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kaszz writes:

The audit of TrueCrypt has been updated on Feb 18, 2015 when Matthew [Green, who is one of those conducting the audit] posted an update on the Phase II cryptanalysis. From his blog:

A few weeks ago we signed a contract with the newly formed NCC Group's Cryptography Services practice (which grew out of iSEC, Matasano and Intrepidus Group). The project will evaluate the original Truecrypt 7.1a which serves as a baseline for the newer forks, and it will begin shortly. However to minimize price -- and make your donations stretch farther -- we allowed the start date to be a bit flexible, which is why we don't have results yet.

In our copious spare time we've also been looking manually at some portions of the code, including the Truecrypt RNG and other parts of the cryptographic implementation. This will hopefully complement the NCC/iSEC work and offer a bit more confidence in the implementation.

I don't really have much more to say -- except to thank all of the donors for their contributions and their patience. This project has been a bit slower than any of us would like, but results are coming. Personally, my hope is that they'll be completely boring.

Quite a twist that the related sites doesn't support https.

Ignacio Agulló writes:

Once every year, the Open Knowledge Foundation organizes Open Data Day. This ICT celebration is dedicated to promote free, publicly available data. As defined in the Open Definition, “Open data and content can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose”. Also, the OKF defines the key features of openness as:

• Availability and access: the data must be available as a whole and at no more than a reasonable reproduction cost, preferably by downloading over the internet. The data must also be available in a convenient and modifiable form.
• Reuse and redistribution: the data must be provided under terms that permit reuse and redistribution including the intermixing with other datasets. The data must be machine-readable.
• Universal participation: everyone must be able to use, reuse and redistribute — there should be no discrimination against fields of endeavour or against persons or groups. For example, ‘non-commercial’ restrictions that would prevent ‘commercial’ use, or restrictions of use for certain purposes (e.g. only in education), are not allowed.

A list of public events all over the world for you to attend is available - that is, if you can make yourself publicly available...

AnonTechie writes:

You’ve heard of the so-called CSI effect – the manner in which the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation influences public perception.

As a researcher in forensic science education, I don’t think this effect is exaggerated. On the contrary, I would argue that, since the second half of the 20th century, public interest towards science has been hugely impacted by the media and TV shows. Much worse, I would argue that we, as educators, may be heavily relying on this.

For the last few years, forensic scientists and members of the judiciary have shared anecdotes about jury members being astonished if there was no forensic evidence (particularly DNA) presented in a case – even if the case does not require such evidence – because that’s what they’ve become used to seeing on TV.

http://theconversation.com/get-real-forensic-scientists-the-csi-effect-is-waning-13260

Would you agree ?

Hugh Pickens writes:

Reuters reports that the US Department of Homeland Security has advised Lenovo customers to remove "Superfish" software from their computers. According to an alert released through its National Cyber Awareness System, the software makes users vulnerable to SSL spoofing and could allow a remote attacker to read encrypted web browser traffic, spoof websites, and perform other attacks on Lenovo PCs with the software installed.

Lenovo inititally said it stopped shipping the software because of complaints about features, not a security vulnerability. "We have thoroughly investigated this technology and do not find any evidence to substantiate security concerns," the company said in a statement to Reuters early on Thursday. On Friday, Lenovo spokesman Brion Tingler said the company's initial findings were flawed and that it was now advising customers to remove the software and providing instructions for uninstalling "Superfish". "We should have known about this sooner," Tingler said in an email. "And if we could go back, we never would have installed this software on our machines. But we can't, so we are dealing with this head on."

[Editor's Note: For background information on this threat, Ars Technica has coverage here, here, here, and here.]

