Friday, April 20, 2018
Diamonds From Space
"These diamonds are tiny, flawed, and may come from a long-lost planet". (Via H.R.)
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
The Lebowski Theorem Of Machine Superintelligence
"The Lebowski Theorem of machine superintelligence":
Harvard cognitive scientist Joscha Bach, in a tongue-in-cheek tweet, has countered this sort of idea with what he calls “The Lebowski Theorem”:
No superintelligent AI is going to bother with a task that is harder than hacking its reward function.In other words, Bach imagines that Bostrom’s hypothetical paperclip-making AI would foresee the fantastically difficult and time-consuming task of turning everything in the universe into paperclips and opt to self-medicate itself into no longer wanting or caring about making paperclips, instead doing whatever the AI equivalent is of sitting around on the beach all day sipping piƱa coladas, a la The Big Lebowski’s The Dude.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Light Posting Notice
Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual the rest of this week due to external obligations.
Monday, April 16, 2018
Surveillance Tech Update
"Facial recognition tech catches fugitive in huge crowd at Jacky Cheung Cantopop concert in China"
Artificial Heart Update
"A simple artificial heart could permanently replace a failing human one":
[R]esearchers have been trying for decades to make an artificial heart that can be permanently implanted. But building one that imitates a real heart over a long period of time without breaking or causing infections or blood clots is incredibly difficult. One problem is that the more parts there are, the more things could go wrong.
To solve the problem, Sanjiv Kaul and his team at Oregon Health and Science University are developing an artificial heart with an extremely simple design -- it contains a single moving piece with no valves. They believe it could be the first such device that could last the rest of a person’s life...
Friday, April 13, 2018
Medical AI Update
"FDA approves AI-powered diagnostic that doesn't need a doctor's help":
What it does: The software is designed to detect greater than a mild level of diabetic retinopathy, which causes vision loss and affects 30 million people in the US. It occurs when high blood sugar damages blood vessels in the retina.
How it works: The program uses an AI algorithm to analyze images of the adult eye taken with a special retinal camera. A doctor uploads the images to a cloud server, and the software then delivers a positive or negative result.
No specialist required: The FDA recently cleared AI-based software to help detect stroke, too. But the agency says this is the first device authorized to provide a screening decision without the need for a specialized doctor to interpret the image or results.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
WW2 Typo
"How a Typo Helped End World War II".
Direct link to Florence Schechter's Twitter thread explanation.
Direct link to Florence Schechter's Twitter thread explanation.
Super-Accurate GPS
"This app features super-accurate GPS, and I can’t figure out how it works". (Via H.R.)
History Of Machine Translation
"A history of machine translation from the Cold War to deep learning"
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
AI Journalism Update
"A New AI 'Journalist' Is Rewriting the News to Remove Bias".
Of course, what counts as "biased" or "unbiased" is itself in the eye of the beholder.
Of course, what counts as "biased" or "unbiased" is itself in the eye of the beholder.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Amazon's Tolkien TV Deal
"Inside Amazon's $250M Lord of the Rings Deal: "It's Very Much a Creature of the Times""
Monday, April 09, 2018
Friday, April 06, 2018
Self-Proclaimed Time Travelers
"The Rise in Self-Proclaimed Time Travelers".
I'd find them a lot more believable if they correctly predicted the next 5 Super Bowl winners.
I'd find them a lot more believable if they correctly predicted the next 5 Super Bowl winners.
Thursday, April 05, 2018
Dead Man Fingerprints
"Yes, Cops Are Now Opening iPhones With Dead People's Fingerprints".
As the article notes, dead people's faces are the next logical step with FaceID.
As the article notes, dead people's faces are the next logical step with FaceID.
DNA Surprise
"Woman takes Ancestry.com DNA test, learns her real dad is her mom's doctor".
Lawsuit has been filed.
Lawsuit has been filed.
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
Criminal Mastermind
Shoplifter uses Play-Doh to cover up security camera lens, leaves perfectly pressed fingerprint behind.
Good High School
"A single high school in India has produced the CEOs of Microsoft, Adobe, and Mastercard"
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
Unmixable Nanoparticles
"Scientists mix the unmixable to create 'shocking' nanoparticles". (Via H.R.)
