Long-time reader geek writes: Facebook is going to start forcing ads to appear for all users of its desktop website, even if they use ad-blocking software (Could be paywalled; alternate source). The social network said on Tuesday that it will change the way advertising is loaded into its desktop website to make its ad units considerably more difficult for ad blockers to detect. “Facebook is ad-supported. Ads are a part of the Facebook experience; they’re not a tack on, ” said Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, Facebook’s vice president of engineering for advertising and pages. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Tag: london
Olympic Swimmers ‘Certain’ To Pick Up Virus From Three Teaspoons of Rio Water
An anonymous reader writes from a report via The Independent: The Associated Press has released a 16-month-long study that shows just days before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro begin, the waterways in the city are teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria. The report says both athletes and tourists are at risk of getting ill from the contaminated water. “The first results of the study published over a year ago showed viral levels at up to 1.7 million times what would be considered worrisome in the United States or Europe, ” reports The Independent. “At those concentrations, swimmers and athletes who ingest just three teaspoons of water are almost certain to be infected with viruses that can cause stomach and respiratory illnesses and, more rarely, heart and brain inflammation — although whether they actually fall ill depends on a series of factors including the strength of the individual’s immune system.” Many of the athletes have been taking antibiotics, bleaching oars and donning plastic suits and gloves to prevent illnesses, but antibiotics combat bacterial infections, not viruses. The AP investigation found that infectious adenovirus readings turned up at nearly 90 percent of the test sites over 16 months of testing. What’s more is that “the beaches often have levels of bacterial markers for sewage pollution that would be cause for concern abroad — and sometimes even exceed Rio state’s lax water safety standards, ” reports The Independent. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Olympic Swimmers ‘Certain’ To Pick Up Virus From Three Teaspoons of Rio Water
A Band of Thieves Dressed Like Apple Workers Keeps Stealing iPhones From NYC Stores
Earlier this year, three individuals stole a total of 67 iPhones from an Upper West Side Apple store. Last week, 19 more iPhones were snatched from a SoHo store . How could these criminals possibly infiltrate the impenetrable security of a retail store run by certifiable geniuses? By dressing like Apple store employees, of course. Read more…
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A Band of Thieves Dressed Like Apple Workers Keeps Stealing iPhones From NYC Stores
These Are the First-Ever High-Res Images of Naturally Occuring Biological Motors
We’ve known for years now that some bacteria have tails known as flagellum that propel them forwards, but we’ve never managed to take a detailed look at what powers them. These new images, however, reveal how the naturally occurring motors wok. Read more…
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These Are the First-Ever High-Res Images of Naturally Occuring Biological Motors
Perserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen
See sample pages from this book at Wink. I saw the sour plums on the cover of Preserving the Japanese Way calling out to me from the highest bookshelf at teeny-tiny Moon Palace Bookstore, Minneapolis. As the Master Food Preserver for my county, I’m a sucker for beautiful books on food preservation. Angela, the owner, clapped and oohed as I plunked it down. “I love this book. I can’t cook, but this book makes me want to eat!” I’m authorized by the State of Wisconsin to teach the safest scientifically proven methods of food preservation. In my teaching, I’ve heard lovely stories of immigrant grandmothers and their favorite recipes and the joy keeping these traditions alive brings to people. This connectivity to our shared and adopted cultures is one of the most compelling aspects to Preserving the Japanese Way . Nancy Singleton Hachisu is a wonderfully opinionated ex-pat who embraced rural Japanese culture with her marriage to a Hokkaido farmer nearly thirty years ago. Her notes and recommendations are informed by her American “keep trying” attitude, coupled with the Japanese concept of perfecting a singular thing. Hachisu follows her insatiable curiosity in discovering the old ways. Her vignettes of meetings with artisanal makers are entertaining and informative. Her explanations and definitions of very specific Japanese ingredients are profoundly useful; for the first time ever I understood the nuances of soy sauces. She also acknowledges that artisanally made food is expensive. She recognizes that not everyone has the monetary luxury of purchasing small-batch regional soy sauces and offers accessible and easily available substitutes. I’ve taught classes in making Tsukemono (Japanese-style quick pickles) and am familiar with both the techniques and concepts on why preservation food-science works. Hachisu doesn’t dwell on the science of Why, which might be off-putting to both food scientists and beginners. Beginning food preservers will want to take a basics class or contact their local Master Food Preserver to give you the rules for fermentation. That being said, if you have interest in Japanese cuisine and culture, not to mention food preservation, Preserving the Japanese Way is book that you will return to many times. – Christina Ward Perserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen by Nancy Singlton Hachisu Andrews McMeel Publishing 2015, 400 pages, 8.2 x 9.9 x 1.5 inches $27 Buy a copy on Amazon
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Perserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen
Uber surpasses a billion rides
Despite the taxi industry’s protests against its presence and all the legal issues it’s had to face, Uber continues to thrive. In fact, it says it’s given its billionth — yes, that’s billion with a “b” — ride in London on Christmas Eve. Since the company launched in June 2010, that’s an average of over 15 million trips a month. The bigger portion of that billion probably took place more recently though, while the service was spreading to more locations around the globe. Add the knowledge of that expansion to this new info on how many rides Uber drives, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it hits its second billion much faster than five years. In addition to taking its billionth trip, the company has a valuation of almost $65 billion, thanks to its ever-growing list of investors. No wonder it’s given the lucky passengers a year’s worth of free rides ( £10, 000 worth ) and a trip to a city of their choice where the ride-sharing service is operational — the company can certainly afford it. [Image credit: Justin Chin/Bloomberg via Getty Images] Source: Uber
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Uber surpasses a billion rides
London adopts e-paper signs for real-time bus schedules
Picture the scene: it’s raining and you’re waiting for a night bus in London, with very little charge on your phone. Wouldn’t it be great if the bus stop had some up to date arrival times? So you didn’t have to pull out your phone and refer to Citymapper or Google Maps? Transport for London (TfL) is now trialling e-paper displays at a small number of bus stops which show timetables, route maps and real-time travel information. The screens are roughly the same size as a conventional bus stop sign — equivalent to three A4 sheets of paper, stacked on top of one another — and include some colourful buttons for illumination and page switching. The hope is that the new displays will be both readable and environmentally friendly. Like a Kindle, they should be readable in bright sunlight and require less power than a conventional full-colour screen. TfL says they can be charged from a solar panel too, and retrieve bus arrival information over 3G. For now, it’s only available in one location, near Waterloo Bridge, although the plan is to introduce a further three in Parliament Square, Piccadilly Circus and Sloane Square next month. They’re be trialled until the autumn — a full roll-out would probably be too expensive, but this should give TfL a better idea of its future viability. Via: BBC
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London adopts e-paper signs for real-time bus schedules
Someone snuck skimmers into Safeway stores
Some Safeway customers in California and Colorado who used debit/credit cards have had their card numbers and PINs slurped up by criminals who then took the cards out for spending sprees. (more…)
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Someone snuck skimmers into Safeway stores
Cybercrime 3.0: stealing whole houses
Apple Releases First Battery Case To Eat Third-Party Accessory Makers’ Lunch
In a surprise move, Apple just announced an external battery case for the iPhone 6s. Named the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case, the battery extends the battery life of your iPhone 6s by up to 25 hours. The new accessory is available in black and white for $99 starting today. Read More
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Apple Releases First Battery Case To Eat Third-Party Accessory Makers’ Lunch