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upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Adobe Fixes 43 Critical Acrobat and Reader Flaws

Adobe issued patches for 43 critical vulnerabilities in Acrobat and Reader – including a fix for a zero-day flaw that researchers at 0patch temporarily fixed on Monday. That bug could enable bad actors to steal victims’ hashed password values.

Overall, Adobe patched 75 important and critical vulnerabilities across its products, including Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Coldfusion, and Creative Cloud Desktop Application. The Tuesday morning patches are part of Adobe’s regularly-scheduled security updates.

Adobe said it is not aware that any of these vulnerabilities are being actively exploited.

Adobe Acrobat and Reader by far had the most vulnerabilities (71 overall) – 43 of which were dubbed critical severity.

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upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

James Clerk Maxwell Telescope discovers flare 10 billion times more powerful than those on the sun

The Hawaii-based James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) has discovered a stellar flare 10 billion times more powerful than the Sun's solar flares, a history-making discovery that could unlock decades-old questions about the origin of our own Sun and planets, giving insight into how these celestial bodies were born.

"A discovery of this magnitude could have only happened in Hawaii," said Dr. Steve Mairs, astronomer and lead investigator of the team that discovered the stellar flare. "Using the JCMT, we study the birth of nearby stars as a means of understanding the history of our very own solar system. Observing flares around the youngest stars is new territory and it is giving us key insights into the physical conditions of these systems. This is one of the ways we are working toward answering people's most enduring questions about space, time, and the universe that surrounds us."

The JCMT Transient Survey team recorded the 1,500-year-old flare using the telescope's state-of the art high-frequency radio technology and sophisticated image analysis techniques. Identified by astronomer Dr. Steve Mairs, the original data was obtained using the JCMT's supercooled camera known as "SCUBA-2," which is kept at a frigid -459.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

[NB: Absolute zero is -459.67° on the Fahrenheit scale or −273.15° on the Celsius scale. --martyb]

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mrpg writes:

Hackers have breached the severs[sic] of email provider VFEmail.net and wiped the data from all its US servers, destroying all US customers' data in the process.

The attack took place yesterday, February 11, and was detected after the company's site and webmail client went down without notice.

"At this time, the attacker has formatted all the disks on every server," the company said yesterday. "Every VM is lost. Every file server is lost, every backup server is lost."

"This was more than a multi-password via SSH exploit, and there was no ransom. Just attack and destroy," VFEmail said.

[...] Back in November 2015, VFEmail was one of the many online email providers that were targeted by Armada Collective, a group of hackers who demanded ransom payments from victim companies to stop ongoing DDoS attacks.

There were servers in the US and in Europe; I think US users really means all users except the ones in the Europe server.

Hackers wipe US Servers of Email Provider VFEmail
Email Provider VFEMail’s US Servers Wiped by Hackers
VFEmail twitter account

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MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

In the tabloid tradition, a good headline must do three things: it must communicate the news; it must commit some act of wordplay; and it must trigger a certain popping of the eyes in its reader, ideally accompanied by some kind of involuntary subverbal response—a squawk, a snort, a guffaw, a gasp. On Thursday, just minutes after Jeff Bezos revealed that American Media, Inc., had threatened to publish explicit photographs of him unless he acquiesced to certain demands, tabloid-headline excellence was achieved, when HuffPost declared, on its home page, "Bezos Exposes Pecker." "Pecker," of course, referred to David Pecker, the chairman and C.E.O. of A.M.I.—the same Pecker who, during the 2016 Presidential election, facilitated a payment to a woman who had a story to tell about an affair with Donald Trump.

[...] The headline was the work of Hayley Miller, a HuffPost reporter in New York whose workday had already ended when the Bezos news came out. [...] The idea for "Bezos Exposes Pecker" came to her quickly, but she hesitated before sharing it. On one hand, she said, "I was just, like, Oh, my gosh, this is gold—got to do this." On the other hand, she considered, "Do I want to bother my colleagues with another dick pun?" In the end, she went for it. "Trusted my gut, I guess," she said.

