The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Scientists pioneer method to tackle PFAS ‘forever chemicals’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Rice University researchers have developed an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge: removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.” A study led byJames Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, and graduate student Phelecia Scotland unveils a method that not Read more about Scientists pioneer method to tackle PFAS ‘forever chemicals’[…]

Indiana security prof and wife vanish after FBI raid

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A tenured computer security professor at Indiana University and his university-employed wife have not been seen publicly since federal agents raided their homes late last week. On Friday, the FBI with help from the cops searched two properties in Bloomington and Carmel, Indiana, belonging to Xiaofeng Wang, a professor at the Indiana Luddy School of Read more about Indiana security prof and wife vanish after FBI raid[…]

Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft is no longer playing around when it comes to requiring every Windows 11 device be set up with an internet-connected account. In its latest Windows 11 Insider Preview, the company says it will take out a well-known bypass script that let end users skip the requirement of connecting to the internet and logging in Read more about Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account[…]

Scientists May Have Discovered How To Extract Power From the Earth’s Rotation

Posted on by Robin Edgar

No more burning fossil fuels, playing with fissile material, damming rivers, erecting wind mills, or making solar panels. All of our energy needs could potentially be supplied by the angular kinetic energy of the Earth — and because of the mass of the planet, doing so would slow its rotation down by a mere 7ms Read more about Scientists May Have Discovered How To Extract Power From the Earth’s Rotation[…]

Over a million private photos from MAD Mobile dating apps exposed online

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have discovered nearly 1.5 million pictures from specialist dating apps – many of which are explicit – being stored online without password protection, leaving them vulnerable to hackers and extortionists. Anyone with the link was able to view the private photos from five platforms developed by M.A.D Mobile: kink sites BDSM People and Chica, Read more about Over a million private photos from MAD Mobile dating apps exposed online[…]

Meniscus injuries may soon be treated by customizable hydrogel

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Meniscus tears are common knee injuries that have long frustrated patients and doctors due to limited repair options.A new 3D-printed hydrogel made from cow meniscus could transform how these injuries heal, according to results of a pre-clinical study published in Bioactive Materials. from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Read more about Meniscus injuries may soon be treated by customizable hydrogel[…]

Your TV is watching you watch and selling that data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]Your TV wants your data The TV business traditionally included three distinct entities. There’s the hardware, namely the TV itself; the entertainment, like movies and shows; and the ads, usually just commercials that interrupt your movies and shows. In the streaming era, tech companies want to control all three, a setup also known as vertical Read more about Your TV is watching you watch and selling that data[…]

Are Vehicle Infotainment Screens Headed for the Scrap Heap?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] As much as carmakers seem to love infotainment screens, consumers are less enthusiastic about them. Just 15% of drivers in 2024 said they would want a full-width infotainment display. Windshield base displays with less functionality are slightly more popular but still appeal to just 18% of those planning on buying a new car. The Read more about Are Vehicle Infotainment Screens Headed for the Scrap Heap?[…]

Turkish F-16s Are Using Tablets To Control Locally Made Weapons

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Turkey has begun using tablet computers in the cockpits of its F-16 fighters to help with the rapid integration of new locally-developed weapons. This has interesting parallels with Ukraine’s use of such devices to allow its Soviet-era jets to employ Western air-to-ground weapons — something you can read more about here. The tablet can be Read more about Turkish F-16s Are Using Tablets To Control Locally Made Weapons[…]

Yes, let’s “Make it Fair” – by recognising that copyright has failed to reward creators properly

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A few weeks ago, the UK’s regional and national daily news titles ran similar front covers, exhorting the government there to “Make it Fair”. The campaign Web site explained: Tech companies use creative content, such as news articles, books, music, film, photography, visual art, and all kinds of creative work, to train their generative AI Read more about Yes, let’s “Make it Fair” – by recognising that copyright has failed to reward creators properly[…]

I won’t connect my dishwasher to your stupid cloud – why not just use buttons? Also planned obsolesence is a bitch

Posted on by Robin Edgar

I bought a Bosch 500 series because that’s what Consumer Reports recommended, and more importantly, I could find one in stock. After my dad and I got it installed, I went to run a rinse cycle, only to find that that, along with features like delayed start and eco mode, require an app. Not only Read more about I won’t connect my dishwasher to your stupid cloud – why not just use buttons? Also planned obsolesence is a bitch[…]

Turns out that sharks do actually make sounds

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Elasmobranchs are an evolutionarily ancient group of cartilaginous fishes that can hear underwater sounds but are not historically viewed as active sound producers. Three recent reports of several species of rays producing clicks in response to approaching divers have cast doubt on this long prevailing view and resulted in calls for more research into sound Read more about Turns out that sharks do actually make sounds[…]

