ReHacked vol. 208: Some Interesting BOINC projects, A Cyberpunk Bathroom in the Middle of Nowhere, In Memoriam: Gordon Moore and more
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Distributed computing for good
After mentioning the retire of SETI@home in previous volume, I got links of some more interesting distributed computing projects (thanks to Rytis - the creator of below mentioned PrimeGrid).
PrimeGrid
PrimeGrid's primary goal is to advance mathematics by enabling everyday computer users to contribute their system's processing power towards prime finding. By simply downloading and installing BOINC and attaching to the PrimeGrid project, participants can choose from a variety of prime forms to search. With a little patience, you may find a large or even record breaking prime and enter into Chris Caldwell's The Largest Known Primes Database with a multi-million digit prime!
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Einstein@Home
Einstein@Home uses your computer's idle time to search for weak astrophysical signals from spinning neutron stars (often called pulsars) using data from the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors, the MeerKAT radio telescope, the Fermi gamma-ray satellite, as well as archival data from the Arecibo radio telescope.
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LHC@home
This a volunteer computing project that uses Internet-connected computers to advance Particle and Accelerator Physics. Participate by downloading and running a free program on your computer. By default, you can run the classic LHC@home application Sixtrack, for simulations of accelerator physics, and help researchers at CERN to improve the LHC.
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Rosetta@home
By running Rosetta@home on your computer when you're not using it you will speed up and extend our efforts to design new proteins and to predict their 3-dimensional shapes. Proteins are the molecular machines and building blocks of life.
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Charity Engine
Charity Engine doesn't just raise money for charities, it also donates huge computing power to scientific and medical research projects.
140 megapixels image of the Sun #astronomy
The Undeniable Street View #war #ukraine #terrorussia
One of the biggest weapons of war will always be the truth. So to mark one year since the invasion and terror began, come see for yourself the undeniable truth of a crime that has and is still being inflicted on the people of Ukraine. Through Street View, walk the streets of 6 Ukrainian cities and regions that have found themselves on the front line and witness the Russian aggression against civilian infrastructure up close.
Managers Exploit Loyal Workers Over Less Committed Colleagues | Duke Today #career
Company loyalty is a double-edged sword, according to a new study. Managers target loyal workers over less committed colleagues when doling out unpaid work and additional job tasks.
“Companies want loyal workers, and there is a ton of research showing that loyal workers provide all sorts of positive benefits to companies,” said Matthew Stanley, Ph.D., the lead researcher on the new paper and postdoctoral researcher at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. “But it seems like managers are apt to target them for exploitative practices.”
That’s the main conclusion from a series of experiments conducted by Stanley and his colleagues Chris Neck, Ph.D. and Chris Neck, father-and-son researchers at Arizona State University and West Virginia University, respectively.
Cloudflare Disables Access to 'Pirated' Content on its IPFS Gateway * TorrentFreak #copyrights
Cloudflare helps to provide access to millions of websites on the regular web. The company also offers an IPFS gateway, making it easier to access content on the censorship-resistant storage network. Unlike its CDN and DNS services, Cloudflare reports that it disables IPFS access in response to copyright abuse complaints.
In Memoriam: Gordon Moore, 1929 - 2023 #inmemoriam
With his characteristic humility and word economy, Gordon Moore once wrote “my career as an entrepreneur happened quite by accident.” A brilliant scientist, business leader and philanthropist, Gordon co-founded and led two pioneering technology enterprises, Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, and, with his wife, Betty, created one of the largest private grantmaking foundations in the U.S., the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
He may argue that his career as an entrepreneur happened by accident, but his world-changing contributions did not. Never one to trumpet his own accomplishments, Gordon wasn’t able to dissuade others from celebrating his wide and long-reaching legacy: the revolutionary technologies and breakthroughs, a long and generous history of philanthropy, and the very culture of experimentation, invention and relentless progress that now defines Silicon Valley.
Judge Decides Against Internet Archive | File 770 #copyrights
Each enumerated fair use factor favors the Publishers, and although these factors are not exclusive, IA has identified no additional relevant considerations. At bottom, IA’s fair use defense rests on the notion that lawfully acquiring a copyrighted print book entitles the recipient to make an unauthorized copy and distribute it in place of the print book, so long as it does not simultaneously lend the print book. But no case or legal principle supports that notion. Every authority points the other direction. Of course, IA remains entitled to scan and distribute the many public domain books in its collection. See Pls.’ 56.1 ¶ 294. It also may use its scans of the Works in Suit, or other works in its collection, in a manner consistent with the uses deemed to be fair in Google Books and HathiTrust. What fair use does not allow, however, is the mass reproduction and distribution of complete copyrighted works in a way that does not transform those works and that creates directly competing substitutes for the originals. Because that is what IA has done with respect to the Works in Suit, its defense of fair use fails as a matter of law.
Severe security flaw found in the Markup tool on Pixel phones #security
A serious vulnerability found in the Markup tool on Pixel phones can let hackers unredact and uncrop edited screenshots. Identified by security researcher Simon Aarons, the flaw is dubbed “Acropalypse” and has been assigned a CVE ID (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures).
Google Suspends Chinese E-Commerce App Pinduoduo Over Malware – Krebs on Security #security
Google says it has suspended the app for the Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo after malware was found in versions of the software. The move comes just weeks after Chinese security researchers published an analysis suggesting the popular e-commerce app sought to seize total control over affected devices by exploiting multiple security vulnerabilities in a variety of Android-based smartphones.
