Windows 11 Notepad Flaw Let Files Execute Silently via Markdown Links Microsoft has patched a high-severity vulnerability in Windows 11's Notepad that allowed attackers to silently execute local or remote programs when a user clicked a specially crafted Markdown link, all without triggering any Windows security warning. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-20841 and fixed in the February 2026 Patch Tuesday update, stemmed from Notepad's relatively new Markdown support -- a feature Microsoft added after discontinuing WordPad and rewriting Notepad to serve as both a plain text and rich text editor. An attacker only needed to create a Markdown file containing file:// links pointing to executables or special URIs like ms-appinstaller://, and a Ctrl+click in Markdown mode would launch them. Microsoft's fix now displays a warning dialog for any link that doesn't use http:// or https://, though the company did not explain why it chose a prompt over blocking non-standard links entirely. Notepad updates automatically through the Microsoft Store. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Windows+11+Notepad+Flaw+Let+Files+Execute+Silently+via+Markdown+Links%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F2111243%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F2111243%2Fwindows-11-notepad-flaw-let-files-execute-silently-via-markdown-links%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Windows 11 Notepad Flaw Let Files Execute Silently via Markdown Links - Slashdot

Microsoft has patched a high-severity vulnerability in Windows 11

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Windows 11 Notepad Flaw Let Files Execute Silently via Markdown Links - Slashdot

Microsoft has patched a high-severity vulnerability in Windows 11

CIA Makes New Push To Recruit Chinese Military Officers as Informants An anonymous reader shares a report: Just weeks after a dramatic purge of China's top general, the CIA is moving to capitalize on any resulting discord with a new public video targeting potential informants in the Chinese military. The U.S. spy agency on Thursday rolled out the video depicting a disillusioned mid-level Chinese military officer, in the latest U.S. step in a campaign to ramp up human intelligence gathering on Washington's strategic rival. It follows a similar effort last May that focused on fictional figures within China's ruling Communist Party that provided detailed Chinese-language instructions on how to securely contact U.S. intelligence. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement that the agency's videos had reached many Chinese citizens and that it would continue offering Chinese government officials an "opportunity to work toward a brighter future together." <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=CIA+Makes+New+Push+To+Recruit+Chinese+Military+Officers+as+Informants%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F211223%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F211223%2Fcia-makes-new-push-to-recruit-chinese-military-officers-as-informants%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

CIA Makes New Push To Recruit Chinese Military Officers as Informants - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: Just weeks after a dramatic purge of China

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CIA Makes New Push To Recruit Chinese Military Officers as Informants - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: Just weeks after a dramatic purge of China

Palo Alto Chose Not To Tie China To Hacking Campaign For Fear of Retaliation From Beijing An anonymous reader shares a report: Palo Alto Networks opted not to tie China to a global cyberespionage campaign the firm exposed last week over concerns that the cybersecurity company or its clients could face retaliation from Beijing, according to two people familiar with the matter. The sources said that Palo Alto's findings that China was tied to the sprawling hacking spree were dialed back following last month's news, first reported by Reuters, that Palo Alto was one of about 15 U.S. and Israeli cybersecurity companies whose software had been banned by Chinese authorities on national security grounds. A draft version of the report by Palo Alto's Unit 42, the company's threat intelligence arm, said that the prolific hackers -- dubbed "TGR-STA-1030" in a report published on Thursday of last week -- were connected to Beijing, the two people said. The finished report instead described the hacking group more vaguely as a "state-aligned group that operates out of Asia." Attributing sophisticated hacks is notoriously difficult and debates over how best to assign blame for digital intrusions are common among cybersecurity researchers. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Palo+Alto+Chose+Not+To+Tie+China+To+Hacking+Campaign+For+Fear+of+Retaliation+From+Beijing%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F196217%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F196217%2Fpalo-alto-chose-not-to-tie-china-to-hacking-campaign-for-fear-of-retaliation-from-beijing%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Palo Alto Chose Not To Tie China To Hacking Campaign For Fear of Retaliation From Beijing - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: Palo Alto Networks opted not to tie China to a global cyberespionage campaign the firm exposed last week over ...

at Slashdot.

