Comment Re: An all-female crew in (Score 1) 132
Fully autonomous (sp?).
Comment Re:Good for California (Score 1) 56
I think he has you here. Google/Alphabet IS a California based company. Fact is that Non-compete clauses have been unenforceable in CA for decades! The only exception is if you are a principal in a company and sell the company. Knew a guy who sold out to Synopsys. He had a 3 year non-compete as part of the sale contract. That is the only exception I'm aware of.
Submission + - Another large Black hole in "our" Galaxy (arxiv.org)
RockDoctor writes: A recent paper on ArXiv reports a novel idea about the central regions of "our" galaxy.
Remember the hoopla a few years ago about radio-astronomical observations producing an "image" of our central black hole — or rather, an image of the accretion disc around the black hole — long designated by astronomers as "Sagittarius A*" (or SGR-A*)? If you remember the image published then, one thing should be striking — it's not very symmetrical. If you think about viewing a spinning object, then you'd expect to see something with a "mirror" symmetry plane where we would see the rotation axis (if someone had marked it). If anything, that published image has three bright spots on a fainter ring. And the spots are not even approximately the same brightness.
This paper suggests that the image we see is the result of the light (radio waves) from SGR-A* being "lensed" by another black hole, near (but not quite on) the line of sight between SGR-A* and us. By various modelling approaches, they then refine this idea to a "best-fit" of a black hole with mass around 1000 times the Sun, orbiting between the distance of the closest-observed star to SGR-A* ("S2" — most imaginative name, ever!), and around 10 times that distance. That's far enough to make a strong interaction with "S2" unlikely within the lifetime of S2 before it's accretion onto SGR-A*.)
The region around SGR-A* is crowded. Within 25 parsecs (~80 light years, the distance to Regulus [in the constellation Leo] or Merak [in the Great Bear]) there is around 4 times more mass in several millions of "normal" stars than in the SGR-A* black hole. Finding a large (not "super massive") black hole in such a concentration of matter shouldn't surprise anyone.
This proposed black hole is larger than anything which has been detected by gravitational waves (yet) ; but not immensely larger — only a factor of 15 or so. (The authors also anticipate the "what about these big black holes spiralling together?" question : quote "and the amplitude of gravitational waves generated by the binary black holes is negligible.")
Being so close to SGR-A*, the proposed black hole is likely to be moving rapidly across our line of sight. At the distance of "S2" it's orbital period would be around 26 years (but the "new" black hole is probably further out than than that). Which might be an explanation for some of the variability and "flickering" reported for SGR-A* ever since it's discovery.
As always, more observations are needed. Which, for SGR-A* are frequently being taken, so improving (or ruling out) this explanation should happen fairly quickly. But it's a very interesting, and fun, idea.
Remember the hoopla a few years ago about radio-astronomical observations producing an "image" of our central black hole — or rather, an image of the accretion disc around the black hole — long designated by astronomers as "Sagittarius A*" (or SGR-A*)? If you remember the image published then, one thing should be striking — it's not very symmetrical. If you think about viewing a spinning object, then you'd expect to see something with a "mirror" symmetry plane where we would see the rotation axis (if someone had marked it). If anything, that published image has three bright spots on a fainter ring. And the spots are not even approximately the same brightness.
This paper suggests that the image we see is the result of the light (radio waves) from SGR-A* being "lensed" by another black hole, near (but not quite on) the line of sight between SGR-A* and us. By various modelling approaches, they then refine this idea to a "best-fit" of a black hole with mass around 1000 times the Sun, orbiting between the distance of the closest-observed star to SGR-A* ("S2" — most imaginative name, ever!), and around 10 times that distance. That's far enough to make a strong interaction with "S2" unlikely within the lifetime of S2 before it's accretion onto SGR-A*.)
The region around SGR-A* is crowded. Within 25 parsecs (~80 light years, the distance to Regulus [in the constellation Leo] or Merak [in the Great Bear]) there is around 4 times more mass in several millions of "normal" stars than in the SGR-A* black hole. Finding a large (not "super massive") black hole in such a concentration of matter shouldn't surprise anyone.
This proposed black hole is larger than anything which has been detected by gravitational waves (yet) ; but not immensely larger — only a factor of 15 or so. (The authors also anticipate the "what about these big black holes spiralling together?" question : quote "and the amplitude of gravitational waves generated by the binary black holes is negligible.")
Being so close to SGR-A*, the proposed black hole is likely to be moving rapidly across our line of sight. At the distance of "S2" it's orbital period would be around 26 years (but the "new" black hole is probably further out than than that). Which might be an explanation for some of the variability and "flickering" reported for SGR-A* ever since it's discovery.
As always, more observations are needed. Which, for SGR-A* are frequently being taken, so improving (or ruling out) this explanation should happen fairly quickly. But it's a very interesting, and fun, idea.
Submission + - Surado, formerly Slashdot Japan, is closing at the end of the month. (srad.jp) 1
AmiMoJo writes: Slashdot Japan was launched on May 28, 2001. On 2025/03/31, it will finally close. Since starting the site separated from the main Slashdot one, and eventually rebranded as "Surado", which was it's Japanese nickname.
Last year the site stopped posting new stories, and was subsequently unable to find a buyer. In a final story announcing the end, many users expressed their sadness and gratitude for all the years of service.
Last year the site stopped posting new stories, and was subsequently unable to find a buyer. In a final story announcing the end, many users expressed their sadness and gratitude for all the years of service.
