Tech News

ArsTechnia: 15 year comatose patient gains some degree of consciousness after vagus nerve stimulation.

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ArsTechnia again: MicroSoft embraces quantum computing.  (Several Patches will follow, I'm sure).

It is a good article and explains quantum computing without being overly technical:

... traditional digital computers are made from bits, each bit representing either a one or a zero, quantum computers are made from some number of qubits (quantum bits). Qubits represent, in some sense, both one and zero simultaneously (a quantum superposition of 1 and 0). This ability for qubits to represent multiple values gives quantum computers exponentially more computing power than traditional computers.

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Love Stinks. Breaking up is a bitch. C|Net: Siri leaves Bing for Google.
(Who, in their wildest imagination, could have envisioned those five words appearing in that order?)

 

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WIRED: More on MSoft and quantum computing.

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I haven't seen it, but TechCrunch calls the new "Star Trek" series murky.

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TechCrunch: device passwords, counter-terrorism and privacy. 

A London court today found Muhammad Rabbani guilty of willfully obstructing the police by failing to hand over device passwords and the PIN code for his smartphone after he had been detained at a UK airport.

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ZD Net: Click this link and watch Robot Dentist.  There's a 10(?) second commercial before the video. Video is 50 seconds.
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Geek: Meet K1, stationary robot that detects concealed weapons.

Okay, some questions:

1) Can the K-series determine who is LEGALLY carrying a concealed weapon from someone illegally carrying a concealed weapon? Can it detect a concealed lead pipe? A blackjack? A box cutter?

2) Can the K-robots be installed at all airports so the TSA can stop GROPING CHILDREN and the rest of us?

The K1. Image: Knightscope

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Gizmodo: This is Bullshit and unacceptable of Showtime and its web affiliates if true:  Your computer may have been used by Showtime websites to mine for crypto-coins while watching "Twin Peaks."
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Beta News: Battery Super-Drain:

... iOS 11 is causing iPhone and iPad batteries to drain faster than ever -- much faster. The difference between iOS 10 and iOS 11 is anything but minor; batteries can drain in half the amount of time following the upgrade.

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Technocracy: Guess which company spends the most on Federal Lobbying? Here's a hint (but I'll bet you don't even need one) - it starts with a "G." 
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New Atlas: Lockheed Martin tests laser weapon. Nails 5 drones with 100% accuracy.  Video below; Lockheed Martin.

The Advanced Test High Energy Asset, aka Athena. (Enough already with the acronyms!)

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TechDirt: Do NOT fuck with the Velcro folks.  They mean business. Really - if you click on only one link, make it this one. The Velcro video is a riot. And they're dead serious!