Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

Researchers uncover Chinese spyware used to target Android devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The tool, named “EagleMsgSpy,” was discovered by researchers at U.S. cybersecurity firm Lookout. The company said at the Black Hat Europe conference on Wednesday that it had acquired several variants of the spyware, which it says has been operational since “at least 2017.” Kristina Balaam, a senior intelligence researcher at Lookout, told TechCrunch the spyware Read more about Researchers uncover Chinese spyware used to target Android devices[…]

Android will let you find unknown Bluetooth trackers instead of just warning you about them

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The advent of Bluetooth trackers has made it a lot easier to find your bag or keys when they’re lost, but it has also put inconspicuous tracking tools in the hands of people who might misuse them. Apple and Google have both implemented tracker alerts to let you know if there’s an unknown Bluetooth tracker Read more about Android will let you find unknown Bluetooth trackers instead of just warning you about them[…]

Surprise: EV batteries might have a longer shelf live than once thought

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] new research suggests these batteries, once thought to have short-lived, inherently  expendable shelf-lives, may actually last significantly longer than expected. In some cases, properly cared for EVs may even outlive their fossil fuel counterparts. That’s potentially good news: longer-lasting EVs might buy manufacturers much-need time to fabricate components needed to meet increasing global demands. Read more about Surprise: EV batteries might have a longer shelf live than once thought[…]

Judge rejects The Onion’s bid for Infowars, changes the rules after the game is played

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A US bankruptcy court has blocked the sale of Infowars to parody news site The Onion, ruling that the auction didn’t yield the best potential bids. At the same time, judge Christopher Lopez rejected claims by Infowars‘ owner, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, that any “collusion” was involved in the case. The Onion reportedly outbid competitor Read more about Judge rejects The Onion’s bid for Infowars, changes the rules after the game is played[…]

300 Artists Back Internet Archive in $621 Million Copyright Attack from Record Labels – over music older than the 1950s

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]300-plus musicians who have signed an open letter supporting the Internet Archive as it faces a $621 million copyright infringement lawsuit over its efforts to preserve 78 rpm records. The letter, spearheaded by the digital advocacy group Fight for the Future, states that the signatories “wholeheartedly oppose” the lawsuit, which they suggest benefits “shareholder profits” Read more about 300 Artists Back Internet Archive in $621 Million Copyright Attack from Record Labels – over music older than the 1950s[…]

EA makes photosensitivity and speech recognition tech patents open-source, adding to a pile of accessibility patents already there

Posted on by Robin Edgar

In 2021, EA made a pledge to let the wider game industry use its accessibility-related patents at no cost, and now the publisher has added 23 new patents to its lineup. As of today, third parties can freely use patented technology such as improved speech recognition, simplified speech tech in games, and the ability to Read more about EA makes photosensitivity and speech recognition tech patents open-source, adding to a pile of accessibility patents already there[…]

A new way to entangle Particles from a distance

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[…] Traditionally, entanglement is achieved through local interactions or via entanglement swapping, where entanglement at a distance is generated through previously established entanglement and Bell-state measurements. However, the precise requirements enabling the generation of quantum entanglement without traditional local interactions remain less explored. Here, we demonstrate that independent particles can be entangled without the need Read more about A new way to entangle Particles from a distance[…]

IBM develops fast Chips with light signals

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An optical fibre technology can help chips communicate with each other at the speed of light, enabling them to transmit 80 times as much information as they could using traditional electrical connections. That could significantly speed up the training times required for large artificial intelligence models – from months to weeks – while also reducing Read more about IBM develops fast Chips with light signals[…]

Scientists Built a Tiny DNA ‘Hand’ That Grabs Viruses to Stop Infections

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Imagine if scientists could grab virus particles the same way we pick up a tennis ball or a clementine, and prevent them from infecting cells. Well, scientists in Illinois have built a microscopic four-fingered hand to do just that. A team of scientists, led by Xing Wang of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has created Read more about Scientists Built a Tiny DNA ‘Hand’ That Grabs Viruses to Stop Infections[…]

Boffins build diamond battery that lasts millennia

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The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the University of Bristol have built a diamond battery capable of delivering power, albeit a tiny amount, for thousands of years. The university had an idea for a battery powered by carbon-14, the longest-lived radioactive isotope of carbon with a half-life of around 5,700 years. For safety reasons, Read more about Boffins build diamond battery that lasts millennia[…]

Chinese scammers, criminals and businesses are exploiting its surveillance state

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Chinese tech company employees and government workers are siphoning off user data and selling it online – and even high-ranking Chinese Communist Party officials and FBI-wanted hackers’ sensitive information is being peddled by the Middle Kingdom’s thriving illegal data ecosystem. “While Western cybercrime research focuses heavily on criminals in the English- and Russian-speaking worlds, there Read more about Chinese scammers, criminals and businesses are exploiting its surveillance state[…]

Why Italy’s Piracy Shield destroys huge internet companies and small businesses with no recourse (unless you are rich) and can lay out the entire internet in Italy to… protect against football streaming?!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Walled Culture has been following the sorry saga of Italy’s automated blocking system Piracy Shield for a year now. Blocklists are drawn up by copyright companies, without any review, or the possibility of any objections, and those blocks must be enforced within 30 minutes. Needless to say, such a ham-fisted and biased approach to copyright Read more about Why Italy’s Piracy Shield destroys huge internet companies and small businesses with no recourse (unless you are rich) and can lay out the entire internet in Italy to… protect against football streaming?![…]

