Innholdsfortegnelse for #545 i Techlife News

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says more government regulation is needed to police the proliferation of cryptocurrency and ward off fraudulent or illicit transactions. One potential upside is that users would get documentation of their crypto dealings for use in filing their taxes. “Taxpayers should receive the same type of tax reporting on digital asset transactions that they receive for transactions in stocks and bonds, so that they have the information they need to report their income to the IRS,”Yellen said in remarks Thursday at American University. It was Yellen’s first speech about cryptocurrency since President Joe Biden signed an executive order on digital assets in March. The administration’s action follows several high-profile examples of alleged cryptocurrency laundering and fraud this year. In February, the Justice Department announced its largest-ever financial…

The United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced this week they will work together via the recently created security alliance known as AUKUS to develop hypersonic missiles. The move comes amid growing concern by the U.S. and allies about China’s growing military assertiveness in the Pacific. U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the plan after holding a check-in on the progress of AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific alliance that was launched by the three countries in September. The leaders said in a joint statement they are “committed today to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counterhypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defense innovation.” The U.S., Russia and China have all…

Elon Musk is joining Twitter’s board of directors a day after revealing that he’d become the social media platform’s largest shareholder with a 9% stake. The billionaire has criticized Twitter publicly about its commitment to free speech. He’s also run into trouble on the platform as the CEO of Tesla after financial regulators found he had posted inaccurate information about the company. Musk is barred from owning more than 14.9% of Twitter’s outstanding stock while he sits on the board, Twitter Inc. said in a Tuesday regulatory filing. Musk has been speaking with the company in recent weeks and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal said in a tweet that “it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board.” “He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic…

As of this writing, the national average fuel price is $4.24 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. Up 20% from a month ago, gas prices aren’t likely to taper or deflate unless crude oil supply improves or consumer demand softens. Until that happens, costly fill-ups are hitting Americans who are already grappling with inflation. Understandably, drivers are keen to keep their fuel bills in check. Purchasing a new vehicle solely for better fuel economy isn’t usually a wise decision, and that’s especially true in today’s shortage-plagued car-buying market. But if you were already shopping for a new SUV, now’s a great time to consider a more fuel-efficient model. To refine your research, specialists highlights five SUVs based on a combination of EPAestimated fuel economy and our test team’s…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acquired a 9% stake in Twitter to become its largest shareholder while joining other critics in questioning the social media platform’s dedication to free speech and the First Amendment. Musk’s ultimate aim in acquiring 73.5 million shares, worth about $3 billion, isn’t clear. Yet in late March Musk, who has 80 million Twitter followers and is active on the site, questioned free speech on Twitter and whether the platform is undermining democracy. In years past, Twitter and other social platforms have taken fire for allowing harmful speech ranging from incitement to violence to coordinated harassment and racial abuse. More recently, these platforms have made concerted efforts to rein in such behavior, often drawing criticism similar to Musk’s from the political right. Both Twitter and Facebook…

Amazon has deals with three rocket companies to help launch communications satellites that the online retail giant says will help provide fast, affordable broadband to millions of underserved people around the world. Seattle-based Amazon said that Arianespace, United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin will combine for up to 83 launches during the next five years, deploying the majority of Amazon’s 3,236 low-earth satellites to be used for what Amazon is calling “Project Kuiper.” No financial details were given. Amazon and Blue Origin were both founded by Jeff Bezos, who blasted into space on a Blue Origin rocket last summer. Blue Origin signed on for 12 launches, with options for up to 15 more. Arianespace is the European space consortium that launched NASA’s $10 billion JamesWebb Space Telescope in December. Amazon…

