Friday, June 20, 2025

Ransomware gang busted in Thailand hotel raid

As seen online:

“Thai police say that the six men apprehended on the hotel's top floor were employees of the gang, specifically paid to try to infect Chinese companies with ransomware. Nine laptops and 15 mobile devices were seized by the authorities from the men.”

— from Ransomware gang busted in Thailand hotel raid as of 20 June 2025

Škoda Fabia mk3 spare wheel size help - Skoda Fabia Mk3 (2014-2021) - BRISKODA

As seen online:

“The below foam and jack kit for the Fabia MK3 includes everything, except for the actual spare wheel...which you can purchase separately. 

 Thjs kit normally uses the standard Fabia MK3 15" wheel which is 185/60R15 fitted to a 6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 rim...normally steel if it's a spare wheel. 

 The foam and jack kit can be ordered from any VAG parts department by quoting OEM part number 6V0093860B. The Czech price is about £49, but the UK price can be slightly more...perhaps up to 20% more or so. 6V0093860B https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz 

 Google "alcar 7760 mytyres.co.uk" to find a listing on mytyres for an Alcar 7760 6Jx15 ET38 5/100 57.1 steel rim. Currently priced at £43.47 including shipping to the UK from Germany. This is an aftermarket steel rim that exactly matches the original Skoda steel rim. 

Alcar are made in Switzerland, so as you would expect are OE quality. This steel rim can be ordered from mytyres with a fitted tyre of your choice. One option is a Continental UltraContact 185/60R15 84H.”

— from Škoda Fabia mk3 spare wheel size help - Skoda Fabia Mk3 (2014-2021) - BRISKODA as of 20 June 2025

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Opinion | OpenAI Seems to Be Making a Very Familiar, Very Cynical Choice - The New York Times

As seen online:

“Mr. Altman recently claimed that about 10 percent of the world uses the company’s products. That’s a lot for a company whose products have been publicly available for only a few years — but it also means that 90 percent of the world doesn’t. Some people are actively resisting A.I. products like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. They, like Mr. McNamee, have seen this movie before. This time, they can see what’s coming.”

— from Opinion | OpenAI Seems to Be Making a Very Familiar, Very Cynical Choice - The New York Times as of 18 June 2025

DARPA sets new records for sending power wirelessly

DARPA's wireless laser power relay sets new distance record

https://newatlas.com/military/darpa-sets-new-records-sending-power-without-wires/

Sunday, June 15, 2025

US state-by-state AI legislation snapshot | BCLP - Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

As seen online:

“BCLP actively tracks the proposed, failed and enacted AI regulatory bills from across the United States to help our clients stay informed in this rapidly-changing regulatory landscape. The interactive map will be updated regularly to include legislation that if passed would directly impact a businesses’ development or deployment of AI solutions.”

— from US state-by-state AI legislation snapshot | BCLP - Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner as of 15 June 2025

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Chapter 2: Working With Website Projects | CoffeeCup Software

As seen online:

“We cannot stress enough how important Website Projects are. If used correctly, this tool can make broken links a thing of the past.”

— from Chapter 2: Working With Website Projects | CoffeeCup Software as of 14 June 2025

Monday, June 9, 2025

AI leaders have a new term for the fact that their models are not always so intelligent

AI leaders have a new term for the fact that their models are not always so intelligent

https://www.businessinsider.com/aji-artificial-jagged-intelligence-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-2025-6

Millions of ‘cloud workers’, upon whom AI depends, have no basic labour rights

Millions of 'cloud workers', upon whom AI depends, have no basic labour rights - Raconteur

While the generative AI providers promise an automated future, behind the curtain millions of invisible gig workers are busy completing tasks such as software development, data annotation and content moderation to power said platforms, for little money and without basic workplace protections.

These mostly invisible labourers have been dubbed 'cloud workers' by the Fairwork project, a labour rights organisation hosted at the Oxford Internet Institute. These workers are largely – although not only – located in the global south, poorly paid even by local standards and have next to no labour rights or recourse over bad behaviour from bosses. Globally, according to the World Bank, there may be 435 million of them. 

PechaKucha Presentation: Example

As seen online:

“# slides progressing every # seconds”

— from PechaKucha Presentation: The Labor Behind AI as of 9 June 2025

Friday, June 6, 2025

Make AI Hallucinate Again? What the MAHA Mess Means for Healthcare | Signify Research

As seen online:

“Rather than framework-building, I’m offering a take on some of the key headlines from the last few weeks, and what they say about the state of play in generative AI for healthcare. And let’s just say… it’s been an eventful month.”

— from Make AI Hallucinate Again? What the MAHA Mess Means for Healthcare | Signify Research as of 6 June 2025

Thursday, June 5, 2025

IamA Aryeh Goretsky. Today I'm the Distinguished Reseacher for ESET

As seen online:

“In September 1989, I became John McAfee's first employee at McAfee Associates, where I answered the phone at the kitchen table. Just three years later, in October 1992, the company went public with only about three dozen employees, one of the fastest IPOs at the time, especially given the staff size.”

— from IamA Aryeh Goretsky. Today I'm the Distinguished Reseacher for ESET, but 30 years at 19 years of age, I was John McAfee's first employee at McAfee Associates. AMAA! : r/IAmA as of 5 June 2025

Monday, June 2, 2025

Opinion | AI Is Learning to Escape Human Control

Dancing in the Street — Martha and the Vandellas’ 1964 hit chimed with the times

As seen online:

“Though singer Martha Reeves rejected claims that it was a civil rights anthem, the song projected confidence and power”

— from Dancing in the Street — Martha and the Vandellas’ 1964 hit chimed with the times as of 2 June 2025

Fairly shocking Bluesky thread about AI video from Veo3

Worth watching, deeply troubling:

I’m filled with overwhelming dread at Google’s launch of Veo 3 in Gemini. The amount of harm this AI generator will cause can’t be overstated. If it’s online it’s not to be trusted. Don’t believe your eyes or your ears. This isn’t the future, this is now thanks to Veo 3

[image or embed]

— Katherine T. Tyson (@katherinettyson.bsky.social) June 1, 2025 at 1:51 PM

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Yes to Transfer: 82% of Jewish Israelis Back Expelling Gazans - Israel News - Haaretz.com

As seen online:

“The poll also found that a significant minority supports the mass killing of civilians in enemy cities captured by the Israeli army.”

— from Yes to Transfer: 82% of Jewish Israelis Back Expelling Gazans - Israel News - Haaretz.com as of 1 June 2025

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Friday, May 30, 2025

AI now making podcasts?

Back in 2016 I wrote a paper about the cyber security skills gap. In 2025 somebody told an AI to make a podcast about that paper. I didn't ask anybody to do that and the results were appalling, as you can hear here in this copy of the recording.


In short, the words are delivered in a casual, chatty style with a seemingly random use of colloquialisms.

