Wednesday, 15 October

10:00 EDT

ROG Xbox Ally X: The Ars Technica review [Ars Technica - All content]

Here at Ars, we have been writing about rumors of a portable Xbox for literal decades now. With the ROG Xbox Ally, Microsoft has finally made those rumors a reality in the weirdest, most Microsoft way possible.

Yes, the $600 ROG Xbox Ally—and its souped-up cousin, the $1,000, ridiculous-mouthful-of-a-name ROG Xbox Ally X, which we tested—are the first official handheld hardware to sport the Xbox brand name. But Microsoft isn’t taking the exclusive-heavy, walled garden software approach that it has been committed to for nearly 25 years of Xbox home consoles. Instead, the ROG Xbox Ally is, at its base, simply a new version of Asus’ Windows-based ROG Ally line with an Xbox-flavored coat of paint.

That coat of paint—what Microsoft is calling the Xbox Full-screen Experience (FSE)—represents the company’s belated attempt to streamline the Windows gaming experience to be a bit more console-like in terms of user interface and overall simplicity. While that’s a worthy vision, the execution in these early days is so spotty and riddled with annoyances that it’s hard to recommend over the SteamOS-based competition.

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Study: We're losing the war against drug-resistant infections faster than we thought [NPR Topics: News]

This micrograph image depicts a gastrointestinal bacteria that can become pathogenic after trauma, surgery or other disruptions.

Antimicrobial resistance is responsible for some 1.2 million deaths a year a year and contributes to millions more. Data in the new report shows that the problem is growing at an alarming rate.

(Image credit: Smith Collection/Gado)

A Supreme Court ruling on voting rights could boost Republicans' redistricting efforts [NPR Topics: News]

Demonstrators holding signs in support of minority voting rights stand outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in March.

A Supreme Court case over Louisiana's congressional map could determine the future of Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination and allow Republicans to draw 19 more House seats.

(Image credit: Jemal Countess)

Raila Odinga, Kenya's former Prime Minister, dies at 80 [NPR Topics: News]

Raila Odinga, the leader of the Kenyan opposition coalition Azimio la Umoja, in Nairobi on March 28, 2023.

Raila Odinga — the towering figure of Kenyan politics who helped usher in multiparty democracy and a new constitution — has died in India at 80.

(Image credit: YASUYOSHI CHIBA)

09:00 EDT

One-Minute Daily AI news 10/14/2025 [AI Daily News by Bush Bush]

  1. ChatGPT will soon allow erotica for verified adults, says OpenAI boss.[1]
  2. Oracle Cloud to deploy 50,000 AMD AI chips, signaling new Nvidia competition.[2]
  3. Google Announces First AI Hub in India, Bringing Company’s Full AI Stack and Consumer Services to Country.[3]
  4. Pupils fear AI is eroding their ability to study, research finds.[4]
Sources:

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd2qv58yl5o

[2] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/14/oracle-cloud-to-deploy-50000-amd-ai-chips-as-alternative-to-nvidia.html

[3] https://www.googlecloudpresscorner.com/2025-10-14-Google-Announces-First-AI-Hub-in-India,-Bringing-Companys-Full-AI-Stack-and-Consumer-Services-to-Country

[4] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/15/pupils-fear-ai-eroding-study-ability-research

08:00 EDT

Gaza ceasefire deal tested. And, Supreme Court hears case questioning voting rights [NPR Topics: News]

Israeli protesters gather at the Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Oct. 14 to call for the release of all the bodies of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

Israel pressures Hamas to hand over hostage bodies more quickly, testing the ceasefire deal. And, the Supreme Court takes up a major case on that could weaken the Voting Rights Act nationwide.

(Image credit: Ahmad Gharabli)

In rural America, scarce doctors battle misinformation as they practice medicine [NPR Topics: News]

Dr. Banu Symington, at her office in Rock Springs, Wyo., is one of just a few full-time oncologists practicing in the state.

Conspiracy theories about health fill a vacuum created by the lack of doctors in many rural communities. Meanwhile, doctors in these areas say patients have become increasingly distrustful and sometimes hostile.

(Image credit: Charles Paajoe Tetteh for NPR)

07:00 EDT

FSF Announces the LibrePhone Project [Slashdot]

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has launched the LibrePhone Project, an initiative to create a fully free and open-source mobile operating system that eliminates proprietary firmware and binary blobs. From the FSF: "Librephone is a new initiative by the FSF with the goal of bringing full freedom to the mobile computing environment. The vast majority of software users around the world use a mobile phone as their primary computing device. After forty years of advocacy for computing freedom, the FSF will now work to bring the right to study, change, share, and modify the programs users depend on in their daily lives to mobile phones. ... Practically, Librephone aims to close the last gaps between existing distributions of the Android operating system and software freedom. The FSF has hired experienced developer Rob Savoye (DejaGNU, Gnash, OpenStreetMap, and more) to lead the technical project. He is currently investigating the state of device firmware and binary blobs in other mobile phone freedom projects, prioritizing the free software work done by the not entirely free software mobile phone operating system LineageOS." The project site can be found here.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Israel keeps Gaza border crossing closed while reducing aid deliveries [NPR Topics: News]

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing wait to cross into the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday.