Monday, April 02, 2018
The Science of Knuckle Cracking
"Scientists have spent 60 years agonizing over how our knuckles crack"
Police Using Google Data
"To find suspects, police quietly turn to Google":
In at least four investigations last year – cases of murder, sexual battery and even possible arson at the massive downtown fire in March 2017 – Raleigh police used search warrants to demand Google accounts not of specific suspects, but from any mobile devices that veered too close to the scene of a crime, according to a WRAL News review of court records.I'm guessing this isn't confined to Raleigh, NC. (Via Debby Witt.)
Friday, March 30, 2018
Pre-Columbian Amazon Forest
"Network of fortified towns indicates Amazon was once heavily populated". (Via H.R.)
Thursday, March 29, 2018
History Of The "Many Worlds" Interpretion
"The Difficult Birth of the 'Many Worlds' Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics".
I'm curious how things transpired in the alternate universe where Everett didn't have quite that much to drink that fateful night.
I'm curious how things transpired in the alternate universe where Everett didn't have quite that much to drink that fateful night.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Jumpsuit Future
You remember those cheesy science fiction movies, where everyone in the future wears jumpsuits? Some people wnat to make that real: "The Jumpsuit That Will Replace All Clothes Forever".
My initial reaction, "No, thank you".
My initial reaction, "No, thank you".
Chinese Space Debris
"What Should You Do If You Find a Piece of China's Crashed Space Station?"
Short answer: Don't touch it -- for both health and legal reasons.
Short answer: Don't touch it -- for both health and legal reasons.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Avoiding Germs On Planes
Where to sit on an airplane, if you don't want to get sick:
How much contact passengers had with their fellow travelers varied by seat position. Those seated at the aisle averaged 64 contacts, the middle seat 58 and the window only 12. People sitting in the middle of the cabin had more contacts than those sitting in the front or back.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Handling In-Airline Disputes
"What Should You Do if a Flight Attendant Tells You to Put Your Dog in an Overhead Bin?: A guide to arguing on an airplane when you know you’re in the right."
Japan Condom Update
"Japan condom makers hope for 2020 Olympic lift". The jokes practically write themselves.
Race-Specific Emojis
NPR discusses whether it's ok for a "15-year-old queer, white girl" to use dark-skinned emojis.
Their answer is basically, "no": "By trying on black skin when it is fun, safe and convenient, your daughter is inadvertently trivializing the experiences of real black people."
I'm curious whether they'd be ok with me (a "yellow"-skinned Asian) using either a darker or lighter skin tone emoji -- or whether they'd tell me to "stick to my own color".
Or what their response would be to a male teenager wishing to use a female emoji (or vice versa).
Their answer is basically, "no": "By trying on black skin when it is fun, safe and convenient, your daughter is inadvertently trivializing the experiences of real black people."
I'm curious whether they'd be ok with me (a "yellow"-skinned Asian) using either a darker or lighter skin tone emoji -- or whether they'd tell me to "stick to my own color".
Or what their response would be to a male teenager wishing to use a female emoji (or vice versa).
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Blockchain Used To Hide Contraband Images
"Child abuse imagery found within bitcoin's blockchain":
Since mining is essential for the function of bitcoin, as the process records the transactions into the blockchain to verify trades and generates new bitcoin in the process, having illegal content such as child abuse imagery within the blockchain could cause significant issues for the currency.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: Any Study Of 'Gun Violence' Should Include How Guns Save Lives
[Off topic] My latest Forbes column is now out: "Any Study Of 'Gun Violence' Should Include How Guns Save Lives".
I discuss three key principles that should be included in any kind of "gun violence" research, including:
Any public health research that studies only the negative effects of criminal misuse of guns while ignoring the positive lawful uses misses a critically important part of the picture.
I discuss three key principles that should be included in any kind of "gun violence" research, including:
- Firearms save lives as well take lives.
- The value of firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens should be measured in terms of lives saved or crimes prevented, not criminals killed.
- The right to self-defense does not depend on statistics and numbers.
Any public health research that studies only the negative effects of criminal misuse of guns while ignoring the positive lawful uses misses a critically important part of the picture.
Literal World Map
"The literal translation of country names".
Here's the Asia map, click on the map to see larger version. (Click through to the main article to see all the other continents).
UPDATE: Looks like the original source is an Australian credit card comparison company. Kottke also notes, "I have gotten many messages indicating the map is incorrect in one aspect or another, so you might want to take the whole thing with a healthy grain of salt (despite the research)."
