Generative Zoology with Neural Networks
5 by cortesi | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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Kim Jong-un: fragile and under pressure but he won’t give up
The Observer The North Korean leader’s surprise freeze of his nuclear programme is less a genuine move than a diplomatic manoeuvre,...
Tuesday, 30 June 2020
5 of the best indoor garden systems for growing herbs and veggies
Gardening at home is not limited to people with large gardens — or even to people with sunny windowsills. With the right tools, anyone who wants to grow their own vegetables or fresh herbs indoors can find a way to do it.
Indoor gardening kits range from high tech to very simple. Your needs will vary based on your budget, the plants you want to grow, and the space you have available, but you'll likely be able to pull something off, even if you have to hang your garden on the wall. We believe in you.
What should I grow?
If you just want to start your plants indoors, then move them to an outdoor garden, your crop options are pretty much endless. If you must grow your garden entirely indoors, though, there are a few plants that have the best chance of thriving. Read more...
More about Plants, Gardening, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Uk, and Uk Deals
BEST FOR FEATURES
AeroGarden Harvest EliteThis smart, six-pod AeroGarden allows you to grow herbs, salad leaves, and other veggies pretty much anywhere.
- Self-watering feature: No
- Built-in grow light: Yes
- Best for: Herbs, tomatoes, salad greens
BEST FOR TRANSPLANTING
Click and Grow Smart Garden 3This smart garden has all the features you could want — if you're cool with using its pods.
- Self-watering feature: Yes
- Built-in grow light: Yes
- Best for: Herbs, vegetables, microgreens
BEST FOR MICROGREENS
Chef'n Microgreen GrowerThis affordable microgreen starter kit comes with a growing tray, soil, and a starter pack of seeds.
- Self-watering feature: No
- Built-in grow light: No
- Best for: Microgreens
BEST FOR WALLS
Ogrmar Vertical Wall Garden PlanterThis space-saving hanging garden has plenty of pockets and attaches to the wall.
- Self-watering feature: No
- Built-in grow light: No
- Best for: Herbs
BEST FOR KIDS
BIGHAVE Mini Aquaponic EcosystemA garden that's also a fish tank? It's fun and functional.
- Self-watering feature: Yes
- Built-in grow light: No
- Best for: Microgreens, herbs, flowers
from Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/roundup/best-indoor-garden-systems-uk/
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How to download YouTube videos
In this time of ubiquitous internet and abundance of content, downloading videos to your hard drive is rarely necessary. But sometimes, an important video can be hard to find, or can even be permanently removed from a platform, in which case it's not a bad idea to have a personal copy.
Say you've encountered a cool YouTube video and want to download it for your archive to make sure you still have it in case it disappears. YouTube has no easy "download" button, so how do you download a video off the platform?
Fortunately, there are a few ways to grab a YouTube video fairly easily, and in good quality. However, before we continue, note that downloading videos from the regular, free version of YouTube is against the site's terms of service. And this brings another problem: Because of this, many of the ways to download YouTube videos that you'll find online are fairly dangerous as they're riddled with spamware and shady ads. Read more...
More about Youtube, Tech, and Consumer Techfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/article/download-youtube-video/
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Make sense of SEO with this heavily discounted training bundle
TL;DR: The Complete SEO Certification Training bundle is on sale for £24.41 as of July 1, saving you 96% on list price.
It's been said that attention to detail is the determining factor in whether something is great or just good. That's certainly true when you're dealing with search engine optimisation or SEO.
Things like HTML tag structure and lead images might seem minor and irrelevant to an untrained user, but with a little training, one will come to realise that they're often the determining factors in whether your site ranks on the first page of Google search results or in No Man's Land. Read more...
More about Seo, Online Classes, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Uk, and Uk Dealsfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/shopping/july-1-seo-course-sale/
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New top story on Hacker News: Lisp as the Maxwell’s Equations of Software (2012)
Lisp as the Maxwell’s Equations of Software (2012)
10 by newswasboring | 1 comments on Hacker News.
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10 by newswasboring | 1 comments on Hacker News.
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Facebook nears a tipping point when it comes to moderating hate speech
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
The social media giant just banned dozens of “boogaloo” extremist accounts.
On Tuesday afternoon, Facebook announced that it had removed more than 200 accounts linked to the violent, anti-government extremist “boogaloo” movement. This move comes after weeks of criticism over the company’s handling of hate speech on its platform. Still, banning the boogaloo accounts does not solve Facebook’s larger hate speech problem.
More than 100 major brands, from Unilever to Verizon, have pulled advertising from the platform after civil rights groups called for a boycott in the past week. Facebook’s efforts to address the controversy included the announcement of increased efforts to prevent voter suppression based on race and ethnicity and a potential audit of its moderation practices.
The controversy over social media companies and hate speech has intensified in recent weeks as protesters across the US have been fighting for greater racial justice. About a month ago, as protests were first breaking out, Facebook ignited outrage when it decided not to do anything after President Trump posted a comment saying “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” in a post about the protests. This enraged civil rights leaders, as well as some of Facebook’s employees. It also prompted the “Stop Hate for Profit” ad boycott, led by organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP. Three US senators joined the chorus on Tuesday, sending a letter to Facebook asking the company to more strictly enforce its rules on extremist content.
