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upstart writes:

Sydney rubbish trucks and buses detecting potholes before they form:

Potholes are among the daily pitfalls plaguing Sydney drivers and for the first time the dangerous and costly hazards are being mapped in real time. New technology installed on buses and rubbish trucks is detecting cracks - and stopping potholes in their tracks. Cameras have been fitted on rubbish trucks and motion sensors on buses to map Sydney's damaged roads.

Customer Services Minister Victor Dominello said the vehicles were an "obvious" choice for the new technology."Garbage trucks travel on every road, buses travel on every major road - combining both of them to identify potholes is the obvious way forward," he said. More than 30 Transport for NSW buses are testing the technology in a three-month trial [...].

[...] With Sydney's intense rain recently, there's plenty of damage.

"The idea of the trial is to try and detect the road condition before it gets worse, so we can have predictive maintenance and so the council crews can go out there and fix it," [Transport Minister] Knox, said.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Smaller Than a Flea – The Smallest Remote-Controlled Walking Robot Ever:

[...] The tiny crabs, which are about half a millimeter wide, can bend, twist, crawl, walk, turn, and even leap. Additionally, the scientists created millimeter-sized robots that resemble inchworms, crickets, and beetles. The study is experimental at this time, but the researchers think their technique might move the field closer to developing tiny robots that can carry out useful tasks in small, cramped areas.

"Robotics is an exciting field of research, and the development of microscale robots is a fun topic for academic exploration," said John A. Rogers, who led the experimental work. "You might imagine micro-robots as agents to repair or assemble small structures or machines in industry or as surgical assistants to clear clogged arteries, to stop internal bleeding or to eliminate cancerous tumors — all in minimally invasive procedures."

"Our technology enables a variety of controlled motion modalities and can walk with an average speed of half its body length per second," added Yonggang Huang, who led the theoretical work. "This is very challenging to achieve at such small scales for terrestrial robots."

[...] The crab, which is smaller than a flea, is not propelled by sophisticated machinery, hydraulics, or electricity. Instead, the elastic resilience of its body is where its power rests. The researchers employed a shape-memory material to build the robot, which transforms to its "remembered" shape when heated. In this case, the scientists heated the robot quickly at several targeted spots all over its body using a scanned laser beam. Upon cooling, a thin layer of glass will elastically restore the distorted shape of the corresponding component of the structure.

upstart writes:

Low-code development becoming business skill 'table stakes':

A shortage of software developers and IT workers in general is forcing businesses to turn to "citizen developers" within their organizations to create business applications supporting digital transformation efforts.

Finding workers with software development skills, or training them in-house, is becoming a priority, according to John Bratincevic, a senior analyst at Forrester. When speaking with business clients, he says, the most common question he gets is how they can stand up and scale a citizen development strategy.

What makes citizen development possible is a raft of low-code and no-code development platforms, which enable business users with little to no coding experience to develop apps based on business needs. Companies are leveraging these platforms to create "hundreds or thousands of citizen developers in their organizations. They want to know how to nurture people, so they become really skilled in low-code," Bratincevic said.

"In my opinion, where this is all going is low-code development will just be table stakes for the business worker — just like personal productivity tools," he added.

upstart writes:

Akamai Linode now offers Kali Linux instances:

Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed for penetration testing or -- yes -- hacking. This Debian-based Linux is a security worker's favorite distribution. And, now Linode, which recently became part of Akamai, is offering Kali as a supported distribution.

With Kali on Akamai, you can test and secure your production systems.

[...] For example, while you can add open-source penetration testing tools to any Linux distro, you must then also set up and configure these tools by hand. Kali comes with these tools already optimized and ready to run.

Linode is working with Kali on further documentation on how to best use their combination of cloud and Linux.

I really hope somebody has thought this through properly.

Previously:
  Akamai to Acquire Linode
  Call Us Immediately if Your Child Uses Kali Linux, Squawks West Mids Police

Original Submission

hubie writes:

An international team including researchers from IMDEA Software and IMDEA Networks participated in a study that highlights the need to strengthen user privacy:

Previous studies have shown the widespread use of cookies to track users on websites on an unprecedented scale but this had not been studied so far on government sites.

The researchers considered studying the behavior of government websites and their compliance or non-compliance with data protection laws during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when citizen information was provided through official websites of international organizations and governments. "Our results indicate that official governmental, international organizations' websites and other sites that serve public health information related to COVID-19 are not held to higher standards regarding respecting user privacy than the rest of the web, which is an oxymoron given the push of many of those governments for enforcing GDPR," comments Nikolaos Laoutaris, Research Professor at IMDEA Networks.

A total of 5,500 websites of international organizations, official COVID-19 information, and governments of G20 countries were analyzed: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK, and the USA.

