A supercomputer in coal country is analyzing climate change

In Wyoming, where the state produces about 40 percent of America’s coal, a new supercomputer named Cheyenne has just come online to join in the fight against climate change. According to the Associated Press, the $30 million Cheyenne is 20th fastest in the world and is currently working on several projects, including some that will help it predict weather patterns “months to years in advance.”

By building better weather prediction models, Cheyenne will eventually be able to better predict climate change as well. “We believe that doing better predictions of those things have apolitical benefits,” Rich Loft, a specialist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research said, “saving lives and saving money, and improving outcomes for businesses and farmers.”

Cheyenne is located in the Wyoming town of the same name and as the AP notes, it already has the support of some coal industry insiders and climate change skeptics — despite the fact that a downturn in the coal industry has hurt state budgets. Governor Matt Mead, for example, is currently suing to block carbon emission regulations put in place during the Obama administration, but supports the Cheyenne project for jumpstarting the state’s tech industry. While The NCAR plans to keep plugging away at its current projects despite the current political climate, there’s a fear that projects like Cheyenne won’t be possible in the future. Most of the supercomputer’s cost came from the National Science Foundation, which is in danger of losing funding under President Trump, or at least shifting its focus away from environmental and earth sciences.

When vending machines attack (a university)

We are marching toward certain doom at the hands of an angry Skynet of our own invention. Need proof? This week a school was attacked by its own soft drink vending machines.

You read that right.

A university found that its internet was choking and stuttering. An investigation showed the on-campus vending machines were waging a quiet war, alternately throttling and completely shutting down the connection. The infected soda machines and 5,000 other botnet-infected IoT devices were making hundreds of DNS lookups every 15 minutes.

The story comes from Verizon’s recent Data Breach Digest, where the university is not named, obviously to protect the innocent. One security team member remarked, “This botnet spread from device to device by brute forcing default and weak passwords. Once the password was known, the malware had full control of the device and would check in with command infrastructure for updates and change the device’s password—locking us out of the 5,000 systems.”

Connected vending machines are part of the “Internet of Things,” which you may have heard of. This genre of internet-connected appliances and vehicles bring our lives a new kind of convenience, really great, the best convenience. If your idea of convenience is an unpredictable device that occasionally inconveniences you beyond comprehension.

According to the tech who discovered their uni’s soda machines had gone rogue, the botnet was hungry. It spent days, and an untold amount of bandwidth searching for yummy “fish” dinners. They said in the report, “The name servers, responsible for Domain Name Service (DNS) lookups, were producing high-volume alerts and showed an abnormal number of sub-domains related to seafood.”

Everything from light bulbs to vending machines were hooked up to the university’s network in an effort to make management of all the connected devices efficient. “This was a mess,” the tech wrote. “Short of replacing every soda machine and lamp post, I was at a loss for how to remediate the situation.” That was when they reached out to the Verizon RISK Team, which the school had on retainer for network emergencies. In this instance, it was an “IoT outbreak.”

“Luckily for me,” the school’s tech wrote, “a less drastic option existed than replacing all the IoT devices on campus.” Whoever had infected the school’s devices had made a schoolboy error when it came to securing their malware’s own password. “Analysis of previous malware samples had shown that the control password, used to issue commands to infected systems, was also used as the newly updated device password.” They made a plan to intercept the clear text password for one of the compromised soda machines, and then quickly perform a password change before the malware’s next update.” This way, the university could retake control of its thousands of infected IoT devices.

“I instructed the network operations team to prepare to shut down all network access for our IoT segments once we had intercepted the malware password. Short lived as it was, the impact from severing all of our IoT devices from the internet during that brief period of time was noticeable across the campus—and we were determined never to have a repeat incident.”

It worked. One of the tech team’s developers wrote a script to log in, lock the botnet out with a new password, and clear all the devices of infection. “The whole process took a matter of minutes,” they wrote.

The university was lucky they had someone who knew what the hell was going on once they identified the problem. I wish there was a way to install this person in my home or my car. Because as our devices turn on us, we in turn have no one to turn to — and vending machines are now officially, actually out to get us. Make no mistake, our new Skynet isn’t a cool film franchise or laughable allusion to the Terminator. It’s a place where phrases like “IoT security” cuddle up with phrases like “alternative facts” because both phrases have very distant relationships with reality.

That’s because the machines are really starting to act like they’re out to get us. Like the Volkswagen that “red screens” when you tap its in-dash screen too fast. Smart TV’s that spy on users and sell their data to advertisers, or get bricked with malware. Refrigerators that stop working until they’re updated. Pacemakers that rat you out to the cops. And, of course, DVRs and webcams that attack the internet and bring it to its knees.

