https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/xx36ty/exclusive_boston_dynamics_pledges_not_to/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/xx4fsf/exclusive_boston_dynamics_pledges_not_to/?sort=controversial

https://old.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/xx4mld/exclusive_boston_dynamics_pledges_not_to/?sort=controversial

Several robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics, are pledging not to support the weaponization of their products and are calling for others in the industry to do the same, according to a letter shared first with Axios.

Why it matters: Robots, like drones before them, have a wide range of peaceful and even life-saving uses, but can be turned into war-fighting machines, too.

Details: The open letter highlights the erosion of consumer trust in robots as among the reasons not to allow them to be used as weapons.

"We believe that adding weapons to robots that are remotely or autonomously operated, widely available to the public, and capable of navigating to previously inaccessible locations where people live and work, raises new risks of harm and serious ethical issues," the companies said in the letter.

The companies pledged not to add weapons technology themselves or to support others doing so. And "when possible" they said they will review customers' plans in hopes of avoiding those who would turn the robots into weapons, in addition to exploring technical features that could prevent such use.

In addition to Boston Dynamics, five other firms signed on to the commitment: Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics and Unitree Robotics.

What they're saying: Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter said, in an e-mailed statement: "We are concerned about recent increases in makeshift efforts by individuals attempting to weaponize commercially available robots... For this technology to be broadly accepted throughout society, the public needs to know they can trust it. And that means we need policy that prohibits bad actors from misusing it."

https://archived.moe/g/thread/88998035

Some genes in the engineered mice were abnormally tuned down, resembling a pattern usually seen in schizophrenia and autism. And although the mice grew to adulthood and could breed healthy pups, the birth rate was far lower than that of their non-engineered peers. - relevant bit from the article.

In a way, the technique mimics evolution at break-neck speed. Based on existing data on mutation rates, the type of genetic swap introduced here would generally take millions of years to achieve naturally.

Made in a lab in Beijing, Xiao Zhu pushes the boundary of what’s possible for genetic engineering and synthetic biology. Rather than harboring the usual 20 pairs of chromosomes, the mouse and its sibling cohorts only have 19 pairs.

Orange Site Discussion

Prior Orange Site discussion

https://twitter.com/josephruscio/status/1570957688405917698

Generated from TLDR This:

Today I got an email titled ‘Your Manuscript Account Balance’ which said: Your Manuscript account is now in arrears in the amount of $31.25.

It appears that: The venerable FogBugz application was recently sold on to https://ignitetech.com and they appear to be trying to demand money from anyone who ever used FogBugz.

Which is likely to be thousands of people.

IgniteTech describe themselves as “Where software goes to live”, but “Where software goes to die” might be a better description.

This is the reply I got: Hi, In an effort to provide a better experience to our existing customers, we are consolidating our email support channel into our Help-Center.

Replies made to this mailbox are routed to an unmonitored mailbox.

Orange site discusses

I have mass uploaded pirated comics to the internet archive and they were all approved to be in the main comics section as “public domain”

Ever since i started reading yall posts about TC i felt like shit becuase mine is way lower and now im interviewing with some companies and going thru all the interview and prepping bullshit. Then it hit me. You guys making 250k+ a year aint living the life i live. Most of you are living in silicone valley, i.e. incel valley making 300k per year but havent been laid in 4 years. You pursue a higher TC because you aint got shit else to do. I know you aint fricking anyone. I party every weekend, smash 2 or 3 new girls a month, regularly bring girls over to my house, get random texts from girls wanting to hang out, etc. You guys goof off at work all day, play nintendo all night, and jerk off into your dads dress socks. I shouldnt be going thru the interviewing BS, im happy with what i make. It supports my vices and my lifestyle and thats all that matters.

Have fun making 300k in incel land telling yourself youre happy. I got other priorities.

TC: 150k 10YOE

TC = "total compensation", for those of you not fluent in greedy autist.

Enjoy my locally-generated Pepe

EDIT: kek i just realised this pepe is wearing steve jobs' turtleneck

HN

potential opportunity

HN

2nd orange site thread

GoDaddy statement

@XMRshill @aqouta @NFT_King

Literally 1984

e-HallPass, a digital system that students have to use to request to leave their classroom and which takes note of how long they’ve been away, including to visit the bathroom, has spread into at least a thousand schools around the United States.