AI model collapse is not what we paid for

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Cryptocurrency is making lots of noise, literally - CBS News

Cryptocurrency is making lots of noise, literally - CBS News:

As seen online:

“But all those computers burn staggering amounts of power—and make a lot of noise. Last year, Arkansas passed what's become known as the "Right to Mine" bill. It prevents local communities from regulating these operations.”

— from Cryptocurrency is making lots of noise, literally - CBS News as of 29 May 2025

Saturday, May 24, 2025

Friday, May 23, 2025

Deye deactivates solar inverters in USA, UK and PakistanBorn's Tech and Windows World

Deye deactivates solar inverters in USA, UK and PakistanBorn's Tech and Windows World

Excerpt: ″The conclusion at the time was that the manufacturer Deye has access to the inverters and can change them. I did not make this up out of thin air, but Deye indirectly confirmed this to me as an aid for users with the following instructions: 

Please have your inverter online so that Deye can perform remote diagnostics. 

 I wrote in the blog post "This was the first (unsurprising but) official confirmation that the manufacturer Deye can access the inverters via the cloud connection and manipulate their firmware and the parameters stored there (see also this German comment by Karsten H.). It is also possible to shut down the inverter. ″

Source: borncity.com

EcoFlow | Power a New World | About Us | EcoFlow UK

EcoFlow | Power a New World | About Us | EcoFlow UK

Excerpt: ″Our vision is to power a new world. It's a call to the future—an aspirational, technology-driven, eco-friendly future shared by everyone.″

Source: ecoflow.com

EcoFlow STREAM Plug & Play Solar System | EcoFlow UK - EcoFlow UK

EcoFlow STREAM Plug & Play Solar System | EcoFlow UK - EcoFlow UK

Excerpt: ″Capture sunlight and instantly transform it into usable electricity for your home. Starting from £399″

Source: uk.ecoflow.com

Thursday, May 22, 2025

The Google sites are here...

 Google Sites: Excerpt: 

″This is where the sites are.″

Source: sites.google.com

Change Your Story, Change Your World | David Sloly | TEDxBristol - YouTube

Change Your Story, Change Your World | David Sloly | TEDxBristol - YouTube

Excerpt: ″We all experience life’s highs and lows, and so we all have a great story inside us, bursting to get out. In this lively talk for TEDxBristol, David Sloy helps us unlock our inner storyteller.″

Source: youtube.com

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

How Does a Hovercraft Work? | Science Project

How Does a Hovercraft Work? | Science Project

Excerpt: ″This image on the left shows a modern style hovercraft which carries passengers over the surface of the water, while the diagram on the left shows how the air vents moving through the hovercraft create the air cushion below the craft for movement using the following labels: 1) propellers, 2) air currents, 3) fan, and 4) flexible skirt. (Wikipedia, 2007)″

Source: sciencebuddies.org

Monday, May 19, 2025

Designrr and Ebook via ChatGPT

Designrr Special Offer

Excerpt: ″Transform Your Knowledge And Experience Into Profitable eBooks |  For more Sales, Leads And Customer Engagement | Become an Author | Establish Yourself As An Expert | Create Information Products You Can Sell For Passive Profits | All done quickly and easily. | No Design or Technical skills necessary.″

✅ To convert to EPUB:

  1. Upload the DOCX file to:

  2. Choose EPUB as the output format and download your e-book.

Source: go2.designrr.io

Sunday, May 18, 2025

teaching and learning

So, last week I completed my AI and cybersecurity training project, a three hour class delivered online, and as with any teaching experience it was also a learning experience. Just putting into words the concepts you're trying to convey to students can, in and of itself lead you to new ideas, new insights into the subject matter. So I'll be working on some of those new ideas and insights in the weeks ahead. I'm looking forward to doing more teaching and learning and sharing it with you.


Bruce Springsteen Vote for Change tour, Orlando on October 8, 2004

Bruce Springsteen Concert Setlist at TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando on October 8, 2004 | setlist.fm:

Excerpt: ″at TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, FL, USA ″ We were there!

Source: setlist.fm

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Trump’s War on Measurement Means Losing Data on Drug Use and other vital stuff

Trump Halts Data Collection on Drug Use, Maternal Mortality, Climate Change, More — 

Ada – check your health on the App Store

Ada – check your health on the App Store

Excerpt: ″Get a health check for yourself and your relatives. You can check your symptoms online 24/7 and find out possible causes. Whatever's bothering you, from pain, headache, or anxiety to allergy or food intolerance, the free Ada app (symptom checker) could help you find answers from the comfort of your home.″

Source: apps.apple.com

Climate Milestone: Earth's CO2 Level Passes 400 ppm

Climate Milestone: Earth's CO2 Level Passes 400 ppm: Excerpt: ″The last time the concentration of Earth's main greenhouse gas reached this mark, horses and camels lived in the high Arctic. Seas were at least 9.1 meters (30 feet higher)—at a level that today would inundate major cities around the world.″

Source: education.nationalgeographic.org

OpenAI Just Released a Coding Tool to 'Help' Programmers (Replace Their Jobs, Probably)

OpenAI Just Released a Coding Tool to 'Help' Programmers (Replace Their Jobs, Probably)

Excerpt: ″that Codex was engineered to somehow “identify and precisely refuse requests aimed at development of malicious software, while clearly distinguishing and supporting legitimate tasks.” It’s not exactly clear what those safeguards are.″

Source: gizmodo.com

Georeferenced Maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

Georeferenced Maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

Excerpt: ″Very cool maps overlays - past and present″

Source: maps.nls.uk

Thursday, May 15, 2025

New study shows Fibromyalgia likely the result of autoimmune problems | King's College London

New study shows Fibromyalgia likely the result of autoimmune problems | King's College London:

Excerpt: ″The King's-led study, in collaboration with University of Liverpool and the Karolinska Institute, shows that many of the symptoms in fibromyalgia syndrome are caused by antibodies increasing the activity of pain-sensing nerves″

Source: kcl.ac.uk

BlueGriffon

BlueGriffon

Excerpt: ″The next-gen Web and EPUB Editor based on the rendering engine of Firefox″

Source: bluegriffon-epubedition.com

Here’s How Much Trump’s “Free” Qatar Private Jet Will Cost Americans

Here's How Much Trump's "Free" Qatar Private Jet Will Cost Americans | The New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/post/195172/donald-trump-qatar-private-jet-cost-americans

Inside the Verizon 2025 DBIR: Five Trends That Signal a Shift in the Cyber Threat Economy - SecurityWeek

Inside the Verizon 2025 DBIR: Five Trends That Signal a Shift in the Cyber Threat Economy - SecurityWeek

Excerpt: ″Infostealers and ransomware now operate as part of a coordinated threat supply chain, increasingly enabled by traffic distribution systems and malicious adtech infrastructure.″

