Matthew Decker is the former chief information officer for Penn State University’s Applied Research Laboratory. As of October, he’s also $250,000 richer. In his Penn State position, Decker was well placed to see that the university was not implementing all of the cybersecurity controls that were required by its various contracts with NASA and the […]
December 16, 2024 | False Claims Act, fraud, Policy, whistleblowers | No comments
Ars has reached out to the lead author, Megan Liu, but has not received a response. Liu works for the environmental health advocacy group Toxic-Free Future, which led the study. The study highlighted that flame retardants used in plastic electronics may, in some instances, be recycled into household items. “Companies continue to use toxic flame […]
December 16, 2024 | black plastic, chemosphere, electronic plastic, EPA, flame retardants, Health, plastic, plastic recycling, Science, Toxicology, waste | No comments
When Sony launched the PlayStation Portable almost exactly 20 years ago, the value proposition was right there in the name: a PlayStation, but portable. But now modders have flipped that, introducing a PSP that can be played on a TV, console-style, and they’ve dubbed it the PS Placeable. It’s a non-destructive mod to PSP-2000 and […]
December 16, 2024 | Gaming, modding, PlayStation Portable, PS Placeable, PSP, Retro Mod Works | No comments
Hackers trying to extort the Rhode Island government infiltrated the state’s public benefits system, causing state officials to shut down online services that let residents apply for Medicaid and other assistance programs. “As part of this investigation today, we discovered that within the Rhode Island Bridges system, a cybercriminal had installed dangerous malware that constituted […]
December 16, 2024 | Policy, Rhode Island, ribridges, Security | No comments
In his report, Sanders noted that Amazon is much too big to be held accountable by current maximum penalties for workplace safety violations, which are just over $16,000. Penalties for 50 violations for one two-year period were just $300,000, Sanders said, which was “approximately 1 percent of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s total compensation in 2023.” […]
December 16, 2024 | Amazon, amazon labor union, amazon warehouse workers, bernie sanders, national labor relations board, nlrb, Policy, unfair labor practices | No comments
“While not yet ready for full commercial service, T-Mobile Starlink was turned on temporarily to provide a critical communication option for those without any other means to reach emergency responders and loved ones during Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” the carrier said. “Even without the full constellation in place, customers with capable devices were able to […]
December 16, 2024 | Biz & IT, Policy, t-mobile starlink | No comments
The incoming Trump administration has even more plans to delay electric vehicle adoption than previously thought. According to Reuters, which has seen transition team documents, the Trump team wants to abolish EV subsidies, claw back federal funding meant for EV charging infrastructure, block EV battery imports on national security grounds, and prevent the federal government […]
December 16, 2024 | Cars, EPA, EV adoption, fuel efficiency, Trump | No comments
Putting enzymes to the test Testing ALDH was the next step. We set up an inhibition assay in test tubes. In the assay, we measured how fast the enzyme ALDH breaks down acetaldehyde. Then, we added the suspected inhibitors—quercetin, as well as some other phenolics we wanted to test—to see whether they slowed the process. […]
December 16, 2024 | headaches, Health, red wine, sulfites, syndication, tannins | No comments
While Ars readers may be more guarded about Google having an insider look at their data, many web users have a more accepting attitude. This has opened the door for TVs to test users’ max tolerance for ads and tracking to deliver more relevant ads. That said, there’s a fine line. “Companies have to be […]
December 16, 2024 | ads, Features, roku, software, Tech, TVs, Vizio, walmart | No comments
A person in Louisiana is hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu after having contact with sick and dying birds suspected of carrying the virus, state health officials announced Friday. It is the first human H5N1 case detected in Louisiana. For now, the case is considered a “presumptive” positive until testing is confirmed by the Centers for […]
December 13, 2024 | bird flu, H5N1, Health, Science | No comments