Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

1888: The World's First True Electric Car

2025-01-21

In 1888, Andreas Flocken, a German engineer, created the world's first true electric car, the Flocken Elektrowagen, at his Maschinenfabrik A. Flocken in Coburg. This four-wheeled vehicle, initially resembling a horse-drawn carriage, was powered by an electric motor and could reach a top speed of 15 km/h. While early technology limited its performance, the Flocken Elektrowagen holds immense historical significance as a landmark in the dawn of the electric car era.

(en.wikipedia.org)

Tech electric car Germany

White House Establishes Department of Government Efficiency

2025-01-21

On January 20, 2025, the President issued an executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to modernize federal technology and software, boosting governmental efficiency and productivity. The order renames and reorganizes the United States Digital Service into the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS), creating a temporary organization to implement an 18-month DOGE agenda. Each agency will form a DOGE team to collaborate with USDS on software modernization and improving network infrastructure and IT systems.

(www.whitehouse.gov)

Tech Government Efficiency Technology Modernization Executive Order

Meta's AI Trained on Pirated Books: A Copyright Catastrophe

2025-01-21

Meta is embroiled in a major copyright lawsuit after court documents revealed its AI was trained using a massive database of pirated books. Internal communications expose Meta employees admitting to using the notorious piracy site LibGen, even uploading pirated files to torrent networks. While Meta claims fair use, the blatant disregard for copyright and ethical sourcing raises serious concerns. This scandal highlights the ethical blind spots of tech giants prioritizing progress over intellectual property rights, sending shockwaves through the AI industry and beyond.

(lithub.com)

Tech

Big Tech Signs EU Pledge to Combat Online Hate Speech

2025-01-21

Meta, Google, TikTok, and X have signed a voluntary EU commitment to combat illegal hate speech on their platforms. The "Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online Plus" requires signatories to increase transparency, allow third-party monitoring, and review at least two-thirds of hate speech reports within 24 hours. While not legally binding, the agreement represents a step forward in tech companies' efforts to address online hate speech.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech online hate speech tech company responsibility

Climate Reanalyzer: Visualizing Daily Global Temperatures

2025-01-21

The Climate Reanalyzer website, from the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute, provides interactive visualizations of daily global temperatures based on ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis data. The site offers interactive charts and maps showing daily mean surface air temperature from 1940 to the present, allowing users to select different regions for analysis. Data updates are delayed by 6-7 days, and users are cautioned to treat extreme temperatures estimated by ERA5 with care. The site also provides access to other climate data, such as sea surface temperature and sea ice extent.

(climatereanalyzer.org)

Tech climate data ERA5 reanalysis data

Hubble's Decade-Long Masterpiece: A 417-Megapixel Panorama of Andromeda

2025-01-21

A breathtaking 417-megapixel panorama of the Andromeda galaxy, the result of a decade-long effort using over 600 Hubble Space Telescope images, has been unveiled. This unprecedented image reveals 200 million stars and offers unparalleled detail, providing invaluable data for studying Andromeda's history and mergers with smaller galaxies. The project showcases Hubble's enduring power and highlights humanity's persistent quest to unravel the cosmos.

(petapixel.com)

Tech Hubble Telescope Andromeda Galaxy Astrophotography

Bio-Inspired Adaptive Shading: Energy-Autonomous & Sustainable

2025-01-21

Researchers at the Universities of Stuttgart and Freiburg have developed a novel energy-autonomous building facade shading system, "Solar Gate," inspired by pine cones. Using bio-based cellulose materials and 4D printing, the system passively adjusts shading based on humidity and temperature changes, requiring no electricity. It closes in summer to minimize solar radiation and opens in winter to maximize sunlight for natural heating, offering a sustainable and efficient solution for climate control in buildings.

(www.uni-stuttgart.de)

Tech biomimicry 4D printing sustainable building

Malicious Chrome Extensions Bypass Remote Code Ban

2025-01-20

A recent investigation revealed numerous malicious Chrome extensions circumventing Google's ban on remote code execution. Developed primarily by Phoenix Invicta Inc., Technosense Media Pvt. Ltd., and Sweet VPN, these extensions employ stealthy configurations, obfuscated code, and abuse of the declarativeNetRequest API to inject ads, steal user data, and perpetrate affiliate fraud. The researchers identified dozens of affected extensions, highlighting Google's insufficient oversight of these malicious activities.

