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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Adding abiraterone to hormone therapy at the start of treatment for prostate cancer improves survival by 37 per cent, according to the results of one of the largest ever clinical trials for prostate cancer presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The results from the Cancer Research UK-funded STAMPEDE trial could change the standard of care for men with prostate cancer, making abiraterone a first-line treatment alongside hormone therapy.

This part of the STAMPEDE trial recruited around 1,900 patients. Half the men were treated with hormone therapy while the other half received hormone therapy and abiraterone. In men who were given abiraterone there was a 70 per cent reduction in disease progression. The drug is usually given to men with advanced prostate cancer that has spread and has stopped responding to standard to hormone therapy, but this study shows the added benefit to patients who are about to start long-term hormone therapy.

Professor Nicholas James, chief investigator of the Cancer Research UK-funded STAMPEDE trial from the University of Birmingham, said: "These are the most powerful results I've seen from a prostate cancer trial -- it's a once in a career feeling. This is one of the biggest reductions in death I've seen in any clinical trial for adult cancers.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

looorg writes:

There has been a fair amount of interest or news regard the Denuvo DRM/Anti-tampering software during the last few weeks -- from how hard it is to crack, the performance impact on the games protected by it and how they apparently are trying to use other peoples software on the cheap. Released a day or so ago a new way to circumvent the protection.

The latest "crack" is apparently that of Dishonored 2, which was released in the stores (or on steam) in November '16. The difference to the previous workarounds is that this time it apparently includes a keygenerator. So files remain intact and instead it validates the game as real and proper. That is one way to work around the issue of never having to remove any protection. That might still leave it with the second complaint and problem with Denuvo tho and that is that with this way it will retain all the performance issues the games appear to have while the protection is alive and active.

STEAMPUNKS are proud to bring you the first release including a real Denuvo license generator with untouched game executable. Your license will be regenerated if needed (hw change, os updates) Enjoy The Power We just gave you.

Source: xRel

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

The big SteamOS beta update that Valve shipped last month has now officially been released into the stable updates branch.

This is a very large update. It includes a new 4.11 Linux kernel, and updated drivers for AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA graphics hardware. This update also switches SteamOS from the proprietary AMDGPU-PRO driver to the open source mesa driver. Debian 8.8 and security updates are also included.

Source: GamingOnLinux

Original Submission

"exec" writes:

On the side of Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, six individuals are living in Mars-like conditions as part of a NASA-funded behavioral research study. We chronicle their mission in 360 video.

In the first episode of Life on Mars, we join the Hi-SEAS Mission 5 crew during the training before their eight-month isolation begins. They meet mission support and learn about their new home, a structure they call “the habitat.” During their mission, they will have to wear spacesuits any time they leave the habitat. Their only communication with the outside world will be by email with a 20-minute delay, about the length of time it would take for a transmission from Mars to reach Earth.

Source: The New York Times

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

DannyB writes:

Malware uses Intel AMT feature to steal data, avoid firewalls

Microsoft's security team has come across a malware family that uses Intel's Active Management Technology (AMT) Serial-over-LAN (SOL) interface as a file transfer tool.

Because of the way the Intel AMT SOL technology works, SOL traffic bypasses the local computer's networking stack, so local firewalls or security products won't be able to detect or block the malware while it's exfiltrating data from infected hosts.

and . . .

Intel AMT SOL exposes hidden networking interface

This is because Intel AMT SOL is part of the Intel ME (Management Engine), a separate processor embedded with Intel CPUs, which runs its own operating system.

Intel ME runs even when the main processor is powered off, and while this feature looks pretty shady, Intel built ME to provide remote administration capabilities to companies that manage large networks of thousands of computers.

I always believed the Intel Management Engine was a bad idea and a huge target for sophisticated hackers. Your hardware. Pre-compromised from the factory. A processor baked into your microprocessor with full access to the hardware. It runs a secret binary blob -- and the primary microprocessor won't run without it.

This probably isn't the last time that this will be exploited. Probably not even be the first, given the difficulty to detect it. The wonderful thing is that your OS isn't aware of the compromise and is unable to interfere with it.

Original Submission

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers the following advisory

Select a region below to see when you may experience higher than normal tides from June-August 2017. Depending on non-tidal conditions (wind, storms, etc.) regions may experience impacts before or after the dates mentioned here.

NOTE: Higher than normal high tides alone do not necessarily cause coastal flooding. However, higher-than-normal high tides are becoming increasingly impactful due to continued sea level rise. High tide flooding that causes a nuisance along the coast (such as flooded streets, washed out beaches) is more likely to occur during these periods depending on your location along the coast. More severe flooding may result if adverse weather--heavy rains, strong wind, or big waves--conditions are present.

Questions answered for different regions:

When will the tides be higher than normal?
Where might I expect high tide flooding?
Why will they be higher than normal?
What kind of impact might I expect along the coast?

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Tesla holds a tight grip on its used vehicle market through its certified pre-owned program. As previously reported, it resulted in the Tesla Model S retaining its value better than gas-powered cars in its segment – losing only 28% after 50,000 miles, according to an Autolist report.

