Being worked on since early 2020 by Red Hat’s David Howells has been a rewrite to Linux’s FS-Cache and CacheFiles code focusing on making it smaller and simpler while also presenting possible memory/performance advantages. That major rewrite has been merged now for Linux 5.17…
Source: Phoronix – Linux 5.17 Lands Big Rewrite To FS-Cache & CacheFiles Driver Code
Monthly Archives: January 2022
AI Unmasks Anonymous Chess Players, Posing Privacy Risks
silverjacket shares a report from Science.org: [A]n AI has shown it can tag people based on their chess-playing behavior, an advance in the field of “stylometrics” that could help computers be better chess teachers or more humanlike in their game play. Alarmingly, the system could also be used to help identify and track people who think their online behavior is anonymous. […] To design and train their AI, the researchers tapped an ample resource: more than 50 million human games played on the Lichess website. They collected games by players who had played at least 1000 times and sampled sequences of up to 32 moves from those games. They coded each move and fed them into a neural network that represented each game as a point in multidimensional space, so that each player’s games formed a cluster of points. The network was trained to maximize the density of each player’s cluster and the distance between those of different players. That required the system to recognize what was distinctive about each player’s style.
The researchers tested the system by seeing how well it distinguished one player from another. They gave the system 100 games from each of about 3000 known players, and 100 fresh games from a mystery player. To make the task harder, they hid the first 15 moves of each game. The system looked for the best match and identified the mystery player 86% of the time, the researchers reported last month at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS). “We didn’t quite believe the results,” says Reid McIlroy-Young, a student in Anderson’s lab and the paper’s primary author. A non-AI method was only 28% accurate. […] The researchers are aware of the privacy risks posed by the system, which could be used to unmask anonymous chess players online. With tweaks, McIlroy-Young says, it could do the same for poker. And in theory, they say, given the right data sets, such systems could identify people based on the quirks of their driving or the timing and location of their cellphone use.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – AI Unmasks Anonymous Chess Players, Posing Privacy Risks
Sony's $1,000 Xperia 5 III compact finally goes on sale in the US
Sony doesn’t sell many smartphones in the US, so it’s always big news when a new one arrives — particularly a high-end model. After launching in other regions last year, the Xperia 5 III is now available stateside for $1,000, Ars Technica has reported.
The Xperia 5 III is slightly smaller than the company’s consumer flagship Xperia 1 III but has pretty similar specs. It comes with a Snapdragon 888 SoC, 6.1-inch 2,520 x 1,080 (21:9) 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a triple camera setup with a 12-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide and 12-megapixel 3x telephoto. It offers a Gorilla Glass 6 display and IP65/68 water resistance and if you don’t mind Sony’s typically squarish design cues, looks very premium.
The display delivers 10-bit color depth and is “powered by CineAlta” (the name of its high-end cinema cameras) so it should show accurate colors and skin tones. The cameras aren’t particularly high-resolution, but they do have Zeiss lenses “calibrated specifically for Xperia,” Sony said. The main camera has a stacked backside illuminated Exmor RS image sensor, delivering 20fps burst speeds with AF and AE tracking. On the video side, it offers Cinematography Pro also powered by CineAlta, with 4K HDR at up to 120 fps.
In other words, this is a camera-first smartphone designed for folks who are really into photography or video. It’s not for everyone considering it costs $1,000 at Best Buy and elsewhere, but it’s nice to have another premium smartphone option for the US market.
Source: Engadget – Sony’s ,000 Xperia 5 III compact finally goes on sale in the US
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Aiming For GNOME 42, Avoiding GTK4 Where Possible
Ubuntu developers have laid out their GNOME versioning plans for this spring’s release of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS…
Source: Phoronix – Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Aiming For GNOME 42, Avoiding GTK4 Where Possible
New free resources for young people to create 3D worlds with code in Unity
Today we’re releasing an exciting new path of projects for young people who want to create 3D worlds, stories, and games. We’ve partnered with Unity to offer any young person, anywhere, the opportunity to take their first steps in creating virtual worlds using real-time 3D.