An Anonymous Coward writes:

"The room is totally covered in foam wedges, pointing inwards, the floor a metal grate suspended over them. It’s both archaic and otherworldly, a retro-futurist scene in dull brown. As Dance pulls the door shut behind us, the atmosphere deadens. Any sound waves are deflected by the multifaceted foam and are effectively sucked into the walls. It’s an oppressive sensation; much of our spatial awareness is defined by echo-location, and even with my eyes open the disorientation is irrefutable. We agree that I’ll stay in the chamber for an hour with the lights out, to divulge myself of extra sensory distractions. I lie down on slabs of foam laid out as a makeshift bed; the academics pile out, and the technician pulls the door shut and flicks out the light."

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/inside-a-room-built-for-total-silence

"gewg_" writes:

AlterNet reports

Walmart has a long and storied (and well-earned) reputation for shortchanging its employees. That may change slightly following the corporate behemoth's announcement [February 19] that it will be raising the pay of about half a million of its employees.

Business Insider notes

By April, all hourly Wal-Mart employees will make at least $9 an hour.
By next February, all hourly Wal-Mart employees will make at least $10 an hour.

In a letter to employees sent [February 19], Walmart CEO Doug McMillon added:

"We're also strengthening our department manager roles and will raise the starting wage for some of these positions to at least $13 an hour this summer and at least $15 an hour early next year."

[Editor's note: From the Form 10-K filing and its usage on the company blog, it appears that the company refers to itself as both "Wal-Mart Stores, Inc." and as "Walmart".]

frojack writes:

Some time ago we discussed negative interest rates here on Soylent News. At that time there was some discussion of deflation and why it is such a mixed bag for consumers, companies, and countries.

The Economist has an article that explains deflation rather succinctly.

It turns out that deflation is bad because we are all so burdened with Debt. Not only personal debt, but corporate debt, and national debts. You end up paying debts with money that is more and more dear as time goes on.

Deflation poses several risks, some well-understood, one not. One familiar danger is that consumers will put off spending in the expectation that things will get even cheaper, further muting demand. Likewise, if prices fall across an economy but wages do not, then firms’ margins will be squeezed and employment will stagnate or decline. (Neither of these dangers is yet visible; indeed, America and Britain are seeing strong employment growth.) A third, well-known risk is debt deflation: debts become more onerous because the amount that is owed does not fall, even as earnings do. This is a big worry in the euro zone, where many banks are already stuffed with dud loans.

But in addition, all tools of Monetary Policy become useless.

The least-understood danger is also the most serious, because it is already here. Deflation makes it harder to loosen monetary policy. All of which means that policymakers risk having precious little room for manoeuvre when the next recession hits.

While some have been eager to see monetary policy reigned in, we did see the effects of this during the height of the recent depression, (which some claim we are still suffering from).

The US Federal Reserve had run out points it could cut when lending money to large banks. There were periods in 2010 where the Fed was lending money to banks at Zero Interest Rate. The link explains a number of serious risks with this policy.

"gewg_" writes:

5 Discoveries About Marijuana That You Won't Hear in the Corporate Media

Paul Armentano of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports via AlterNet

Scientific discoveries are published almost daily in regard to the healing properties of the cannabis. But most of these findings appear solely in subscription-only peer-reviewed journals and, therefore, go largely unnoticed by the mainstream media and by the public. Here are five just-published cannabis-centric studies that warrant attention.

• Men Who Smoke Pot Possess a Reduced Risk of Bladder Cancer
• Long-Term Pot Exposure Isn't Damaging to Lung Health
• Alcohol, Not Pot, Alters the Brain
• Marijuana Use Doesn't Lead to Depression
• Marijuana Possesses a Unique Margin of Safety Compared to Other legal and Illegal Drugs

janrinok writes:

Cannabis is Bad for You, Cannabis is Good for You - Confused?

The BBC's Radio 4 has been running a series this week regarding the use and abuse of cannabis in the UK, and they offer this report of part of the discussions that have been aired. From the report:

Cannabis is bad for you, cannabis is good for you - confused? That's not surprising. Complicated and controversial, cannabis is revealed by recent science to have a dual personality, with a dark side and a more positive one. Radio 4's PM programme is this week running a whole series on cannabis, and the debate surrounding it.

