Governo promete para breve avanços na criação do Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança: Está em fase final de apreciação o processo que levará à constituição de um Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança e a "breve trecho" serão aprovadas medidas em Conselho de Ministros para dar seguimento ao processo. A garantia foi deixada hoje por Luís Marques Guedes, secretário de Estado da presidência de conselho de ministros.
Questionado pelo TeK relativamente aos ataques ontem revelados pela Kaspersky a várias entidades públicas, incluindo em Portugal, o responsável não deu detalhes sobre o impacto do ataque considerado pela empresa de segurança como altamente sofisticado.
No entanto, garantiu que o tema da cibersegurança tem estado na agenda do Governo e que o processo de constituição de um Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança continua em marcha, dando seguimento ao trabalho realizado pela comissão instaladora nomeada para definir a estrutura do novo centro.
O Centro Nacional de Cibersegurança é uma das peças da Estratégia Nacional de Segurança da Informação que tem vindo a ser definida pelo Governo. A sua constituição foi anunciada em fevereiro do ano passado, com a indicação de que a estrutura seria lançada no prazo de um ano.
Em abril o Governo anunciou a nomeação de uma comissão instaladora que, até junho, tinha de apresentar um modelo e todas as medidas e instrumentos necessários à respetiva implementação.
Desde então não foram comunicados novos avanços no processo. Na Agenda Portugal Digital, apresentada no final do ano, prevê-se contudo a criação de "um centro de reporte de incidentes e de gestão de situação operacional agregada das redes e serviços de comunicações eletrónicas", mas a medida só está prevista para 2016.
Recorde-se que ainda no início do mês a Comissão Europeia revelou os traços gerais de uma nova estratégia de cibersegurança para a região.
Uma das medidas previstas é a definição, em todos os países da União, de uma entidade responsável pela estratégia de cibersegurança. A estrutura deve ser dotada de meios e recursos financeiros próprios e atuar ao nível da prevenção e resposta aos riscos e incidentes de segurança detetados.
Escrito ao abrigo do novo Acordo Ortográfico
Cristina A. Ferreira
28 de fevereiro de 2013
27 de fevereiro de 2013
IBM Patented a One Atom-Thick Graphene Transistor That Works 1,000 Times Faster Than Silicon
IBM Patented a One Atom-Thick Graphene Transistor That Works 1,000 Times Faster Than Silicon:
Next stop, the singularity. IBM has just won a patent for a brand new single atom graphene transistor that will allegedly “transmit electrical pulses 1,000 times faster than silicon.” And if that doesn’t give rise to ultra-intelligent, super-efficient autonomous A.I., then man, I don’t know what will.
The tech blogs are heralding the patent as a lifeline for Moore’s law, which for decades now has correctly described the fact that the number of transistors we can fit on a computer chip has doubled every two years, allowing them to get faster, faster.
IBM took to its Tumblr to celebrate the patent, giving itself a pat on the back/PR blast and claiming that this “could give a jolt to the rate that our computers and electronics improve—and uphold Moore’s Law for decades to come.”
Here’s the abstract of patent #8,344,358 in full:
Figure 1 is a "vertical cross-sectional view of an exemplary structure after formation of a graphene layer," which would appear to be the top layer, while figure 1A is a bird-eye view of the same structure. It appears that IBM expects a graphene chip to be a multi-layer device–which makes sense considering the graphene layer is only an atom thick–but it's in the graphene layer that the magic happens. The properties of graphene allows for the creation of what are called graphene field effect transistors, which (this is hopelessly simplified, of course) are powered by self-aligned electron gates that can work at extremely high frequencies—as high as 100 GHz, according to the filing, although there are still technical challenges to get to that point sustainably.
Nonetheless. I am suddenly painfully aware of how crappy and insufficient my 2010-era processing power is, now that I know it could be going 1,000 times faster. I am still aware of page load times, and it is already 2013. What a gyp.
Most of us can hardly even conceive of what a computer that fast might possibly be able to do, especially for humble consumer purposes. Guess we’re going to find out, tho—fingers cross for something closer to legit AR utility on mobile devices or gonzo VR fun and further from autonomous robo-domination. Either way, things are going to get interesting.
Next stop, the singularity. IBM has just won a patent for a brand new single atom graphene transistor that will allegedly “transmit electrical pulses 1,000 times faster than silicon.” And if that doesn’t give rise to ultra-intelligent, super-efficient autonomous A.I., then man, I don’t know what will.
The tech blogs are heralding the patent as a lifeline for Moore’s law, which for decades now has correctly described the fact that the number of transistors we can fit on a computer chip has doubled every two years, allowing them to get faster, faster.
IBM took to its Tumblr to celebrate the patent, giving itself a pat on the back/PR blast and claiming that this “could give a jolt to the rate that our computers and electronics improve—and uphold Moore’s Law for decades to come.”
Here’s the abstract of patent #8,344,358 in full:
A graphene-based field effect transistor includes source and drain electrodes that are self-aligned to a gate electrode. A stack of a seed layer and a dielectric metal oxide layer is deposited over a patterned graphene layer. A conductive material stack of a first metal portion and a second metal portion is formed above the dielectric metal oxide layer. The first metal portion is laterally etched employing the second metal portion, and exposed portions of the dielectric metal oxide layer are removed to form a gate structure in which the second metal portion overhangs the first metal portion. The seed layer is removed and the overhang is employed to shadow proximal regions around the gate structure during a directional deposition process to form source and drain electrodes that are self-aligned and minimally laterally spaced from edges of the gate electrode.And one of the renderings filed:
Figure 1 is a "vertical cross-sectional view of an exemplary structure after formation of a graphene layer," which would appear to be the top layer, while figure 1A is a bird-eye view of the same structure. It appears that IBM expects a graphene chip to be a multi-layer device–which makes sense considering the graphene layer is only an atom thick–but it's in the graphene layer that the magic happens. The properties of graphene allows for the creation of what are called graphene field effect transistors, which (this is hopelessly simplified, of course) are powered by self-aligned electron gates that can work at extremely high frequencies—as high as 100 GHz, according to the filing, although there are still technical challenges to get to that point sustainably.
Nonetheless. I am suddenly painfully aware of how crappy and insufficient my 2010-era processing power is, now that I know it could be going 1,000 times faster. I am still aware of page load times, and it is already 2013. What a gyp.
Most of us can hardly even conceive of what a computer that fast might possibly be able to do, especially for humble consumer purposes. Guess we’re going to find out, tho—fingers cross for something closer to legit AR utility on mobile devices or gonzo VR fun and further from autonomous robo-domination. Either way, things are going to get interesting.
Top image
The New $20 Nokia Phone’s Battery Lasts a Month, Is Ideal for Post-Apocalyptic Environs
The New $20 Nokia Phone’s Battery Lasts a Month, Is Ideal for Post-Apocalyptic Environs:
When the lights go out, and the whole of human civilization is plunged into a pre-industrial dystopia, there are three gadgets above all that science fiction has definitively proven we’ll need:
1. A flashlight
2. A means of durable long-distance communication
3. A radio, to search for signs of distant life, naturally.
At a cost of just $20, the new Nokia 105 rolls all three into one. It is the first bona fide anti-zombie apocalypse mobile phone. It will be the Finnish telecom giant’s cheapest offering yet, and its battery will last up to a month on standby on a single charge—when the outlets are dry, your iPhone is useless in like 8 hours, even if you’re not playing Angry Birds.
The 105 also comes equipped with a flashlight and an FM radio, though no internet access. Clearly, it is a worthy investment for zombie-fleeing humans everywhere.
However, in these pre-apocalyptic times, Nokia is targeting a different demographic—the 2.7 billion people in China, Indonesia, India, and Africa the company estimates do not yet own a mobile phone at all.
CNET gives the phone a pretty favorable review, generally praising its functionality given the rock-bottom price, and noting that it’s expressly designed to persist in non-urban environments: “fewer joints and openings also do a better job protecting internals from the elements.” The cheap phones may prove to be a boon for modernizing economies, if service plans can be held in check and kept affordable.
