Group items tagged

"Computer security researchers who expose hackable vulnerabilities in digital products face plenty of occupational hazards: They can have their work censored by threats of lawsuits from the companies whose products they hack, or they can even be criminally indicted if their white-hat hacking runs afoul of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. But one still-mysterious encounter between security researchers and the law points to a newer, equally troubling possibility: They can have their work subpoenaed in a criminal investigation and used as a law enforcement tool."

"Computer security researchers who expose hackable vulnerabilities in digital products face plenty of occupational hazards: They can have their work censored by threats of lawsuits from the companies whose products they hack, or they can even be criminally indicted if their white-hat hacking runs afoul of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. But one still-mysterious encounter between security researchers and the law points to a newer, equally troubling possibility: They can have their work subpoenaed in a criminal investigation and used as a law enforcement tool."

"Whether it's video from the Internet Archive, music from Creative Commons, or audiobooks from Librivox, you can play it right away. You don't have to wait for it to finish downloading. WebTorrent - network of peers WebTorrent Desktop connects to both BitTorrent and WebTorrent peers. It can talk to peers running Transmission or uTorrent, and it can also talk to web pages like instant.io."

"Whether it's video from the Internet Archive, music from Creative Commons, or audiobooks from Librivox, you can play it right away. You don't have to wait for it to finish downloading. WebTorrent - network of peers WebTorrent Desktop connects to both BitTorrent and WebTorrent peers. It can talk to peers running Transmission or uTorrent, and it can also talk to web pages like instant.io."

"Executive Summary GMO Myths and Truths report Genetically modified (GM) crops are promoted on the basis of a range of far-reaching claims from the GM crop industry and its supporters. They say that GM crops: Are an extension of natural breeding and do not pose different risks from naturally bred crops Are safe to eat and can be more nutritious than naturally bred crops Are strictly regulated for safety Increase crop yields Reduce pesticide use Benefit farmers and make their lives easier Bring economic benefits Benefit the environment Can help solve problems caused by climate change Reduce energy use Will help feed the world. However, a large and growing body of scientific and other authoritative evidence shows that these claims are not true. On the contrary, evidence presented in this report indicates that GM crops: Are laboratory-made, using technology that is totally different from natural breeding methods, and pose different risks from non-GM crops Can be toxic, allergenic or less nutritious than their natural counterparts Are not adequately regulated to ensure safety Do not increase yield potential Do not reduce pesticide use but increase it Create serious problems for farmers, including herbicide-tolerant "superweeds", compromised soil quality, and increased disease susceptibility in crops Have mixed economic effects Harm soil quality, disrupt ecosystems, and reduce biodiversity Do not offer effective solutions to climate change Are as energy-hungry as any other chemically-farmed crops Cannot solve the problem of world hunger but distract from its real causes - poverty, lack of access to food and, increasingly, lack of access to land to grow it on. Based on the evidence presented in this report, there is no need to take risks with GM crops when effective, readily available, and sustainable solutions to the problems that GM technology is claimed to address already

[ Book: Wolfgang Hoeschele. The Economics of Abundance: A Political Economy of Freedom, Equity, and Sustainability. Gower Publishing, 2010 Contents [hide] * 1 Description * 2 Contents * 3 Excerpts o 3.1 Introduction o 3.2 Oppressive Scarcities (pp. 19-20) o 3.3 Conclusions: Strategies for Change o 3.4 Table 9.1: Coalitions for change o 3.5 Resource Use and Property Rights to Minimize Scarcity + 3.5.1 Contributory resource uses + 3.5.2 Neutral resource uses + 3.5.3 Rivalrous resource uses + 3.5.4 Key References on resource use Description "The "economics of abundance" is based on a critique of our present economic system, which finds value only in scarce commodities - i.e., things which can be sold at a high price because demand exceeds supply. Because this economy depends on demand always outstripping supplies, it also depends on "scarcity-generating institutions" - institutions that either manipulate supply or demand in order to keep us in a constant state of need. An economy of abundance seeks to dismantle or reform these scarcity-generating institutions in such a way as to affirm our freedom to live life as art (self-expression to others), social equity (so that everyone can live life as art), and sustainability (so that all life can thrive into the future). Among other things, this implies a much greater role for various forms of shared property, individual and community-level self-reliance, and participatory decision-making." (http://shareable.net/blog/event-the-economics-of-abundance) ]

"What is Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (HFOSS) in education and how can we get more students involved? HFOSS is open source software that has a humanitarian purpose such as disaster management, health care, economic development, social services, and more. Experience with undergraduate participation in HFOSS shows it can both motivate students and provide excellent learning opportunities. There is also an indication that it can help attract and retain female students."

"Sharon Florentine, CIO | November 5, 2015 Staying productive and energized at work can be a challenge, but these 10 tips can help you stay at the top of your game and power through that to-do list. "

"y Sharon Florentine, CIO | November 5, 2015 Staying productive and energized at work can be a challenge, but these 10 tips can help you stay at the top of your game and power through that to-do list. "

"This sections relates to disabling and removing the ME (Intel Management Engine) on GM45. This was originally done on the ThinkPad X200, and later adapted for the ThinkPad R400/T400/T500. It can in principle be done on any GM45 or GS45 system. The ME is a blob that typically must be left inside the flash chip (in the ME region, as outlined by the default descriptor). On GM45, it is possible to remove it without any ill effects. All other parts of coreboot on GM45 systems (provided GMA MHD4500 / Intel graphics) can be blob-free, so removing the ME was the last obstacle to make GM45 a feasible target in libreboot (the systems can also work without the microcode blobs). "

"Forte Consultancy / May 17, 2010 From telecoms to finance, e-commerce to government, predictive models are being utilized across various sectors to tackle all kinds of business problems. Companies that have yet to benefit from this practice need to examine the ways in which they can do so… You can download PDF version of this whitepaper here."