Unfortunately for people looking to get a cheap second-hand Tesla, it wasn't the easiest thing to find a good bargain... until now.

The automaker is now listing a lot of new Certified Pre-Owned Model S vehicles for less than $40,000.

While you could sometimes find a used Model S in the $40,000 price range from different resellers or directly from the owners, it was rare to find a used Tesla Model S for that price in Tesla's Certified Pre-Owned program.

Under the program, the vehicles receive a full inspection and a four-year, 50,000 miles limited warranty with 24 hour roadside assistance on top of the remaining years/mileage of their battery and drivetrain warranty.

But now Tesla is introducing a new version of the program for high mileage cars. They added dozens of them to their list and several are just over $30,000

Though one could argue it's just another auto company pushing its wares, there is the impact that having more Tesla cars on the road increases the incentives for building out more charging stations. With more stations, there is less range anxiety, so more people become willing to buy an electric car, and so the positive feedback loop continues. Those the actual numbers in this case are relatively small, consider that Tesla is on the cusp of rolling out the Model 3 in the near future, as well.

Original Submission

We had three different political stories submitted. In the interest of trying to keep political discussions from spilling over into other stories, I have merged them all into this one story. If you are not interested in politics, you are free to ignore this story — another story will be along presently. --martyb

takyon writes:

Japan's government is considering whether or not new nuclear power plants will be built:

Japan's trade ministry will launch a panel to revise the government's basic energy plan and consider a need to build new nuclear plants or replace existing plants in the future, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday.

[...] The government will keep its current plan to reduce its reliance on nuclear energy but it would propose to keep a minimal amount of nuclear power for long-term stable power supplies and maintain technology and personnel, according to the report.

A target by the industry ministry for nuclear to provide about a fifth of the country's electricity in 2030 provoked widespread criticism when it was finalised in 2015.

[In light of the fallout from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, what would be a reasonable and prudent level of nuclear power for Japan? --martyb

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found an interesting story: Bogus Bitcoiners battered with US$12 million penalty in The Register.

The US SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) won its case against two Bitcoin companies — GAW Miners and ZenMiner — operated by Homero Joshua Garza that bilked 10,000 investors out of about $20 million in what was essentially a Ponzi scheme. The companies purported to sell shares in cloud-based Bitcoin mining machinery, but "the companies never owned enough computing power to be serious miners." The companies were hit with a $12 million penalty. Garza is not, however, off the hook as he is facing a separate criminal trial and he is in talks with the SEC about how to handle the claims lodged against him.

Here's the literal money quote:

Ironically, the Bitcoin price ended 2015 bouncing between US$400 and $450. Had the two companies simply bought Bitcoin with their $20 million, on today's $2,740 price for the crypto-currency there'd be around $140 million in the kitty.

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

So as we've been noting, a lot of people remain under the impression that companies like Google and Netflix still support net neutrality, and they'll be rushing in any moment now to help thwart the FCC's latest attempt to kill the rules. In reality, Techdirt readers know that Google hasn't actually supported net neutrality since around 2010 or so. Netflix, also perceived as a consumer ally on the subject, made it clear recently that it no longer sees the need to fight for net neutrality now that it's an international video powerhouse. The company's shift from disruption engines to slightly myopic legacy turf protectors should surprise nobody.

That said, Google and Netflix's departure from the conversation left many net neutrality advocates wondering if any bigger companies would be willing to lend a hand in the latest chapter in the debate. Amazon managed to answer that question this week by throwing its weight behind a July 12 "Day of Action" being coordinated by consumer advocacy group Fight For the Future. According to the group's website, Amazon will join Reddit, Etsy, the ACLU, California ISP Sonic, Mozilla, Kickstarter, BitTorrent, Github and Vimeo for a day of protest -- both online and off -- against the FCC's plan to gut the popular consumer protections.

The plan appears to be to mirror the Internet Slowdown Day back in 2014. You'll recall that that effort, which involved numerous major websites warning their visitors about the threat to net neutrality via site banners, helped convince Tom Wheeler to stop half-assing things, and classify ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act (giving them the adequate legal authority to enforce the rules). His decision was subsequently supported by the courts.

Source: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170606/11072937528/reddit-amazon-push-day-action-july-12-to-protest-killing-net-neutrality.shtml

Original Submission

Grishnakh writes:

United Airlines' customer-relations woes continue, this time with a musician attempting to board with her centuries-old violin and being assaulted by a UA employee and having her hand injured.

A professional musician says a United Airlines employee tried to wrestle away her violin after she insisted on carrying the valuable antique onto her flight.

Yennifer Correia wanted to keep the violin, which is hundreds of years old and worth tens of thousands of dollars, with her while flying Sunday from St. Louis to Houston for work, reported KPRC-TV.

Federal law requires airlines to allow musicians to bring their instruments aboard as carry-on luggage, under certain conditions, but Correia said a United supervisor insisted she pay $50 to check in her violin.