Meanwhile, advanced societies have come to rely on the rapid information exchange enabled by mobile phones—and as we’ve seen, it doesn’t take total Armageddon to throw them into dysfunction. Hurricane Sandy showed how even denizens of the highest-tech cities in the world can easily be thrown into disarray, basic services going unprovided, forced into forming massive queues in coffee shops and department stores if the lights go out. And as long as we continue to rely on old-fashioned, centralized power, those lights are at constant risk of going out—whether from extreme weather events or, someday, hackers.
As such, keeping an additional phone around the house, for use in case of an incipient dystopia, long suggested by (surprise) phone companies and tech pundits, is looking like an increasingly pragmatic idea. Can’t say the new Nokia phone will actually do the trick, as I haven’t yet actually seen one outside of a screenshot. But I’d be glad to have light, radio, and a month-worth of phone availability when the power goes out and the warlords show up.
When the lights go out, and the whole of human civilization is plunged into a pre-industrial dystopia, there are three gadgets above all that science fiction has definitively proven we’ll need:
1. A flashlight
2. A means of durable long-distance communication
3. A radio, to search for signs of distant life, naturally.
At a cost of just $20, the new Nokia 105 rolls all three into one. It is the first bona fide anti-zombie apocalypse mobile phone. It will be the Finnish telecom giant’s cheapest offering yet, and its battery will last up to a month on standby on a single charge—when the outlets are dry, your iPhone is useless in like 8 hours, even if you’re not playing Angry Birds.
The 105 also comes equipped with a flashlight and an FM radio, though no internet access. Clearly, it is a worthy investment for zombie-fleeing humans everywhere.
However, in these pre-apocalyptic times, Nokia is targeting a different demographic—the 2.7 billion people in China, Indonesia, India, and Africa the company estimates do not yet own a mobile phone at all.
CNET gives the phone a pretty favorable review, generally praising its functionality given the rock-bottom price, and noting that it’s expressly designed to persist in non-urban environments: “fewer joints and openings also do a better job protecting internals from the elements.” The cheap phones may prove to be a boon for modernizing economies, if service plans can be held in check and kept affordable.
Meanwhile, advanced societies have come to rely on the rapid information exchange enabled by mobile phones—and as we’ve seen, it doesn’t take total Armageddon to throw them into dysfunction. Hurricane Sandy showed how even denizens of the highest-tech cities in the world can easily be thrown into disarray, basic services going unprovided, forced into forming massive queues in coffee shops and department stores if the lights go out. And as long as we continue to rely on old-fashioned, centralized power, those lights are at constant risk of going out—whether from extreme weather events or, someday, hackers.
As such, keeping an additional phone around the house, for use in case of an incipient dystopia, long suggested by (surprise) phone companies and tech pundits, is looking like an increasingly pragmatic idea. Can’t say the new Nokia phone will actually do the trick, as I haven’t yet actually seen one outside of a screenshot. But I’d be glad to have light, radio, and a month-worth of phone availability when the power goes out and the warlords show up.
26 de fevereiro de 2013
So o mini preço nao vende Trangénicos
A Plataforma Trangénicos Fora avaliou os dez maiores hipermercados para aferir onde existem mais produtos transgénicos. Só o Minipreço se revelou livre deste tipo de produtos. Leia mais em http://expresso.sapo.pt/so-o-minipreco-nao-vende-alimentos-transgenicos=f789298 Conhece a aplicação Expresso.pt Android? Pode fazer o download desta e de outras aplicações em http://mobile.sapo.pt/smartphones .
22 de fevereiro de 2013
The gaping hole in Obama's plan to stop Chinese hacking
The gaping hole in Obama's plan to stop Chinese hacking:
The word “China” appears 120 times in the Obama administration’s just-released report, “Administration Strategy on Mitigating the Theft of U.S. Trade Secrets,” on combatting cyber-espionage against U.S. business. Of course, Chinese hacking is a threat to more than just American businesses: the Washington Post reports today that just about every powerful institution in the District, from federal agencies to think tanks to, yes, media organizations “have been penetrated by Chinese cyberspies.”
Contribuintes pedem faturas em nome de membros do governo
Contribuintes pedem faturas em nome de membros do governo:
Anda a circular pela Internet uma lista com diversos números de identificação fiscal de membros do atual governo. O objetivo desta "partida" é incentivar os contribuintes a passarem as suas faturas com os dados, em forma de protesto.
Nos últimos dias tem circulado, por mensagens de telemóvel, email e pelas redes sociais, uma lista com alguns dos números de identificação fiscal (NIF) de membros do governo, como Paula Teixeira da Cruz ou Pedro Passos Coelho. A iniciativa serve para incentivar os utilizadores, que são contra as multas a aplicar a quem não pedir fatura, a fazê-lo mas em nome de um ministro, para levar a uma eventual investigação às suas contas.
Tal acontece porque os prestadores de serviços de restauração, por exemplo, (entre outros serviços sujeitos a IVA), têm de emitir a fatura com os dados dos contribuintes, mas não têm forma nem competência para fazer a fiscalização dos mesmos. Esta "partida" não é, no entanto, isenta de responsabilidades. Dar o número de outra pessoa pode constituir, afinal de contas, um crime de falsas declarações.
Esta "rebeldia" dos contribuintes surge após a entrada em vigor da obrigatoriedade de emissão de faturas, em janeiro, com multas para quem não o faça. Desta forma, as faturas são, de facto, pedidas, mas em nome de um político e não em nome próprio. Para além disso, diz a mensagem que circula pela Net, se o valor das faturas apresentadas em nome de, por exemplo, Vítor Gaspar, for superior aos seus rendimentos, este poderá vir a ser alvo de uma investigação executada pelo Fisco.
A ideia parece ter surgido de um movimento independente de cidadãos com presença assídua nas redes, o movimento Revolução Branca, e espalhou-se um pouco por todo o lado. Segundo divulga o semanário Sol, o Sindicato dos Trabalhadores dos Impostos já terá mesmo tido conhecimento deste "passa-a-palavra" há pelo menos duas semanas.
Anda a circular pela Internet uma lista com diversos números de identificação fiscal de membros do atual governo. O objetivo desta "partida" é incentivar os contribuintes a passarem as suas faturas com os dados, em forma de protesto.Nos últimos dias tem circulado, por mensagens de telemóvel, email e pelas redes sociais, uma lista com alguns dos números de identificação fiscal (NIF) de membros do governo, como Paula Teixeira da Cruz ou Pedro Passos Coelho. A iniciativa serve para incentivar os utilizadores, que são contra as multas a aplicar a quem não pedir fatura, a fazê-lo mas em nome de um ministro, para levar a uma eventual investigação às suas contas.
Tal acontece porque os prestadores de serviços de restauração, por exemplo, (entre outros serviços sujeitos a IVA), têm de emitir a fatura com os dados dos contribuintes, mas não têm forma nem competência para fazer a fiscalização dos mesmos. Esta "partida" não é, no entanto, isenta de responsabilidades. Dar o número de outra pessoa pode constituir, afinal de contas, um crime de falsas declarações.
Esta "rebeldia" dos contribuintes surge após a entrada em vigor da obrigatoriedade de emissão de faturas, em janeiro, com multas para quem não o faça. Desta forma, as faturas são, de facto, pedidas, mas em nome de um político e não em nome próprio. Para além disso, diz a mensagem que circula pela Net, se o valor das faturas apresentadas em nome de, por exemplo, Vítor Gaspar, for superior aos seus rendimentos, este poderá vir a ser alvo de uma investigação executada pelo Fisco.
A ideia parece ter surgido de um movimento independente de cidadãos com presença assídua nas redes, o movimento Revolução Branca, e espalhou-se um pouco por todo o lado. Segundo divulga o semanário Sol, o Sindicato dos Trabalhadores dos Impostos já terá mesmo tido conhecimento deste "passa-a-palavra" há pelo menos duas semanas.
Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement
Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement:
Over the years we have seen plenty of scam artists trying to make a few bucks off BitTorrent users and other file-sharers, but the stunt that’s being pulled off by the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” tops them all.
