Lilbits: Khadas Edge2 and VIM1S mini PCs, Asus Expertbook B6 Flip mobile workstation, and using an portable E Ink display

The Asus ExpertBook line of business-class laptops now has its first mobile workstation-class machine. Microsoft has rolled out an update for the Windows Subsystem for Android that makes it easier to resize Android apps properly on a Windows 11 PC. An…

The Asus ExpertBook line of business-class laptops now has its first mobile workstation-class machine. Microsoft has rolled out an update for the Windows Subsystem for Android that makes it easier to resize Android apps properly on a Windows 11 PC. And single-board PC maker Khadas has posted a teaser for several upcoming devices set to […]

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19th century art form revived to make tactile science graphics for blind people

“Everything I can see with my eyes, a person who is blind can feel with their fingers.”

3D-printed lithophanes can help optically impaired scientists “see” data, such as from protein separation gels, with their fingertips.

Enlarge / 3D-printed lithophanes can help optically impaired scientists “see” data, such as from protein separation gels, with their fingertips. (credit: ordan Koone/Bryan Shaw)

In the 19th century, an art form known as lithophanes was all the rage in Western Europe. These thin engravings were usually made from translucent materials like porcelain or wax. When backlit, a glowing 3D image would appear that would change its features in response to variations in the light source. Now researchers have revived this art form to create tactile graphics to illustrate scientific data that glow with high resolution. According to a recent paper published in the journal Science Advances, these lithophanes are accessible to sighted and visually impaired people, making them a universal visualization tool for scientific data.

"This research is an example of art making science more accessible and inclusive. Art is rescuing science from itself," said co-author Bryan Shaw, a biochemist at Baylor. "The data and imagery of science—for example, the stunning images coming out from the new Webb telescope—are inaccessible to people who are blind. We show, however, that thin translucent tactile graphics, called lithophanes, can make all of this imagery accessible to everyone regardless of eyesight. As we like to say, 'data for all.'"

The word "lithophane" derives from the Greek litho (stone or rock) and phainein (to cause to appear), popularly translated as "light in stone." The art form's roots may date back to ancient China, as many as 1,000 years before the Tang Dynasty. (Historical sources describe paper-thin bowls with hidden decorations.) But to date, no actual lithophanes are known to have been in China before 1800.

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Wollen wir wirklich die maximale Katastrophe?

Wir leben in einer Phase von Krisen-Eskalationen. Wird nichts dagegen getan, droht langfristig der Kollaps. Welche Rolle spielen vor diesem Szenario Energiekrise, Inflation und Ukraine-Krieg?

Wir leben in einer Phase von Krisen-Eskalationen. Wird nichts dagegen getan, droht langfristig der Kollaps. Welche Rolle spielen vor diesem Szenario Energiekrise, Inflation und Ukraine-Krieg?

FCC has approved $6 billion in broadband grants despite rejecting Starlink

Fixed wireless and fiber ISPs get money as FCC continues cleanup of Pai program.

An Ethernet cable

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Several US government agencies are having a busy week for doling out broadband deployment funding to ISPs and state governments. Today, the FCC announced $791.6 million for six broadband providers, covering network expansions to over 350,000 homes and businesses in 19 states. The ISPs will receive the money over 10 years.

"This round of funding supports projects using a range of network technologies, including gigabit service hybrid fiber/fixed wireless deployments that will provide end-user locations with either fiber or fixed wireless network service using licensed spectrum," the FCC said. Funded ISPs include Nextlink Internet and Starry.

Separately, the Treasury Department and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) this week announced new grants for states and Tribal entities (more on that later in this article).

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AI wins state fair art contest, annoys humans

Stealth win for AI-generated art inspires heated ethics debate on social media.

An AI-generated image that won a prize at the Colorado State Fair

Enlarge / The winning entry, Théåtre D'opéra Spatial. (credit: Jason Allen)

A synthetic media artist named Jason Allen entered AI-generated artwork into the Colorado State Fair fine arts competition and announced last week that he won first place in the Digital Arts/Digitally Manipulated Photography category, Vice reported Wednesday based on a viral tweet.

Allen used Midjourney—a commercial image synthesis model available through a Discord server—to create a series of three images. He then upscaled them, printed them on canvas, and submitted them to the competition in early August. To his delight, one of the images (titled Théåtre D'opéra Spatial) captured the top prize, and he posted about his victory on the Midjourney Discord server on Friday.

Allen’s Discord post announcing victory.

Allen’s Discord post announcing victory. (credit: MidJourney Discord)

Allen's victory prompted lively discussions on Twitter, Reddit, and the Midjourney Discord server about the nature of art and what it means to be an artist. Some commenters think human artistry is doomed thanks to AI and that all artists are destined to be replaced by machines. Others think art will evolve and adapt with new technologies that come along, citing synthesizers in music. It's a hot debate that Wired covered in July.

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GKD mini Plus is a retro game console with detachable analog sticks

The GKD mini Plus is a handheld game console with a 3.5 inch display and a compact design that should make the system easy to slide into a pocket. In fact, it looks nearly identical to the original GKD mini, with a D-Pad and four action buttons on the…

The GKD mini Plus is a handheld game console with a 3.5 inch display and a compact design that should make the system easy to slide into a pocket. In fact, it looks nearly identical to the original GKD mini, with a D-Pad and four action buttons on the front, plus a few shoulder buttons […]

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Today’s best deals: Apple AirPods Max, Peacock subscriptions, and more

Dealmaster also has gaming monitors, the MacBook Pro, and Google’s Chromecast.

