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An Anonymous Coward writes:

Apple would like to remind the FCC that it can't activate imaginary FM radios that iPhones don't have

Apple responded today to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, who issued a statement that "urged" Apple to activate the FM chips that he claimed are in iPhones in the name of public safety. The recent hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria were the hook for the reasoning. The only problem? Apple hasn't even included FM radio chips in iPhones since the iPhone 6s.

That's right, Pai called on Apple to activate radios that don't even exist.

As John Gruber astutely points out, the statement has the stink of trying to shift blame or attention off of the FCC's own response and readiness issues. Pai has been banging the drum for months now and it's been a talking point of the NAB for years. When ostensibly asked for comment by Bloomberg, National Association of Broadcasters spokesman Dennis Wharton said "The notion that Apple or anyone else would block this type of information is something that we find fairly troubling." Again, the radios do not exist in iPhones and haven't for over a year now.

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takyon writes:

State Department orders nonessential diplomats and families out of Cuba following mysterious attacks

The US State Department is pulling out all families of employees and nonessential personnel from Cuba, after a string of mysterious attacks against US diplomats.

Several US officials tell CNN that 21 US diplomats and family members became ill after apparent sonic attacks. The American embassy will continue to operate with a 60% reduction in staff. The officials said the US will stop issuing visas in Cuba effective immediately because of the staff reductions and the decision is not described as a retaliatory measure. Officials say there will still be consular officials in the embassy available to assist US citizens in Cuba.

The State Department is also issuing a travel warning, urging Americans not to travel to Cuba because they could also be at risk as some of the attacks against diplomats have taken place at hotels where Americans stay, a senior State Department official told reporters Friday.

Also at the Miami Herald, BBC, and NYT:

Some of those attacked have suffered significant injuries, with symptoms including hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, balance and visual problems, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and difficulty sleeping. But despite an intensive investigation by the F.B.I., the cause and perpetrators of the attacks remain a mystery, with some experts speculating that some kind of sonic weapon or faulty surveillance device may have been at fault.

Related: US Embassy Employees in Cuba Possibly Subjected to 'Acoustic Attack'

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Phoenix666 writes:

Scientists at the MPSD and CFEL have demonstrated the possibility of using a new knob to control and optimize the generation of high-order harmonics in bulk materials, one of the most important physical processes for generating high-energy photons and for the ultrafast manipulation of information.

The generation of high-order harmonics in gases is nowadays routinely used in many different areas of sciences, ranging from physics, to chemistry and biology. This strong-field phenomenon consists in converting many low-energy photons coming from a very strong laser, to fewer photons with a higher energy. Despite the growing interest in this phenomenon in solids, the mechanism behind the conversion of light is still under debate for solid materials.

[...] When atoms and molecules interact with strong laser pulses, they emit high-order harmonics of the fundamental driving laser field. The high-harmonic generation (HHG) in gases is regularly used nowadays to produce isolated attosecond pulses and coherent radiation ranging from visible to soft x-rays. Because of a higher electronic density, solids are one promising route towards compact, brighter HHG sources. However, their use is currently hampered by the lack of a microscopic understanding of the mechanism leading to HHG from solids.

*Sigh*, yes, Britons, we do know what "knob" means in your slang...

Nicolas Tancogne-Dejean et al, Ellipticity dependence of high-harmonic generation in solids originating from coupled intraband and interband dynamics, Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00764-5

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MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for guy_

China has told North Korean companies operating in its territory to close down as it implements United Nations sanctions against the reclusive state.

The companies will be shut by early January. Joint Chinese and North Korean ventures will also be forced to close.

China, Pyongyang's only major ally, has already banned textile trade and limited oil exports.

The move is part of an international response to North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test.

The UN Security Council, of which China is a member, voted unanimously for fresh sanctions on 11 September.

China's commerce ministry said it had set a deadline of 120 days from the passing of the resolution for any North Korean companies within its borders to close.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41431057

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

Google's 'Manhattan project': Home device with a screen to compete with Echo Show

Google generally doesn't do as well when it builds "follower" products — think Google Plus or Allo. But there are other examples where Google has excelled with later entries (e.g., AdWords, Maps). Right now, Google Home is a follower product seeking to break out of Amazon Echo's shadow.

[...] Amazon now has two devices with screens: Echo Show and the new Echo Spot. According to TechCrunch, Google is also working on a Home device with a touchscreen:

Two sources confirm to TechCrunch that the Google device has been internally codenamed "Manhattan" and will have a similar screen size to the 7-inch Echo Show. One source received info directly from a Google employee. Both sources say the device will offer YouTube, Google Assistant, Google Photos and video calling. It will also act as a smart hub that can control Nest and other smart home devices.