The system has some resemblance to the sort of worker monitoring carried out by Amazon, which tracks how long its staff go to the potty for, and is used to penalize workers for “time off task.” It also highlights how automated tools have led to increased surveillance of students in schools, and employees in places of work.

“This product is just the latest in a growing number of student surveillance tools—designed to allow school administrators to monitor and control student behavior at scale, on and off campus,” Doug Levin, co-founder and national director for the K12 Security Information eXchange, a non-profit focused on cybersecurity for schools, told Motherboard. “While the problems they purport to solve are real, they also introduce other risks to students—including the risks of spurious accusations and targeted harassment by school officials and law enforcement.

Do you know anything else about e-HallPass? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, or email [email protected].

Levin further noted that the increased scrutiny offered by surveillance tools “has been shown to be disproportionately targeted against minorities, recent immigrants, LGBTQ kids,” and other marginalized groups.

On Monday, a since deleted tweet went viral in which someone claimed that their school was preparing to introduce e-HallPass, and described it as “the program where we track how long, at what time, and how often each child goes to the restroom and store that information on third party servers run by a private for-profit company.”

Motherboard then identified multiple schools across the U.S. that appear to use the technology by searching the web for instruction manuals, announcements, and similar documents from schools that mentioned the technology. Those results included K-12 schools such as Franklin Regional Middle School, Fargo Public Schools, River City High School, Loyalsock Township School District, and Cabarrus County Schools. Also schools Motherboard found that appear to use e-HallPass include Mehlville High School, Eagle County School District, Hopatcong Borough Schools, and Pope Francis Preparatory School. These schools are spread across the country, with some in California, New York, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Eduspire, the company that makes e-HallPass, told trade publication EdSurge in March that 1,000 schools use the system. Brian Tvenstrup, president of Eduspire, told the outlet that the company’s biggest obstacle to selling the product “is when a school isn’t culturally ready to make these kinds of changes yet.”

The system itself works as a piece of software installed on a computer or mobile device. Students request a pass through the software and the teacher then approves it. The tool promises “hall omniscience” with the ability to “always know who has a pass and who doesn’t (without asking the student!),” according to the product’s website.

Admins can then access data collected through the software, and view a live dashboard showing details on all passes. e-HallPass can also stop meet-ups of certain students and limit the amount of passes going to certain locations, the website adds, explicitly mentioning “vandalism and TikTok challenges.” Many of the schools Motherboard identified appear to use e-HallPass specifically on Chromebooks, according to student user guides and similar documents hosted on the schools’ websites, though it also advertises that it can be used to track students on their personal cell phones.

EdSurge reported that some people had taken to Change.org with a petition to remove the “creepy” system from a specific school. Motherboard found over a dozen similar petitions online, including one regarding Independence High School signed nearly 700 times which appears to have been written by a group of students.

“We are expected to be young adults and by this E-HP system taking place this year we have a great amount of freedom and independence being taken away,” the petition reads. “Many students that attend Indy have come together and decided to petition against this new system that has been created. We, as the students feel as if we’re being watched and monitored at all times throughout our school day, which is extremely uncomfortable.”

Eduspire did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Every dollar spent on these solutions is a dollar less that can be spent on hiring school counselors and teachers,” said Levin “Ultimately, the choice schools are facing is about the type of community they are seeking to foster: one focused on defending and punishing vs. one focused on supporting and uplifting. By its very nature, increased digital student surveillance leads to the former.”

He added that “The real issue/risks here, I think, are not so much broad cybersecurity risk but are ethical: about the type of environment schools are creating and whether it is humane and just.”

@Shreddedmanlet

lol

Reminder: Absolutely NO anti-CCP sentiment.

Intel has been getting shit on for a few years now. I checked the company rankings based on market value and AMD 67th while Intel ranks 73rd which I found to be rather surprising. I never realized things had changed this much. It is primarily due to similar quality with AMD being more budget friendly from what I can gather. Do you guys think AMD has finally beat Intel in the long run?

FYI, shortly after the @moonbirds CC0 announcement, I actually lost a 6 figure licensing deal that I’d been working on for a while.

I understand the decision, but the approach by the team could’ve been much better.

Upwards & Onwards

See you all at Parliament later today!

— Lakoz.eth (🦍 , 🦉) (@Lakoz_) August 5, 2022

HN