Archive for the 'Technology' Category
The U.S. Military Testing Stratospheric Balloons That Never Have to Come Down
November 15th, 2018Via: MIT Technology Review: DARPA, the US military’s research arm, thinks it may have cracked the problem. It is currently testing a wind sensor that could allow devices in its Adaptable Lighter-Than-Air (ALTA) balloon program to spot wind speed and direction from a great distance and then make the necessary adjustments to stay in one […]
FCC Approves SpaceX Application for Massive Satellite Constellation
November 15th, 2018Via: Ars Technica: SpaceX today received US approval to deploy 7,518 broadband satellites, in addition to the 4,425 satellites that were approved eight months ago. The Federal Communications Commission voted to let SpaceX launch 4,425 low-Earth orbit satellites in March of this year. SpaceX separately sought approval for 7,518 satellites operating even closer to the […]
Japan’s Cyber-Security Minister Has ‘Never Used a Computer’
November 15th, 2018Via: BBC: Japan’s new cyber-security minister has dumbfounded his country by saying he has never used a computer. Yoshitaka Sakurada made the admission to a committee of lawmakers. “Since I was 25 years old and independent I have instructed my staff and secretaries. I have never used a computer in my life,” he said, according […]
Volkswagen to Devote 3 German Plants to Electric Car Push
November 14th, 2018Via: AP: German automaker Volkswagen will convert three factories in Germany to manufacture electric cars, ramping up production of zero-local emission cars ahead of tougher European emissions standards, the company said Wednesday. Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen said Wednesday that it would begin local production of electric-powered vehicles at its facilities in Emden and Hannover in 2022. A […]
How ZTE Helps Venezuela Create China-Style Social Control
November 14th, 2018Via: Reuters: Chinese telecoms giant ZTE is helping Venezuela build a system that monitors citizen behavior through a new identification card. The “fatherland card,” already used by the government to track voting, worries many in Venezuela and beyond. … The card is increasingly linked by the government to subsidized food, health and other social programs […]
After Conquering the World, Smartphone Faces Uncertain Future
November 12th, 2018The last phone I bought was a heavily discounted Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It’s fine. I have no plans to upgrade. I’d consider buying a “modern” flagship-grade phone if it included a 3.5mm headphone jack and an easily removable back and battery. There are no high end phones with easily removable batteries and the 3.5mm […]
Robots Are Coming for Europe’s Jobs
November 12th, 2018Via: Bloomberg: Robots are coming for people’s jobs in Europe, and the countries in the ex-communist east are particularly vulnerable. With the use of industrial robots rising globally, the average worker in Slovakia — the world’s top car producer per capita — faces a 62 percent median probability that his or her job will be […]
U.S. Army Personnel to Compete in eSports to Boost Recruitment
November 12th, 2018In other news: Too Fat to Fight: Military Threatened by Childhood Obesity. Via: Stars and Stripes: The Army is putting together a team of video gamers from within its ranks to try to reach young Americans in the digital worlds where they spend much of their time. More than 15 years after launching “America’s Army,” […]
Alarm Over Talks to Implant UK Employees with Microchips
November 11th, 2018Via: Guardian: Britain’s biggest employer organisation and main trade union body have sounded the alarm over the prospect of British companies implanting staff with microchips to improve security. UK firm BioTeq, which offers the implants to businesses and individuals, has already fitted 150 implants in the UK. The tiny chips, implanted in the flesh between […]
Windows 10: BitLocker on Self-Encrypted SSDs Blown
November 7th, 2018haha Un-Effing-Believable. Via: ComputerWorld: Reacting to a recently discovered security hole in hardware-based encryption in solid state drives, Microsoft recommends that if you’re using BitLocker to protect a solid-state drive, you switch from hardware to software encryption. Related: Compromised from the Operating System Down to the Silicon
