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n1 writes:

If you drive a diesel vehicle, life is about to get a lot more expensive.

Why? Because you're set to be charged an extra 50% to park in a central London area as of April 3. Ouch. And its all in the aim to reduce air pollution, which has been blighting the capital.

Westminster City Council is set to trial the price hike in parking bays in Hyde Park, Marylebone and Fitzrovia. Visitors in diesel cars will have to pay £7.35 per hour compared with the standard £4.90.

Source: Metro

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takyon writes:

This is the first weekend for teams to compete at SpaceX's Hyperloop Pod Competition:

Hyperloop, a concept for a high-speed ground transport system, was introduced in 2013 by Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX. SpaceX, which designs, manufactures and launches rockets and spacecraft, announced the contest in June 2015, inviting university students and independent engineering teams to build functional, scale-model Hyperloop pods. Through the competition, SpaceX hopes to speed up the development of a prototype for a safer, faster, less expensive and more sustainable mode of transportation, according to the company's website.

Most of the teams are comprised of university students, with two notable exceptions:

All but two of the participating teams are affiliated with universities, including USC, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara. Other teams hail from such places as Maryland, New York, Colorado, Oklahoma, Virginia, Japan, Spain, Canada, India, and the Netherlands. The nonuniversity teams are a group from a Texas high school and a team of individuals organized from around the world through Reddit.com. Finalists were chosen based on their design concepts from a field of 1,200 initial applicants.

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Fnord666 writes:

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has approved what will be the largest U.S. offshore wind farm when it's built off the east end of Long Island. It will generate enough electricity to power more than 50,000 homes on Long Island's South Fork.

The South Fork Wind Farm will consist of 15 wind turbines with 90 megawatts (MW) of capacity. While the project still needs to complete its permitting process, construction could start as early as 2019 and it may be operational as early as 2022.

The approval of the South Fork Wind Farm, to be located 30 miles southeast of Montauk, is the first step toward developing 1,000 megawatts (1 gigawatt) of offshore wind power in that area, Cuomo said in a statement.

[...] "This is a big day for clean energy in New York and our nation. Gov. Cuomo has set a bold vision for a clean energy future, and this project is a significant step toward making that a reality...," Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski said in a statement. "There is a huge clean energy resource blowing off of our coastline just over the horizon, and it is time to tap into this unlimited resource to power our communities."

Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3161753/sustainable-it/ny-okays-largest-us-offshore-wind-farm-off-long-island.html

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MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

The race for 4K gaming has begun. PlayStation 4 Pro is in the marketplace, and while success in supporting ultra HD gaming varies dramatically between releases, an established series of techniques is in place that is already capable of effectively servicing a 4K resolution with a comparatively modest level of GPU power. In the wake of its E3 2016 reveal for the new Project Scorpio console, Microsoft began to share details with developers on how they expect to see 4K supported on its new hardware. A whitepaper was released on its development portal, entitled 'Reaching 4K and GPU Scaling Across Multiple Xbox Devices'. It's a fascinating outlook on Microsoft's ultra HD plans - and it also reveals more about the Scorpio hardware itself. For starters, Xbox One's contentious ESRAM is gone.

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-the-race-to-4k-how-scorpio-targets-ultra-hd-gaming

No link provided to the whitepaper referred to in the article.

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

The guy who made himself famous for claiming he created EMAIL, Shiva Ayyadurai, has taken to suing various web sites, social media sites, and bloggers to shut down any contrary talk on the matter. On the surface the business model looks like it might be that of a classic copyright troll. However, given the targets and the backer, could it be the ultimate goal is simply to close down the coverage in general?

