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A researcher at the defense company Boeing has filed a patent for a sci-fi-esque cloaking device that would protect soldiers from intense shock waves generated by explosions.
The just-issued patent (No. 8,981,261) to Boeing envisions stopping shock waves using a veil of heated, ionized air. Such a "shield" would damp the force of explosions. It doesn't build an invisible wall of force, but rather makes shock waves bend around objects, just as some high-tech materials bend light and make things invisible.
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That arc heats and ionizes, or charges, particles of air. The heated air would work as a shield by changing the speed at which shock waves travel, and therefore bending them around a protected soldier, Tillotson said.Sound waves (and other wave types) propagate faster in hot air, Tillotson said. For that reason, the shock wave would speed up when it hits the heated air around the electrical discharge. As the shock wave speeds up, it would change direction slightly, or refract, away from the person or object behind the arc. That bending occurs because of the change in speed of the wave, and the shape of the area of hot air the shock wave hits determines the exact direction.
Military considerations aside, it's an interesting idea that fits conceptually within the topic of metamaterials that are being explored to bend light and sound around objects.
Original Submission
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @02:27PM
Secret 3G Intel Chip Gives Snoops Backdoor PC Access
vPro processors allow remote access even when computer is turned off
Paul Joseph Watson | Infowars.com | September 26, 2013
http://www.infowars.com/91497/ [infowars.com]
"Intel Core vPro processors contain a "secret" 3G chip that allows remote disabling and backdoor access to any computer even when it is turned off.
Although the technology has actually been around for a while, the attendant privacy concerns are only just being aired. The "secret" 3G chip that Intel added to its processors in 2011 caused little consternation until the NSA spying issue exploded earlier this year as a result of Edward Snowden's revelations.
In a promotional video for the technology, Intel brags that the chips actually offer enhanced security because they don't require computers to be "powered on" and allow problems to be fixed remotely. The promo also highlights the ability for an administrator to shut down PCs remotely "even if the PC is not connected to the network," as well as the ability to bypass hard drive encryption.
"Intel actually embedded the 3G radio chip in order to enable its Anti Theft 3.0 technology. And since that technology is found on every Core i3/i5/i7 CPU after Sandy Bridge, that means a lot of CPUs, not just new vPro, might have a secret 3G connection nobody knew about until now,"reports Softpedia.
Jeff Marek, director of business client engineering for Intel, acknowledged that the company's Sandy Bridge" microprocessor, which was released in 2011, had "the ability to remotely kill and restore a lost or stolen PC via 3G."
"Core vPro processors contain a second physical processor embedded within the main processor which has it's own operating system embedded on the chip itself," writes Jim Stone. "As long as the power supply is available and and in working condition, it can be woken up by the Core vPro processor, which runs on the system's phantom power and is able to quietly turn individual hardware components on and access anything on them."
Although the technology is being promoted as a convenient way for IT experts to troubleshoot PC issues remotely, it also allows hackers or NSA snoops to view the entire contents of somebody's hard drive, even when the power is off and the computer is not connected to a wi-fi network.
It also allows third parties to remotely disable any computer via the "secret" 3G chip that is built into Intel's Sandy Bridge processors. Webcams could also be remotely accessed.
"This combination of hardware from Intel enables vPro access ports which operate independently of normal user operations," reports TG Daily. "These include out-of-band communications (communications that exist outside of the scope of anything the machine might be doing through an OS or hypervisor), monitoring and altering of incoming and outgoing network traffic. In short, it operates covertly and snoops and potentially manipulates data."
Not only does this represent a privacy nightmare, it also dramatically increases the risk of industrial espionage.
The ability for third parties to have remote 3G access to PCs would also allow unwanted content to be placed on somebody's hard drive, making it easier for intelligence agencies and corrupt law enforcement bodies to frame people.
"The bottom line? The Core vPro processor is the end of any pretend privacy," writes Stone. "If you think encryption, Norton, or anything else is going to ensure your privacy, including never hooking up to the web at all, think again. There is now more than just a ghost in the machine."
Facebook @https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71 [facebook.com]
FOLLOW Paul Joseph Watson @https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet [twitter.com]
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http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/enterprise-security/what-is-vpro-technology-video.html [intel.com]
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Secret-3G-Radio-in-Every-Intel-vPro-CPU-Could-Steal-Your-Ideas-at-Any-Time-385194.shtml [softpedia.com]
http://www.popularresistance.org/new-intel-based-pcs-permanently-hackable/ [popularresistance.org]
http://www.tgdaily.com/hardware-opinion/39455-big-brother-potentially-exists-right-now-in-our-pcs-compliments-of-intels-vpr [tgdaily.com]
http://infowars.com/ [infowars.com]
http://prisonplanet.com/ [prisonplanet.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @02:48PM
In other words, as long as the computer is not switched off. Now, most modern computers can only be switched off by physically disconnecting them from the grid (and, if it's a laptop, removing the battery), therefore the number of actually switched off computers might be low. But this is a prime example why the difference between "switched off" and "standby" matters.
My desktop computer is normally switched off when not in use, because I use a switchable socket which I switch off after the computer is shut down. Granted, I don't do that because of security concerns, but because of the reduced power consumption and concerns about lightning-induced voltage, but it certainly means such a hidden chip won't help them the slightest when my computer is off. They would have to enter my home and physically operate the switch to access my computer. At which point they'd have much more effective means to disable or access my computer anyway, without the need of a hidden chip.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @02:50PM
Oops, how did that post end up on the wrong story? I'm certain that I was an the right one while writing that post (heck, I even copy/pasted from its display above the input box!)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @02:54PM
Actually I now notice that the story I replied to seems to be gone completely!?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @02:59PM
Ah, now I notice … the "story" I was replying to was actually a comment, which was downvoted for being offtopic and thus stopped being displayed. I got confused.
Maybe the main page and the comments should get a slightly different design, so as to avoid this type of confusion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @03:03PM
Try submitting it, but without the infowars/prisonplanet links
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @05:57PM
The whole thing is exactly like all the other crap from those sites - a kernel of truth wrapped in a million layers of propaganda.
Yes, there is a "secret" (advertised business feature) micro-os onboard some newer Intel chips.
Yes, IF you have 3G support in your motherboard, this chip can use it. That is a desired feature for many corporations.
No, if you DON'T have 3G support, this so-called "secret Intel chip" does NOT allow the NSA to log on through a cell-tower.
PS Computers have had the ability to do this kind of thing via LAN for a very long time.