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An Anonymous Coward writes:

Elfquest, one of the first breakout indie comics of the 1970s, is ending its 40-year-run with today's issue. There's a farewell signing with creators Wendy and Richard Pini tonight [Wednesday] at Things From Another World in Portland[, Oregon]...

[...] "A number of interviews sprang up this week but those with The Hollywood Reporter and SyFy are best. Both contain spoilers! "

There'll be more Elfquest in future, the Pinis say, but this wraps up the tale for their towheaded Wolfrider chief Cutter and his family.

https://boingboing.net/2018/02/28/elfquest-concludes-40-year-run.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/elfquest-comic-comes-an-end-40-years-1088929

http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/elfquest-creators-wendy-and-richard-pini-look-back-on-40-year-run

Original Submission

jelizondo writes:

According to Molly Worthen's article in The New York Times, The Misguided Drive to Measure 'Learning Outcomes':

"[...] In 2018, more and more university administrators want campuswide, quantifiable data that reveal what skills students are learning. Their desire has fed a bureaucratic behemoth known as learning outcomes assessment. This elaborate, expensive, supposedly data-driven analysis seeks to translate the subtleties of the classroom into PowerPoint slides packed with statistics — in the hope of deflecting the charge that students pay too much for degrees that mean too little. [...]"

But apparently, there is little to show for tons of money and effort expended to gather data on what students are really learning or adapting curricula to their actual needs.

Mr. Erik Gilbert, a professor of history at Arkansas State University, who has criticized the methods, said to the author: 'Maybe all your students have full-time jobs, but that's something you can't fix, even though that's really the core problem. Instead, you're expected to find some small problem, like students don't understand historical chronology, so you might add a reading to address that. You're supposed to make something up every semester, then write up a narrative.'

As Frank Furedi, an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent, told the author about the situation in Britain: 'It's a bit like the old Soviet Union. You speak two languages. You do a performance for the sake of the auditors, but in reality, you carry on.'

As the author puts it: 'If we describe college courses as mainly delivery mechanisms for skills to please a future employer [...] We end up using the language of the capitalist marketplace and speak to our students as customers rather than fellow thinkers. They deserve better. [...] Producing thoughtful, talented graduates is not a matter of focusing on market-ready skills. It's about giving students an opportunity that most of them will never have again in their lives: the chance for serious exploration of complicated intellectual problems, the gift of time in an institution where curiosity and discovery are the source of meaning.'

A lengthy read, but worthwhile. Are we preparing current students better than in the past or are we simply siphoning money out of them? Yesteryear, a degree was a sure bet to a better life, nowadays, it doesn't mean as much. Are the education methods lacking or is the surplus of graduates to blame for useless degrees?

Original Submission

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

The Center for American Progress reports

President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on imported solar materials is already taking its toll on U.S. jobs.

After putting plans on hold last month to expand its factories in the United States, SunPower Corp., one of the nation's largest solar panel manufacturers, now intends to lay off about 10 percent of its U.S. workforce.

SunPower attributed the job cuts to the 30-percent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on imported solar cells and panels, The Hill reported [February 28]. Company chief executive Tom Werner estimates the new tariffs will cause the company to lose $50 million in 2018 and as much as $100 million in 2019.

Werner's comments built on information that SunPower released in a filing submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week. The news also came only two weeks after SunPower reported a 35-percent decrease in revenue in 2017 compared to 2016.

Werner told The Hill that it has already begun laying off between 150 and 250 workers from its U.S. operations. Based in San Jose, California, SunPower imports most of its components from manufacturing facilities in the Philippines and Mexico.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Using two different measurement methods, researchers from North Carolina State University conducted a two-year study of North Carolina's Jordan Lake in which they monitored toxic algal blooms. The researchers found that multiple cyanotoxins from toxic algal blooms are present year-round, albeit in very low concentrations. Their findings could improve the ability to predict toxic blooms.

Freshwater algal blooms have increased due to nutrients from sources such as fertilizers and other agricultural runoff entering the water. While every algal bloom isn't toxic -- some algal species can produce both toxic and nontoxic blooms -- toxic blooms can cause problems for swimmers and other recreational users in the form of rashes or allergic reactions.