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/01/lawyer-for-inventor-of-e-mail-sends-threat-letter-over-social-media-posts/

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/01/popular-tech-blog-sued-by-self-proclaimed-inventor-of-e-mail-hits-back/

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170111/11440836465/techdirts-first-amendment-fight-life.shtml

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takyon writes:

A new capillary electrophoresis technique could be much more sensitive to the presence of amino acids on other worlds in our solar system:

A simple chemistry method could vastly enhance how scientists search for signs of life on other planets. The test uses a liquid-based technique known as capillary electrophoresis to separate a mixture of organic molecules into its components. It was designed specifically to analyze for amino acids, the structural building blocks of all life on Earth. The method is 10,000 times more sensitive than current methods employed by spacecraft like NASA's Mars Curiosity rover, according to a new study published in Analytical Chemistry [open, DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b04338] [DX]. The study was carried out by researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

One of the key advantages of the authors' new way of using capillary electrophoresis is that the process is relatively simple and easy to automate for liquid samples expected on ocean world missions: it involves combining a liquid sample with a liquid reagent, followed by chemical analysis under conditions determined by the team. By shining a laser across the mixture -- a process known as laser-induced fluorescence detection -- specific molecules can be observed moving at different speeds. They get separated based on how quickly they respond to electric fields. While capillary electrophoresis has been around since the early 1980s, this is the first time it has been tailored specifically to detect extraterrestrial life on an ocean world, said lead author Jessica Creamer, a postdoctoral scholar at JPL.

Now we just need a robotic craft capable of drilling a hole through kilometers of crust in order to reach one of the possible subsurface water oceans on Ceres, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, Enceladus, Titan, Dione, Titania, Oberon, Triton, Pluto, Eris, etc.

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takyon writes:

Apple may have patented something a lot more desirable than a smartwatch:

Apple's product lineup may extend beyond cars and the connected home. A patent filed last year and published January 26 reveals a concept for a vaporizer. The details are a bit hazy -- that is, Apple's patent only describes "a substance that is to be vaporized or sublimated into a vapor," not what the substance might be. The patent, filed by Apple employee Tetsuya Ishikawa, outlines plans for a temperature-regulated plate inside a chamber that heats up a substance to form a vapor.

Many people use vapes to inhale nicotine or marijuana, and they are sometimes used as a replacement for cigarettes. The FDA began regulating vaping last year, and set rules for the manufacturing and distribution of vapes and their components. Vaporizers are also used in industries like healthcare and agriculture, so it's possible Apple is thinking bigger than personal use.

Also at The Verge.

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-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

The Intercept reports

A Federal judge in New York issued a nationwide temporary injunction ^[1], halting the implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration on Saturday night, blocking the deportation of travelers with valid visas detained at airports in the past 24 hours.

Judge Ann Donnelly, a United States District Court Judge in Brooklyn, issued the ruling at an emergency hearing on a lawsuit ^[2] filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups on Saturday, as Trump's executive order temporarily banning citizens of seven nations with Muslim majorities from entering the U.S. took immediate effect.

The judge ruled that the government must immediately stop deporting travelers from those nations, including refugees who already went through a rigorous vetting process, and provide a complete list of all those detained, immigrants rights lawyer Lee Gelernt told reporters in Brooklyn.

[Ed Note (martyb): Original text and links from The Intercept are reproduced here — to bypass indirections and Javascript use the following links.]

^[1] Direct link to a PDF of the Emergency Motion for Stay of Removal (Case 1:17-cv-00480 Document 8 Filed 01/28/17).
^[2] Direct link to a PDF of the Original ACLU Complaint (Case 1:17-cv-00480 Document 1 Filed 01/28/17).

Previously:
Breaking News: Immigration Ban Includes Green Card Holders

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takyon writes:

Seagate claims that it has had 12 terabyte hard disk drives "in the field" for "several quarters", and that 14 TB and 16 TB drives are coming soon. The company has a goal of producing 20 TB hard drives by 2020:

The enterprise is also moving en masse to speedy SSDs for high-performance workloads, which recently led the company to halt further development of 15K HDDs. Many analysts opine that 10K HDDs are next on the chopping block. In response, Seagate shifted its production might to more lucrative high-capacity enterprise HDDs, which now account for 37% of its revenue, to leverage the shrinking HDD price-per-GB advantage over SSDs. Seagate recently closed its Suzhou, China manufacturing plant to reduce manufacturing costs, but it simultaneously increased its investments in other facilities to address the challenges of moving from six platters per drive to eight. The net effects of its maneuverings total $300 million in savings per year.

