Monthly Archives: October 2017

What A Time To Be Dead: Video Of The International Grave-Digging Competition

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This is a five minute documentary highlighting the International Grave-Digging Competition that takes place every year in Trenčín, Slovakia. In the competition, ten teams compete in three different categories: 1) the fastest to dig a standard size grave using only shovels and pickaxes, 2) the fastest to fill that grave, and 3) its final above-ground design (a basic wood cross seems the most popular here). The best quote from the whole video, from fourth generation funeral home operator Kristian Stríź: “My mother always said that if she died she doesn’t want to be burned — but buried. And I always just pranking her that, no, I’m going to burn you down, and like splash your ashes in the toilet! We’re kinda a weird family, but we’re cool.” Admittedly, that’s some solid pranking, Kristian. So, who else here thought this was going to be a contest to see who could dig up a body and steal its jewelry the fastest? I know I can’t be the only one. Also, if that sounds like something you might be good at, call me — I might have a job for you.

Keep going for the video.

Source: Geekologie – What A Time To Be Dead: Video Of The International Grave-Digging Competition

Catalonia Declares Independence; Spain Approves Central Takeover Of Region

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Readers share a report: Lawmakers in Catalonia have declared independence from Spain in a historic vote that prompted protests and celebration. The government in Madrid, vowing to halt any would-be secession, has authorized the Spanish prime minister to take over direct rule of the previously semi-autonomous region. The vote in the Catalan Parliament comes nearly a month after the region held a referendum on independence, over Spain’s objections. The regional president then declared his support for separation from Spain but also called for talks with Madrid, in an ambiguous speech. Spain’s central government, promising to crack down harshly if the declaration was real, told the region’s leaders to make up their mind: Yes or no? Independence or not? Now it’s final: Independence, Catalonia said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Catalonia Declares Independence; Spain Approves Central Takeover Of Region

Kaspersky Says NSA Employee Used Backdoored MS Office Key Gen

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Iain Thomson at theregister discusses a report from Kaspersky that details how hackers could have stolen powerful and highly confidential software exploits from an NSA employee’s Windows PC. According to the report, the NSA employee downloaded a backdoored MS Office key gen and Office ISO. He disabled Kaspersky AV so he could run the key gen and then reenabled the AV. Upon the next scan of the AV it noticed some interesting code and phoned it back home. This is how Kaspersky says they gained knowledge/possession of the NSA classified code. All in all this is getting more interesting all the time.



The NSA employee’s home PC was one of those tens of millions of machines running Kaspersky antivirus. Kaspersky was, therefore, accused of detecting the American cyber-weapons on the PC via its tools, tipping off Kremlin spies, and effectively helping them hack the machine to siphon off the valuable vulnerability exploits.

Well, not quite, says Kaspersky.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – Kaspersky Says NSA Employee Used Backdoored MS Office Key Gen

Li-ion Batteries Blow Up Because They Breed Nanowire Crystals

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Thanks to researchers at Stanford we are getting closer to finally figuring out why Li-ion batteries are blowing up. They published this paper on Thursday. Basically growths called dendrites pierce through the separator, a membrane placed in between the cathode and anode causing a short circuit. They still aren’t sure what causes the dendrites to form, but they are working on that in the hopes of one day designing safer and longer-lasting batteries. Hey, Elon, look these guys up!



The researchers examined thousands of lithium metal dendrites forming in different electrolytes and also the solid electrolyte interphase, a coating that forms on the metal electrodes.
Cryo-EM, a technique that won this year’s Nobel Prize for Chemistry, was vital to studying the dendrites in more detail. Traditional transmission electron (TEM) microscopy techniques which involve aiming a beam of electrons through a sample destroyed the dendrites.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – Li-ion Batteries Blow Up Because They Breed Nanowire Crystals

There May Be a Lot More Lead-Contaminated Candy in Stores Than We Realized

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You might want to wait on that candy bar. A new study out of California has found that the state’s public health department issued more alerts for lead-contaminated candy than any other food-borne contaminant between 2001 and 2014.

Read more…



Source: LifeHacker – There May Be a Lot More Lead-Contaminated Candy in Stores Than We Realized

Why Is Best Buy Overcharging for the iPhone X?

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Best Buy is charging more for iPhone X buyers who don’t want installment debt. If you want to pre-order the iPhone X through Best Buy and pay for the whole device upfront then you have to pay $100 more than if you choose the Best Buy installment plan or if you buy the phone through the Apple Store. Weird.

