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takyon writes:

The Allen Institute for Brain Science has released an open-access database of live human brain cells:

It contains data on the electrical properties of about 300 cortical neurons taken from 36 patients and 3D reconstructions of 100 of those cells, plus gene expression data from 16,000 neurons from three other patients.

Neurosurgeons near Seattle, Washington provided cells from epilepsy and brain tumor patients that were previously considered to be medical waste.

Previously: A Blueprint for How to Build a Human Brain

Related: Millions of Functional Human Cells Can be Created in Days With OPTi-OX

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The Linear Tape-Open standard will be extended by another two generations, increasing raw/uncompressed capacity from LTO-8's 12 TB to 192 TB on an LTO-12 tape:

The LTO Program Technology Provider Companies (TPCs), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum, announced the specifications of the latest LTO Ultrium format, generation 8, which is now available for licensing by media manufacturers.

The LTO Program also released a new LTO technology roadmap, detailing specifications up to twelve (12) generations of tape technology, extending the total capacity of data held on one LTO Ultrium generation 12 tape cartridge to 480TB – an increase of 32 times the capacity of current-generation 7 cartridges.

The new LTO generation 8 specifications are designed to double the tape cartridge capacity from the previous LTO generation 7, with customers now being able to store up to 30TB per cartridge when compressed. In an effort to push the innovation boundaries of tape technology going forward, the current LTO format required a recording technology transition that supports capacity growth for future LTO generations. To address this technological shift and maintain affordability in times of extreme data growth, the latest LTO generation 8 specifications are intended to be only backwards compatible with LTO generation 7 cartridges.

Despite records like 220-330 TB uncompressed in the laboratory, these 100+ TB capacities won't be available for a while:

[Spectra Logic's] CEO and founder, Nathan Thompson, said: "Spectra foresees the availability of LTO-9 at 24TB per tape cartridge in two years; LTO-10 at 48TB in four years; LTO-11 at 96TB in six or seven years; and LTO-12 at 190+TB in eight to nine years. I firmly believe that no other commercial data storage technology available now or on the horizon, will keep pace with or fulfill the world's increasing demand for cost-effective, long-term data storage like tape technology."

Also at IT Jungle.

Previously: IBM and FUJIFILM Create Equivalent of 220 TB Tape Cartridge
LTO Tape Sales Remain Steady
IBM Claims Densest Tape Storage Record (330 TB)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The Apple v. Samsung saga continues:

The Apple v. Samsung lawsuit is getting a big "reset," thanks to last year's Supreme Court ruling on design patents. The long-running litigation rollercoaster has included so many turns it's hard to keep track. The case was filed in 2011 and went to a 2012 jury trial, which resulted in a blockbuster verdict of more than $1 billion. Post-trial damage motions whittled that down, and then there was a 2013 damages re-trial in front of a separate jury. An appeals court kicked out trademark-related damages altogether.

Meanwhile, a whole separate case moved forward in which Apple sued over a new generation of Samsung products. That lawsuit went to a jury trial in 2014 and resulted in a $120 million verdict, far less than the $2 billion Apple was seeking. That verdict was thrown out on appeal, then reinstated on a subsequent appeal. So that one appears to stand.

But back to that first case. After a lot of back and forth, Samsung agreed to make a payment of $548 million, but the Korean giant didn't give up its right to appeal. In a landmark case over design patents, the US Supreme Court said that the damages had been done all wrong—but the justices gave little guidance as to how they should be done. The high court threw out $399 million of the damages Apple had won.

New trial order (PDF).

Also at CNET.

Original Submission

Broadcasting and Cable reports that the FCC has voted to eliminate "the almost eight-decade old requirement that broadcasters, radio and TV, maintain a main studio in or near their community of license." The National Association of Broadcasters expressed support for the change, saying the rule "has outlived its usefulness in an era of mobile news gathering and multiple content delivery platforms."

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn opposed the move, saying it signified "embracing a world in which automated national programming is the new normal." Other critics saw the vote as easing the way for a Sinclair–Tribune merger.

Further reading: statement of Ajit Pai (PDF)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Update: 2,800 documents will be released tonight, others may be released on April 26, 2018.

Update 2: Documents have been released.

