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Submission + - Inverse Vaccine stops Autoimmune Diseases (biorxiv.org) 1

Submitted by laughingskeptic
laughingskeptic writes: An "inverse vaccine" has been created that takes advantage of how the liver naturally marks molecules from broken-down cells with “do not attack” flags to prevent autoimmune reactions to cells that die by natural processes. “In the past, we showed that we could use this approach to prevent autoimmunity,” Jeffrey Hubbell, UChicago's Eugene Bell Professor in Tissue Engineering and lead author of the new paper, said in the statement. “But what is so exciting about this work is that we have shown that we can treat diseases like multiple sclerosis after there is already ongoing inflammation, which is more useful in a real-world context.” News release: https://scitechdaily.com/new-v... Preprint linked in title.

Submission + - Reddit Communities Plan To Extend the Blackout Indefinitely (theverge.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Moderators of many Reddit communities are pledging to keep their subreddits private or restricted indefinitely. For the vast majority of subreddits, the blackout to protest Reddit’s expensive API pricing changes was expected to last from Monday until Wednesday. But in response to a Tuesday post on the r/ModCoord subreddit, users are chiming in to say that their subreddits will remain dark past that 48-hour window. “Reddit has budged microscopically,” u/SpicyThunder335, a moderator for r/ModCoord, wrote in the post. They say that despite an announcement that access to a popular data-archiving tool for moderators would be restored, “our core concerns still aren’t satisfied, and these concessions came prior to the blackout start date; Reddit has been silent since it began.” SpicyThunder335 also bolded a line from a Monday memo from CEO Steve Huffman obtained by The Verge — “like all blowups on Reddit, this one will pass as well" — and said that “more is needed for Reddit to act.”

Ahead of the Tuesday post, more than 300 subreddits had committed to staying dark indefinitely, SpicyThunder335 said. The list included some hugely popular subreddits, like r/aww (more than 34 million subscribers), r/music (more than 32 million subscribers), and r/videos (more than 26 million subscribers). Even r/nba committed to an indefinite timeframe at arguably the most important time of the NBA season. But SpicyThunder335 invited moderators to share pledges to keep the protests going, and the commitments are rolling in. SpicyThunder335 notes that not everyone will be able to go dark indefinitely for valid reasons. “For example, r/stopDrinking represents a valuable resource for a communities in need, and the urgency of getting the news of the ongoing war out to r/Ukraine obviously outweighs any of these concerns,” SpicyThunder335 wrote. As an alternative, SpicyThunder335 recommended implementing a “weekly gesture of support on ‘Touch-Grass-Tuesdays,’” which would be left up to the discretion of individual communities. SpicyThunder335 also acknowledged that some subreddits would need to poll their users to make sure they’re on board. As of this writing, more than 8,400 subreddits have gone private or into a restricted mode. The blackouts caused Reddit to briefly crash on Monday.

Submission + - For reasons no one can fathom, McDonald's has released a new Game Boy Color game (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Hmmmmmm
Hmmmmmm writes: Fast food giant McDonald's has released a new retro-style game featuring Grimace, the purple milkshake blob. While it's clearly meant to be played in a browser on a phone or computer, it's also a fully working Game Boy Color game that you can download and play on the original hardware.

Grimace's Birthday was developed by Krool Toys, a Brooklyn-based independent game studio and "creative engineering team" with a history of creating playable Game Boy games as unique PR for music artists and brands. The game assumes you're playing in an emulator via a browser window—you can play that version of the game here—but we also got it running on an Analogue Pocket thanks to a Game Boy Color FPGA core and a downloadable ROM hosted on the Internet Archive.

The game is so period-authentic that there's even a screen telling original monochrome Game Boy owners that the game "requires a color device to play." Even on Game Boy hardware, it still makes references to people "playing on mobile devices."

Submission + - US Patent Office Proposes Rule To Make It Much Harder To Kill Bad Patents (techdirt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: So, this is bad. Over the last few years, we’ve written plenty about the so-called “inter partes review” or "IPR” that came into being about a decade ago as part of the “America Invents Act,” which was the first major change to the patent system in decades. For much of the first decade of the 2000s, patent trolls were running wild and creating a massive tax on innovation. There were so many stories of people (mostly lawyers) getting vague and broad patents that they never had any intention of commercializing, then waiting for someone to come along and build something actually useful and innovative... and then shaking them down with the threat of patent litigation. The IPR process, while not perfect, was at least an important tool in pushing back on some of the worst of the worst patents. In its most basic form, the IPR process allows nearly anyone to challenge a bad patent and have the special Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) review the patent to determine if it should have been granted in the first place. Given that a bad patent can completely stifle innovation for decades this seems like the very least that the Patent Office should offer to try to get rid of innovation-killing bad patents.

