The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Researchers find a way to link TOR / Silk Road BTC expenditure to people using two datasets

Posted on by Robin Edgar

To do so, the Qatari researchers first collected dozens of bitcoin addresses used for donations and dealmaking by websites protected by the anonymity software Tor, run by everyone from WikiLeaks to the now-defunct Silk Road. Then they scraped thousands of more widely visible bitcoin addresses from the public accounts of users on Twitter and the Read more about Researchers find a way to link TOR / Silk Road BTC expenditure to people using two datasets[…]

1.7-Billion-Year-Old Chunk of North America Found Sticking to Australia

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Geologists matching rocks from opposite sides of the globe have found that part of Australia was once attached to North America 1.7 billion years ago. Researchers from Curtin University in Australia examinedrocks from the Georgetown region of northern Queensland. The rocks — sandstone sedimentary rocks that formed in a shallow sea — had signatures that Read more about 1.7-Billion-Year-Old Chunk of North America Found Sticking to Australia[…]

Scientists Found a Way to Make Inexpensive, Solid-Looking 3D Holograms / volumetric displays

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers at Brigham Young University in Utah made something they’re calling an Optical Trap Display (OTD). The device traps a tiny opaque particle in mid-air using an invisible laser beam, then moves the beam around a preset path in free space. At the same time, it illuminates the particle with red, green, or blue lights. Read more about Scientists Found a Way to Make Inexpensive, Solid-Looking 3D Holograms / volumetric displays[…]

Microsoft whips out tool so you can measure Windows 10’s data-slurping creepiness

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The software giant has produced a tool that’s claimed to show users how much personal information its Windows 10 operating system collects and sends back to Redmond for diagnostics.The application is dubbed Diagnostic Data Viewer, and is free from the Windows Store. It reveals that stuff like the computer’s device name, OS version, and serial Read more about Microsoft whips out tool so you can measure Windows 10’s data-slurping creepiness[…]

Engineers design artificial synapse for “brain-on-a-chip” hardware

Posted on by Robin Edgar

engineers at MIT have designed an artificial synapse in such a way that they can precisely control the strength of an electric current flowing across it, similar to the way ions flow between neurons. The team has built a small chip with artificial synapses, made from silicon germanium. In simulations, the researchers found that the Read more about Engineers design artificial synapse for “brain-on-a-chip” hardware[…]

Easy to watch over your shoulder at your Tindering

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Checkmarx researchers disclosed two flaws (CVE-2018-6017, CVE-2018-6018) and a proof of concept (see video below) for an app that could sit on the wireless network of, say, an airport or hotel and observe actions including profile views, swipes, and likes. The first issue, CVE-2018-6017, results from the Tinder’s app’s use of insecure HTTP connections to Read more about Easy to watch over your shoulder at your Tindering[…]

It’s 2018 and your Macs, iPhones can be pwned by playing evil music: lots of patches

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple has released security patches for iOS and macOS that include, among other things, Meltdown and Spectre fixes. The new versions should be installed as soon as possible. […] Less-hyped, but still serious, are vulnerabilities in the macOS kernel that include an exploitable race condition (CVE-2018-4092), a validation issue (CVE-2018-4093), and memory initialization bug (CVE-2018-4090) Read more about It’s 2018 and your Macs, iPhones can be pwned by playing evil music: lots of patches[…]

YouTube’s Support for Musicians Comes With a non-disparagement contract. Wait, what? It’s legal to agree to this before you know what they will do to you?!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

YouTube has asked musicians to agree not to disparage the streaming-video service in exchange for promotional support, according to people familiar with the matter, a way to quell persistent criticism by artists. In recent months, YouTube has given a handful of musicians a couple hundred thousand dollars to produce videos and promoted their work on Read more about YouTube’s Support for Musicians Comes With a non-disparagement contract. Wait, what? It’s legal to agree to this before you know what they will do to you?![…]

Skype, Signal, Slack, other apps inherit Electron vuln

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Electron is a node.js and Chromium framework that lets developers use Web technologies (JavaScript, HTML and CSS) to build desktop apps. It’s widely-used: Skype, Slack, Signal, a Basecamp implementation and a desktop WordPress app all count themselves as adopters. Slack users should update to version 3.0.3 or better, and the latest version of Skype for Read more about Skype, Signal, Slack, other apps inherit Electron vuln[…]

Intel patches for Spectre cause reboots, Intel tells people to stop installing them and also please help test for them

Posted on by Robin Edgar

As we start the week, I want to provide an update on the reboot issues we reported Jan. 11. We have now identified the root cause for Broadwell and Haswell platforms, and made good progress in developing a solution to address it. Over the weekend, we began rolling out an early version of the updated Read more about Intel patches for Spectre cause reboots, Intel tells people to stop installing them and also please help test for them[…]

Amazon.com: Dr.meter Wifi Endoscope, 2.0 Megapixels HD Digital Inspection Camera with 5 Meters(16.4ft) Cable and 8 LEDs in the Camera Handheld Borescope Supports Windows iOS and Android System: Camera & Photo

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Amazon.com: Dr.meter Wifi Endoscope, 2.0 Megapixels HD Digital Inspection Camera with 5 Meters(16.4ft) Cable and 8 LEDs in the Camera Handheld Borescope Supports Windows iOS and Android System: Camera & Photo Source: Amazon.com: Dr.meter Wifi Endoscope, 2.0 Megapixels HD Digital Inspection Camera with 5 Meters(16.4ft) Cable and 8 LEDs in the Camera Handheld Borescope Supports Read more about Amazon.com: Dr.meter Wifi Endoscope, 2.0 Megapixels HD Digital Inspection Camera with 5 Meters(16.4ft) Cable and 8 LEDs in the Camera Handheld Borescope Supports Windows iOS and Android System: Camera & Photo[…]

