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Phoenix666 writes:

TeleGeography releases Vintage-style Maps and Charts to reflect the current state of the submarine cables that carry the world's internet traffic.

The latest edition depicts 299 cable systems that are currently active, under construction, or expected to be fully-funded by the end of 2015.

This year’s map pays tribute to the pioneering mapmakers of the Age of Discovery, incorporating elements of medieval and renaissance cartography. In addition to serving as navigational aids, maps from this era were highly sought-after works of art, often adorned with fanciful illustrations of real and imagined dangers at sea. Such embellishments largely disappeared in the early 1600s, pushing modern map design into a purely functional direction.

The Interactive Map also contains inserts for latency, lift capacity, and dangers to cables.

Phoenix666 writes:

NY Post reports:

February was another heartbreaker for the $65 billion television ad business.

Commercial ratings — the viewing “currency” that determines what advertisers pay for TV time — cratered across broadcast and cable networks, marking the fifth straight month of double-digit declines for the industry.

[...] Americans are increasingly watching TV shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming and other services. Some 40 percent of households now have subscription video service, Nielsen reported earlier this week.

There has been a lot of tumult in the cable industry this last year, with 1/3 of American households streaming content via Netflix, and HBO and CBS launching their own streaming services. The big Internet providers probably won't miss a beat, especially if Time-Warner & Comcast and AT&T & DirecTV merge, but it could still send seismic shocks through media markets whose business models have been static for 70 years.

What does Soylent say, meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss, or is there something else waiting in the distribution wings that will really shake things up?

AnonTechie writes:

You can help identify asteroids right from your desk. Would you spare some time and effort to help NASA ?

A software application based on an algorithm created by a NASA challenge has the potential to increase the number of new asteroid discoveries by amateur astronomers.

Analysis of images taken of our solar system’s main belt asteroids between Mars and Jupiter using the algorithm showed a 15 percent increase in positive identification of new asteroids.

During a panel Sunday at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, NASA representatives discussed how citizen scientists have made a difference in asteroid hunting. They also announced the release of a desktop software application developed by NASA in partnership with Planetary Resources, Inc., of Redmond, Washington. The application is based on an Asteroid Data Hunter-derived algorithm that analyzes images for potential asteroids. It’s a tool that can be used by amateur astronomers and citizen scientists.

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/march/new-desktop-application-has-potential-to-increase-asteroid-detection-now-available/

NASA & Planetary Resources Asteroid Data Hunter App
http://www.topcoder.com/asteroids/asteroiddatahunter/

Hugh Pickens writes:

Megan Hustad writes in the NYT that while it’s not exactly fair to say that the TED conference series and web video function like an organized church, understanding the parallel structures is useful for conversations about faith, how susceptible we humans remain to the cadences of missionary zeal, and how the TED style with its promise of progress, is as manipulative as the orthodoxies it is intended to upset. According to Hustad, a great TED talk is reminiscent of a tent revival sermon, a gathering of the curious and the hungry. "A persistent human problem is introduced, one that, as the speaker gently explains, has deeper roots and wider implications than most listeners are prepared to admit," says Hustad. "Once everyone has been confronted with this evidence of entropy, contemplated life’s fragility and the elusiveness of inner peace, a decision is called for: Will you remain complacent, or change?" TED talks routinely present problems of huge scale and scope — we imprison too many people; the rain forest is dying; look at all this garbage; we’re unhappy; we have Big Data and aren’t sure what to do with it — then wrap up tidily and tinily. Do this. Stop doing that. Buy an app that will help you do this other thing. "I never imagined that the Baptists I knew in my youth would come to seem mellow, almost slackers by comparison," concludes Hustad. "Of course they promoted Jesus as a once-and-done, plug-and-play solver of problems — another questionable approach."

[Editors Note: The source article for this story appears to have been extensively edited replacing 'gene line' with 'germ line'. Nevertheless, and bearing that in mind, it is an interesting article.]

AnonTechie writes:

Heritable human genetic modifications pose serious risks, and the therapeutic benefits are tenuous, warn Edward Lanphier, Fyodor Urnov and colleagues.

It is thought that studies involving the use of genome-editing tools to modify the DNA of human embryos will be published shortly. There are grave concerns regarding the ethical and safety implications of this research. There is also fear of the negative impact it could have on important work involving the use of genome-editing techniques in somatic (non-reproductive) cells.