Previously: Google Pulls YouTube off of the Amazon Echo Show

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Phoenix666 writes:

France and the United Kingdom are doing it. So is India. And now one lawmaker would like California to follow their lead in phasing out gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

When the Legislature returns in January, Assemblyman Phil Ting plans to introduce a bill that would ban the sale of new cars fueled by internal-combustion engines after 2040. The San Francisco Democrat said it's essential to get California drivers into an electric fleet if the state is going to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, since the transportation sector accounts for more than a third of all emissions.

"The market is moving this way. The entire world is moving this way," Ting said. "At some point you need to set a goal and put a line in the sand."

California already committed five years ago to putting 1.5 million "zero-emission vehicles," such as electric cars and plug-in hybrids, on the road by 2025. By that time, the state wants these cleaner models to account for 15 percent of all new car sales.

Could the hills surrounding Los Angeles one day become visible?

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MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow5743

Websites that publish mug shots and charge for their removal have defeated one lawsuit after the other, claiming First Amendment protection. But that defense to this shady industry may be about to burst. That's because a federal judge, ruling on a lawsuit by several arrestees suing Mughshots.com, just approved a novel class-action. It's one that takes legal advantage of the site's practice of displaying advertising links to paid removal services that the lawsuit claims are owned by Mugshots.com.

US District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman of Chicago didn't go so far as to say this vile practice amounted to extortion, as alleged. Instead, she ruled (PDF) that this likely amounted to a violation of the arrestees' right of publicity because the site was using the mug shots as actual advertisements for the paid removal service.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/mugshot-website-must-face-class-action-for-charging-to-remove-photos/

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Phoenix666 writes:

Scientists have examined a protein that will find application in optogenetics and could be used to control muscle and neuronal cells. The paper on the light-sensitive NsXeRprotein of the xenorhodopsin class was published in Science Advances by the international team of researchers from MIPT, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Institut de Biologie Structurale.

Optogenetics is a new technique that uses light to control neurons or muscle cells in living tissue. It has found wide application in nervous system studies. Optogenetic manipulations are so precise that they make it possible to control individual neurons by switching certain information transfer pathways on or off. Similar methods are also used to partially reverse eyesight or hearing loss as well as to control muscle contractions.

The main tools of optogenetics are light-sensitive proteins that are intentionally inserted into particular cells. After the insertion, the protein becomes attached to the cell surface and moves ions across the membrane upon exposure to light. Thus, in a modified neuron cell, a correctly chosen light impulse may activate a neural signal or, on the contrary, suppress all the signals, depending on which protein is used. By activating signals from individual neurons, it is possible to imitate the functioning of certain brain regions—a technique that modulates the behavior of the organism under study. If such proteins are inserted in muscle cells, an external signal can tense or relax them.

The technique could permit scientists direct control of neurons and muscle cells in a target organism. How long before the researchers use it to play the "Stop Hitting Yourself!" game?

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Phoenix666 writes:

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiled revised plans to travel to the Moon and Mars at a space industry conference today, but he ended his talk with a pretty incredible promise: using that same interplanetary rocket system for long distance travel on Earth. Musk showed a demonstration of the idea on stage, claiming that it will allow passengers to take "most long distance trips" in just 30 minutes, and go "anywhere on Earth in under an hour" for around the same price of an economy airline ticket.

Musk proposed using SpaceX's forthcoming mega-rocket (codenamed "Big Fucking Rocket" or BFR for short) to lift a massive spaceship into orbit around the Earth. The ship would then settle down on floating landing pads near major cities. Both the new rocket and spaceship are currently theoretical, though Musk did say that he hopes to begin construction on the rocket in the next six to nine months.

Travelling by HyperLoop is so yesterday.

[Ed. addition follows] See also: The New York Times and Technology Review.

Video of the full presentation at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Adelaide, Australia is available on YouTube: Making Life Multiplanetary.

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Phoenix666 writes:

Canada is preparing to remove drunk canoeing as an impaired driving offence, ahead of its plans to legalize marijuana.

Currently the country's Criminal Code means that police hand out drunk driving charges to tipsy canoeists, according to The National Post.

At the moment offenders can continue to canoe, as that does not require a licence, but may face automatic driver's licence suspensions, steep fines, demerit points, ignition unlocking devices and vehicle impoundment.

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Phoenix666 writes:

Bruce Schneier reports:

The large accountancy firm Deloitte was hacked, losing client e-mails and files. The hackers had access inside the company's networks for months. Deloitte is doing its best to downplay the severity of this hack, but Bran [sic] Krebs reports that the hack "involves the compromise of all administrator accounts at the company as well as Deloitte's entire internal email system."

So far, the hackers haven't published all the data they stole.

If the data isn't published, then it's a for-profit hack, vs. a Wikileaks/Anonymous-style hack?

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takyon writes:

The U.S. will temporarily waive the requirements of the Jones Act for Puerto Rico. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be carried using American vessels crewed by Americans:

The Trump administration said on Thursday that it would temporarily waive a century-old shipping law for Puerto Rico that officials there said was hindering disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Maria.

