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takyon writes:

NASA Announces New Partnerships to Develop Space Exploration Technologies

NASA is partnering with six U.S. companies to develop 10 "tipping point" technologies that have the potential to significantly benefit the commercial space economy and future NASA missions, including lunar lander and deep space rocket engine technologies.

Selections are based on the agency's third competitive Tipping Point solicitation, and have a combined total award value of approximately $44 million – a significant investment in the U.S. space industry.

A technology is considered at a "tipping point" if investment in a ground or flight demonstration will result in significantly maturing the technology and improving the company's ability to bring it to market.

The companies are Blue Origin, Space Systems/Loral, United Launch Alliance, Frontier Aerospace Corporation, Paragon Space Development Corporation, and Astrobotic Technology, Inc.

Also at Engadget.

Original Submission

chromas writes:

Buzzfeed News:

To convince workers to join the unstable and unreliable world of freelance work, startups and platforms often promise freedom and flexibility. But on the digital freelance platform Upwork, company software tracks hundreds of freelancers while they work by saving screenshots, measuring the frequency of their clicks and keystrokes, and even sometimes taking webcam photos of the workers.

Upwork, which hosts "millions" of coding and design gigs, guarantees payment for freelancers, even if the clients who hired them refuse to pay. But in order to get the money, freelancers have to agree in advance to use Upwork's digital Work Diary, which counts keystrokes to measure how "productive" they are and takes screenshots of their computer screens to determine whether they're actually doing the work they say they're doing.

Upwork's tracker isn't automatically turned on for all gigs on the platform. Some freelancers like it because it guarantees payment, but others find it unnerving. Adam Florin is a digital freelancer who says he's used various time tracking tools during his 15-year career, and he finds Upwork's software particularly "creepy."

[...] "I've never had a client expect to be able to look over my shoulder for every minute of every day," Florin told BuzzFeed News via direct message. "That's what Upwork is providing."

Florin said the idea of rating a freelancer's productivity by counting keyboard taps and mouse clicks is "bogus," and he thinks Upwork's use of screenshots is an overreach.

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JesusAmieiro writes:

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) cyber security researchers warn of a potential distributed attack against urban water services that uses a botnet of smart irrigation systems that water simultaneously.

The researchers analyzed and found vulnerabilities in a number of commercial smart irrigation systems, which enable attackers to remotely turn watering systems on and off at will. They tested three of the most widely sold smart irrigation systems: GreenIQ, BlueSpray, and RainMachine smart irrigation systems.

“By simultaneously applying a distributed attack that exploits such vulnerabilities, a botnet of 1,355 smart irrigation systems can empty an urban water tower in an hour and a botnet of 23,866 smart irrigation systems can empty flood water reservoir overnight,” Ben Nassi, a researcher at Cyber@BGU, says. “We have notified the companies to alert them of the security gaps so they can upgrade their smart system’s irrigation system’s firmware.”

Water production and delivery systems are part of a nation’s critical infrastructure and generally are secured to prevent attackers from infecting their systems. “However, municipalities and local government entities have adopted new green technology using IoT smart irrigation systems to replace traditional sprinkler systems, and they don’t have the same critical infrastructure security standards.”

In the study, the researchers present a new attack against urban water services that doesn’t require infecting its physical cyber systems. Instead, the attack can be applied using a botnet of smart irrigation regulation systems at urban water services that are much easier to attack.

The researchers demonstrated how a bot running on a compromised device can detect a smart irrigation system connected to its LAN in less than 15 minutes, and turn on watering via each smart irrigation system using a set of session hijacking and replay attacks.

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takyon writes:

After years of hype, Magic Leap starts selling $2,300 AR headset

After years of behind-closed-doors demos and over-the-top hype, Magic Leap's augmented reality glasses took one more step towards reality today. The company has opened up orders for the $2,295 "Creator Edition" of its first headset, the Magic Leap One.

That price includes in-person delivery and setup of the developer-focused hardware, though that delivery is only available in select US cities for the time being—Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle will be covered on day one. Those in other locations have to reserve a spot and wait for wider availability.

The hand-delivery is in part to determine which of two adjustable sizes for the headset is most appropriate for you—Magic Leap says "you'll be measured upon delivery to ensure the perfect fit." Magic Leap also says "limited quantities" are being made available now and that delivery of current orders will take place within "120 days and typically much sooner."