Disguised as copyright trolls, the unregistered outfit is targeting file-sharers across the United States with copyright infringement claims and threats of criminal prosecution.
Victims of the scheme receive a letter in which they are notified about alleged copyright infringements that took place through their Internet connection. The letter is sent to their home address and lists an IP-address and the files that were downloaded without permission.
“We work with law enforcement agencies and strategic partners around the world to enforce copyright laws, and to help prosecute individuals and companies who violate these laws,” the group introduces itself in the letter.
To escape civil and criminal prosecution the account holder is asked to settle the issue for $495, or else. Others report slightly lower claims but the threats are the same. Pay up now or you might face criminal action and millions of dollars in fines.
“You may face serious potential criminal and/or civil charges filed against you. If you are arrested for felony criminal copyright infringement you will be fingerprinted, photographed, and held in jail until you are arraigned in court,” the letter reads.
“If you act promptly you will help avoid being named as a Defendant in a potential criminal and/or civil lawsuit that can result in a felony criminal conviction causing imprisonment, and/or fines of up to several million dollars,” it adds.
The company suggests that it works with law enforcement and represents a wide variety of copyright holders, including popular artists such as Skrillex and Cee Lo Green, but it appears that the company is just acting on its own.
According to information obtained by SJD the accusations are not made up. This means that the IP-addresses were indeed “caught” sharing the files listed in the letter. However, it is a mystery how the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” obtained the home addresses of the subscribers.
Regular copyright trolls get the subscriber information through a subpoena they obtain from court, but there is no sign of any legal action tied to these claims.
This leads us to worrying possibility that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” may have contacts working at one or more Internet Providers. These would be able to look up the addresses of the account holders in question, bypassing the legal system.
As can be seen from the image below the company urges their victims to send money to a virtual office in Washington. However, the company itself doesn’t appear to be registered under the name it’s using.
Although the scale of the scam is unclear, several letter recipients have posted messages on the Internet in recent days. While some people appear to recognize it as a scam, there are probably many more who didn’t, and paid up.
As it turns out, however, all signs indicate that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” are the criminals here, possible facing several years jailtime for fraud, extortion and racketeering. That is, if they are caught and convicted.
Interestingly enough, the public attention seems to have frightened them, as a few hours ago they suddenly claimed to have ceased their operations.
“Effective immediately, the Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency has ceased operations. Please disregard any notices you received from us, and please do not send us any payments,” a message on their website reads.
While this is good news for the people who still have to pay up, the persons behind the scheme shouldn’t be able to get away with this so easily. We encourage everyone who received a letter to contact the police and their Internet provider, urging them to look into the matter.
Source: Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement
Over the years we have seen plenty of scam artists trying to make a few bucks off BitTorrent users and other file-sharers, but the stunt that’s being pulled off by the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” tops them all.
Disguised as copyright trolls, the unregistered outfit is targeting file-sharers across the United States with copyright infringement claims and threats of criminal prosecution.
Victims of the scheme receive a letter in which they are notified about alleged copyright infringements that took place through their Internet connection. The letter is sent to their home address and lists an IP-address and the files that were downloaded without permission.
“We work with law enforcement agencies and strategic partners around the world to enforce copyright laws, and to help prosecute individuals and companies who violate these laws,” the group introduces itself in the letter.
To escape civil and criminal prosecution the account holder is asked to settle the issue for $495, or else. Others report slightly lower claims but the threats are the same. Pay up now or you might face criminal action and millions of dollars in fines.
“You may face serious potential criminal and/or civil charges filed against you. If you are arrested for felony criminal copyright infringement you will be fingerprinted, photographed, and held in jail until you are arraigned in court,” the letter reads.
“If you act promptly you will help avoid being named as a Defendant in a potential criminal and/or civil lawsuit that can result in a felony criminal conviction causing imprisonment, and/or fines of up to several million dollars,” it adds.
The company suggests that it works with law enforcement and represents a wide variety of copyright holders, including popular artists such as Skrillex and Cee Lo Green, but it appears that the company is just acting on its own.
Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency
According to information obtained by SJD the accusations are not made up. This means that the IP-addresses were indeed “caught” sharing the files listed in the letter. However, it is a mystery how the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” obtained the home addresses of the subscribers.
Regular copyright trolls get the subscriber information through a subpoena they obtain from court, but there is no sign of any legal action tied to these claims.
This leads us to worrying possibility that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” may have contacts working at one or more Internet Providers. These would be able to look up the addresses of the account holders in question, bypassing the legal system.
As can be seen from the image below the company urges their victims to send money to a virtual office in Washington. However, the company itself doesn’t appear to be registered under the name it’s using.
Pay up
Although the scale of the scam is unclear, several letter recipients have posted messages on the Internet in recent days. While some people appear to recognize it as a scam, there are probably many more who didn’t, and paid up.
As it turns out, however, all signs indicate that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” are the criminals here, possible facing several years jailtime for fraud, extortion and racketeering. That is, if they are caught and convicted.
Interestingly enough, the public attention seems to have frightened them, as a few hours ago they suddenly claimed to have ceased their operations.
“Effective immediately, the Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency has ceased operations. Please disregard any notices you received from us, and please do not send us any payments,” a message on their website reads.
While this is good news for the people who still have to pay up, the persons behind the scheme shouldn’t be able to get away with this so easily. We encourage everyone who received a letter to contact the police and their Internet provider, urging them to look into the matter.
Source: Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement
Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement
Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement:
Over the years we have seen plenty of scam artists trying to make a few bucks off BitTorrent users and other file-sharers, but the stunt that’s being pulled off by the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” tops them all.
Disguised as copyright trolls, the unregistered outfit is targeting file-sharers across the United States with copyright infringement claims and threats of criminal prosecution.
Victims of the scheme receive a letter in which they are notified about alleged copyright infringements that took place through their Internet connection. The letter is sent to their home address and lists an IP-address and the files that were downloaded without permission.
“We work with law enforcement agencies and strategic partners around the world to enforce copyright laws, and to help prosecute individuals and companies who violate these laws,” the group introduces itself in the letter.
To escape civil and criminal prosecution the account holder is asked to settle the issue for $495, or else. Others report slightly lower claims but the threats are the same. Pay up now or you might face criminal action and millions of dollars in fines.
“You may face serious potential criminal and/or civil charges filed against you. If you are arrested for felony criminal copyright infringement you will be fingerprinted, photographed, and held in jail until you are arraigned in court,” the letter reads.
“If you act promptly you will help avoid being named as a Defendant in a potential criminal and/or civil lawsuit that can result in a felony criminal conviction causing imprisonment, and/or fines of up to several million dollars,” it adds.
The company suggests that it works with law enforcement and represents a wide variety of copyright holders, including popular artists such as Skrillex and Cee Lo Green, but it appears that the company is just acting on its own.
According to information obtained by SJD the accusations are not made up. This means that the IP-addresses were indeed “caught” sharing the files listed in the letter. However, it is a mystery how the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” obtained the home addresses of the subscribers.
Regular copyright trolls get the subscriber information through a subpoena they obtain from court, but there is no sign of any legal action tied to these claims.
This leads us to worrying possibility that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” may have contacts working at one or more Internet Providers. These would be able to look up the addresses of the account holders in question, bypassing the legal system.
As can be seen from the image below the company urges their victims to send money to a virtual office in Washington. However, the company itself doesn’t appear to be registered under the name it’s using.
Although the scale of the scam is unclear, several letter recipients have posted messages on the Internet in recent days. While some people appear to recognize it as a scam, there are probably many more who didn’t, and paid up.
As it turns out, however, all signs indicate that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” are the criminals here, possible facing several years jailtime for fraud, extortion and racketeering. That is, if they are caught and convicted.
Interestingly enough, the public attention seems to have frightened them, as a few hours ago they suddenly claimed to have ceased their operations.
“Effective immediately, the Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency has ceased operations. Please disregard any notices you received from us, and please do not send us any payments,” a message on their website reads.
