I've been posting news summaries on a subreddit (of one) for testing purposes. In the past 30 minutes or so, I wrote the console script above to post the news summaries to one's console. Sample output follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------ TIL Snuffeupagus became a real character (instead of Big Bird's imaginary friend) because of a string of high profile child sexual abuse cases. The writers didn't want children to be afraid of telling their parents about being abused because of the fear of not being believed. Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://mentalfloss.com/article/71281/oral-history-30-years-ago-mr-snuffleupagus-shocked-sesame-street: Secondary menu Sections Sesame Street via Facebook Introduced during the third-season premiere of Sesame Street on November 8, 1971, Aloysius Snuffleupagus proved immediately indispensable: Lacking a watering pot, Big Bird was delighted to see the massive, lumbering creature use his trunk to tend to his garden.News media described him as a large and friendly monster resembling an anteater. Then-executive producer Dulcy Singer and writer Tony Geiss agreed he would be Big Birds not-quite-real frienda reflection of the wandering imaginations of the shows preschool-aged audience.I think the initial idea was really to be ambiguous in the sense that, well, Big Bird says hes real and the audience sees him and yet he always manages to not be there when the other people were thereso is he real or isnt he real? Stiles: You really had to believe that it was just terrible coincidences and quirks of Snuffys own personality that made it so that he just wasnt there when Big Bird wanted him to be there to introduce him to his friends.This would continue for several more years, which eventually began to wear on the nerves of both Robinson and Caroll Spinney, the actor who has portrayed Big Bird since his inception in 1969.As performers, as Muppeteers, as artists, you can only carry a story so far before you have to do something else with it.If Big Birdostensibly the shows stand-in for the 6-year-old viewing audiencewas being brushed aside when trying to convince people Snuffleupagus was real, there was the chance children might not be convinced adults would believe them if they came forward with more troubling claims. Stiles: We started getting some letters from people who worked with children who had experienced some kind of abuse, and what we were told was that they often dont think theyll be believed because the stories are so fantastic in their minds.The CTWnow Sesame Workshopis the organization comprised of researchers, psychologists, and freelance child experts who generate and evaluate the shows themes and messages to make sure theyre going to be understood.So to have a situation where the 6-year-olds eyewitness reports are being doubted so deeply and ridiculed ... They are kind mocking him a little bit and rolling their eyes at him.(Child Psychologist): The writers took a real-world concern and asked themselves, "Are we helping or hurting kids by keeping Snuffy in the imaginary closet, and do we have a moral imperative to respond to a real issue by changing something about the show?"For the shows 16 th season in 1984 to 1985, producers laid the groundwork for the eventual reveal by depicting Big Bird as knowing the difference between fantasy and reality, with a handful of adults taking him at his word even with Snuffy still at large.He had grownups believing him, and we had a new dynamic where the grownups who believed him would now actually try to see Snuffy.As promised, Big Bird made arrangements to introduce Snuffy to the adults on Sesame Street by telling them hed yell out a secret word (Food!) when they were ready.In a somewhat bizarre non-sequitur, talk show host Phil Donahue appears to pick up his broken toaster from Luiss Fix-It Shop and begins to engage characters on the merits of Big Birds preferred code word. Parente: There are plenty of studies that prove kids get more of the educational value when theres co-viewing going on, so things like Donahue and other celebrities are by design.There was a shot when they actually pinned Elmo onto the trunk, and Im whipping him around in the air like a pinwheel. Near the end of the episode, cast member Bob McGrath makes a pointed comment: From now on, well believe you whenever you tell us something. Rubin: It was so honest.Davis: I think it was a really smart thing for them to eliminate that as a possibility for the viewer and to say that even as outrageous as the claim sounded at first, here was this real-life big woolly mammoth of a friend that they just had not yet met.Snuffy got topical again in 1992, when the show decided to depict his parents going through a divorce.It was, I think, more so that children would understand if they meet other children whose parents are divorced The whole thing is difficult, because youre opening up this can of worms for children who may not have even thought of the possibility that their parents might get divorced.Davis: Sesame Street at its finest moments always found a way to include humor and to use it to help smooth things along and to help it go down in a way that was acceptable.In 1985, what they needed us to do was to stop that storyline and present a model of adults listening to children.She writes more of the same for Cond Nast Traveler , Esquire , WIRED , Details , Rolling Stone , Complex and various other outlets. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks to UK and US intervention, al-Qaeda now has a mini-state in Yemen. It's Iraq and Isis all over again Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/thanks-to-uk-and-us-intervention-al-qaeda-now-has-a-mini-state-in-yemen-its-iraq-and-isis-all-over-a6986086.html: Instead of achieving their aims, they have produced chaos, ruining the lives of millions of people and creating ideal conditions for salafi-jihadi movements like al-Qaeda and Islamic State.Their aim was to defeat the Houthis - labelled somewhat inaccurately as Shia and pro-Iranian - who had seized most of the country in alliance with the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who retained the loyalty of much of the Yemeni army.A year-long campaign of air strikes was supposed to re-impose the rule of former president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, whose dysfunctional and unelected government had fled to Saudi Arabia. The real winners in this war are al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) which has taken advantage of the collapse of central government to create its own mini-state.Likewise in Yemen, the American and British governments misjudged the degree to which AQAP would benefit from Operation Decisive