Man Fitted with Thought Controlled Bionic Leg
September 25th, 2013Via: CBS:
For the first time ever, doctors have developed an artificial leg that is controlled by the person’s thoughts.
And it happened here at the Rehabilitation Institute Of Chicago (RIC).
“So I move my leg out, push the toes down and bring my toes back up,” said Zac Vawter, the first man in the nation to have a so-called bionic leg.
He is able to make these movements just like people with a fully functioning leg do: With his thoughts.
In 2009, Vawter lost his right leg from above the knee down in a motorcycle accident. His bionic leg allows him to bend his knee and move his ankle.
Somebody Stole 7 Milliseconds From the Federal Reserve
September 24th, 2013This is interesting, but I’m sure that these news based trades are being set up days in advance with much smaller volumes. Why am I sure? Because I look for insider buying before news on dogshit stocks before news, and if bum level executives/criminals are doing this with their penny stocks it’s not a stretch to assume that it’s happening on the confetti with better known names.
Confetti paper markets are a confidence trick. A scam. So, sure, this thing below makes for interesting reading but, hidden in the volume in the days before the news, there are trades being laid on by people who know what’s going to happen. Good luck spotting it, though.
Via: Mother Jones:
Last Wednesday, the Fed announced that it would not be tapering its bond buying program. This news was released at precisely 2 pm in Washington “as measured by the national atomic clock.” It takes 7 milliseconds for this information to get to Chicago. However, several huge orders that were based on the Fed’s decision were placed on Chicago exchanges 2-3 milliseconds after 2 pm. How did this happen?
CNBC has the story here, and the answer is: we don’t know. Reporters get the Fed release early, but they get it in a secure room and aren’t permitted to communicate with the outside world until precisely 2 pm. Still, maybe someone figured out a way to game the embargo. It would certainly be worth a ton of money.
Research Credit: bretwalda
Related: They Made a Killing: The Use of Knowledge of Covert Operations in the Stock Market
World Record Solar Cell with 44.7% Efficiency
September 24th, 2013Via: PhysOrg:
German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin announced today that they have achieved a new world record for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells. Surpassing competition after only over three years of research, and entering the roadmap at world class level, a new record efficiency of 44.7% was measured at a concentration of 297 suns. This indicates that 44.7% of the solar spectrum’s energy, from ultraviolet through to the infrared, is converted into electrical energy. This is a major step towards reducing further the costs of solar electricity and continues to pave the way to the 50% efficiency roadmap.
Who Rooted Kernel.org Servers Two Years Ago, How Did it Happen, and Why?
September 24th, 2013Via: Ars Technica:
More than two years after unknown hackers gained unfettered access over multiple computers used to maintain and distribute the Linux operating system kernel, officials still haven’t released a promised autopsy about what happened.
The compromise, which began no later than August 12, 2011, wasn’t detected for at least 16 days, a public e-mail and interviews immediately following the intrusion revealed. During that time, attackers were able to monitor the activities of anyone using the kernel.org servers known as Hera and Odin1, as well as personal computers belonging to senior Linux developer H. Peter Anvin. The self-injecting rootkit known as Phalanx had access to a wealth of sensitive data, possibly including private keys used to sign and decrypt e-mails and remotely log in to servers. A follow-up advisory a few weeks later opened the possibility that still other developers may have fallen prey to the attackers.
For three weeks in September and early October, officials kept kernel.org closed so the servers that run it could be rebuilt. When the site reopened on October 4, a message on the front page prominently warned of the breach and noted the steps taken to rebuild the site. “Thanks to all for your patience and understanding during our outage and please bear with us as we bring up the different kernel.org systems over the next few weeks,” the message concluded. “We will be writing up a report on the incident in the future.”
Almost two years later, the report has yet to be delivered. The promise to deliver an incident report remained on kernel.org as recently as March 1 of this year, before being quietly pulled the following day. To this day, officials have yet to provide key details, including exactly how many machines were compromised, how the attackers were able to gain root access to them, and what they did once they seized control. The delay contrasts sharply with autopsies that were delivered promptly following two similar compromises of Apache.org, the official distributor of the open-source Apache Web server.
Related: Torvalds On Being Asked to Insert a U.S. Government Back Door Into Linux Kernel
‘Robots May Revolutionize China’s Electronics Manufacturing’
September 24th, 2013Via: Wall Street Journal:
A new worker’s revolution is rising in China and it doesn’t involve humans.
With soaring wages and an aging population, electronics factory managers say the day is approaching when robotic workers will replace people on the Chinese factory floor.
A new wave of industrial robots is in development, ranging from high-end humanoid machines with vision, touch and even learning capabilities, to low-cost robots vying to undercut China’s minimum wage.