Update 3: Check this live feed: JFK files: government releases classified assassination documents – live

John F. Kennedy, often better known as JFK, was the United States of America's 35th President. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

The deadline for the release of redacted and withheld records from the JFK Assassination Records Collection is today. Of the approximately 5 million pages in the collection, about 11% are redacted and 1% are withheld in full:

According to the [JFK Assassination Records Collection Act], all [JFK assassination-related] records previously withheld either in part or in full should be released on October 26, 2017, unless authorized for further withholding by the President of the United States. The 2017 date derives directly from the law that states:

Each assassination record shall be publicly disclosed in full, and available in the Collection no later than the date that is 25 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, unless the President certifies, as required by this Act, that –

(i) continued postponement is made necessary by an identifiable harm to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement or conduct of foreign relations; and

(ii) the identifiable harm is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

The Act was signed by President Bush on October 26, 1992, thus the final release date is October 26, 2017.

Some records related to grand jury information and tax return information will remain withheld, as specified in Sections 10 and 11 of the Collection Act.

takyon writes:

AMD turned a profit last quarter:

2017 has been a great year for the tech enthusiast, with the return of meaningful competition in the PC space. Today, AMD announced their third quarter earnings, which beat expectations, and put the company's ledgers back in the black in their GAAP earnings. For the quarter, AMD had revenues of $1.64 billion, compared to $1.31 billion a year ago, which is a gain of just over 25%. Operating income was $126 million, compared to a $293 million loss a year ago, and net income was $71 million, compared to a net loss of $406 million a year ago. This resulted in earnings per share of $0.07, compared to a loss per share of $0.50 in Q3 2016.

[...] The Computing and Graphics segment has been a key to these numbers, with some impressive launches this year, especially on the CPU side. Revenue for this segment was up 74% to $819 million, and AMD attributes this to strong sales of both Radeon GPUs and Ryzen desktop processors. Average Selling Price (ASP) was also up significantly thanks to Ryzen sales. AMD is still undercutting Intel on price, but they don't have to almost give things away like they did the last couple of years. ASP of GPUs was also up significantly, and the proliferation of cryptocurrency likely played a large part in that. Operating income for the segment was an impressive $70 million, compared to an operating loss of $66 million last year.

When AMD turns a profit, it is news. Stocks still plunged on concerns over future growth. Citi Research has predicted big losses for AMD as Intel ships its Coffee Lake CPUs.

Previously: AMD Ryzen Launch News
AMD GPU Supply Exhausted By Cryptocurrency Mining, AIBs Now Directly Advertising To Miners
AMD Epyc 7000-Series Launched With Up to 32 Cores
Cryptocoin GPU Bubble?
Ethereum Mining Craze Leads to GPU Shortages
Used GPUs Flood the Market as Ethereum's Price Crashes Below $150
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 and 56 Announced
First Two AMD Threadripper Chips Out on Aug. 10, New 8-Core Version on Aug. 31
Cryptocurrency Mining Wipes Out Vega 64 Stock
AMD Expected to Release Ryzen CPUs on a 12nm Process in Q1 2018

Original Submission

c0lo writes:

The New York Times and HuffPost and many others report on EPA abruptly blocking three agency scientists from giving talks on climate change - specifically in the context of a Rhode Island event, with the subject of discussing a report on current conditions in Narragansett Bay and future threats that include climate change.

The New York Times (the origin)

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency has canceled the speaking appearance of three agency scientists who were scheduled to discuss climate change at a conference on Monday in Rhode Island, according to the agency and several people involved.

John Konkus, an E.P.A. spokesman and a former Trump campaign operative in Florida, confirmed that agency scientists would not speak at the State of the Narragansett Bay and Watershed program in Providence. He provided no further explanation.

Scientists involved in the program said that much of the discussion at the event centers on climate change. Many said they were surprised by the E.P.A.'s last-minute cancellation, particularly since the agency helps to fund the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, which is hosting the conference. The scientists who have been barred from speaking contributed substantial material to a 400-page report to be issued on Monday.
...
Monday's conference is designed to draw attention to the health of Narragansett Bay, the largest estuary in New England and a key to the region's tourism and fishing industries. Rhode Island's entire congressional delegation, all Democrats, will attend a morning news conference. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, an outspoken critic of Mr. Pruitt, will be among the speakers.

Scientists there will unveil the report on the state of the bay, which E.P.A. scientists helped research and write. Among the findings will be that climate change is affecting air and water temperatures, precipitation, sea level and fish in and around the estuary.

The HuffPost article provides some context:

The researchers were booked to appear Monday in Providence at the State of the Narragansett Bay and Watershed workshop, an event highlighting the health of New England's largest estuary, where temperatures have risen 3 degrees Fahrenheit and water has risen up to seven inches over the past century.
...
The move comes days after the EPA scrubbed dozens of links from its website to materials that helped local governments deal with the effects of climate change. Administrator Scott Pruitt has said he does not believe greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels cause climate change, and has scrapped or proposed eliminating numerous regulations to reduce emissions. Two weeks ago, he proposed repealing the Clean Power Plan, the federal government's primary policy for slashing utilities' output of planet-warming gases.
...
The sudden cancellations on Sunday inflame concerns that the agency is muzzling scientists to further the White House's political interests.

