SoylentNews

butthurt writes:

AMD has begun selling a new line of solid-state drives (SSDs) bearing its name. The Radeon R3 devices are manufactured and serviced by Taiwan-based Galt Inc. They are 7 mm high and 2.5 inches wide. Read speeds are claimed to be ​510 MB/s to 520 MB/s and write speeds 360 MB/s to ​470 MB/s. The drives range in capacity from 120 GB to 960 GB; only the smallest is available so far. They are based on TLC flash.

Coverage:

• PC Gamer
• Yahoo News
• PC World
• CIO

Further information: AMD product page

[Ed. addition.]

There is an Amazon link on the AMD product page, which gives some details on pricing and availability, including:

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Late Wednesday, Brown signed the bill raising the age for tobacco use, including vaping, to 21, the Associated Press reports. He also vetoed a bill that would have asked voters to divert tobacco taxes to pay for the health expenses of those with tobacco-related ailments, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Source: NPR

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

Roboticists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have fitted a pilotless helicopter with a system that injects an unspecified glycol (probably ethylene glycol) into hollow balls containing potassium permanganate, causing a hypergolic reaction. The flaming balls are dropped in a preprogrammed pattern, in order to start fires.

The drone, called the Unmanned Aerial System for Fire Fighting, is being trialled for bringing about "prescribed burns" for fire management and for limiting the spread of invasive organisms. Such work can pose a risk to people who perform it, and must sometimes be done in rugged terrain.

coverage:

• Popular Science (also covers a drone intended to drop dynamite for starting avalanches)
• The Daily Nebraskan
• Lincoln Journal-Star
• SlashGear
• Firefighter Nation
• ABC News

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

APNIC reminds us that "there are now a large number of ISPs, data centres, cloud services, and software that now support IPv6" and "enabling IPv6 can be as simple as clicking a button on your WiFi router."

I turned it on, with Comcast I received an IPv6 route but no DNS server. Fortunately, Google Public DNS has unmemorable addresses, which I was able to configure manually.

2001:4860:4860::8888
2001:4860:4860::8844

It works. "There's only one thing left for you to do: Turn it on!"

[ ed: What are the alternatives to Google's Public DNS? ]

Original Submission

"exec" writes:

A five-year-old privilege escalation vulnerability in Android disclosed today affects hundreds of different device models going back to Jelly Bean 4.3.

https://threatpost.com/five-year-old-android-flaw-exposes-sms-call-history/117873/

-- submitted from IRC

A five-year-old Android vulnerability disclosed today affects hundreds of different device models going back to Jelly Bean 4.3. Older devices are at the greatest risk; newer devices running Android with SE Android, the OS' implementation of Security Enhanced Linux, are at a lesser risk.

The vulnerability allows attackers to escalate privileges on a device, leading to further attacks such as stealing SMS or call logs. Researchers at FireEye's Mandiant Red Team found the flaw, CVE-2016-2060, in Qualcomm software available from the Code Aurora Forum. Related Posts Apple Updates Xcode's Git Implementation May 4, 2016 , 3:02 pm Google Patches More Trouble in Mediaserver May 2, 2016 , 2:00 pm Phony Google Update Spreads Data-Stealing Android Malware April 29, 2016 , 12:52 pm

Qualcomm patched the affected software and moved a fix to OEMs in March. As with other Android patches, OEMs must push updates to devices. Mandiant cautions, however, that it's likely many devices will not be patched. The vulnerable APIs, for example, were found in a 2011 git repository, meaning that the code has been in circulation for five years and could be in an untold number of devices.

Original Submission

DECbot writes:

Food Politics reports that Rick Friday, a long time cartoonist for Farm News, was dismissed for offending "a large company affiliated with one of the corporations mentioned in a cartoon." The political cartoon is critical of Big Ag CEOs, which earned more than 2,000 Iowa farmers combined.

The Des Moines Register explains further:

It seems like in the U.S. you free to say what you like, but if you offend the wrong people you're free to lose your job despite the protections you are provided and encouraged to use.

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

In the Canadian province of Alberta, 80,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the Fort McMurray area, where a wildfire has burned 1,600 buildings and more than 10,000 hectares (about 24,700 acres). The cause of the fire is unknown, but "very high temperatures, low relative humidities and some strong winds" are said to favor its spread.

