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canopic jug writes:

The Web began dying in 2014. André Staltz writes about how and why. In a nutshell, traffic from mobile and tablet devices now surpasses that from regular desktop computers and of that traffic the overwhelming majority goes to either Faecebook or Google. Amazon is also in there. None of them have any interest in defending the open Web any more. Rather the situation is the opposite, they are aiming to carve out a section and establish very isolated walled gardens. Net Neutrality, or the lack thereof, lie at the heart of their plans based on the direction they have moved since 2014.

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takyon writes:

Qualcomm accuses Apple of helping Intel with chip software

The patent licensing battle between Apple and Qualcomm keeps getting more heated. Wednesday, Qualcomm filed another lawsuit against Apple, this time alleging Apple shared confidential Qualcomm software information with its chip rival, Intel. The breach of contract lawsuit said Qualcomm gave Apple "unprecedented access to Qualcomm's very valuable and highly confidential software, including source code." In return, Apple agreed to take steps to keep the software confidential and secure. But Qualcomm said instead it found that Apple shared information with Intel.

In one instance, Apple requested confidential software information from Qualcomm and cc'd an Intel engineer on the message, Qualcomm said.

Qualcomm wants a court to declare Apple breached the agreement and award damages, among other demands. "As the direct and proximate result of Apple's conduct, Qualcomm has suffered significant damages in an amount to be proven at trial," the filing said.

Apple also hasn't complied with Qualcomm's rights to audit Apple's compliance with the provisions of their software agreement, Qualcomm said in its lawsuit. It wants to do so to make sure Apple hasn't shared more information with Intel.

Also at Bloomberg, AppleInsider, and MacRumors.

Previously: U.S. Federal Trade Commission Sues Qualcomm for Anti-Competitive Practices
Qualcomm's Good Quarter
Intel Hints at Patent Fight With Microsoft and Qualcomm Over x86 Emulation
Apple vs. Qualcomm Escalates, Manufacturers Join in, Lawsuits Filed in California and Germany
Apple Could Switch From Qualcomm to Intel and MediaTek for Modems

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Phoenix666 writes:

How's that STEM education working out?

Much of the public enthusiasm for STEM education rests on the assumption that these fields are rich in job opportunity. Some are, some aren’t. STEM is an expansive category, spanning many disciplines and occupations, from software engineers and data scientists to geologists, astronomers and physicists.

What recent studies have made increasingly apparent is that the greatest number of high-paying STEM jobs are in the “T” (specifically, computing).

Earlier this year, Glassdoor, a jobs listing website, ranked the median base salary of workers in their first five years of employment by undergraduate major. Computer science topped the list ($70,000), followed by electrical engineering ($68,438). Biochemistry ($46,406) and biotechnology ($48,442) were among the lowest paying majors in the study, which also confirmed that women are generally underrepresented in STEM majors.

So study cybersecurity, not slime molds.

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Phoenix666 writes:

Have building-size legos finally arrived?

The Institute for Civil Engineering and Environment (INCEEN) at the University of Luxembourg have signed a "memorandum of understanding" with the Suisse Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology (Empa) of the domain of ETH Zürich to collaborate on research on energy efficiency in the construction sector.

As the building sector is generating a large amount of CO₂ emissions, resource consumption and waste production, new eco-construction approaches are needed. Therefore, the first collaboration project entitled "Eco-Construction for Sustainable Development" (ECON4SD) will focus on the development of novel components and design models for resource and energy efficient buildings based on the construction materials concrete, steel and timber.

ECON4SD will bring together researchers from different civil engineering fields and architecture at the University of Luxembourg and the Empa Zürich, as well as from universities abroad in cooperation with partners from industry and consultancies in Luxembourg. One vision of the project is to develop building components that can be re-used after a building has reached the end of its life cycle and is disassembled. "The ECON4SD aims to turn buildings into materials and components banks and will allow producers of structural elements to come to a different business model. That would consist in loaning materials or components to customers and take them back after use in a particular building, in order to resell them directly, recondition or recycle them," commented professor Danièle Waldmann of the University of Luxembourg. "Thereby, the project paves the way for a future CE material or component passport comparable to the already existing energy passport."

