4月17日，中国AIGC产业峰会在北京召开。本次峰会以“你好，新应用”为主题，邀请到生成式AI应用、AI基础设施和模型层的代表企业，一同分享对最新生成式AI现状与趋势的见解。在本次峰会上，高通公司的AI产品技术中国区负责人万卫星发表了关于“推动终端侧生成式AI时代到来”的主题演讲。他强调了终端侧生成式AI时代的到来，并提到高通发布的第三代骁龙8和骁龙X Elite平台已经或即将赋能众多AI手机和AI PC产品。万卫星详细介绍了高通AI引擎及其组成部分，还展示了高通异构计算能力的端到端用例。此外，万卫星也介绍了高通AI软件栈和AI Hub，这些将极大地提升开发者在模型开发、优化和部署方面的效率，进而有助于创造出更多创新的AI应用 ...  演讲全文如下： 早上好，非常高兴能够参加本次中国AIGC产业峰会，与各位嘉宾朋友一起迎接生成式AI时代的到来，为大家分享高通作为芯片厂商提供的产品和解决方案，能够如何推动AIGC相关产业的规模化扩展

South Korean electronics giant Samsung is the latest chipmaker to receive billions from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, the Biden administration said Monday. Samsung will [get up to $6.4 billion in direct funding under the act](https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2024/04/biden-harris-administration-announces-preliminary-terms-samsung), which is meant to bring advanced chipmaking stateside. The company plans to claim an investment tax credit from the Treasury Department to cover up to 25% of qualified capital expenditures, the Department of Commerce said. The funding will support the more than $40 billion investment Samsung will make in building a chipmaking hub in Taylor, Texas, and expanding its existing facility in Austin. The electronics giant recently [upped its investment into the Texas facilities from $17 billion to $44 billion](https://qz.com/samsung-upping-texas-semiconductor-investment-billions-1851390785), The Wall Street Journal reported. The Texas hub will focus on developing and producing advanced chips, research and development, and advanced packaging. With Samsung’s investment, the U.S. is on track to produce about 20% of the world’s advanced logic chips by the end of the decade, the Commerce Department said. The semiconductors developed and produced in the Taylor hub, which would include two foundry fabs focused on mass producing 4nm and 2nm process technologies, will be used to advance industries including AI and defense. “We’re not just expanding production facilities; we’re strengthening the local semiconductor ecosystem and positioning the U.S. as a global semiconductor manufacturing destination,” Kye Hyun Kyung, president and CEO of the Device Solutions Division at Samsung, said in a statement. “To meet the expected surge in demand from U.S. customers, for future products like AI chips, our fabs will be equipped for cutting-edge process technologies and help advance the security of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain.” The U.S. funding and Samsung’s investment will “cement central Texas’s role as a state-of-the-art semiconductor ecosystem,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. He added that the investment will create at least 21,500 jobs, and that up to $40 million of the CHIPS Act funding will go toward training and developing the local workforce. Samsung, Intel, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which have [all](https://qz.com/intel-chips-act-funding-biden-white-house-1851351284) [received](https://qz.com/tsmc-chips-act-funding-arizona-chipmaking-hub-1851394481) CHIPS Act funding, are the only three firms in the world capable of producing advanced logic chips used in AI and national security development, the Journal reported. Meanwhile, fellow South Korean semiconductor company SK Hynix reportedly [plans to invest billions in a chipmaking facility](https://qz.com/sk-hynix-chipmaking-investment-indiana-us-ai-1851366004) in West Lafayette, Ind. The U.S. investments into South Korea’s chipmaking giants come at a time when U.S. officials are reportedly [asking South Korea to restrict exports of semiconductor tools to China](https://qz.com/south-korea-china-chip-exports-us-1851380981) in an effort to curb Chinese advanced chipmaking. South Korea is reportedly weighing the request, which would likely have repercussions on Samsung and SK Hynix, both of which operate in China. Officials from the U.S., South Korea, and Japan will reportedly [meet in June to discuss advanced chipmaking efforts](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-02/us-asks-south-korea-to-toughen-up-export-controls-on-china-chips?sref=P6Q0mxvj).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to boost social spending, develop infrastructure and make India a global manufacturing hub as companies shift away from China NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday vowed to boost social spending, develop infrastructure and make India into a global manufacturing hub as companies shift away from [China](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/Taiwan), as he unveiled his Hindu nationalist party’s [election](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/Elections) strategy. Modi hopes to return to power for a third five-year term. He and other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party unveiled their promises in the world’s largest democracy days before the start of a multi-phase general election. Modi promised to expand social programs introduced during his party’s 10-year rule, including millions of free homes for the poor, along with [health care](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/Obamacare), cooking gas and free grain. His government has been paying 6,000 rupees ($73) a year to poor farmers. He said his government’s policies have pulled 250 million people out of poverty since he came to power in 2014. India is the world’s most populous country with over 1.4 billion people. The BJP's president, J.P. Nadda, said less than 1% of Indian people now live in extreme poverty. India holds its elections on different days in different parts of the country, stretching over weeks. Voting for the country’s parliament will begin on April 19 and run until June 1, and results will be announced on June 4. Most polls have predicted a victory for Modi and the BJP. But the opposition Congress Party argues that Modi has undermined India’s democracy and favored the interests of the rich. Modi has been campaigning extensively across the country, promising to expand India's economy to $5 trillion by 2027 from around $3.7 trillion. He also promises to put India on track to become a developed country by 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of independence from British colonialists. On Sunday, he said his party would develop India as a hub for the pharmaceutical, energy, semiconductor and tourism industries. He also said India will modernize its infrastructure, including its railways, airways, and waterways. And he said he will seek to increase jobs for young people and access to cheap loans for young entrepreneurs. Modi is broadly popular in India, where he’s considered a champion of the country’s Hindu majority and has overseen rapid economic growth. But critics say another term for the BJP could undermine India’s status as a secular, democratic nation, saying its 10 years in power have brought attacks by Hindu nationalists against the country’s minorities, particularly Muslims, and a shrinking space for dissent and free media.

 去年微软将 GPT-4 塞进 Office 套件推出 Copilot 后，很多人没想到，国内最快跟进并拿出产品的，是已经有 30 多年历史的老牌办公软件公司金山办公 ... 金山办公在去年 4 月推出了国内首个智能办公应用——基于大语言模型的智能办公助手 WPS AI。一年之后，WPS 久违地举办了一场发布会，将 AI 能力拓展至更多面向组织和企业的场景，继续完善着一站式 AI 办公时代的蓝图

Microsoft is expanding its AI efforts in the U.K. with a new AI hub in London. Microsoft AI London will focus on [developing state-of-the-art language models and the infrastructure](https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/04/07/announcing-new-microsoft-ai-hub-in-london/) to support them, as well as “create world-class tooling for foundation models” Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft AI executive vice president and CEO, said in a statement Sunday. The hub will collaborate with Microsoft’s other AI teams and partners including OpenAI. AI scientist and engineer Jordan Hoffman, who was previously at AI startups Inflection and DeepMind, will lead the London AI hub, Suleyman said, adding that the company plans to make a “significant, long-term investment” in the U.K. through the hub. Microsoft AI will start posting jobs and hiring in the coming weeks and months, he said. “As a British citizen, born and raised in London, I’m proud to have co-founded and built a cutting-edge AI business here,” Suleyman said in a statement. “I’m deeply aware of the extraordinary talent pool and AI ecosystem in the U.K., and I’m excited to make this commitment to the U.K. on behalf of Microsoft AI. I know —through my close work with thought leaders in the U.K. government, business community and academia — that the country is committed to advancing AI responsibly and with a safety-first commitment to drive investment, innovation, and economic growth. Our decision to open this hub in the U.K. reflects this ambition.” Suleyman, who co-founded both Inflection and DeepMind, was [appointed EVP and CEO of Microsoft AI in mid-March](https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/03/19/mustafa-suleyman-deepmind-and-inflection-co-founder-joins-microsoft-to-lead-copilot/) to focus on developing Microsoft’s Copilot AI and other AI products and research. Microsoft did not respond to a request for additional comment. The London hub will build off of the company’s £2.5 billion, or [$3.2 billion, investment to support AI infrastructure and AI talent development](https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2023/11/30/uk-ai-skilling-security-datacenters-investment/) in anticipation of bringing 20,000 of the most advanced chips to the U.K. by 2026, Suleyman said.