"We've confirmed both that the toxins are there year-round and that multiple toxins are there simultaneously but in very low levels," says Astrid Schnetzer, associate professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at NC State and corresponding author of a paper describing the research. "First, let's be clear that the presence of the toxins doesn't affect drinking water -- treatment plants scrub all of that out. Secondly, the amounts of toxins we did find are about an order of magnitude below safe levels, so that's also good news."

[...] The researchers analyzed the samples for five different toxins, and found four of them: microsystin, anatoxin-a, clindrospermopsin, and β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). Multiple toxins were detected at 86 percent of the sampling sites and during 44 percent of the sampling events.

[..] "In the future, we want to have a better predictive capability regarding these blooms as well as the ability to identify new emerging toxins. The data may also help us determine risk from chronic low-level exposures, as well as tease out what risks derive from exposure to multiple toxins at once."

Journal Reference:

Daniel Wiltsie, Astrid Schnetzer, Jason Green, Mark Vander Borgh, Elizabeth Fensin. Algal Blooms and Cyanotoxins in Jordan Lake, North Carolina. Toxins, 2018; 10 (3): 92 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10020092

Original Submission

canopic jug writes:

Megaupload started out being presented as a regular copyright enforcement case. However as the facts of the military-style raid surfaced, followed by details of the many serious legal irregularities, it quickly became very peculiar and atypical. Soon, when former president Barack Obama arrives in New Zealand later this month, Kim Dotcom aims to try to find out what he knew about the case through subpoena.

Kim Dotcom is claiming that an associate was able to hire a friend of the Obamas to ask about the Megaupload case. "Mistakes were made. It hasn't gone well. It's a problem. I'll see to it after the election," Barack Obama reportedly said. With Obama due to land in New Zealand next month, Dotcom says he'll have a court subpoena waiting for the former president.

One of the interesting items that might eventually come from the case is what the difference between Megaupload and its competitors was. So far, there have been no raids, big or small, against Box, Dropbox, One Drive, Google Drive, Spider Oak, and the others.

Source : Dotcom: Obama Admitted "Mistakes Were Made" in Megaupload Case

See also : past soylentnews posts on Megaupload

Original Submission

canopic jug writes:

Rick Lehrbaum started LinuGizmos back in 1999 under the name LinuxDevices. The site has been dedicated the whole time to "publishing timely news and analysis on the hardware, software, protocols, and standards used in new and innovative embedded, mobile, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices". As of March 1^st it is part of KCK Media, publisher of Circuit Cellar.

LinuxGizmos has joined forces with KCK Media, publisher of Circuit Cellar magazine. The alliance will expand our coverage of the rapidly evolving hardware and software technologies used in new and emerging embedded and IoT devices, while continuing our unique focus on the benefits of open source software and standards.

It changed name to LinuxGizmos back in 2012 when the new owner, Quinstreet, shut the site down after acquiring it from ZDNet. Since its rebirth, it still maintains the LinuxDevices of old articles. It features hardware that runs open-source, high-level operating systems. That includes GNU/Linux and Linux derivatives like Android, Tizen, OpenWRT, Brillo, and so on as well as microcontroller oriented RTOSes.

Source : Circuit Cellar and LinuxGizmos.com join forces

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

EFF's "Street-Level Surveillance" project shines light on the advanced surveillance technologies that law enforcement agencies routinely deploy in our communities. These resources are designed for members of the public, advocacy organizations, journalists, defense attorneys, and policymakers who often are not getting the straight story from police representatives or the vendors marketing this equipment.

Whether it's sophisticated location tracking, ubiquitous video recording, or the instant analysis of our biometric data, law enforcement agencies are following closely behind their counterparts in the military and intelligence services in acquiring privacy-invasive technologies. Just as analog surveillance historically has been used as a tool for oppression, policymakers and the public must understand the threat posed by emerging technologies to successfully defend civil liberties and civil rights in the digital age.

[...] The resources contained on this site brings together years of research, litigation, and advocacy by EFF staff and our allies, and will continue to grow as we obtain more information.

