Republican Senators Just Voted To Sell Off US National Forests

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SA 838 is a budgetary amendment which backs support for and funding of state efforts to take over federal land. It was part of a larger debate over the 2016 fiscal year federal budget.

While yes, its language does note that it’s impossible to sell National Parks, National Monuments and National Preserves (which enjoy extraordinary legal protection), it leaves the door open to sell National Forests, Wildlife Refuges and Wildernesses. That’s some of you and I’s most beautiful lands on which we’re currently able to camp, hunt, hang out with our dogs and on which a large portion of wild animals rely for their habitat.

http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/republican-senators-just-voted-to-sell-off-your-nationa-1696862450

aside from it not being theirs to sell, don’t they get that these are resources you can only sell once?

Hacker hijack ‘threat’: Your car’s security is Adobe Flash-grade BAD

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as we’ve long suspected, the computers in today’s cars can be hijacked wirelessly by feeding specially crafted packets of data into their networks. There’s often no need for physical contact; no leaving of evidence lying around after getting your hands dirty.

This means, depending on the circumstances, the software running in your dashboard can be forced to unlock doors, or become infected with malware, and records on where you’ve have been and how fast you were going may be obtained. The lack of encryption in various models means sniffed packets may be readable.

Key systems to start up engines, the electronics connecting up vital things like the steering wheel and brakes, and stuff on the CAN bus, tend to be isolated and secure, we’re told.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/09/car_security_senator_report/

Pixel OFF save battery on amoled screens

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Some AMOLED screen powered devices are able to “turn off” those pixels which are showing black colour. This app will let you to turn off some pixels in order to save your appreciate battery by showing very small black points.
As newer devices comes with very high density screens those points will be insignificant to the user´s sight and will be offset by lower spending battery

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.anrapps.pixelbatterysaver

Unpowered ankle exoskeleton takes a load off calf muscles to improve walking efficiency

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The result of eight years of work begun by Steve Collins and Greg Sawicki when they were graduate students together at the University of Michigan in 2007, the device has been shown to reduce the metabolic cost of walking by around seven percent. The researchers claim this is roughly equivalent to taking off a 10-lb (4.5 kg) backpack and equates to the same savings provided by electrically-powered exoskeletons.

via Unpowered ankle exoskeleton takes a load off calf muscles to improve walking efficiency.

After Obama’s cybersecurity order threatens Snowden fund, bitcoin donations spike

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A new executive order signed into law this week by the president has one online community up in arms, after its loose wording effectively ruled out donating to Edward Snowden and others.

In a post on Reddit’s Bitcoin subreddit, members pledged to donate to the whistleblower’s relief fund, despite the wording of the new executive order suggesting that doing so was illegal.

In the new executive order, signed into law on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama declared cyber-threats aimed at the US a "national emergency." The order threatens sanctions against those (including US residents) who engage in cyberattacks and espionage activities that threaten US interests at home and abroad.

Any regrets, Edward Snowden? "I’d have come forward sooner"

The former NSA contractor turned whistleblower said during a Reddit question-and-answer session that the leaks have also improved security and encryption in Silicon Valley.

Read More

The wording of the order specifically addresses any person whose "property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States."

Redditors were quick to assume (likely correctly) that this includes Edward Snowden, who for more than a year-and-a-half has lived in Russia, evading US justice.

via After Obama's cybersecurity order threatens Snowden fund, bitcoin donations spike | ZDNet.

How the Pentagon Lost Track of $45 Billion in Afghanistan

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Since 2002, Congress has set aside $104 billion specifically to rebuild Afghanistan. Of that, $66 billion went to the Pentagon.

Recently, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction asked the military to account for all that spending. It couldn’t. According to a new report from SIGAR, the Pentagon only knows how it spent a third of its reconstruction budget.

That’s $45 billion dollars the military can’t track and the reason is … ridiculous. According to SIGAR, the Pentagon didn’t check a box on an electronic form when it filed the information in government databases.

via How the Pentagon Lost Track of $45 Billion — War Is Boring — Medium.

SnapPower Charger: A USB charger in a coverplate – no wiring

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SnapPower Charger Overview

Powerful 1-amp USB charger built into an outlet cover plate.

Charges any USB device (phones, phablets, tablets, hotspots, etc.) and eliminates the need for bulky wall warts.

Installs in seconds over any standard outlet in your home.

There’s no wiring to mess with, and no batteries to sort out. Just bring a screwdriver and a good attitude.

