16 results for “BenjaminHCCarr”
RE: https://hachyderm.io/@BenjaminHCCarr/117452679479402627
He has a great video about Flock generally and the obscene unauthorized US nation wide data sharing on civilian surveillance by Flock, and some of the abuse by people with access and violations of individuals’ privacy. This abuse now extends within Canada as well.
#Flock #ALPR #Privacy #PrivacyLaw #SurveillanceState #SurveillanceCapitalism #Canada
Was the ‘American cheetah’ a #cheetah at all?
Ancient #DNA shows the feline's closest living relatives are #pumas, not cheetahsAa growing body of evidence hints that the #AmericanCheetah (Miracinonyx trumani) may be more closely related to modern-day pumas. Pumas are far more flexible hunters, taking prey that range from large, hoofed animals like deer and elk to much smaller rodents and raccoons.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/american-cheetah-puma-ancient-dna-diet
https://archive.ph/CduMd
Corporate America Is Getting Hooked on #OpenSource #AI
Companies like AT&T are increasingly using cheap, freely available #artificialintelligence models over expensive ones from Anthropic and OpenAI.
As A.I. costs skyrocketed, Andy Markus, AT&T’s chief data and A.I. officer, looked for cheaper alternatives. He landed on “open” models, which can be downloaded and modified without payment or approval.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/technology/open-source-ai-anthropic-openai.html
https://archive.ph/kmOqm
Cratering #oil use in #China shows the death spiral that could end oil
New numbers released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China tell the tale: in Q2, oil use dropped by a whopping 9%, and an even more incredible 16% for transportation.
Combined, drop in oil use was enough to pull Chinese #CO2 #emissions down by 1%. A large portion is due to boom in #electricvehicles and collapse in ICE vehicle sales, meaning transportation is simply getting more efficient.
https://electrek.co/2026/09/03/cratering-oil-use-in-china-shows-the-death-spiral-that-could-end-oil/
A culprit for #corrosion may have been operating under our noses
#Water droplets can gain electrical charge and degrade bridges, ships and monuments
Water drops charged by sliding along a surface can then transfer their charge when they land on materials the right electrical properties. This eventually drives the material to corrode, even when covered by a protective coating. Water may also pick up charge in clouds, thunderstorms and waterfalls.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/corrosion-water-droplets-charge
https://archive.ph/zCY7u
“I screamed before the rest of it came into the screen.” #DeepSea #scientists film rare creature deep in #Pacific #Ocean
“I thought it might be a cool jelly, but as soon as the little ‘elbows’ appeared, I knew exactly what it was and immediately screamed ‘#Magnapinna!’ before the rest of the #squid even came into the screen. It was incredibly exciting!”
The #bigfinsquid (Magnapinna sp.) is rarely seen. Only around 70 bigfin squid have ever been observed or collected.
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/marine-animals/bigfin-squid-davidson-seamount
#AI-assisted #mushroom hunting is a recipe for a bad trip
Even the best model gets fungus identification right just 65% of the time - talk about a false friend
Even best performing model - Gemini-3.8-flash - was only correct with first guess 65% of the time. It managed to correctly identify species in its top five guesses 85% of the time, but if you’re simply asking model what a mushroom is and giving it a single chance, there’s a 35% chance it’s going to get it wrong.
