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The Mighty Buzzard writes:

It's been a while since I had anything good to say about Mozilla but I think this qualifies as pretty positive.

A recent Mozilla Wiki entry reveals that Mozilla plans to add contextual identities to the Firefox web browser which allow users of the browser to separate certain data types from each other.

This would benefit Firefox users in several ways, for instance by allowing them to sign in to web services at the same time or by using custom identities for select websites only to block the service from tracking users across the Internet.

While this can be done with multiple Firefox profiles as well, one benefit of contextual identities is that they run under a single profile.

What this means is that you can switch between contexts in the same browsing session and window which cannot be done using profiles.

Certain add-ons such as Cookie Swap or Multifox support that as well, but they limit their functionality to cookies while Mozilla's implementation plans to go beyond that to cover other use cases.

I was going to throw a little bit of snark down here but I think I'll just go ahead and be happy and let you lot do the cynical thing today.

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tt2575988 writes:

Seven big-name Internet companies today announced formation of the Alliance for Open Media – an open-source project that will develop next-generation media formats, codecs and technologies in the public interest. The Alliance's founding members are Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel Corporation, Microsoft, Mozilla and Netflix.

Reportedly, the group plans to publish its code under the Apache 2.0 license and it will operate under W3C patent rules, meaning the members will waive royalties from the codec implementations and their patents on the codec itself.

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"gewg_" writes:

EarthSky reports:

NASA's Terra satellite just released this August 29 image of Hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio, and Jimena, all Category Four Hurricanes. According to the Weather Channel:

This is the first recorded occurrence of three Category 4 hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific basins at the same time. In addition, it's also the first time with three major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) in those basins simultaneously, according to hurricane specialist Eric Blake of the National Hurricane Center.

[...]On Sunday, August 30, from west to east, Hurricane Kilo was located 1,210 miles west-southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, Hurricane Ignacio was located 515 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and Hurricane Jimena was located 1,815 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii.

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shortscreen writes:

For two years, academics worked to digitize and translate a collection of Taliban documents as part of the Taliban Sources Project (page currently appears to be down, but exists in Google's cache). As the project comes to a close, they've sought an institution to make the digital archive available to researchers around the world. However, the British Library, after reviewing a catalogue of titles, declined to host the documents. Their statement noted that“The Terrorism Act places specific responsibilities on anyone in the UK who might provide access to terrorist publications, and the legal advice received jointly by the British Library and other similar institutions advises against making this type of material accessible.”

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Arthur T. Knackerbracket writes in withe a story from ComputerWorld:

Credentials for more than 225,000 Apple accounts have been stolen by sophisticated malware that targets modified iOS devices, according to Palo Alto Networks.

The malware, which is nicknamed KeyRaider, enables attackers to download applications from Apple's App Store without paying or to lock devices in lieu of a ransom.

"We believe this to be the largest known Apple account theft caused by malware," wrote Claud Xiao of Palo Alto Networks in a blog post.

Palo Alto Networks notified Apple of KeyRaider on Aug. 26 and provided the stolen account information, Xiao wrote. Apple officials in Sydney couldn't be immediately reached on Monday.

KeyRaider can infect only those who have "jailbroken" their Apple device. Jailbreaking removes Apple's protections that limit what apps can be installed on a device. Apple advises against jailbreaking for security reasons.

...

KeyRaider taps into system processes within Cydia, which is the application used for downloading apps for jailbroken phones. It steals Apple account usernames, passwords and a device's GUID by intercepting iTunes traffic, which it can then use to fraudulently download apps. The malware also collects certificates, private keys and purchase receipts.

In another style of attack, KeyRaider was used for at least one ransomware attempt. The malware can "locally disable any kind of unlocking operations, whether the correct passcode or password has been entered," Xiao wrote.

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Zinho writes:

There is a lot of talk on the net these days about microagressions, and it's good netiquette to post trigger warnings before discussing sensitive topics. What's good in online forums isn't necessarily appropriate in-person, especially on University campuses. The cover article for September's edition of The Atlantic magazine discusses the harm that students' requests for trigger warnings on course content and accusations of microagression are causing, stifling open conversation on campuses across America. The authors also suggest that these student behaviors are actively causing harm to the students.

Avoiding trigger topics, instead of assisting those who have suffered traumas, perpetuates and enhances the pathology of the phobias they hope not to trigger. The hunt for microagression creates in the students cognitive distortions that are usually treated with cognitive behavioral therapy. The authors are calling this "The Coddling of the American Mind", and suggest it will create a generation of graduates unable to cope with the world after graduation.

The authors also appeared on the Diane Rehm show, on a segment called "The New Political Correctness: Why Some Fear It's Ruining American Education". Far from trying to shut down the conversation about race relations, the authors are trying to re-open it.

