Month: December 2022

Enlarge (credit: System76)

Prebuilt mechanical keyboards often neglect Linux support. Users frequently report success in getting a mechanical keyboard's basic functions to work, but many of these peripherals don't accommodate software for controlling advanced features, like macros, with Linux. Since last year, System76's Launch keyboard has been trying to address that problem. But number crunchers will be much more interested in the new Launch Heavy.

Released this week, the Launch Heavy is a numpad-equipped version of the 84-key Launch. As detailed in our System76 Launch review, the keyboard is one of the most customizable Linux-focused mechanical keyboards one can find. However, an absent numpad made the Launch an immediate 'no' for many. Now, the newly released Launch Heavy is addressing many, but not all, of its smaller counterpart's shortcomings.

The full-size Launch Heavy makes up for some of the Launch's (pictured) shortcomings. (credit: Scharon Harding)

As you can see, the Launch Heavy's 105 keys aren't a traditional layout. System76 had its way with the keys to the left of the numpad, getting rid of some completely. But compared to the Launch, the Launch Heavy adds keys above the numpad for media control. Unfortunately, there are still no buttons for controlling the volume out of the box.

Enlarge / A safety seminar on lithium-ion batteries from May 2022 illustrates what happens when you subject charged batteries to pressure or puncture—or both. (credit: Getty Images)

A firm that handles returned Amazon electronics has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine after lithium-ion batteries it threw away caused at least three different garbage truck fires.

iDiskk, LLC, based in San Jose, California, agreed to a settlement with the district attorney of Santa Clara County in late November over civil charges regarding improper waste disposal, as noted by E-Scrap News. The company, according to the district attorney's office, "dismantles, recycles, and disposes of consumer computer electronics that are returned through Amazon, some of which contain lithium-ion batteries."

On three different dates in 2021—September 22, October 6, and October 13—trucks picked up residential waste from iDiskk's office address in Campbell, California. A Google Street View look at the address shows a home with a driveway and garage on a tree-lined street. Dozens of lithium-ion batteries were included with typical recycling materials, allowing them to be crushed and compressed with other waste. "In each case, the ... garbage truck driver ejected the truck's load," the initial complaint reads, and the cause was found to be batteries.

Enlarge (credit: Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images News)

It has been a little more than a week since disgraced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was interviewed at a New York Times conference, telling attendees, “I didn't ever try to commit fraud on anyone.” Shortly after that interview, US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chairman Sherrod Brown sent a letter to Bankman-Fried, requesting that he appear next week at a Senate committee hearing entitled “Crypto Crash: Why the FTX Bubble Burst and the Harm to Consumers.”

Brown wrote that “there are still significant unanswered questions about how client funds were misappropriated, how clients were blocked from withdrawing their own money, and how you orchestrated a cover up.” Bankman-Fried missed the deadline yesterday to respond to Brown, but this morning, he finally tweeted to confirm that he is willing to talk to Congress. Now on this upcoming Tuesday, Bankman-Fried appears set to testify to the House Financial Services Committee on the day before Brown's Senate hearing is scheduled.

“I still do not have access to much of my data—professional or personal,” Bankman-Fried tweeted. “So, there is a limit to what I will be able to say, and I won't be as helpful as I'd like. But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify.”

Enlarge (credit: Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images News)

It has been a little more than a week since disgraced FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was interviewed at a New York Times conference, telling attendees, “I didn't ever try to commit fraud on anyone.” Shortly after that interview, US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chairman Sherrod Brown sent a letter to Bankman-Fried, requesting that he appear next week at a Senate committee hearing entitled “Crypto Crash: Why the FTX Bubble Burst and the Harm to Consumers.”

Brown wrote that “there are still significant unanswered questions about how client funds were misappropriated, how clients were blocked from withdrawing their own money, and how you orchestrated a cover up.” Bankman-Fried missed the deadline yesterday to respond to Brown, but this morning, he finally tweeted to confirm that he is willing to talk to Congress. Now on this upcoming Tuesday, Bankman-Fried appears set to testify to the House Financial Services Committee on the day before Brown's Senate hearing is scheduled.

“I still do not have access to much of my data—professional or personal,” Bankman-Fried tweeted. “So, there is a limit to what I will be able to say, and I won't be as helpful as I'd like. But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify.”

Enlarge / Child with a classic four-day rash from measles. (credit: CDC)

The measles outbreak in Ohio continues to swell, striking a total of 63 children to date. The tally now includes at least three children who were partially vaccinated against the highly contagious virus and 14 who are typically too young to be vaccinated.

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is a two-dose vaccine, with the first dose recommended between the ages of 12 months and 15 months and the second between ages 4 and 6. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just one MMR dose is estimated to be 93 percent effective against measles. Two doses are 97 percent effective. People who get their two doses on the recommended schedule are considered protected for life.

It's unclear if the three partially vaccinated children were too young to be eligible for their second dose or contracted measles quickly after getting their first dose, potentially before full protection developed. Health officials in the affected areas of Ohio have been promoting vaccination, which may have led some parents to get their eligible children freshly vaccinated amid the heightened awareness. The affected areas in Ohio span at least two counties: Franklin County, which encompasses Columbus, and Ross County to the south.

Enlarge / Child with a classic four-day rash from measles. (credit: CDC)

The measles outbreak in Ohio continues to swell, striking a total of 63 children to date. The tally now includes at least three children who were partially vaccinated against the highly contagious virus and 14 who are typically too young to be vaccinated.

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is a two-dose vaccine, with the first dose recommended between the ages of 12 months and 15 months and the second between ages 4 and 6. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just one MMR dose is estimated to be 93 percent effective against measles. Two doses are 97 percent effective. People who get their two doses on the recommended schedule are considered protected for life.

It's unclear if the three partially vaccinated children were too young to be eligible for their second dose or contracted measles quickly after getting their first dose, potentially before full protection developed. Health officials in the affected areas of Ohio have been promoting vaccination, which may have led some parents to get their eligible children freshly vaccinated amid the heightened awareness. The affected areas in Ohio span at least two counties: Franklin County, which encompasses Columbus, and Ross County to the south.