🔗 Eclectic Articles: Wed 12.Feb.2025

Jason Snell (Macworld): Apple Intelligence’s biggest problem isn’t the Intelligence–it’s Apple

The famous saying is that when you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. It’s clear that when Apple began its crash program to add Apple Intelligence to its operating systems, the goal was not to solve user problems but to insert AI features anywhere it could. This is the antithesis of Apple’s usual philosophy of solving problems rather than adopting the latest technology, and it has burned the company in some high-profile ways.

via Manton

Niléane: “If you ever send me a screensh…"

If you ever send me a screenshot or a photo where your computer screen is visible…

I greatly enjoyed this short conversation!

MacRumors: Testing the New ASUS ProArt 5K Display

There aren’t too many 5K displays on the market that can compete with Apple’s Studio Display, but ASUS recently came out with the ASUS ProArt Display 5K, which is a solid competitor. The ProArt Display 5K features a 27-inch 5K screen with 218 pixels per inch, aka retina quality.

ASUS sells the ProArt Display 5K for $799, so it’s actually half the price of the Studio Display, and much, much cheaper than the Pro Display XDR. The ProArt Display is more generic looking than Apple’s monitors, so you’re not getting Apple style, but if you’re used to looking at a 5K Retina display and you need a second monitor, you can get that same general screen quality at a cheaper price.

pv magazine: Study shows sensitivity of heterojunction solar cells to soldering flux

An international research team has assessed the impact of soldering flux on heterojunction solar cells and has found that the composition of this component is key to prevent major cracks and significant peeling.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Chinese-Canadian PV module maker Canadian Solar have investigated the effect of soldering flux on both TOPCon and heterojunction (HJT) solar cells and have ascertained that the choice of this component is key to avoiding potential module failures.

ScienceAlert: Anorexia Patients Reveal a Distinct Pattern in Their Brain Activity

Anorexia nervosa is a serious mental health condition, characterized by restricted eating, fear of weight gain, and insidious body-image disturbances. Patients face increased risk of severe anxiety, depression, and malnutrition.

According to a new study, anorexia may arise at least partly due to changes in neurotransmitter function within a patient’s brain.

SMH: Sydney fake sex abuse scam sparks seven arrests

Detectives have arrested seven people over an alleged billion-dollar scam in which a crime syndicate coached former young offenders, inmates and school students to file false sex abuse claims with the NSW government.

A third of the population of one NSW prison has submitted claims, and multiple law firms are now under investigation for their roles in thousands of “strikingly similar” complaints.

CBC: Fatal parking lot crash involving modified truck leads to RCMP warning

Police say the modifications made to the truck, including a raised suspension, oversized tires and tinted windows contributed to the fatal crash.

They say the modifications made driving in the crowded parking lot unsafe, and weren’t part of the original truck design.

It seems like such trucks may be fairly common.

CBC: B.C. judge allows eagle sculpture insurance case despite ‘inexcusable’ delays

“The thieves cut the strap of the backpack in which the eagles were concealed, and ran away,” his company’s lawsuit says. 

Shore says he gave chase and caught up to the thief’s getaway vehicle, grabbing hold of them through a window, but the lawsuit says the assailant rolled up the window and trapped Shore by the arm and took off. 

He was dragged for about 180 metres before being pushed from the truck and run over after falling to the road, he says. 

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But even with the delays, Justice Lisa Warren found it was in the “interests of justice to allow the claim to proceed.”

The judge found some of the delays were due to Shore doing some of his own legal work as a “lay litigant,” and evidence he gave about his health and financial situation “is vague and limited to his own bald assertions without any objective corroboration.”

Last Updated: 12.Feb.2025 23:42 EST

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