Source: securityweek.com

Verizon's 2025 DBIR: Threats Are Faster, Smarter, and More Personal

Verizon's 2025 DBIR: Threats Are Faster, Smarter, and More Personal

Excerpt: ″Phishing accounted for nearly 25% of all breaches. More concerning: Verizon found that 50% of users who open phishing emails do so within the first hour. "The median time to click was just 21 minutes. That's how fast your detection and response needs to be."″

Source: secureworld.io

AI-Powered Voice Spoofing for Next-Gen Vishing Attacks | Google Cloud Blog

AI-Powered Voice Spoofing for Next-Gen Vishing Attacks | Google Cloud Blog

Excerpt: ″AI-powered voice cloning can now mimic human speech with uncanny precision, creating for more realistic phishing schemes.  According to news reports, scammers have leveraged voice cloning and deepfakes to steal over HK$200 million from an organization. ″

Source: cloud.google.com

Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Law | The Colleges of Law

Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Law | The Colleges of Law: Excerpt: ″In this edition of Legal Currents and Futures, The Colleges of Law continues sharing a series of thought pieces about artificial intelligence and the law.″

Source: collegesoflaw.edu

Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022

Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022

Excerpt: ″An Act to make provision about the security of internet-connectable products and products capable of connecting to such products; to make provision about electronic communications infrastructure; and for connected purposes.″

Source: legislation.gov.uk

The Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018

The Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018

Excerpt: ″The strategic objectives and priorities set out in the NIS national strategy must be aimed at achieving and maintaining a high level of security of network and information systems″

Source: legislation.gov.uk

Jailbreaking LLM-Controlled Robots: RoboPair Promo Video | Penn Engineering - YouTube

Jailbreaking LLM-Controlled Robots: RoboPair Promo Video | Penn Engineering - YouTube

Excerpt: ″Researchers at Penn Engineering have discovered that certain features of AI-governed robots carry security vulnerabilities and weaknesses that were previously unidentified and unknown. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the Army Research Laboratory, the research aims to address the emerging vulnerability for ensuring the safe deployment of large language models (LLMs) in robotics. … ...more ″

Source: youtube.com

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

UK Regulatory Science and Innovation Networks – Innovate UK Business Connect

UK Regulatory Science and Innovation Networks – Discovery phase - Innovate UK Business Connect

Excerpt: ″virtual networks of expertise in regulatory science that generate research-based evidence and insights. 

 We define ‘regulatory science’ as the science of developing new tools and approaches that enhance regulatory decision making across product lifecycles (such as approvals, ongoing safety and performance monitoring), and support policymaking that enables agile and proportionate regulation in response to innovation. 

 This investment will help unlock its potential by giving organisations the capacity to collaborate in developing new tools, data sets and approaches that lead to the development of policies that best promote innovation.″

Source: iuk-business-connect.org.uk

Monday, May 12, 2025

(1) Will Trump's Corruption Be the Fatal Flaw That Even MAGA Can’t Defend?

(1) Will Trump's Corruption Be the Fatal Flaw That Even MAGA Can’t Defend?

Excerpt: ″“Vietnam, which has a surplus of more than $120 billion with the U.S. and saw tariffs on its goods rise to 46% on ‘Liberation Day,’ shows how anxious countries are to stave off the duties. … It pushed through the authorization of Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, a close Trump adviser. And it accelerated the approvals for a $1.5 billion Trump resort.”″

Source: hartmannreport.com

Scientists Just Found Who's Causing Global Warming

Scientists Just Found Who's Causing Global Warming

Excerpt: ″the richest 10 percent of the world population are responsible for an astonishing two-thirds of observable climate warming since 1990. Basically, that small minority of the wealthiest among us contribute nearly seven times as much to extreme climate change as the entire lower-earning 90 percent of the planet. If that's not enough to have you reaching for your pitchfork, the top 1 percent contribute 20 times as much to climate disasters as the bottom 99 percent. Since 2019, the research article notes, the "wealthiest 10 percent of the global population accounted for nearly half of global emissions" through "private consumption and investments, whereas the poorest 50 percent accounted for only one-tenth of global emissions."″

Source: futurism.com

Sunday, May 11, 2025

AI - Tug of War

AI - Tug of War

Excerpt: ″The discussion will cover real-world case studies observed in the wild, debunking myths and revealing the true value of AI in cyber resilience. Learn about the strategies and tools employed by both defenders and attackers, illustrating the ongoing game of cat and mouse in the cybersecurity realm.″

Source: csis.com

Instructors

Instructors: Excerpt: ″If you're interested in becoming an instructor, please apply on this form. You'll see a field for a sample movie, and you can review our sample movie guidelines to understand what we're looking for. After you submit the form, we will reach out to you if there's a good fit. Please note that we can't respond to every application, but we do keep all submissions for future consideration.″

Source: learning.linkedin.com

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Researchers jailbreak AI robots to run over pedestrians, place bombs for maximum damage, and covertly spy | Tom's Hardware

Researchers jailbreak AI robots to run over pedestrians, place bombs for maximum damage, and covertly spy | Tom's Hardware

Excerpt: ″Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that a range of AI-enhanced robotics systems are dangerously vulnerable to jailbreaks and hacks. While jailbreaking LLMs on computers might have undesirable consequences, the same kind of hack affecting a robot or self-driving vehicle can quickly have catastrophic and/or deathly consequences. A report shared by IEEE Spectrum cites chilling examples of jailbroken robot dogs turning flamethrowers on their human masters, guiding bombs to the most devastating locations, and self-driving cars purposefully running over pedestrians.″

Source: tomshardware.com

Norbert Wiener's Moral and Technical Consequences of Automation

Norbert Wiener's Moral and Technical Consequences of Automation

Excerpt: ″Norbert Wiener, the founder of Cybernetics, famously highlighted this in his 1960 paper, called “Some Moral Technical Consequences of Automation”, which brought forth the alignment problem, which is still unresolved as of writing. The problem can be boiled down to how do we get AI systems to do what we want to them do. This concept is largely derived from the economics concept of the principal-agent problem, except we are talking about two foreign agents which complicates the matter.″

Source: dmantena.substack.com

How Scammers Launder Money and Get Away With It

How Scammers Launder Money and Get Away With It - The New York Times

Excerpt: ″This underworld peeks out in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, home to a global clearinghouse for money launderers. It can be glimpsed, too, in the coastal city of Sihanoukville, a notorious refuge for fraudsters. Scammers ply their trade from call centers, operating in fortified compounds or on the upper floors of unfinished high-rises. Seaside restaurants are packed with money launderers and other criminals doing business over spicy Chinese food.″

Source: nytimes.com

Friday, May 9, 2025

A.I. Is Getting More Powerful, but Its Hallucinations Are Getting Worse

A.I. Hallucinations Are Getting Worse, Even as New Systems Become More Powerful - The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/technology/ai-hallucinations-chatgpt-google.html