It’s humiliating! We’re now lower on the food chain than the robots. We already have to prove to computers that we’re living breathing humans every day when we log in to anything with CAPTCHA. And by using anything with an algorithm, we’re teaching them how to outsmart us even more in the future.

The information security sector, to its credit, has been in a panic over this for quite some time. To the point that it’s becoming a tired trope for conference talks. Here in San Francisco, we just endured the RSA Conference. It’s a gathering of tens of thousands of infosec professionals from corporate and government security sectors. And it’s where you go if you want to see the same old, same old for security trends. I’ve come to think of it as a place where people simply shout to hear the echoes.

Some people there repeated what hackers have been warning everyone about for years, but no companies seem to care to listen to. That IoT security is really a problem.

There was a talk on solar panels being compromised, and one on making IoT devices into attack vectors. Another speaker posited a vision of security updates for our new connected nightmare, while some heartened soul put forward a survival guide for the “IoThreats Era.” One talk finally named our collective demon in Protecting Consumers in the Age of IoT.

That while these people were preaching to the choir from a conference stage, we found out an entire university had been taken down by connected vending machines should be a call to action. That is, if anyone was listening.

Germany bans creepy doll over privacy concerns

My Friend Cayla is a smiling, blonde doll that can answer questions and play games by pairing with a smart device. She might also be spying on you.

German watchdog group the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway) warns that hackers can use Cayla to steal personal data through an unsecured Bluetooth connection. It’s already removed the doll from store shelves, and it’s encouraging parents to take precautions.

“Items that conceal cameras or microphones and that are capable of transmitting a signal, and therefore can transmit data without detection, compromise people’s privacy. This applies in particular to children’s toys. The Cayla doll has been banned in Germany,” said Bundesnetzagentur President Jochen Homann. “This is also to protect the most vulnerable in our society.”

Over 18 privacy groups filed complaints with the US Federal Trade Commission and the European Union about connected toys like My Friend Cayla last year. They claimed manufacturer Genesis Toys and its tech partner Nuance violated deceptive practices and privacy laws by recording and transmitting children’s voices without permission.

Stories of hacked devices like headphones and pacemakers are unsettling, but the idea of compromised children’s toys is extra creepy. Since the dolls use an unprotected wireless Bluetooth connection, anyone in the vicinity could potentially listen in to the conversation. A company could also use the toys to advertise directly to children, or it could sell the information it gathers to police and intelligence agencies.

Via: The New York Times

Source: The Bundesnetzagentur

Future iPhone May Use Customized Wireless Charging System Made in Partnership with Broadcom

A future version of the iPhone could use a customized wireless charging system created in partnership with Broadcom, according to JPMorgan analyst Harlan Sur (via CNBC).

While Apple and Broadcom have reportedly been working together on a wireless charging solution for approximately two years, Sur is not sure whether the feature will be included in the 2017 iPhone due to “caution around the battery-related recall” of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

Despite Harlan’s caution, the upcoming 2017 “iPhone 8” is widely rumored to include some kind of wireless charging solution, but details on how it is being implemented and whether or not Apple is working with a partner like Broadcom remain unknown at this time.

iPhone 8 concept image via Thadeu Brandão
Past rumors have suggested wireless charging partnerships and supplier deals with Lite-On Semiconductor, MediaTek, Foxconn, Pegatron, and Luxshare, making it difficult to suss out Apple’s wireless charging plans.

Harlan’s research note also echoes previous rumors pointing towards a glass body for future iPhones, which many analysts believe is being implemented to facilitate wireless charging.

“We believe the glass back cover is conducive to wireless charging as it reduces signal interference versus a metal casing,” Sur wrote. “It is possible for Apple to add proprietary features such as fast charging or extended charging to differentiate itself from the pack and enhance the value of its own hardware ecosystem.”

Early wireless charging rumors suggested Apple would use a long-range wireless charging solution, but more recent speculation suggests the company may instead opt for an Apple Watch-style inductive charging solution. A glass body, as is rumored, would be necessary for an inductive charging option, and Apple also recently joined the Wireless Power Consortium, a group committed to the open development of the Qi wireless charging standard used in devices like the Samsung Galaxy.

Along with wireless charging, Apple’s 2017 iPhone is rumored to include a radical redesign, featuring the aforementioned glass body and an edge-to-edge ~5-inch OLED display that eliminates the device’s Home button. Rumors suggest this device will be positioned as a high-end “premium” model that could cost upwards of $1,000, and most sources believe it will be sold alongside two more affordable 4.7 and 5.5-inch devices that resemble the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.

