapter in cross-strait relations. Can President Lai Ching-te maintain peace?

  • RFA ☛ Taiwan’s new President Lai calls on China to stop threats

    Lai won January’s election with 40% of votes, annoying China which regards Taiwan as part of its territory.

  • RFA ☛ Was a Chinese man arrested during South Korea’s April election campaign?

    Verdict: False

  • RFA ☛ South China Sea dispatch: Excitement, fear fill Scarborough Shoal voyage

    A BenarNews correspondent recounts his experience with a Filipino civilian convoy to waters near a disputed shoal.

  • RFA ☛ China probes rural minister Tang Renjian for 'serious violations'

    The investigation is the latest in a string of probes targeting high-ranking Communist Party officials.

  • RFA ☛ Suspected Vietnamese netizens target Cambodia’s Hun Sen on TikTok

    The former prime minister received large numbers of derogatory comments in Vietnamese on social control media.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Putin Appoints New Deputy Defense Minister Experienced In Economic Matters

      Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 20 appointed Oleg Savelyev, the former minister on Crimean affairs, to the post of deputy defense minister less than 10 days after he replaced longtime ally Sergei Shoigu as defense chief. Former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov succeeded Shoigu.

    • teleSUR ☛ Putin Appoints Oleg Savelyev as Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister

      "He appointed Oleg Genrikhovich Savelyev Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation - Chief of Staff of the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation".

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius to host march for Mariupol defenders imprisoned in Russia

      A march will take place in Vilnius on Monday to draw attention to the defenders of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol who are still imprisoned in Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Man Fined For 'Discrediting Military' With Dyed Hair

      A Moscow court on May 20 fined Stanislav Netyosov 50,000 rubles ($550) on a charge of discrediting the Russian military after dying his hair blue and yellow, which police considered support for Ukraine due to its national flag of the same colors.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Forces Holding Out In Vovchansk As U.S. Vows To Keep Aid Flowing

      Russian forces maintained their relentless assault on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region -- including a massive drone attack on the city itself -- but local officials said the outgunned Ukrainian troops still held about 60 percent of the border town of Vovchansk, the focal point of Moscow’s drive.

    • Latvia ☛ Eastern Latvia tourism industry concerned about season

      While during the pandemic, when the borders were closed, rural tourism in Latgale experienced a significant boom, nowadays both visitors and locals often think it is not safe to choose the eastern border area as a travel destination. The Latgale tourism industry is concerned that poor communication about security near the border may negatively affect the new tourism season, Latvian Radio reported on May 20.

• Environment

  • JURIST ☛ Amnesty International says South Korea ruling on climate change case could set human rights precedent

    Amnesty International said Monday that a South Korea’s Constitutional Court hearing set for Tuesday regarding four landmark climate change cases could set a “human rights precedent” for climate litigation. The four cases were first heard in April by the court and involve approximately 200 people, 60 of whom are children.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Oil Price ☛ Natural Gas Giant Chesapeake Begins Layoffs

      Chesapeake Energy, which went through bankruptcy in 2020 when oil and gas prices crashed, has been solidifying in the past year its strategic focus on its gas assets in the Marcellus shale in Appalachia and in the Haynesville shale play in Louisiana while reducing its Eagle Ford position where it held oil assets.

    • Reuters ☛ Honda moves to cut China workforce with voluntary layoffs

      GAC Honda Automobile, a joint venture (JV) between Honda and Chinese state-owned automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group (601238.SS), opens new tab, told workers earlier this month it was seeking to make voluntary layoffs, a Honda spokesperson said.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ 2,500-Year-Old Skeletons With Matching Injuries Reveal Grisly Punishments in China's Past

      Curiously, someone helped them recover.

• Finance

  • The Strategist ☛ Critical minerals need insulation from China’s market manipulation

    Investors can handle lots of different risks. They can price risks in construction, interest rates, weather and, with hedging, price movements in product markets.

  • RFERL ☛ Kosovo Shuts Branches Of Serbian Banks Over Continuing Currency Dispute

    Authorities in Kosovo shut down five branches of the Postal Saving Bank of Serbia and one of the National Bank of Serbia that were operating in four northern Kosovar municipalities.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Federal News Network ☛ The White House says FDIC chairman to step down following report on agency’s toxic workplace culture

    The chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will step down from his post once a successor is appointed. The White House said Monday that President Joe Biden will name a replacement for Martin Gruenberg “soon” and called for the Senate to quickly confirm the person’s nomination.

  • France24 ☛ India votes 2024: Uttar Pradesh voters weigh whether to stick with Modi

    India’s mammoth six-week general election entered its fifth voting phase on Monday, May 20, with some parts of the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, heading to the polls. Last time, Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party scored a commanding victory here, but, with some resenting the prime minister’s divisive and at times inflammatory politics, will things go the same way this time around?

  • Please Vote in the Upcoming European Election

    Sorry to annoy you, I would prefer not to deal with politics either, but considering that Mastodon recently lost its status as a nonprofit organisation in Germany without an explanation we cannot ignore that there very much is a direct impact of politics on what we do.

    As someone who is collaborating with an international group of nice and smart people every day, it might not come as a surprise that I am opposed to all those parties that keep blaming migration and foreigners for every political failure. Let us try to support the innocent people who are being attacked by terrorist groups or nations. Way too many parties are hostile towards people who try to have a happy, honest life while ignoring or understating the importance of fair taxation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Stanford University ☛ ASSU Elections Commission denies fraud and bias allegations from Carmen Kang

    The Elections Commission filed a response to Kang's complaint and called for her expulsion from the Senate. As the Constitutional Council considers Kang's complaint, the University wrote that they do not believe security presence is needed at this time, but they continue to evaluate concerns raised by senators.

