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Submission + - The First Climate Model Turns 50, And Predicted Global Warming Almost Perfectly (forbes.com) 2

Submitted by Layzej
Layzej writes: Astrophysicist Ethan Siegel looks at a climate model (MW67) published in 1967 and finds "50 years after their groundbreaking 1967 paper, the science can be robustly evaluated, and they got almost everything exactly right."

An analysis on the "Climate Graphs" blog shows exactly how close the prediction has proven to be: "The slope of the CO2-vs-temperature regression line in the 50 years of actual observations is 2.57, only slightly higher than MW67’s prediction of 2.36" They also note that "This is even more impressive when one considers that at the time MW67 was published, there had been no detectable warming in over two decades. Their predicted warming appeared to mark a radical change with the recent past:"

Submission + - Is Physical Law an Alien Intelligence? (nautil.us) 1

Submitted by wjcofkc
wjcofkc writes: Caleb Scharf, astronomer and the director of the multidisciplinary Columbia Astrobiology Center at Columbia University presents an intriguing thought experiment.

"Perhaps Arthur C. Clarke was being uncharacteristically unambitious. He once pointed out that any sufficiently advanced technology is going to be indistinguishable from magic. If you dropped in on a bunch of Paleolithic farmers with your iPhone and a pair of sneakers, you’d undoubtedly seem pretty magical. But the contrast is only middling: The farmers would still recognize you as basically like them, and before long they’d be taking selfies. But what if life has moved so far on that it doesn’t just appear magical, but appears like physics?"

Submission + - Why the word 'vaccine' is probably all wrong (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner infected a young boy with cowpox to protect him from smallpox, and thus the first vaccine was born. Or so the legend goes. But an analysis of a century-old vaccine vial suggests that the vaccine used to prevent smallpox was likely horsepox, not cowpox. The word vaccine is derived from the Latin word vacca for “cow.” So perhaps we should be calling them "equusines" instead.

Submission + - U.S. Weapons Data Stolen During Raid Of Australian Defense Contractors Computers (wsj.com)

Submitted by phalse phace
phalse phace writes: Another day, another report of a major breach of sensitive U.S. military and intelligence data.

According to a report by the Wall St. Journal, "A cyberattacker nicknamed “Alf” gained access to an Australian defense contractor’s computers and began a four-month raid that snared data on sophisticated U.S. weapons systems.

Using the simple combinations of login names and passwords “admin; admin” and “guest; guest” and exploiting a vulnerability in the company’s help-desk portal, the attacker roved the firm’s network for four months.

The identity and affiliation of the hackers in the Australian attack weren’t disclosed, but officials with knowledge of the intrusion said the attack was thought to have originated in China."

The article goes on to state that "Alf obtained around 30 gigabytes of data on Australia’s planned purchase of up to 100 F-35 fighters made by Lockheed Martin, as well as information on new warships and Boeing-built P-8 Poseidon maritime-surveillance aircraft, in the July 2016 breach."

The stolen data also included details of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and guided bombs used by the U.S. and Australian militaries as well as design information “down to the captain’s chair” on new warships for Australia’s navy.

Submission + - President Trump Threatens to Revoke Broadcast Licenses of Critical Media (bloomberg.com)

Submitted by PopeRatzo
PopeRatzo writes: In a series of Tweets today, the President has suggested that it may be appropriate to revoke the broadcast licenses of critical media outlets (specifically local television or radio stations) if they become "too partisan". His statements seem to stem from recent news stories which reported that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called President Trump, "a moron", and another story which cites an administration official as saying the the President wanted to increase the US nuclear arsenal "tenfold".

In one tweet last night, he wrote: “With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!”

Today, he reiterated, “Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!”

At a meeting with Canadian President Trudeau at the White House, Trump told reporters, “It’s frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write".

Submission + - SPAM: In a Cashless World, You'd Better Pray the Power Never Goes Out 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: When Hurricane Maria knocked out power in Puerto Rico, residents there realized they were going to need physical cash — and a lot of it.

Bloomberg reported yesterday that the Fed was forced to fly a planeload of cash to the Island to help avert disaster:

William Dudley, the New York Fed president, put the word out within minutes, and ultimately a jet loaded with an undisclosed amount of cash landed on the stricken island...

[Business executive in Puerto Rico] described corporate clients' urgent requests for hundreds of thousands in cash to meet payrolls, and the challenge of finding enough armored cars to satisfy endless demand at ATMs. Such were the days after Maria devastated the U.S. territory last month, killing 39 people, crushing buildings and wiping out the island's energy grid. As early as the day after the storm, the Fed began working to get money onto the island,

For a time, unless one had a hoard of cash stored up in ones home, it was impossible to get cash at all. 85 percent of Puerto Rico is still without power, as of October 9. Bloomberg continues: "When some generator-powered ATMs finally opened, lines stretched hours long, with people camping out in beach chairs and holding umbrellas against the sun."

In an earlier article from September 25, Bloomberg noted how, without cash, necessities were simply unavailable:

"Cash only," said Abraham Lebron, the store manager standing guard at Supermax, a supermarket in San Juan's Plaza de las Armas. He was in a well-policed area, but admitted feeling like a sitting duck with so many bills on hand. "The system is down, so we can't process the cards. It's tough, but one finds a way to make it work."


Link to Original Source

Submission + - Equifax Breach Included 10 Million US Driving Licenses (engadget.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: 10.9 million U.S. driver's licenses were stolen in the massive breach that Equifax suffered in mid-May, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. In addition, WSJ has revealed that the attackers got a hold of 15.2 million UK customers' records, though only 693,665 among them had enough info in the system for the breach to be a real threat to their privacy. Affected customers provided most of the driver's licenses on file to verify their identities when they disputed their credit-report information through an Equifax web page. That page was one of the entry points the attackers used to gain entry into the credit reporting agency's system.

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