The Unity Charitable Fund, a fund of the Tides Foundation, has awarded us a generous grant for $50,000 to help underrepresented youth learn to use Unity, upleveling their skills for future career success.
Create a world, don’t just explore it
Our new path of six projects for Unity is a learning journey for young people who have some experience of text-based programming and now want to try out building digital 3D creations.
Unity is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D and is hugely popular for creating 3D video games and virtual, interactive worlds and stories. The best thing about it for young people? While professional developers use Unity to create well-known games such as Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Among Us, it is also free for anyone to use.
Young people who learn to use Unity can do more and more complex things with it as they gain experience. Many successful indie games have been made in Unity — maybe a young person you know will create the next indie game sensation!
For young people, our new project path is the ideal introduction to Unity. The new project path:
- Is for learners who have already coded some projects in Python or another text-based language.
- Introduces the Unity software and how to write code for it in the programming language C# (pronounced ‘cee sharp’).
- Guides learners to create a 3D role playing game or interactive story that they can tailor to suit their imaginations. Learners gain more and more independence with each project in the path.
- Covers common elements such as non-playable characters, mini games, and bonuses.
After young people have completed the path, they’ll have:
- Created their very own 3D video game or interactive story they can share with their friends and family.
- Gained familiarity with key functions of Unity.
- Built the independence and confidence to explore Unity further and create more advanced games and 3D worlds.
Young people gain real-world skills while creating worlds in Unity
Since Unity is a platform used by professional digital creators, young people who follow our new Unity path gain real-world skills that are sought after in the tech sector. While they learn to express their creativity with Unity, young people improve their coding and problem-solving skills and feel empowered because they get to use their imagination to bring their ideas to life.
“Providing opportunities for underrepresented youth to learn critical tech skills is essential to Unity Social Impact’s mission,” said Jessica Lindl, Vice President, Social Impact at Unity. “We’re thrilled that the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Unity path will allow thousands of student learners to take part in game design in an accessible way, setting them up for future career success.”
What you need to support young people with Unity Real-Time 3D
The project path includes instructions for how to download and install all the necessary software to start creating with Unity.
Before they can start, young people will need to:
- Have access to a computer with enough processing power (find out more from Unity directly)
- Have downloaded and installed Unity Hub, from where they need to install Unity Editor and Visual Studio Community Edition
For club volunteers who support young people attending Code Clubs and CoderDojos with the new path, we are going to run two free online workshops in February. During the workshops, volunteers will be introduced to the path and the software setup, and we’ll try out Unity together. Keep your eyes on the CoderDojo and Code Club blogs for details!
Club volunteers, if your participants are creating Blender projects, they can import these into Unity too.
Young people can share their Unity creations with the world through Coolest Projects
It’s really exciting for us that we can bring this new project path to young people who dream about creating interactive 3D worlds. We hope to see many of their creations in this year’s Coolest Projects Global, our free online tech showcase for young creators all over the world!
The post New free resources for young people to create 3D worlds with code in Unity appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
Source: Raspberry Pi – New free resources for young people to create 3D worlds with code in Unity
Dev's PostgreSQL experiment probes possibility of zero-downtime schema migration
A Swedish developer has published code that promises to avoid application downtime during PostgreSQL schema migrations.
Source: LXer – Dev’s PostgreSQL experiment probes possibility of zero-downtime schema migration
New Study Shows Hemp Compound May Prevent Covid-19 From Entering Human Cells
Certain cannabinoid acids from hemp (Cannabis sativa) can prevent infection from the virus that causes COVID-19 by obstructing its entry into cells.
By binding to the spike protein, these acids can block the virus from reaching into cells and causing infection.
The study was published in the Journal of Natural Products. The research was led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and the Linus Pauling Institute.
“They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans,” van Breeman said, as quoted by local media. “Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2,’ the researchers noted in the abstract of the study.