https://www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026/09/02/ai-assisted-mushroom-hunting-is-a-recipe-for-a-bad-trip/5294060
New #Hubble images reveal a bizarre decagon over #Saturn’s south pole
The planet’s north pole has been marked by a distinctive cloud-darkening hexagonal jet of gas for at least 45yr — scientists first spotted it when NASA’s Voyager probes zipped past the ringed giant in 1980 and 1981. But #NASA’s #Cassini mission spent more than 13 years studying the planet in detail and never saw anything similar in the southern hemisphere, puzzling scientists.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/hubble-decagon-saturn-south-pole
https://archive.ph/zNV9U
#ArtemisII results show how much science people can do at the #moon
The crew’s observations highlight what human eyes can add to lunar exploration
6mo after Artemis II sent four astronauts around the moon, value of their closeup view is coming into focus. First science results, reveal details of the moon’s array of colors, how often it gets hit by tiny rocks and lessons for squeezing as much science as possible out of future human lunar missions.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/artemis-ii-human-moon-science
https://archive.is/20261016144755/https://www.sciencenews.org/article/artemis-ii-human-moon-science
#Seabirds, #forests, and #coral could help save sinking #islands
New paper shows restoring #atoll ecosystems reinforces their growth. Seabirds ferry nutrients from the open #ocean and deposit them on the atolls as guano that nurtures land plants, marine life and coral growth. This provides more material for reef building, as parrotfish and other reef feeders turn dead coral into sand to maintain beaches, while native plants with extensive root networks stabilize sediment.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/seabirds-forests-and-coral-could-help-save-sinking-islands/
Canadian Man Creates DIY #Flock-Style Cameras That Only Scan #Police Plates And For Some Reason The Cops Are Annoyed By This
It's funny how the moment the cameras are turned on them, police are suddenly worried about their their own movements being tracked, and how such data could enable "bad apples" to stalk them. You know, just like police have been caught doing to innocent civilians time and time again.
https://www.jalopnik.com/2288078/man-diy-flock-cameras-police-dont-like-it/
#surveillance #privacy
#LibreOffice Rescues #Microsoft Users With Abandoned PUB Files
#MSPublisher users joined the millions of users who have been abandoned. Microsoft suggests converting PUB files to PDF format for viewing and printing, and to DOCX format for editing. In reality, neither of these represents a solution to the problem.
Document Liberation Project have reverse-engineered it and created the libmspub library, which is used by LibreOffice and #Scribus to import #Publisher files.
https://fossforce.com/2026/10/libreoffice-rescues-microsoft-users-with-abandoned-pub-files/
#Spyware vendors found a way to make targeted #ads even worse
CitizenLab says they've uncovered the first publicly confirmed case of zero-click mercenary spyware attack being delivered through targeted online ads, with devices at Al Jazeera among those infected.
The technique, dubbed "#AdFection," turns #advertising networks into a spyware delivery system. Simply opening a website or app can be enough to trigger the attack, with no suspicious links or downloads involved.
https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/10/15/spyware-vendors-found-a-way-to-make-targeted-ads-even-worse/5303334
#China now has more #solar than #coal to fuel its #electricvehicle boom
State-run media announced country now has 1,288GW installed solar capacity, just edging out 1,285GW of coal capacity for first time
Solar makes up 31.5% of China’s total installed generation capacity, making it largest type of generation capacity in the country, coal is second
In the first half of 2026, wind and solar combined made up 24.6% of China's #electricity generation, while coal made up 49.7%
https://electrek.co/2026/09/02/china-now-has-more-solar-than-coal-to-fuel-its-electric-car-boom/
#RevolutionWind is powering #NewEngland, and Trump is attacking it again
DOI asked court to send project’s approval back to agency for reconsideration. Creates another hurdle for 704MW #windfarm that’s already survived two Trump attempts to stop construction.
But the #DOI’s filing hasn’t stopped the turbines or revoked the #offshorewind farm’s permit. The DOI’s request has to go to court, and Revolution Wind is expected to reach full commercial operation later this year.
https://electrek.co/2026/10/14/revolution-wind-is-powering-new-england-and-trump-is-attacking-it-again/
Things are finally looking up for #NASA's first missions to #Venus in a generation
First: Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI), is scheduled for launch in Dec 2030. DAVINCI will send parachute-assisted probe through Venus atmosphere returning first images of surface since 1982. Second: Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, And Spectroscopy (VERITAS) will launch in Nov 2032 to map the Venusian surface by radar.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/nasas-embattled-venus-missions-are-back-on-track-after-cancellation-threat/