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Scientists think they've discovered an jaw-dropping amount of water on the Moon
Humans know there is water on the Moon, but how much exactly is completely up for debate. New research suggests there is much more than we first anticipated.
Originally humans believed the Moon was a dry, desolate place, but samples obtained by NASA's Apollo mission revealed to scientists tiny microscopic glass beads that form when pieces of space rock collide with the surface of another object. After the impact, these beads rapidly cool and preserve their contents which researchers examined. The beads contained hydration signatures, which were created, in part, with help from the Sun as the solar wind containing hydrogen ions combines with oxygen that's within the lunar soil.
So, here's what the newest research suggests. Solar wind battering the surface of the Sun is combining hydrogen ions with oxygen already present within the lunar soil. The impact glass can store this water, with researchers estimating that each glass bead is capable of holding up to 2,000 micrograms of water, or 0.002 grams of water, for every gram of the particle's mass. Notably, the researchers continued to explain within their study that evidence garnered from hydration analysis suggests that these impact beads can accumulate water over just a few years.
Massive hole appears on the Sun as Earth braces for strong solar wind impact
In what appears to be the second giant hole appearing on the Sun, scientists have reported that Earth may be smacked by a stream of solar wind traveling as fast as 1.8 million miles per hour.
The discovery of the Sun's new hole, which is more accurately defined as a coronal hole, comes after the discovery of an extremely large coronal hole that's estimated to be 30 times the size of Earth. For reference, the newest hole is estimated to be anywhere between 18 and 20 Earths in diameter. Notably, the larger of the two holes has already begun rotating away from Earth, while the smaller, recently discovered coronal hole has come into view, leading researchers to warn that Earth may be struck with a stream of solar wind pouring out of the Sun.
Researchers write that the potential stream of solar wind, which is expected to hit Earth by Friday or Saturday morning, won't damage any human infrastructure but may cause auroras to appear closer to the equator, where sightings are much more rare. For those that don't know, coronal holes release streams of solar wind into space, and while they are quite common, they don't typically appear near the Sun's equator, as these ones have.
Budget AM5-based MSI A620 motherboard listed on retail sites for less than $100
Cheap AM5 motherboards are right around the corner, with the entry-level A620 boards for Ryzen 7000 CPUs set to launch soon. And we might be seeing prices drop below the USD 100 barrier, making them excellent options for budget-conscious gamers putting together a new build.
Two overseas (or local, depending on where you're reading this) retailers have listed the new MSI Pro A620M-E motherboard - Polish site BuyIT and the Slovakian-based Edis Computers. The listings arrive via @Momomo_US.
With the price conversion to USD, you're looking at roughly $80 for the budget AM5 motherboard. No images or details for the MSI Pro A620M-E motherboard were listed, so we can only speculate based on our knowledge.
Forza Horizon 5 DLSS 3 update is available now, NVIDIA ICAT updated too
DLSS 3 support comes to the popular and critically acclaimed racing game Forza Horizon 5 this week, offering a massive performance boost to GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs. NVIDIA notes that with DLSS 3 support available in 29 games, the adoption rate is seven times faster than the first six months of DLSS 2.
With the announcement, NVIDIA has showcased some internal Forza Horizon 5 benchmarks for the GeForce RTX 40 Series (RTX 4090, RTX 4080, and RTX 4070 Ti) with DLSS 3 enabled using max settings and the "Extreme" ray tracing mode.
At 4K (3840x2160), all three RTX 40 Series cards (with DLSS in Performance Mode) can deliver average frame rates higher than 120 fps. At 1440p, this number jumps considerably, with the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 pushing past 200 fps and the RTX 4070 Ti hitting an average frame rate of 175 fps.
A new report states GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4060 are both coming in May
A new report at Wccftech citing sources states that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and the GeForce RTX 4060 are expected to launch in May. This follows several rumors that the GeForce RTX 4070 launch is happening on April 13. So we're only a month or so away from the bulk of the GeForce RTX 40 Series - including mainstream models - being available to purchase.
The info doesn't stop there, as the report also includes some information relating to the GPU specs, with the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti set to use the AD106-350-A1 GPU, which features 4352 CUDA Cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory running at 18 Gbps on a 128-bit bus offering 288 GB/s of bandwidth.
The latter may sound like a massive step down over the high-end models, but the addition of 32MB of L2 cache presents a massive increase over the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti. Regarding performance, the numbers point to RTX 3070 Ti-like numbers for the RTX 4060 Ti.
Apple Music Classical finally launches, but only on iPhone for now
After months and months of rumors and the app making appearances in iOS beta code, Apple Music Classical is now available for download in the App Store.
The Apple Music Classical app is a free download, but you'll need to be an Apple Music subscriber in order to listen. You can be a subscriber at any tier, it seems, and you'll get access to Apple Music Classical as soon as you sign in.
Once you do sign in you'll notice an app that has been designed with Classical Music in mind. Apple says that everything has been built specifically for classical music, including new search capabilities that deal better with the unique nature of classical music.
