Computer Failure Cripples Several New York City Subway Lines
July 20th, 2019Via: CBS:
About a third of New York City’s subway lines were suspended for more than an hour during Friday’s hot evening commute, and the head of the city’s Transit Authority acknowledged that the agency “did not know exactly where our trains were.” A computer system failure that resulted in the snafu stranded some passengers underground and sent others searching for alternate ways home.
The stoppage affected the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 trains that serve swaths of Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn. It also halted the S shuttle train that links Grand Central Terminal and Times Square — two of the city’s busiest stations.
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The agency blamed the suspension on a failure in the computer system that powers the signals on those lines. Spokesman Tim Minton said in an emailed statement that there is no indication the stoppage was related to a loss of power or to the heat.
Lockheed: Practical Fusion Power Still 20 Years Away
July 20th, 2019—
“$21 Trillion Dollars Is Missing from the U.S. Government”
Via: The Drive:
Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works is building a new, more capable test reactor as it continues to move ahead with its ambitious Compact Fusion Reactor program, or CFR. Despite slower than expected progress, the company remains confident the project can produce practical results, which would completely transform how power gets generated for both military and civilian purposes.
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Lockheed Martin says that the CFR design could eventually be small enough to fit inside a shipping container, but still be able to power a Nimitz class aircraft carrier or up to 80,000 homes. The patent documents suggest it might eventually be compact enough to even power a large aircraft.
Iran Seizes British-Flagged Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
July 19th, 2019Via: AFP:
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday they had seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking “international maritime rules” as tensions mount in the highly sensitive waterway.
Britain however said Iran had seized two ships in the Gulf, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warning of “serious consequences” if the issue was not resolved quickly.
The British owner of one of the tankers, the Liberian-flagged Mesdar, said the ship had been temporarily boarded by armed personnel, but was now free to leave.
Will USA Ban Bitcoin?
July 18th, 2019Via: In It for the Money:
Amazon Accidentally Sold $13,000+ Camera Gear for $100 on Prime Day
July 17th, 2019A true AI success story!
Via: PetaPixel:
Amazon discounted a wide range of camera gear for Prime Day this week, but some photographers scored what may be the best deals of their lives. Thanks to a pricing error, many people were able to purchase high-end camera gear bundles, some worth over $5,000, for just around $100.
U.S. Military Ordered to Reveal if Insects Were Used as Biological Weapon
July 17th, 2019Via: Independent:
US lawmakers have voted to demand the Pentagon discloses whether it conducted experiments to “weaponise” disease-carrying ticks – and whether any such insects were let loose outside the lab.
A bill passed in the House of Representatives requires the Defence Department’s inspector general to investigate whether biological warfare tests involving the tiny arachnids took place over a 25-year period.
It follows claims that Pentagon researchers implanted diseases into inspects to study the potential of biological weapons in the decades after the Second World War.
A tick-related amendment, first reported by Roll Call, was added to the fiscal 2020 defence authorisation bill by Republican congressman Chris Smith prior to its passing in the House.
The New Jersey politician said the inspector general’s office should “conduct a review of whether the Department of Defence experimented with ticks and other insects regarding use as a biological weapon between the years of 1950 and 1975.”
Neuralink Presentation
July 16th, 2019Update: Elon Musk Says Neuralink Microchip Allowed a Monkey to ‘Control’ Computer with Brain
Via: Fox:
Elon Musk showed off some of what his neurotechnology company, Neuralink, has been developing Tuesday, and casually mentioned that the technology had been used “to control a computer with its brain.”
“Just FYI,” he added.
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Musk and other company leaders didn’t go into much more detail about the monkey-brain-computer tidbit. Neuralink President Max Hodak expressed surprise that Musk mentioned it at all.
“I didn’t realize we were running that result today, but there it goes,” he said.
Neuralink worked with the University of California, Davis, on animal testing involving rats and monkeys, according to Musk.
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Via: Neuralink:
United Arab Emirates Oil Tanker Goes Missing Near Iran
July 16th, 2019Update: Iran says it has seized foreign oil tanker and crew in the Persian Gulf
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Via: Guardian:
Tracking data showing an oil tanker that was heading towards Iranian waters and stopped transmitting its location on Saturday night has raised concerns about the status of the vessel amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US.
The UAE-based and Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Riah typically made trips from Dubai and Sharjah on the UAE’s west coast before going through the strait of Hormuz and heading to Fujairah on the UAE’s east coast. However, something happened to the vessel after 11pm on Saturday, according to tracking data, when its last position showed it pointing towards Iran.
Capt Ranjith Raja of the data firm Refinitiv said the tanker had not switched off its tracking in three months of trips around the UAE. “That is a red flag,” Raja said.
Road-Tripping with the Amazon Nomads
July 15th, 2019Via: The Verge:
The majority of goods sold on Amazon are not sold by Amazon itself, but by more than 2 million merchants who use the company’s platform as their storefront and infrastructure. Some of these sellers make their own products, while others practice arbitrage, buying and reselling wares from other retailers. Amazon has made this easy to do, first by launching Fulfillment by Amazon, which allows sellers to send their goods to company warehouses and have Amazon handle storage and delivery, and then with an app that lets sellers scan goods to instantly check whether they’d be profitable to sell on the site. A few sellers, like Anderson, have figured out that the best way to find lucrative products is to be mobile, scouring remote stores and chasing hot-selling items from coast to coast.
This Cop Is Getting $2,500 a Month Because Killing an Unarmed Man in a Hotel Hallway Gave Him PTSD
July 15th, 2019Via: Reason:
An Arizona cop acquitted of murder in 2017 for killing a man crawling on his knees, begging for his life, in a hotel hallway, was temporarily rehired by the city he worked for so that he could claim a disability pension and file for a medical retirement that will pay him more than $2,500 a month for the rest of his life.
