Aardbeving met kracht van 2,2 in noorden van Groningen

Het epicentrum lag in de buurt van de plaats Usquert, zo'n 20 kilometer ten noorden van de stad Groningen. Fotojournalist Anjo de Haan spreekt van "een heftige doffe dreun".

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First Ultra-High-Energy Neutrino Detected

Longtime Slashdot reader JoeRobe writes: Scientists associated with the Kilometer Cube Neutrino Telescope, or KM3NeT, have reported detection of an ultra-high energy neutrino deep in the Mediterranean sea. The neutrino reportedly had an energy of 120 million billion electron volts (1.2x10^17 eV, or 120 PeV). This is similar to the energy of ping-pong ball traveling ~5 m/s, but all that energy was packed into a single subatomic particle. According to the New York Times, "Here, squeezed into one of the tiniest flecks of matter in our universe, that energy amounted to tens of thousands of times more than what can be achieved by the world's premier particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN."

According to the authors of the Nature paper, the direction of the neutrino "is compatible with the extension of the galactic interstellar medium," but they did not find any catalogued source that would produce such a high energy neutrino, within the Milky Way or from about 40 other galaxies that could be candidates.

Phys.org describes the impressive scale of the KM3NeT detector array: "It is located at 3,450 m depth, about 80 km from the coast of Portopalo di Capo Passero, Sicily. Its 700 m high detection units (DUs) are anchored to the seabed and positioned about 100 m apart. Every DU is equipped with 18 Digital Optical Modules (DOM) each containing 31 photomultipliers (PMTs). In its final configuration, ARCA will comprise 230 DUs. The data collected are transmitted via a submarine cable to the shore station at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud. The KM3NeT/ORCA (Oscillation Research with Cosmics in the Abyss) detector is optimized to study the fundamental properties of the neutrino itself. It is located at a depth of 2,450 m, about 40 km from the coast of Toulon, France. It will comprise 115 DUs, each 200 m high and spaced by 20 m. The data collected by ORCA are sent to the shore station at La Seyne Sur Mer." "This ultra-high energy neutrino may originate directly from a powerful cosmic accelerator," surmises Phys.org. "Alternatively, it could be the first detection of a cosmogenic neutrino. However, based on this single neutrino it is difficult to conclude its origin."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Woeful Security On Financial Phone Apps Is Getting People Murdered

Longtime Slashdot reader theodp writes: Monday brought chilling news reports of the all-count trial convictions of three individuals for a conspiracy to rob and drug people outside of LGBTQ+ nightclubs in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, which led to the deaths of two of their victims. The defendants were found guilty on all 24 counts, which included murder, robbery, burglary, and conspiracy. "As proven at trial," explained the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in a press release, "the defendants lurked outside of nightclubs to exploit intoxicated individuals. They would give them drugs, laced with fentanyl, to incapacitate their victims so they could take the victims' phones and drain their online financial accounts [including unauthorized charges and transfers using Cash App, Apple Cash, Apple Pay]." District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. added, "My Office will continue to take every measure possible to protect New Yorkers from this type of criminal conduct. That includes ensuring accountability for those who commit this harm, while also working with financial companies to enhance security measures on their phone apps."

In 2024, D.A. Bragg called on financial companies to better protect consumers from fraud, including: adding a second and separate password for accessing the app on a smartphone as a default security option; imposing lower default limits on the monetary amount of total daily transfers; requiring wait times of up to a day and secondary verification for large monetary transactions; better monitoring of accounts for unusual transfer activities; and asking for confirmation when suspicious transactions occur. "No longer is the smartphone itself the most lucrative target for scammers and robbers -- it's the financial apps contained within," said Bragg as he released letters (PDF) sent to the companies that own Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App. "Thousands or even tens of thousands can be drained from financial accounts in a matter of seconds with just a few taps. Without additional protections, customers' financial and physical safety is being put at risk. I hope these companies accept our request to discuss commonsense solutions to deter scammers and protect New Yorkers' hard-earned money."

