Hackaday Supercon 2023 Lights Up Pasadena
At a high table in a nondescript alley, eight 8 hackers sit, gripping hot soldering irons, faces turned down, scrunched into expressions of intense concentration. They are competing to see who will be crowned the winner in a two-day tournament of te.....»»
Northern lights may be faintly visible across parts of the US this Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, solar storms may produce faint auroras across the northern rim of the United States......»»
Unexplained heat-wave "hotspots" are popping up across the globe
Earth's hottest recorded year was 2023, at 2.12°F above the 20th-century average. This surpassed the previous record set in 2016. So far, the 10 hottest yearly average temperatures have occurred in the past decade. And, with the hottest summer and h.....»»
HomeKit Weekly: Prepare for outdoor Christmas lights with the Leviton Matter-enabled Wi-Fi plug
As everyone turns to Thanksgiving, I am already starting to see retail stores slowly bring out some Christmas items, and there’s one thing you need to have ready to go ahead of time – an outdoor smart plug. For outdoor Christmas decorations, Chri.....»»
Exploring the impact of offshore wind on whale deaths
In the winter of 2022–2023, nearly a dozen whales died off the coast of New Jersey, near the sites of several proposed wind farms. Their deaths prompted concern that related survey work being conducted in the area somehow contributed to their death.....»»
Roundup: Govee"s selection of smart lights makes the holidays brighter
Govee products can finally join Apple Home thanks to Matter, so here are a few great holiday decoration options from Christmas tree lights to permanent outdoor LEDs.Bring smarts to your holiday lighting with Govee's Matter-compatible lightsGovee gave.....»»
Smarter city planning: Researchers use brain activity to predict visits to urban areas
Urbanization, the process by which cities and towns expand in size and population, is rapidly advancing globally, and the percentage of people living in urban environments has increased from 33% in 1960 to 57% in 2023......»»
Illegal mining clampdown in South Africa: Treating desperate people like criminals is an injustice
Illegal artisanal gold mining in South Africa is in the spotlight again. Under Operation Vala Umgodi ("plug the hole"), South African authorities have since December 2023 been trying to disrupt the illicit gold mining economy by cutting off water, fo.....»»
Why Ghanaian farmers have been unable to capitalize on record cocoa prices
International cocoa prices have experienced a historic price surge, rising by over 300% in the space of 12 months from £2,166 per ton of cocoa in April 2023 to £9,980 by April 2024. Prices have fallen since then, and are currently hovering around t.....»»
Join us today for Ars Live: Our first encounter with manipulative AI
At 4PM ET, join Benj Edwards and Simon Willison's live YouTube chat about the "Great Bing Chat Fiasco of 2023." In the short-term, the most dangerous thing about AI language model.....»»
A bit of bling helps insects dazzle their predators, high-speed camera study shows
Wearing a bright outfit covered in shiny sequins is a sure-fire way to attract attention. Just think of stars on stage—Beyonce, Taylor Swift or Harry Styles—their bedazzled outfits catch the lights, flashing and sparkling as they dance in concert.....»»
Samsung is developing Gemini AI-powered XR glasses, and we might’ve already seen them
Remember when Samsung invited Google and Qualcomm to announce the “next XR experience“? I know I do because it happened in early February 2023, during … The post Samsung is developing Gemini AI-powered XR glasses, and we might’.....»»
watchOS 10: Release date, supported devices, features, more
watchOS 10 was Apple’s main operating system for Apple Watch models from September 2023 to September 2024. It brought a redesign for larger displays, a … The post watchOS 10: Release date, supported devices, features, more appeared first.....»»
iPadOS 17: Release date, compatible devices, features, more
iPadOS 17 was Apple’s main operating system for its iPad models from September 2023 to September 2024. After tightening the integration between iPad and Mac … The post iPadOS 17: Release date, compatible devices, features, more appeared first.....»»
Extreme heat weakens land"s power to absorb carbon, analysis finds
A new European Space Agency-backed study shows that the extreme heat waves of 2023, which fueled huge wildfires and severe droughts, also undermined the land's capacity to soak up atmospheric carbon. This diminished carbon uptake drove atmospheric ca.....»»
Zero-days dominate top frequently exploited vulnerabilities
A joint report by leading cybersecurity agencies from the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand has identified the most commonly exploited vulnerabilities of 2023. Zero-day vulnerabilities on the rise The advisory highlights that malicious cyb.....»»
Researchers use high-resolution images to create model that predicts landslide risk in coastal areas
São Sebastião, a municipality on the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil that was partially cut off from the rest of the country in February 2023 after a period of torrential rain, had more than 1,000 landslide points, according to an inventory pro.....»»
Aerospace employees targeted with malicious “dream job” offers
It’s not just North Korean hackers who reach out to targets via LinkedIn: since at least September 2023, Iranian threat actor TA455 has been trying to compromise workers in the aerospace industry by impersonating job recruiters on the popular e.....»»
More evidence that Europe"s ancient landscapes were open woodlands: Study finds oak, hazel and yew were abundant
In 2023 a research group from Aarhus University in Denmark found that light woodland and open vegetation dominated Europe's temperate forests before Homo sapiens. In a new study, recently published in the Journal of Ecology, they take a closer look a.....»»
What can we expect at the COP29 Climate Conference?
With a climate-denialist re-elected as US president and another petrostate host (following Dubai in 2023)—hopes for ambitious outcomes at the 29th UN Climate Change "Conference of the Parties" (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan are not high......»»
Ars Live: Our first encounter with manipulative AI
On Nov. 19, join Benj Edwards and Simon Willison's live YouTube chat about the "Great Bing Chat Fiasco of 2023." In the short-term, the most dangerous thing about AI language mode.....»»