2024年3月28日至29日，“CAIR香港人工智能与机器人医疗论坛”在香港科学园举行。论坛由中国科学院香港创新研究院人工智能与机器人创新中心主办，聚焦人工智能与机器人在医疗领域的创新应用。来自全球的专家学者参与，探讨如何透过科技提升医疗服务质量、优化资源配置、提升效率，并促进医学研究发展 ...  CAIR香港人工智能与机器人医疗论坛 论坛首日，中国科学院香港创新院AI中心执行主任刘宏斌教授主持了会议，中国科学院国际合作局局长刘卫东和香港创新科技署署长李国彬致辞。刘局长强调人工智能和机器人技术在医疗微创化和智能化方面的重要作用，并提到该中心将与全球科学家共同为人类健康事业做出贡献。李署长则提到香港首两个InnoHK创新平台已加强与全球科研院所的合作，并对MicroNeuro微创脑手术机器人及与伦敦国王学院的合作成果表示祝贺。香港立法会议员邱达根先生也出席并致辞，强调创新资金、人才引进和劳动市场等政策推动工作的重要性，以满足香港成为科技创新中心的策略需求

Datacentres are part of Ireland’s vision of itself as a tech hub. There are now more than 80, using vast amounts of electricity. Have we entrusted our memories to a system that might destroy them? By Jessica Traynor [How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/oct/07/how-to-listen-to-podcasts-everything-you-need-to-know?CMP=podcast-help)

* The Google Nest Hub Max is a great [all-around smart display](https://www.wired.com/review/google-nest-hub-max/). It has an unobtrusive design, a 10-inch touchscreen display, some pretty good speakers, and a camera for video calls over Google Duo. (Google ditched broader support for [Google Meet and Zoom last year](https://9to5google.com/2023/09/18/nest-hub-max-google-meet-zoom/).) The camera can identify individual members of the house and show personal information tied to each person, like upcoming calendar events. Just know you'll need the right amount of space for it, and while you can turn the camera off, you may want to pick up [a privacy cover](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/X7niGYieCH8TiZLYHxxLe42S9zAA6fkfmDGnjqmU7CfzzxzmKXiWseLeTyoE6ysipq7zxtAaeqV92LY2x9Y3Jnxzrq4mt5JostgzDcDfjotbqePxZfUMFcnmg1i41fdiQe8Vw6Nt325PuFLi8swkZoEzo3TMDqdtAwG2z) to block it when it's not in use. There's now a [guest mode](https://blog.google/products/assistant/introducing-guest-mode/) that lets you enjoy all the voice assistant's features without saving anything to your account or showing personalized results—just say, “Hey Google, turn on Guest Mode" to enable it. If you use multiple Google Nest speakers and smart displays, you should know that you can finally adjust the volume of grouped devices—Google brought the feature back after it won [a lawsuit against Sonos](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/10/google-wins-sonos-patent-case-immediately-ships-speaker-software-update/). ★ **A camera-free alternative:** Google’s second-gen [**Nest Hub ($100)**](https://goto.walmart.com/c/1324868/565706/9383?sharedid=Q1FY25H&veh=aff&sourceid=imp_000011112222333344&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2F169438279) ([7/10, WIRED Recommends](https://www.wired.com/review/google-nest-hub-second-gen/)) is a great option if you don't need a camera and don’t mind a smaller 7-inch screen. It has a wake-up alarm that emulates the rising sun for gentler mornings, and it has [sleep-sensing tech](https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-sleep-trackers/) to track your sleep quality, though the quality of the results isn't great. It also supports gestures—like playing or pausing a video with [a hand movement](https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9137285#zippy=%252Cwith-nest-hub-nd-gen)—by using unique [radar tech](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/8UAFzxJzvSuamCvvVv22vzFTTKWx4UwHLWmso3mZYQTTdb3FVfGXNs1THRYeatPFJSkCcYN3WgtzmnR59cFVWByHe66wHnBq81merA4gL7jCtSzMnUKzNFLPzQeYY5chFTXN1sTiEb61qFa2KHZ6GzF7ra1P6ZHLtFA65YksYQkP2GoEA8E). * Amazon's Alexa is not as good as Google Assistant—although Echo's recipe feature, which shows step-by-step instructions, rivals the similar feature Google cooked up for its displays. Still, Amazon invented this category, and all the Echo Shows are a promising evolution of the smart-screen concept. If the Echo Show 8 doesn't seem right for you, there are others you might prefer. **[Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023) for $90](https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Show-5/dp/B09B2SBHQK):** The smaller and cheaper third-gen Echo Show 5 has a 5.5-inch screen that works best on a desk or a bedside table. We think it's a bit too small for the kitchen or living room, but that depends on how you plan to use it. **[Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen, 2021) for $250](https://www.amazon.com/echo-show-10/dp/B07VHZ41L8):** This smart display is situated on top of a large cylindrical speaker, which makes it sound great. Plus the screen physically swivels to follow you around the room as you use it, keeping you in frame while you video chat, or keeping your streamed workout video in your line of sight as you move about. Because the screen moves around so much, you may have trouble positioning it in tighter spaces—especially in corners. **[Echo Show 15 for $280](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFZVFG6N):** This is the largest of them all, with a 15.6-inch display with customizable widgets so you can have smart-home device controls and calendar reminders available whenever. It's made to be mounted on your wall like a TV (you can get a stand, but it's sold separately), and the Show 15 also pairs with a Fire TV remote (you can use the app) to use the streaming features. Voice commands for streaming don't work well, so it feels like a weird in-between of a smart display and a TV that doesn't excel in either department. [**Echo Hub for $180**](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/5bwkygcD8TrHAb6Xpv2T9qy8XNRQ2ihyhD9jr5LnZJxSAbNd2dD1r6bqwZQFjBDFsLnQGiBBfrQ8dghe9f5YTxcL24SqDDoR7wzH7TNS6R57o12q6k2KwMwjR2CbpNqjEAahsLbcGy5QyPw7xusrnicRXSMQKBEN): The Amazon Echo Hub ([8/10, WIRED Recommends](https://www.wired.com/review/amazon-echo-hub-review)) isn't exactly a smart display. It lacks powerful speaker capabilities and doesn't have a camera for calls or Amazon's Drop-In video call feature. Instead, it focuses entirely on being a smart home dashboard with built-in Alexa, plus features like widgets and the photo frame. I think it takes the best, most easily used features of a smart display and cuts out the rest. But if you want a good speaker, don't choose this one.