" Migrating to Linux® can help an organization dramatically reduce costs and increase and improve stability, security, uptime, and availability. Red Hat® Satellite can make the migration from a Microsoft Windows environment to Linux significantly easier and more process-driven. Download the whitepaper to learn more. "

"We might not have the money we want but we do have some control over our happiness levels. Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins are the brain chemicals responsible for our happiness. These chemicals are can be triggered all the time, even by mundane events. But rather than thinking we have no control over them, science has proven that we can intentionally boost them. And being in a good state of mind is important for happiness, health and success. So here are some simple ways to hack our positive neurochemicals:"

[Two Neanderthals need a bow and some arrows. Grrmt can build a bow in 5 hours and arrows in 4 hours. Aaaargl can build a bow in 2 hours and arrows in 3 hours. Thus, in order to build what they need, Grrmt will take 5+ 4 = 9 hours, and Aaaargl will take 2 + 3 = 5 hours. 14 hours total will be spent by the both of them. ...]

""This is a deeply thought-provoking book about the dramatic changes we must make to save the planet from financial madness" - Naomi Klein. Opening with Oscar Wilde's observation that "nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing," Patel shows how our faith in prices as a way of valuing the world is misplaced. He reveals the hidden ecological and social costs of a hamburger (as much as $200), and asks how we came to have markets in the first place. Both the corporate capture of government and our current financial crisis, Patel argues, are a result of our democratically bankrupt political system. If part one asks how we can rebalance society and limit markets, part two answers by showing how social organizations, in America and around the globe, are finding new ways to describe the world's worth. If we don't want the market to price every aspect of our lives, we need to learn how such organizations have discovered democratic ways in which people, and not simply governments, can play a crucial role in deciding how we might share our world and its resources in common. This short, timely and inspiring book reveals that our current crisis is not simply the result of too much of the wrong kind of economics. While we need to rethink our economic model, Patel argues that the larger failure beneath the food, climate and economic crises is a political one. If economics is about choices, Patel writes, it isn't often said who gets to make them. The Value of Nothing offers a fresh and accessible way to think about economics and the choices we will all need to make in order to create a sustainable economy and society."

[This Site was originally created by the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) as a place where members of the UNESCO OER Community can work together on questions, issues and documents. Over time we can build this site together. Useful pages * About the UNESCO OER Community o List of community members * About community discussions o Access to OER o UNESCO OER Toolkit o OER: Findings from an OECD study o Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions for OER o Exploring the idea of a "DIY" OER development resource o Developing a research agenda for OER * Open Educational Resources useful links * Open Educational Resources glossary * Guide to using and contributing to this wiki * Guide to online translation tools]

[from the urls-we-dig-up dept The scientific method has undoubtedly advanced the growth of knowledge, but with the enormous amount of data that can be collected now, it can be difficult to turn all that information into reliable and understandable facts. On the other hand, ...]

"What OpenAI Will Do OpenAI's researchers will be encouraged to publish their work, and any patents awarded will be shared with everyone. They will collaborate freely with both institutions and corporate entities. Today's AI systems are outstanding when it comes to pattern recognition problems, but they're limited to those. OpenAI plans to work to remove those constraints until computers eventually can reach human performance on virtually every intellectual task, Brockman and Sutskever wrote. Doing so correctly could be of huge benefit -- or it could cause incalculable harm. OpenAI's investors consider it important to have a leading research institution that "can prioritize a good outcome for all over its own self-interest," they said. "

"What can we do to make this better so that more people can turn to their public library to learn about open source software, hardware, and principles?"

"Summary: 90 percent of the population can be classified into one of four main personality types, and of those, 30 percent fall under the envious personality type, a new study reports. Source: Carlos III University of Madrid. A study on human behavior has revealed that 90 percent of the population can be classified into four basic personality types: optimistic, pessimistic, trusting and envious. However, the latter of the four types, envious, is the most common, with 30 percent compared to 20 percent for each of the other groups."

"If winecfg is a screwdriver, winetricks is a power drill. They both have their place, but winetricks is just a much more powerful tool. Actually, it even has the ability to launch winecfg. While winecfg gives you the ability to change the settings of WINE itself, winetricks gives you the ability to modify the actual Windows layer. It allows you to install important components like .dlls and system fonts as well as giving you the capability to edit the Windows registry. It also has a task manager, an uninstall utility, and file browser. Even though winetricks can do all of this, the majority of the time, you're going to be using it to manage dlls and Windows components."

"If winecfg is a screwdriver, winetricks is a power drill. They both have their place, but winetricks is just a much more powerful tool. Actually, it even has the ability to launch winecfg. While winecfg gives you the ability to change the settings of WINE itself, winetricks gives you the ability to modify the actual Windows layer. It allows you to install important components like .dlls and system fonts as well as giving you the capability to edit the Windows registry. It also has a task manager, an uninstall utility, and file browser. Even though winetricks can do all of this, the majority of the time, you're going to be using it to manage dlls and Windows components."

" Here's a list of 5 time tracker addons for Firefox which you can use to keep track of time spent working on projects and tasks. Working online as a freelancer means that you're gonna need to do a lot of your own time tracking. Lots of apps, programs and services are available for time tracking but if your work requires you to use Firefox, then using an addon is a much better alternative. Let's see what kind of addons we found."

" Here's a list of 5 time tracker addons for Firefox which you can use to keep track of time spent working on projects and tasks. Working online as a freelancer means that you're gonna need to do a lot of your own time tracking. Lots of apps, programs and services are available for time tracking but if your work requires you to use Firefox, then using an addon is a much better alternative. Let's see what kind of addons we found."