Patrick Kennedy

25 NHS trusts and multiple doctors' practices in England and Scotland (but so far, not Northern Ireland or Wales) report that they have had to effectively shut down due to a massive Wcry ransomware infection that has stolen whole swathes of the English healthcare system in one go. The infection appears to exploit a bug that the NSA discovered and deliberately kept secret, only to have it revealed by the Shadow Brokers. (more…)

Mozilla's send.firefox.com lets you send an encrypted file privately to anyone else, providing an automatically-expiring link.

Jacob Kastrenakes:

It supports files up to 1GB, and after uploading something, it’ll give you a link to send to someone else. That link will expire once they’ve downloaded it or once 24 hours have passed. So someone else’s procrastination is really your biggest limitation here. Files are also encrypted as they’re uploaded, and Mozilla says it “does not have the ability to access the content of your encrypted file.”

You only need to read the Table of Contents to know the ACLU of West Virginia's Amicus Brief on the case where coal company CEO Robert Murray, of Murray Energy, is suing John Oliver for defamation is gonna be special.

I am especially looking forward to section III.

Members of a far-right Norwegian Facebook group confused a photo of empty seats on a bus for women in burkas. From TheNewArab:

Responses included how "frightening", "tragic" and "scary" the scene was, while others worried the non-existent passengers could have "weapons and bombs" under their garments.

"It looks really scary, should be banned. You can never know who is under there. Could be terrorists with weapons," one member wrote, according to Norweigian English-language site thelocal.no...

The head of the Norwegian Centre Against Racism (Antirasistisk senter) told Nettavisen that the irrational response to six empty bus seats shows how quickly people jump to conclusions.

"People see what they want to see and what they want to see are dangerous Muslims. In a way it's an interesting test of how quickly people can find confirmations of their own delusions," Rune Berglund Steen said.

This simulation, called The Evolution of Trust starts with a variation of the prisoners' dilemma. You can choose to put a coin into a slot. Another person has the same choice on a different machine. You can't communicate with the other person. The only thing you know is this: if the other person put a coin in their slot, you will receive 3 coins. And if you put a coin in your slot, the other person will get 3 coins. What's the best strategy?

Trust is falling. Why? And how can we fix it?

My interactive guide to the game theory of trust is now OUT!

👉 https://t.co/2x7BfWehpJ 👈 pic.twitter.com/AjDBJ0w6OB

— Nicky Case (@ncasenmare) July 25, 2017

Case 1: other person inserts coin. If you put a coin in the slot, you will have a net gain of 2 coins. If you don't put a coin in the slot you will gain 3 coins. So the best thing to do is not put a coin in the slot.

Case 2: other person doesn't insert coin. If you put a coin in the slot, you will have a net loss of 1 coin. If you don't put a coin in the slot you lose nothing. So the best thing to do is not put a coin in the slot.

In either case, it's to your advantage not to put a coin in the slot. But what happens when you play several rounds of the game with the same person? Are there better strategies? Yes, and this excellent interactive simulation by Nicky Case walks you through them in an entertaining way. It's a great introduction to game theory.

From the simulation:

Game theory has shown us the three things we need for the evolution of trust:

1. REPEAT INTERACTIONS Trust keeps a relationship going, but you need the knowledge of possible future repeat interactions before trust can evolve.

2. POSSIBLE WIN-WINS You must be playing a non-zero-sum game, a game where it's at least possible that both players can be better off -- a win-win.

3. LOW MISCOMMUNICATION The level of miscommunication can't be too high. And when there's a little bit of miscommunication, it pays to be more forgiving.

Our problem today isn't just that people are losing trust, it's that our environment acts against the evolution of trust.

Manchester United player Daley Blind wants you to know that he’s ready for the next match, and also that he’s not very good at copying and pasting.

Read more...

Ginter Senfeldas of Cary, North Carolina, says he purchased this 1989 Dodge Ram 350 "FBI surveillance van" from a government auction site. It's apparently outfitted with vintage A/V tech, external microphones, pinholes for cameras, and other interesting modifications. Apparently when he purchased it, there were handcuffs, binoculars, "and even leftover video from an old FBI stakeout" inside.

From the auction listing, details of the "interesting" features:

3 Extra Batteries + onboard charger/adapter
Toilet in the back
2 LCD Screens
Video recorders/Players with all the gadgets
Tape Recorder/Player
INTERCOM
Rear AC/Heat Unit
Propane Tanks
Radars
Amplifiers
A lot of 110V Sockets
* You can turn off/on the engine from the back *
Every door has extra locks!

"Vintage FBI surveillance van listed for sale on eBay" (CBS News)

This beautiful photograph was shared by Redditor iam4real.