Seagate is essentially retreating into the high-capacity segment, and the company announced that its new 12TB HDDs have already been shipping to key customers for several quarters. Seagate CEO Steve Luczoalso noted that the company would offer 16TB drives within the next 12 to 18 months. Seagate's new high-capacity offerings are destined for data centers, NAS, DVRs, and a booming surveillance market.

Also at Ars Technica and The Verge.

Previously: Western Digital Announces 12-14 TB Hard Drives and an 8 TB SSD

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

The "six-strikes" Copyright Alert System is no more. In a brief announcement, MPAA, RIAA, and several major US ISPs said that the effort to educate online pirates has stopped. It's unclear why the parties ended their voluntary agreement, but the lack of progress reports in recent years indicates that it wasn't as successful as they had hoped.

[...] The "voluntary" agreement was praised by the US Government and seen as an example for other countries, including the UK, where a similar system is about to start. At the same time, however, the Copyright Alert System members have just ended their efforts.

"After four years of extensive consumer education and engagement, the Copyright Alert System will conclude its work," the members of the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) just announced.

"The program demonstrated that real progress is possible when content creators, Internet innovators and consumer advocates come together in a collaborative and consensus-driven process."

Source: https://torrentfreak.com/the-us-six-strikes-anti-piracy-scheme-is-dead-170128/

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DeathMonkey writes:

Fake news is everywhere. The power of the press is said to be waning. And because the nation's most famous populist—the man with his sights on the presidency—can't trust the lying media, he says, he has no option but to be a publisher himself.

Oh yeah, and the year is 1896.

The would-be president in question is William Jennings Bryan. In an era before the internet, television, or radio, the best way to reach the masses is with newsprint. So, without the option of tweeting his grievances after losing the election to William McKinley, what does Bryan do? He starts his own newspaper. And he uses it to rail against "fake news."

I don't need to tell you a lot of this sounds weirdly familiar.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/01/the-fake-news-crisis-120-years-ago/513710/

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

A museum dedicated to collecting and displaying the artifacts of computing history, like pieces of the ENIAC and the Apple I, has turned its focus on something far less tangible—software engineering. This Saturday, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., opens a new exhibition to the public: "Make Software: Change the World!" Its goal—to show that software engineers are truly the heroes of what it calls the "Transformation Age," changing society in dramatic ways.

The US $7 million exhibit, for the first time, includes a large interactive component—hands on tasks and games designed for children approximately aged ten and up. That age target was picked, museum vice president Kirsten Tashev said, because it is during the middle school years that children start thinking seriously about what they want to do with their lives. The exhibit also aims to show tourists, who represent 40 percent of the museum's visitors, what Silicon Valley is all about, and to help local software engineers explain what their careers involve to their children and parents. "This exhibit makes them look cooler to their kids," says Tashev.

[...] The central hub of the exhibit space focuses on programming in general, with traditional computers running programming challenges and touch tables running a programming game called Frog Pond. (I got really into this game and could certainly have spent more time there.) A small theater in this section runs a short documentary on the development of the Adobe Mix app: filmmakers followed the Adobe team working on the project for two years. Tashev hopes this will just be the first of many documentaries produced for the collection telling stories of software developments.

Source:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/computing/software/software-engineers-are-the-heroes-of-new-computer-history-museum-exhibit

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Twitter has revealed that it has received two FBI National Security Letters:

The FBI appeared to go beyond the scope of existing legal guidance in seeking certain kinds of internet records from Twitter as recently as last year, legal experts said, citing two warrantless surveillance orders the social media company published on Friday.

