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karthikaqpt writes:

3D‑printed Glucose Biosensor for Painless Diabetes Monitoring

A 3D‑printed glucose biosensor for use in wearable monitors has been created by Washington State University researchers.

Researchers have been working to develop wearable, flexible electronics that can conform to patients' skin and monitor the glucose in body fluids, such as in sweat.

Using 3D printing, the WSU research team developed a glucose monitor with much better stability and sensitivity than those manufactured through traditional methods.

The researchers used a method called direct-ink-writing (DIW), that involves printing "inks" out of nozzles to create intricate and precise designs at tiny scales. The researchers printed out a nanoscale material that is electrically conductive to create flexible electrodes.

News Source: https://news.wsu.edu/2018/12/05/3d-printed-glucose-biosensors-created-wsu/

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Following a high-profile order at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this summer, copyright holders are facing a roadblock in their quest to demand settlements from alleged file-sharers. Referencing the August order, federal courts in districts across the US are demanding more evidence than an IP-address alone.

[...] In recent weeks, however, more and more judges have begun to ask questions.

This started after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reached a verdict in Cobbler Nevada v. Gonzales. The Court ruled that identifying the registered subscriber of an IP-address by itself is not enough to argue that this person is also the infringer.

"Because multiple devices and individuals may be able to connect via an IP address, simply identifying the IP subscriber solves only part of the puzzle. A plaintiff must allege something more to create a reasonable inference that a subscriber is also an infringer," the verdict read.

[...] What's clear though is that the Appeals Court ruling is being used by courts across the country to demand "something more" than an IP-address alone.

While this is not the end of so-called "copyright trolling" practices just yet, it does make it harder for rightsholders to convince the courts.

Source: https://torrentfreak.com/courts-want-something-more-than-an-ip-address-to-catch-pirates-181217/

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/13/new-tool-uses-ai-to-roll-back-problematic-continuous-delivery-builds-automatically/

As companies shift to CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous delivery), they face a problem around monitoring and fixing problems in builds that have been deployed. How do you deal with an issue after moving onto the next delivery milestone? Harness, the startup launched last year by AppDynamics founder Jyoti Bansal, wants to fix that with a new tool called 24×7 Service Guard.

The new tool is designed to help companies working with a continuous delivery process by monitoring all of the builds, regardless of when they were launched. What's more, the company claims that using AI and machine learning, it can dial back a problematic build to one that worked in an automated fashion, freeing developers and operations to keep working without worry.

[...] The tool watches every build, even days after deployment, taking advantage of data from tools like AppDynamics, New Relic, Elastic and Splunk, then using AI and machine learning to identify problems and bring them back to a working state without human intervention. What's more, your team can get a unified view of performance and the quality of every build across all of your monitoring and logging tools.

So what do you think? Are you using Continuous Delivery in your shop and if so, how is that working out for you?

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/19/18147991/microsoft-windows-sandbox-security-safety-isolation-standalone-apps

Microsoft is trying to address the fear of running an unknown .exe on your PC. While some power users set up virtual machines to check unknown apps, Microsoft has developed a simple way for anyone running Windows 10 to launch apps in an isolated desktop environment. Windows Sandbox is a new feature coming to Windows 10 next year that creates a temporary desktop environment to isolate a particular app to that sandbox.

It's designed to be secure and disposable, so once you've finished running the app in this mode the entire sandbox will be deleted. You don't need to set up a virtual machine, but it will require virtualization capabilities enabled in the BIOS. Microsoft is making Windows Sandbox available as part of Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise, and it's clearly aimed at businesses primarily or power users.

Technical details: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Windows-Kernel-Internals/Windows-Sandbox/ba-p/301849

See also: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/12/windows-sandbox-marries-vm-isolation-to-container-efficiency-to-safely-run-dodgy-apps/

Original Submission

RandomFactor writes:

The Washington Times has an article up on the authorization of a new Space Command.

Trump signed a one-page memorandum Tuesday authorizing the Defense Department to create the new command. Speaking at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Vice President Mike Pence said, "a new era of American national security in space begins today.

The goal is to set up a command to oversee and organize space operations, accelerate technical advances and find more effective ways to defend U.S. assets in space, including the vast constellations of satellites that American forces rely on for navigation, communications and surveillance. The move comes amid growing concerns that China and Russia are working on ways to disrupt, disable or even destroy U.S. satellites."

This is distinct from the President's goal (enjoyed by both his supporters and detractors) of creating a separate "Space Force" military branch.

The article also notes that the Space Command is not new and that

A U.S. Space Command existed from 1985 to 2002, but was disbanded in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks so that U.S. Northern Command could be established, focusing on defense of the homeland.

