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Submission + - Rivers could generate 2000 nuclear power plants of energy with 'blue' membrane (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: Green energy advocates may soon be turning blue. A new membrane could unlock the potential of “blue energy,” which uses chemical differences between fresh- and saltwater to generate electricity. If researchers can scale up the postage stamp–size membrane in an affordable fashion, it could provide carbon-free power to millions of people in coastal nations where freshwater rivers meet the sea.

Blue energy’s promise stems from its scale: Rivers dump some 37,000 cubic kilometers of freshwater into the oceans every year. This intersection between fresh- and saltwater creates the potential to generate lots of electricity—2.6 terawatts, according to one recent estimate, roughly the amount that can be generated by 2000 nuclear power plants. By pumping positive ions to the other side of a semipermeable membrane, researchers can create two pools of water: one with a positive charge, and one with a negative charge. If they then dunk electrodes in the pools and connect them with a wire, electrons will flow from the negatively charged to the positively charged side, generating electricity.

Submission + - SPAM: UIGHUR Act prohibits the export of certain US technologies

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The bill would tighten export controls on China-bound US technology that could be used to “suppress individual privacy, freedom of movement and other basic human rights”.

The bill passed by the House on Tuesday is more committal, ordering the US president, within four months of the legislation’s enactment, to submit to Congress a list of Chinese officials deemed responsible for, or complicit in, human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The UIGHUR Act also demands that, on the same day, those individuals are subject to sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act, seizing their US-based assets and barring them from entry onto US soil.
Link to Original Source

Submission + - US shows a 'concerning lack of regard for the privacy of people's biometrics' (betanews.com)

Submitted by Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson writes: When it comes to the extensive and invasive use of biometric data, the USA is one of the worst offenders in the world, faring only slightly better than China.

According to research conducted by Comparitech, which rated 50 countries according to how, where and why biometrics were taken and how they are stored, the US ranked as the fourth worst country. Topping the list is China, followed by Malaysia and Pakistan.

Submission + - PIA VPN to be acquired by malware company founded by former Israeli spy (telegra.ph)

Submitted by ArcVRArthur
ArcVRArthur writes: PIA VPN is being acquired by Kape Technologies — formerly known as Crossrider. The reason for the name change was as CEO Ido Erlichman put it, “strong association to the past activities of the company.” perhaps that refers to infecting users’ devices with malware and adware, considered “high-risk” by Symantec and Malwarebytes.
Crossrider’s Founder and first CEO Koby Menachemi, was part of Unit 8200 – Israel's IDF signals intelligence task force.

Submission + - Man sues Apple claiming iPhone turned him gay (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by seoras
seoras writes: The worlds favourite company to sue is in he headlines once again.
A Russian man has launched a lawsuit against Apple, claiming an iPhone app turned him gay according to a BBC article.
He says this comes after an incident involving GayCoin crypto-currency.
Saying he suffered moral harm, he is asking for one million rubles (£12,000), according to a copy of the complaint seen by the news agency, AFP.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia in 1993, but anti-gay prejudice is still widespread.
In 2013, Russia passed legislation banning the spreading of what it described as gay propaganda.
This officially bans the "promotion of non-traditional lifestyles to minors" but in effect outlaws LGBT activism. A number of campaigners have been attacked and killed in the past year.

Submission + - New Cars' Pedestrian-Safety Features Fail In Deadliest Situations, Study Finds (wsj.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: New safety features being rolled out by auto makers to keep drivers from hitting pedestrians don’t work at times in some of the most dangerous situations and frequently fail at night, according to a new study by AAA. Testing performed by the association found that pedestrian-detection technology offered in four different models performed inconsistently and didn’t activate properly after dark, when many roadway deaths occur. The uneven performance highlights the challenges the auto industry faces as it looks to automate more of the car’s driving functions and roll out new crash-avoidance technologies that rely on sensors and software to detect road hazards.

