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Changing these 5 KDE settings made my Linux desktop feel faster  How-To Geek

Solar geoengineering could increase the ferocity of North Atlantic hurricanes, cause the Amazon rainforest to die back and cause drought in parts of Africa if deployed above only some parts of the planet by rogue actors, a report has warned. The Guardian: However, if technology to block the sun was used globally and in a coordinated way for a long period -- decades or even centuries -- there is strong evidence that it would lower the global temperature, the review from the UK's Royal Society concluded. The world is failing to halt the climate crisis and the researchers said that in future, a judgment might need to be made between the risks of geoengineering and the those of continued global heating, which is already costing lives and livelihoods. The logistics of a large-scale geoengineering effort would be daunting, the experts said, but the cost would be small relative to climate action -- billions of dollars a year against trillions. The researchers emphasised that geoengineering only masked the symptoms of the climate crisis, and did not tackle the root cause -- the burning of fossil fuels. Geoengineering could only complement the cutting of emissions, not replace it, they said. If geoengineering was halted abruptly but emissions had not been reduced, there would be a termination shock of rapidly rising temperatures -- 1-2C within a couple of decades -- that would have severe effects on people and ecosystems unable to rapidly adapt.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Virtual Shadows: How Russian Hackers Hide Malware in Linux VMs on Windows  WebProNews

Fwupd’s Quantum Shield: Decoding the 2.0.17 Linux Firmware Revolution  WebProNews

Financial Times: Deutsche Bank is exploring ways to hedge its exposure to data centres after extending billions of dollars in debt to the sector to keep up with demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Executives inside the bank have discussed ways to manage its exposure to the booming industry as so-called hyperscalers pour hundreds of billions of dollars into building infrastructure for their AI needs that is increasingly funded by debt. The German lender is looking at options including shorting a basket of AI-related stocks that would help mitigate downside risk by betting against companies in the sector. It is also considering buying default protection on some of the debt using derivatives through a transaction known as synthetic risk transfer (SRT). Deutsche's investment banking business has "bet big" on data centre financing, according to one senior executive. However, the scale of expenditure on AI infrastructure has prompted concerns that a bubble is forming with some likening the enthusiasm to that which preceded the dotcom crash. Sceptics have pointed out that billions of dollars have been deployed in an untested industry with assets that quickly depreciate in value due to the rapid change in technology.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Chinese government has issued guidance requiring new data centre projects that have received any state funds to only use domestically-made AI chips, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. From the report: In recent weeks, Chinese regulatory authorities have ordered such data centres that are less than 30% complete to remove all installed foreign chips, or cancel plans to purchase them, while projects in a more advanced stage will be decided on a case-by-case basis, the sources said. The move could represent one of China's most aggressive steps yet to eliminate foreign technology from its critical infrastructure amid a pause in trade hostilities between Washington and Beijing, and achieve its quest for AI chip self-sufficiency. China's access to advanced AI chips, including those made by Nvidia, has been a key point of friction with the U.S., as the two wrestle for dominance in high-end computing power and AI. U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week that Washington will "let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced" chips.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

GNOME’s X11 Farewell: Wayland Takes the Helm in Linux Display Revolution  WebProNews

Bonus increased to $175 for limited-time. Current is a fintech, with banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, member FDIC. After the whole Synapse/Juno/Yotta fiasco, I no longer recommending keeping significant balances in a fintech, even if the interest rate is very competitive. The entire point of cash is to be as close to 100% safe and liquid as possible.

I am updating this review of my Current account opened years ago, as right now they are offering a boosted $150 referral bonus if you complete an eligible Payroll Deposit of at least $200 within your first 45 days of opening an account. You must either apply directly through the link above or enter promo code JONATHAP228 when signing up. Thanks if you use my link!

Other features:

• No minimum balance. No minimum opening deposit.
• No credit check. No Chexsystems check.
• No overdraft fees.
• Fee-free ATM withdrawals within the 40,000+ Allpoint ATM network.
• Access to paycheck up to 2 days early.
• Gas station authorization holds immediately released.
• On top of no overdraft fees, also get up to $100 in fee-free overdraft coverage.