Read more…



Source: Gizmodo – Why Is Best Buy Overcharging for the iPhone X?

A phone app that listens to your car and could warn of impending trouble

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Enlarge / MIT researchers are working on an app that uses a smartphone’s microphone and accelerometers to diagnose impending maintenance problems. (credit: Getty / Aurich)

As cars get smarter, more and more of them are going to give their owners preventative maintenance alerts. It’s one of the benefits to consumers regularly touted by advocates of the connected car, and even some older cars can get in on the action via aftermarket units that connect to a car’s onboard diagnostics port.

However, that last one might not be necessary if a technique being developed by some researchers at MIT pans out. Rather than plugging a diagnostic dongle into a car’s controller area network—with the attendant hacking risk—Joshua Siegel and his colleagues reckon a smartphone’s microphone and accelerometers could be sufficient.

Some of his research has just been published in Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence; specifically a paper that shows that audio data collected by a smartphone alone can diagnose an air filter that needs to be changed.

Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments



Source: Ars Technica – A phone app that listens to your car and could warn of impending trouble

When An Insurer Sells You an Apple Watch For $25, How Much Are You Giving Away?

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On the surface, it makes sense. Healthy people generally cost insurers less, so why not encourage policyholders to live healthfully by doling out perks and discounts, and then track them to make sure they’re sticking to their end of the bargain? This was the logic that spurred one the nation’s largest life insurance…

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Source: Gizmodo – When An Insurer Sells You an Apple Watch For , How Much Are You Giving Away?

Why You Should Probably Buy AppleCare+ for the iPhone X

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Apple revealed how much it will cost to fix the iPhone X without AppleCare+ on Friday and it’s a lot more expensive than it used to be—probably because of that fancy new OLED display. If you’ve skipped the protection plan before, you may want to think twice this time around.

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Source: LifeHacker – Why You Should Probably Buy AppleCare+ for the iPhone X

Einstein's Note On Happiness, Given To Bellboy In 1922, Fetches $1.6 Million

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A note that Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo briefly describing his theory on happy living has sold at auction in Jerusalem for $1.56m, according to auctioneers. From a report: The winning bid for the note far exceeded the pre-auction estimate of between $5,000 and $8,000, according to Winner’s auctions. “It was an all-time record for an auction of a document in Israel,” said Winner’s spokesman Meni Chadad, adding that the buyer was a European who wished to remain anonymous. The note, on Imperial Hotel Tokyo stationery, says in German that “a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.” “I am really happy that there are people out there who are still interested in science and history and timeless deliveries in a world which is developing so fast,” the seller said on condition of anonymity after the sale.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Einstein’s Note On Happiness, Given To Bellboy In 1922, Fetches .6 Million

‘Overwatch’ director details plans to improve eSports viewing

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eSports are becoming a bigger and bigger industry, and game directors are taking notice. Today, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan released a YouTube video detailing changes the team is making to the game based on user feedback when it comes to eSpo…

Source: Engadget – ‘Overwatch’ director details plans to improve eSports viewing

Bass Slapping Solo On A 15-String Electric Bass Guitar

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This is a video of musician Davie504 performing a bass slapping solo on his 15-string electric bass guitar. Apparently he produced another bass solo on the same guitar but people complained he wasn’t hitting the lowest strings, so he made another one. Man — those strings look like exhaust pipes. He does hit them in this solo, but they don’t sound like much. Maybe they’re not tuned tight enough? Or maybe my laptop’s speakers just suck (a fact regardless). Or — OR — maybe the sound is just so low I just can’t hear it. I can hear dog whistles, for the record. I can also hear the mailman four blocks away. “Are you–” A superhero? I might be. “I was going to say dog.” Also a possibility.

Keep going for the video.

Source: Geekologie – Bass Slapping Solo On A 15-String Electric Bass Guitar

San Francisco, Seattle Planning To Launch Citywide Fiber Networks To Bury Telecom Monopolies

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San Francisco, Seattle Planning To Launch Citywide Fiber Networks To Bury Telecom Monopolies
When you think of the availability of high-speed internet access in the United States, not many people have a wide range of options to choose from. You might have one large cable provider (i.e. Comcast, Charter) to choose from, and if you’re lucky (if you can call it that) a second-tier option like AT&T DSL. Customers would like choice when

Source: Hot Hardware – San Francisco, Seattle Planning To Launch Citywide Fiber Networks To Bury Telecom Monopolies