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Showing posts from November 28, 2018

Astronomy Picture of the Day: Across Corona Australis

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Across Corona Australis Cosmic dust clouds are draped across a rich field of stars in this broad telescopic panorama near the northern boundary of Corona Australis , the Southern Crown. Less than 500 light-years away the denser clouds effectively block light from more distant background stars in the Milky Way . The entire vista spans about 5 degrees or nearly 45 light-years at the clouds' estimated distance. Toward the right lies a group of bluish reflection nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727, 6729 and IC 4812 . The characteristic blue color is produced as light from hot stars is reflected by the cosmic dust. The dust also obscures from view stars in the re gion still in the process of formation. Smaller yellowish nebula NGC 6729 surrounds young variable star R Coronae Australis . Below it are arcs and loops identified as Herbig Haro (HH) objects associated with energetic new...

The surprising link between balmy winters and violent crime

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Nexus Media News As temperatures rise, so does criminal activity. Warm winter weather pulls more people outside when they're normally not. This, researchers say, increases crime rates in certain regions. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2QseBqa"

Dude, where's my amphibious car?

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Cars Building a car that's also a boat is hard, but their numbers are increasing. Duck boat dramas and Nazi origins can't suppress the dream of an amphibious car. Another tragedy—climate change—may ensure its future. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2RkXeVH"

What the new climate report says about where you live

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Environment There's a lot of info in here about what we're in for. Here’s a look at how climate change is already affecting—and will continue to affect—your own corner of the contiguous United States. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Q0dRZX"

Siberian unicorns lived alongside humans, and they were so much cooler than the mythical version

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Animals Ancient rhinos were basically magic. In a sense, all rhinos are unicorns—they just aren’t pearly white and magical the way our myths say they should be. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2DReY7f"

Smart foam and artificial intelligence could help robots know if they're injured

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Technology This foam creation can figure out what's happening to it. Foam that can sense how it is being deformed could help robots know what's going on with their own bodies. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Rl6NE3"

Daily Deal - Total War: ATTILA & DLCs, up to 80% Off

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Today's Deal: Save up to 80% on Total War: ATTILA and DLCs !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Friday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "https://ift.tt/2KCXgFE"

Maine’s new voting system is mathematically superior—and constitutionally questionable

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Science The indicator state is asking: what's the best way to vote? Maine's alternative voting scheme faces a legal test after its first use in a national election. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2SnR7jB"

Will We Get a GDPR for the IoT?

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The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) breaks new ground when it comes to privacy law. After years of hidden breaches, stolen identities and negligent data handling,organizationswill finally be forced to get serious about data privacy. Data loss incidents that are due to non-compliance will face fines that run as high as four percent of global turnover, or 20 million euros, whichever is higher. This will prove a threat to some, but for others, it will finally put the weight behind personal data protection that has been lacking for so long. But there is still no specific regulation for the relentlessly growing, and fatally insecure IoT. In 2017, the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) found that there were no "legal guidelines for IoT device and service trust." Nor any "level zero defined for the security and privacy of conn...

Securing the BYoD Workplace

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Letting employees' personal phones, tablets and laptops loose within your corporate network does not sound like a good idea. But that doesn't mean you can avoid it. BYoD, or Bring Your own Device, refers to a policy which oversees employees using company networks and data on personal devices. IT staff are often wary of such policies, but management seem to like them as they allow for a more streamlined workflow and a reduction in the sizeable cost of buying and maintaining IT equipment. Only 49 percent of UK organizations have installed formal BYoD policies, according to SailPoint's most recent market survey. Of course, this doesn't mean that employees are not using company networks with their own devices; it merely means there's no policy to manage and control that process. Fears around BYoD are not unfounded. Phishing links, bad intentions and ever...

Cyber Security Lessons from Abroad – Australia’s Essential Eight

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Cyber risk affects businesses all over the world, so it's no surprise that countries have developed their own individual mitigation strategies to help combat this threat. But businesses can apply many of these strategies to their organisations to improve their overall cyber security posture, regardless of the geography that they are operating in. A good example is the Essential Eight, created by the Defence Signals Directorate, the cyber security arm of the Australian Department of Defence (DoD). Designed to prevent the spread of malware, limit the extent of security incidents and support data recovery, the Essential Eight is a collection of best-practice recommendations that businesses can use to bolster their security protocols against attacks online. The Essential Eight recommends the following actions to prevent malware from executing: Application whitelist...

Securing the BYoD Workplace

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Letting employees’ personal phones, tablets and laptops loose within your corporate network does not sound like a good idea. But that doesn't mean you can avoid it. BYoD, or Bring Your own Device, refers to a policy which oversees employees using company networks and data on personal devices. IT staff are often wary of such policies, but management seem to like them as they allow for a more streamlined workflow and a reduction in the sizeable cost of buying and maintaining IT equipment. Only 49 percent of UK organizations have installed formal BYoD policies, according to SailPoint’s most recent market survey. Of course, this doesn't mean that employees are not using company networks with their own devices; it merely means there's no policy to manage and control that process. Fears around BYoD are not unfounded. Phishing links, bad intentions and everything in between reinforces the old cliché that humans are the weakest part of any organization. It is entirely understa...

Cyber Security Lessons from Abroad – Australia’s Essential Eight

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Cyber risk affects businesses all over the world, so it’s no surprise that countries have developed their own individual mitigation strategies to help combat this threat. But businesses can apply many of these strategies to their organisations to improve their overall cyber security posture, regardless of the geography that they are operating in. A good example is the Essential Eight, created by the Defence Signals Directorate, the cyber security arm of the Australian Department of Defence (DoD). Designed to prevent the spread of malware, limit the extent of security incidents and support data recovery, the Essential Eight is a collection of best-practice recommendations that businesses can use to bolster their security protocols against attacks online. The Essential Eight recommends the following actions to prevent malware from executing: Application whitelisting:  Creating a list of approved applications that are authorised to run within a system, automatically turning off ...