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Biting the hand that feeds IT — Enterprise Technology News and Analysis
Site URL: www.theregister.com/offbeat/
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Posts: 28
Followers: 1
Bork in Prague: SUSE's keynote gods demand their tribute
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/29/never_anger_the_keynote_demo/
Published: April 29, 2026 08:30
Linux vendor touts European independence while rate limits, Chromium popups, and cold sparks steal the show BORK!BORK!BORK! The keynote gods are a fickle bunch, as SUSE discovered at its annual shindig in Prague. What should have been a slick edge demo…
Cloudera had US candidates send resumes to a fake email address, DoJ charges
Published: April 28, 2026 20:46
PERM filings require employers to show American workers had a fair shot at the role The US Department of Justice has accused data and AI platform provider Cloudera of abusing a program designed to give permanent residency to foreign workers who take…
Trump admin pays wind developers to quit, back fossil fuel projects
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/28/trump_admin_pay_off_wind_farm/
Published: April 28, 2026 18:10
DoI offers up to $885M if they abandon offshore wind projects As the Iran war pushes up energy prices, the Trump administration is paying offshore wind developers to walk away from projects and invest instead in fossil fuel infrastructure.…
Despite proposed science cuts, NASA boss says 'We haven't canceled anything yet'
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/28/despite_proposed_science_cuts_nasa/
Published: April 28, 2026 13:30
That 'yet' is sure doing a lot of heavy lifting if the budget for science is slashed NASA administrator Jared Isaacman has appeared before the US House Appropriations Committee to explain the proposed Trump administration plan to cut $5.6 billion from the…
Two men charged over series of arson attacks on 5G masts
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/28/5g_belfast_arrests/
Published: April 28, 2026 11:14
Pair accused of creating literal flame war as bonkers conspiracy theories grow Two men face charges over a series of arson attacks on 5G masts spanning two years following a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) investigation.…
Australia threatens tech companies with 2.25 percent tax if they don’t pay publishers
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/28/australia_news_bargaining_incentive/
Published: April 28, 2026 07:20
Last time an idea like this came up, Meta packed up its toys and went home Australia has come up with a new way to ensure social media and search companies pay to support journalism: a 2.25 percent tax on revenue that’s avoidable if companies instead do…
China blocks Zuck’s acquisition of AI outfit Manus
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/28/china_blocks_meta_manus_acquisition/
Published: April 28, 2026 02:09
Back to the drawing board for Meta's AI ambitions China has blocked Meta’s acquisition of AI upstart Manus.…
Friendster rises from the grave to make social media great again
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/27/friendster_rises_from_the_grave/
Published: April 27, 2026 16:45
No ads, no algorithm, and you actually have to physically tap phones to add a friend It's been more than a decade since social media platform Friendster went dark, but a new owner has brought it back from the dead - sort of - with the hope he can give…
Meta to power its bit barns with energy from space
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/27/meta_wants_to_beam_solar/
Published: April 27, 2026 15:47
Facebook provider also working with energy storage firm to keep 100 hours of juice on hand With AI demand growing, Facebook parent Meta is looking for new ways to power its datacenters, with one ambitious project pledging to send solar power down from…
SpaceX dusts off Falcon Heavy for first flight in 18 months
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/27/spacex_readies_the_first_falcon/
Published: April 27, 2026 13:57
Side boosters to make simultaneous touchdown while center core takes one for the team SpaceX is preparing to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time in more than 18 months, kicking off what could be a busy time for the vehicle.…
In the beginning was the Bork: 'Heart of the Earth' exhibit reveals Raspberry Pi in existential crisis
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/27/the_raspberry_pi_turns_up/
Published: April 27, 2026 10:12
Dynamic Earth's ancient rock holds not primordial crystal, but a tiny Linux box having a bad day Bork!Bork!Bork! From the beginning of time, there has always been Bork. Lurking within the heart of this ancient rock is not a precious crystal or a rare…
Betting shop bug ends in kidnap plot as staff turn ransom artists
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/24/betting_shop_computer_glitch_sees/
Published: April 24, 2026 07:45
Computer glitch spawns duplicate jackpots, disgruntled punters, and one very bad career choice A computer glitch in a Spanish betting shop triggered a chain of events that ended with the store manager being kidnapped and held for €50,000 ($58,000) in…
Solid-state batteries hold more juice, but keep cracking up. Now researchers know why
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/23/solid_state_batteries_energy_storage/
Published: April 23, 2026 21:15
Two teams, similar diagnosis: Ceramic electrolytes still refusing to cooperate With more capacity and faster charging, solid-state batteries could be the next big thing in energy. And good news: researchers may have pinned down one major reason these…
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope trumps Trump cuts, is launch-ready ahead of schedule
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/23/nancy_grace_roman_space_telescope/
Published: April 23, 2026 13:57
