The future of the space station is up in the air—or rather, a vacuum.
Enlarge/ The International Space Station is an important test bed for microgravity research. But it's also very costly. (credit: NASA)
A new report from the space agency's inspector general concludes that NASA has no easy choice when it comes to the future of the massive International Space Station that orbits about 400km above the Earth. The station, which has been continually inhabited by humans for nearly two decades, is presently the only destination in outer space for astronauts and cosmonauts to visit.
Recently, the White House announced that it wanted to end direct NASA funding for the space station in the year 2025 and transfer operations to the private sector. Key Senators who oversee NASA's activities have pushed back against this idea in a bipartisan way, saying that the station should be funded through 2028 in order to complete its mission of scientific research. That extension would also help development and testing of new technologies needed for deep space exploration by humans—such as toilets that don't break every six months.
In the report published Monday, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin found that both of these choices have some significant downsides. "Each of the options for transitioning or retiring the ISS present NASA with distinct challenges and associated cost," the report states.
For the past two weeks I’ve been getting to know Windows 10 S while testing the Asus NovaGo convertible laptop. It’s one of the first Windows 10 computers to ship with an ARM processor, and it also ships with a version of Windows 10 that st…
For the past two weeks I’ve been getting to know Windows 10 S while testing the Asus NovaGo convertible laptop. It’s one of the first Windows 10 computers to ship with an ARM processor, and it also ships with a version of Windows 10 that stops you from installing third-party apps unless they com from […]
For the past two weeks I’ve been getting to know Windows 10 S while testing the Asus NovaGo convertible laptop. It’s one of the first Windows 10 computers to ship with an ARM processor, and it also ships with a version of Windows 10 that st…
For the past two weeks I’ve been getting to know Windows 10 S while testing the Asus NovaGo convertible laptop. It’s one of the first Windows 10 computers to ship with an ARM processor, and it also ships with a version of Windows 10 that stops you from installing third-party apps unless they com from […]
A 2013 measles outbreak rooted in a vaccine-refusing community in Brooklyn, New York cost the city’s health department an estimated $394,448, requiring 87 employees to collectively spend more than 10,000 hours on outbreak response and control, according to an analysis published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
During the outbreak, which spanned March through July, health workers quickly mobilized to track down more than 3,300 people exposed to the highly contagious, potentially life-threatening virus. Workers then determined the vaccination status of those exposed and doled out prophylactic treatments or vaccines to those who would take them. To get the word out about the health threat, workers contacted local doctors’ offices, schools, and daycares. They also placed announcements in local newspapers, set up a telephone hotline, and held community briefings on the situation.
Almost a third of the employees involved in the response were working outside of their job descriptions, diverting resources from other critical public health activities. The cost estimate combined a conservative assessment of employee compensation ($332,000) and supply costs, such as lab testing and advertising ($62,000).
Twenty states announced Monday that they plan to ask a federal judge in Seattle to immediately issue a temporary restraining order against Defense Distributed, a Texas-based group that has already begun making 3D-printer gun files available on its DEFCAD website after a recent legal settlement with the US State Department.
"After almost 18 months I was skeptical that there was anything else that this administration would do that would truly shock me, but they have," Washington Attorney General Bill Ferguson told reporters assembled in Olympia and by phone. "Frankly, it is terrifying... We think that it is important to put a stop to this right away and make it as difficult as humanly possible to access this information."
The new lawsuit, which Ferguson explained will be filed "within hours," comes just one day after Defense Distributed voluntarily agreed to block IP addresses from Pennsylvania after that state’s attorney general filed a similar motion in federal court there.
This is an incredible plane. It's stealth—you can't see it. So when I talk to even people from the other side, they're trying to order our plane. They like the fact that you can't see it. I said, "How would it do in battle with your plane?" They say, "Well we have one problem—we can't see your plane." That's a big problem. Stealth, super stealth. The best in the world. We make the best military equipment in the world. Also, remember this: jobs.
This is not the first time Trump has called the F-35 invisible. For instance, in a visit with Coast Guardsmen in Puerto Rico last November, Trump said the F-35 was “almost like an invisible fighter…You can’t see it. You literally can’t see it. It’s hard to fight a plane you can’t see.”
You can use Google’s Chrome web browser to surf the web, or use web apps to watch videos, play games, and edit documents on computers, smartphones, and tablets. And now you can also use Chrome in virtual reality headsets. Google has launched a ve…
You can use Google’s Chrome web browser to surf the web, or use web apps to watch videos, play games, and edit documents on computers, smartphones, and tablets. And now you can also use Chrome in virtual reality headsets. Google has launched a version of Chrome for the Daydream virtual reality platform. That means you […]
Hackers managed to steal $7.7 million dollars' worth of cryptocurrency from the platform known as KICKICO by using a novel technique—destroying existing coins and then creating new ones totaling the same amount and putting them in hacker-controlled addresses, KICKICO officials said.
The technique evaded KICKICO’s security measures because it didn't change the number of KICK tokens issued on the network. Such security measures are generally designed to spot thefts and other malicious actions by detecting sudden shifts in total cryptocurrency funds available on the market. The unknown attackers were able to destroy the existing coins and create new ones by first obtaining the secret cryptographic key controlling the KICKICO smart contract. KICKICO officials didn’t learn of the breach until they received complaints from several users reporting that $800,000 dollars' worth of digital coins were missing from their wallets.
KICKICO officials said they have since recovered the stolen tokens and are in the process of returning them to their original owners. In a blog post disclosing the incident, KICKICO officials wrote:
Electronic Arts has asked GitHub to remove a fan-created remake of the classic SimCity 2000 release. While the original game is a quarter-century old, the publisher points out that the assets are not free to use, adding that a copy of the game can still be purchased legally.