For the AAA study, testers picked four sedan models—the Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Tesla Model 3—and put the cars through scenarios meant to replicate some of the most dangerous situations for pedestrians. One test, for instance, simulates a child darting out from between parked cars, and another involves an adult crossing the road as the vehicle turns right. At 20 miles an hour, the cars struggled with each test, AAA found. The child was struck 89% of the time, and all of the cars hit the pedestrian dummy after making a right turn. The systems were generally ineffective if the car was going 30 mph. The systems were also completely ineffective at night, Mr. Brannon said, the deadliest time for pedestrians. Three-quarters of all pedestrian fatalities occur after dark, according to AAA. When testers drove the cars directly at a dummy crossing the road in the dark, however, the system failed not only to stop or slow the car but also to provide any alert of a pedestrian’s presence before a collision.

Submission + - Stack Exchange Removes Moderator for Preferred Pronouns Policy (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Stack Exchange appears to have fallen prey to the trend of abusing volunteers with arbitrary requirements in upcoming changes to their Code of Conduct. At issue appears to be a long-time moderators requests for clarification whether or not gender-neutral pronouns were acceptable as a default practice, or if the new changes would mandate researching a users preferred pronouns first before interacting with them.

https://judaism.meta.stackexch...

The moderator was dismissed without warning, prompting a number of high-profile resignations by volunteer moderators, particularly after a non-specific and weak response by the Stack Exchange employee who made the revocation decision.

Submission + - Chinese Probe Catches Former Communist Party Secretary With 38+Billion Fortune

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Zhang Qi, former Communist Party Secretary and Mayor of Danzhou, has been busted in one of the country's ongoing anti-corruption probes with 13.5 tons of gold and 268 Billion renminbi in cash tucked away in a secret basement. At current market values Qi's fortune carries a USD value of 38 billion dwarfing those of Alibaba's Jack Ma and Tencent's Ma Huateng, easily placing Qi 19th on Forbes Rich list.

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Where Do You Begin When You Want To Write AI / ML Algorithms? 1

Submitted by dryriver
dryriver writes: So everyone and their mother touts Artifical Intelligence, Machine Learning as the wave of the future, and as a reasonably competent coder you want to see what this is all about and to experiment with writing your first AI/ML algorithms. You want to see how difficult AI / ML is, and what it can do for solving problems in your corner of the programming profession. Where do you begin with learning the underlying mathematical techniques, methods and mechanisms of AI and Machine Learning? Are there good tutorial websites with example code for this? Are there must-read books or must-read papers on the subject? Are there forums, groups or email lists that you want to subscribe to? Where would you begin if your objective is "I want to start writing my first AI / ML algorithms to see what AI / ML can do in my field, and to understand through firsthand experience what this trend is all about"?

Submission + - Unfixable iOS Device Exploit Is the Latest Apple Security Upheaval (wired.com)

Submitted by meriksen
meriksen writes: For the last several years, so-called jailbreaks of iPhones—cracking iOS to let any software run on the device—have been exceedingly rare. When one appeared in August for iOS 12, it was surprising to even the most dedicated Apple hackers. But today a security researcher published an exploit that lays the foundation to jailbreak almost every single iOS device released between 2011 and 2017, including most models of iPad, Apple Watch, iPod Touch, and Apple TV. The implications are staggering.

Security researcher Axi0mX published the exploit, called "checkm8," Friday on Github. It affects every Apple device with an A5 through A11 chipset, meaning every iPhone model from 4S to X. Though it isn't an all-in-one jailbreak on its own, the exploit provides an extensive foundation for researchers to build off of in customizing jailbreaks for every vulnerable model of device that would allow them to totally take over the unit, run software far beyond what Apple normally allows, and program apps to interact and share data in ways that Apple's protections usually preclude.

"It's a big day," Axi0mX told WIRED. "The best days for iOS jailbreaking were years ago, when jailbreaks were common, easy to use, and available often. That changed over time and since iOS 9 jailbreaks became less frequent, much less convenient, and not something easily accessible to everyone."

Submission + - Even a broken Rumsfeld was right once a lifetime? (independent.co.uk)

Submitted by shanen
shanen writes: Very interesting story on asymmetric warfare, though he doesn't use that term. Much as I despise ol' Donald (now 87, even older than the current ancient one), he wasn't an idiot.