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

Colon and rectal surgeon Sanjiv Patankar allegedly washed and reused catheters that are inserted into patients' rectum during medical procedures. The instruments, which are used to examine patients with fecal incontinence, constipation, and other possible disorders, are supposed to be thrown away after a single use.

Patankar, who practiced in East Brunswick, [New Jersey] allegedly instructed medical assistants to wash the instruments in soapy water after use, soak them in bleach solutions, and then rinse before air-drying them. The doctor also reportedly ordered to continue using a catheter that has started to break down due to overbleaching.

In a hearing conducted Dec. 19, the state said that documented evidence appears to show that between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, Patankar's office performed 82 procedures but only five catheters were used over that period.

Source: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/217801/20171230/doctor-accused-of-reusing-one-use-anal-catheters-on-multiple-patients.htm

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

Toyota says it has invented a new magnet for high-energy applications like electric motors that uses a fraction of the amount of neodymium (a rare-earth element) of a standard iron, boron, neodymium (NdFeB) magnet.

Rare-earth magnets are used in many hybrid vehicles, some all-electric vehicles, and in other applications like wind turbines and robotics.

Although "rare" is a bit of a misnomer for a material like neodymium (high demand has led to relatively high production volumes), Toyota notes that "there are concerns that shortages will develop as electrified vehicles, including hybrid and battery electric vehicles, become increasingly popular in the future." That concern is compounded by the concentration of rare-earth mining: although attempts have been made to mine rare-earth metals in the US [Ed note: paywalled] and other parts of the world, a preponderance of rare-earth mining occurs in China. That country threatened to stop exporting neodymium and other rare earths in 2011, which sent prices for the metals soaring. If China were to use rare-earth access as a geopolitical tool again, it could significantly impact companies like Toyota that depend on rare earths to build flagship products like the Prius.

The new magnet Toyota developed also uses no terbium or dysprosium, which can be added to neodymium to improve its operability at high heat, above 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). (In fact, mining consultancy Roskill notes that few automakers use terbium in magnets anymore, though dysprosium is still commonly added to magnets with neodymium.)

Source: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/02/neodymium-more-like-neo-dont-mium-new-magnet-uses-fewer-key-rare-earths/

Original Submission

takyon writes:

The Experiment to Detect Global EoR Signature (EDGES) has found evidence of the universe's first stars by detecting an absorption feature at 78 MHz (redshifted from 1.42 GHz). In a second paper, the astronomers say that "this absorption can be explained by the combination of radiation from the first stars and excess cooling of the cosmic gas induced by its interaction with dark matter":

Using a deceptively simple antenna roughly the size and shape of a dinner table, radio astronomers have made an unprecedented discovery: telltale fingerprints from the earliest stars in the cosmos, pressed into the afterglow of the universe's birth. That signal, imprinted more deeply into the Big Bang's afterglow than scientists expected, could reveal much about the universe's youth and hint at the nature of dark matter, that mysterious substance that far outweighs all the normal matter in existence.

The findings [DOI: 10.1038/nature25792] [DX] and the theoretical work [DOI: 10.1038/nature25791] [DX] describing dark matter's potential role, described in two papers in the journal Nature, excited theoretical and experimental physicists alike.

"To my mind ... it's Nobel Prize-worthy twice, if it's real," said Avi Loeb, a Harvard University theoretical astrophysicist who was not involved in the research. "Not only did they detect the signal, but it actually is bigger than one can accommodate in the standard cosmological model. And you need new physics in order to explain a signal as big as they detected."

The first (short-lived) stars formed around 180 million years after the Big Bang.

Also at Ars Technica, Sky & Telescope, and The Verge.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Spotify has finally filed for an initial public offering:

Spotify, the world's largest music streaming service, has filed for an initial public offering today. The Sweden-based company co-founded by Daniel Ek, who has remained its CEO since its 2006 inception, and Martin Lorentzon has more than 71 million paying users as of December 2017. The company also enjoys an overall user base that includes ad-supported free listeners of 159 million, far outpacing the competition from Apple, Google, Tidal, and others. Spotify will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SPOT."