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Phoenix666 submitted:

Silicon Valley is a uniquely American creation, the product of an entrepreneurial spirit and no-holds-barred capitalism that now drives many aspects of modern life.

But the likes of Facebook, Google and Apple are increasingly facing an uncomfortable truth: it is Europe's culture of tougher oversight of companies, not America's laissez-faire attitude, which could soon rule their industry as governments seek to combat fake news and prevent extremists from using the internet to fan the flames of hatred.

While the U.S. has largely relied on market forces to regulate content in a country where free speech is revered, European officials have shown they are willing to act. Germany recently passed a law imposing fines of up to 50 million euros ($59 million) on websites that don't remove hate speech within 24 hours. British Prime Minister Theresa May wants companies to take down extremist material within two hours. And across the EU, Google has for years been obliged to remove search results if there is a legitimate complaint about the content's veracity or relevance.

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takyon writes:

https://news.ubc.ca/2017/10/31/alzheimers-disease-might-be-a-whole-body-problem/

Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of dementia, has long been assumed to originate in the brain but new research indicates that it could be triggered by breakdowns elsewhere in the body.

The findings, published today in Molecular Psychiatry [DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.204] [DX], offer hope that future drug therapies might be able to stop or slow the disease without acting directly on the brain, which is a complex, sensitive and often hard-to-reach target. Instead, such drugs could target the kidney or liver, ridding the blood of a toxic protein [amyloid-β protein] before it ever reaches the brain.

"Alzheimer's disease is clearly a disease of the brain, but our research shows that we need to pay attention to the whole body to understand where it comes from, and how to stop it," said Dr. Weihong Song, UBC psychiatry professor.

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takyon writes:

https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/1/16591970/augmented-reality-earbud-startup-doppler-labs-shuts-down-here-one

Doppler Labs, the company behind Here One smart earbuds, has announced that it's shutting down all operations today, as reported by Wired.

Founded in 2013, Doppler Labs debuted the prototype of its Here Active Listening System two years later in 2015. The battery-powered earbuds, according to Doppler Labs founder and CEO Noah Kraft, were built to enhance sound in the world around you. By using the accompanying app, users could, in theory, apply any manner of EQ settings that did everything from reduce overwhelming bass frequencies at a concert to dim the midrange chatter of co-workers while in an office. Kraft's vision for Doppler's future was an compelling idea — "we want to put a computer, speaker, and mic in everyone's ear" — but the Here Active Listening System was met with mixed reviews.

[...] Unfortunately, in bringing Here One to market the company was met with a raft of problems. According to Wired, a manufacturer change pushed production delivery from the fall 2016 to February 2017. There was also bad news on the battery front. The company hoped to offer 4.5 hours of battery life using augmented hearing and three hours of music streaming, but the unit's Bluetooth chip wound up diminishing those expectations.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Amazon has bought/rented some domain names. It's news! It's news!

Amazon has secured three new domain names related to cryptocurrency, sparking speculation that the e-commerce giant could be preparing a move into the cryptocurrency space.

However, Amazon Pay's VP Patrick Gauthier told CNBC last month that Amazon had no plans to accept cryptocurrency because there hasn't been much demand yet, and Amazon may simply be protecting its brand name.

The domains are: amazonethereum.com, amazoncryptocurrency.com, amazoncryptocurrencies.com.

Trade publication DomainNameWire was the first to report on Amazon's move. The report said Amazon registered for the domains on Tuesday.

While some speculated that Amazon could be preparing to accept cryptocurrency payments, Amazon Pay's VP has said there is not enough demand for that yet.

So maybe it wasn't news after all. But it might have been a big help for the price of Ethereum.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Could the Horn of Africa one day be powered by volcanoes?