Whitney Snyder, a HuffPost deputy editor [...] explained that this wasn't the first time the Web site's Slack channels had been peppered with Pecker puns. "We did have a bit of a rehearsal in August," he said, referring to the day that Pecker's immunity deal with federal prosecutors was reported. "We ran a headline that was 'Report: Trump Loses Pecker.' "

Source: https://www.newyorker.com/news/current/the-story-behind-the-instant-classic-bezos-exposes-pecker-headline

Previously: Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer of Blackmail

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realDonaldTrump writes:

Quitting Facebook Might Make you Happier, but Dumber: Study:

Those who managed to abstain from Facebook had at least one hour or more of extra free time and reported marginally better moods, though, notably, not enough to support the theory that heavy social media use makes people miserable. They were also five to 10 percent less polarized on political issues than their control group who remained on Facebook throughout the study.

But when it came to factual knowledge of current events — the Facebook-breakers scored lower than they had prior to deactivation.

Abstract:

The rise of social media has provoked both optimism about potential societal benefits and concern about harms such as addiction, depression, and political polarization. We present a randomized evaluation of the welfare effects of Facebook, focusing on US users in the run- up to the 2018 midterm election. We measured the willingness-to-accept of 2,844 Facebook users to deactivate their Facebook accounts for four weeks, then randomly assigned a subset to actually do so in a way that we verified. Using a suite of outcomes from both surveys and direct measurement, we show that Facebook deactivation (i) reduced online activity, including other social media, while increasing offline activities such as watching TV alone and socializing with family and friends; (ii) reduced both factual news knowledge and political polarization; (iii) increased subjective well-being; and (iv) caused a large persistent reduction in Facebook use after the experiment. We use participants' pre-experiment and post-experiment Facebook valuations to quantify the extent to which factors such as projection bias might cause people to overvalue Facebook, finding that the magnitude of any such biases is likely minor relative to the large consumer surplus that Facebook generates.

Reference:
Hunt Allcott, Luca Braghieri, Sarah Eichmeyer, and Matthew Gentzkow, The Welfare Effects of Social Media (pdf); National Bureau of Economic Research.

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upstart writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

The truth about Galileo and his conflict with the Catholic Church

Today virtually every child grows up learning that the earth orbits the sun.

But four centuries ago, the idea of a heliocentric solar system was so controversial that the Catholic Church classified it as a heresy, and warned the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei to abandon it.

Many people believe that Galileo was hounded by the church for almost two decades, that he openly maintained a belief in heliocentrism, and that he was only spared torture and death because his powerful friends intervened on his behalf. But an examination of the fine details of Galileo’s conflict with church leaders doesn’t bear that out, according to English department distinguished research professor Henry Kelly.

In an article published this month in the journal “Church History,” Kelly clarifies some popularly held notions around Galileo’s travails with the church.

“We can only guess at what he really believed,” said Kelly, who for his research undertook a thorough examination of the judicial procedure used by the church in its investigation of Galileo. “Galileo was clearly stretching the truth when he maintained at his trial in 1633 that after 1616 he had never considered heliocentrism to be possible. Admitting otherwise would have increased the penance he was given, but would not have endangered his life, since he agreed to renounce the heresy — and in fact it would have spared him even the threat of torture.”

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Catholic Church’s investigation into Galileo.

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edIII writes:

The first global scientific review of insect population decline was published^[$] this week in the journal Biological Conservation. This is the first global study of its kind, and the term "impending catastrophe" would not be hyperbolic with respect to the findings:

Highlights

• Over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction.
• Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and dung beetles (Coleoptera) are the taxa most affected.
• Four aquatic taxa are imperiled and have already lost a large proportion of species.
• Habitat loss by conversion to intensive agriculture is the main driver of the declines.
• Agro-chemical pollutants, invasive species and climate change are additional causes.

For some time now we've been warned by scientists that pollinators are having a hard time, creating problems for humanity WRT many food sources. However, this study paints a far more dire picture with the possibility of irreparable harm to ecosystems on a global level. Without strong insect populations, it's not unreasonable to conclude that humanity may not continue either.

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

The Naval Surface Warfare Center at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico has—literally—tons of IT hardware and equipment used for classified programs that need to be destroyed by the most secure and irreversible means.

While White Sands Missile Range is an Army facility, NAVSEA researchers have a detachment there working on "land-based weapons system testing, directed energy weapons testing"—lasers—"and research rocket launch support," according to their webpage. Those researchers have on hand some 4,000 pounds of IT equipment, including magnetic, optical and solid-state storage devices with highly sensitive, classified data.

The center issued a solicitation for destruction services that specifically calls for all designated equipment to be burned "to ash."

