ReHacked vol. 237: 47 Anime for 47 Prefectures in Japan, Who Runs the Best U.S. Schools?, The Evolution of Tunnel Boring Machines and more
...let the Russian soldiers and the Russian people know that this is an unjust war that is not provoked. --A.Schwarzenegger
The Evolution of Tunnel Boring Machines - by Brian Potter #engineering #history #longread
Tunneling is an important technology for modern civilization, as a tunnel is often the only reasonable way to create a direct path between two points. When the Hoosac tunnel was completed in 1875, it turned a difficult, 20-mile railroad route along “precipitous grades” into a direct 5 mile route, connecting Boston with the Upper Hudson Valley. Large infrastructure projects such as hydroelectric dams often require tunnels to function. The Hoover Dam required more than 3 miles of tunnels 56 feet in diameter to divert the Colorado River around the construction site. And a tunnel can be used to create new land beneath dense urban areas, making it possible to build large-scale horizontal infrastructure like sewers or mass transit that wouldn’t be feasible to build above ground.
Make a donation - support Ukraine
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights | Supporting women and LGBTQI+ people in and around Ukraine
Voices of Children | Helping children in Ukraine affected by conflict
Support the Armed Forces of Ukraine | via National Bank of Ukraine
Don’t forget to share if you like what you read here, subscribe (if not yet) and leave a comment. Any form of your feedback is very important to me. Thanks!
RSS feed available if you don’t want to clutter your inbox.
CIA publicly acknowledges 1953 coup it backed in Iran was undemocratic as it revisits ‘Argo’ rescue #history #politics #longread
While revealing new details about one of the most famed CIA operations of all times — the spiriting out of six American diplomats who escaped the 1979 U.S. Embassy seizure in Iran — the intelligence agency for the first time has acknowledged something else as well.
The CIA now officially describes the 1953 coup it backed in Iran that overthrew its prime minister and cemented the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as undemocratic.
Other American officials have made similar remarks in the past, but the CIA’s acknowledgment in a podcast about the agency’s history comes as much of its official history of the coup remains classified 70 years after the putsch. That complicates the public’s understanding of an event that still resonates, as tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington over the Islamic Republic’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, its aiding of militia groups across the Mideast and as it cracks down on dissent.
FBI warns against using public USB charging ports - ABC News #security
"Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers," the FBI Denver said. "Bad actors have figured out ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and monitoring software onto devices. Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead."
The FBI didn't respond to ABC News' request for comment on whether there has been a rise in malicious activity related to the cyber-theft tactic known as "juice jacking."
The Book of Razor Edge Sharpening #link #pdf #book
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of sound waves to break down tumors—a technique called histotripsy—in humans for liver treatment.
Pioneered at the University of Michigan, histotripsy offers a promising alternative to cancer treatments such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which often have significant side effects. Today, FDA officials awarded clearance to HistoSonics, a company co-founded in 2009 by U-M engineers and doctors for the use of histotripsy to destroy targeted liver tissue.
How to cook ground meat perfectly every time! - The Blind Kitchen #accessibility
Cooking ground meats to be sure they are fully cooked and not overcooked can be tricky for a blind or visually impaired person. Here are a few steps to make sure ground meat is cooked perfectly every time.
Microsoft to kill off VBScript in Windows to block malware delivery #software #security
Microsoft is planning to phase out VBScript in future Windows releases after 30 years of use, making it an on-demand feature until it is removed.
VBScript (also known as Visual Basic Script or Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition) is a programming language similar to Visual Basic or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and was introduced almost 30 years ago, in August 1996.
Nevertheless, there are now MPs who say, “Well, I feel this is going to work. I have confidence in this.” While the scientists, including the real scientists who came here tonight, say, “Well, we don’t see how this could work well enough”.
And then government then says, “Let’s start this experiment with those 500 million Europeans.”