173296711 story [](//yro.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=business)[ ](//yro.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=government)[](//yro.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=usa) Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday March 16, 2024 @02:34PM from the crash-landing-on-unions dept. "Workers at an Amazon air hub in Kentucky celebrated a victory Thursday," [reports the Washington Post](https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/amazon-violated-workers-rights-at-crucial-air-hub-labor-regulators-allege/ar-BB1jVbAx), "after federal labor regulators found that Amazon violated labor law by trying to prevent workers there from unionizing." _The employees have been demanding higher pay, more flexible schedules and safer working conditions since 2022. After a months-long investigation, the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against Amazon last week, alleging the e-commerce behemoth illegally attempted to curtail those efforts by interrogating workers, threatening to call the police on them and demoting workers involved in union organizing. The complaint is a victory for union organizers at a crucial air cargo hub in Kentucky who have been alleging that Amazon has been unfairly interfering with their unionization efforts there for months.... Amazon workers at various sites around the country have been trying to unionize for years, with little to show for it. Many have accused Amazon of using illegal tactics to discourage workers from supporting unions — more than 240 such charges have been filed with the labor board, workers said... Amazon employee Marcio Rodriguez said he was threatened with termination for his union-organizing activity along with 10 co-workers. For two weeks, Rodriguez said, Amazon management would "show up to where I was working out on the ramp in front of my co-workers in a truck and take me to the HR office," where they would interrogate him... Amazon workers in Kentucky are seeking to form Amazon Labor Union, an independent but associated branch of the group that won a historic victory at an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island in 2021. Lawyers for the union there are still battling Amazon, which has yet to come to the bargaining table and continues to argue that the NLRB unfairly sided with workers during that election. More recently, the company has argued in another New York case that the National Labor Relations Board itself is structured unconstitutionally, following legal arguments set forth by lawyers for SpaceX and Trader Joe's... Amazon is scheduled to appear at a hearing before labor regulators regarding its alleged anti-union activities in Kentucky on April 22. _

Fox will expand its coverage of college football with a package of Friday night games Fox will expand its coverage of college football with a package of Friday night games. The schedule of games, which will include matchups from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West conferences, is likely won't be announced until late May or early June after conferences and the networks hold their selection meetings. Friday games, which used to be confined to only the opening week of the season and day after [Thanksgiving](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/Thanksgiving), are not out of the norm for all three conferences. The Big Ten has had a limited package since 2017, but those were on the Big Ten Network and FS1. The Big 12 had three Friday night matchups on ESPN last season and the Mountain West had a package of games on the CBS Sports Network along with two on FS1. The college football package will fill a void for Fox on Friday nights during the fall when WWE's “Friday Night SmackDown” moves to USA Network in October. A couple of games could air on Fox in September with “SmackDown” moving to FS1, which is what happened during the baseball playoffs and World Series. It also will not be the first time Fox has tried to stake claim to what is considered an underutilized timeslot. It launched “Big Noon Saturday” in 2019, which has been successful. Last season's package averaged 6.74 million viewers on Fox, an 8% increase over 2022. \_\_\_ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Google has opened its first Asia-Pacific cyberdefense hub in Tokyo as worries grow over cyber threats posed by hostile actors including China, [according to Nikkei](https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Google-opens-cyberdefense-hub-in-Tokyo-amid-China-threat). The new hub will promote research and information sharing between the government, companies, and universities in Japan, as well as serve as a base of cybersecurity experts in the region, Nikkei reported. According to the outlet, Google will invite engineers from India, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and elsewhere across Southeast Asia to work on responses to cyberattacks. News of the cyberdefense hub comes just a day after [a former Google engineer was arrested and charged](https://qz.com/google-ai-engineer-super-computer-china-1851314384) in the US for allegedly [stealing trade secrets](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-residing-california-arrested-theft-artificial-intelligence-related-trade) about artificial intelligence while secretly working for two companies based in China. Separately, Google recently disclosed that it is seeing a “massive increase” in [cyberattacks waged by China on Taiwan](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-29/google-warns-china-is-ramping-up-cyberattacks-against-taiwan). Growing cyber threats worldwide also means that Google has had to expand its cybersecurity footprint. In November, Google opened its [third and largest cybersecurity center](https://www.euractiv.com/section/cybersecurity/news/google-opens-new-cybersecurity-centre-in-spain/) in Spain amid what it said were “more sophisticated, costly and aggressive” cyber threats. Meanwhile, in a sign of the ever-evolving threat landscape, Google parent company Alphabet’s venture capital fund just invested $50 million in insider risk startup Dtex Systems, [Axios reported this week](https://www.axios.com/2024/03/05/alphabet-dtex-venture-funding-cybersecurity). The CEO of Dtex, Marshall Heilman, is a veteran of Google Cloud’s Mandiant. Dtex uses machine learning to monitor employee behavior and spot malicious or suspicious activity, such as data theft and account hacking.

Wayne Williams reports via TechRadar: _Qualcomm has unveiled its [AI Hub](https://aihub.qualcomm.com/), an all-inclusive library of pre-optimized AI models ready for use on devices running on Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms. These models support a wide range of applications including natural language processing, computer vision, and anomaly detection, and are designed to deliver high performance with minimal power consumption, a critical factor for mobile and edge devices. The AI Hub library currently [includes more than 75 popular AI and generative AI models](https://www.techradar.com/pro/did-qualcomm-just-launch-the-first-true-app-store-for-ai-ai-hub-comes-with-75-models-for-free-but-you-will-have-to-be-a-developer-to-take-full-advantage-of-it) including Whisper, ControlNet, Stable Diffusion, and Baichuan 7B. All models are bundled in various runtimes and are optimized to leverage the Qualcomm AI Engine's hardware acceleration across all cores (NPU, CPU, and GPU). According to Qualcomm, they'll deliver four times faster inferencing times._ _The AI Hub also handles model translation from the source framework to popular runtimes automatically. It works directly with the Qualcomm AI Engine direct SDK and applies hardware-aware optimizations. Developers can search for models based on their needs, download them, and integrate them into their applications, saving time and resources. The AI Hub also provides tools and resources for developers to customize these models, and they can fine-tune them using the Qualcomm Neural Processing SDK and the AI Model Efficiency Toolkit, both available on the platform._

