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☆ Ex-classmate convicted of murdering long-missing California student Kristin Smart
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 18 (Reuters) - A former classmate of Kristin Smart, the California college freshman whose 1996 disappearance long stood as one of the state's most sensational unsolved crimes, was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering her, prosecutors said. The guilty verdict against Paul Flores, who was arrested and charged with Smart's death in April 2021, almost a quarter-century after she vanished, was returned by a jury in Monterey County Superior Court. A separate jury found his elderly father, Ruben Flores, not guilty on a charge of helping to hide Smart's body. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe murder verdict was announced on the Facebook page of the San Luis Obispo County district Attorney, Dan Dow. The trials were moved from San Luis Obispo County in a change of venue requested by defense lawyers because of intense pretrial publicity surrounding the investigation.

☆ The 'bummer' of the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit: Its full value may be hard to get
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But it may be tough for consumers to get the full value of the tax credit — at least initially. The tax credit 'bummer': It's nonrefundableThe legislation, called the Inflation Reduction Act, made the tax credit "nonrefundable." This person wouldn't get the full $7,500 tax credit — they'd be able to claim $5,000 and cut their tax bill to zero. More from Personal Finance:Missed a tax credit from last year? It's unclear which electric vehicles will meet these standards and qualify for a tax credit next year.

☆ The Year of the Voice Message: A Modern Guide to Phone Etiquette
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Magdalene J. Taylor | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

NATHAN HEINRICH, 41 years old, feels totally disconnected from his younger sister. In fact, the writer and designer from West Nyack, N.Y, says they’re in touch plenty. The problem: This year, she suddenly started communicating exclusively through recorded voice messages, colloquially called voice notes or voice memos, a feature that’s been available on Apple ’s iMessage since June 2014. His sister, Hilary Heinrich, a busy 32-year-old teacher in San Luis Obispo, Calif., says the technology nicely combines aspects of both phone calls and texts. Mr. Heinrich, however, finds that having to respond to her voice notes in kind makes him feel like a trucker on a CB radio.

☆ Evidence that freed Adnan Syed was long available, 'Serial' host says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

In a new episode of “Serial” released Tuesday, host Sarah Koenig noted that most or all of the evidence cited in prosecutors’ motion to overturn the conviction was available since 1999. Adnan Syed, center, leaves the courthouse after being released from prison in Baltimore, Md., on Sept. 19, 2022. In the “Serial” episode posted Tuesday, Koenig broke down prosecutors’ motion and described how some evidence they cited was featured in the podcast, while other evidence — including the evidence of other possible suspects — became public more recently. Other supporting evidence on the unreliability of a key witness and questions about cellphone data was previously featured on “Serial,” Koenig said. In the years since “Serial” chronicled Syed’s case and transformed the true-crime genre, a number of breakthroughs have come in other cases examined by like-minded podcasters.

☆ Cracked iPhone back glass? Some new models much easier to fix, firm finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

IFixit, which assesses the reparability of consumer electronics, said on Monday Apple has made major changes to the iPhone 14 base model. In the iPhone 14, the back glass is held in place by just two screws one connector, making it easy to remove. Apple did not mention the internal redesign when it announced the iPhone 14 earlier this month. It also creates opportunities for local repair shops.”The costlier iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max still have the older style of glued-in glass back. In 2019, Apple started selling tools, parts and manuals to independent repair shops.

☆ New iPhones have Qualcomm satellite modem, new Apple radio chips
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An employee of electronics repair firm iFixit is seen opening models from Apple?s iPhone 14 lineup to reveal a circuit board inside in this undated handout image. Apple released its iPhone 14 lineup on Friday. Apple said earlier this month that the iPhone 14 models contain new hardware that makes possible the emergency message service, which Apple plans to turn on with a software update coming in November. In a statement to Reuters on Saturday, Apple said there is additional proprietary hardware and software in the iPhone 14 for the new messaging feature. “iPhone 14 includes custom radio frequency components, and new software designed entirely by Apple, that together enable Emergency SOS via satellite on new iPhone 14 models," Apple said in a statement.

☆ Prosecutors try to prove 1996 killing as body of Kristin Smart remains missing
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Opening statements are scheduled Monday in Monterey County Superior Court in Salinas in the trial of Paul Flores and his father, Ruben Flores, who is charged as an accessory. Paul Flores had long been considered a suspect in the killing, but prosecutors only arrested him and his father in 2021 after the investigation was revived. San Luis Obispo Sheriff Ian Parkinson acknowledged missteps by detectives over the years and he credited a popular podcast about Smart’s disappearance called “Your Own Backyard” for helping unearth new information and inspiring witnesses to speak with investigators. Prosecutors, defense lawyers and San Luis Obispo sheriff’s deputies are constrained by a court order prohibiting them from discussing the case. Attorney Harold Mesick, who represents Ruben Flores, previously said the evidence unearthed was ambiguous.

☆ AI made these stunning images. Here’s why experts are worried
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-30 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

OpenAI and Google have pointed to a few ways the technology might be commercialized, such as for editing images or creating stock images. An image created by an AI system called Imagen, built by Google Research. GoogleThe bias in these AI systems presents a serious issue, experts told CNN Business. It’s not what we see in the movies.”An image created by an AI system called DALL-E 2, built by OpenAI. Some researchers are thinking about how it might be possible to reduce bias in these types of AI systems, but still use them to create impressive images.

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