Storm, the ill-chosen Saudi name for its military intervention that has proved predictably indecisive.As in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan, foreign intervention energises and internationalises local difference as factions become the proxies of outside powers.Saudi Arabia portrays the Houthis as pawns of Iran, though there is little evidence for this, so Yemen is drawn into the regional confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.Network of underground tunnels was discovered by Kurdish forces after they regained the town of Sinjar in Iraq A member of the Peshmerga forces inspects a tunnel used by Isis militants in the town of Sinjar, Iraq Reuters An entrance to the tunnel used by Islamic State militants is seen in the town of Sinjar, Iraq The secret tunnels allowed militants to freely move underground The tunnels appear to be wired with electricity Some of the tunnels are 30 feet deep Concerns remain that parts of the tunnels are rigged with explosives There was the same lethal pretence by Western powers in Libya and Syria that the rebels they backed represented the mass of the population and were capable of taking over from existing regimes.As has happened repeatedly since 9/11, the US and countries like Britain fail to combat terrorism because they give priority to retaining their alliance with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf monarchies, even when their policies as in Yemen wreck a whole country and enable al Qaeda and Isis to use the chaos to establish safe havens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Intel planning for thousands of job cuts, internal sources say Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2016/04/intel_planning_for_thousands_o_1.html: Register now for free , or sign in with any of these services: Intel is preparing a significant round of job cuts across business units this spring, according to multiple sources inside the company familiar with its plans. The cutbackswill reduce employment in some parts of the business by double-digit percentages, according to Intel insiders, amounting to thousands of job cuts across the company by the end of the year.Intel is fighting a prolonged decline in the PC market, which accounts for more than 60 percent of its revenue, as consumers and businesses shift to mobile and delay upgrading older computers.Former president Rene James left last year, replaced by Venkata "Murthy" Renduchintala, who was hired last year from rival chipmaker Qualcomm.As feature sizes shrink and chip designs grow more sophisticated, Intel has found it more expensive and time consuming to engineer and manufacture each new generation of microprocessor technology.Job cuts could be a way to address those pressures and protect Intel's profit margins as the company retools for new generations of technology, McGregor said.-- Mike Rogoway mrogoway@oregonian.com 503-294-7699 @rogoway Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy 2016 Oregon Live LLC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Russian state news agency Sputnik says site blocked in Turkey Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-russia-media-idUSKCN0XC0OS: ISTANBUL/MOSCOW The website of Russian state news agency Sputnik has been blocked in Turkey, its Turkish editor-in-chief said on Friday, shortly after President Vladimir Putin made comments critical of Turkey's leaders.In Moscow, Sputnik's top editor, Margarita Simonyan, described the blocking as "a further act of harsh censorship" in Turkey and said the site had been blocked late on Thursday, hours after Putin made his critical comments.Turkey has shut or confiscated several newspapers over the past year and has also sometimes blocked access to social media sites including Twitter and Facebook, often due to images or other content being shared.Last month the Komsomolskaya Pravda mass-market tabloid ran a report headlined "Turkey never was and never will be a friend of Russia".Slideshow Using citation analysis to identify authors whose papers wield outsized influence News and Media Division of Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Public School Textbooks in Pakistan Teach Intolerance of Non-Muslims Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/lauretta-brown/study-public-school-textbooks-pakistan-teach-intolerance-non-muslims: Sections Social Information sections (CNSNews.com) A new study released Tuesday found that Pakistans public school textbooks negatively portray the countrys religious minorities, including Hindus, Christians and Ahmadis, as untrustworthy, religiously inferior, and ideologically scheming. The report, Teaching Intolerance in Pakistan: Religious Bias in Public School Textbooks, analyzed 78 textbooks from all four provinces covering grades five through 10.Pakistans public school textbooks contain deeply troubling content that portrays non-Muslim citizens as outsiders, unpatriotic, and inferior; are filled with errors; and present widely-disputed historical facts as settled history, USCIRF Chairman Robert P. George said in a statement on the reports release.Many Mujahidins of Islam are participating in Jihad for sake of Allah, for protection of their religion, to help their oppressed brothers, and to get freedom from tyranny, it read. A passage from a tenth grade Punjab textbook, also published in 2015, states, Because the Muslim religion, culture and social system are different from non-Muslims, it is impossible to cooperate with Hindus. Another Punjab curriculum textbook for sixth grade Islamic studies reads, Christians learned tolerance and kind heartedness from Muslims. The reports recommendations call for textbooks that reflect that religious freedom is a constitutional protection provided to all Pakistanis and ask that historical omissions and misrepresentations of different events should be eliminated, and diverse viewpoints should be included. At a National Press Club event Tuesday USCIRF Commissioner Katrina Lantos Swett discussed the reports findings as well as Pakistans harsh blasphemy laws used to target its religious minorities. Its very sad for us, for Pakistan, to see that very founding mission of Pakistan that anybody can come and live and pray and practice their religion to be not true, Hussain said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TIL In 2005, Facebook hired graffiti artist David Choe to paint murals in their new office space Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/technology/for-founders-to-decorators-facebook-riches.html: 1, 2012 SAN FRANCISCO The graffiti artist who took Facebook stock instead of cash for painting the walls of the social networks first headquarters made a smart bet.He also has undisputed control of