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What was highest label on your first car speedometer?

  • 80 mph
  • 88 mph
  • 100 mph
  • 120 mph
  • 150 mph
  • it was in kph like civilized countries use you insensitive clod
  • Other (please specify in comments)

[ Results | Polls ]
Comments:48 | Votes:106

posted by martyb on Saturday October 20 2018, @11:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the Automated-Law-Enforcement dept.

Australian cities are working with several companies to install cameras to capture still images and video to detect drivers using mobile phones on the road to fine them in the same way automated speed cameras work. This is good news for local governments who desperately need an influx of cash in the wake of reduced intake from speeding fines. A recent report showed that there is limited evidence that cameras have led to a change in driver behaviour across the state by acting as a deterrent however it is expected that harshly fining drivers may work better than putting up signs informing drivers that speed cameras are installed ahead. The system for detecting mobile phone use in cars is currently being tested on the M4 motorway in Sydney.


Original Submission

posted by martyb on Saturday October 20 2018, @08:50PM   Printer-friendly
from the GIGO dept.

Memes carry dangerous health-related messages and make light of unhealthy eating habits, researchers from Loughborough University wrote in a letter sent to a British parliamentary committee.

"A substantial number of individuals on Twitter share health-related Internet memes, with both positive and negative messages," they wrote, noting that many "contain inappropriate material."

A picture of an overweight child with the caption "Free food? Count me in!" was sent along with the letter as an example of a meme the researchers found dangerous.

The academics were also concerned by a meme that created a human-like body from pictures of pizzas and hamburgers, with frankfurters used for limbs and a smiley-faced potato for a face.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/18/health/internet-memes-obesity-intl/index.html

Monkey see, monkey... eat?


Original Submission

posted by martyb on Saturday October 20 2018, @06:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the quantum-improvement dept.

IBM finally proves that quantum systems are faster than classicals

In 1994, MIT professor of applied mathematics Peter Shor developed a groundbreaking quantum computing algorithm capable of factoring numbers (that is, finding the prime numbers for any integer N) using quantum computer technology. For the next decade, this algorithm provided a tantalizing glimpse at the potential prowess of quantum computing versus classical systems. However, researchers could never prove quantum would always be faster in this application or whether classical systems could overtake quantum if given a sufficiently robust algorithm of its own. That is, until now.

In a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, Dr. Sergey Bravyi and his team reveal that they've developed a mathematical proof which, in specific cases, illustrates the quantum algorithm's inherent computational advantages over classical.

[...] What's more, the proof shows that, in these cases, the quantum algorithm can solve the problem in a fixed number of steps, regardless of how many inputs are added. With a classical computer, the more inputs you add, the more steps it needs to take in order to solve. Such are the advantages of parallel processing.

There's now proof that quantum computers can outperform classical machines

In this paper, the researchers prove that a quantum computer with a fixed circuit depth is able to outperform a classical computer that's tackling the same problem because the classical computer will require the circuit depth to grow larger, while it can stay constant for the quantum computer.


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday October 20 2018, @04:04PM   Printer-friendly

Geologists Question 'Evidence Of Ancient Life' In 3.7 Billion-Year-Old Rocks

The oldest evidence of life on Earth probably isn't found in some 3.7 billion-year-old rocks found in Greenland, despite what a group of scientists claimed [DOI: 10.1038/nature19355] [DX] a couple of years ago. That's according to a new analysis [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0610-4] [DX], published Wednesday in the journal Nature by a different team of experts. This second group examined structures within the rock that were thought in 2016 to have been produced by communities of single-celled microbes that grew up from the bottom of a shallow, salty sea. A three-dimensional look at these structures shows that instead of having a telltale upside-down ice-cream cone shape — the kind produced by microorganisms — they are shaped like a Toblerone candy bar.

"They're stretched-out ridges that extend deeply into the rock," said Joel Hurowitz, a geochemist at Stony Brook University in New York and an author of Wednesday's paper. "That shape is hard to explain as a biological structure and much easier to explain as something that resulted from rocks being squeezed and deformed under tectonic pressures." Asked what the chances were that the structures were created by ancient microbes, astrobiologist Abigail Allwood — of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and lead author of this second analysis — said: "I don't think there's much chance at all."

