Free Republic

IBM research has announced a breakthrough in battery technology that it says could make lithium-ion batteries a thing of the past. The new technology can charge incredibly quickly, has low flammability, and contains no heavy metals, making it far more environmentally friendly than current battery technology. Battery performance complaints are nothing new: Lithium-ion batteries have long been one of the most frustrating parts of modern technology. They go bad, charge slowly, are prone to exploding, and are horrible for the environment. IBM's new battery reportedly eliminates those exact headaches. That faster charging time IBM mentioned is one of the standouts...

Recent research on longevity is making the idea of an elixir of life sound increasingly plausible. But a startup that’s started selling a $1 million anti-aging treatment is most likely jumping the gun. Libella Gene Therapeutics says it will administer volunteers with a gene therapy that it claims can reverse aging by up to 20 years, according to OneZero. Despite the fact that this is the first human trial of the treatment, the company is charging volunteers $1m to take part. In an effort to side-step the FDA, the trial will take place in Colombia. The therapy will attempt to...

But the technology wasn’t quite ready for Robert E. Lee’s air cavalry It’s the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 and Union forces on Cemetery Ridge await the final Confederate assault. But instead of witnessing serried ranks of rebels marching across a mile of open ground into the maws of Yankee cannons, the bluecoat regiments are shocked to hear the thud of rotor blades. It is the the sound of Confederate general George Pickett’s 13,000-strong division landing behind Union lines. Is this a neo-Confederate dream? The Red Badge of Courage meets Apocalypse Now? No, it turns...

New analysis of projected provincial gas tax revenues in Ontario has revealed that that source of provincial funding will fall much more dramatically than predicted just five years ago due to increased use of electric vehicles and other factors. And so, concludes Trent University professor emeritus Harry Kitchen in a new report titled Ontario’s Downward Trend for Fuel Revenue: Will Road Pricing Fill the Gap?, the provincial government must look for other sources of revenues to build transportation infrastructure. Kitchen recommends road pricing, such as tolls and HOT lanes, with funds raised earmarked for future transportation improvements, and dynamic parking...

Phishing attempts and suspicious activity were detected on the city's network around 5 a.m., New Orleans chief information officer Kim LaGrue said during a press conference. By 11 a.m., technician investigators detected "a cybersecurity incident" and the city's information technology department began powering down servers and city computers as a precaution, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said in a series of tweets. While ransomware was detected, no ransom has been demanded in the cyberattack, Cantrell said.

December 7 is a solemn day for the U.S. Navy and in our nation’s history. This year marked the 78th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, when our nation entered a World War with a devastated naval fleet. After Pearl Harbor, and facing a grave threat, our country came together to rebuild the fleet, which ultimately helped win the war. And just as it has throughout history, the Navy continues to defy the odds and innovate in order to remain the most powerful force on the world’s seas. More than ever, we need to build for the future and...

Terrill Frantz, a cybersecurity associate professor at Harrisburg University, compares smart TVs to your smartphone. TVs on the market now have the ability to connect to the internet. They’re equipped with cameras, microphones, and in some cases, facial recognition technology. “How easy is it for somebody to hack into a smart TV,” I asked. “Well, presently, it’s fairly easy,” answered Frantz. The FBI says smart TVs are often poorly secured by their manufacturers, compared to computers or smartphones. Experts say cyber-criminals can hack in and change channels, play with the volume, and in a worst-case scenario, watch and listen to...

An overview of modern surveillance technology including the antennas done. Presentation by wireless expert Kent Britain, WA5VJB

Most people know of the great construction achievements of the dynastic Egyptians such as the pyramids and temples of the Giza Plateau area as well as the Sphinx. Many books and videos show depictions of vast work forces hewing blocks of stone in the hot desert sun and carefully setting them into place. However, some of these amazing works could simply not have been made by these people during the time frame that we call dynastic Egypt. Up until the 7th century BC there was very little iron present in Egypt, as this material only became commonly used once the...

For China, technology is a weapon that is to be used to dominate the world. A number of American high-tech corporations are helping China to achieve the objective.Long before Xi Jinping introduced in 2014 the Social Credit system that is supposed to be fully functioning by 2020, a forerunner existed for more than a century in the United States. The early form of what is a credit bureau appeared in 1899 under the name of the Retail Credit Company to be rebranded Equifax in 1975. It has been followed by Trans-Union and Experian that comprised the three main bureaus in...