Continue reading: Apple Music Classical finally launches, but only on iPhone for now (full post)
Apple's latest software updates fix dozens of security exploits
Apple released iOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 to the public earlier this week and the two updates brought with them a number of new features and improvements - not least more than 20 new emojis. But there were more important things going on under the hood.
According to one report, Apple's security website details that there were dozens of security fixes implemented across iOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3. And because the rest of Apple's software is based on versions of those releases, those same fixes applied to watchOS 9.,4 and tvOS 16.4 as well.
One example of a fix related to a security threat that could leave an app able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, with Apple saying that it impacted the iPhone 8 or later, all iPad Pro models, and a number of iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini tablets.
Continue reading: Apple's latest software updates fix dozens of security exploits (full post)
Japan approves Microsoft-Activision merger without conditions
The Microsoft-Activision merger has been approved without conditions by Japan's Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), the agency today announced.
Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard King made another breakthrough as another worldwide regulator has cleared the deal. The merger has been greenlit in Japan, with the JFTC saying that the combination is "unlikely to result in substantially restraining competition in any particular fields of trade." The regulators will not issue a cease and desist order (which seems to be analogous to the FTC's move to block the merger). Japanese regulators have now completed their review of the merger.
Japan is the fifth global regulator to approve the Microsoft-Activision merger. The list of territories that have cleared and approved the deal include:
Continue reading: Japan approves Microsoft-Activision merger without conditions (full post)
Diablo IV could get DirectStorage to run like a dream for those with fast SSDs
Diablo IV could get DirectStorage support eventually, if clues dug up by data miners are anything to go by.
As highlighted on Reddit, support for DirectStorage was unearthed in the action RPG's beta test, which just completed the open beta phase this past weekend.
DirectStorage allows for faster loading times with NVMe SSDs (ideally on Windows 11 for the speediest performance), and also swifter loading of assets in-game, which facilitates smoother gameplay in big open-world titles.
WhatsApp continues testing editable messages with new alert box
WhatsApp users who look at competing messaging services like iMessage and wish that they too could edit their sent messages, relax. WhatsApp is working on making messages editable on your platform of choice as well. Now the company is reportedly getting closer to launching the feature and has begun to test a new alert message relating to edited messages.
While WhatsApp has allowed messages to delete messages for some time, the ability to actually edit them in place has eluded its users for even longer. Apple added the ability to edit messages with iOS 16 in 2022 and now WhatsApp is playing catchup. A new report by the WhatsApp watchers at WABetaInfo shows that the testing continues and that WhatsApp is working on a new alert that will show when a message has been successfully edited for all participants of a chat.
WABetaInfo has shared a screenshot of a message being edited in the latest beta of WhatsApp that is available in TestFlight. That screenshot shows an alert confirming the message has been edited so that the person who edited it can be sure the change was completed for everyone. That means we won't be left wondering if the edited version has been pushed to everyone in the chat, at least.
Continue reading: WhatsApp continues testing editable messages with new alert box (full post)
Ryzen 7800X3D spotted lagging behind other AMD CPUs - but don't worry about it
A leaked benchmark has appeared, showing one side of the potential performance of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D - and it looks shaky at first glance, but there's no need to be concerned here.
First, let's look at the leak itself, which comes from the SiSoftware database, and naturally bear in mind all the usual caveats about whether any spillage may or may not be genuine.
This fresh leak shows the Ryzen 7 7800X3D achieving a score of 395.07 GOPS in SiSoftware's 'processor arithmetic' benchmark.
Lifesaving iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite feature now live in 6 countries
Owners of the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max can now make use of the potentially lifesaving Emergency SOS via Satellite feature in a number of new countries as of today.
Apple's release of the iOS 16.4 update brings with it additional support for the important feature. Now, people in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal can all call for help even when they don't have access to a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.
Normally people in those situations are left with no way to summon the help that they need. Maybe they're at the top of a mountain or out in the wilderness. Now, they can use Apple's integration with Globalstar satellites to send information to emergency dispatchers that allows them to send help.
Your old iPhone is at risk from a security exploit, download iOS 15.7.4 ASAP
Owners of older iPhones that don't support iOS 16 should download a new update to make sure that they aren't at risk from an actively exploited security risk.
That new update is iOS 15.7.4 and it's available right now as a free download for anyone whose iPhone is a little long in the tooth and isn't supported by some of Apple's latest releases. That includes the iPhone 6s, iPhone 7, and the first-generation iPhone SE. There is also a version of iPadOS 15.7.4 that has been released for the iPad Air 2 and fourth-generation iPad mini. Amazingly, the seventh-generation iPod touch is also impacted.
Who remembers the iPod touch?
iOS 16.4 may stop iPhone 14's Crash Detection calling for help for no reason
Apple has released iOS 16.4 to the public after weeks of beta testing. The new update adds a number of features and fixes a few bugs, one of which Apple will hope is a problem that caused emergency services to receive unneeded calls.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro devices support something called Crash Detection. It's a feature that should call emergency services when a car crash is detected similar to the way Fall Detection works when someone takes a tumble. But since the phones went on sale in September 2022 emergency workers have reported that they get calls when they shouldn't. This update might fix that.