While this is good news for the people who still have to pay up, the persons behind the scheme shouldn’t be able to get away with this so easily. We encourage everyone who received a letter to contact the police and their Internet provider, urging them to look into the matter.
Source: Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement
Over the years we have seen plenty of scam artists trying to make a few bucks off BitTorrent users and other file-sharers, but the stunt that’s being pulled off by the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” tops them all.
Disguised as copyright trolls, the unregistered outfit is targeting file-sharers across the United States with copyright infringement claims and threats of criminal prosecution.
Victims of the scheme receive a letter in which they are notified about alleged copyright infringements that took place through their Internet connection. The letter is sent to their home address and lists an IP-address and the files that were downloaded without permission.
“We work with law enforcement agencies and strategic partners around the world to enforce copyright laws, and to help prosecute individuals and companies who violate these laws,” the group introduces itself in the letter.
To escape civil and criminal prosecution the account holder is asked to settle the issue for $495, or else. Others report slightly lower claims but the threats are the same. Pay up now or you might face criminal action and millions of dollars in fines.
“You may face serious potential criminal and/or civil charges filed against you. If you are arrested for felony criminal copyright infringement you will be fingerprinted, photographed, and held in jail until you are arraigned in court,” the letter reads.
“If you act promptly you will help avoid being named as a Defendant in a potential criminal and/or civil lawsuit that can result in a felony criminal conviction causing imprisonment, and/or fines of up to several million dollars,” it adds.
The company suggests that it works with law enforcement and represents a wide variety of copyright holders, including popular artists such as Skrillex and Cee Lo Green, but it appears that the company is just acting on its own.
Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency
According to information obtained by SJD the accusations are not made up. This means that the IP-addresses were indeed “caught” sharing the files listed in the letter. However, it is a mystery how the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” obtained the home addresses of the subscribers.
Regular copyright trolls get the subscriber information through a subpoena they obtain from court, but there is no sign of any legal action tied to these claims.
This leads us to worrying possibility that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” may have contacts working at one or more Internet Providers. These would be able to look up the addresses of the account holders in question, bypassing the legal system.
As can be seen from the image below the company urges their victims to send money to a virtual office in Washington. However, the company itself doesn’t appear to be registered under the name it’s using.
Pay up
Although the scale of the scam is unclear, several letter recipients have posted messages on the Internet in recent days. While some people appear to recognize it as a scam, there are probably many more who didn’t, and paid up.
As it turns out, however, all signs indicate that the “Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency” are the criminals here, possible facing several years jailtime for fraud, extortion and racketeering. That is, if they are caught and convicted.
Interestingly enough, the public attention seems to have frightened them, as a few hours ago they suddenly claimed to have ceased their operations.
“Effective immediately, the Internet Copyright Law Enforcement Agency has ceased operations. Please disregard any notices you received from us, and please do not send us any payments,” a message on their website reads.
While this is good news for the people who still have to pay up, the persons behind the scheme shouldn’t be able to get away with this so easily. We encourage everyone who received a letter to contact the police and their Internet provider, urging them to look into the matter.
Source: Scammers Extort BitTorrent Users Posing as Law Enforcement
21 de fevereiro de 2013
20 de fevereiro de 2013
!['Yeah, that squid's a total asshole.' [scoot scoot]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v8g04TgLPMR9U3M8nTFspdfRs2pTXu49Wx5YhmBKOBxYji99x6wZqGhTBhugYBDffVHR7OSOWMGuzhbENkk9AuNT-a3JISOcWEakpaQ3asK6S5eKE=s0-d "'Yeah, that squid's a total asshole.' [scoot scoot]")
19 de fevereiro de 2013
Don't Worry, but Radioactive Gas from North Korea Has Been Detected
Don't Worry, but Radioactive Gas from North Korea Has Been Detected:
That's not cause for worry in any immediate sense, as the radioactivity detected is too faint to be of harm to anyone. In other words, North Korea's test didn't release some radioactive death cloud that's going to sweep the world. In fact, the researchers note that if the release of xenon-133, a fission product of uranium and plutonium, came from North Korea, it would have come on February 15, three days after the earthquake caused by the test was first recorded. That, combined with the faint levels, would suggest that the test was underground and well-contained.
The animation above shows the results of a model tracing the measured gas in Japan backwards in time. As you can see, it appears that the gas was released over North Korea on February 15. Note that the model continues backward in time past the 15th (i.e. continues into Russia in the animation), but that's just the regression; if the cloud originated in North Korea, it then drifted eastward towards Japan.
The researchers say that while that sensor in Japan has relatively high background levels of xenon-133, the levels recently detected are high enough to suggest that they're the result of the nuclear test, and were released upon North Korea opening the underground test site.
"It was a small detection, just above the threshold," Gerhard Wotawa, a meteorologist with the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna, told Nature. "But it was a clear detection."
Detecting radioactivity is a big deal because it helps confirm that the test was indeed nuclear. Unlike the above-ground muscle-flexing tests of the Cold War, an underground test of a device that's relatively small is hard to detect.
Unfortunately, while detecting the xenon-133 isotope suggests a test did happen, it's not enough data to assess what type of bomb North Korea has on its hands. Such an assessment would require measurements of xenon-135 and xenon-133m, which are also fission products of uranium and plutonium. Because those isotopes have much shorter half-lives, neither were able to be detected by the Japanese sensor.
Still, that a radioactive gas cloud appeared over North Korea at around the time of the test does suggest that Pyongyang wasn't just bluffing with some ridiculously-large conventional bomb or some other minute possibility, which is key for threat assessors and diplomats alike.
The cloud of xenon-133, as projected by regression models. Both images via ZAMG
It's been about a week since North Korea conducted its latest successful nuclear test, and now it's calling for the "final destruction" of South Korea. None of that is good news, and now there's this: Austrian scientists say radioactive gases have been detected by sensors in Japan, and they are likely to have originated in North Korea.That's not cause for worry in any immediate sense, as the radioactivity detected is too faint to be of harm to anyone. In other words, North Korea's test didn't release some radioactive death cloud that's going to sweep the world. In fact, the researchers note that if the release of xenon-133, a fission product of uranium and plutonium, came from North Korea, it would have come on February 15, three days after the earthquake caused by the test was first recorded. That, combined with the faint levels, would suggest that the test was underground and well-contained.
The animation above shows the results of a model tracing the measured gas in Japan backwards in time. As you can see, it appears that the gas was released over North Korea on February 15. Note that the model continues backward in time past the 15th (i.e. continues into Russia in the animation), but that's just the regression; if the cloud originated in North Korea, it then drifted eastward towards Japan.
The researchers say that while that sensor in Japan has relatively high background levels of xenon-133, the levels recently detected are high enough to suggest that they're the result of the nuclear test, and were released upon North Korea opening the underground test site.
"It was a small detection, just above the threshold," Gerhard Wotawa, a meteorologist with the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna, told Nature. "But it was a clear detection."
Detecting radioactivity is a big deal because it helps confirm that the test was indeed nuclear. Unlike the above-ground muscle-flexing tests of the Cold War, an underground test of a device that's relatively small is hard to detect.
Unfortunately, while detecting the xenon-133 isotope suggests a test did happen, it's not enough data to assess what type of bomb North Korea has on its hands. Such an assessment would require measurements of xenon-135 and xenon-133m, which are also fission products of uranium and plutonium. Because those isotopes have much shorter half-lives, neither were able to be detected by the Japanese sensor.
Still, that a radioactive gas cloud appeared over North Korea at around the time of the test does suggest that Pyongyang wasn't just bluffing with some ridiculously-large conventional bomb or some other minute possibility, which is key for threat assessors and diplomats alike.
13 de fevereiro de 2013
The Antarctic Ozone Hole Is the Smallest It's Been in a Decade
The Antarctic Ozone Hole Is the Smallest It's Been in a Decade:
As you've surely heard at some point in your life, CFCs were once prevalent as propellants for hair spray and such, and they (along with halons) also have an affinity for breaking up the 03 ozone molecules that absorb and reflect UV rays in our atmosphere. Aside from their ozone-killing nature, the big problem with CFCs is that they persist in the atmosphere for a really long time. So despite being fairly solidly banned across the world, chlorine content in the atmosphere isn't expect to return to pre-CFC levels until the middle of this century.