In our view, genome editing in human embryos using current technologies could have unpredictable effects on future generations. This makes it dangerous and ethically unacceptable. Such research could be exploited for non-therapeutic modifications. We are concerned that a public outcry about such an ethical breach could hinder a promising area of therapeutic development, namely making genetic changes that cannot be inherited.

http://www.nature.com/news/don-t-edit-the-human-germ-line-1.17111

Would you agree with this assessment? Should this technology be regulated? Once the technique is known, how can we control/monitor what scientists do with this technology?

tonyPick writes:

Paul Ceglia, the man who filed a lawsuit claiming to own half of Facebook, and was later accused of fraud, is now on the run. What's curious about this is the report that he has jumped bail, having attached a GPS tracking bracelet to an improvised machine, to make it look like he was still at home:

I think this shows at least two things: (1) there are limits on what technology can do to protect us and/or control potential criminal behavior, and (2) Paul Ceglia has never heard of a Roomba. Seriously, Paul? This was what you came up with?

I will give him some small credit for not putting the bracelet on the dog and leaving him behind for this purpose. Maybe he can bring that up at the sentencing hearing.

Additional coverage at Ars Technica.

Phoenix666 writes:

Der Spiegel reports [in German] a new version of Windows 10 has leaked. To encourage users to try out and troubleshoot new features Microsoft has introduced gamification whereby points are awarded for completing and submitting bug reports. Other updates include improvements on Cortana, MS's answer to Apple's Siri, and a P2P, Torrent-style approach to system updates whereby chunks can be downloaded from other Windows 10 systems instead of just from one of MS's central servers.

The original article is in German, but Winbeta.org has a brief post on the leak.

Hugh Pickens writes:

Joe Pinsker writes at The Atlantic that Finnish businessman Reima Kuisla was recently caught going 65 miles per hour in a 50 zone in his home country and ended up paying a fine of $56,000. The fine was so extreme because in Finland, some traffic fines, as well as fines for shoplifting and violating securities-exchange laws, are assessed based on earnings—and Kuisla's declared income was €6.5 million per year. Several years ago another executive was fined the equivalent of $103,000 for going 45 in a 30 zone on his motorcycle.

Finland’s system for calculating fines is relatively simple: It starts with an estimate of the amount of spending money a Finn has for one day, and then divides that by two—the resulting number is considered a reasonable amount of spending money to deprive the offender of. Then, based on the severity of the crime, the system has rules for how many days the offender must go without that money. Going about 15 mph over the speed limit gets you a multiplier of 12 days, and going 25 mph over carries a 22-day multiplier. Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland also have some sliding-scale fines, or “day-fines,” in place.

[More after the break.]

TLA writes:

On August 21 2017, the continental United States is to be treated to an astronomical spectacle unlike any seen in the entire history of the nation.

Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina lie in the umbral track (the path of totality) of an eclipse shadow that is expected to last over two hours and cut across the middle of the daylit side of Earth. Almost the entire population of the contiguous 48 States will be within a day's drive of the path of totality. The entire continent as far North as the Arctic Circle and as far South as Bolivia will see a partial (umbral) eclipse.

The track begins North of Hawai'i, makes landfall at Newport, OR, at 1017PDT, and leaves the mainland at Charleston, SC, at 1447EDT before continuing into the Atlantic and terminating off the coast of West Africa at speeds between 1700-3500mph (2700-5600km/h).

To help eclipse chasers, those helpful geniuses at GreatAmericanEclipse have produced a map that, if you printed it out, would be ten feet/3m wide. Alternatively, you could just save it onto a tablet and scroll it while you plan your route.

• http://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/ (Source link)
• http://www.eclipse-maps.com/Eclipse-Maps/Welcome_files/2017_LongMap_1.jpg (The "ten foot map")

AnonTechie writes:

Going online without understanding the basics of how the internet works is like getting behind the wheel without knowing the road rules: you might still get where you’re going, but you could be a danger to yourself and those around you.

Using the internet is now a daily activity for most Australians. Yet, the number of people who actually understand the internet’s mechanics is small. Government and schools do work to promote cyber security and cyber safety, but the message is still not getting widespread attention.