Ethiopia tends to conjure images of sprawling dusty deserts, bustling streets in Addis Ababa or the precipitous cliffs of the Simien Mountains – possibly with a distance runner bounding along in the background. Yet the country is also one of the most volcanically active on Earth, thanks to Africa's Great Rift Valley, which runs right through its heart.

Rifting is the geological process that rips tectonic plates apart, roughly at the speed your fingernails grow. In Ethiopia this has enabled magma to force its way to the surface, and there are over 60 known volcanoes. Many have undergone colossal eruptions in the past, leaving behind immense craters that pepper the rift floor. Some volcanoes are still active today. Visit them and you find bubbling mud ponds, hot springs and scores of steaming vents.

This steam has been used by locals for washing and bathing, but underlying this is a much bigger opportunity. The surface activity suggests extremely hot fluids deep below, perhaps up to 300°C–400°C. Drill down and it should be possible access this high temperature steam, which could drive large turbines and produce huge amounts of power. This matters greatly in a country where 77% of the population has no access to electricity, one of the lowest levels in Africa.

Geothermal power has recently become a serious proposition thanks to geophysical surveys suggesting that some volcanoes could yield a gigawatt of power. That's the equivalent of several million solar panels or 500 wind turbines from each. The total untapped resource is estimated to be in the region of 10GW.

Why not? It works great for Iceland.

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takyon writes:

Sony has announced the "evolution" of its robot canine companion:

Sony Corporation (Sony) is today proud to announce "aibo," the evolution of its autonomous entertainment robot that brings fun and joy to the entire family. aibo can form an emotional bond with members of the household while providing them with love, affection, and the joy of nurturing and raising a companion. It possesses a natural curiosity, and we hope it will bring joy into the everyday lives of our customers while growing alongside them as a partner.

Sony hasn't produced aibo robots for over a decade:

Aibo is a rebooted version of a device Sony (SNE) first launched in the 1990s -- and the Japanese company has made it appealingly un-robotic. Unlike past versions, it has "eyes" (two small screens capable of showing diverse and nuanced expressions), a rounded appearance and a mouth that tilts up in a smile. [...] Sony eventually neutered Aibo production facilities in 2006, leading to an exodus of robotics and AI expertise. Now, with global tech giants and other big companies charging into artificial intelligence, Sony is getting back in the game.

It costs ¥198,000 ($1,733) before tax, but it also requires the purchase of a three-year subscription for 90,000 JPY ($788).

Also at PC Magazine, BBC, Ars Technica, TechCrunch, and IEEE.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 and Gaaark write:

Scientists say they have found a hidden chamber in Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, in what would be the first such discovery in the structure since the 19th century and one likely to spark a new surge of interest in the pharaohs.

In an article published in the journal Nature on Thursday, an international team said the 30-meter (yard) void deep within the pyramid is situated above the structure's Grand Gallery, and has a similar cross-section.

The purpose of the space is unclear, and it's not yet known whether it was built with a function in mind or if it's merely a gap in the pyramid's architecture. Some experts say such empty spaces have been known for years.

"This is a premier," said Mehdi Tayoubi, a co-founder of the ScanPyramids project and president of the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute. "It could be composed of one or several structures... maybe it could be another Grand Gallery. It could be a chamber, it could be a lot of things."

The scientists made the discovery using cosmic-ray imaging, recording the behavior of subatomic particles called muons that penetrate the rock similar to X-rays, only much deeper. Their paper was peer-reviewed before appearing in Nature, an international, interdisciplinary journal of science, and its results confirmed by other teams of scientists.

Goa'uld control room, obviously. takyon: s04e13.

Also at CBC.

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Phoenix666 writes:

Is boredom necessary to our survival?

Every emotion has a purpose—an evolutionary benefit," says Sandi Mann, a psychologist and the author of The Upside of Downtime: Why Boredom Is Good. "I wanted to know why we have this emotion of boredom, which seems like such a negative, pointless emotion."

That's how Mann got started in her specialty: boredom. While researching emotions in the workplace in the 1990s, she discovered the second most commonly suppressed emotion after anger was—you guessed it—boredom. "It gets such bad press," she said. "Almost everything seems to be blamed on boredom."