As you can see in the above illustration of data from a trio of ESA satellites, the hole (in blue) has neared the size it hit in 2002. But as you might fairly assume by looking at 2003, a low year doesn't mean that the ozone layer is static at that point. So while 2012 was a banner year, data at the end of 2013 might not be so positive.
That's where the ESA's ozone trends come in to play. The graph at left shows that total ozone over Antarctica has climbed steadily upward after hitting a low in the late 90s. Considering the lag time between the end of CFC use and its dissipation from the atmosphere, this is positive data that suggests the ozone will indeed be able to heal itself.
We'll see what happens in the coming years–weather conditions helped 2007 show a record loss of ozone over the Arctic, for example–but for now it's good to see that environmental policies have actually worked.
Of course, as compared to something like climate change, fixing the ozone layer was a relatively easy fix; no one wants more sunburns, and the cause was fairly easy to pinpoint and eliminate. Still, it's heartening to see that, if we stop messing with it, the atmosphere can start to return to equilibrium. That's important to keep in mind as we continue to struggle to deal with climate change.
South Pole July-December ozone monitoring data from 2011 (left) and 2012. Image: KNMI
Wonderful news from the European Space Agency's atmospheric monitors: the hole the ozone layer above Antarctica has hit a ten-year low, and it's still shrinking. That means the environmental worry that caused your mom to slather you with sunblock as a kid is now showing positive effects from bans on ozone-killing chlorofluorocarbons in the late 80s.As you've surely heard at some point in your life, CFCs were once prevalent as propellants for hair spray and such, and they (along with halons) also have an affinity for breaking up the 03 ozone molecules that absorb and reflect UV rays in our atmosphere. Aside from their ozone-killing nature, the big problem with CFCs is that they persist in the atmosphere for a really long time. So despite being fairly solidly banned across the world, chlorine content in the atmosphere isn't expect to return to pre-CFC levels until the middle of this century.
Image: BIRA/IASB
That also explains why it's taking so long for the ozone layer to heal. The ESA's ozone climate change initiative (CCI) released its newest report (PDF) this month, which shows the results of its satellite monitoring of the Antarctic atmosphere. The atmosphere is fluid, which means there are changes to the ozone hole from year to year. But on top of showing a ten-year low, the results also suggest that the ozone hole is indeed shrinking.As you can see in the above illustration of data from a trio of ESA satellites, the hole (in blue) has neared the size it hit in 2002. But as you might fairly assume by looking at 2003, a low year doesn't mean that the ozone layer is static at that point. So while 2012 was a banner year, data at the end of 2013 might not be so positive.
That's where the ESA's ozone trends come in to play. The graph at left shows that total ozone over Antarctica has climbed steadily upward after hitting a low in the late 90s. Considering the lag time between the end of CFC use and its dissipation from the atmosphere, this is positive data that suggests the ozone will indeed be able to heal itself.
We'll see what happens in the coming years–weather conditions helped 2007 show a record loss of ozone over the Arctic, for example–but for now it's good to see that environmental policies have actually worked.
Of course, as compared to something like climate change, fixing the ozone layer was a relatively easy fix; no one wants more sunburns, and the cause was fairly easy to pinpoint and eliminate. Still, it's heartening to see that, if we stop messing with it, the atmosphere can start to return to equilibrium. That's important to keep in mind as we continue to struggle to deal with climate change.
11 de fevereiro de 2013
Bill Gates Wants to Be Immortal
Bill Gates Wants to Be Immortal:
Bill "The Boy Wonder" Gates is trying to stay young. As usual, he's been busy giving all of his money away and hanging out in his $150 million house. (You know, the one that has a swimming pool with an "underwater music system" and the nickname Xanadu 2.0.) But lately, Gates has been branching out a bit, too. He's spending more time on the Twitter, where he tweets about building toilets and curing diseases a lot. The billionaire got really hip this week, however, when he showed up on Reddit to host an AMA and be the butt of a bunch of Internet geeks' jokes.
Actually, the whole event was much more civil than one might expect. In fact, it was kind of a hoot. What did we learn? Among other things, we learned that Bill Gates wants to be immortal, still codes sometimes and really really likes the Nordic countries. We made some screenshots of our favorite moments.
Bill Gates on immortality
Bill Gates on the future of technology
Bill Gates on Windows (or weed, it's unclear)
Bill Gates on pretending not to be rich
Bill Gates on coding like it's 1979
BONUS: Bill Gates conducted the whole AMA using his Perspective Pixel, an 80-inch tablet like device that also works as a whiteboard. Look how excited he is!
Bill "The Boy Wonder" Gates is trying to stay young. As usual, he's been busy giving all of his money away and hanging out in his $150 million house. (You know, the one that has a swimming pool with an "underwater music system" and the nickname Xanadu 2.0.) But lately, Gates has been branching out a bit, too. He's spending more time on the Twitter, where he tweets about building toilets and curing diseases a lot. The billionaire got really hip this week, however, when he showed up on Reddit to host an AMA and be the butt of a bunch of Internet geeks' jokes.
Actually, the whole event was much more civil than one might expect. In fact, it was kind of a hoot. What did we learn? Among other things, we learned that Bill Gates wants to be immortal, still codes sometimes and really really likes the Nordic countries. We made some screenshots of our favorite moments.
Bill Gates on immortality
Bill Gates on the future of technology
Bill Gates on Windows (or weed, it's unclear)
Bill Gates on pretending not to be rich
Bill Gates on coding like it's 1979
BONUS: Bill Gates conducted the whole AMA using his Perspective Pixel, an 80-inch tablet like device that also works as a whiteboard. Look how excited he is!
9 de fevereiro de 2013
Fox News' Anti-Solar Propaganda Hits a New Low and Goes Viral
Fox News' Anti-Solar Propaganda Hits a New Low and Goes Viral:
For over a decade now, Fox News has been engaged in a perpetual propaganda-laden war against anything its management perceives as liberal. So: Obama, climate science, minorities, Joe Biden, Planned Parenthood, and, yeah, even clean energy technology.
Here’s a montage Media Matters put together of the network’s recent assault on solar power:
And Neil Cavuto alone has time and again lost his shit over electric cars.
But most recently, and most hilariously, Fox ran a segment claiming that the reason solar works in Germany and not the U.S. is because that nation is “smaller and gets more sunlight.”
Shibani Joshi’s “reporting” is so off base that it’s inspired widesread mockery around the internet—the most popular story on Slate right now is titled “Fox News Claims Solar Won't Work in America Because It's Not Sunny Like Germany,” and it features the above clip. It also contains the following map, which demonstrates the amount of sunlight Germany receives vs. the United States.
It's full-on viral humiliation for the Fox folks.
But as the Germany v. US laugh line bounces around the web, let's not forget that the segment gets everything else wrong, too. Claiming that foggy, perennially overcast Germany is sunnier than the nation that’s home to Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California is only the most idiotic thing she says—it’s not the only thing that's 100% factually bankrupt.
First, she only shows the amount of stimulus money each of the failed solar companies were initially given—she neglects to show how much the government recouped. Also, she neglects to mention that Congress had expected at least $2.5 billion worth of the investments not to pan out—that’s what happens when you invest in high-risk, high-reward technologies—and we’re nowhere near that level of failure yet (the gov lost $60 million on Abound, no more).
The total DOE loan portfolio for renewable energy has actually performed better than expected, but showing the heaps of solar companies that have succeeded is inconvenient for the Fox folks.
Finally, and maybe most strikingly of all, those Fox Friends marvel at Germany’s success while moronically pontificating about how it must be smaller and sunnier or something, as if it were a quaint tiny tropical island nation. Germany has 82 million citizens, of course, and it is among the most heavily industrialized countries on the planet—and it’s not sunny at all. So why is solar booming?
