vm - Slashdot User

Submission + - Peter Thiel will finish what Elon Musk started (hindustantimes.com)

Submitted by vm on Sunday June 01, 2025 @07:28PM

vm writes: The real threat to privacy and democracy under the Trump administration won't be Musk and DOGE — it will be the company that connects all the disparate, siloed data sources that DOGE has been infiltrating; IRS, Social Security, NLRB, and many more. Palantir may be a publicly traded company but that doesn't necessarily give shareholders or the public any oversight into their activities. But what should we fear from a man who claims (to paraphrase) that computer science at universities is populated by the students who flunked out of physics, mathematics, and other “real” sciences— which has led to other bogus sciences like climate science and other “so-called” sciences that “steal” money from the government. He also believes that (again, paraphrasing but very close to an actual quote), "Woodstock started three weeks after we landed on the moon and that’s when scientific progress stopped — that’s when hippies took over the country." Hear more nuggests of wisdom for yourself in this interview last month: http://youtu.be/918qslcfwfY

Submission + - Mozilla celebrates the release of Firefox 100 (mozilla.org)

Submitted by vm on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @12:27PM

vm writes: Out of the ashes of Netscape/AOL, Firebird rose as a promising new browser. A significant name change and a hundred releases later, Firefox 100 is still the underdog that keeps on fighting. With my mounting annoyance at all the Google services underpinning Chrome, I've since discovered and used Ungoogled Chromium, Waterfox, LibreWolf, and a handful of other lesser known spins on Chrome or Firefox. On mobile, Brave really does the best job at ad blocking whether you're on iOS or Android but the Mozilla Foundations is probably still the largest dev group fighting the good fight when it comes to both privacy and security enhancements.That's not to say that the Chromium team isn't security savvy — I only wish they were just a little less Google. Anyhow, tell us about your favorite browser in the comments and have a look at Mozilla's latest release while you're at it.

Submission + - NASA's space telecoms network may soon be outsourced (space.com)

Submitted by vm on Tuesday April 26, 2022 @12:35PM

vm writes: Eli Naffah, the manager of NASA's Commercial Services Project explained, "Hopefully, we can achieve some cost efficiencies in buying commercial services, get out of the business of operating networks, and really put more focus on science and exploration.â

The development is part of NASA's long-term initiative to hand over most of low-Earth orbit operations to commercial players. The space agency is already purchasing cargo and crew transportation services from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, with Boeing due to join that list later this year.

Submission + - Mummy Speaks (apnews.com)

Submitted by vm on Thursday January 23, 2020 @01:03PM

vm writes: You donâ(TM)t have to wait until next Halloween to get creeped out. Using 3D printing, medical scanners, and an electronic larynx, researchers have recreated the voice of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy. The tongue has deteriorated over three millennia and all they have so far is a vowel sound but itâ(TM)s a pretty clever way to raise the dead with science.

Submission + - Xmarks bookmark syncing zombie expires on May Day

Submitted by vm on Monday April 02, 2018 @12:54PM

vm writes: On May 1, 2018, we will be shutting down Xmarks. Your account will remain active until then, including the syncing of your bookmarks. After that date, your bookmarks should remain in any previously accessed browser, but they will no longer sync and your account will be deactivated.

I have held on to my Xmarks account over the years because I can always get to them despite changes in operating systems, browsers, employers, etc. What do other folks use that may also have a mobile option?

Submission + - Block adverts outside of the browser (chromeadblock.com)

Submitted by vm on Friday April 01, 2011 @04:09PM

vm writes: The AdBlock app for Chrome and Safari is pretty fantastic for blocking ads on web pages, and millions of people use it daily while they surf. Users report that they forget what surfing was even like before AdBlock, and some even report a sense of bliss at seeing the before-and-after effect on web pages.

But the number one requested feature has been a way to block the ads that assault us all in the 'real world' — such as billboards, TV commercials, and magazine ads. Unfortunately, AdBlock hasn't been available outside the browser window.

Until today. Introducing the beta version of AdBlock Freedom: augmented reality eyewear that detects and removes ads from the world in realtime.

Submission + - Firefox 2 and Gecko 1.8 end of life 2

Submitted by vm on Wednesday November 12, 2008 @04:56PM

vm writes: According to Mozilla and other sources, Firefox 2 and Gecko 1.8 will soon be left behind some time in mid-December. The end result; no future security or stability updates. This will affect Thunderbird 2, SeaMonkey 1.1, Camino 1.5, and any other projects based on Gecko 1.8. So if you haven't already upgraded then there's no time like the present.

Submission + - The Shadow Space Race

Submitted by vm on Wednesday February 13, 2008 @05:30AM

vm writes: NOVA's recent documentary, "Astrospies," was written and co-produced by journalist and NSA expert, James Bamford. It details the U.S. Air Force's orbiting spy station program begun in the 1960s, the Manned Orbital Laboratory. Designed from a heavily modified Gemini 2 capsule and launched from a Titan III booster rocket, MOL was basically intended to be a Hubble telescope pointed at Earth with the sole intention of collecting photo intelligence on the Soviets using an impressive array of optics and gyro balanced cameras operated onboard by specially trained astronauts. The lab was never launched, however, due to the competing Corona unmanned spy satellite program funded by NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office. Partly spurred by the success of the Apollo missions, the Soviets, meanwhile, sent cosmonauts to its own succesfully launched spy platform, the Almaz. In addition to an onboard film lab and a space-to-ground image relay system, it included an alarming first in manned space exploration; a 23mm aircraft cannon — which is rather ironic in light of Russia and China's recent attempts to ban space weaponry. At a time when we're still unearthing details about the post 9/11 domestic spying debacle, it's a fascinating look at the history of technology used to look over our neighbors' fences. See additional coverage over at space.com.

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