Human Extinction: A Brief Guided Tour of the Book | by Dr. Émile P. Torres | Medium

Human Extinction: A Brief Guided Tour of the Book | by Dr. Émile P. Torres | Medium

Excerpt: ″It is remarkable to see that, prior to the 1850s, almost no one fretted about or even considered the possibility of human extinction. After this decade, anxieties about the long-term fate of humanity in an atheistic universe governed by the Second Law were common.[5]″

Source: xriskology.medium.com

Cyber crime | West Midlands Police

Cyber crime | West Midlands Police

Excerpt: ″Several million cases of fraud and of computer misuse are reported to the police every year. It's staggering, but even more staggering is that so many of those crimes could have been prevented by making a few small changes in online behaviour.″

Source: westmidlands.police.uk

You & your family - NCSC.GOV.UK

You & your family - NCSC.GOV.UK

Excerpt: ″Don’t become another statistic – take action to secure your online accounts; from banking and shopping, to email and social media. It’s more important than ever to make your cyber security a priority. ″

Source: ncsc.gov.uk

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Anthropic CEO Admits We Have No Idea How AI Works

Anthropic CEO Admits We Have No Idea How AI Works

Excerpt: ″"This lack of understanding is essentially unprecedented in the history of technology."″

Source: futurism.com

Dual Use: When Technology Both Helps and Hurts - Public Books

Dual Use: When Technology Both Helps and Hurts - Public Books

Excerpt: ″Originally, dual use technology would have applied only to a dichotomy between military and civilian uses. But in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, the term evolved to refer to research like that of pathogens, yielding new insights that can both help and hinder, regardless of the military/civilian nature of application. Now, the question of the age might be whether there are dual use ideas. Can innovations in mathematics enable both beauty and harm? Can computational algorithms speed ranking of resumes, yet simultaneously amplify historical biases in hiring?″

Source: publicbooks.org

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Bitcoin Mining's Big Impact on U.S. Electricity (and pollution)

Bitcoin Mining's Big Impact on U.S. Electricity - IEEE Spectrum

Excerpt: ″Now, researchers from Harvard University have shown that Bitcoin mining has added more energy production to the U.S. grid than the amount required by the city of Los Angeles, and brought the accompanying air pollution and environmental concerns as well.″

Critical 9.8 Langflow RCE bug added to CISA vulnerability list | SC Media

Critical 9.8 Langflow RCE bug added to CISA vulnerability list | SC Media

Excerpt: ″“Attackers have already exploited this flaw, deploying reverse shells and crypto-miners,” said Saeed Abbasi, manager of vulnerability research at the Qualys Threat Research Unit. “Even on isolated development VMs, a breached Langflow instance can serve as a launchpad for infiltrating corporate networks. This flaw transforms a single point of failure into a silent amplifier of chaos.”″

Source: scworld.com

Thai authorities order to stop telecom services to alleged online scam centers along border with Cambodia

Thai authorities order to stop telecom services to alleged online scam centers along border with Cambodia - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Excerpt: ″"Thai Police Cut Telecom to Suspected Scam Centers in Cambodia, Officials Dismiss Move", 12 February 2025 Thai officials have halted cross-border telecommunication services to suspected scam centers in Poipet, Cambodia, sparking a dispute with Cambodian counterparts who denounced the move.″

Source: business-humanrights.org

Cambodia: Govt. warn of increasing human trafficking cases and tech-based scams - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Cambodia: Govt. warn of increasing human trafficking cases and tech-based scams - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Excerpt: ″people from inside and outside the region have flowed into the Kingdom, both legally and illegally, establishing covert bases to commit crimes related to tech-based scams and associated offenses. Among those entering are both perpetrators and victims…″

Source: business-humanrights.org

Cambodia: Prince Holding Group denies allegations of cyber scam operations and maintains its business values - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Cambodia: Prince Holding Group denies allegations of cyber scam operations and maintains its business values - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Excerpt: ″The United States Institute of Peace reckons “pig butchering” scams could be generating the equivalent of 40 percent of each of the formal economies of Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. In Cambodia alone, the industry is believed to be worth around $12.5 billion annually. The USAID’s latest Counter-Trafficking in Persons report estimates there could be 150,000 people coerced into the industry’s labor force in Cambodia alone…″

Source: business-humanrights.org

Monday, May 5, 2025

Heuristic - Wikipedia

Heuristic - Wikipedia: Excerpt:

 ″A heuristic is a strategy that ignores part of the information, with the goal of making decisions more quickly, frugally, and/or accurately than more complex methods (Gigerenzer and Gaissmaier [2011], p. 454; see also Todd et al. [2012], p. 7).[15]″

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Next Level: Typo DGAs Used in Malicious Redirection Chains

The Next Level: Typo DGAs Used in Malicious Redirection Chains

Excerpt: ″Our analysis revealed a campaign using typo DGAs, which is a novel dictionary DGA variant designed to evade detection. This campaign highlights the need for advanced detection capabilities″

Source: unit42.paloaltonetworks.com

The life-or-death case for self-driving cars

Anthropic CEO Admits We Have No Idea How AI Works

Pretty serious admission when you come to think about it, imagine selling people a vehicle to get them from a to B but not knowing how it does that.

https://futurism.com/anthropic-ceo-admits-ai-ignorance

Sunday, May 4, 2025

CompTIA’s spinoff leaves TechGirlz curriculum in limbo

CompTIA’s spinoff leaves TechGirlz curriculum in limbo

Excerpt: ″“It’s a setback,” Welson-Rossman said. “But that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to be out there working for a more equitable future.” ″

Source: technical.ly

Brian Grier's Page

Brian Grier's Page

Excerpt: ″Hello! I'm Brian Grier, a passionate cybersecurity enthusiast and software developer. ″

Source: briangrier.net

Ali Alkhatib: AI Kremlinology

Ali Alkhatib: AI Kremlinology: Excerpt: ″I digress; the point is that people with real experience pressed up against police, bureaucratic violence, etc… know administrative violence in a lot of the same ways that minoritized people know AI systems and their harms. Which is to say that there’s a community of technical people who know about AI professionally, and then there are people who actually know these systems because not knowing could have existential consequences.″

https://youtu.be/ClGIosevT0Y?si=x4uMlvmUdqeHi2Cn

Source: ali-alkhatib.com

Michael J. Masucci at Los Angeles Breakfast Club (2025) on Vimeo

Michael J. Masucci at Los Angeles Breakfast Club (2025) on Vimeo

Excerpt: ″As part of the 100 year of the legendary Los Angeles Breakfast Club, and as the opening to a 10-part, 6-venue series on the 45 years of EZTV, curated by Elizabeth Purcell and Hollywood Entertainment, EZTV founding member Michael J. Masucci gave a presentation on the history and evolution of this seminal microcinema, production company and digital art outpost. #labc #Los Angeles Breakfast Club #EZTV #Michael J. Masucci #video art. #digital art. # art history #Elizabeth Purcell #Hollywood Entertainment″