Compare the price to the $3,000-$5,000 developer versions of Microsoft's HoloLens, or the $1,500 Google Glass.

It requires a connected "lightpack" computer that clips onto a pocket or shoulder strap. The device has an Nvidia Tegra X2 chipset (2 Denver 2.0 cores, 4 ARM Cortex A57 cores, with one Denver core and two of the A57 cores accessible to developers), 8GB of memory, 128GB of storage, and a battery supposedly offering 3 hours of use. It also comes with a wireless handheld controller similar to ones offered by Oculus, Samsung, etc., although it is fully tracked by the headset's cameras, offering "a full range of motion" according to The Verge.

The field of view of the device is 40° horizontal, 30° vertical. This is larger than HoloLens's 30° horizontal, 17.5° vertical field of view, but is far less than that of VR headsets (typically 100-110° horizontal, and 200-210° horizontal for the Pimax and StarVR headsets) and human vision (around 220° horizontal when including peripheral vision).

Detailed review at The Verge.

Previously: Magic Leap Bashed for Being Vaporware
Magic Leap Finally Announces a Product, But is It Still Vaporware?

Original Submission

JesusAmieiro writes:

Linux Kernel 4.17 saw the inclusion of NSA's 'controversial' encryption algorithm Speck. Linux Kernel 4.18 will see Speck being available as a supported algorithm with fscrypt and not everyone is happy about it.

Before you panic or form wrong conclusions, you should know that Speck is not a backdoor. It's just a not-so-strong encryption algorithm from American agency NSA and it's available as a module in Linux Kernel.

The algorithm in question, Speck, is a 'weak' encryption (lightweight block cipher) designed for devices with low computing powers i.e., IoT devices.

NSA wanted Speck and its companion algorithm Simon to become a global standard for next generation of internet-of-things gizmos and sensors.

NSA tried to aggressively push this algorithm to an extent that some cryptographer alleged bullying and harassment at the hands of NSA.

The problem with the algorithm is that the International Organization of Standards (ISO) rejected Speck and Simon.

Google engineer Eric Biggers requested the inclusion of Speck in Kernel 4.17 because Google is going to provide Speck as an option for dm-crypt and fscrypt on Android.

The focus is on providing encryption on Android Go, an Android version tailored to run on entry-level smartphones. As of today, these devices are not encrypted because AES is not fast enough for the low-end devices.

Original Submission

Sir Finkus writes:

I recently had an interesting find at a local thrift store: a mess of televisions used in a correctional facility! Unfortunately, I didn't find any drugs or shivs hidden in mine (would be a bit hard, given the cases are clear) but they're nice pieces of kit for $8 each.

They'd be super handy as external monitors for something like htop or other system monitors, but the HDMI and VGA port appear to be disabled somehow. However, intriguingly, there is a USB port "for factory use only". I can get about 5 more if I want and I can find a good project for them, but I don't really know where to start when it comes to potentially modifying them to re-enable the HDMI port. I figure they just need their firmware configured to enable the ports, but I have no idea where to start. If anyone has any ideas of where to start poking around I'd appreciate it. They're also a rather unusual item, so I'd be glad to entertain any questions you may have about them.

Imgur album with some pictures of one of the monitors in question.

As always, thanks!

[Editor's Note: I've done a bit of web searching, the monitor is marked as AMP'D HDTV Monitor SLTV-1519AP-3S with ATSC Tuner, and others seem to have got it working. It appears to be useful as a gaming display, as well as for other purposes. It is a 15" screen (720p). Anyone with any ideas?]

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

[...] Because the crooning of the crickets has quietened in recent years and may be becoming a thing of the past. There is strong evidence that large numbers of crickets and grasshoppers (known, along with mantises, earwigs and cockroaches as the "Orthoptera") are declining across Europe. A 2017 review of European species showed that over 30% of the 1,000 European species were in decline while only 3% were increasing. As with many insects, we simply don't know what is happening to most of the rest.

The problem is that recent work has suggested that all insect species, including Orthoptera, are declining – the so-called "insect Armageddon."

A 2017 study found that the abundance of flying insects has plunged by 75% over the past 25 years. One member of the study team, Professor Dave Goulson of Sussex University, said at the time: "Insects make up about two-thirds of all life on Earth [but] there has been some kind of horrific decline."

