Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms in a hexagonal lattice, has gained significant attention in the scientific community due to its unique electronic properties. However, when two or more layers of graphene are combined, new and exotic phenomena emerge. One such phenomenon is the formation of flat bands in twisted bilayer graphene, which can
Recently, players of Helldivers 2 have been buzzing with excitement over rumors of a new enemy faction possibly emerging in the game. The mysterious sightings of a strange purple blob on the Galactic War map have sparked speculation that the Illuminate, a formidable armada of evil squid-like creatures, may be making a return. The development
The rise of deepfake pornography, especially nonconsensual deepfake videos of women, has been a growing concern in recent years. While the issue is pervasive, there seems to be a disproportionate focus on political deepfakes by legislators, rather than intimate image-based deepfakes. Despite the prevalence of nonconsensual deepfakes, there is a lack of consistent legislation across
A coalition of consumer protection and anti-waste groups is demanding action from the Federal Trade Commission to tackle the issue of “software tethering.” This practice ties hardware functionality to external software, often rendering products unusable once software updates stop. The groups, including Consumer Reports, iFixIt, US PIRG, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Economic
Amazon is facing scrutiny over its treatment of contracted delivery drivers, with a regional director for the National Labor Relations Board stating that the company should be considered a “joint employer” of some of these drivers. The NLRB was investigating two unfair labor practice charges filed in January, specifically regarding Amazon’s treatment of drivers at
In a recent report by Tubular Labs, there has been a noticeable increase in longer versions of short video clips across major social media platforms. The data indicates that on YouTube, shorter video uploads under 30 seconds have increased by double digits in the first half of the year, while longer clips over 30 seconds
With the U.S. Election campaign gradually gaining momentum, TikTok has announced an updated U.S. Election Center in the app, which will feature a range of informational tools to help keep TikTok users accurately informed in the lead up to the vote. The app is expanding the resources available in the US Election Center, in partnership
In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology, the availability and use of data have become critical issues. While the initial wave of generative AI tools relied heavily on publicly available data scraped from the internet, there is now a growing trend towards restricting access to data sources and implementing licensing agreements. This shift has
Former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is facing trial for his involvement in the “dieselgate” scandal that rocked the German auto industry. The scandal, which came to light in 2015, revealed that Volkswagen had used software to cheat emissions tests in millions of vehicles worldwide. This revelation led to one of Germany’s biggest post-war industrial scandals,
The ongoing conflict between Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by SpaceX, and the social network X in Brazil has escalated to a point where drastic measures have been taken. The Brazilian supreme court took the decision to block X in the country due to its refusal to comply with court orders and pay fines.