Some marijuana compounds can block coronavirus from entering cells: study
Local hemp stores stock up after new discovery
Jimmy Kimmel Is High Off Covid?s Cannabis Breakthrough
Source: TG Daily – New Study Shows Hemp Compound May Prevent Covid-19 From Entering Human Cells
How to build an open source metaverse
If I told you that all content and software you need to build the metaverse is already available and completely free, would you do it? Hold that thought, and let’s take a step back and explain the metaverse.
Source: LXer – How to build an open source metaverse
Pioneer DJ debuts DDJ-REV series of battle-style controllers
Battle DJs, the turntablists that perfect the art of cutting and scratching music to build new creations on-the-fly are getting some new gear for the mobile digital world. Until now, most devices for this style of mixing have either been the classic turntables and mixer combo, or pricey modular units. Today, Pioneer DJ announces its new DDJ-REV controller series focused on the battle DJ’s style of mixing and aimed at both novices and pros alike. The new entry-level DDJ-REV1 ($259) and the pro-level DDJ-REV7 ($1,899) are both Serato DJ compatible and offer an adjusted layout for fans of the sideways turntable and the Pioneer DJM-S series of mixers.
Newcomers interested in this style of DJing can get a taste of what’s to come, with a few useful flourishes for the livestreaming generation. The 2-channel DDJ-REV1 controller runs Serato DJ Lite and includes a 14-day trial of Serato DJ Pro. It’s bus-powered, has slightly larger jog wheels than prior models in this price range and includes a mic input so you can get chatty during livestreams without extra gear. Along with the mic, the only other input is the USB port, and you only get a single RCA master output.
Although pint-sized, the layout echoes a classic battle DJ’s choice with platters at the bottom and a horizontal pitch slider up top. A sideways turntable allowed easier scratching without the tonearm getting in the way, which resulted in an unusual placement for the pitch control. It seems some have gotten used to that layout and this type of controller layout caters to that familiarity.
Pioneer DJ
The central mixing panel also borrows from the popular Pioneer DJM-S series, with performance pads in the middle and lockable FX toggles. There’s also a Scratch Bank to store your choice of audio clips and the Tracking Scratch feature. This saves you having to get back to a scratchable cue point by doing it for you when you remove your hands from the ridged capacitive jog wheel or spin it back.
If you have more seasoned skills and/or more money to spend, the 2-channel DDJ-REV7 is a better fit. This higher-end model includes 7-inch motorized jog wheels with vinyl-mimicking top plates and adjustable torque for a classic turntable feel. Each side also includes a 3.5-inch on-jog display where you can see waveforms and other data, or switch to a Serato virtual deck view, song artwork or your own logo with easy-to-see omnidirectional viewing.
As with the economy model, the DDJ-REV7 mimics a classic cut and scratch layout with the DJM-S styled central mixer, performance pads and FX toggle. Those jog wheels are along the front edge with the pitch slider on the top. Relevant control buttons live in between those, somewhat reminiscent of the Pioneer CDJ series layout.
Other highlights for the DDJ-REV7 are onboard scratch samples, a Maglev Fader Pro and 22 built-in Beat FX. If you want to flank your controller with turntables or CDJs, you’re in luck since there are line and phono inputs on each channel. Plan to swap with another DJ during live sets? The dual USB ports will make life easier. You’ll need a computer for most things, since there’s no thumb drive or microSD slot. It seems you can store full tracks in the on-board scratch bank along with clips, but that’s no real solution. For outputs you’ll get XLR and RCA ports for master out, plus balanced 1/4-inch TRS for the booth.
The entry-level DDJ-REV1 is expected to be available in late January at the retail price of $259 and works with the free Serato DJ Lite (1.5.9) software, although the pro version will also work. Those interested in the high-end DDJ-REV7 ($1,899) will have to wait until February, although no solid availability date has been confirmed. This model includes a license for Serato DJ Pro (2.5.9) and a voucher for the Serato Pitch ‘n’ Time expansion.