There's a final bottom menu where you'll see entire categories of devices, such as lights, cameras, and plugs. You can tap these to see all the devices of that type at once; I see 10 different lights from my home when I open on the generic Lights option. But even without opening it, that little menu also shows me the total number of lights on in my home, so it's handy at a quick glance. Finally in the list of menus is the classic top-down menu that matches an Echo Show device. It's where you'll find the device's settings, alarms, brightness, and more. Similar to other Echo devices, you'll find a smart home hub built-in that works with Zigbee, Sidewalk, Thread, Bluetooth, and Matter. A smart-home hub is needed for certain products to work and communicate with each other. Philips Hue has always needed a hub for its lights, and smart security systems often have hubs and base stations too. But fewer products require an individual hub to work—[Abode's security system](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/DX7bjAvRTFh3URdfno92S9KfqRn6tNacSs8SHGA1Bju8GxwYouFMoJNqzPoPoJCUx6FFUHbuKmFkGAGwmLkcXyjHQJyetcMPaFoBXFHshsBynEBnjtcK87VPFtKZEkGvMiyYeTat4KKx2r) has a hub, for example, but then offers a suite of products that are hub-free. The newest [Show 8](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/S99RnZiqgDo8Mo2oZuprhJnApTqvW2mLPmoVR62VXo9J4ivcFVw69BocYSEDtFzanpLxfSRdPMfKqUVz6fesf8Zp5g9w2mp5Gr6u7rB3pjCWBGCMC1EN8urKnsDMXtoSytHfari) and the [Show 10](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/5K8RQcJwUJf9wsE6eFj8HYBgqYJrG16BMBZihsx41HZhXyMVjEYt67roM2Grb58gRqrwVqVeeyUXa7ZY8QFmKRhaqMXjJpWrGGUStJRotrW8sysJAvgj56a94BHwTKEVe9riiurmaC6PV5sw6KnytAbx6jerz933VnLjTntJ7Yw6G2zN4t6KXiixcaamx7poB4Ak2839tDdXYdogYVu9dgiGAqRoK17CAoSmnQ9BoxPPcEJcNEUUc2ijUeLCsNovu6SB7i27TkNuA4QE), and the screen-free [Echo (4th Gen)](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/Anwsg693g9poaWXyD43oGa2agsSX4Se1EEFcX15dptsXpBAXB2xKsGUwmbHi76ZVCg9azP2JtkQL7GNorm9AvTATZcrRYDsB7NHeskGbRjpPuPBLNg2mmdhx2EQWVSdNC5w1ugTwXQBmiURXN6TXZzWmV9kHVxrqJ3BSfDqZnCee8Gd5PNDAPxZRXzJHGQAuFxKNpe62DDQPUjLzUapebFH5Y2Nc3rc6), also have smart home hubs. (Correction: A previous version of this piece had details about the hub wrong.) Spam-Free Photograph: Nena Farrell My biggest issue with Echo Shows these days are the cluttered slideshows and, worst of all, the sponsored content. But the Echo Hub doesn't have any of that. Since the Echo Hub's screen mostly stays on the dashboard, you aren't seeing a constant flickering slideshow that alternates between whatever content you have selected. Echo Shows have more than 40 options for onscreen slideshow content, most of which is honestly spam, _and_ you also have to turn off each type of content in a long menu, which is annoying. Even when the Hub does switch to your selected clock face, it doesn't show other content, so the screen isn't constantly switching and moving like an Echo Show’s would. It also means you won't see the sponsored content that is now unavoidable on an Echo Show if you aren't in Photo Frame mode. (My Echo Show 8 won't stop recommending me a weird chicken hat every four-ish slides.) Speaking of which, the Echo Hub offers Photo Frame mode, just like the Show, which you can toggle on in the top-down menu. Amazon's photo mode isn't as nice as Google's, nor is it [a true digital picture frame](https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-digital-picture-frames/), but it's fine if you choose landscape-oriented photos. I like the idea that, since it's mountable, you could blend the Echo Hub into a gallery wall of photos. You can also get [a separate $30 stand](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/S99RnZiqgDo8Mo2oZuprhJnApTqvW2mLPmoVR62VXo9J4ivcFVw69BocYSEDtFzanpLxfSRdPMfKqUVz6fesf8aEpsFMXNzdGwWnY2fz9aaWoyFFqV9cFWpHRdcinX6MDGHK4jQ) to add it to a tabletop. Ultimately, if you have any smart-home devices to control, the Echo Hub is a great choice. If it was a little cheaper, I'd call it perfect.

A new program will help local elections officials with legal assistance and technical needs that come along with increased threats to their work and their lives, especially during the heated 2024 election cycle. The Public Rights Project’s election protection hub plans to reach more than 200 elections officials, targeting states with close races but open to local elections officials anywhere in the US. Their work will include legal representation for local officials, filing amicus briefs on behalf of elections officials in critical court cases, helping them respond to misinformation, elevating them as trusted resources for voters and standing up for local interests in battles against state legislatures. They also plan to fight against efforts to hand count ballots and litigate any challenges made by others to tabulation, as well as push back against [frivolous public records requests](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/10/georgia-election-records-requests-2024-donald-trump) that have hit some elections offices. The nonprofit’s move comes as local elections officials report [ongoing threats](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/27/election-worker-training-abuse) and harassment, often stemming from mis- and disinformation spread by politicians. A stream of elections officials [have left their jobs](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/30/us-election-officials-leaving-2024-elections-north-carolina) after enduring years of these attacks on their jobs. [Some](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/18/maricopa-county-clint-hickman) have seen the threats against them result in [criminal charges](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/31/election-workers-threat-justice-department-taskforce) for those who called, emailed or posted online claiming they’d injure or kill people running elections. Alongside these [threats](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/10/election-workers-threats-political-violence), elections officials are also seeing efforts by lawmakers and other elected officials in their states to alter the way they administer the vote, sometimes without taking into account the needs of the people who actually run elections on the ground. “It’s death by 1,000 cuts for these local officials,” said Jonathan Miller, an attorney with the Public Rights Project. “We just think it’s really important for these noble public servants – they’re doing it because they believe in the right to vote, they believe in supporting their communities – to make sure that they’re given the support that they need, so that they can do their jobs, because ultimately the ability to run the elections rises and falls with local officials.” The project, founded by Jill Habig, the former special counsel in then-California attorney general Kamala Harris’s office, focuses its overall work on state and local issues and officials, including elections, reproductive rights and instances where states attempt to infringe the rights of local officials. Habig, an attorney, [recently filed an amicus brief](https://theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/05/trump-insurrectionist-supreme-court-jill-habig) in the US supreme court case over Trump’s potential disqualification from office because of the 14th amendment, where she wrote alongside historians who argued from an originalist perspective that Trump should be removed from the ballot. The Public Rights Project has previously filed supporting briefs in elections-related cases to elevate the voices and interests of local elections officials. The group envisions doing more of the same in cases this year, intending to protect people’s votes and elections officials’ ability to do their job without interference from states or outside actors. The organization’s [legal support](https://www.publicrightsproject.org/election-protection-litigation-hub-overview-1) is offered free of charge for these officials as part of the hub. Clifford Tatum was one of those local officials who could have used assistance from the hub. Tatum, who is now consulting with the project on this new program, was the elections administrator in Texas’s Harris county, until a [new state law](https://www.votebeat.org/texas/2023/7/20/23800769/harris-county-texas-voting-problems-election-office-sb-1750/) that targeted the county closed his office and distributed its duties to other county officials. Tatum said he wouldn’t be an elections official again – “I’ve shared my level of blood, sweat and tears” – but he wants to use his experience to help others in similar positions through the hub’s work. His brief time running elections in the county included professional and personal attacks, some [stumbles](https://www.votebeat.org/texas/2023/11/16/harris-county-election-changes-teneshia-hudspeth/) with paper shortages and wait times in the 2022 midterms, [lawsuits](https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/10/harris-county-2022-election-results-upheld/) against the county over those mistakes, a criminal [inquiry](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/elections/2022/11/16/437618/harris-county-da-kim-ogg-launches-elections-investigation-asks-texas-rangers-to-assist/), calls for his resignation and, finally, the dissolution of the office. He had moved to Houston in summer 2022, giving him just a few months to prepare for that year’s election. While he had resources to defend the county’s actions while he was the election administrator, he didn’t have the ability to defend himself or his own legal interests with county resources, a scenario where a program like the election protection hub could step in. “I felt isolated. I felt that I wasn’t able to control the narrative and if you lose the narrative, you basically lose the war,” he said. After his office and the county saw threats online against Tatum, he needed a daily security detail. The security team drove him to and from work, was with him all day for any meetings or movements. If he needed to run an errand, the security came with. When he initially moved to Houston, he purposefully chose a secure building, knowing the level of vitriol that often comes with working elections these days. “It really changed the way I lived in Houston and experienced Houston, Harris county, because I just didn’t know what was waiting for me out there,” Tatum said.