Ultimately there is only so much that government or businesses can do to keep us safe online. At a certain point, we need to take personal responsibility and educate ourselves about how to use the internet safely.

http://theconversation.com/we-need-to-take-responsibility-for-our-own-safety-online-38368

AnonTechie writes:

An autonomous car developed by Michigan-based auto supplier Delphi Automotive ( http://www.delphi.com/delphi-drive ) will soon be making a 3,500-mile journey across the U.S. A person will sit behind the wheel at all times but won't touch it unless there's a situation the car can't handle. The car will mainly stick to highways.

Companies both inside and outside the auto industry are experimenting with technologies that take more and more responsibilities away from the driver—right up to the act of actually driving the car. Most experts say a true driverless vehicle is at least a decade away. Delphi plans to show off one of several versions of the car—an Audi Q5 crossover outfitted with laser sensors, radar and multiple cameras—on Saturday at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The official car will start its journey March 22 in San Francisco and arrive in New York a little more than a week later.

The autonomous Audi warmed up for its long journey by racking up lots of miles tooling around Delphi's Silicon Valley office and taking a drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Delphi showed off the car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January where, during a demonstration, the car braked by itself—just like it was supposed to—when two inebriated men fell into the street in front of it.

http://phys.org/news/2015-03-autonomous-car-mile-road.html

gishzida writes:

In a recent article at ScienceDaily

As more animal shelters, primate centers and zoos start to play music for their charges, it's still not clear whether and how human music affects animals. Now, a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that while cats ignore our music, they are highly responsive to "music" written especially for them. The study is online at Applied Animal Behaviour Science. "We are not actually replicating cat sounds," says lead author Charles Snowdon, an emeritus professor of psychology. "We are trying to create music with a pitch and tempo that appeals to cats."

In the tests, Snowdon and former UW undergraduate student (now a Ph.D. student at Binghamton University) Megan Savage brought a laptop and two speakers to the homes of 47 cats and played four sound samples: two from classical music, and two "cat songs" created by University of Maryland composer David Teie.

But wait... The article fails to mention that David Teie is monetizing "cat music" as well as music for other animal species. He was granted a patent for it in 2012, for not only "cat music" but other species as well.

To quote his website:

The concept of species-specific music based on naturally occurring emotional responses to sound has been patented by the United States Patent Office #8,199,897. Any application of the vocalizations, fetal/reward associations, or environmental sonic triggers of a given species in music that is designed to be listened to and appreciated by that species may only be undertaken by or licensed by Teyus Music LLC under US Patent 8,119,897.

Since the Patent Office has allowed music for other species to be patented, then should the Patent Office allow "human music" to be patented using a similar methodology?

AnonTechie writes:

Americans are getting older, but not this old: Social Security records show that 6.5 million people in the U.S. have reached the ripe old age of 112. In reality, only a few could possibly be alive. As of last fall, there were only 42 people known to be that old in the entire world.

But Social Security does not have death records for millions of these people, with the oldest born in 1869, according to a report by the agency's inspector general.

Only 13 of the people are still getting Social Security benefits, the report said. But for others, their Social Security numbers are still active, so a number could be used to report wages, open bank accounts, obtain credit cards, or claim fraudulent tax refunds.

http://phys.org/news/2015-03-social-65m-age.html

tonyPick writes:

Spotted at Colossal is the plan for an Analog Memory Desk: A desk with a rolling sketching surface, designed by Kristen Camara.

The desk has a built-in mechanism for scrolling 1,100 yards of butcher paper on rolls embedded in its legs, a sort of tablecloth of memory that records months or even years of random ideas, doodles, and coffee rings. The desk isn’t available for purchase, instead Camara released detailed blueprints through a Creative Commons license so you can build your own

AnonTechie writes:

IP addresses linked to the New York Police Department's computer network have been used to sanitize Wikipedia entries about cases of police brutality.

This wouldn't be the first time we've seen nefarious alterations to Wikipedia entries, and it won't be the last. But the disclosure of NYPD's entries by Capital New York come as the Justice Department announced a national initiative for "building community trust and justice" with the nation's policing agencies.

As many as 85 IP addresses connected to 1 Police Plaza altered entries for some of the most high-profile police abuse cases, including those for victims Eric Garner, Sean Bell, and Amadou Diallo, Capital New York said. Edits have also been made to other entries covering NYPD scandals, its stop-and-frisk program, and the department leadership.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/03/nypd-caught-red-handed-sanitizing-police-brutality-wikipedia-entries/