I have a hunch Rhode Island isn't included in Trump's list of American places to be "made great again".

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The apparent symmetry between matter and antimatter is puzzling scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN):

One of the great mysteries of modern physics is why antimatter did not destroy the universe at the beginning of time.

To explain it, physicists suppose there must be some difference between matter and antimatter – apart from electric charge. Whatever that difference is, it's not in their magnetism, it seems.

Physicists at CERN in Switzerland have made the most precise measurement ever of the magnetic moment of an anti-proton – a number that measures how a particle reacts to magnetic force – and found it to be exactly the same as that of the proton but with opposite sign. The work is described in Nature [open, DOI: 10.1038/nature24048] [DX].

"All of our observations find a complete symmetry between matter and antimatter, which is why the universe should not actually exist," says Christian Smorra, a physicist at CERN's Baryon–Antibaryon Symmetry Experiment (BASE) collaboration. "An asymmetry must exist here somewhere but we simply do not understand where the difference is."

CP violation.

Previously: Evidence Mounts that Neutrinos are the Key to the Universe's Existence
Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry Confirmed in Baryons
LHCb Observes an Exceptionally Large Group of Particles
Possible Explanation for the Dominance of Matter Over Antimatter in the Universe

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Delphi Automotive has acquired the self-driving car startup nuTonomy for $450 million:

While other self-driving software startups like Cruise, Argo AI and others have opted to sell to an automaker, nuTonomy is one of the first software startups to tie up with an automotive supplier. That means nuTonomy will be a self-driving software supplier to the industry in a way Cruise and Argo, at least initially, are not. Cruise, acquired by General Motors in 2016, and Argo AI, in which Ford took a majority stake earlier this year, are exclusive providers of self-driving software to those automakers. (Ford has said it would be willing to license out Argo technology after the company got its own cars on the road.)

NuTonomy, on the other hand, is creating a turnkey self-driving platform with Delphi to be licensed to any number of automakers, or even tech companies looking to build out their own cars. "As an [automaker], I think it may be challenging to sell products to your competitors," Karl Iagnemma, nuTonomy co-founder, told Recode. With Delphi, nuTonomy will be able to work with the automakers, transportation service providers and ride-hail companies of the world, Iagnemma said.

Delphi Automotive bought Ottomatika, a Carnegie Mellon University spinoff company, in 2015.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Hot on the heels of Walmart's plans to deliver groceries directly into the fridges of homes with smart locks, Amazon has announced a similar arrangement for package deliveries, called Amazon Key:

Amazon on Wednesday announced Amazon Key, a new program for Prime members that lets delivery people drop off packages inside of customer homes.

To make Amazon Key possible, Amazon has introduced its own $120 internet-connected security camera called Amazon Cloud Cam. Customers who want to participate in the program need to purchase an accompanying "smart" lock to allow delivery people to enter their home. Combined camera-lock packages start at $250.

With the program Amazon is adding what it thinks is a more convenient option than traditional outside drop-off, while also coming up with one solution to package theft which is rampant in some markets.

The obvious questions are whether people will trust a delivery person to enter their home unattended. Amazon is trying to assuage these fears by alerting customers when a delivery is about to happen to allow them to watch it live via their phone.

This really isn't a big deal. They were delivering to the doorstep previously, and now they want to move the delivery by a couple of feet. There's almost no difference.

Also at The Verge.

Previously: Amazon Wants to Deliver Purchases to Your Car Trunk

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Microsoft kills off Kinect, stops manufacturing it

Microsoft is finally admitting Kinect is truly dead. After years of debate over whether Kinect is truly dead or not, the software giant has now stopped manufacturing the accessory. Fast Co Design reports that the depth camera and microphone accessory has sold around 35 million units since its debut in November, 2010. Microsoft's Kinect for Xbox 360 even became the fastest-selling consumer device back in 2011, winning recognition from Guinness World Records at the time.

In the years since its debut on Xbox 360, a community built up around Microsoft's Kinect. It was popular among hackers looking to create experiences that tracked body movement and sensed depth. Microsoft even tried to bring Kinect even more mainstream with the Xbox One, but the pricing and features failed to live up to expectations. Microsoft was then forced to unbundle Kinect from Xbox One, and produced an unsightly accessory to attach the Kinect to the Xbox One S. After early promise, Kinect picked up a bad name for itself.

