Month: January 2025
US selling 69K seized bitcoins could mess with Trump plans for crypto reserve
US could get about $6.4 billion from the sale at bitcoin’s current price.
At the end of 2024, a US court authorized the Department of Justice to sell 69,370 bitcoins from “the largest cryptocurrency seizure in history.”
At bitcoin’s current price, just under $92,000, these bitcoins are worth nearly $6.4 billion, and crypto outlets are reporting that DOJ officials have said they’re planning to proceed with selling off the assets consistent with the court’s order. The DOJ had reportedly argued that bitcoin’s price volatility was a pressing reason to push for permission for the sale.
Ars has reached out to the DOJ for comment and will update the story with any new information regarding next steps.
This haptic vest might be my new favorite Meta Quest 3 accessory
I want to take this Meta Quest 3 haptic vest from CES home with me.
The bHaptics vest and sleeves let you feel VR
Compatible with Meta Quest 3, PC VR and PSVR 2
I’ve tried them, and I love them
I adore VR and the incredibly immersive experiences it can facilitate through headsets such as the Meta Quest 3. But despite everything VR headsets do well, they’re limited to just sight and sound – with basic haptic rumblings in the controllers (and, in some cases, headset rumble) only doing a little to immerse you via touch. These simple haptics are not properly feeling a VR world, but with bHaptics’ accessories – which I’ve tested at CES – you can unlock a superior experience.
For my demo I was outfitted with three accessories: the TactSuit Pro haptic vest on my chest, a pair of TactSleeve haptic arm guards, and my Meta Quest 3 headset was equipped with the haptic Tact Visor to provide head haptics.
I was then dropped into a custom XR sandbox outfitted with various weapons and items which showcased the bHaptics tech’s capabilities.
Picking up a virtual shotgun, I could feel the kickback in my arm and shoulder, while the electro rifle sent a tingly ripple down my arm and side. I could feel healing drinks in my stomach and gentle waves through my body to signify I was back at max health.
(Image credit: bHaptics)
To help showcase the differences, the demo also featured non-haptic versions of every object so I could directly compare them with the haptics – and the haptic versions are huge leap ahead for immersion. I’ll admit that they weren’t perfect all the time in terms of feeling like real life, but I’d score them at an 8 or 9 out of 10, while the non-haptic-accessory controller rumbles are maybe a 2 or 3.
The experience took another step up when feeling the same weapons I fired before being fired at me. Thankfully it wasn’t painful, but I could shoot electro blasts and lasers at a model representing me and feel the attacks – with my actions sending realistic signals through the vest, arm and headset haptics.
It was surprisingly accurate – tracing the laser across my back I could feel differently placed haptic sensors activating as it moved – and gave VR attacks a more tactile oomph than they usually would.
(Image credit: bHaptics)
What was perhaps best of all is that these haptic gadgets aren’t some prosumer accessory that only businesses or folks with a lot of cash to splash can enjoy. The vest is priced at $499, the sleeve at $199, and the visor at $149 – which aren’t cheap, but aren’t prohibitively expensive either. Plus they’re compatible with Quest, PSVR 2, and PC experiences across games like Beat Saber, Dungeons of Eternity and Arizona Sunshine 2 to name a few.
The team was also explaining that community members can create their own custom haptic mapping mods for currently unsupported titles on PC – or to augment the haptics in supported titles, so you won’t always have to wait for a developer to incorporate haptics themselves.
I’d love to test them out more, but from my brief demo I was very impressed with what bHaptics has created. If you’re looking to upgrade your VR headset setup, I’d suggest not just looking at a headset strap or carry case, but one of these haptic vests too.
We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.
And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!
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Payroll startup Deel accused of money laundering, sanctions failures in Ponzi scheme lawsuit
Deel, a human resources and payroll startup founded by MIT alumni Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang, has been accused of a money laundering lawsuit alleging its involvement in a Florida-based Ponzi scheme. The suit claims Deel facilitated fund transfers tied
The post Payroll startup Deel accused of money laundering, sanctions failures in Ponzi scheme lawsuit first appeared on Tech Startups.
