Comment Of course it is (Score 1) 465
640k ought to be enough for anybody.
Comment So Long Ga(r)y Bowser! (Score 1) 73
Nintendo is so prescient, they predicted this all the way back in Mario 64 and referenced it.
Comment Re:Wrist action (Score 1) 152
Are you more likely to use: 1. Mouse 2. Touchpad 3. Roller-ball 4. Touch Screen 5. Other (state in comments)
Cowboyneal obviously.
Submission + - SPAM: In California, an army of genetically engineered mosquitoes awaits release
schwit1 writes: Will it backfire?
Scientists independent from the company and critical of the proposal say not so fast. They say unleashing the experimental creatures into nature has risks that haven’t yet been fully studied, including possible harm to other species or unexpectedly making the local mosquito population harder to control.
Even scientists who see the potential of genetic engineering are uneasy about releasing the transgenic insects into neighborhoods because of how hard such trials are to control.
“There needs to be more transparency about why these experiments are being done,” said Natalie Kofler, a bioethicist at Harvard Medical School who has followed the company’s work. “How are we weighing the risks and benefits?”
Link to Original Source
Scientists independent from the company and critical of the proposal say not so fast. They say unleashing the experimental creatures into nature has risks that haven’t yet been fully studied, including possible harm to other species or unexpectedly making the local mosquito population harder to control.
Even scientists who see the potential of genetic engineering are uneasy about releasing the transgenic insects into neighborhoods because of how hard such trials are to control.
“There needs to be more transparency about why these experiments are being done,” said Natalie Kofler, a bioethicist at Harvard Medical School who has followed the company’s work. “How are we weighing the risks and benefits?”
Link to Original Source
Submission + - SPAM: Video shows Perseverance rover's dramatic Mars landing
Thelasko writes: Nasa has released stunning video of its Perseverance rover landing on Mars.
The movie covers the final minutes of last week's hair-raising descent, up to the point where the robot's wheels make contact with the ground.
The sequence shows a whirl of dust and grit being kicked up as the vehicle is lowered by its rocket backpack to the floor of Jezero Crater.
Perseverance was sent to Mars festooned with cameras, seven of which were dedicated to recording the landing.
Their imagery represents vital feedback for engineers as they look to improve still further the technologies used to put probes on the surface of the Red planet.
Link to Original Source
The movie covers the final minutes of last week's hair-raising descent, up to the point where the robot's wheels make contact with the ground.
The sequence shows a whirl of dust and grit being kicked up as the vehicle is lowered by its rocket backpack to the floor of Jezero Crater.
Perseverance was sent to Mars festooned with cameras, seven of which were dedicated to recording the landing.
Their imagery represents vital feedback for engineers as they look to improve still further the technologies used to put probes on the surface of the Red planet.
Link to Original Source
Submission + - Facebook Had Much Bigger Part than Parler in Capitol Riot
RoccamOccam writes: The Department of Justice has now charged 223 people for their participation in the events of Jan. 6. A comprehensive analysis of those charging documents performed by Forbes demonstrate that Parler’s role was minimal, compared to that of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Of the 223 charging documents, 73 reference posts on Facebook as evidence, 24 reference posts YouTube, 20 single out Instagram posts (owned by Facebook), and only eight highlight posts on Parler.
In the immediate aftermath, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, claimed “These events were largely organized on platforms that don’t have our abilities to stop hate and don’t have our standards and don’t have our transparency.”
Of the 223 charging documents, 73 reference posts on Facebook as evidence, 24 reference posts YouTube, 20 single out Instagram posts (owned by Facebook), and only eight highlight posts on Parler.
In the immediate aftermath, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, claimed “These events were largely organized on platforms that don’t have our abilities to stop hate and don’t have our standards and don’t have our transparency.”
Submission + - TSA bans Star Wars Coke bottles that resemble grenades (sfgate.com)
Tablizer writes: SFGate: "Visitors to Disney's new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction, can choose from more than 1,000 unique items to take home as souvenirs.
