Non-IT News Thread
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Slovenian woman's hand sawn off 'in insurance fraud'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47531957 -
A small-molecule drug can block a broad range of flu viruses in mice
Rare antibodies help us design a drug that could help after we've caught the flu.
Our bodies are good at generating extremely specific antibodies, targeting a single pathogen among a dizzying mix of harmless bacteria and the proteins made by our own cells. But in some cases, like the flu virus, that specificity is limiting. Those antibodies will generally pick out a very specific strain of the flu virus, leaving us vulnerable to other strains and the new variants that evolve each season.
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Three men cop to $21 million vishing and smishing scheme
Phone-based scam may be low-tech, but it netted big bucks, prosecutors say.
The "vishing" and "smishing" scams are variations of phishing that use voicemails and SMS messages instead of email, federal prosecutors in Atlanta, Georgia, said on Friday. From 2011 to 2014, the three Romanians compromised computers located in the US and installed interactive voice response and bulk emailing software on them. The hacked computers initiated thousands of phone calls and text messages that tricked recipients into disclosing personal information, including account numbers, PINs, and social security numbers.
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New White House budget spells trouble for NASA’s SLS rocket
By launching a Europa mission on a private rocket, NASA would save $700 million.
With a Republican White House and a Democratic House of Representatives, it almost goes without saying that the President's fiscal year 2020 budget request won't get far within Congress. Yet with NASA's budget, there are intriguing hints about the increasingly commercial nature of lunar exploration.
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EA says it failed in response to Sims influencer’s alleged sexual harassment
Publisher investigated "Game Changer" in December, didn't act until March.
A report by Kotaku details allegations of sexual harassment made by Sims community members against a YouTube creator and Game Changer partner with the online handle "Dylan Simz." The report outlines multiple instances where Simz allegedly shared unwelcome sexual fantasies with teenage boys online, and at least one instance where he allegedly exposed himself on camera to a fellow player.
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Boeing: UK joins wave of countries grounding the 737 Max
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47536502 -
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Boeing: UK joins wave of countries grounding the 737 Max
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47536502Any idea how bad this is affecting air travel?
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Bandersnatch was a hit, so Netflix plans to make more interactive shows like it
New interactive shows could be comedies or romances, Netflix exec said.
Netflix Vice President of Product Todd Yellin delivered the keynote address at Mumbai-based media conference FICCI-Frames, in which he talked about plans to double Indian content production. But he also discussed the company's future plans for interactive TV. Here's what he said, as quoted in entertainment industry publication Variety:
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@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Bandersnatch was a hit, so Netflix plans to make more interactive shows like it
New interactive shows could be comedies or romances, Netflix exec said.
Netflix Vice President of Product Todd Yellin delivered the keynote address at Mumbai-based media conference FICCI-Frames, in which he talked about plans to double Indian content production. But he also discussed the company's future plans for interactive TV. Here's what he said, as quoted in entertainment industry publication Variety:
That's pretty cool.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Bandersnatch was a hit, so Netflix plans to make more interactive shows like it
New interactive shows could be comedies or romances, Netflix exec said.
Netflix Vice President of Product Todd Yellin delivered the keynote address at Mumbai-based media conference FICCI-Frames, in which he talked about plans to double Indian content production. But he also discussed the company's future plans for interactive TV. Here's what he said, as quoted in entertainment industry publication Variety:
That's pretty cool.
The tech is cool I didn't care for the movie.
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@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Bandersnatch was a hit, so Netflix plans to make more interactive shows like it
New interactive shows could be comedies or romances, Netflix exec said.
Netflix Vice President of Product Todd Yellin delivered the keynote address at Mumbai-based media conference FICCI-Frames, in which he talked about plans to double Indian content production. But he also discussed the company's future plans for interactive TV. Here's what he said, as quoted in entertainment industry publication Variety:
That's pretty cool.
The tech is cool I didn't care for the movie.
Agreed. Black Mirror needs to go back to what they do best.