Source: vimeo.com

Reimagining the Arts and Media as a Public Service

Reimagining the Arts and Media as a Public Service | Mobilized News Network: Excerpt: ″Re-imagining media and the arts as a public service: Michael Masucci, co-director of the pioneering media arts collective EZTV, offers an extraordinary chance to explore the evolution of independent video art, the birth of digital culture, and how media can be a vehicle for radical transformation, equity, and experimental collaboration.″

Source: mobilizednews.com

Rethink X: The Stellar World | Mobilized News Network

Rethink X: The Stellar World | Mobilized News Network

Excerpt: ″Rethink X has spent over a decade diving into the biggest questions shaping our world today. If you’ve ever wondered why everything feels so chaotic right now, or what comes next for humanity, the new book titled “Stellar” is for you.″

Source: mobilizednews.com

AI critique from 2021: creating its own idea of how we should be

Check out this from Ali Alkhatib: 


Read the paper at https://ali-alkhatib.com/utopia If you'd like to just read the script, you can find it at https://ali-alkhatib.com/papers/prese...


Dennis Habbassis, DeepMind CEO on the implications of Artificial General Intelligence

Needed: New Great Philosophers.

What for? To understand the implications of Artificial General Intelligence.

Who says? Sir Demis Habbasis, DeepMind CEO: "...I think we need new great philosophers to come about hopefully in the next five or 10 years to understand the implications of this.” 

60 Minutes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XF-NG_35NE&t=817s

Seismicity Risks in West Texas: Drill baby drill, until the caves cave in

The Carlsbad Caverns National Park, located in southeastern New Mexico near the Texas border, faces potential risks from increased seismicity in West Texas, primarily due to human-induced earthquakes linked to oil and gas activities in the Permian Basin. Below is a detailed assessment of the risks based on available information:

Friday, May 2, 2025

Detecting and Countering Malicious Uses of Claude

US federal judge on Meta's AI copyright fair use argument: 'You are dramatically changing, you might even say obliterating, the market for that person's work'

Education research takes another hit in latest DOGE attack — The Hechinger Report

Grants terminated by DOGE fall heavily upon STEM education - The Hechinger Report

Compare and contrast with Musk "Americans can't cut it."

https://stocks.apple.com/AwjpTuGfHTQiEBATVuf-54Q

The Brewing Controversy Over The Proposition That AI Is Nothing More Than Just Normal Technology

The Brewing Controversy Over The Proposition That AI Is Nothing More Than Just Normal Technology

Excerpt: ″“We articulate a vision of artificial intelligence (AI) as normal technology. To view AI as normal is not to understate its impact—even transformative, general-purpose technologies such as electricity and the internet are “normal” in our conception.”″

Source: forbes.com

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy – The White House

Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy – The White House

Excerpt: ″A bedrock principle of the United States is that all citizens are treated equally under the law.  This principle guarantees equality of opportunity, not equal outcomes.  It promises that people are treated as individuals, not components of a particular race or group.  It encourages meritocracy and a colorblind society, not race- or sex-based favoritism.  Adherence to this principle is essential to creating opportunity, encouraging achievement, and sustaining the American Dream.″

Source: whitehouse.gov

Interlock group claims major ransomware attack on renal care provider DaVita

teiss - News - Interlock group claims major ransomware attack on renal care provider DaVita:

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Coventry Skatepark Redevelopment

Coventry Skatepark Redevelopment - a Community crowdfunding project in Coventry by WMRR Campaign
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/covskatepark

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Science and Technology Quotations

Science and Technology Quotations

Excerpt: ″Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. ARTHUR C. CLARKE, The Lost Worlds of 2001. (Dutton)″

Source: physics.udel.edu

Sunday, April 27, 2025

I Live 400 Yards From Mark Zuckerberg’s Massive Data Center - YouTube

I Live 400 Yards From Mark Zuckerberg’s Massive Data Center - YouTube

Excerpt: ″What's the true cost of the AI revolution and who should be paying for it? We went to Georgia to find out. ″

Source: youtube.com

AI Agents Directory - Find and Compare AI Assistants

AI Agents Directory - Find and Compare AI Assistants

Excerpt: ″Browse our AI agents list and build your digital workforce in minutes, not months.″

Source: aiagentslist.com

UK can't handle a fight against AI-enabled crims, says repor • The Register

UK can't handle a fight against AI-enabled crims, says repor • The Register

Excerpt: ″ The National Crime Agency (NCA) will "closely examine" the recommendations made by the Alan Turing Institute after it claimed the UK was ill-equipped to tackle AI-enabled crime.″

Source: theregister.com

Verizon's 2025 DBIR: Threats Are Faster, Smarter, and More Personal

Verizon's 2025 DBIR: Threats Are Faster, Smarter, and More Personal

Excerpt: ″"The three primary ways in which attackers access an organization are stolen credentials, phishing and exploitation of vulnerabilities—across every single industry." Stolen credentials played a role in more than 60% of breaches, making them the top vector once again. Threat actors aren't brute-forcing their way in—they're logging in through the front door. From the report: "Credential theft continues to be the key to the kingdom in the majority of breaches. And it's not slowing down."″

Source: secureworld.io

The Man Out to Prove How Dumb AI Still Is - The Atlantic

The Man Out to Prove How Dumb AI Still Is - The Atlantic: Excerpt: ″ the ARC Prize team released an updated test, called ARC-AGI-2, and it appears to have sent the AIs back to the drawing board. The full o3 model has not yet been tested, but a version of o1 dropped from 32 percent on the original puzzles to just 3 percent on the new version, and a “mini” version of o3 currently available to the public dropped from roughly 30 percent to below 2 percent. (An OpenAI spokesperson declined to say whether the company plans to run the benchmark with o3.) Other flagship models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have achieved roughly 1 percent, if not lower. Human testers average about 60 percent.″

Source: theatlantic.com

Saturday, April 26, 2025

ME/CFS Scandal Explainer (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) - YouTube

ME/CFS Scandal Explainer (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) - YouTube: Excerpt: ″A number of academics, experts, and journalists have characterised the treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) as a scandal, with George Monbiot going as far as calling it “the greatest medical scandal of the 21st-century”. ″

Source: youtube.com

Friday, April 25, 2025

Men's 2cm Black Leatherette Heels Ballroom Dance Shoes – DanceandSway

Men's 2cm Black Leatherette Heels Ballroom Dance Shoes – DanceandSway: Excerpt: ″Gender: Men's Category: Modern,Ballroom,Latin,Salsa,Samba Shoes Style: Dance Shoes Color: Black Actual Heel Height: 2cm Upper Materials: Leatherette Lining Materials: Leatherette Outsole Materials: Suede″ £48

