Tag: open source

Dubai Buys Commercial Jetpacks For Firefighters

_Sharp’r_ writes: Want to fly a jetpack? Join the fire department in Dubai. In a skyscraper filled city where cops drive Ferraris and Lamborghinis, it was actually cheaper to buy twenty $150K jetpacks (plus two simulators) for fire rescue rather than find 2700 ft ladders. Slashdot has had stories about these coming for five years. A VR-headset based jetpack flight-simulator for the masses would be fun, too, even better if the object were to put out fires in skyscrapers.. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Dubai Buys Commercial Jetpacks For Firefighters

Windows 3.1 Glitch Causes Problems At French Airport — Wait, 3.1?

OakDragon writes: Microsoft has tamped down the earth on XP’s grave, steered Internet Explorer toward the nursing home, and is trying to convince everyone Windows 10 is a bright up-and-comer. But in the Paris airport of Orly, a system called DECOR — which helps air traffic controllers relay weather information to pilots — is running on Windows 3.1. That program suffered a glitch recently that grounded planes for some time. The airport actually runs on a variety of old systems, including Windows XP and UNIX. Maintenance is a problem. There are only three people in Paris that work on DECOR issues, and one of them is retiring soon. Hardware is also an issue. “Sometimes we have to go rummaging on eBay to replace certain parts, ” said Fiacre. “In any case, these machines were not designed to keep working for more than 20 years.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Windows 3.1 Glitch Causes Problems At French Airport — Wait, 3.1?

Quantum Dots Made From Fool’s Gold Boost Battery Performance

Science_afficionado writes: A lot of attempts have been made to use nanocrystals to improve battery performance, but the results have been disappointing. The problem is that when the size of the crystals drop below a certain size they begin to react chemically with the electrolytes which prevents them from recharging. Now, however, a team of engineers from Vanderbilt University report in an article published in the journal ACS Nano that they can overcome this problem by making the nanocrystals out of iron pyrite, commonly known as fool’s gold. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Quantum Dots Made From Fool’s Gold Boost Battery Performance

Bluetooth 2016 Roadmap Brings Fourfold Range Increase and Mesh Networking

An anonymous reader writes: The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced its roadmap for Bluetooth Smart in 2016, promising a fourfold range increase in the low-energy, IoT-oriented version of the protocol, along with dedicated mesh networking, a 100% increase in speed and no extra consumption of energy. The last set of upgrades to the protocol offered direct access to the internet and security enhancements. Since Bluetooth must currently contend with attacks on everything from cars to toilets, the increased range means that developers may not be able to rely on ‘fleeting contact’ as a security feature quite as much. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Bluetooth 2016 Roadmap Brings Fourfold Range Increase and Mesh Networking

TV Networks Cutting Back On Commercials

An anonymous reader writes: Cable providers aren’t the only ones feeling pressure from cord cutters. The TV networks themselves are losing viewers the same way. A lot of those viewers are going to Netflix and other streaming services, which are often ad-free, or have ad-free options. Now, in an effort to win back that audience (and hang on to the ones who are still around), networks are beginning to cut back on commercial time during their shows. “Time Warner’s truTV will cut its ad load in half for prime-time original shows starting late next year, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bewkes said last week on an earnings call. Viacom has recently slashed commercial minutes at its networks, which include Comedy Central and MTV. Earlier this month, Fox said it will offer viewers of its shows on Hulu the option to watch a 30-second interactive ad instead of a typical 2 1/2-minute commercial break. Fox says the shorter ads, which require viewers to engage with them online, are more effective because they guarantee the audience’s full attention.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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TV Networks Cutting Back On Commercials

Proof-of-Concept Ransomware Affects Macs

sarahnaomi writes: Ransomware, the devilish family of malware that locks down a victim’s files until he or she coughs up a hefty bounty, may soon be coming to Mac. Last week, a Brazilian security researcher produced a proof-of-concept for what appears to be the first ransomware to target Mac operating systems (Mac OS X). On Monday, cybersecurity company Symantec verified the researcher’s findings. “Mabouia is the first case of file-based crypto ransomware for OS X, albeit a proof-of-concept, ” Symantec wrote in a blog post. “It’s simple code, I did it in two days, ” [said] the creator of the malware. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Proof-of-Concept Ransomware Affects Macs

DNA Data From California Newborn Blood Samples Stored, Sold To 3rd Parties

schwit1 writes: “This might come as a surprise to California natives in their 20s and early 30s: The state owns your DNA. Every year about four million newborns in the U.S. get a heel prick at birth, to screen for congenital disorders, that if found early enough, can save their life.” However, when those tests are done, the leftover blood isn’t simply thrown away. Instead, they’re taken to an office building and the DNA data is stored in a database. “It’s a treasure trove of information about you, from the color of your eyes and hair to your pre-disposition to diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.” And that’s not the end of it: “The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is not the only agency using the blood spots. Law enforcement can request them. Private companies can buy them to do research – without your consent.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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DNA Data From California Newborn Blood Samples Stored, Sold To 3rd Parties

Fury and Fear In Ohio As IT Jobs Go To India

ErichTheRed writes: A company called Cengage Learning now joins the Toys ‘R Us, Disney and Southern California Edison IT offshoring club. Apparently, even IT workers in low-cost parts of the country are too expensive and their work is being sent to Cognizant, one of the largest H-1B visa users. As a final insult, the article describes a pretty humiliating termination process was used. Is it time to think about a professional organization before IT goes the way of manufacturing? Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Fury and Fear In Ohio As IT Jobs Go To India

US Spends $1bn Over a Decade Trying To Digitize Immigration Forms, Just 1 Is Online

Bruce66423 writes: A government project to digitize immigration forms succeeded in enabling exactly one application to be completed and submitted after 10 years of work because of the botched software and implementation. The Washington Post reports: “This project, run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, was originally supposed to cost a half-billion dollars and be finished in 2013. Instead, it’s now projected to reach up to $3.1 billion and be done nearly four years from now, putting in jeopardy efforts to overhaul the nation’s immigration policies, handle immigrants already seeking citizenship and detect national security threats, according to documents and interviews with former and current federal officials.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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US Spends $1bn Over a Decade Trying To Digitize Immigration Forms, Just 1 Is Online

Comcast Resets Nearly 200,000 Passwords After Customer List Goes On Sale

itwbennett writes: Over the weekend a Dark Web marketplace had 590, 000 Comcast email addresses and passwords for sale, offering the entire list for $1, 000, writes CSO’s Steve Ragan. Saturday evening Ragan contacted Comcast about the accounts being sold online and learned that Comcast had ‘already obtained a copy of the list’ and was checking it against their customer base. ‘Of the 590, 000 records being sold, only about 200, 000 of them were active, ‘ Comcast said. Still unknown is the source of the data being sold online, although signs point to it being recycled. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Comcast Resets Nearly 200,000 Passwords After Customer List Goes On Sale