But if they plan on flying home, they'll have to leave at least one behind — a specially designed "thermal detonator" Coca-Cola bottle the company made especially for the new attraction.
TSA has told fans that the bottle, which retails for $5, looks too much like a replica explosive and therefore won't be allowed in carry-on or checked baggage. Fans, not surprisingly are not pleased with the decision."
I hope they don't take away my lightsaber.
But if they plan on flying home, they'll have to leave at least one behind — a specially designed "thermal detonator" Coca-Cola bottle the company made especially for the new attraction.
TSA has told fans that the bottle, which retails for $5, looks too much like a replica explosive and therefore won't be allowed in carry-on or checked baggage. Fans, not surprisingly are not pleased with the decision."
I hope they don't take away my lightsaber.
Submission + - TV Manufacturers Unite To Tackle the Scourge of Motion Smoothing (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The UHD Alliance, a collection of companies who work together to define display standards, has announced Filmmaker Mode, a new TV setting that’s designed to show films as they were originally mastered, with as little post-processing as possible. Although the mode will affect multiple settings like frame rate, aspect ratio, overscanning, and noise reduction, its most important element is that it turns off motion smoothing, which creates that horrible “soap opera effect” that makes even the most expensive films look cheap. LG, Vizio, and Panasonic have all expressed an interest in including the new mode in their TVs.
Of course, it’s always been possible to turn off this setting (we’ve got a guide on how to do so right here) but TV manufacturers have an annoying habit of referring to the same setting by different names, confusing the process. LG calls it “TruMotion,” Vizio calls it “Smooth Motion Effect,” and Panasonic calls it “Intelligent Frame Creation,” for example. The difference with Filmmaker Mode is that it will have the same name across every TV manufacturer, and the UHD Alliance also says that it wants the setting to be enabled automatically when cinematic content is detected, or otherwise easily accessible via a button on the TV remote.
Of course, it’s always been possible to turn off this setting (we’ve got a guide on how to do so right here) but TV manufacturers have an annoying habit of referring to the same setting by different names, confusing the process. LG calls it “TruMotion,” Vizio calls it “Smooth Motion Effect,” and Panasonic calls it “Intelligent Frame Creation,” for example. The difference with Filmmaker Mode is that it will have the same name across every TV manufacturer, and the UHD Alliance also says that it wants the setting to be enabled automatically when cinematic content is detected, or otherwise easily accessible via a button on the TV remote.
Submission + - Dear Tech Workers, U.S. Service Members Need Your Help (nytimes.com)
Strudelkugel writes: Last year, more than 4,600 Google employees signed a petition urging the company to commit to refusing to build weapons technology. A response to Google’s work with the military on an artificial intelligence-based targeting system, the petition made a powerful and seemingly simple moral statement: “We believe that Google should not be in the business of war.” Similarly, Microsoft employees in February demanded that their company withhold its augmented reality HoloLens headset technology from the Army, saying they did not want to become “war profiteers.”
Tech workers might not realize that their opposition to the work their companies do on military technology does not change the decision-making of the American leaders who choose to go to war, and therefore is unlikely to prevent any harm caused by war. Instead, it has the unintended effect of imperiling not only the lives of service members, but also the lives of innocent civilians whom I believe these workers want to protect.
Tech workers might not realize that their opposition to the work their companies do on military technology does not change the decision-making of the American leaders who choose to go to war, and therefore is unlikely to prevent any harm caused by war. Instead, it has the unintended effect of imperiling not only the lives of service members, but also the lives of innocent civilians whom I believe these workers want to protect.
Submission + - 'Mythbusters' builder Jessi Combs killed in jet-powered car crash (ktvz.com)
McGruber writes: Jessi Combs—vehicle builder, racer, fabricator, TV personality, and all-around automotive legend—was killed on Tuesday in a crash while attempting to break her own land-speed record in southeast Oregon. She was 36.