Facebook has long had a policy explicitly forbidding hate speech. The company says it removes 89 percent of hate speech on the platform before it gets reported, and has argued that while there are always exceptions at its scale, overall, it’s doing a fine job. A recent report by the European Commission found that Facebook was faster than some of its competitors in addressing instances of hate speech.
“We do not profit from hate. We have no incentive to have hate on our platform,” Facebook VP Nick Clegg said in a Bloomberg appearance on Tuesday, and reiterated in a CNN appearance.
Regardless of the company’s claims about policing hate speech, recent events are furthering the perception that Facebook simply isn’t doing enough. Specifically, critics have argued that the company is making exceptions for politicians like Trump, and that flat-out violent groups like the boogaloo movement can continue to gain traction on the platform. They say that some of the company’s smaller competitors like Reddit and Twitter are more aggressively enforcing rules on hate speech, by banning or moderating accounts linked to President Trump and popular accounts that support him.
Facebook’s approach fits into an established playbook for the company. The reported audit, for instance, would be the third one the company has commissioned. The company has taken down harmful conspiracy networks on its platform, only to see them pop back up or new ones arise. Meanwhile, the ad boycotts likely won’t have a dire financial impact, because the bulk of Facebook’s revenue comes from smaller brands (the top 100 advertisers only accounted for little more than 6 percent of its revenue last year). But Facebook and other social media companies at least appear to be responding to this new source of pressure.
“What you’re seeing right now is people are leveraging various mechanisms — either economic or public relations — to push back on policies they don’t like,” Kate Klonick, an assistant professor at St. John’s University School of Law who studies social media and free speech, told Recode. “And you’re seeing the platforms give in.”
Twitter started a wave of social media companies coming down on Trump
Recent moves by Reddit, Snapchat, Twitch, and YouTube mark a decision by social media companies to start more strictly enforcing the rules around hate speech, weeks after protests around the police killing of George Floyd have caused a national reckoning over systemic racism in the United States.
In many ways, Twitter started this wave of action when in late May, it added a warning label for glorifying violence to President Trump’s “shooting … looting” post. This represented a precedent-setting move for social media companies, which have been reluctant to moderate Trump, no matter how incendiary his rhetoric. (Twitter has spent the past two years refining its policies on moderating politicians’ speech.) Facebook then struck a nerve when it responded very differently to the same Trump post on its own platform. The company chose not to moderate the post, arguing that it wasn’t an incitememt of violence but an announcement of state use of force.
Now other platforms are joining in and following Twitter’s assertive lead.
On Monday, Reddit banned r/The_Donald — a popular message board for Trump fans to share memes, videos, and messages — for consistently breaking its rules around harassment and hate speech. The same day, Twitch, a livestreaming company owned by Amazon, decided to temporarily suspend Trump’s account after it found some of its livestreams included “hateful conduct,” such as a rebroadcast of Trump’s kickoff rally where he said that Mexico was bringing rapists to the United States. Those moves follow Snapchat’s decision earlier in June to stop promoting Trump in its “Discover” section because his account had, in the company’s view, incited racial violence. And YouTube banned several high-profile far-right accounts, including those of white supremacist Richard Spencer and former KKK leader David Duke.
While there will be plenty more examples of hate speech on these platforms that likely go unaddressed, the spate of takedowns and bans could carry serious political consequences. They run against the stated free speech values of early internet forums like Reddit, which have historically tried to be as laissez-faire as possible in their approach to moderating content.
“I have to admit that I’ve struggled with balancing my values as an American, and around free speech and free expression, with my values and the company’s values around common human decency,” Reddit CEO Steve Huffman told reporters on Monday, according to The Verge, announcing the company’s decision to ban r/The_Donald.
Even Facebook has notably drawn some lines with Trump, taking down a Trump campaign ad featuring Nazi insignia and at least two other Trump-sponsored pieces of Facebook content in the past few months, including a Trump ad that tried to mislead people into filling out a fake census form, and a post for copyright infringement. But the company is not reversing course on the president’s “looting ... shooting” post, and while it says it’s open to putting labels on political misinformation, it hasn’t yet done so with Trump.
There’s two-way political pressure on Facebook
Historically, Facebook and other social media companies have been cautious not to overly moderate content in the interest of appearing to protect free expression online. At the same time, President Trump and other Republican politicians have accused social media companies of having “anti-conservative” bias.
Trump has issued an executive order attempting to overturn Section 230, a landmark internal law that shields social media companies like Facebook from being sued over what people post on the platform. The rationale for overturning Section 230, according to Trump, is that Facebook is supposedly putting its thumb on the scales against Republican content — which is a largely unproven and, many argue, bad-faith claim.
That pressure puts Facebook in a bind. If it moderates popular conservative figures too much, even if those users post extremist or hateful content, that fuels Trump and other Republicans to argue that they’re being unfairly censored.
On the other hand, if Facebook doesn’t do a good enough job moderating white supremacist and other hateful content, Democrats, civil rights leaders, and major advertisers could continue to accuse the company of turning a blind eye to hate.
