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Submission + - The Pentagon Wants to Use AI to Create Deepfake Internet Users (theintercept.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The Department of Defense wants technology so it can fabricate online personas that are indistinguishable from real people.

The United States’ secretive Special Operations Command is looking for companies to help create deepfake internet users so convincing that neither humans nor computers will be able to detect they are fake, according to a procurement document reviewed by The Intercept.

The plan, mentioned in a new 76-page wish list by the Department of Defense’s Joint Special Operations Command, or JSOC, outlines advanced technologies desired for country’s most elite, clandestine military efforts. “Special Operations Forces (SOF) are interested in technologies that can generate convincing online personas for use on social media platforms, social networking sites, and other online content,” the entry reads.

Submission + - SpaceX Requests Starlink Gen2 Modification, Previews Gigabit-Speeds (satellitetoday.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: For comparison, Starlink’s current statement on service speeds is that users typically experience download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps, and a majority of users experience speeds over 100 Mbps.

In 2022, the FCC partially approved SpaceX to deploy a Gen2 Starlink constellation of up to 7,500 satellites for fixed satellite services (FSS) in the Ku- and Ka-bands, then later authorized Gen2 operations using additional frequencies in the E- and V-bands.

SpaceX reported that since then, it has deployed more than 3,000 satellites in the Gen2 system and the full Starlink constellation serves more than four million people.

Submission + - Chinese Scientists Report Using Quantum Computer To Hack Military-Grade Encrypti (thequantuminsider.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Chinese researchers, using a D-Wave quantum computer, claim to have executed what they are calling the first successful quantum attack on widely used encryption algorithms, posing a “real and substantial threat” to sectors like banking and the military, as reported by SCMP.

The D-Wave Advantage, initially designed for non-cryptographic applications, was used to breach SPN-structured algorithms but has not yet cracked specific passcodes, highlighting the early-stage nature of this threat.

Despite the advance, the researchers acknowledge limitations such as environmental interference, underdeveloped hardware and the inability to develop a single attack method for multiple encryption systems still hinder quantum computing’s full cryptographic potential.

Submission + - Solar-powered low-cost drinking water desalination system without batteries (knowridge.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Engineers from MIT have developed a groundbreaking desalination system that runs entirely on solar power without needing extra batteries.

This innovative system can remove salt from water by adapting its energy use to the amount of sunlight available, offering a more efficient, low-cost way to produce clean drinking water.

The research, published in Nature Water, highlights the potential of this technology to provide much-needed drinking water, especially in areas with limited access to electricity or seawater.

Unlike traditional desalination systems that rely on fossil fuels or need constant energy supplies, this solar-powered system adjusts its operations based on sunlight levels.

As the sun rises during the day, the system increases its desalination rate, and when clouds block the sun, the system quickly reduces its energy consumption.

This flexibility allows the system to maximize the use of solar energy without needing a battery or a backup power source.

The system was tested on groundwater wells in New Mexico over six months, where it produced up to 5,000 liters of clean water per day, even with changing weather conditions. On average, the system converted over 94% of the solar energy into desalination power, outperforming other solar-powered desalination systems.

“Conventional desalination systems need steady power, often provided by batteries, to handle variable solar energy,” said Winter. “Our system, by varying its energy use in sync with the sun, eliminates the need for extra power storage while efficiently producing water.”

Submission + - 58.9% of medical journal reviewers received pharmaceutical industry payments (substack.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: 58.9% of journal reviewers received pharmaceutical industry payments, revealing massive conflict of interest.

A new research letter published Thursday in the peer-reviewed publisher JAMA reveals that reviewers for major medical journals have received $1.06 billion in pharmaceutical industry payments, highlighting significant conflicts of interest within medical research.

The letter begins by emphasizing the existence of “conflicts of interest of journal editors and authors” and that “the traditionally opaque nature of peer review has hindered their evaluation among peer reviewers, despite their crucial role in academic publishing.”

The authors point out that while most journals have established conflict of interest policies for authors, “fewer extend these policies to peer reviewers.”

Submission + - The Radio-Obsessed Civilian Shaping Ukraine's Drone Defense (technologyreview.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov hates going to the front line. The risks terrify him. “I’m really not happy to do it at all,” he says. But to perform his particular self-appointed role in the Russia-Ukraine war, he believes it’s critical to exchange the relative safety of his suburban home north of the capital for places where the prospect of death is much more immediate. “From Kyiv,” he says, “nobody sees the real situation.” So about once a month, he drives hundreds of kilometers east in a homemade mobile intelligence center: a black VW van in which stacks of radio hardware connect to an array of antennas on the roof that stand like porcupine quills when in use. Two small devices on the dash monitor for nearby drones. Over several days at a time, Flash studies the skies for Russian radio transmissions and tries to learn about the problems facing troops in the fields and in the trenches.

He is, at least in an unofficial capacity, a spy. But unlike other spies, Flash does not keep his work secret. In fact, he shares the results of these missions with more than 127,000 followers—including many soldiers and government officials—on several public social media channels. Earlier this year, for instance, he described how he had recorded five different Russian reconnaissance drones in a single night—one of which was flying directly above his van. “Brothers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I am trying to inspire you,” he posted onhis Facebook page in February, encouraging Ukrainian soldiers to learn how to recognize enemy drone signals as he does. “You will spread your wings, you will understand over time how to understand distance and, at some point, you will save the lives of dozens of your colleagues.”

Drones have come to define the brutal conflict that has now dragged on for more than two and a half years. And most rely on radio communications—a technology that Flash has obsessed over since childhood. So while Flash is now a civilian, the former officer has still taken it upon himselfto inform his country’s defense in all matters related to radio. As well as the frontline information he shares on his public channels, he runs a “support service” for almost 2,000 military communications specialists on Signal and writes guides for building anti-drone equipment on a tight budget. “He’s a celebrity,” one special forces officer recently shouted to me over the thump of music in a Kyiv techno club. He’s “like a ray of sun,” an aviation specialist in Ukraine’s army told me. Flash tells me that he gets 500 messages every day asking for help.

Comment Re:Good (Score 1) 70

Umpires and their mistakes are necessary evil, like police. They add no value.

No one comes to a ball game to watch umpires.
The outcome of a games should be determined by the players and their coaches, not umpires
Nothing an umpire does can improve a game. If he gets every call correct he has not made the game better. So all he can do is diminish the game.

MLB ought to have a zero-tolerance for umpire mistakes. To that end robo-umps are the best solution.

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