The crash occurred as Combs was piloting her jet-powered land-speed car on the Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed where several land-speed records have been set. According to local reports, the crash happened shortly after 4pm local time.
Combs held the title of "fastest woman on four wheels" after setting a record of 398 mph in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger in 2013. More recently, she had piloted that same car to 483.227 mph in a single shakedown run in October 2018, though that run ended prematurely with mechanical troubles. (Governing bodies require two back-to-back runs in opposite directions to set an official speed record.)
Combs was also a host, builder, and technical expert on shows like Xtreme 4x4, Overhaulin', Truck U, and Two Guys Garage. She brought about Velocity channel's All Girls Garage, and was a host and builder on a season of Discovery Channel's Mythbusters.
Popular Mechanics coverage:
https://news.yahoo.com/jessi-c...
Local News:
https://www.ktvz.com/news/fata...
The crash occurred as Combs was piloting her jet-powered land-speed car on the Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed where several land-speed records have been set. According to local reports, the crash happened shortly after 4pm local time.
Combs held the title of "fastest woman on four wheels" after setting a record of 398 mph in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger in 2013. More recently, she had piloted that same car to 483.227 mph in a single shakedown run in October 2018, though that run ended prematurely with mechanical troubles. (Governing bodies require two back-to-back runs in opposite directions to set an official speed record.)
Combs was also a host, builder, and technical expert on shows like Xtreme 4x4, Overhaulin', Truck U, and Two Guys Garage. She brought about Velocity channel's All Girls Garage, and was a host and builder on a season of Discovery Channel's Mythbusters.
Popular Mechanics coverage:
https://news.yahoo.com/jessi-c...
Local News:
https://www.ktvz.com/news/fata...
Submission + - Microsoft making exFAT patents available via OIN (zdnet.com)
An anonymous reader writes: According to ZDNet (note to editors, I can't find a primary source in the article or on Google), Microsoft has announced that they intend to make their exFAT patents available for inclusion in software like the Linux kernel by way of the Open Invention Network (OIN), an organization dedicated to patent non-aggression. exFAT would still be patented by Microsoft, but it seems they would be committing not to exercise their patent rights against the Linux community and potentially other free software projects.
Submission + - Boris Johnson asks Queen to suspend UK Parliament (bbc.co.uk)
AmiMoJo writes: The government has asked the Queen to suspend Parliament just days after MPs return to work in September — and only a few weeks before the Brexit deadline.
Boris Johnson said a Queen's Speech would take place after the suspension, on 14 October. But it means the time MPs have to pass laws to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31 October would be cut.
House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said it was a "constitutional outrage".
Boris Johnson said a Queen's Speech would take place after the suspension, on 14 October. But it means the time MPs have to pass laws to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31 October would be cut.
House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said it was a "constitutional outrage".
John McAfee Released From Jail in the Dominican Republic (nypost.com) 117
An anonymous reader quotes the New York Post:
John McAfee of antivirus software fame has arrived in London from the Dominican Republic, where he had been detained for several days with his wife and several others for entering the Caribbean nation with a cache of weapons on his yacht, his lawyer said Friday. Authorities "asked him where he wanted to go, and he decided on London," his attorney Candido Simon told Reuters....
While in custody, McAfee retweeted a photo posted by his wife of himself sitting shirtless in a cell... [And another shirtless photo with his cellmate.] "My crime is not filing tax returns -- not a crime. The rest is propaganda by the U.S. government to silence me..." he wrote in a July 19 tweet.
In fact, McAfee now "is laying the blame on the CIA and 'an extremely corrupt Bahamian official,'" CNET reports.
McAfee "confessed in a tweetstorm earlier this year that he hasn't paid the IRS in eight years," reports the New York Daily News, adding that this week McAfee was "essentially deported" to London. "He previously fled to Guatemala from Belize when he was sought for questioning concerning the murder of a neighbor, Reuters previously reported." Earlier this month, Reuters also reported that McAfee had again fled to Cuba "after suspecting that U.S. law enforcement was trying to extradite him from the Bahamas."
