66705857
submission
aesoteric writes:
Australian researchers have programmed industrial robots to tackle the vast array of e-waste thrown out every year. The research shows robots can learn and memorise how various electronic products — such as LCD screens — are designed, enabling those products to be disassembled for recycling faster and faster. The end goal is less than five minutes to dismantle a product.
60304235
submission
aesoteric writes:
Australian researchers are a step closer to demonstrating whether explosives — rather than water — can be used to extinguish an out-of-control wildfire. The research uses a blast of air to knock the flame off its fuel source — a technique used in the oil & gas industry for decades. The latest tests were conducted in New Mexico. Firefighters are reported to be quietly optimistic about the research's potential.
51502349
submission
aesoteric writes:
Yahoo is set to launch its first formal bug bounty system after Swiss pen testers complained about the $12.50 vouchers offered for locating XSS vulnerabilities. The web giant also said the voucher rewards were informal and actually funded out of the pockets of the company's own IT security staff.
47099453
submission
aesoteric writes:
A man's backyard beer fridge in Australia has been busted interfering with the cellular network of major carrier Telstra. Engineers used an internally-developed software "robot" to crawl log files from the network and sent a field team out to pinpoint the cause of the interference.
35225161
submission
aesoteric writes:
Tasmania's police force has taken the unusual step of asking the public to stop alerting it to every "abusive or harassing" comment posted to Facebook or other social media sites. The force said it was "increasingly receiving complaints" about material posted to the sites, but sought to clarify that "the use of technology to undertake some conduct does not in itself create an offence".
33512601
submission
aesoteric writes:
Six weeks after Hollywood lost a landmark internet piracy case in Australia, it appears the film studios have gone cold on the idea of helping develop legal avenues to access copyrighted content as a way to combat piracy. Instead, they've produced research to show people will continue pirating even if there are legitimate content sources available. The results appear to support the studio's policy position that legislation is a preferable way of dealing with the issue.
33412307
submission
aesoteric writes:
Australia's top miners have opened a new front in their march to automation, flying unmanned aerial vehicles in increasing numbers at remote sites across the country. They've been used to inspect a fire-damaged oil rig, perform aerial photography and stockpile surveys. There is also a trend towards non US-built UAVs, due to the lag in receiving export approvals for the aircraft and spare parts.
32999465
submission
aesoteric writes:
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has voiced a renewed desire to see the company open its architecture to the masses, allowing savvy users to expand and add to their products at will. However, Wozniak qualified his desire for a more open Apple by arguing that openness should not impinge on the quality of the products themselves. He also sees any change of heart on openness as a challenge when Apple continues to rake in huge cash with its current model.
32603487
submission
aesoteric writes:
The combustion of an Apple iPhone 4 after a regional flight in Australia was likely caused by a botched repair of the handset by an unauthorised repairer, according to air safety investigators in the US and Australia. A small metal screw had been misplaced in the battery bay of the handset. The screw punctured the battery casing and causing an internal short circuit, causing the iPhone to emit dense smoke.
29816219
submission
aesoteric writes:
Facebook has embarked on a nationwide test of a new disaster message board for users across Japan. The feature allows users to mark themselves as being "safe" in the event of a disaster. Doing so introduces a "safe" insignia next to their name on their profile. The Facebook announcement appeared to be geoblocked.
19125520
submission
aesoteric writes:
Microsoft has finally decided to push out an update to disable AutoRun in its XP operating system, a Windows feature that had been increasingly exploited by virus writers over the years. But because Microsoft still sees AutoRun as a feature and not a security hole, it isn't calling its Windows Update a "security update" but rather an "Important, non-security update" — but it effectively disables the AutoRun feature anyway.
