Last minute geek

1. New York City ordered to share code for DNA evidence software
(English/engadget)

Many attempts to open up access to software in the justice system have fallen flat. Advocates in New York, however, have just scored a significant victory. A federal judge has publicly unsealed the source ...

2. Federal judge unseals source code for disputed DNA analysis software developed by New York City's crime lab after motion by ProPublica (Lauren Kirchner/ProPublica)
(English/Techmeme)

... this week unsealed the source code for a software program developed by New York City's crime lab, exposing to public scrutiny a disputed technique for analyzing complex DNA evidence. Read all  ...

3. Why Trial by Ordeal was like a medieval polygraph
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... arm in boiling water, the threat of it is a cunning way to elicit truth in the absense of evidence—so long as the subject is confident God will protect them if they are innocent. It's rather like ...

4. Google reportedly serves fake ads to fact-checking sites
(English/engadget)

It's not just Facebook that has a fake news advertising problem. Google also found evidence of Russian influence in the most recent US presidential election, and reportedly set up anti-Muslim ads ...

5. NYPD has no backup for its seized property database, recording millions in annual seizures
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

The Property and Evidence Tracking System (PETS) is the NYPD's huge database where it stores ownership information on the millions in New Yorkers' property it takes charge of every year (including about ...

6. Daily Mail retracts global warming article, but did anyone notice?
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... had taken no steps to establish the veracity of Dr Bates' claims. World leaders had not been 'duped', as the headline said, and there was no 'irrefutable evidence' that the paper was based on 'misleading, ...

7. Johnny Cash's smart-alecky to-do list
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

The late-great Johnny Cash had a playful sense of humor, as evidenced by this to-do list. According to a 2012 New York Times article, the note, which was hand written by the legendary Man in Black, was ...

8. This week in science: 16 million entangled atoms, and baryonic matter
(English/Neowin)

Scientists at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, have demonstrated the entanglement of 16 million atoms, a world's first; two independent teams have found evidence of missing baryonic matter. Read ...

9. Facebook, Twitter slammed for deleting evidence of Russia's US election mischief
(English/TheRegister)

They have an honest explanation, of course Facebook and Twitter have come under attack for deleting tens of thousands of posts that may provide vital clues to how and to what extent the Russian government ...

10. What happens when everything is available anywhere?
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... should be able to take some mass and directly convert it into pure energy, a thesis supported by real evidence. For example, it’s how we explain the energy that keeps atomic nuclei together. If we were ...

11. Stevie Wonder’s vision restored, O.J. Simpson’s hookers, and Hugh Hefner didn’t have to die, in this week’s tabloids
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... says Hef’s former girlfriend Izabella St James. But that’s just a failure to renovate (as well as a description of Hefner in his later years) and there’s no evidence of mold. Rocker Tom Petty also didn’t ...

12. <i>El Reg</i> was invited to the House of Lords to burst the AI-pocalypse bubble
(English/TheRegister)

Notes from an Oral Evidence session Comment  To Westminster, where the House of Lords is conducting a wide-ranging inquiry into Artificial Intelligence. I'm writing a book on AI – and why people believe ...

13. Trademark Rights Paramount to Contract Rights for Domain Names
(English/CircleID)

... respondents have no plausible defense and generally don't bother appearing, although default alone is not conclusive of cybersquatting; there must be evidence of infringement. When complainants do not ...

14. Google also found evidence of Russian influence in US election
(English/engadget)

Et tu, Google? Search and ad giant Google has found evidence that Russian agents purchased ads on YouTube, Google Search, Gmail and the company's DoubleClick ad network, unnamed sources have told ...

15. Google finds Russian-bought ads worth tens of thousands of dollars on YouTube, Gmail, DoubleClick, that were part of effort to influence the 2016 election (Washington Post)
(English/Techmeme)

... — Google for the first time has uncovered evidence that Russian operatives exploited the company's platforms in an attempt … Read all  ...

16. "Drug Recognition Experts" mistake sobriety for drug use
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... and it leads officers to believe that they have a special ability to detect marijuana use without concrete evidence. “The people of Cobb County should be outraged that their police department wasted scarce ...

17. Hitler found alive after WWII, and how Donald Trump is misunderstood, in this week’s tabloids
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... CIA files allegedly offer evidence that Hitler was alive in Colombia after World War II – in 1955. That’s only 62 years ago, which qualifies as breaking news in this week’s tabloids. Onwards and downwards ...

18. Psychological asymmetry - why we feel lonley and odd
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... secure proximity. To overcome the effects of psychological asymmetry we must constantly trust, especially in the absence of any evidence, that everyone is likely to be far closer to what we are -- that ...

19. The Uber versus Waymo court date has been moved to December 4th
(English/Neowin)

The court case was supposed to start in October but Waymo had applied for it to be delayed slightly and moved to December, apparently so that they could compile more evidence for their case. Read more... ...

20. Unsealed evidence: former Uber execs covered up evidence in stolen self-driving tech case
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

The court battle between Waymo and Uber took a revealing turn this week, after unsealed court documents exposed "damning evidence" of efforts to hide what is now obvious. At this point it’s not terribly ...

21. Facebook hands over Russia-linked ads to Congress
(English/engadget)

Facebook is handing over evidence of 3,000 Russia-linked advertisements to congressional investigators today, following weeks of pressure from Congress to reveal details about its advertising system. The ...

22. Republican Senator caught making up fake news about fake news doubles down
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

Oklahoma Senator James Lankford (@SenatorLankford; (405) 231-4941) sounded the alarm about Russian trolls spreading discord about NFL athletes kneeling for the national anthem, citing as evidence a Twitter ...

23. Recommended Reading: Streaming is changing the sound of music
(English/engadget)

Uncovering How Streaming Is Changing the Sound of Pop Marc Hogan, Pitchfork You don't have to look far to find evidence of how streaming services have dramatically changed the way we listen to ...

24. Geoboffins claim to find oldest trace of life in rocks 3.5bn years old
(English/TheRegister)

It could hint at the possibilities of life on other planets early on in their development Scientists claim to have found the oldest evidence of life on Earth – contained in Canadian rocks 3.95 billion ...

25. A Closer Look at Postponing of the Root Zone KSK Rollover Decision
(English/CircleID)

... "Not-Updated" signals beginning on Aug. 10, which corresponds to the end of the RFC 5011 "Hold Down Timer," or 30 days after publication of the new key. This is good evidence that RFC 5011 worked for many ...