Source: danceandsway.com

Ukraine bots

Poe - Fast, Helpful AI Chat

Poe - Fast, Helpful AI Chat

Excerpt: ″The best AI, all in one place. Explore GPT-4.5, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek-R1, Runway, ElevenLabs, and millions of others.″

Source: poe.com

Full 2025 Identity Theft Scam Study

Full 2025 Identity Theft Scam Study: Excerpt: ″This work focuses on patterns of reports from the public about scams they have encountered. BBB studies are intended to give consumers, businesses, news media, researchers and regulatory agencies an in-depth understanding of: 

 • How these scams work • How to avoid them • What is being done to help curb fraud″

Source: bbb.org

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

What is a Neural Network & How Does It Work? | Google Cloud

What is a Neural Network & How Does It Work? | Google Cloud: Excerpt: ″Connections between neurons have associated weights, signifying the connection strength. During training, the network adjusts these weights to refine its performance on a given task. This learning process allows them to make predictions and recognize patterns, driving their wide adoption in diverse applications like image recognition, natural language processing, and machine translation. ″

Source: cloud.google.com

Kaspersky IT Encyclopedia: Aids Ransomware

1989 | Kaspersky IT Encyclopedia: Excerpt: ″December 1989 witnessed the Aids Information Diskette incident. 20,000 discs containing a Trojan were sent to addresses in Eurpose, Africa, Australia and the WHO. The addresses had been stolen from the database of PC Business World. Once an infected disk has been loaded, the program would automatically install itself on the system, creating its own concealed files and directories and modifying system files. After 90 loads, the operating system encoded the names of all files, rendering them invisible and leaving only one file accessible. This file recommended paying money to a specified bank account. ″

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Download LinkedIn Videos in HD | Free Tool by Publer

Download LinkedIn Videos in HD | Free Tool by Publer

Excerpt: ″Paste the URL of the LinkedIn video post and press to download in HD″

Source: publer.com

(1) Home | Substack

(1) Home | Substack

Excerpt: ″Norbert Wiener, the founder of Cybernetics, famously highlighted this in his 1960 paper, called “Some Moral Technical Consequences of Automation”, which brought forth the alignment problem, which is still unresolved as of writing.″

Source: substack.com

M.E. is more than Fatigue -20 symptoms people deal with ⭐️Must Watch⭐️ - YouTube

M.E. is more than Fatigue -20 symptoms people deal with ⭐️Must Watch⭐️ - YouTube

Excerpt: ″More and more people are learning about ME/CFS. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) Many still believe the illness mainly consists of fatigue and brain fog. This video dives into 20 other symptoms many of us deal with.″

Source: youtube.com

Monday, April 21, 2025

How humanity moved from ‘eternal’ to ‘bookended’ time | Aeon Essays

How humanity moved from ‘eternal’ to ‘bookended’ time | Aeon Essays

Excerpt: ″this supremacy of finitude – this circumambience of grander mortalities than our own – is, in fact, galvanising. Just like the child coming to accept her ‘first death’, apprehending this might simply be part of growing up. Ultimately, eternity intoxicates and stultifies, whereas finitude edifies by showing us that our decisions – right now – do matter. If immortality’s price is agency’s liquidation, I’d choose agency every time.″

Source: aeon.co

Understanding the Smokeloader Botnet: A Persistent Cyber Threat

Understanding the Smokeloader Botnet: A Persistent Cyber Threat | The DefendOps Diaries

Excerpt: ″The dismantling of the Smokeloader botnet through Operation Endgame marks a pivotal victory in cybersecurity efforts. However, the persistent nature of cyber threats necessitates ongoing vigilance and innovation. Cybercriminals are adept at adapting to new challenges, and the modular design of Smokeloader allows it to quickly evolve in response to changes in the cybersecurity landscape.″

Source: thedefendopsdiaries.com

Friday, April 18, 2025

An AI avatar tried to argue a case before a New York court. The judges weren't having it

An AI avatar tried to argue a case before a New York court. The judges weren't having it

Excerpt: ″In an interview with The Associated Press, Dewald said he applied to the court for permission to play a prerecorded video, then used a product created by a San Francisco tech company to create the avatar. 

Originally, he tried to generate a digital replica that looked like him, but he was unable to accomplish that before the hearing. “The court was really upset about it,” Dewald conceded. “They chewed me up pretty good.” Even real lawyers have gotten into trouble when their use of artificial intelligence went awry. 

In June 2023, two attorneys and a law firm were each fined $5,000 by a federal judge in New York after they used an AI tool to do legal research, and as a result wound up citing fictitious legal cases made up by the chatbot. The firm involved said it had made a “good faith mistake” in failing to understand that artificial intelligence might make things up.″

Source: news4jax.com

The Dark Side of Generative AI: Five Malicious LLMs Found on the Dark Web

The Dark Side of Generative AI: Five Malicious LLMs Found on the Dark Web

Excerpt: ″Infosecurity has selected some of the first observed malicious tools leveraging legitimate generative AI models.″

Note this is from 2023...many more MaLLMs.

Source: infosecurityeurope.com

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Free AI Detector | Check for ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini

Free AI Detector | Check for ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini

Excerpt: ″Identify AI-generated content, including ChatGPT and Copilot, with Scribbr's free AI detector″

Source: scribbr.co.uk

28 x iPhone Camera Tips! - YouTube

28 x iPhone Camera Tips! - YouTube

Excerpt: ″Watch this new iPhone Camera Tutorial to discover 28 incredible camera tips, hacks and controls essential for mastering your iPhone photos and videos. Updated for 2023 to include newest features on iPhone 14 Pro:″

Source: youtube.com

How Dismantling DEI Efforts Could Make Clinical Trials Less Representative | JAMA | JAMA Network

How Dismantling DEI Efforts Could Make Clinical Trials Less Representative | JAMA | JAMA Network

Excerpt: ″At least 3 major drug companies, all headquartered in Europe—Roche and Novartis in Switzerland and GSK in the UK—have moved to follow Trump’s DEI executive orders by eliminating it from their hiring and training practices.″

Source: jamanetwork.com

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Transcript: Sotomayor’s Harsh New Dissent Contains One Terrifying Line | The New Republic

Transcript: Sotomayor’s Harsh New Dissent Contains One Terrifying Line | The New Republic

Excerpt: ″“The implication of the government’s position is that not only noncitizens but also United States citizens could be taken off the streets, forced onto planes, and confined to foreign prisons with no opportunity for redress if judicial review is denied unlawfully before removal.”″

Source: newrepublic.com

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Google DeepMind paper predicts AGI matching top human skills could arrive by 2030

Google DeepMind 145-page paper predicts AGI matching top human skills could arrive by 2030 | Fortune