"Our cellphones aren't safe," warned the EFF's Cooper Quintin in a 2018 New York Times op-ed. "So why aren't we fixing them?" Any thoughts on what can and should be done with software, hardware, and procedures to stop "bank jackings"?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Scarlett Johansson Calls For Deepfake Ban After AI Video Goes Viral

An anonymous reader quotes a report from People: Scarlett Johansson is urging U.S. legislators to place limits on artificial intelligence as an unauthorized, A.I.-generated video of her and other Jewish celebrities opposing Kanye West goes viral. The video, which has been circulating on social media, opens with an A.I. version of Johansson, 40, wearing a white T-shirt featuring a hand and its middle finger extended. In the center of the hand is a Star of David. The name "Kanye" is written underneath the hand.

The video contains A.I.-generated versions of over a dozen other Jewish celebrities, including Drake, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Black, Mila Kunis and Lenny Kravitz. It ends with an A.I. Adam Sandler flipping his finger at the camera as the Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila" plays. The video ends with "Enough is Enough" and "Join the Fight Against Antisemitism." In a statement to PEOPLE, Johansson denounced what she called "the misuse of A.I., no matter what its messaging." Johansson continued: "It has been brought to my attention by family members and friends, that an A.I.-generated video featuring my likeness, in response to an antisemitic view, has been circulating online and gaining traction. I am a Jewish woman who has no tolerance for antisemitism or hate speech of any kind. But I also firmly believe that the potential for hate speech multiplied by A.I. is a far greater threat than any one person who takes accountability for it. We must call out the misuse of A.I., no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality."

"I have unfortunately been a very public victim of A.I.," she added, "but the truth is that the threat of A.I. affects each and every one of us. There is a 1000-foot wave coming regarding A.I. that several progressive countries, not including the United States, have responded to in a responsible manner. It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its citizens against the imminent dangers of A.I."

The statement concluded, "I urge the U.S. government to make the passing of legislation limiting A.I. use a top priority; it is a bipartisan issue that enormously affects the immediate future of humanity at large."

Johansson has been outspoken about AI technology since its rise in popularity. Last year, she called out OpenAI for using an AI personal assistant voice that the actress claims sounds uncannily similar to her own.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Apple TV Finally Comes To Android Phones, Tablets

Apple has released an official Apple TV app for Android phones and tablets that's now available in the Google Play Store. You can download it here. 9to5Google reports: The newest Apple app on Android has a bottom bar with Apple TV+, MLS (Major League Soccer), Downloads for offline viewing, and Search. [...] The video player takes after Apple TV on other platforms, with a portrait mode available. There are convenient shortcuts to activate picture-in-picture, which works inside the app (while browsing) and system-wide, and mute to bring up the system volume bar. Playback is smooth and more stable than other streaming services.

At launch, the Apple TV app lacks Casting support and there do not appear to be new episode notifications. If you're already signed into Apple Music, you have to log in again to Apple TV. Another notable aspect is support for Google Play Billing instead of requiring out-of-app sign-up on another device. This applies to both the Google TV app (and Apple Music) today.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An early evening shot of the remains of the Glenturk at Risby Cove, Strahan

Alan M :-) has added a photo to the pool:

An early evening shot of the remains of the Glenturk at Risby Cove, Strahan

The following is from the Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database:
The Glenturk, was a screw steamship (83.4’ x 22.5’ x 5.8’), built at Port Esperance in 1905 by J. Eden Heron. The vessel was powered by a compound steam engine made by R. Arthur & Son, Newport, Monmouthshire, England, in 1900. Registered in Hobart, the last official owner was contractor George Cheverton in 1918, but in 1919 Glenturk was sold to the Pine Export Company of Strahan. They chartered the vessel to Edward Grining in 1927, and the Grining family seem to have become her final owners. Glenturk is said to have been taken out of service after losing its rudder when it hit Sophia Point Reef, probably in August 1935.

