Binh Nguyen's Blog: Linux Transcode DVD to Video Script, Random Stuff, and More

Still, that’s far more space searched than calculated in 2010 for the 50th anniversary of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI. In that work, SETI pioneer Jill Tarter and colleagues imagined a “cosmic haystack” of naturally occurring radio waves she could sift through for the proverbial needle of an artificial, alien beacon (SN Online: 5/29/12). Her haystack went beyond physical space to include factors such as a possible signal’s duration, frequency, variations and strength, as well as the sensitivity of radio telescopes on Earth that would presumably detect a signal.

She concluded that searches had covered about a drinking glass’s worth of seawater — hardly enough to conclude the ocean is fishless.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/only-small-fraction-space-searched-aliens

- Atlassian is also known in business circles for pioneering the "no salesforce" software model.

Based on the other side of the world to its customers, it decided to invest in research and development and content marketing, rather than employing costly executives with expense accounts to wine and dine chief technology officers.

The aim was to create relatively inexpensive software products that would take hold in small teams, and spread virally within organisations and beyond.

The model has been copied by others, most notably office chat provider Slack (Atlassian recently sold its own chat platform to Slack, and took a small investment in the company. Buoyed by the rise in Altassian's share price, Slack is now reportedly preparing for an IPO of its own.)

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/atlassian-the-30-billion-tech-giant-nobody-understands-20180907-p502dy.html

- Though the bug was found on Tuesday last week, there was no way of saying for sure how long it had been exploited, Botezatu said.

"The reason you had to login again... was Facebook’s way of denying hackers access to the accounts: they invalidated the access token of both the 50 million confirmed compromised accounts as well as the 40 million accounts suspected of being compromised."

He offered the following advice to users:

"Understand that social networks are not bulletproof places where your secrets are safe. Plan for the worst and act accordingly.

"Never put something in writing that you would not like to leak several years from now when the platform gets breached.

"Embrace end-to-end encryption like your life and your freedom depend on it. Sometimes they do.

"Use privacy-focused IM clients such as Signal for sensitive chats or any other business that should stay segregated from your physical persona."

https://www.itwire.com/security/84713-facebook-leak-assume-the-worst,-advises-security-pro.html

- What made the incident stand out even more was that a few hours after he had blogged about the issue and copied a tweet to Google, he received a message via Twitter, from one Frank Petrilli, telling him that it had been "raised internally" and fixed.

When asked where he was from, Petrilli replied that he was from Google but not from the team that handles such issues. "As I'm sure you understand, false positives do happen, especially at scale. The team is tuning what caused your site to be flagged so it won't happen to others, so that we can make it work better for everyone," he wrote.

Russell's conclusion? "People who lack the ability to write a good blog post in English, the confidence to tweet Google about it, or maybe the social capital to have their tweets taken seriously will have more problems running servers."

In other words, exactly how one who is not technically competent gets such an issue fixed is open to question.

https://www.itwire.com/security/84716-google-s-false-positives-can-leave-websites-without-certificates.html

- According to Lux, Reynolds was never entitled to collect a portion of her or any other performers’ earnings because he was not a licenced and bonded talent agent in the state of Florida.

The Daily Beast reports Reynolds did apply for a talent agency licence in 2016 but was denied due to “alleged criminal record indicating moral turpitude and/or dishonest dealings”. He appealed the decision in 2018 but was rejected.

The article outlines similar allegations made by two other actors, neither of whom ultimately filed charges. While the current lawsuit is in civil court, criminal charges could potentially follow as operating a talent agency without a licence is illegal in Florida.

In a statement to the website, Reynolds did not comment on Lux’s other allegations but said, “Hussie Models LLC is licensed and bonded in the state of California and we do not take commission in the state of FL (Florida).”

In a Facebook post shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Reynolds complained that he had “met the biggest pussies and pieces of sh*t from being in this industry and if I could ever be locked in a room with them, the horrible & disgusting things I would do to them”.

“I would go straight to hell … and I would without hesitation,” he wrote in the post, according to The Daily Beast. “I dream of it all the time. Screenshot this b*tches.”

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/porn-star-lenna-lux-accuses-hot-girls-wanted-agent-riley-reynolds-of-exploiting-women/news-story/3109094d234dfea37768422e9b705e36

- "We can talk about the 'slut-stud' paradox; where men benefit from perceptions they're sexually attractive (judging by) by how many partners they've had, but women are devalued in this context, they become 'less than'...not because of the number of sexual partners she has, but by the presumptions around it".

Value is associated with women who are "virtuous, chaste, moral". Suggesting they are sexually promiscuous, even if it is not true, "disproportionately impacts women". "A man has a healthy sexual appetite, a woman is a 'slut'. It comes from religion, this premium places on virginity and motherhood, and has set women up for unattainable standards".

Dr Rosewarne says this is part of an attempt to keep women in "segregated roles" – namely out of the "man's game" of politics, as seen by some conservatives. Slut shaming "is a means to punish women for going against the expectations of their gender and into fields where they are not wanted, it serves as a deterrent for others to join in".

Former sex worker and Victorian MP, Fiona Patten, says slut shaming works so well to hurt the target because "we as a community have deep shame about sex in general; we might exhibit it and see everyone from Madonna to the latest K Pop act being really sexual, but as a community we still do not talk about sex – this is why slut shaming is so effective, and why the majority of women don't report sexual assault, it is all tied in together".

"The fact women are autonomous beings does not sit well with with portions of our community," says Ms Patten.

"The height of hypocrisy in this is, as I said in my inaugural speech, I might be the first sex worker to come into Parliament but thousands of clients have come in before me...the whole room looked at their feet."

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/why-slut-shaming-is-such-a-dirty-effective-weapon-20181002-p507c5.html

- Ashkin's work was based on the realisation that the pressure of a beam of light could push microscopic objects and trap them in position. A breakthrough came in 1987 when he used the new optical tweezers to grab living bacteria without harming them. His work has been especially important in biological research on viruses and other microbes.

https://www.smh.com.au/technology/laser-scientists-win-nobel-physics-prize-for-tools-made-of-light-20181002-p507ee.html

- During the event, SWOP distributed condoms, lubricant and flyers to students — as well as handing out underwear prizes — and also provided advice on how to get into sex work.

And in several tweets promoting the group’s attendance at the fair, it posted: “1 in 6 students does sex work or thinks about turning to sex work. We can help.”

It also tweeted: “If you’re topping up your fees with sex work, or struggling to balance work and studies, or want to talk and don’t know where to go … we’re here for you. We respect your autonomy, privacy and confidentiality.”

But many saw the stall — and the university by extension — as normalising and even promoting sex work.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/reporter-defends-uk-university-accused-of-encouraging-sex-work/news-story/d7fc25419738094b8e974912f0ccbaad

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Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Linux Transcode DVD to Video Script, Random Stuff, and More

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