Comment Re:In "unrelated" news... (Score 1) 246
I'm actually excited for the Slate, the exact opposite of feature bloat. Almost all the fancy features in modern cars, I can do without.
Comment Re:test drive? (Score 2) 246
I think this is a USA vs European car market difference. In the EU car dealerships may only have a few demonstrator cars, and then you have to wait for the car you want delivered. In the USA, car dealerships can have 100's of cars on their lot, ready to be driven home right after you test drive it.
Submission + - Mysterious Spheres Found In Australia Are Likely Space Debris (nytimes.com)
An anonymous reader writes: An Australian beach community was confused — and later delighted — by the discovery of six metallic-looking spheres that washed ashore last week. The mystery, and the ensuing attention, prompted a bunch of alien jokes from local residents and businesses. But Australia’s space agency put the speculation to rest on Monday, saying that the spheres appeared to be rocket debris that had recently re-entered the atmosphere from orbit.
The objects were found on Forrest Beach in the northeastern state of Queensland over the weekend, the state’s fire department said. Residents described them as being about twice the size of a basketball. “The recovered objects appear to be pressure vessels from a space launch vehicle,” the Australian Space Agency said in a statement, adding that they were “consistent with debris from a foreign rocket body.” The agency said that it had identified the likely source of the objects, without providing further details, and was working with international authorities to confirm the vehicle from which the debris originated.
The objects were found on Forrest Beach in the northeastern state of Queensland over the weekend, the state’s fire department said. Residents described them as being about twice the size of a basketball. “The recovered objects appear to be pressure vessels from a space launch vehicle,” the Australian Space Agency said in a statement, adding that they were “consistent with debris from a foreign rocket body.” The agency said that it had identified the likely source of the objects, without providing further details, and was working with international authorities to confirm the vehicle from which the debris originated.
Comment Re:Dystopian framing (Score 3, Interesting) 79
While I don't have ALS, nor anyone in my family, I do have (at times) debilitating health issues that make me bed ridden. During those times, I would have given a LOT to be able to continue to work. While being stuck in bed unable to do anything except watch TV, I usually feel completely useless. Having the ability to work would have help my mental state immensely.
I also see, that if they can work, it shows how far the tech has gone. If he can work, he certainly can use a computer and talk to anyone for enjoyment.
I also see, that if they can work, it shows how far the tech has gone. If he can work, he certainly can use a computer and talk to anyone for enjoyment.
Comment Re:Does anyone use Roku? (Score 1) 74
I've been using Roku for a while, and have tried several models. My only real complain in that time, is the current 4k model keeps loosing HDCP connection with the TV about once a week. Simple restart resolves the issue, I just wish I knew what exactly kept happening.
For me they are a hardware company, I only use Roku to access my streaming services. I've never looked at any other the free material that they offer. As for paid material, Roku doesn't have my CC on file.
Most of the time I've been using Roku, I've also recommended their hardware many times. Now with Fox taking over, I'm considering switching to Apple TV. In my mind, Fox wants Roku for their data on who is watching what.
For me they are a hardware company, I only use Roku to access my streaming services. I've never looked at any other the free material that they offer. As for paid material, Roku doesn't have my CC on file.
Most of the time I've been using Roku, I've also recommended their hardware many times. Now with Fox taking over, I'm considering switching to Apple TV. In my mind, Fox wants Roku for their data on who is watching what.
Submission + - Not alive, but not dead: disembodied human brains used for drug testing (science.org) 3
schwit1 writes: By restoring some functions to intact brains from deceased donors, the startup Bexorg hopes to create a better drug development test bed for neurodegenerative diseases
Comment Re:Cut and replace, is NOT all you need (Score 1) 40
Since ~2005 or so, there have been companies that create DNA for anyone letter by letter. You send them a DNA sequence and money, they send you a vial of liquid containing the DNA strands you requested. The Thought Emporium on YT has some good DNA editing videos, where they talk about (today) cheaply buying any DNA strand they want for their genetic modification experiments.
Comment Re:Vizio is throwing away a great opportunity (Score 1) 66
Walmart bought Vizio to increase their advertising reach. I don't think they will want people being able to remove all the tracking and advertising functionality.
Comment Re: Your white collar job will be automated (Score 1) 54
These days sometimes google can't even turn my lights on without multiple commands. It hasn't even been able to correctly play the song I requested for a long time now.
Comment Re: scares me too much ill never do that (Score 1) 75
They're not using this at a party or even alone, its done with a psychiatrist during session. Yes bad things can happen to some people, but that can happen with any medication and we still prescribe them. Ever notice how anti-depressants have the warning "may cause depression"? All drugs have side effects, but in this case you have the prescribing/responsible dr at your side while using it.
Submission + - Microsoft Edge Stores Passwords in Plaintext in RAM (pcmag.com)
UnknowingFool writes: Security researcher Tom Jøran Sønstebyseter Rønning has found that Microsoft Edge stores passwords in plain text in RAM. After creating a password and storing it using Edge's password manager, Rønning found that he could dump the RAM and recover his password which was stored in plain text. Part of the issue is Edge loads all passwords to all sites upon a single verification check even if the user was not visiting a specific site. This is very different from Chrome which only loads passwords for specific websites when challenged for the site's password. Also Chrome will delete the password from memory once the password has been filled. Edge does not delete the passwords from memory once they are used.
