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takyon writes:

'Human brain' supercomputer with 1 million processors switched on for first time

The world's largest neuromorphic supercomputer designed and built to work in the same way a human brain does has been fitted with its landmark one-millionth processor core and is being switched on for the first time.

[...] To reach this point it has taken £15million in funding, 20 years in conception and over 10 years in construction, with the initial build starting way back in 2006. The project was initially funded by the EPSRC and is now supported by the European Human Brain Project. It is being switched on for the first time on Friday, 2 November.

[...] The SpiNNaker machine, which was designed and built in The University of Manchester's School of Computer Science, can model more biological neurons in real time than any other machine on the planet.

SpiNNaker.

Also at CNN.

Related: Simulating Neuromorphic Supercomputing Designs
The Second Coming of Neuromorphic Computing
IBM's Latest Attempt at a Brain-Inspired Computer

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upstart writes in with a submission via IRC for chromas

The Supreme Court just allowed a major climate lawsuit to go ahead

In a surprise decision late Friday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Juliana v. US, a major lawsuit filed by young people against the US government for failing to limit the effects of climate change. The case may now go to trial in a lower court after the Supreme Court’s extremely unusual move last month to temporarily block the proceeding.

The case includes 21 plaintiffs between the ages of 11 and 22, who began testing the idea that a safe climate is a civil right when the suit was first filed in 2015. It argues that the US government pursued policies that harmed the climate, thereby robbing the children of a “climate system capable of sustaining human life.” As redress, they want the government to take action to fight climate change.

“The youth of our nation won an important decision today from the Supreme Court that shows even the most powerful government in the world must follow the rules and process of litigation in our democracy,” the plaintiffs said Friday in a statement. “We have asked the District Court for an immediate status conference to get Juliana v. US back on track for trial in the next week.”

A lower court ruled earlier this year the case could go to trial, and that trial was expected begin at the United States District Court in Oregon on Monday, October 29.

But then late last month, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay of the case to consider a request from the Justice Department for a stay to halt the case. The Supreme Court’s temporary stay sent the plaintiffs scrambling to put together a brief in time to keep the case moving forward on schedule.

takyon writes:

Researchers Exploit Another Intel Hyper-Threading Flaw

Five academics from the Tampere University of Technology in Finland and Technical University of Havana, Cuba, have discovered yet another flaw in Intel's Hyper-Threading (HT) technology that attackers could use to steal users' encrypted data, as reported by ZDNet today.

Other CPUs that use Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) technology may also be affected by the bug, but so far only Intel's HT has been confirmed as vulnerable. SMT and HT are technologies that allow two or multiple computing threads to be executed on the same CPU core. Intel enables two threads per physical core with its HT technology.

[...] The vulnerability, which the researchers nicknamed PortSmash, allows attackers to create a malicious process that can run alongside another legitimate process using HT's parallel thread running capabilities. This malicious process can then leak information about the legitimate process and allow the attacker to reconstruct the encrypted data processed inside the legitimate process.

The researchers also made available the proof of concept (PoC) for the attack, showing that it is indeed feasible and not just theoretical. This PoC can now also be re-purposed and modified by attackers to launch a real attack against owners of systems using Intel CPUs.

Also at Ars Technica and The Register.

Related: OpenBSD disables Intel's hyper-threading over CPU data leak fears
TLBleed Affects Intel Processors with Hyperthreading to Leak Encryption Keys, Non-Trivial to Exploit
OpenBSD Chief De Raadt Says No Easy Fix For New Intel CPU Bug
Intel 'Gags' Linux Distros From Revealing Performance Hit From Spectre Patches

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takyon writes:

Diablo is getting a 'full-fledged' mobile RPG

Blizzard is bringing Diablo to mobile devices, the company announced today during BlizzCon 2018. The game's creators promised a "full-fledged action RPG" called Diablo Immortal. Diablo Immortal picks up after Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and will launch for iOS and Android.

The mobile RPG is a massively multiplayer online action game; players will be able to drop in and out of groups and play through "dynamic events" as they travel through Sanctuary. Classes include monk, wizard, crusader, demon hunter, necromancer, and barbarian. Blizzard is currently allowing players to pre-register for a chance to join the game's upcoming beta.