Palo Alto Chose Not To Tie China To Hacking Campaign For Fear of Retaliation From Beijing - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: Palo Alto Networks opted not to tie China to a global cyberespionage campaign the firm exposed last week over ...

Microsoft Plans Smartphone-Style Permission Prompts for Windows 11 Apps Microsoft is planning to bring smartphone-style app permission prompts to Windows 11, requiring apps to get explicit user consent before they can access sensitive resources like the file system, camera and microphone. The company's Windows Platform engineer Logan Iyer said the move was prompted by applications increasingly overriding user settings, installing unwanted software, and modifying core Windows experiences without permission. A separate initiative called Windows Baseline Security Mode will enforce runtime integrity safeguards by default, allowing only properly signed apps, services, and drivers to run. Both changes will roll out in phases as part of Microsoft's Secure Future Initiative, which the company launched in November 2023 after a federal review board called its security culture "inadequate." <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Microsoft+Plans+Smartphone-Style+Permission+Prompts+for+Windows+11+Apps%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F184223%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fit.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F12%2F184223%2Fmicrosoft-plans-smartphone-style-permission-prompts-for-windows-11-apps%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Microsoft Plans Smartphone-Style Permission Prompts for Windows 11 Apps - Slashdot

Microsoft is planning to bring smartphone-style app permission prompts to Windows 11, requiring apps to get explicit user consent before they can a...

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Microsoft Plans Smartphone-Style Permission Prompts for Windows 11 Apps - Slashdot

Microsoft is planning to bring smartphone-style app permission prompts to Windows 11, requiring apps to get explicit user consent before they can a...

With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet Ring's Super Bowl ad on Sunday promoted "Search Party," a feature that lets a user post a photo of a missing dog in the Ring app and triggers outdoor Ring cameras across the neighborhood to use AI to scan for a match. 404 Media argues the cheerful premise obscures what the Amazon-owned company has become: a massive, consumer-deployed surveillance network. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff, who left in 2023 and returned last year, has since moved to re-establish police partnerships and push more AI into Ring cameras. The company has also partnered with Flock, a surveillance firm used by thousands of police departments, and launched a beta feature called "Familiar Faces" that identifies known people at your door. Chris Gilliard, author of the upcoming book Luxury Surveillance, called the ad "a clumsy attempt by Ring to put a cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality: widespread networked surveillance by a company that has cozy relationships with law enforcement." Further reading: No One, Including Our Furry Friends, Will Be Safer in Ring's Surveillance Nightmare, EFF Says <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=With+Ring%2C+American+Consumers+Built+a+Surveillance+Dragnet%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1844232%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyro.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1844232%2Fwith-ring-american-consumers-built-a-surveillance-dragnet%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet - Slashdot

Ring

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With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet - Slashdot

Ring

A Hellish 'Hothouse Earth' Getting Closer, Scientists Say The world is closer than thought to a "point of no return" after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said. From a report: Continued global heating could trigger climate tipping points, leading to a cascade of further tipping points and feedback loops, they said. This would lock the world into a new and hellish "hothouse Earth" climate far worse than the 2-3C temperature rise the world is on track to reach. The climate would also be very different to the benign conditions of the past 11,000 years, during which the whole of human civilisation developed. At just 1.3C of global heating in recent years, extreme weather is already taking lives and destroying livelihoods across the globe. At 3-4C, "the economy and society will cease to function as we know it," scientists said last week, but a hothouse Earth would be even more fiery. The public and politicians were largely unaware of the risk of passing the point of no return, the researchers said. The group said they were issuing their warning because while rapid and immediate cuts to fossil fuel burning were challenging, reversing course was likely to be impossible once on the path to a hothouse Earth, even if emissions were eventually slashed. It was difficult to predict when climate tipping points would be triggered, making precaution vital, said Dr Christopher Wolf, a scientist at Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates in the US. Wolf is a member of a study team that includes Prof Johan Rockstrom at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and Prof Hans Joachim Schellnhuber at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=A+Hellish+'Hothouse+Earth'+Getting+Closer%2C+Scientists+Say%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1814253%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1814253%2Fa-hellish-hothouse-earth-getting-closer-scientists-say%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

A Hellish

The world is closer than thought to a &#34;point of no return&#34; after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said. From...