This is a pretty big bonus with no minimum deposit requirement that should be easy for those that have payroll websites/apps where you can split and/or switch your direct deposits easily.

Current also offers 4% APY on their “Savings Pods” if you maintain a $200+ direct deposit monthly. But even though the $175 new customer bonus is nice and they have some thoughtful features like the free overdraft coverage, they are still a fintech so I’m not keeping significant balances there long-term.

Bask Bank has a new promotion for their Interest Checking account:

• Open a new Bask Interest Checking Account between November 1, 2025, and January 31, 2026. Offer is available to new Bask Interest Checking customers who do not have an existing Interest Checking Account as of October 31, 2025.
• Maintain an average monthly balance of at least $1,500 in your Bask Interest Checking Account and complete five or more monthly purchases, totaling a minimum of $50, using your Bask debit card.
• 3.00% APY Rate Boost: Earn a 3.00% APY Boost from November 1, 2025, through January 31, 2026,
  when qualifying activities are met. This is on top of the “base” Checking rate, which can vary but is currently 1% APY.
• $300 Cash Bonus ($100 x 3): Earn up to a $300 Cash Bonus from November 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, when qualifying activities are met. Qualifying participants will receive a $100 Cash Bonus paid to their Bask Interest Checking Account at the close of each monthly statement period when all qualifying activities are met. Participants can receive a maximum of three Cash Bonus payments during the Cash Bonus Period.

Interest Checking has no monthly fees and no minimum balance. You could also pair with the Bask Bank Interest Savings account, currently paying a competitive 4.05% APY. This is not a fintech; Texas Capital Bank is the underlying bank, previously also behind the old BankDirect brand.

I already have this account as well from a previous $200 bonus. I should probably close it as I don’t use it.

This is a solid bonus that doesn’t require a direct deposit, just a few debit card purchases. I already have an open Mileage Savings Account with $20 or so in it so that I can earn a few American Airlines miles each month as “interest” and keep my AA miles active. (The payout isn’t as great as it once was, so I don’t keep anything sizable in there anymore, but maybe they’ll hike it back up someday.)

Hackers Are Using Linux Malware to Invisibly Bypass Windows Security  H2S Media

Epic Games and Google have agreed to settle their long-running antitrust lawsuit. The settlement converts Judge James Donato's United States-only injunction into a global agreement extending through June 2032. Google will reduce its standard app store fees to either 20% or 9% depending on the transaction type. The company will also create a program in the next major Android release allowing alternative app stores to register and become what Google calls first-class citizens. Users will be able to install these registered app stores from a website with a single click using neutral language. The settlement addresses Epic's concerns about friction and scare screens that discouraged sideloading. Google will charge a 5% fee for transactions using Google Play Billing, separate from its service fee. Alternative payment options must be shown alongside Google Play Billing.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Today, we're announcing enhancements to Structured Outputs in the Gemini API.Today, we're announcing enhancements to Structured Outputs in the Gemini API.

4 ways to make any Linux distro feel more like Windows  XDA

Learn more about how Google Workspace apps now work with Gemini’s Deep Research tool.

Plus, the AI Mode shortcut is expanding to 160 more countries

When Debian won't do, Devuan 6 'Excalibur' Linux makes the grade  theregister.com

An anonymous reader shares a report: Kodak quietly acknowledged this week that it will begin selling two famous types of film stock -- Kodak Gold 200 and Kodak Ultramax 400 -- directly to retailers and distributors in the U.S., another indication that the historic company is taking back control over how people buy its film. The release comes on the heels of Kodak announcing that it would make and sell two new stocks of film called Kodacolor 100 and Kodacolor 200 in October. On Monday, both Kodak Gold and Kodak Ultramax showed back up on Kodak's website as film stocks that it makes and sells. When asked by 404 Media, a company spokesperson said that it has "launched" these film stocks and will begin to "sell the films directly to distributors in the U.S. and Canada, giving Kodak greater control over our participation in the consumer film market."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Linux Patches Updated For Snapdragon X Elite Powered TUXEDO Elite 14 Gen1 Laptop  Phoronix

Fwupd 2.0.17 Released with Support for Lexar and Maxio NVMe SSDs  9to5Linux

The first 8 Linux commands every new user should learn  ZDNET