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Submission + - Google Self-Driving Car Might Have Caused First Crash in Autonomous Mode (roboticstrends.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: While driving in autonomous mode, a Google self-driving car was involved in an accident with a public bus in California on Valentine’s Day, according to an accident report filed with the California DMV.

The accident report, signed by Chris Urmson, says the Google self-driving car was trying to get around some sandbags on a street when its left front struck the bus’ right side. The car was going 2 mph, while the bus was going 15 mph.

Google said its car’s safety driver thought the bus would yield. No injuries were reported.
If it’s determined the Google self-driving car was at fault, it would be the first time one of its cars caused an accident while in autonomous mode.

Submission + - Leaked Info on Comcast Data Caps (reddit.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I saw this on Reddit yesterday and thought to share here. A customer service rep from Comcast leaked info on the upcoming data cap expansion in the Southeastern US. The info also shows the script customer service reps are told to use if subscribers call to complain about these new usage caps.

Quoting the post:
Last night an anonymous comcast customer service employee on /b/ leaked these documents in the hopes that they would get out. Unfortunately the thread 404'd a few minutes after I downloaded these. All credit for this info goes to them whoever they are.

This info is from the internal "Einstein" database that is used by Comcast customer service reps.

The images leaked by the customer service rep:
http://i.imgur.com/Dblpw3h.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GIkvxCG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/quf68FC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kJkK4HJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hqzaNvd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NiJBbG4.jpg

Submission + - 3D Printed Objects May Be Hazardous To Your Health

Submitted by itwbennett
itwbennett writes: Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have found that the parts of two common types of 3D printers are toxic — at least to zebrafish embryos. The researchers made this discovery accidentally when a graduate student whose work involves developing tools for studying zebrafish embryos 'noticed that zebrafish embryos die after exposure to parts from the 3-D printer.'

Submission + - 11 Problems with Mandatory Drone Registration (roboticstrends.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Drone lawyer Jonathan Rupprecht believes any drone registration plan is a necessary first step, but he’s also doubtful that registering drones will be a valuable solution. “Who is going to regulate this? Point-of-sale? Wal-Mart? Best Buy?” he asked. “What if I’m ordering parts off the Internet and put them together? That’s what the gun industry does.”

A registration number, he said, could quickly be lost if a drone is bought and sold multiple times.
Rupprecht believes geofencing will produce far better results by preventing problems as opposed to pointing to who might have done it after something has happened.

Submission + - Breathalyzer Bike Lock Stops Drunken Cyclists in Their Tracks (gizmag.com)

Submitted by Zothecula
Zothecula writes: When you compare it to the wreckage a drunk driver can cause, an inebriated cyclist mightn't seem all that great a threat. But in reality any road user with impaired judgement can wreak havoc through an ignored stop sign or traffic light, whatever their choice of ride. The Alcoho-Lock is aimed at preventing cyclists from hopping in the saddle when they've had one too many, working in much the same way as breath-test locks for drunk drivers.

Submission + - New test could reveal every virus that's ever infected you (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: Can’t remember every viral infection you’ve ever had? Don’t worry, your blood can. A new test surveys the antibodies present in a person’s bloodstream to reveal a history of the viruses they’ve been infected with throughout their life. The method could be useful not only for diagnosing current and past illnesses, but for developing vaccines and studying links between viruses and chronic disease.

Submission + - 2016 Candidate Proposes that US Go Metric (cnn.com) 1

Submitted by Applehu Akbar
Applehu Akbar writes: The good news is that for the first time in years, a candidate in the next presidential cycle has proposed completing our transition to the metric system. Though unfortunately, it's Lincoln Chaffee, let's all hope that this long-standing nerd issue gets into the 2016 debate because of this.

Warning: Lame CNN autoplaying video.

Submission + - GoPro Drone Coming in 2016, Will Sync to Cloud (roboticstrends.com)

Submitted by stowie
stowie writes: Rumors have been swirling for some time that GoPro was developing a drone. Well, now it's official. Speaking at the Code Conference, GoPro CEO Nick Woodman announced the company’s plans to come out with a quadcopter in the first half of 2016. Woodman said “the quad is in some ways the ultimate GoPro accessory,” adding that the company is testing software that will wirelessly sync up GoPro footage to the cloud.

Submission + - DNA on Pizza Crust Leads to Quadruple Murder Suspect

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: In a case straight out of CSI, CNN reports that police are searching for the man suspected in the gruesome slayings of the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper, after his DNA was purportedly found on a pizza crust at the scene of the quadruple murders. They discovered his DNA on the crust of a Domino's pizza — one of two delivered to the Savopoulos home May 14 as the family was held hostage inside — a source familiar with the investigation said. The pizza apparently was paid for with cash left in an envelope on the porch. The next morning, Savvas Savopoulos’s personal assistant dropped off a package containing $40,000 in cash at the home, according to the officials and police documents.