The head of Russia’s space program said that the future of the International Space Station hangs in the balance after the United States, the European Union, and Canadian space agencies missed a deadline to meet Russian demands for lifting sanctions on Russian enterprises and hardware. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, told reporters that the state agency is preparing a report on the prospects of international cooperation at the station, to be presented to federal authorities “after Roscosmos has completed its analysis.” Rogozin implied on Russian state TV that the Western sanctions, some of which predate Russia’s current military operations in Ukraine, could disrupt the operation of Russian spacecraft servicing the ISS with cargo flights. Russia also sends manned missions to the space station. He stressed that the Western partners…

Bank mergers and acquisitions happen regularly and can lead to streamlined services and better offerings for consumers, but they can also sometimes create challenges like less access to branches or customer service difficulties. If your bank is merging or being acquired, it will probably try to make the transition process of moving your account as frictionless as possible. But if the new bank doesn’t have the services and features that you need, you’ll probably want to shop around for another bank. HOW TO HANDLE CHANGES WITH YOUR BANK For the most part, the best way to handle changes to your account after a merger is to be patient, weigh your options and keep track of any new debit cards or documents that your new bank sends you. With a merger,…

For hundreds of years, raging blast furnaces — fed with coking coal — have forged steel used in cars, railways, bridges and skyscrapers. But the puffs of coal-fired smoke are a big source of carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping gas that’s driving climate change. According to the World Steel Association, every metric ton of steel produced in 2020 emitted almost twice that much carbon dioxide (1.8 tons) into the atmosphere. Total direct emissions from making steel were about 2.6 billion tons in 2020, representing around 7% of global CO2 emissions. In Sweden, a single company, steel giant SSAB, accounts for about 10% of the country’s emissions due to the furnaces it operates at mills like the one in the northern town of Lulea. But not far away, a high-tech pilot plant…

Shares of HP Inc. jumped nearly 15% Thursday after Warren Buffett’s company snapped up more than 11% of the printer and computer maker over the past week in another uncharacteristic tech investment from the billionaire. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it now owns nearly 121 million HP shares, giving it control of 11.5% of the company. HP shares rose more than $5 to $40.05 in the first day of trading since the purchases were disclosed. The company is based in Palo Alto, California. Buffett began the year telling shareholders he was having trouble finding anything at attractive prices to invest Berkshire’s nearly $147 billion pile of cash. Since airing that sentiment in February in his annual letter, Berkshire said it would…

Hackers aligned with Russia broke into the social media accounts of dozens of Ukrainian military officers and were working to upload videos of defeated and surrendering Ukrainian soldiers when the plot was disrupted, according to a report Thursday from Meta that details a troubling increase in social media disinformation this year. The report from the owner of Facebook and Instagram found a surge in content linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as new cases of domestic disinformation and propaganda in countries around the world, suggesting that tactics pioneered by foreign intelligence agencies are now being used more widely. “While much of the public attention in recent years has been focused on foreign interference, domestic threats are on the rise globally,” said Nick Clegg, Meta’s president for global affairs…

Twitter tweeted that it is indeed working on a way for users to edit their 280-character messages, although it says the project has nothing to do with the fact that edit-function fan Elon Musk was just revealed as the company’s largest shareholder and now sits on its board. Twitter said it will test the feature in its paid service, Twitter Blue, in the coming months. It said the test would help it “learn what works, what doesn’t, and what’s possible.” So it may be a while before most Twitter users get to use it, if they ever do. Twitter spokesperson Catherine Hill declined to say whether an edit feature might be rolled out for all users. Many Twitter users — among them, Kim Kardashian, Ice T, Katy Perry and McDonald’s…

General Motors and Honda are planning to co-develop some affordable electric vehicles that will use GM’s next-generation Ultium battery technology. The vehicles, which will include a compact crossover, are expected to begin going on sale in North America in 2027. Doug Parks, GM executive vice president of global product development, said in a statement this week that the plan is to have an electric vehicle that is priced lower than the upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV. GM plans to roll out an electric Equinox small SUV next year with a starting price of around $30,000. The automakers will work together on battery chemistry, vehicle engineering and manufacturing in order to drive down costs as they prepare to build what the companies expect will be millions of EVs for sale worldwide starting…

