Month: March 2020

What good is investing in space? NASA Spinoff magazine shows you which technologies have trickled down to everyday life

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Since 1976, Spinoff has annually profiled an average of 50 commercial technologies with origins in NASA missions and research. Issues of Spinoff published since 1996 can be read online in HTML or downloaded in PDF. Scanned copies of Spinoff are available in PDF for issues published between 1976 and 1995. Spinoff 2020 Click here to Read more about What good is investing in space? NASA Spinoff magazine shows you which technologies have trickled down to everyday life[…]

On the shoulders of giants: recent changes in Internet traffic

Posted on by Robin Edgar

As the COVID-19 emergency continues and an increasing number of cities and countries are establishing quarantines or cordons sanitaire, the Internet has become, for many, the primary method to keep in touch with their friends and families. And it’s a vital motor of the global economy as many companies have employees who are now working Read more about On the shoulders of giants: recent changes in Internet traffic[…]

Tesla Told Employees to Show Up for Work on Wednesday Despite Shelter-in-Place Order

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Electric car company Tesla asked employees to show up to work on Wednesday despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including at its sprawling Fremont, California, production facility, according to emails obtained by CNBC. […] According to CNBC, in an email to workers on Wednesday, Tesla North America HR leader Valerie Workman wrote the company had received Read more about Tesla Told Employees to Show Up for Work on Wednesday Despite Shelter-in-Place Order[…]

HP printers try to send loads of data back to HP about your devices and what you print

Posted on by Robin Edgar

NB you can disable outgoing communication in the public network using windows defender by using the instructions here (HP). They come down to opening windows defender firewall, allowing an app or feature through windows defender firewall, searching for HP and then deselecting the public zone. At first the setup process was so simple that even Read more about HP printers try to send loads of data back to HP about your devices and what you print[…]

NASA makes their entire media library publicly accessible and copyright free

Posted on by Robin Edgar

No matter if you enjoy taking or just watching images of space, NASA has a treat for you. They have made their entire collection of images, sounds, and video available and publicly searchable online. It’s 140,000 photos and other resources available for you to see, or even download and use it any way you like. Read more about NASA makes their entire media library publicly accessible and copyright free[…]

Private By Design: Free and Private Voice Assistants

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Science fiction has whetted our imagination for helpful voice assistants. Whether it’s JARVIS from Iron Man, KITT from Knight Rider, or Computer from Star Trek, many of us harbor a desire for a voice assistant to manage the minutiae of our daily lives. Speech recognition and voice technologies have advanced rapidly in recent years, particularly with the adoption Read more about Private By Design: Free and Private Voice Assistants[…]

Avoid taking ibuprofen for COVID-19 symptoms: WHO

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The World Health Organization recommended Tuesday that people suffering COVID-19 symptoms avoid taking ibuprofen, after French officials warned that anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen effects of the virus. The warning by French Health Minister Olivier Veran followed a recent study in The Lancet medical journal that hypothesised that an enzyme boosted by anti-inflammatory drugs such as Read more about Avoid taking ibuprofen for COVID-19 symptoms: WHO[…]

Virus Travel Bans Threaten Labor for Global Food Harvests

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Across the globe, governments are imposing travel limits in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus. The unintended consequence is a squeeze on migrant labor that’s a cornerstone of food production. American produce growers preparing to harvest crops are warning of a devastating impact on fruit and vegetables after the U.S. Embassy in Mexico Read more about Virus Travel Bans Threaten Labor for Global Food Harvests[…]

Volunteers 3D-Print Unobtainable $11,000 Valve For $1 To Keep Covid-19 Patients Alive; Original Manufacturer Threatens To Sue

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Techdirt has just written about the extraordinary legal action taken against a company producing Covid-19 tests. Sadly, it’s not the only example of some individuals putting profits before people. Here’s a story from Italy, which is currently seeing more new coronavirus cases and deaths than anywhere else in the world. Last Thursday, a hospital in Read more about Volunteers 3D-Print Unobtainable $11,000 Valve For $1 To Keep Covid-19 Patients Alive; Original Manufacturer Threatens To Sue[…]

Tesla’s Removal Of Features On Used Cars Appears To Be In Violation Of Its Own Rules

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last month we reported about Tesla’s occasional practice of removing features like Autopilot and Ludicrous mode from used cars after they’d been purchased by people who bought the cars with those features enabled. While Tesla eventually restored the removed features to the subject of the original story, I’ve been in touch with a number of Read more about Tesla’s Removal Of Features On Used Cars Appears To Be In Violation Of Its Own Rules[…]

High Court in NL likes monopolies and destroys cusomter oversight decision to open KPN and VodafoneZiggo networks (copper and cable) to 3rd parties

Posted on by Robin Edgar

KPN and VodafoneZiggo do not have to open their networks to third parties. That is what the Board of Appeal for Business has decided today. This means that providers without their own network cannot enforce access to those networks for the provision of services. The ACM had stipulated that KPN and VodafoneZiggo should both open Read more about High Court in NL likes monopolies and destroys cusomter oversight decision to open KPN and VodafoneZiggo networks (copper and cable) to 3rd parties[…]

Google Translate launches Transcribe for Android in 8 languages

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google Translate today launched Transcribe for Android, a feature that delivers a continual, real-time translation of a conversation. Transcribe will begin by rolling out support for eight languages in the coming days: English, French, German, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai. With Transcribe, Translate is now capable of translating classroom or conference lectures with no Read more about Google Translate launches Transcribe for Android in 8 languages[…]

