Tag: science

Widespread Compromise Of Yahoo-Backed Email In New Zealand

First time accepted submitter Bitsy Boffin writes “Xtra, the largest ISP in New Zealand, which outsources email provision to Yahoo, has in the last two days been subject to a widespread email compromise, causing potentially thousands of accounts to send spam messages to every address in their webmail address books. Discussion at Geekzone centers around this potentially being a continuation of the Yahoo XSS exploit. While Telecom NZ, the owners of Xtra internet service provider indicate that the problem was “resolved”, reports of spam from its members continue unabated. Telecom NZ are advising those affected to change their passwords.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Widespread Compromise Of Yahoo-Backed Email In New Zealand

Hydrophobic, dirt-shedding spray is indistinguishable from magic

“Ultra Ever Dry” is a nanomaterial spray-coating that is (apparently) insanely hydrophobic, shedding dirt, water and oil. The jaw-dropping product video suggests many possibilities, from extreme hydroplaning sports to odd molecular gastronomy possibilities (though it’s not rated food-safe, so caveat sprayer). If you’re impatient, just zip the video to 2:00 or so and marvel. What is it? The company says it’s a “coating” that will repel almost any liquid by creating a barrier of air on the surface. They don’t say what’s in the coating. Whatever it is, the How to Apply This Product video suggests you don goggles, gloves and protective gear when you spray. They claim it will protect in temperatures ranging from -30 degrees Fahrenheit to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, but durability is a question. In the video, they say abrasion might affect performance (which makes me wonder how long a pair of sprayed boots would stay dry if you were on a wet, slippery, rocky hiking trail). It’s expensive. The base coat is $57.95 and the top coat is $100.95 a quart. On the other hand, if you dare to spray it on your car windows, you wouldn’t need window wipers. Or would the windows get too cloudy? If you sprayed it on a car surface, would it affect the gloss? Probably. Next Time Your Mom Says Don’t Go Out in The Rain, Spray Yourself With This [Robert Krulwich/NPR] ( Thanks, Fipi Lele! )

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Hydrophobic, dirt-shedding spray is indistinguishable from magic

Ants Use Sound To Communicate

sciencehabit writes “A new study shows that ant pupae—a stage between larvae and adult—can communicate via sound, and that this communication can be crucial to their survival. The young insects have a specialized spike along their abdomen that they stroke with one of their hind legs, similar to dragging the teeth of a comb along the edge of a table. This noise serves primarily as an emergency beacon, allowing the ants to shout for help when being threatened by a predator.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Ants Use Sound To Communicate

A Facebook Bug Pretty Much Took Down the Entire Internet

If you thought the Internet freaked out for a little bit and every site you went to was down, you’re not alone. Major websites were down: CNN, Huffington Post, ESPN, Gawker, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, etc. were all broken. Why? Because of a glitch with Facebook. More »

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A Facebook Bug Pretty Much Took Down the Entire Internet

Parcel Sensor Knows When Your Delivery Has Been Dropped

First time accepted submitter Hamsterdan writes “If you’re tired of finding that your stuff has been smashed during shipping after opening your package, this device is for you. ‘Called DropTag, the gadget combines a battery, a low-energy Bluetooth transmitter, an accelerometer and a memory chip. Stuck on a parcel as it leaves an e-commerce warehouse, it logs any g-forces above a set risky shock level that it experiences. The idea is that when the courier puts it in your hands, you turn on Bluetooth on a smartphone running a DropTag app and scan it before you sign for it.'” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Parcel Sensor Knows When Your Delivery Has Been Dropped

Ask Slashdot: Open-Source Forensic Surveillance Analysis Software?

McBooCZech writes “I am trying to set up a surveillance system. It is not intended to build a real-time on-line surveillance system to watch a wall of monitors on a 24/7 basis. The main scope is to record video (24/7) from the fixed cameras around our facility and when needed, get back to pre-recorded video and check it for particular event(s). Of course, it is possible to use a human to fast forward through video using a DVR-type FF function for short video sequences. Unfortunately, for long sequences (one week), it is not acceptable solution. I was searching online the whole weekend for the open source software for analysis of pre-recorded video in order to retrieve events and data from recorded video but had no luck. So I ask you, Slashdotters: Can you provide some suggestions for forensic software to analyze/find specific events in pre-recorded video? Some examples of events: ‘human entering restricted zone,’ ‘movement in the restricted zone,’ ‘light in the restricted zone.'” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Ask Slashdot: Open-Source Forensic Surveillance Analysis Software?

Jailbreaking Your iOS Device Probably Killed the Weather App, Here’s How To Fix It

So you decided to jailbreak your iOS device and now the baked-in weather app is borked, right? Yeah, sometimes these things don’t always work out that smoothly but it could have been a lot worse. Now, a fix is being worked on but in case you haven’t downloaded one of a bajillion other weather apps, here’s how to fix the problem now: More »

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Jailbreaking Your iOS Device Probably Killed the Weather App, Here’s How To Fix It

Glasses That Hack Around Colorblindness

MatthewVD writes “In 2006, researcher Mark Changizi came up with a novel theory for why humans evolved with color vision: to detect social cues and emotions in others. He built glasses called 02Amps to enhance perception of blood pooling. Some hospitals have tried using the glasses to see bruising that’s not visible unaided, or help nurses find veins. But it turns out now that the glasses might be able to fix some forms of colorblindness, too.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Glasses That Hack Around Colorblindness