Sadly, if it hadn't been for that, we might already have Space Marines.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

New study reveals 'startling' risk of stroke

Globally, one in four people over age 25 is at risk for stroke during their lifetime, according to a new scientific study.

Researchers found a nearly five-fold difference in lifetime stroke risk worldwide, with the highest risk in East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, and lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. The lifetime stroke risk for 25-year-olds in 2016 ranged from 8% to 39%, depending on where they live; people in China have the highest risk.

"Our findings are startling," said Dr. Gregory Roth, Assistant Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, and senior author on the study. "It is imperative that physicians warn their patients about preventing strokes and other vascular diseases at earlier points in patients' lives. We found extremely high lifetime risk for stroke, and based on other research we evaluated, it is clear that younger adults need to think about long-term health risks. They can make a real difference by eating healthier diets, exercising regularly, and avoiding tobacco and alcohol." 

The study, "Global, Regional, and Country-Specific Lifetime Risks of Stroke, 1990-2016," was published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

[...] The burden of stroke among adults is largely dependent on modifiable risk factors and the characteristics of health systems. Therefore, the study's findings may be useful for long-term planning, especially in terms of prevention and public education.

[...] "This important paper provides reliable data on current lifetime risks across the world for different types of stroke, as well as providing countries with valuable insights into the burden of stroke," said Dr. Peter Rothwell, Head of the Centre for the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia and Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Oxford. "These data and insights can be used to prioritize and target strategies for prevention. I hope this important work will be continued so that these trends can be mapped in future decades."

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Alien imposters: Planets with oxygen don't necessarily have life

In their search for life in solar systems near and far, researchers have often accepted the presence of oxygen in a planet's atmosphere as the surest sign that life may be present there. A new Johns Hopkins study, however, recommends a reconsideration of that rule of thumb.

Simulating in the lab the atmospheres of planets beyond the solar system, researchers successfully created both organic compounds and oxygen, absent of life.

The findings, published Dec. 11 by the journal ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, serve as a cautionary tale for researchers who suggest the presence of oxygen and organics on distant worlds is evidence of life there.

"Our experiments produced oxygen and organic molecules that could serve as the building blocks of life in the lab, proving that the presence of both doesn't definitively indicate life," says Chao He, assistant research scientist in the Johns Hopkins University Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the study's first author. "Researchers need to more carefully consider how these molecules are produced."

[...] "People used to suggest that oxygen and organics being present together indicates life, but we produced them abiotically in multiple simulations," He says. "This suggests that even the co-presence of commonly accepted biosignatures could be a false positive for life."

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/12/19/facebook-data-privacy-access-tech-companies/

Just about 24 hours ago, we published a story recapping Facebook's terrible 2018. But the year isn't over, and it looks like the drama is going to continue until the bitter end. According to an investigation by The New York Times that cites interviews with more than 60 people, including former Facebook employees, the company gave Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Spotify and other tech firms far greater access to user data than previously disclosed. Earlier this month, the paper reported how some of these companies were receiving favored access to people's information, but we didn't know it was allegedly giving certain ones the ability to read, write and delete private messages.

The data sharing was so deep that even Facebook's business partners were surprised by it: Spotify said it was unaware of this special access while Netflix claims it never checked people's private messages on Facebook nor did it ever "ask for the ability to do so." Apple, meanwhile, was white-listed to view users' phone numbers and calendar entries, but it said it was not aware of this special access.

[...] The biggest issue with Facebook, which hasn't responded to our request for comment, is that it always waits until after a bombshell to clarify its policies -- that's how it got into this mess to begin with.

Meanwhile takyon notes that:

After a year from hell, Facebook parties like it's 2017

Last weekend, Facebook hosted a lavish two-day Christmas party for employees. The event, held this year at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, had a winter village theme. It looked like a lovely time for all!

The party was documented by attendees who naturally posted pictures to Instagram (owned by Facebook!). In one corner they delighted to dancers and performers dressed as elves, and discussed perhaps the news this weekend (posted on a blog by Facebook on Friday evening) that a bug had let developers see photos that users uploaded but never actually posted. It affected 6.8 million users. Or maybe they didn't bother discussing this – it seemed a relatively minor screw-up based on the year Facebook has had.

Apparently the mirror reflecting their past year has a bit of distortion.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Microsoft delivers emergency patch for under-attack IE

Microsoft rarely mentions Internet Explorer (IE) anymore, but when it does, it usually means bad news.

So it was Wednesday, when Microsoft issued a rare emergency security update to plug a critical vulnerability in the still-supported IE9, IE10 and IE11. The flaw was reported to Microsoft by Google security engineer Clement Lecigne.

