Author Archives: mea

New material could up efficiency of concentrated solar power

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Above a certain temperature, it becomes possible to replace the steam with supercritical carbon dioxide. This works more efficiently, potentially providing a boost of more than 20 percent, but it requires temperatures in excess of 1,000K. That makes things a bit more challenging, given that many metals will melt at such temperatures; others will react with carbon dioxide under these conditions. Finding a material that could work involves balancing a lot of factors, including heat and chemical resistance, ea

Source: New material could up efficiency of concentrated solar power | Ars Technica

Researcher finds simple way of backdooring Windows PCs and nobody notices for ten months

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The technique does not allow a hacker to remotely infect a computer unless that computer has been foolishly left exposed on the Internet without a password.

Source: Researcher finds simple way of backdooring Windows PCs and nobody notices for ten months | ZDNet

Since registry keys are also boot persistent, any modifications made to an account’s RID remain permanent, or until fixed.

On Thursday a rocket failed. Three humans remain on the ISS. What’s next?

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NASA’s strong preference is to keep astronauts aboard the station. But Todd said NASA does have procedures for operating the station without crew on board. “That’s something that we’re always prepared for,” he said. “I feel very confident that we could fly for a significant period of time.”

Source: On Thursday a rocket failed. Three humans remain on the ISS. What’s next? | Ars Technica

For Now, at Least, the World Isn’t Making Enough Batteries

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There’s booming demand for one of the product categories Tesla makes that gets far less focus than its cars. Residential-energy storage has been surging in the U.S., with more capacity installed in the second quarter than in all of last year. Tesla sells its Powerwall to homeowners.

Source: For Now, at Least, the World Isn’t Making Enough Batteries – Bloomberg

This 17-Year-Old Has Become Michigan’s Leading Right to Repair Advocate

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In 2012, Massachusetts passed a law forcing automotive companies to share diagnostic information with third party repair shops. The law set a precedent and the industry rolled out the changes nationally. Now, Massachusetts has commissioned a study to see if similar legislation should extend to consumer electronics such as smartphones and video game consoles.

Source: This 17-Year-Old Has Become Michigan’s Leading Right to Repair Advocate – Motherboard

Why Tesla’s Elon Musk asks job applicants this key interview question

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“People [who] really solved the problem, they know exactly how they solved it,” Musk explained. “They know the little details.” These candidates are able to talk in-depth about the struggles that they faced and the strategies they used. Says Musk, great candidates can answer this question on “multiple levels.”

Source: Why Tesla’s Elon Musk asks job applicants this key interview question

Watch This Net Capture Orbital Space Debris for the First Time in History

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The RemoveDEBRIS satellite consists of a large, 220-pound main satellite that carries two smaller cubesats and a net. The mission involves deploying these cubesats as artificial space junk and them capturing them to demonstrate the effectiveness debris removal technology. The first cubesat was successfully captured on Sunday evening with a net after six years of testing the technology on Earth.

Source: Watch This Net Capture Orbital Space Debris for the First Time in History – Motherboard

Software disenchantment

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As a general trend, we’re not getting faster software with more features. We’re getting faster hardware that runs slower software with the same features.

Source: Software disenchantment @ tonsky.me

16Gb Android phone was perfectly fine 3 years ago. Today with Android 8.1 it’s barely usable because each app has become at least twice as big for no apparent reason. There are no additional functions. They are not faster or more optimized. They don’t look different. They just…grow?

San Francisco threatens to block access to Millennium Tower

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The problem is that the 60-to-90-foot-long friction piles underpinning the building were driven into sandy soils rather than bedrock at 200 feet down. While no concrete explanation has been given for continued sinkage, developer Millennium Partners has blamed construction of the neighboring Salesforce Tower for pumping out too much groundwater and causing the soil to settle.

Source: San Francisco threatens to block access to Millennium Tower – Archpaper.com