Coverage:

• CBC
• Slate blog
• NBC News
• CNN

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

At a press conference at the Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio, John Kasich, the state's Republican governor, announced that he has "suspended" his campaign for the U.S. presidency, cleveland.com reports. In a message on his Web site, Mr. Kasich called upon his supporters to "continue strengthening our families and our communities." Pressure from the Republican National Committee may have been a factor in Kasich's decision, another cleveland.com report suggests.

Original Submission

Two Soylentils have submitted stories about IBM's progress in building a quantum computer:

IBM has a quantum computer you can play with for free.

devlux writes:

PC World is running a story today about IBM's new advancements in quantum computing. http://www.pcworld.com/article/3065654/hardware/ibms-quantum-computing-processor-comes-out-of-hiding.html

This is good news for science, but really bad news for crypto including most crypto currencies. With just a few more iterations on this technology, Shors algorithm becomes tractable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shor%27s_algorithm

But there is a good side as well.
From the article... IBM has built a quantum processor with five qubits, or quantum bits. Even better, IBM isn't hiding the quantum processor in its labs—it will be accessible through the cloud for the public to run experiments and test applications.

The goal is to unwrap decades-old mysteries around quantum computers and let people play with the hardware, said Jay Gambetta, manager of quantum computing theory and information at IBM.

Lots more good stuff in the article.

IBM to Allow Public Access to 5-Qubit Quantum Computer

takyon writes:

IBM says it will allow just about anybody to access and program a 5-qubit quantum computer:

IBM has made a functioning quantum processor available to the public over the internet. [...] IBM's quantum processor is located in its TJ Watson Research Centre in New York. Quantum processors are notoriously sensitive, so it is being kept at supercooled temperatures in a cryogenic refrigerator. It has just five qubits that can be manipulated, but the company expects processors of 50-100 qubits to emerge within the next decade. General-purpose machines, which IBM calls "universal" quantum computers, will eventually use more than 100,000 qubits. IBM's cloud solution allows users to drag and drop logic gates - a core principle of processors - on to the individual qubits to form algorithms or experiments. Those can then be sent to a simulator, or added to a queue for the real quantum processor to work on.

The Register's Chris Williams has criticized the "Cloud" spin surrounding the announcement, the need for an invitation, the utility of a five qubit system, and the usual media hype.

Original Submission #1  Original Submission #2 

takyon writes:

Fiat Chrysler will build around 100 driverless hybrid minivans for Google, more than doubling the size of the Google Self-Driving Car Project's fleet. The two companies will co-locate engineers at a facility in Michigan to design the vehicles. The partnership comes despite dismissive comments in the past from Fiat's CEO about the tech industry's intrusion into the automotive industry:

Fiat Chrysler has announced a deal with Google to double the size of the tech giant's fleet of self-driving cars. Fiat will supply 100 Chrysler Pacifica vans and provide engineers to help integrate the technology. The companies described the deal as the most advanced partnership to date between Silicon Valley and a traditional carmaker. Google wants to add more cars to its fleet to increase the amount of road testing it does.

Fiat's chief executive has in the past raised also concerns about the tech industry's impact on the carmakers. Sergio Marchionne called tech companies moving into the sector "disruptive interlopers" and questioned the calibre of the vehicles they could produce.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The size of the Takata airbag recall will more than double in size... again. An additional 40 million vehicles may be affected, bringing the total to approximately 69 million. Takata airbag inflators that don't include a desiccant can take on moisture, potentially causing a deadly shrapnel misfire problem.

Here is the release at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind is calling this "the largest recall in American history".

NHTSA and its independent expert reviewed the findings of three independent investigations into the Takata air bag ruptures and confirmed the findings on the root cause of inflator ruptures. A combination of time, environmental moisture and fluctuating high temperatures contribute to the degradation of the ammonium nitrate propellant in the inflators. Such degradation can cause the propellant to burn too quickly, rupturing the inflator module and sending shrapnel through the air bag and into the vehicle occupants.

"The science clearly shows that these inflators become unsafe over time, faster when exposed to humidity and variations of temperature," Rosekind added. "This recall schedule ensures the inflators will be recalled and replaced before they become dangerous, giving vehicle owners sufficient time to have them replaced before they pose a danger to vehicle occupants. NHTSA will continue to evaluate all available research and will act quickly to protect safety."

Look up your car here (Javascript required).

Previously:
Takata Airbag Defect Leads to Largest Automotive Recall in U.S. History
Takata Denies Reported $24 Billion Cost of Airbag Recall

Original Submission

rigrig writes:

Delft Aerial Robotics (DAR) announced their plans to create an autonomous drone network in the Netherlands within the next year.