Comment Re:Sooo... (Score 5, Informative) 233
Being pedantic here, but the FCC licenses broadcast networks like NBC-Affiliates, ABC-Affiliates, etc. Most of the major networks don't broadcast over the air to local TVs - they broadcast via satellite to their affiliate network stations who then require an FCC license to re-broadcast that signal locally. Some major networks do own local TV stations that have to be licensed, but the "networks" themselves do not.
Comment Re:your really think so (Score 5, Funny) 138
I actually ran out of breath trying to read that...
Comment Re:Android Problems (Score 1) 12
You might want to re-read the prior sentence...
"The researchers also found Necro infecting a variety of Android apps available in alternative marketplaces."
"The researchers also found Necro infecting a variety of Android apps available in alternative marketplaces."
Comment Let's send two Boeing executives to bring it back (Score 1) 105
Boeing is all butt-hurt by complaints that their Starliner isn't safe for NASA to use to return the astronauts. So, since we're sending a Space-X flight up with two empty seats, let's put a couple of top level Boeing executives in those seats and they can ride their "safe" capsule back to Earth. Lets see them put their own lives on the line for a change.
Comment Re:Scam (Score 4, Insightful) 101
Yes, you can buy commercial dehumidifiers that collect more than 3 liters per day. But, in case you haven't noticed, those all have to be connected to mains power. These are SOLAR powered and so don't require access to electricity... That's the BIG difference.
Comment Re:App Focus was Always Shady (Score 2) 81
Obviously he has installed self-re-compiling malware in your head so he can read your thoughts...
Comment It should have been immediately turned off! (Score 4, Interesting) 37
I went to lunch one day and came back to find my swipe-badge wouldn't let me back in the building. I had to call my boss from the lobby phone only to be told to wait there and he would come get me. Turns out that while I was at lunch, the IT dept determined that I had an "unapproved" PC connected to the network that they couldn't remotely administrate and turned off all of my access to everything AND were demanding my immediate termination. I had to remind my boss that the reason I had a server running in my cubicle was because when we let IT run the database server for the RATIONAL software and we paid them a monthly fee to perform daily backups of our data and then the one time we needed them to restore it they said "Oh, yeah, we've been meaning to tell you that for some reason our daily back up always fails on one of the big files on your virtual server, so we don't actually have a backup we can restore..." We then get special permission from the same IT dept (with pressure from the VP of R&D) to run our own independent server and back it up ourselves and never have that problem again - and that is why there is a second PC in my cubicle and they (IT dept) don't need to remotely administrate it because they've proven they can't be trusted. Then it took days to get all of my security settings put back to the way they were...
Comment Oh, look... AT&T pays less? (Score 1) 33
Seriously? The company that has been selling/giving American's call data and other personal data (cell GPS, etc.) to our government gets a sweetheart deal and pays less than the other corporations do? Anyone else think that's a weird coincidence?
Comment Re:What security risk? (Score 1) 169
There are tons of malware apps that can do the same thing, though. Hell, The NSO Group used Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to do that, why aren't those apps banned by the US Govt?
Comment What security risk? (Score 1, Insightful) 169
What information have I provided to TikTok - my email, my birthdate, and maybe a couple other items, of non-security value> What information can they gain from my account? They can see that I like to watch crafting/woodworking videos, funny videos, and will sometimes pause enough to watch a few seconds of hot girls in bikinis dancing around. Oh, no, we've already lost WWIII without a shot fired!
Seriously, though, our country (United States) has no real laws for data brokers or website date security - everything we do (and have done) online is available for a price to anyone willing to pay - even the Chinese government. If the US Govt wants me to believe that they give a shit about my personal data falling into the wrong hands, then they need to create new data security regulations closer to home before worrying about what the Chinese might do with TikTok data - when they can just outright buy EVERYTHING there is to know about us online - plus whatever data is sold on the black market from data breaches at major companies every couple of months. Once the US Govt does something about that (and I don't mean sternly worded letters or hand-slaps), then I'll believe they care about keeping my info private and *THEN* they can start banning foreign apps.
But in the meantime, leave my dancing bikini-clad girls alone!
Seriously, though, our country (United States) has no real laws for data brokers or website date security - everything we do (and have done) online is available for a price to anyone willing to pay - even the Chinese government. If the US Govt wants me to believe that they give a shit about my personal data falling into the wrong hands, then they need to create new data security regulations closer to home before worrying about what the Chinese might do with TikTok data - when they can just outright buy EVERYTHING there is to know about us online - plus whatever data is sold on the black market from data breaches at major companies every couple of months. Once the US Govt does something about that (and I don't mean sternly worded letters or hand-slaps), then I'll believe they care about keeping my info private and *THEN* they can start banning foreign apps.
But in the meantime, leave my dancing bikini-clad girls alone!
Comment Victims of their own greed? (Score 2) 88
Anyone remember the good old days when there was ONE video streaming service and you could pay one monthly fee and watch almost everything you wanted?
And then the various big companies started getting greedy and wanted to launch their own streaming service, and it got to the point where if you wanted to watch a variety of shows, it would end up costing as much, if not more than cable TV?
And then the big companies started cheating on their contracts and terminating the streaming rights of multiple shows and movies so they wouldn't have to pay the writers/actors/etc a share of the streaming rights?
It was right about then that video piracy started seeming like a good idea again.
And then the various big companies started getting greedy and wanted to launch their own streaming service, and it got to the point where if you wanted to watch a variety of shows, it would end up costing as much, if not more than cable TV?
And then the big companies started cheating on their contracts and terminating the streaming rights of multiple shows and movies so they wouldn't have to pay the writers/actors/etc a share of the streaming rights?
It was right about then that video piracy started seeming like a good idea again.
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