Author: Robin Edgar

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

‘Gas station in space’: new plan to make rocket fuel from junk in Earth’s orbit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] South Australian company Neumann Space has developed an “in-space electric propulsion system” that can be used in low Earth orbit to extend the missions of spacecraft, move satellites, or de-orbit them. Now Neumann is working on a plan with three other companies to turn space junk into fuel for that propulsion system. Japanese start-up Read more about ‘Gas station in space’: new plan to make rocket fuel from junk in Earth’s orbit[…]

Tesla drivers locked out of their cars by server error

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Some Tesla drivers who fancied going for a spin on Saturday were unable to do so after an update to the cars’ companion app produced server errors. Teslas don’t use conventional keys. Instead they require the presence of a fob, key card, or authenticated mobile phone app that links to the electric vehicles over Bluetooth. Read more about Tesla drivers locked out of their cars by server error[…]

How Facebook and Google Actually Fund the Creation of Misinformation

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MIT’s Technology Review shares data from a Facebook-run tool called CrowdTangle. It shows that by 2018 in the nation of Myanmar (population: 53 million), ” All the engagement had instead gone to fake news and clickbait websites. “In a country where Facebook is synonymous with the internet, the low-grade content overwhelmed other information sources.” [T]he Read more about How Facebook and Google Actually Fund the Creation of Misinformation[…]

Beijing issues fines for 43 Big Tech M&A deals

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China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has fined tech giants 43 times – with Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent told to pay up for failing to declare deals deemed to violate anti-monopoly legislation. According to SAMR, more rigorous anti-monopoly law enforcement has seen businesses file more paperwork, sometimes about past transactions. SAMR’s own probes have Read more about Beijing issues fines for 43 Big Tech M&A deals[…]

Physicists reveal non-reciprocal flow around the quantum world

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A pair of theoretical physicists, from the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) and the University of Zaragoza (Spain), have developed a quantum theory explaining how to engineer non-reciprocal flows of quantum light and matter. The research may be important for the creation of quantum technologies which require the directional transfer of energy and information at Read more about Physicists reveal non-reciprocal flow around the quantum world[…]

Apple’s macOS Monterey memory leak blamed on custom cursors

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Sleuthing leads to suspected RAM-gobbling culpri Apple’s macOS Monterey, the iGiant’s latest desktop operating system release, turns out to have an insatiable appetite for memory if you use certain apps. Shortly after the OS update was released on October 25, Apple customers – at least those who avoided installation woes – began to notice that Read more about Apple’s macOS Monterey memory leak blamed on custom cursors[…]

Which governments censor the tech giants the most?

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Note: these numbers do not take into account the amount of secret removal requests from governments, which are probably most in the US (also see https://www.linkielist.com/global-domination/us-judge-rules-twitter-cant-be-transparent-about-amount-of-surveillance-requests-processed-per-year-due-to-national-security-of-the-4th-reich/) In 2009, Google started recording the number of content removal requests it received from courts and government agencies all over the world, disclosing the figures on a six-month basis. Read more about Which governments censor the tech giants the most?[…]

EU’s Latest Internet Regulatory Madness: Destroying Internet Security With Its Digital Identity Framework

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The EU is at it again. Recently Mozilla put out a position paper highlighting the latest dangerous move by busybody EU regulators who seem to think that they can magically regulate the internet without (1) understanding it, or (2) bothering to talk to people who do understand it. The issue is the Digital Identity Framework, Read more about EU’s Latest Internet Regulatory Madness: Destroying Internet Security With Its Digital Identity Framework[…]

Why You Should Encrypt Your WhatsApp Backups in iCloud

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it’s also one of the few apps that offer end-to-end encryption by default. This means that no one other than you the other party can read your conversations. Even WhatsApp can’t read your conversations because it doesn’t have the key to un-encrypt your chats. This was all true, except for one scenario: WhatsApp chats backed Read more about Why You Should Encrypt Your WhatsApp Backups in iCloud[…]

Google Cloud partially fixes load balancer issues that killed Snapchat, spotify, etsy, discord and many many more

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Google Cloud suffered a brief outage, seemingly bringing down or disrupting a whole bunch of websites relying on its systems. If you’ve had trouble accessing Snapchat, Discord, Spotify, Etsy, retailers like Home Depot, and others today, this is likely why: a fault developed in Google Cloud’s networking infrastructure, resulting in websites throwing up 404 errors. Read more about Google Cloud partially fixes load balancer issues that killed Snapchat, spotify, etsy, discord and many many more[…]

Does Copyright Give Companies The Right To Search Your Home And Computer?

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One reason why copyright has become so important in the digital age is that it applies to the software that many of us use routinely on our smartphones, tablets and computers. In order to run those programs, you must have a license of some kind (unless the software is in the public domain, which rarely Read more about Does Copyright Give Companies The Right To Search Your Home And Computer?[…]

Microsoft blocks workaround that let Windows 11 users avoid its Edge browser – browser wars are on again

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Microsoft plans to update Windows 11 to block a workaround that has allowed users to open Start menu search results in a browser other than Edge. The loophole was popularized by EdgeDeflector, an app that allows you to bypass some of the built-in browser restrictions found in Windows 10 and 11. Before this week, companies Read more about Microsoft blocks workaround that let Windows 11 users avoid its Edge browser – browser wars are on again[…]

Portugal: Proposed law tries to sneak in biometric mass surveillance.