A controversial face recognition company that’s built a massive photographic dossier of the world’s people for use by police, national governments and — most recently — the Ukrainian military is now planning to offer its technology to banks and other private businesses. Clearview AI co-founder and CEO Hoan Ton-That disclosed the plans in order to clarify a recent federal court filing that suggested the company was up for sale. “We don’t have any plans to sell the company,” he said. Instead, he said the New York startup is looking to launch a new business venture to compete with the likes of Amazon and Microsoft in verifying people’s identity using facial recognition. The new “consent-based” product would use Clearview’s algorithms to verify a person’s face, but would not involve its ever-growing…

Air travel in the United States improved after a rocky weekend that left thousands of flyers stranded by thunderstorms in Florida, technology problems at the busiest domestic airline and labor problems at another carrier. However, airlines that do much of their flying in Florida were still struggling, especially Spirit Airlines. And airlines were bracing for another round of storms that were forecast to hit the Dallas area — home to American and Southwest — Monday night. Airlines scrubbed more than 650 U.S. flights by late Monday afternoon, according to tracking service FlightAware.com. That followed the cancellation of more than 3,500 flights — about one in every 13 — over the weekend. Thunderstorms led the Federal Aviation Administration to limit flights over much of Florida and briefly halt flights at several…

NASA’s dress rehearsal for its mega moon rocket is off until at least this weekend because of a pair of technical problems that kept stalling a fueling test. Launch managers tried twice — once Sunday and again Monday — to load nearly 1 million gallons of fuel into the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket known as Space Launch System, or SLS. Balky fans at the launch pad thwarted the first effort, while an improperly closed valve halted the second attempt. The countdown test is the last major milestone before the rocket’s long-awaited launch debut. The Orion crew capsule atop the rocket will be hurled to the moon in a passenger-less test flight, looping around but not landing before returning to Earth. NASA is targeting June, depending on how the demo goes. “We…

Britain has unveiled plans to regulate some cryptocurrencies as part of a broader plan to become a global hub for digital payments, coming as authorities in the U.S. and Europe are racing to draw up rules for crypto. Cryptocurrencies have exploded in popularity, leaving officials worldwide scrambling to figure out how to regulate them amid fears they could threaten financial stability and hurt consumers. “The U.K. is open for business — open for crypto businesses,” John Glen, economic secretary to the Treasury, said in a speech this week. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak also has asked the Royal Mint to create a digital collectible known as an NFT as an “emblem of the forward-looking approach the U.K. is determined to take,” Glen said. Crypto proponents say the technology will make payments…

Toyota customers soon won’t be able to get U.S. federal tax credits for buying electric or hybrid vehicles. The automaker expects that sometime before the end of June it will reach a 200,000-vehicle cap on the credits, Bob Carter, Toyota’s head of North American sales, said. After that, the credits will be phased out over the next year, reaching zero, as Tesla and General Motors already have. The lack of credits is problematic for automakers shifting from petroleum-powered vehicles to batteries in the effort to reduce emissions, meet government fuel-economy standards and fight climate change. Nissan is about 30,000 vehicles away from reaching the cap, and others will follow as more EVs are introduced. Tesla, the top seller of electric vehicles in the world, and GM already are at a…

India’s power sector has been targeted by hackers in a long-term operation thought to have been carried out by a state-sponsored Chinese group, a U.S.-based private cybersecurity company detailed in a new report. Over the last several months, the Insikt Group, the threat research division of Massachusetts-based Recorded Future, said it has collected evidence that hackers targeted seven Indian state centers responsible for carrying out electrical dispatch and grid control near a border area disputed by the two nuclear neighbors. The group primarily used the trojan ShadowPad, which is believed to have been developed by contractors for China’s Ministry of State Security, leading to the conclusion that this was a state-sponsored hacking effort, the group reported. “ShadowPad continues to be employed by an ever–increasing number of People’s Liberation Army and…

