Month: May 2020

Astronomers have discovered closest black hole yet in trinary star system

Just 1,000 light years from Earth, its two companion stars are visible to the naked eye.

Artist’s impression showing orbits of the objects in the HR 6819 triple system. There is an inner binary with one star (orbit in blue) and a newly discovered black hole (orbit in red), as well as a third star in a wider orbit (also in blue).

Enlarge / Artist’s impression showing orbits of the objects in the HR 6819 triple system. There is an inner binary with one star (orbit in blue) and a newly discovered black hole (orbit in red), as well as a third star in a wider orbit (also in blue). (credit: ESO/L. Calçada)

Astronomers with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have discovered a black hole that is the nearest such object yet found, just 1,000 light years away—close enough to be seen with the unaided eye. It is part of a triple star system, dubbed HR 6819, and the ESO scientists believe other members of this class of systems may also harbor black holes that previously were not a high priority for black hole searches. They announced their discovery in a new paper published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Scientists think there are far more black holes in the Universe than we have discovered to date—probably hundreds of millions of them, given the age of our Universe—because we can't observe them directly; we can merely infer their presence by their effect on surrounding matter. A black hole's gravitational effects can influence the orbits of nearby stars, for example, or infalling matter can form an accretion disk of hot gas rapidly orbiting the black hole, emitting powerful X-rays. Or an unfortunate star will get too close to a black hole and be torn apart for its trouble, with the infalling remnants also accelerating and heating up to emit X-rays into space.

But the majority of black holes are actually quiet and hence very difficult to detect. This latest discovery offers useful clues about where at least some of the truly dark black holes might be hiding. "One will never get enough telescope time to do a thorough search like that on all objects," ESO scientist Thomas Rivinius, a co-author on the paper, told Ars. "What you need to do is a staged approach to help you identify candidates, then thin out the candidates list, and only then have a close and detailed look at the remaining ones. Knowing what to look for should put us in a better position to find them."

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Balloninternet: Project Loon kooperiert mit AT&T

Die Zusammenarbeit soll die Alphabet-Tochter in die Lage versetzen, in kurzer Zeit in Katastrophengebieten auf der ganzen Welt Internet und Telekommunikation anzubieten. (Project Loon, Google)

Die Zusammenarbeit soll die Alphabet-Tochter in die Lage versetzen, in kurzer Zeit in Katastrophengebieten auf der ganzen Welt Internet und Telekommunikation anzubieten. (Project Loon, Google)

Wir retten Menschenleben mit Menschenleben, ohne darüber zu verhandeln

In der Corona-Berichterstattung werden von Anfang an Meinungen mit Fakten verwechselt. Deshalb war eine demokratische Diskussion sinnvoller oder notwendiger Maßnahmen nie möglich. Kommentar

In der Corona-Berichterstattung werden von Anfang an Meinungen mit Fakten verwechselt. Deshalb war eine demokratische Diskussion sinnvoller oder notwendiger Maßnahmen nie möglich. Kommentar

GPD Win Max keyboard, buttons, and touchpad preview

The GPD Win Max is a mini gaming laptop with an 8 inch touchscreen display, built-in game controller buttons, and a QWERTY keyboard that’s just large enough to make touch typing possible. It’ll go up for pre-order for $779 through a crowdfu…

The GPD Win Max is a mini gaming laptop with an 8 inch touchscreen display, built-in game controller buttons, and a QWERTY keyboard that’s just large enough to make touch typing possible. It’ll go up for pre-order for $779 through a crowdfunding campaign set to begin on May 18th, but GPD sent me a pre-production […]

Rubber Ducky: Vom Hacken und Absichern der USB-Ports

BadUSB-Sticks geben sich als Tastatur aus und hacken im Vorbeigehen Rechner. Mit der richtigen Software können sie entschärft werden. Ein Test von Moritz Tremmel (Gnome, Server)

