Physicists invent intelligent quantum sensor of light wave properties

[…] Typically, when you want to characterize a wave of light, you have to use different instruments to gather information, such as the intensity, wavelength and polarization state of the light. Those instruments are bulky and can occupy a significant area on an optical table,” said Dr. Fan Zhang, a corresponding author of the study Read more about Physicists invent intelligent quantum sensor of light wave properties[…]

Evusheld COVID Protection for Immunocompromised People

[…] If you couldn’t get a COVID vaccine, or if you got it but are in the group of people who likely aren’t as well protected, you can get Evusheld for an extra layer of protection. What is Evusheld? Evusheld is considered “pre-exposure prophylaxis” for COVID, and is available for people who are moderately to Read more about Evusheld COVID Protection for Immunocompromised People[…]

The EU’s AI Act could have a chilling effect on open source efforts, experts warn

The nonpartisan think tank Brookings this week published a piece decrying the bloc’s regulation of open source AI, arguing it would create legal liability for general-purpose AI systems while simultaneously undermining their development. Under the EU’s draft AI Act, open source developers would have to adhere to guidelines for risk management, data governance, technical documentation Read more about The EU’s AI Act could have a chilling effect on open source efforts, experts warn[…]

Hydrogen could be harvested from thin air in the desert

[…] To avoid taking water from an already strained local supply, a team led by Gang Kevin Li, senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Australia, has built a system which extracts water from airborne vapor using a hygroscopic electrolyte, in this case sulfuric acid. The approach then uses solar-generated electricity to split the water Read more about Hydrogen could be harvested from thin air in the desert[…]

Korean nuclear fusion tokamak reactor achieves 100 million°C for 30 seconds

A nuclear fusion reaction has lasted for 30 seconds at temperatures in excess of 100 million°C. While the duration and temperature alone aren’t records, the simultaneous achievement of heat and stability brings us a step closer to a viable fusion reactor – as long as the technique used can be scaled up. Most scientists agree Read more about Korean nuclear fusion tokamak reactor achieves 100 million°C for 30 seconds[…]

War profiteering Finland govt nationalises 1% of energy companies

With Russia closing the gas pipelines to Europe as a catalyst and using the people of Finland as blackmail material the Finnish government is taking control of company payment structures and grabs 1% of any company that signs up to the possibility of taking a loan from the government at extortionate interest rates. It’s pretty Read more about War profiteering Finland govt nationalises 1% of energy companies[…]

Scientists Find a Simple Way to Produce Hydrogen From Water at Room Temperature

Hydrogen fuel promises to be a clean and abundant source of energy in the future – as long as scientists can figure out ways to produce it practically and cheaply, and without fossil fuels. A new study provides us with another promising step in that direction, provided you can make use of existing supplies of Read more about Scientists Find a Simple Way to Produce Hydrogen From Water at Room Temperature[…]

Meta fined $402 million in EU over Instagram’s privacy settings for children

Meta has been fined €405 million ($402 million) by the Irish Data Protection Commission for its handling of children’s privacy settings on Instagram, which violated Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As Politico reports, it’s the second-largest fine to come out of Europe’s GDPR laws, and the third (and largest) fine levied against Meta by Read more about Meta fined $402 million in EU over Instagram’s privacy settings for children[…]

Samsung says customer data stolen in July data breach – again

Electronics giant Samsung has confirmed a data breach affecting customers’ personal information. In a brief notice, Samsung said it discovered the security incident in late-July and that an “unauthorized third party acquired information from some of Samsung’s U.S. systems.” The company said it determined customer data was compromised on August 4. Samsung said Social Security Read more about Samsung says customer data stolen in July data breach – again[…]

Pharma Startup President Convicted in Fake Covid Testing Scheme

Blood testing huckster and former Arrayit president Mark Schena has been convicted in a covid-19 and allergy test scheme that allegedly resulted in nearly $80 million worth of fraudulent claims. Schena, who was convicted on five separate charges, could potentially spend decades in prison, according to the Department of Justice The DOJ alleges Schena misled Read more about Pharma Startup President Convicted in Fake Covid Testing Scheme[…]

Scientists Turn Plastic Into Diamonds In Breakthrough

[…] Since the 1970s, scientists believed that diamonds might actually rain down toward the mostly slushy planets’ rocky interiors—a diamond rain, if you will. In 2017, researchers in Germany and California found a way to replicate those planetary conditions, fabricating teeny tiny diamonds called nanodiamonds in the lab using polystyrene (aka Styrofoam). Five years later Read more about Scientists Turn Plastic Into Diamonds In Breakthrough[…]