Deel, a human resources and payroll startup founded by MIT alumni Alex Bouaziz and Shuo Wang, has been accused of a money laundering lawsuit alleging its involvement in a Florida-based Ponzi scheme. The suit claims Deel facilitated fund transfers tied […]
The post Payroll startup Deel accused of money laundering, sanctions failures in Ponzi scheme lawsuit first appeared on Tech Startups.
Apple Card Users Impacted By LA Fires Able to Delay Payments
Apple and Goldman Sachs are allowing Apple Card customers who have been impacted by the fires in Los Angeles to temporarily postpone their payments if necessary. Details about Apple’s Disaster Relief Program for Apple Card users were shared by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Payment delays are being offered to Apple Card users who live in an area that has been declared a national disaster zone by FEMA, with Apple sending out notices to impacted customers.
Those who are affected by the fires can skip the payment that’s due in the month that they enroll in the Relief Program, and no interest will accumulate for that month. An account in good standing will remain current while enrolled in the program, but standard purchase APR applies for the next month.
Customers in Los Angeles who need assistance can contact Apple Card Support via the Messages app to be enrolled.
Apple and Goldman allowing Apple Card users impacted by the fires in LA to postpone payments. pic.twitter.com/jyXdqWY7wa— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) January 9, 2025
Apple has offered similar Disaster Relief Program options for those impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters, and it is a benefit that has been available since the Apple Card launched.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said yesterday that Apple plans to donate to support the victims and recovery efforts on the ground in Los Angeles.Tag: Apple Card
This article, “Apple Card Users Impacted By LA Fires Able to Delay Payments” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple and Goldman Sachs are allowing Apple Card customers who have been impacted by the fires in Los Angeles to temporarily postpone their payments if necessary. Details about Apple’s Disaster Relief Program for Apple Card users were shared by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
Payment delays are being offered to Apple Card users who live in an area that has been declared a national disaster zone by FEMA, with Apple sending out notices to impacted customers.
Those who are affected by the fires can skip the payment that’s due in the month that they enroll in the Relief Program, and no interest will accumulate for that month. An account in good standing will remain current while enrolled in the program, but standard purchase APR applies for the next month.
Customers in Los Angeles who need assistance can contact Apple Card Support via the Messages app to be enrolled.
Apple and Goldman allowing Apple Card users impacted by the fires in LA to postpone payments. pic.twitter.com/jyXdqWY7wa
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) January 9, 2025
Apple has offered similar Disaster Relief Program options for those impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters, and it is a benefit that has been available since the Apple Card launched.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said yesterday that Apple plans to donate to support the victims and recovery efforts on the ground in Los Angeles.
This article, “Apple Card Users Impacted By LA Fires Able to Delay Payments” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Here’s what we know, and what we don’t, about the awful Palisades wildfire
“I think we’ve got more questions than answers at this point.”
More than 130,000 residents in Southern California face the catastrophic loss of property, and possibly life, as a series of wildfires have brought devastation to the region this week.
The most notable fire developed late Monday or early Tuesday in the Santa Monica Mountains, to the north of Los Angeles, and quickly spread to threaten the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. This fire has already become the most destructive fire in the history of the Los Angeles region, and by some estimates, it may become the costliest wildfire of all time, anywhere in the world.
Several additional wildfires have broken out in the vicinity of Los Angeles, and firefighters there have struggled to contain the multiple outbreaks, including the ongoing Palisades fire. To date, more than 2,000 structures have been burned and that total will assuredly increase. Ongoing, on-the-ground coverage is available from the Los Angeles Times, which has removed its paywall around fire-related news for now.
Mark Zuckerberg Gave Meta’s Llama Team the OK To Train On Copyright Works, Filing Claims
Plaintiffs in Kadrey v. Meta allege that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg authorized the team behind the company’s Llama AI models to use a dataset of pirated ebooks and articles for training. They further accuse the company of concealing its actions by stripping copyright information and torrenting the data. TechCrunch reports: In newly unredacted documents filed (PDF) with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California late Wednesday, plaintiffs in Kadrey v. Meta, who include bestselling authors Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates, recount Meta’s testimony from late last year, during which it was revealed that Zuckerberg approved Meta’s use of a data set called LibGen for Llama-related training. LibGen, which describes itself as a “links aggregator,” provides access to copyrighted works from publishers including Cengage Learning, Macmillan Learning, McGraw Hill, and Pearson Education. LibGen has been sued a number of times, ordered to shut down, and fined tens of millions of dollars for copyright infringement.