According to Microsoft, attackers are already exploiting the vulnerability, making it a classic "zero-day" bug. Because of that, the company released a fix before the next round of security updates scheduled for Jan. 8.

The update was issued to Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 - the latter with patches for versions 1607 and later - as well as Windows Server 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2019. (Updates for some versions of Windows 10 - 1607 and 1703 - were available only to Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education.)

"A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the scripting engine handles objects in memory in Internet Explorer," Microsoft stated in the CVE-2018-8653 support document. "The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user."

The vulnerability could be exploited simply by drawing users running IE9, IE10 or IE11 to a malicious website, perhaps with a phishing email.

[...] The IE security fix will be automatically offered, downloaded and installed on most unmanaged Windows PCs.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

The Librem 5 dev kit's hardware is done and shipping! We are beyond excited for our backers to receive their dev kits before year-end. Our entire PureOS Librem 5 development team will getting the same dev kits, upgrading the generic i.MX 6 boards (which most of the demos you have seen have been based on) to the Purism i.MX 8M based dev kit.

[...] With about four months to go until we ship the phones, we are going to need the community to help in the final sprint to the finish line. So we look forward to your help with testing, feature requests, and of course code!

2019 is going to be an amazing year with the introduction of the first privacy and security focused mobile phone and we can't wait to get it in your hands.

[...] Furthermore, the phone's early-bird preorder pricing at $599 will end soon; after January 7th the preorder price will rise to $699 to cover our expenses for the phone. The money coming from this will be used to fund further engineering of the phone and to help people from the community to work on upstream projects.

https://puri.sm/posts/2018-devkits-are-shipping/

Also at:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/The-Linux-smartphone-is-back-Purism-Librem-5-developer-kit-now-shipping.383531.0.html
https://thenextweb.com/plugged/2018/12/19/dev-kits-for-purisms-ultra-private-librem-5-smartphone-are-now-shipping/

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Upwind wind plants can reduce flow to downwind neighbors

New National Science Foundation and Department of Energy-funded research highlights a previously unexplored consequence of the global proliferation of wind energy facilities: a wake effect from upwind facilities that can reduce the energy production of their downwind neighbors.

In collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU) and the University of Denver (DU) developed the paper, "Costs and consequences of wind turbine wake effects arising from uncoordinated wind energy development," which appears in Nature Energy. The study uses atmospheric modeling along with economic and legal analysis to demonstrate that wind facility wake effects -- which occur when groups of turbines reduce wind speed for miles behind them -- are measurable and predictable.

"This work argues for more thoughtful deployment of wind energy," said Julie Lundquist, a researcher at CU and lead author of the study. Lundquist, who works with NREL's National Wind Technology Center, is an associate professor in CU Boulder's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and a fellow of the CU/NREL Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute. The paper is co-authored by K. K. DuVivier of DU's Denver Sturm College of Law, as well as Daniel Kaffine and Jessica Tomaszewski of CU.

Wind facility wakes have been observed to extend up to 25 miles. Of the 994 individual wind facilities in the United States in 2016, nearly 90 percent are within 25 miles of another wind facility, all of which could experience wake effects.

"Just as upstream water users can knowingly or unknowingly impose additional costs downstream, the same effect is in play here," said Kaffine, a professor in CU Boulder's Department of Economics. Research shows that wake effects do not undermine wind energy because they are predictable and only occur in specific atmospheric conditions.

Original Submission

edIII writes:

From Quantamagazine

Digital security depends on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. A new proof shows why one method for breaking digital encryption won't work.

Virtually all polynomials of a certain type are "prime," meaning they can't be factored.

The proof has implications for many areas of pure mathematics. It's also great news for a pillar of modern life: digital encryption.

The main technique we use to keep digital information secure is RSA encryption. It's a souped-up version of the encryption scheme a seventh grader might devise to pass messages to a friend: Assign a number to every letter and multiply by some secretly agreed-upon key. To decode a message, just divide by the secret key.

Quite a statement by the researchers. This allegedly makes RSA encryption "quantum proof", and if so means that classical encryption may still be with us long after quantum computing arrives. Given that quantum systems require expensive entanglement setups, it may also mean that a cheap encryption method may stay viable.

Paper: Irreducibility of random polynomials of large degree

Original Submission

takyon writes:

No-deal Brexit plans put 3,500 troops on standby

Emergency no-deal Brexit contingency plans must now be implemented across government, cabinet ministers have agreed, including reserving ferry space for supplies and putting 3,500 armed forces personnel on standby to deal with any disruption.

[...] Downing Street suggested preparations could include reserving space on ferries in order to ensure a supply of food and medicines. Speaking later in the Commons, the defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, said his department "will have 3,500 service personnel held at readiness, including regulars and reserves, in order to support any government department on any contingencies they may need".