The information stored on these devices is highly sensitive, as evidenced by the physical security requirements set forth in the solicitation. The incineration facility must have "at the minimum, secure entry, 24-hour armed guards and 24/7 camera surveillance with recordable date and time capabilities."

https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2019/02/navy-needs-2-tons-storage-devices-burned-ash/154629/

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Dog DNA testing takes off, and generates debate

As people peer into DNA for clues to health and heritage, man's best friend is under the microscope, too.

Genetic testing for dogs has surged in recent years, fueled by companies that echo popular at-home tests for humans, offering a deep dive into a pet's genes with the swab of a canine cheek. More than a million dogs have been tested in little over a decade.

The tests' rise has stirred debate about standards, interpretation and limitations. But to many dog owners, DNA is a way to get to know their companions better.

What Vets Think of '23andMe for Dogs'

When Mars Petcare launched its first DNA test for dogs, in 2007, you could only get it through a vet. The breed-mix test required a blood draw, and Mars thought vets could help interpret the results for inquiring dog owners. But veterinarians, it turned out, weren't so keen on newfangled DNA tests then.

"We struggled with vets," says Angela Hughes, the veterinary-genetics research manager at Mars' Wisdom Health division. "There's a lot of demand out there, but sometimes the vet is a little more a hindrance than a help." So in 2009, after a technical change that allowed Mars to extract DNA from saliva instead of from blood, the company switched gears: It sold its Wisdom Panel test directly to customers.

Since then, the direct-to-dog-owner market has become bigger and more crowded: Embark, DNA My Dog, and Paw Print Genetics are just a few of the other companies eager to ship a cheek swab straight to your door.

[...] It can be tough for veterinarians to figure out what to do with these DNA results—especially when some test providers are scrupulous and others less so. "It's a little bit of a perfect storm of a slightly Wild West behavior," Aimee Llewellyn-Zaidi says. "Who are these genetic-test providers? There's no standards. There's no regulations. There's no independent assessing body." Llewellyn-Zaidi is the project director for the Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs, a genetic database attempting to bring some order to the world of dog-DNA tests for health. "Veterinarians are rushing to catch up," she says. "Consumers are just going ahead and using the tests."

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Phys.org:

When you hear about businesses with a high environmental impact or activities with a high carbon footprint, you are probably more likely to imagine heavy machinery, engines and oil rather than hairdressing. Yet hairdressing, both as a sector and as an individual activity, can have a massive carbon footprint.

Hairdressing uses high levels of hot water, energy and chemicals. Similarly, in our homes, heating hot water is typically the most energy intensive activity. For the cost of a ten-minute shower that uses an electric immersion heater, you could leave a typical television on for 20 hours.

So while it helps to turn lights and appliances off, the real gains in terms of reducing energy usage are in slashing our use of hot water. A quarter of UK emissions are residential and, of those, the vast majority come from running hot water. The longer it runs and the hotter it is, the more energy intensive (and costly) it is.

Mostly the hot water used carries a high carbon footprint, but the chemicals in shampoo don't help either.

Original Submission

jas writes:

Back in December 2017, Microsoft and Qualcomm announced a partnership to pair Windows 10 and Snapdragon Arm processors for ultra-thin LTE-connected netbooks with a 20+ hour battery life. This Windows-on-Arm initiative has faced several stumbling blocks, with the the first-generation HP Envy x2 and Asus NovaGo criticized for poor performance and app compatibility in Windows 10, due in large part to an inline x86 emulator for apps written for Windows on Intel or AMD processors.

Now, a group of programmers and device hackers are working to bring proper support for Ubuntu to Arm-powered Windows laptops, starting with first-generation Snapdragon 835 systems, like the HP Envy x2 and Asus NovaGo. The aarch64-laptops project on GitHub provides prebuilt images for the aforementioned notebook PCs, as well as the Lenovo Miix 630.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/open-source-project-aims-to-make-ubuntu-usable-on-arm-powered-windows-laptops/

Original Submission

stretch611 writes:

According to Reuters and Motley Fool:

Social media network Reddit Inc said on Monday it raised $300 million in its latest funding round, led by Tencent Holdings Ltd, giving it a market valuation of $3 billion.
The series D funding round saw a $150 million investment from Tencent and the company's former investors, including Sequoia, Fidelity, Tacit and Snoop Dogg.

This is in spite of Reddit being banned in China, (AU website, so the financial numbers are converted.)