Over the next five years these technologies will transform China’s factories, executives say, and also fill a growing labor shortage as the country’s youth become increasingly unwilling to perform manual labor. How the transformation plays out will also go a long way in deciding how much of the electronics supply chain remains in China.
Empty F-16 Jet Tested by Boeing and U.S. Air Force
September 24th, 2013Via: BBC:
Boeing has revealed that it has retrofitted retired fighter jets to turn them into drones.
It said that one of the Lockheed Martin F-16 made a first flight with an empty cockpit last week.
Two US Air Force pilots controlled the plane from the ground as it flew from a Florida base to the Gulf of Mexico.
Boeing suggested that the innovation could ultimately be used to help train pilots, providing an adversary they could practise firing on.
The jet – which had previously sat mothballed at an Arizona site for 15 years – flew at an altitude of 40,000ft (12.2km) and a speed of Mach 1.47 (1,119mph/1,800km/h).
It carried out a series of manoeuvres including a barrel roll and a “split S” – a move in which the aircraft turns upside down before making a half loop so that it flies the right-way-up in the opposite direction. This can be used in combat to evade missile lock-ons.
Boeing said the unmanned F16 was followed by two chase planes to ensure it stayed in sight, and also contained equipment that would have allowed it to self-destruct if necessary.
The firm added that the flight attained 7Gs of acceleration but was capable of carrying out manoeuvres at 9Gs – something that might cause physical problems for a pilot.
Island Emerges Off Coast of Pakistan After Earthquake
September 24th, 2013Via: Reuters:
A major earthquake hit a remote part of western Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 45 people and prompting a new island to rise from the sea just off the country’s southern coast.
Tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi, hundreds of miles (kilometers) to the east, where buildings shook, as well as the sprawling port city of Karachi in Pakistan.
The United States Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude quake struck 145 miles southeast of Dalbandin in Pakistan’s quake-prone province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran.
The earthquake was so powerful that it caused the seabed to rise and create a small, mountain-like island about 600 meters (yards) off Pakistan’s Gwadar coastline in the Arabian Sea.
Television channels showed images of a stretch of rocky terrain rising above the sea level, with a crowd of bewildered people gathering on the shore to witness the rare phenomenon.
Americans’ Belief That Gov’t Is Too Powerful at Record Level
September 24th, 2013Via: Gallup:
Six in 10 Americans (60%) believe the federal government has too much power, one percentage point above the previous high recorded in September 2010. At least half of Americans since 2005 have said the government has too much power. Thirty-two percent now say the government has the right amount of power. Few say it has too little power.
…
Republicans, Democrats, and independents have each grown more likely to say government is too powerful this year.
Chaos Computer Club Breaks Apple TouchID
September 23rd, 2013Via: CCC:
The biometrics hacking team of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has successfully bypassed the biometric security of Apple’s TouchID using easy everyday means. A fingerprint of the phone user, photographed from a glass surface, was enough to create a fake finger that could unlock an iPhone 5s secured with TouchID. This demonstrates – again – that fingerprint biometrics is unsuitable as access control method and should be avoided.
Apple had released the new iPhone with a fingerprint sensor that was supposedly much more secure than previous fingerprint technology. A lot of bogus speculation about the marvels of the new technology and how hard to defeat it supposedly is had dominated the international technology press for days.
“In reality, Apple’s sensor has just a higher resolution compared to the sensors so far. So we only needed to ramp up the resolution of our fake”, said the hacker with the nickname Starbug, who performed the critical experiments that led to the successful circumvention of the fingerprint locking. “As we have said now for more than years, fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fake fingers out of lifted prints.
Special Forces Sniper Who Claimed SAS Assassinated Diana Has Fled Britain
September 22nd, 2013Only the tabloids are reporting this. If there’s legitimate coverage of this anywhere (Daily Mail doesn’t count), I can’t find it.
Via: Daily Mail:
The SAS soldier who made astonishing claims Princess Diana was murdered by special forces has apparently fled Britain just days before he is set to be questioned by police.
The former sniper, known only as soldier N, is said to have left the country as Scotland Yard launches a new investigation into the Princess’ death.
He allegedly told his wife that a member of an elite unit shone a light in her chauffeur’s face causing him to crash in August 1997.
The wife claimed her husband had told her the ‘hit’ had been instructed by someone in the royal inner circle because they did not approve of Diana’s relationship with Fayed.
Soldier N was due to meet Scotland Yard’s DCI Philip Easton but is understood to have left the country on Monday or Tuesday.
A source close to the investigation told The Sunday People: ‘Soldier N is key to this inquiry as he is the person who made the claims about Diana’s murder.
‘Pressure on him has been mounting since the original story broke last month. He was aware police wanted to interview him.’
It is thought Soldier N may be have travelled to the United Arab Emirates while his partner and her children are still at their home in Hereford.