How much foreign aid is spent domestically rather than overseas?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Much of foreign aid is spent on goods that are shipped overseas: food supplies, medicines, or humanitarian assistance in emergency situations.1 But a surprising amount of what’s reported as foreign aid is not sent abroad; it’s spent domestically. Foreign aid budgets in rich countries can include the costs of hosting refugees, some scholarships to foreign Read more about How much foreign aid is spent domestically rather than overseas?[…]

Personal info feared stolen from sperm bank California Crybank

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]The IT break-in occurred between April 20 and April 22, last year, according to a notification filed this month with the US state’s attorney general’s office. California Cryobank spotted unauthorized activity on certain computers on April 21, isolated the affected machines, and launched an investigation. The sperm bank hasn’t disclosed how many individuals were affected, Read more about Personal info feared stolen from sperm bank California Crybank[…]

Cyberattack on nonprofit affects over 500k PA school workers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) says a July 2024 “security incident” exposed sensitive personal data on more than half a million individuals, including financial and health info. The nonprofit, which represents more than 178,000 education professionals in the US state of Pennsylvania, confirmed data was stolen during a July 6 attack. According to The Read more about Cyberattack on nonprofit affects over 500k PA school workers[…]

HP settles lawsuit for $0 after bricking printers that don’t use HP ink

Posted on by Robin Edgar

HP Inc. has settled a class action lawsuit in which it was accused of unlawfully blocking customers from using third-party toner cartridges – a practice that left some with useless printers – but won’t pay a cent to make the case go away. One of the named plaintiffs in the case is called Mobile Emergency Read more about HP settles lawsuit for $0 after bricking printers that don’t use HP ink[…]

Microsoft blames Outlook outage on another dodgy code change

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Users of Microsoft’s email service might be feeling a distinct sense of déjà vu after the web version of Outlook last night blocked access to Exchange Online mailboxes. According to Microsoft, the problem was due to “a recent change made to a portion of Outlook on the web infrastructure, that may have resulted in impact.” Read more about Microsoft blames Outlook outage on another dodgy code change[…]

No Headphones, No Problem: This Acoustic Trick Bends Sound Through Space to Find You

Posted on by Robin Edgar

What if you could listen to music or a podcast without headphones or earbuds and without disturbing anyone around you? Or have a private conversation in public without other people hearing you? Our newly published research introduces a way to create audible enclaves – localized pockets of sound that are isolated from their surroundings. In Read more about No Headphones, No Problem: This Acoustic Trick Bends Sound Through Space to Find You[…]

A Win for human rights: France Rejects Backdoor Mandate

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In a moment of clarity after initially moving forward a deeply flawed piece of legislation, the French National Assembly has done the right thing: it rejected a dangerous proposal that would have gutted end-to-end encryption in the name of fighting drug trafficking. Despite heavy pressure from the Interior Ministry, lawmakers voted Thursday night (article in Read more about A Win for human rights: France Rejects Backdoor Mandate[…]

‘Technical issue’ at Google deletes some customer maps timeline data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The data was stored in Google Maps’ Timeline feature, which – for those of you who let Google track you around the world – preserves a record of locations you visit. That sounds creepy and perhaps creepier still once you realize Google makes it possible for photos to appear on the Timeline too, so that Read more about ‘Technical issue’ at Google deletes some customer maps timeline data[…]

China bans facial recognition without consent and in all public places. And it needs to be encrypted.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

China’s Cyberspace Administration and Ministry of Public Security has outlawed the use of facial recognition without consent. The two orgs last Friday published new rules on facial recognition and an explainer that spell out how orgs that want to use facial recognition must first conduct a “personal information protection impact assessment” that considers whether using Read more about China bans facial recognition without consent and in all public places. And it needs to be encrypted.[…]

23andMe files for bankruptcy: How to delete your data before it’s sold off

Posted on by Robin Edgar

23andMe has capped off a challenging few years by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. Given the uncertainty around the future of the DNA testing company and what will happen to all of the genetic data it has collected, now is a critical time for customers to protect their privacy. California Attorney General Rob Bonta Read more about 23andMe files for bankruptcy: How to delete your data before it’s sold off[…]

Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In the biggest development for U.S. Air Force tactical air power in more than two decades, Boeing has been announced as the winner of the service’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) ‘fighter’ initiative. As the centerpiece of the NGAD effort, the new crewed sixth-generation stealth combat jet, now designated the F-47, is set to change Read more about Boeing Wins F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Contract[…]

Apple Music Is Down, you can’t listen to your music because cloud

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you wanted to play some tunes on your iPhone this afternoon, but found nothing would play, it’s not just you: As of Tuesday afternoon ET, Apple Music is down. Apple’s System Status website currently confirms Apple Music’s downtime. As of this piece, the site shows the following status for Apple Music: Apple Music – Outage Today, Read more about Apple Music Is Down, you can’t listen to your music because cloud[…]