Spotify will be offering a direct listing, meaning that its shares can be traded on the open market sooner than with a more conventional IPO, as Spotify doesn't intend to raise a large amount of capital with its IPO. According to CNBC, the price of Spotify shares traded on private markets indicate the company could be worth as much as $23 billion.

The filing gives us one of our best looks yet at Spotify's finances, with the company posting revenue last year of €4,090 million (nearly $5 billion) and a net loss of -€1,235 million (or ~$1.5 billion) for the same period.

Also at TechCrunch.

Original Submission

Whoever writes:

A new study showed a link between strong right-wing views and fear of disease and increased concern about hygiene.

The study showed that people who are more offended by bad odors are more likely to support authoritarian leaders, such as Donald Trump.

In the past, disgust at bad odors was important for survival. The scientists suggested that the disgust at unfamiliar odors may be linked to a desire to keep apart from "culturally unfamiliar" groups.

[...] In the new study, 160 people were rated on their aversion to bodily odours on a scale to one five and their responses compared to their political views. It found that each point higher on the disgust scale was associated with feeling 7.5 points more positive towards authoritarian leaders.

[...] It showed that people who were more disgusted by smells were also more likely to vote for Donald Trump than those who were less sensitive.

Original Submission

Fnord666 writes:

A behavioral quirk in SAML libraries has left many single-sign-on (SSO) implementations vulnerable to abuse. It allows an attacker that has gained any authenticated access to trick the system into granting further access as a different user without knowledge of that user's password.

This could be used by an attacker who has compromised a low level limited access account to acquire access to third-party cloud services -- or it could be used by a malicious insider seeking access to reserved network areas (such as the payroll databases, or HR records).

The vulnerability was discovered by the research team of Duo Security, itself an SSO provider; and is described in a blog posted today. It affects many of the leading SSO providers, and probably affects the majority of proprietary company SSO developments.

[...] Not all SSO implementations are vulnerable to this glitch; but Duo has demonstrated that many are. All that is required from the attacker is a genuine account that he can 'modify' to his attack target, plus the relatively minor technical savvy to intercept and edit the SAML authentication as it passes through the browser.

Source: Widespread Vulnerability Found in Single-Sign-On Products

Original Submission

takyon writes:

North Korea 'providing materials to Syria chemical weapons factories'

North Korea has been sending equipment to Syria that could be used to make chemical weapons, a UN report says.

Some 40 previously unreported shipments were made between 2012 and 2017, the report found. Materials included acid-resistant tiles, valves and pipes.

The leaked report says North Korean missile specialists have been seen at Syrian weapon-making centres.

The allegations follow new reports of chlorine being used by Syrian forces, which the government denies.

The New York Times: U.N. Links North Korea to Syria’s Chemical Weapons Program

Original Submission

-- OriginalOwner_ writes:

Common Dreams reports

More than 100 cities across the globe are now mostly powered by renewable energy, a number that has more than doubled over the past three years, according to a review of environmental data collected from entities worldwide.

The new analysis, a tally of information collected by the U.K.-based group CDP [Carbon Disclosure Project] and released [February 27], accounts for towns and cities that get at least 70 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar. In addition to publishing its complete list, the group created an interactive map that features key details about some municipalities' transitions.

While only four U.S. cities made the list--Aspen, Colorado; Burlington, Vermont; Eugene, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington--the group says 58 localities in the United States have committed to a full transition. Among the largest cities on CDP's list are Auckland, New Zealand; Nairobi, Kenya; Oslo, Norway; and Vancouver, Canada. Forty-seven of the cities listed are located in Brazil. More than 40 cities--from Burlington to Reykjavik, Iceland to Basel, Switzerland--are fully powered by renewables.

[...] The new data reflects the rapidly growing trend to commit to a renewable energy transition at a local level. CDP noted in a statement that Tuesday's analysis "comes on the same day the UK100 network of local government leaders announce that over 80 UK towns and cities have committed to 100 percent clean energy by 2050, including Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, and 16 London boroughs".

Original Submission