It should be noted that Tencent also holds large financial stakes in Snap, Epic Games, Discord, Glu Mobile, Activision-Blizzard, and Tesla.

Of course here is one of the soon to be many Chinese based conspiracy theories (about internet censorship.)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

State of the Union: Seagate's HAMR Hard Drives, Dual-Actuator Mach2, and 24 TB HDDs on Track

Seagate this week reiterated that the company is on track to launch two crucially important technologies later this calendar year. Firstly, the company plans to start ramping up its 16 TB hard drives featuring heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology in 1H 2019. Secondly, the manufacturer intends to launch its first 14 TB HDDs featuring two actuators, up to 500 MB/s sequential read speed, and up to 160 IOPS later this year. Also, the company has stated that it is already testing its next iteration of HAMR that will enable hard drives with capacities up to 24 TB.

[...] HAMR (Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording) is something that Seagate has been working on for over a decade and this year it will finally hit mass production. Among other things, the HAMR technology posed two major challenges that Seagate had to solve. The first one is media itself that can handle a 450°C local heat (made using a laser with an 810 nm wavelength and a 20 mW power) without degrading over time. The second one is a writer with a near-field optical transducer (NFT) that heats the media and which also has to work without flaws for up to a decade or longer. Seagate has developed appropriate media and its writers can handle up to 4 PB per head data transfers, which is more than sufficient for modern enterprise/datacenter HDDs (that are rated for a 550 TB workload a year). In fact, the company says that not only its internally developed media and heads for HAMR HDDs meet datacenter requirements, but so do components designed externally as well.

[...] While Seagate is gearing up to launch its Exos 16 TB HDDs officially in the coming weeks or months, the company promises that its HAMR technology will enable it to release hard drives featuring ~18 TB ~ 20 TB or even higher capacities sometime next year. Furthermore, Seagate has already tested tech that will be used for 24 TB HDDs.

Phoenix666 writes:

Phys.org:

Thanks to a novel underwater mining system developed by the EU-funded project VAMOS, currently unreachable mineral deposits will be extracted in the future. By making underwater ore extraction possible, the robotic mining system can pave the way for the reopening of abandoned and flooded opencast mines that have an open pit rather than shafts. The technology also has the potential to extend the lifespan of opencast mines with high stripping ratios where large amounts of waste rock need to be mined to obtain a given amount of ore or with hydrological and geotechnical problems. What's more, it may even lead to the opening of new European mines with a smaller environmental footprint.

To this end, project partners have just completed their second successful field test at the Magcobar flooded mine pit in Silvermines, Ireland. The first test in 2017 took place at a flooded kaolin opencast site no longer in use in Lee Moor, Devon, in the United Kingdom. The tested technology includes a remote-controlled underwater mining vehicle capable of cutting rocks to 50-mm fragments. Equipped with a laser spectroscopy system, the vehicle can grade the ore in real time, reducing the amount of waste rock mined. The vehicle is launched and recovered from the water using an anchored launch and recovery vessel (LARV). The mined material is pumped up to the LARV on the surface. It's then sent through a floating pipe system to a dewatering facility on the shore for further processing, while the excess water is returned to the mine pit. The mining vehicle's exact positioning, navigation and situational awareness are controlled by a hybrid remotely operated vehicle.

The underwater mining technique does not, alas, involve mer-men.

Original Submission

DeathMonkey writes:

A grand mission to Mars that was always light on details has come to a decidedly terrestrial end. Mars One, a controversial space exploration project that made it as far as the "highly produced videos" stage of space colonization, has quietly filed for bankruptcy, according to a liquidation listing spotted by a Redditor on r/space.

As the post explains, the private company that spearheaded the Mars One spectacle is actually made up of two parts, a not-for-profit called the Mars One Foundation and a for-profit company known as Mars One Ventures. In 2016, Swiss financial services company InFin Innovative Finance AG picked up Mars One Ventures in a takeover bid.

When contacted about the bankruptcy, Mars One co-founder and CEO Bas Lansdorp told Engadget that the Mars One Foundation continues to operate but is stalled unless it receives an infusion of funds as Lansdorp works "to find a solution."

Mars One was ill-fated from its inception, more grounded in CGI videos and marketing hype for a Mars mission reality TV show than any kind of scientific reality. And they couldn't even get the show off the ground.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/11/mars-one-ventures-bankrupt/

Original Submission