Kinect technology lives on in products such as HoloLens, Windows Hello cameras, and "Mixed Reality" headsets.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Fats Domino, Architect Of Rock And Roll, Dead At 89

Fats Domino, one of the architects of rock 'n' roll, died yesterday at 89 years old at his daughter's suburban New Orleans home. Haydee Ellis, a family friend, confirmed the news to NPR. Mark Bone, chief investigator for the Jefferson Parish Coroner's office, tells NPR Domino died of natural causes.

In the 1940s, Antoine Domino, Jr. was working at a mattress factory in New Orleans and playing piano at night. Both his waistline and his fanbase were expanding. That's when a bandleader began calling him "Fats." From there, it was a cakewalk to his first million-selling record — "The Fat Man." It was Domino's first release for Imperial Records, which signed him right off the bandstand.

[...] Between 1950 and 1963, Fats Domino hit the R&B charts a reported 59 times, and the pop charts a rollicking 63 times. He outsold Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly — combined. Only Elvis Presley moved more records during that stretch, but Presley cited Domino as the early master.

Also at Billboard and BBC.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Researchers at MIT, Intel, and ETH Zurich have improved on-package DRAM performance by 33-50% using a new cache management scheme that they call Bandwidth-Efficient DRAM Caching via Software/Hardware Cooperation (Banshee):

The researchers developed a new data management scheme relying on a hash function they developed to reduce the metadata burden. Yu and his colleagues' new system, dubbed Banshee, adds three bits of data to each entry in the table. One bit indicates whether the data at that virtual address can be found in the DRAM cache, and the other two indicate its location relative to any other data items with the same hash index.

"In the entry, you need to have the physical address, you need to have the virtual address, and you have some other data," Yu says. "That's already almost 100 bits. So three extra bits is a pretty small overhead."

There's one problem with this approach that Banshee also has to address. If one of a chip's cores pulls a data item into the DRAM cache, the other cores won't know about it. Sending messages to all of a chip's cores every time any one of them updates the cache consumes a good deal of time and bandwidth. So Banshee introduces another small circuit, called a tag buffer, where any given core can record the new location of a data item it caches.

Also at MIT.

Banshee: Bandwidth-Efficient DRAM Caching via Software/Hardware Cooperation (arXiv)

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyGuest31999

Android, the world's most popular mobile operating system, will soon enable a security protocol that helps keep internet service providers (ISPs) from spying on users. "DNS over TLS" adds a level of encryption to your DNS requests that are (mostly) inaccessible by your ISP.

[...] Using current methods, the requests happen through UDP or TCP protocols, not the more secure TLS. When Android makes the switch, you'll get the same results, only now with HTTPS-level security. That is to say, snoops now know when you've connected to a website, but not which one. Pornhub, for example, is the same as Gmail. Or, it is for the person spying on you. You'll still have to live with the fact you're watching Pokemon Go porn (safe-ish for work).

Source: https://thenextweb.com/mobile/2017/10/23/android-to-add-dns-over-tls-to-keep-isps-from-spying-on-you/

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyGuest31999

Amazon Wine is shutting down at the end of this year, the retailer has just alerted sellers via email. The issue at hand has to do with the existing laws surrounding alcohol sales, which Amazon has unsuccessfully tried to change by working with regulators. The existing laws make it difficult for Amazon to sell alcohol as a retailer and operate a marketplace. That's something that's even more of a conflict now that Amazon owns Whole Foods, which also sells wine, not to mention Amazon's plans to expand its alcohol delivery business through Prime Now and Amazon Fresh.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/23/amazon-wine-is-shutting-down/

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Envisioning a day when millions of drones will buzz around delivering packages, watching crops or inspecting pipelines, a coalition is creating an airspace corridor in upstate New York where traffic management systems will be developed and unmanned aircraft can undergo safety and performance testing.

The unmanned aircraft traffic management corridor, jump-started by a $30 million state investment, will extend 50 miles (80 kilometers) west over mostly rural farmland from Griffiss International Airport, a former Air Force base in Rome that is already home to NASA-affiliated drone testing.

It will be equipped with radar and ground-based sensors to enable what Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo boasted would be "the most advanced drone testing in the country."

The first segment of the corridor was launched last month by the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, a coalition of private and public entities and academic institutions in New York and Massachusetts created to establish Griffiss as a drone industry incubator.

Rome, NY? That's no fun. Why not over Chappaqua, NY?

Original Submission