Snapzu News: July 2019

Wednesday, 31 July 2019

Solar-sailing satellite proves it can use light to propel through space

Come solar sail away with me
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/31/20748894/lightsail-2-mission-solar-sail-planetary-society-success-demonstration?source=Snapzu

Climate denial: Donald Trump mimics criminal behaviour when justifying his stance

Climate deniers recently gathered to talk shop at Donald Trump's hotel in Washington DC. There's more to their links with the president than a reservation, though.
Read more: https://theconversation.com/climate-denial-donald-trump-mimics-criminal-behaviour-when-justifying-his-stance-120741?source=Snapzu

Stanford researchers develop technology to harness energy from mixing of freshwater and seawater

Salt is power. It might sound like alchemy, but the energy in places where salty ocean water and freshwater mingle could provide a massive source of renewable power. Stanford researchers have developed an affordable, durable technology that could harness this so-called blue energy.
Read more: https://news.stanford.edu/press/view/29345?source=Snapzu

Huawei smartphone sales up 24 percent despite US crackdown

Huawei made 221.6 billion yuan ($32.2 billion) in revenue in the April-June quarter, a 23 percent increase over the previous quarter despite the escalation of the US-China trade war cutting off its business with American companies. Net profit margin was 8.7 percent on 401.3 billion yuan ($58.3 billion) of revenue for the first six months of 2019.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/30/20746693/huawei-earnings-h1-2019-smartphone-sales?source=Snapzu

This startup just raised $33 million to vaporize trash

Sierra Energy’s new blast furnace, which heats trash to 4,000 degrees and then harvests the gas to make plastics and fuel, was just funded by the Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Read more: https://www.fastcompany.com/90382101/this-startup-just-raised-33-million-to-vaporize-trash?source=Snapzu

5 Tips for Over-thinkers, Concerned Citizens, and Consumers

Nowadays, we often don't have a working relationship with our medical doctors—they are busy with electronic billing as soon as they enter the examination room1—but we do have the internet to get all the information we need. Or think we need. There we can find what we want to know and worry ourselves to death with it. Or annoy the expert who tried to save our life and is now being questioned by a dilettante.
Read more: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/unified-theory-happiness/201907/5-tips-over-thinkers-concerned-citizens-and-consumers?source=Snapzu

Six serious 'zero interaction' vulnerabilities found in iOS

Google security researchers have discovered six so-called ‘zero interaction’ iOS vulnerabilities – bugs that can allow an attacker to take control of the phone without the user having to do anything other than receive and open a message. Five of them have been fixed in iOS 12.4, but Apple has not yet been able to completely close the sixth one …
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2019/07/30/zero-interaction/?source=Snapzu

A Shipwreck, 500 Years Old, Appears on the Baltic Seabed

Its condition is pristine, but its identity is a mystery. For now, maritime archaeologists call it Okänt Skepp, Swedish for “unknown ship.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/science/shipwreck-archeology-shipwreck.html?source=Snapzu

It’s time to regulate tech platforms with laws, not fines

It was, in retrospect, perhaps not the best two weeks to go on vacation. Each time I checked in with the news, there was some startling new collision between Facebook and democracy.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/interface/2019/7/30/20746427/facebook-ftc-settlement-congress-privacy-law?source=Snapzu

Tuesday, 30 July 2019

Did Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Intend To Deceive?

Regulators missed a chance to find out if deceptive practices at Facebook came from the top when they decided to enter into a settlement with Zuckerberg instead of questioning him, an FTC member says.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/28/745949428/did-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-intend-to-deceive?source=Snapzu

Study will test CRISPR gene editing inside the body for first time

Patients are about to be enrolled in the first study to test a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR inside the body to try to cure an inherited form of blindness. People with the disease have normal eyes but lack a gene that converts light into signals to the brain that enable sight.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/crispr-gene-editing-blindness-1.5226163?source=Snapzu

Deforestation in the Amazon is shooting up, but Brazil's president calls the data 'a lie'

