Day: August 3, 2025

Project Hyperion | interstellar generation ship design competition winners

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Project Hyperion explores the feasibility of crewed interstellar travel via generation ships, using current and near-future technologies. A generation ship is a hypothetical spacecraft designed for long-duration interstellar travel, where the journey may take centuries to complete. The idea behind a generation ship is that the initial crew would live, reproduce, and die on the Read more about Project Hyperion | interstellar generation ship design competition winners[…]

Microsoft Recall can still nab credit cards, passwords, info and share them remotely

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft Recall, the AI app that takes screenshots of what you do on your PC so you can search for it later, has a filter that’s supposed to prevent it from screenshotting sensitive info like credit card numbers. But a The Register test shows that it still fails in many cases, creating a potential treasure Read more about Microsoft Recall can still nab credit cards, passwords, info and share them remotely[…]

Belgium Targets Internet Archive’s ‘Open Library’ in Sweeping Site Blocking Order

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Business Court in Brussels, Belgium, has issued a broad site-blocking order that aims to restrict access to shadow libraries including Anna’s Archive, Libgen, OceanofPDF, Z-Library, and the Internet Archive’s Open Library. In addition to ISP blocks, the order also directs search engines, DNS resolvers, advertisers, domain name services, CDNs and hosting companies to take Read more about Belgium Targets Internet Archive’s ‘Open Library’ in Sweeping Site Blocking Order[…]

Google had just two weeks to begin cracking open Android Play Store, it admits in emergency filing, manages to stay to three weeks

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Yesterday, when Epic won its Google antitrust lawsuit for a second time, it wasn’t quite clear how soon Google would need to start dismantling its affirmed illegal monopoly. Today, Google admitted the answer was: 14 days. Google had just 14 days to enact major changes to its Google Play app store, and the way it Read more about Google had just two weeks to begin cracking open Android Play Store, it admits in emergency filing, manages to stay to three weeks[…]

A Premium Luggage Service’s Web Bugs Exposed the Travel Plans of Every User—Including Diplomats

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Airportr, a UK-based luggage service that partners with airlines to let its largely UK- and Europe-based users pay to have their bags picked up, checked, and delivered to their destination. Researchers at the firm CyberX9 found that simple bugs in Airportr’s website allowed them to access virtually all of those users’ personal information, including Read more about A Premium Luggage Service’s Web Bugs Exposed the Travel Plans of Every User—Including Diplomats[…]

Ore Energy makes history with first grid-connected iron-air battery system

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“Rust battery” now operational in the Netherlands; first multi-day long-term energy storage system, designed to be implemented using exclusively European production and materials Ore Energy , the Dutch iron-air long-term energy storage startup, today announced that it has successfully connected its flagship iron-air battery to the Delft electricity grid – the world’s first known fully Read more about Ore Energy makes history with first grid-connected iron-air battery system[…]

Lying increases trust in science – because people are taught that science is infallible, instead of that it can (and is) improved with time and knowledge

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This study begins by outlining the transparency paradox: that trust in science requires transparency, but being transparent about science, medicine and government reduces trust in science. A solution to the paradox is then advanced here: it is argued that, rather than just thinking in terms of transparency and opacity, it is important to think about Read more about Lying increases trust in science – because people are taught that science is infallible, instead of that it can (and is) improved with time and knowledge[…]

Public ChatGPT Queries Are Getting Indexed By Google and Other Search Engines (update: fixed!)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: It’s a strange glimpse into the human mind: If you filter search results on Google, Bing, and other search engines to only include URLs from the domain “https://chatgpt.com/share,” you can find strangers’ conversations with ChatGPT. Sometimes, these shared conversation links are pretty dull — people ask for Read more about Public ChatGPT Queries Are Getting Indexed By Google and Other Search Engines (update: fixed!)[…]

Mastercard Denies Pressuring Steam To Censor ‘NSFW’ Games… except it does.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Mastercard has broken its silence after being thrust into the middle of a gaming culture war between anti-porn advocates and anti-censorship activists. While Valve previously laid blame for a recent purge of adult sex games from Steam at the feet of “payment processors and their related card networks and banks,” Mastercard released a statement on Read more about Mastercard Denies Pressuring Steam To Censor ‘NSFW’ Games… except it does.[…]

Posted in Sex

UK’s most tattooed man blocked from accessing porn online by new rules

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Britain’s most tattooed man has a lot more time on his hands and not a lot else thanks to new porn laws. The King of Ink says facial recognition tech has made it harder to chat to webcam girls, after sites started mistaking his tattooed face for a mask. The new rules came into force Read more about UK’s most tattooed man blocked from accessing porn online by new rules[…]

Tiny, fast spectrometer

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]”Spectrometers are critical tools for helping us understand the chemical and physical properties of various materials based on how light changes when it interacts with those materials,” says Brendan O’Connor, corresponding author of a paper on the work and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University. “They are used in Read more about Tiny, fast spectrometer[…]