The story also doesn't mention China. That's where the big threat actually lies. I'm just waiting for the war of the Chinese Granny Amazons. How easy is it to find an aircraft carrier? How many cheap drones would it take to sink it?

Oh yeah, I think I'm supposed to say something about the story itself, even though it's so intuitively obvious to the most casual observer. Whoever attacked the big refinery in Saudi Arabia, the damage was hugely disproportionate to the cost of the attack and maybe even more disproportionate to the cost of defenses against such cheap attacks. Our complicated societies are seriously vulnerable, and idiots like Trump are only pouring more fuel onto the potential fires. If there is any solution, the F35 is NOT part of it.

Submission + - Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork 'Almost Worthless' (barrons.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: From Barron's article:

Ellison argued that while Uber raises capital to spend on gaining market share from rival Lyft (LYFT), the business they secure doesn’t necessarily stay with the company. He pointed out that Uber doesn’t own its cars and doesn’t control their drivers. And he declared that “they have an app my cat could have written.”

Ellison said losing money to gain market share is “idiotic” if customers won’t stay with the firm. “They have nothing,” he said. “No technology. And no loyalty.”

He mocked WeWork’s assertion that it is a technology company. “WeWork rents a building from me, and breaks it up, and then rents it,” Ellison said. “They say, ‘We’re a technology company, and we want a tech multiple.’ It’s bizarre.”

Submission + - Ask Slashdot: How Will 2019 Look To People 20 Years From Now? 2

Submitted by dryriver
dryriver writes: One of the most interesting aspects of time progressing is looking back at long bygone eras — the 1890s for example, or the 1940s or 1960s or 1990s — and comparing what that period was like, or appears to have been like, with the present. Twenty years from now, in 2039, people will be looking back at the 2010s, and comparing it to their present. How will they see the world as it was in 2019? Will everything from our current clothing, 4K 2D TVs and film VFX to our computer games, Internet, cars, medical care options and tech gadgets look "terribly dated" to them? Will people in 2039 look at us from their present and think "why couldn't they do X, Y, Z better in 2019?", just as we tend to look 20 years back and wonder "why couldn't they do X, Y, Z better in 1999?". What is likely to be so different about living in 2039 that it makes our current present in 2019 feel badly dated in many ways? And can we learn lessons about what we are not doing particularly well today in 2019 — in the technology field for example — by imagining ourselves looking back at a long bygone 2019 from 20 years in the future?

Submission + - Spouse of Ring Exec Among Lawmakers Trying To Weaken California Privacy Law (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The California legislature worked through the summer to finalize the text of the state's landmark data privacy law before time to make amendments ran out on Friday. In the Assembly (California's lower house), Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin has been a key voice and vote backing motions that would weaken the law, and a new report says her reasoning may be very, very close to home. A review of state ethics documents conducted by Politico found that Ms. Irwin is married to Jon Irwin, the chief operating officer of Amazon's controversial Ring home surveillance business. That company stands to benefit if the California law is weakened in certain key ways before it can take effect.

One proposal put forth by Assemblywoman Irwin would expand what kind of data would be exempt from CCPA provisions, and this drew the ire of consumer protection groups, Politico reports. Irwin also initially proposed striking out "a provision requiring companies to disclose or delete data associated with 'households' upon request," a regulation that will likely affect companies like Ring. She also voted against an amendment that would have required smart speaker systems, like Amazon's Alexa or Google Home, to obtain user consent to sell recorded conversations, and "used store security-camera footage as an example of data that would be burdensome and risky for businesses to be required to link to consumers in response to data-deletion requests." Assemblywoman Irwin told Politico she found questions about her spouse to be offensive, given her own personal background as a systems engineer. "My role in the privacy debate in the Legislature is focused on bringing people together and solving the practical issues posed to us as policy makers and is independent of any job or role my husband may have," she said.

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I have hardly ever known a mathematician who was capable of reasoning. -- Plato

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