the company, a remarkable achievement since the company has received financing from some of the worlds top business minds.Elevation Partners, the venture capital firm of Bono, the U2 frontman, paid $120 million for a chunk of Facebooks shares in 2010 and could receive a payout that would help mask less sage investments in Palm and Forbes.Netscapes 1995 offering made millionaires of scores of people, including its founder Marc Andreessen, now a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who invested early in Facebook and holds 3.6 million shares worth nearly $200 million.Facebook will return insane amounts of money to the early stakeholders, said Alex Gould, a technology investor and instructor at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, who has been studying venture returns for several years.Advertisement During Facebooks early years, the company granted valuable options to about 250 employees, according to two former senior Facebook officials with knowledge of the matter. The companys estranged co-founder, Eduardo Saverin, who provided some of the initial financing and later sued the company for cutting his stake, managed to cut an even larger settlement, worth 5 percent of the company.Choe, the graffiti artist, could provide more money from his paintings than Sothebys attracted for its record-breaking $200.7 million auction in 2008 for work by Damien Hirst.He has, however, published an obscenity-strewn book of his art, David Choe, which includes images of the multimillion-dollar murals at Facebook.A version of this article appears in print on February 2, 2012, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: From Founders to Decorators, Facebook Riches. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Virtual Reality Guide 2016 April Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://gaming2016.com/virtual-reality-guide/: This Virtual Reality Guide updates frequently, so be aware of some changes and value differences, since information concerningVirtual Reality is constantlychanging.These are the minimum system requirements for your PC and are stillvery demanding, so for the full experience, you will need more, and for gaming even more!GPUs that are coming out this or the next year will probably meet the specifications,and certainly those produced in 3 or 4 years time.In this case, fidelityis just another word for devotion, essentially telling us howmuch of the PCs potential is devoted tothe VR-ready experience.You might be tempted to ask about the 600/700-series, but unfortunately, Nvidia keeps the drivers of the 900-series optimized for VR, while only minor changes have been done for the 600/700-series.For gamers, this will be a serious challenge as the technology continues to advance, and it seems likely thatVR will usegaming for self-promotion beforequietly turning to other applications.A large number of deviceswill be available, among which are the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Playstation VR and Gear VR for Samsung mobiles , as well as a variety ofothers that are launching imminently.A walk through an island full of dinosaurs, horror in a cursed castle, visiting countryside thing is becoming more complex as we move towards classic First person shooters because there is a lot of head moving which might cause dizziness. Oculus and divide the players community leading to discussions if there are quality developers who will develop software for VR environment.The gaming minimum is 650 euro GPU, 2 of this in a multi-GPU regime are much better, but not the best solution, and the hardware the will fully work does not exist at the moment considering that is needed for more demanding, newer games.The Oculus founder promised that the price should vary between 300 to 350 USD, and those changed, as well as the promises that the company wont be sold, that resulted in the hands of Facebook.The manufacturers, referring here to Oculus and HTC, worked a lot to reduce the helmet weight, so that the ergonomics and the usage wont cause any problems.The entrance in the virtualized world that we will move through is in a way that our brain is not used and unavoidably causes connection failure, which may lead to sickness.The engineer will at any moment be able to see what his employee sees also, the training will be held at a distance and completely virtual, without expensive material and the example with the truck drive with the regular distant controller we already mentioned.In that way you will be able to walk through the rooms and halls, the restaurant and other areas, to try the beach near the hotel.Maybe in a virtual Zen garden, or using the same therapeutic app, meditating, spending time in some different surrounding, in a house that is not yours?For example, Playstation VR is only set for Playstation consoles where the games are dominant, but the current consoles do not have enough power for VR in the standard games so that ecosystem will be divided, and it is up to discussion if there is going to be something else.Some parts there are more advanced that in Oculus, but we think that Oculus is for the mass population, for the chair experience, while HTC Vive is a mobile experience, with all the sensors and cameras and external controllers that make an unforgettable experience.It also provides you with a bunch of new options and ways of interaction, opening a new level of imagination and creativity when it comes to the programmers, designers, 3D models besides this, we have already mentioned a lot in the previous pages.It was first launched as a Kickstarter project and as later bought by Facebook, Oculus Rift becomes one of the most expected VR devices.Other systems support the movement, but HTC Vive has specific lasers that detect your location and moving in the physical space, incorporated in virtual space.The headset will cost 349 ($399) which is must cheaper then the prices of the rivals, which also adds to lowering the costs if you have in mind that the console in not so expensive as the required gaming PCs.When it comes to the movement, it detects the head movement with the PlayStation camera combined with Ps controller, displaying and exporting the picture from the TV to your face.The processing power is incorporated into the devices with AMD technologies suitable for games and applications, wireless and without connecting to any box. You will find the lens on the headset for using the augmented reality apps, something like Microsoft HoloLens about which we will talk later. Samsung Gear VR was used in car showrooms and with wider possibilities than those from the Oculus, it is the best solution for those using a Samsung handset.It was two-folded: the cost was very low, sometimes even free, and it