Microsoft downplayed the risk noting access would require control over a user's PC like a malware infection: “Access to browser data as described in the reported scenario would require the device to already be compromised,” Microsoft said. Rønning countered that it was possible to dump passwords for multiple users using administrative privileges for one user to view the passwords for other logged-on users.
Microsoft downplayed the risk noting access would require control over a user's PC like a malware infection: “Access to browser data as described in the reported scenario would require the device to already be compromised,” Microsoft said. Rønning countered that it was possible to dump passwords for multiple users using administrative privileges for one user to view the passwords for other logged-on users.
Submission + - Honda Delays Next-Generation Models Until the 2030 due to EV cancellations (caranddriver.com)
sinij writes:
Honda's $15.8 billion hit from canceling plans for three EVs will mean the company's lineup will have to soldier on without major updates until after 2030.
Submission + - Voters fire city councellors over their support for proposed data center (politico.com)
newbie_fantod writes: Voters in a small Missouri town, unhappy with the city council's approval of a $6 billion data center, struck back at the polls last week, ousting all four incumbent council members running for reelection.
Submission + - Little Caesars drone delivery proves even terrible pizza can fly (nerds.xyz)
BrianFagioli writes: Flytrex is expanding its drone delivery ambitions with a new partnership with Little Caesars, and the hook here is scale. The companyâ(TM)s new Sky2 drone can carry up to 8.8 pounds, which is enough for two large pizzas, sides, and drinks in a single flight. That may not sound like a big leap, but most drone delivery efforts so far have been limited to small, lightweight orders. This setup stretches to about four miles and Flytrex claims roughly 4.5 minutes from takeoff to drop-off, with direct integration into restaurant ordering systems to cut down on delays. The drone itself uses an eight-motor design for redundancy, dual batteries, and high-precision navigation, plus onboard AI managing flight operations.
If you care about the tech, this is one of the more practical implementations weâ(TM)ve seen, especially with recent FAA approvals for beyond visual line of sight flights and partnerships forming across the delivery ecosystem. If you care about the food, well, thatâ(TM)s a different conversation. As someone from Long Island, Iâ(TM)m not convinced that shaving minutes off delivery time suddenly makes chain pizza desirable, even if it arrives via autonomous octocopter. Still, convenience tends to win, and if suburban customers can get dinner dropped in their yard without dealing with traffic or drivers, this kind of system might actually stick.
If you care about the tech, this is one of the more practical implementations weâ(TM)ve seen, especially with recent FAA approvals for beyond visual line of sight flights and partnerships forming across the delivery ecosystem. If you care about the food, well, thatâ(TM)s a different conversation. As someone from Long Island, Iâ(TM)m not convinced that shaving minutes off delivery time suddenly makes chain pizza desirable, even if it arrives via autonomous octocopter. Still, convenience tends to win, and if suburban customers can get dinner dropped in their yard without dealing with traffic or drivers, this kind of system might actually stick.
Submission + - Researchers Induce Smells With Ultrasound, No Chemical Cartridges Required (uploadvr.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A group of independent researchers built a device that can artificially induce smell using ultrasound, with no consumable cartridges required. [...] The team of four are Lev Chizhov, Albert Yan-Huang, Thomas Ribeiro, Aayush Gupta. Chizhov is a neurotech entrepreneur with a background in math and physics, Yan-Huang is a researcher at Caltech with a background in computation and neural systems, and Ribeiro and Gupta are co-researchers on the project with software engineering and AI expertise.
Instead of targeting your nose at all, the device directly targets the olfactory bulb in your brain with "focused ultrasound through the skull." The researchers say that as far as they're aware, no one has ever done this before, even in animals. A challenge in targeting the olfactory bulb is that it's buried behind the top of your nose, and your nose doesn't provide a flat surface for an emitter. Ultrasound also doesn't travel well through air. The solution the researchers came up with was to place the emitter on your forehead instead, with a "solid, jello-like pad for stability and general comfort," and the ultrasound directed downward towards the olfactory bulb.
To determine the best placement, they say they used an MRI of one of their skulls to "roughly determine where the transducer would point and how the focal region (where ultrasound waves actually concentrate) aligned with the olfactory bulb (the target for stimulation)". [...] According to the researchers, they were able to induce the sensation of fresh air "with a lot of oxygen", the smell of garbage "like few-day-old fruit peels," an ozone-like sensation "like you're next to an air ionizer," and a campfire smell of burning wood. While technically head-mounted, the current device does require being held up with two hands. But as with all such prototypes, it likely could be significantly miniaturized.
Instead of targeting your nose at all, the device directly targets the olfactory bulb in your brain with "focused ultrasound through the skull." The researchers say that as far as they're aware, no one has ever done this before, even in animals. A challenge in targeting the olfactory bulb is that it's buried behind the top of your nose, and your nose doesn't provide a flat surface for an emitter. Ultrasound also doesn't travel well through air. The solution the researchers came up with was to place the emitter on your forehead instead, with a "solid, jello-like pad for stability and general comfort," and the ultrasound directed downward towards the olfactory bulb.
To determine the best placement, they say they used an MRI of one of their skulls to "roughly determine where the transducer would point and how the focal region (where ultrasound waves actually concentrate) aligned with the olfactory bulb (the target for stimulation)". [...] According to the researchers, they were able to induce the sensation of fresh air "with a lot of oxygen", the smell of garbage "like few-day-old fruit peels," an ozone-like sensation "like you're next to an air ionizer," and a campfire smell of burning wood. While technically head-mounted, the current device does require being held up with two hands. But as with all such prototypes, it likely could be significantly miniaturized.