Lindsay Clark reports via The Register: _In a statement on the Azure console, Microsoft confirmed the Azure IoT Central service is [being retired on March 31, 2027](https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/15/microsoft_retires_azure_iot_central/). "Starting on April 1, 2024, you won't be able to create new application resources; however, all existing IoT Central applications will continue to function and be managed. Subscription {{subscriptionld} is not allowed to create new applications. Please create a support ticket to request an exception," the statement to customers, seen by The Register, said. According to a [Microsoft "Learn" post](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/iot-central/core/overview-iot-central) from February 8, 2024, IoT Central is an IoT application platform as a service (aPaaS) designed to reduce work and costs while building, managing, and maintaining IoT solutions._ _Microsoft's Azure IoT offering includes [three pillars](https://www.embedded.com/migrating-embedded-systems-to-the-cloud-with-azure-iot-hub/): IoT Hub, IoT Edge and IoT Central. IoT Hub is a cloud-based service that provides a "secure and scalable way to connect, monitor, and manage IoT devices and sensors," according to Microsoft. Azure IoT Edge is designed to allow devices to run cloud-based workloads locally. And Azure IoT Central is a fully managed, cloud-based IoT solution for connecting and managing devices at scale. Central is a layer above Hub in the architecture, and Hub itself may well continue. One developer told The Register there was no warning about Hub on the Azure console. As for IoT Edge, it is "a device-focused runtime that enables you to deploy, run, and monitor containerized Linux workloads." Microsoft has not said whether this would continue._

173021326 story [](//news.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=usa)[](//news.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=technology) Posted by msmash on Friday February 09, 2024 @10:20AM from the racing-ahead dept. President Joe Biden's administration plans to [launch a $5 billion semiconductor research consortium](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-09/us-to-launch-5-billion-research-hub-to-stay-ahead-in-chip-race) to bolster chip design and hardware innovation in the US and counter China's efforts to capture the cutting edge of the industry. From a report: _Officials on Friday are set to formally establish the National Semiconductor Technology Center, or NSTC, which marks the second major research and development investment from the 2022 Chips Act following a $3 billion advanced packaging initiative. The consortium plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into workforce development and intends to open funding applications in early March for research grants, Commerce Undersecretary for Standards and Technology Dr. Laurie E. Locascio said in an interview with Bloomberg News. Officials are working to prevent China from benefiting from NSTC-funded research while filling gaps in the US research ecosystem for key areas like packaging and hardware, she said, as electronic components have become a key US-China battleground._

* I'm a big Nooie fan. The Aurora offers a range of nice hues, with preset themes and the ability to make your own. Its white spectrum could stand to be broader and brighter, but it's enough to satisfy most people's needs. It has regular on/off schedule options, as well as wake-up and bedtime schedules that can dim or brighten the bulb. It's also designed to not overheat, thanks to "special cooling materials," according to Nooie's website. We touched the bulb after it had been on for a while—no burned fingers here. The only downside is that it isn't cheaper. When we initially reviewed the Nooie, it was $20 for a two-pack, and now it's close to $30. It's still not a bad price at $14 per bulb, but you can get brighter options for a little cheaper. _Works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa_ * The Philips kit is more expensive than other kits, but it's available at a variety of retailers and is compatible with most assistants. This pack is the cheapest with just two bulbs (perfect for starting in a single room!) and a Hue Bridge hub that lets you connect the bulbs to your phone or voice assistant. There's also a larger, more expensive kits from Philips Hue that [have more bulbs](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/TdsMtFs7CeQKqD1JYZF39TD7Qzw5RXxoJoRi9K9q9Cx3oCHdma3hKor6UN47weXUmSrYpvMwXBN9utaGYmJL6JhCW5csb8UzDZq6wZbD6cksPW4Hbnm54a38G5t3gXS5SCmSCVREy89yKafCkdAbCvF933ahWPKe7e9Kf3dV5qN6dXiDFQQHBSQpYaDfsoFdHgZnQh3n6tDbKc) or [include a dimmer switch](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/TdsMtFs7CeQKqD1JYZF39TD7Qzw5RXxoJoRi9K9q9Cx3oCHdma3hKor6UN47weXUmSrYpvMwXBN9utaGYmJL6JhCW5csb8Uz7xwcDewiztRGvaNrgy7nUUkJ6Vi34QJkhtZ6h44VHpUo87bZoysXFk4RHjXwvZrLKbEpPQA9BwRHGd4uUHDYUuesZBRfsxYQUepwgqGwHriufC). You can choose many colors and brightness levels, as well as preset scenes to set the mood, or create your own scenes. The app includes helpful how-to videos that explain the bulb's extra functions, like using one as a timer (it blinks!). The hub lets you connect older Philips bulbs as well as other first- or third-party accessories, like the [outdoor motion sensor](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/kDoCfXgWoowzauMh6CTMDimygyddgCAL1PVVmRMTYPx31Ds2BHdCGsLLjpLkRuYPNN5ns7S9dEuHHSKu6Y9fdbcRgzf5tgozePEZezdzWqNzevrNtMGDUJx1oxv6wjcDXaCT7mTZ3U1mEfMHPR9wg2xTX2T4WBZe8Ky77iagtoBUkBhcMzdGHw5sgLjDDi7XuBtoBXqMigYUfpebUMX43DvKJLHJ4UxEz). WIRED staff writer Boone Ashworth says he's had issues connecting some of his Philips Hue bulbs, but I (Nena) did have some delays with getting the hub set up, but after about 10 minutes everything worked smoothly and quickly. Go with this if you want to use one system for all your smart home devices. _Compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (via Hue Bridge), Samsung SmartThings_

The [Biden](https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden) administration will start implementing a new requirement for the developers of major [artificial intelligence](https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence) systems to disclose their safety test results to the government. The White House AI Council is scheduled to meet Monday to review progress made on the [executive order](https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-executive-order-cb86162000d894f238f28ac029005059) that President Joe Biden signed three months ago to manage the fast-evolving technology. Chief among the 90-day goals from the order was a mandate under the Defense Production Act that AI companies share vital information with the Commerce Department, including safety tests. Ben Buchanan, the White House special adviser on AI, said in an interview that the government wants “to know AI systems are safe before they’re released to the public—the president has been very clear that companies need to meet that bar.” The software companies are committed to a set of categories for the safety tests, but companies do not yet have to comply with a common standard on the tests. The government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology will develop a uniform framework for assessing safety, as part of the order Biden signed in October. AI has emerged as a leading economic and national security consideration for the federal government, given the investments and uncertainties caused by the launch of [new AI tools](https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence) such as ChatGPT that can generate text, images, and sounds. The Biden administration also is looking at congressional legislation and working with other countries and the European Union on rules for managing the technology. The Commerce Department has developed a draft rule on U.S. cloud companies that provide servers to foreign AI developers. Nine federal agencies, including the departments of Defense, Transportation, Treasury, and Health and Human Services, have completed risk assessments regarding AI’s use in critical national infrastructure such as the electric grid. The government also has scaled up the hiring of AI experts and data scientists at federal agencies. “We know that AI has transformative effects and potential,” Buchanan said. “We’re not trying to upend the apple cart there, but we are trying to make sure the regulators are prepared to manage this technology.” —_By Josh Boak, Associated Press_[](https://apnews.com/author/josh-boak)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: _For a country that prides itself on being free, America does seem to have an awful lot of spying going on, as the new [Street Surveillance Hub](https://sls.eff.org/) from the Electronic Frontier Foundation shows. The Hub contains [detailed breakdowns of the type of surveillance systems used](https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/22/eff_privacy_atlas/), from bodycams to biometrics, predictive policing software to gunshot detection microphones and drone-equipped law enforcement. It also has a full news feed so that concerned citizens can keep up with the latest US surveillance news; they can also contribute to the Atlas of Surveillance on the site._ _The Atlas, started in 2019, allows anyone to check what law enforcement is being used in their local area -- be it license plate readers, drones, or gunshot detection microphones. It can also let you know if local law enforcement is collaborating with third parties like home security vendor Ring to get extra information. EFF policy analyst Matthew Guariglia told The Register that once people look into what's being deployed using their tax dollars, a lot of red flags are raised. Over the last few years America's thin blue line have not only been harvesting huge amounts of data themselves, but also buying it in from commercial operators. The result is a perfect storm on privacy -- with police, homeowners, and our personal technology proving to be a goldmine of intrusive information that's often misused._

