Technology

Bill To Curb New Mexico License Plate Data Sharing Heads To Senate Floor

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State Police Chief Troy Weisler

By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican

An effort to restrict out-of-state agencies from using license plate camera data in New Mexico to enforce things like immigration laws or other states’ abortion bans is moving forward.

The “Driver Privacy and Safety Act” passed the state Senate Judiciary Committee Monday afternoon with unanimous support, despite some misgivings from a pair of Republicans on the committee. It will head next to the Senate floor for a vote.

“If we don’t put basic guardrails on, this is a really dangerous tool,” Senate Majority Leader Read More

OBAE Approves $6.7M In Grants For Public Wi-Fi

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OBAE News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) today announced six grants to implement or expand public Wi-Fi service across New Mexico.

Two cities, two counties, a university, and an internet service provider received awards through OBAE’s Community Connect Grant Program, designed to expand free Wi-Fi in public places, such as plazas, parks, and municipal buildings.

“Public Wi-Fi is essential for providing accessibility and convenience in communities across New Mexico,” said Neala Krueger, OBAE state grants senior program manager. “It provides Read More

Catch Of The Week: No, Bernalillo County Is Not Texting You From Ohio About Traffic Fines

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By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos

If you received a dramatic text message this week claiming you owe unpaid traffic fines and must “pay immediately or appear in court”, congratulations.

You are the latest target in a statewide text scam. Not as exciting as winning the lottery, but what are you going to do?

The message looks official at first glance. It says “Notice of Default – Unpaid Traffic Fines.” It lists Bernalillo (Bennalillo ha!) County Metropolitan Court. It includes a real Albuquerque address on Lomas. It even throws in legal language about Title 66 of the New Mexico Code to make it sound Read More

Lawmaker: NM In Talks With Some Dozen Data Centers

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Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces

By LILY ALEXANDER
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A New Mexico lawmaker pitching a bill to regulate microgrids like one planned in Southern New Mexico to power a massive AI data center said he has learned the state is in talks with up to a dozen other data centers. 

Democratic Sen. Jeff Steinborn of Las Cruces, the co-sponsor of Senate Bill 235, which is largely a response to Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County, said he learned of the scope of New Mexico’s data center recruitment plans during a recent conversation with the state’s economic development secretary. Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory Forms Quantum Computing-Focused Research Center

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The Quantum Computing Center in downtown Los Alamos will bring together up to three dozen quantum researchers from across the Lab. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has formed the Center for Quantum Computing, which will bring together the Lab’s diverse quantum computing research capabilities. Headquartered in downtown Los Alamos, the Center for Quantum Computing will consolidate the Laboratory’s expertise in national security applications, quantum algorithms, quantum computer science and workforce development in a shared research space.

“This new Read More

Daily Postcard: Waning Moon Under Omega Bridge

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Daily Postcard: The stylized view of the waning moon on Feb. 5, under the Omega Bridge. This photo combines two shots within 48 hours (due to the over-exposed moon on the first shooting session). The first shot was of the moon and the second was of the bridge and surroundings (there was still snow on the road). Processed in Affinity Photo. Photo by Steve Bublitz Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Data Dashboard Now Online

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Courtesy/New Mexico Supreme Court

NMSC News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court has published a new data dashboard for the public to get information about the Court’s performance measures that focus on case management.

“The Judiciary dashboard identifies what the Supreme Court has been doing throughout the year and demonstrates a transparent way to show our accountability to New Mexicans,” Chief Justice David K. Thomson said.

The dashboard provides information about the number and types of cases opened, the number of cases closed, and the average number of days to resolve cases from Read More

Catch Of The Week: Apple Pay Scams

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By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
For the Los Alamos Daily Post

Congratulations. You made it through another week on the Hill, but a scammer still thinks you are going to panic over a fake Apple Pay charge. Hard pass. This week’s scam is aimed at people who use Apple Pay, which in this town is basically everyone who has ever stood in line at Starbucks behind someone paying with their watch like a pro.

Here is how the scam works. You get an email or text that looks like it came from Apple. The notification says there was a suspicious Apple Pay purchase, usually for an alarming amount of money. The message helpfully Read More

At Nuclear Deterrence Summit, Lab Directors Frame Regulatory Reform As Key To Modernization

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Lab directors Thom Mason of Los Alamos and Kimberly Budil of Lawrence Livermore discuss efforts to modernize aging nuclear infrastructure and accelerate weapons development during a panel at the Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Arlington, Va. Photo by Marlene Wilden/ladailypost.com

By MARLENE WILDEN
Los Alamos Daily Post
marlene@ladailypost.com

ARLINGTON, VA.—Appearing together at the annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit, held Jan. 26-28, the directors of Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories said they are seizing an unusual window of regulatory reform to cut Read More

Technology & Innovation Office Awards Innovation Infrastructure Grants

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NMEDD News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) Technology and Innovation Office has awarded $2.7 million in grants to two organizations to develop and expand the physical infrastructure that supports innovation, entrepreneurship and technology commercialization across the state.

For this inaugural award cycle, Albuquerque-based New Mexico Venture Studios secured $2 million to build a life-sciences lab, and the Santa Fe-based New Mexico Innovation Hub won $700,000 to develop an innovation campus in Santa Fe’s emerging Midtown corridor.

With the Innovation Read More