“I’m not going to pretend that we’re going to get rid of everything that people, you know, react negatively to,” said Facebook’s Clegg on CNN on Tuesday. “Politically, there are folks on the right who think we take down too much content, folks on the left who think we don’t take down enough.”
While all the major platforms have long had policies on hate speech, it has often taken major national events like mass shootings to pressure the companies to put more force around these issues. So we’ll now see if Facebook turns into a meaningful change in how the company moderates content or waits for the controversy to blow over, as it has in the past.
Ultimately, it looks like Mark Zuckerberg will be the judge when it comes to drawing the line on Facebook restricting hate speech versus protecting free speech.
Support Vox’s explanatory journalism
Every day at Vox, we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you, and our audience around the world, with information that has the power to save lives. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower you through understanding. Vox’s work is reaching more people than ever, but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn. Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation, but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles, videos, and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today.
from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/6/30/21307529/facebook-hate-speech-boogaloo-ban-moderation-boycott
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Facebook reveals the future of VR headsets, and it's more 'CSI Miami' than 'Tron'
Immersing yourself in virtual reality can feel like a sci-fi fantasy come true, but bulky, cumbersome VR headsets almost make it more trouble than it's worth. There have been various attempts to slim down VR headsets, such as Dlodlo's lightweight V One headset and Panasonic's prototype goggles shown at CES 2020. Now Facebook has revealed its own glasses-like prototype headset with a display measuring 8.9 mm thick — about the same thickness as a smartphone.
In a new research paper entitled "Holographic Optics for Thin and Lightweight Virtual Reality," Facebook Reality Labs researchers Andrew Maimone and Junren Wang have proposed a VR headset design that replaces the refractive lens with holographic optics and polarization-based optical folding. This allows the headset to be much lighter and more compact, like a strangely thick pair of retro sunglasses. Read more...
More about Facebook, Virtual Reality, Virtual Reality Headset, Vr Headset, and Vr Headsetsfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/article/facebook-vr-headset-sunglasses-research-lightweight-virtual-reality/
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Monday, 29 June 2020
Gorgeous Google Doodle celebrates Marsha P. Johnson for the last day of Pride Month
As a tumultuous Pride Month draws to a close, Google is marking it with a tribute to transgender artist, activist, and drag performer Marsha P. Johnson.
Johnson was a central and beloved figure in New York's gay scene from the 1960s onward, and is widely recognized as one of the first people to fight back against police harassing patrons during a raid on the Stonewall Hotel. This sparked the Stonewall riots, commemorations of which became Pride celebrations.
Alongside Sylvia Rivera, Johnson also founded Street Transvestite (now Transgender) Activist Revolutionaries, or STAR, to offer housing, food, and other assistance to trans and non-binary youth. She said the "P" in her name was there for when people questioned her gender or presentation — it stood for "Pay it no mind." Read more...
More about Google Doodle, Pride Month 2020, Marsha P Johnson, Black Trans Lives Matter, and Culturefrom Mashable https://mashable.com/article/marsha-p-johnson-pride-google-doodle/
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Start coding with this comprehensive master class
TL;DR: The Complete C# Master Class Course is on sale for £10.55 as of June 30, saving you 93% on list price.
Remember back in the day when you had to spend years in school and/or your life savings to learn to code? Those days are long gone. Getting into coding is easier — and more affordable — than ever before.
Since there are approximately a billion coding languages out there, choosing one to start with is no easy feat. But since C# is among the most popular and one of the easiest to learn, and since there's a huge price drop on this Complete C# Master Class Course as of June 30, might we suggest it as a starting point? Read more...
More about Coding, Mashable Shopping, Online Courses, Shopping Uk, and Uk Dealsfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/shopping/june-30-c-sharp-master-class-course-sale/
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This set of online courses gives your brain a serious boost
TL;DR: The Brain Booster bundle is on sale for £16.23 as of June 30, saving you 97% on list price.
Your brain, like any other part of your body, needs exercise in order to operate at peak capacity.
Yes, it also needs fuel and plenty of sleep, but exercise is essential. If you're not quite sure how to mentally exercise, no worries. We've got you covered with this Brain Booster bundle.
As the name suggests, this four-course collection is designed to boost your brainpower. Each course introduces you to different aspects of your brain function and how it impacts your life. You'll start by learning new strategies to improve your memory, so maybe next time you forget your shopping list, you'll remember what you wrote on it. Read more...
More about Online Classes, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Uk, Uk Deals, and Techfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/shopping/june-30-brain-booster-course-bundle/
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'Hamilton' teases fans with a very satisfying new clip ahead of Disney+ release
The filmed original cast performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton is now only a moment away, due to land on Disney+ on July 3. To tide over eager fans as they wait for it, Disney has just released a sneak peek of Renée Elise Goldsberry's Angelica Schuyler performing her iconic song "Satisfied."
The unexpectedly heartbreaking song is one of the musical's most lauded numbers — which is saying a lot considering the entire production won near universal critical and audience acclaim. The performance of "Satisfied" is a defining moment in Hamilton, so it's thrilling that so many people will finally get to see it as it was originally staged. Read more...
