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ticho writes:

The [Hong Kong] city was hit by a whopping 10,000 bolts of lightning during an epic 12-hour overnight thunderstorm, with even meteorologists taken aback by the intensity.

Hong Kong residents were barely starting to cool down from the hottest July day in half a century when the Observatory issued a thunderstorm warning at 6.45pm on Saturday, alerting the public to seek shelter and get off high ground.

In more than five hours up to 12am, the Observatory recorded 5,905 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, most of them hitting Lantau Island and the New Territories. An amber rainstorm warning was issued on top of that at 9.55am, as downpours lashed parts of Hong Kong with more than 30 millimetres [1.18 inches] of rain.

The rolling thunder and intense flashes continued into Sunday morning, which saw another 4,095 bolts of lightning strike from cloud to ground.

[...] About 3,122 cloud-to-cloud bolts of lightning were also counted in the two days.

Some youtube footage of a lightning-filled night sky over the city:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RFP8KZdINs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1pJ6b90IS0

Original Submission

tonyPick writes:

The Washington Post has a story about a mysterious condition leading to the rapid deterioration of the eyesight of astronauts, highlighting the case of former NASA astronaut John Philips.

During Phillips' post-flight physical, NASA found that his vision had gone from 20/20 to 20/100 in six months

Rigorous testing followed. Phillips got MRIs, retinal scans, neurological tests and a spinal tap. The tests showed that not only had his vision changed, but his eyes had changed as well.

The backs of his eyes had gotten flatter, pushing his retinas forward. He had choroidal folds, which are like stretch marks. His optic nerves were inflamed.

Phillips case became the first widely recognized one of a mysterious syndrome that affects 80 percent of astronauts on long-duration missions in space. The syndrome could interfere with plans for future crewed space missions, including any trips to Mars.

Originally seen on HackerNews.

Original Submission

martyb writes:

As I consider an upgrade to how I get on-line, I thought I'd reach out to the SoylentNews community and see if I can draw upon the collective wisdom we have here.

I currently have a single Windows 7 Pro laptop that I tether (via Wi-Fi) through an LTE Android phone. I get sustained transfer rates of 200-650KB/sec. I'd like to step up to a cable ISP for the faster connection and for the much greater data cap (I'm limited to 5 GB/month). In the not-too-distant future, I'd like to get another computer or two running Linux and have those able to access the internet, too. Other future upgrades include a NAS for backups and maybe an inexpensive Wi-Fi tablet, too.

I subscribe to the Unix Philosophy of having tools that do one job and do it well. Then I can choose the best implementation that meets my needs. And, if need be, switch it out and replace it with something else.

Back in the 1980s when I bought my first real stereo system, there was a huge discussion at the time concerning which was the best approach: purchase an all-in-one system or buy separate components. Though initially less expensive, the downside of the all-in-one was that if something went bad, you could potentially lose the entire use of your system. If not at the outset, certainly while it was out for repair. So, I chose the component route and purchased a receiver, tape deck, and turntable. Over the following years it was a simple task to add on a VCR, CD player, and DVD Player. Over time, both the CD and DVD players were easily replaced with an improved model. I never regretted the decision to go the component route.

That leads me to thinking that I should get a setup of: modem --> firewall --> router --> computer(s).

I am VERY security conscious. I browse with Pale Moon and have installed these extensions: Adblock Lattitude, Better Privacy, Flashblock, NoScript, RefControl, Self-Destructing Cookies, uBlock Origin, and User Agent Switcher. Further, I have a custom HOSTS file that blocks many thousands of sites. That leads me to think that a separate firewall would be advisable.

Given my druthers, I'd prefer to run cables to each device for better security. On the other hand, I'd like to have Wi-Fi access for my phone and/or tablet. So, I'm thinking I'd need to plug a Wi-Fi access point into the router. Is that correct?

I don't stream video except for an occasional item on YouTube, so my sustained bandwidth needs are limited. I'm thinking that a 25 Mbps or so cable connection should be adequate, but I'd like to have the headroom to move up to 100 Mbps without issue. (The cost difference is prohibitive for the limited speed improvement.) On the other hand, I live near several city facilities (school, fire station) and there is talk of installing city gigabit fiber. (A neighboring city offers it at something like $80/month.) At that price, I'd go for the fiber, so I'd like to keep my options open for that possibility, as well.

Though I am technically savvy, I know that networking is not my bailiwick and I'd rather learn from your collective experience than re-invent the wheel. Does my conceptual view of "modem / firewall / router / computers" make sense? What devices would you recommend for each of these? Which would you avoid? What "gotchas" have you run into, that you didn't know you didn't know (i.e. unknown unknowns) when you got started?

So, here's your chance to brag about your home networking setup and share your experiences. I suspect the discussion might help someone solve a long-standing issue they have with their setup, and I'm hopeful I'll be able to avoid a few of my own!

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

Magnus Magnusson interviewed Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Arthur C. Clarke for a 1988 ITV Central television show called "God, The Universe and Everything Else." Topics discussed include cosmology, time travel, contact with extraterrestrials, the Mandelbrot set, creativity, and God.