[...] Most of the websites of the G20 countries created at least one cookie without the user's consent. Japan is the country with the lowest percentage of websites with cookies, with 77.2%, and South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia lead the ranking with almost 100%.

With respect to the third-party cookies, the paper differentiates between generic third parties (TP) and third-party cookies originating from known trackers (TPT). Overall TP cookies range from 30% in the case of Germany, up to 95% for countries such as Russia. Germany is the only country where this percentage decreases significantly, with only 9% of official websites including a TPT cookie.

[...] The study shows that around 95% of the websites of international organizations set cookies and around 60% of these websites use at least one third-party (TP) cookie. Matic explains that " it seems that there is no special care in designing those webpages since 52% of websites of international organizations set at least one TPT cookie".

More than 99% of the websites analyzed in the COVID-19 information study add at least one cookie without the user's consent. In contrast, there is a lower presence of third-party (TP) cookies, at around 62%.

As Laoutaris points out, with this publication the research team aims to "put more pressure on governments to clean up their own house first and, by doing so, set an example and be more convincing about the importance of implementing the GDPR in practice".

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Computer simulations provide startling data on the global impact of nuclear war:

The threat of nuclear warfare is back to the forefront following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But how would modern nuclear weapon detonations impact the world today? A new research study published today (July 7, 2022) provides startling information on the global impact of nuclear war.

[...] In all of the scientists' simulated scenarios, nuclear firestorms would release soot and smoke into the upper atmosphere that would block out the Sun resulting in crop failure around the world. In the first month following nuclear detonation, average global temperatures would plunge by about 13 degrees (7 degrees ), a larger temperature drop than in the last Ice Age.

"It doesn't matter who is bombing whom. It can be India and Pakistan or NATO and Russia. Once the smoke is released into the upper atmosphere, it spreads globally and affects everyone," said Harrison, who has a joint appointment at the LSU Center for Computation & Technology.

Even after the smoke clears, ocean temperatures would drop quickly and would not return to their pre-war state. As the planet gets colder, sea ice expands by more than 6 million square miles and 6 feet deep in some basins blocking major ports including Beijing's Port of Tianjin, Copenhagen, and St. Petersburg. The sea ice would spread into normally ice-free coastal regions blocking shipping across the Northern Hemisphere making it difficult to get food and supplies into some cities such as Shanghai, where ships are not prepared to face sea ice.

upstart writes:

Russian Linux distributor НПО РусБИТех – aka RPA RusBITech – is thriving and plans to IPO:

A few months ago, The Reg FOSS desk took a quick look at Russian distro ROSA Linux, which is derived from Mandriva. It's not the only distribution from the land of Putin. Another, Astra Linux, is one of Debian's recognized derivatives.

[...] Astra Linux is produced by "research production association" RusBITech, and the distro was specially designed for use in the Russian military. As we mentioned when reporting on the government of India seeking to reduce its dependence on Western tech, Russia has been actively been doing it, since at least 2018.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Microsoft has blocked the use of Windows in Russia, as have IBM and many others. This seems to be significantly helping drive adoption of replacement operating systems: Reuters reports that RosBITech Astra, the subsidiary dedicated to Astra Linux, is planning to float on the Moscow stock exchange. A Russian estimation of the company values it at around 17 billion roubles ($260 million, ish).

[...] Such large-scale deployments are bound to uncover new issues. It may be unrealistic of us to hope for it, but it's possible that improvements and refinements to Astra Linux get transferred back upstream to Debian, so something positive could come out of this unjustified invasion of Ukraine, which is happening less than 500 miles (700km) from where your vulture is typing.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Porsche-backed e-fuels maker to build $1b Australian plant:

E-fuels group HIF Global, which is backed by Porsche, has chosen Tasmania as the site for a $1 billion production plant for synthetic green fuels, confirming a take-off in major decarbonisation investments amid growing momentum towards net zero emissions.

The plant, to be located south of Burnie in the north-west of the island state, would produce up to 100 million litres a year of carbon-neutral e-fuels once fully operational. Construction is targeted to begin in 2024 just after financial close.

HIF, which is 12.5 per cent owned by Porsche, flagged earlier this year it was examining prospective sites in northern Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania to build a plant in Australia, with access to renewable energy and strong winds as important factors to consider.

[...] The plant will use renewable energy to split water into oxygen and hydrogen using a 250 megawatt capacity electrolyser. Carbon dioxide is then filtered from the air and is combined with the green hydrogen to produce synthetic methanol, which is then converted into fuel using a methanol-to-gasoline technology licensed by ExxonMobil. The water used in the electrolysis process will be primarily extracted from biowaste.

