see shy jo – Joey Hess: become ungoogleable

Jul 192023
 

I’ve removed my website from indexing by Google.
The proximate cause is Google’s new effort to
DRM the web,
but there is of course so much more. This is a unique time, when it’s actually feasible to become ungoogleable
without losing much. Nobody really expects to be able to find anything of
value in a Google search now, so if they’re looking for me or something I’ve
made and don’t find it, they’ll use some other approach. I’ve looked over the kind of traffic that Google refers to my website, and
it will not be a significant loss even if those people fail to find me by
some other means. Over 30% of the traffic to this website is rss feeds.
Google just doesn’t…

External feed Read More at the Source: http://joeyh.name/blog/entry/become_ungoogleable/

 2023-07-19  Comments Off on see shy jo – Joey Hess: become ungoogleable

Ars Technica – Something in space has been lighting up every 20 minutes since 1988

Jul 192023
 

Enlarge / Most of the explanations for this phenomenon involve a neutron star, depicted above. These explanations are uniformly terrible. (credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)
On Wednesday, researchers announced the discovery of a new astronomical enigma. The new object, GPM J1839–10, behaves a bit like a pulsar, sending out regular bursts of radio energy. But the physics that drives pulsars means that they’d stop emitting if they slowed down too much, and almost every pulsar we know of blinks at least once per minute.
GPM J1839–10 takes 22 minutes between pulses. We have no idea what kind of physics or what kind of objects can power that.
A persistent transient
GPM J1839–10 was discovered in a…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://arstechnica.com/?p=1955110

 2023-07-19  Comments Off on Ars Technica – Something in space has been lighting up every 20 minutes since 1988

Biometric Update – Startup’s doorbell would match a visitor biometrics to social media

Jul 192023
 

A doorbell company wants to enable its buyers to identify visitors against images from social networks such as Facebook and Instagram. Irvinei announced its doorbell promising a device with integrated fingerprint biometrics and facial recognition access control, an 8-megapixel camera and “AI-powered edge lighting.” According to the firm, the product will launch soon on Kickstarter. In a video, Irvinei suggests homeowners connect their social media accounts to its system in order to match visitors’ faces. The company has provided few details of its facial recognition software. “Connecting your social media profile will enable Irvinei to recognize your friends, foes – or in-laws – so you’ll always be in control of your home,” the video says….

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.biometricupdate.com/202307/startups-doorbell-would-match-a-visitor-biometrics-to-social-media

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Techdirt. – Another City Ditches ShotSpotter, Says It Can’t Show The System Helped Reduce Violent Crime

Jul 192023
 

ShotSpotter has routinely claimed its system of mics and location info is crucial to reducing gun crime. The theory is that if you can hear it, you can respond to it, even if officers can’t physically hear these gunshots themselves.
The problem with this assertion is that there’s a margin of error. The system can’t be perfect, so it’s always going to generate false positives and negatives. The tech is backstopped by human analysts, but records show these analysts don’t receive any specified training, aren’t actually acoustic experts, and, if needed, will alter reports at the request of law enforcement.
Then there’s the real world application of this tech. It’s relatively inexpensive as far as law enforcement tech…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.techdirt.com/2023/07/19/another-city-ditches-shotspotter-says-it-cant-show-the-system-helped-reduce-violent-crime/

 2023-07-19  Comments Off on Techdirt. – Another City Ditches ShotSpotter, Says It Can’t Show The System Helped Reduce Violent Crime

– The Conversation – Home – Asymptomatic COVID-19 is linked to a gene variant that boosts immune memory after exposure to prior seasonal cold viruses

Jul 192023
 

Genetics may play a role in COVID-19 disease severity. BlackJack3D/E+ via Getty ImagesThe Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea A common genetic variant explains why some people are asymptomatic after being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, according to our recently published study in the journal Nature. Early in the pandemic, we were intrigued that many people did not develop COVID-19 symptoms while still testing positive for it. Because asymptomatic people are unlikely to seek medical help, we knew that collecting DNA samples to study the role of genetics in asymptomatic infections would be difficult. So instead, we took advantage of existing genetic data stored in the Be…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://theconversation.com/asymptomatic-covid-19-is-linked-to-a-gene-variant-that-boosts-immune-memory-after-exposure-to-prior-seasonal-cold-viruses-209774

 2023-07-19  Comments Off on – The Conversation – Home – Asymptomatic COVID-19 is linked to a gene variant that boosts immune memory after exposure to prior seasonal cold viruses