The UK's worst air-traffic outage in a decade was caused by an anomaly in the airspace manager's software system, which confused two geographical checkpoints separated by some 4,000 nautical miles. From a report: The UK's Civil Aviation Authority said Wednesday it will conduct an independent review of the incident, which forced hundreds of flights to be canceled or delayed last week after an error in processing an airline's flight plan. The glitch triggered a shutdown of the software system run by NATS for safety reasons, according to a preliminary report from the public-private partnership formerly called National Air Traffic Services. This forced air-traffic staff to input flight plans manually, drastically reducing the amount of air traffic that could be processed.
The event sent airlines and airports in the UK into turmoil on Aug. 28, leaving planes out of position and passengers stranded. Nearly 800 flights leaving UK airports were canceled, with a similar number of arrivals scrapped, according to analytics firm Cirium. The report by NATS showed that on the day of the incident, an airline entered a plan into the system which led through UK airspace. NATS Chief Executive Officer Martin Rolfe declined to discuss details of the flight, such as its route or the airline involved, saying the specifics weren't pertinent to the outage. While the flight plan wasn't faulty, it threw off the system because the software used by NATS received duplicate identities for two different points on the map. There are an infinite number of flight-plan waypoints in the world, and duplicates remain despite work to remove them, according to Rolfe.
ALSO: Brazilian stalkerware database ripped by the short hairs, a fast fashion breach, and this week's critical vulns
Infosec in brief The latest round of Apple's Security Research Device (SRD) program is open, giving security researchers a chance to get their hands on an unlocked device – and Apple's blessing to attack it and test its security capabilities.…
Meta is planning to allow users in the EU to directly download apps through Facebook ads, aiming to compete with Google and Apple's app stores. The Verge's Alex Heath writes: The new type of ad is set to start as a pilot with a handful of Android app developers as soon as later this year, I've learned. Meta sees an opening to try this thanks to new regulation in the EU called the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that is expected to go into effect next spring. It deems Apple and Google as "gatekeepers" and requires that they open up their mobile platforms to alternative methods of downloading apps. Android technically allows sideloading already, though Google makes it difficult by coupling its in-app billing and licensing with the Play Store, along with the scary warnings it shows when someone tries to download an Android app from another source. Even still, Meta clearly thinks it's safer to try its test first on Android rather than Apple's iOS.
Meta's pitch to developers participating in the pilot is that, by hosting their Android apps and letting Facebook users download them directly without being kicked out to the Play Store, they'll see higher conversion rates for their app install ads. At least initially, Meta doesn't plan to take a cut of in-app revenue from participating apps, so developers in the pilot could still use whatever billing systems they want.
Jeremy Keith, a web developer and contributor to the web standards movement, has resigned from the AMP Advisory Committee. Keith was selected for the committee last year, despite his well-documented criticisms of the AMP project. From a report: In his resignation email, he cites Google's control of the project and its small percentage of open source parts as reasons for his growing resentment: "I can't in good faith continue to advise on the AMP project for the OpenJS Foundation when it has become clear to me that AMP remains a Google product, with only a subset of pieces that could even be considered open source. If I were to remain on the advisory committee, my feelings of resentment about this situation would inevitably affect my behaviour. So it's best for everyone if I step away now instead of descending into outright sabotage. It's not you, it's me."
During his time with the committee, Keith worked on defining what AMP is and pushing for clarification on whether the project encompasses more than just a collection of web components. The Google-controlled AMP cache and validation aspects of the project were the most concerning in evaluating his continued participation.
On Sunday, a bipartisan group of Senators published draft text of a massive new bipartisan infrastructure bill, proposing more than a trillion dollars in spending and a vast array of far-reaching provisions. But a little-noticed section in the bill could have significant implications in the fight against drunk driving, eventually mandating a new in-car safety technology to actively prevent Americans from driving while impaired. The Verge reports: Introduced under the heading "Advanced Impaired Driving Technology," the provision would require the Department of Transportation to set a new standard for detecting and preventing impaired driving. The bill calls on the secretary of transportation to release a standard within three years, with the requirement taking effect for new cars three years after that. The specific provisions of the standard are vague, but it would require cars to "passively monitor the performance of a driver of a motor vehicle to accurately identify whether that driver may be impaired" and "prevent or limit motor vehicle operation" if impairment is detected.