According to Meta’s testimony, as relayed by plaintiffs’ counsel, Zuckerberg cleared the use of LibGen to train at least one of Meta’s Llama models despite concerns within Meta’s AI exec team and others at the company. The filing quotes Meta employees as referring to LibGen as a “data set we know to be pirated,” and flagging that its use “may undermine [Meta’s] negotiating position with regulators.” The filing also cites a memo to Meta AI decision-makers noting that after “escalation to MZ,” Meta’s AI team “[was] approved to use LibGen.” (MZ, here, is rather obvious shorthand for “Mark Zuckerberg.”)
The details seemingly line up with reporting from The New York Times last April, which suggested that Meta cut corners to gather data for its AI. At one point, Meta was hiring contractors in Africa to aggregate summaries of books and considering buying the publisher Simon & Schuster, according to the Times. But the company’s execs determined that it would take too long to negotiate licenses and reasoned that fair use was a solid defense. The filing Wednesday contains new accusations, like that Meta might’ve tried to conceal its alleged infringement by stripping the LibGen data of attribution.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Plaintiffs in Kadrey v. Meta allege that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg authorized the team behind the company’s Llama AI models to use a dataset of pirated ebooks and articles for training. They further accuse the company of concealing its actions by stripping copyright information and torrenting the data. TechCrunch reports: In newly unredacted documents filed (PDF) with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California late Wednesday, plaintiffs in Kadrey v. Meta, who include bestselling authors Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates, recount Meta’s testimony from late last year, during which it was revealed that Zuckerberg approved Meta’s use of a data set called LibGen for Llama-related training. LibGen, which describes itself as a “links aggregator,” provides access to copyrighted works from publishers including Cengage Learning, Macmillan Learning, McGraw Hill, and Pearson Education. LibGen has been sued a number of times, ordered to shut down, and fined tens of millions of dollars for copyright infringement.
According to Meta’s testimony, as relayed by plaintiffs’ counsel, Zuckerberg cleared the use of LibGen to train at least one of Meta’s Llama models despite concerns within Meta’s AI exec team and others at the company. The filing quotes Meta employees as referring to LibGen as a “data set we know to be pirated,” and flagging that its use “may undermine [Meta’s] negotiating position with regulators.” The filing also cites a memo to Meta AI decision-makers noting that after “escalation to MZ,” Meta’s AI team “[was] approved to use LibGen.” (MZ, here, is rather obvious shorthand for “Mark Zuckerberg.”)
The details seemingly line up with reporting from The New York Times last April, which suggested that Meta cut corners to gather data for its AI. At one point, Meta was hiring contractors in Africa to aggregate summaries of books and considering buying the publisher Simon & Schuster, according to the Times. But the company’s execs determined that it would take too long to negotiate licenses and reasoned that fair use was a solid defense. The filing Wednesday contains new accusations, like that Meta might’ve tried to conceal its alleged infringement by stripping the LibGen data of attribution.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Ongoing attacks on Ivanti VPNs install a ton of sneaky, well-written malware
In-the-wild attacks tamper with built-in security tool to suppress infection warnings.
Networks protected by Ivanti VPNs are under active attack by well-resourced hackers who are exploiting a critical vulnerability that gives them complete control over the network-connected devices.
Hardware maker Ivanti disclosed the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-0283, on Wednesday and warned that it was under active exploitation against some customers. The vulnerability, which is being exploited to allow hackers to execute malicious code with no authentication required, is present in the company’s Connect Secure VPN, and Policy Secure & ZTA Gateways. Ivanti released a security patch at the same time. It upgrades Connect Secure devices to version 22.7R2.5.
Well-written, multifaceted
According to Google-owned security provider Mandiant, the vulnerability has been actively exploited against “multiple compromised Ivanti Connect Secure appliances” since December, a month before the then zero-day came to light. After exploiting the vulnerability, the attackers go on to install two never-before-seen malware packages, tracked under the names DRYHOOK and PHASEJAM on some of the compromised devices.