The government in China's gambling hub of Macao says there will be no more horse racing in the city, after over 40 years of history HONG KONG -- The government in [China](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/Taiwan)’s gambling hub of Macao said Monday that after more than 40 years, there will be no more [horse racing](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/TripleCrown) in the city and announced plans to terminate its contract with the city’s jockey club in April. The gaming hub on China’s south coast near Hong Kong is a home to various gambling businesses, which form a major pillar of its economy. But its jockey club, acquired by a consortium led by late casino tycoon Stanley Ho in 1991, has faced financial woes in recent years. Cheong Weng Chon, a Macao official, told reporters that the Macao Horse Race Company had asked last year that the contract with the government be terminated, citing operational difficulties and the “impossibility of aligning horse racing activities with the current developmental needs of society.” “Considering that these activities have progressively lost their appeal to local residents and tourists in recent years, the government, after thorough research, decided to accept the application from the Macao Horse Race Company,” he said. Local media outlets, including public service broadcaster TDM, reported that the government had no plans for further public tendering for horse racing at the club's tracks. Under the termination arrangement that was due to take effect on April 1, the firm pledged to arrange for [transportation](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/TSA) of its horses to other locations by March 2025 and handle the company's employees according to the law, the government said. In 2018, Macao's government had signed on with the company for an extension of the concession until 2042. But the former Portuguese colony's horse racing has grappled with financial difficulties in recent years and has not fully recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the club's accumulated losses increased to US$261 million, Macao Business reported last June.

The Supreme Court has rejected Alaska’s bid to revive a proposed copper and gold mine that was blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency January 8, 2024, 10:21 AM  The U.S Supreme Court is photographed on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) WASHINGTON -- The [Supreme Court](https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court) on Monday rejected [Alaska's bid](https://apnews.com/article/alaska-pebble-mine-epa-sockeye-salmon-0e99f15733eb2feed4d99b4d21cc625c) to revive a proposed copper and gold mine that was blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency. The justices did not comment in turning away the state’s attempt to sue the Biden administration directly in the high court over its desire to revive the proposed Pebble Mine in the state’s Bristol Bay region. A year ago, [the EPA](https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-environmental-protection-agency-alaska-business-fish-139ceb6e697c006737d09f984456b0e1) stopped the mine proposal, citing concerns with potential impacts on a rich aquatic ecosystem that supports the world’s [largest sockeye salmon fishery](https://apnews.com/article/business-alaska-fish-salmon-us-environmental-protection-agency-286968406aa8ebaff624ae3217d6884d). States can sue each other and the federal government in the Supreme Court, though the justices typically deal with appeals and hear only a few original cases each year. Alaska still can try to reverse the decision through the more typical process, starting in a lower court and appealing any unfavorable decisions to the Supreme Court. \_\_\_ Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at [https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court](https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court).  [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/experts-break-constitution-framers-presidential-immunity/story?id=106140371) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/major-incident-downtown-fort-worth-texas-police/story?id=106206817) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/united-finds-loose-bolts-737-max-9-planes/story?id=106204513) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-round-jeffrey-epstein-court-documents-unsealed/story?id=106174129) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/special-counsel-probe-uncovers-new-details-trumps-inaction/story?id=106131854)

* By far the most affordable smart shade option, Ikea’s Fyrtur shades come in a choice of eight sizes, from 23 x 76.75 inches up to 48 x 76.75 inches. Unlike the other shades in our guide, there is no made-to-measure option, and these shades are not designed to be cut (it is technically possible according to some online guides, but it doesn’t look easy). If you’re lucky enough to have a window that matches one of the sizes, this is a classy-looking smart shade that is easy to install. It uses similar spring brackets to our top two picks and has a removable, rechargeable battery in a compartment at the top right. The top section of these shades is quite bulky, but it looks neat enough once installed. There are physical buttons at the top left for opening and closing the shade, and you get a tiny remote control in the box. You can connect to the shade via the Ikea Home smart app, and you can schedule times for it to open or close automatically, but you must plug in the included signal repeater within 30 feet of the shade. You also need a [Dirigera hub ($70)](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/gVLYTFHP77FHrVD2wiD1iV9aSrS1tCMVhfYiXSeG72uHKkhBGw7QELC5gBBhV2h1tnWguacd89BTDnKU9L82NyUTreTfoCm3B2ygXM9QYSt4oMKp5ESUjtS5DWB7d9gQ3xgRaBKrySrQ3saPGqo4BVrUTeQnfhYSkisG5ibUjYGgyTxBhZqkKF33mp3F3nN4xzxd6YWC8bMoQQ11cr) if you want to add voice commands and remote controls for the major smart home platforms. The Dirigera hub replaces the old Tradfri hub and is a big improvement with support for Matter, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Thread. There are some other connection options if you search online and don’t mind jumping through a few hoops. Style-wise the Fyrtur only comes in gray, though it blends in well with most rooms. It is quite noisy, hitting up to 60 decibels when opening or closing. Battery life is OK—expect at least a couple of months. It’s nice that you can remove the battery to charge easily by plugging the supplied cable into the repeater, though I’d rather have a USB-C port than MicroUSB. They start at $130. * Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit What if you already have a roller shade you love? The Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit could be just what you need. This clever kit can be fitted into an existing roller shade or blind to make it smart. The circumference of the tube inside your existing roller shade matters, so measure up before you buy. Installation is a breeze, and you can add the MotionBlinds to HomeKit simply by scanning the QR code on the chain pull mechanism using your Apple Home app. There’s no remote with this and no need for a separate hub, provided you have a [HomePod mini](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/B7jB7s3t6nATEzp9TKMyHoXNizKyTcod7Bh3m2W9z3wz2JKxYUx9i9cyBa3hh6cfGN37Bq77jfNRNqziPtoWFcRBmoR8h5aweFAukc8PWYiLr7CcgSTQhBFoth78hAnMFnViJfirutWReL4o2LzkNVNcchJ5Td2Lthu21Ljp), [HomePod](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/MKEh7BpQXwWWMKVR4V3QS38kD3Ygeb5sEUda7cAL5cFg5LiS2Ap2jhio1p1e1A56dCTBpovWrjsMq6ZbgejjDqyRhEG6u7ZStUoQKEzBTe3gH97rpu6sdziodoiPQe4zQG5y7Z4dzi3VbPgXN34gYWWS6SFELH6Ni), or [Apple TV](https://cna.st/affiliate-link/5bwkygcD8TrHAb6Xpv2T9qy8XNRQ2ihyhD9jr5LnZJxSAbNd2dD1r6bqwZQFjBDFsLpAhjoZbNwukXG695UMSZr2yEteur6Qx6zMzEqHh6B7SappVgUzkDTCwABh6oKrCEzqyQYNYEweaKKzS4EXFJAWD95jLYNz). Battery life is up to a year, depending on how often you open and close your shades. Though originally designed for Apple Home, the latest version is Matter-enabled and you can easily connect it to Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, or Google Home. You just need a Matter controller and Thread border router. Even if you have an older version of the Eve Motion Blinds, it is straightforward to [upgrade to Matter](https://www.evehome.com/en/upgrade-to-matter). I have my Eve MotionBlinds in my bedroom and they are scheduled in the Apple Home app to open and close with sunset and sunrise on weekdays. We ask Siri or pull the control chain on weekends. Because you can pair the Eve MotionBlinds Upgrade Kit with any roller, you can get the exact size, color, and finish you want. A few suppliers ship the Eve MotionBlinds ready fitted into their made-to-measure shades or blinds. While the pull chain is much easier than trying to fumble with a tiny button, the shade occasionally catches on it when closing. It is also quite noisy in operation, sometimes going above 60 decibels, which is enough to wake you.