Theranos vampire lives on: Owner of failed blood-testing biz’s patents sues maker of actual COVID-19-testing kit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Remember Theranos? The blood-testing company worth billions whose CEO Elizabeth Holmes became a celebrity right up until the point when it became clear its revolutionary testing machines didn’t actually work as described? Well, Theranos is dead, and Holmes is still dealing with the legal repercussions, but her vampire company has come alive again – and Read more about Theranos vampire lives on: Owner of failed blood-testing biz’s patents sues maker of actual COVID-19-testing kit[…]

Pervasive digital locational surveillance of citizens deployed in COVID-19 fight

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Pervasive surveillance through digital technologies is the business model of Facebook and Google. And now governments are considering the web giants’ tools to track COVID-19 carriers for the public good. Among democracies, Israel appears to have gone first: prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced “emergency regulations that will enable the use of digital means in Read more about Pervasive digital locational surveillance of citizens deployed in COVID-19 fight[…]

Fake News sites pull in around $72m over the EU in advertising

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Research Brief: Ad Tech Fuels Disinformation Sites in Europe – The Numbers and Players The report shows how adverts for high street brands are inadvertently funding some of the most well-known sites for spreading disinformation in Europe. Five companies account for 97% of ad revenues paid to EU disinformation sites: Google, Criteo, OpenX, Taboola and Read more about Fake News sites pull in around $72m over the EU in advertising[…]

Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Rutgers researchers have discovered the origins of the protein structures responsible for metabolism: simple molecules that powered early life on Earth and serve as chemical signals that NASA could use to search for life on other planets. Their study, which predicts what the earliest proteins looked like 3.5 billion to 2.5 billion years ago, is Read more about Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life[…]

Universal to release movies online while they are in theaters, starting with ‘Trolls World Tour’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

With the spreading coronavirus pandemic forcing movie theaters to close, Comcast is breaking with tradition and making a number of new movies available to watch at home. Universal’s “Trolls World Tour” will be the first movie it will simultaneously debut online and in theaters on April 10. Other films that are currently in theaters, like “The Invisible Read more about Universal to release movies online while they are in theaters, starting with ‘Trolls World Tour’[…]

Brave Browser Delivers on Promise, Files GDPR Complaint Against Google

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Earlier today, March 16, Brave filed a formal complaint against Google with the lead General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforcer in Europe. In a February Cointelegraph interview, Dr. Johnny Ryan, Brave’s chief policy and industry relations officer, explained that Google is abusing its power by sharing user data collected by dozens of its distinct services, Read more about Brave Browser Delivers on Promise, Files GDPR Complaint Against Google[…]

Former Refrigerator Manufacturer Says Companies Using Open Source, Royalty-Free Video Technology Must Pay To License 2,000 Patents – wait what?!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Partly in response to this licensing mess, and HEVC’s high per-device cost, the Alliance for Open Media was formed in September 2015: Seven leading Internet companies today announced formation of the Alliance for Open Media — an open-source project that will develop next-generation media formats, codecs and technologies in the public interest. The Alliance’s founding Read more about Former Refrigerator Manufacturer Says Companies Using Open Source, Royalty-Free Video Technology Must Pay To License 2,000 Patents – wait what?![…]

This Clever Trick Embeds Holographic Patterns In Your 3D Prints

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apparently you can use textured sheets on your 3d printer’s print bed to imprint that texture on the first layer of your print. Sounds obvious right? Well, what if that textured sheet is fine enough to give an irridescent or holographic effect? Yup, that works too! “Kryvian” shared this example where you can clearly see Read more about This Clever Trick Embeds Holographic Patterns In Your 3D Prints[…]

Apple hit with record-breaking $1.2 billion antitrust price fixing fine in France together with Ingram Micro ($79.2m) and Tech Data ($85m)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple has been hit with a record-breaking fine for antitrust practices. French competition authority Autorité de la Concurrence has found Apple and its wholesale distribution partners Ingram Micro and Tech Data guilty of running a cartel for Apple products, and has fined the companies €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion), €62.9 million ($70.2 million) and €76.1 million Read more about Apple hit with record-breaking $1.2 billion antitrust price fixing fine in France together with Ingram Micro ($79.2m) and Tech Data ($85m)[…]

Nanostructured rubber-like material with optimal properties could replace human tissue

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have created a new, rubber-like material with a unique set of properties that could act as a replacement for human tissue in medical procedures. The material has the potential to make a big difference to many people’s lives. The research was recently published in the highly regarded scientific Read more about Nanostructured rubber-like material with optimal properties could replace human tissue[…]

Data of millions of eBay and Amazon shoppers exposed by VAT analysing 3rd party

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have discovered another big database containing millions of European customer records left unsecured on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for anyone to find using a search engine. A total of eight million records were involved, collected via marketplace and payment system APIs belonging to companies including Amazon, eBay, Shopify, PayPal, and Stripe. Discovered by Comparitech’s Read more about Data of millions of eBay and Amazon shoppers exposed by VAT analysing 3rd party[…]

Watch This SpaceX Rocket Abort Its Launch at the Last Second

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aborted a planned launch on Sunday morning at the last second due to an engine power issue. The event produced confusion at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where countdown appeared to be proceeding normally. However, the rocket stayed where it was. In a video published by SpaceX, you can Read more about Watch This SpaceX Rocket Abort Its Launch at the Last Second[…]