Before the streets were taken over by cars and taxis, pedestrians ruled.

This photo of old New York was colorized by Sanna Dullaway.

This wonderful 'conference call bingo' chart was created by E. Gilliam. It went viral.

(more…)

Imagine realizing that you’d struck gold and didn’t have to sit next to two other people on your flight, only to find out that you’d have to endure something worst than fighting over armrests and people trying to make their way to the restroom.

Read more...

The veteran midfielder has joined Lazio in a £5M deal.

Ten years at Anfield. Not many players manage it. Despite constant doubts from some quarters, a terrible run with injuries, and surviving what at times appeared a revolving door of managers, Lucas Leiva did. Today, officially, his time at Liverpool as a player comes to an end. Today, officially, he joins Lazio in a £5M deal.

The 30-year-old Brazilian joined the club from Gremio in 2007, also in a £5M deal, and following the departure of Steven Gerrard and the retirement of Jamie Carragher he became for a time the club’s longest-serving player. He made 346 appearances at the club, ranking him 46th all time amongst Liverpool players.

“That time has now come,” said Lucas, reflecting on his time at Anfield and decision to leave. “As I prepare for a new career at Lazio and while I am saddened that my days at Anfield are coming to an end, I can at least take comfort from the knowledge that my relationship with Liverpool and the supporters is stronger than ever.

“This is one of the greatest clubs in the world and my intention had always been to spend the rest of my career here but the less I have been able to play, the more I have realised that I need to go to another club if I want to play as much as I possibly can.

“When you love a club and a city as much as I love Liverpool that isn't an easy decision to come to. The easiest thing for me to do would be to stay here for as long as I can even if I do not expect to play so often, but that would go against everything that I believe in as a footballer and as a competitor.”

With minutes hard to come by for the midfielder in recent seasons, a departure did always seem inevitable despite his love for the club. The only question, really, was when Lucas would head off in search of more regular playing time as he entered the final phase of his career, and Lazio appear a solid destination.

While there was regular talk of interest in Turkey, or of a potential return to Brazil, Lucas was always likely to aim a little higher if he was going to leave Anfield, and Lazio represent just that as they are set to compete in the Europa League next season following a fifth-place finish in Serie A in 2016-17.

“My sadness at leaving Liverpool is accompanied by a real excitement that I will be representing one of Italy's great clubs,” he noted. “Before I made my decision to take the opportunity, I discussed my situation with Jürgen Klopp, and the way he handled it showed once again how respectful he is to his players. I am grateful to him and to all of the managers I worked under at Liverpool.”

Lucas leaves Liverpool fifth behind only Bruce Grobbelaar, Sami Hyypia, Pepe Reina, and John Arne Riise in total appearances for a player who arrived at the club from outside the United Kingdom or Ireland, and he will deservedly be remembered as, if not an outright club legend, then at the very least as a real cult hero.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to every single Liverpool fan,” he added. “My family and myself will always be grateful for your support and for being part of this great club, which means we will also be sad now that the time has come for me to leave. All I can say now is that I hope more than anything else that the new season turns out to be a great one for my new club and my old club.”

Hopefully Lucas can now find both the minutes and the success on the pitch he’s searching for at Lazio, and hopefully, just maybe, there’s a role for him back at Liverpool in some capacity in the future when he does hang up his boots.

The US government could save lives if it applied 1% of the money it spends on terrorism ("foreign-born terrorists have killed roughly one American per year") towards preventing death by medical error, which kills 250,000 Americans a year and is the third leading cause of death. It probably won't happen though.

Anna Christova snapped this fantastic street art project called "CTRL+X," which paints items tagged with graffiti to look as if they've been selected and deleted in Photoshop, revealing the default transparent layer. Below is the before photo: (more…)

If you or someone you know is missing 15 pounds of cannabis, the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s department would like to reunite this lonely pot with its rightful stoner owner.

(more…)

It was a lovely weekend in New Jersey, and governor Chris Christie celebrated it by closing a popular beach, which he then subsequently occupied with his family. Then he lied about it, until drone footage proved it.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is facing heavy criticism after he was photographed relaxing on a state beach he had ordered closed to the public.

The Republican gave the go-ahead for non-essential services to be shut down - including the Island State Beach Park - over the 4 July holiday weekend because of a budget impasse.

"I didn't get any sun today," he said, before the aerial photos emerged.

From NJ.com's Andrew Mills AND Clause Brodesser-Akner:

And here are exclusive aerial photos by NJ Advance Media showing Christie surrounded by wife, Mary Pat Christie, and others. (You can open the photo gallery here to see all the photos.)