Citizens will be informed how to prepare through a "range of channels" that could include TV adverts and social media. Ministers agreed to allocate money from a £2bn contingency fund to departments such as the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. HMRC[*] will prepare a 100-page pack for all UK businesses on preparing for no-deal, and will send out about 80,000 emails to businesses.

[*] HMRC = Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government ... HMRC was formed by the merger of the Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, which took effect on 18 April 2005.

The service personnel may be called upon to assist in law enforcement, so factor that in to any riot plans you may have.

Also at CNN and CBS.

See also: Now we're facing the sad reality of Brexit — troops on the streets of Britain

Original Submission

takyon writes:

North has acquired the patents and tech behind Intel's Vaunt AR glasses

North, the company behind the Focals AR glasses, has acquired the "technology portfolio" behind another set of AR [Augmented Reality] glasses, the cancelled Intel Vaunt glasses. The company wouldn't disclose the terms of the deal, but Intel Capital is a major investor in North and led its last financing round in 2016. Both Focals and Vaunt had the same basic idea: use a tiny laser embedded in the stem of your glasses to project a reflected image directly into your retina. Unlike other AR and VR [Virtual Reality] efforts, the goal is to create a pair of glasses you'd actually want to wear — something that looks relatively normal and doesn't weigh too much.

[...] Focals have the same basic idea as Vaunt but are actually set to ship to consumers fairly soon. The Canadian company already has a couple of stores where you can select the right style of glasses. But more importantly, you need to get them fitted, North says, because aligning the projector so you can see the image requires that the glasses be adjusted for your face.

[...] North CEO and co-founder Stephen Lake tells me that his company is acquiring 230 patents or applications along with some "technology and assets," which will mean the company should have over 650 patents by the end of the year.

[...] In some ways, North's Focals are a little more advanced than the Intel Vaunt prototypes I tried back in February. The image it displays is slightly larger and displays in full color instead of Vaunt's red monochrome. But Intel had some tech that North wanted, Lake tells me that the Vaunt team "did a lot of work in MEMs technology and the optics related to that." More specifically, Intel seems to have done a lot of work to miniaturize the display system.

Lake says that North is acquiring the patents for future versions of Focals and not to go on a lawsuit spree. "It's really about a defensive position," he says. Intel also had done work related to the core interface of using AR glasses. The patents North is acquiring cover "everything from new techniques, user interfaces, to ways to interact with the glasses."

Also at TechCrunch.

Previously: Intel Unveils "Vaunt" Smartglasses
Intel Abandons Vaunt AR (Augmented Reality) Smartglasses

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

'Pause' in global warming was never real, new research proves

Claims of a 'pause' in observed global temperature warming are comprehensively disproved in a pair of new studies published today.

An international team of climate researchers reviewed existing data and studies and reanalysed them. They concluded there has never been a statistically significant 'pause' in global warming. This conclusion holds whether considering the `pause' as a change in the rate of warming in observations or as a mismatch in rate between observations and expectations from climate models.

[...] Dr. Risbey said: "Our findings show there is little or no statistical evidence for a 'pause' in GMST rise. Neither the current data nor the historical data support it. Moreover, updates to the GMST data through the period of 'pause' research have made this conclusion stronger. But, there was never enough evidence to reasonably draw any other conclusion.

"Global warming did not pause, but we need to understand how and why scientists came to believe it had, to avoid future episodes like this. The climate-research community's acceptance of a 'pause' in global warming caused confusion for the public and policy system about the pace and urgency of climate change.

Original Submission

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Facebook has disclosed yet another privacy flub. This time around, it says a bug in the Photo API led to third-party apps being able to access not only timeline photos (which users had permitted them to do), but Stories, Marketplace images and photos people uploaded to Facebook but never actually shared.

"For example, if someone uploads a photo to Facebook but doesn't finish posting it -- maybe because they've lost reception or walked into a meeting -- we store a copy of that photo so the person has it when they come back to the app to complete their post," Engineering Director Tomer Bar explained in a post.

The bug affected as many as 6.8 million people across up to 1,500 apps, Facebook says, and it was active for 12 days before it was detected and fixed on September 25th. Companies are supposed to disclose data breaches within 72 hours under EU General Data Protection Regulation rules, though Facebook told TechCrunch it needed some time to investigate the bug's impact and prepare a notice for affected users in various languages. Still, the delay could land Facebook in hot water with EU regulators.

Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/12/14/facebook-privacy-bug-photos-timeline-stories-marketplace/

Related: Facebook Keeps Unposted Videos

Original Submission