Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

One-Third of Basecamp Employees Have Reportedly Quit at Once after being told they can’t talk about politics

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Within a week, Basecamp’s loathed no-politics-at-work rule has escalated to a mass exodus. This afternoon, reporter Casey Newton tweeted that around one-third of the company’s employees accepted buyouts following a “contentious all-hands meeting.” The software company behind Ruby on Rails, Campfire, and HEY was, until this week or so, generally perceived by outsiders as one Read more about One-Third of Basecamp Employees Have Reportedly Quit at Once after being told they can’t talk about politics[…]

Microsoft shakes up PC gaming by reducing Windows store cut to “just” 12 percent

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft is shaking up the world of PC gaming today with a big cut to the amount of revenue it takes from games on Windows. The software giant is reducing its cut from 30 percent to just 12 percent from August 1st, in a clear bid to compete with Steam and entice developers and studios Read more about Microsoft shakes up PC gaming by reducing Windows store cut to “just” 12 percent[…]

China’s Space Station Is Closer to Reality With Launch of Core Module

Posted on by Robin Edgar

China today launched the main module of its new space station into low Earth orbit. The ambitious project is set to be China’s answer to the International Space Station, which has never included China in its membership. The 55-foot core module is called Tianhe, or Harmony of the Heavens. It blasted off from the Wenchang Read more about China’s Space Station Is Closer to Reality With Launch of Core Module[…]

Stratolaunch sends world’s biggest airplane on second test flight

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Stratolaunch, the aerospace company founded by the late Seattle billionaire Paul Allen, put the world’s biggest airplane through its second flight test today, two years after the first flight. “We are airborne!” Stratolaunch reported in a tweet. Today’s takeoff from California’s Mojave Air and Space Port at 7:28 a.m. PT marked the first time the Read more about Stratolaunch sends world’s biggest airplane on second test flight[…]

F-22 And F-35 Datalinks *Finally* Talk Freely With Each Other Thanks To A U-2 Flying Translator

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Five F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and a single F-22 Raptor “talked” with each other using their proprietary stealthy datalinks via a U-2S Dragon Lady spy plane carrying a specialized communications gateway payload, during a recent demonstration. This marks the first time that the Air Force’s two stealth fighters were able to exchange data freely in Read more about F-22 And F-35 Datalinks *Finally* Talk Freely With Each Other Thanks To A U-2 Flying Translator[…]

Superspreaders of Malign and Subversive Information on COVID-19: Russian and Chinese Efforts Targeting the United States

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Both Russia and China appear to have employed information manipulation during the COVID-19 pandemic in service to their respective global agendas. This report uses exploratory qualitative analysis to systematically describe the types of COVID-19-related malign and subversive information efforts with which Russia- and China-associated outlets appear to have targeted U.S. audiences from January 2020 to Read more about Superspreaders of Malign and Subversive Information on COVID-19: Russian and Chinese Efforts Targeting the United States[…]

Tesla Loses A Lot Of Money Selling Cars, But Makes It All Back On Credits And Bitcoin

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On Monday after the close of business, Tesla announced its Q1 2021 financial results in its quarterly earnings call. The company turned a surprisingly large profit this quarter, but it didn’t do it by selling cars. Q1 net profit reached a new record for Tesla, at $438 million. Revenue for the electric car company was Read more about Tesla Loses A Lot Of Money Selling Cars, But Makes It All Back On Credits And Bitcoin[…]

Court Chides F.B.I., but Re-Approves Warrantless Surveillance Program

Posted on by Robin Edgar

For a second year, the nation’s surveillance court has pointed with concern to “widespread violations” by the F.B.I. of rules intended to protect Americans’ privacy when analysts search emails gathered without a warrant — but still signed off on another year of the program, a newly declassified ruling shows. In a 67-page ruling issued in Read more about Court Chides F.B.I., but Re-Approves Warrantless Surveillance Program[…]

Responsible Space Behavior for the New Space Era: Preserving the Province of Humanity

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Humans have explored and exploited near-earth space for more than six decades. More recently, the past two decades have seen the start of a New Space Era, characterized by more spacefaring nations and companies and a growing risk of collisions and conflict. Yet the basic treaties and mechanisms that were crafted 50 years ago to Read more about Responsible Space Behavior for the New Space Era: Preserving the Province of Humanity[…]

Google Is Saving Over $1 Billion a Year by Working From Home

Posted on by Robin Edgar

During the first quarter, Google parent Alphabet Inc. saved $268 million in expenses from company promotions, travel and entertainment, compared to same period a year earlier, “primarily as a result of COVID-19,” according to a company filing. On an annualized basis, that would be more than $1 billion. Indeed, Alphabet said in its annual report Read more about Google Is Saving Over $1 Billion a Year by Working From Home[…]

Satellites show world’s glaciers melting much faster than ever

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Glaciers are melting faster, losing 31 percent more snow and ice per year than they did 15 years earlier, according to three-dimensional satellite measurements of all the world’s mountain glaciers. […] Using 20 years of recently declassified satellite data, scientists calculated that the world’s 220,000 mountain glaciers are losing more than 328 billion tons (298 Read more about Satellites show world’s glaciers melting much faster than ever[…]

Fraudulent orders via Afterpay stupidly easy. To resolve Afterpay wants to breach victims privacy, cost them lots of time.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Online shoppen en de rekening naar iemand anders sturen, blijkt kinderlijk eenvoudig met Afterpay. Dat constateert de Consumentenbond, die de beveiliging van de achterafbetaaldienst heeft onderzocht. Honderden consumenten kregen spookfacturen van Afterpay en Klarna, betaaldiensten waarmee consumenten online aankopen pas na ontvangst hoeven te betalen. De bedragen varieren van enkele tientjes tot honderden euro’s. Met Read more about Fraudulent orders via Afterpay stupidly easy. To resolve Afterpay wants to breach victims privacy, cost them lots of time.[…]

