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Comment Re:I guess (Score 1) 75

by Mister Transistor (#65940940) Attached to: HAM Radio Operators In Belarus Arrested, Face the Death Penalty

Well, not the dead ones, of course, if that was the "spirit" of your argument (uggh - bad pun, sorry).

But as for the living ones, yes, they do have SOME access and ability to use ham (not an acronym so no need to capitalize it) radio gear and frequencies, if they think it will help. Ham radio is also known as amateur radio.

Baofeng, or similar Cheap Chinese Radios (CCR's) sell for less than $30.00 on Amazon or eBay. You can't believe that none of the protesters have relatives or friends in other countries that could BUY the gear for them? Their main problem is they are short range and will likely require a similar radio at the other end to receive them.

For longer range communications, there are a lot of different QRP, or low power - less than 5 Watts - type of "HF" transceivers that can go much longer distances but require larger and longer antennas than walkie-talkie type radios. These are a little more expensive, usually around $100.00 or so and higher, all the way through several thousand dollars for really high-end digital (SDR) all-band, all-mode "HF" transceivers.

Also, recently there has been an emergence of "mesh network" type devices. Those are usually UHF/VHF, so a local radio IP-network type of service is established by a small fleet of walkie-talkie like devices operating in a peer-to-peer fashion as "hotspots" or portable access points, all nodes in the mesh. These are not necessarily operating on amateur radio specific frequencies, but could be.

So, the protesters should have some potential to use various amateur radio services or equipment, depending on their ability to buy or smuggle in radios that were either bought for them by confederates or family members, etc. or to access ones that were available to them prior to the crackdown.

Submission + - Young Journalists Drone, Expose Russian Ships Off Dutch-German Coasts (digitaldigging.org)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Seven German journalism students, as a continuation of their OSINT course project, tracked the movements of ships with Russian crews off the coasts of the Netherlands and Germany and linked them to swarms of drones appearing over European military airfields and other strategic sites.

The guys not only analyzed thousands of data points, but also used leaked documents, established connections with sources in European agencies, and drove 2,500 km across three countries chasing one of the ships – even launching their own drone to fly over it.

At the end of the article, there’s precise data on the vessels, so you can follow them yourself.

Submission + - Japan renders current conventional submarines obsolete (x.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: With the Taigei class and its lithium-ion batteries, Tokyo already set a new benchmark: up to three weeks submerged without ever raising a snorkel. That, however, was merely the opening act.

Today, Toyota and Panasonic are leading the global race in solid-state batteries, with prototypes arriving in 2027–2028, mass production after 2030, and Japan’s next submarine class will be the first to use them, either in pure battery form or as a hybrid with a small reactor for onboard recharging. This hybrid would be similar to what the Chinese are developing.

The leap is staggering. A 4,000 ton conventional submarine will patrol for 40 to 60 days without surfacing, sprint well above 20 knots for hours on end, and do it all more quietly than many nuclear subs, thanks to being significantly lighter and running solely on battery power.

Solid-state cells weigh roughly one-third as much, generate 40% less heat, and eliminate half the cooling systems. The result is a faster, stealthier hull that can travel thousands of kilometers without ever breaking the surface.

Those hundreds of saved tons translate directly into more powerful electric motors, extra torpedoes and missiles, cutting-edge sensors, or greater crew comfort. The same hull now carries twice the energy or twice the weapons.

It appears there are also plans to equip the system with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ micro nuclear reactor. Its design has no moving parts, which gives it excellent quietness. It’s essentially like a battery that can run for 20 years.

Submission + - Iran's Capital Is Moving. The Reason Is an Ecological Catastrophe (scientificamerican.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Amid a deepening ecological crisis and acute water shortage, Tehran can no longer remain the capital of Iran, the country’s president has said. The situation in Tehran is the result of "a perfect storm of climate change and corruption,” says Michael Rubin, a political analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. “We no longer have a choice,” said Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian during a speech on Thursday. Instead Iranian officials are considering moving the capital to the country’s southern coast. But experts say the proposal does not change the reality for the nearly 10 million people who live in Tehran and are now suffering the consequences of a decades-long decline in water supply.

Comment Re:US situation (Score 1) 26

by Mister Transistor (#65193405) Attached to: More Than Half of Countries Are Ignoring Biodiversity Pledges

"Cow Corn", or Field Corn, as it's properly known, mostly goes to produce a large amount of a little product you might have heard of - automotive fuel - Ethanol, or "GASOHOL" as it's sometimes called.

Plus, it's still used to feed cows as noted, so land to grow Field Corn is not a waste by any means, it's use is more important than ever.

"Cow Corn" - it's not just for dinner anymore! (moo)

Submission + - Walmart Sued Over Illegally Opening Bank Accounts For Delivery Drivers (theverge.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is suing Walmart and payroll service provider Branch Messenger for alleged illegal payment practices for gig workers. The bureau says Walmart was opening direct deposit accounts using Spark delivery drivers’ social security numbers without their consent. The accounts also can come with intense fees that, according to the complaint, would add either 2 percent or $2.99 per transaction, whichever is higher. It also says Walmart repeatedly promised to provide drivers with same-day payments through the platform starting in July 2021 but never delivered on that.

The Bureau alleges that for approximately two years starting around June 2021, defendants engaged in unfair, abusive, and deceptive practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, including by requiring Spark Drivers to receive their compensation in Branch Accounts, opening Branch Accounts for Spark Drivers without their informed consent or, in many instances, on an unauthorized basis, and making deceptive statements about Branch to Spark Drivers. Spark delivery workers have been complaining about Walmart’s Branch Messenger account requirements for years, which forced workers to use these accounts with no option to direct deposit to a preferred credit union or local bank. Walmart allegedly told workers they’d be terminated if they didn’t accept the Branch accounts.

Comment Apple stuff (Score 2) 21

The only remotely interesting thing was about Apple making them change the computer since it became evil. I had heard before that they are militant in movie productions about not letting the "Bad Guys (TM)" have an iPhone!

I thought about that and it came to me that it was a huge spoiler for a suspense movie, a double agent having an Android would be a dead giveaway!

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