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Arthur T. Knackerbracket writes:

NASA has determined New Horizons' next target:

Now that the probe has finished its Pluto fly-by – although, as NASA notes, it's still busily transmitting the bulk of the images and data it collected back to Earth – the agency says it reckons a Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) called 2014 MU69 is a suitable next-stop.

Since 2014 MU69 is nearly a billion miles past the probe's current location, it would take until January 1, 2019 to get there.

While mission scientists won't be able to seek funding approval for the mission extension until 2016, NASA explains it needs to set New Horizons on its new course this year, so that the probe could reach the KBO with "healthy fuel margins".

Hence the nomination of 2014 MU69 as the target. Ground-based surveys, NASA explains, had failed to identify any KBO candidates that New Horizons could reach, and it was only in 2014 that the Hubble Space Telescope spotted potential candidates.

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takyon writes:

Anonymous sources say that the White House is readying sanctions against a handful of Chinese state-owned enterprises and other businesses that officials believe "benefited from the cybertheft of U.S. corporate secrets."

The White House hasn't decided definitively to impose the sanctions, but the process is far along and involves advanced planning from multiple federal agencies, the people said.

They said officials expect to target about five companies, though that number could change. If sanctions are ultimately imposed, it could impact the ability of those firms to access U.S. financial markets and trade with American companies, and could even hamper the ability of their executives to travel to the United States.

From The Washington Post :

The U.S. government has not yet decided whether to issue these sanctions, but a final call is expected soon — perhaps even within the next two weeks, according to several administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

[...] Any action would also come at a particularly sensitive moment between the world's two biggest economies. President Xi Jinping of China is due to arrive next month in Washington for his first state visit — complete with a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn of the White House and an elaborate State Dinner. There is already tension over a host of other issues, including maritime skirmishes in the South China Sea and China's efforts to devalue its currency in the face of its recent stock market plunge. At the same time, the two countries have deep trade ties and the administration has sometimes been wary of seeming too tough on China.

But the possibility of sanctions so close to Xi's visit indicates how frustrated U.S. officials have become over the persistent cyber plundering. The sanctions would mark the first use of an order signed by President Obama in April establishing the authority to freeze financial and property assets of, and bar commercial transactions with, individuals and entities overseas who engage in destructive attacks or commercial espionage in cyberspace.

"exec" writes:

An Australian spear fisherman captures one of the world's most venomous fish and a deadly snake in the middle of a fight for life. A venomous sea snake was locked in a ferocious battle with a stonefish. From the BBC News report:

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Trippe said he had been diving on a World War Two wreck in Darwin Harbour when he made the unusual find.

Mr Trippe said he drew on his experience of fishing pythons out of his chicken coop when he pulled the wrestling creatures from the water, clutching the snake under its mouth.

"I'm silly but not mad. I knew this was dangerous. I knew if I grabbed it I wouldn't get the bitten," Mr Trippe said.

[...] The venom released from the 13 spines on a stonefish's back can kill a human in two hours if not treated.

The linked article has an amazing picture of each having the other in its jaws.

HughPickens.com writes:

Oder Aderet reports at Haaretz that the United States considered using nuclear weapons against Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attack according to Michael Steiner, who served as a political advisor to then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, as reported in Der Spiegel. "The papers were written," Steiner said when asked whether the U.S. had considered using nuclear weapons in response to the attacks orchestrated by Al-Qaida's Osama bin Laden, in which almost 3,000 people were killed. "They had really played through all possibilities." Steiner added that Schröder feared that the US, which was in a state of shock following the attacks, would overreact. "After Sept. 11, the entire administration positively dug in. We no longer had access to Rice, much less to the president. It wasn't just our experience, but also that of the French and British as well. Of course that made us enormously worried."

tt3297330 writes:

Boeing thinks the best way to kill a drone is to zap it with a precision laser, burn a hole in it, and bring it down. So it created a weapon system to do just that. Wednesday morning, the company showed off its Compact Laser Weapon System for media in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s a much smaller, significantly more portable version of the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) Boeing demonstrated last year. This setup looks like an overgrown camera, swiveling around on a tripod.

Instead of a massive laser mounted on a dedicated truck, the compact system is small enough to fit in four suitcase-sized boxes and can be set up by a pair of soldiers or technicians in just a few minutes. The new system is more scalpel than sledgehammer. Its laser, and, especially, the off-the-shelf gimbal (a fancy motor that can aim the laser and camera in any direction) it’s mounted on, make it precise enough to target different parts of a UAV.

takyon writes:

MarketWatch reports that Google's Life Sciences division, which will be separate from Google Inc. under Alphabet, is teaming up with Sanofi to work on new devices and treatments for diabetes:

Google Inc. said Monday its health-care-research unit agreed to work with European pharmaceutical major Sanofi SA on new ways to monitor and treat diabetes. The companies declined to say how much they are investing in the partnership.