The Washington Post's Jason Samenow reports that "people don’t take hurricanes as seriously if they have a feminine name and the consequences are deadly."

The conclusion is that of a wide-ranging study, Female hurricanes are deadlier than male hurricanes, which found that the death toll nearly triples when a severe hurricane is given a feminine name.

Abstract

Do people judge hurricane risks in the context of gender-based expectations? We use more than six decades of death rates from US hurricanes to show that feminine-named hurricanes cause significantly more deaths than do masculine-named hurricanes. Laboratory experiments indicate that this is because hurricane names lead to gender-based expectations about severity and this, in turn, guides respondents’ preparedness to take protective action. This finding indicates an unfortunate and unintended consequence of the gendered naming of hurricanes, with important implications for policymakers, media practitioners, and the general public concerning hurricane communication and preparedness.

The study was formulated to track individual willingness to seek shelter. In other words, sexism is what's killing them, not the storm. The death toll since 1950: 50 deaths from female storms compared to 23 from male storms.

Meteorologists seem unimpressed: "I am not ready to change the naming system based on one study," the WaPo quotes ones.

UPDATE: Sorry about the oldnews: turns out this is three years old and has been widely contested.

Despite most organised religions frowning on the use of illicit substances, Catholic, Orthodox and Presbyterian priests, a Zen Buddhist and several rabbis were recruited. The team has yet to persuade a Muslim imam or Hindu priest to take part, but “just about all the other bases are covered,” according to (study co-leader Dr. William) Richards....

“It is too early to talk about results, but generally people seem to be getting a deeper appreciation of their own religious heritage,” he said. “The dead dogma comes alive for them in a meaningful way. They discover they really believe this stuff they’re talking about.”

There is also a suggestion that after their psychedelic journey, the leaders’ notions of religion shifted away from the sectarian towards something more universal. “They get a greater appreciation for other world religions. Other ways up the mountain, if you will,” said Richards.

“In these transcendental states of consciousness, people seem to get to levels of consciousness that seem universal,” he added. “So a good rabbi can encounter the Buddha within him.”

"Religious leaders get high on magic mushrooms ingredient – for science" (The Guardian)

The song begins and it immediately registers in your head. The first few notes play and the next three minutes of your life is now booked. You have no choice as you’ll be humming along with a tune that’s been ingrained in your hockey soul.

That’s what “Brass Bonanza” means to a hockey fan, young or old. Maybe you’re old enough to remember hearing the tune during a Whalers game in their WHA or NHL days. Perhaps you’re too young for that but wore out your controller playing NHL ’94 with Jacques Ysaye’s creation playing in the background.

Ysaye, the man who created “Brass Bonanza,” and was also known under the pseudonym of Jack Say, died last week at the age of 94.

Just like its creator, “Brass Bonanza” was known to some under a different name. When Ysaye arranged the tune back in late 1960s it was titled “Evening Beat,” but became what we know today because of an editor, he told Jeff Jacobs of the Hartford Courant in 2010.

So how did this tune arranged by a Belgian composer end up as the anthem of the Whalers?

From Jacobs’ 2010 piece:

After Say sold the song to a musical library, [George] Ducharme, then involved in marketing with the Whalers, was looking for something to liven up the Civic Center. Announcers Bill Rasmussen and Bob Neumeier did an LP of the 1975-76 season highlights and used a musical bridge they got from D&K Sound in Wethersfield. One Sunday Ducharme had a bunch of people over his place. The record was played. And, voila, Ducharme knew he had something.

“Three notes and everybody knows what is,” Ducharme, who still serves as special assistant to [Howard] Baldwin, has told me. “It’s a marketing dream. Three notes …”

“Brass Bonanza” had a solid 15-year run with the Whalers before Brian Burke was hired as the team’s new general manager in 1992. Because the song probably didn’t elicit enough truculence, he had the team stop playing it during games.

“I did because there were players who were embarrassed by it,” Burke told NHL.com in 2008. “An NHL team with a fight song, they were embarrassed by it. As soon as I went to the NHL they put it back in. No big deal.”

Four years later, after Peter Karmanos worked a deal to move the franchise to Carolina, the Whalers played their final game on April 13, 1997. As the players and fans said goodbye inside the Hartford Civic Center, “Brass Bonanza” played on.

From college and minor league teams using it during games to Carmen Electra’s dance on Craig Kilborn’s show to it being used for a father/daughter wedding dance, the song has touched many lives over many years, and we have Jacques Ysaye to thank for that.

While we endure without The Whale, “Brass Bonanza” will live forever.

Stick-tap Jeff Jacobs

– – – – – – –

Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

Photo: @Arsenal/Twitter

The deed is done. Arsenal have completed the signing of Alexandre Lacazette from hometown club Lyon for a record fee.