More about Lin Manuel Miranda, Hamilton, Musical, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Disneyfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/video/hamilton-satisfied-clip-trailer-hamilfilm-disney-renee-elise-goldsberry/
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Sunday, 28 June 2020
Cartoon Caption Contest
Submit your caption.
from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/cartoon-caption-contest/this-weeks-contest-2020-07-06
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from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/cartoon-caption-contest/this-weeks-contest-2020-07-06
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Tons of '80s stars turn adorable 'Ferris Bueller' cast reunion into a nostalgia trip of iconic John Hughes moments
In the last episode of Josh Gad's Reunited Apart for a while, the host and superfan brought together the cast of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, arguably the quintessential '80s movie. Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, and Jennifer Grey joined Gad over video call for a chat about their memories of the shoot, as did Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett (who played Ferris' parents) and Ben Stein, the economist and occasional actor responsible for "Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller?" (He can also still do that improvised monologue about the Hawley-Smoot tariffs, and it's still super boring.)
Gad also brought in Jake Gyllenhaal to quiz the cast on some seriously obscure Ferris trivia, and High School Musical and Dirty Dancing director Kenny Ortega to talk about the one-take perfection and joyous legacy of the parade scene, which he choreographed. Read more...
More about Ferris Bueller S Day Off, John Hughes, Zoom Reunion, Reunited Apart, and Entertainmentfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/video/ferris-bueller-reunited-apart-john-hughes/
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39 things on sale this weekend you don't want to miss
Whether you want to spruce up your living space, upgrade your kitchen, or improve your home gym, we found some great weekend sales you'll love. Here are some of the best home, fitness, travel, and lifestyle goodies on sale, all yours for the taking.
Stuff for the home
Art Block Framed "Say Cheese" by Hidden Moves
Decorate your living space with this 20x30 print designed by Welsh artist Rhys Owens. Aptly named SAY CHEESE, it features one of the surreal characters in the Hidden Moves universe. As a bonus, this stunning art piece is framed in a handmade Ash wood frame. Get it on sale for $119.95. Read more...
More about Home, Kitchen, Mashable Shopping, Culture, and Consumer Techfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/june-28-weekend-sales/
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Learn how to create a WordPress site and turn it into an online store
TL;DR: Build your brand with The WordPress featuring Elementor and WooCoomerce Master Class Bundle for $29.99, a 97% savings as of June 28.
Online business is flourishing with many brick and mortar stores still operating at minimal capacity (and some not at all). It's just one of the many lovely repercussions of the global pandemic. If you're a small or medium-sized business owner and are still intimidated by the idea of creating an online store, it's time to push that fear aside and get to work. Step number one is to sign up for this bundle of online classes dedicated to WordPress, Elementor, and WooCoomerce. Read more...
More about Wordpress, E Commerce, Online Learning, Mashable Shopping, and Techfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/june-28-wordpress-master-class-bundle-sale/
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Bored? Here are 20 online courses to boost your photography skills for $40.
TL;DR: Access hundreds of lectures with The Pro Photography and Photoshop 20 Course Bundle for $39.99, a 97% savings as of June 28.
You've already binge-watched all that you can, cleaned all you can clean, and even read that stack of books piled up by your bed. Now it's time to try something new, like this Pro Photography and Photoshop 20 Course Bundle.
With 20 online courses spanning over 100 hours of content, this bundle covers pretty much anything you need to know to take amazing photos and edit them to produce stunning final projects. Whether you want to enhance your Instagram feed, boost the visuals on your personal or professional website, or even launch a side hustle in these uncertain times, these courses will give you the skills to do so. Read more...
More about Photography, Photoshop, Online Learning, Mashable Shopping, and Culturefrom Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/june-28-pro-photography-course-bundle-sale/
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Save 40% on this warming crock that keeps dips and sauces hot
TL;DR: Have enough dip for the whole family with the TailGate at Home Mini Dip Warming Crock for $17.99, a 40% savings as of June 28.
It's officially the season of backyard (socially distant) cookouts and potluck parties. And that means — fingers crossed — football season is around the corner. In other words, get ready to eat all creamy spinach dips, spicy chili, and queso your stomach can handle.
To make your life easier as you transport your dips and sauces back and forth from party to party, check out this TailGate at Home Mini Dip Warming Crock. It's the perfect companion for all your summer shenanigans to help keep everything from artichoke dip to melted chocolate (whatever you're into) hot and ready to serve. Plus, it's 40% off, so it scores a major touchdown in our book. Read more...
More about Kitchen, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Consumer Techfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/june-28-warming-crock-sale/
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Boost your productivity by using your voice to take notes
TL;DR: Take notes using your voice with a lifetime subscription to the Dictanote Pro app for $19, an 89% savings as of June 28.
Whether you can type 45 words per minute or 85 words per minute, your fingers still aren't nearly as fast as your mouth. Fingers can get tripped up and, in some situations, typing out your thoughts as quickly as they come to mind is downright impossible. Sometimes the best way to get ideas down is with dictation.
Whether you're writing up an important email, a to-do list, meeting notes, a report, or a quick reminder, using your voice may feel more natural and easier than typing — especially if you're working on a mobile device. That's where Dictanote comes in. This note-taking app makes it easy to essentially type with your voice, thanks to its fast, accurate dictation and transcription capabilities. Read more...
