Powerful antibiotic discovered using machine learning for first time

A powerful antibiotic that kills some of the most dangerous drug-resistant bacteria in the world has been discovered using artificial intelligence. The drug works in a different way to existing antibacterials and is the first of its kind to be found by setting AI loose on vast digital libraries of pharmaceutical compounds. […] “I think Read more about Powerful antibiotic discovered using machine learning for first time[…]

People Are Killing Puppy Clones That Don’t Come Out ‘Perfect’ – wait you can clone your puppy?!

This is a hugely holier than thou article written by a strident anti-abortionist, but it’s quite interesting in that a) you can clone your puppy commercially and b) it’s absolutely not a perfected science. You have five days after your pet dies to extract its genetic material for cloning, according to the Seoul-based Sooam Biotech Read more about People Are Killing Puppy Clones That Don’t Come Out ‘Perfect’ – wait you can clone your puppy?![…]

All that Samsung users found on UK website after weird Find my Mobile push notification was… other people’s details

In the early hours of this morning, a very large number of Samsung devices around the world received a push notification from the vendor’s Find my Mobile app. That notification simply read “1/1”. […] A handful of Reg staffers also received the notification, which caused surprise and concern at Vulture Central – not least because Read more about All that Samsung users found on UK website after weird Find my Mobile push notification was… other people’s details[…]

Details of 10.6 million Vegas MGM hotel guests posted on a hacking forum

The personal details of more than 10.6 million users who stayed at MGM Resorts hotels have been published on a hacking forum this week. Besides details for regular tourists and travelers, included in the leaked files are also personal and contact details for celebrities, tech CEOs, reporters, government officials, and employees at some of the Read more about Details of 10.6 million Vegas MGM hotel guests posted on a hacking forum[…]

Google users in UK to lose EU data protection, get US non-protection

The shift, prompted by Britain’s exit from the EU, will leave the sensitive personal information of tens of millions with less protection and within easier reach of British law enforcement. The change was described to Reuters by three people familiar with its plans. Google intends to require its British users to acknowledge new terms of Read more about Google users in UK to lose EU data protection, get US non-protection[…]

Firm Tracking Purchase, Transaction Histories of Millions Not Really Anonymizing Them

The nation’s largest financial data broker, Yodlee, holds extensive and supposedly anonymized banking and credit card transaction histories on millions of Americans. Internal documents obtained by Motherboard, however, appear to indicate that Yodlee clients could potentially de-anonymize those records by simply downloading a giant text file and poking around in it for a while. According Read more about Firm Tracking Purchase, Transaction Histories of Millions Not Really Anonymizing Them[…]

Forcing us to get consent before selling browser histories violates our free speech, US ISPs claim

The US state of Maine is violating internet broadband providers’ free speech by forcing them to ask for their customers’ permission to sell their browser history, according to a new lawsuit. The case was brought this month by four telco industry groups in response to a new state-level law aimed at providing Maine residents with Read more about Forcing us to get consent before selling browser histories violates our free speech, US ISPs claim[…]

A new use for McDonald’s used cooking oil: 3D printing

Simpson had bought a 3D printer for the lab in 2017. He hoped to use it to build custom parts that kept organisms alive inside of the NMR spectrometer for his research. But the commercial resin he needed for high-quality light projection 3D printing (where light is used to form a solid) of those parts Read more about A new use for McDonald’s used cooking oil: 3D printing[…]

Vodafone: Yes, we slurp data on customers’ network setups, but we do it for their own good. No, you can’t opt out.

Seeking to improve its pisspoor customer service rating, UK telecoms giant Vodafone has clarified just how much information it slurps from customer networks. You might want to rename those servers, m’kay? The updates are rather extensive and were noted by customers after a headsup-type email arrived from the telco. One offending paragraph gives Vodafone an Read more about Vodafone: Yes, we slurp data on customers’ network setups, but we do it for their own good. No, you can’t opt out.[…]

Shipping is so insecure we could have driven off in an oil rig, says Pen Test Partners

Penetration testers looking at commercial shipping and oil rigs discovered a litany of security blunders and vulnerabilities – including one set that would have let them take full control of a rig at sea. Pen Test Partners (PTP), an infosec consulting outfit that specialises in doing what its name says, reckoned that on the whole, Read more about Shipping is so insecure we could have driven off in an oil rig, says Pen Test Partners[…]

This Bracelet Prevents Smart Speakers From Spying on You

You probably don’t realize just how many devices in your home or workplace are not only capable of eavesdropping on all your conversations but are specifically designed to. Smartphones, tablets, computers, smartwatches, smart speakers, even voice-activated appliances that have access to smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant feature built-in microphones that are constantly Read more about This Bracelet Prevents Smart Speakers From Spying on You[…]

Generating electricity ‘out of thin air’ using a protein and moisture in the air

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a device that uses a natural protein to create electricity from moisture in the air, a new technology they say could have significant implications for the future of renewable energy, climate change and in the future of medicine. As reported today in Nature, the laboratories of Read more about Generating electricity ‘out of thin air’ using a protein and moisture in the air[…]

Internet Society told to halt .org sale to dodgy companies… by its own advisory council

The Internet Society’s own members are now opposing its sale of the .org internet registry to an unknown private equity firm. The Chapters Advisory Council, the official voice of Internet Society (ISOC) members, will vote this month on whether to approve a formal recommendation that the society “not proceed [with the sale] unless a number Read more about Internet Society told to halt .org sale to dodgy companies… by its own advisory council[…]

Google allows random company to DMCA sites with the word ‘Did’ in it, de-indexes (deletes) them without warning or recourse.