Simple: because the government subsidizes solar way more heavily than we do—and its citizens are fine with paying a little more for energy. Germany’s extensive feed-in tariff program allows businesses and individuals to profit by investing in local solar projects, and it’s paid for with what amount to higher energy taxes. But because Germans haven’t been inundated with nonsense from outlets like Fox News, and thus believe in climate change (along with the populace of every other nation in the world), they’re mostly happy to do so.
In other words, we could easily emulate Germany’s success, if we agreed it was worth raising energy costs to empower local communities and individuals to invest in clean energy.
But as long as conservative dogma insists that solar power is a hippie leftwing daydream, you will never see anything resembling an honest assessment of clean energy technology or policy on the longest-running for-profit propaganda arm in recent history.
For over a decade now, Fox News has been engaged in a perpetual propaganda-laden war against anything its management perceives as liberal. So: Obama, climate science, minorities, Joe Biden, Planned Parenthood, and, yeah, even clean energy technology.
Here’s a montage Media Matters put together of the network’s recent assault on solar power:
And Neil Cavuto alone has time and again lost his shit over electric cars.
But most recently, and most hilariously, Fox ran a segment claiming that the reason solar works in Germany and not the U.S. is because that nation is “smaller and gets more sunlight.”
Shibani Joshi’s “reporting” is so off base that it’s inspired widesread mockery around the internet—the most popular story on Slate right now is titled “Fox News Claims Solar Won't Work in America Because It's Not Sunny Like Germany,” and it features the above clip. It also contains the following map, which demonstrates the amount of sunlight Germany receives vs. the United States.
It's full-on viral humiliation for the Fox folks.
But as the Germany v. US laugh line bounces around the web, let's not forget that the segment gets everything else wrong, too. Claiming that foggy, perennially overcast Germany is sunnier than the nation that’s home to Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California is only the most idiotic thing she says—it’s not the only thing that's 100% factually bankrupt.
First, she only shows the amount of stimulus money each of the failed solar companies were initially given—she neglects to show how much the government recouped. Also, she neglects to mention that Congress had expected at least $2.5 billion worth of the investments not to pan out—that’s what happens when you invest in high-risk, high-reward technologies—and we’re nowhere near that level of failure yet (the gov lost $60 million on Abound, no more).
The total DOE loan portfolio for renewable energy has actually performed better than expected, but showing the heaps of solar companies that have succeeded is inconvenient for the Fox folks.
Finally, and maybe most strikingly of all, those Fox Friends marvel at Germany’s success while moronically pontificating about how it must be smaller and sunnier or something, as if it were a quaint tiny tropical island nation. Germany has 82 million citizens, of course, and it is among the most heavily industrialized countries on the planet—and it’s not sunny at all. So why is solar booming?
Simple: because the government subsidizes solar way more heavily than we do—and its citizens are fine with paying a little more for energy. Germany’s extensive feed-in tariff program allows businesses and individuals to profit by investing in local solar projects, and it’s paid for with what amount to higher energy taxes. But because Germans haven’t been inundated with nonsense from outlets like Fox News, and thus believe in climate change (along with the populace of every other nation in the world), they’re mostly happy to do so.
In other words, we could easily emulate Germany’s success, if we agreed it was worth raising energy costs to empower local communities and individuals to invest in clean energy.
But as long as conservative dogma insists that solar power is a hippie leftwing daydream, you will never see anything resembling an honest assessment of clean energy technology or policy on the longest-running for-profit propaganda arm in recent history.
8 de fevereiro de 2013
Facebook deleted EU facial recognition data, regulators say
Facebook deleted EU facial recognition data, regulators say:
Facebook has deleted all European facial recognition data, the Irish data protection commissioner and a German data protection regulator confirmed independently Thursday after reviewing parts of the social network's source code.
7 de fevereiro de 2013
CE propõe novas medidas na área da cibersegurança
CE propõe novas medidas na área da cibersegurança: A Comissão Europeia revelou hoje os traços gerais da estratégia de cibersegurança que quer ver implementada na região, num documento que integra uma proposta de diretiva.
Uma das medidas previstas é a definição, em todos os países da União, de uma entidade responsável pela estratégia de cibersegurança, dotada de meios e recursos financeiros próprios e que atue ao nível da prevenção e resposta aos riscos e incidentes de segurança detetados. Define-se igualmente a criação de um mecanismo de cooperação entre Estados-membros e CE que, através de uma infraestrutura segura reúna os diferentes sistemas de alerta.
Prevê-se ainda a criação de centros de excelência contra a cibercriminalidade, estruturas que facilitem o desenvolvimento de capacidades e a formação. A criação destas estruturas, que funcionarão em rede, será financiada pela EU.
A diretiva também preconiza que sejam definidas regras que obriguem os prestadores de serviços e os operadores de infraestruturas a garantir "um ambiente digital seguro e fiável em toda a EU".
A estratégia europeia pretende atingir cinco objetivos principais: alcançar a resiliência do ciberespaço; reduzir drasticamente a cibercriminalidade; desenvolver a política e as capacidades no domínio da ciberdefesa; desenvolver os recursos industriais e tecnológicos para a cibersegurança; e estabelecer uma política internacional coerente em matéria de ciberespaço da UE, detalha uma nota de imprensa.
Entre as medidas já implementadas, com o mesmo objetivo de reforçar a capacidade europeia de combate às ciberameaças, destaca-se a criação do Centro Europeu de Cibercriminalidade, ou o lançamento de uma aliança global contra a pedofilia online.
Número citados pela CE indicam que são detetados diariamente 150.000 e 148.000 computadores infetados. As perspetivas para o futuro não são animadoras e apontam para um crescimento dos ataques às infraestruturas críticas dos países.
Escrito ao abrigo do novo Acordo
Ortográfico
Uma das medidas previstas é a definição, em todos os países da União, de uma entidade responsável pela estratégia de cibersegurança, dotada de meios e recursos financeiros próprios e que atue ao nível da prevenção e resposta aos riscos e incidentes de segurança detetados. Define-se igualmente a criação de um mecanismo de cooperação entre Estados-membros e CE que, através de uma infraestrutura segura reúna os diferentes sistemas de alerta.
Prevê-se ainda a criação de centros de excelência contra a cibercriminalidade, estruturas que facilitem o desenvolvimento de capacidades e a formação. A criação destas estruturas, que funcionarão em rede, será financiada pela EU.
A diretiva também preconiza que sejam definidas regras que obriguem os prestadores de serviços e os operadores de infraestruturas a garantir "um ambiente digital seguro e fiável em toda a EU".
A estratégia europeia pretende atingir cinco objetivos principais: alcançar a resiliência do ciberespaço; reduzir drasticamente a cibercriminalidade; desenvolver a política e as capacidades no domínio da ciberdefesa; desenvolver os recursos industriais e tecnológicos para a cibersegurança; e estabelecer uma política internacional coerente em matéria de ciberespaço da UE, detalha uma nota de imprensa.
Entre as medidas já implementadas, com o mesmo objetivo de reforçar a capacidade europeia de combate às ciberameaças, destaca-se a criação do Centro Europeu de Cibercriminalidade, ou o lançamento de uma aliança global contra a pedofilia online.
Número citados pela CE indicam que são detetados diariamente 150.000 e 148.000 computadores infetados. As perspetivas para o futuro não são animadoras e apontam para um crescimento dos ataques às infraestruturas críticas dos países.
Escrito ao abrigo do novo Acordo
Ortográfico
5 de fevereiro de 2013
CE quer fim das barreiras geográficas aos conteúdos digitais na UE
CE quer fim das barreiras geográficas aos conteúdos digitais na UE: A Comissão Europeia lançou hoje a Licences for Europe. É uma iniciativa de reflexão que convida cidadãos e empresas a partilharem pontos de vista sobre o caminho que a Europa deve seguir para criar um verdadeiro mercado único para os conteúdos digitais. Esta nova iniciativa, apresentada esta manhã por três comissários, pretende redefinir estratégias em quatro áreas principais.