More about Apps And Software, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Consumer Techfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/june-28-dictanote-pro-subscription-sale/
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New top story on Hacker News: Adventures in booting Linux on Raspberry Pi 4
Adventures in booting Linux on Raspberry Pi 4
8 by todsacerdoti | 1 comments on Hacker News.
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8 by todsacerdoti | 1 comments on Hacker News.
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Saturday, 27 June 2020
New top story on Hacker News: Alpha Waves was the first 3D platform game
Alpha Waves was the first 3D platform game
3 by todsacerdoti | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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3 by todsacerdoti | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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New top story on Hacker News: Deep Learning – The “Why” Question (2018)
Deep Learning – The “Why” Question (2018)
5 by YeGoblynQueenne | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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5 by YeGoblynQueenne | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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New top story on Hacker News: It's time to take alternatives to dark matter seriously
It's time to take alternatives to dark matter seriously
22 by starmftronajoll | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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22 by starmftronajoll | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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New top story on Hacker News: Zuckerberg Loses $7B as Firms Boycott Facebook Ads
Zuckerberg Loses $7B as Firms Boycott Facebook Ads
6 by Ice_cream_suit | 1 comments on Hacker News.
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6 by Ice_cream_suit | 1 comments on Hacker News.
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Friday, 26 June 2020
New top story on Hacker News: Examining ARM vs. x86 Memory Models with Rust
Examining ARM vs. x86 Memory Models with Rust
13 by redbluemonkey | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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13 by redbluemonkey | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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Consistently add skills to your CV with a lifetime subscription to Whizlabs
TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to Whizlabs Online Certifications is on sale for £47.17 as of June 27, saving you 98% on list price.
It's easy to embellish the truth on your CV. We've all done it at some point, right? For example, perhaps you know how to italicise words in HTML, but your CV suggests you're practically a full-service UX developer.
Unfortunately, there's a realistic chance your professional claims will be exposed for the outrageous exaggerations they are. So get one step ahead of your boss and/or the HR department by actually backing up those claims with a lifetime membership to Whizlabs Online Certifications. Read more...
More about Cv, Mashable Shopping, Online Courses, Shopping Uk, and Uk Dealsfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/shopping/june-27-whizlabs-online-certification/
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New top story on Hacker News: A multiplayer board game in Rust and WebAssembly
A multiplayer board game in Rust and WebAssembly
6 by lukastyrychtr | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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6 by lukastyrychtr | 0 comments on Hacker News.
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New top story on Hacker News: Tons of microplastic rain onto western US
Tons of microplastic rain onto western US
24 by lerie1982 | 6 comments on Hacker News.
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24 by lerie1982 | 6 comments on Hacker News.
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New top story on Hacker News: Let's use more of Firefox, only YOU can stop Chrome from becoming the next IE
Let's use more of Firefox, only YOU can stop Chrome from becoming the next IE
42 by smart_jackal | 15 comments on Hacker News.
For those who don't know (or belong to a newer generation), Microsoft's IE (Internet Explorer) was one browser that had almost monopolized itself globally for many years mostly during the early nineties decade. They managed to do it but the backlash was such that the public pressure practically caused a storm that made Bill Gates sit in front of the jury and answer some hard questions. And today, I'm seeing history is repeating all over again, only Chrome has taken IE's place but there is no storm coming this time. Unlike our predecessors, we are giving in to convenience, we are acting like its not a botheration at all. PLEASE DON'T DO IT . Consider the sheer browser market share that Chrome enjoys and Google's data interests for a moment, and it might already be too late for us. If a web service insists only on Chrome for best performance then change that service, not your browser! If Youtube gives issues to you then use Vimeo or Lbry instead. Let's unite in this effort and take it seriously, let's bring more diversity to the browser world.
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42 by smart_jackal | 15 comments on Hacker News.
For those who don't know (or belong to a newer generation), Microsoft's IE (Internet Explorer) was one browser that had almost monopolized itself globally for many years mostly during the early nineties decade. They managed to do it but the backlash was such that the public pressure practically caused a storm that made Bill Gates sit in front of the jury and answer some hard questions. And today, I'm seeing history is repeating all over again, only Chrome has taken IE's place but there is no storm coming this time. Unlike our predecessors, we are giving in to convenience, we are acting like its not a botheration at all. PLEASE DON'T DO IT . Consider the sheer browser market share that Chrome enjoys and Google's data interests for a moment, and it might already be too late for us. If a web service insists only on Chrome for best performance then change that service, not your browser! If Youtube gives issues to you then use Vimeo or Lbry instead. Let's unite in this effort and take it seriously, let's bring more diversity to the browser world.