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A Hellish

The world is closer than thought to a &#34;point of no return&#34; after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said. From...

US Had Almost No Job Growth in 2025 An anonymous reader shares a report: The U.S. economy experienced almost zero job growth in 2025, according to revised federal data. On a more encouraging note: hiring has picked up in 2026. Preliminary data had indicated that the U.S. economy added 584,000 jobs last year. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised that number after it received additional state data, and found that the labor market had added 181,000 jobs in all of 2025. This is far fewer than the 1.46 million jobs that were added in 2024. One bright spot was last month, when hiring increased by 130,000 roles. This was significantly more than the 55,000 additions that had been expected by economists. "Job gains occurred in health care, social assistance, and construction, while federal government and financial activities lost jobs," BLS said in a statement. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=US+Had+Almost+No+Job+Growth+in+2025%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1754240%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1754240%2Fus-had-almost-no-job-growth-in-2025%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

US Had Almost No Job Growth in 2025 - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The U.S. economy experienced almost zero job growth in 2025, according to revised federal data. On a more enco...

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US Had Almost No Job Growth in 2025 - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The U.S. economy experienced almost zero job growth in 2025, according to revised federal data. On a more enco...

EVs Could Be Cheaper To Own Than Gas Cars in Africa by 2040 Electric vehicles accounted for just 1% of new car sales across Africa in 2025, but a study published in Nature Energy by researchers at ETH Zurich finds that EVs paired with solar off-grid charging systems -- solar panels, batteries and an inverter -- could become cheaper to own than gas-powered equivalents across most of the continent by 2040. The analysis considered total cost of ownership including sticker price, financing and fuel or charging costs, but excluded policy-related factors like taxes and subsidies. Electric two-wheelers could reach cost parity even sooner, by the end of the decade, thanks to smaller battery packs. Small cars remain the toughest segment. The biggest obstacle is financing: in some African countries, political instability and economic uncertainty push borrowing costs so high that interest on an EV loan can exceed the vehicle's purchase price. South Africa, Mauritius and Botswana are already near the financing conditions needed for cost parity; countries like Sudan and Ghana would need drastic cuts. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=EVs+Could+Be+Cheaper+To+Own+Than+Gas+Cars+in+Africa+by+2040%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F176205%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F176205%2Fevs-could-be-cheaper-to-own-than-gas-cars-in-africa-by-2040%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

EVs Could Be Cheaper To Own Than Gas Cars in Africa by 2040 - Slashdot

Electric vehicles accounted for just 1% of new car sales across Africa in 2025, but a study published in Nature Energy by researchers at ETH Zurich...

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EVs Could Be Cheaper To Own Than Gas Cars in Africa by 2040 - Slashdot

Electric vehicles accounted for just 1% of new car sales across Africa in 2025, but a study published in Nature Energy by researchers at ETH Zurich...

Are CDs Making a Comeback? A Statistical Analysis Reports of the compact disc's death may have been slightly premature, according to a new analysis from Stat Significant that finds CD sales as a share of U.S. music industry revenue have quietly stabilized after years of steep decline. RIAA data shows CD revenue share fell from 7.15% in 2018 to 3.04% in 2022 but has since flatlined at roughly 3%, coming in at 3.14% in 2023 and 3.06% in 2024. Google search traffic for "CD Player" has ticked upward over the past 16 months after two decades of near-continuous decline, and a May 2023 YouGov poll found 53% of American adults willing to pay for music on CDs -- ahead of vinyl at 44% and online streaming at 50%. Respondents under 45 were more likely to express interest in buying physical formats than older cohorts. But on the supply side, Discogs data shows vinyl remains the dominant format for new physical releases; artists have not meaningfully shifted back toward CD production. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Are+CDs+Making+a+Comeback%3F+A+Statistical+Analysis%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhardware.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1640236%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhardware.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1640236%2Fare-cds-making-a-comeback-a-statistical-analysis%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Are CDs Making a Comeback? A Statistical Analysis - Slashdot