The ceasefire on Wednesday was largely holding, although Hamas described Israeli attacks in Gaza as violations of the agreement.

(Image credit: AFP)

U.S. charges Cambodian tycoon in massive alleged cryptocurrency scam [NPR Topics: News]

This file photo shows bitcoin tokens in Sandy, Utah.

In an indictment unsealed in federal court, U.S. prosecutors charge the founder of a Cambodian conglomerate in a massive cryptocurrency scam, bilking would-be investors out of billions of dollars.

(Image credit: Rick Bowmer)

'Broadcasting' has its roots in agriculture. Here's how it made its way into media [NPR Topics: News]

People gather around a large valve radio in 1940. By that point, over 80% of American households owned a radio.

The word 'broadcasting' dates back centuries, and originally described a method of sowing seeds. But it took on a new meaning with the rise of radio in the 1920s.

(Image credit: FPG)

Thousands of federal employees are getting laid off. Will a judge intervene? [NPR Topics: News]

A woman walks past a sign indicating the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is closed as the federal government continues its shutdown on Oct. 6, 2025.

Unions representing federal employees have asked a federal judge in San Francisco to halt the Trump administration's latest round of layoffs, which are coming amid the government shutdown.

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

Supreme Court hears case that questions major plank of voting rights [NPR Topics: News]

U.S. Supreme Court Police direct visitors from behind security barriers in front of court building, which is obscured in construction scaffolding, on the first day of the Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday hears a case that could strike down the last major part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that remains standing.

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)

Scientists are modifying wildlife DNA. Should these species be released into nature? [NPR Topics: News]

Warming ocean temperatures are threatening coral reefs globally. Scientists are researching ways to genetically modify corals to be more resilient to hotter temperatures.

Scientists are researching ways to genetically modify plants and animals to be more resistant to threats like climate change. The IUCN is voting on whether those species should be allowed in nature.

(Image credit: Greg Torda)

Many rural schools rely on international teachers. Trump's visa changes threaten that [NPR Topics: News]

President Trump, accompanied by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaks on Sept. 19 after signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House. Trump signed two executive orders, establishing the "Trump Gold Card" and introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.

The Trump administration announced a $100,000 fee to accompany each H1-B visa. The fine could wreak havoc on rural school districts that rely on them to bring in teachers.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

How much can Tesla pay Elon Musk? Delaware's Supreme Court will decide [NPR Topics: News]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is pictured as he attends the start of the production at Tesla

On Wednesday, the Delaware Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit over Tesla's record-setting compensation package for Elon Musk.

(Image credit: PATRICK PLEUL)

04:00 EDT

Common Yeast Can Survive Martian Conditions [Slashdot]

A new study shows that common baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) can survive Mars-like conditions, including meteorite shock waves and toxic perchlorate salts found in Martian soil. Phys.org reports: Published in PNAS Nexus, Purusharth I. Rajyaguru and colleagues subjected Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is a widely used model yeast, to shock waves and perchlorates. The authors chose the yeast in part because it has already been studied in space. When stressed, yeast, humans, and many other organisms form ribonucleoprotein (RNP) condensates, structures made of RNA and proteins that protect RNA and affect the fates of mRNAs. When the stressor passes, the RNP condensates, which include subtypes known as stress granules and P-bodies, disassemble. The authors simulated Martian shock waves at the High-Intensity Shock Tube for Astrochemistry (HISTA) housed in the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, India. Yeast exposed to 5.6 Mach intensity shock waves survived with slowed growth, as did yeast subjected to 100 mM sodium salt of perchlorate (NaClO4) -- a concentration similar to that in Martian soils. Yeast cells also survived exposure to the combined stress of shock waves and perchlorate stress. In both cases, the yeast assembled RNP condensates. Shock waves induced the assembly of stress granules and P-bodies; perchlorate caused yeast to make P-bodies but not stress granules. Mutants incapable of assembling RNP condensates were poor at surviving the Martian stress condition. Transcriptome analysis identified specific RNA transcripts perturbed by Mars-like conditions.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

03:00 EDT

Supreme Court rejects Alex Jones' appeal of Sandy Hook shooting defamation judgment [NPR Topics: News]

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seen taking the witness stand to testify at the Sandy Hook defamation damages trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Waterbury, Conn., Sept. 22, 2022.

The Supreme Court Tuesday rejected an appeal from Alex Jones and left in place the $1.4 billion judgment against him over his description of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as a hoax.