Source: Engadget – Pioneer DJ debuts DDJ-REV series of battle-style controllers
Pioneer's New DJ Controller Is Much Cheaper Than Two Turntables and a Microphone for Aspiring DJs
Watching a professional DJ turning random scratches, loops, and samples into a catchy tune is mesmerizing. If it’s a skill you’ve aspired to, or just one you’d like to experiment with in your free time, Pioneer’s new DDJ-REV1 is an affordable all-in-one alternative to dropping a few thousand dollars on a pair of…
Source: Gizmodo – Pioneer’s New DJ Controller Is Much Cheaper Than Two Turntables and a Microphone for Aspiring DJs
Mesa 22.0 Pushed Back By Three Weeks
While a lot of open-source OpenGL and Vulkan driver improvements have been landing in recent days in anticipation of the Mesa 22.0 code branching and feature freeze for Wednesday, that deadline has now been extended by three weeks…
Source: Phoronix – Mesa 22.0 Pushed Back By Three Weeks
Effective handoff communication
A high-quality handoff of the patient can deliver a great outcome in health care services. It can reduce medical errors and prevent disputes from happening between the two parties. However, practicing the handoff requires time, effort, and a set of skills all of its own.
If you are looking for the best way to improve your handoff communication, you will need to learn from an expert. CareAlign, the best provider of nursing handover tools and other relevant solutions, emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-for-all. Individuals must understand how to provide the best handoff communication and service possible given the available resources and conditions.
There is no one centralized solution because we have to deal with the complex health systems in the healthcare industry. However, there are some guidelines or good practices for physicians in training that can improve communication in the health facility setting. Of course, it is for the sake of the patient’s wellness and safety.
The key to a successful handoff result is the high quality of handoff communication. Here are the ways you can consider improving your handoff communication quality.
Don’t interject communication.
There have been many reports where the back-channeling could be a strong cause of the poor quality of handoff. In such a hectic place, we could see that some physicians conduct quick runs through the notes about the patients. During the conversation, they seemed to be affirmative of the information given by the sender of the patient. However, it does not guarantee that they are 100% focused and listening to each other. When back channeling happens, there’s a risk of missing information in the conversation. As the healthcare provider, it is important to make sure that the specialists really comprehend the information transfer. If you are the receiver, you also need to be more proactive and double-check with the sender if they are not giving you the complete information.
Conduct the interviews.
To review the current quality of your healthcare handoff, you could conduct an intern interview with your internal team members. Together with your colleagues, you will be able to identify the root causes of the problem. Therefore, you will understand what went wrong and why the handoff was poor.
The interview’s main objective is to understand the areas for improvement and pitfalls to avoid. Since the topic is handoff communication, your internal interviews should revolve around the mentioned topic. It is the right opportunity to ask questions about the communication errors that happen between your healthcare providers. These miscommunications or misunderstandings can be harmful to patients. Through the open discussion with your internal team members, you are able to find the feedback process to determine the key issues. Therefore, you can steer clear of the problems and improve the handoff communication for good.
Check if the sign-out processes are clear.
The sign-out process can be different from one program to another. Each healthcare provider might have their own unique sign-out process. However, the overall objective of the sign-out is to update the information. Therefore, the most effective sign-out processes are those that are accurate and updated. It is highly crucial to keep the patients’ information updated.
Adding video cues to handoff solutions
In many cases, the visual cues are important for clarifying many things in the handoff process. You will want to confirm that the handoff process is done without flaws.
Offering face-to-face interaction, you will be able to conduct verbal exchanges with your partners although you are away from the hospital. While physicians might have different means of communication, the most preferred Patient Handoff Tool nowadays is still face-to-face. When it is not possible because of different locations or other situations, you could use a video conference tool to procure the same communication procedure.
Provide the necessary patient information.