Reports of the compact disc

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Are CDs Making a Comeback? A Statistical Analysis - Slashdot

Reports of the compact disc

Sony Will Ship Its Final Blu-ray Recorders This Month Sony will ship its last batch of Blu-ray recorders this month, according to Kyodo News, ending the company's decades-long run in a product category it helped create. The recorders targeted exclusively the Japanese domestic market, where households used them to record broadcast television. Sony had already stopped manufacturing the devices and recordable discs about a year ago, and the final shipments are clearing out remaining inventory. Kyodo attributes the segment's death to the rise of streaming services. Sony will continue selling Blu-ray players "for the time being." The broader Blu-ray ecosystem remains intact. Asus, LG, and Pioneer still produce PC drives in internal and external USB form factors. Panasonic and Verbatim continue manufacturing Blu-ray media. The format turned 20 last year, having debuted at CES 2006 -- one year before Netflix launched its streaming platform. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Sony+Will+Ship+Its+Final+Blu-ray+Recorders+This+Month%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1431206%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F11%2F1431206%2Fsony-will-ship-its-final-blu-ray-recorders-this-month%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Sony Will Ship Its Final Blu-ray Recorders This Month - Slashdot

Sony will ship its last batch of Blu-ray recorders this month, according to Kyodo News, ending the company

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Sony Will Ship Its Final Blu-ray Recorders This Month - Slashdot

Sony will ship its last batch of Blu-ray recorders this month, according to Kyodo News, ending the company

The First Signs of Burnout Are Coming From the People Who Embrace AI the Most An anonymous reader shares a report: The most seductive narrative in American work culture right now isn't that AI will take your job. It's that AI will save you from it. That's the version the industry has spent the last three years selling to millions of nervous people who are eager to buy it. Yes, some white-collar jobs will disappear. But for most other roles, the argument goes, AI is a force multiplier. You become a more capable, more indispensable lawyer, consultant, writer, coder, financial analyst -- and so on. The tools work for you, you work less hard, everybody wins. But a new study published in Harvard Business Review follows that premise to its actual conclusion, and what it finds there isn't a productivity revolution. It finds companies are at risk of becoming burnout machines. As part of what they describe as "in-progress research," UC Berkeley researchers spent eight months inside a 200-person tech company watching what happened when workers genuinely embraced AI. What they found across more than 40 "in-depth" interviews was that nobody was pressured at this company. Nobody was told to hit new targets. People just started doing more because the tools made more feel doable. But because they could do these things, work began bleeding into lunch breaks and late evenings. The employees' to-do lists expanded to fill every hour that AI freed up, and then kept going. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=The+First+Signs+of+Burnout+Are+Coming+From+the+People+Who+Embrace+AI+the+Most%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F2028238%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F2028238%2Fthe-first-signs-of-burnout-are-coming-from-the-people-who-embrace-ai-the-most%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

The First Signs of Burnout Are Coming From the People Who Embrace AI the Most - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The most seductive narrative in American work culture right now isn

at Slashdot.

The First Signs of Burnout Are Coming From the People Who Embrace AI the Most - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The most seductive narrative in American work culture right now isn

White House Eyes Data Center Agreements Amid Energy Price Spikes An anonymous reader shares a report: The Trump administration wants some of the world's largest technology companies to publicly commit to a new compact governing the rapid expansion of AI data centers, according to two administration officials granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. A draft of the compact obtained by POLITICO lays out commitments designed to ensure energy-hungry data centers do not raise household electricity prices, strain water supplies or undermine grid reliability, and that the companies driving demand also carry the cost of building new infrastructure. The proposed pact, which is not final and could be subject to change, is framed as a voluntary agreement between President Donald Trump and major U.S. tech companies and data center developers. It could bind OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook parent Meta and other AI giants to a broad set of energy, water and community principles. None of these companies immediately responded to a request for comment. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=White+House+Eyes+Data+Center+Agreements+Amid+Energy+Price+Spikes%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhardware.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F197249%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhardware.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F197249%2Fwhite-house-eyes-data-center-agreements-amid-energy-price-spikes%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

