Tag: power

DHS Can Seize Your Electronics Within 100 Mi.of US Border, Says DHS

dreamstateseven writes “In a not-so-unexpected move, the Department of Homeland Security has concluded that travelers along the nation’s borders may have their electronics seized and the contents of those devices examined for any reason whatsoever — all in the name of national security. According to legal precedent, the Fourth Amendment — the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures — does not apply along the border. The memo highlights the friction between today’s reality that electronic devices have become virtual extensions of ourselves housing everything from e-mail to instant-message chats to photos and our papers and effects — juxtaposed against the government’s stated quest for national security. By the way, the government contends the Fourth-Amendment-Free Zone stretches 100 miles inland from the nation’s actual border.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

See the article here:
DHS Can Seize Your Electronics Within 100 Mi.of US Border, Says DHS

Cause of Super Bowl blackout was installed to prevent Super Bowl blackout

Entergy New Orleans, the utility that provides power to the Mercedes SuperDome in New Orleans, announced today that its technicians had determined the cause of the partial blackout during the Super Bowl last Sunday: an electrical relay the company had installed to prevent blackouts. The relay was supposed to trip switches to redirect power in the event of a line fault over one of the cables connecting Entergy’s switching gear to the stadium. In a statement , the company said that “the relay functioned without issue during a number of high-profile events—including the New Orleans Bowl, the New Orleans Saints-Carolina Panthers game, and the Sugar Bowl.” But on Super Bowl Sunday, the device instead triggered when there was no fault, signaling a switch to open shortly after the second half began. The relay has now been pulled, and Entergy is evaluating other equipment. “While some further analysis remains,” said Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Charles Rice in the prepared statement, “we believe we have identified and remedied the cause of the power outage and regret the interruption that occurred during what was a showcase event for the city and state.” Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments

See the original article here:
Cause of Super Bowl blackout was installed to prevent Super Bowl blackout

Which One Has More Usable Space: the 128GB Surface Pro or the 128GB MacBook Air?

Everyone’s been making fun of the Surface Pro for being so stingy on hard drive space. The 128GB version of the Surface Pro only has 90GB of free space ( originally reported to be 83GB but since boosted). Where the hell did the other 38 gigs go? Well, you could ask the same question to the 128GB version of the MacBook Air. The MBA only has 92GB of free space. What! More »

Read the original post:
Which One Has More Usable Space: the 128GB Surface Pro or the 128GB MacBook Air?

Leaked: Obama’s Rules For Assassinating American Citizens

cathyreisenwitz writes “For over a year now journalists, civil liberties advocates, and members of Congress have been asking the Obama administration to release internal memoranda from the Office of Legal Counsel justifying Obama’s targeted killing program. While the White House continues to deny that such memos exist, NBC is reporting that it has acquired the next best thing: A secretish 16-page white paper from the Department of Justice that was provided to select members of the Senate last June.” Spencer Ackerman at Wired says the leaked rules “[trump] traditional Constitutional protections American citizens enjoy from being killed by their government without due process” by redefining the concept of “imminence.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

See the article here:
Leaked: Obama’s Rules For Assassinating American Citizens

The iPhone 5 Jailbreak Is Finally Here

Freedom! It’s been a long time coming, but following last week’s iOS 6.1 release , there’s finally a jailbreak that’ll work on your iPhone 5 , and it extends to pretty much every other iOS 6.1 device out there too. More »

Read this article:
The iPhone 5 Jailbreak Is Finally Here

Magnetic Transistor Could Cut Power Consumption and Make Chips Reprogrammable

ananyo writes “Transistors, the simple switches at the heart of all modern electronics, generally use a tiny voltage to toggle between ‘on’ and ‘off.’ The voltage approach is highly reliable and easy to miniaturize, but has its disadvantages. First, keeping the voltage on requires power, which drives up the energy consumption of the microchip. Second, transistors must be hard-wired into the chips and can’t be reconfigured, which means computers need dedicated circuitry for all their functions. Now, researchers have made a type of transistor that can be switched with magnetism. The device could cut the power consumption of computers, cell phones and other electronics — and allow chips themselves to be ‘reprogrammed” (abstract).” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read this article:
Magnetic Transistor Could Cut Power Consumption and Make Chips Reprogrammable

Swiss Federal Lab Claims New World Record For Solar Cell Efficiency

Zothecula writes “Scientists based at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have set a new efficiency record for thin-film copper indium gallium (di)selenid (or CIGS) based solar cells on flexible polymer foils, reaching an efficiency of 20.4 percent. This is an increase from a previous record of 18.7 percent set by the team back in 2011.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Visit site:
Swiss Federal Lab Claims New World Record For Solar Cell Efficiency

Researchers Develop Solid But Flexible Electrolyte For Bendable Batteries

hypnosec writes “Korean scientists have developed a ‘fluid-like’ polymer electrolyte used in lithium-ion batteries that would pave way for flexible batteries and flexible smartphones. The discovery was made by a joint team of researchers that was led by Professor Lee Sang-young of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. The new electrolyte, though flexible, is made of solid materials hence making the batteries more stable than the lithium-ion batteries used today.” Paper, but full text is paywalled. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Originally posted here:
Researchers Develop Solid But Flexible Electrolyte For Bendable Batteries

Pirate Radio Station In Florida Jams Automotive Electronics

New submitter titanium93 writes “For months, dozens of people could not use their keyless entry systems to unlock or start their cars when parked in the vicinity of the eight-story Regents bank building in Hollywood, FL. Once the cars were towed to the dealership for repair, the problem went away. The problem resolved itself when police found equipment on the bank’s roof that was broadcasting a bootleg radio station. A detective and an FCC agent found the equipment hidden underneath an air conditioning chiller. The man who set up the station has not been found, but he faces felony charges and fines of at least $10,000 if he is caught. The radio station was broadcasting Caribbean music around the clock on 104.7 FM.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Continued here:
Pirate Radio Station In Florida Jams Automotive Electronics