Fingers do massive damage to phones.

Also at Ars Technica.

Related: Blizzard Releases an Update for Diablo II... 16 Years After its Release
Animated "Diablo" Series Reportedly Coming to Netflix

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takyon writes:

Humans are to blame for the October failure of the Soyuz rocket:

Roscosmos: An assembly error doomed our Soyuz, but we promise it won't happen again

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has completed its investigation into October's Soyuz mishap in record time, pointing the finger of blame at problems during assembly.

Mutterings emitted from the space agency earlier this week suggested that the issue was related to a sensor that detects stage separation of the booster. In yesterday's press conference, Roscosmos provided a few more details and shared a terrifying video[*] showing the moment things went bad for the Soyuz. It then gave the green light for putting a crew back on the thing next month.

The actual explosion was, according to the State Commission tasked with getting to the bottom of the mess, caused by one of the side boosters not separating correctly and striking the rocket core. This led to the depressurisation of a fuel tank and the loss of control of the booster. The problems start at 1:23 in the video.

Of course, the real question is why did the separation fail? The answer, according to Roscosmos, was a failure to open a nozzle at the top of the strap-on booster to vent its tank. This meant the booster did not separate cleanly. The nozzle failure was caused by a faulty contact sensor, which had been "bent" during assembly of the Soyuz at the Baikonur cosmodrome.

[*] [This appears to be the video. --Ed.]

Also at Inverse.

Previously: Soyuz Crew Vehicle Fails Mid-Flight, Astronauts OK
Soyuz Failure Narrowed Down to Collision Between Booster and Core Stage

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takyon writes:

Study of Cellphone Risks Finds 'Some Evidence' of Link to Cancer, at Least in Male Rats

For decades, health experts have struggled to determine whether or not cellphones can cause cancer. On Thursday, a federal agency released the final results of what experts call the world's largest and most costly experiment to look into the question. The study originated in the Clinton administration, cost $30 million and involved some 3,000 rodents.

The experiment, by the National Toxicology Program, found positive but relatively modest evidence that radio waves from some types of cellphones could raise the risk that male rats develop brain cancer. "We believe that the link between radio-frequency radiation and tumors in male rats is real," John Bucher, a senior scientist at the National Toxicology Program, said in a statement.

But he cautioned that the exposure levels and durations were far greater than what people typically encounter, and thus cannot "be compared directly to the exposure that humans experience." Moreover, the rat study examined the effects of a radio frequency associated with an early generation of cellphone technology, one that fell out of routine use years ago. Any concerns arising from the study thus would seem to apply mainly to early adopters who used those bygone devices, not to users of current models.

[...] The rats were exposed to radiation at a frequency of 900 megahertz — typical of the second generation of cellphones that prevailed in the 1990s, when the study was first conceived. Current cellphones represent a fourth generation, known as 4G, and 5G phones are expected to debut around 2020. They employ much higher frequencies, and these radio waves are far less successful at penetrating the bodies of humans and rats, scientists say.

Previously: Major Cell Phone Radiation Study Reignites Cancer Questions
First Clear Evidence Cell Phone Radiation Can Cause Cancer In Rats

Related: Dim-Bulb Politician Wants Warning on Cell Phones
California Issues Warning Over Cellphones; Study Links Non-Ionizing Radiation to Miscarriage
Mill Valley, California Blocks 5G Over Health Concerns

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Phoenix666 writes:

Phys.org:

Results from a collaborative study by Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tohoku University, Japan, raise prospects for large-scale production of algae-derived starch, a valuable bioresource for biofuels and other renewable materials. Such bio-based products have the potential to replace fossil fuels and contribute to the development of sustainable systems and societies.

[...] The researchers demonstrated that starch content could be dramatically increased in C. merolae through inactivation of TOR (target of rapamycin), a protein kinase known to play an important role in cell growth.

They observed a notable increase in the level of starch 12 hours after inactivation of TOR through exposure to rapamycin, and this led to a remarkable ten-fold increase after 48 hours.

[...] For example, the findings could accelerate the production of environmentally friendly fuel additives, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and bioplastics that are now in high demand with the phasing out of single-use plastic bags and straws in many parts of the world.

