Author: kenmay

iOS 10.0.3 fixes iPhone 7 cellular connectivity problems

Enlarge / The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) Apple has just released iOS 10.0.3, a minor update to iOS 10 intended to fix cellular connectivity problems with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus . Unlike most iOS updates, this one is available exclusively for the newest iPhones, since older iPhones and iPads running iOS 10.0.2  don’t seem to be affected. The problem seems to affect US users on Verizon the most consistently, and most users’ complaints say that the phones drop their LTE connections and either fall back to 3G speeds or lose connectivity altogether. Reports of similar connectivity problems have also come from AT&T users, and late last week, Bloomberg also reported on complaints from Chinese users who were losing their signals . Apple’s release notes don’t mention any particular countries or carriers, but iOS 10.0.3 will hopefully resolve the problems for everyone. Apple is also working on a major update to iOS 10, version 10.1, which adds the “portrait mode” feature to the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual-camera system and makes other tweaks. That update is currently in its third developer beta and will be released later this fall. Read on Ars Technica | Comments

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iOS 10.0.3 fixes iPhone 7 cellular connectivity problems

Orbital’s Antares launches cool science experiments to space

NASA and Orbital ATK had to put off Antares’ comeback until the next day due to a glitch, but everything went well the second try. The rocket finally blasted off to space carrying a Cygnus spacecraft with supplies for the ISS, as well as a bunch of cool scientific experiments . One of its science payloads is the Saffire 2, the follow-up to the largest fire experiment conducted outside our planet. Saffire 2 will burn nine samples made of various materials aboard the Cygnus as it makes its way back to Earth. That will allow scientists to compare their flammability in microgravity to their flammability on the ground. The data they collect could help keep future spacefarers safe when they embark on long-duration missions. Another one will investigate the “cool flames” phenomenon, wherein some fuels burn intensely at first then suddenly appear to go out. In truth, they’re still burning — we just can’t see the flames with the naked eye. By looking closely into cool flames, NASA will be able to create more efficient engines and eco-friendly fuels. Cygnus is also carrying a new lighting system designed to help astronauts maintain their biological clock and to help them be alert at all times. There’s a Fast Neutron Spectrometer aboard, as well, which will collect data on high-energy neutrons, part of the radiation astronauts’ bodies experience. The spacecraft will reach the ISS on October 23rd and will be coming back in late November, so we’ll have to wait till then to hear about Saffire 2’s results. Source: NASA

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Orbital’s Antares launches cool science experiments to space

Scientists Create Fully Functional Eggs from Skin Cells

Using skin cells extracted from mice, researchers in Japan have produced fully functional egg cells that were used to produce healthy mouse pups. Should the method work in humans, it could introduce powerful new ways of treating infertility—and even allow same-sex couples to produce biological offspring. Read more…

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Scientists Create Fully Functional Eggs from Skin Cells

MIT’s Fusion Reactor Broke a World Record Right Before the Feds Shut It Off

Interior of the Alcator C-Mod fusion reactor at MIT, which was shut off on September 30th. Image: Bob Mumgaard/Plasma Science and Fusion Center/MIT MIT’s fusion program has fallen on hard times, but that hasn’t stopped it from smashing world records and keeping the dream of limitless, carbon-free energy alive. At an International Atomic Energy Agency summit in Japan this week, researchers involved with MIT’s Alcator C-Mod tokamak reactor announced that their machine had generated the highest plasma pressure ever recorded . Read more…

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MIT’s Fusion Reactor Broke a World Record Right Before the Feds Shut It Off

Report: Russian Hackers Phished The DNC And Clinton Campaign Using Fake Gmail Forms

Citing a report from SecureWorks, BuzzFeed is reporting that Russian hackers “used emails disguised to look as Gmail security updates to hack into the computers of the Democratic National Committee and members of Hillary Clinton’s top campaign staff”: The emails were sent to 108 members of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign and 20 people clicked on them, at least four people clicking more than once, Secureworks’ research found. The emails were sent to another 16 people from the DNC and four people clicked on them, the report said. Researchers found the emails by tracing the malicious URLs set up by [state-sponsored hacking group] Fancy Bear using Bitly, a link shortening service… “We were monitoring bit.ly and saw the accounts being created in real time, ” said Phil Burdette, a senior security researcher at SecureWorks, explaining how they stumbled upon the the URLs set up by Fancy Bear. The URL apparently resolved to accounts-google.com (rather than accounts.google.com), and Burdette says “They did a great job with capturing the look and feel of Google.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Report: Russian Hackers Phished The DNC And Clinton Campaign Using Fake Gmail Forms