Original Submission

takyon writes:

CVS dives deeper into medical services, offering virtual visits through Teladoc

CVS' MinuteClinics are going virtual. The drugstore chain plans to make video visits available nationwide by the end of the year through a partnership with Teladoc Health, CVS' latest pivot away from retail and toward health-care services. CVS already offers virtual appointments, branded as MinuteClinic Video Visits, in nine states and the District of Columbia.

MinuteClinics treat people with minor illness and injuries like coughs and rashes. These walk-in locations are a way to keep customers coming into CVS' stores as more shoppers buy everyday items on Amazon. Making it possible to visit a MinuteClinic without actually walking into one may hamper that, but it could help CVS reach more people.

With virtual visits, known in the industry as telehealth or telemedicine, CVS can reach people who may not be able to visit one of its roughly 1,100 locations. MinuteClinics are a key part of CVS' $69 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna.

Also at USA Today.

Previously: CVS Attempting $66 Billion Acquisition of Health Insurer Aetna

Related: CVS Health Is Sued Over 'Clawbacks' of Prescription Drug Co-Pays
CVS Limits Opioid Prescriptions
Telemedicine Prescriptions Could Undermine State Abortion Restrictions

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Ad Age reports:

Tribune announced its withdrawal from the $3.9 billion transaction in a[n] emailed statement Thursday. Tribune said it has filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court against Sinclair seeking compensation for losses incurred as a result of "Sinclair's material breaches" of the merger agreement.

[...] The FCC order asked whether Sinclair was in fact the hidden buyer in a proposal to sell Chicago's WGN-TV to a Maryland automobile executive with no prior broadcast experience, and ties to Sinclair management. The agency also questioned links between the Maryland-based broadcaster and a buyer proposed for stations in Dallas and Houston.

Deadline reports:

Tribune Media released details of its lawsuit against Sinclair Broadcast Group. saying it is seeking $1 billion from the local TV station owner due to its "belligerent and unnecessarily protracted negotiations" with regulators, which it says doomed the $3.9 billion deal.

Link to Tribune Media's complaint (PDF)

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Biologists who last year made a blockbuster — but controversial — claim that they had fixed a disease-causing mutation in human embryos using CRISPR gene editing have released fresh evidence in support of their work. Critics argued that the researchers’ evidence wasn’t persuasive and that the feat did not seem biologically plausible, intensifying the existing controversy surrounding the use of gene editing in human embryos to prevent diseases.

Now, a year after the study was published in Nature¹, its authors, led by reproductive biologist Shoukhrat Mitalipov at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, have backed up their claims with new data², published on 8 August alongside a pair of letters critiquing the original results.³,⁴.

Whatever happens next, it is likely that questions about whether it is possible to repair mutations in human embryos will persist until other researchers can repeat the feat — no easy task in a field that is strictly regulated, and even illegal in some countries.

Did CRISPR really fix a genetic mutation in these human embryos?

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

It's one of the most recognizable images in aerospace: Highly specialized workers clad in gowns, hair nets and shoe coverings crawl over a one-of-a-kind satellite the size of a school bus. The months-long process is so delicate that even workers' metal rings must be covered with a translucent tape to prevent static transfer.

Contrast that with how things are done at Planet Labs Inc. in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood. Satellites no bigger than a loaf of bread are propped on work benches, tended by technicians wearing simple rubber gloves and light lab coats. Largely using commercially available tech components, they can crank out and test 25 of these pint-sized satellites in a week.

Befitting its location, the Earth-imaging company's approach is more akin to that of a tech start-up than a traditional aerospace firm. Giant satellites might cost north of $1 billion and last for a decade or more. Planet churns out satellites that cost a tiny fraction of that—how much, it won't say—with a lifespan of just two to three years.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

After nearly 20 years, the record of the most distant radio galaxy ever discovered has been broken. A team led by Ph.D. student Aayush Saxena (Leiden Observatory, the Netherlands) has found a radio galaxy from a time when the universe was only 7 percent of its current age, at a distance of 12 billion light-years.

The team used the Giant Meter-wave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India to initially identify the radio galaxy. The distance to this galaxy was then determined using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii and the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona by measuring the redshift of the galaxy.

