Tag: safety

Red-light camera grace period goes from 0.1 to 0.3 seconds, Chicago to lose $17M

Enlarge (credit: Bruce Leighty / Getty Images News ) In the wake of recommendations that were part of a recent study of its red-light cameras , the Chicago Department of Transportation has agreed to immediately increase the so-called “grace period”—the time between when a traffic light turns red to when a ticket is automatically issued. Under the new policy, which was announced Monday, the grace period for Chicago’s red lights will move from 0.1 seconds to 0.3 seconds. This will bring the Windy City in line with other Americans metropolises, including New York City and Philadelphia. In a statement , the city agency said that this increase would “maintain the safety benefits of the program while ensuring the program’s fairness.” On Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune reported that the city would lose $17 million in revenue this year alone as a result of the expanded grace period. Michael Claffey, a CDOT spokesman, confirmed that figure to Ars. Read 2 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Red-light camera grace period goes from 0.1 to 0.3 seconds, Chicago to lose $17M

Mumps Outbreak Spreads Across the Nation

Back in January , the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it was getting involved with a large outbreak of mumps in Washington state. At the time, it was uncertain if the problem was isolated to the region. It’s now becoming clear that the uptick of infections is occurring across the United… Read more…

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Mumps Outbreak Spreads Across the Nation

Takata expected to settle deadly airbag scandal for $1 billion

For their part in the largest US auto recall ever , the Takata Corporation is expected to pay up to a $1 billion financial penalty and plead guilty to criminal misconduct, the Wall Street Journal reports today . The National Highway Highway Traffic Safety Administration recalled some 42 million vehicles in the US alone after discovering Takata’s faulty airbag systems could deteriorate over time and risk causing an explosion of hot metal shrapnel upon inflation. The Takata systems were responsible for 11 deaths and over 100 injuries worldwide. In addition to the criminal misconduct charges, prosecutors at the US Justice Department may also try to hit the company with wire fraud, claiming Takata faked test information and intentionally hid information about the dangerous airbags. While the settlement is not finalized yet, the Journal notes that Takata will like be allowed to pay part of the penalty up front and spread the rest out over time. The final cost could range anywhere from the “high hundreds of millions” up to a billion and the Justice Department is eager to wrap up the case in January before the new administration takes over.

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Takata expected to settle deadly airbag scandal for $1 billion

An Email Scam Cost One of Europe’s Biggest Companies $40 Million

Earlier this month, Leoni AG, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of wires and electrical cables, informed investors that the German company lost almost 40 million euros (or about $44.6 million) to online scammers. Today, we finally know how: According to investigators, the thieves simply spoofed emails to look like official payment requests, a tactic known as “ CEO fraud .” Read more…

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An Email Scam Cost One of Europe’s Biggest Companies $40 Million

The first self-driving taxis are cruising around Singapore

Uber announced that it will start self-driving trials in Pittsburgh later this month, but it was beat to the punch by a much less well-known company. Starting today, nuTonomy will offer rides to Singapore residents in specially equipped Mitsubishi i-MiEV or Renault Zoe electric vehicles. As with Uber, passengers won’t be alone with a robotic driver like Silicon Valley ‘s hapless Jared. A nuTonomy engineer will be along to monitor the vehicle, and a safety driver will “assume control if needed to ensure passenger comfort and safety, ” the company wrote. The rides will be free to start with, and the company will stick to an area called “One-North” for the tests. Municipal officials designated the 2.5-square-mile residential zone specifically for self-driving trials in an effort to reduce congestion in the city, where 5.5 million residents live in a region about three times the size of Boston. Pick-ups and drop-offs will also be limited to certain areas to avoid traffic concerns. nuTonomy, which spun off from MIT in 2013, equipped its EVs with six Lidar sets and two cameras to detect obstacles, lanes and traffic light changes. Just a few dozen passengers have signed up so far, but the company says it will open the trials to thousands of users in the coming months. The aim, it says, is to “collect and evaluate valuable data related to software system performance, vehicle routing efficiency, the vehicle booking process, and the overall passenger experience.” With the city’s cooperation, other companies, including Delphi, plan their own self-driving tests in Singapore. However, nuTonomy appears to be the farthest along, and plans to launch its robotic service there as early as 2018. There are still some bugs to work out, though. An Associated Press reporter noted that the safety driver had to hit the brakes when a parked vehicle moved suddenly into the oncoming lane. Via: Associated Press