(palant.info)

Tech

Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Use of Pirated Torrent Data for AI Training

2025-01-20

Authors are suing Meta for allegedly using their copyrighted works without permission to train its AI models. The lawsuit claims Meta used BitTorrent to download and share millions of pirated books from the shadow library LibGen. While Meta admitted to using unofficial sources, it argued fair use. However, plaintiffs are seeking Meta's BitTorrent client logs and seeding data to prove willful infringement. A judge allowed further investigation into the 'seeding' aspect, potentially impacting Meta's fair use defense and significantly altering the case's trajectory.

(torrentfreak.com)

Tech AI copyright

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Scrubbed 11 Seconds Before Liftoff Due to Delta Air Jet

2025-01-20

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch was scrubbed with just 11 seconds to go on Sunday morning after a Delta Air Lines plane reportedly flew into restricted airspace near the launch site. The live broadcast of the launch showed the control room urgently calling "Hold, hold, hold!" as the launch was aborted at the 11-second mark. Investigations revealed the Delta Air Lines Boeing 767, en route from Los Angeles to Honolulu, flew over Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Falcon 9 launch site. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate how air traffic controllers allowed the Delta flight to enter the restricted airspace. This near-miss comes days after SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded, causing flight diversions.

(www.paddleyourownkanoo.com)

Tech Falcon 9 Restricted Airspace

Failed Startups Leave Employees Vulnerable to Data Breaches via Google Logins

2025-01-20

A security researcher discovered a critical vulnerability exposing employees of defunct startups to significant data breaches. By acquiring expired domains, attackers can exploit "Sign in with Google" to access company cloud software, potentially stealing Slack messages, Social Security numbers, and bank account details. While Google's OAuth configuration includes safeguards, improper implementation by some SaaS providers leaves the vulnerability exploitable. Tens of thousands of former employees and millions of SaaS accounts are at risk. Google has updated its documentation, advising companies to properly shut down cloud services, but the issue remains unresolved.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech startups

Canon's New Livestreaming App Doesn't Support Canon Cameras (Yet)

2025-01-20

Canon launched "Live Switcher Mobile," an iOS livestreaming app supporting up to three camera views. Surprisingly, it only works with Apple devices and currently lacks support for Canon cameras. The free version is limited to 720p with ads and watermarks. A $18 monthly subscription unlocks 1080p, removes ads, and adds features like picture-in-picture. While lacking some features of free alternatives like OBS Studio, Canon promises upcoming Canon camera support.

(www.engadget.com)

Tech Livestreaming App

China to Host World's First Human-Robot Marathon

2025-01-20

Beijing will host the world's first human-robot half-marathon in April, with dozens of humanoid robots competing alongside 12,000 human runners in a 21km race. This event showcases China's push to develop AI and robotics to address an aging population, declining birth rates, and compete with the US in technological advancement. Robots from over 20 companies will participate, with prizes awarded to the top finishers.

(www.scmp.com)

Tech human-robot marathon

Deep Earth Life: More Diverse Than We Thought

2025-01-20

New research is reshaping our understanding of life's distribution on Earth. Scientists have discovered that the diversity of microbes deep beneath the surface rivals, and sometimes surpasses, that of rainforests and coral reefs. These microbes thrive in extremely low-energy environments, flourishing even at depths where energy supply is far lower than for surface organisms. Researchers suggest subsurface ecosystems may host more than half of all microbial cells. This finding not only deepens our understanding of Earth's life forms but also offers new perspectives on the search for extraterrestrial life.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech deep life microbial diversity

Affordable Vision-Based GNSS-Denied Strapdown Celestial Navigation for UAVs

2025-01-20

This paper presents a low-cost, lightweight strapdown celestial navigation solution for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operating in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-denied environments. Utilizing a modular system with a stabilized imaging system and a low-cost Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), the algorithm achieves position estimates within 4 km accuracy. By performing an orbital maneuver through a full compass rotation and averaging position outputs, biases inherent in the strapdown system are nullified. An iterative method for in-flight geometric alignment of the camera with the AHRS, without external position input, is also presented. The results demonstrate the potential for low-cost celestial navigation as a redundant navigation modality in affordable, lightweight drones.

