schwit1 shares a report from the New York Times flagging America’s surprising low usage of an engineering technique protecting buildings from earthquakes:
Chile, China, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Turkey and other countries vulnerable to earthquakes have adopted the technologies to varying degrees. But with notable exceptions, including Apple’s new headquarters in Silicon Valley, the innovations have been used only sparingly in the United…
Tag: federal
Bloomberg To Put $500 Million Into Closing All Remaining Coal Plants By 2030
In what marks the largest ever philanthropic effort to combat climate change, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pledging $500 million to close all of the nation’s remaining coal plants by 2030 and put the United States on track toward a 100% clean energy economy. The New York Times reports: The new campaign, called Beyond Carbon, is designed to…
Germany: Backdoor Found in Four Smartphone Models; 20,000 Users Infected
An anonymous reader shares a report: The German Federal Office for Information Security (or the Bundesamt fur Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik — BSI) has issued security alerts today warning about dangerous backdoor malware found embedded in the firmware of at least four smartphone models sold in the country. Impacted models include the Doogee BL7000, the M-Horse Pure 1, the Keecoo P11,…
Retired Georgia Tech Professor Is Suing Uber, Lyft For Patent Infringement
McGruber shares a report from American City Business Journals: A retired Georgia Tech professor is suing ride-sharing giant Uber, claiming he invented the technology that “is absolutely core to the way in which Uber operates its business.” In a complaint filed May 31 in federal court, Stephen Dickerson charges that Uber is infringing on a patent he won in 2004 for…
Nation’s Most Ambitious Project To Clean Up Nuclear Weapons Waste Has Stalled At Hanford
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Los Angeles Times: The Energy Department’s most environmentally important and technically ambitious project to clean up Cold War nuclear weapons waste has stalled, putting at jeopardy an already long-delayed effort to protect the Columbia River in central Washington. In a terse letter last week, state officials said the environmental project is at risk of…
GM and Fiat Chrysler Unmasked As Tesla’s Secret Source of Cash
For years, Tesla has hauled in revenue by selling credits to other carmakers that needed to offset sales of polluting vehicles to U.S. consumers. While these transactions have largely been shrouded in secrecy, Bloomberg reports that General Motors and Fiat Chrysler have recently disclosed to the state that they reached agreements to buy federal greenhouse gas credits from Tesla. The filings…
House Committee Votes To Continue Research Ban On Genetically Modified Babies
A congressional committee voted this week to continue a federal ban on creating genetically modified babies in the United States. From a report: The House Appropriations Committee voted to retain the ban after the prohibition had been lifted last month by a subcommittee. The vote was part of debate over routine funding legislation for the Food and Drug Administration. “This is…
Watchdog Says FBI Has Access To About 640M Photographs
JustAnotherOldGuy writes: A government watchdog says the FBI has access to about 640 million photographs — including from driver’s licenses, passports and mugshots — that can be searched using facial recognition technology. The figure reflects how the technology is becoming an increasingly powerful law enforcement tool, but is also stirring fears about the potential for authorities to intrude on the lives…
SEC Sues Kik Over $100 Million ICO
The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Kik for illegally raising $100 million through a 2017 digital-token sale, in one of its highest profile cases targeting a company for not registering an offering with the regulator. From a report: After losing money for years on its sole product, an online-messaging application, Kik raised more than $55 million from U.S. investors by selling…
Pipeline Protesters Could Face up to 20 Years in Prison Under New Trump Proposal
Jake Johnson – The Trump administration unveiled a proposal that would criminalize pipeline protests at the federal level. Source: https://www.wakingtimes.com/2019/06/04/pipeline-protesters-could-face-up-to-20-years-in-prison-under-new-trump-proposal/…