Comment Well... (Score 3, Insightful) 79
Clickbait's gonna bait....
Comment Client journalism at work... (Score 5, Insightful) 88
Somebody accidentally wrote "research" when they meant "glorified press release."
Alternative headline: "Company with massive stake in metaverse being huge says metaverse will be huge."
Submission + - The DOJ Detected the SolarWinds Hack 6 Months Earlier Than First Disclosed (wired.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The U.S. Department of Justice, Mandiant, and Microsoft stumbled upon the SolarWinds breach six months earlier than previously reported, WIRED has learned, but were unaware of the significance of what they had found. The breach, publicly announced in December 2020, involved Russian hackers compromising the software maker SolarWinds and inserting a backdoor into software served to about 18,000 of its customers. That tainted software went on to infect at least nine US federal agencies, among them the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the Treasury Department, as well as top tech and security firms including Microsoft, Mandiant, Intel, Cisco, and Palo Alto Networks. The hackers had been in these various networks for between four and nine months before the campaign was exposed by Mandiant.
WIRED can now confirm that the operation was actually discovered by the DOJ six months earlier, in late May 2020—but the scale and significance of the breach wasn’t immediately apparent. Suspicions were triggered when the department detected unusual traffic emanating from one of its servers that was running a trial version of the Orion software suite made by SolarWinds, according to sources familiar with the incident. The software, used by system administrators to manage and configure networks, was communicating externally with an unfamiliar system on the internet. The DOJ asked the security firm Mandiant to help determine whether the server had been hacked. It also engaged Microsoft, though it’s not clear why the software maker was also brought onto the investigation.
It’s not known what division of the DOJ experienced the breach, but representatives from the Justice Management Division and the US Trustee Program participated in discussions about the incident. The Trustee Program oversees the administration of bankruptcy cases and private trustees. The Management Division advises DOJ managers on budget and personnel management, ethics, procurement, and security. Investigators suspected the hackers had breached the DOJ server directly, possibly by exploiting a vulnerability in the Orion software. They reached out to SolarWinds to assist with the inquiry, but the company’s engineers were unable to find a vulnerability in their code. In July 2020, with the mystery still unresolved, communication between investigators and SolarWinds stopped. A month later, the DOJ purchased the Orion system, suggesting that the department was satisfied that there was no further threat posed by the Orion suite, the sources say.
WIRED can now confirm that the operation was actually discovered by the DOJ six months earlier, in late May 2020—but the scale and significance of the breach wasn’t immediately apparent. Suspicions were triggered when the department detected unusual traffic emanating from one of its servers that was running a trial version of the Orion software suite made by SolarWinds, according to sources familiar with the incident. The software, used by system administrators to manage and configure networks, was communicating externally with an unfamiliar system on the internet. The DOJ asked the security firm Mandiant to help determine whether the server had been hacked. It also engaged Microsoft, though it’s not clear why the software maker was also brought onto the investigation.
It’s not known what division of the DOJ experienced the breach, but representatives from the Justice Management Division and the US Trustee Program participated in discussions about the incident. The Trustee Program oversees the administration of bankruptcy cases and private trustees. The Management Division advises DOJ managers on budget and personnel management, ethics, procurement, and security. Investigators suspected the hackers had breached the DOJ server directly, possibly by exploiting a vulnerability in the Orion software. They reached out to SolarWinds to assist with the inquiry, but the company’s engineers were unable to find a vulnerability in their code. In July 2020, with the mystery still unresolved, communication between investigators and SolarWinds stopped. A month later, the DOJ purchased the Orion system, suggesting that the department was satisfied that there was no further threat posed by the Orion suite, the sources say.
Submission + - NASA Power Tweak Extends Voyager 2 Mission
canux writes: In an effort to continue to power Voyager 2's five on-board scientific instruments, NASA engineers have devised a software update that disables the probe's electrical supply safety system.
"'Although the spacecraft’s voltage will not be tightly regulated as a result, even after more than 45 years in flight, the electrical systems on both probes remain relatively stable, minimizing the need for a safety net,' according to NASA JPL. 'The engineering team is also able to monitor the voltage and respond if it fluctuates too much. If the new approach works well for Voyager 2, the team may implement it on Voyager 1 as well.'”