Study finds GAEN Google Apple contact tracing apps allow user + contact location tracking. NL stops use of tracking app.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A study describes the data transmitted to backend servers by the Google/Apple based contact tracing (GAEN) apps in use in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark and finds that the health authority client apps are generally well-behaved from a privacy point of view, although the Irish, Polish, Danish, and Latvian apps could be improved in Read more about Study finds GAEN Google Apple contact tracing apps allow user + contact location tracking. NL stops use of tracking app.[…]

Google used ‘double-Irish’ to shift $75.4bn in profits out of Ireland

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google shifted more than $75.4 billion (€63 billion) in profits out of the Republic using the controversial “double-Irish” tax arrangement in 2019, the last year in which it used the loophole. The technology giant availed of the tax arrangement to move the money out of Google Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company via interim dividends and other Read more about Google used ‘double-Irish’ to shift $75.4bn in profits out of Ireland[…]

Parker Solar Probe Captures View of Venus’s Orbital Dust Ring

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A band of dust that follows Venus along its entire orbital path has finally been viewed in full, thanks to a series of fortuitous maneuvers involving NASA’s Parker Solar Probe. Astronomers suspected it was there, but now we know it’s real: a band of particles distributed along Venus’s orbital path around the Sun. […] A Read more about Parker Solar Probe Captures View of Venus’s Orbital Dust Ring[…]

WordPress may automatically disable Google FLoC on websites

Posted on by Robin Edgar

WordPress announced today that they are treating Google’s new FLoC tracking technology as a security concern and may block it by default on WordPress sites. For some time, browsers have begun to increasingly block third-party browser cookies [1, 2, 3] used by advertisers for interest-based advertising. In response, Google introduced a new ad tracking technology Read more about WordPress may automatically disable Google FLoC on websites[…]

NASA / JPL honours open source devs with a badge on their github if their code made it to Mars

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] we have worked with JPL to place a new Mars 2020 Helicopter Mission badge on the GitHub profile of every developer who contributed to the specific versions of any open source projects and libraries used by Ingenuity. You can check out the full list of projects like SciPy, Linux, and F Prime (F’) that Read more about NASA / JPL honours open source devs with a badge on their github if their code made it to Mars[…]

Songwriters Are Getting Short-Changed by Music Streaming, Study Shows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ever since the music industry began its streaming-fueled recovery around five years ago, the songwriting and publishing communities have been protesting not only the uneven payment structure of streaming — which sees recorded-music rights holders being paid three times what publishing is paid — but also the imbalanced power and payment structures of the music industry. Read more about Songwriters Are Getting Short-Changed by Music Streaming, Study Shows[…]

Posted in Art

This Artist Uses Drones To Create Gigantic Long-Exposure Light Paintings in the Sky

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] artist Frodo Álvarez has come up with a different approach, using just a handful of pre-programmed drones to create towering long-exposure light paintings. Typically these types of images are created by someone standing in front of a camera with its shutter open for a prolonged period and either waving an LED light wand around, Read more about This Artist Uses Drones To Create Gigantic Long-Exposure Light Paintings in the Sky[…]

Posted in Art

Snapchat suit defines free speech – US school decides they can hold an iron grip on their students comms any time any place

Posted on by Robin Edgar

At the center of the case is Brandi Levy, who in ninth grade let loose on the platform after learning she didn’t make the varsity cheerleading squad. Compared to the sort of stuff teens get caught pulling on social media now, Levy’s Snap was relatively benign: just a photo of her and a friend flipping Read more about Snapchat suit defines free speech – US school decides they can hold an iron grip on their students comms any time any place[…]

Pentagon doesn’t really explain odd transfer of 175 million IP addresses to obscure company starting 5 minutes before Trump left office

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US Department of Defense puzzled Internet experts by apparently transferring control of tens of millions of dormant IP addresses to an obscure Florida company just before President Donald Trump left the White House, but the Pentagon has finally offered a partial explanation for why it happened. The Defense Department says it still owns the Read more about Pentagon doesn’t really explain odd transfer of 175 million IP addresses to obscure company starting 5 minutes before Trump left office[…]

The Postal Service is running a running a ‘covert operations program’ that monitors Americans’ social media posts

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts, including those about planned protests, according to a document obtained by Yahoo News. The details of the surveillance effort, known as iCOP, or Internet Covert Operations Program, have not previously been made Read more about The Postal Service is running a running a ‘covert operations program’ that monitors Americans’ social media posts[…]

Signal maker exploits Cellebrite – authoritarian govt phone spying software – to create false reports on phones scanned by them and then forever after

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Cellebrite makes software to automate physically extracting and indexing data from mobile devices. They exist within the grey – where enterprise branding joins together with the larcenous to be called “digital intelligence.” Their customer list has included authoritarian regimes in Belarus, Russia, Venezuela, and China; death squads in Bangladesh; military juntas in Myanmar; and those Read more about Signal maker exploits Cellebrite – authoritarian govt phone spying software – to create false reports on phones scanned by them and then forever after[…]

Stuff in Space – see all satellites and space objects in 3D

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Stuff in Space is a realtime 3D map of objects in Earth orbit, visualized using WebGL. The website updates daily with orbit data from Space-Track.org and uses the excellent satellite.js Javascript library to calculate satellite positions. About the author Contact: info@stuffin.space See Stuff in Space on GitHub Source: Stuff in Space