Algae is easy to grow on marginal land or in urban settings close to where it can be further processed. Will it constitute a key solution to providing civilization's material requirements in the 21st century?

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Nubia X: a Dual-Display Smartphone with No Selfie Camera

Nubia, a ZTE brand, this week introduced its new range-topping smartphone outfitted with front and rear displays and Qualcomm's high-end SoC. The new Nubia X features a rare 93.6% screen-to-body ratio on the primary LCD, maximizing its screen real estate while also offering a serious performance. The phone will certainly catch some eyes, but what remains to be seen is how useful the second display is and how will it affect battery life of the device.

The two screens are naturally the key selling point of the Nubia X. The primary display is a 6.26-inch IPS LCD offering a 2280×1080 resolution, a 19:9 aspect ratio, and featuring no notch (as there is no camera). The secondary display is a 5.1-inch OLED that has the same aspect ratio, but a 1520×720 resolution. The screen on the rear of the smartphone blends with the device's aluminum body and is designed primarily for ultimate personalization (e.g., you can load your own unique wallpaper on the back and get a handset no one else has). To make selfies, as the Nubia X does not have a front-facing camera, users will use the main camera and the rear screen to do so.

Original Submission

All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us writes:

From Ars Technica, word that Microsoft is deploying pods with servers underwater.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says that underwater server farms are part of the company's plans for future data centers.

Microsoft has been experimenting with underwater servers for some time.

Project Natick[*] put a server pod underwater off the coast of California in 2016. Naturally enough, the pod uses water cooling, dumping waste heat into the ocean around it. It's designed as a sealed unit, deployed for five years before being brought back up to the surface and replaced. Since then, Microsoft has deployed a larger pod off the coast of Scotland.

[*] [Natick is the name of a town in eastern Massachusetts which also happens to have a US Army Research Facility located in it. --Ed.]

The pod people are no longer people! Flash in the pan idea, or could it have some traction?

Original Submission

Runaway1956 writes:

Are You Really a Psychopath If You Drink Black Coffee?

A study has linked bitter taste preferences to antisocial personality traits. But there's more to the headlines than meets the eye.

Do you drink your coffee black? According to quite a few headlines circulating online right now, that might make you a psychopath. The same goes for people who enjoy other bitter foods and beverages, like tonic water, kale, broccoli rabe, and radishes.

We were, of course, curious to know more, so we dug up the original study on which these claims are based. We also looked at some of the other research on taste preference and personality traits. It turns out, a fondness for bitter foods is linked to some pretty dark characteristics. But it’s also not as straightforward as some articles have made it out to be.

That study in the news right now—the one linking coffee to psychopathic personality traits^[0]—was actually published in 2016, in the journal Appetite. The study authors, from the University of Innsbruck in Austria, wrote in their introduction that “some connection between taste preferences and personality has been established, yet the evidence is still scarce.”

[...] But back to the results: The researchers found that bitter taste preferences were “positively associated with malevolent personality traits,” especially everyday sadism and psychopathy. “Taken together, the results suggest that how much people like bitter-tasting foods and drinks is stably tied to how dark their personality is,” they wrote.

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for chromas

Sen. Ron Wyden Introduces Bill That Would Send CEOs to Jail for Violating Consumer Privacy

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has introduced a comprehensive new privacy bill he claims will finally address the lack of meaningful privacy protections for American consumers.

Wyden says his Consumer Data Protection Act is a direct response to the ocean of privacy scandals that have plagued the internet for the better part of the last decade.

The Senator's proposal would dramatically beef up Federal Trade Commission authority and funding to crack down on privacy violations, let consumers opt out of having their sensitive personal data collected and sold, and impose harsh new penalties on a massive data monetization industry that has for years claimed that self-regulation is all that's necessary to protect consumer privacy.

Wyden's bill proposes that companies whose revenue exceeds $1 billion per year—or warehouse data on more than 50 million consumers or consumer devices—submit "annual data protection reports" to the government detailing all steps taken to protect the security and privacy of consumers' personal information.

The proposed legislation would also levy penalties up to 20 years in prison and $5 million in fines for executives who knowingly mislead the FTC in these reports. The FTC's authority over such matters is currently limited—one of the reasons telecom giants have been eager to move oversight of their industry from the Federal Communications Commission to the FTC.