For renters, this solution provides convenient wall charging that can be taken with you when you move. If you move out, just pop the old cover back on.

They’ve made 1/2 a million on their Kickstarter from the 35K they wanted

via SnapPower Charger: A USB charger in a coverplate – no wiring by Jeremy Smith — Kickstarter.

Large numbers of British Airways Executive Club accounts being Locked/Zeroed Out/in Audit (‘Ex-gratia’) due to data breach

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Starting on 27 March 2015, a very large number of people have found that their Avios balance has been reset to zero. Their list of transactions shows an "Ex-Gratia" deduction of their entire previous balance. Other people are also reporting they are unable to access their accounts at all, with their BAEC number not being recognised.

BAEC call centre staff do not seem to have received a thorough briefing and are giving at times contradictory information. However, an email has gone out to some, not all, BAEC members affected by this issue, with the subject "Executive Club Password Change", details here in post 181. At present there is no definitive information about the exact cause, but it’s clear that BA believes there has been a serious security breach (or that there was a serious risk of such a breach).

via 27 Mar: Large numbers of BAEC accounts being Locked/Zeroed Out/in Audit ('Ex-gratia') – FlyerTalk Forums.

A Review on Night Enhancement Eyedrops Using Chlorin e6

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it seems fair to say that this technique is successful in it claims for low light amplification in the human eye. These findings are subjective experiences. Subject experienced no adverse effects following administration. Preliminary testing seems to indicate this increase in dim light vision to be occurring

via A Review on Night Enhancement Eyedrops Using Chlorin e6 | Science for the Masses.

Hotel routers very insecure

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ANTLabs InnGate devices are a popular Internet gateway for visitor-based networks. They’re commonly installed in hotels, convention centers and other places that provide temporary guests access to a WiFi connection. If you’ve ever used WiFi in a hotel, you’re familiar with these types of devices as they are typically tied to a specific room number for billing purposes.

[…]

CVE-2015-0932 gives an attacker full read and write access to the file system of an ANTLabs’ InnGate device. Remote access is obtained through an unauthenticated rsync daemon running on TCP 873. Once the attacker has connected to the rsync daemon, they are then able to read and write to the file system of the Linux based operating system without restriction.

[…]

An attacker exploiting the vulnerability in CVE-2015-0932 would have the access to launch DarkHotel-esque attacks against guests on the affected hotel’s WiFi. Targets could be infected with malware using any method from modifying files being downloaded by the victim or by directly launching attacks against the now accessible systems.

via Vulnerability: CVE-2015-0932.

Uber: Selling your data

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This year, we are going to see the transformation of Uber into a big data company cut from the same cloth as Google, Facebook and Visa – using the wealth of information they know about me and you to deliver new services and generate revenue by selling this data to others.Starwood is Just the beginningRecently, Uber launched a service that lets its customers connect their Uber account to their Starwood Prefered Guest account. The benefit to customers: get points when you take Uber. The quid pro quo? Customers give Uber the right to share all Uber ride information with Starwood.

via Uber: The Big Data Company.

France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels

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Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday.Green roofs have an isolating effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer.The argument for divesting from fossil fuels is becoming overwhelmingRead moreThey also retain rainwater, thus helping reduce problems with runoff, while favouring biodiversity and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle, ecologists say.The law approved by parliament was more limited in scope than initial calls by French environmental activists to make green roofs that cover the entire surface mandatory on all new buildings.The Socialist government convinced activists to limit the scope of the law to commercial buildings.

via France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels | World news | The Guardian.

Carbon3D Unveils Breakthrough CLIP 3D Printing Technology, 25-100X Faster

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The Continuous Liquid Interface Productiongo technology (CLIP) process relies on a special transparent and permeable window which allows both light and oxygen to get through. Think of it as a large contact lens. The machine then is able to control the exact amount of oxygen and when that oxygen is permitted into the resin pool. The oxygen thus acts to inhibit the resin from curing in certain areas as the light cures those areas not exposed to the oxygen. Thus the oxygen is able to create a ‘dead zone’ aa4within the resin which is as small as tens of microns thick (about the diameter of 2-3 red blood cells). In this subsection of the resin, it is literally impossible for photopolymerization to take place. The machine will then produce a series of cross sectional images using UV light in a fashion similar to playing a movie.

via Carbon3D Unveils Breakthrough CLIP 3D Printing Technology, 25-100X Faster – 3DPrint.com.