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Daily Archives: October 12, 2023

Is That ATM Safe? 8 Tips to Protect Your Debit or Credit Card

PC Mag: “The idea of looking for ATM skimmers before you insert your card isn’t new. But checking for tampering on a point-of-sale device can be difficult, and until recently, it wasn’t necessary since those devices were usually operated by human employees. Now that more retailers are ditching human cashiers for self-checkout options, there are more chances for thieves to attach credit card skimmers to payment machines and ATMs and steal your money. For more about the motives and technology behind these kinds of crimes, check out our deep dive into the world of credit card shimming and skimming. To protect yourself from these kinds of attacks on your bank account, read our tips below and keep them in mind whenever you use an unattended payment machine…”

What people ask me most. Also, some answers.

One Useful Thing – Ethan Mollik – A FAQ of Sorts – “I have been talking to a lot of people about Generative AI, from teachers to business executives to artists to people actually building LLMs. In these conversations, a few key questions and themes keep coming up over and over again. Many of those questions… Continue Reading

Don’t believe everything you see and hear about Israel and Palestine

Vox: “After Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,000 and taking at least 150 hostages, and Israel declared war against Hamas and retaliated, photographs and videos of violence flooded out of the region and onto social media. Some of the images were posted by victims on the… Continue Reading

22 awesome open source programs that do everything you need

PC World: Open source software is available free of charge on the internet. There are solutions for almost every field of application with which you can work comfortably. “Good software is the basis of all PC use, but many professional programs are too expensive for private use. This is where the free software-based applications step… Continue Reading

IRS says Microsoft owes an additional $29 billion in back taxes

CNBC: “Microsoft received Notices of Proposed Adjustment from the Internal Revenue Service for an additional tax payment of $28.9 billion, the company said in an 8-K filing Wednesday. Microsoft said the dispute concerns the company’s allocated profits between countries and jurisdictions between 2004 and 2013. It said up to $10 billion in taxes that the… Continue Reading

Dark patterns: how online companies strive to keep your money and data when you try to leave

The Conversation – “Have you signed up to an online service for a free trial, decided it isn’t for you, but still ended up paying for it months – or even years – later? Or tried cancelling a subscription, and found yourself giving up during the painstaking process? If so, there’s a good chance you… Continue Reading

Google’s AI-powered search experience can now generate images

The Verge: “Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) will let you create images right from a text prompt starting Thursday, the company announced. Microsoft has offered the ability to make images from Bing Chat using OpenAI’s DALL-E model since March, so it’s not too surprising to see Google follow suit. Here’s how it works. If you’re… Continue Reading

Trustworthy Data for Social and Economic Research

Association of Public Data Users – Melissa C. Chiu, Director, Committee on National Statistics, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: “Trustworthy, reliable, and widely available statistics are essential for making informed decisions in the public and private sectors, including policy makers, government agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. The federal statistical system plays a crucial… Continue Reading