They will begin by deploying deploy drone docking stations throughout the Delft region that will support a network of autonomous drones. The docking stations will contain sensors that monitor the weather and flying conditions for drones before they begin flights, as well as drones' diagnostics once they are in the air. They will be connected to the cloud through LTE, LORA, Satellite, or their own networks, and will be available for use by multiple users.

What these drones wil actually be doing seems a bit vague so far. Apparently, DAR expects that its projects will benefit end-users across industries, providing real-time insights on crop health, construction planning, water management, nature conservation, infrastructure management, and more., and they intend to offer drones as a service.

Apart from worrying about the network becoming self aware and exterminating all humans, I wonder how they intend to make sure that people hiring a drone have obtained permission to fly it.

Original Submission

n1 writes:

Company founder and CEO Elon Musk may not mention Tesla Motors Inc's (TSLA.O) stock price when his electric car company gives its latest financial update on Wednesday, but it will be front and center for investors divided over its seemingly rich valuation.

After a rally that ended in April, Tesla's market capitalization is currently about $31 billion - equivalent to $620,000 for every car it delivered last year, or $63,000 for every car it hopes to produce in 2020.

By comparison, General Motors Co's (GM.N) $48 billion market value is equivalent to about $4,800 for every vehicle it sold last year.

Tesla's heady valuation - about 125 times the next 12 months of expected earnings - and the implication that shareholders may be overpaying for Musk's small but fast-growing luxury car company have made the stock a favorite of short sellers.

Source: Reuters

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Scientists have developed a way to keep embyros alive outside of a womb for days longer than before, by using a mix of amino acids, hormones, and growth factors:

Zernicka-Goetz says being able to go past the previous limit is "extremely important" from a scientific point of view. That's because the seventh day of development is the time when the human embryo becomes embedded within the body of the mother — when it becomes implanted in the womb. Scientists had thought embryos could only keep developing if they were safely in the womb and receiving instructions from the mother's body.

But the embryos in the studies implanted in the dish like they they would in the womb. Then they started organizing themselves into the very early stages of different complex organs and tissues and structures in the body, the researchers report.

A commentary accompanying the research urges regulators to revisit the "14-day rule":

In principle, these two lines of research could lead to scientists being able to study all aspects of early human development with unprecedented precision. Yet these advances also put human developmental biology on a collision course with the '14-day rule' — a legal and regulatory line in the sand that has for decades limited in vitro human-embryo research to the period before the 'primitive streak' appears. This is a faint band of cells marking the beginning of an embryo's head-to-tail axis. The 14-day rule has been effective for permitting embryo research within strict constraints — partly because it has been technologically challenging for scientists to break it. Now that the culturing of human embryos beyond 14 days seems feasible, more clarity as to how the rule applies to different types of embryo research in different jurisdictions is crucial. Moreover, in light of the evolving science and its potential benefits, it is important that regulators and concerned citizens reflect on the nature of the restriction and re-evaluate its pros and cons.

Self-organization of the in vitro attached human embryo (DOI: 10.1038/nature17948)

Self-organization of the human embryo in the absence of maternal tissues (DOI: 10.1038/ncb3347)

Original Submission

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

Four-term US Senator for California Barbara Boxer is not running for re-election. There are 34 candidates who want the job. In the Secretary of State's pre-election mailer, candidates can try once more to get voters to like them--for $25/word. Among them is engineer[1] Jason Hanania.

El Reg reports

...whose entire [message] comprises: 01100101.

Why? Because, as Hanania explains on his own website, "01100101" is binary for decimal 101, which is the ASCII code for the letter "e", which is short for "e-voting candidate", which is how he describes himself.

What's an e-voting candidate? Well, according to Hanania's vision, it is one that directly follows the wishes of his or her constituents through online votes, regardless of his or her personal views.

His system, which he outlines in a 33-minute video, will allow decisions in the United States to move "from the 1 per cent to the 100 per cent" by giving everyone a direct vote on matters in front of the US Senate.

He's wrong, of course. The system would fall apart within minutes, but he seems genuinely persuaded in the way that only a patent engineer could imagine a theoretical solution would work in the messy world of real people.

TFA goes into some detail on how California state election rules and the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) pull in opposing directions, as do a wish to balance a democratic right to run for office while avoiding cheap corporate advertising.

[1] He is clearly an engineer who doesn't check his work.

Orange County political forum Orange Juice Blog notes that the statements of candidates reveal points about them such as that some don't know where to get help with things e.g. verifying that their English-language statements don't read like gibberish.

Original Submission