Original Submission

upstart writes:

Showering before bed is a good way to fall asleep fast:

Studies suggest that taking a shower or bath before bed can help you fall asleep more quickly. And it's not just because it relaxes you, though that plays a part. It has to do with the body's circadian rhythm and thermoregulation process.

[...] Your body relies on thermoregulation to regulate your circadian rhythm, also known as your sleep-wake cycle. Your internal body temperature signals to the brain that it's time to fall asleep. Now, we're not talking about drastic changes in body temperature -- it's only one to two degrees.

Showering helps the process along. While in the warm water, your body temperature rises and your blood flow is stimulated, but the increased blood circulation helps heat escape your body quicker. This allows your temperature to drop after you get out.

Once your body temperature is lowered, it signals to your brain that it's time to hit the sheets. Studies say to keep your water temperature between 104 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit for the best quality sleep. We know that most people can't perfectly regulate their shower temperature. A good rule of thumb is warm water -- not too hot or too cold.

The other part that you should consider is timing. Experts say that 90 minutes before bed is the ideal time to get the most benefits, according to a systematic data analysis of existing research. Your shower should last at least 10 minutes to get the most benefits.

Ten to fifteen minute baths have the same effect.

Journal Reference:
Yoshiaki Tai, Keigo Saeki, Yuki Yamagami, et al. Association between timing of hot water bathing before bedtime and night-/sleep-time blood pressure and dipping in the elderly: a longitudinal analysis for repeated measurements in home settings, Chronobiology International, 2022. (DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2019.1675685)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

NASA Live • YouTube

Monday, July 11
5:30 p.m. – White House briefing to preview imagery from the James Webb Space Telescope

Tuesday, July 12
9:45 a.m. (EDT) – Opening remarks: James Webb Space Telescope's first full-color images and data
10:30 a.m. – First full-color images and data from the James Webb Space Telescope
12:30 p.m. – Media briefing: James Webb Space Telescope's first full-color images and data
3 p.m. – Media interviews: James Webb Space Telescope's first full-color images and data

NASA's Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe Yet

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has produced the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. Known as Webb's First Deep Field, this image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 is overflowing with detail.

Thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared – have appeared in Webb's view for the first time. This slice of the vast universe covers a patch of sky approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm's length by someone on the ground.

The image.

More images will be released after 10:30 AM EDT tomorrow, from these targets:

upstart writes:

Meraxes gigas' short but burly forelimbs may have helped with mating:

Tyrannosaurus rex's tiny arms have launched a thousand sarcastic memes: I love you this much; can you pass the salt?; row, row, row your ... oh.

But back off, snarky jokesters. A newfound species of big-headed carnivorous dinosaur with tiny forelimbs suggests those arms weren't just an evolutionary punchline. Arm reduction — alongside giant heads — evolved independently in different dinosaur lineages, researchers report July 7 in Current Biology.

Meraxes gigas, named for a dragon in George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, lived between 100 million and 90 million years ago in what's now Argentina, says Juan Canale, a paleontologist with the country's CONICET research network who is based in Buenos Aires. Despite the resemblance to T. rex, M. gigas wasn't a tyrannosaur; it was a carcharodontosaur — a member of a distantly related, lesser-known group of predatory theropod dinosaurs. M. gigas went extinct nearly 20 million years before T. rex walked on Earth.

[...] But, Canale says, M. gigas' arms were surprisingly muscular, suggesting they were more than just an inconvenient limb. One possibility is that the arms helped lift the animal from a reclining to a standing position. Another is that they aided in mating — perhaps showing a mate some love.

Journal Reference:
Juan I. Canale, Sebastián Apesteguía, Pablo A. Gallina, et al., New giant carnivorous dinosaur reveals convergent evolutionary trends in theropod arm reduction [open], Curr Bio, 2022. (DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.057)

Original Submission

upstart writes:

The invasion of Ukraine has prompted militaries to update their arsenals—and Silicon Valley stands to capitalize:

Exactly two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Alexander Karp, the CEO of data analytics company Palantir, made his pitch to European leaders. With war on their doorstep, Europeans ought to modernize their arsenals with Silicon Valley's help, he argued in an open letter.

[...] Militaries are responding to the call. NATO announced on June 30 that it is creating a $1 billion innovation fund that will invest in early-stage startups and venture capital funds developing "priority" technologies such as artificial intelligence, big-data processing, and automation.

[...] The relationship between tech and the military wasn't always so amicable. In 2018, following employee protests and outrage, Google pulled out of the Pentagon's Project Maven, an attempt to build image recognition systems to improve drone strikes.The episode caused heated debate about human rights and the morality of developing AI for autonomous weapons.