Deforestation is shooting up again in the Brazilian Amazon, according to satellite monitoring data. But Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, whom many blame for the uptick, has disputed the trend and attacked the credibility of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which produced the data. Bolsonaro called the numbers “a lie” during a 19 July breakfast talk with journalists, and suggested INPE Director Ricardo Galvão was “at the service of some [nongovernmental organization].”
Read more: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/07/deforestation-amazon-shooting-brazils-president-calls-data-lie?source=Snapzu

We can't expand airports after declaring a climate emergency – let's shift to low-carbon transport instead

The world may finally be waking to the reality of the climate and ecological crisis, after 30 years of inaction. But while the UK government has declared a climate and ecological emergency, ongoing plans for airport expansions suggest we’re flying full-speed towards crisis rather than away from it.
Read more: http://theconversation.com/we-cant-expand-airports-after-declaring-a-climate-emergency-lets-shift-to-low-carbon-transport-instead-120740?source=Snapzu

Ancient Mars tsunami hints at surprisingly wet world

An asteroid hit Mars billions of years ago, forming Lomonosov Crater. It also may have a 1,000-foot-high tsunami that swept across the young Red Planet.
Read more: http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/07/ancient-mars-tsunami-hints-at-surprisingly-wet-world?source=Snapzu

Trump signs bill ensuring 9/11 victims fund will never run out of money

President Donald Trump on Monday signed a bill ensuring that a fund to compensate victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks never runs out of money. "Today we come together as one nation to support our Sept. 11 heroes, to care for their families and to renew our eternal vow, never ever forget,” Trump said before signing the bill.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-signs-bill-ensuring-9-11-victims-fund-will-never-n1035656?source=Snapzu

Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ Handed Defeat in Trial

Katy Perry’s 2013 hit “Dark Horse” infringed on the song “Joyful Noise” by Christian rap artist Marcus Gray, aka Flame, a Los Angeles jury found on July 29.
Read more: https://variety.com/2019/music/news/katy-perry-dark-horse-trial-jury-copyright-infringement-defeat-1203284355/?source=Snapzu

Why we should be very scared by the intrusive menace of facial recognition

On 18 July, the House of Commons select committee on science and technology published an assessment of the work of the biometrics commissioner and the forensic science regulator. My guess is that most citizens have never heard of these two public servants, which is a pity because what they do is important for the maintenance of justice and the protection of liberty and human rights.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/28/why-we-should-be-scared-by-intrusive-menace-of-facial-recognition?source=Snapzu

Safe Deposit Boxes Aren’t Safe

When Philip Poniz opened Box 105 at his local Wells Fargo, he discovered it was empty — and that he was totally unprotected by federal law.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/19/business/safe-deposit-box-theft.html?source=Snapzu

Brazil jail riot leaves more than 50 dead

A fight between rival gangs in a northern Brazilian prison went on for five hours, officials say.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49157858?source=Snapzu

SpaceX Just Unleashed Its Starship Rocket for the First Time

The prototype, called Starhopper, hovered in the air for a few moments. Next stop: Space.
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-starhopper-starship-rocket-first-test-flight/?source=Snapzu

200 reindeer died on an Arctic Island -- and researchers think climate change is to blame

More than 200 reindeer have been found dead this summer in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard -- and climate change appears to be the killer, researchers say.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/29/europe/norway-reindeer-dead-intl-hnk-scli/index.html?source=Snapzu

Sites could be liable for helping Facebook secretly track your web browsing, says EU court

The European Union’s top court says website owners could face legal risk over Facebook’s ubiquitous “Like” buttons. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled today that site owners could be held liable for transmitting data to Facebook without users’ consent — which appears to be exactly what happens when users visit a site with a Like button, whether or not they click it.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/29/8934924/facebook-like-buttons-court-justice-eu-ruling-privacy-data-protection-tracking?source=Snapzu

Trump signs bill ensuring 9/11 victims fund will never run out of money

Uber Lays Off 400 as Profitability Doubts Linger After I.P.O.