was universal as it was compatible with lots of smartphone models.The users of HoloLens will be able to see this through the holographic images transferred on the objects (projection will appear from a laser and into the eyes). Digital images are presented in the real-world view, which can connect and interacted with other objects around you.According to the sources from Oculus, the hardware will be practically sold at a price that will only cover the costs.One is for sure the creators of the initial hardware made sure to think of any concurrency that might occur on hardware selling by the initial price and focusing on the software. We hope that with this guide we cleared some basic dilemmas and practical implementations, and helped you understand what your expectations should be regarding the VR solutions.Enthusiasts will buy these devices, try them and comment on them, and probably sooner or later large number of users will join the VR world.That seemly forgotten, despised and rejected nontrendy concept has enough performances and strength to make VR viable in any aspect of its usage on it makes sense when we talk about usability because we will definitely not wear the helmet when you can watch it on a more compact mobile or laptop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against the US government over the number of secrecy orders it has received that allow government officials and law enforcement access to customers' e-mails and other records. Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/microsoft-sues-us-government-over-secret-requests-for-customer-data/: by Kelly Fiveash (UK) - Apr 15, 2016 1:00 pm UTC Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against the US government over the number of secrecy orders it has received thatallow g-men and cops access to customers' e-mails and other records.It cited the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which gives US citizens the right to know if the government has searched or seized their property; and the First Amendment, which Microsoft said gives it the right to talk to its customers about any government action involving their data. Smith added in his post that cloud computing should not be used as a shortcut by police and spooks to gain access to information belonging to Microsoft's customers:"Customers generally shouldnt be entitled to less notice just because they have moved their e-mails to the cloud.""In fact, secrecy provisions in ECPA today are out of step with other US laws that contain clearer limitations on secrecy provisions and allow law enforcement flexibility for extensions," argued Smith. This post originated on Ars Technica UK Expand full story You must login or create an account to comment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How to run Linux desktop apps on Windows | ZDNet Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-run-linux-desktop-apps-on-windows/: With Ubuntu now running on Windows 10, hackers have started porting Linux desktop and GUI apps to Windows. By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Linux and Open Source | April 15, 2016 -- 12:42 GMT (05:42 PDT) | Topic: Developer When the news broke that Canonical and Microsoft were bringing Ubuntu to Windows 10 , the official reason is that it was all about porting the Bash shell to Windows .It's meant primarily to securely run, via ssh, remote Linux and Unix X Window applications, but it works fine as a local X server as well.To install Firefox run the Bash command: apt-get install firefox Once Firefox has been installed you run it with the Bash command: DISPLAY=:0 firefox Then, if all's done well, congratulations, you'll be running a Linux desktop app on the Windows desktop.Dustin Kirkland, a member of Canonical's Ubuntu Product and Strategy executive team, told me that the presence of these unsupported Linux apps goes to show "the power of open source communities!" So, it will be up to users to bring full Linux desktop apps and eventually Linux desktops to Ubuntu on Windows.Related Stories: Powered by Livefyre Developer GoPro announces third-party developer program with over 100 partners Developer Microsoft's cross-platform Visual Studio Code editor hits 1.0 Developer Software bugs? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ How Brazil, the darling of the developing world, came undone Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/how-brazil-the-darling-of-the-developing-world-came-undone/2016/04/14/40ee9356-fab4-11e5-813a-90ab563f0dde_story.html: BRASILIA It was called the Brazil model, or simply the Lula model, back when this countrys economy was roaring and its president, Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, was a superstar of the developing world. By balancing support for big business with big social-welfare programs, the union boss turned statesman presided over an era of growth that lifted tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty.Senators will then have 180 days to conduct hearings, raising the possibility that while the worlds elite athletes are jumping, diving and racing for Olympic glory, lawmakers will be conducting impeachment proceedings against the president on live television.Rousseff and her supporters, Lula chief among them, have likened the impeachment push to a slow-rolling political coup, a loaded term in a country that lived under military rule between 1964 and 1985.In a telling sign of how investors and business leaders view the presidents economic policies, every step that takes her closer to impeachment seems to bring a rally on Brazils stock market.Enrollment in the private school system was 7.8million students in 2014, but since then, nearly a million students have gone back to the public system because their parents no longer can afford tuition, Mufarej said.Lula left office in 2010 with an 87percent approval rating, so high that President Obama called him the most popular politician on Earth, telling reporters: I love that guy. The riches flowing from Brazils mines, oil fields and farms fueled a consumer spending binge, but they patched over the structural problems that made Brazil a creaky, onerous place to do business.Big construction and energy companies grew fat on state contracts and government loans under Lula and Rousseff, and the opportunities for illegal enrichment were infinite.