Body cameras given to ‘over 22,000’ London police officers

To help keep the peace, more than 22, 000 London police officers will soon be given body cameras . The roll-out begins today — six months later than former mayor Boris Johnson had anticipated. The new hardware, supplied by Taser, won’t be recording around the clock; instead, officers will need to hit the shutter manually and notify the public “as soon as practical.” A red light and beeping noise will indicate new recordings. The footage will then be uploaded to a secure server where it can be used as evidence in court. If it’s not required, the data will be deleted automatically after 31 days. Metropolitan Police hope the cameras will add a greater level of transparency to their work. Accused citizens should, in theory, be able to call on these images to prove their innocence. They could play a similar role for the police, helping officers to defend their actions on the street. It’s hoped that the new hardware will play a preventative role too, discouraging both sides from acting outside of the law in the first place. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, believes the cameras can make the court system more efficient — if footage of the incident exists, many offenders will plead guilty immediately, rather than hide the truth. “Video captures events in a way that can’t be represented on paper in the same detail, ” Hogan-Howe added. “A picture paints a thousand words, and it has been shown the mere presence of this type of video can often defuse potentially violent situations without the need for force.” The Met says the rollout is the “largest” of its kind in the world. Officers will be kitted out in phases, with an expected completion date of “next summer.” It follows years of trials , as well as public consultation and academic evaluation. Similar hardware has been deployed in the US , where police trust has fallen to an arguably greater low. Body cameras, if used fairly and consistently, could help to repair that fragile relationship. Source: Metropolitan Police

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Body cameras given to ‘over 22,000’ London police officers

Explore Over 500 Years of English Slang With This Online Dictionary

There’s enough slang within the English language to make up a whole new language. If you need to do some research for an English assignment, or you’re just into linguistics, this online dictionary is your best bet. Read more…

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Explore Over 500 Years of English Slang With This Online Dictionary

Feds Claim They Can Enter a House and Demand Fingerprints to Unlock Everyone’s Phones

Under the Fourth Amendment, Americans are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures, but according to one group of federal prosecutors, just being in the wrong house at the wrong time is cause enough to make every single person inside provide their fingerprints and unlock their phones . Read more…

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Feds Claim They Can Enter a House and Demand Fingerprints to Unlock Everyone’s Phones

Apple To Obsolete iPhone 4 and Late 2010 MacBook Air On October 31

Apple will make all iPhone 4 models, the late 2010 13-inch MacBook Air, third-generation AirPort Extreme, and mid-2009 AirPort Time Capsule obsolete come October 31, MacRumor claims, citing a different report. From the report: Apple products on the vintage and obsolete list are no longer eligible for hardware service, beyond a few exceptions. Apple defines vintage products as those that have not been manufactured for more than five years but less than seven years ago, while obsolete products are those that were discontinued more than seven years ago. Each of the products added were released between 2009 and 2010. The report specifically pertains to Apple’s vintage and obsolete products list in Japan, but the new additions will more than likely extend to the United States, Australia, Canada, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Apple To Obsolete iPhone 4 and Late 2010 MacBook Air On October 31

Here’s Apple’s workaround when your iPhone 7 home button fails

The iPhone 7’s non-moving home button may feel odd at first, but it has its perks… especially if it ever stops working. MacRumors forum goer iwayne has shown that the new iPhone will give you an on-screen home button (along with a warning that you may need repairs) if it thinks the physical key is broken. While that’s not much consolation if your phone needs to be fixed, it does mean that you can keep using your device in a relatively normal way while you’re waiting for your Genius Bar appointment. The technology may be short-lived when there are reports of Apple possibly ditching physical home buttons entirely with the next iPhone . However, it’s not hard to see why Apple would push for a motionless button in the short term. It’s not just the customizable haptic feedback — the new design is theoretically less likely to break (since it doesn’t click down) and reduces the pressure to get an immediate fix. That helps Apple’s bottom line, of course, but it may also make you a happier owner in the long term. Image credit: iwayne, MacRumors Forums Via: MacRumors Source: MacRumors Forums

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Here’s Apple’s workaround when your iPhone 7 home button fails