When it comes to the handoff, you must think about the kind of information you need to care for the particular patient right now. Here, there is no need to offer long details of the personal life of the patient. Some doctors run through every review system to find out what they think. Well, that’s wasting your time and energy. For the sender, it is important to isolate the most relevant information, which you can use right now to treat your patients well. For the receiver, it is okay to be proactive and ask as many questions as you need, as long as they are all relevant to your handoff patients.
It does not hurt to exercise a bit of if-then and to-do. When the team has such a formula, it will be much easier to handoff.
Understand the limits of caregivers
In the field of work, clinical tasks are popularly known as the causes of fatigue. There are some familiar tasks that can be done quickly. But when it comes to the handoff, one could hit a certain point in the difficult weighing. The decision-making can be a bit tricky there. The challenges will be multiplied when the caregivers in the hospital are already tired. Fatigue can affect how you care. Therefore, it is important to make sure that everyone on board is fit and healthy.
Pay attention to the handoff level of threats.
Some handoffs are simple since the patent conditions are not life-threatening. But there are also some high-risk handoff agendas that you need to pay attention to. When the patient is moving, they are critical or unstable. These patients usually have worse conditions, where a slight mistake could end their lives. The high-risk handoff usually comes with a lot of pressure. To improve the communication in handoff, one could make use of the template so that they can focus on treating their patients. Understand the levels of treats in every handoff. Each handoff is important.
Therefore, it is also a great idea to access a wide array of resources to improve the model procedures and skills. Consider taking a look at the tips above when you want to improve the handoff communication quality. You could also use the tools to help you improve the handoff quality.
Get more information at CareAlign.
Source: TG Daily – Effective handoff communication
Apple details $30 million settlement for off-the-clock bag search lawsuit
The long-running lawsuit Apple faced over off-the-clock bag searches of its employees in California is almost over. While its final approval hearing won’t take place until July, the tech giant has detailed the terms of the $29.9 million settlement it agreed to and provided claimants (and everyone else) access to documents related to the case on its legal website. The list of documents includes everything from the original class action complaint to notices of the settlement to different types of class members. It also includes information on how to get in contact with the settlement administrator.
A group Apple employees sued the company in 2013 for not paying them for the time it took to check their bags during their shifts or when they’re leaving for work, which took between five to 20 minutes. They claimed Apple was violating California law by doing so. Apple said bag checks were necessary to ensure workers weren’t leaving with stolen goods or trade secrets and tried to argue in court that those who didn’t like the policy could simply not bring their bags or their iPhones to work. The company stopped searching employees’ bags in 2015.
While a district court originally tossed the lawsuit, it went to the California Supreme Court on appeal, wherein the judge sided with the plaintiffs. As previously revealed in a court filing, the lawsuit covers 14,683 workers in 52 Apple Stores in California who were subjected to bag checks from July 25th, 2009 until August 10th, 2015. They’ll each get $1,286 from the settlement amount.
Source: Engadget – Apple details million settlement for off-the-clock bag search lawsuit
Expect Sonic Booms In Central Florida As Falcon 9 Booster Lands At Cape Canaveral, SpaceX Warns
SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket Thursday from Florida’s Space Coast with a scheduled booster landing back at Cape Canaveral, which means there could be sonic booms heard in the area. From a report: As the first stage of the Falcon 9 booster plummets back to Earth just under 10 minutes after launch, it creates shockwaves that make a thunderous sonic boom — which can be heard across Central Florida depending on weather conditions. Usually SpaceX lands its Falcon 9 booster out at sea. But for this launch of a handful of commercial and scientific payloads, the company is directing the rocket booster back to Cape Canaveral.