Twitter said its disclosures were the first time the company had been allowed to publicly reveal the secretive orders, which were delivered with gag orders when they were issued in 2015 and 2016. Their publication follows similar disclosures in recent months by other major internet companies, including Alphabet's Google and Yahoo. Each of the two new orders, known as national security letters (NSLs), specifically request a type of data known as electronic communication transaction records, which can include some email header data and browsing history, among other information.

In doing so, the orders bolster the belief among privacy advocates that the FBI has routinely used NSLs to seek internet records beyond the limitations set down in a 2008 Justice Department legal memo, which concluded such orders should be constrained to phone billing records.

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

Uber continues to be the transportation service of choice for business travelers, making up 52 percent of all expenses in Q4, according to a study by Certify. The online travel and expense management service provider today claimed Uber received the majority share of ground transportation, compared to 40 percent the same quarter in 2015. Additionally, the private on-demand ride hailing service was the most-expensed service in 2016.

By comparison, Lyft was the least-preferred service last quarter, garnering just 4 percent, an increase of 2 percent from the same time in 2015, out of all business receipts. It fell behind not only its direct competitors, but also car rentals (33 percent) and taxis (11 percent). However, Certify notes that Lyft increased its market share in 2016 faster than Uber — 551 percent versus 254 percent, respectively.

[...] Uber also took top honors for having the cheapest average cost per ride, coming in at $24.75, while Lyft was slightly higher at $24.99. Cab rides were priced at $34.62. And speaking of taxis, Certify reported that usage by business travelers has dropped more than 37 percent since Q1 2014.

How many Soylentils use Uber/Lyft for business travel and are you permitted to expense the cost?

Source:
http://venturebeat.com/2017/01/26/uber-was-the-most-expensed-service-with-6-of-all-business-receipts-in-2016/

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

IT Editor for Ars Technica, Sean Gallagher, [Sean Gallagher] was called by "Windows Support" recently and posted a story about how he dragged it out into a two-hour long phone call:

Technical support scams are the bottom of the barrel for cyber-crime. Using well-worn social engineering techniques that generally only work on the least sophisticated computer users, these bootleg call-center operations generally use a collection of commercially available tools to either convince their victims to pay exorbitant fees for "security software" or to extort them to gain control of their computer. And yet, these schemes continue to rake in cash for scammers.

On Monday afternoon, I got a phone call that someone now probably wishes they never made. Caller ID said the call was coming from "MDU Resources," but the caller said he was calling from "the technical support center." He informed me there were "junk files" on my computer slowing it down, and he was going to connect me with a technician to help fix the problem.

I was thrilled, displaying what my wife Paula felt was an inordinate amount of glee about getting the call. Over the next two hours, I subjected the scammers to such misery that Paula later told me she felt bad for them. "They probably had a quota to meet," she said sarcastically. "You probably kept them from getting four or five other people."

The article makes for a good read if you need a chuckle.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/01/take-your-sweet-time-how-i-scammed-a-tech-support-scammer-for-nearly-two-hours

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

The New York Civil Liberties Union is pushing a new state bill that would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant prior to deploying a cell-site simulator, or stingray. The bill also includes other new restrictions.

Cell-site simulators, or fake cell towers, are often used by police to locate criminal suspects by tricking their phones into giving up their location. In some cases, simulators can also be used to intercept phone calls and text messages. Use of these devices has been heavily scrutinized in recent years—in September 2015, the Department of Justice said it would require its federal agents to seek a warrant before deployment.

[...] The bill, which was first reported by ZDNET, doesn't mention stingrays specifically. However, it specifically forbids law enforcement from accessing "electronic device information by means of physical interaction or electronic communication with the device" unless they have a warrant. There are a few narrow exceptions, such as exigent circumstances.

Source:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/01/new-york-lawmakers-want-local-cops-to-get-warrant-before-using-stingray/

Original Submission