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Whilst the European Parliament has been fighting bravely for the rights of everyone in the EU to exist freely and with dignity in publicly accessible spaces, the government of Portugal is attempting to push their country in the opposite direction: one of digital authoritarianism. […] Eerily reminiscent of the failed attempts by the Serbian government Read more about Portugal: Proposed law tries to sneak in biometric mass surveillance.[…]

DDR4 memory protections are broken wide open by new Rowhammer technique

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Rowhammer exploits that allow unprivileged attackers to change or corrupt data stored in vulnerable memory chips are now possible on virtually all DDR4 modules due to a new approach that neuters defenses chip manufacturers added to make their wares more resistant to such attacks. Rowhammer attacks work by accessing—or hammering—physical rows inside vulnerable chips millions Read more about DDR4 memory protections are broken wide open by new Rowhammer technique[…]

High severity BIOS flaws affect numerous Intel processors

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Intel has disclosed two high-severity vulnerabilities that affect a wide range of Intel processor families, allowing threat actors and malware to gain higher privilege levels on the device. The flaws were discovered by SentinelOne and are tracked as CVE-2021-0157 and CVE-2021-0158, and both have a CVSS v3 score of 8.2 (high). The former concerns the Read more about High severity BIOS flaws affect numerous Intel processors[…]

ISS crew shelters from debris after Russia blows up old sat – US angry

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In a test of its missile technology, Russia destroyed an old space satellite on Monday, littering Earth’s orbit with fragments and forcing astronauts on the International Space Station to temporarily take shelter. The cloud of debris was generated when Cosmos 1408, a 2,200-kg defunct signals intelligence satellite launched in 1982, was blown up by a Read more about ISS crew shelters from debris after Russia blows up old sat – US angry[…]

Modders Have Fixed The GTA Trilogy’s Incredibly Ugly Rain

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The recently “remastered” GTA trilogy has some of the ugliest rain I’ve ever seen, and a handful of days later, modders have fixed it. No longer will you walk the streets of Vice City at night, only to be covered in the drippings of Spiderman’s leaky web-shooter. Finally, you can be free of that oddly Read more about Modders Have Fixed The GTA Trilogy’s Incredibly Ugly Rain[…]

Woman Allegedly Made $57,000 From Unofficial Demon Slayer Cakes

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A 34-year-old resident of Tokyo’s Shibuya has been arrested on suspicion of violating Japanese copyright law after selling unlicensed Demon Slayer cakes. According to Kyodo News, the women sold the cakes through Instagram, with customers submitting their desired images to be turned into frosting, cream, and sugar. The suspect is said to have charged between Read more about Woman Allegedly Made $57,000 From Unofficial Demon Slayer Cakes[…]

Securing your digital life, part one: The basics

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[…] Even those who consider themselves well educated about cyber crime and security threats—and who do everything they’ve been taught to do—can (and do!) still end up as victims. The truth is that, with enough time, resources, and skill, everything can be hacked. The key to protecting your digital life is to make it as Read more about Securing your digital life, part one: The basics[…]

Amazon textbook rental service scammed for $1.5m

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A 36-year-old man from Portage, Michigan, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly renting thousands of textbooks from Amazon and selling them rather than returning them. […] Also indicted were three alleged co-conspirators: Gregory Mark Gleesing, 43, and Lovedeep Singh Dhanoa, 25, both from Portage, Michigan, and Paul Steven Larson, 32, from Kalamazoo, Michigan From January Read more about Amazon textbook rental service scammed for $1.5m[…]

French government to speed up deployment of open source – EURACTIV.com

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The French government’s roadmap for developing open source to make it a vector of digital sovereignty and a guarantee of “democratic confidence” was presented by Public Transformation and Civil Service Minister Amélie de Montchalin on Wednesday (10 November). EURACTIV France reports. Montchalin spoke at the closing of the first edition of the “Open Source Experience”, Read more about French government to speed up deployment of open source – EURACTIV.com[…]

Forget Radio! Transmitting With Neutrons

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Throughout history, people have devised ways to send information across long distances. For centuries we relied on smoke signals, semaphores, and similar physical devices. Electricity changed everything. First the telegraph and then radio transformed communications. Now researchers at the University of Lancaster have demonstrated another way to send wireless data without using electromagnetic radiation. They’ve Read more about Forget Radio! Transmitting With Neutrons[…]

FBI email servers were hacked to target a security researcher

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The FBI appears to have been used as a pawn in a fight between hackers and security researchers. According to Bleeping Computer, the FBI has confirmed intruders compromised its email servers early today (November 13th) to send fake messages claiming recipients had fallen prone to data breaches. The emails tried to pin the non-existent attacks Read more about FBI email servers were hacked to target a security researcher[…]

Apple has tight control over states’ digital ID cards

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Apple’s digital ID card support in iOS 15 may be convenient, but it also comes with tight requirements for the governments that use them. CNBC has learned states using Apple’s system are required to not only run the platforms for issuing and checking credentials, but hire managers to handle Apple’s requests and meet the iPhone Read more about Apple has tight control over states’ digital ID cards[…]

Vizio’s profit on ads, subscriptions, and data is double the money it makes selling TVs

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It’s been less than a year since Vizio became a publicly traded company, and one consequence of that is we know more about its business than ever before. The TV maker released its latest earnings report on Tuesday and revealed that over the last three months, its Platform Plus segment that includes advertising and viewer Read more about Vizio’s profit on ads, subscriptions, and data is double the money it makes selling TVs[…]