schwit1 shares a report from ZDNet: Cyberattackers have turned to search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to deploy malware payloads to as many victims as possible. According to Sophos, the so-called search engine “deoptimization” method includes both SEO tricks and the abuse of human psychology to push websites that have been compromised up Google’s rankings. SEO optimization is used by webmasters to…
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Cuttlefish show self-control, pass ‘marshmallow test’
They resisted the temptation to eat up the fishy snack knowing they could get a better one if they waited. Source: https://www.livescience.com/cuttlefish-pass-marshmallow-test.html
Gulf Stream at its weakest in over 1,000 years
A new study suggests that the Gulf Stream – an Atlantic Ocean current that plays a large role in shaping Earth’s weather patterns – is weaker now than at any point in the last 1,000 years. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/gulf-stream-atlantic-weakest-in-over-1000-years…
CVS, Walgreens Look For Big Data Reward From Covid-19 Vaccinations
Thelasko shares a report from The Wall Street Journal: Administering Covid-19 vaccines comes with a valuable perk for retail pharmacies: access to troves of consumer data. Chains such as CVS Health Corp., Walmart Inc. and Walgreens-Boots Alliance, Inc. are collecting data from millions of customers as they sign up for shots, enrolling them in patient systems and having recipients register customer…
Volvo To Go All Electric By 2030
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Volvo’s entire car lineup will be fully electric by 2030, the Chinese-owned company said on Tuesday, joining a growing number of automakers planning to phase out fossil-fuel engines by the end of this decade. “I am totally convinced there will be no customers who really want to stay with a petrol engine,” Volvo…
Microsoft Launches Power Fx, a New Open Source Low-Code Language
Microsoft today announced Power Fx, a new low-code language that “will become the standard for writing logic customization across Microsoft’s own low-code Power Platform,” reports TechCrunch. “[S]ince the company is open-sourcing the language, Microsoft also hopes others will implement it as well and that it will become the de facto standard for these kinds of use cases.” From the report: Microsoft…
New Technique Reveals Centuries of Secrets in Locked Letters
M.I.T. researchers have devised a virtual-reality technique that lets them read old letters that were mailed not in envelopes but in the writing paper itself after being folded into elaborate enclosures. From a report: In 1587, hours before her beheading, Mary, Queen of Scots, sent a letter to her brother-in-law Henry III, King of France. But she didn’t just sign it…
Microsoft’s Dream of Decentralized IDs Enters the Real World
For years, tech companies have touted blockchain technology as a means to develop identity systems that are secure and decentralized. The goal is to build a platform that could store information about official data without holding the actual documents or details themselves. Instead of just storing a scan of your birth certificate, for example, a decentralized ID platform might store a…
User Says Apple Disabled His iCloud, App Store, and Apple ID Accounts After Payment To Apple Card Failed
Dustin Curtis, writing on his blog: About ten days ago, when I went to update a few apps in the App Store on my Mac, I was met with a curious error: “Your account has been disabled in the App Store and iTunes.” The internet is filled with stories from people whose Google accounts were locked for unexplained reasons, causing them…
Mercury’s greatest elongation Mar 6, 2021
Mercury, the innermost planet, has a close conjunction with the king planet Jupiter on March 5, and then reaches its greatest elongation from the sun on March 6. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/mercurys-greatest-elongation-march-6-2021…