[...] But four years later, Silicon Valley is closer to the world's militaries than ever. And it's not just big companies, either—startups are finally getting a look in, says Yll Bajraktari, who was previously executive director of the US National Security Commission on AI (NSCAI) and now works for the Special Competitive Studies Project, a group that lobbies for more adoption of AI across the US.

In a piece for Prospect magazine co-written with Lucy Suchman, a sociology professor at Lancaster University, she argued that AI boosters are stoking Cold War rhetoric and trying to create a narrative that positions Big Tech as "critical national infrastructure," too big and important to break up or regulate. They warn that AI adoption by the military is being presented as an inevitability rather than what it really is: an active choice that involves ethical complexities and trade-offs.

upstart writes:

Dark matter: search for the invisible begins in an old gold mine:

Scientists know that it makes up most of the universe's mass, but they don't know what it is ... or exactly how to find it

In a former gold mine a mile underground, inside a titanium tank filled with a rare liquified gas, scientists have begun the search for what so far has been unfindable: dark matter.

Scientists are pretty sure the invisible stuff makes up most of the universe's mass and say we wouldn't be here without it – but they don't know what it is. The race to solve this enormous mystery has brought one team to the depths under Lead, South Dakota.

The question for scientists is basic, said Kevin Lesko, a physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "What is this great place I live in? Right now, 95% of it is a mystery."

The idea is that a mile of dirt and rock, a giant tank, a second tank and the purest titanium in the world will block nearly all the cosmic rays and particles that zip around and through all of us every day. But dark matter particles, scientists think, can avoid all those obstacles. They hope one will fly into the vat of liquid xenon in the inner tank and smash into a xenon nucleus like two balls in a game of pool, revealing its existence in a flash of light seen by a device called "the time projection chamber".

Scientists announced on Thursday that the five-year, $60m search finally got under way two months ago after a delay caused by the pandemic. So far the device has found ... nothing. At least no dark matter.

upstart writes:

Work from home is now a legal right in Netherlands - World News:

The Netherlands became one of the first countries to make work from home a legal right after the Dutch parliament approved legislation. Work from home, also known as remote work, is an employment arrangement which facilitates the employees to work from anywhere. They do not need to commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, warehouse, retail store, etc.

Work from home became a common practice during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as globally, companies were forced to shut their offices due to lockdowns.

The pandemic has fueled a shift in attitudes about work, with many workers seeking to maintain some of the flexibility they've experienced over the last two years.

Bloomberg reported that work-from-home legislation was approved by the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands on Tuesday (July 5).

Importantly, the legislation now needs a green light from the Dutch senate before its final adoption. As per the law, employers will have to consider employee requests to work from home as long as their professions allow it.

[...] Now, employers are calling their employees back to the offices as the world economy is gradually opening up. For example, Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk last month issued an ultimatum for staff at the company to return to the office, or leave.

Original Submission

hubie writes:

A shapeshifting robotic microswarm may one day act as a toothbrush, rinse, and dental floss in one:

The technology, developed by a multidisciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania, is poised to offer a new and automated way to perform the mundane but critical daily tasks of brushing and flossing. It's a system that could be particularly valuable for those who lack the manual dexterity to clean their teeth effectively themselves.

The building blocks of these microrobots are iron oxide nanoparticles that have both catalytic and magnetic activity. Using a magnetic field, researchers could direct their motion and configuration to form either bristlelike structures that sweep away dental plaque from the broad surfaces of teeth, or elongated strings that can slip between teeth like a length of floss. In both instances, a catalytic reaction drives the nanoparticles to produce antimicrobials that kill harmful oral bacteria on site.

[...] "Nanoparticles can be shaped and controlled with magnetic fields in surprising ways," says Edward Steager, a senior research investigator in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science and co-corresponding author. "We form bristles that can extend, sweep, and even transfer back and forth across a space, much like flossing. The way it works is similar to how a robotic arm might reach out and clean a surface. The system can be programmed to do the nanoparticle assembly and motion control automatically."

[...] "It doesn't matter if you have straight teeth or misaligned teeth, it will adapt to different surfaces," says Koo. "The system can adjust to all the nooks and crannies in the oral cavity."

[...] Indeed, the system is fully programmable; the team's roboticists and engineers used variations in the magnetic field to precisely tune the motions of the microrobots as well as control bristle stiffness and length. The researchers found that the tips of the bristles could be made firm enough to remove biofilms but soft enough to avoid damage to the gums.

Would you consider an iron oxide nanoparticle moving in an external magnetic field a "microrobot"?

Journal Reference:
Min Jun Oh, Alaa Babeer, Yuan Liu, et al., Surface Topography-Adaptive Robotic Superstructures for Biofilm Removal and Pathogen Detection on Human Teeth [open], ACS Nano, 2022. DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c01950

Original Submission