Here's the Asia map, click on the map to see larger version. (Click through to the main article to see all the other continents).
UPDATE: Looks like the original source is an Australian credit card comparison company. Kottke also notes, "I have gotten many messages indicating the map is incorrect in one aspect or another, so you might want to take the whole thing with a healthy grain of salt (despite the research)."
Hidden Document
"High-Powered X-Rays Reveal What's Beneath 11th-Century Religious Text".
I especially like that the hidden document turns out to be a "a translated text of the ancient Greek medical philosopher Galen".
I especially like that the hidden document turns out to be a "a translated text of the ancient Greek medical philosopher Galen".
Voyager 1 Lives
"NASA Gets Response From Spacecraft 13 Billion Miles Away".
No word from Star Fleet Command on whether a super-powerful alien probe is on its way to the Solar System. (Via H.R.)
No word from Star Fleet Command on whether a super-powerful alien probe is on its way to the Solar System. (Via H.R.)
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Edison Bug
"Thomas Edison Was an Early Adopter of the Word 'Bug': In an 1878 letter, he uses the term to refer to a technological glitch"
Monday, March 19, 2018
False Confessions Update
NYT: "False Confessions, Mistaken Witnesses, Corrupt Investigators: Why 139 Innocent People Went to Jail".
Particularly chilling:
Particularly chilling:
In just under half of the exonerations last year, defendants were wrongfully convicted in cases in which no crime was committed. This included more than a dozen drug possession cases, 11 child sex abuse cases and nine murder cases.
In one case, Rodricus Crawford, who was on death row in Louisiana, was exonerated. The state dismissed all charges against Mr. Crawford last year after officials acknowledged that evidence suggested his infant son died with pneumonia and bacteria in his blood, implicating sepsis in the death rather than murder.
Tiny Inductors
"The Last Barrier To Ultra-Miniaturized Electronics Is Broken, Thanks To A New Type Of Inductor". (Via H.R.)
Friday, March 16, 2018
AI-Run Economy?
Alex Tabarrok: "Will an AI Ever Be Able To Centrally Plan an Economy?"
Short answer, "no". Click through for the longer answer.
Short answer, "no". Click through for the longer answer.
Feeling In Prosthetics
"Scientists Create a Way for People With Amputations to Feel Their Prosthetic Hands". (Via H.R.)
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Brain Uploading Startup
"A startup is pitching a mind-uploading service that is '100 percent fatal'".
Only $10,000 to get on the waiting list!
Only $10,000 to get on the waiting list!
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Secret Flying Taxis
Today's 21st century headline: "Google founder's flying taxis secretly tested in New Zealand".
Affordable 3D-Printed Homes
"This cheap 3D-printed home is a start for the 1 billion who lack shelter":
Using the Vulcan printer, ICON can print an entire home for $10,000 and plans to bring costs down to $4,000 per house. “It’s much cheaper than the typical American home,” Ballard says. It’s capable of printing a home that’s 800 square feet, a significantly bigger structure than properties pushed by the tiny home movement, which top out at about 400 square feet. In contrast, the average New York apartment is about 866 square feet.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Monday, March 12, 2018
Humans Attacking Self-Driving Cars
"Two of the six collisions involving autonomous vehicles in California so far this year involved humans colliding with self-driving cars, apparently on purpose"
Friday, March 09, 2018
Invisible TVs
"Samsung's new TVs are almost invisible":
Samsung's new QLED line of 4K TVs features a technology the company is calling "Ambient Mode." Before you mount the TV, you'll snap a picture of the wall it's going to hang on -- it doesn't matter if it's brick, wood, patterned wallpaper, or just a white wall -- and then after it's up, you can set that picture as the TV's background. The result is something that looks like a floating black rectangle mounted on a wall.
Thursday, March 08, 2018
Merriam-Webster Embiggens The Dictionary
"A Perfectly Cromulent Fake Word From ‘The Simpsons’ Is Now In The Dictionary"
Super Monster Wolf
"The 'Super Monster Wolf' is a 65cm-long, 50cm-tall robot animal covered with realistic-looking fur, featuring huge white fangs and flashing red eyes":
It's been designed to keep wild boar away from rice and chestnut crops, and was deployed on a trial basis near Kisarazu City in Japan's eastern Chiba prefecture last July. When it detects an approaching animal, its eyes light up and it starts to howl, Asahi TV says. Its manufacturers say the robot wolf uses solar-rechargeable batteries and has a range of howl noises so that animal threats don't get used to it.Heck, I'm not a Japanese rice farmer, but I want one for my home!