[...] All of this is vigorously disputed by the researchers who originally claimed that the Greenland rocks contained the world's oldest fossils. They stand by that claim and say that Allwood and her colleagues based their work on just a cursory, one-day visit to the site. [...] Vickie Bennett, of the Australian National University, added that she found the new study "disappointing" and "unfortunate" in that it "only serves to confuse" the earlier research that she and her colleagues did on these ancient rocks. "Basically they did not look at the same rocks — and the details matter," Bennett told NPR in an email. In her view, the rocks in the current study are a "poor-cousin equivalent to the rocks of our original study" and the new analysis "was not conducted with care."

The article does not address evidence found in Quebec in 2017, dated to between 3.77 and 4.28 billion years ago.

Also at USA Today.

Previously: 3.7 Billion-Year-Old Fossil Found
Earliest Known Evidence for Microbial Life on Land: 3.48 Billion Years Old
Analysis of Microfossils Finds that Microbial Life Existed at Least 3.5 Billion Years Ago - "However, the complexity of the fossilized microbes suggests that life arose much earlier, possibly as far back as 4 billion years ago."


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday October 20 2018, @01:33PM   Printer-friendly
from the mouse-droppings dept.

Submitted via IRC for AndyTheAbsurd

Abstract:

Keyloggers are serious threats for computer users both private and commercial. If an attacker is capable of installing this malware on the victim's machine then he or she is able to monitor keystrokes of a user. This keylog contains login information. As a consequence, protection and detection techniques against keyloggers become increasingly better. This article presents the method of Mouse Underlaying for creating a new kind of software based keyloggers. This method is implemented in Java for testing countermeasures concerning keylogger protection, virtual keyboard, signatures and behavior detection by anti-virus programs. Products of various manufacturers are used for demonstration purposes. All of them failed without an exception. In addition, the reasons why these products failed are analyzed, and moreover, measures against Mouse Underlaying are developed based on the demonstration results.

Source: http://eudl.eu/doi/10.4108/eai.15-10-2018.155740


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday October 20 2018, @11:02AM   Printer-friendly
from the what-would-Ian-Betteridge-say? dept.

Phys.org:

Should the Trump administration succeed in establishing a Space Force or something like it, the move may have serious consequences for NASA. Depending on its mission, the Space Force is likely to require launch capabilities for satellites and perhaps human missions. Although a Space Force may be able to purchase these services from companies like SpaceX, if they choose to develop an in-house launch system, they may duplicate already existing NASA efforts. Doing so would also likely cause a brain drain at NASA as in-house engineers and experts migrated to the Space Force with promises of new missions and new funding.

There is also a question of whether the Space Force may simply take over current NASA missions. In the wake of the Space Force announcement, the Trump campaign sent out an email to supporters asking them to vote on a potential logo. Although this was a fundraising maneuver, one of the "logos" was themed around Mars with the wording "Mars Awaits." Given that the overall mission of the Space Force remains unclear, there could be a push for human spaceflight efforts to be subsumed under a Space Force. NASA's recent failures in the development of the Space Launch System, or SLS, and the James Webb Space Telescope only further reinforce the image of a NASA spread too thin to accomplish major space endeavors.

Finally, NASA's budget is already quite low considering its mission: US$19.7 billion in 2017 with $19 billion requested for 2018. This represents less than 0.5 percent of the overall federal budget. A Space Force could feasibly take away funding from NASA, especially for the development of human spaceflight capabilities thus cannibalizing NASA's already low budget.

Service means citizenship.


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday October 20 2018, @08:31AM   Printer-friendly
from the could-almost-use-a-magnetic-rail-for-launch dept.

The BBC are reporting that the Scottish airline Loganair's flights between Westray and Papa Westray, two islands in the Orkneys off the British coast, could be scheduled with electric planes.

The airline is working with experts in the hope of making the electric service a reality by 2021.

Loganair said the Islander aircraft it uses could be modified rather than developing a model from scratch.

It takes about two minutes - including taxiing - to complete the 1.7 mile Westray / Papa Westray leg flight, which is about the same length as the runway at Edinburgh Airport.

The record is 53 seconds.

Cranfield Aerospace are working on the project.