White House Eyes Data Center Agreements Amid Energy Price Spikes - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The Trump administration wants some of the world

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White House Eyes Data Center Agreements Amid Energy Price Spikes - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The Trump administration wants some of the world

The US Is Flirting With Its First-Ever Population Decline The U.S., whose population the Census Bureau did not expect to start shrinking until 2081, may record its first-ever decline as early as this year because of the Trump administration's accelerating immigration crackdown. Census data released in late January showed US population growth slowed to just 0.5% in the year prior to July 2025 -- the lowest rate since the pandemic -- as net migration fell to 1.3 million from a peak of 2.7 million the year before. Census experts now expect net migration to drop to only 316,000 in the year prior to July 2026 and say the country is "trending toward negative net migration." A joint study by researchers at the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution estimates that 2026 net immigration could range from a gain of 185,000 to a loss of 925,000. Births exceeded deaths by just 519,000 in the most recent period, a surplus the Congressional Budget Office expects to vanish by 2030. At the low end of the AEI/Brookings range, the overall US population would shrink by more than 400,000 -- something that has never happened since the country began taking censuses in 1790. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=The+US+Is+Flirting+With+Its+First-Ever+Population+Decline%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F189251%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F189251%2Fthe-us-is-flirting-with-its-first-ever-population-decline%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

The US Is Flirting With Its First-Ever Population Decline - Slashdot

The U.S., whose population the Census Bureau did not expect to start shrinking until 2081, may record its first-ever decline as early as this year ...

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The US Is Flirting With Its First-Ever Population Decline - Slashdot

The U.S., whose population the Census Bureau did not expect to start shrinking until 2081, may record its first-ever decline as early as this year ...

A Bitcoin Blunder for the Ages: $40 Billion Accidentally Given Away An anonymous reader shares a report: The hundreds of prize payouts were mostly just a few bucks each, part of a promotional campaign by a South Korean cryptocurrency exchange. The total reward pot: 620,000 Korean won, or about $425. Then came a colossal mistake. A staffer for Bithumb, South Korea's No. 2 crypto exchange, didn't distribute 620,000 Korean won. Rather, the prizes, due to an input error, emerged in a different currency: 620,000 bitcoins, valued at more than $40 billion. That meant a winner who should have received a sum of 2,000 won -- enough to buy a cheap cup of coffee -- reaped, at least momentarily, more than $120 million in bitcoins. Enough recipients sought to sell or withdraw bitcoin that the market sank 17%, before Bithumb halted transactions after roughly 30 minutes. Those affected included investors who had held bitcoin before the botched giveaway. The losses totaled about $685,000, Bithumb says. The company has since said it has reversed the transactions or had recipients voluntarily return more than 99% of the misdistributed bitcoins. But Bithumb is still trying to convince users who during the brief window of trading managed to offload more than 100 bitcoins, valued at roughly $9 million, to give back the equivalent funds. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=A+Bitcoin+Blunder+for+the+Ages%3A+%2440+Billion+Accidentally+Given+Away%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F1619231%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F1619231%2Fa-bitcoin-blunder-for-the-ages-40-billion-accidentally-given-away%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

A Bitcoin Blunder for the Ages: $40 Billion Accidentally Given Away - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The hundreds of prize payouts were mostly just a few bucks each, part of a promotional campaign by a South Kor...

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A Bitcoin Blunder for the Ages: $40 Billion Accidentally Given Away - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: The hundreds of prize payouts were mostly just a few bucks each, part of a promotional campaign by a South Kor...