Revealing True Emotions Through Micro-Expressions: A Machine Learning Approach

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Micro-expressions–involuntary, fleeting facial movements that reveal true emotions–hold valuable information for scenarios ranging from security interviews and interrogations to media analysis. They occur on various regions of the face, last only a fraction of a second, and are universal across cultures. In contrast to macro-expressions like big smiles and frowns, micro-expressions are extremely subtle and Read more about Revealing True Emotions Through Micro-Expressions: A Machine Learning Approach[…]

Facebook open sources Detectron, object detection framework in caffe2

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Today, Facebook AI Research (FAIR) open sourced Detectron — our state-of-the-art platform for object detection research. The Detectron project was started in July 2016 with the goal of creating a fast and flexible object detection system built on Caffe2, which was then in early alpha development. Over the last year and a half, the codebase Read more about Facebook open sources Detectron, object detection framework in caffe2[…]

Active learning machine learns to create new quantum experiments

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We present an autonomous learning model which learns to design such complex experiments, without relying on previous knowledge or often flawed intuition. Our system not only learns how to design desired experiments more efficiently than the best previous approaches, but in the process also discovers nontrivial experimental techniques. Our work demonstrates that learning machines can Read more about Active learning machine learns to create new quantum experiments[…]

Breakthrough study shows how plants sense the world

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Plants lack eyes and ears, but they can still see, hear, smell and respond to environmental cues and dangers—especially to virulent pathogens. They do this with the aid of hundreds of membrane proteins that can sense microbes or other stresses. Only a small portion of these sensing proteins have been studied through classical genetics, and Read more about Breakthrough study shows how plants sense the world[…]

American Reich restarts dodgy spying program – just as classified surveillance abuse memo emerges

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US Senate reauthorized a controversial NSA spying program on Thursday – and then, because it’s 2018 and nothing matters any more, embarked on a partisan battle over a confidential memo that outlines Uncle Sam’s alleged abuse of surveillance powers. Despite numerous appeals, press conferences, competing legislation and speeches outlining abuse of the program, on Read more about American Reich restarts dodgy spying program – just as classified surveillance abuse memo emerges[…]

Security Breaches Don’t Affect Stock Price. Or don’t they?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Abstract: This report assesses the impact disclosure of data breaches has on the total returns and volatility of the affected companies’ stock, with a focus on the results relative to the performance of the firms’ peer industries, as represented through selected indices rather than the market as a whole. Financial performance is considered over a Read more about Security Breaches Don’t Affect Stock Price. Or don’t they?[…]

Real-world intercontinental quantum communications enabled by the Micius satellite

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A joint China-Austria team has performed quantum key distribution between the quantum-science satellite Micius and multiple ground stations located in Xinglong (near Beijing), Nanshan (near Urumqi), and Graz (near Vienna). Such experiments demonstrate the secure satellite-to-ground exchange of cryptographic keys during the passage of the satellite Micius over a ground station. Using Micius as a Read more about Real-world intercontinental quantum communications enabled by the Micius satellite[…]

Information engine operates with nearly perfect efficiency

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Physicists have experimentally demonstrated an information engine—a device that converts information into work—with an efficiency that exceeds the conventional second law of thermodynamics. Instead, the engine’s efficiency is bounded by a recently proposed generalized second law of thermodynamics, and it is the first information engine to approach this new bound. The results demonstrate both the Read more about Information engine operates with nearly perfect efficiency[…]

You could soon be manufacturing your own drugs—thanks to 3D printing

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Forget those long lines at the pharmacy: Someday soon, you might be making your own medicines at home. That’s because researchers have tailored a 3D printer to synthesize pharmaceuticals and other chemicals from simple, widely available starting compounds fed into a series of water bottle–size reactors. The work, they say, could digitize chemistry, allowing users Read more about You could soon be manufacturing your own drugs—thanks to 3D printing[…]

Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Intelligence makes for better leaders—from undergraduates to executives to presidents—according to multiple studies. It certainly makes sense that handling a market shift or legislative logjam requires cognitive oomph. But new research on leadership suggests that, at a certain point, having a higher IQ stops helping and starts hurting. […] The researchers looked at 379 male Read more about Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders[…]

Someone is touting a mobile, PC spyware platform called Dark Caracal to governments

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Dark Caracal [PDF] appears to be controlled from the Lebanon General Directorate of General Security in Beirut – an intelligence agency – and has slurped hundreds of gigabytes of information from devices. It shares its backend infrastructure with another state-sponsored surveillance campaign, Operation Manul, which the EFF claims was operated by the Kazakhstan government last Read more about Someone is touting a mobile, PC spyware platform called Dark Caracal to governments[…]

New AI System Predicts How Long Patients Will Live With Startling Accuracy

Posted on by Robin Edgar

By using an artificially intelligent algorithm to predict patient mortality, a research team from Stanford University is hoping to improve the timing of end-of-life care for critically ill patients. After parsing through 2 million records, the researchers identified 200,000 patients suitable for the project. The researchers were “agnostic” to disease type, disease stage, severity of Read more about New AI System Predicts How Long Patients Will Live With Startling Accuracy[…]

The Man from Earth Sequel ‘Pirated’ on The Pirate Bay – By Its Creators

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than a decade ago, Hollywood was struggling to get to grips with the file-sharing phenomenon. Sharing via BitTorrent was painted as a disease that could kill the movie industry, if it was allowed to take hold. Tough action was the only way to defeat it, the suits concluded. In 2007, however, a most unusual Read more about The Man from Earth Sequel ‘Pirated’ on The Pirate Bay – By Its Creators[…]