muonzoo - Slashdot User

Submission + - Google Goes Offline After Fiber Cables Cut (bbc.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 19, 2019 @05:02PM

An anonymous reader writes: Severed fibre optic cables disrupted internet access in parts of eastern Europe, Iran and Turkey on Thursday. The issue, which lasted for about two hours, was caused by multiple fibre cables being physically cut at the same time, a highly unusual thing to happen. Google said its services were among those unavailable in the region for about 30 minutes. The company told internet service providers to connect to its other servers to "route around the problem."

In a statement, the company blamed "multiple simultaneous fibre cuts," which are very rare. BBC Monitoring confirmed that internet access in Bulgaria, Iran and Turkey had been disrupted for about two hours on Thursday morning. Sadjad Bonabi, a director at Iran's Communications Infrastructure Company, said two cuts happened at once, one between Iran and Bucharest and the other on a line to Munich. This disrupted traffic on one of the major fibre cables in the region. But Mr Bonabi said traffic had been routed on to "healthy" connections in western and southern Iran. No explanation for the cut cables has been offered.

Submission + - The INQUIRER Is Shutting Down. (theinquirer.net)

Submitted by pvjr on Thursday December 19, 2019 @01:42PM

pvjr writes: The Inquirer is is giving up the ghost and going dark in March, 2020.

Submission + - SPAM: Washington Post Hacked into a Chevy Volt to Show How Much Cars Are Spying on You 1

Submitted by schwit1 on Wednesday December 18, 2019 @10:49PM

schwit1 writes: It's easy to count up the benefits to connected cars. From using your phone to warm up the cabin on a winter day to setting speed limits for the new teenage drivers in your household, telematics can make life a bit easier. But you're probably not surprised to hear that these upsides come with some potential downsides as well.

This was proven in a big way by Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler (pictured above), who dug into just how much information his test car, a 2017 Chevrolet Volt, is collecting. Perhaps more important, though, Fowler wanted to see just how much information GM is getting from its connected cars. It's one thing for your car to store your favorite Starbucks in the nav system. It's another if the car company collects that information. The reporter made it clear that this is not a Volt thing, or a Chevy thing; nearly all new cars now have connectivity, including onboard internet connections.

For now, exactly what information goes where is a bit of an unknown by anyone other than the automakers themselves. As Fowler writes, "My Chevy's dashboard didn't say what the car was recording. It wasn't in the owner's manual. There was no way to download it."
Link to Original Source

Submission + - Uber Settles Federal Investigation Into Workplace Culture (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 18, 2019 @09:57PM

An anonymous reader writes: In 2017, a former Uber employee wrote a publicessaydescribing how the ride-hailing company had permitted sexual harassment to fester at the workplace. The revelations led to an outcry overUber’s toxic culture. Federal authorities and others began investigations into the company. More than20 employees were later firedover their part in the behavior. And the disclosures raised questions about Uber’s growth-at-all-costs mentality, resulting in theouster of Travis Kalanick, a co-founder and then the chief executive.

On Wednesday, Uber resolved one investigation into its workplace culture. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which has been examining the company since 2017, said it had “found reasonable cause to believe that Uber permitted a culture of sexual harassment and retaliation against individuals who complained about such harassment.” Uber said it had agreed to a settlement with the agency by establishing a $4.4 million fund to pay current and former employees who were sexually harassed at work. It also agreed to three years of monitoring by a former agency commissioner to ensure that it changes its practices.

Submission + - Samsung Chair Imprisoned and 24 Others Found Guilty In Union-Busting Case (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 18, 2019 @05:44PM

An anonymous reader writes: Samsung Chairman Lee Sang-hoon yesterday was sentenced to 18 months in prison, following a South Korean court ruling that he violated labor laws with union-busting activities. Lee "was immediately arrested in court to be sent to jail," the Financial Times reported.

Lee's violations came during his time as Samsung chief financial officer between 2012 and 2017; he has been chairman of the board since March 2018. Samsung VP Kang Kyung-hoon also received an 18-month prison sentence for his involvement, the Financial Times wrote. The sentences were handed down by the Seoul Central District Court. In all, about 25 current and former Samsung executives were found guilty on similar charges of violating labor laws. "The case largely focused on efforts by Samsung officials, including Mr. Lee, to dismantle the labor union at the company's customer-service unit," The Wall Street Journal wrote. "The court convicted Samsung officials on multiple charges, including gathering personal information on some union members, such as their marital status, personal finances, and mental-health histories."

Canadian Blood Services Promotes Pseudoscience 219

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday December 01, 2009 @07:49PM from the type-A-negative-personality dept.

trianglecat writes "The not-for-profit agency Canadian Blood Services has a section of their website based on the Japanese cultural belief of ketsueki-gata, which claims that a person's blood group determines or predicts their personality type. Disappointing for a self-proclaimed 'science-based' organization. The Ottawa Skeptics, based in the nation's capital, appear to be taking some action."

Jetman Attempts Intercontinental Flight 140

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday November 25, 2009 @01:32PM from the a-jetwing-and-a-prayer dept.

Last year we ran the story of Yves Rossy and his DIY jetwings. Yves spent $190,000 and countless hours building a set of jet-powered wings which he used to cross the English Channel. Rossy's next goal is to cross the Strait of Gibraltar, from Tangier in Morocco and Tarifa on the southwestern tip of Spain. From the article: "Using a four-cylinder jet pack and carbon fibre wings spanning over 8ft, he will jump out of a plane at 6,500 ft and cruise at 130 mph until he reaches the Spanish coast, when he will parachute to earth." Update 18:57 GMT: mytrip writes: "Yves Rossy took off from Tangiers but five minutes into an expected 15-minute flight he was obliged to ditch into the wind-swept waters."

Comment Re:I'm not surprised (Score 1) 1078

by muonzoo on Saturday November 21, 2009 @04:53PM (#30187694) Attached to: Apple Voiding Smokers' Warranties?

Most consumer electronics companies embed moisture and shock detection elements in their products. It is in their best interest to protect themselves against warranty fraud and abuse. In some cases, they will overlook these items, depending on the circumstances surrounding the story. I know for certain that RIM (BlackBerry) has these in their devices too. Apple is far from alone in this regard. It is a very common practice in high-value, portable consumer electronics.

Comment Re:Huh? (Score 1) 470

by muonzoo on Sunday April 19, 2009 @04:03PM (#27638799) Attached to: A Secure OS For the Dalai Lama?

That 'somebody' was Ken Thompson in his acceptance of the Turing award i n 1984 (how apropos): http://cm.bell-labs.com/who/ken/trust.html The idea is that the compile can insert a backdoor into the login program when it is compiling it. Secondly, it can insert this backdoor into the compiler when it is compiling itself. The source no longer shows the infection. This is devious and fascinating.

USAF Developing New "SR-72" Supersonic Spy? 428

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday June 20, 2007 @06:16PM from the next-comes-high-altitude-flak-cannons dept.

Kadin2048 writes "According to an Air Force Times article, the famed Lockheed Martin 'Skunk Works' may be hard at work on a new supersonic spy plane (with 'artist concept') for the U.S. military, to replace the SR-71 'Blackbird' retired a decade ago. Dubbed by some the SR-72, the jet would be unmanned and travel at about 4,000 MPH at as much as 100,000 feet, with 'transcontinental' range. Some have speculated that new high-speed spy planes could be a U.S. response to anti-satellite weapons deployed by China, in order to preserve reconnaissance capabilities in the event of a loss of satellite coverage. Neither the Air Force nor Lockheed Martin would comment on the program, or lack thereof."

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