However, patent trolls absolutely loathe the IPR process for fairly obvious reasons. It kills their terrible patents. The entire IPR process has been challenged over and over again and (thankfully) the Supreme Court said that it’s perfectly fine for the Patent Office to review granted patents to see if they made a mistake. But, of course, that never stops the patent trolls. They’ve complained to Congress. And, now, it seems that the Patent Office itself is trying to help them out. Recently, the USPTO announced a possible change to the IPR process that would basically lead to limiting who can actually challenge bad patents, and which patents could be challenged.

The wording of the proposed changes seems to be written in a manner to be as confusing as possible. But there are a few different elements to the proposal. One part would limit who can bring challenges to patents under the IPR system, utilizing the power of the director to do a “discretionary denial.” For example, it would say that “certain for-profit entities” are not allowed to bring challenges. Why? That’s not clear. [...] But the more worrisome change is this one: "Recognizing the important role the USPTO plays in encouraging and protecting innovation by individual inventors, startups, and under-resourced innovators who are working to bring their ideas to market, the Office is considering limiting the impact of AIA post-grant proceedings on such entities by denying institution when certain conditions are met." Basically, if a patent holder is designated as an “individual inventor, startup” or “under-resourced innovator” then their patents are protected from the IPR process. But, as anyone studying this space well knows, patent trolls often present themselves as all three of those things (even though it’s quite frequently not at all true). [...] And, again, none of this should matter. A bad patent is a bad patent. Why should the USPTO create different rules that protect bad patents? If the patent is legit, it will survive the IPR process.

Submission + - NYC Will Charge Drivers Going Downtown (slashdot.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: President Joe Biden’s administration is set to allow New York City to move forward with a landmark program that will toll vehicles entering Lower Manhattan, after a public review period ends Monday. The toll is formally known as the Central Business District Tolling Program — but it’s commonly called “congestion pricing.” In practice it works like any other toll, but because it specifically charges people to drive in the traffic-choked area below 60th street in Manhattan, it would be the first program of its kind in the United States. Proposals range from charging vehicles $9 to $23 during peak hours, and it’s set to go into effect next spring.

The plan had been delayed for years, but it cleared a milestone last month when the Federal Highway Administration signed off on the release of an environmental assessment. The public has until Monday to review the report, and the federal government is widely expected to approve it shortly after. From there, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) can finalize toll rates, as well as discounts and exemptions for certain drivers.

While no other US city has yet implemented congestion pricing, Stockholm, London and Singapore have had it for years. These cities have reported benefits like decreased carbon dioxide pollution, higher average speeds, and congestion reduction. [...] The stakes of New York City’s program are high, and leaders in other cities are watching the results closely. If successful, congestion pricing could be a model for other US cities, which are trying to recover from the pandemic and face similar challenges of climate change and aging public infrastructure.

Submission + - Thousands of Reddit communities 'go dark' in protest of new developer fees (npr.org) 7

Submitted by koavf
koavf writes: Thousands of sections of the popular online message board Reddit are "going dark" for two days starting Monday to protest controversial new fees the site is charging third-party developers.

Some of the largest communities on Reddit are being set to private for 48 hours, meaning they will not be publicly available. By doing this, Redditers aim to pressure company executives to reverse their decision to charge developers for access to the site, which until now has been free.

In a Reddit post about the boycott, organizers wrote that the charges are "a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit."

Submission + - Russia Fires On And Storms Greenpeace Ship. May Charge Them As Terrorists (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Guardian reports, "The Russian coastguard, which is controlled by the FSB security services, boarded the Arctic Sunrise late on Thursday night near Prirazlomnaya, a drilling platform in the Pechora Sea, close to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The activists were protesting against the rig, operated by the Russian energy giant Gazprom, which is due to come online soon, and had attempted to climb aboard it and stop work. The ship's crew remain in the custody of armed Russian security forces and could be charged with terrorism. The FSB said it had been tracking the vessel since it left the Norwegian port of Kirkenes last Saturday, and turned off its radio signals. Once the ship had changed course and began heading for the Prirazlomnaya platform, the FSB decided to act. Warning shots were fired and two climbers on the rig were arrested earlier in the week." More at Fox News and London South East.

Submission + - Deterrence for Malware: Towards a Deception-Free Internet (cmu.edu)

Submitted by heidibrayer
heidibrayer writes: Will Casey, a senior member of the technical staff in Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute, CERT Division, discusses research that aims to understand and seek complex patterns in malicious use cases within the context of security systems and develop an incentives-based measurement system that would evaluate software and ensure a level of resilience to attack.

Submission + - Grand Theft Auto is Today's Great Expectations (reason.com) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Last week's boffo release of GTAV was a critical and commercial success that underscores the centrality of video games as *the* cultural medium of this godawful 21st century.

