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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 48 declined, 27 accepted (75 total, 36.00% accepted)

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Submission + - Trump says he takes hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus infection

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: President Donald Trump said Monday that he has been taking anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for over a week to prevent coronavirus infection even though it is not yet a proven treatment. Hydroxychloroquine, which is available as a generic drug and is also produced under the brand name Plaquenil by French drugmaker Sanofi, can have serious side effects, including muscle weakness and heart arrhythmia. A small study in Brazil was halted for safety reasons after coronavirus patients taking chloroquine, which hydroxychloroquine is derived from, developed arrhythmia, including some who died. Even Fox News agrees that this drug is harmful: "'I cannot stress this enough, this will kill you", Fox News host Neil Cavuto was shocked by Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus.

Submission + - Jeff Bezos Could Become World's First Trillionaire

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: The world's first trillionaire will likely be Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. Projections show Bezos reaching trillionaire status by 2026. The company said their projection is based on taking the average percentage of yearly growth over the past five years and applying it to future years.

The projection has sparked anger on Twitter, noting how many people are financially struggling during the coronavirus pandemic as Bezos rakes in billions of dollars.

"Jeff Bezos is about to become the world's first trillionaire while we're about to enter a depression," said Twitter user @Thomas_A_Moore.

Submission + - How Prince of Persia Defeated Apple II's Memory Limitations

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: In this episode of War Stories, Ars Technica sat down with Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner to learn about the challenges he faced while bringing his ambitious vision for the game to life. As the 1980's wound down, he found himself fighting against not only the limitations of the Apple II hardware but the impending death of the platform itself. Decades later, Prince of Persia remains a classic example of how the constraints of early gaming led to solutions that advanced the art form.

Submission + - SPAM: Ask Slashdot: Would You Hire Someone Having 100k+ Reputation On Stackoverflow?

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: I'm using Stackoverflow a lot. For development, leisure and pro. Answered enough questions to get some reputation (enough to enjoy a few "privileges"). Also, I spend sometimes some spare time to read Q&A just to learn something.

There is however a bunch of users spending a huge amount of time every day, answering many, many questions. They're above 100,000 reputation points. Obviously, some users are exceptional like the famous Jon S. (he might have some dragon blood), who seemingly manage to be professionally efficient and yet answer quickly and (again) efficiently, SO questions. Answering less and good (thus the top status). But many 100k+ users look more like they have no life, spending all day long on the site ; they answer many questions to earn more or less points.

Yet these users look "technically good". I mean, they surely can code. I was wondering, though: would I hire someone in my team used to spend so much time answering questions on Stackoverflow?

Submission + - Qantas picks Airbus over Boeing

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Qantas picks Airbus over Boeing to carry out the world's longest flights. It's yet another blow to the embattled American aircraft maker, which continues to weather fallout from the 737 Max crisis. While Boeing's stock has recorded gains this year, it's still down 22% from a high in March before a Max plane crashed in Ethiopia. Boeing's grounded 737 Max got a boost from two orders in November, but the American aircraft company continues to trail far behind Europe's Airbus in both orders and deliveries of airline planes. Boeing disclosed Tuesday that it received 11 net orders in November, 63 new orders but 52 cancellations! In the meantime, FAA scolds Boeing CEO: the nation's top aviation regulator took Dennis Muilenburg to the woodshed, a sign of likely delays in returning Boeing's 737 Max to service. Should Boeing CEO resign?

Submission + - California Launches 1st Statewide Earthquake Early Warning System 1

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Everyone in California will now receive earthquake alerts on their phones seconds before the ground begins to shake, giving residents up to 20 seconds of warning before shaking begins. Developed by seismologists at the University of California, Berkeley, the MyShake application (residents will need to download the app to receive the alerts in areas without cell phone coverage) is designed to alert the public when a magnitude 4.5 earthquake or greater has been detected and has been shown to be faster than other alert delivery methods. The wireless emergency alerts will be sent in the event of a more significant quake, magnitude 5.0 or greater. The system does not predict earthquakes. Rather, it uses numerous seismic stations to detect the start of an earthquake and light-speed communications to send the data to computers that instantly calculate location, magnitude, intensity of shaking and create alerts to be distributed to areas that will be affected.

Submission + - "Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates" (king5.com)

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: hcs_$reboot shares a report from king5.com:

"Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates" is a new documentary on Netflix from Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim. It debuted on September 20. The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist is asked what his worst fear is. It's not family tragedy or personal pain. "I don't want my brain to stop working," he responds. A portrait emerges of a visionary who gnaws on his eyeglasses' arms, downs Cokes and is relentlessly optimistic that technology can solve social ills. He is also someone who reads manically — he'll scrutinize the Minnesota state budget for fun — and who is a wicked opponent at cards.
Gates himself said he appreciated Guggenheim serving as a reality check for many of the seemingly intractable public health issues that his foundation has tackled. "I'm not that objective. It was interesting, through Davis' eyes, to have him say, 'Are you sure?' Well, I'm not sure," said Gates. "So I thought that was good. It made me step back."