The Voyager probes each contain a Multihundred-Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for their power which use Plutonium-238 to generate heat to produce electricity with a thermocouple. Plutonium-238 has a half-life of a little over 87 years which means that Voyager 2 has seen a greater than 25% reduction in its power output since it was launched.
"'Although the spacecraft’s voltage will not be tightly regulated as a result, even after more than 45 years in flight, the electrical systems on both probes remain relatively stable, minimizing the need for a safety net,' according to NASA JPL. 'The engineering team is also able to monitor the voltage and respond if it fluctuates too much. If the new approach works well for Voyager 2, the team may implement it on Voyager 1 as well.'”
The Voyager probes each contain a Multihundred-Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator for their power which use Plutonium-238 to generate heat to produce electricity with a thermocouple. Plutonium-238 has a half-life of a little over 87 years which means that Voyager 2 has seen a greater than 25% reduction in its power output since it was launched.
Comment Breaking... (Score 1) 77
"Company that routinely prototypes all sorts of things may have prototyped to the stage where they think they have a viable product. More at 11."
Submission + - Scientists Invent an Entirely New Way to Refrigerate Things (sciencealert.com)
schwit1 writes: A temperature shift of 25 degrees Celsius (45 degrees Fahrenheit) was measured through the application of less than a single volt of charge in the experiment, a result that exceeds what other caloric technologies have managed to achieve so far.
Submission + - SPAM: Seattle Public Schools Sues Social Media Giants for Youth Mental Health Crisis
theodp writes: "A new lawsuit filed by Seattle Public Schools against TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snap, Instagram, and their parent companies," reports GeekWire's Todd Biship, "alleges that the social media giants have 'successfully exploited the vulnerable brains of youth' for their own profit, using psychological tactics that have led to a mental health crisis in schools. The suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, seeks 'the maximum statutory and civil penalties permitted by law,' making the case that the companies have violated Washington state’s public nuisance law."
"The district alleges that it has suffered widespread financial and operational harm from social media usage and addiction among students. The lawsuit cites factors including the resources required to provide counseling services to students in crisis, and to investigate and respond to threats made against schools and students over social media. 'This mental health crisis is no accident,' the suit says. 'It is the result of the Defendants’ deliberate choices and affirmative actions to design and market their social media platforms to attract youth.'"
"The lawsuit cites President Joe Biden’s statement in his 2022 State of the Union address that 'we must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.' The suit says the school district 'brings this action to do just that.'"
"The district alleges that it has suffered widespread financial and operational harm from social media usage and addiction among students. The lawsuit cites factors including the resources required to provide counseling services to students in crisis, and to investigate and respond to threats made against schools and students over social media. 'This mental health crisis is no accident,' the suit says. 'It is the result of the Defendants’ deliberate choices and affirmative actions to design and market their social media platforms to attract youth.'"
"The lawsuit cites President Joe Biden’s statement in his 2022 State of the Union address that 'we must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.' The suit says the school district 'brings this action to do just that.'"
Submission + - YouTube's Dislike Button Largely Fails to Stop Unwanted Recommendations (mozilla.org) 2
AmiMoJo writes: YouTube’s user controls — buttons like “Dislike ” and “Not interested” — largely fail to help users avoid unwanted recommendations like misinformation and violent content, according to new research by Mozilla. An accompanying survey also found that YouTube’s controls routinely frustrate and confuse users.
Indeed, Mozilla’s research found that people who are experiencing unwanted recommendations and turn to the platform’s user controls for assistance prevent less than half of unwanted recommendations.
This is especially troubling because Mozilla’s past research shows that YouTube recommends videos that violate its very own community guidelines, like misinformation, violent content, hate speech, and spam. For example, one user in this most recent research asked YouTube to stop recommending war footage from Ukraine — but shortly after was recommended even more grisly content from the region.
The study, titled “Does This Button Work? Investigating YouTube's ineffective user controls” is the culmination of months of rigorous qualitative and quantitative research. The study was made possible by the data of more than 20,000 participants who used Mozilla's RegretsReporter browser extension, and by data about more than 500 million YouTube videos.
