Thursday, May 17, 2018
Light Posting Notice
Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual for the next 2 weeks due to external oblgations.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: "Pelvic Exams On Anesthetized Women Without Consent: A Troubling And Outdated Practice"
[Off topic] My latest Forbes column is now out -- "Pelvic Exams On Anesthetized Women Without Consent: A Troubling And Outdated Practice".
Many doctors think this is "no big deal" and "good for society", whereas many patients consider this a violation.
Ultimately, the patients' wishes should prevail.
Many doctors think this is "no big deal" and "good for society", whereas many patients consider this a violation.
Ultimately, the patients' wishes should prevail.
PGP Vulnerability
"People Are Freaking Out That PGP Is 'Broken' -- But You Shouldn’t Be Using It Anyway"
Monday, May 14, 2018
Sunday, May 13, 2018
The Long Way Round
"The Long Way Round: The Plane that Accidentally Circumnavigated the World". (Via H.R.)
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Searching Devices At Borders
"Fourth Circuit Rules That Suspicionless Forensic Searches of Electronic Devices at the Border Are Unconstitutional"
Police Cams And Facial Recognition
"Facial recognition may be coming to a police body camera near you":
Axon, the maker of Taser electroshock weapons and the wearable body cameras now used by most major American city police departments, has voiced interest in pursuing face recognition for its body-worn cameras. The technology could allow officers to scan and recognize the faces of potentially everyone they see while on patrol. A growing number of surveillance firms and tech start-ups are racing to integrate face recognition and other AI capabilities into real-time video.
The board’s first meeting will likely presage an imminent showdown over the rapidly developing technology. Shortly after the board was announced, a group of 42 civil rights, technology and privacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, sent members a letter voicing “serious concerns with the current direction of Axon’s product development.”
Old School Navigation
"Figure Out Where You Are With Nothing But a Watch and Protractor":
In a recent episode of MacGyver, Angus (yes, that's his first name) finds his location in the desert using only a string, a protractor, and a watch. Is this actually possible? Basically, yes...
Wednesday, May 09, 2018
Tuesday, May 08, 2018
No Secret Tut Chambers
"Sorry, There Are No Secret Chambers in King Tut’s Tomb":
After two contradictory radar scans, Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities commissioned a third comprehensive survey that revealed no voids beyond the tomb walls.
Amazon Reviews From Scientists
"'Fits neatly inside a lizard's cloaca': Scientists are leaving Amazon reviews, and it's amazing". (Via H.R.)
Monday, May 07, 2018
Turing Desalination
"Alan Turing's chemistry hypothesis turned into a desalination filter". (Via M.O.)
Sunday, May 06, 2018
Wednesday, May 02, 2018
Tuesday, May 01, 2018
Fermi Paradox Explained
"Why We Haven’t Met Any Aliens":
I suggest a different, even darker solution to the Paradox. Basically, I think the aliens don’t blow themselves up; they just get addicted to computer games. They forget to send radio signals or colonize space because they’re too busy with runaway consumerism and virtual-reality narcissism. They don’t need Sentinels to enslave them in a Matrix; they do it to themselves, just as we are doing today. Once they turn inwards to chase their shiny pennies of pleasure, they lose the cosmic plot. They become like a self-stimulating rat, pressing a bar to deliver electricity to its brain’s ventral tegmental area, which stimulates its nucleus accumbens to release dopamine, which feels…ever so good.