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The Navy wants to deploy railguns on its latest destroyer
The US Navy's latest toy, a railgun that can fire projectiles at seven times the speed of sound, maybe be deployed sooner than thought. The original plan was to test it on joint high-speed vessels (JHSVs) in 2016, but the Navy is reportedly building an operational unit that could be installed on the USS Lyndon. B. Johnson, according to the Associated Press. That ship, the last of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, would be an ideal candidate because its Rolls Royce turbine generators produce 78 megawatts, more than enough to power the electromagnetic weapon.
Game algorithm could help win elections
There's a particular strain of game theory, Colonel Blotto, that many believe could predict the outcomes of everything from elections to sports matches. It asks two sides to distribute soldiers over a battlefield, and hands wins to whoever has the most soldiers in a given area. However, it has one glaring problem: there hasn't been a way to get a firm solution. Well, computer scientists have finally found that last piece of the puzzle. They've developed an algorithm that can solve the Colonel Blotto game, making it useful as a strategic tool whenever there's a one-on-one situation.
The 2016 presidential race according to Facebook 'likes'
The data-minded folks over at FiveThirtyEight have teamed up with Facebook to find out what parts of the country support which candidate via an interactive map. While FiveThirtyEight stresses that this is in no way a representative sample (Facebook users skew heavily younger, low-income and female, for instance), it's still interesting to see where candidates stack up in terms of page likes.
UK IP Bill needs 'significant changes,' says joint committee
A new surveillance bill proposed by the UK government has been scrutinised and, in many ways, criticised by a joint committee in its long-awaited report today. Since November the group has been gathering evidence, through written submissions and face-to-face hearings, to understand the ramifications of the draft Investigatory Powers Bill (IP Bill). Its findings aren't too surprising, balancing the criticisms levied by internet service providers, developers and privacy advocates with the justifications put forward by the UK's intelligence and security agencies. The report supports many of the overarching powers but calls for "significant changes" in order to provide "important clarity" in key areas.
Prep for the debates and primaries with Engadget's election guide
Last week Iowa voted and there were surprises all around. Ted Cruz became the front runner in the Republican race and Marco Rubio made an excellent showing by coming in a close third. Plus Hillary Clinton only narrowly avoided an upset from Larry David impersonator Bernie Sanders. Add to that the rather contentious (and meme-inspiring) debate between the Republicans on Saturday and this week is looking to be a decisive one for the Candidates.
Obama's last budget calls for better infrastructure, cybersecurity
With President Barack Obama's final year in office comes one last, contentious dance with Congress over a $4.1 trillion dollar budget for 2017. According to the New York Times, some $3 trillion of the budget the president proposed has been earmarked for so-called "mandatory" spending, and will be funneled toward federal assistance programs and combating interest on the nation's debt. The president is pushing to use that remaining trillion-or-so dollars to build a foundation for future work he thinks the country desperately needs.
France tells Facebook to stop moving user data overseas
France's privacy regulator has told Facebook that the site is in violation of the country's data protection act. Furthermore, the social network has been given just three months to get its act together, or it'll face the threat of sanctions. The charges leveled against the site include the fact that it pushes data relating to its European users to servers based in the US. That's been a bone of contention across the continent, which is why the provisions governing such actions -- Safe Harbor -- were declared invalid last year. That means that Facebook's been sending your private messages to servers accessible by the NSA without any permission.
UK intelligence committee slams IP Bill for being too vague
The UK's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) has struck out at a controversial surveillance law being proposed by the UK government, the Investigatory Powers Bill (IP Bill). The response is notable because the Committee is one of three groups that were commissioned to look into the UK's patchwork of laws before the IP Bill was drafted. The authors believe the new bill has "suffered from a lack of sufficient time and preparation" and doesn't cover some important powers held by the UK's intelligence agencies. Given the purpose of the law is to collect, update and explain these abilities, the Committee calls the bill "a missed opportunity."
Tinder bans users for sending pro-Bernie Sanders messages
Campaigning for Bernie Sanders, and presumably any other politician, can get you banned from Tinder. According to a report from Reuters, two users of the dating app learned that the hard way recently, after their accounts were locked for sending private messages about the 2016 presidential candidate. One woman, for example, told the publication she sent 60 messages per day to other people on Tinder, as she hoped to convince them to support Senator Sanders.
UN group says Assange should be allowed to walk free
A United Nations panel has sided with Julian Assange and classified his time in London's Ecuadorian Embassy as arbitrary detainment. In light of this, the group believes his "detention should be brought to an end" and rectified with some form of compensation. Yesterday, the WikiLeaks founder vowed to "accept arrest by British police" if the group ruled against him. Conversely, the Australian said he expected "the termination of further attempts to arrest me" if the final report was in his favour.