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The first self-driving taxis are cruising around Singapore

The New Tesla P100D Is The Fastest Tesla Ever, Goes 300 Miles On A Charge

The Tesla Model S P90D set the standard for mass production cars with an official 0-60 mile an hour time of 2.7 seconds. Now Tesla’s keeping it 100, with the Tesla Model S P100D. It’ll do 0-60 in 2.5 seconds with a heavy foot, and with a light one it’ll do over 300 miles on a charge. Read more…

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The New Tesla P100D Is The Fastest Tesla Ever, Goes 300 Miles On A Charge

Windows 10 IoT Core for the Raspberry Pi Is Now Easier to Set Up, Adds Remote Client Access and More

Windows 10 on the Raspberry Pi is a great way to create your own internet connected devices , and today Microsoft pushed out an update that makes the set up process a bit easier. Read more…

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Windows 10 IoT Core for the Raspberry Pi Is Now Easier to Set Up, Adds Remote Client Access and More

CRISPR gene-editing approved for first human trials

A federal ethics and biosafety panel has approved the first ever human trials of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania aim to modify the immune system “T cells” in patients, helping them better fight off several kinds of cancer. The work will be funded by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, founded earlier this year by tech billionaire Sean Parker. While the federal ethics panel nod was a big hurdle, researchers still need approval from the FDA and the hospitals conducting the studies before they can start. CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has never been tried on humans, so early studies will focus on the safety and efficacy of the tech. Scientists will remove T cells from up to 15 patients with three types of cancer: multiple melanoma, melanoma and sarcoma. The cells will be modified with CRISPR so that they can fight the malignant cells normally, then reinserted back into the patient. The trial will take place at MD Anderson Cance Center in Texas, USC San Francisco and Penn. Sean Parker with human genome pioneer Craig Venter The technology holds a vast amount of promise in medicine — if a patient lacks a gene that makes them more susceptible to cancer or other diseases, it can simply be edited back in. Scientists also believe that it could be used to permanently eliminate diseases like Down syndrome or Sickle-Cell Anemia . If embryonic cells are “repaired, ” the recipient can never pass on a genetic disease to his offspring. However, the technique is controversial, and scientists fear it could cause unintended side effects. Scientists in China used CRISPR on human embryos to repair a gene that causes a fatal blood disorder. The technique worked on half the embryos, but failed on the other half. As a result, the team called off the study, calling it “too immature.” Nevertheless, scientists on the federal panel that gave the go-ahead for the Penn State trials were enthused, calling the study “exciting.” The decision means that CRISPR-Cas9 tech will be used even earlier on humans than expected — a company called Editas Medicine said it would hold the first trials to treat blindness in 2017. Via: Techcrunch Source: Stat News

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CRISPR gene-editing approved for first human trials

ATM Skimming Malware Is Getting Scarier

In 2009, malware called “Skimer” surfaced and security firms took notice. Skimer is essentially malware that gives hackers full access to an ATM without needing to install any physical hardware, like a card skimmer . According to a new investigation by Kaspersky Lab , the malware is not only seems in use, but it’s also become more powerful. Read more…

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ATM Skimming Malware Is Getting Scarier

How Militarized Cops Are Zapping Rights With Stingray

“Police nationwide are secretly exploiting intrusive technologies with the feds’ complicity, ” argues a new article on Alternet — calling out Stingray, which mimics a cellphone tower to identify every cellphone nearby. “It gathers information not only about a specific suspect, but any bystanders in the area as well… Some Stingrays are capable of collecting not only cell phone ID numbers but also numbers those phones have dialed and even phone conversations.” The ACLU says requests for more information have been meeting heavy resistance from police departments since 2011, with many departments citing nondisclosure agreements with Stingray’s manufacturer and with the FBI, and “often, the police get a judge’s sign-off for surveillance without even bothering to mention that they will be using a Stingray…claiming that they simply can’t violate those FBI nondisclosure agreements. “More often than not, police use Stingrays without bothering to get a warrant, instead seeking a court order on a more permissive legal standard. This is part of the charm of a new technology for the authorities: nothing is settled on how to use it.” Stingray is more than a 1960s TV series with puppets. Several state judges estimate there have been hundreds of instances where police have used the Stingray tool without a warrant or telling a judge. Slashdot reader Presto Vivace writes: This is why it matters who wins the mayor and city council races. Localities do not have to accept this technology. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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How Militarized Cops Are Zapping Rights With Stingray