WhatsApp and Telegram - well, Telegram is not going to implement this law, but WhatsApp will. They will not hesitate to announce this to all their users with a large EU logo. “Pay attention, the EU is watching you. We have installed software on your phone, on behalf of the government that will keep an eye on you.”
And I don’t think that is going to go down very well.
Who Runs the Best U.S. Schools? It May Be the Defense Department. - The New York Times #society #education
For starters, families have access to housing and health care through the military, and at least one parent has a job.
“Having as many of those basic needs met does help set the scene for learning to occur,” said Jessica Thorne, the principal at E.A. White Elementary, a school of about 350 students.
Her teachers are also well paid, supported by a Pentagon budget that allocates $3 billion to its schools each year, far more than comparably sized school districts. While much of the money goes toward the complicated logistics of operating schools internationally, the Defense Department estimates that it spends about $25,000 per student, on par with the highest-spending states like New York, and far more than states like Arizona, where spending per student is about $10,000 a year.
NASA: Capillary Cup | Vignelli Center | RIT #space #engineering #interesting
The Capillary Cup is a zero-gravity cup designed by NASA astronaut Donald Pettit on the International Space Station. The product is an open drinking cup designed to be used in a microgravity environment, developed from Pettit’s desire to drink water without a bag and straw in outer space.
OpenIntroStat/ims: 📚 Introduction to Modern Statistics #datascience #learning
Introduction to Modern Statistics - A college-level open-source textbook with a modern approach highlighting multivariable relationships and simulation-based inference.
47 Anime for 47 Prefectures in Japan | Tokyo Weekender #culture #art #longread
Japanese animation can be a vehicle to take you all around Japan, from legendary temples and nature spots, to small-town streets and convenience stores. Very often the locations are drawn in so much detail, that they seem like copies of real-life places. Here’s a list of all 47 prefectures in Japan and anime that take place in each prefecture.
What’s Up with Japan’s Women-only Cars? Tokyo Weekender #history #culture #japan
Japan’s women-only cars date back to 1912. The Chuo Line, in Tokyo, was the first to introduce the system for schoolgirls during rush hour. In the 1920s and 1930s, women-only trams were seen in Kobe. After World War II, more train cars reserved for women and children emerged, though this system was replaced in 1973 with priority seating for the elderly, people with disabilities and expecting mothers.
The women-only car system of the Japanese metro that we know today only emerged in the early 2000s, when reported chikan cases were at an all-time high. After much rallying by anti-harassment organizations in the 1990s, the Railroad Police finally started taking these cases seriously.
In a victory for privacy advocates and consumers, the California governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that would enable residents to request that their personal information be deleted from the coffers of all the data brokers in the state.
The bill, SB 362, otherwise known as the Delete Act, was introduced in April 2023 by the state senator Josh Becker in an attempt to give Californians more control over their privacy. Californians already have a right to request their data be deleted under current state privacy laws, but it requires filing a request with each individual company.
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about his self-help book 'Be Useful' : NPR #personality
Austria rail operator OeBB unveils new night trains #transportation #environment #europe
Austrian rail operator OeBB on Saturday unveiled its new generation of sleeper trains—a response to demands from travelers for less pollutant alternatives to planes and petrol or diesel cars.
Night trains are starting to make a comeback in Europe thanks to their low-carbon footprint and after years of neglect, operators are now investing heavily to replace their aging rolling stock.
State-owned OeBB, which operates 20 rail routes across Europe, has been a pioneer in reviving such services.
The company has Europe's largest fleet of sleeper trains and hopes to double the number of its overnight passengers from 1.5 million to three million by 2030.
If you would like to propose any interesting article for the next ReHacked issue, just hit reply or push this sexy “Leave a comment” (if not subscribed yet) button below. It’s a nice way to start a discussion.
Thanks for reading this digest and remember: we can make it better together, just leave your opinion or suggestions after pressing this button above or simply hit the reply in your e-mail and don’t forget - sharing is caring ;) Have a great week!
Dainius