Sanofi is a leading maker of diabetes medication, as well as many other drugs. Google's Life Sciences division is working on small, connected medical devices to continuously collect diabetes-related data, as well as software that learns from the information to find new treatments. Diabetes is expected to affect 592 million people world-wide by 2035, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Diabetes affects around 382 million people worldwide today, so it is expected to increase by 55% over 20 years. More from Bloomberg:

Google last year agreed to work with Novartis to develop contact lenses that use tiny sensors to read blood-sugar levels from tears. Tests on that product will begin next year, Conrad said. This month, Google also said it would work with DexCom on a bandage-sized sensor connected to the cloud. Sanofi, the maker of Lantus, the world's best-selling insulin, will work on new ways of delivering the hormone, such as Bluetooth-enabled pens that let a physician monitor how much insulin their patient is using, and when.

"That's the system that we're endeavoring to build: smart insulin delivery devices, smart measurement devices, and an interface and an integrating platform that helps physicians and patients see how they're doing," said Conrad, whose division will be renamed in the coming months as a unit of Google's new holding company, Alphabet Inc.

As long as it's not a diabetes cure, that's a very attractive market.

Thexalon writes:

The New York Times reports that several large banks, as well as the Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and the Nasdaq exchange are working on reusing the software ideas from Bitcoin to facilitate high-finance money transfers.

The Bitcoin network, on the other hand, is run by a decentralized network of users who jointly keep track of transactions and update the records in real time, with no single user or company in charge. The records of all transactions are kept on a public ledger — essentially just a big, publicly available spreadsheet — known as the blockchain that is visible to anyone and has, at least so far, proven impossible to tamper with.

Much of the work being done inside banks, and in other industries, is looking at whether the blockchain technology can be used independent of the Bitcoin virtual currency, which was the first thing to be recorded on the blockchain ledger.

This is probably not what anyone involved in Bitcoin had in mind, but open-source software tends to adapt to new applications extremely easily.

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HughPickens.com writes:

Brian Booker writes at Digital Journal that carbon dating suggests that the Koran, or at least portions of it, may actually be older than the prophet Muhammad himself, a finding that if confirmed could rewrite early Islamic history and shed doubt on the "heavenly" origins of the holy text. Scholars believe that a copy Koran held by the Birmingham Library was actually written sometime between 545 AD and 568 [takyon: 568 and 645 AD, with 95.4% accuracy], while the Prophet Mohammad was believed to have been born in 570 AD and to have died in 632 AD. It should be noted, however, that the dating was only conducted on the parchment, rather than the ink, so it is possible that the quran was simply written on old paper. Some scholars believe, however, that Muhammad did not receive the Quran from heaven, as he claimed during his lifetime, but instead collected texts and scripts that fit his political agenda.

"This gives more ground to what have been peripheral views of the Koran's genesis, like that Muhammad and his early followers used a text that was already in existence and shaped it to fit their own political and theological agenda, rather than Muhammad receiving a revelation from heaven," says Keith Small, from the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library. "'It destabilises, to put it mildly, the idea that we can know anything with certainty about how the Koran emerged," says Historian Tom Holland. "and that in turn has implications for the history of Muhammad and the Companions."

Original Submission

takyon writes:

If you can't keep your smartphones updated, perhaps the solution to rampant security vulnerabilities is "cognitive computing technology" to block them:

Qualcomm announced that the first main application for its Zeroth neural chip will be a malware behavior analysis feature called "Qualcomm Snapdragon Smart Protect." The feature will be free for OEMs to use, but it will be up to them to enable it on shipping devices. Qualcomm's Zeroth chip uses "cognitive computing technology," which can enable "brain-inspired," on-device intelligence. The chip is meant to bring more natural interaction with devices and anticipate users' needs. Zeroth was designed to think like a biological brain and learn from its experiences in order to improve itself.

For instance, one of the first demos Qualcomm showed back in 2013 was a robot using Zeroth to find only white squares on a floor, but avoid other colored squares. The robot did this not because it was programmed in a certain specific way to reach the white squares, but because it "learned" by itself where the white squares would be. This is the main principle behind a neural processing unit (NPU) such as Zeroth, which is supposed to sit side-by-side a "traditional" CPU in devices.

The most exciting features that such a chip can provide will likely arrive later on, after developers have started using Qualcomm's Zeroth SDK to create innovative new mobile solutions that can improve people's lives. However, Qualcomm has already come up with what could be a solid use-case for Zeroth: malware behavior analysis. Qualcomm can use the brain-like cognitive power of the Zeroth platform to detect "abnormal behavior" on mobile devices, which can include zero-day malware or "transformational malware," about which anti-virus solutions either don't know or the malware was modified to bypass them (in the latter's case).

Related: Mobile World Congress 2015 Roundup

Original Submission