Key to understanding this strange plant are two of the ingredients that make it up, known by their initials as THC and CBD. I asked Professor Val Curran of University College London to describe how they work and she came up a memorable answer:

"In a way, THC and CBD are a bit like yin and yang. The THC makes you stoned, but it can also make you anxious. It can also make you feel a bit psychotic, and it will seriously impair your memory.

"The other side of the yin/yang is CBD, which has almost the opposite effects. CBD calms you down, it has anti-psychotic properties and it also offsets the effects on memory, so that on CBD-containing cannabis you're less likely to forget what's going on."

So the first step to understanding cannabis is to realise how it can vary, how different types contain very different quantities of these polar opposites, with dramatically different outcomes.

One of the problems highlighted is that the cannabis available today (particularly 'skunk') is often much stronger than was available 20 - 30 years ago, and the balance of THC to CBD has changed, with potentially serious consequences. For example: "If you smoke high-potency skunk at all, then you are three times more likely to be psychotic. If you smoke high-potency cannabis every day, you are five times more likely to be psychotic." There is much more in the article, so give it a look.

c0lo writes:

CNN reports:

From the outside, Italy's Credem Bank looks just like any other high security operation. And indeed, behind the barbed wire and electronic fence are piles of golden blocks. But they are not made of precious metal -- rather, they are ageing wheels of Parmesan cheese.

As I walk inside, I am hit by the pungent smell and then, by the size of the vaults. Row after row, stacked up twenty shelves high, are 430,000 parmesan wheels. They're worth up to 190 million euros.

The wheels are stored here as part of a cash-for-cheese loan that started with Credem bank, but dates back to the Medici era.

Other relevant info:

1. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese - is named after the producing areas and European law classifies the name, as well as the translation "Parmesan", as a protected designation of origin. (therefore the bank's risk of over-production or price volatility is low)
2. The cheese matures for 2 years and, at the end, a cheese wheel weights about 38 kilos.

tonyPick writes:

Spotted on Science Blogs is a link to a posting on the Origami Microscope, Foldscope received by the author under the beta test program:

It’s a bit like the original Leeuwenhoek microscope, which you held up to your eye to see a magnified image.

The differences are that Leeuwenhoek used a drop of water to form a spherical lens; this comes equipped with a pre-printed lens. Leeuwenhoek used brass and little thumbscrews to move the specimen around; Foldscope comes on a sheet of thick paper, and you punch it out and fold it, and then move a slide around under the lens. Leeuwenhoek just aimed the back of his scope at a candle, or sunlight. You can do that with Foldscope, too, or it comes with a little LED source and battery that you can attach to the back

The Foldscope site has further details, including links to instructions and related projects, and a sample image gallery

Foldscope is an origami-based print-and-fold optical microscope that can be assembled from a flat sheet of paper. Although it costs less than a dollar in parts, it can provide over 2,000X magnification with sub-micron resolution (800nm), weighs less than two nickels (8.8 g), is small enough to fit in a pocket (70 × 20 × 2 mm3), requires no external power, and can survive being dropped from a 3-story building or stepped on by a person. Its minimalistic, scalable design is inherently application-specific instead of general-purpose gearing towards applications in global health, field based citizen science and K12-science education.

thewalkindude writes:

This Business Insider article showed up while searching for information about The Pirate Bay:

There's more good news for filesharing site The Pirate Bay. The site's moderators have agreed to come on board with the relaunched site, ending a mutiny that has lasted for weeks. The Pirate Bay went offline on December 9 after police in Sweden raided its servers.

After that, a mysterious countdown was the only sign of life on The Pirate Bay for weeks. Eventually, a code on the site was cracked which hinted at a return. Everything was looking good.

But The Pirate Bay was dealt a blow when many members of staff launched a major mutiny, slamming the decision to slim down the number of people working as moderators policing content listed on the search engine.