There is also a ferry between the islands, and there have been discussions about a bridge


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday October 20 2018, @06:01AM   Printer-friendly
from the no-wonder-I've-not-seen-a-Vogon-on-Twitter dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Social media giant Twitter has banned a Belgian Elite Dangerous player for tweeting a poem in reply to a tweet from the official game's account. Tim Wellens, the now-suspended Twitter user, has yet to regain access to his account at the time of writing, despite multiple appeals.

[...] In Elite Dangerous, the Thargoids are an alien race that is at odds with humanity. Twitter caught onto the threatening language that Wellens used — despite directing it at a fictional group — and suspended his account. According to Eurogamer, in an email to Wellens, Twitter support explained that they took action because he violated their "rules against posting violent threats."

He has since appealed the decision, pointing out that he "never ever threatened a real person or organization on Twitter."

"Thargoid or foe, I'm coming to kill you, was directed to the thargoids and enemies in the game," he told Eurogamer.

His appeal was met with a computer-generated email, and Wellens followed up by re-appealing his case. As of Oct. 8, his account remains out of his hands.

Good ole Artificial "Intelligence"...

Source: https://techraptor.net/content/twitter-suspends-elite-dangerous-player-for-posting-poetry


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday October 20 2018, @03:29AM   Printer-friendly

Submitted via IRC for AndyTheAbsurd

It is thanks to a special, durable coating that should last throughout intercourse, says the team, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

They hope it will make condoms more appealing to use and thereby prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as unwanted pregnancies.

Without enough lubrication, sex can be painful and condoms may split or slip.

When used correctly, condoms are a highly effective contraceptive, but not everyone likes them.

They are often already lubricated to make them easier to use, but sometimes this might not be enough for comfort.

People can add lubricant, but this can be messy and may need several applications, interrupting sex.

Researchers say the self-lubricating condom, which becomes really slippery once it comes into contact with body fluid, should get round this.

It could withstand intercourse involving at least 1,000 thrusts without losing its slipperiness, the Royal Society Open Science journal reports.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45861476


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday October 20 2018, @12:58AM   Printer-friendly
from the all-your-data-are-belong-to-us dept.

The Verge is reporting that the next data minefield is your car. GM has been capturing lots of user data from the cars they have sold and is apparently planning to sell that (stolen|coerced) data to advertisers targeting, for now, radio advertising. Newer cars generate upwards of 600GB of user data per day. This is causing business leaders to drool because some expect the value of this data to reach more than $1.5 trillion by the year 2030, if the data (capture|theft) remains uncontested. GM is the first auto maker so far to try this. The first batch took data from around 90,000 vehicles. However, there was not much detail given about how permission was gained for this data capture and whether agreement was coerced or through ignorance.

GM captured minuted details such as station selection, volume level, and ZIP codes of vehicle owners, and then used the car's built-in Wi-Fi signal to upload the data to its servers. The goal was to determine the relationship between what drivers listen to and what they buy and then turn around and sell the data to advertisers and radio operators. And it got really specific: GM tracked a driver listening to country music who stopped at a Tim Horton's restaurant. (No data on that donut order, though.)

Also at The Detroit Free Press : GM tracked radio listening habits for 3 months: Here's why.


Original Submission

posted by Fnord666 on Friday October 19 2018, @10:32PM   Printer-friendly
from the speculative-solution dept.

Researchers Claim to Find New Solution to Spectre, Meltdown

The researchers call their solution Dynamically Allocated Way Guard (DAWG) and revealed it in a recent paper. This name stands in opposition to Intel's Cache Allocation Technology (CAT) and is said to prevent attackers from accessing ostensibly secure information through exploiting flaws in the speculative execution process. Best of all, DAWG is said to require very few resources that CAT isn't already using and can be enabled with operating system changes instead of requiring the in-silicon fixes many thought were needed to address the flaws.

[...] Here's how the researchers summarized their approach with DAWG:

"Unlike existing mechanisms such as CAT, DAWG disallows hits across protection domains. This affects hit paths and cache coherence, and DAWG handles these issues with minimal modification to modern operating systems, while reducing the attack surface of operating systems to a small set of annotated sections where data moves across protection domains, or where domains are resized/reallocated. Only in these handful of routines, DAWG protection is relaxed, and other defensive mechanisms such as speculation fences are applied as needed."

Also at TechCrunch and Engadget.