CNET also quotes McAfee as saying that he now wants to run simultaneous campaigns to be both president of the United States and Prime Minister of England. "I believe I am one of the few people stil alive who could qualify for the combined position."
While in custody, McAfee retweeted a photo posted by his wife of himself sitting shirtless in a cell... [And another shirtless photo with his cellmate.] "My crime is not filing tax returns -- not a crime. The rest is propaganda by the U.S. government to silence me..." he wrote in a July 19 tweet.
In fact, McAfee now "is laying the blame on the CIA and 'an extremely corrupt Bahamian official,'" CNET reports.
McAfee "confessed in a tweetstorm earlier this year that he hasn't paid the IRS in eight years," reports the New York Daily News, adding that this week McAfee was "essentially deported" to London. "He previously fled to Guatemala from Belize when he was sought for questioning concerning the murder of a neighbor, Reuters previously reported." Earlier this month, Reuters also reported that McAfee had again fled to Cuba "after suspecting that U.S. law enforcement was trying to extradite him from the Bahamas."
CNET also quotes McAfee as saying that he now wants to run simultaneous campaigns to be both president of the United States and Prime Minister of England. "I believe I am one of the few people stil alive who could qualify for the combined position."
Submission + - Hacked Tornado Sirens Taken Offline in Two Texas Cities Ahead of Major Storm (zdnet.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A hacker set off the tornado emergency sirens in the middle of the night last week across two North Texas towns. Following the unauthorized intrusion, city authorities had to shut down their emergency warning system a day before a major thunderstorm was set to hit the area. Thunderstorms are known to produce brief tornadoes, the two towns are located in Tornado Alley, and tornado season, a period of the year between March and May when most tornadoes happen, had officially begun. The storm that hit the two towns after the tornado sirens were taken offline never generated tornadoes, however, it did wreck houses and left neighborhoods without electricity all over the Dallas area.
Officials confirmed that the incident was an intentional hack, and not a technical glitch. The two towns are located just south of Dallas, which had its tornado sirens hacked in the same way in 2017.
Officials confirmed that the incident was an intentional hack, and not a technical glitch. The two towns are located just south of Dallas, which had its tornado sirens hacked in the same way in 2017.
Submission + - Scientists Grow 'Mini-Brain On the Move' That Can Contract Muscle (theguardian.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Scientists have grown a miniature brain in a dish with a spinal cord and muscles attached, an advance that promises to accelerate the study of conditions such as motor neurone disease. The lentil-sized grey blob of human brain cells were seen to spontaneously send out tendril-like connections to link up with the spinal cord and muscle tissue, which was taken from a mouse. The muscles were then seen to visibly contract under the control of the so-called brain organoid. The research is is the latest in a series of increasingly sophisticated approximations of the human brain grown in the laboratory – this time with something approaching a central nervous system attached.
The scientists used a new method to grow the miniature brain from human stem cells, which allowed the organoid to reach a more sophisticated stage of development than previous experiments. The latest blob shows similarities, in terms of the variety of neurons and their organisation, to the human foetal brain at 12-16 weeks of pregnancy. However, the scientists said the structure was still too small and primitive to have anything approaching thoughts, feelings or consciousness. While a fully developed human brain has 80-90bn neurons, the organoid has a couple of million, placing it somewhere between a cockroach and a zebrafish in terms of volume of grey matter.
The scientists used a new method to grow the miniature brain from human stem cells, which allowed the organoid to reach a more sophisticated stage of development than previous experiments. The latest blob shows similarities, in terms of the variety of neurons and their organisation, to the human foetal brain at 12-16 weeks of pregnancy. However, the scientists said the structure was still too small and primitive to have anything approaching thoughts, feelings or consciousness. While a fully developed human brain has 80-90bn neurons, the organoid has a couple of million, placing it somewhere between a cockroach and a zebrafish in terms of volume of grey matter.