The specific means of creating that system are still undetermined, but advocates say much of the technology is already available. Driver monitoring systems, which track a driver's face or eyelids to ensure they are alert and actively piloting the vehicle, are already offered in some models by Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes Benz. Systems like lane detection could also be used to detect impairment, creating an alert if the driver is consistently veering outside their lane. "Twenty years ago, this technology didn't exist," says Jason Levine of the Center for Auto Safety. "[But] we have the technology available now. We can install tech in vehicles that helps to monitor whether someone is impaired and stops that person from hurting themselves or others."
Crucially, the new standard wouldn't be limited to drunk drivers. Because the systems measure impairment directly, they would be just as effective at detecting impairment from prescription drugs, emotional distress, or simple distraction. A longer-term effort would also seek to mandate passive alcohol monitoring systems, like those currently being developed by Volvo. While the provisions are aimed at creating a new mandatory requirement for automakers, such a requirement is still a long way off. Negotiations around the infrastructure bill are still in flux, and the provision could still be removed or altered by lawmakers. Even if it passes into law, the Department of Transportation will have wide leeway in how and when to implement the requirement and could easily delay it beyond the schedule set by Congress.
phalse phace shares a report from Reuters: During an analyst call for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd's quarterly earnings, TSMC chairman Mark Liu signaled that they are looking into building new factories in the United States and Japan. "TSMC said it will expand production capacity in China and does not rule out the possibility of a 'second phase' expansion at its $12 billion factory in the U.S. state of Arizona." Furthermore, "the CEO on Thursday revealed TSMC is currently conducting 'due diligence' on whether to build a fab in Japan, which would mark a strategically important geographic expansion for the chipmaker. Any Japan fab will be for "specialty technology" -- a term that usually refers to mature node chips that serve specific or niche markets, Liu said, adding that there is no final decision yet."
A trip to beautiful Snowdonia lakes takes in early hydroelectric experiment... and a tragedy for a village
Geek's Guide To Britain They say that it is the history on one's doorstep which is most often overlooked. So it is with my latest piece for El Reg's Geek's Guide to Britain which concerns events in a quiet Welsh village that I called home between the ages of five and 18.…
Long-time Slashdot reader shanen noticed a strange sound in one of their old machines, prompting them to ponder: what is the ultimate backup system?
I've researched this topic a number of times in the past and never found a good answer...
I think the ultimate backup would be cloud-based, though I can imagine a local solution running on a smart storage device — not too expensive, and with my control over where the data is actually stored... Low overhead on the clients with the file systems that are being backed up. I'd prefer most of the work to be done on the server side, actually. That work would include identifying dupes while maintaining archival images of the original file systems, especially for my searches that might be based on the original folder hierarchies or on related files that I can recall being created around the same time or on the same machine...
How about a mail-in service to read old CDs and floppies and extract any recoverable data? I'm pretty sure I spotted an old box of floppies a few months ago. Not so much interested in the commercial stuff (though I do feel like I still own what I paid for) as I'm interested in old personal files — but that might call for access to the ancient programs that created those files.
Or maybe you want to share a bit about how you handle your backups? Or your version of the ultimate backup system...?
Slashdot reader BAReFO0t recommends "three disks running ZFS mirroring with scraping and regular snapshots, and two other locations running the same setup, but with a completely independent implementation. Different system, different PSU, different CPU manufacturer, different disks, different OS, different file system, different backup software, different building construction style, different form of government, etc."
shanen then added "with minimal time and effort" to the original question — but leave your own thoughts and suggestions in the comments.