The French striker has signed a five-year contract under Arsene Wenger’s knowing gaze after the two parties agreed a £46.5million fee, rising to £52million with add-ons.

Finally, it’s the news you’ve all been waiting for#LacaNewSigninghttps://t.co/hChokRNpc1

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 5, 2017

‘Laca new signing’. Cute.

According to the Arsenal website, Lacazette is expected to travel to Sydney with his new teammates for a couple of friendlies next week, before he makes his home debut in the illustrious Emirates Cup before the end of the month.

He’s mobile, quick, fleet of foot, sharp in the 18-yard box and a proven goalscorer in the French top tier – 31 goals for Lyon in 2014/15, 23 goals in 2015/16, and 37 goals in 2016/17.

What could possibly go wrong?

Photographer Kevin Greene created this amazing timelapse using photographs of illegal Fourth of July fireworks going off in Los Angeles. To get the series of shots, he traveled to Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook seven miles out of town.

Wondering why the city in the front doesn't have much action?

Kevin explains,"The foreground is Culver City. Culver City Police Department is super strict about fireworks. Those houses are relatively expensive and in Los Angeles the best street fireworks tend to be in the hood." Check out all his cool night shots on his Instagram.

Authorities in St. Petersburg, Florida, are battling an onslaught of graffiti depicting a three-buttocked arse. NBC affiliate WFLA reports that the design has appeared at least twenty times across the city. It is thought to be the calling card of a single anonymous artist, who police stress is breaking the law.

St. Pete is a city known for its beautiful art and stunning murals. Many people are upset by this new graffiti involving a tush trend. They don’t like the fact that the bold buttocks are suddenly everywhere.

“This is not art. At all,” said one woman. “It’s vandalism.”

“There should be consequences. You can’t just take it upon yourself to do whatever you want to do,” another man said.

We shall speak in hushed tones, over the beachfires where the Suwannee meets the shore, of the great triple-arsed god worshiped by those who once lived in the sunken cities of the Florida sea.

Emily Seilhamer specializes in upcycling everyday things. Here's a ton of amber prescription bottles repurposed as a cool lampshade. It also doubles as the world's worth windchime. (more…)

The Bank of International Settlements -- the "central bank for central bankers" -- has released its latest annual report, warning that the looming debt crises in China, Hong Kong and Thailand could precipitate an abrupt collapse, or, as BIS monetary and economic department head Claudio Borio put it, "That end may come to resemble more closely a financial boom gone wrong, just as the latest recession showed, with a vengeance." (more…)

Here's an immersive experience that you can truly, well, get immersed in: JAWS on the water. With dates from now until the end of July, you can watch any one of the Jaws movies while sitting on an inner tube on Lake Travis at Volente Beach Water Park in Leander, Texas.

Cue the scary music...Duh nuh...Duh nuh...

Imagine relaxing on an inner tube with a cold drink in hand on a perfect Texas summer night, your feet languidly dangling in the calm Lake Travis water. Now imagine you’re also watching the greatest thriller ever made, projected across the water while unknown terrors threaten from the watery depths...

Birth.Movies.Death.Events, along with Fandango and Alamo Drafthouse, are hosting this perfectly terrifying summer happening. Tickets are $55 and includes dinner (which, oddly enough, isn't seafood).

(RED)

Update: Sold out on Amazon, but Best Buy has it available for the same price.

Read more...

You'd think Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's "lifestyle brand" for clean-freak whippies, and Infowars, Alex Jones' conspiracy compendium for seething fascists, wouldn't share much in common. But they both have exactly the same business model: selling wellness to people skeptical and fearful of mainstream medicine and healthcare. Nikhil Sonnad took a look at the ingredients on each site and found that it's all the same stuff.

We at Quartz have created a compendium, from Ashwagandha to zizyphus, of the magical healing ingredients both sides of the political spectrum are buying, and how they are presented to each. We looked at the ingredients used in products sold on the Infowars store, and compared them to products on the wellness shops Moon Juice and Goop. All make similar claims about the health benefits of these ingredients, but what gets called “Super Male Vitality” by Infowars is branded as “Sex Dust” by Moon Juice.

Call it horseshit theory: opposite extremes of lifestyle branding converging on a hidden axis of shared appreciation for their audiences.

[h/t Agies]

A mile-long island emerged from the sea 100 yards out from Cape Hatteras.

Since being discovered, countless visitors and locals have made the trek to see if the weeks of rumors about the island’s existence – as well as the stories that it’s a haven for shells – are true.

The answer to both questions appears to be yes.

I superimposed the equivalent view from Google Earth, over Chad Koczera's photo, in the GIF above.