The video has made its way to Youtube. Its duration is about 51 minutes.

Further information:
IMDB entry

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

The premier of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has called for a ban on greyhound racing. The ban would take effect 1 July 2017. It must be approved by the state parliament and may be challenged in the courts.

The announcement comes in the wake of an ABC documentary which showed the use of piglets, opossums and rabbits as live bait for greyhounds, and an official inquiry into the matter. The report from the inquiry said that up to 20% of trainers engaged in live baiting and that between 48,000 and 68,000 greyhounds were killed in the past 12 years because they were too slow, a practice known as wastage. It also said (quoted from Daily Telegraph story, not directly from the report):

trackside stewards routinely concealed information about deaths and injuries to greyhounds and that GRNSW [Greyhound Racing NSW] "sanitised" information that became available to the public.

The RSPCA and PETA Australia expressed support for a ban.

coverage:

• The Australian
• Daily Mail
• Sky News Australia
• AAP via Yahoo7 News
• BBC
• Herald Sun
• The Daily Telegraph

further information:
GRNSW press release

Original Submission

fork(2) writes:

From Space.com:

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity went into a precautionary "safe mode" over the Fourth of July weekend, but the robot is currently stable and communicating with its handlers back on Earth, space agency officials said.

Curiosity put itself into the minimal-activity safe mode on Saturday (July 2), for reasons that engineers are still trying to tease out.

"Preliminary information indicates an unexpected mismatch between camera software and data-processing software in the main computer," NASA officials wrote in a status update today (July 6). "The near-term steps toward resuming full activities begin with requesting more diagnostic information from Curiosity."

The car-size Curiosity has entered safe mode three times before -- all in 2013 -- and bounced back fully every time.

Also reported at:

Gismodo
JPL
AOL
Mars Daily
..and a host of others

Original Submission

n1 writes:

Hillary Clinton's closest aide revealed in a deposition last week that her boss destroyed at least some of her schedules as secretary of state — a revelation that could complicate matters for the presumptive Democratic nominee, who, along with the State Department she ran, is facing numerous lawsuits seeking those public records.

Huma Abedin was deposed in connection with a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit into Clinton's emails — but her admission could be relevant to another lawsuit seeking Clinton's schedules.

[...] "I spent eight years at the State Department and watched as four US ambassadors and two secretaries of state shared their daily schedules with a variety of State Department employees and US officials," said Richard Grenell, former diplomat and US spokesman at the United Nations.

"I've never seen anyone put their schedule in the burn bag — because every one of them had a state.gov email address and therefore their daily schedules became public records, as required by law."

[...] The Associated Press has been seeking Clinton's schedule through Freedom of Information Act requests asking for Clinton's public and private calendars and schedules from Jan. 21, 2009, through Feb. 1, 2013. The wire service sued the State Department for those schedules in 2015.

Source: New York Post

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

A press release by the University of the Basque Country promotes a paper published in Scientific Reports (DOI: 10.1038/srep29005). The paper concerns Neanderthal bones found in a cave near the hamlet of Goyet in Belgium. Archaeologists found that some of the bones had been crushed or showed cuts. Bones of horses and reindeer found in the same cave had received the same treatment. The authors surmise that Neanderthals "ate the meat and broke the bones of their fellow Neanderthals for food."

Mitochondrial DNA was recovered from the Neanderthals' bones, and was found to be similar to that from sites in Germany, Croatia and Spain, from which the authors conclude that "the Neanderthal population that inhabited Europe was small."

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

According to the Sydney Morning Herald , the Australian telecommunications company Telstra has just "sacked hundreds" of customer service workers, salespeople and managers. The Community and Public Sector Union says that 450 of its members have received notices whilst the company acknowledged "a total of 326 roles impacted." The cuts come in connection with the closure of call centres in Melbourne and Perth, including one which only took calls regarding customers who had died; workers in New South Wales and the Philippines are to handle the calls instead.

Original Submission

Why Tech Support Is (Purposely) Unbearable

HughPickens.com writes:

Getting caught in a tech support loop — waiting on hold, interacting with automated systems, talking to people reading from unhelpful scripts and then finding yourself on hold yet again — is a peculiar kind of aggravation that mental health experts say can provoke rage in even the most mild-mannered person. Now Kate Murphy writes at the NYT that just as you suspected, companies are aware of the torture they are putting you through as 92 percent of customer service managers say their agents could be more effective and 74 percent say their company procedures prevented agents from providing satisfactory experiences. "Don't think companies haven't studied how far they can take things in providing the minimal level of service," says Justin Robbins, who was once a tech support agent himself and now oversees research and editorial at ICMI. "Some organizations have even monetized it by intentionally engineering it so you have to wait an hour at least to speak to someone in support, and while you are on hold, you're hearing messages like, 'If you'd like premium support, call this number and for a fee, we will get to you immediately.'"

