Archive for December, 2012
Between 1989 and 2005 Sperm Count of French Men Fell by One-Third
December 5th, 2012Via: AFP: The sperm count in French men dropped by nearly one-third between 1989 and 2005 and the quality of sperm also declined, a study said Wednesday. The sperm count fell at a rate of about 1.9 percent a year, said the authors of the report covering more than 26,600 men over the 17-year period […]
Kenya: Total Ban on Importation of Genetically Modified Food
December 5th, 2012Via: Nature: Scientists fear that Kenya’s recent banning of the import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may be a significant blow to progress on biotechnology research and development in the country. A cabinet meeting chaired by Kenya’s president, Mwai Kibaki, this month (8 November), directed the public health minister to ban GMO imports until the […]
New 25 GPU Monster Devours Passwords In Seconds
December 5th, 2012Via: Security Ledger: Gosney’s system elevates password cracking to the next level, and effectively renders even the strongest passwords protected with weaker encryption algorithms, like Microsoft’s LM and NTLM, obsolete. In a test, the researcher’s system was able to churn through 348 billion NTLM password hashes per second. That renders even the most secure password […]
ITU Approves Deep Packet Inspection Standard Behind Closed Doors, Ignores Huge Privacy Implications
December 5th, 2012Via: Techdirt: Techdirt has run a number of articles about the ITU’s World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) currently taking place in Dubai. One of the concerns is that decisions taken there may make the Internet less a medium that can be used to enhance personal freedom than a tool for state surveillance and oppression. […]
CyPhy Works Reveals Tethered UAV
December 5th, 2012It’s, “Impervious to weather, tracking and interception.” Hmm. How about scissors or 00-Buckshot? Via: Engadget: A new venture from an iRobot co-founder called CyPhy Works has borne fruit in the form of two flying drones dedicated to surveillance duty. The first, called Ease, is a mere foot in diameter by 16-inches tall and can fly […]
The Insourcing Boom
December 5th, 2012Consider clicking through to read this one all the way through. I’ve excerpted some nuggets below, but it’s worth reading the whole thing. This piece touches on a number of complex, interrelated issues. Parse it however you want, scoff at the Orwellian language that’s used to describe the crushing of labor unions, do the calculations […]
Attack of the Drones
December 4th, 2012Via: Journeyman Pictures: More: Robot Wars ‘Do we really want robots that can lie to us?’
DIA Massively Expanding Espionage Network
December 4th, 2012Via: Washington Post: The Pentagon will send hundreds of additional spies overseas as part of an ambitious plan to assemble an espionage network that rivals the CIA in size, U.S. officials said. The project is aimed at transforming the Defense Intelligence Agency, which has been dominated for the past decade by the demands of two […]
Amsterdam to Create ‘Scum Villages’
December 4th, 2012Via: Telegraph: Amsterdam is to create “Scum villages” where nuisance neighbours and anti-social tenants will be exiled from the city and rehoused in caravans or containers with “minimal services” under constant police supervision. Holland’s capital already has a special hit squad of municipal officials to identify the worst offenders for a compulsory six month course […]
France and Britain Reportedly Considering Pulling Ambassadors from Israel
December 4th, 2012Via: Atlantic Wire: Everybody knew that Israel’s move to build new settlements in the previously off-limits area outside Jerusalem known as E1 would anger friends and enemies alike. But few probably guessed that it would send European ambassadors fleeing the country. According to a new report from Haaretz, that’s exactly what the diplomats from France […]