Submission + - Monkeys With Human Brain Genes Are Smarter

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Monkeys appear to be smarter after Chinese scientists inoculated them with human brain genes. Scientists created several transgenic macaque monkeys with extra copies of a human gene suspected of playing a role in shaping human intelligence. According to their findings, the modified monkeys did better on a memory test involving colors and block pictures, and their brains also took longer to develop, as those of human children do. The study found that the transgenic monkeys exhibited better short-term memory and shorter reaction time compared to wild rhesus monkeys in the control group. In future studies, transgenic nonhuman primates have the potential to provide important insights into basic questions of what makes humans unique, as well as into neurodegenerative and social behavior disorders that are difficult to study by other means, scientists said.

Submission + - Putting Human Brain Genes In Monkeys Made Them Smarter

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Monkeys appear to be smarter after Chinese scientists inoculated them with human brain genes. Scientists created several transgenic macaque monkeys with extra copies of a human gene suspected of playing a role in shaping human intelligence. According to their findings, the modified monkeys did better on a memory test involving colors and block pictures, and their brains also took longer to develop, as those of human children do. The study found that the transgenic monkeys exhibited better short-term memory and shorter reaction time compared to wild rhesus monkeys in the control group. In future studies, transgenic nonhuman primates have the potential to provide important insights into basic questions of what makes humans unique, as well as into neurodegenerative and social behavior disorders that are difficult to study by other means, scientists said.

Submission + - Boeing unveils 737 Max fixes

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Boeing previewed its software fix, cockpit alerts and additional pilot training for its 737 Max planes on Wednesday, saying the changes improve the safety of the aircraft which has been involved in two deadly crashes since October.
Among the notable changes to the MAX flight controls:
  • The plane’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, automated flight control system, will now receive data from both “angle of attack” sensors, instead of just one.
  • If those disagree by more than 5.5 degrees, the MCAS system will be disabled and will not push the nose of the plane lower.
  • Boeing will be adding an indicator to the flight control display so pilots are aware of when the angle of attack sensors disagree.
  • There will also be enhanced training required for all 737 pilots so they are more fully aware of how the MCAS system works and how to disable it if they encounter an issue.

By the end of this week, Boeing plans to send the software updates and plan for enhanced pilot training. After the FAA approves the fix, Boeing said it will send the software update to customers.

Submission + - US DoT is investigating the FAA's approval of the Boeing 737 Max 1

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: The US Department of Transportation is investigating whether there were lapses in the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of Boeing planes involved in two recent fatal crashes (Indonesia last October and Ethiopia a week ago). The DoT investigation is concentrated on a flight safety system suspected of playing a role in the fatal crash in Indonesia. The WSJ reported in November last year (paywalled) that Boeing failed to warn the airline industry about a potentially dangerous feature in its new flight-control system. After two fatal crashes in less than six months involving the same plane model, authorities around the world (U.S., Europe, China and Indonesia) grounded Boeing 737 Max planes.

Submission + - Parents of Gay Children Should Seek Psychiatric Help 2

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Pope Francis urged the parents of homosexual children to pray and possibly also seek psychiatric help.

Francis was asked by a journalist what he would say to parents who observe homosexual traits in their children. "I would say first of all pray, not to condemn, to dialogue, to understand, to give space to the son or the daughter," he responded, before adding that parents must also consider the age of the child.

"When it [homosexuality] shows itself from childhood, there is a lot that can be done through psychiatry, to see how things are. It is something else if it shows itself after 20 years," he said.

The Pope added that ignoring a child who showed homosexual tendencies was an "error of fatherhood or motherhood".

Submission + - Ecuador grants nationality to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange 1

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Ecuador has granted citizenship to Julian Assange, who has been holed up inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over five years. Quito has said naturalization should provide Assange with another layer of protection. However, naturalization appeared to do little to help the Australian-born WikiLeaks founder's case, with the British foreign ministry stressing that the only way to resolve the issue was for "Assange to leave the embassy to face justice."
Earlier on Thursday, Britain said that it had refused a request by Ecuador to grant Assange diplomatic status, which would have granted him special legal immunity and the right to safe passage under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Submission + - 2018, Year Of The Big Earthquakes

Submitted by hcs_$reboot
hcs_$reboot writes: Scientists say number of severe quakes is likely to rise strongly next year because of a periodic slowing of the Earth’s rotation. Although such fluctuations in rotation are small – changing the length of the day by a millisecond – they could still be implicated in the release of vast amounts of underground energy. The theory goes that the slowdown creates a shift in the shape of the Earth's solid iron and nickel "inner core" which, in turn, impacts the liquid outer core on which the tectonic plates that form the Earth's crust rest. The impact is greater on the tectonic plates near some of the Earth's most populous regions along the Equator, home to about a billion people.

Scientists study from the university of Colorado looked at all earthquakes registering 7 and up on the Richter scale since the turn of the 20th century. In this timeframe, the researchers discovered five periods of significantly greater seismic activity occurring approximately every 32 years. The last slowdown began four years ago.

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