 The 40 millionth F-Series truck rolls off the assembly line at the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant on Jan. 26, 2022 in Dearborn, Mich. Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images Ford is recalling certain F-150 pickup trucks with a part that could break and cause the vehicles to roll away when parked. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the truck's rear axle hub bolt could break and cause the axle hub splines to become damaged. "Damaged axle hub splines can result in a vehicle roll away when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake applied, or cause a loss of drive power," NHTSA official Alex Ansley [wrote](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V896-5442.pdf) in a letter to Ford. "Both of these conditions can increase the risk of a crash." The recall affects more than 112,000 trucks in the model years 2021-2023 that have the Trailer Tow Max Duty package and a 9.75-inch heavy duty axle with a 3/4 float axle design. A "clicking or rattling noise" could indicate problems with the rear axle bolt, and owners can take their trucks to a Ford dealer for a repair, NHTSA said. Ford spokesperson Maria Buczkowski said the automaker would be sharing more information soon on the "final service remedy" of the problem, and that in the meantime drivers can engage their truck's electronic parking brake. As of Dec. 2, there had been 376 warranty reports related to broken rear axle bolts and stripped hub splines that impacted the vehicle's driving power or parking status, [Ford said](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RMISC-23V896-9872.pdf). The Dearborn, Mich.-based company said it wasn't aware of any reported accidents or injuries related to the issue. In March, Ford [recalled](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1164287038/ford-recalls-fusion-mkz-f150) roughly 220,000 F-150 trucks over defective windshield wiper arms.

Turkey’s national carrier, Turkish Airlines, says it's placing an order for 220 new planes from Airbus as it seeks to expand its fleet ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey’s national carrier, Turkish Airlines, said Friday that it is placing an order for 220 new planes from Airbus as it seeks to expand its fleet. In a statement to [Turkey](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/TurkeySyriaEarthquake)’s public disclosures platform, KAP, Turkish Airlines announced that it will buy 150 narrow-body A321 Neo aircraft in addition to 50 wide-body A350-900 jets, 15 of the A350-1000 planes and five A350F cargo aircraft. The company also would procure engine maintenance services and spare engines for the A350 aircraft from Rolls-Royce, according to the statement. Airbus said the latest order increases Turkish Airlines’ total order to 504 planes, adding that 212 have already been delivered. "By modernizing our fleet with more efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft, we are reinforcing our leading position in global aviation and contributing to the nation’s prominence as an aviation hub,” Turkish Airlines board Chairman Ahmet Bolat said in a news release from Toulouse, [France](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/France)\-based Airbus. The airline is vying to turn its hub in Istanbul into a major center for international transport. Turkish Airlines spokesman was not available for further information on the deal.

What mysteries might a time-lapse of a single cell unlock, and how might it transform our understanding of disease and the body’s most granular processes—over the long term and in real time, to fuel new medicines? On Thursday, a powerhouse academic trio of [the Allen Institute](https://alleninstitute.org/), the [Chan Zuckerberg Initiative](https://chanzuckerberg.com/) (CZI), and the [University of Washington](https://www.uwmedicine.org/) announced the [Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology](https://seattlehub.org/) (SEAHub) to take on that exact groundbreaking work: a collaborative to develop biotechnologies that create a historical biological record down to the single cell level and give scientists clues on when and how to intervene against burgeoning diseases. The science at the heart of SEAHub is a foundation for future discovery in the life sciences, says Rui Costa, a brain scientist, molecular biologist, and CEO and president of the Allen Institute—the nonprofit neuroscience and cell-biology research behemoth created by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen in 2003 and key contributor to a [milestone “brain atlas”](https://www.fastcompany.com/90968493/scientists-largest-map-brain-alzheimers-parkinsons) mapping the inner-workings of the brain published last month—in an interview and guided tour of its Seattle headquarters with _Fast Company_ leading up to the institute’s 20-year anniversary Thursday.   Inside the Allen Institute, researchers map the responses of human brain cells. \[Photos: courtesy of the author\] “Can you imagine if you take a cell, and you’d have a little recorder of how many inflammations or infections I had?” says Costa. “Or what did my body experience using the cell’s natural sensors? So, through the intelligent genomic design of a few cells, you could have live recorders of your history.” That technology, in turn, means that you can take a spontaneous response or a mutation at the genetic level and capture its effect on a cell. From that cellular effect, you can climb up to an effect on your body, such as, say, painful inflammation that might indicate an immune system disease—the kind of thing your doctor would notice when you visit the clinic with those symptoms. “I could say, hey, about one year ago, there was a large inflammatory response in your organism, you know, something happened here,” explains Costa. “Of course, _you_ don’t have awareness of that, but there are ways our body can record things that happened.” In lay terms, the implication is, scientists and drug developers would have powerful new tools to see exactly how a cell changes over time and the moment that spurs that biological event—a real-time crystal ball, giving them a glimpse at, not just the best biological targets, but the best biological _moments_ to intervene before a disease can take root. Executives from the Allen Institute and CZI, and lead scientists from UW Medicine who will be leading the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology, compare the effort to a “smart watch” for the genome that has the potential to revolutionize drug development strategies and foster untold future discovery. “Currently, when biologists take measurements, we’re limited to either observing how a few things change over time with a microscope or to measuring everything, but only at the moment in time that we break open the cell,” said Jay Shendure, executive director of the new hub and a medical scientist and professor of genome sciences at UW Medicine, in a statement. “With the kind of genomic smart watch that we’re aiming to build, one could recover the full autobiography of each cell rather than only the last page.” Priscilla Chan, cofounder and co-CEO of CZI, draws similar comparisons and their implications for our understanding of genetics, cells, disease, and their interplay with our environments. “By developing new technologies to measure and understand the history of our cells over time, including how they are impacted by the environment around them, genetic mutations, and other factors, we can expand scientists’ understanding of what happens at the cellular level when we go from healthy to sick, and help pinpoint the earliest causes of disease,” said Chan in a statement announcing the research hub. The democratic nature of the synthetic biology hub’s work is key for Costa, who believes the true excitement lies not just in the technology, but in the quixotic quest for scientific discovery and collaboration. “Discovery changes the world. So, the sharing of knowledge is empowering people,” he says.