Revolutionary telescope aiming for space after multiple near death experiences NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is ready for launch ahead of schedule despite repeated attempts by both Donald Trump's first and second administrations to cut funding.…
AI bats away ping-pong challenge as rise of the machines continues
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/23/ai_bat_away_pingpong_challenge/
Published: April 23, 2026 11:15
Sony project claims a significant breakthrough with applications in task requiring speed and accuracy Rise of the Machines The ancient games of chess and Go are now mere staging posts in the journey toward robots demonstrating their superior performance…
Google Meet or Google Mute? Even CEOs get borked sometimes
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/23/google_cloud_next_videoconf_issues/
Published: April 23, 2026 10:15
Video conferencing has tripped us all up. Now cloud chief Thomas Kurian gets his turn Bork!Bork!Bork! The curse of Bork is no respecter of status or class. It does not differentiate between a high-flying executive and a lowly worker. And so it was that…
Datacenter boom keeps dirty coal plants alive in the US
Published: April 22, 2026 17:10
Happy Earth Day! Datacenter growth in the US is helping keep aging fossil-fuel plants online longer, slowing the shift to a cleaner grid and worsening air pollution, according to new research from a group of environmental nonprofits.…
NASA reckons the Artemis II heat shield performed like a champ
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/22/nasa_artemis_ii_heat_shield/
Published: April 22, 2026 14:13
Good news for future missions as initial findings agree with agency's design decision Initial reports have confirmed NASA's assessment that the Orion heat shield kept the Artemis II crew safe during re-entry.…
Scotland Yard can keep using live facial recognition on Londoners, say judges
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/22/high_court_gives_thumbs_up/
Published: April 22, 2026 11:14
Judges say cops face-slurping not a problem under current human rights laws London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has survived a legal challenge that attempted to curb its rollout of live facial recognition (LFR) technology across the capital.…
UK tribunal sends £2B claim accusing Microsoft of overcharging for licensing to trial
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/22/microsoft_licensing_claim_cat/
Published: April 22, 2026 11:08
Legal action claims tech giant charges more for Windows Server when it's not on Azure A UK Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) has dismissed Microsoft's objections to a collective action lawsuit brought by UK-based cloud licensees, clearing the way for…
Yet another ex-ransomware negotiator admits turning rogue after payoff from crimelords
Published: April 21, 2026 14:15
Plus: Court papers reveal nonprofit paid a ransom worth nearly $26.8 million The third of three former ransomware negotiators accused of assisting the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang in extorting US businesses has pleaded guilty, months after his two…
FAA grounds Blue Origin's New Glenn as it probes missed satellite delivery 'mishap'
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/21/faa_wants_a_closer_look/
Published: April 21, 2026 13:29
One of two second stage engines misbehaved, administration must sign off report before flights resume Blue Origin's New Glenn loss of a satellite has been classed as a "mishap" by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), triggering a mandatory…
NASA Inspector fears new spacesuits won’t be ready for Moon landing
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/21/nasa_oig_spacesuit_report/
Published: April 21, 2026 03:04
Dud contracts, proprietary designs, and zero-experience supplier make for quite the mess The NASA Office of Inspector General, the aerospace agency’s auditor, fears that work on next-generation spacesuits won’t finish in time to use them for the planned…
You too can build a nuclear battery from junk you have lying around the house
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/20/how_to_build_a_nuclear/
Published: April 20, 2026 16:29
It won't provide much juice, but its creator calls it a 'nanowatt nuclear power plant' It's illegal and impractical to construct a nuclear power plant in your backyard. But a DIY tritium nuclear battery is far less dramatic - just don't expect any…
Schmoozebots: study finds flattery will get AI everywhere
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/20/chatbots_win_trust_by_sounding/
Published: April 20, 2026 16:07
Excessive friendliness may cause users to forget they're talking to a very confident autocomplete A study into how humans interact with chatbots suggests the fastest way to make an LLM feel human isn't making it smarter – it's making it seem nicer.…
Blue Origin nails the landing, but puts the payload satellite in the wrong orbit
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/20/blue_origin_nails_the_landing/
Published: April 20, 2026 09:49
Wouldn't be the first time a Jeff Bezos company left a package in the wrong place Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket nailed the landing this weekend, but failed at the crucial part of delivering a satellite to a usable orbit.…
'Invisible mouse' made a mess of PC rebuild
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/20/who_me/
Published: April 20, 2026 07:01
You can't fix what you can't see – especially when your workspace is a maelstrom Who, Me? Welcome to yet another Monday, and therefore to this week's edition of Who, Me? For those unfamiliar, it's The Register's reader-contributed column that shares your…
NASA working on ‘Big Bang’ upgrade to keep the Voyagers alive for longer
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/20/voyager_big_bang_upgrades/
Published: April 20, 2026 05:52
Tests scheduled for May can’t come soon enough after VGER 1 power glitch led to instrument shutdown NASA has revealed it’s working on a plan called “The Big Bang” that it hopes will extend the working lives of the Voyager probes.…