Dan Drollette shares an article by two staffers at the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. “Indian officials acknowledged on October 30th that a cyberattack occurred at the country’s Kudankulam nuclear power plant,” they write, adding that “According to last Monday’s Washington Post, Kudankulam is India’s biggest nuclear power plant, ‘equipped…
Tag: classified
Is Hygiea now the smallest dwarf planet?
New images from ESO’s Very Large Telescope show that asteroid Hygiea is round, meaning that it may now be classified as the smallest-known dwarf planet in our solar system. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-hygiea-smallest-known-dwarf-planet-very-large-telescope-eso…
In classical and quantum secure communication practical randomness is incomplete
Random bit sequences are key ingredients of various tasks in modern life and especially in secure communication. In a new study researchers have determined that generating true random bit sequences, classical or quantum, is an impossible mission. Based on these findings, they have demonstrated a new method of classified secure communication. …
Pentagon Awaits Possible Amazon Challenge Over Cloud Deal
Amazon must decide soon if it will protest the Pentagon’s awarding of a $10 billion cloud computing contract to rival Microsoft, with one possible grievance being the unusual attention given the project by President Donald Trump. From a report: Amazon was long thought to be the front-runner in the competition for the huge military contract. Its Amazon Web Services division is…
ESO telescope reveals what could be the smallest dwarf planet yet in the solar system
Astronomers using ESO’s SPHERE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that the asteroid Hygiea could be classified as a dwarf planet. The object is the fourth largest in the asteroid belt after Ceres, Vesta and Pallas. For the first time, astronomers have observed Hygiea in sufficiently high resolution to study its surface and determine its shape and size….
After Two Years The Air Force’s X-37B Space Plane Finally Lands
“An unpiloted Air Force X-37B spaceplane, one of two winged orbiters used to carry out classified research, made a surprise landing at the Kennedy Space Center early Sunday to close out a record 780-day mission,” reports CBS News: It was the fifth flight in the secretive Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) program, pushing total time aloft to 2,865 days. “This program continues…
Facebook Is Launching a News Section — and Will Pay Some Publishers Millions
Facebook is planning to launch its news section on Friday, “which will give users a way to scan headlines and read some news stories — and which will give some publishers, like News Corp, millions of dollars a year for making their journalism available to Facebook,” reports Recode. From the report: News Corp CEO Robert Thomson and his boss, News Corp…
Montreal Law Firm Looks To Launch Class-Action Lawsuit Against Fortnite Developer
Dave Knott writes: A Montreal legal firm has requested authorization to launch a class-action lawsuit against Epic Games, makers of the widely-popular video game Fortnite. The legal notice, filed on behalf of two minors, likens the effect of the game to cocaine, saying it releases the chemical dopamine to the brain of vulnerable young people who can become dependent on playing….
UFOs Are Real — and You Were Never Supposed to See Them, Military Official Says
Remember those viral UFO videos you saw last year? The government would like you to forget them, please. Source: https://www.livescience.com/navy-ufo-videos-authentic-classified.html
Fomalhaut: The loneliest star
It’s also sometimes called the autumn star for us in the Northern Hemisphere. In its large dark patch of sky, only Fomalhaut shines brightly. Here’s how to see it. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/solitary-fomalhaut-guards-the-southern-sky…