Rumors disagree on exactly what material the two regular-sized devices will be made from, and whether or not they will include wireless charging as well.

For full details on what to expect from the flagship OLED iPhone 8 and its two companion devices, make sure to check out our dedicated iPhone 8 roundup, which is updated regularly with new rumors.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tags: Broadcom, JPMorgan
Discuss this article in our forums

Who is Scott Pruitt, the new EPA head?

On Friday, the US Senate voted 52-48 confirming Scott Pruitt as the 14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. His nomination and subsequent confirmation surprised many political pundits given the former Oklahoma Attorney General has long waged legal battles against the federal agency that he now heads.

Pruitt’s political career began in 1998 when he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate, representing Tulsa and Wagoner Counties. After 8 years, during which time he served as both majority whip and the Republican Assistant Floor Leader, Pruitt mounted an unsuccessful campaign to become the state’s Lt. Governor in 2006 but was successfully elected the Attorney General of Oklahoma in 2010.

During his tenure and Oklahoma’s AG, Pruitt routinely went to war with the EPA. After entering office he first dissolved the Environmental Protection Unit in the Attorney General’s office, arguing both that “a standalone unit was operationally inefficient” and that the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, rather than his office, should be responsible for implementing and enforcing environmental laws in the state. He then proceeded to sue the EPA a total of 14 times — every one of them unsuccessfully — between 2010 and 2016.

For instance, in 2012, his office sued the EPA over the agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which regulates the amount of mercury, cyanide and other pollutants that power plants can legally emit. More recently, he sued over the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which caps the amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide that plants can expel. In 13 of these 14 cases, energy companies operating within the state were listed as co-parties to Pruitt’s suits.

Pruitt is quite proud of his anti-EPA stance. His official bio page as Oklahoma AG states that he is a “leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.” And when he was not actively suing the EPA, Pruitt did little to hide his support for energy companies like Exxon and Devon Energy (or the $300,000 that they donated to his campaigns).

As the New York Times reports, he once dropped a state lawsuit against companies dumping pollutants into state waterways. Pruitt “has advocated and stood up for the profits of business,” Mark Derichsweiler, head of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality division, told the Times, “at the expense of people who have to drink the water or breathe the air.”

Pruitt has also been party to scandal during his tenure as AG. In 2011, he received a drafted letter from Devon Energy, one of Oklahoma’s biggest oil and gas companies, transcribed it to his official letterhead and submitted it to the EPA as an official complaint from his office, a move categorized by the Times as an “unprecedented, secretive alliance” between Pruitt and industry. “That’s actually called representative government in my view of the world,” Pruitt said in his defense.

“Scott Pruitt represents what we environmental lawyers call an ‘imminent and substantial endangerment’ to our health and environment,” Ellen Spitalnik, a former EPA attorney who served from 1980 to 2002, told Quartz. “He threatens the very integrity of EPA and must not be allowed to continue shutting down environmental enforcement, disregarding science, and putting private interests above public good.”

Pruitt’s confirmation hearings were not without scandal. He declined to specify whether he had submitted letters on behalf of companies related to the state’s air quality crisis which has seen the rate of childhood asthma spike in recent years. Currently one in ten Oklahoma children suffer from asthma, though Pruitt could not cite that figure when quizzed about it by Sen. Corey Booker. Additionally, more than 800 current EPA employees signed a petition urging the Senate to vote him down.

Even the timing of his confirmation has raised eyebrows. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse called his vote “an epic ram job” given that Pruitt only recently released 3,000 emails he wrote to oil and gas companies as Attorney General. These emails were ordered released by a state judge as part of a public records lawsuit two years ago but Pruitt has been fighting to keep them under wraps.”Emails! Remember emails?” Sen. Chuck Schumer asked during the confirmation hearings. “‘We should get them out!’ they said about Hillary Clinton… If they weren’t worried about them, then why rush?”

Now that he has been confirmed, Pruitt is expected to immediately sign orders beginning the roll-back of Obama-era protections. While the rules can’t be repealed immediately, these initial actions set the stage for replacing the rules with more industry-friendly options within the next two years.

Fire versus ice: Video shows what happens when thermite meets a frozen lake

Why it matters to you

Well, you gain a physics lesson in the power of thermite with some added pyrotechnics.