Video games such as GTAV "are the perfect medium for a digital, networked, globalized age in which previously unimaginable social and technological developments have opened up human possibilities that are intoxicatingly invigorating and terrifyingly anxiety-inducing."

The novel was the platform for the 19th century, movies and film for the 20th. And video games (so far) for the 21st.

Submission + - What companies should do if they're worried about the iPhone fingerprint hack (citeworld.com)

Submitted by mattydread23
mattydread23 writes: The latest security panic comes as a group of German researchers showed it's possible to hack the iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner using techniques developed more than a decade ago. But 99.9% of companies shouldn't even think twice about it. First, TouchID is not meant to be a replacement for a passcode — it's a shortcut to it. If hackers wait more than 48 hours or make more than 5 attempts, they'll have to enter the passcode anyway. And if companies are REALLY worried about it, they can disable TouchID using their MDM system. Much ado about (almost) nothing.

Submission + - Microsoft Adopts Open Specs for Threat Intel-Sharing (darkreading.com)

Submitted by CowboyRobot
CowboyRobot writes: The software giant in July announced its Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) for Responders program for incident responders, such as CERTs, government entities, and private companies, that includes its own intel-sharing mechanism. The company this week said its platform will be based on the Structured Threat Information eXpression (STIX) open specification led by Mitre for expressing and specifying threat information, as well as the Trusted Automated eXchange of Indicator Information (TAXII), a Department of Homeland Security-led protocol for transporting the information. STIX and TAXII are aimed at helping organizations share details of attacks and threats with other firms using common formats and languages. When a company hit by a cyberattack shares some details of the attack with another firm today, it typically calls or sends an email with some intelligence on the malware or other fingerprints of the attack. It's then up to the recipient to manually translate that information into a format it can use to automatically protect itself from falling prey to that attack.

Submission + - Bruce Schneier: NSA Spying Is Making Us Less Safe (technologyreview.com)

Submitted by mspohr
mspohr writes: An interview with Bruce Schneier in the MIT Technology Review offers some unique insight and hints at future revelations on the Snowden papers. Bruce points out "What these leaks reveal is how robust NSA surveillance is, how pervasive it is, and to what degree the NSA has commandeered the entire Internet and turned it into a surveillance platform."
In addition: "They’re not just spying on the bad guys, they’re deliberately weakening Internet security for everyone—including the good guys. It’s sheer folly to believe that only the NSA can exploit the vulnerabilities they create. Additionally, by eavesdropping on all Americans, they’re building the technical infrastructure for a police state."
He also has an interesting analogy for the way the NSA "asks" for backdoors: "The way it seems to go, it’s never an explicit request from the NSA. It’s more of a joking thing: “So, are you going to give us a back door?” If you act amenable, then the conversation progresses. If you don’t, it’s completely deniable. It’s like going out on a date. Sex might never be explicitly mentioned, but you know it’s on the table."
Finally, he disses his five tips for avoiding NSA surveillance: "My five tips suck. They are not things the average person can use. One of them is to use PGP [a data-encryption program]. But my mother can’t use PGP. Maybe some people who read your publication will use my tips, but most people won’t. Basically, the average user is screwed."
He hints at further revelations in articles he is preparing for The Guardian.

Submission + - Microsoft Unveils $449 Surface 2, Persists with Windows RT

Submitted by SmartAboutThings
SmartAboutThings writes: Microsoft has made the new Surface 2 tablet now official. Surface 2 comes with Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor, a 1080p display, a new two-stage kickstand. It also lighter, slightly thinner, comes with 72 cores of GPU and has an increase of 25% in battery life. The 1080p ClearType Full HD is a serios improvement over the original 1,366 x 768. Microsoft’s executive says it can run 3 to 4 times faster than the original product. and it also comes with a double bus speed for the WiFi and the memory. You will also get 200GB of SkyDrive storage for two years, which will be much needed by all users. But the bad part, yes, it that it still comes with Windows RT. Love it or hate it?

Submission + - Why Are Cells The Size They Are? Gravity May Be A Factor (acs.org) 1

Submitted by carmendrahl
carmendrahl writes: Eukaryotic cells, which are defined by having a nucleus, rarely grow larger than 10 m in diameter. Scientists know a few reasons why this is so. A new study suggests another reason--gravity. Studying egg cells from the frog Xenopus laevis, which reach as big as 1 mm across and are common research tools, Princeton researchers Marina Feric and Clifford Brangwynne noticed that the insides of the eggs' nuclei settled to the bottom when they disabled a mesh made from the cytoskeleton protein actin. They think the frog eggs evolved the mesh to counteract gravity, which according to their calculations becomes significant if cells get bigger than 10 m in diameter.

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