Middlesbrough
Donald Trump’s Big Problem with Senior Voters
John Cassidy recounts the results of a number of recent polls, all of which signal that Donald Trump’s appeal among senior voters is slipping, perhaps due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the protests following George Floyd’s killing.
from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/donald-trumps-big-problem-with-senior-voters
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from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/donald-trumps-big-problem-with-senior-voters
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Trump Vows to Ban Coronavirus Vaccine If Obama Invented It
Andy Borowitz jokes that Donald Trump is so jealous of and threatened by President Obama that he would ban a coronavirus vaccine if his predecessor created one.
from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trump-vows-to-ban-coronavirus-vaccine-if-obama-invented-it
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from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trump-vows-to-ban-coronavirus-vaccine-if-obama-invented-it
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Thursday, 25 June 2020
Stephen Colbert mocks Pence's search for positives as U.S. coronavirus cases reach record high
Despite President Donald Trump's previous claims that the coronavirus would magically disappear in April, the deadly pandemic reached an all-time peak in the U.S. this week. The country set a new personal record for most new cases in a single day on Wednesday — then promptly beat it with 39,327 new cases on Thursday.
However, as Late Show host Stephen Colbert notes, Vice President Mike Pence is stubbornly ignoring these dire signs in favor of more "encouraging" ones.
"Yeah, 2.5 million infected Americans!" quipped Late Show host Stephen Colbert on Thursday. "Don't look at the glass as half empty. Look at your lungs as half full." Read more...
More about Donald Trump, Stephen Colbert, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Coronavirus, and Face Masksfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/video/stephen-colbert-donald-trump-coronavirus-masks-town-hall/
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Save 95% on a lifetime subscription to this fun filmmaking class
TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to the Film & Cinematography Mastery bundle is on sale for £23.19 as of June 26, saving you 95% on list price.
If you have dreams of making award-winning films, we would like to direct you to the Film & Cinematography Mastery bundle, a trilogy of expert-led online courses that will teach you how to write, shoot, and distribute your first feature film. It's on sale for only £23.19 as of June 26.
A lifetime subscription grants you access to a lot of content:
Video Production Bootcamp
You have to learn how to properly handle a camera before you even begin to plan for your Oscar-winning masterpiece. Whether you're using a point-and-shoot, a DSLR, or just your trusty smartphone, this course will teach you how to capture professional videos with the tools you have. You'll be exposed to all the stages of production, from idea conception and equipment sourcing, to lighting setup, and all the way down to video editing. With this course, you'll get the chance to see the big picture prior to making your Big Picture. Read more...
More about Film, Mashable Shopping, Online Courses, Shopping Uk, and Uk Dealsfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/shopping/june-26-online-film-school-course-sale/
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New top story on Hacker News: Ask HN: What are the technical justifications for keeping .DS_Store?
Ask HN: What are the technical justifications for keeping .DS_Store?
36 by kaptain | 9 comments on Hacker News.
I was hoping that with macos 11 we would see the deprecation of .DS_Store. I'm not running the beta so perhaps it is, but what has surprised me is its sustained longevity. What are the technical reasons for keeping .DS_Store? It is essentially a application-specific (i.e. Mac Finder) solution that pollutes the data store. Off the top of my head I can think of a number of other solutions to store directory metadata: a Finder-specific database mapping values to directory paths, resource forks (ala OS 9), etc.
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36 by kaptain | 9 comments on Hacker News.
I was hoping that with macos 11 we would see the deprecation of .DS_Store. I'm not running the beta so perhaps it is, but what has surprised me is its sustained longevity. What are the technical reasons for keeping .DS_Store? It is essentially a application-specific (i.e. Mac Finder) solution that pollutes the data store. Off the top of my head I can think of a number of other solutions to store directory metadata: a Finder-specific database mapping values to directory paths, resource forks (ala OS 9), etc.
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Start a successful e-commerce business with this set of online classes
TL;DR: The Ultimate Shopify and Ecommerce Expert bundle is on sale for £31.18 as of June 26, saving you 97% on list price.
The e-commerce industry has taken off over the past few years, with dedicated platforms like Shopify and Etsy making it easier than ever for people to produce knitwear for dogs and sell it online.
On top of that, industry giants like Amazon, ebay, and Alibaba have adjusted their businesses to allow individual sellers access to their sites, even offering to handle all shipping and customer service needs in exchange for a listing fee.
More about E Commerce, Mashable Shopping, Online Courses, Shopping Uk, and Uk Dealsfrom Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/shopping/june-26-e-commerce-online-course/
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Seth Meyers blasts Trump as a 'one-man super spreader' of coronavirus
"At what point can we say Trump is actively putting people in harm's way?" asked Late Night host Seth Meyers on Thursday. "He holds indoor rallies, refuses to wear a mask, and wants to cut back on testing. Soon he's gonna start going door to door coughing on people, licking their doorknobs."
While numerous other countries have successfully suppressed their coronavirus outbreaks, the pandemic has reached a new peak in the U.S. The country recorded 39,327 new cases on Thursday, beating the previous single-day record set on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Trump's administration intends to stop funding coronavirus testing sites at the end of June. That's less than a week away. Read more...
More about Donald Trump, Seth Meyers, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Coronavirus, and Covid 19from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/seth-meyers-donald-trump-coronavirus-testing-funding-super-spreader/
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New top story on Hacker News: Draft of my perf book is ready – Easyperf
Draft of my perf book is ready – Easyperf
13 by todsacerdoti | 2 comments on Hacker News.