It’s one of the great philosophical brainteasers that generations of intellectuals have stroked their chins over: What happens if you detonate a whole lot of thermite on a frozen lake? That is the question the folks behind YouTube channel Beyond the Press attempted to answer in their latest video, which follows a previous variation that introduced a red hot 20-kilo weight made of steel to the thick ice on the lake.

“The thermite versus. frozen lake idea has been on my mind for quite a long time,” YouTuber Lauri Vuohensilta told Digital Trends.

As Vuohensilta noted, there are a number of popular videos online pitting thermite against ice, usually by burning thermite on top of an ice block, resulting in some pretty dramatic explosions. That is (we think) because the heat from the burning thermite decomposes the water into hydrogen and oxygen, which then explodes when heated.

However, most people have not tried this experiment on such a large scale using a frozen lake.

More: British mad scientist Colin Furze just built a fully operational thermite cannon

So did it turn out to be the YouTube explosion of the century? As you will see from watching the video, not exactly.

“I wasn’t completely happy with the results,” Vuohensilta continued. “I think I am going to double the amount of thermite for the next try and use a different vessel. [But] I don’t want to overdo it because the explosion throws molten metal stuff all over the place, and I want to keep everything safe as possible.”

It’s not a waste of time, though. There is something weirdly fun about watching people investigate the quantity of thermite needed to melt through a frozen lake, even if they didn’t quite manage it on this occasion. And, hey, we now know that we want to visit Ylojarvi, Finland –provided they’re not shooting their follow-up video at that time.

‘Liquid glass’ promises to protect your phone from bumps and scratches

Why it matters to you

ProtectPax might just be revolutionary. It’s a gel that claims to make your smartphone’s screen just as resistant to scratches as tempered glass protectors.

If you’re the type that worries about wayward car keys or nail files scratching your pricey smartphone’s screen, fret no more. ProtectPax, a new project on IndieGoGo, is a self-described “liquid glass” protector that claims to strengthen any display.

It sounds almost too good to be true. ProtectPax’s crowdfunding page describes it as a “nano protector” pioneered by titans in the aviation and aerospace industries. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the gel fill microscopic valleys on your smartphone’s screen, effectively reinforcing it against bumps and bruises.

More: These prototype eyeglasses from AVG make you invisible to facial recognition software

“It’s as hard as sapphire or ruby and acts like an optical filter,” the ProtectPax team says. “Your screen [will be] more uniform than when it left the factory.”

Applying it is relatively easy, apparently. All you need do is wipe your smartphone’s screen dry, rub ProtectPax across the surface with an included sealing cloth, and wait ten minutes until the gloss turns “shiny.” Once that’s done, the screen’s ostensibly protected from scratches, cracks, and even falls.

ProtectPax ranks 9H on Mohs Hardness Scale, which is higher than a knife blade and steel file. It lasts up to 365 days, and as an added bonus, it protects against electromagnetic radiation and improves touchscreen functionality.

More: Defang your keys: This liquid makes your phone screen as hard as sapphire

ProtectPax claims it’s good for more than smartphones, too. The team’s tested it with all manner of devices, including smart watches, regular watches, eyeglasses, TV screens, GPS navigation systems, laptops, eBook readers, and digital cameras.

The idea of a liquid screen protector just as effective as tempered glass may be difficult to wrap your mind around, but ProtectPax isn’t the first. Kristall, a liquid protector from Malaysian company E-Mark Global trade, shields screens with a layer nano-particle coating that gives screens a gloss finish, makes them a great deal less prone to fingerprints, smudges, and greasy smears, and protects them against objects up to 9H.

In a demonstration at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, an intrepid Digital Trends reporter saw a Kristall-smeared phone successfully deflect scratches from scissors and keys. Assuming ProtectPax measures up to the competition, it will provide a welcome alternative to the annoying glass and polymer shields that require you squeeze every last air bubble out from beneath the protectors’ surface.

Packs of ProtectPax start at $40.

‘Liquid glass’ promises to protect your phone from bumps and scratches

Why it matters to you

ProtectPax might just be revolutionary. It’s a gel that claims to make your smartphone’s screen just as resistant to scratches as tempered glass protectors.

If you’re the type that worries about wayward car keys or nail files scratching your pricey smartphone’s screen, fret no more. ProtectPax, a new project on IndieGoGo, is a self-described “liquid glass” protector that claims to strengthen any display.

It sounds almost too good to be true. ProtectPax’s crowdfunding page describes it as a “nano protector” pioneered by titans in the aviation and aerospace industries. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the gel fill microscopic valleys on your smartphone’s screen, effectively reinforcing it against bumps and bruises.