SimCity 2000 is without a doubt one of the most iconic games in history, one that paved the way for hundreds of other ‘building’ titles.
The game was first released in 1993 for Apple computers, but it later made its way to the PC and several gaming console platforms as well.
After more than a quarter-century, SimCity 2000 still receives plenty of interest from nostalgic gamers who like to relive their early gaming experiences. This is likely one of the reasons why developer Nicholas Ochoa decided to code a remake using the Electron framework.
The game, titled OpenSC2K, was released on GitHub earlier this year and received quite a bit of attention on sites such as Reddit and Hacker News.
While it is billed as an “open source” version, the remake did include original artwork, belonging to Electronic Arts. These images and sounds are definitely not free to use, something the developer is fully aware of now.
A few days ago Electronic Arts sent a DMCA takedown notice to GitHub asking the platform to remove the infringing repository from its site.
“Assets from the game SimCity 2000 are being infringed upon,” EA writes. The company points out that the game can be purchased legally through Origin where it’s still being sold for a few dollars.
While OpenSC2K is far from a full remake, Electronic Arts makes it clear that the SimCity 2000 assets are not for public use.
“The current audiovisual output of the repository creates content that infringes on Electronic Arts copyright. As long as that continues to happen, no other changes other than removal is sufficient to address the infringement,” the company writes.
Soon after this DMCA notice was submitted, OpenSC2K was indeed taken offline, replaced with GitHub’s standard DMCA notification.
The takedown effort didn’t come as a complete surprise to the developer. When he announced the project earlier this year, several people pointed out the potential copyright issues.
This is also the reason why the developer came up with an asset conversion tool early on. That would make it possible to replace the original artwork with open source content, however, due to some code changes and other priorities, this hasn’t happened yet.
TorrentFreak spoke to OpenSC2K’s developer who is currently trying to get a non-infringing version of the repository restored. He also mentioned that not just EA’s assets, but all his code was pulled offline without any type of prior notification.
“I was never contacted by EA or GitHub prior to the takedown – I received notification after the fact from GitHub. Nobody from EA has reached out since and I’m still waiting for GitHub to review my request,” Ochoa tells us.
“My plan right now once the repo is restored is the remove the copyrighted content and provide instructions on how to extract the assets directly from the original game files.”
The developer understands that EA has the rights to the graphics and DAT files he used. And he has no intention to use these files going forward. However, he would have preferred it if the game publisher came to him directly, instead of taking down all his work.
“I just wish they’d have reached out first, I would’ve gladly removed the content quickly and without issue,” Ochoa tells us.
What remains, for now, are a few screenshots and YouTube videos of the remake in action.
—
Note: This article was updated shortly after publication in include Ochoa’s comments.
Electronic Arts has asked GitHub to remove a fan-created remake of the classic SimCity 2000 release. While the original game is a quarter-century old, the publisher points out that the assets are not free to use, adding that a copy of the game can still be purchased legally.
SimCity 2000 is without a doubt one of the most iconic games in history, one that paved the way for hundreds of other ‘building’ titles.
The game was first released in 1993 for Apple computers, but it later made its way to the PC and several gaming console platforms as well.
After more than a quarter-century, SimCity 2000 still receives plenty of interest from nostalgic gamers who like to relive their early gaming experiences. This is likely one of the reasons why developer Nicholas Ochoa decided to code a remake using the Electron framework.
The game, titled OpenSC2K, was released on GitHub earlier this year and received quite a bit of attention on sites such as Reddit and Hacker News.
While it is billed as an “open source” version, the remake did include original artwork, belonging to Electronic Arts. These images and sounds are definitely not free to use, something the developer is fully aware of now.
A few days ago Electronic Arts sent a DMCA takedown notice to GitHub asking the platform to remove the infringing repository from its site.
“Assets from the game SimCity 2000 are being infringed upon,” EA writes. The company points out that the game can be purchased legally through Origin where it’s still being sold for a few dollars.
While OpenSC2K is far from a full remake, Electronic Arts makes it clear that the SimCity 2000 assets are not for public use.
“The current audiovisual output of the repository creates content that infringes on Electronic Arts copyright. As long as that continues to happen, no other changes other than removal is sufficient to address the infringement,” the company writes.
Soon after this DMCA notice was submitted, OpenSC2K was indeed taken offline, replaced with GitHub’s standard DMCA notification.
The takedown effort didn’t come as a complete surprise to the developer. When he announced the project earlier this year, several people pointed out the potential copyright issues.
This is also the reason why the developer came up with an asset conversion tool early on. That would make it possible to replace the original artwork with open source content, however, due to some code changes and other priorities, this hasn’t happened yet.
TorrentFreak spoke to OpenSC2K’s developer who is currently trying to get a non-infringing version of the repository restored. He also mentioned that not just EA’s assets, but all his code was pulled offline without any type of prior notification.
“I was never contacted by EA or GitHub prior to the takedown – I received notification after the fact from GitHub. Nobody from EA has reached out since and I’m still waiting for GitHub to review my request,” Ochoa tells us.
“My plan right now once the repo is restored is the remove the copyrighted content and provide instructions on how to extract the assets directly from the original game files.”
The developer understands that EA has the rights to the graphics and DAT files he used. And he has no intention to use these files going forward. However, he would have preferred it if the game publisher came to him directly, instead of taking down all his work.
“I just wish they’d have reached out first, I would’ve gladly removed the content quickly and without issue,” Ochoa tells us.
What remains, for now, are a few screenshots and YouTube videos of the remake in action.
—
Note: This article was updated shortly after publication in include Ochoa’s comments.
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