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To upgrade its grid for data centers, PJM Interconnection (which serves 13 states) plans to spend $22 billion - and charge nearly $2 billion of that to customers in Maryland, argues Maryland's Office of People's Counsel. The money "will be recovered in rates for decades" and "drive up Maryland customer bills by $1.6 billion over the next ten years alone," they said Friday, announcing an official complaint filed with America's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Extra demand is expected from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois "where demands driven by data centers are projected to grow substantially by 2036," they explain. But that means that Maryland customers "are subsidizing data center-driven transmission buildout by virtue of geographic proximity..." Tom's Hardware explains: That means an extra $823 million for residential (approx. $345 per customer), $146 million for commercial (approx. $673 per customer), and $629 million for industrial customers (approx. $15,074 per customer)... "Maryland customers have neither caused the need for these billions in new transmission projects nor will they meaningfully benefit from them," [according to Maryland People's Counsel David S. Lapp].... This is one of the biggest reasons why many AI hyperscalers are facing pushback from the communities where they intend to place their data centers. At the moment, around 69 jurisdictions have passed some sort of moratorium on projects like these, and a survey has shown that nearly half of Americans do not want a data center in their neighborhood. Debates around these projects are passionate, with a few cases turning violent and even resulting in shootings (thankfully, without any casualties), especially as many feel that the construction of these power-hungry assets is threatening their lifestyles and quality of life. Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader noshellswill for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

09 May 2026 10:34pm GMT

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09 May 2026 9:46pm GMT

NASA's $500 million Neil Gehrels Swift space observatory was launched in 2004. But it's now "at risk of falling back through the atmosphere and burning up without intervention," reports Spaceflight Now. Fortunately, a mission to prevent that "just passed a notable prelaunch testing milestone." On Friday, NASA announced that the Link spacecraft, manufactured by Katalyst Space Technologies to intervene before Swift's fate is sealed, completed its slate of environmental testing at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland... "Swift will likely re-enter the atmosphere sometime later this year if we don't attempt to lift it to a higher altitude, [said John Van Eepoel, Swift's mission director at NASA Goddard, in a NASA press release]. "Katalyst has gotten to this point in just eight months, and we're glad they were able to use NASA's facilities to test Link and draw on our expertise to help tackle questions that popped up along the way...." "Given how quickly Swift's orbit is decaying, we are in a race against the clock, but by leveraging commercial technologies that are already in development, we are meeting this challenge head-on," said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, acting director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters, at the time... Attempting an orbit boost is both more affordable than replacing Swift's capabilities with a new mission, and beneficial to the nation - expanding the use of satellite servicing to a new and broader class of spacecraft...." Swift is in an orbit inclined 20.6 degrees from the equator, which is why Katalyst selected Northrop Grumman's Pegasus XL air-launched rocket in November to fly the mission. "The versatility offered by Pegasus' unique air-launch capability provides customers with a space launch solution that can be rapidly deployed anywhere on Earth to reach any orbit," said Kurt Eberly, Director of Space Launch for Northrop Grumman. The mission is set to launch in June.

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09 May 2026 9:34pm GMT

September 2025? January 2026? Delivery dates keep slipping for the Trump Organization's "Trump Phone" - a gold-coloured Android smartphone priced at $499 (£370). But in March the Verge spotted signs the phone was moving forward: FCC listings for a smartphone with the trade name "T1" show that it was tested late last year, and granted certification by the FCC in January... [T]he phone was submitted for testing by another company entirely: Smart Gadgets Global, LLC... Smart Gadgets Global's website promises "Top Quality Electronics created for 'YOUR' customer!" But in April the Trump phone revised its "Terms and Conditions" for preorders. The new language? A preorder deposit provides only a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the Device for sale. A deposit is not a purchase, does not constitute acceptance of an order, does not create a contract for sale, does not transfer ownership or title interest, does not allocate or reserve specific inventory, and does not guarantee that a Device will be produced or made available for purchase.... Estimated ship dates, launch timelines, or anticipated production schedule are non-binding estimates only. Trump Mobile does not guarantee that: the Device will be commercially released... Trump Mobile will not be responsible for delay, modification, or failure to release a Device due to causes beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to regulatory review, carrier certification delays, component shortages, labor disruptions, governmental orders, acts of God, transportation interruptions, or third-party supplier failures... If Trump Mobile cancels or discontinues the Device offering prior to sale, Trump Mobile will issue a full refund of the deposit amount paid... If Trump Mobile cancels, delays, or does not release the Device, your sole and exclusive remedy is a full refund of the deposit amount actually paid, and you waive any claim for equitable, injunctive, or specific performance relief relating to preorder priority or Device allocation. There was an unconfirmed report on social media that the updated Terms were also emailed to customers (cited by the International Business Times). And the new language also hedges that for the gold T1 phone, "Images, prototypes, beta demonstrations, and marketing renderings are illustrative only and may not reflect final production units...." But then eight days ago The Verge reported that phone "has just passed another milestone on its slow road to release," described as "a requirement for any phone launching in the US..." "The phone has received the little-known PTCRB certification, a first step toward being certified to work on major networks and be issued with IMEI numbers." [A]t least, I think it's been certified. What's actually been certified by the PTCRB is the SGG-06, a smartphone from Smart Gadgets Global, LLC, with support for 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G networks.

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09 May 2026 8:34pm GMT

Hyprland 0.55 introduces Lua configs, user-defined layouts, ICC profiles, scrolling updates, and color management improvements.

09 May 2026 3:07pm GMT

Valve's second Steam Client update for May 2026 fixes Steam Controller firmware, Steam Input, charging puck, and streaming issues.

09 May 2026 2:39pm GMT

Kdenlive 26.04.1 fixes a serious project file vulnerability and ships stability improvements across editing, audio, subtitles, transitions, and project recovery.

09 May 2026 2:09pm GMT

These connected companions could disrupt everything from make-believe to bedtime stories. No wonder some lawmakers want them banned.

09 May 2026 11:00am GMT

It's hard to mix electronic manufacturing and flexible geometry.

08 May 2026 11:13pm GMT

The plan isn't final and could change, but his ouster would be no surprise.

08 May 2026 10:10pm GMT