Today’s best deals: Apple AirPods Max, Peacock subscriptions, and more

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

It's Wednesday, and that means it's time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a notable discount on Apple's AirPods Max, which are currently down to $429 in various colors at Amazon. That's not the absolute lowest price we've ever seen for Apple's noise-canceling headphones, but it's still about $45 off its usual price in recent months and $120 off Apple's MSRP.

This is still an expensive set of headphones even with the discount, but as we've noted in past guides, the Max still offer superb sound quality for a wireless headphone and exceptionally effective active noise cancellation. They're on the heavy side compared to competing pairs like Sony's WH-1000XM4 and WH-1000XM5, but their aluminum finish has a premium feel as a result. They also come with all the perks of any other set of AirPods, including easy pairing with iPhones, Macs, and Apple TVs and integration with services like Find My device tracking and Siri.

The Max still carry a few odd design quirks: They can't fold up for easier storage, and they don't have a dedicated power off button, instead relying on a flimsy holder that puts them into a low-power mode. They can't connect to multiple devices simultaneously, either, and while their 20 hours of battery life is solid, we've seen better from other pairs. For most people, the WH-1000XM4 remain a better value that get close enough in performance at a much lower price. But the Max's audio and noise-canceling quality is a step up, so if you own an iPhone and have a bit more to spend, this should be a more digestible price for a quality pair of travel or office headphones. Just note that the Max have been available since late 2020, and Apple has a new product event scheduled for next week; we haven't seen many rumors that suggest a refreshed Max is imminent, but there's still a chance that one arrives before the end of the year.

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ARM sues Qualcomm over license and trademark issues related to Nuvia acquisition

Qualcomm has dominated the smartphone chip market for years, but the company has had a tougher time breaking into the PC market. So Qualcomm acquired a startup called Nuvia last year, which was already working on processors meant to rival the chips th…

Qualcomm has dominated the smartphone chip market for years, but the company has had a tougher time breaking into the PC market. So Qualcomm acquired a startup called Nuvia last year, which was already working on processors meant to rival the chips that power Apple’s latest laptop and desktop computers. Both Qualcomm and Nuvia make […]

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Court Orders Telegram to Disclose Personal Details of Pirating Users

The High Court in Delhi ordered Telegram to share the personal details of copyright-infringing users with rightsholders. The messaging app refused to do so, citing privacy concerns and freedom of speech, but the court waved away these defenses, ordering the company to comply with Indian law.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

TelegramWith over half a billion active users, Telegram is one on the most used messaging services.

The application is particularly popular in India, where more than 20% of its user base resides. This includes a small subset of rather persistent pirates.

Telegram doesn’t permit copyright infringement and generally takes swift action in response. This includes the removal of channels that are dedicated to piracy. For some copyright holders that’s not enough, as new ‘pirate’ channels generally surface soon after.

Removing Channels is Not Enough

To effectively protect their content, rightsholders want to know who runs these channels. This allows them to take action against the actual infringers and make sure that they stop pirating. This argument is the basis of an infringement lawsuit filed in 2020.

The case in question was filed by Ms. Neetu Singh and KD Campus. The former is the author of various books, courses, and lectures, for which the latter runs coaching centers.

Both rightsholders have repeatedly complained to Telegram about channels that shared pirated content. In most cases, Telegram took these down, but the service refused to identify the infringers. As such, the rightsholders asked the court to intervene.

Telegram Has to Identify Pirates

The legal battle culminated in the Delhi High Court this week via an order compelling Telegram to identify several copyright-infringing users. This includes handing over phone numbers, IP addresses, and email addresses.

The order was issued despite fierce opposition. One of Telegram’s main defenses was that the user data is stored in Singapore, which prohibits the decryption of personal information under local privacy law.

The Court disagrees with this argument, as the ongoing infringing activity is related to Indian works and will likely be tied to Indian users. And even if the data is stored elsewhere, it could be accessed from India.

“Courts in India would be perfectly justified in directing Telegram, which runs its massive operations in India to adhere to Indian law and adhere to orders passed by Indian Courts for disclosure of relevant information relating to infringers,” the Court writes.

“Infringers cannot be permitted to seek shelter under Telegram’s policies merely on the ground that its physical server is in Singapore.”

Disclosing the personal information would not be a violation of Singapore’s privacy law either, the High Court adds, pointing out that there is an exception if personal details are needed for investigation or proceedings.

Freedom of Expression and Intermediary Protection

Telegram also brought up the Indian constitution, which protects people’s privacy, as well as the right to freedom of speech and expression. However, that defense was unsuccessful too.

“The right to freedom of speech or the right to life including the right to privacy cannot be used by any person or entity, let alone an infringer, in order to escape the consequences of illegal actions,” the Court concludes.

Finally, Telegram argued that it is not required to disclose the details of its users because the service merely acts as an intermediary.

Again, the Court disagrees. Simply taking infringing channels offline isn’t good enough in this situation, since infringers can simply launch new ones, as if nothing had happened.

“Merely disabling or taking down channels upon information being given to Telegram is an insufficient remedy,” the court writes, adding that these channels are “clearly hydra-headed” because pirates can start over with ease.

A full copy of the order from the Delhi High Court is available here (pdf), courtesy of Bar and Bench.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.