(Image credit: Tyler Sizemore/Pool Hearst Connecticut Media)

00:00 EDT

'Save Our Signs' Preservation Project Launches Archive of 10,000 National Park Signs [Slashdot]

An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: On Monday, a publicly-sourced archive of more than 10,000 national park signs and monument placards went public as part of a massive volunteer project to save historical and educational placards from around the country that risk removal by the Trump administration. Visitors to national parks and other public monuments at more than 300 sites across the U.S. took photos of signs and submitted them to the archive to be saved in case they're ever removed in the wake of the Trump administration's rewriting of park history. The full archive is available here, with submissions from July to the end of September. The signs people have captured include historical photos from Alcatraz, stories from the African American Civil War Memorial, photos and accounts from the Brown v. Board of Education National History Park, and hundreds more sites. "I'm so excited to share this collaborative photo collection with the public. As librarians, our goal is to preserve the knowledge and stories told in these signs. We want to put the signs back in the people's hands," Jenny McBurney, Government Publications Librarian at the University of Minnesota and one of the co-founders of the Save Our Signs project, said in a press release. "We are so grateful for all the people who have contributed their time and energy to this project. The outpouring of support has been so heartening. We hope the launch of this archive is a way for people to see all their work come together."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Tuesday, 14 October

23:00 EDT

DOJ Seizes $15 Billion In Bitcoin From Massive 'Pig Butchering' Scam Based In Cambodia [Slashdot]

The U.S. Department of Justice seized about $15 billion in bitcoin from wallets tied to Chen Zhi, founder of Cambodia's Prince Holding Group, who is accused of running one of the world's biggest "pig butchering" scams. Prosecutors say Zhi's network trafficked people into forced-labor scam compounds that defrauded victims worldwide through fake crypto investment schemes. CNBC reports: The seizure is the largest forfeiture action by the DOJ in history. An indictment charging the alleged pig butcher, Chen Zhi, was unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Zhi, who is also known as "Vincent," remains at large, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was identified in court filings as the founder and chairman of Prince Holding Group, a multinational business conglomerate based in Cambodia, which prosecutors said grew "in secret .... into one of Asia's largest transnational criminal organizations. [...] The scams duped people contacted via social media and messaging applications online into transferring cryptocurrency into accounts controlled by the scheme with false promises that the crypto would be invested and produce profits, according to the office. "In reality, the funds were stolen from the victims and laundered for the benefit of the perpetrators," the release said. "The scam perpetrators often built relationships with their victims over time, earning their trust before stealing their funds." Prosecutors said that hundreds of people were trafficked and forced to work in the scam compounds, "often under the threat of violence." Zhi and a network of top executives in the Prince Group are accused of using political influence in multiple countries to protect their criminal enterprise and paid bribes to public officials to avoid actions by law enforcement authorities targeting the scheme, according to prosecutors.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

With new cuts at CDC, some fear there's 'nobody to answer the phone' [NPR Topics: News]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff and supporters protested cuts to the agency outside its headquarters in August. Over this past weekend, hundreds more employees were fired.

More than 1,300 staffers at the health agency got notices they were fired — but more than half were reinstated. The cuts will hobble some divisions, employees say.

(Image credit: Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg)

Young Republicans, same as the Old Republicans [Pharyngula]

You’d think they’d learn. The Young Republicans had a signal chat where they thought everything was confidential among themselves, so they indulged themselves in profanity, misogyny, and racism while they were discussing their strategy for taking over the YR organization. Ha ha, it was leaked, and these unpleasant young men have been exposed. They were revealed to be repulsive people who hoped to be the future of the Republican party.

The 2,900 pages of chats, shared among a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans between early January and mid-August, chronicle their campaign to seize control of the national Young Republican organization on a hardline pro-Donald Trump platform. Many of the chat members already work inside government or party politics, and one serves as a state senator.

Together, the messages reveal a culture where racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric circulate freely — and where the Trump-era loosening of political norms has made such talk feel less taboo among those positioning themselves as the party’s next leaders.

Read the linked article if you really want to know what they had to say. I can say that at least the organizer has “apologized” for the disgusting conversation.

“I am so sorry to those offended by the insensitive and inexcusable language found within the more than 28,000 messages of a private group chat that I created during my campaign to lead the Young Republicans,” he said. “While I take complete responsibility, I have had no way of verifying their accuracy and am deeply concerned that the message logs in question may have been deceptively doctored.”

Classic. He’s apologizing that people were offended, and further is suggesting that the logs were faked. He was just ridiculously bigoted, he’s been caught, and now he wants to conjure up some plausible denial.

Giunta was the most prominent voice in the chat spreading racist messages — often encouraged or “liked” by other members.

When Luke Mosiman, the chair of the Arizona Young Republicans, asked if the New Yorkers in the chat were watching an NBA playoff game, Giunta responded, “I’d go to the zoo if I wanted to watch monkey play ball.” Giunta elsewhere refers to Black people as “the watermelon people.”

Hendrix made a similar remark in July: “Bro is at a chicken restaurant ordering his food. Would he like some watermelon and kool aid with that?”

Hendrix was a communications assistant for Kansas’ Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach until Thursday. He also said in the chat that, despite political differences, he’s drawn to Missouri’s Young Republican organization because “Missouri doesn’t like f–s.”

They’ve all got the same old tired racist “jokes”. Cancel ’em all. Hendrix has already lost his position in Missouri, despite, hypothetically, Missourians not liking homosexuals.

Flush all their careers away for being racist, and the one thing that might condemn them in the eyes of their fellow Republicans, being tech-stupid. Future Republicans are expected to be racist and savvy about communications — fortunately, they all seem to be ignorant idiots.

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