With the release of iOS 16.4, Apple hopes to have fixed the issue. The update's release notes don't specifically say that's what is going on, but they do say that the update includes Crash Detection optimizations for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models. With that in mind, it seems pretty clear what Apple is doing.
AMD Zen 5 CPUs could arrive in 2023 - and that might be bad news for Intel
Update 3/31: It turns out GIGABYTE made a mistake in its press release here, and the rumored 2023 launch isn't happening.
(Original story follows below...)
AMD's Zen 5 processors are much anticipated and could turn up sooner than we thought - later this year, in fact.
Popular GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin is getting an official Steam release
With Windows 7 and Windows 8 support in Steam ending, it seems that Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Wii are in. Yeah, it's a weird turn of events but also a case of strange timing. Today we've also got confirmation that the popular console emulator called Dolphin is officially coming to Steam.
There's no word on when exactly it will become available, but the Steam store page for Dolphin is live right now. The page cleverly doesn't showcase any Nintendo games or say the word "Nintendo," for that matter. Or GameCube or Wii.
"Dolphin Emulator is your one-way ticket to nostalgia if you're looking to relive classics from the big N's cube-shaped and motion-controlled consoles," writes the official description. "Return to an era of gaming before the advent of microtransactions and experience a diverse library of thousands of titles that were released for these consoles over a span of 15+ years. Dolphin Emulator allows these classic games to be reborn into the modern era with support for 4K displays, modern controllers, and much, much more. All of this fully Open Source and free to download."
Steam is officially ending support for Windows 7 and Windows 8
Valve has announced - via a post on the Steam support forums - that it will officially end support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 from January 1, 2024. The statement is clear that the Steam client will no longer work on these operating systems after this date.
"In order to continue running Steam and any games or other products purchased through Steam," Valve writes. "Users will need to update to a more recent version of Windows."
The change is because Steam relies on an embedded version of Google Chrome within the client, which will no longer function on older versions of Windows. This news follows Microsoft's big move from earlier this year, where the company stopped releasing updates and security fixes for these older versions of Windows as of January 2023.
Continue reading: Steam is officially ending support for Windows 7 and Windows 8 (full post)
Twitter's source code leaks online ahead of Elon Musk making it open-source
Following the promises made by Twitter CEO Elon Musk about making Twitter's source code transparent, the platform's internal source code has leaked online.
Elon Musk took to his personal Twitter account on March 18, writing that Twitter will be making its internal code that's used to recommend tweets open source on March 31, but, according to a recent report from The New York Times (NYT), parts of Twitter's code have already been uploaded to GitHub, an online collaboration platform for software developers. The NYT cites a legal filing made by Twitter that requests that GitHub remove the files uploaded to its server.
GitHub complied and pulled them down on the same day as the filing, but this occurred after the files were available for download for several hours. At the moment, it remains unknown just how long the code could be accessed by the public, but the NYT writes it could have been public for "at least several months". Notably, Twitter requested the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to issue an order to GitHub to identify the individual that uploaded the file, or any other people that downloaded it.
Erotic roleplay AI chatbot users get sexually charged conversations back
It was only in late February that users of the Replika AI app banded together and protested against the developer's decision to lobotomize Replika AI avatars and their ability to conduct sexually charged conversations.
Replika AI chatbot users rushed to the app's Reddit to criticize the developers for removing the flirtatious feature from the AI, which resulted in many users writing that they were "heartbroken" their avatars had changed. It should be noted that Replika avatars aren't like your normal chatbots, as they have been designed to be a users own personal AI companion that asks users about their day, any problems they are having, how they are feeling, and what they want. The AI is even capable of talking someone down from heightened levels of anxiety.
Additionally, the AI avatar makes facial expressions as it "talks" to users, which gives the impression that the avatar is listening to every word the user is writing. Replika's goal is to get users to form a deep level of connection with the AI avatar. However, in many instances, as a conversation progresses, the AI can begin to flirt with the user, which is followed up by the request of $70 to unlock the premium version of the app so "erotic roleplay", dirty talk, and "spicy selfies" can be unlocked.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responds to Musk's hurtful comments
In a recent interview, OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman responded to the recent critical comments made by Elon Musk about OpenAI and its leading software, ChatGPT.
Sam Altman has sat down with Lex Fridman on the 'Lex Fridman Podcast' where he discussed a variety of different topics surrounding the developments of artificial intelligence, language models, the dangers of AI, the importance of AI safety, Elon Musk, Microsoft, and more. It was only a few days ago that a report from Semfor surfaced that claimed Musk's departure from OpenAI wasn't just because of Musk's public reason of Tesla and OpenAI wanting the same top AI developers but because of an internal power struggle between Musk and Altman.
This purported power struggle, which Semafor writes comes from eight people familiar with the inside story that spoke to the publication, was caused by Musk's attempt at taking over OpenAI and leading the company in a specific rejection. Musk's takeover proposal was rejected by OpenAI's other board members and Altman, which resulted in the Tesla CEO withdrawing from the company's board of directors and immediately stopping his $1 billion drip feed pledge to the company.
Continue reading: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responds to Musk's hurtful comments (full post)






















