Monday, 22 October 2018
Another technological tragedy | bit-player →
As the pressure in the abandoned distribution main dropped about 0.25 inches of water column (about 0.01 psig), the regulators responded by opening further, increasing pressure in the distribution system. Since the regulators no longer sensed system pressure they fully opened allowing the full flow of high-pressure gas to be released into the distribution system supplying the neighborhood, exceeding the maximum allowable pressure.
Monday, 08 October 2018
A book that changed me: A People’s History of the United States – Chad Dickerson’s blog →
My takeaway from reading Zinn is that we can’t recognize Columbus without also telling the story of the Arawaks, even though it makes us uncomfortable. History provides no blank slates.
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Court Won’t Let FBI Dodge Lawsuit By Removing American Citizen From No-Fly List Shortly Shortly After Being Sued | Techdirt →
Earlier this year, the Second Circuit Appeals Court said federal agents could be sued for tossing three men on the “no fly” list for refusing to become informants.
“But I have nothing to hide” is not a good defense against indentured servitude to an intelligence agency.
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Use x-callback-url with Shortcuts - Apple Support →
Shortcuts supports x-callback-url, allowing the calling app to receive a response (a callback) when a particular interaction has completed.
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Dust storms on Titan spotted by Cassini for the first time / Cassini-Huygens / Space Science / Our Activities / ESA →
Modelling also showed that the features must be atmospheric, but still close to the surface – most likely forming a very thin layer of tiny solid organic particles. Since they were located right over the dune fields around Titan’s equator, the only remaining explanation was that the spots were actually clouds of dust raised from the dunes.
That’s a hugely misleading hero image.
Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Exclusive: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton Gives The Inside Story On #DeleteFacebook And Why He Left $850 Million Behind →
Facebook has one of the world’s biggest advertising networks; Koum and Acton hated ads. Facebook’s added value for advertisers is how much it knows about its users; WhatsApp’s founders were pro-privacy zealots who felt their vaunted encryption had been integral to their nearly unprecedented global growth.
This dissonance frustrated Zuckerberg.
Tuesday, 25 September 2018
Why I’m done with Chrome – A Few Thoughts on Cryptographic Engineering →
But note something critical about this scenario. In order for this problem to apply to you, you already have to be signed into Chrome. There is absolutely nothing in this problem description that seems to affect users who chose not to sign into the browser in the first place.
Saturday, 22 September 2018
Maybe Trump’s Lawyer Tried to Pay Manafort’s Legal Bills for a Totally Innocent Reason | Vanity Fair →
No one was super into the idea, considering the fund had been set up “specifically to aid those who faced legal fees stemming from their involvement with the president,” and the charges the two men were facing were related to activities that predated the campaign, making them ineligible. Plus, ethics advisers at the White House had the crazy idea that paying their legal fees would make it look like Dowd & Co. were attempting to stop Manafort and Gates from cooperating with prosecutors. But Dowd, who clearly is just a big softie at heart, was reportedly undeterred.
Friday, 21 September 2018
Sitting There For Five Hundred Million Years | In the Pipeline →
The Ediacaran community (PDF), at first glance, appears to be about as close as we’re going to get for a while to extraterrestrial life, because, as far as can be told, it was totally wiped out at some point for reasons that remain controversial. None of the Ediacarans have left any obvious, or even non-obvious descendants; it’s as if a giant reset button was hit on macroscopic life. Did the Cambrian organisms arise and displace (or even just eat) the Ediacaran ones? Did ocean conditions change too much or too quickly for them? All of the above?
Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Court: Trump’s ‘Get ‘Em Out’ Order Directed At Campaign Rally Protesters Is Protected Speech | Techdirt →
As the court notes, what Trump said may have been taken by attendees as an invitation to inflict violence. Trump may even have hoped some would act on these urges even with the tossed-off addition of “don’t hurt ‘em.” But what he said was Constitutionally protected, no matter how unsavory or subjectively threatening the expelled protesters might have felt his statements were. For the court to step in and declare these words illegal would be a step too far.
I think this is the right ruling. It’s not illegal to be weak and ask others to silence critics for you. It simply means you are fragile and were probably raised as a sheltered rich kid in private schools.