"She was rude from the beginning, saying these are the rules — all you can take with you are some personal items on the plane, and the instrument is too big and it's not going to fit," Correia said.

[...] "She proceeded to throw herself on top of my suitcase, so she could take the rest of the sticker from my suitcase," Correia said. "At this point, we're both struggling — pulling the suitcase — and I'm trying to get her not to take the sticker from me."

This comes immediately after an incident where a wheelchair-bound woman was dropped by a UA employee, causing permanent injuries.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Oath, the combination of Yahoo! and AOL, will start its existence with a round of layoffs:

Verizon is set to cut thousands of jobs from Yahoo and AOL as the companies integrate, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC on Thursday.

Brands in the new combined media entity, to be named Oath, could lay off a total of about 2,100 staffers, or about 15 percent of the workforce, the source familiar with the matter said. The cuts are expected to be announced next week once the deal closes.

[...] Recode previously reported that up to 1,000 jobs could be cut, while Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported a number closer to 2,000. The companies declined to comment on the reports at that time.

Also at Reuters and the The Washington Post.

Original Submission

canopic jug writes:

A South Africa-based magazine summarizes a Forrester report that concludes that it is 'Unforgivably negligent' not to adopt open source. While that has been common knowledge for us for a long time, firms like Forrester are starting to acknowledge the necessity.

Subtitling their report "CIOs need to embrace open source software to drive change", the authors emphasise open source options should be considered alongside proprietary offerings in order to avoid missing out on "sound technologies, access to vibrant communities, and the opportunity to tap innovative new ways of working".

They believe open source has to be part of every business's technology strategy as it will underpin every application on which customers will depend. This means organisations that do not experiment with open source today will find themselves at a huge disadvantage in the not-too-distant future.

If only the UK's NHS had read and acted on the report, or others like it, in time.

Forrester is an American market research company that provides advice on existing and potential impact of technology, to its clients and the public.

Original Submission

cafebabe writes:

Turla is an "advanced persistent threat" hacking group based in Russia with a long history of attacking states in ways that advance Russian state interests -- suggesting that they are either a part of the Russian espionage system, or contracting to it.

A new analysis by Eset shows that Turla is solving its C&C problems by using Britney Spears' Instagram account as a cut-out for its C&C servers. Turla moves the C&C server around, then hides the current address of the server in encrypted comments left on Britney Spears's image posts. The compromised systems check in with Spears's Instagram whenever they need to know where the C&C server is currently residing.

Source: BoingBoing

Turla faces another devastating disclosure, a report that Turla exploited gaps in the security model of satellite TV and internet systems to make it possible for compromised computers to contact the C&C servers without revealing their locations.

Satellite internet services that are delivered over DVB-S satellite TV links use unencrypted links: users send data to the satellites through normal internet links, without encryption, that terminate in satellite ground-stations that uplink to the space-based units. The satellites then beam down their communications (again, without encryption) to a region whose footprint has a radius of 600 miles.

Turla intercepted communications destined for the satellite base stations (called "teleport points") and injected their own data into the streams. The satellites retransmitted this data to a 600 square-mile radius zone. The addressee of the data ignored it, because it had a nonsense port-number associated with it. But Turla was able to receive this data and act on it.

Source: BoingBoing

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Gerrymandering has a long and unpopular history in the United States. It is the main reason that the country ranked 55th of 158 nations — last among Western democracies — in a 2017 index of voting fairness run by the Electoral Integrity Project

[...] Lawsuits fighting partisan gerrymandering are pending around the country, and a census planned for 2020 is expected to trigger nationwide redistricting. If the mathematicians succeed in laying out their case, it could influence how those maps are drawn.

[...] States such as Arizona and Iowa, which have independent or bipartisan commissions that oversee the creation of voting districts, fared much better. In a separate analysis, Daniel McGlone, a geographic-information-system data analyst at the technology firm Azavea in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ranked each state’s voting districts for compactness as a measure of gerrymandering, and found that Maryland had the most-gerrymandered districts. North Carolina came second. Nevada, Nebraska and Indiana were the least gerrymandered.

[...] In the summer of 2016, a bipartisan panel of retired judges met to see whether they could create a more representative set of voting districts for North Carolina. Their maps gave Mattingly a chance to test his index. The judges’ districts, he found, were less gerrymandered than in 75% of the computer-generated models — a sign of a well-drawn, representative map. By comparison, every one of the 24,000 computer-drawn districts was less gerrymandered than either the 2012 or 2016 voting districts drawn by state legislators

[...] Political scientist Nicholas Stephanopoulos at the University of Chicago, Illinois, takes a much simpler approach to measuring gerrymandering. He has developed what he calls an “efficiency gap”, which measures a state’s wasted votes: all those cast for a losing candidate in each district, and all those for the victor in excess of the proportion needed to win. If one party has lots of landslide victories and crushing losses compared with its rivals, this can be a sign of gerrymandering.

Note: Please try to keep the discussion on the topic of gerrymandering.

http://www.nature.com/news/the-mathematicians-who-want-to-save-democracy-1.22113
https://arxiv.org/abs/1410.8796

Original Submission