BadUSB-Sticks geben sich als Tastatur aus und hacken im Vorbeigehen Rechner. Mit der richtigen Software können sie entschärft werden. Ein Test von Moritz Tremmel (Gnome, Server)

MPA and Amazon Ask Github to Suspend Kodi Add-On Developer’s Account

The MPA, MPA-Canada, and Amazon have filed a request with Github requesting that a Kodi add-on developer’s account be deleted from the platform. Citing a copyright case and a permanent injunction handed down by Canada’s Federal Court, the content companies claim that the account is still being used to infringe their rights. Github has left the account intact, however.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, torrent sites and more. We also help you to find the best anonymous VPN.

Following a massive surge in interest over the past several years, Kodi remains the platform of choice for millions of people looking to access movies and TV shows for free.

In its standard form, the Kodi software is entirely legal but when augmented with third-party add-ons, it turns into a piracy powerhouse.

As a result, the developers of Kodi are legally in the clear but the same cannot be said for the developers of the countless add-ons designed for the express purpose of finding, accessing, and delivering infringing content. The MPA and like-minded companies are in a constant battle to disrupt their activities, sometimes ending up in court to achieve those goals.

Some of these actions are heavily publicized but others maintain a lower profile. In February 2018, a developer known online as ‘Blamo’ (aka ‘Mr. Blamo’) revealed that he, in common with several of his counterparts, had been threatened by content companies. From there the trail went cold but according to a complaint filed against Github this week, legal action in Canada followed.

On September 7, 2018, a dozen companies including the studios of the MPA/MPA-Canada plus Amazon and Netflix launched a copyright infringement lawsuit at Canada’s Federal Court against an individual “doing business” as Mr. Blamo.

“In the context of that action, our clients alleged that [Blamo] notably developed, hosted, promoted and distributed infringing add-ons for the Kodi media center, which provided unauthorized access to motion pictures and television content for which the copyright is owned by our clients,” the MPA writes.

According to Federal Court records, Blamo did not mount any kind of defense so as a result, the matter was decided in his absence. On January 15, 2019, the Federal Court handed down a final judgment, including a declaration of infringement and a permanent injunction.

“The permanent injunction enjoins and restrains [Blamo] from, inter alia, hosting, distributing or promoting infringing Kodi add-ons and their repositories, including notably the ‘Blamo’ repository and the ‘Chocolate Salty Balls’ infringing add-ons,” the MPA adds.

The problem here is that, according to the MPA and associated companies, Blamo has a Github account where it is claimed he continues to “host and distribute infringing Kodi add-ons and their repository, including notably the Chocolate Salty Balls infringing add-on and the Blamo repository.” This, the MPA says, amounts to contempt of court.

What’s particularly interesting here, however, is that the MPA isn’t asking for the specified URLs to be deleted. Instead, it asks for Blamo’s entire Github account to be deactivated instead. According to the studios they wrote to Blamo, most recently on December 19, 2019, to request that he “cease his infringing activities” but that correspondence apparently fell on deaf ears.

“We request that GitHub, Inc. (‘GitHub’) suspend the account github.com/MrBlamo6969 (the ‘Account’). The Account is used by its operator to engage in ongoing acts of copyright infringement in contravention of an Order of the Federal Court (Canada) issued on January 15, 2019, which amounts to contempt of Court by the Account’s operator,” the MPA’s complaint reads.

“We therefore request that GitHub immediately suspends the Account to preserve our clients’ rights and ensure that the letter and spirit of the final Judgment of the Federal Court are respected.”

As the image above shows, Github declined to delete the entire account as requested. However, it has deleted the first two URLs listed in the MPA’s complaint, URLs that contained the content specifically covered by the injunction handed down by the Federal Court in Canada.

Whether that will be the end of the matter remains unclear but at least from a functional perspective, Github does appear to have acted in the ‘spirit’ of the court order.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, torrent sites and more. We also help you to find the best anonymous VPN.