The waiver of the law, known as the Jones Act, comes as federal and local officials report more supplies trickling onto the increasingly desperate island. But the Trump administration remains under pressure to step up the recovery effort.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the decision on Twitter on Thursday morning, saying that President Trump had authorized it after a request from Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló of Puerto Rico.

But the real problem for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico? A lack of truck drivers:

It's one thing to get supplies to Puerto Rico. But officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which administers FEMA, say moving goods around the island is the bigger challenge. Diesel is short. Drivers are scarce. And authorities say some roads are still impassable, although local officials dispute that explanation.

These containers were brought to the island by Crowley, a maritime shipping company. The company started unloading shipments on Saturday. By Friday, it will have received four ships, with a total of about 4,000 loaded crates. Crowley says it has more than 3,000 containers there now. That's just one shipping company, at one port. Several other ports are accepting shipments and stranded crates total an estimated 10,000. "This is food, this is water, this is medicine," says Vice President Jose Ayala, who notes a barge a day has arrived since the port opened on Saturday. "It has reached Puerto Rico. The problem is we can't get it on the shelves."

"Plenty of vessels can get cargo to the island," agrees Mark Miller, Crowley's vice president of communications. "But the real difficulty is getting the goods to the people via trucks."

FEMA: Puerto Rico situation has 'improved significantly'

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MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow5743

NASA search-and-rescue technology has been sent to Mexico following the series of earthquakes that shook the country last week. The suitcase-size device, dubbed FINDER, uses radar to detect human heartbeats under rubble.

The device was developed through a collaboration between NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Department of Homeland Security. Two private companies have licensed the technology. As of Thursday, Sept. 21, one of the companies, called SpecOps Group, was in Mexico City participating in rescue operations, NASA officials said in a statement.

The other company, R4, sold FINDER units to Quito, Ecuador's, fire department following an earthquake there last year. That fire department has dispatched these units to Mexico City, according to the NASA statement.

FINDER, which stands for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response, uses low-power microwave radar to detect small movements, like breathing or heartbeat, beneath rubble. In tests, it can detect a heartbeat through 30 feet of rubble or 20 feet of solid concrete, NASA officials said. The technology was developed from JPL's efforts to design low-cost, small-spacecraft radios, using signal-processing techniques created to measure small changes in spacecraft motion.

Source: https://www.space.com/38290-nasa-rescue-tech-sent-mexico-earthquake.html

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takyon writes:

Saudi Arabia will lift its ban on women drivers in June 2018, in a move the interior minister said would "transform traffic safety":

Saudi Arabia's lifting of a much criticized ban on women drivers will reduce the number of car crashes in a country with one of the world's worst traffic-related death rates, its interior minister said on Thursday.

King Salman announced the historic change on Tuesday, ending a conservative tradition which limited women's mobility and was seen by rights activists as an emblem of their suppression in the kingdom where Islam originated.

Saudi Arabia was the only remaining country in the world to bar women from driving, a policy that will officially end in June 2018 after a ministerial committee reports on measures needed for implementation.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, the interior minister who took over from his uncle in June, said security forces were ready to apply traffic laws to men and women, though he did not mention if women would be recruited as traffic police.

"Women driving cars will transform traffic safety into a pedagogical practice which will reduce human and economic losses caused by accidents," he was quoted as saying on the ministry's official Twitter feed. He did not elaborate.

The current King of Saudi Arabia was crowned on January 23, 2015.

Also at the Washington Post. NYT has teaching activities for your students.

Related: Saudi Arabia, UAE to Donate to Women Entrepreneurs Fund
Saudi Arabia to Lift Ban on Online VoIP and Video Calling Services

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takyon writes:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-28/upending-digital-currency-market-is-next-act-for-ex-virtu-trader

Michael Oved helped Virtu Financial Inc. become the most consistently profitable market maker in the history of electronic trading. Now he has his sights set on revolutionizing how digital currency exchanges operate.

The new company he cofounded, AirSwap, sounds like a contradiction in terms: A decentralized exchange. Made possible by the nascent technology of the ethereum blockchain, there's no central authority around which buyers and sellers gather. Instead, a computer program known as a smart contract lets investors find each other anywhere in the world to trade cryptocurrencies. There are no user accounts and identities are hidden as trading is solely on a peer-to-peer basis.

"What's novel about that is there's no New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq in the middle, setting rules," said Richard Johnson, a market-structure analyst at Greenwich Associates who specializes in blockchain, a system of networked computers that verify transactions in minutes rather than days as in the current banking system and make digital currencies such as bitcoin possible. "That's cool, we haven't seen that before."

The idea goes to the heart of what many blockchain supporters want to accomplish: eliminating middlemen in industries from finance to real estate to health care. It also makes digital currencies immune to recent efforts to control their trading by governments such as China, which is closing cryptocurrency exchanges within its borders. "It's impossible to shut down, and you don't even need an account," Oved said. "People won't even know Chinese traders are on the system."

Previously: It Seems China is Shutting Down its Blockchain Economy

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