Excerpt: ″The paper separates the risks of advanced AI into four major categories: misuse, which refers to people intentionally using AI for harm; misalignment, meaning systems developing unintended harmful behavior; mistakes, categorized as unexpected failures due to design or training flaws; and structural risks, which refers to conflicting incentives between multiple parties, including different groups of people, such as countries or companies, and possibly multiple AI systems. ″

Source: fortune.com

Online Meeting Software & Platform - Zoho Meeting

Online Meeting Software & Platform - Zoho Meeting

Excerpt: ″Zoho Meeting is a secure online meeting platform and webinar solution that helps you connect, collaborate, and work remotely with efficacy. Schedule online meetings, stream live webinars and enhance your remote collaboration experience today with our highly secure online meeting software. ″

Source: zoho.com

Monday, April 7, 2025

Common Types of Computer Virus and How to Avoid Them - Binary IT

Common Types of Computer Virus and How to Avoid Them - Binary IT

Excerpt: ″The Vienna virus is an example of a direct-action virus that appeared in the 1980s. It targeted executable files, and when a corrupted file was executed, the virus took direct action by infiltrating other executable files in the same directory. The Vienna virus did not attempt to hide its presence and immediately manifested its effects upon execution.″

Source: binaryit.com.au

Note that Google's AI search result on this is quite wrongm identifying Vienna as a macro virus:


Saturday, April 5, 2025

Fibro Myalgia Syndrome (FMS) and Hereditary Hemochromatosis 43%!

Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology

Excerpt: ″One hundred seventy (43%) of the subjects [people with genetic haemochromatosis] were diagnosed with FMS. 

Among those with fibromyalgia fatigue and ≥11 tender points were present in all of the subjects, widespread pain in 150 (88%), depression in 70 (41%), and arthralgia/joint stiffness in 70 (41%). In subjects with FMS 33% reported some functional impairment (HAQ-DI>0), with 10% reporting moderate-severe functional impairment (HAQ-DI≥1.5). 

This study reveals a high prevalence of FMS (43%) among subjects with HFE-related hemochromatosis. Prospective studies are needed to better understand the risk factors for FMS in such patients."

Friday, April 4, 2025

OpenAI's models 'memorized' copyrighted content, new study suggests | TechCrunch

OpenAI's models 'memorized' copyrighted content, new study suggests | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/04/openais-models-memorized-copyrighted-content-new-study-suggests/

Linotype machine - Wikipedia

Linotype machine - Wikipedia: Excerpt: ″The Linotype machine (/ˈlaɪnətaɪp/ LYNE-ə-type) is a "line casting" machine used in printing which is manufactured and sold by the former Mergenthaler Linotype Company and related companies.[1] ″

Also: https://fb.watch/yLQ4fTS23r/

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Turing

Thursday, April 3, 2025

High profile cyber gang takedowns in 2024

After a string of high profile cyber gang takedowns, is the cyber crime industry about to get a lot more fragmented? | IT Pro

Excerpt: ″The recent string of busts on large-scale threat collectives suggests authorities around the world are taking a firmer stance on cyber crime, and proactively looking to disrupt hacking groups, rather than just defend against their attacks.″

Source: itpro.com

Funding to prioritize ethical and social considerations in emerging technologies​​

​​​NSF and philanthropic partners announce $16 million in funding to prioritize ethical and social considerations in emerging technologies​​ | NSF - National Science Foundation

Excerpt: ″The U.S. National Science Foundation today launched a new $16 million program in collaboration with five philanthropic partners that seeks to ensure ethical, legal, community and societal considerations are embedded in the lifecycle of technology’s creation and use. The Responsible Design, Development and Deployment of Technologies (ReDDDoT) program aims to help create technologies that promote the public's wellbeing and mitigate potential harms.″

Source: nsf.gov

What Is SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)? [Starter Guide] - Palo Alto Networks

What Is SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)? [Starter Guide] - Palo Alto Networks

Excerpt: ″Secure access service edge (SASE) is a cloud-native architecture that unifies SD-WAN with security functions like SWG, CASB, FWaaS, and ZTNA into one service.″

Source: paloaltonetworks.co.uk

Record-Breaking $75 Million Ransom Paid To Dark Angels Gang

Record-Breaking $75 Million Ransom Paid To Dark Angels Gang

Excerpt: ″According to ransomware statistics compiled by Varonis, the largest ransom payout was in 2021 when insurance giant CNA Financial reportedly paid an astonishing $40 million. However, the latest Zscaler ThreatLabz ransomware report suggests that this deplorable record has now been broken. Coming in at nearly twice as much, the Zscaler researchers said they found evidence of a $75 million ransom paid by an undisclosed victim earlier this year. Say hello to the Dark Angels.″

Source: forbes.com

Claude Code overview - Anthropic

Claude Code overview - Anthropic

Excerpt: ″Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal, understands your codebase, and helps you code faster through natural language commands.″

Source: docs.anthropic.com

GitHub - monteslu/robot-mcp: mcp server for johnny-five

GitHub - monteslu/robot-mcp: mcp server for johnny-five

Excerpt: ″A Model Context Protocol (MCP) service that controls a robot arm with a servo motor. When the servo moves, it plays "Hasta la vista, baby!" audio clip.″

Source: github.com

Quickly connect a robot to AI with Claude Code and MCP (Model Context Protocol) - YouTube

Quickly connect a robot to AI with Claude Code and MCP (Model Context Protocol) - YouTube

Excerpt: ″In this tutorial we'll quickly make an MCP (Model Context Server) in node.js that can connect with the physical world″

Uses Arduino...

Source: youtube.com

AI In Cybersecurity: The Double-Edged Sword

AI In Cybersecurity: The Double-Edged Sword | Eventbrite: Excerpt: ″Learn about risks, threats, and defense strategies, including how AI is reshaping the threat landscape and what you can do about it.″

Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 3:30 PM 

Source: eventbrite.co.uk

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

AI and Cybersecurity: Seizing the Opportunities, Defending Against the Threats, Understanding the Legal Risks

AI and Cybersecurity: Seizing the Opportunities, Defending Against the Threats, Understanding the Legal Risks

Excerpt: ″AI is transforming cybersecurity, creating both groundbreaking opportunities and complex challenges. In this course, AI and Cybersecurity: Seizing the Opportunities, Defending Against the Threats, Navigating Legal Risks, you'll explore how AI is reshaping the way we defend against cyberattacks, identify emerging risks, and stay compliant with evolving legal standards, which are playing catch-up with the speed of technological development.″

Source: tickettailor.com

Our truth is not enough: the challenge for technocrats

Our truth is not enough: the challenge for technocrats

Excerpt: ″So, we see the rise of the charismatic leader who offers the certainty of what technocrats would see as a fraudulent vision of a better world. But the fact that people want to believe them makes them, in some sense, ‘true’, especially when you are told that it was the technocrats who got us into the mess.″

