All the Satellites in Space Could Crack Open the Ozone Layer
A huge number of low-Earth orbit satellites could cause environmental problems. scientists are now raising the alarm about puncturing a new hole in the ozone layer—this time without any noticeable CGCs in sight…the surprising cause is deterioration of the aluminum in megaconstellation satellites like SpaceX’s Starlink network. For more, check out this Popular Mechanics/MSN story.
Physicists Nearly Reach Elusive Quantum Ground State on The Largest ‘Object’ Yet
Ant Man comes to mind with this story 😉 If we can get them to slow down as much as possible, the material enters what is known as the motional ground state. In this state, physicists can perform tests of quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, probing the boundary with classical physics to search for a…
Valve officially reveals its portable gaming PC device
Valve has officially revealed its ‘Steam Deck,’ a portable gaming PC that looks like a Nintendo Switch. The Steam Deck is effectively an all-in-one gaming PC that fits in your lap, with gamepad controls built into the unit on either side of a 7-inch, 60hz LCD touchscreen. The system will reportedly become available for reservations…
Microsoft putting Windows in the cloud with 365
With Windows 365, Microsoft is putting its flagship operating system in the cloud. Users select Windows 10 or Windows 11, once it is generally available later this calendar year, along with a configuration of processing power, storage and memory that suits their needs. They then access their Cloud PC through a native application or web…
Tesla self-driving software update
Tesla has begun rolling out a self-driving software update though company says to use with caution. The update expands assisted driving capabilities for a small pool of Tesla owners who get to try out features early, according to Electrek. For more, check out this USA Today story.
PrintNightmare vulnerability
If you haven’t seen this, there is a new vulnerability with computers running Windows. It affects the Print Spooler. This is serious enough that Microsoft even released a patch for Windows 7 (which it discontinued supporting). However, as some have found out, you might have a problem with the patch too. As if an actively…
Navy Ditches Futuristic Railgun
There wasn’t a lot of fanfare with this announcement, but the Navy announced it was ditching their futuristic Railgun. The Pentagon is turning its attention to hypersonic missiles to keep up with China and Russia. The U.S. Navy pulled the plug, for now, on a futuristic weapon that fires projectiles at up to seven times…
How To Protect Your Apple Devices Against Cyber Attacks
Consumer Reports asked security experts to explain why cyber criminals are targeting Apple devices and what you can do about it. He noted the announcement last fall from five hackers who said they had discovered 55 Apple vulnerabilities, 11 of which were deemed critical, over a period of three months. As of October, the group…
Windows 11 will require TPM 2.0
Ouch! Older machines may not meet this requirement. UPDATE: There are now stories circulating that maybe only TPM 1.2 will be required. Hidden among the Windows 11 announcement today was a very odd, or at least surprising, system requirement. For Windows 11, all systems will need a TPM 2.0 chip. What the heck is a…
Disconnect Western Digital ‘My Book Live’ storage drives from Internet
Another hack…this time with WD drives. Storage drive maker Western Digital is telling owners of its WD My Book Live device to disconnect it from the internet after reports that some have had their data erased by malicious software. For more, check out this Tripwire story.