Mental health experts say there are ways to get better tech support or maybe just make it more bearable. First, do whatever it takes to control your temper. Take a deep breath. Count to 10. Losing your stack at a consumer support agent is not going to get your problem resolved any faster and being negative in your dealings with others can quickly paint you as a complainer no one wants to work with. Don't bother demanding to speak to a supervisor, either. You're just going to get transferred to another agent who has been alerted ahead of time that you have come unhinged. According to the NYT, to get better service by phone, dial the prompt designated for "sales" or "to place an order," which almost always gets you an onshore agent, while tech support is usually offshore with the associated language difficulties. Finally customer support experts recommended using social media, like tweeting or sending a Facebook message, to contact a company instead of calling. You are likely to get a quicker response, not only because fewer people try that channel but also because your use of social media shows that you know how to vent your frustration to a wider audience if your needs are not met.

fork(2) writes:

The Director of Research at the SETI Institute proposed a broader, multidisciplinary approach to the SETI search, beyond radio and optical modalities, in an article published today in the journal Astrobiology .

Phys.org says:

"Alien Mindscapes -- A Perspective on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" authored by Nathalie A. Cabrol, Director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute, suggests the need for a sea change in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, where the full complement of physical, biological, computer and social sciences are deployed in a quest to look for life as we do not know it. Cabrol asserts that "To find ET, we must open our minds beyond a deeply-rooted, Earth-centric perspective, expand our research methods and deploy new tools. Never before has so much data been available in so many scientific disciplines to help us grasp the role of probabilistic events in the development of extraterrestrial intelligence. These data tell us that each world is a unique planetary experiment. Advanced intelligent life is likely plentiful in the universe, but may be very different from us, based on what we now know of the coevolution of life and environment."

[...] In her paper's call to action, Cabrol promotes the establishment of a Virtual Institute with participation from the global scientific community. The new SETI Virtual Institute will integrate our new knowledge to understand who, what, and where ET can be, and step beyond the anthropocentric perspective. New detection strategies generated by this approach will augment our chances of detection by identifying new survey targets. The purpose is to expand the vision and strategies for SETI research and to break through the constraints imposed by imagining ET to be similar to ourselves. This new endeavor will probe the alien landscapes and mindscapes, and expand our understanding of life in the universe.

Original Submission

fork(2) writes:

From SpaceNews:

In a July 8 statement, the Navy said the fifth satellite in its next-generation narrowband communications constellation, known as the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), had expected to reach geosynchronous orbit and a test location about 35,400 kilometers above Hawaii by July 3. But following a successful launch, "the satellite experienced an anomaly that required the transfer maneuver to be temporarily halted," Steven Davis, a spokesman for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, said. He did not elaborate.

Since the event, the Navy "has reconfigured the satellite from orbital transfer into a stabilized, safe intermediate orbit to allow the MUOS team to evaluate the situation and determine options for proceeding," he said.

The satellite, MUOS-5, is a "spare for a system that provides smartphone-like communications to mobile forces at rates 10 times faster than the Navy's legacy satellites." The four primary MUOS satellites are on-orbit and performing as expected.

United Launch Alliance lifted MUOS-5 June 24 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard an Atlas 5 rocket in its most powerful configuration, featuring a 5-meter payload fairing, five solid-fueled strap-on boosters and a Centaur upper stage powered by a single RL-10 engine.

[...] Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the MUOS program.

"Nothing is more important to Lockheed Martin than mission success," said Chip Eschenfelder, a Lockheed Martin spokesman. "We are working closely with our Navy customer to determine the cause of the anomaly."

The Government Accountability Office has said the MUOS program carries a price tag of about $7.7 billion.

Original Submission

http://www.motortrend.com/news/testing-semi-autonomous-cars-tesla-cadillac-hyundai-mercedes/

Motor Trend engineering staff tests autonomous driving features and compares the time response to such events as "door slam",

The first part of the article is background, about half way down the page is the actual test process and data. Not surprisingly, it looks like every manufacturer has their own approach to tuning these systems. Hopefully this jumpstarts other independent testing of these driver assist systems.

Original Submission

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

El Reg reports

Cops at Stansted airport in Essex, UK, couldn't believe their eyes when a passenger turned up for a flight with what looked like a gun in his bag.

The unnamed pillock had chosen to protect his iPhone with a black case that sported a realistic-looking handgun built into the base. It's difficult to see the attraction of such a gadget, since it makes the phone a pain to use--but presumably it also makes the owner feel like a bit of a pwoppa gangsta.

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

The United States and South Korea issued a joint statement saying that the United States is to place a THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile system in South Korea. The system uses radar to identify approaching missiles, against which interceptor missiles can be fired. It would be under control of the United States military. According to the statement, the system

will be focused solely on North Korean nuclear and missile threats and would not be directed towards any third party nations.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it "expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" and called for a "stop" to the deployment.

coverage:

• CCTV (Chinese government source)
• Xinhua (Chinese government source; story from February)
• Xinhua (story from 29 June)
• Kores Times
• Reuters (story from 29 June)
• Los Angeles Times
• Washington Post
• BBC
• Reuters
• New York Times

Original Submission