If talking politics at Thanksgiving is not enough to get you removed from the guest list for holidays in December, here's some gift ideas that will ensure you won't get invited back next year. Ever find yourself in a position to need to buy a gift for someone you just don't like? Perhaps an in-law, or obstinate niece or nephew? Or, just looking to avoid terrible gifts? TechRepublic assembled the worst possible gift ideas—products that you can give to people that serve as the holiday equivalent of "Here, it's your problem now." In other words, the digital equivalent of buying...

She told the cheering crowd that OneCoin was on course to become the world's biggest cryptocurrency "for everyone to make payments everywhere". Documents leaked to the BBC show that British people spent almost €30m on OneCoin in the first six months of 2016, €2m of it in a single week - and the rate of investment could have increased after the Wembley extravaganza. Between August 2014 and March 2017 more than €4bn was invested in dozens of countries. … It took McAdam three months to go through it all, but questions were starting to form. She started asking the leaders...

With the aim of improving accuracy in reporting about Israel, the Israeli government press office hosted Christian Media Summit 2019 from Nov. 3-6. It kicked off at the Friends of Zion Museum, featuring speeches by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin. As a Summit delegate, I represented the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem-Canada. Most striking to me amid the pomp-and-ceremony, impressive lectures and historic sites was Israel’s embrace of life, which was evident in the fabric of its culture. Israel is like a world unto itself and the epitome of diversity, despite the tainting of the word “diversity”...

Former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) says the fires now consuming large swaths of the state are the fault of Republicans. "Both myself and current Gov. Newsom have been striving to return California to the kind of ecological balance that prevailed before the white man invaded the area," Brown asserted. "It is the GOP's insistence on imposing modern technology that is the true cause of the conflagration. If it weren't for the massive amounts of electricity needed to power the unnatural lifestyles of the white man we wouldn't need the PG&E electric lines that are setting our forests on fire." Prior...

God bless our military. The complete success of the raid that took out ISIS founder and leader Abu Bakr al-Bahgdadi is just the latest reminder of how good our forces are at taking the fight to the enemies of the United States. But not every threat to our safety can be eliminated by a daring helicopter raid and brave group of special forces. For most of them, we need to maintain our dominance in force training and technology. As was most famously President Ronald Reagan’s philosophy, we can only maintain peace through strength.The idea should not be controversial – if...

In early August, Elizabeth Warren released a plan that promises free internet access to every household in America. As with most Democratic proposals, the intentions are loudly touted, but the costs and dangers are hidden. Warren's ‘free’ internet comes with a hefty taxpayer bill of $85 billion to fund public and non-profit firms across the country. If the proposal were to pass, construction cost overages should be expected. Once established, the federal apparatus will always demand more cash for their budgets. Lest we forget, in the mind of a Democrat, the Government is always understaffed and the need for new...

When I visited UCLA’s Boelter Hall last Wednesday, I took the stairs to the third floor, looking for Room 3420. And then I walked right by it. From the hallway, it’s a pretty unassuming place. But something monumental happened there 50 years ago today. A graduate student named Charley Kline sat at an ITT Teletype terminal and sent the first digital data transmission to Bill Duvall, a scientist who was sitting at another computer at the Stanford Research Institute (now known as SRI International) on the other side of California. It was the beginning of ARPANET, the small network of...

The 12c calculator from Hewlett-Packard is one of those products that is so ubiquitous and familiar that you almost forget it exists, yet at the same time is so different that there's almost nothing like it. Whenever someone pulls it out of a drawer or pocket to do a calculation, no matter how trivial, you know you are dealing with a professional. Remarkably, it has been in continuous production for over 35 years, with very few changes. While there are now fancier and in some ways more sophisticated calculators, such as with screens for doing graphs, the 12c remains a...

I locked my car. As I walked away I heard my car door unlock. I went back and locked my car again three times. Each time, as soon as I started to walk away, I would hear it unlock again!! Naturally alarmed, I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store. They were obviously watching me intently, and there was no doubt they were somehow involved in this very weird situation . I quickly chucked the errand I was on, jumped in my car and sped away. I went...

https://twitter.com/InterestingSci1/status/1186250945073733633