Since its original launch back in 2009, Angry Birds has become one of the most beloved mobile gaming franchises, setting new standards for modern gaming on iOS and Android. After a string of successful offshoots, like Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Evolution, the original title is back on iOS, with a new premium version offering the full gaming experience. ANGRY BIRDS Angry Birds games have been downloaded more than four billion times across iOS and Android since their launch more than a decade ago, and it’s clear to see why. The addictive game is straightforward and engaging and has spawned a number of spin-offs including The Angry Birds Movie, which grossed more than $352.3 million at the box office and went on to spawn a sequel, the 2019 blockbuster…

Tesla delivered 310,000 vehicles in the first quarter, up roughly 68% from the same period in 2021, the company said. However the company’s sales were slightly below expectations, which were looking for Tesla to produce 312,000 cars, according to Wedbush Securities. But the sales increase came even as Tesla battled a global shortage of computer chips and other parts. The Austin, Texas, maker of electric vehicles and solar panels announced its production and delivery results. The old quarterly delivery record of 308,600 vehicles was set just one quarter ago, from October through December of 2021. Tesla delivered 185,000 vehicles in the first quarter of last year. The global computer chip shortage has bedeviled nearly all automakers, but Tesla seems to have dealt with the shortages better than the rest of…

When a scrappy group of former and current warehouse workers on Staten Island, New York went head-to-head with Amazon in a union election, many compared it to a David and Goliath battle. David won. And the stunning upset on Friday brought sudden exposure to the organizers and worker advocates who realized victory for the nascent Amazon Labor Union when so many other more established labor groups had failed before them, including most recently in Bessemer, Alabama. Initial results in that election show the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union down by 118 votes, with the majority of Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer rejecting a bid to form a union. The final outcome is still up in the air with 416 outstanding challenged ballots hanging in the balance. A hearing to…

When he’s on the mound, Clemson left-hander Ryan Ammons will feel a little tingle on his right arm. No, nothing’s wrong. It’s not a tweak or twinge. Instead, it’s a reminder telling him to look at the digital display on his wristband to find out the type of pitch to throw next and where to locate it. For a growing number of college baseball teams, the tradition of pitch signs sent by the catcher flashing his fingers and wiggling his hand is disappearing. It’s being replaced by a coach in the dugout pressing numbers into a keypad corresponding to different pitch types and transmitting the information to the mound. A vibration in the wristband lets the pitcher know the call is in. The technology, Game Day Signals, was developed by…

Maybe it’s a counter-reaction to our increasingly digital reality, but lately horror films have increasingly turned to primal pasts to resurrect the rituals and fears of folktale. It’s a strikingly global trend, spanning puritan New England (“The Witch”), rural Iceland (“Lamb”), North Dublin (“You Are Not My Mother”) and pagan cults of Sweden (“Midsommar”). The best of these movies don’t just dredge up a supernatural force from another time but adapt the spirit and psychology that it emerged out of. Goran Stolevski is an Australian writer-director but he was born and raised in Macedonia. And in his feature-film debut, “You Won’t Be Alone,” he has drawn from old regional witch tales to craft a spell-binding immersion in a distant and fantastical 19th century Macedonian realm that nevertheless throbs with a…

From wind farms across the African coastline to geothermal projects in the east African rift valley, a new United Nations climate report brought the continent’s vast clean energy potential into the spotlight. If realized, these renewable energy projects could blunt the harshest global warming effects, power the continent’s projected economic development and lift millions out of poverty, the report said. The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change report comes at a time when Africa’s renewable energy business is already booming. Many African nations are intensifying efforts to embrace alternative renewable energy pathways and shift away from fossil fuel dependency, with countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa taking the lead on large-scale clean energy adoption. Yet Africa has attracted just 2% — $60 billion — of…