What's your ultimate backup solution?
Over the past fifteen years, we’ve witnessed vinyl records making an incredible comeback.
According to Statista, LPs sales have grown twenty-fold since 2006 and accounted for 17 percent of album sales in the United States in 2018. Between 2011 and 2012, vinyl sales increased by a staggering 131.8%, and while momentum has slowed in recent years, there is still an upward trajectory.
Vinyl records have seen such an increase in popularity that there’s even a holiday created to celebrate the audio format: Record Store Day. The holiday, which started in 2007, typically takes place on a Saturday in April and on Black Friday to celebrate independent record stores.
This year, the festivities are being split over three dates; August 29, September 26, and October 24 in a bid to adhere to social distancing guidelines across the world.
Even so, we’re still expecting the holiday to bring together fans, musicians and record stores around the world with limited edition pressings of records available to buy (if you can snap them up quick enough).
The popularity of vinyl is undeniable, but why is it so popular and does it really sound better than streaming from Spotify? Let’s dig into how vinyl works, how it compares to streaming services, and if building a vinyl collection is right for you.
Without getting too deep into the science of how vinyl records work, the theory behind it is that sound waves are translated into a physical medium (vinyl records) via a cutting machine.
Vinyl records are an analog format, which means sounds waves are physically pressed into vinyl to store audio information. Think of vinyl as a rudimentary hard drive that can store a very limited amount of data.
Vinyl records can reproduce different frequencies of sound depending on how “stretched out” the sound wave is on the media. High frequencies have shorter waves while low frequencies have longer ones, requiring more physical space on a record to store that information.
Early vinyl records could only store a limited amount of audio data because low frequencies and loud sounds take up so much room. Additionally, low frequencies and loud sounds are difficult for a record player’s needle to track as deeper, wider grooves can make a needle jump and miss reproducing sounds correctly. High frequencies are also challenging to play back correctly as the close waves can make the record needle skim over the grooves.
As a result, the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA for short, developed a standardized equalization curve in 1954, allowing records to not only fit more information but to reduce distortion from high and low frequencies as well. This is why you need a phono preamp, or phonostage, in order to playback records.
These little devices, whether baked into a turntable or as external boxes, allow records to sound as the recording engineers intended by applying the RIAA equalization curve and amplifying the tiny signal picked up from the record needle and cartridge.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
How the turntable makes records sing
Now that you know how a record works, let’s discuss how a record player makes music. Let’s start with the phono cartridge and needle. The needle is a sharp tip, usually made of diamond, and is mounted to a cantilever, which is the long tip that protrudes out of the cartridge. The diamond tip tracks the grooves of a vinyl record and the cantilever, which is attached to a rubber mount, acts as a damper – sort of like a car’s suspension, to soak up horizontal and vertical forces, helping the needle track vinyl grooves better.
The needle tip and cantilever are connected to the phono cartridge, which houses a magnet with a series of copper coils that generate a very small electrical signal. That signal is the sound of the record, but since the voltage is so weak, it needs to be amplified by a phono stage or phono preamp before being played through speakers or headphones.
The entire phono cartridge is held onto the tonearm of the turntable, which is balanced by a counterweight to determine the proper tracking force. Different turntable arms and cartridges will require different vertical tracking forces (or VTF for short), which is the amount of weight on the needle that is required for the phono cartridge to track properly.
Last but not least, there’s the motor that controls the rotation speed of a record, which varies from 33 ⅓ RPM, 45 RPM, or the rare 78 RPM speed. The accuracy and stability of the motor, which in turn drives the platter, will determine how accurate music sounds. Even a single percentage change in speed can be perceptible to the ear as a fluctuation in pitch.
A close up of a cartridge in action. (Image credit: TechRadar)
How records compare to the sound of streamed music
Comparing the sound of vinyl records and streaming music is difficult as there are huge differences in how music is reproduced in each format.