A primeira grande preocupação da CE vai para as barreiras que continuam a existir no espaço europeu para o acesso a conteúdos de música e vídeo, com muitas das ofertas a permanecerem limitadas às fronteiras geográficas de cada país. Encontrar mecanismos que permitam manter o acesso a determinado serviço independentemente do país onde o cidadão se encontra é a grande prioridade.
O segundo objetivo da Licences for Europe é encontrar formas de aumentar o número de filmes europeus disponíveis na Internet. Segundo dados do executivo europeu só 15% da herança cinematográfica europeia está disponível na Internet e boa parte desse acervo mantém acesso limitado ao nível do pais.
A terceira questão tem a ver com o licenciamento, a utilização de conteúdos que reutilizam outros conteúdos online e as dificuldades de garantir acesso a todos os direitos e poder desenvolver novos produtos a partir daí sem constrangimentos legais. Defende a CE que é preciso encontrar esquemas de licenciamento mais claros e que tragam benefícios para todos os envolvidos.
"É preciso assegurar que as soluções contratuais ou tecnológicas servem os interesses de todos", defende Michel Barnier, comissário responsável pelo mercado interno e serviços, que apresentou a iniciativa. Um quarto objetivo visa encontrar soluções para implementar as medidas medidas que se venham a afirmar como necessárias.
No mesmo discurso o responsável europeu sublinhou que o mercado europeu de conteúdos digitais é responsável por 6,7 milhões de empregos na Europa, razão que justifica o empenho da CE em torná-lo mais eficiente, mesmo admitindo que os desenvolvimentos da indústria estão quase sempre à frente da capacidade da Europa para definir princípios legais que os dinamizem.
Escrito ao abrigo do novo Acordo Ortográfico
A primeira grande preocupação da CE vai para as barreiras que continuam a existir no espaço europeu para o acesso a conteúdos de música e vídeo, com muitas das ofertas a permanecerem limitadas às fronteiras geográficas de cada país. Encontrar mecanismos que permitam manter o acesso a determinado serviço independentemente do país onde o cidadão se encontra é a grande prioridade.
O segundo objetivo da Licences for Europe é encontrar formas de aumentar o número de filmes europeus disponíveis na Internet. Segundo dados do executivo europeu só 15% da herança cinematográfica europeia está disponível na Internet e boa parte desse acervo mantém acesso limitado ao nível do pais.
A terceira questão tem a ver com o licenciamento, a utilização de conteúdos que reutilizam outros conteúdos online e as dificuldades de garantir acesso a todos os direitos e poder desenvolver novos produtos a partir daí sem constrangimentos legais. Defende a CE que é preciso encontrar esquemas de licenciamento mais claros e que tragam benefícios para todos os envolvidos.
"É preciso assegurar que as soluções contratuais ou tecnológicas servem os interesses de todos", defende Michel Barnier, comissário responsável pelo mercado interno e serviços, que apresentou a iniciativa. Um quarto objetivo visa encontrar soluções para implementar as medidas medidas que se venham a afirmar como necessárias.
No mesmo discurso o responsável europeu sublinhou que o mercado europeu de conteúdos digitais é responsável por 6,7 milhões de empregos na Europa, razão que justifica o empenho da CE em torná-lo mais eficiente, mesmo admitindo que os desenvolvimentos da indústria estão quase sempre à frente da capacidade da Europa para definir princípios legais que os dinamizem.
Escrito ao abrigo do novo Acordo Ortográfico
3 de fevereiro de 2013
Spinning Solar Cones Are the Future of Power
Spinning Solar Cones Are the Future of Power:
When we imagine what will power human civilization in the future, say, 100 years down the line or beyond, we tend to go big and utopian—gleaming fusion power, thorium nuke plants, sparkling solar arrays that stretch across the desert. Course, the dystopia-envisioning cynics do the opposite, and go dingy and desperate—sputtering Mad Max diesel generators, survivalist home solar panels, if anything at all.
Obviously, the reality of our future energy mix is going to look a lot different than both, and is probably going to land somewhere in the middle, and may very well look like nothing we’ve ever imagined. It might, for instance, look like a bunch of perpetually spinning solar cones that dot our cities.
See, a company called V3 has recently announced that it has built and tested solar technology that’s cheaper than coal. If they’re right, that’s it, that’s the big one—coal is the cheapest power source for most of the world right now, though natural gas has edged out here in the U.S. If solar can beat either on cost, sans subsidies, that’s game over for fossil fuels.
So what’s the secret? How does V3 plan on beating out a bevy of solar aspirants who’ve been working steadily at grinding the cost of panels down for decades?
Shape ‘em like a cone, and make ‘em spin. That’s pretty much it.
V3 gave CleanTechnica the exclusive on its new tech, which boils down to this:
Traditional solar panels are only collecting the optimum amount of sunlight for a small period of time during the day—when the sun is shining head-on to the panels. Some manufacturers have built mechanical trackers to tackle this, but that, of course, demands energy be sucked down in the name of absorbing more sub. Simply shaping panels into cones is a simpler, cheaper, more energy efficient answer—the V3s will collect more sunlight.
But the big breakthrough is this: they spin. Grist’s David Roberts explains why this is such a big deal:
If these panels pan out—and the company claims their cost projections have been verified by independent solar specialists—they will become the single most attractive energy source currently available. With no pollution or emissions generated, no giant, centralized plants in need of construction—these things can be dropped down anywhere there’s room for a meter-wide traffic cone—the V3 solar spinners will be the belle of the clean energy ball.
If. If, if, if. Neat-looking, safe and clever technologies have a habit of not panning out as planned, and energy tech is no different (see Solyndra, thorium, etc). But it might indeed, and that’s beyond enticing--especially considering that the company says it's got orders for 4 GW worth of the cones already lined up. That's enough to power about 3 million homes. 3 million. So, yeah--the future may yet look closer to something like this:
When we imagine what will power human civilization in the future, say, 100 years down the line or beyond, we tend to go big and utopian—gleaming fusion power, thorium nuke plants, sparkling solar arrays that stretch across the desert. Course, the dystopia-envisioning cynics do the opposite, and go dingy and desperate—sputtering Mad Max diesel generators, survivalist home solar panels, if anything at all.
Obviously, the reality of our future energy mix is going to look a lot different than both, and is probably going to land somewhere in the middle, and may very well look like nothing we’ve ever imagined. It might, for instance, look like a bunch of perpetually spinning solar cones that dot our cities.
See, a company called V3 has recently announced that it has built and tested solar technology that’s cheaper than coal. If they’re right, that’s it, that’s the big one—coal is the cheapest power source for most of the world right now, though natural gas has edged out here in the U.S. If solar can beat either on cost, sans subsidies, that’s game over for fossil fuels.
So what’s the secret? How does V3 plan on beating out a bevy of solar aspirants who’ve been working steadily at grinding the cost of panels down for decades?
Shape ‘em like a cone, and make ‘em spin. That’s pretty much it.
V3 gave CleanTechnica the exclusive on its new tech, which boils down to this:
Traditional solar panels are only collecting the optimum amount of sunlight for a small period of time during the day—when the sun is shining head-on to the panels. Some manufacturers have built mechanical trackers to tackle this, but that, of course, demands energy be sucked down in the name of absorbing more sub. Simply shaping panels into cones is a simpler, cheaper, more energy efficient answer—the V3s will collect more sunlight.
But the big breakthrough is this: they spin. Grist’s David Roberts explains why this is such a big deal:
“Solar panels produce much more energy if sunlight is concentrated by a lens before it hits the solar cell; however, concentrating the light also creates immense amounts of heat, which means that concentrating solar panels (CPV) require expensive, specialized, heat-resistant solar cell materials.As a result, the company says its panels can produce power for 8 cents per kw/h. The average rate for electricity consumers in the U.S. is 12 cents per kw/h.
The Spin Cell concentrates sunlight on plain old (cheap) silicon PV, but keeps it cool by spinning it.”
If these panels pan out—and the company claims their cost projections have been verified by independent solar specialists—they will become the single most attractive energy source currently available. With no pollution or emissions generated, no giant, centralized plants in need of construction—these things can be dropped down anywhere there’s room for a meter-wide traffic cone—the V3 solar spinners will be the belle of the clean energy ball.
