GoDaddy Proposes New DNS Configuration Standard

GoDaddy has announced “an open set of APIs for DNS providers and web service providers, ” called Domain Connect. An anonymous Slashdot reader writes: “Once enabled, customers can quickly configure their domain to point to the web service of their choice with push button simplicity, ” according to the announcement, “streamlining and simplifying the process of connecting websites and domain names registered on different platforms.” GoDaddy’s submitted it for consideration as an IETF standard, where they have the support of Microsoft and Squarespace, as well as the other two largest registries, eNome and Name.com. But in the meantime, they told ProgrammableWeb, the specificaion is “out there in the public, open for feedback and adjustment.” “GoDaddy is seeking to take all the friction out of the process, ” the site reports, “by offering service providers like Squarepace, Wix, Google, Microsoft, WordPress and others a registrar-agnostic API that they can use to programmatically configure all the necessary DNS entries… in lieu of making end users laboriously crawl through a bunch of forms and then praying that they’ve done it all correctly.” Different access levels will be available based on the service being provided, and for GoDaddy’s implementation of the API their senior VP of Domains Engineering “said that the program will not be open to public developers and that any service providers wanting access will have to be approved by his team at GoDaddy.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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GoDaddy Proposes New DNS Configuration Standard

Lyft Says Robots Will Drive Most Of Its Cars in Five Years

A week after its rival Uber began rolling out self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, Lyft has said it also expects to roll out its self-driving by next year. Its president John Zimmer outlined a “three-phase” plan for the company, noting that self-driving cars will be made available to Lyft users in the first phase. But in this phase, it only plans to roll out self-driving cars that can “drive along fixed routes” and that the “technology is guaranteed to be able to navigate.” Recode adds: In the second phase, the self-driving cars in the fleet will navigate more than just the fixed routes, but will only drive up to 25 miles per hour. As the technology matures and the software encounters more complex environments, Zimmer wrote, cars will get faster. The third phase, expected to happen sometime in 2021 or 2022, will be when all Lyft rides will be completed by a fully autonomous car. Shortly after that phase begins, car ownership will see a steep drop-off, according to Zimmer. Zimmer, who has long been a vocal proponent of ending car ownership, set a date for the death of the personally owned car in major U.S. cities: 2025. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Lyft Says Robots Will Drive Most Of Its Cars in Five Years

Woman Finds Mysterious Disney Time Capsule In Her Wall After Louisiana Floods

Janet Knox’s Baton Rogue home is now just a shell of its former self. The recent floods in Louisiana have forced her to tear out the waterlogged walls of her house and begin the rebuilding process. But Knox has had at least one pleasant surprise during the clean up. She found a time capsule dating back to 1942 stuffed inside one of the walls in her home . But there’s something that doesn’t add up. Read more…

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Woman Finds Mysterious Disney Time Capsule In Her Wall After Louisiana Floods

Air Force Grounds $400 Billion F-35s Because of ‘Peeling and Crumbling’ Insulation

An anonymous Slashdot reader quotes the Washington Post: Less than two months after declaring the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ready for combat, the Air Force on Friday announced that it was temporarily grounding 15 of the jets after it discovered that insulation was “peeling and crumbling” inside the fuel tanks. The setback is the latest for the $400 billion system, the most expensive in the history of the Pentagon. The problem comes as the program, which for years faced billions of dollars in cost overruns and significant schedule delays, had begun to make strides. The insulation problem affects a total of 57 aircraft, the Air Force said, 42 of which are still in production… In a statement, Lockheed Martin said that “the issue is confined to one supplier source and one batch of parts.” It emphasized that “this is not a technical or design issue; it is a supply chain manufacturing quality issue…” It is unclear how long the aircraft would be grounded, how long the problem would take to fix or what the larger affect on the program would be. âoeWhile nearing completion, the F-35 is still in development, and challenges are to be expected, ” said an Air Force spokeswoman, adding “The F-35 program has a proven track record of solving issues as they arise, and we’re confident we’ll continue to do so.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Air Force Grounds $400 Billion F-35s Because of ‘Peeling and Crumbling’ Insulation

GM Commits To 100% Renewable Energy By 2050

We’ve seen a number of entities announce plans to operate with 100% renewable energy over the years. Costa Rica, for example, has gone 76 straight days using 100% renewable electricity. General Motors is the latest company to release a roadmap to achieving 100% renewable energy. The catch? It won’t be until 2050. CleanTechnica reports: American multinational General Motors, or GM, has committed to generating or sourcing 100% of the electricity for its operations across 59 countries from 100% renewable energy by 2050. GM made the announcement on Wednesday, revealing that it planned to generate or source all its electrical power needs for its 350 operations in 59 countries with 100% renewable energy such as wind, solar, and landfill gas, by 2050. In turn, the company has joined the 100% renewable energy campaign RE100, lending its considerable global business weight to an already important and successful campaign. “Establishing a 100% renewable energy goal helps us better serve society by reducing environmental impact, ” said Mary Barra, GM Chairman and CEO. “This pursuit of renewable energy benefits our customers and communities through cleaner air while strengthening our business through lower and more stable energy costs.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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GM Commits To 100% Renewable Energy By 2050

Strange Mammoth Skull Found in California Puzzles Paleontologists

Paleontologists working on an island off the coast of California’s Ventura County have discovered a strange mammoth skull that exhibits features never seen before in the extinct elephantine creatures. Not too big and not too small, this skull could represent a transitional species. Read more…

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Strange Mammoth Skull Found in California Puzzles Paleontologists

Giant E Ink Screens Turn Trucks Into Dynamic Rolling Billboards

Despite the gloriously colorful screens used in devices like the new iPhone 7, monochromatic E Ink displays have remained a popular choice for devices like e-readers since they’re cheap, durable, and work fine in direct sunlight. It also means they’re the perfect technology for turning trucks into in-your-face rolling billboards. Read more…

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Giant E Ink Screens Turn Trucks Into Dynamic Rolling Billboards

ClixSense Suffers Massive Data Breach, 6.6 Million Users Compromised

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Digital Trends: ClixSense, a site which pays users to view ads and take surveys, was the victim of a massive data breach compromising around 6.6 million user accounts. Usually when there’s a data breach of this size, the information stolen contains usernames, passwords, and some other personal information, but due to the nature of ClixSense and the service it provided, home addresses, payment histories, and other banking details have also been compromised. According to the message posted to PasteBin along with a sample of the stolen data, social security numbers, dates of birth, and some internal emails from ClixSense may also have been compromised. Ars Technica reported this morning that about 2.2 million people have had their data posted to PasteBin over the weekend, reportedly just a taste of the 6.6 million user accounts that have been stolen. The hackers responsible stated in their PasteBin post that they intend to sell the user information they gathered, without disclosing a specific price. PasteBin has since removed the posts and the sample of the compromised user account information. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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ClixSense Suffers Massive Data Breach, 6.6 Million Users Compromised