The mission will launch southward, a departure from usual eastward launches. It’s the second of a planned five polar launches heading southward just this month. While there weren’t any issues with wayward boats or planes for a launch last week, SLD 45 is asking boaters and pilots to continue to pay attention to new hazard areas issued for this launch. “These trajectories are different,” said [Lt. Col. Brian Eno, Commander of the 1st Range Operations Squadron]. “We must make sure that we’re vigilant as a community on reviewing those notices. SpaceX’s Transporter-3 mission has a 29-minute launch window which opens Thursday at 10:25 a.m. ET. Space Fore forecasters said there’s a 70 percent chance of favorable launch weather.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Expect Sonic Booms In Central Florida As Falcon 9 Booster Lands At Cape Canaveral, SpaceX Warns
Raspberry Pi system can detect viruses on other devices without use of software
A team of researchers at the Institute of Computer Science and Random Systems has built a non-software-based virus detection system using a Raspberry Pi, an H-field probe and an oscilloscope to detect electromagnetic wave signatures of multiple types of viruses. The team presented its system and test results at last month’s ACM Machinery’s Annual Computer Security Applications Conference and published a paper describing their system on ACM’s Research Article page.
Source: LXer – Raspberry Pi system can detect viruses on other devices without use of software
Scammers Put Fake QR Codes On Parking Meters To Intercept Parkers' Payments
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Scammers in a few big Texas cities have been putting fake QR codes on parking meters to trick people into paying the fraudsters. Parking enforcement officers recently found stickers with fraudulent QR codes on pay stations in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. San Antonio police warned the public of the scam on December 20, saying that “people attempting to pay for parking using those QR codes may have been directed to a fraudulent website and submitted payment to a fraudulent vendor.” Similar scams were then found in Austin and Houston.
The fake QR codes reportedly directed people to a “Quick Pay Parking” website at the domain passportlab.xyz, which is now offline. It’s not clear how many people — if any — were tricked into paying the fraudsters. “We don’t use QR codes at all for this very reason, because they are easy to fake or place on the devices,” Austin parking division manager Jason Redfern told KXAN. “And we heard from industry leaders that this would be a possibility.” Austin accepts payments directly at the meter with coins or credit or with the Park ATX mobile payment app. […] Houston officials found five meters with fake QR codes and removed the stickers, according to KPRC 2. While the scam seems to have been centered in Texas, it could be repeated anywhere. If you see a QR code on a parking meter, ignore it and make sure you pay the city directly.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Scammers Put Fake QR Codes On Parking Meters To Intercept Parkers’ Payments
How to Check Disk Space in Linux Using the df Command
The Linux df command has many helpful use cases. Learn how to check disk space in Linux using the df command here.
The post How to Check Disk Space in Linux Using the df Command appeared first on Linux Today.
Source: Linux Today – How to Check Disk Space in Linux Using the df Command
Adjusting NordVPN Settings on Linux
In this article you’ll read a quick guide on some of the most important options in NordVPN for Linux, and how you can tweak them.
Source: LXer – Adjusting NordVPN Settings on Linux
US To Hold Largest-Ever Offshore Wind Farm Auction Next Month
The US government announced Wednesday it will auction more than 480,000 acres off the coasts of New York and New Jersey to build wind farms as part of its campaign to supply renewable energy to more than 10 million homes by 2030. Tech Xplore reports: Offshore wind developers will bid February 23 on six areas in the New York Bight — the most lots ever offered in a single auction — which could generate between 5.6 to seven gigawatts of energy, enough to power two million homes, the Interior Department said. The auction will be the first under President Joe Biden, whose administration aims to build as many as to seven major offshore wind farms and review plans for at least 16 others along the US coasts. The effort is part of Washington’s fight against climate change, and the Biden administration says the wind investment would cut 78 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and create tens of thousands of jobs.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – US To Hold Largest-Ever Offshore Wind Farm Auction Next Month
The FBI's Honeypot Phones Were More Widely Distributed in the U.S. Than Previously Thought
One of the weirder stories from last year involved a gargantuan FBI honeypot operation designed to catch crooks all over the world. According to Motherboard, that operation had a bigger imprint in the U.S. than originally believed.
Source: Gizmodo – The FBI’s Honeypot Phones Were More Widely Distributed in the U.S. Than Previously Thought