According to Mark Michalek, Brand Marketing Coordinator at home theatre company Fluance, “a proper vinyl pressing will reproduce an uncompressed signal with no additional artificial sound processing such as dynamic compression resulting in a greater effective dynamic range for a more life-like sound”.
I don’t think the question should be does vinyl sound better than digital, but rather, what musical experience do you want? It is like asking if a red merlot or white chardonnay is better.
The bigger difference between the two is how they allow us to enjoy the music. Streaming is undoubtedly more affordable and convenient, and audiophile streaming services like Tidal and Qobuz exist for Hi-Res Audio enthusiasts.
For most listeners, Spotify’s maximum 320 kbps streams are more than detailed enough. Audio quality will depend heavily on the speakers and entire audio chain. If you’re listening to music through your phone’s included headphones, you’re likely missing out on a lot of audio information.
Vinyl offers a much different listening experience than streaming. “The tangible touch and feel of the materials, and the ceremony of putting on a record and dropping the needle every 20-22 minutes, makes the listening experience especially interactive, connecting listeners more deeply with the artist, the equipment and the music,” says Brendon Stead, SVP of Product Development and Engineering at Sound United.
For vinyl collectors, there is magic and art to the fact that a rotating plastic disc can reproduce such lovely and rich sound. Of course, there’s always the thrill of the chase, pouring over sites like Discogs to locate that ultra-rare Frank Ocean record.
(Image credit: Shutterstock.com)
When we asked McIntosh Group Co-CEO Jeff Poggi if vinyl or digital was better and his response was, “I don’t think the question should be does vinyl sound better than digital, but rather, what musical experience do you want? It is like asking if a red merlot or white chardonnay is better.”
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you enjoy music as much as the fact that you can. If you want the fastest, most trouble-free way to enjoy music, streaming is excellent. However, there’s an immense joy for some that want to invest the time, effort, and money into collecting vinyl and building a hi-fi set up that can last for generations to come.
But who says you have to choose? According to a survey conducted by ICM Unlimited, half of consumers say they streamed an album online before buying a vinyl copy. Today, consumers are spoiled for choice by the number of ways they can enjoy music. Pick the one, or a few, that speak to you and don’t let anyone tell you that the way you’re enjoying music is “wrong.”
After the good work done with the Microsoft Edge web browser, Microsoft has announced the addition of new features in the Outlook mobile app. These new features will not only simplify the sign-in process but will also improve the overall user experience.
Among the new features, Microsoft’s decision to bring Cortana to Outlooks sounds pretty interesting. Users will not only be able to search for emails, contacts, or calendar entries, you can ask Cortana to read out your emails while you’re busy with other chores of the day.
While the feature will be rolled out next month, having a voice assistant write emails for you is another intuitive way to remain productive. Thanks to the integration with Microsoft Teams, users will be able to set up calls and meetings through Teams.
Additionally, Outlook will now come with a reply suggestion. So if someone is looking to set up a meeting or asks for your availability, Outlook will be able to suggest a date and time based on your Outlook calendar activities.
Also, Microsoft has added weather forecasts into the Outlook calendar to inform the users about the expected weather conditions on the day the meeting is scheduled.
To increase the adoption of Outlook mobile app Outlook web users will be encouraged to use the Outlook mobile devices. Microsoft is also making the process of signing into the mobile applications seamless and secure. Users who’re logged into the web application will get a QR code. When this QR code is scanned on the Outlook mobile app, it will transfer the credentials securely allowing users to sign in without the need of entering credentials manually.
Reactions is another feature that Microsoft plans to add to the Outlook mobile application. Set to roll out around the new year, Reaction will let users add reactions like laugh, heart, celebrate or shed a tear right within your email.
These new features will be available on both iOS and Android powered devices and will be rolled out in a staggered manner.
LG Gram 17 laptop - $1,249.99/£1,089.99 from Costco Thanks to a recent price-drop, this beautiful piece of technology from LG is now a little more affordable. It's nice to look at, lightweight and powerful - so what's not to like? Grab it while you can.View Deal
The LG Gram 17 is an absolutely exquisite piece of tech. Our review of the laptop earlier this year carried a strapline that tells it all: "this laptop can’t actually be real".
