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Upgrading your Windows laptop? I built my own Linux machine in minutes (and you can, too)  ZDNET

AlmaLinux gives Btrfs a home after Red Hat kicked it out  theregister.com

Linux 6.18 Hardened Against Specially-Crafted EROFS Images Leading To System Crashes  Phoronix

Windows 11: Nine problems in a week after Linux  findarticles.com

Windows 11: Nine problems in a week after Linux  findarticles.com

Windows 11: Nine problems in a week after Linux  findarticles.com

Windows 11: Nine problems in a week after Linux  findarticles.com

Windows 11: Nine problems in a week after Linux  findarticles.com

Windows 11: Nine problems in a week after Linux  findarticles.com

Windows 11: Nine problems in a week after Linux  findarticles.com

Google announced Wednesday that its quantum computer achieved the first verifiable quantum advantage, running a new algorithm 13,000 times faster than a top supercomputer. The algorithm, called Quantum Echoes, was published in the journal Nature. The results can be replicated on another quantum computer of similar quality, something Google had not demonstrated before. The quantum computer uses a chip called Willow, which was announced in December 2024. Hartmut Neven, head of Google's Quantum AI research lab, called the work a demonstration of the first algorithm with verifiable quantum advantage and a milestone on the software track. Michel H. Devoret, who won this year's Nobel Prize in Physics and joined Google in 2023, said future quantum computers will run calculations impossible with classical algorithms. Google stopped short of claiming the work would have practical uses on its own. Instead, the company said Quantum Echoes demonstrated a technique that could be applied to other algorithms in drug discovery and materials science. A second paper published Wednesday on arXiv showed how the method could be applied to nuclear magnetic resonance. The experiment involved a relatively small quantum system that fell short of full practical quantum advantage because it was not able to work faster than a traditional computer. Google exhaustively red-teamed the research, putting some researchers to work trying to disprove its own results. Prineha Narang, a professor at UCLA, called the advance meaningful. The quantum computer tested two molecules, one with 15 atoms and another with 28 atoms. Results on the quantum computer matched traditional NMR and revealed information not usually available from NMR. Google's research competes against Microsoft, IBM, universities and efforts in China. The Chinese government has committed more than $15.2 billion to quantum research. Previous claims of quantum advantage have been met with skepticism.

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Zeitgeist this year brought together leaders in technology, business and culture to explore accelerating innovation.

I finally switched to Linux, and these 5 apps made it painless  MakeUseOf

I turned Kali Linux into a home networking multi-tool  XDA

Try this new Linux security threat scanner to keep your system safe - you'll thank me  ZDNET

This Tool Let Me Use Google Translate in the Linux Terminal  How-To Geek

The proliferation of difficult-to-treat bacterial diseases represents a growing threat, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report. Wired: The report reveals that, between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance increased by more than 40 percent in monitored pathogen-drug combinations, with an average annual increase of 5-15 percent. According to data reported by more than 100 countries to WHO's Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), one in six laboratory-confirmed bacteria in 2023 proved resistant to antibiotic treatment, all related to various common diseases globally. For the first time, this edition of the report includes prevalence estimates of resistance to 22 antibiotics used to treat urinary tract, gastrointestinal, bloodstream, and gonorrheal conditions. The analysis focused on eight common pathogens: Acinetobacter spp, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, non-typhoidal Salmonella spp, Shigella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The results show that resistant gram-negative bacteria pose the greatest threat. Of particular note are Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which are associated with bloodstream infections that can lead to sepsis, organ failure, and death. "More than 40 percent of E. coli and more than 55 percent of K. pneumoniae strains worldwide are now resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, the first-choice treatment for these types of infections," the report warns.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

I ditched Linux for Windows 11 for one week - and found 9 big problems  ZDNET

Michel Devorat and Yu Chen provide an overview of the quantum hardware that made the Quantum Echoes breakthrough possible.Michel Devorat and Yu Chen provide an overview of the quantum hardware that made the Quantum Echoes breakthrough possible.

Our latest quantum breakthrough, Quantum Echoes, offers a path toward unprecedented scientific discoveries and analysis.Our latest quantum breakthrough, Quantum Echoes, offers a path toward unprecedented scientific discoveries and analysis.