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13 by todsacerdoti | 2 comments on Hacker News.
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The Coronavirus Surge That Texas Could Have Seen Coming
Ricardo Nuila writes about an increase in COVID-19 cases in Texas, and about factors, such as contradictory government guidance, that made it harder for the state to notice clear indicators for the surge.
from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/the-coronavirus-surge-that-texas-could-have-seen-coming
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from Everything https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/the-coronavirus-surge-that-texas-could-have-seen-coming
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The House just passed a sweeping police reform bill
Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) speaks as other House Democrats look on during an event on police reform on June 25, 2020, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. | Alex Wong/Getty Images
It’s not expected to go anywhere in the Senate, however.
The House on Thursday passed Democrats’ police reform bill, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, by a 236-181 vote. Three Republicans joined Democrats to vote in favor of the bill, which now heads to the Senate, where it isn’t expected to get much traction.
Thursday’s vote underscores an ongoing stalemate: Over the past few weeks, congressional Democrats and Republicans have been at an impasse over the next steps on police reform, with each party respectively introducing its own bill. Senate Democrats rejected Republicans’ proposal, the Justice Act, earlier this week, on the grounds that it wasn’t expansive enough in its policies. And Republicans are now poised to stall Democrats’ offering in the upper chamber, meaning progress on these reforms is effectively at a standstill.
The two parties’ bills have some similarities: Both would ramp up the use of body cameras, make lynching a federal crime, and incentivize state and local police departments to ban the use of chokeholds. But the Democrats’ bill, led by Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, is more expansive than Republicans’. It would curb “qualified immunity,” a legal provision that shields police from accountability for misconduct, and impose a ban on both chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases at the federal level. Meanwhile, Republicans’ legislation, led by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), would not address qualified immunity and does not include a federal chokehold ban.
Democrats have argued that Republicans’ bill centers too heavily on data collection and not enough on legal changes that would directly address police misconduct and use of force. Republicans, however, have said that “qualified immunity” is an area they aren’t particularly interested in tackling. Neither bill, meanwhile, goes as far as what protesters — who’ve demonstrated against Floyd’s killing and police brutality — have called for: Both shy away from the idea of “defunding the police” and shifting money from law enforcement budgets to social services.
“When we pass this bill, the Senate will have a choice,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday at a press event about the legislation.
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already signaled that he’s not likely to take up the legislation, and President Donald Trump recently indicated he’d veto the bill if it passed both chambers. “They want to take away a lot of the strength from our police and from law enforcement generally, and we can’t live with it. We can’t live with it,” Trump said Wednesday.
The main question now is whether Democrats and Republicans will ultimately be able to navigate the key differences in their proposals to arrive at a compromise. While there’s plenty of public pressure and interest in implementing reforms, lawmakers’ disagreements could well prevent a measure from coming to fruition in the near term.
What’s in Democrats’ police reform bill
The Justice in Policing Act is a wide-ranging bill that attempts to get at the problem of police brutality toward Black Americans through a number of different means. It has some overlap with Republicans’ proposals — including an emphasis on ramping up the use of body cameras — but goes much farther in provisions concerning legal accountability for police misconduct.
For example, one tenet of the bill would change the law to make it easier to prosecute police officers who harm or kill someone, as well as those who are charged with other forms of misconduct. Other measures include mandatory racial bias training at the federal level and the establishment of a national registry to track police misconduct, plus a requirement for the US attorney general to create new standards for law enforcement accreditation.
Here are some of the bill’s key parts:
Revising federal law on criminal police misconduct and qualified immunity reform: The new bill would change one very significant word in federal law when it comes to prosecuting police: “willful.” That word means prosecutors charging police have to demonstrate there was willful intent on the part of the police officer to kill or harm someone — which can be extremely difficult to prove and successfully prosecute. The bill would change that word to the phrase “knowingly or with reckless disregard.” It would also define a “death resulting” as any act that was a “substantial factor contributing to the death” of an individual.
In addition, the bill changes something called qualified immunity, which courts have interpreted to give police officers and other public officials broad immunity from being sued in civil court if they have violated the constitutional rights of an individual. The bill would make it easier for plaintiffs to recover damages against police officers if the officer is sued and found guilty.
“Qualified immunity is something that has evolved over time. It’s not written into any law,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) previously told NPR’s Weekend Edition. “But our highest courts in the land have decided that police officers are immune from civil cases unless there’s been specifically in the past a case of generally the exact circumstances that has led towards a successful action. It creates this bar towards civil action against a police officer for violating your civil rights.”
Ban no-knock warrants in drug cases at the federal level: The use of a no-knock search warrant in Louisville on March 13 had fatal consequences. Police shot and killed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor after using a battering ram to break down her door and exchanging fire with Taylor’s boyfriend. The police were executing a search warrant for a drug case, pursuing two other men, but broke down Taylor’s door because they believed the men were receiving packages at her apartment. The Democratic bill would ban these kinds of no-knock warrants in federal drug cases, but also condition federal funding for state and local law enforcement agencies on prohibiting their use as well. Republicans’ bill would commission a study of the use of no-knock warrants, but stop short of a ban.