Use This Free Tool to Restore Faces in Old Family Photos

[…] GFPGAN—first made it onto our radar when it was featured in the August 28 edition of the (excellent) Recomendo newsletter, specifically, a post by Kevin Kelly. In it, he says that he uses this free program to restore his own old family photos, noting that it focuses solely on the faces of those pictured, Read more about Use This Free Tool to Restore Faces in Old Family Photos[…]

Google tests alternative payment methods in Play store, still takes 4% cut

The move comes in response to growing pressure on app store operators to give developers options, as Epic Games sought in its dispute with Apple and the government of South Korea required with legislation. The EU’s Digital Markets Act also seeks to limit Big Tech’s gatekeeping powers and was designed to stop Google prioritizing its Read more about Google tests alternative payment methods in Play store, still takes 4% cut[…]

China Approves World’s First Covid Vaccine You Inhale

[…] China’s National Medical Products Administration approved CanSino’s Ad5-nCoV for emergency use as a booster vaccine, the company said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sunday. The vaccine is a new version of CanSino’s one-shot Covid drug, the first in the world to undergo human testing in March 2020 and which Read more about China Approves World’s First Covid Vaccine You Inhale[…]

Midjourney – AI picture creator through words, wins digital art competition

An independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species. Source: Midjourney It works like Dall-e and is now very popular because a user used this to win a digital art competition (using attribution) Jason Allen entered the artwork titled “Theatre d’Opera Spatial” in the “Digital Arts Read more about Midjourney – AI picture creator through words, wins digital art competition[…]

grommunio  open source groupware / PIM and much, much more

grommunio efficiently summarizes all requirements of modern, digital communication and collaboration. This includes the device and operating system independent management of sensitive data such as e-mail, contacts, calendar, chat, video conference, file sharing and much more – in real time. With open source technology based on Linux, grommunio is scalable and meets the highest security Read more about grommunio  open source groupware / PIM and much, much more[…]

Major VPN services shut down in India over anti-privacy law

[…] New rules from India’s Computer Emergency Response Team India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) has said that new rules will apply to VPN providers from September 25. These will require services to collect customer names, email addresses, and IP addresses. The data must be retained for at least five years, and handed over to Read more about Major VPN services shut down in India over anti-privacy law[…]

IOS Mobile banking apps put 300,000 digital fingerprints at risk using hardcoded AWS credentials

Massive amounts of private data – including more than 300,000 biometric digital fingerprints used by five mobile banking apps – have been put at risk of theft due to hard-coded Amazon Web Services credentials, according to security researchers. Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team said it discovered 1,859 publicly available apps, both Android and iOS, containing baked-in Read more about IOS Mobile banking apps put 300,000 digital fingerprints at risk using hardcoded AWS credentials[…]

Study reveals flaws in popular genetic method PCA

The most common analytical method within population genetics is deeply flawed, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. This may have led to incorrect results and misconceptions about ethnicity and genetic relationships. The method has been used in hundreds of thousands of studies, affecting results within medical genetics and even commercial ancestry Read more about Study reveals flaws in popular genetic method PCA[…]

Genshin Impact installs “anti cheat” rootkit signed by Microsoft which is exploited in the wild. Stop allowing spyware rootkits, Microsoft!

An MMORPG with cute anime-style characters and maybe a bit too much inspiration taken from another classic Nintento franchise, Genshin Impact is a relatively popular game across the PlayStation, iOS, Android, and PC platforms. That last one has already generated a bit of controversy, since the PC version game includes an anti-cheat kernel driver that Read more about Genshin Impact installs “anti cheat” rootkit signed by Microsoft which is exploited in the wild. Stop allowing spyware rootkits, Microsoft![…]

FTC Sues Broker Kochava Over Geolocation Data Sales, giving away the data for free for 61m devices

[…] Commissioners voted 4-1 this week to bring a suit against Kochava, Inc., which calls itself the “industry leader for mobile app attribution” and sells mobile geo-location data on hundreds of millions of people. The suit accuses the company of violating the FTC Act, and the agency warns that the company’s business practices could easily Read more about FTC Sues Broker Kochava Over Geolocation Data Sales, giving away the data for free for 61m devices[…]

South Korea to pardon Samsung’s Lee, other corporate giants

Samsung’s de-facto leader secured a pardon Friday of his conviction for bribing a former president in a corruption scandal that toppled a previous South Korean government, an act of leniency that underscored the tech company’s huge influence in the nation. Lee Jae-yong’s pardon is partially symbolic since he was released on parole a year ago Read more about South Korea to pardon Samsung’s Lee, other corporate giants[…]

Australia fines Google $42.5 million over misleading location settings

Google is being ordered to pay A$60 million ($42.5 million) in penalties to Australia’s competition and national consumer law regulator regarding the collection and use of location data on Android phones. The financial slap on the wrist relates to a period between January 2017 and December 2018 and follows court action by the Australian Competition Read more about Australia fines Google $42.5 million over misleading location settings[…]