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Citizens of Tech 024 - Spying Supernova Bacteria
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Today we’ve got the biggest supernova ever, your gadgets spying on you, accelerated bone repair molecules, plastic eating bacteria, the death of the shiny disc, and even a little history!
Past
Present
Future
Deathwatch
Content I Like
Today I Learned
Outro
Yes. Oh, yes they are. Right above you. They’re in the ceiling. And it’s too late.
Until next time, farewell fellow Citizens. Farewell.
…
continue reading
Past
'Assassin' supernova discovered that is 570bn times brighter than sun
Roving telescopes have discovered the brightest explosion of a star we know of. “Astronomers have discovered the brightest star explosion ever, a super supernova that easily outshines our entire Milky Way. An international team revealed “the most powerful supernova observed in human history” Thursday in the latest Science journal.”
Don’t stare into the supernova. “It is 570 billion times brighter at its peak than our sun.”
Why did they call it assassin? Meh. Nothing too cool. “Labeled ASASSN-15lh for the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae and pronounced “assassin,””
What’s next? Figuring out how the darn thing is powered. That’s a lot of energy.
Present
The Internet of Things Is A Growing Spy Network for Internet Advertisers
https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/archives/2016/0115.html#1
You know how Internet ads try to send you ads for things you’re interested in, right? For example, Google some product, visit a product page, and for the rest of your life a banner ad for that product will appear...even if you already bought it or decided against it.
The big deal here is targeted advertising. Don’t just display an ad generically on the Internet. Rather, target a specific ad designed to engage you individually. The older the Internet gets, the more sophisticated targeting technology is getting.
IoT is in on the action now. “As computers get embedded into more of the objects we live with and use, and permeate more aspects of our lives, more companies want to use them to spy on us without our knowledge or consent.”
Yes, but we didn’t consent, because who would do that? But oh wait...we did. “The license agreement we didn't read but legally agreed to when we unthinkingly clicked "I agree" on a screen, or opened a package we purchased, gives all of those companies the legal right to conduct all of this surveillance. And the way US privacy law is currently written, they own all of that data and don't need to allow us to see it.”
So, how is the spying being done now? Cross-device, baby. The don’t just want your browser. They want you no matter what device you’re using. “SilverPush is an Indian startup that's trying to figure out all the different computing devices you own. It embeds inaudible sounds into the webpages you read and the television commercials you watch. Software secretly embedded in your computers, tablets, and smartphones picks up the signals, and then uses cookies to transmit that information back to SilverPush. The result is that the company can track you across your different devices. It can correlate the television commercials you watch with the web searches you make. It can link the things you do on your tablet with the things you do on your work computer.”
Future
Nano-shells Deliver Molecules that Tell Bone to Repair Itself
We’re telling the cells at the injury site to start repair work, and doing it at a molecular level. “Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a polymer sphere that delivers a molecule to bone wounds that tells cells already at the injury site to repair the damage. Using the polymer sphere to introduce the microRNA molecule into cells elevates the job of existing cells to that of injury repair by instructing the cells' healing and bone-building mechanisms to switch on, said Peter Ma, professor of dentistry and lead researcher on the project.”
The therapy can last a long time - as long as a month. “The microRNA is time-released, which allows for therapy that lasts for up to a month or longer…”
So...why do we need this? I mean, broken bones have been healing without help for a long time. Well, consider other bone issues, such a bone loss. “The technology can help grow bone in people with conditions like oral implants, those undergoing bone surgery or joint repair, or people with tooth decay. … Millions of patients worldwide suffer from bone loss and associated functional problems, but growing and regenerating high-quality bone for specific applications is still very difficult with current technology.”
Deathwatch
CD Players In Automobiles
I have a car with a 6 CD changer now. I find I don’t like to consume music this way anymore.
Spotify Premium with offline syncing has spoiled me.
And if not Spotify Premium, I’d rather consume my own ripped collection via compressed file format.
CDs take up lots of physical space, and don’t hold very much, assuming non-compressed.
Yeah, CD-TEXT is a thing, but not all head units read the data, and most CD’s aren’t encoded. Sorry, but I want to see my artist & track.
Yeah, CDs sound better than compressed MP3s...but in the car? Who cares? The automobile suffers from wind and road noise, as well as crappy speaker placement. The best you can hope for is loud, clean, and faithful frequency reproduction with no distortion. But you’ll never get a proper sound stage, control over reflection, etc. Audiophiles need not bother. So, why NOT MP3s or other streams? The car is the perfect application.
Content I Like
Hamilton Original Broadway Cast
https://open.spotify.com/album/1kCHru7uhxBUdzkm4gzRQc
I never cared so much for history surrounding the revolutionary war.
But this is smartly written and scored. A very interesting retelling of the story of Alexander Hamilton with a modern vibe.
Today I Learned
Bacteria that can degrade plastic exists, but was discovered accidentally.
http://www.fondriest.com/news/discovery-plastic-eating-bacteria-may-speed-waste-reduction.htm
In 2014, A Chinese researcher found holes in plastic bags of millet in his pantry, and moths + larvae nearby. His team analyzed their gut, and discovered a bacteria that can digest and degrade polyethelene.
There is hope for our landfills yet!
Outro
As we bring this Citizens of Tech to a close, we encourage to pay close attention to your enemy radar. Oooh. Dots. Nope, they’re gone. No wait, there they are! To the left. No, no! TO THE RIGHT!! Where are they?!? They have to be RIGHT ON TOP OF US!!!
Yes. Oh, yes they are. Right above you. They’re in the ceiling. And it’s too late.
Until next time, farewell fellow Citizens. Farewell.
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