Uber said it laid off a third of its marketing team on Monday, or about 400 people, as the ride-hailing company tries to cut costs and streamline its operations after its initial public offering in May.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/29/technology/uber-job-cuts.html?partner=IFTTT?source=Snapzu

A contact lens has been created that zooms in when you blink

Forward-looking: For those who aren’t fans of wearing glasses, contact lenses are a fantastic alternative option. But scientists have found a way to make them even more impressive: allowing users to zoom in on objects just by blinking twice. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, created the amazing soft contact lens by measuring the electrooculographic signals that are generated when eyes make movements such as up and down...
Read more: https://www.techspot.com/news/81186-contact-lens-has-created-zooms-when-you-blink.html?source=Snapzu

Amazon Wants to Rule the Grocery Aisles, and Not Just at Whole Foods

In early 2017, a memo circulated inside Amazon that imagined an ambitious new grocery chain. The document was written like a news release, a common practice for ideas being weighed inside the company, with the title “Grocery Shopping for Everyone.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/28/technology/whole-foods-amazon-grocery.html?source=Snapzu

Jessica Alba's Twitter Account Hacked, Sends Racist and Homophobic Tweets (Report)

Jessica Alba's Twitter account appears to have been hacked early Sunday morning, according to reports and screenshots taken by other Twitter users. Screenshots show a series of racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and other offensive tweets apparently sent out from Alba's account. The messages included slurs that, among other things, praised Hitler, saying he "did nothing wrong," and accused "handicap f****ts" of being the masterminds behind 9/11.
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jessica-albas-twitter-account-hacked-report-1227522?source=Snapzu

Charred forests not growing back as expected after wildfires, researchers say | CBC News

Certain tree species not growing back in low elevation areas; seedlings struggling to survive in Rocky Mountains due to warming temperatures.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/charred-forests-not-growing-back-as-expected-in-pacific-northwest-researchers-say-1.5225825?cmp=rss?source=Snapzu

Monday, 29 July 2019

New Nvidia Shield TV box shows up at FCC

Is Nvidia switching to new Switch processors?
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/26/8931365/nvidia-shield-tv-update-switch-processor?source=Snapzu

Drones will fly for days with new photovoltaic engine

UC Berkeley researchers just broke another record in photovoltaic efficiency, an achievement that could lead to an ultralight engine that can power drones for days.
Read more: https://techxplore.com/news/2019-07-drones-days-photovoltaic.html?source=Snapzu

We Don't Mine Enough Rare Earth Metals to Replace Fossil Fuels With Renewable Energy

Rare earth metals are used in solar panels and wind turbines—as well as electric cars and consumer electronics. We don't recycle them, and there's not enough to meet growing demand.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a3mavb/we-dont-mine-enough-rare-earth-metals-to-replace-fossil-fuels-with-renewable-energy?source=Snapzu

Apple fans might want to brace themselves for bad news about the next iPhone

Experts fear there's a risk of a 'muted product cycle' which will disappoint the Californian tech firm's loyal users.
Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/07/29/apple-fans-brace-bad-news-next-iphone-analysts-say-10478697/?source=Snapzu

Linus Torvalds prepares to wave goodbye to Linux floppy drives

TIme moves on and the venerable, but increasingly rare, floppy drive won't be supported in Linux for much longer.
Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-prepares-to-wave-goodbye-to-linux-floppy-drives/?source=Snapzu

This year’s iPhone should be the last with Lightning

As per usual, rumors surrounding the next iPhone are starting to coalesce into a consistent set of expectations. The latest information comes from the very reliable Guilherme Rambo of 9to5Mac, suggesting that this year’s iPhone 11 will come in two sizes (plus a successor to the iPhone XR), have OLED screens on the top tier devices, keep the same resolution across the entire lineup, add a wide angle camera, improve the selfie camera, have some sort of fancy haptics, and finally: charge via the Lightning connector.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/24/20708177/apple-iphone-11-rumors-usb-c-lightning?source=Snapzu

Amazon Told Police It Has Partnered With 200 Law Enforcement Agencies

At least 200 law enforcement agencies around the country have entered into partnerships with Amazon’s home surveillance company Ring, according to an email obtained by Motherboard via public record request. Ring has never disclosed the exact number of partnerships that it maintains with law enforcement.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5wyjy/amazon-told-police-it-has-partnered-with-200-law-enforcement-agencies?source=Snapzu