In massive U-turn, FBI Warns Americans to Start Using Encrypted Messaging Apps, after discovering the problem with backdoors

Posted on by Robin Edgar

America’s top cybersecurity and law enforcement officials made a coordinated push Tuesday to raise awareness about cyber threats from foreign actors in the wake of an intrusion of U.S. telecom equipment dubbed Salt Typhoon. The hackers are linked to the Chinese government and they still have a presence in U.S. systems, spying on American communications, Read more about In massive U-turn, FBI Warns Americans to Start Using Encrypted Messaging Apps, after discovering the problem with backdoors[…]

Training AI through human interactions instead of datasets

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] AI learns primarily through massive datasets and extensive simulations, regardless of the application. Now, researchers from Duke University and the Army Research Laboratory have developed a platform to help AI learn to perform complex tasks more like humans. Nicknamed GUIDE for short […] “It remains a challenge for AI to handle tasks that require Read more about Training AI through human interactions instead of datasets[…]

Drones can avoid GPS jammers by navigating with the stars

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Remote sensing engineers at the University of South Australia have built a new, low cost prototype system that merges celestial triangulation with vision-based algorithmic computing for UAVs flying at night. But unlike existing GPS, the novel design doesn’t emit any signals, making it impervious to current jamming methods. […] To make it work, engineers Read more about Drones can avoid GPS jammers by navigating with the stars[…]

Snowfall in the Alps is a third less than a hundred years ago, meteorologists find

Posted on by Robin Edgar

From 23% less in the northern Alps to a decrease of almost 50% on the southwestern slopes: Between 1920 and 2020, snowfall across the entirety of the Alps has decreased on average by a significant 34%. The results come from a study coordinated by Eurac Research and were published in the International Journal of Climatology. Read more about Snowfall in the Alps is a third less than a hundred years ago, meteorologists find[…]

‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year | Oxford names ‘Brain rot’ (out of a very poor list)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] In 2022, Doctorow coined the word “enshittification”, which has just been crowned Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year. The dictionary defined the word as follows. “The gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of Read more about ‘What many of us feel’: why ‘enshittification’ is Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year | Oxford names ‘Brain rot’ (out of a very poor list)[…]

Mass education was designed to quash critical thinking, argues researcher

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Education should promote deep inquiry and individual autonomy, but often, it has been used as a vehicle for indoctrination. That’s what Agustina S. Paglayan, a UC San Diego assistant professor of political science in the School of Social Sciences and the School of Global Policy and Strategy, argues in her new book, “Raised to Obey: Read more about Mass education was designed to quash critical thinking, argues researcher[…]

Data broker SL leaves 600K+ sensitive files exposed online, doesn’t fix it despite warnings

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than 600,000 sensitive files containing thousands of people’s criminal histories, background checks, vehicle and property records were exposed to the internet in a non-password protected database belonging to data brokerage SL Data Services, according to a security researcher. We don’t know how long the personal information was openly accessible. Infosec specialist Jeremiah Fowler says Read more about Data broker SL leaves 600K+ sensitive files exposed online, doesn’t fix it despite warnings[…]

There’s a Surprisingly Easy Way to Remove Microplastics From Drinking Water – boil it (preferably in hard water)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Tiny fragments of microplastics are making their way deep inside our bodies in concerning quantities, significantly through our food and drink. Scientists have recently found a simple and effective means of removing them from water. […] In some cases, up to 90 percent of the NMPs were removed by the boiling and filtering process, though Read more about There’s a Surprisingly Easy Way to Remove Microplastics From Drinking Water – boil it (preferably in hard water)[…]

Diamond optical discs could store data for millions of years

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] According to a study published on November 27th in the journal Nature Photonics, researchers at China’s University of Science and Technology in Hefei have achieved a record-breaking diamond storage density of 1.85 terabytes per cubic centimeter. […] The artificial intelligence industry as well as quantum and supercomputers often need petabytes, not gigabytes or even Read more about Diamond optical discs could store data for millions of years[…]

Police bust pirate streaming service making €250 million per month: doesn’t this show the TV market is hugely broken?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An international law enforcement operation has dismantled a pirate streaming service that served over 22 million users worldwide and made €250 million ($263M) per month. Italy’s Postal and Cybersecurity Police Service announced the action, codenamed “Taken Down,” stating they worked with Eurojust, Europol, and many other European countries, making this the largest takedown of its kind in Read more about Police bust pirate streaming service making €250 million per month: doesn’t this show the TV market is hugely broken?[…]

Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation? Researchers say new approach has advantages over the standard

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Misinformation can lead to socially detrimental behavior, which makes finding ways to combat its effects a matter of crucial public concern. A new paper by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General explores an innovative approach to countering the impact of factually incorrect information called “bypassing,” and Read more about Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation? Researchers say new approach has advantages over the standard[…]

China complete pwn of US all telco means a physical rebuild is necessary

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Biden administration on Friday hosted telco execs to chat about China’s recent attacks on the sector, amid revelations that US networks may need mass rebuilds to recover. Details of the extent of China’s attacks came from senator Mark R Warner, who on Thursday gave both The Washington Post and The New York Times insights Read more about China complete pwn of US all telco means a physical rebuild is necessary[…]

QNAP NAS users locked out after firmware update snafu, can’t reset

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Owners of QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) boxes are finding that a firmware update has left them unable to log into their device, and a reset doesn’t seem to fix the issue. The Taiwan-based storage biz specializes in NAS kit and offers a whole portfolio of models to address various needs. However, users are complaining of Read more about QNAP NAS users locked out after firmware update snafu, can’t reset[…]