Indeed, Mozilla’s research found that people who are experiencing unwanted recommendations and turn to the platform’s user controls for assistance prevent less than half of unwanted recommendations.
This is especially troubling because Mozilla’s past research shows that YouTube recommends videos that violate its very own community guidelines, like misinformation, violent content, hate speech, and spam. For example, one user in this most recent research asked YouTube to stop recommending war footage from Ukraine — but shortly after was recommended even more grisly content from the region.
The study, titled “Does This Button Work? Investigating YouTube's ineffective user controls” is the culmination of months of rigorous qualitative and quantitative research. The study was made possible by the data of more than 20,000 participants who used Mozilla's RegretsReporter browser extension, and by data about more than 500 million YouTube videos.
Submission + - Why Craigslist Still Looks the Same After 25+ Years (pcmag.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Craigslist emerged in 1995 to connect strangers through a free, web-based platform that has endured as rivals services like Zillow, Facebook Marketplace, and countless dating apps emerged with advanced features and slick interfaces. These platforms survive on advertising and subscription revenue. Craigslist, of course, has none of that. Over the years, the OG online marketplace has all but refused to modernize; its mobile app only came out in 2019 after nearly 25 years in business. Why does the website still look the same after so many decades? That was the main question I had when I sat down for a video call with craigslist founder Craig Newmark, who joined me from the New York City apartment he shares with his wife, Eileen Whelpley.
Newmark stepped down as CEO of craigslist in 2000 after others told him he wasn’t cut out for management, he says. Jim Buckmaster has been at the helm since, though Newmark remains a partial owner. He now works on philanthropy full time, supporting groups like the Coalition Against Online Violence, which helps combat harassment against female journalists. Still, the 69-year-old entrepreneur is a billionaire (or near-billionaire since he’s given away millions). Our chat yielded much more than expected, from Costco hotdogs to Hello Kitty and his childhood Sunday School lessons. It’s clear that the website is the purest and most enduring expression of Craig Newmark, a humble tech mogul who marches to the beat of his own drum.
Newmark stepped down as CEO of craigslist in 2000 after others told him he wasn’t cut out for management, he says. Jim Buckmaster has been at the helm since, though Newmark remains a partial owner. He now works on philanthropy full time, supporting groups like the Coalition Against Online Violence, which helps combat harassment against female journalists. Still, the 69-year-old entrepreneur is a billionaire (or near-billionaire since he’s given away millions). Our chat yielded much more than expected, from Costco hotdogs to Hello Kitty and his childhood Sunday School lessons. It’s clear that the website is the purest and most enduring expression of Craig Newmark, a humble tech mogul who marches to the beat of his own drum.
Comment Re:Disney's version of NC-17... (Score 1) 379
The roustabout song that depicts black people as feckless. ("we work all day we work all night we never learned to read or write" - "we don't when we get our pay but when we do we throw it all away" -and as apes... "grab that rope you hairy ape" - all draw as black
The crows and absolute black stereotypes
Comment Re:All climate stuff leads with a lie (Score 1) 137
Ah, I see you error.
Pro tip: journalists aren't climate scientists.
Given that climate scientists know perfectly well that the climate was much warmer on paleological timescales, I believe the usual phrase is "I call bullshit".
The most any would say is "warmest since pre-industrial times" (and if you can't work out that this refers to human history, I can't help you.
Comment Re:All climate stuff leads with a lie (Score 0) 137
, the planet is warmer, at just 1.2 degrees, than it has ever been..."
No climate scientist says that.
This is what is known a straw man.
Comment Re:Definitions and error bars please (Score 1) 177
It wasn't rushed - it was simply that the usual years of bureaucracy was eliminated from the process. Nothing like a pandemic to put a rocket up a pen-pushers arse.
mRNA vaccines have been under development for decades, but a key problem was getting enough virus sample to test (there wasn't enough SARs or MERs because, although very dangerous, neither was especially infective). SARS-Cov2 fixed that.
Comment Re:Definitions and error bars please (Score 1) 177
You should probably get allergy screened....
Comment Not just a VC (Score 1) 10
RealNetworks, LinkedIn and more as product manager: https://techcrunch.com/2020/11...
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