ReHacked #43: Artist Faked Being a Billionaire to Photograph New York City's Best Views, Hi-tech Weapon in Havana since 90's and more interesting stories

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This Artist Faked Being a Billionaire to Photograph New York City's Best Views #society #culture #art

We’ve all wondered how the other half lives, but how many of us have fabricated an identity to find out? That’s what Hungarian artist Andi Schmied did: As “Gabriella,” an ultrawealthy European socialite searching for a New York apartment, Schmied was granted access to more than two dozen of New York’s most luxurious properties, many on the southern end of Central Park along what’s affectionately called Billionaires’ Row.

Her limited-edition book Private Views: A High-rise Panorama of Manhattan presents photos from excursions to places like 432 Park Avenue, the Ritz-Carlton Residences at 50 Central Park South, and the Steinway Tower at 111 West 57th Street, superimposed with text from realtors’ over-the-top sales pitches.

Beatport's Definitive History of Techno #music #culture #history #longread

Flu Has Disappeared Worldwide during the COVID Pandemic #health

Since the novel coronavirus began its global spread, influenza cases reported to the World Health Organization have dropped to minuscule levels. The reason, epidemiologists think, is that the public health measures taken to keep the coronavirus from spreading also stop the flu. Influenza viruses are transmitted in much the same way as SARS-CoV-2, but they are less effective at jumping from host to host.

This is the first house to be 3D printed from raw earth #technology

Multiple printers constructed the building in 200 hours using local soil, meaning it’s zero-waste and needed no materials to be transported to the site.

EU: Apple’s App Store breaks competition rules after Spotify complaint #copyrights

Apple has “abused its dominant position” in the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store, the European Commission said Friday.

“Our preliminary finding is that Apple exercises considerable market power in the distribution of music streaming apps to owners of Apple devices. On that market, Apple has a monopoly,” Margrethe Vestager, the head of competition policy in the EU, said in a press conference.

Beginner’s Guide to Mechanical Keyboards - Jenny’s Newsletter #hardware

Taiwan bans recruitment for jobs in China to combat brain drain #economy

Taiwan has told staffing companies to remove all listings for jobs in China, a drastic move to prevent the outflow of vital tech talent to the mainland amid rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing.

The Labor Ministry said that all Taiwanese and foreign staffing companies on the island as a general rule may no longer post openings for jobs located in China, especially those involving critical industries such as integrated circuits and semiconductors, according to a notice seen by Nikkei Asia.

Muse Group formed to support MuseScore, Ultimate Guitar; acquires Audacity #software

The company that already owns the music notation software and online catalog MuseScore and the Ultimate Guitar community and guitar tab catalog has announced its acquisition of Audacity, the popular free audio editing software. Together with its support of the assignment management platform MuseClass and song learning and effects app Tonebridge, the new company is known as Muse Group, it announced in a press release this week.

SSD Makers start warning that Mining Products Like Chia Coin Will Void Warranty #hardware

“If users use our SSDs for mining/farming and other abnormal operations, the data writing volume is much higher than the standard for daily use, and the SSD will slow down or get damaged due to excessive data writing volume. Due to the tests carried out, the damages are qualitative according to the test results, and that is why according to the quality assurance standards of our SSDs, we have the right to refuse to provide warranty services. The right of final interpretation belongs to the company."

Fediverse.Party - explore fediverse software #software

Havana syndrome: NSA officer’s case hints at microwave attacks since 90s #world #politics #longread

When Mike Beck developed a rare form of Parkinson’s US intelligence concluded he was the victim of a hi-tech weapon

When the first reports surfaced of a mysterious disorder that was afflicting dozens of US diplomats in Cuba, Mike Beck’s reaction was one of recognition and relief.

Beck, a retired National Security Agency counterintelligence officer, was at his home in Maryland, scrolling through the day’s news on his computer when he spotted the story, and remembers shouting out to his wife.

“I got excited because I thought: well, it’s coming out now that it’s not a mirage,” Beck said. “I felt bad for the victims but thought: ‘Now I’m no longer one of one. I’m one of many.’”

Beck had been forced into retirement in late 2016 by a rare early-onset, non-tremor form of Parkinson’s disease, and he had evidence, supplied by the NSA and the CIA, that he could have been the victim of a deliberate attack from a microwave weapon.

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