Apple and Google Agree To Change App Stores After 'Effective Duopoly' Claim Apple and Google have agreed to a set of commitments to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority that will prevent them from giving preferential treatment to their own apps and require greater transparency around how third-party apps are approved for sale. The CMA announced the measures on Tuesday, seven months after it declared that the two companies held an "effective duopoly" over the UK's mobile app ecosystem. Both companies also committed to not using data gathered from third-party developers in ways the regulator deems unfair. The CMA granted both app stores "strategic market status" in October 2025, a designation that gave it the authority to demand changes. CMA head Sarah Cardell called the commitments "important first steps" and said the regulator would "closely monitor" implementation. Technology analyst Paolo Pescatore described the announcement as a "pragmatic first step" but noted some may see it as "addressing the low-hanging fruit." The UK's app economy is the largest in Europe by revenue and number of developers, generating an estimated 1.5% of the country's GDP. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Apple+and+Google+Agree+To+Change+App+Stores+After+'Effective+Duopoly'+Claim%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fapple.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F1556232%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F1556232%2Fapple-and-google-agree-to-change-app-stores-after-effective-duopoly-claim%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Apple and Google Agree To Change App Stores After

Apple and Google have agreed to a set of commitments to the UK

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Apple and Google Agree To Change App Stores After

Apple and Google have agreed to a set of commitments to the UK

The Big Money in Today's Economy Is Going To Capital, Not Labor The American economy's most valuable companies are now worth trillions of dollars more than their predecessors were a generation ago, yet they employ a fraction of the workers -- and a new analysis by the Wall Street Journal argues that this widening gap between capital and labor is the defining economic story of our time. Labor received 58% of gross domestic income in 1980; by the third quarter of 2025, that figure had fallen to 51.4%. Corporate profits' share rose from 7% to 11.7% over the same period. Nvidia, the most valuable US company in 2026, is nearly 20 times as valuable as IBM was in 1985 in inflation-adjusted terms and employs roughly a tenth as many people. Since the end of 2019, real average hourly wages have risen 3% while corporate profits have climbed 43%. Household stock wealth now equals almost 300% of annual disposable income, up from 200% in 2019. Yale economist Pascual Restrepo predicted that AI integration will shrink labor's share of revenue further, just as factory automation did for blue-collar workers in decades past. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=The+Big+Money+in+Today's+Economy+Is+Going+To+Capital%2C+Not+Labor%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F1438213%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fslashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F1438213%2Fthe-big-money-in-todays-economy-is-going-to-capital-not-labor%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

The Big Money in Today

The American economy

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The Big Money in Today

The American economy

NYC Private School Tuition Breaks $70,000 Milestone for Fall The top private schools in New York City plan to charge more than $70,000 this year for tuition, an amount exceeding that of many elite colleges, as they pass on the costs of soaring expenses including teacher salaries. From a report: Spence School, Dalton School and Nightingale-Bamford School on Manhattan's Upper East Side are among at least seven schools where the fees now exceed that threshold, according to school disclosures and Bloomberg reporting Fees among 15 private schools across the city rose a median of 4.7%, outpacing inflation. Sending a kid to New York private school has always been expensive, but the cost now is so high that even those with well-above-average salaries are feeling squeezed. Prices have risen dramatically in the past decade, up from a median of $39,900 in 2014. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=NYC+Private+School+Tuition+Breaks+%2470%2C000+Milestone+for+Fall%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F0654245%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F10%2F0654245%2Fnyc-private-school-tuition-breaks-70000-milestone-for-fall%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

NYC Private School Tuition Breaks $70,000 Milestone for Fall - Slashdot

The top private schools in New York City plan to charge more than $70,000 this year for tuition, an amount exceeding that of many elite colleges, a...

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NYC Private School Tuition Breaks $70,000 Milestone for Fall - Slashdot

The top private schools in New York City plan to charge more than $70,000 this year for tuition, an amount exceeding that of many elite colleges, a...

Software Poses 'All-Time' Risk To Speculative Credit, Deutsche Bank Warns The software and technology sectors pose one of the all-time great concentration risks to the speculative-grade credit market, according to Deutsche Bank AG analysts. Bloomberg: They comprise $597 billion and $681 billion of the speculative-grade credit universe, or about 14% and 16% respectively, analysts led by Steve Caprio wrote in a Monday note. Speculative debt spans high-yield debt, leveraged loans and US private credit. That's "a meaningful chunk of debt outstanding that risks souring broader sentiment, if software defaults increase," the analysts wrote, with "a potential impact that would rival that of the Energy sector in 2016." Unlike in 2016, pressures would likely first emerge in private credit, business development companies and leveraged loans, with the high-yield market weakening later, the analysts added. The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools risks further weighing down multiples and revenues for software-as-a-service firms, while the US Federal Reserve's hawkish stance since 2022 has pressured cash flows, the analysts wrote. For instance, software payment-in-kind loan usage has risen to 11.3% in BDC portfolios, over 2.5 percentage points higher than the already elevated index average of 8.7%, according to Deutsche. PIK deals typically allow borrowers to pay interest in more debt rather than cash. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Software+Poses+'All-Time'+Risk+To+Speculative+Credit%2C+Deutsche+Bank+Warns%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F09%2F2045217%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F09%2F2045217%2Fsoftware-poses-all-time-risk-to-speculative-credit-deutsche-bank-warns%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Software Poses