The CEO of [technology giant Nvidia](https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-trillion-artificial-intelligence-ai-chips-c2e5e41634dc4049209d4e1eba3836d8) said Friday that he views Malaysia as a potential hub for artificial intelligence “manufacturing,” though he did not confirm the chipmaker is in talks with a local conglomerate to set up AI data centers in the Southeast Asian country. Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s founder and CEO, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that the Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corp. could play an important role in setting up AI data centers. Speaking at a media roundtable, Huang did not confirm reports that Nvidia is in talks with YTL, whose interests span utilities and telecommunications, cement, construction and property development. But he said that “YTL is an extraordinary company and has an incredible leadership and legacy.” Malaysia “is a very important hub for SEA’s computing infrastructure. It requires access to land, facilities, power, which is extraordinarily important,” he said. “I think YTL could play a great role in that.” Malaysia’s expertise in packaging, assembly, and other aspects of manufacturing make it well suited for the manufacturing of [artificial intelligence](https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence), Huang said. He said Nvidia was working with 80 AI startups in the country. “Here in Malaysia, the data center infrastructure layer of computing, which is one of the most important parts of the AI and the cloud, is very successful here,” Huang said. Southeast Asia will likely be a hub for AI computing because countries need their own AI data centers to refine and transform data into valuable information. Old data processing centers were designed to hold data files and run applications. AI requires use of each place’s culture, language, values, literature, and common sense, Huang said. “I don’t know plans of every region well, but I have great confidence that Southeast Asia is going to be a very important technology hub. It’s already quite excellent at packaging and assembly and battery manufacturing. It’s already very good at many aspects of the technology supply chain,” he said.[](https://popup.taboola.com/en/?template=colorbox&utm_source=associatedpress-apnews&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=rec-reel-2n5-a-2:Mid%20Article%20Reco%20Reel%20Slider:)

The CEO of chipmaker Nvidia views Malaysia as a potential hub for artificial intelligence “manufacturing.” December 8, 2023, 5:30 AM  Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang attends a media round table event at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The CEO of technology giant Nvidia said Friday that he views Malaysia as a potential hub for [artificial intelligence](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/ArtificialIntelligence) “manufacturing,” though he did not confirm the chipmaker is in talks with a local conglomerate to set up AI data centers in the Southeast Asian country. Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s founder and CEO, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that the Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corp. could play an important role in setting up AI data centers. Speaking at a media roundtable, Huang did not confirm reports that Nvidia is in talks with YTL, whose interests span utilities and telecommunications, cement, construction and property development. But he said that “YTL is an extraordinary company and has an incredible leadership and legacy.” Malaysia “is a very important hub for SEA’s computing infrastructure. It requires access to land, facilities, power, which is extraordinarily important,” he said. “I think YTL could play a great role in that.” Malaysia’s expertise in packaging, assembly and other aspects of manufacturing make it well suited for the manufacturing of artificial intelligence, Huang said. He said Nvidia was working with 80 AI startups in the country. “Here in Malaysia, the data center infrastructure layer of computing, which is one of the most important parts of the AI and the cloud, is very successful here,” Huang said. Southeast Asia will likely be a hub for AI computing because countries need their own AI data centers to refine and transform data into valuable information. Old data processing centers were designed to hold data files and run applications. AI requires use of each place's culture, language, values, literature and common sense, Huang said. “I don’t know plans of every region well, but I have great confidence that Southeast Asia is going to be a very important technology hub. It’s already quite excellent at packaging and assembly and battery manufacturing. It’s already very good at many aspects of the technology supply chain," he said.

More than 1,100 unionized DHL Express workers walked off the job at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), a critical logistics hub for the package delivery company, during the busiest time of the year ByWYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP business writer December 8, 2023, 11:51 AM  A protester sits near a supply table during a protest at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport near the DHL Express Hub Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Erlanger Ky. More than 1,000 union members at DHL walked off the job at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, a critical logistics hub for the package delivery company, during the busiest time of the year. The Teamsters say they are protesting unfair labor practices at the DHL Express hub. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) NEW YORK -- More than 1,100 unionized DHL Express workers walked off the job at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), a critical logistics hub for the package delivery company, during the busiest time of the year. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents over 6,000 DHL workers across the country, said its DHL-CVG members went on strike Thursday to further demand a fair contract and protest unfair labor practices. “For too long, DHL has walked all over our rights to collective action,” Gina Kemp, a DHL-CVG ramp and tug worker, said in a statement shared in the Teamsters' announcement. “This company’s repeated acts of disrespect — from the tarmac where we work to the bargaining table — leave me and my co-workers with no choice but to withhold our labor.” Negotiations between DHL and the Teamsters for a first union contract at CVG began back in July — after ramp and tug workers, who load and unload airplane cargo, voted to organize with the Teamsters in April. In the months since, the union said, the Teamsters have also filed multiple unfair labor practices against DHL with the National Labor Relations Board. In a statement sent to The Associated Press Friday, DHL expressed disappointment over the union's move to “influence these negotiations and pressure the company to agree to unreasonable contract terms by taking a job action in CVG Thursday morning" and said that the company was commited to negotiating in good faith. DHL added the majority of its employees reported to work on Thursday and operations ran at full capacity. The company also said that Teamsters' picket lines were expanded to other U.S. locations on Friday. DHL stated that it anticipated this and has enacted contingency plans — including moving flights and volume to other locations and bringing in replacement staff. A Teamsters spokesperson confirmed to The Associated Press via email on Friday that Local 100 has extended its picket lines to unionized DHL workers in Chicago, the Miami airport gateway and a Covington pickup and delivery operation in Kentucky. These workers are not themselves on strike, the spokesperson said, but are honoring the picket line in solidarity. DHL Express is a unit of Germany’s Deutsche Post AG. In 2022, Deutshe Post AG posted record revenue of over 94 billion euros (more than $101 billion) and operating profit of 8.4 billion euros ($9 billion). DHL's CVG hub is hailed as one of the company's three “global superhubs," alongside operations in Hong Kong and Germany. Its CVG hub sees about 130 daily flights with a 60-aircraft fleet. DHL's CVG workers load and unload roughly 360,000 pounds of cargo each day, the Teamsters said earlier this year. The strike at DHL's CVG hub follows a chain of historic work stoppages and contract negotiations seen over the course of 2023 — from Hollywood and hospitality, to Big Three auto production lines. Hundreds of thousands of workers across the U.S. have participated in labor actions this year.

The CEO of chipmaker Nvidia views Malaysia as a potential hub for artificial intelligence “manufacturing.” December 8, 2023, 5:30 AM  Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang attends a media round table event at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The CEO of technology giant Nvidia said Friday that he views Malaysia as a potential hub for [artificial intelligence](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/ArtificialIntelligence) “manufacturing,” though he did not confirm the chipmaker is in talks with a local conglomerate to set up AI data centers in the Southeast Asian country. Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s founder and CEO, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that the Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corp. could play an important role in setting up AI data centers. Speaking at a media roundtable, Huang did not confirm reports that Nvidia is in talks with YTL, whose interests span utilities and telecommunications, cement, construction and property development. But he said that “YTL is an extraordinary company and has an incredible leadership and legacy.” Malaysia “is a very important hub for SEA’s computing infrastructure. It requires access to land, facilities, power, which is extraordinarily important,” he said. “I think YTL could play a great role in that.” Malaysia’s expertise in packaging, assembly and other aspects of manufacturing make it well suited for the manufacturing of artificial intelligence, Huang said. He said Nvidia was working with 80 AI startups in the country. “Here in Malaysia, the data center infrastructure layer of computing, which is one of the most important parts of the AI and the cloud, is very successful here,” Huang said. Southeast Asia will likely be a hub for AI computing because countries need their own AI data centers to refine and transform data into valuable information. Old data processing centers were designed to hold data files and run applications. AI requires use of each place's culture, language, values, literature and common sense, Huang said. “I don’t know plans of every region well, but I have great confidence that Southeast Asia is going to be a very important technology hub. It’s already quite excellent at packaging and assembly and battery manufacturing. It’s already very good at many aspects of the technology supply chain," he said.