[ Brazils economy tanks as multibillion-dollar corruption scandal expands ] At least 130 people, including company executives, former lawmakers and others in the pay-to-play scheme have been jailed at one point or another. [ Hundreds of thousands protest throughout Brazil ] Next in line is lower-house leader Eduardo Cunha, the figure leading the drive to oust Rousseff.Not even during the military dictatorship. With the expectation of large pro- and anti- demonstrations outside Brazils Congress during the impeachment vote, prison laborers were brought into the capital last week to put up a separation barrier between the two sides.This whole crisis is about the possibility that Lula will run again in 2018, said Wagner Santana, secretary general of the metalworkers union where Lula was president in the late 1970s before going on to found the Workers Party.Santanas office at the unions shiny headquarters on the industrial outskirts of Sao Paulo looks out on new condominium towers that sprouted during the boom, but also the slums that have grown with the crisis.Zika exposes class differences in Brazil, where most victims are poor world the_americas Please provide a valid email address.More about badges | Request a badge Culture Connoisseur Badge Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.More about badges | Request a badge Washingtologist Badge Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.More about badges | Request a badge Post Recommended Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.Challenge your crossword skills everyday with a huge variety of puzzles waiting for you to solve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ford After Dark: Self-Driving Car 'Sees' All Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.technewsworld.com/story/83350.html: Find the Best CRM Software for Your Needs With hundreds of CRM solutions on the market today, how do you know which one is best for your organization?Being able to navigate in pitch-dark conditions is crucial in the development of autonomous vehicles, especially as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research has found that fatality rates in passenger vehicles were three times higher during nighttime hours, Ford said.It works in conjunction with high-resolution 3D maps, which include information about the road, road markings, geography, topography and other landmarks such as signs, building and trees. "The LiDAR sensors can generate and contribute to 3D maps or other very accurate 3D representations of the objects around the vehicle," said Jeremy Carlson, senior analyst for autonomous driving at IHS Automotive. "The fully autonomous self-driving car has numerous technical hurdles to overcome, one of which is maneuvering in low-visibility driving scenarios," noted Arunprasad Nandakumar, mobility team leader at Frost & Sullivan ."There are numerous other technical challenges that autonomous vehicles possess today, [including] the need to position the vehicle relative to the driving environment with high precision, which is vital for developing a strong validation layer that complements the decision-making process of self-driving cars," he said."Test beds like the recently announced Willow Run driverless car test site and many others help to create a foundation for testing and validating the autonomous driving products though multiple simulated scenarios before it can be expanded to the next stage of real-world testing," Nandakumar added.His work has appeared in more than three dozen publications, and he is the co-author of Careers in the Computer Game Industry (Career in the New Economy series), a career guide aimed at high school students from Rosen Publishing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Why Not Use a URL as a Strong Password? #CrazyTalk #password #security Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://tedcurran.net/2016/04/15/use-a-url-as-a-strong-password-crazytalk/: I dont know if this is actually a good idea or not, but hear me out (and please comment below!Today, when prompted to come up with a password for a new app, I looked in my clipboard history and found a URL for an image I had recently copied and pasted somewhere else: I pasted it into the app, it accepted it (apparently it doesnt limit password characters , which is great), and my password manager stored it so I can always just paste it in when I login.In fact, according to HowSecureIsMyPassword.net , would take a computer about 112 SESVIGINTILLION YEARS to crack your password !!! So now, I fully invite you to ridicule me publicly if you think this is a stupid idea, but is there any real science around this? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apple expects your iPhone to last only three years - Apple Watch expected to last only three years too, while Mac computers should last four Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/15/apple-iphone-last-three-years-mac-computer-four: Apple Watch expected to last only three years too, while Mac computers should last four, plus Apple slip-up points to OS X rebranding as MacOS Samuel Gibbs Friday 15 April 2016 05.34EDT Last modified on Friday 15 April 2016As part of the companys new environmental push, which includes its new Apps for Earth campaign with the WWF, Apple has listed how long it expects its products to last for their first owners and therefore how much they contribute to the greenhouse gas lifecycle. Within a new question and answer section Apple said: Years of use, which are based on first owners, are assumed to be four years for OS X and tvOS devices and three years for iOS and watchOS devices. That assessment doesnt take into account the recycling of devices, their reconditioning and their resale, of course, but when you buy a new iPhone 6S for 539 , Apple expects it to last three years, something many suspected. Until recently the company only provided software support for an iPhone or iPad for around three years, typically providing two major iOS version updates from the moment they were released.The clause talking about the life expectancy of Apple computers originally said it was assumed to be four years for MacOS and tvOS devices, but was later changed back into line with current branding to assumed to be four years for OS X and tvOS devices.Will it continue to use decimal places to describe its new OS versions, or will it revert back to MacOS and release an eleventh version? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pennsylvania set to officially legalize medical marijuana Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2016/04/14/pennsylvania-set-to-officially-legalize-medical-marijuana/: The Pennsylvania House on Wednesday made a final vote in favor of a medical marijuana bill introduced in 2014.But after researching the issue, reviewing the laws in other states, and reading about the struggles of families the drug would help, I came to realize that it is wrong to withhold something that could benefit so many. The state will have the distinction of being among those that legalize medical marijuana through precise legislation rather than a blunt, voter-approved ballot initiative.The newly approved legislation lists 17 qualifying diagnosed conditions that includes cancer, epilepsy, autism, Parkinsons disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and glaucoma. Lawmakers expect that it will take about two years before the medical marijuana program is fully regulated and ready to sell to the public, although the bill also provides a safe harbor provision that allows parents with children under the age of 18 to purchase medical cannabis in other legal states without fear of criminal punishment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Police called to N.J. couple's home 5 times before murder-suicide Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2016/04/police_called_to_nj_couples_home_5_times_before_mu.html: Register now for free , or sign in with any of these services: BERGENFIELD Police were called to the home of Annette Torres and Mark Morris five times in two years before aCouple's fight sparked murder-suicide In the afternoon or evening before the bodies were found, Morris and Torres had an altercation that ended when Morris shot and killed Torres in an upstairs bedroom, according to Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal.The police-call log was released to NJ Advance Media after the news organization filed an OPRA request with Bergenfield policeseeking 911 calls from 2014 to the present. The log reveals police werecalled to the home three more times afterthe deaths once because a neighbor spotted an open door, another for detectives to followup on the shooting deaths, and a third categorized "keep the peace," while a relative removed belongings.The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of New Jersey On-Line LLC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Let them sell their summer homes': NYC pension dumps hedge funds Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://finance.yahoo.com/news/york-city-pension-fund-expected-drop-hedge-fund-142251816--sector.html: View photo By Edward Krudy NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's largest public pension is exiting all hedge fund investments in the latest sign that the $4 trillion public pension sector is losing patience with these often secretive portfolios at a time of poor performance and high fees.31, follows a similar actions by the California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers), the nation's largest public pension fund, and public pensions in Illinois.The move is a blow to the $3 trillion hedge fund industry where managers like to have pensions as investors because they leave their money in for longer than individuals, sending a signal of stability to other investors.Comptroller Scott Stringer, a trustee, said eliminating hedge funds would a help NYCERS construct a "responsible portfolio that meets our long-term investment objectives". NYCERS paid nearly $40 million in fees to hedge funds during its 2015 financial year, while its hedge fund portfolio returned 3.89 percent over the year, according to its financial report. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Japan looks to extend intellectual property protection to creative works created by artificial intelligence Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Japan-eyes-rights-protection-for-AI-artwork: NATSUKO SEGAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer TOKYO -- Japan looks to extend intellectual property protection to creative works produced by artificial intelligence, aiming to match other countries in coping with changing notions of authorship and use in the digital age.Business concerns Rather than extending the copyright system, thepolicy bodywill look into a framework that handles works created by AI in a manner similar to trademarks, protecting them from unauthorized use through legislation prohibiting unfair competition.Strategy Headquartersalso will consider legal measures to pave the way for more AI-based content production, such as changes to the copyright law that would let existing works be analyzed en masse and used as the basis for new properties without creators' permission.'s 1988 copyright law specifies that the author of a computer-generated work is "the person by whom the arrangements necessary for the creation of the work are undertaken."Ownership and the extent of protection are instead determined case by case based on factors including creative intent. Unlimited access to asia.nikkei.com Unlimited access to NAR mobile and tablet apps Add delivery of NAR in print each week To read the full story, Subscribe or Log in To read the full story, update your account Unlimited access to asia.nikkei.com Unlimited access to NAR mobile and tablet apps Add delivery of NAR in print each week Nikkei Asian Review is the only publication that brings you Insight about Asia, from the inside out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The future of artificial intelligence is linked with blockchain Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of https://medium.com/bica-labs/how-blockchain-relates-to-artificial-intelligence-f0111f39afc9: While articles and news on artificial intelligence as compared to blockchain and other cryptoworld topics are in no less degree blossoming these days, everybody keep silent on possible synergic implications in these truly breakthrough fields of computer science.There are two really important keywords in this definition: persistent consensus and trustless .However, the most developed forms of intelligencethose that made humans easily distinguishable from animalsappeared and evolved within mush smaller time scope: it had taken around two million years for human society to form a written language and primitive culture and just four thousand years for the culture to evolve from simple tools up to cosmic and quantum exploration.Consensus means that each agent gets the same sense of a signal as others: a translation of a DNA sequence into a protein will be the same for bacteria as for a human being.The case is that in any real-world multi-agent system communicating agents cant trust each other: genomes transferring DNA might be fooled by viruses and bacteria; chemically communicating cellsby parasites; human societyby plagiarists and populists. So, here we have our main secret revealed: blockchain will make for multi-agent AI the same thing that written language made for humans; it should provide means of accelerated evolution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Heavy cannabis use associated with reduced dopamine release in brain Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://sciencebulletin.org/archives/539.html: Previous studies have shown that addiction to other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin, have similar effects on dopamine release, but such evidence for cannabis was missing until now. In light of the more widespread acceptance and use of marijuana, especially by young people, we believe it is important to look more closely at the potentially addictive effects of cannabis on key regions of the brain, said Anissa Abi-Dargham, MD, professor of psychiatry (in radiology) at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and a lead author of the paper. Compared with the controls, the cannabis users had significantly lower dopamine release in the striatum, including subregions involved in associative and sensorimotor learning, and in the globus pallidus.But the bottom line is that long-term, heavy cannabis use may impair the dopaminergic system, which could have a variety of negative effects on learning and behavior. Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, Chair of Psychiatry at CUMC and past president of the American Psychiatric Association, noted that these findings add to the growing body of research demonstrating the potentially adverse effects of cannabis, particularly in youth, at the same time that government policies and laws are increasing access and use. ( Image Source: Flickr ) This article originally appeared at Columbia University Medical Center Journal Reference : ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VEx spacecraft abandoned on Venus continues to report back, with measurements of polar atmosphere revealing its 70 degrees colder and less dense than predicted Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_11-4-2016-13-21-47: Dr Ingo Mueller-Wodarg Several months after the launch, Dr Ingo Mueller-Wodarg from Imperials Department of Physics and European colleagues realised that the spacecraft as a whole could also be used for measuring the upper atmosphere, and suggested an additional experiment for the craft, in the final stages of the mission.Previous measurements of the atmosphere nearer the equator of Venus had been used to predict the conditions nearer the poles, but these first on-site measurements of the actual polar atmosphere reveal that it is up to 70 degrees colder and less dense than predicted.However it had on board a set of accelerometers, which are usually used for engineering purposes only but that we were able to use for science.They have put in a proposal to recreate the accelerometer experiment during the one-year aerobraking phase of ExoMars orbiter mission, due to begin in December 2016.The upper atmospheric layer the team investigated is known as the thermosphere, and is close to the planets atmospheric boundary with space.Studying planetary atmospheres also helps us with spacecraft design by revealing what engineering challenges the crafts will face while descending through the atmospheres of other planets. - ' In situ observations of waves in Venus polar lower thermosphere with Venus Express aerobraking ' by Ingo C. F. Mller-Wodarg, Sean Bruinsma, Jean-Charles Marty and Hkan Svedhem is published inHayley Dunning Communications and Public Affairs Email: h.dunning@imperial.ac.uk Show all stories by this author Space , Strategy acting courageously , Strategy share the wonder See more tags Your comment may be published, displaying your name as you provide it, unless you request otherwise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Supreme Court Considers Taking Case of Veteran Given Life in Jail for Growing Pot Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/15/lee-carroll-brooker-alabama-marijuana-sentence: Lee Carroll Brooker, a 76-year-old disabled army veteran, says he was growing the marijuana in his Alabama back yard to alleviate his own health problems Joanna Walters Friday 15 April 2016 10.59EDT Last modified on Friday 15 April 2016 12.24EDT The US supreme court is poised on Friday to decide whether to take on the case of a 76-year-old disabled army veteran handed a sentence of life in prison without parole for growing marijuana in his back yard to alleviate his own health problems.He has been subjected to strict sentencing mandatory minimum laws in Alabama because the cannabis offense involves a certain weight of the drug and comes on top of convictions for armed robbery more than 30 years ago in Florida when Brooker held up a series of liquor stores, his trial lawyer John Steensland said on Wednesday. The actual usable amount of marijuana from the contraband was a fraction of the 2.85 lbs and clearly under the threshold of 2.2 lbs, according to court documents filed in Brookers case.Brookers attorney Steensland said: The judges hands were tied. Now his former client is taking his case to the US supreme court, and is being represented by Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Montgomery-based advocacy group Equal Justice Initiative. Steensland submitted material during his clients trial and sentencing proceedings that showed he was in the US army for nine years after joining up at the age of 17 and was frequently posted abroad, coming under enemy fire on tours in Lebanon and the Dominican Republic.He said his crimes in Florida as a much younger man were linked to a time in his life when he drank heavily instead of seeking medical treatment for physical and mental ailments.Mary Price, Famm general counsel, said that if Scotus decided to take Brookers case, and ultimately ruled in his favour, it would send a message far and wide that mandatory minimum sentences can be so arbitrary and so inhumane that they offend the US constitution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Georgia elementary school principal insisted on paddling a five-year-old student and told the boy's mother that if she tried to intervene he would be suspended and she would go to jail, the boy's mom said. Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/31735990/georgia-principal-paddles-5-year-old-boy-mom-says-she-couldnt-do-anything: A Georgia elementary school principal insisted on paddling a five-year-old student and told the boy's mother that if she tried to intervene he would be suspended and she would go to jail, the boy's mom said.Unfortunately, the district is barred by state and federal law from commenting about the specifics of this incident. The statement added thatunder school rules, which it says are provided to all parents, corporal punishment is permitted "as one of the consequences of behavior."She told the station that those administrators citing her son's poor attendance record already had her arrested for truancy, and that when Wednesday's dispute erupted she was out of jail on bond.Perez would NOT have been re-arrested for the suspension in question ... The sheriff's office would not have pursued criminal charges based on the fact that an out of school suspension would not have shown negligence on the part of Ms.Phil Bryant's desk Friday when he signed a law allowing guns in churches, which he said would help protect worshippers from potential attackers.Phil Bryant's desk Friday when he signed a law allowing guns in churches, which he said would help protect worshippers from potential attackers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No links to foreign terrorists found on San Bernardino iPhone Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-links-to-foreign-terrorists-found-on-san-bernardino-iphone-so-far-officials-say/2016/04/14/f1aa52ce-0276-11e6-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html: The FBI has found no links to foreign terrorists on the iPhone of a San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist but is still hoping that an ongoing analysis could advance its investigation into the mass shooting in December, U.S.Investigators knew all along that finding important clues on the phone, which was a work phone owned by San Bernardino County, was a long shot, officials said, but they wanted to make sure their inquiry was thorough. For the FBI to competently investigate a mass murder that happened in the United States, we believed we had to use all lawful tools to find out whether there was evidence on that phone that either shed more light on what these two killers had done, FBI Director James B. Comey said at Ohios Kenyon College last week.Two were damaged beyond repair, and the third, Farooks iPhone 5C running an iOS9 operating system, was locked with a personal identification number that Apple could not bypass or unlock.The FBIs analysis of the phones data so far is consistent with Comeys statement in December that the bureau had not uncovered any ties between the shooters and foreign terrorist organizations.Its more of an Easter egg hunt. Last week, FBI General Counsel James A. Baker was asked at a privacy conference whether the data found on the phone was worth the fight over unlocking the phone that the government and Apple engaged in.We owe it to the victims and the families to make sure that we have pursued every logical lead. world national-security Please provide a valid email address.More about badges | Request a badge Culture Connoisseur Badge Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.More about badges | Request a badge Washingtologist Badge Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area. More about badges | Request a badge Post Recommended Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.Challenge your crossword skills everyday with a huge variety of puzzles waiting for you to solve. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Merkel criticised for allowing prosecution of comedian who mocked Erdogan Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-turkey-merkel-idUSKCN0XC1AE: BERLIN Germany's Angela Merkel agreed on Friday to allow prosecutors to pursue a case against a German comedian who mocked Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, prompting accusations that she had failed to protect free speech and dividing her ruling coalition.She has been the driving force behind a controversial European Union deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe and critics have already accused her of ignoring violations of human rights and press freedoms in Turkey to secure its cooperation. "We are of the view that the authorization for prosecution ... should not have been granted," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Justice Minister Heiko Maas, both Social Democrats, said in a joint statement. Kai Diekmann, publisher of Germany's mass-selling daily newspaper Bild, responded with a commentary under the headline "In Erdogan's Hand" in which he asked: "Has Germany, with the Turkey deal, made itself susceptible to blackmail?"Last year he claimed to have manipulated a video of Greece's then-finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, in which he is shown giving the middle finger -- known as the "Stinkefinger" in German -- to Berlin for its tough stance on the debt crisis.She also made reference to the three million people with Turkish roots who live in Germany, the strong economic ties between the countries and their cooperation as NATO allies.A Turkish group called the Union of European Turkish Democrats, which has posted videos online supporting Erdogan, filed a complaint with Austria's media watchdog on Friday over newspaper Oesterreich's reprinting of parts of Boehmermann's poem.Slideshow Using citation analysis to identify authors whose papers wield outsized influence News and Media Division of Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protesters demand fall of Egypt's government over islands deal Summary generated by cruyff8's autosummarizer of http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-protests-idUSKCN0XC1IQ: Their protests signaled that the former general, who is also under mounting criticism over the struggling economy, no longer enjoys the broad public support that let him round up thousands of opponents after he seized power in 2013.Sisi's government prompted an outcry in Egyptian newspapers and on social media last week when it announced an accord that put the uninhabited Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi waters.Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Gulf Arab states showered Egypt with billions of dollars in aid and grants after Sisi toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, following mass protests against him.But the islands issue seems to have hurt their national pride, prompting thousands to return to the streets to confront their leader. Critics say the government has mishandled a series of crises, from an investigation into the killing of Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni, 28, in Cairo, to a bomb that brought down a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula last October. PATIENCE WITH SISI FADING A growing number are now losing patience over corruption, poverty and unemployment, the same issues that led to Mubarak's downfall, while Sisi has appeared increasingly authoritarian in televised speeches.Calls for protests have gathered thousands of supporters on Facebook, including from the outlawed Brotherhood, which accused Sisi of staging a coup when it was ousted and rolling back freedoms won after hundreds of thousands of Egyptians protested five years ago in Cairo's Tahrir Square against Mubarak.Slideshow Using citation analysis to identify authors whose papers wield outsized influence News and Media Division of Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms.
No comments:
Post a Comment