Source: eastangliabylines.co.uk

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

23andMe Is Up For Sale. Where Is Our Genetic Data Going? | HuffPost UK Black Voices

23andMe Is Up For Sale. Where Is Our Genetic Data Going? | HuffPost UK Black Voices

Excerpt: ″It’s a gray area that invites the opportunity for what Ajunwa calls “genetic discrimination,” based on eugenics and pseudoscientific ideas about Black people. “It has been done in the past, so there is a worry about the misuse of this data to support racist ideas about racial categories and specifically about Black folks,” says Ajunwa.″

Source: huffingtonpost.co.uk

Oak by Honeybourne Close, Nod Rise seen on Geograph Britain and Ireland

Oak by Honeybourne Close, Nod Rise © E Gammie :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

Excerpt: ″Coventry has several stream courses along which building had been avoided due to the risk of flooding and 1940s planners envisaged that they could be developed as 'brook-strays' providing 'green wedge' public access land from the city centre to the outskirts.″

Source: geograph.org.uk

Monday, March 31, 2025

LLM jailbreak ideas

What Is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)? | Microsoft Security

What Is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)? | Microsoft Security

Excerpt: ″Secure access service edge, often abbreviated (SASE), is a security framework that converges software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) and Zero Trust security solutions into a converged cloud-delivered platform that securely connects users, systems, endpoints, and remote networks to apps and resources.

Source: microsoft.com

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Major Rivers Of The British Isles - River Stour

Major Rivers Of The British Isles - River Stour

Excerpt: ″There is much controversy and debate as to where the name Stour originates, with historians believing that the word could come from three different language groups.The Celtic word sturr means strong or powerful, which would be an appropriate name for a river, and as two of England’s River Stours are situated in England’s former Celtic stronghold of the Midlands, this is a more than credible origin.The medieval, French word stour means confusion or commotion, which could well have been attributed to that of a particularly unnavigable river. England's Norman French history goes back over a thousand years and with one of the River Stours' estuary located on the English Channel, there is also some credibility to this origin.The German word stuhr means formidable or violent, a word which could well have been attributed to a fast, flowing river. Considering England's Saxon history, and the facts that two of the River Stours drain into the North Sea – a usual route into England by the Saxons - therefore the origin of this word also has some credibility. Therefore, it is possible that each of England’s five River Stours could all have a different etymology.″

Source: sites.google.com

Saturday, March 29, 2025

About Us | The Legal Training Consultancy

About Us | The Legal Training Consultancy

Excerpt: ″The Legal Training Consultancy is a multi-faceted training consultancy which was established to focus on the training needs of firms of solicitors, barristers’ chambers and in-house legal departments, amongst others. David Jacobs is the founder of The Legal Training Consultancy. A barrister and former in-house lawyer, he is also perhaps the most experienced developer of training programmes currently working in the legal industry.″

Source: legaltrainingconsultancy.co.uk

Executive Interview: Separating Fact and Fiction: How AI is Changing the Cybersecurity Landscape

Executive Interview: Separating Fact and Fiction: How AI is Changing the Cybersecurity Landscape
https://www.computing.co.uk/sponsored/executive-interview-separating-fact-and-fiction-how-ai-is-changing-the-cybersecurity-landscape

Georeferenced Maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

Georeferenced Maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

Excerpt: ″Map of Coventry from 1890s showing the house my great-grandparents were living in at the time.″

Source: maps.nls.uk

Friday, March 28, 2025

New study shows Fibromyalgia likely the result of autoimmune problems | King's College London

New study shows Fibromyalgia likely the result of autoimmune problems | King's College London:

Excerpt: ″many of the symptoms in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are caused by antibodies that increase the activity of pain-sensing nerves throughout the body. The results show that fibromyalgia is a disease of the immune system, rather than the currently held view that it originates in the brain. 

 The study, published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, demonstrates that the increased pain sensitivity, muscle weakness, reduced movement, and reduced number of small nerve-fibres in the skin that are typical of FMS, are all a consequence of patient antibodies. 

The implications of this study are profound. Establishing that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder will transform how we view the condition and should pave the way for more effective treatments for the millions of people affected. 

Our work has uncovered a whole new area of therapeutic options and should give real hope to fibromyalgia patients. Previous exploration of therapies has been hampered by our limited understanding of the illness. This should now change. Treatment for FMS is focussed on gentle aerobic exercises, as well as drug and psychological therapies designed to manage pain, although these have proven ineffective in most patients and have left behind an enormous unmet clinical need 
                            — Dr David Andersson, study primary investigator, King's College London″

Source: kcl.ac.uk

Newcastle arthritis study hopes to 'switch off' pain - BBC News

Newcastle arthritis study hopes to 'switch off' pain - BBC News

Excerpt: ″The first two trials are small - in total about 32 patients have been involved - and more research is needed, but if it shows signs of success another, larger trial will follow. Even if all goes to plan and the treatment is shown to re-educate the immune system, it may still be another five to 10 years before patients are able to access it.″

Source: bbc.co.uk

Suicidal ideation and the risk of suicide in patients with fibromyalgia: a comparison with non-pain controls and patients suffering from low-back pain - PMC

Suicidal ideation and the risk of suicide in patients with fibromyalgia: a comparison with non-pain controls and patients suffering from low-back pain - PMC

Excerpt: ″our study provides relevant data that can be added to the growing body of evidence that links fibromyalgia with an increased risk of suicidal behaviors. This increased risk is mainly explained by the presence of depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of adequately evaluating and treating the symptoms of depression.″

Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

46 new bugs in solar power inverters raise concerns over power grid stability | SC Media

46 new bugs in solar power inverters raise concerns over power grid stability | SC Media

Excerpt: ″“The collective impact of residential solar systems on grid reliability is too significant to ignore – hospitals could lose access to critical equipment, families could go without heat in the winter or AC in a heatwave, and businesses could shut down,” s″

Source: scworld.com

Trump Administration Gives All Clear to Laundering Money through Shell Companies and Bribing Foreign Officials

Trump Administration Gives All Clear to Laundering Money through Shell Companies and Bribing Foreign Officials

Excerpt: ″On February 10, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order that suspended the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for 180 days, giving an all clear to U.S. corporations to bribe officials in foreign countries to get business deals approved. 

The order bars federal prosecutors from starting any new FCPA investigations, enforcing new actions and orders a review of existing FCPA investigations to “restore proper bounds” on applying the FCPA law. 

 The FCPA, enacted in 1977, has been the law of the United States for almost half a century....its purpose as follows: “Foreign bribery is a scourge that must be eradicated. It undermines the rule of law, empowers authoritarian rulers, distorts free and fair markets, disadvantages honest and ethical companies, and threatens national security and sustainable development.”″

Source: wallstreetonparade.com