Wednesday, March 07, 2018
LTE Security Flaws
"LTE security flaws could be used for spying, spreading chaos":
[T]he collection of exploits could be used to track device owners, eavesdrop on texts and other sensitive data, and even pose as them on cellular networks and spoof location and other data. An attacker could even spoof warning messages like those used by government agencies and weather services -- such as the false missile warning sent out by a Hawaii government employee.
Recovering Hidden Texts
"At the world’s oldest monastery, new technology is making long-lost manuscripts available to anyone with an Internet connection"
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
Monday, March 05, 2018
Friday, March 02, 2018
3000 Years Of Art
"3000 years of art in just three minutes":
This short film from 1968, set to Classical Gas, shows 3000 years of fine art in just three minutes. As the final frame of the film says:Direct link to the video:
You have just had all of the Great Art of the World indelibly etched in your brain. You are now cultured.As mesmerizing as the film is, especially for 1968, the backstory is perhaps even more interesting...
Thursday, March 01, 2018
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
Math Of Turbulence
"What Makes the Hardest Equations in Physics So Difficult?":
Mathematicians classify partial differential equations like Navier-Stokes based on the extent to which they can go haywire at infinitesimally small scales. Navier-Stokes is on the extreme end of the spectrum. The difficulty of the mathematics of the equation is, in some sense, an exact reflection of the complexity of the turbulent flows they’re supposed to be able to describe.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Hsieh Forbes Column: TV Medicine Vs. Reality
My latest Forbes column is now out: "How Badly Does Hollywood Distort Truth In Medical Dramas?"
I discuss some recent research on television representations of trauma and emergency medical care, and how differences between TV and reality can affect both patients and doctors.
I like a good medical drama as well as anyone, but sometimes the mistakes make me cringe. Of course, anyone who has watched a medical TV drama with me and has had to "shush" me when I repeatedly complain about some Hollywood exaggeration already knows this.
(And don't even get me started about random x-rays being hung upside down or backwards on viewboxes in the background of an OR or ER scene.)
I discuss some recent research on television representations of trauma and emergency medical care, and how differences between TV and reality can affect both patients and doctors.
I like a good medical drama as well as anyone, but sometimes the mistakes make me cringe. Of course, anyone who has watched a medical TV drama with me and has had to "shush" me when I repeatedly complain about some Hollywood exaggeration already knows this.
(And don't even get me started about random x-rays being hung upside down or backwards on viewboxes in the background of an OR or ER scene.)
Thursday, February 22, 2018
What Color Is a Tennis Ball?
"What Color Is a Tennis Ball? An investigation into a surprisingly divisive question."
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Waterbed History
"The Weird True Story of the Rise and Fall of the Waterbed".
A housemate of mine in college had an awesome waterbed, and his was always the most popular room during parties.
A housemate of mine in college had an awesome waterbed, and his was always the most popular room during parties.
Hollywood Vs. Reality In Medicine
Shocker: Hollywood portrayals of medicine sometimes diverge from the actual reality.
Academic article in the Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open journal compares medical outcomes in "Grey's Anatomy" to real life, "Grey’s Anatomy effect: television portrayal of patients with trauma may cultivate unrealistic patient and family expectations after injury".
Of course, anyone who watches a medical TV drama with me and has to "shush" me when I repeatedly complain about some Hollywood exaggeration already knows this.
(And don't even get me started about random x-rays being hung upside down or backwards on viewboxes in the background of an OR or ER scene.)
Academic article in the Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open journal compares medical outcomes in "Grey's Anatomy" to real life, "Grey’s Anatomy effect: television portrayal of patients with trauma may cultivate unrealistic patient and family expectations after injury".
Of course, anyone who watches a medical TV drama with me and has to "shush" me when I repeatedly complain about some Hollywood exaggeration already knows this.
(And don't even get me started about random x-rays being hung upside down or backwards on viewboxes in the background of an OR or ER scene.)