[...] A post on the Supr Bay forum, a site where Pirate Bay staff and users discuss site matters, makes it clear that the original moderators have settled their differences with the administrators.

"gewg_" writes:

El Reg reports:

Limpets – a type of aquatic snail – [...]need high strength teeth to scrape algae off rocks. [...] Scientists used atomic force microscopy to pull the teeth apart at the atom level. They found the teeth contain a hard mineral known as goethite, which forms in the limpet as it grows.

[...]Professor Asa Barber from [Portsmouth] University's School of Engineering said: "Until now we thought that spider silk was the strongest biological material because of its super-strength and potential applications in everything from bullet-proof vests to computer electronics but now we have discovered that limpet teeth exhibit a strength that is potentially higher."

The research also discovered that limpet teeth are the same strength no matter what the size. Usually, the bigger a structure, the more prone it is to flaws. Limpet teeth break this rule, as their strength is the same no matter what the size.

These structures could be mimicked and used in high-performance engineering applications such as Formula 1 racing cars, the hulls of boats, and aircraft structures.

[...]The research was published [February 18] in the Royal Society Journal Interface.[1]

[1] That may hold the record for the most scripts on a page with just 38kB of content.

"gewg_" writes:

The Center for American Progress reports

After being treated at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center, nearly 180 people may have been exposed to a potentially dangerous bacteria that's resistant to antibiotic treatment, the Los Angeles Times reported [February 19]. Two deaths have been linked to the outbreak so far. And federal officials are warning that the source of the "superbug" spread is probably a commonly used medical scope.

Seven patients at UCLA have been officially infected with CRE [Carbapenem resistant enterobacteriaceae], the deadly superbug that's been rapidly spreading throughout the United States' hospitals over the past several years. CRE bacteria are virtually untreatable with our current antibiotics. In the medical community, CRE are known as "nightmare bacteria" because they have a particularly high mortality rate compared to other bugs.

The medical scope in question is called a duodenoscope, a tool in the field of gastroenterology that offers a less invasive way(PDF) to examine a patient's digestive tract.

The flexible nature of the duodenoscope makes it hard to effectively sterilize, and medical investigators have linked the tools to an increased risk of CRE infections. In previous outbreaks in Chicago and Seattle, duodenoscopes have infected dozens of people with CRE. At the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, eleven people died.

tonyPick writes:

UK readers may have heard of Peter Oborne, formerly the chief political commentator of UK Newspaper The Telegraph.

Oborne recently resigned from the paper, and has since published his reasons. The Conversation has an article discussing the issue, and further implications for traditional media.

The original article covering Oborne's reason for resigning is available online at OpenDemocracy. This is critical of the ownership of the Telegraph, and provides examples where Oborne's believes that advertising concerns led the paper to place promotional stories for some advertisers, ignore or remove stories that might offend others, and place "clickbait" style headlines in an attempt to generate traffic.

Both the original letter and the analysis article are informative and interesting reads.

There is further commentary throughout the UK media, including The Guardian, The Independent and The Spectator.

stormwyrm writes:

The Moscow Times reports that Russian Internet giant Yandex has filed a complaint against Google at the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service, alleging that its rival has an unfair advantage because it insists that Android device manufacturers set Google as the default search engine if they want to bundle Google Play. Google has yet to respond. From the article:

The regulator now has one month to consider the request from Yandex, Russia's top search engine and provider of a range of digital services, such as Yandex.Maps and Yandex.Music, a music streaming service.

Yandex's head of product distribution, Yury Vecher, wrote on news website Slon.ru that the company lodged the complaint after finding it impossible to have its services — which mirror those of Google's, but are often better tailored for the Russian market — installed on Android devices sold in Russia.

Yandex seems to want Google to unbundle Google search and its native apps from Android in the same way that EU regulators had forced Microsoft to unbundle Internet Explorer from Windows. There are also similar antitrust efforts by Microsoft and others concentrating on the EU.

Other coverage of the complaint is available from the BBC, TechCrunch, and Bloomberg.