The bodies of Savopoulos, along with his wife, Amy, their 10-year-old son Philip and the family's housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, were discovered the afternoon of May 14 after firefighters responded to reports of a fire. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says the killings are likely not a random crime and police have issued an arrest warrant for the 34-year-old Daron Dylon Wint, who is described as 5’7 and 155 lbs and might also go by the name “Steffon.” Wint apparently used to work at American Iron Works, where Savvas Savopoulos was CEO and president. The neighborhood is home to numerous embassies and diplomatic mansions as well as the official residence of Vice President Joe Biden and his wife. "Right now you have just about every law enforcement officer across the country aware of his open warrant and are looking for him," says Lanier. "I think even his family has made pleas for him to turn himself in."

Submission + - NSA Planned to Hijack Google App Store to Hack Smartphones (firstlook.org)

Submitted by Advocatus Diaboli
Advocatus Diaboli writes: "The National Security Agency and its closest allies planned to hijack data links to Google and Samsung app stores to infect smartphones with spyware, a top-secret document reveals. The surveillance project was launched by a joint electronic eavesdropping unit called the Network Tradecraft Advancement Team, which includes spies from each of the countries in the “Five Eyes” alliance — the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia."

"The newly published document shows how the agencies wanted to “exploit” app store servers – using them to launch so-called “man-in-the-middle” attacks to infect phones with the implants. A man-in-the-middle attack is a technique in which hackers place themselves between computers as they are communicating with each other; it is a tactic sometimes used by criminal hackers to defraud people. In this instance, the method would have allowed the surveillance agencies to modify the content of data packets passing between targeted smartphones and the app servers while an app was being downloaded or updated, inserting spyware that would be covertly sent to the phones."

Submission + - Amazon's Delivery Drones Can Follow You (roboticstrends.com)

Submitted by stowie
stowie writes: According to the filing with the USPTO, the e-commerce giant’s delivery drones will be able to communicate with each other, find the best flight path available, and update the delivery location as a customer changes location. Package delivery locations will be updated as customers move around, so a package can come to you at work or home, depending on where you are when your shipment is ready — including pulling location data from a smartphone. There will also be relay locations, allowing drones to drop off packages for further transport, or to recharge or swap batteries. Amazon even supplies a mockup of what its delivery drone could look like, including eight propellers, two removable power modules and much more.

Submission + - Tesla to unveil its $35,000 Model 3 in March 2016 (bgr.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: During Tesla’s earnings conference call on Wednesday, Elon Musk finally disclosed when Tesla plans to reveal what the highly anticipated Tesla Model 3 will look like. What’s more, Musk at long last gave us a launch window (read: year) that, we can only hope, won’t be subject to change in the months ahead.

According to Musk, Tesla will take wraps off the Model 3 sometime in March of 2016. Given how sleek the Model S and the upcoming Model X are, there’s going to be a lot of pressure to deliver a stunning design with the Model 3 which, it’s worth noting, will be about 20% smaller than the sizable Model S.

Submission + - What to Say When the Police Tell You to Stop Filming Them 3

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: Robinson Meyer writes in The Atlantic that first of all, police shouldn’t ask. “As a basic principle, we can’t tell you to stop recording,” says Delroy Burton, a 21-year veteran of DC's police force. “If you’re standing across the street videotaping, and I’m in a public place, carrying out my public functions, [then] I’m subject to recording, and there’s nothing legally the police officer can do to stop you from recording.” What you don’t have a right to do is interfere with an officer's work. "“Police officers may legitimately order citizens to cease activities that are truly interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations,” according to Jay Stanley who wrote the ACLU’s “Know Your Rights” guide for photographers, which lays out in plain language the legal protections that are assured people filming in public. Police officers may not confiscate or demand to view your digital photographs or video without a warrant and police may not delete your photographs or video under any circumstances.

What if an officer says you are interfering with legitimate law enforcement operations and you disagree with the officer? “If it were me, and an officer came up and said, ‘You need to turn that camera off, sir,’ I would strive to calmly and politely yet firmly remind the officer of my rights while continuing to record the interaction, and not turn the camera off," says Stanley. The ACLU guide also supplies the one question those stopped for taking photos or video may ask an officer: "The right question to ask is, ‘am I free to go?’ If the officer says no, then you are being detained, something that under the law an officer cannot do without reasonable suspicion that you have or are about to commit a crime or are in the process of doing so. Until you ask to leave, your being stopped is considered voluntary under the law and is legal."

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