Guardian: Deforestation ‘roaring back’ despite 140-country vow to end destruction
Demand for beef, soy, palm oil and nickel hindering efforts to halt demolition by 2030, global report finds
Ars Technica: Artist appeals copyright denial for prize-winning AI-generated work
Jason Allen — a synthetic media artist whose Midjourney-generated work “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial” went viral and incited backlash after winning a state fair art competition — is not giving up his fight with the US Copyright Office.
Last fall, the Copyright Office refused to register Allen’s work, claiming that almost the entire work was AI-generated and insisting that copyright registration requires more human authorship than simply plugging a prompt into Midjourney.
Allen is now appealing that decision, asking for judicial review and alleging that “the negative media attention surrounding the Work may have influenced the Copyright Office Examiner’s perception and judgment.” He claims that the Examiner was biased and considered “improper factors” such as the public backlash when concluding that he had “no control over how the artificial intelligence tool analyzed, interpreted, or responded to these prompts.”
Lots of squirrley, difficult issues here! What fun!
Globe: Self-identifying Indigenous group got $74-million in federal cash, Inuit leader wants change
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
Natan Obed, president of an organization representing about 70,000 Inuit across Canada, said he wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a year ago to express his concern about the NunatuKavut Community Council’s ability to receive federal grants and fisheries allocations based on a “simple self-declaration of Inuit identity.”
He said he has not received a response.
Globe: A scientist built this DIY retirement planning app, and there’s a free trial
There’s been talk for years in the financial industry about do-it-yourself planning, but it hasn’t come together for reasons that include development costs and uncertain potential to generate revenue and profits.
Elisabeth Tillier’s MoneyReady Appisn’t bound by those constraints. The retired computational biologist developed the app using her own programming expertise and the knowledge she has built up about financial planning.
“I’ve always been a DIY investor,” Ms. Tillier said in an interview. “And then my dad was sick and I needed to help my mom with financial stuff. I thought, ‘You know, excel spreadsheets are not good enough for this,’ and I programmed it for myself.”
NYT: Masamitsu Yoshioka, Last Pearl Harbor Bombardier, Dies at 106
He was 23 years old when he took part in the attack that triggered America’s declaration of war against Japan. He rarely spoke publicly about it.
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“When I met him last year, he spoke many valuable words with a dignified presence,” Mr. Hayasaki wrote. “Have Japanese people forgotten something important since the end of the war? What is war? What is peace? What is life? Rest in peace.”
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Mr. Yoshioka was lucky — on that and several later occasions. He not only survived the stunning attack on America’s Pacific Fleet in Hawaii and returned safely to the aircraft carrier Soryu; he was also on leave in June 1942 when the vessel was sunk in the Battle of Midway. He served in the Palau Islands but was recuperating from malaria in the Philippines in 1944 before the bloody Battle of Peleliu. And by the time Japanese planes were ordered to make kamikaze attacks on Allied ships in the Pacific, his plane had been grounded by a shortage of spare parts.
PBS: Florida braces for possible worst-case scenario with Hurricane Milton
Links for video and audio streaming of report.
Stuff: Elon Musk says it would be ‘pointless’ to try to assassinate Kamala Harris
Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform X and is a high-profile backer of former president Donald Trump, said in an interview that it would be “pointless” to try to assassinate Vice President Kamala Harris - once again publicly airing questions about why no one has tried to kill her or President Joe Biden during a stretch in which Trump has faced two apparent attempts on his life.
Musk first raised the issue in a social media post last month that drew the attention of the Secret Service and that he later deleted amid a backlash. But in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that was published on social media Monday, the Tesla CEO revisited the topic as the two laughed about the premise of the post.
Musk seems to be descending into madness.
The Conversation: An unbroken night’s sleep is a myth. Here’s what good sleep looks like
Many think when their head hits the pillow, they should fall into a deep and restorative sleep, and emerge after about eight hours feeling refreshed. They’re in good company — many Australians hold the same belief.
In reality, healthy sleep is cyclic across the night, as you move in and out of the different stages of sleep, often waking up several times. Some people remember one or more of these awakenings, others do not. Let’s consider what a healthy night’s sleep looks like.
Hugely important topic.
9to5Mac: iFixit now sells tool to easily remove iPhone 16 battery
With the iPhone 16, Apple has made a lot of improvements when it comes to making devices more repairable. This includes a new method that uses low-voltage electric current to loosen and remove the battery. And for those working on repairing iPhones, iFixit has now launched a tool designed to help them remove the iPhone 16’s built-in battery.
The new VoltClip from iFixit is a USB-powered tool that delivers 9-12V of power to detach the battery in the iPhone 16. The tool includes a USB-C adapter for power input and alligator clips to be connected to the device.
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Unfortunately, this new method that uses low-voltage electric current to remove the battery is only available on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Both Pro and Pro Max models still have batteries with stretch-release adhesives.
Wales Online: Single blood pressure pill could save countless lives with new treatment plan, research finds
It works by combining several crucial hypertension treatments into one pill with one example being a single tablet that contains telmisartan, amlodipine and indapamide, all of which are currently used individually to treat hypertension. The research showed this combined approach was more effective than standard treatments in the early stages of their condition and patients didn’t suffer from side effects.
Hypertension is a pervasive disorder.
Last Updated: 08.Oct.2024 23:07 EDT
