Tag: Cracking

Cracking a decades-old test, researchers bolster case for quantum mechanics

In a new study, researchers demonstrate creative tactics to get rid of loopholes that have long confounded tests of quantum mechanics. With their innovative method, the researchers were able to demonstrate quantum interactions between two particles spaced more than 180 meters (590 feet) apart while eliminating the possibility that shared events during the past 11 years affected their interaction. …

Judges Begin Ruling Against Some Porn Purveyors’ Use of Copyright Lawsuits

Slashdot reader pgmrdlm quotes Bloomberg: Pornography producers and sellers account for the lion’s share of copyright-infringement lawsuits in the U.S. — and judges may have seen enough. The courts are cracking down on porn vendors that file thousands of lawsuits against people for downloading and trading racy films on home computers, using tactics a judge called a “high tech shakedown.” [Alternate…

CES 2020 Will Allow Sex Toys But Crack Down On ‘Sexually Revealing’ Clothing

The Consumer Electronics Show will allow sex toys to win awards and be presented on the show floor next year under the show’s health and wellness section. “The Consumer Technology Association, which runs the show, says they’re being included on a ‘one-year trial basis,’ meant to assess how they fit into the category,” reports The Verge. The group is also cracking…

Are Amazon’s ‘Ring’ Doorbells Creating A Massive Police Surveillance Network?

“Police departments are piggybacking on Ring’s network to build out their surveillance networks…” reports CNET, adding that Ring “helps police avoid roadblocks for surveillance technology, whether a lack of funding or the public’s concerns about privacy.” While residential neighborhoods aren’t usually lined with security cameras, the smart doorbell’s popularity has essentially created private surveillance networks powered by Amazon and promoted by…

Theresa May, Undone by Brexit, To Resign as UK Prime Minister

Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain surrendered to mounting pressure from her lawmakers on Friday and said she would step aside as leader, after almost three years of trying and failing to lead Britain out of the European Union. From a report: Mrs. May said she would stand aside as leader of the Conservative Party on June 7, but remain as…

Senate Passes Bill Cracking Down On Robocalls

The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that aims to crack down on unwanted robocalls. “The legislation would impose stiffer fines of as much as $10,000 per call on robocallers who knowingly flout the rules on calls and would increase the statute of limitations to three years, up from one year,” reports CNN. “It also instructs the Federal Communications Commission to…

Chimpanzees eat tortoises after smashing them open on tree trunks

A group of chimpanzees in Gabon has figured out how to eat tortoises by cracking open their shells against tree trunks — further evidence of the apes’ ingenuity Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2204309-chimpanzees-eat-tortoises-after-smashing-them-open-on-tree-trunks/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

New evidence for Pluto’s subsurface ocean

Does Pluto have an ocean? That idea seems preposterous at first, but a new study adds to the growing evidence for a subsurface ocean on this distant dwarf planet … and explains how it stays liquid. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/pluto-subsurface-ocean-methane-gas-hydrate-layer…

Who Killed America’s Demo Scene?

Jason Koebler shares Vice’s analysis of demoparties — “gatherings where programmers showcase artistic audiovisual works, known as demos, after a day- or days-long coding marathon that is part bacchanal and part competition” — starting with a visit to New York’s Synchrony.
I had arrived just in time to catch the end of a set by the electronic musician Melody Loveless, who was…