Ban chokeholds at the federal level: In 2014, Eric Garner was killed by New York police, who used a chokehold to restrain him during an arrest. And in May, Floyd died after a police officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
The legislation would put a federal ban in place on the use of police chokeholds, which is defined by the bill as an act putting pressure on an individual’s throat or windpipe that impedes their ability to breathe. Such bans have already been supported by localities across the country including, most recently, Minneapolis.
A federal chokehold ban would further condemn the use of this tactic by police and give the Justice Department more power to levy charges against law enforcement officers who use this maneuver. Activists have raised questions about the efficacy of such bans: Despite the New York Police Department banning chokeholds in 1993, police using the method killed Eric Garner in 2014. Both the Democrat and Republican bills condition federal funding on state and local departments adopting such bans.
Establish a national registry of misconduct by law enforcement officers: There’s currently very little data available about police misconduct, making it difficult to pin down past offenders and ensure that they don’t receive jobs in new places. According to a USA Today report, punishment for misconduct also varies at the state level, with some requiring police to decertify while others are far less punitive. Creating a national registry about misconduct would enable lawmakers to better understand its frequency and craft targeted responses to combat it.
The Republican bill would not establish a national registry of police misconduct but does require local and state agencies to maintain disciplinary records for law enforcement officers; it also conditions funding on these practices.
Require states to report use of force to the Justice Department: Similarly, little is currently known about the frequency with which police officers currently use force, something the bill is striving to change. By mandating state documentation of use of force, law enforcement agencies can begin to determine how often police engage in such actions. The Republican measure, too, calls for state and local agencies to report use of force to the federal government on an annual basis.
Mandate racial bias training at the federal level: A reform that’s been implemented in some police stations across the country, racial bias training is aimed at getting law enforcement officers to recognize their own explicit and implicit biases — and how these attitudes affect the way they respond in different situations. Researchers have found implicit racial biases could be tied to officers being quicker to shoot black subjects versus white subjects. The training involves providing officers with evidence of these biases playing out so they are forced to recognize their existence.
In addition to requiring it at the federal level, the bill would condition funding for state and local police based on their commitment to implementing racial bias training programs. Among critics of racial bias training, questions remain about how effective it is in deterring police abuses and disparate use of force.
Require that deadly force be used only as last resort: The bill would change the use-of-force standard for federal officers from “reasonableness” to only when it is necessary to either prevent death or “serious bodily injury.” It would require federal officers to use deescalation techniques and only resort to force as a last resort, and would condition federal funds to state and local agencies on their adoption of the same standard.
Make lynching a federal crime: The killings of Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger who was shot by two white men in Georgia while he was out on a run, have been described as modern-day lynchings. Despite more than 200 attempts to consider bills addressing such acts, there remains no law on the books classifying lynchings as a federal crime.
While the House and Senate have respectively passed their own legislation that would do so, the two have yet to approve one bill and get it signed into law. Both the Democratic and Republican bills would guarantee that lynching — described by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer as “the premeditated, extrajudicial killing by a mob or group of people to instill fear” — would be treated as a federal crime. The Justice in Policing Act would also classify conspiring to commit civil rights offenses, such as a hate crime, as a lynching.
Require police to use more body and dashboard cameras: The bill would require federal police officers to wear body cameras and put dashboard cameras on all federal police vehicles. It requires state and local departments to use existing federal funds to increase body camera use, which has been on the rise since the 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. However, research has shown that more cameras aren’t the whole story; police don’t always turn them on or review the footage while writing an incident report, and footage is not always made public.
The Republican bill also encourages the use of body cameras and establishes a grant program for police to obtain such technology.
Limit the transfer of military equipment to local police departments: Currently, the military is able to distribute excess equipment including armored vehicles and ammunition to local law enforcement agencies under the 1033 program. The bill would prohibit the distribution of some “controlled” military equipment by the Department of Defense, such as firearms, grenades, vehicles, and weaponized drones. There are scenarios when departments could waive this rule, however, such as when police need a vehicle for a natural disaster response.
The next steps for police reform are uncertain
Given the differences in the Democratic and Republican proposals, the next steps for police reform remain uncertain. In a letter to McConnell earlier this week, Democrats called for Republicans to engage in negotiations before holding another floor vote.
“This bill is not salvageable and we need bipartisan talks to get to a constructive starting point,” wrote Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Booker. McConnell, too, has said a Senate bill has the potential to come up for another vote later down the line.
Whether such talks will lead to tangible progress, however, is an open question. Because both Democrats and Republicans view “qualified immunity” as a key sticking point, it’s possible any compromise could stall over this — and other — provisions.
A similar dynamic has played out in the past over other policy areas: Prior efforts at gun reform, which had significant public support, have been stymied by partisan differences. After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, Democrats and Republicans proposed multiple gun reform bills regarding background checks and “red flag” laws, many of which foundered.
Additionally, as Fox News’s Chad Pergram notes, Democrats may be interested in waiting for the outcome of this fall’s elections: If the party is able to retake a Senate majority, it could have added leverage to advance a more comprehensive set of police reforms at that time.
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from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/2020/6/25/21303005/police-reform-bill-house-democrats-senate-republicans
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