(www.mdpi.com)

Tech UAV Navigation Celestial Navigation GNSS Denial

Pluto's Largest Moon, Charon, Formed Via a 'Kiss and Capture' Event

2025-01-20

A new study proposes a novel 'kiss and capture' mechanism for the formation of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, challenging the previous catastrophic impact theory. Billions of years ago, Pluto and Charon collided in the outer solar system, briefly merging into a spinning dumbbell shape before separating, yet remaining gravitationally bound. This collision didn't destroy either body, preserving their structural integrity. The theory, incorporating the strength of Pluto and Charon's materials, was validated by computer simulations, accurately predicting the current binary system's orbit. This discovery challenges conventional understanding of planetary collisions and offers a new perspective on the formation of other binary systems.

(www.smithsonianmag.com)

Tech Pluto Charon Planetary Collision

Interactive Groundwater Movement Simulator: Unlocking Aquifer Mysteries

2025-01-20

This interactive science simulation lets learners explore groundwater movement. By adjusting permeability parameters, they observe how water flows through different layers, track a water droplet's path, and learn about aquifer formation. Users can also drill wells, experiencing sustainable versus unsustainable water extraction to understand groundwater resource management. This game is part of the "Will there be enough fresh water?" lesson.

(has.concord.org)

Tech groundwater science simulation

Byzantine-Sasanian War (602-628 CE): The Last Great War of Antiquity

2025-01-20

The Byzantine-Sasanian War of 602-628 CE was a protracted conflict that nearly destroyed both empires. Triggered by Sasanian King Khosrow II's revenge for the murder of his ally, the Byzantine Emperor Maurice, the war saw years of brutal fighting between evenly matched powers. Emperor Heraclius' military genius and shrewd diplomacy ultimately secured a Byzantine victory, but both empires emerged exhausted and vulnerable to the rising power of the Rashidun Caliphate. This war dramatically reshaped the Middle East and left a lasting impact on religious and cultural landscapes.

(www.thecollector.com)

Tech Byzantine Empire Sasanian Empire Ancient Warfare

Session Messaging App: A Cryptographic Security Audit

2025-01-20

Security engineer Soatok published a blog post questioning the cryptographic design of the Session messaging app. The post highlights Session's use of 128-bit seeds for Ed25519 key generation, making it vulnerable to batch collision attacks; a proof-of-concept is provided. Furthermore, the post criticizes design flaws in Session's signature verification process and the removal of forward secrecy. Soatok concludes that Session's cryptographic design poses significant security risks and advises against its use.

(soatok.blog)

Tech

Blinkenlights: A Glimpse into Hacker Culture

2025-01-20

Blinkenlights, a term originating from a deliberately misspelled German warning sign in hacker culture, refers to the diagnostic blinking lights on the front panels of old mainframe computers. As CPUs sped up, interpreting these lights became impossible in real-time. However, they persist as status indicators on modern network hardware and remain a unique symbol of tech culture, a nostalgic nod to the past.

(en.wikipedia.org)

Tech hacker culture indicator lights

Apple's AI Flubs, TikTok's Fate, and More Tech News

2025-01-20

Apple's new AI-powered notification summaries are causing a stir due to inaccuracies, such as misinterpreting a message about a messy child's room as the husband being messy. Apple acknowledges the issue and plans improvements in a future update. Meanwhile, TikTok faces an impending ban, with its fate uncertain. Sonos replaces its CEO following app issues, and Samsung is set to unveil its Galaxy S25 phones. OpenAI introduces a proactive chat feature for ChatGPT, allowing users to schedule messages.

(techthings.cmail20.com)

Tech

A Physicist's Guide to Ice Cream: The Unexpected Science of a Beloved Dessert

2025-01-20

Ice cream, a seemingly simple dessert, is a marvel of physics and chemistry. Professor Douglas Goff, a food scientist at the University of Guelph, Canada, unravels the science behind its creation, from emulsification and foaming to ice crystal formation. He explains how principles of materials science contribute to the perfect scoop, highlighting differences in structure between homemade and commercially produced ice cream, the impact of additives, and the challenges of vegan ice cream production. The article also details Goff's team's innovative use of electron microscopy to study ice cream's microstructure without melting the samples, showcasing the fascinating intersection of science and culinary arts.

(physicsworld.com)

Tech ice cream materials science

California Wildfires Wipe Out Decades of Climate Progress

2025-01-20

A University of Chicago study reveals that California's 2020 wildfires negated nearly two decades of emission reduction efforts. The fires caused billions of dollars in economic losses and fatalities, significantly jeopardizing the state's climate goals. The study shows that a single year's wildfire emissions amounted to almost half of California's 2030 emission reduction target, highlighting the critical need for wildfire prevention in state climate policy.