Google to push anti-ISIS ads in extremist search results
If you find yourself doing a Google search for terms related to Islamic extremism, you might soon see anti-ISIS ads persuading you to pursue a different path. According to a report written by The Guardian, Google is using its AdWords program to serve up counter narrative advertising from select non-profits whenever anyone enters in search terms that are related to ISIS or Islamic radicalization. Google says even though it'll surface those ads more prominently, that it won't redirect users or change the search results.
Obama proposes oil tax to fund clean transportation
President Obama has proposed a $10 per-barrel tax on oil to fund cleaner mass transit and cleaner vehicle research. The plan, laid out in a fact sheet, is a "smart, strategic integrated investments to help reduce carbon pollution, strengthen economy" according to the White House.
How to watch this week's presidential primary debates
Primary season is officially underway, but don't think that the deluge of debates is over. There will be many, many, many, more chances for the candidates to face off on stage. Tonight at 9pm ET Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will follow up their razor thin race in Iowa by bringing their sales pitches to New Hampshire. With Martin O'Malley officially out of the race, it will be down to just the two front runners. You can watch the debate live on MSNBC and at MSNBC.com. Saturday night, at 9pm ET, its the Republicans turn to put on a debate for the citizens of New Hampshire. You'll be able to watch that on your local ABC affiliate or online at abcnew.go.com/live. And, of course, before those showdowns kick off, make sure to get caught up on the candidates positions on the most pressing tech and science issues of 2016 in our election guide. And make sure to join in the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Ello, Google+, BBS or semaphore using the hashtag #engadgetelectionguide.
Assange will 'accept arrest' if he loses UN verdict tomorrow
It had to happen eventually, right? WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has announced that he will walk out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London if a United Nations panel rules against him tomorrow. "Should the UN announce tomorrow that I have lost my case against the UK and Sweden I shall exit the embassy at noon on Friday to accept arrest by British police as there is no meaningful prospect of further appeal," he said in a statement on Twitter. "However, should I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return of my passport and the termination of further attempts to arrest me."
Activist @Deray Mckesson is running for mayor of Baltimore
In yet another sign of social media's growing impact on the world, one of the most well-known figures of the #BlackLivesMatter movement is running for political office. Deray Mckesson (@Deray) filed just ahead of tonight's deadline to join the Democratic primary for Baltimore's mayoral race. According to the Baltimore Sun, there are 28 people currently registered to run including 13 Democrats, with a deadline of Friday to withdraw from consideration. Former mayor Sheila Dixon is reportedly leading the crowded field, and it remains to be seen how far the combination of activism and significant Twitter/Instagram following can take a political outsider in the race.
Confusion over FAA drone registry results in privacy problems
Correction: This story states that the FAA's new drone registry database is searchable and exposes the private data of citizens and hobbyists. Currently, this is incorrect. The drone registry is not searchable at this time, as stated by the FAA's website -- though the agency has also said it will be searchable in the future. What is searchable is the registry for commercial plane operators, which can be easily confused with the new drone database. The results for private citizens that turned up in searches were found due to drone owners mistakenly registering their aircraft in the wrong database -- one intended for tracking commercial craft -- which left their information exposed.
NSA will unite divisions to better tackle online threats
The US' National Security Agency isn't as united as it looks at first glance. Its intelligence gathering division (the one that conducts mass surveillance and hacking) and cyberdefense groups are largely separate. And that creates real problems -- among other issues, the intel group might be exploiting security flaws that the defensive team doesn't even know about, leaving critical systems open to attack. Those walls are about to come down, however. The NSA is poised to unveil a reorganization that will merge its offensive and defensive capabilities, helping them coordinate the fight against digital threats.
Tesla dealerships aim to play Michigan at its own game
You can't buy a Tesla in Michigan because, like in many states, local laws prohibit manufacturers selling to their customers directly. To do so would cut out dealerships, which just happen to have bankrolled plenty of local politicians into protecting their interests. Tesla, however, isn't going to sulk off into the night, and has decided to play Michigan's vested interests at their own game by applying for a dealership license. According to the Wall Street Journal, the firm delivered the paperwork in November and is expecting to hear the decision by the start of March.
ICYMI: Animal vs. drone, 3D-printed living bone and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-69230{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-69230, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-69230{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-69230").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Dutch police are training eagles to attack drones in areas deemed off-limits while simultaneously being way more rad than other antidrone solutions that use nets.
Politician rallying against SWATting falls victim herself
Writing about SWATting victims is as depressing as writing about data breaches, but this is the future we live in. In regards to the former, the politician who's come out strongest against the potentially deadly prank found herself on the receiving end of it recently. As her Boston local CBS station reports, Congresswoman Katherine Clark had a smattering of police officers with "long guns" on her front lawn Sunday night. What'd she do, broadcast some Counter-Strike? No, She's rallying behind the Interstate Swatting Hoax Act, a bill that'd make prank calling the SWAT team on someone a federal offense. Currently, the law states that faking a bomb threat or terrorist attack via telecommunications and across state lines is illegal; SWATting is not.