More: These prototype eyeglasses from AVG make you invisible to facial recognition software

“It’s as hard as sapphire or ruby and acts like an optical filter,” the ProtectPax team says. “Your screen [will be] more uniform than when it left the factory.”

Applying it is relatively easy, apparently. All you need do is wipe your smartphone’s screen dry, rub ProtectPax across the surface with an included sealing cloth, and wait ten minutes until the gloss turns “shiny.” Once that’s done, the screen’s ostensibly protected from scratches, cracks, and even falls.

ProtectPax ranks 9H on Mohs Hardness Scale, which is higher than a knife blade and steel file. It lasts up to 365 days, and as an added bonus, it protects against electromagnetic radiation and improves touchscreen functionality.

More: Defang your keys: This liquid makes your phone screen as hard as sapphire

ProtectPax claims it’s good for more than smartphones, too. The team’s tested it with all manner of devices, including smart watches, regular watches, eyeglasses, TV screens, GPS navigation systems, laptops, eBook readers, and digital cameras.

The idea of a liquid screen protector just as effective as tempered glass may be difficult to wrap your mind around, but ProtectPax isn’t the first. Kristall, a liquid protector from Malaysian company E-Mark Global trade, shields screens with a layer nano-particle coating that gives screens a gloss finish, makes them a great deal less prone to fingerprints, smudges, and greasy smears, and protects them against objects up to 9H.

In a demonstration at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, an intrepid Digital Trends reporter saw a Kristall-smeared phone successfully deflect scratches from scissors and keys. Assuming ProtectPax measures up to the competition, it will provide a welcome alternative to the annoying glass and polymer shields that require you squeeze every last air bubble out from beneath the protectors’ surface.

Packs of ProtectPax start at $40.

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers make paid apps free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money, and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

Trader’s Way

Trader’s Way is a mind-challenging game in which you are introduced to the ups and downs of the stock market. It will allow you to master your trading skills and practice how to use strategy.

Available on:

iOS

Soccer Kick

Kick the ball to the target on the roof to score.You lose one ball if a ball falls to the ground. It’s a simple game, but one that’s challenging to master.

Available on:

iOS

Crazy Tapper +

You’ve got just 60 seconds to set a record. Just tap and tap stars as quickly as possible and compete with players worldwide.

Available on:

iOS

TopScanner

This app turns your iPhone or iPad into a full-featured PDF document scanner so you can stop taking photos of important documents.

Available on:

iOS

myCal Pro

No more dots in your calendar — get myCal PRO instead to display the events you need to see, and this app just may replace your other calendars.

Available on:

iOS

Ruler

To use this iPhone ruler, put your finger on the screen and slide your phone with your other hand. Pull the arrow down to reel off and see your measurements.

Available on:

iOS

Time-tested tech: The Linc Moto Mod turns your smartphone into a walkie-talkie

Why it matters to you

For all those times that you wanted to use a walkie-talkie instead of your cellphone, now you can have the best of both worlds.

If you thought the cellphone was an improvement upon the walkie-talkie, think again. Apparently, we’ve made so much progress we’re now going in circles.

Meet the latest Moto Mod, one of the many add-ons to a Motorola smartphone that will allow you to transform your handset into something a little … extra. It’s called the Linc and it is branded as a smart walkie- talkie attachment. That is right: You can now attach a walkie-talkie to your phone. Redundant or brilliant?

The Linc is the result of a contest Motorola launched in November to drum up interest around its Moto Z. So now, when you get bored by your cell phone’s capacity to connect you to distant friends and family, perhaps you will be excited by its capacity to help you communicate with folks that are nearby. You see, the Linc lets you chat with people in areas where there isn’t any cell phone coverage, provided that they are within five miles of you.

More: Lenovo challenged developers to create new Moto Mods — here is what they built

The Linc supports 22 channels and features SMS, GPS location sharing, and an emergency alert button that will send out an SOS signal should you be distressed. It’s also capable of communicating with two-way radios by way of its radio-over-IP gateway and its 1,500mAh battery lasts 20 hours on standby.

Really, it seems as though Linc is best suited for outdoor enthusiasts who may need a walkie-talkie to stay connected to friends and family members on a remote hiking expedition. The Linc team points out that the device differentiates itself from other walkie-talkies on the market by way of its slim design that “barely changes the look of the typical smartphone.” Of course, it barely changes the functionality either.

That said, even though Linc is meant to work with the Moto Z, you can actually use the attachment with any Bluetooth-enabled device. If you are keen to get one of these yourself, you can order one from Indiegogo for $99. As of publication on Friday, the campaign has raised 13 percent of its $12,000 goal.