Author: iMaster

Author: iMaster

LogOn: AI’s Newest Advance: Realistic High-Definition Video From a Few Words
02/27/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The latest innovation in artificial intelligence is photorealistic video created from just a few words. Deana Mitchell has the story in this week’s episode of LogOn. …

Details
Renewal of U.S.-China Science and Tech Pact Faces Hurdles
02/27/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

STATE DEPARTMENT — With a science and technology agreement between the United States and People’s Republic of China due to expire Tuesday, the State Department said it is negotiating to “amend, extend, and strengthen protections within” the agreement but declined to specify if the U.S. would extend the deal. “We are not able to provide information

Details
2 Exiled Chinese Bloggers Warn of Police Interrogating Their Followers
02/27/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

SHANGHAI — Two prominent Chinese bloggers in exile said that police were investigating their millions of followers on international social media platforms, in an escalation of Beijing’s attempts to clamp down on critical speech even outside of the country’s borders. Former state broadcaster CCTV journalist Wang Zhi’an and artist-turned-dissident Li Ying, both Chinese citizens known for

Details
Private US Lunar Lander Will Stop Working Tuesday 
02/26/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private U.S. lunar lander is expected to stop working Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday it will continue to collect data until sunlight no longer shines on the solar

Details
Japan Moon Lander Revives After Lunar Night
02/26/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Tokyo — Japan’s moon lander has produced another surprise by waking up after the two-week lunar night, the country’s space agency said Monday. The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down last month at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way. As the sun’s angle shifted, it came back

Details
Tax-Free Status of Movie, Music and Games Traded Online Is on Table as WTO Nations Meet in Abu Dhabi
02/25/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Geneva — Since late last century and the early days of the web, providers of digital media like Netflix and Spotify have had a free pass when it comes to international taxes on films, video games and music that are shipped across borders through the internet. But now, a global consensus on the issue may be

Details
Productivity Surge Helps Explain US Economy’s Surprising Resilience 
02/25/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Washington — Trying to keep up with customer demand, Batesville Tool & Die began seeking 70 people to hire last year. It wasn’t easy. Attracting factory workers to a community of 7,300 in the Indiana countryside was a tough sell, especially having to compete with big-name manufacturers nearby like Honda and Cummins Engine.  Job seekers were

Details
Chip Giant TSMC Shifts From Hotspot Taiwan With Japan Plant
02/24/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

TOKYO — Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. opened its first semiconductor plant in Japan Saturday as part of its ongoing global expansion. “We are deeply grateful for the seamless support provided by you at every step,” TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said after thanking the Japanese government, local community and business partners, including electronic giant Sony

Details
Head of Boeing’s 737 MAX Program Leaves After Midair Incident
02/21/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

WASHINGTON — Boeing said on Wednesday it was replacing the head of its troubled 737 MAX program effective immediately, the first major executive departure since the January 5 midair panel blowout of a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9.  Ed Clark, who had been with the plane-maker for nearly 18 years, departed as Boeing has been dealing

Details
Commercial Spaceship Set for Lunar Touchdown, in Test for US Industry
02/21/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

WASHINGTON — A company from Texas is poised to attempt a feat that until now has only been accomplished by a handful of national space agencies but could soon become commonplace for the private sector: landing on the moon. If all goes to plan, Houston-based Intuitive Machines will guide its spaceship named Odysseus to a gentle

Details
Artificial Intelligence Is Being Used to Help Save Lives
02/21/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Health care professionals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to better diagnose and treat serious medical conditions. However, with the use of artificial intelligence in medicine growing, there are concerns among medical ethicists about how emerging technologies should be deployed …

Details
Kenyan Companies Embrace AI for Marketing Efficiency, Cost Savings
02/20/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Kenyan companies, facing economic challenges, are turning to artificial intelligence to reduce production and advertising expenses. That’s causing anxiety among artists and ad agencies, who fear reduced income and job losses if AI can replace the work they’ve always done. Mohammed Yusuf reports from Nairobi. …

Details
Britain, US, EU, Allies Take Down Lockbit Cybercrime Gang
02/20/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

LONDON — Lockbit, a notorious cybercrime gang that holds its victims’ data for ransom, has been disrupted in a rare international law enforcement operation by Britain’s National Crime Agency, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Europol and a coalition of international police agencies, according to a post on the gang’s extortion website on Monday. “This site

Details
US-China Rivalry Expands to Biotech; Lawmakers Raise Alarm
02/19/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms about what they see as America’s failure to compete with China in biotechnology, warning of the risks to U.S. national security and commercial interests. But as the two countries’ rivalry expands into the biotech industry, some say that shutting out Chinese companies would only hurt the U.S. Biotechnology promises

Details
Some Creators Celebrate New AI-Video Tool; Some Worry About Abuse
02/18/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

paris — A new artificial intelligence tool that promises to create short videos from simple text commands has raised concerns along with questions from artists and media professionals.  OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and image generator DALL-E, said Thursday it was testing a text-to-video model called “Sora” that can allow users to create realistic videos with

Details
Japan’s New Flagship H3 Rocket Reaches Orbit in Key Test
02/17/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

TOKYO — Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The H3 rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday morning, two days after its originally scheduled

Details
China to Show Off Airliner at Singapore Show Amid Supply Crunch
02/16/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

SINGAPORE — Singapore will play host to Asia’s biggest air show next week for the first time since the end of COVID border restrictions, with regional travel rebounding and the military side of the show bristling with defensive systems and nervous arms buyers. An expected full return of civil demand in Asia is being tested by

Details
Private US Spaceflight Company’s Moonshot Underway
02/15/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Can the United States make a return to the surface of the moon? NASA and a private U.S. spaceflight company hope so. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us The Week in Space. …

Details
US Justice Department Says It Disrupted Russian Intelligence Hacking Network
02/15/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Washington — The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it disrupted a Russian intelligence hacking network. “For the second time in two months, we’ve disrupted state-sponsored hackers from launching cyber-attacks behind the cover of compromised U.S. routers,” U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. The Justice Department said that a January 2024 court-authorized

Details
China’s VPN Usage Nearly Doubles Amid Internet Censorship
02/15/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

WASHINGTON — Last year, VPN usage in China nearly doubled, according to data from IT education news outlet Techopedia, this despite the country’s strict regime of internet controls of everything from overseas websites to online games. China’s “Great Firewall” is one of the world’s most comprehensive internet censorship regimes, preventing citizens from accessing websites like Instagram,

Details
Biden is on TikTok Despite Security Concerns
02/14/2024 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

In an effort to connect to younger voters, the Biden campaign has joined TikTok. But while many users have welcomed the move, security experts and even legislators have expressed disapproval amid long-standing privacy concerns surrounding the use of the Chinese-owned app. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has details from Washington. (Produced by: Veronica Balderas Iglesias) …

Details