Fears

With a storm lingering again over Los Angeles County, experts warn that even its modest rainfall could elevate the risk for mudslides, debris flows and flooding because the ground is already waterlogged from the monster storms earlier this month.“In normal winters where we haven’t had as much rain, this type of rainfall doesn’t cause that much issue because the ground can still absorb water,” said National Weather Service forecaster Ryan Kittell. But once the ground becomes completely saturated, he said, flooding can…

Already inundated by record rainfall, Southern California is facing another major storm Presidents Day weekend that could bring new risks for mudslides and flooding in vulnerable areas saturated with water.The region saw 2 to 15 inches of rain last week — precipitation that weakened hillsides, closed roads and damaged homes. And while the strength of this new storm is still far from clear, experts say it underscores the dangers for slide-prone areas in the weeks and months ahead.The National Weather Service office in…

India risks losing out to China and Vietnam as it seeks to become a major smartphone export hub and must "act fast" to lure global companies with lower tariffs, the deputy IT minister said in government documents seen by Reuters.Smartphone manufacturing is a key plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitions to boost the economy and create jobs by attracting companies such as Apple, Foxconn and Samsung to India, the world's second-largest mobile market where production grew 16% year-on-year to $44 billion last year.…

Sam Altman is far more concerned about the subtle societal impacts of AI than the spectre of "killer robots" or other sci-fi like nightmares. Altman also warned of the potential for AI to disrupt society in unexpected ways if not properly regulated…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain The number of babies born in England and Wales in 2022 fell by 3.1% compared to the previous year. The average age of parents is also at a record high, as people choose to delay having children. The average age of mothers is now nearly 31. To some, this is alarming. MP Miriam Cates, for example, has written that "the economic…

AI roundup: Across the world, governments and corporates are looking to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to power up growth and harness new areas of generating revenue. Now, a Google study reveals what India thinks about the new tech. It emerges that India has become the most hopeful country as far as AI is concerned. On the other hand, there are dangers present in this space too. OpenAI CEO has expressed his fear that AI could be dangerous if misalignments occur in technology goals and expectations. Know…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Nearly half of teenagers are worried about having children and many lack knowledge about their reproductive health, find two new studies by University College London researchers. The studies, published in Human Fertility and Health Education Journal, used survey results from 931 students in England aged 16 to 18,…

I told you. It appears that the government of Canada is going to ban the Flipper Zero, the tiny, modular hacking device that’s become popular with techies for its deviant digital powers. On Thursday, following a summit that focused on “the growing challenge of auto theft in Canada,” the country’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry posted a statement on X, saying “Criminals have been using sophisticated tools to steal cars...Today, I announced we are banning the importation, sale and use of consumer hacking…

The Africanfuturist world Nnedi Okorafor introduced in Who Fears Death—a book currently in development for an HBO series executive-produced by George R.R. Martin—grows with her new trilogy, She Who Knows. Novella Firespitter kicks off the new series with its release August 20, and io9 has an exclusive look at the cover and the first chapter to share today.‘I’ve Been Obsessed with American Shows Since I Was a Kid’Here are more details about the book’s story, described as “part science fiction, part fantasy, and entirely…

The New York Community Bank (NYCB) headquarters in Hicksville, New York, US, on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesEmbattled lender New York Community Bank disclosed a litany of financial metrics in the past 24 hours in a bid to soothe skittish investors.But one of the most crucial resources for any bank appears to be in short supply for NYCB lately: confidence.The regional bank late Tuesday said that deposits were stable at $83 billion and that the firm had ample resources to cover any possible…