Right now, the LG Gram 17 is available from Costco for just under $1,250/£1,090, although this price excludes shipping ($10) and Costco membership ($120/£67.50).
The machine weighs only 1.35kg (just under three pounds), which is less than a few 13.3-inch laptops we've tested in the past. Its screen diagonal (17-inch) and resolution (2560 x 1600 pixels/16:10 aspect ratio) are also exceptional for its size.
At its heart is an Intel Core i7-1065G7 with Iris Plus graphics, 16GB DDR4 dual channel memory, 512GB NVMe M2 SSD and a staggering 80WHr battery (which can power the laptop for up to 17 hours).
Add in an MIL-STD-810G certification, dedicated numeric keypad, fingerprint reader, backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 6 and seven ports (including a Gigabit Ethernet connector) and you have a near-perfect product.
The sub-par speakers, average processor performance and the then-expensive price tag were listed as the main disadvantages, but Costco has taken care of the latter concern.
With a Costco membership, you get a two-year warranty, $25 cash back, free technical support and a 90-day return policy. You also get one-year subscription to McAfee Multi Access, which will protect your laptop from viruses, spam, malware and identity thieves.
"YouTube channels posing as American news outlets racked up millions of views on false and inflammatory videos over several months this year," reports CNN.
"All with the help of YouTube's recommendation engine."
Many of the accounts, which mostly used footage from CNN, but also employed some video from Fox News, exploited a YouTube feature that automatically creates channels on certain topics. Those topic channels are then automatically populated by videos related to the topic -- including, in this case, blatant misinformation.
YouTube has now shut down many of the accounts.
YouTube's own algorithms also recommended videos from the channels to American users who watched videos about U.S. politics. That the channels could achieve such virality -- one channel was viewed more than two million times over one weekend in October -- raises questions about YouTube's preparedness for tackling misinformation on its platform just weeks before the Iowa caucuses and points to the continuing challenge platforms face as people try to game their systems....
Responding to the findings on Thursday, a CNN spokesperson said YouTube needs to take responsibility.
"When accounts were deleted or banned, they were able to spin up new accounts within hours," added Plasticity, a natural language processing and AI startup which analyzed the data and identified at least 25 different accounts which YouTube then shut down.
"The tactics they used to game the YouTube algorithm were executed perfectly. They knew what they were doing."
You don't have to spend a ton to get the benefits of a smart thermostat.
If you've been holding out on moving to a smart thermostat because of their prices, I won't blame you one bit. But now, you don't have any excuse: the excellent Nest 3rd Gen smart thermostat is just $140, down from its usual price of $250.
The best thermostat is at a price anyone can afford.
The Nest 3rd Gen not only provides excellent thermostat control for houses and apartments, it also looks great doing it. And the integration with Google's ecosystem of smart home products takes it to a new level. Now you can get it all for an incredible price, too.
This is easily the best deal we've seen on the latest-gen Nest thermostat. It's previously been on sale for $190 with a free Home Mini, and for $150 from members-only Costco, but now anyone can buy it at this incredibly low price. At this price, you don't have to think about whether it's "worth it" to spend extra for a smart thermostat — the value is clear.
Mike Bouma (Slashdot reader #85,252) writes: The IBrowse Team announced the commercial release of IBrowse 2.5 for AmigaOS 3.x (68k) and an improved PPC native AmigaOS 4.x version.
IBrowse was the most popular Amiga web browser of the 1990s when it pioneered advanced features such as tabbed web browsing.
"After many years in the making, development has been on a roller coaster since IBrowse 2.4, with challenging personal, technical and commercial issues complicating the release schedule," reads the announcement on the iBrowse site.
"However, we are extremely happy to finally make this new version available to all the valued users who have been waiting so patiently."