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Monday, February 19, 2018
Unsolicited Amazon Toys
"Someone Is Sending Amazon Sex Toys to Strangers. Amazon Has No Idea How to Stop It."
Friday, February 16, 2018
Apple Success
"Apple now accounts for more revenue than the rest of the entire global smartphone industry combined"
Google Vs. Advertisers
"The world's biggest advertising company is about to embark on a new venture: blocking advertisements."
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Covert Cryptocurrency Miners
"More Than 4,000 Government Websites Infected With Covert Cryptocurrency Miner"
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Air Gap Hacking
"Mind the Gap: This Researcher Steals Data With Noise, Light, and Magnets"
Guri and his fellow Ben-Gurion researchers have shown, for instance, that it's possible to trick a fully offline computer into leaking data to another nearby device via the noise its internal fan generates, by changing air temperatures in patterns that the receiving computer can detect with thermal sensors, or even by blinking out a stream of information from a computer hard drive LED to the camera on a quadcopter drone hovering outside a nearby window. In new research published today, the Ben-Gurion team has even shown that they can pull data off a computer protected by not only an air gap, but also a Faraday cage designed to block all radio signals.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
New Language
"A previously unknown language has been found in the Malay Peninsula by linguists from Lund University in Sweden."
The language is an Aslian variety within the Austroasiatic language family and is spoken by 280 people who are settled hunter-gatherers in northern Peninsular Malaysia.
Chinese Police Tech
"Chinese police are wearing sunglasses that can recognize faces".
For better or worse, I imagine US law enforcement won't be far behind. The police won't have to ask for "your papers, please".
For better or worse, I imagine US law enforcement won't be far behind. The police won't have to ask for "your papers, please".
Monday, February 12, 2018
Friday, February 09, 2018
Thursday, February 08, 2018
Genetic Testing Update
"Using just a swab of saliva from a newborn's cheek, a new DNA test will probe a baby's genes to search for 193 genetic diseases -- all of which have some kind of treatment already available."
Wednesday, February 07, 2018
Tuesday, February 06, 2018
Monday, February 05, 2018
Nuclear Reactor Update
"NuScale factory built modular 50 megawatt nuclear reactors have funding, customers and some NRC approval". (Via H.R.)
Strange Roadside Attractions
"Strangest Roadside Attraction in Every State". (Via H.R. and Gus Van Horn.)
Friday, February 02, 2018
Speeding Study
NYT: "We found a large increase in the average speed of drivers who received speeding tickets on the weekends after Fast and Furious releases. "
Thursday, February 01, 2018
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Drinking Bird Toy
"Why the Drinking Bird Toy Is Actually a Brilliant Piece of Thermodynamic Engineering". (Via H.R.)
Direct link to Bill Hammack video:
Direct link to Bill Hammack video:
Stroke Therapy Progress
NYT: "New Findings Could Save Lives of More Stroke Patients".
Original article in the New England Journal of Medicine: "Thrombectomy for Stroke at 6 to 16 Hours with Selection by Perfusion Imaging".
Original article in the New England Journal of Medicine: "Thrombectomy for Stroke at 6 to 16 Hours with Selection by Perfusion Imaging".
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Elon Musk Flamethrowers
"Elon Musk is now selling flamethrowers -- and he sold $2 million worth of them in 24 hours"
Monday, January 29, 2018
[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: You Might Not Like The President, But That Doesn't Mean He's Crazy
[Off Topic] My latest Forbes column is out: "You Might Not Like The President, But That Doesn't Mean He's Crazy".
I discuss the latest push by some psychiatrists to declare the President unfit to hold office on mental health grounds. And the response of the White House physician who examined the President, including a cognitive evaluation.
As Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, wrote in the New England Journal Of Medicine:
I discuss the latest push by some psychiatrists to declare the President unfit to hold office on mental health grounds. And the response of the White House physician who examined the President, including a cognitive evaluation.
As Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, wrote in the New England Journal Of Medicine:
Psychiatry has made too many past missteps to engage in political partisanship disguised as patriotism — witness its collusion in Nazi eugenics policies, Soviet political repression, and involuntary confinement in mental hospitals of dissidents and religious groups in the People’s Republic of China. More than any other medical specialty, psychiatry is vulnerable to being exploited for partisan political purposes and for bypassing due process for establishing guilt, fault, and fact.
