Category: Uncategorised

This is a fantastic step forward in my opinion, and one I am sure Elon Musk is keeping an eye on as well.

The human race needs to expand off the Earth, and yes, we will need to do so and not be the space bound locusts we could be if continued as we do today on Earth.

We need to reduce the reliance and threat to the world through our excessive use of resources, and whilst the initial journeys might be high cost both financially and with some resources, the aim has to be to recycle some of that funding back to sending key resources back. To start an interplanetary marketing operation if you like.

This is just the first step, but I hope that it presages a swift follow up to the next stages of us getting to Mars, and beyond.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43907326

Brilliant documentary and shows how, very sadly, a group of women were unable to pursue their dream of going to space.

indeed, one could say there was a degree of misogyny, especially from those in NASA and the military, who effectively fed NASA with their astronaut candidates.

It was most interesting to hear how accomplished these women were, bearing in mind limitations imposed by law restricting their ability to fly jets and similar.

The US effectively threw away at least one way in which they could have lead the space race.

Of course it’s presented from the women’s perspective but the other sample footage used to show the misogynistic views does resonate and highlight that they lost a key opportunity.

Enjoy a good watch and lots of great footage

https://www.netflix.com/title/80174436?s=i&trkid=14170286

Security and privacy are key these days.

To find a hotel room was at risk from this sort of breach and to not leave a trace is a big issue in my view.

That said, I would want all the hotels still affected to be able to upgrade and only afterwards advise of a possible vulnerability. Equally, folk wanting to claim because of possible lost items, would need to be on very firm ground.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43896360

Any security breach anywhere is a problem, but the one outlined below, about the Grayshift iPhone unlocking tool used by many law agencies, seems to be smoke and no fire.

“Source code” later is mentioned to be UI code to access the machine. And likely to be web code based on the commentary, so really its perhaps HTML, Javascript or PHP. Certainly it is unlikely to be the guts of the machine.

I think the Grayshift tool has a limited life as, when Apple finally fix the exploit they’re using, it will become a brick. And it will get fixed, either deliberately or inadvertently.

So, whilst the box is a challenge for iPhone users who may be in breach of the law, the rest of us are still likely to be relatively safe, for now.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/24/iphone-unlocking-firm-grayshift-hit-by-extortion-demands-after-data-breach

Canadians are usually the most tolerant of nations, and I hope that continues, in the face of the van incident last night.

Equally I hope that all those I know over in Canada are not affected.

It will be interesting to understand what happened, why and then make decisions based on the facts rather than launch in to speculation and witch hunts which may have no foundation.

My best to all who are affected in Canada.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43875321

These two articles at the bottom of this post cover misuse of data by Leave.EU and the impact of Brexit on immigrants.

Data misuse is, to my mind, whether in law or not, criminal. The new GDPR legislation is enshrining in law how personal information can be used and allowing individuals rights to manage their data. And the individuals are not necessarily and do not have to be EU citizens either…

That such misuse may have lead some to vote leave and swayed the vote the wrong way, in my opinion, means that a review of that decision is an absolute necessity. Whether that then leads to a new referendum, a nullification of the decision or some other outcome, is all moot. But action is required – if only to ensure British politics is not sullied more than it has been over this fiasco.

As to the impact on immigrants, I know it has been received negatively, so Michael Gove saying it hasn’t is just his perception, not the reality (or perception) of all who have been affected by this process.

If anything the government posts have only highlighted how out of touch from the immigrants they really are.

Read an make up your own minds, but do read and get engaged.

Brexit: ‘Rife misuse of data by Leave.EU, MPs told: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43793546

Michael Gove: Brexit’s not made UK less welcoming to immigrants: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43821484

I am passionately anti-Brexit and still have some hope the bad decision can be reversed.

It’s good to see people like Sir Patrick positing that fictional characters, as much as he himself, would be anti-Brexit and want to change this outcome.

I am an advocate for positive change, but Brexit never struck me as positive. regardless of which stance you have, “taking back control”, “anti Europe”, “anti immigration” or something else, to me they are all taking a negative stance against something which actually is a positive.

Harmonised regulations mean, in general, that we find travel between countries is easier. Mobile phone roaming changes were instigated by the EU. Immigration has always resulted in a stronger Britain, I mean, think about dogs. Which is stronger? A mongrel or a purebred? Mongrels win every time. Mixing the genes – whether the real gene pool or that of society – results in a stronger outcome.

I applaud Sir Patrick and will keep pushing to say remove this change that only benefits those who own businesses and want to remove the EU controls that make them behave as they should.

https://news.sky.com/story/sir-patrick-stewart-my-star-trek-and-x-men-characters-would-be-anti-brexit-11332439

Privacy is important for all, regardless of who you are and what you’ve done, we are all due some degree of privacy. The degree will of course primarily lie on how much celebrity you have – not just the positive sort as we get from film, TV or other people in the entertainment industry, but also those who gain notoriety for other things.

But at some point that notoriety should and does fade, unless you work hard to stay in the spotlight. If the spotlight has moved on, then you should equally have the online search history fade over time.

This is what was argued for in this case and the defendant won. Which is good. I know some will say (s)he did wrong and should ever remain tainted. What if you had something happen to you, deliberately or otherwise? Would you want that taint to remain on your forever? I doubt it.

That’s why this is important and is part of what will shape how we all are affected by privacy decisions now, and in the future.

This is a good decision.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43752344