Sony’s New Wearable AC Unit Combats Heat From Inside Your T-Shirt

Sony claims that its new wearable AC unit — which is so small it hides completely inside your clothes — can lower your temperature by 13 degrees Celsius and runs for 24 hours on a single charge. Its name is Reon Pocket, and we all need it right now.
Read more: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/sonys-new-wearable-ac-unit-combats-heat-hidden-in-your-t-shirt?source=Snapzu

The world’s five most dangerous countries for women 2018

Thomson Reuters Foundation Annual Poll
Read more: http://poll2018.trust.org/?et_rid=593069104?source=Snapzu

Tesla Semi electric motorhome concept: a zero-emission and self-driving home

As Tesla is preparing to launch its ‘Tesla Semi’ electric truck next year, some are starting to imagine other possible applications than freight transport, like a Tesla Semi electric motorhome. Motorhomes are often associated with freedom. The idea that you can take your entire home on the road and explore the world is extremely appealing to many.
Read more: https://electrek.co/2019/07/29/tesla-semi-electric-motorhome-concept/?source=Snapzu

Santillan, 23, is second boxer to die this week

Boxer Hugo Alfredo "Dinamita" Santillan, a super lightweight for Argentina, died of cardiac arrest resulting from injuries suffered in the ring Saturday in Buenos Aires. He was 23.
Read more: https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/27255784/santillan-23-second-boxer-die-week?source=Snapzu

India is now home to 2,967 tigers, numbers up by 741 in fourth cycle

New Delhi, July 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released the much-awaited All India Tiger Estimation for the year 2018. The report shows a rise of 33 per cent increase in population over the 2014 number of 2,226. Read more at: https://www.oneindia.com/india/2018-tiger-census-report-2018-released-2925659.html
Read more: https://www.oneindia.com/india/2018-tiger-census-report-2018-released-2925659.html?source=Snapzu

Gas plant construction makes WA history by moving 30,000 native animals to safety

Other mining companies urged to follow suit after contractors at Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG plant spend seven years relocating fauna
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jul/26/gas-plant-construction-makes-wa-history-by-moving-30000-native-animals-to-safety?source=Snapzu

The brains of murderers look different from those of people convicted of other crimes—differences that could be linked to how they process empathy and morality.
Read more: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/scientists-studied-brains-more-800-prisoners-heres-what-they-found?source=Snapzu

Why we should be very scared by the intrusive menace of facial recognition

Plant-based eggs join meatless options at Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons is testing an eggless, vegan omelette with customers. If it's a hit, the product will join the growing number of plant-based fast food items being served up to meet a demand for less meat.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tim-hortons-a-w-beyond-meat-egg-plant-based-1.5227188?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar?source=Snapzu

An early look at how Microsoft is sprucing up its 500-acre campus to recruit and keep tech talent

As Microsoft refines its 500-acre campus outside Seattle, it's bearing in mind four values: accessible, connected, secure and sustainable.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/28/microsoft-freshens-up-campus-buildings-with-history-and-modernity.html?source=Snapzu

Bethesda just released DOOM and DOOM II on the Play Store

In celebration of DOOM's 25th anniversary, Bethesda has released official ports for DOOM and DOOM II on the Google Play Store. Each title is available for $4.99, and since they are both premium releases, you won't have to worry about any advertisements or in-app purchases.
Read more: https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/07/26/bethesda-doom-ii-android/?source=Snapzu

Russi Taylor Dies: Voice Of Minnie Mouse Was 75

Voice actor and Disney Legend Russi Taylor, the official voice of Minnie Mouse for many years, died in Glendale, Calif. Friday. She was 75 years old and her death was announced by the Walt Disney C…
Read more: https://deadline.com/2019/07/russi-taylor-dies-voice-of-minnie-mouse-was-75-1202655753/?source=Snapzu

Wednesday, 31 July 2019

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