If. If, if, if. Neat-looking, safe and clever technologies have a habit of not panning out as planned, and energy tech is no different (see Solyndra, thorium, etc). But it might indeed, and that’s beyond enticing--especially considering that the company says it's got orders for 4 GW worth of the cones already lined up. That's enough to power about 3 million homes. 3 million. So, yeah--the future may yet look closer to something like this:
Can We Stop Worshipping Cats, Because They're Evil as Hell
Can We Stop Worshipping Cats, Because They're Evil as Hell:
Twitter's new Vine service is rad, but it hadn't fully arrived until now. Yes, Vinecats.com has arrived, as signals that Vine has been fully accepted by the internet because it can finally trade in pawwdorable clips in the Cat Economy. Absolutely no one is surprised by Vinecats release (it does look nice), and the savvy Internet folks are starting to tire of the Put a cat on it! clickwhoring trope, and yet those same people are LOVING THAT SHIT like it's the second coming of the Dancing Baby.
Look, I'm chill with cats for the most part (Sir Abner is my phone's wallpaper), but it's time we stop pretending that a housecat is some amazingly adorable thing that makes the world better and thus we should fill every corner of the internet with it. Let me be clear: Cats are evil, and here are twelve links explaining why. For those of you who refuse to open your eyes to the real world, enjoy the cat vines instead.
@derektmead
Twitter's new Vine service is rad, but it hadn't fully arrived until now. Yes, Vinecats.com has arrived, as signals that Vine has been fully accepted by the internet because it can finally trade in pawwdorable clips in the Cat Economy. Absolutely no one is surprised by Vinecats release (it does look nice), and the savvy Internet folks are starting to tire of the Put a cat on it! clickwhoring trope, and yet those same people are LOVING THAT SHIT like it's the second coming of the Dancing Baby.
Look, I'm chill with cats for the most part (Sir Abner is my phone's wallpaper), but it's time we stop pretending that a housecat is some amazingly adorable thing that makes the world better and thus we should fill every corner of the internet with it. Let me be clear: Cats are evil, and here are twelve links explaining why. For those of you who refuse to open your eyes to the real world, enjoy the cat vines instead.
1. Cats harbor parasites that control our brains
#cats vine.co/v/b1ZBrjLZqzx
— Alexander Horré (@alexhorre) January 31, 2013
2. That parasite can kill or blind a baby
Are you going to give me your water or what? #cats #pets vine.co/v/b17l53YdJxp
— Tamre (@tamremullins) January 31, 2013
3. Stray cats in the US will kill billions of wild animals this year
Aww! My #scottishfold #cat with a Pumpkin. #kawaii #baby #pets #cats #cute vine.co/v/b1703amKxOi
— La Carmina (@lacarmina) January 31, 2013
4. The 600 million housecats worldwide are responsible for numerous mammal, reptile, and bird extinctions
Melancholy... And confused #cats vine.co/v/b17pImYgn1M
— Chavez (@SantiagoChavz) January 31, 2013
5. Cats Made Ted Nugent relevant
Catt is a majestically melancholy kitteh. Because #cats vine.co/v/b17dlvBb9w9
— Chavez (@SantiagoChavz) January 31, 2013
6. Cats Are reported rabid more than any other domesticated animal in the US
Marbles gets inspiration from cultural critic Carlos Mandelbaum vine.co/v/bJ0B329AvLV #cats #philosphy #spirituality
— Carlos Mandelbaum (@cmandelbaum) January 31, 2013
7. Cats have turned youtube into shit
Trying out this new video app #vine, add me? #scottishfold #cat #cute #cats #pets #baby vine.co/v/b17gIXbzwYQ
— La Carmina (@lacarmina) January 31, 2013
8. Cats and their brain parasites have convinced us they own the web, when dogs are actually more popular
Marbles The Transgender Cat finds #porn embarrassing vine.co/v/bJ2PitnhmTd #cats#sex #vineapp cats
— Carlos Mandelbaum (@cmandelbaum) January 31, 2013
9. When used as performance art, they distract from the sordid politics of drone use
Soft exterior and interior. This cat is pathetic. #petsofvine #pets #catsofvine #cats #petsinbed vine.co/v/b1aVbzg7TLA
— Kayley Heeringa (@SidewalkReady) January 31, 2013
10. They play with corpses, and like it
Jasmine's first glimpse at Paint for #Cats vine.co/v/b1WOIWFYpH7
— Angela Bowman (@angelabdotme) January 31, 2013
11. Your cat leaves its poop on display just to insult you
Catnip bliss #cats #pets vine.co/v/b1WrKuBu3ue
— mirrorgirl (@fancyghost) January 31, 2013
12. They straight-up don't like how you smell, and think that they own you
Saki doesn't care about the camera. #cats vine.co/v/b1anWVMMD0qThere you have it. Cats are evil as shit. Can we please end the charade? The Internet will thank you.
— Austin (@AustinXC04) January 31, 2013
@derektmead
Despite the Tuxedo, Iran's Space Monkey Is a Hoax
Despite the Tuxedo, Iran's Space Monkey Is a Hoax:
Iran made waves earlier this week with the big news that it had successfully launched a monkey into space and back. That "and back" part is rather important, not just for the safety of the little primate in question, but also as it's an important step towards developing climate control and landing systems for a human flight, which Iran says is coming.
But hold up a minute. Iran may have pulled a monkey switch!
Look at that image above, from the Telegraph. On the right is the monkey in its launch chair, which matches the released image of the primate in the middle. Both have light hair and a bright red mole over its right eye. But look at the left: That monkey, wearing a silk tuxedo, was trotted out by Iran to show that it indeed hadn't killed its adorably payload. WHERE IS THE MOLE? Plus, it has dark hair.
Guess who's calling Iran on the bluff: Yep, an Israeli space nonprofit. “It looks like a very different monkey, the nose, the features, everything is different,” Yariv Bash, founder of Space Israel, a nonprofit tasked with sending an unmanned Israeli ship to the moon, told the Telegraph. “This means that either the original monkey died from a heart attack after the rocket landed or that the experiment didn’t go that well."
That means one of two things: Either Iran's original space monkey died during the flight, or it faked the whole thing. Now, there was a question of whether the launch was real in initial reports. No Western analysts reported a rocket flight from Iran at the time, which could have been a matter of intelligence agencies not wanting to discuss the launch just yet. But considering we've got a monkey gaffe of historic proportions on our hands, it appears that the whole thing is likely a ruse. The new space race is still heating up, but it looks like Iran's rockets are only flying on lies.
@derektmead
Iran made waves earlier this week with the big news that it had successfully launched a monkey into space and back. That "and back" part is rather important, not just for the safety of the little primate in question, but also as it's an important step towards developing climate control and landing systems for a human flight, which Iran says is coming.
But hold up a minute. Iran may have pulled a monkey switch!
Look at that image above, from the Telegraph. On the right is the monkey in its launch chair, which matches the released image of the primate in the middle. Both have light hair and a bright red mole over its right eye. But look at the left: That monkey, wearing a silk tuxedo, was trotted out by Iran to show that it indeed hadn't killed its adorably payload. WHERE IS THE MOLE? Plus, it has dark hair.
Guess who's calling Iran on the bluff: Yep, an Israeli space nonprofit. “It looks like a very different monkey, the nose, the features, everything is different,” Yariv Bash, founder of Space Israel, a nonprofit tasked with sending an unmanned Israeli ship to the moon, told the Telegraph. “This means that either the original monkey died from a heart attack after the rocket landed or that the experiment didn’t go that well."
That means one of two things: Either Iran's original space monkey died during the flight, or it faked the whole thing. Now, there was a question of whether the launch was real in initial reports. No Western analysts reported a rocket flight from Iran at the time, which could have been a matter of intelligence agencies not wanting to discuss the launch just yet. But considering we've got a monkey gaffe of historic proportions on our hands, it appears that the whole thing is likely a ruse. The new space race is still heating up, but it looks like Iran's rockets are only flying on lies.
@derektmead
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