In 2018, Target wrote an article about Ada Lovelace, the daughter of Lord Byron who some credit as being the world’s first computer programmer, despite being born in 1815. Unfortunately, however, those who search for that article today using Google won’t find it. As the image below shows, the original Tweet announcing the article is Read more about Google allows random company to DMCA sites with the word ‘Did’ in it, de-indexes (deletes) them without warning or recourse.[…]

Facebook was repeatedly warned of security flaw that led to biggest data breach in its history

Facebook knew about a huge security flaw that let hackers to steal personal data from millions of its users almost one year before the crime, yet failed to fix it in time, the Telegraph can reveal. Legal documents show that the company was repeatedly warned by its own employees as well as outsiders about a Read more about Facebook was repeatedly warned of security flaw that led to biggest data breach in its history[…]

Booknooks Bookshelf Inserts Add Mystery to Your Bookshelf

Suddenly in December 2019, booknooks were discovered: Take a look behind the ‘small doors to imaginary spaces’ within bookshelves – BBC News Image Copyright @monde55212068 @monde55212068 And Bored Panda had a look at 33 Bookshelf Inserts That Book Lovers Will Appreciate Unfortunately the term Booknook is not yet a keyword, so when searching you will Read more about Booknooks Bookshelf Inserts Add Mystery to Your Bookshelf[…]

The advertising industry is systematically breaking the law says Norweigan consumer council

Based on the findings, more than 20 consumer and civil society organisations in Europe and from different parts of the world are urging their authorities to investigate the practices of the online advertising industry. The report uncovers how every time we use apps, hundreds of shadowy entities are receiving personal data about our interests, habits, Read more about The advertising industry is systematically breaking the law says Norweigan consumer council[…]

Confusing car autopilots using projections

The absence of deployed vehicular communication systems, which prevents the advanced driving assistance systems (ADASs) and autopilots of semi/fully autonomous cars to validate their virtual perception regarding the physical environment surrounding the car with a third party, has been exploited in various attacks suggested by researchers. Since the application of these attacks comes with a Read more about Confusing car autopilots using projections[…]

In Trump fascist playbook, Johnson trying to kill BBC licence fee in favour of a subscription model due to BBC being critical, independent

Claims were made on Sunday that No 10may be preparing a new onslaught on the BBC with a threat to scrap the television licence fee and turn it into a subscription service. The Sunday Times quoted a senior source as saying that the broadcaster could be forced to sell off most of its radio stations Read more about In Trump fascist playbook, Johnson trying to kill BBC licence fee in favour of a subscription model due to BBC being critical, independent[…]

Car ‘splatometer’ tests reveal 80% decline in number of insects in last decade

Two scientific studies of the number of insects splattered by cars have revealed a huge decline in abundance at European sites in two decades. The research adds to growing evidence of what some scientists have called an “insect apocalypse”, which is threatening a collapse in the natural world that sustains humans and all life on Read more about Car ‘splatometer’ tests reveal 80% decline in number of insects in last decade[…]

Netflix Loses Bid to Dismiss $25 Million Lawsuit Over ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ because someone feels they own the phrase: choose your own adventure

Chooseco LLC, a children’s book publisher, filed its complaint in January 2019. According to the plaintiff, it has been using the mark since the 1980s and has sold more than 265 million copies of its Choose Your Own Adventure books. 20th Century Fox holds options for movie versions, and Chooseco alleges that Netflix actively pursued Read more about Netflix Loses Bid to Dismiss $25 Million Lawsuit Over ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ because someone feels they own the phrase: choose your own adventure[…]

Plastic surgery images and invoices leak from unsecured database

Thousands of images, videos and records pertaining to plastic surgery patients were left on an unsecured database where they could be viewed by anyone with the right IP address, researchers said Friday. The data included about 900,000 records, which researchers say could belong to thousands of different patients. The data was generated at clinics around Read more about Plastic surgery images and invoices leak from unsecured database[…]

Google’s Autoflip Can Intelligently Crop Videos

Google has released an open-source tool, Autoflip, that could make bad cropping a thing of the past by intelligently reframing video to correctly fit alternate aspect ratios. In a blog post, Google’s AI team wrote that footage shot for television and desktop computers normally comes in a 16:9 or 4:3 format, but with mobile devices Read more about Google’s Autoflip Can Intelligently Crop Videos[…]