The redshift of z = 5.72 means that the galaxy is perceived as it looked when the universe was only a billion years old. This also means that the light from this galaxy is almost 12 billion years old. The team consists of astronomers from the Netherlands, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Italy. The study announcing these results has been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Original Submission

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Many US news sites have yet to comply with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation after more than two months, leaving European visitors blocked.

Digital outlets run by Tronc, Lee Enterprises and GateHouse Media are among the hundreds of US news websites that remain unavailable within the EU, according to NiemanLab.

The General Data Protection Regulation, also known as GDPR, is designed to give the EU's 500 million citizens greater control over how their information is used online. Adopted in April 2016, its provisions became directly applicable in EU member states after a two-year transitional period.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Pence unveils plan to create Space Force by 2020

Vice President Mike Pence announced the Pentagon's detailed plan for President Donald Trump's vision of a Space Force on Thursday, which would establish the first military branch in over 70 years.

[...] Pence on Thursday stressed that the new branch would be built, in part, from pre-existing elements. "The Space Force will not be built from scratch," Pence said during a speech before members of the Pentagon. "This is a critical step toward's establishing the Space Force as the sixth branch of our armed forces."

Here are the four components to the Department of Defense establishing a Space Force:

First, DoD will establish a Space Development Agency to develop and field space capabilities at speed and scale. The Air Force has already begun to transform its Space and Missile Center (SMC). The Department will accelerate and extend this transformation to all services by creating a joint Space Development Agency.

Second, the Department will develop the Space Operations Force to support the Combatant Commands. These joint space warfighters will provide space expertise to combatant commanders and the Space Development Agency, and surge expertise in time of crisis to ensure that space capabilities are leveraged effectively in conflict.

Third, the Department will create the governance, services, and support functions of the Space Force. Many of these will require changes to U.S. law. The Department will build a legislative proposal for Congressional consideration as a part of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget cycle.

Fourth, the Department will create a U.S. Space Command, led by a four star general or flag officer, to lead the use of space assets in warfighting and accelerate integration of space capabilities into other warfighting forces. U.S. Space Command will be responsible for directing the employment of the Space Force.

Will Space Development Agency research trickle down to NASA?

Previously: The United States Space Corps Wants You...
Congressional Panel Puts Plans for a US Space Corps in 2018 Defense Budget
The Case for a U.S. Space Force
President Trump Orders the Creation of a United States Space Force

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Something Digs Intricate Tunnels in Garnets. Is It Alive? (archive)

[Sometimes] garnets are marred with intricate traceries of microscopic tunnels. When Magnus Ivarsson, a geobiologist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, first saw these tunnels, he wondered what could be making them. After Dr. Ivarsson and his colleagues traveled to Thailand, they found that an assortment of evidence contradicted standard geological explanations for how the cavities might be formed. In a paper in PLOS One [open, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200351] [DX], the researchers are floating a new hypothesis: Perhaps what's making the tunnels is alive.

From the beginning, the researchers looked for alternative explanations. One of the most promising was that grains of another stone wore their way through the garnet. However, the mineral doing the tunneling must be harder than the surrounding substance, and garnets happen to be very, very hard. About the only things that could do that to garnet are diamonds or sapphires. But those aren't present in significant quantities where these garnets were found, said Dr. Ivarsson. In that area, "there is basically no mineral grain that can be propelled through a garnet like that," he said.

Furthermore, the tunnels branch and connect with each other in a very unusual pattern, looking a bit like the structures made by some kinds of single-celled fungus colonies. When the researchers cracked the garnets open, they tested the insides of the tunnels and found signs of fatty acids and other lipids, potential indicators of life. [...] At the moment, the researchers' best guess for the origins of the tunnels goes like this: At first, normal wear-and-tear on the surface of a garnet creates divots. Microorganisms, probably fungi, can colonize these hollows. Then, if the stone is the best nearby source for certain nutrients, such as iron, perhaps they use an as-yet mysterious chemical reaction to burrow deeper, harvesting sustenance as they go.

"Garnets are nesosilicates having the general formula X₃Y₂(SiO₄)₃. The X site is usually occupied by divalent cations (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn)²⁺ and the Y site by trivalent cations (Al, Fe, Cr)³⁺ in an octahedral/tetrahedral framework with [SiO₄]⁴⁻ occupying the tetrahedra."

Original Submission