Bad Sneeze
Man tries to hold in a sneeze, and instead tears his throat and requires 7 days in the hospital.
Link includes some impressive x-ray and CT images.
Link includes some impressive x-ray and CT images.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Thursday, January 25, 2018
From Telegraph To Internet
"In the 1960s, Telegraph Poles Were Equipped With Nuclear Bomb Alarms":
...And concerns about the robustness of military communications in a nuclear attack inspired RAND researcher Paul Baran to propose a network of distributed communication—an idea that evolved into the military’s revolutionary ARPANET and matured to become the internet.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Autopilot DUI Defense
21st Century Headline: "A Tesla owner’s excuse for his DUI crash: The car was driving"
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Facial Recognition In Retail
"The List of Places That Scan Your Face Is Growing".
One interesting tidbit:
One interesting tidbit:
[H]alf of all American adults have their photos in the FBI’s facial recognition database, which the bureau has been using since 2011 to track and identify suspects. Yet, the software had a 15 percent rate of inaccuracy—higher than Facebook’s—and incorrectly identified black people more often than white people.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Small Nuclear Reactors
"Nuclear reactors the size of wastebaskets could power our Martian settlements". (Via H.R.)
Friday, January 19, 2018
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Underwater Volcano
"We All Nearly Missed The Largest Underwater Volcano Eruption Ever Recorded". (Via H.R.)
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
The Bad UI Behind The Hawaii Missile Scare
"Bad design in action: The false Hawaiian ballistic missile alert"
Big Brother On Wheels
"Big Brother on wheels: Why your car company may know more about you than your spouse"
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Monday, January 15, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
Dolphin Intelligence
"Why dolphins are deep thinkers":
Kelly the dolphin has built up quite a reputation. All the dolphins at the institute are trained to hold onto any litter that falls into their pools until they see a trainer, when they can trade the litter for fish. In this way, the dolphins help to keep their pools clean.(Via A.B. and Marginal Revolution.)
Kelly has taken this task one step further. When people drop paper into the water she hides it under a rock at the bottom of the pool. The next time a trainer passes, she goes down to the rock and tears off a piece of paper to give to the trainer. After a fish reward, she goes back down, tears off another piece of paper, gets another fish, and so on.
…Her cunning has not stopped there. One day, when a gull flew into her pool, she grabbed it, waited for the trainers and then gave it to them. It was a large bird and so the trainers gave her lots of fish. This seemed to give Kelly a new idea. The next time she was fed, instead of eating the last fish, she took it to the bottom of the pool and hid it under the rock where she had been hiding the paper. When no trainers were present, she brought the fish to the surface and used it to lure the gulls, which she would catch to get even more fish. After mastering this lucrative strategy, she taught her calf, who taught other calves, and so gull-baiting has become a hot game among the dolphins.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
New Rules For Border Inspection Of Electronic Devices
"New Rules Announced for Border Inspection of Electronic Devices":
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced new restrictions on when agents can copy data from digital devices at border crossing points.
Agents now need “reasonable suspicion” in advance of searches of phones, computers, tablets, cameras or any other digital device belonging to people entering or leaving the United States. Border agents will also be restricted from accessing data stored remotely in the cloud.
The new guidance published (PDF) on Friday update existing rules introduced in 2009 regarding “advanced” searches that can be conducted at random and without warrant.
Under the new rules, border agents would still be able to conduct “basic” searches “with or without suspicion,” which entails physical examination of digital devices, such as sorting through photos and examining messages. “Advanced” searches based on “reasonable suspicion” will still be permitted and agents can still review, copy, and analyze a digital device’s contents.
The directive states travelers may be asked to provide passcodes to unlock a device. If the border agent is unable to inspect the device because it is passcode or encryption-protected, the agent may detain the device for up to five days.
Tuesday, January 09, 2018
Fined For Using Waze/Google
NJ town to fine drivers $200 for using Waze/Google-guided shortcuts through residential streets.
Monday, January 08, 2018
Meltdown and Spectre Update
"Meltdown and Spectre: Here's what Intel, Apple, Microsoft, others are doing about it". (Via A.B. and H.R.)
Friday, January 05, 2018
Thursday, January 04, 2018
NSA Brain Drain
"NSA's top talent is leaving because of low pay, slumping morale and unpopular reorganization"
Wednesday, January 03, 2018
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