As Mann dived into the topic of boredom, she found that it was actually "very interesting." It's certainly not pointless. Wijnand van Tilburg from the University of Southampton explained the important evolutionary function of that uneasy, awful feeling this way: "Boredom makes people keen to engage in activities that they find more meaningful than those at hand."

"Imagine a world where we didn't get bored," Mann said. "We'd be perpetually excited by everything—raindrops falling, the cornflakes at breakfast time." Once past boredom's evolutionary purpose, Mann became curious about whether there might be benefits beyond its contribution to survival. "Instinctively," she said, "I felt that we all need a little boredom in our lives."

Precede creative tasks with the most intensely boring activities you can devise if you want to have the best ideas.

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Phoenix666 writes:

Truck rental company Ryder Systems Inc. is adding 125 fully electric vans to its fleet.

The 26-foot vans are made by Chanje Energy Inc., a Los Angeles-based startup. They can haul up to 6,000 pounds and travel around 100 miles on a fully charged battery.

The first vans were delivered in New York Thursday. Ryder will start renting or leasing them to customers in California, Illinois and New York by the end of this year.

Ryder reckons they'll save on maintenance and fuel for the electric vans.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Scientists have placed tighter constraints on the amount of material expelled into the atmosphere by the Chicxulub impact:

Scientists say they now have a much clearer picture of the climate catastrophe that followed the asteroid impact on Earth 66 million years ago. The event is blamed for the demise of three-quarters of plant and animal species, including the dinosaurs. The researchers' investigations suggest the impact threw more than 300 billion tonnes of sulphur into the atmosphere. This would have dropped temperatures globally below freezing for several years. Ocean temperatures could have been affected for centuries. The abrupt change explains why so many species struggled to survive. "We always thought there was this global winter but with these new, tighter constraints, we can be much more sure about what happened," Prof Joanna Morgan, from Imperial College London, told BBC News.

Quantifying the Release of Climate-Active Gases by Large Meteorite Impacts With a Case Study of Chicxulub (open, 9DOI: 10.1002/2017GL074879) (DX)

Potentially hazardous asteroids and comets have hit Earth throughout its history, with catastrophic consequences in the case of the Chicxulub impact 66 Myr ago. Here we reexamine one of the mechanisms that allow an impact to have a global effect—the release of climate-active gases from terrestrial sedimentary rocks after the high-velocity impact. We estimate that 325 ± 130 Gt of sulfur and 425 ± 160 Gt CO₂ were ejected into the atmosphere at velocities > 1 km/s. These numbers have to be used in global climate models to quantify possible changes of solar irradiation, surface temperature, and duration of stressful conditions for biota.

Also at the American Geophysical Union.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/signal-messenger-standalone-desktop-app,35810.html

Open Whisper Systems (OWS), the non-profit that develops the Signal messenger and its end-to-end encryption protocol, released a new standalone desktop application that will replace the existing Signal Chrome App. The move comes as Google is preparing to end support for Chrome Apps in its browser.

[...] Because Google is deprecating its Chrome Apps, Signal's developers had to find another way to offer their users a desktop application without having to rewrite one from scratch. The group used Electron, an open source framework for creating native applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This way, OWS was able to convert its existing Chrome App code into a standalone Electron application without too many changes.

Although we don't get a truly native Signal application, there are still some advantages to be gained from this transition. For one, you don't need to install Chrome anymore, just to be able to use the desktop Signal application. Firefox and Safari users can run the new Signal app separately, just like any other desktop app.

The second advantage is that you no longer need to keep your smartphone around to be able to chat via the desktop app, as you have to do with the desktop version of WhatsApp, for instance. After the initial set-up and linking of your smartphone to the desktop app, the new desktop app can be used independently of a smartphone.

Related: Redphone and TextSecure are now Signal
Egypt has Blocked Encrypted Messaging App Signal
Encrypted Messaging App Signal Uses Google to Bypass Censorship

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