Ruins of Convict Quarters

Alan M :-) has added a photo to the pool:

Ruins of Convict Quarters

Highfield Estate, Stanley, Tasmania. The convict barracks at Highfield were built from 1834 and occupied from 1836. There were 41 convicts assigned to the Circular Head establishment, half of whom were housed in these Barracks.

Found Photograph

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Found Photograph

Monkeys in Marfa

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Monkeys in Marfa

Ueno, February 2025.

mikeleonardvisualarts posted a photo:

Ueno, February 2025.

Shinjuku

mikeleonardvisualarts posted a photo:

Shinjuku

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Granaat in café in Franse stad Grenoble gegooid, 12 gewonden

GRENOBLE (ANP/AFP) - Twaalf mensen zijn gewond geraakt toen een granaat in een café werd gegooid in de wijk Village Olympique in de Franse stad Grenoble. Twee mensen verkeren in kritieke toestand. "Iemand kwam binnen en gooide een granaat, zonder een woord te zeggen en rende toen weg", zei de officier van justitie tegen verslaggevers.

Er waren ten tijde van de explosie, die even na 20.00 uur plaatselijke tijd plaatsvond, "veel klanten" aanwezig. Volgens de officier van justitie was er nog geen motief gevonden, maar werd er niet geloofd dat het een "terroristische aanval" was. "Er is niets wat ons doet denken dat het verband houdt met terrorisme", zei hij en noemde het een "daad van extreem geweld" die "mogelijk verband houdt met het vereffenen van rekeningen".

Een mogelijk verband met drugshandel wordt onderzocht, zei hij. Volgens sommige berichten zou de verdachte ook een kalasjnikov bij zich hebben gehad. "Ik veroordeel deze criminele daad van buitengewoon geweld in de sterkst mogelijke bewoordingen", schreef burgemeester Eric Piolle van Grenoble op X.


Inlichtingendienst VS: Israël valt mogelijk doelen in Iran aan

WASHINGTON (ANP) - Israël gaat waarschijnlijk in de komende maanden proberen nucleaire doelen in Iran aan te vallen. Daarvoor waarschuwt een Amerikaanse inlichtingendienst, aldus The Washington Post. Een preventieve aanval zou het nucleaire programma van Iran met slechts weken of misschien maanden vertragen, maar zou de spanningen in het Midden-Oosten doen escaleren. Dit zegt de Amerikaanse inlichtingendienst Defense Intelligence Agency in een gezamenlijk rapport met de Joint Chiefs of Staff, een militair adviesorgaan van de Amerikaanse overheid.

Het rapport waarschuwt dat Israël waarschijnlijk zal proberen twee nucleaire faciliteiten van Iran te bombarderen in de eerste zes maanden van 2025.

Huidige en voormalige Amerikaanse functionarissen die bekend zijn met de inlichtingendienst vertelden The Washington Post dat de bevinding voortvloeit uit een analyse van de Israëlische planning na het bombardement op Iran eind oktober, waardoor de Iraanse luchtverdediging werd verzwakt. De functionarissen spraken op voorwaarde van anonimiteit, aldus de Amerikaanse krant.

Een woordvoerder van de Nationale Veiligheidsraad van het Witte Huis zei dat president Donald Trump "duidelijk heeft gemaakt dat hij niet zal toestaan ​​dat Iran een kernwapen krijgt", schrijft The Washington Post. "Hoewel hij er de voorkeur aan geeft om op vreedzame wijze te onderhandelen over een oplossing voor de al lang bestaande problemen van Amerika met het Iraanse regime, zal hij niet voor onbepaalde tijd wachten als Iran niet bereid is tot een deal te komen, en wel snel", aldus The Washington Post.


Ueno, February 2025.

mikeleonardvisualarts has added a photo to the pool:

Ueno, February 2025.