The software and technology sectors pose one of the all-time great concentration risks to the speculative-grade credit market, according to Deutsch...

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Software Poses

The software and technology sectors pose one of the all-time great concentration risks to the speculative-grade credit market, according to Deutsch...

Deepfake Fraud Taking Place On an Industrial Scale, Study Finds Deepfake fraud has gone "industrial," an analysis published by AI experts has said. From a report: Tools to create tailored, even personalised, scams -- leveraging, for example, deepfake videos of Swedish journalists or the president of Cyprus -- are no longer niche, but inexpensive and easy to deploy at scale, said the analysis from the AI Incident Database. It catalogued more than a dozen recent examples of "impersonation for profit," including a deepfake video of Western Australia's premier, Robert Cook, hawking an investment scheme, and deepfake doctors promoting skin creams. These examples are part of a trend in which scammers are using widely available AI tools to perpetuate increasingly targeted heists. Last year, a finance officer at a Singaporean multinational paid out nearly $500,000 to scammers during what he believed was a video call with company leadership. UK consumers are estimated to have lost $12.86bn to fraud in the nine months to November 2025. "Capabilities have suddenly reached that level where fake content can be produced by pretty much anybody," said Simon Mylius, an MIT researcher who works on a project linked to the AI Incident Database. He calculates that "frauds, scams and targeted manipulation" have made up the largest proportion of incidents reported to the database in 11 of the past 12 months. He said: "It's become very accessible to a point where there is really effectively no barrier to entry." <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Deepfake+Fraud+Taking+Place+On+an+Industrial+Scale%2C+Study+Finds%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F09%2F1844248%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F09%2F1844248%2Fdeepfake-fraud-taking-place-on-an-industrial-scale-study-finds%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Deepfake Fraud Taking Place On an Industrial Scale, Study Finds - Slashdot

Deepfake fraud has gone &#34;industrial,&#34; an analysis published by AI experts has said. From a report: Tools to create tailored, even personali...

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Deepfake Fraud Taking Place On an Industrial Scale, Study Finds - Slashdot

Deepfake fraud has gone &#34;industrial,&#34; an analysis published by AI experts has said. From a report: Tools to create tailored, even personali...

Electric Cars Are Making It Easier To Breathe, Study Finds An anonymous reader shares a report: It turns out that when fewer cars spew exhaust as they drive along, air quality improves. That's the conclusion of a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health that looked at the effect of increased numbers of both EVs and plug-in hybrids on air pollution in California. The Golden State has by far the largest number of plug-in vehicles in the United States, and they've now reached significant numbers to have a positive impact on air quality. Between 2019 and 2023, for every 200 EVs or plug-in hybrids added, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels dropped 1.1%, according to the study, which used satellite data to track those levels through the unique way NO2 absorbs and reflects sunlight. NO2 can trigger asthma attacks, cause bronchitis, and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. <a href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Electric+Cars+Are+Making+It+Easier+To+Breathe%2C+Study+Finds%3A+https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F09%2F206209%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftech.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F02%2F09%2F206209%2Felectric-cars-are-making-it-easier-to-breathe-study-finds%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook" rel="nofollow"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>

Electric Cars Are Making It Easier To Breathe, Study Finds - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: It turns out that when fewer cars spew exhaust as they drive along, air quality improves. That

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Electric Cars Are Making It Easier To Breathe, Study Finds - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: It turns out that when fewer cars spew exhaust as they drive along, air quality improves. That