  • Off Guardian ☛ A Nanny State Idiocracy: A Tale of Too Many Laws and Too Little Freedom

    “Whether the mask is labeled fascism, democracy, or dictatorship of the proletariat, our great adversary remains the apparatus—the bureaucracy, the police, the military.” Simone Weil, French philosopher

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s deputy security minister to take helm at gov’t PR wing

      Deputy Secretary for Security Apollonia Liu will head up the government’s PR department from Friday, replacing Fletch Chan as the Information Services Department (ISD) chief. Liu does not have a background in media, communications or PR.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • IT Wire ☛ Court gives Assange leave to appeal against extradition to US

    The court hearing on Monday was focused on whether Assange, 52, would be offered the same protections under the US first amendment as American citizens are.

    His lawyers accepted assurances given by lawyers from the US Government that he would not be given the death penalty.

  • Off Guardian ☛ DISCUSS: Assange Wins Right to Appeal

    The UK High Court has ruled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange does have the right to an appeal following his extradition hearing late last year.

  • JURIST ☛ UK dispatch: WikiLeaks founder Assange allowed to appeal extradition to US as hundreds gather outside High Court

    The High Court in London ruled in favour of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Monday, allowing him to appeal against his contentious extradition to the US for alleged espionage associated with the publication of  US classified documents [...]

  • teleSUR ☛ Julian Assange Wins UK High Court Victory in Extradition Case

    The Australian journalist is wanted by the U.S. on allegations of disclosing defense information.

  • New York Times ☛ Julian Assange’s Extradition Appeal Hearing: What Could Happen?

    A hearing on Monday will determine whether Julian Assange has any more recourse in the British courts to appeal his extradition to the United States.

  • RFA ☛ Head of embattled Hong Kong journalists' union to step down

    Ronson Chan says he has been warned that denunciations will continue if he seeks re-election as chairman.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Ofcom weighs up sanction for GB News after ‘serious and repeated’ impartiality breaches

    Move towards sanction comes after People's Forum programme with Rishi Sunak.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ Tunisia protestors rally in support of President Kais Saied amid lawyers strike

    Tunisian protesters gathered in the capital in support of President Kais Saied on Sunday amid an unprecedented nationwide strike and protest from lawyers following the violent arrest of lawyer Sonia Dahmani.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Union opposes gov’t plan to overhaul social workers’ licensing body, saying authorities undervalue sector

    Government plans to overhaul the Social Workers Registration Board reflect a distrustful attitude to social workers, a union has said, claiming that authorities’ undervalue the sector.

  • Reason ☛ No Pseudonymity for Student Challenging University Discipline in Non-Sexual-Assault/Harassment Case

    "The disciplinary proceedings arose from Plaintiff's development of an 'artificial intelligence-based learning tool,' with another student, which the University's Honor Council eventually concluded 'was offensive to Emory's community standards' as it might result in academic dishonesty and cheating."

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Future-proofing the EPP protocol: RESTful EPP

    Guest Post: Adapting the standard domain name registration protocol for use in modern software development architectures.

  • IT Wire ☛ Telstra says it will sack 2800 workers by end of calendar year

    Well-known telecommunications consultant Paul Budde told iTWire that Telstra had no choice but to resort to job cuts as there was no other way to increase its revenue other than by cutting expenses.

    There was no way to expand its field of operations, he said, pointing out that when compared to tech-first companies like Google, Telstra's margins were very small.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for Estech System VoIP patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 42 of U.S. Patent 7,068,684, owned and asserted by Estech Systems IP LLC, an NPE. The ‘684 patent monopoly relates to information processing systems for the use of Voice over IP technology to transmit voice conversations.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Metaverse Patents

    Blurring the edges between reality and make-believe, the Metaverse is part of an aspirational Web 3.0, characterised by certain features including an immersive 3D virtual space, interoperability, and real-time operation.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Cellect or Reject? SCOTUS Asked to Consider Fate of ODP Doctrine

    In its new petition for certiorari in Cellect LLC v. Vidal, No. __ (U.S. May 20, 2024), Cellect argues that the Federal Circuit erred in upholding the PTAB’s (PTAB) invalidation of Cellect’s four patents based on the judicially-created doctrine of obviousness-type double patenting (ODP). The key issue is whether ODP can cut short the patent monopoly term extension provided by the Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) statute, 35 U.S.C. § 154(b). Meanwhile, Dir. Vidal is looking to extend the power of ODP via rulemaking. This is an important case coming at an important time. 

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal Circuit Limits Defendant Attorneys’ Fees Awards for IPR Expenses

    The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Dragon Intellectual Property LLC v. DISH Network L.L.C. affirms the district court’s grant of attorneys’ fees to the successful defendants, while denying recovery of fees incurred solely in the IPR proceedings and from plaintiff’s counsel.  The case offers important legal conclusions for attorney fees in cases that involve both district court and IPR litigation.

• Trademarks

  • Right of Publicity

    • Silicon Angle ☛ OpenAI to pull Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot ‘Sky’ voice that sounds like Scarlett Johansson – who isn’t happy

      Updated: OpenAI, the creator of the popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, said today it will put a pause on the AI’s “Sky” voice after users commented that it sounded extremely similar to actress Scarlett Johansson.

    • New York Times ☛ What We Lose When Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Sounds Like Scarlett Johansson

      OpenAI has good reason to aim for a bot voice à la the one in “Her.” But that film was about relationships. What does this real-world turn say about us?