181750128
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
The company had made an agreement with the Islamic State group to allow the continued operation of their cement plant in Syria despite this providing financial support to IS. Two senior executives were taken from the court to prison following the verdict with sentences of five and six years.
One claimed not to have read a particularly damning email. '“I’m not a child of the internet,” he said. “Emails that I’m copied on, I don’t read, and emails from people I don’t know, I don’t open.”'
181728418
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
The London Guardian reflects on the poor reproducibility of experiments in social science revealed by the latest Systematizing Confidence in Open Research and Evidence (Score) finding, which has now published three studies looking at 3,900 social science papers.
Despite the low quality revealed by these studies, it suggests that things are getting better, admits: 'Some findings don’t matter much' claims 'replication studies can themselves be flawed.... These studies should strengthen the case for change and serve as a warning. Social science is a powerful tool for understanding the world – and that trust will be built by acknowledging uncertainty, not repudiating it.'
Given the degree to which 'following the science' led to some very bad decisions during the pandemic, not least because the social impact of lockdown choices were not well evaluated, it's hard to come to a clear view. And it's worth remembering the size of the industry employed in these science studies... It's encouraging that one of its spokesmen is admitting that mistakes were made in the past. Whether this is enough reason to carry on is less clear!
181525556
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'The European parliament has blocked the extension of a law that permits big tech firms to scan for child sexual exploitation on their platforms, creating a legal gap that child safety experts say will lead to crimes going undetected.
'The law, which was a carve-out of the EU Privacy Act, was put in place in 2021 as a temporary measure allowing companies to use automated detection technologies to scan messages for harms, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming and sextortion. However, it expired on 3 April, and the EU parliament decided not to vote to extend it, amid privacy concerns from some lawmakers.
'The regulatory gap has created uncertainty for big tech companies, because while scanning for harms on their platforms is now illegal, they still remain liable to remove any illegal content hosted on their platforms under a different law, the Digital Services Act. Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft said they would continue to voluntarily scan their platforms for CSAM, in a joint statement posted on a Google blog.'
Child abuse as the excuse for avoiding privacy protections. Who would have thought it?
181385190
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
Lead(II) acetate is being used as a fixer to keep dyes adhering to clothing.
181174218
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'Grammy-winning composer Lebo M is suing comedian Learnmore Jonasi for $27 million, claiming he falsely translated the “Lion King” opening chant as “Look, there’s a lion.”
'Jonasi was served court papers while performing onstage. He claims his podcast translation was comedy and not presented as authoritative fact.
'After a public social media dispute, Lebo M’s legal team recently signaled interest in exploring a structured settlement with the comedian.
'The Grammy-winning composer behind the signature opening chant in the song “Circle of Life” for “The Lion King” movies is taking a comedian to court for allegedly damaging his reputation by misrepresenting the song’s meaning on a viral podcast episode.'
Seriously?
180783062
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
A man got on the wrong plane at LAX and ended up in Tokyo rather than Houston, where his connecting flight to take him to Managua was due to leave from.
It appears security is less than impressive...
180662120
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'Neural 'on/off' switch discovery may shed light on sex differences in social behavior
'What makes this neural cluster unusual is its binary activity pattern: it is consistently active in females but largely inactive in males, only turning on during major social or reproductive events.
'The research, published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, also shows that the cluster’s activity is dynamic, not fixed. In males, it turns on only after sexual contact or reproductive experience, demonstrating that the brain can adapt neural circuits based on life events. Before sexual maturity, males and females show similar levels of activity, but after puberty, the cluster disappears in males until these social or reproductive triggers occur.
'“This shows the brain can ‘flip’ neural states to match social and reproductive circumstances,” Dr. Rokni said. “It’s an example of how experience can shape behavior differently in males and females.”'
180644402
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'New filtration technology developed by Rice University may absorb some Pfas “forever chemicals” at 100 times the rate than previously possible, which could dramatically improve pollution control and speed remediations.
'Researchers also say they have also found a way to destroy Pfas, though both technologies face a steep challenge in being deployed on an industrial scale.
'A new peer-reviewed paper details a layered double hydroxide (LDH) material made from copper and aluminum that absorbs long-chain Pfas up to 100 times faster than commonly used filtration systems.'
180618750
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
Nice spin:
'Since the cameras were switched on, crime has plummeted compared to November last year.
'So far, police have made 100 arrests, with a third being for offences of violence against women and girls including strangulation and sexual assault.