In November 2022, researchers at Google’s Project Zero warned about active attacks on Samsung mobile phones which chained together three security vulnerabilities that Samsung patched in March 2021, and which would have allowed an app to add or read any files on the device.
Relativity Space's 3D-printed rocket fails to reach orbit on historic test flight | Space #space #engineering
The world's first 3D-printed rocket didn't earn its wings during its launch debut late Wednesday (March 22), but it did notch some important milestones.
The Relativity Space rocket, called Terran 1, lifted off from Launch Complex 16 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 8:25 p.m. EST (0025 GMT on March 23), kicking off a test flight called "Good Luck, Have Fun" (GLHF).
Terran 1 performed well initially. For example, it survived Max-Q — the part of flight during which the structural loads are highest on a rocket — and its first and second stages separated successfully. But something went wrong shortly thereafter, at around three minutes into the flight, when the rocket failed to reach orbit.
Sex Worker-Led Payment Platform Shuts Down After Being Cut Off by Processor #blockchain
Adult industry cryptocurrency payment platform SpankPay announced on Monday that it is closing down, after facing the same banking discrimination it aimed to help sex workers avoid.
“After a long and difficult consideration, we have decided to close down SpankPay, our crypto payment processor that we built as a safe haven for our community,” SpankPay tweeted. “Rest assured your money is safe and we’ll get it to you as soon as possible.”
Do Kwon Arrested in Montenegro: Interior Minister #blockchain #crypto
The founder of Terraform Labs, Do Kwon, appears to have been arrested in Montenegro, according to a tweet by the country's minister of interior, Filip Adzic.
"Montenegrin police have detained a person suspected of being one of the most wanted fugitives, South Korean citizen Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Singapore-based Terraform Labs," Adzic tweeted.
Kwon has been the target of several investigations and was even on Interpol's red notice after stablecoin terraUSD (UST) and its $40 billion ecosystem imploded last year, sending shockwaves across the crypto markets.
On This Day in Japan: Aum's Sarin Gas Attack | Tokyo Weekender #history
On March 20 in 1995, Japan experienced the most severe attack on these shores since the end of World War II. On this occasion, though, the enemy came from within rather than overseas. Five members of the cult movement Aum Shinrikyo set off packages containing sarin gas at prearranged stations near the capital’s central government district. They killed 14 people and injured more than 6,000. Had the sarin been pure, the fatalities would have been significantly higher. It was an attack that sent shock waves throughout the country.
What is Tofu? And How to Use It | Tokyo Weekender #history #culture #gastronomy
Tofu was brought to Japan during the Nara Period (710–794) by Chinese Buddhist monks. For many years, it was a key ingredient in shojin ryori (traditional Buddhist meals), until it became more widespread in the Edo Period (1603-1867). In the 1960s, after looking into its health benefits, the Japanese Food Research Institute helped to modernize and promote tofu across Japan.
What is tofu made of?
Tofu is made from soybean curd. The curdling soy milk is drained with the liquid pressed out. Essentially, it can be described as firm, condensed soy milk.
A Cyberpunk Bathroom in the Middle of Nowhere #world #interesting
Advertisements straddle 48,756 miles of asphalt like 60-foot weeds. US billboards are windows into America’s soul: strip clubs, bible verses, casinos, lawyers, and fast food.
And if billboards are windows, gas stations are doors. Gas stations compress car culture and consumerism into a corporate copy/paste container. Pump your SUV full of corn oil while you purchase cigarettes, beer, and junk food.
There’s a giant ice cream sundae building between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The ice cream sundae conceals a giant water tank at “California’s largest gas station”. Welcome to Eddie World.
The first three dimensions—length, height, and depth—are included on all topographical maps. The “fourth dimension,” or time, is also available on the website of the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo). In the “Journey Through Time,” a timeline displays 175 years of the country’s cartographic history, advancing in increments of 5-10 years. Over the course of two minutes, Switzerland is drawn and redrawn with increasing precision: inky shapes take on hard edges, blues and browns appear after the turn of the century, and in 2016, the letters drop their serifs.
DPReview.com to close: Digital Photography Review #internet #history
After nearly 25 years of operation, DPReview will be closing in the near future. This difficult decision is part of the annual operating plan review that our parent company shared earlier this year.
The site will remain active until April 10, and the editorial team is still working on reviews and looking forward to delivering some of our best-ever content.
How to turn off Wi-Fi calling on Android to combat hackers #security #hardware
The devices affected are:
- Samsung Galaxy phones, including those in the S22, M33, M13, M12, A71, A53, A33, A21, A13, A12 and A04 series
- Vivo phones, including those in the S16, S15, S6, X70, X60 and X30 series
- Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Any wearables that use the Exynos W920 chipset
- Any vehicles that use the Exynos Auto T5123 chipset
Minimal Website Gallery – inspiration #design
Fly Spaceships, Battle Aliens and Drive a ‘Crazy Taxi’ At This Oakland Museum #fun #history #computers
About 15 years ago, the museum’s founder, a video game enthusiast and tech journalist named Alex Handy, stumbled upon a truly rare find at Oakland’s Laney College Flea Market—an unreleased version of Cabbage Patch Kids: Adventures in the Park for the Atari 2600 home gaming console.
Many would have looked right past the obscure piece of video game history. Instead, Handy built an entire museum around it.
A decade-and-a-half later, Handy and the rest of the team at “the MADE” are the stewards of the Bay Area’s only all-playable video game museum.
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