(news.uchicago.edu)

Tech Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Reverse Engineering Bambu Connect: Extracting the Private Key

2025-01-20

Security researchers reverse-engineered the Bambu Connect printer app, revealing it uses Electron and employs code obfuscation and asar packaging to protect its private key. Researchers detailed a multi-step process, including using asarfix to repair the asar file, analyzing main.node with Ghidra, and ultimately extracting the private key and certificates. The process also involved RC4 decryption and URL decoding.

(wiki.rossmanngroup.com)

Tech private key extraction

Albania's 750,000 Bunkers: A Cold War Relic

2025-01-20

Driven by paranoia of external invasion under Enver Hoxha's rule, the People's Socialist Republic of Albania built over 750,000 bunkers, averaging 5.7 per square kilometer. These bunkers, scattered across the country, are a unique landscape feature reflecting Hoxha's totalitarian regime and its impact on Albanian society and economy. Never used in combat, the bunkers drained significant resources, hindering development. Today, they serve as unusual tourist attractions and repurposed dwellings.

(en.wikipedia.org)

Tech Albania Bunkers

F-Droid Security Issues: Open Source Doesn't Guarantee Security

2025-01-20

This article delves into the security vulnerabilities of the popular Android open-source app store, F-Droid. F-Droid's unique signing mechanism introduces an additional trusted party, increasing security risks. Its strict inclusion policy leads to slow app updates and the use of outdated libraries. A low target API level and lack of good practices further exacerbate security concerns. The article also highlights F-Droid's misleading permission displays and confusing user experience, comparing it to Google Play Store. Ultimately, it advises users to use F-Droid cautiously, emphasizing that open source does not guarantee security.

(privsec.dev)

Tech Android security open-source software

Disturbing Revelation: Former Israeli Special Forces Building AI Systems at Global Tech Giants

2025-01-20

An investigative report reveals that dozens of former members of Israel's Unit 8200—a secretive cyber warfare unit accused of building the AI systems used in the Gaza conflict—are now building AI systems for the world's largest tech and AI companies. These former spies hold key positions at Meta, Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Nvidia, working on AI, machine learning, and big data. The article highlights that many expressed support for Israel's actions in Gaza on their LinkedIn profiles, yet showed no sympathy for the plight of Palestinians. This raises serious ethical concerns, as individuals who helped create AI for generating kill lists are now shaping the future of AI infrastructure.

(www.donotpanic.news)

Tech Unit 8200

UK's Wasted Hardware Talent: A Hidden Arbitrage Opportunity

2025-01-20

The UK produces world-class hardware engineers from universities like Imperial, Oxford, and Cambridge. However, these graduates often face low salaries and limited career prospects, leading many to switch to finance or consulting. This represents a massive waste of talent. The article explores the root causes, including geographical constraints, venture capital preferences, and a lack of innovation in traditional engineering firms. This isn't just a wage gap; it's a national misallocation of human capital. The opportunity lies in UK hardware startups uniquely leveraging this locally-bound talent pool to build the next ARM or Dyson.

(josef.cn)

Tech hardware talent UK tech venture capital

The PC is Dead: Reclaiming Personal Computing

2025-01-20

This article argues that the personal computer era has ended due to surveillance capitalism and DRM. Once a symbol of technological liberty, allowing individuals complete control, the PC has been subverted. Today's tech companies prioritize endless growth over useful products, creating an "extractive economy" that treats user data as a resource to be exploited. The author calls for legislative reform, support for open-source projects, and other measures to regain control of our digital lives and usher in a "Personal Computer 2.0" era.

(www.vintagecomputing.com)

Tech tech freedom

Undersea Cable Damage: Accidents, Not Sabotage, Say Officials

2025-01-19

Recent incidents of severed undersea cables in Europe, initially raising suspicions of Russian sabotage, are likely the result of maritime accidents, according to US and European intelligence officials. Investigations into several incidents over the past 18 months, involving ships suspected of dragging anchors across key undersea energy and communication lines, point towards accidental damage. While some anomalies exist and Russia has a history of mapping Western seabed infrastructure, current evidence suggests a lack of intentional action or Russian involvement. This conclusion contrasts with some who believe the incidents were part of a broader Russian hybrid warfare campaign.

(www.stripes.com)

Tech undersea cables maritime accidents

Category: Tech