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@RojoLoco said in Non-IT News Thread:
@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Bandersnatch was a hit, so Netflix plans to make more interactive shows like it
New interactive shows could be comedies or romances, Netflix exec said.
Netflix Vice President of Product Todd Yellin delivered the keynote address at Mumbai-based media conference FICCI-Frames, in which he talked about plans to double Indian content production. But he also discussed the company's future plans for interactive TV. Here's what he said, as quoted in entertainment industry publication Variety:
That's pretty cool.
The tech is cool I didn't care for the movie.
Agreed. Black Mirror needs to go back to what they do best.
Did not watch the movie. I saw the previews and just nope.
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Felicity Huffman: Desperate Housewives star charged in exam cheating scheme
Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman is among more than 40 people charged in a US college cheating scam, according to unsealed court records.
The alleged scheme involved helping students cheat on entrance exams, as well as getting non-athletic students admitted on fake athletic scholarships.
Elite schools Yale, Stanford and Georgetown were among the destination universities.
There was no suggestion that the schools were involved in wrongdoing.
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/13FD7/production/_105997818_us_colleges_640-nc.png
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Brexit: MPs reject Theresa May's deal for a second time
Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal has been rejected by MPs by an overwhelming majority for a second time, with just 17 days to go to Brexit.
MPs voted down the prime minister's deal by 149 - a smaller margin than when they rejected it in January.
Mrs May said MPs will now get a vote on whether the UK should leave the EU without a deal and, if that fails, on whether Brexit should be delayed.
She said Tory MPs will get a free vote on a no-deal Brexit.
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Boeing: Europe and India join wave of countries grounding the 737 Max
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47536502 -
“Yelp, but for MAGA” turns red over security disclosure, threatens researcher
63Red Safe app—a "Green Book" for conservatives—left APIs exposed.
A new application from the "conservative news" site 63red, called 63Red Safe, is advertised as a sort of "Green Book" for the MAGA set. It lets users rate local businesses "from a conservative perspective," according to the app's Google Play listing, "helping insure[sic] you're safe when you shop and eat!" And in this case, "safe" means freedom to wear "Make America Great Again" clothing without having to bear verbal challenge.
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Lori Loughlin daughters in spotlight amid college bribery probe
The daughters of Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin have been thrust into the spotlight as their mother stands accused of paying a hefty bribe to get them into a top university.
Ms Loughlin, the star of US sitcom Full House, and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, were among dozens charged on Tuesday in a college admissions and cheating scandal.
Court documents say the couple "agreed to pay bribes totalling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC [University of Southern California] crew team".
Authorities say neither daughter was actually part of any rowing team.
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College admissions scandal: The extreme lengths parents go to
The alleged college cheating scandal in the US, which accuses the rich and famous of paying vast sums to fraudulently enhance their children prospects, has sparked a conversation over the role money and privilege play in the US education system.
The scandal involves various illegal tactics to boost the probability that the children of wealthy parents will be admitted to elite universities.
While some of the details are bizarre - including super-imposing student's heads onto athletes' bodies - many see parallels between this alleged scam and the way wealth affects education more generally.
Many took to social media to express their anger at the injustice of US education system.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Lori Loughlin daughters in spotlight amid college bribery probe
The daughters of Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin have been thrust into the spotlight as their mother stands accused of paying a hefty bribe to get them into a top university.
Ms Loughlin, the star of US sitcom Full House, and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, were among dozens charged on Tuesday in a college admissions and cheating scandal.
Court documents say the couple "agreed to pay bribes totalling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC [University of Southern California] crew team".
Authorities say neither daughter was actually part of any rowing team.
The stuff I read said the husband is not (yet) charged. It was her doing.
Or maybe it was a different couple. So many. I lose track.
Also, the one daughter posts videos about how she is only in school to party.
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@JaredBusch said in Non-IT News Thread:
Also, the one daughter posts videos about how she is only in school to party.
Yup, BBC ran an article on that, too!