Original Submission

posted by takyon on Friday October 19 2018, @08:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the fungi-in-space dept.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Plant hormone makes space farming a possibility

With scarce nutrients and weak gravity, growing potatoes on the moon or on other planets seems unimaginable. But the plant hormone strigolactone could make it possible, plant biologists from the University of Zurich have shown. The hormone supports the symbiosis between fungi and plant roots, thus encouraging plants' growth—even under the challenging conditions found in space.

The idea of establishing colonies for people to live on the moon or on other planets has been bounced around for a while now—and not just by NASA, but also by private entrepreneurs such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. The prospect of colonization and long-term human space expeditions raise the issue of sustainably providing food for people in space. One possible answer is to cultivate crops in situ. However, the soils on the moon and on other planets are lower in nutrients compared to Earth-based soil. The alternative—transporting nutrient-rich soil and fertilizers into space—comes with a high economic and ecological cost.

Plant-fungal symbiosis promotes plant growth

When looking for a possible solution, the research group working with Lorenzo Borghi of the University of Zurich and Marcel Egli of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts concentrated on the process of mycorrhiza, a symbiotic association between fungi and plant roots. In this symbiosis, the fungal hyphae supply the plant roots with additional water, nitrogen, phosphates and trace elements from the ground. In return, they get access to sugar and fat produced by the plant. This symbiosis is stimulated by hormones of the strigolactone family, which most plants secrete into the soil around their roots. The process of mycorrhization can greatly increase plant growth and thereby substantially improve crop yields—especially in soil that is low in nutrients.

Simulated microgravity and the antagonistic influence of strigolactone on plant nutrient uptake in low nutrient conditions (open, DOI: 10.1038/s41526-018-0054-z) (DX)


Original Submission

posted by takyon on Friday October 19 2018, @06:29PM   Printer-friendly
from the hybrot-starter dept.

Submitted via IRC for chromas

Scientists grow functioning human neural networks in 3D from stem cells

A team of Tufts University-led researchers has developed three-dimensional (3D) human tissue culture models for the central nervous system that mimic structural and functional features of the brain and demonstrate neural activity sustained over a period of many months. With the ability to populate a 3D matrix of silk protein and collagen with cells from patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other conditions, the tissue models allow for the exploration of cell interactions, disease progression and response to treatment. The development and characterization of the models are reported today in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

The new 3D brain tissue models overcome a key challenge of previous models -the availability of human source neurons. This is due to the fact that neurological tissues are rarely removed from healthy patients and are usually only available post-mortem from diseased patients. The 3D tissue models are instead populated with human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can be derived from many sources, including patient skin. The iPSCs are generated by turning back the clock on cell development to their embryonic-like precursors. They can then be dialed forward again to any cell type, including neurons.

[...] Compared to growing and culturing cells in two dimensions, the three-dimensional matrix yields a significantly more complete mix of cells found in neural tissue, with the appropriate morphology and expression of receptors and neurotransmitters, according to the paper.

Also at ZDNet and Motherboard.

Functional and Sustainable 3D Human Neural Network Models from Pluripotent Stem Cells (DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b00622) (DX)


Original Submission

posted by mrpg on Friday October 19 2018, @04:55PM   Printer-friendly
from the #canceltwitter dept.

Submitted via IRC for chromas

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wants to fix 'filter bubbles' on the social network

[...] Dorsey noted that the site by design allows users to follow certain accounts, which could skew their perception of the world. If users followed a certain topic or interest, they might see more tweets from people with different viewpoints, he said.

Twitter needs to give users more tools to break down these bubbles, Dorsey acknowledged.

But as social media sites face allegations that it's suppressing conservative voices, these companies are also grappling with free speech concerns.

Also at CNBC, WIRED


Original Submission

posted by mrpg on Friday October 19 2018, @02:19PM   Printer-friendly
from the or-suffering-it dept.

Phys.org:

When we think of slavery, many of us think of historical or so-called "traditional forms" of slavery – and of the 12m people ripped from their West African homes and shipped across the Atlantic for a lifetime in the plantations of the Americas.

But slavery is not just something that happened in the past –- the modern day estimate for the number of men, women and children forced into labour worldwide exceeds 40m. Today's global slave trade is so lucrative that it nets traffickers more than US$150 billion each year.

The article asserts that much of today's slavery is being driven by the demand for electronic goods.


[Edit: fixed ILO links]

Original Submission