'Others include those wanted on recall to prison and for burglary and possession of offensive weapon offences.'
The article quotes a false positive rate of 1 in 33,000. A promise to pay the victim of a false positive £10,000 for the first occurrence would help convince me that there isn't an issue. Second time £20,000, third £40,000 etc. If they're really confident, they won't have a problem with this, will they?
180560882
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'Donald Trump’s tariffs have opened up a new possibility for the technology we have become increasingly dependent on. Today, nearly all of our tech comes from US companies, and it arrives as a prix fixe meal. If you want to talk with your friends on a Meta platform, you have to let Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg eavesdrop on your conversations. If you want to have a phone that works, you have to let Apple’s Tim Cook suck 30p out of every pound you spend and give him a veto over which software you can run. If you want to search the web, you have to let Google’s Sundar Pichai know what colour underwear you’ve got on.
'This is a genuinely odd place for digital computers to have got to. Every computer in your life, from your mobile phone to your smart speaker to your laptop to your TV, is theoretically capable of running all programmes, including the ones the manufacturers would really prefer you stay away from. This means that there are no prix fixe menus in technology – everything can be had à la carte. Thanks to the infinite flexibility of computers, every 10-foot fence a US tech boss installs in a digital product you rely on invites a programmer to supply you with a four-metre ladder so you can scamper nimbly over it. However, we adopted laws – at the insistence of the US trade rep – that prohibit programmers from helping you alter the devices you own, in legal ways, if the manufacturer objects. This is one thing that leads to what I refer to as the enshittification of technology.
'There is only one reason the world isn’t bursting with wildly profitable products and projects that disenshittify the US’s defective products: its (former) trading partners were bullied into passing an “anti-circumvention” law that bans the kind of reverse-engineering that is the necessary prelude to modifying an existing product to make it work better for its users (at the expense of its manufacturer). But the Trump tariffs change all that. The old bargain – put your own tech sector in chains, expose your people to our plunder of their data and cash, and in return, the US won’t tariff your exports – is dead'
180546703
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'Exercise may be as good at treating depression as psychological therapies and possibly antidepressants, a study suggests.
'A review of 73 studies from researchers at the University of Lancashire found exercise may have a moderate benefit on reducing symptoms of depression when compared with no treatment or a placebo.
'Exercise was also as beneficial as psychological therapies, based on evidence from 10 clinical trials.'
The observation helps explain the explosion of depression in our culture today; too many people taking zero exercise.
My own experience was after being formally diagnosed with the mildest category of depression, regular gym sessions and now an exercise bike at home have largely kept me clear of symptoms.
180491769
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
A cybersecurity expert found an unknown flaw in the website of the immigration ministry's website so used that as evidence that he was, indeed, worth allowing into the country as a highly skilled migrant.
180415959
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'A man boarded a flight at Heathrow without a ticket, boarding pass or passport.
'The unnamed individual walked onto the 7.20am British Airways (BA) flight to Oslo, Norway, on Saturday after tailgating other passengers through security and evading checks at the departure gate.
'An aviation expert described the incident as a “significant lapse in security”, as a witness reported that cabin crew only detected the interloper because the flight was full and he kept sitting in passengers’ assigned seats.
'Police arrested the unnamed man, airport sources said, adding that he had passed through “full security screening” before reaching the gate.'
Given that he did go through the security check, this is merely embarrassing.
Compare and contrast
https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fuk-...
180321585
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
'Authorities say strain of virus that has killed wild boars in Catalonia is one often used for experiments in secure facilities
'Spanish authorities investigating the African swine fever outbreak in Catalonia are looking into the possibility that the disease may have leaked from a research facility and are focusing on five nearby laboratories as potential sources.
'Thirteen cases of the fever have been confirmed in wild boars in the countryside outside Barcelona since 28 November, prompting Spain to scramble to contain the outbreak before it becomes a serious threat to its pork export industry, which is worth €8.8bn (£7.7bn) a year.
'The regional authorities initially believed the disease may have begun to circulate after a wild boar ate contaminated food that had been brought in from outside Spain, perhaps in the form of a meat sandwich discarded by a haulier.
'But Spain’s agriculture ministry has opened a new line of inquiry after concluding that the strain of the virus found in the dead boars in Catalonia was not the same as the one reported to be circulating in other EU member states. According to one report, the strain in question is instead similar to one detected in Georgia in 2007.'
180283249
submission
Bruce66423 writes:
It appears that women are missing out!
