Futurology Today

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Apple has been struggling to fix Siri since it's inception in 2011, but today they find themselves even further behind. The solution? Apple intelligence but that didn't pan out as expected. The Californian company has now resorted to using Google's Gemini to solve their AI woes. In this episode we explore what this means for Apple, the wider AI industry and consumers.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52882455

An investigation by LRT, 15min, Eesti Ekspress, and Nekā personīga found that between June 2024 and March 2025, the bunker tankers Rina and Zircone conducted 286 ship-to-ship operations, refuelling 177 oil and oil product tankers, of which at least 159 had called at Russian ports shortly before or after these transfers.

In April 2024, Fast Bunkering had to deny allegations once again, this time about supplying fuel to the Russian shadow fleet. An investigation by the Swedish broadcaster SVT revealed that ships owned by these Estonian and Latvian companies had, over the course of two months, supplied fuel to more than 50 oil tankers travelling to and from Russian ports across international waters near Gotland.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dubai became a haven for companies seeking to operate in the EU market while remaining difficult to trace. Access to corporate registries in the United Arab Emirates is extremely limited, often making it impossible to identify the ultimate beneficiaries of companies.

Fast Bunkering isn’t the only company providing bunkering services that help transport Russian oil around the world. According to the financial analytics firm S&P Global, over the 12 months before April 2024, at least 3,100 refuelling operations involving Russia’s shadow fleet tankers had occurred near the coasts of Malta, Greece, Spain (Gibraltar), the Netherlands, and other European countries.

Blued and Finka were removed from Apple's App Store.

LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance have taken another hit in China, with Apple removing two of the countries biggest LGBTQ+ dating apps. Wired reports that Blued and Finka are no longer available on the iOS App Store or certain Android App Stores following orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's internet regulator and censor.

Apple told Wired that it must "follow the laws in the countries where we operate." Both dating apps were available solely in China, where LGBTQ+ dating apps are minimal — Grindr, for instance, hasn't been available on Apple since 2022. Blued exists internationally under the name HeeSay.

China has increasingly cracked down on LGBTQ+ individuals' rights and groups in recent years, allegedly shuttering large organizations like the Beijing LGBT Center in 2023. For reasons unknown, Blued previously stopped new registrations this past July, with individuals buying second-hand accounts to use the app. However, it reopened in the middle of August.

I'm autistic, I've had one haircut since covid because I hate the sensory aspect of haircuts. I've been searching online of how to cut hair and it doesn't look that hard, but a lot of people seem to advise against it. I think that if I fuck it up it's not the end of the world, I can just go to a professional. But I have very long hair so I have a lot of opportunity for trial and error. I think that if I get some practice, it's something I can continue to do going forward. I also don't particularly care how it looks, I just want it to be shorter.

Even a huge subreddit like r/games (17 year old community with 1.1 million weekly visitors) is still heavily carried by a single poster, Turbostrider27

Keep working on your Fediverse communities!

(Es gibt kein Zangen-Gefühlsbildchen, deshalb die Essstäbchen.)

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52851375

Norway has suspended its ethical investing rules to avoid its $2.1 trillion (€1.8 trillion) oil fund being forced to sell out of Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet due to their work for the Israeli government, according to its influential finance minister.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45454904

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Mounting economic hardship and growing public discontent could push Russia toward internal conflict, a senior Kremlin official has warned.

The stark message comes as inflation, war fatigue, and social divisions deepen across the country.

Alexander Kharichev, head of the Presidential Directorate for Monitoring and Analysing Social Processes, issued the warning in a state-run journal.

[...]

Military over social spending

Rising prices have hit ordinary Russians hard, with food costs climbing well above the national inflation rate. Businesses are struggling to stay afloat, and layoffs and bankruptcies loom large.

Despite the pressure, the Kremlin continues to prioritize military spending over social welfare.

At the same time, Russia’s workforce has been decimated by more than a million war casualties, mostly men of working age, worsening the long-term demographic decline and ageing population.

[...]

Kharichev warned of “fragmentation of society” and the “loss of Russia’s ability to fight for its survival.”

His analysis cited the growing erosion of public trust in government and widening rifts within Russian society.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/49618224

"The design drew inspiration from the concept of "a piece of cloth"

I turned the grow lights on early this year to grow some potatoes, which I'm sure is a totally a great use of energy. I'm really hoping to grow another round of starts after not having a very good year this year due to keeping our potatos in smaller pots and us not getting a ton of rain. Next year I'll put them in a much larger planter.

I'm also trying to get some cherry pits to seed. I collected the cherries, which were delicious, from a tree in our neighborhood. I'm betting the mother tree isn't a graft given its location and age. If any of you have any tips, I'm all ears. The pits are now a year old and spent the time in dry dirt on this table.

https://www.wawawiwacomics.com/