Month: February 2023

Enlarge / The cover of "Zarya of the Dawn," a comic book created using Midjourney AI image synthesis in 2022. (credit: Kris Kashtanova)

On Tuesday, the US Copyright Office declared that images created using the AI-powered Midjourney image generator for the comic book Zarya of the Dawn should not have been granted copyright protection, and the images' copyright protection will be revoked.

In a letter addressed to the attorney of author Kris Kashtanova obtained by Ars Technica, the office cites "incomplete information" in the original copyright registration as the reason it plans to cancel the original registration and issue a new one excluding protection for the AI-generated images. Instead, the new registration will cover only the text of the work and the arrangement of images and text. Originally, Kashtanova did not disclose that the images were created by an AI model.

"We conclude that Ms. Kashtanova is the author of the Work’s text as well as the selection, coordination, and arrangement of the Work’s written and visual elements," reads the copyright letter. "That authorship is protected by copyright. However, as discussed below, the images in the Work that were generated by the Midjourney technology are not the product of human authorship."

Enlarge / The little Android robot is watching everything you do. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images)

It looks like trusting developers to just tell the truth about data collection on Google Play isn't working out. Just like on iOS, Android launched app privacy "nutrition labels" in the Play Store last year, with the idea being that users could quickly get a look at how much data each app collects. The obvious problem with this system is that the developers fill out the data-collection forms, and there's nothing to stop them from lying or omitting certain data-collection policies. It's no surprise, then, that when Mozilla recently audited the top apps on Google Play, it found that "most top apps" have "false or misleading" app privacy labels.

Mozilla says it surveyed 40 of the Play Store's most popular apps by global downloads and found that "in nearly 80% of the apps we reviewed, we found some discrepancies between the apps’ privacy policies and the information they reported on Google’s Data Safety Form." Each app received a grade of “Poor,” “Needs Improvement,” or “OK,” with 16 out of 40 apps getting the lowest rating.

Mozilla did not need to dig very deep to find flaws, saying that many apps' privacy labels openly contradict their public privacy policies. Snapchat, TikTok, and Twitter all claim "No data shared with third parties" on the Play Store but detail third-party sharing in their privacy policies. For free apps, the list of recipients earning a "poor" grade isn't very surprising: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lite, Snapchat, Twitter, and, the one surprise, Samsung Push Services. A lot of paid games like Minecraft make the "poor" list, too.

Anker's 727 Charging Station is a good option for those with non-USB-C-charging laptops and not as many fast-charging needs. (credit: Kevin Purdy / Ars Technica)

Whether you're looking to charge your gadget at home or on the road, the Dealmaster has dug up deals on the perfect charging solutions. If you're looking to charge at your desktop, Ugreen's 200 W desktop charger, which has six charging ports split between USB-C and USB-A, makes an ideal companion to keep all your devices powered. And if you pair that with a discounted USB-C cable, you'll have a great charging hub for your desk. When selecting a USB-C cable, choose one with a braided design and a durable tip for longevity, especially if you're constantly plugging and unplugging the cable for travel.

For mobile users who need to keep larger devices charged, a USB-C power bank that can pump out 100 W or more of power can keep you going even longer, and these devices can recharge larger notebooks like a MacBook Pro.

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Enlarge / The familiar hallways of Black Mesa can be made new with some generative lighting. (credit: Valve)

Half-Life is a legendary game, a title that was ahead of its time in its storytelling, mechanics, and technology. Graphically, though, it can't help but look extremely 1998. A new, free ray-tracing mod makes the PC original a lot more compelling to revisit.

Sultim Tsyrendashiev, working on GitHub as sultim-t, has worked on graphics upgrades and ports of many games and tools, including the Serious Engine and Quake. The Xash3D: Ray Traced project, now ready for public use with Half-Life 1, tweaks an alternative version of Half-Life's Source engine to add a custom path-traced renderer. The tech that moves applications from fixed to real-time path tracing is interesting and promises even more ray-traced nostalgia kicks to come.

But what most of us are interested in is how it works in Half-Life. It's very pretty, and while the effect is mostly subtle, it can steal the show in big moments (sorry, tentacle giant that needs to go). I played through the first level and a bit into the second one with the mod installed, and I visited a few other levels with map warp cheats (though I quickly died in most since I couldn't get weapon cheats to work). The textures aren't upgraded (unless you do so yourself with other mods), but modern-day lighting can make a big difference in how some of the game's areas look.