Also at ZDNet, and The Hill.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

Mario Segale, Inspiration For Nintendo's Hero Plumber, Has Died

Mario Segale, who inspired the plucky plumber Mario — one of the most recognizable characters in the world, let alone in video games — has died at age 84. Segale was Nintendo's landlord outside Seattle when the company created Donkey Kong, the classic game that launched the overalls-wearing Mario.

[...] The Mario character went on to become a franchise, appearing in dozens of games, from car racing to tennis. He also shared a game cartridge with Nintendo's other classic hit, Duck Hunt (we've clarified this point in the story to avoid confusion).

Also at BBC.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

U.S. Government Indicts Chinese DRAM Maker JHICC on Industrial Espionage; Bans Exports To Firm

The U.S. Department of Commerce [DoC] this week banned U.S. exports to a China-based maker of DRAM. The DoC believes that Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Company (also known as Fujian or JHICC) not only uses technologies obtained from Micron, but also threatens the latter's long-term economic viability and therefore could also be involved in activities that are contrary to the U.S. national security interests.

In the meantime, the U.S. Department of Justice [DoJ] has also filed an indictment against JHICC, United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), and several individuals accusing them of corporate espionage and stealing IP from Micron. Between the two, the U.S. authorities essentially sided with claims that Chinese makers of memory have illegally obtained IP and technologies from DRAM makers from the U.S. and potentially other countries.

As a result of DoC actions against JHICC, all U.S.-based (and, actually, non-U.S.-based too) companies will require a special license for all exports, re-exports, and transfers of commodities, software and technology subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). DoC makes no secret that such license applications will be "reviewed with a presumption of denial", so it will be tremendously hard for JHICC to obtain practically everything, including Windows 7 licenses for manufacturing equipment and production tools themselves (ASML has a strong presence in the U.S., whereas Nikon Precision is based in California). Meanwhile, the whole situation is somewhat more complex.

Related: Tsinghua to Build $30 Billion DRAM/NAND Fabrication Plant in Nanjing, China

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Snapchat's PR firm sues influencer for not promoting Spectacles on Instagram

Influencer marketing could get a lot more accountable if Snapchat's PR firm wins this lawsuit. Snapchat hoped that social media stars promoting v2 of its Spectacles camera sunglasses on its biggest competitor could boost interest after it only sold 220,000 of v1 and had to take a $40 million write-off. Instead, Snap comes off looking a little desperate to make Spectacles seem cool.

Snap Inc. commissioned its public relations firm PR Consulting (real imaginative) to buy it an influencer marketing campaign on Instagram. The firm struck a deal with Grown-ish actor Luka Sabbat after he was seen cavorting with Kourtney Kardashian. Sabbat got paid $45,000 up front with the promise of another $15,000 to post himself donning Spectacles on Instagram.

He was contracted to make one Instagram feed post and three Stories posts with him wearing Specs, plus be photographed wearing them in public at Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks. He was supposed to add swipe-up-to-buy links to two of those Story posts, get all the posts pre-approved with PRC, and send it analytics metrics about their performance.

But Sabbat skipped out on two of the Stories, one of the swipe-ups, the photo shoots, the pre-approvals and the analytics. So as Variety's Gene Maddaus first reported, PRC is suing Sabbat to recoup the $45,000 it already paid plus another $45,000 in damages.

The lawsuit might give Spectacles more exposure than Mr. Sabbat would have.

Also at Business Insider, Engadget, and Entrepreneur.

Previously: Snapchat's Spectacles: A Bad Idea in Hindsight
Snapchat Takes a Second Shot at Wearable Camera "Spectacles"
Snap Gives Spectacles a Face Lift to Look More Like Traditional Sunglasses

Original Submission

canopic jug writes:

If you have a Pixel 3 phone, you should be aware that you can opt out of the built-in binding arbitration agreement. Boing Boing has a screen shot of the new Pixel phone's binding arbitration opt-out form. Pixel phone owners, insofar as they actually own the phone, are given a chance to avoid Google's attempt to get them to sign away your right to sue even if the company hurts, cheats, or kills them.

Earlier on SN: Google Avoids Talking About Android at Pixel 3 Event.

Original Submission