Month: August 2024

Australians get ‘right to disconnect’ after hours

A new law has come into effect that allows employees to ignore communications from employers after hours.

A new law has come into effect that allows employees to ignore communications from employers after hours.

Read More 

Telegram says CEO has ‘nothing to hide’ after being arrested in France

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. | Getty Images

Telegram says its CEO and founder Pavel Durov has “nothing to hide” after he was arrested by French authorities outside of Paris.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the company says in an unnamed statement posted to its official channel in the Telegram app on Sunday. French officials have confirmed to multiple outlets that Durov was arrested as part of a police investigation into criminal activity taking place on the social network.
While not encrypted by default, Telegram’s largely hands-off approach to moderation means that the app is seen by many as a private, censorship-free alternative to other social networks. “Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information,” reads the company’s statement. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
Telegram has also been a critical source of information for the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, the latter of which appears to be quite interested in what happens to Durov. The Russian Embassy in Paris says that the French government has so far not granted it access to Durov, who was born in Russia and holds citizenship in both France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is headquartered.
In a rare interview with Tucker Carlson in April, Durov said Telegram’s goal is to be a “neutral” platform and resist requests from governments to moderate. He said he mostly avoids traveling to “big, geopolitical” countries where there’s “too much attention” on the company. “I travel to places where I have confidence that those places are consistent with what we do and our values.”

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. | Getty Images

Telegram says its CEO and founder Pavel Durov has “nothing to hide” after he was arrested by French authorities outside of Paris.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the company says in an unnamed statement posted to its official channel in the Telegram app on Sunday. French officials have confirmed to multiple outlets that Durov was arrested as part of a police investigation into criminal activity taking place on the social network.

While not encrypted by default, Telegram’s largely hands-off approach to moderation means that the app is seen by many as a private, censorship-free alternative to other social networks. “Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information,” reads the company’s statement. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”

Telegram has also been a critical source of information for the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, the latter of which appears to be quite interested in what happens to Durov. The Russian Embassy in Paris says that the French government has so far not granted it access to Durov, who was born in Russia and holds citizenship in both France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is headquartered.

In a rare interview with Tucker Carlson in April, Durov said Telegram’s goal is to be a “neutral” platform and resist requests from governments to moderate. He said he mostly avoids traveling to “big, geopolitical” countries where there’s “too much attention” on the company. “I travel to places where I have confidence that those places are consistent with what we do and our values.”

Read More 

AI To Go Nuclear? Data Center Deals Say It’s Inevitable

To build the massive datacenters generative AI requires, major companies like Amazon and Microsoft “are going nuclear,” reports CIO magazine.

AWS:
Earlier this year, AWS paid $650 million to purchase Talen Energy’s Cumulus Data Assets, a 960-megawatt nuclear-powered data center on site at Talen’s Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, nuclear plant, with additional data centers planned — pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency… In addition to its purchase of the Cumulus data center, AWS will have access to nuclear energy as part of a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) from the Susquehanna site.

Microsoft:
Last year, Constellation signed a deal giving Microsoft the rights to receive up to 35% of its power from nuclear sources in addition to its existing solar and wind purchases from Constellation for Microsoft’s Boydton, Va., data center. Microsoft has also signed a nuclear carbon credits deal with Ontario Power Generation for its operations in Canada.

The broader industry:

Many of the deals under discussion are with existing nuclear power providers for hyperscalars [large-scale datacenters] to access energy or to employ small module nuclear reactors (SMRs) with smaller carbon footprints that will be annexed to existing nuclear power plants. Nucor, Oklo, Rolls-Royce SMR, Westinghouse Electric, Moltex Energy, Terrestrial Energy, General Electric, Hitachi Nuclear Energy, and X-energy are among the roster of companies with SMRs under development to meet the growing needs of AI data centers…

One energy analyst does not expect nuclear SMRs to be operational until 2030, yet he and many others acknowledge the need for sustainable, carbon-free alternatives to electricity, wind, and solar is very pressing. “Today’s electric grids are struggling to keep up with demand, even as datacenter companies are planning huge new additions to their fleets to power generative AI applications. As a result, companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are increasingly taking matters into their own hands and getting creative. They are now looking at on-site nuclear-based SMRs, and even fusion reactors,” says Peter Kelly-Detwiler, principal of Northbridge Energy Partners. “This global arms race for power arose pretty quickly, and it’s like nothing we have ever seen before.”
Thanks to Slashdot reader snydeq for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

To build the massive datacenters generative AI requires, major companies like Amazon and Microsoft “are going nuclear,” reports CIO magazine.

AWS:
Earlier this year, AWS paid $650 million to purchase Talen Energy’s Cumulus Data Assets, a 960-megawatt nuclear-powered data center on site at Talen’s Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, nuclear plant, with additional data centers planned — pending approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency… In addition to its purchase of the Cumulus data center, AWS will have access to nuclear energy as part of a 10-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) from the Susquehanna site.

Microsoft:
Last year, Constellation signed a deal giving Microsoft the rights to receive up to 35% of its power from nuclear sources in addition to its existing solar and wind purchases from Constellation for Microsoft’s Boydton, Va., data center. Microsoft has also signed a nuclear carbon credits deal with Ontario Power Generation for its operations in Canada.

The broader industry:

Many of the deals under discussion are with existing nuclear power providers for hyperscalars [large-scale datacenters] to access energy or to employ small module nuclear reactors (SMRs) with smaller carbon footprints that will be annexed to existing nuclear power plants. Nucor, Oklo, Rolls-Royce SMR, Westinghouse Electric, Moltex Energy, Terrestrial Energy, General Electric, Hitachi Nuclear Energy, and X-energy are among the roster of companies with SMRs under development to meet the growing needs of AI data centers…

One energy analyst does not expect nuclear SMRs to be operational until 2030, yet he and many others acknowledge the need for sustainable, carbon-free alternatives to electricity, wind, and solar is very pressing. “Today’s electric grids are struggling to keep up with demand, even as datacenter companies are planning huge new additions to their fleets to power generative AI applications. As a result, companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are increasingly taking matters into their own hands and getting creative. They are now looking at on-site nuclear-based SMRs, and even fusion reactors,” says Peter Kelly-Detwiler, principal of Northbridge Energy Partners. “This global arms race for power arose pretty quickly, and it’s like nothing we have ever seen before.”
Thanks to Slashdot reader snydeq for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read More 

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 26, #176

Here are some hints, and the answers, for the Aug. 26 Strands puzzle, No. 176.

Here are some hints, and the answers, for the Aug. 26 Strands puzzle, No. 176.

Read More 

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 26 #442

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 442, for Aug. 26.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 442, for Aug. 26.

Read More 

Scroll to top
Generated by Feedzy