Off Topic The "That's interesting"/geek thread

I even like the music steelsy

 

Yes pal, cool music, and some amazing pictures. I wonder what we'll see in the next few months now that NASA have landed another vehicle on the Red Planet....

Mars: Nasa lands InSight robot to study planet's interior - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46351114

 

One for you Kiwi....I worked for Huawei for over three years, both on Vodafone and EE

Huawei: NZ bars Chinese firm on national security fears

• 28 November 2018
  

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New Zealand has become the latest country to block a proposal to use telecoms equipment made by China's Huawei because of national security concerns.

Spark New Zealand wanted to use Huawei equipment in its 5G mobile network.

However, a NZ government security agency said the deal would bring significant risks to national security.

The move is part of a growing push against the involvement of Chinese technology firms on security grounds.

5G networks are being built in several countries and will form the next significant wave of mobile infrastructure.

Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment, has faced resistance from foreign governments over the risk that its technology could be used for espionage.

Telecoms firm Spark New Zealand planned to use equipment from the Chinese firm in its 5G network.

More here.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46368001

 

Will the UK follow suit? If they do get banned, this will cause major disruption to the networks as all the existing equipment will need to be replaced - could keep.me busy for years!!

Huawei: Why has UK not blocked Chinese firm's 5G kit?

• 28 November 2018

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New Zealand government's move to prevent Huawei supplying a local mobile network with 5G equipment has raised questions about why the UK appears less concerned about use of the Chinese company's technology.

A press release from Spark, the New Zealand company involved, said it had been deemed that the deployment posed "significant security risks" - a polite way of saying that Beijing might use the technology to spy on the country or disrupt its communications in a future dispute.

The US and Australia had already closed the door on Huawei's involvement in their next-generation mobile networks.

That means three members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance have now acted against the Shenzhen-based company. And one other member, Canada, is carrying out a security review of its own.

So, there's a prospect that the UK could soon be the sole holdout, allowing Huawei to play a key role in delivering the data that everything from self-driving cars to smart city sensors will rely on.

"There are two factors at play here: 5G will be connected to everything as we go to the internet-of-things," said Ewan Lawson, from UK defence think tank Rusi.

"And concerns about foreign-sourced hardware were less intense than they are now."

For its part, Huawei has said: "[We are] aware of Spark's statement and we are looking into the situation.

"As a leading global supplier of telecoms equipment, we remain committed to developing trusted and secure solutions for our customers."

Is the UK just being complacent?

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The government argues not.

"This government and British telecoms operators work with Huawei at home and abroad to ensure the UK can continue to benefit from new technology while managing cyber-security risks," a Cabinet Office spokeswoman told BBC News.

That work includes a facility nicknamed the Cell, in Banbury, Oxfordshire, where staff employed by Huawei but answering to GCHQ hunt for security flaws in the company's products.

It has not uncovered evidence of hidden backdoors or other deliberate attempts of subterfuge. But its last report did identify shortcomings that led it to warn that it could offer only "limited assurance" that the company posed no threat.

The UK government is also thought to have fired a shot across the bows last month, when it wrote to telecoms companies warning that a review of their infrastructure could lead to "changes in the current rules" that should be taken into account during "procurement decisions".

Huawei was not mentioned by name, but the Financial Times - which revealed the letter's existence - said some industry executives interpreted it to mean a ban was still possible.

But others have their doubts, noting that other political factors are at play.

"The letter did go out but the issue remains that in the absence of any definitive evidence of a problem, an unspecific security risk has to be weighed against trade opportunities," said Mr Lawson.

"If Huawei was banned, we don't know the extent to which China might well refuse to do business with us in other fields - and the timing for that would not be great with so much attention on the potential economic impacts of Brexit."

How strong are Huawei's existing UK ties?

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Huawei opened its first office in the country in 2001 and soon had its equipment adopted by BT and Vodafone, which used it to support 2G, 3G and 4G mobile services as well as "superfast" fibre and other types of broadband connections to homes and businesses.

Its kit includes mobile phone radio antennas and the routers and switches found in kerbside cabinets.

Most of the country's mobile networks - Vodafone, EE and Three - are now working with Huawei to prepare their 5G offerings.

O2's parent Telefonica has also tested its new equipment elsewhere and signalled that it might use it in the UK.

In addition, Huawei says it has developed research and development partnerships with many of the country's leading academic institutions, including the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Cardiff and Imperial College.

Its UK board of directors includes Lord Browne, the former chief of BP, and Sir Andrew Cahn, a former high-ranking civil servant.

Does Huawei pose a real threat?

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The company is keen to portray itself as a private company owned by its employees with no ties to the Chinese government beyond those of a law-abiding taxpayer.

It can also lay claim to being one of the biggest spenders on research and development - it invested more than $13.2bn (£10.3bn) last year and has said the figure will be even higher for 2018.

But critics like to point out that its media-shy founder, Ren Zhengfei, was a former engineer in the country's army and joined the Communist Party in 1978.

Furthermore, they question how free any major Chinese business can be from Beijing's influence.

"It's accepted practice in China that relationships between Chinese companies and the state have to be extremely close," said Prof Anthony Glees, director of the Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies.

"Many other countries have said no [to Huawei over 5G].

"We've come to the matter late as we have already let them through the door."

Another leading cyber-security expert agreed that Huawei could be co-opted into incapacitating the equipment it had sold.

"The obvious concern with 5G is whether there is a material risk of the Chinese being in a position to run a big denial-of-service attack on Britain in the event of a time of international tension," said Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at the University of Cambridge.

"There is obviously a risk. China plays hardball and we have been hoping in vain for years that it would get nice as it got richer but that hasn't happened."

For now, Beijing has been reticent to be seen to be too forceful in leaping to Huawei's defence.

The Chinese government did warn against "protectionism" when a deal to sell Huawei's phones in the US fell through and then "discriminatory practices" when Australia banned local networks using its 5G equipment.

But Chinese officials are already preoccupied with President Trump's threats of more trade tariffs and might see any effort to try to help Huawei as likely to backfire.

Even so, eyebrows have still been raised by a decision to exclude its founder from a list of 100 key contributors to China's economy over the past 40 years recently published in the Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper.

Whether that is because Mr Ren is viewed as being too close or not close enough to the government is unclear.

 

Buy oppo
Best phone I've owned in ages
Better than Huawei

 

Are you a "sitter" or a "stander"....

Is It Normal For Men To Pee Sitting Down?

You would be surprised how many men are taking a seat, and the effects it's having on their health.

Standing up to pee is one of the greatest gifts granted to men. It’s quick, easy, and let’s be honest, fun. However recent cultural trends have given rise to a sweeping epidemic causing more and more men to sit while peeing.

The last reported data on the issue from 2007 suggested that a whopping 42 per cent of married men sat down to pee, most likely to avoid seat drips and the wrath of their fuming wives.

We’d be safe to guess that this percentage has surged past the 50 per cent mark since, due to the fact that this data was collected in an age before smart phones, and men now flock to the restrooms for a quick sit and scroll through Facebook.

"The idea of sitting down to pee is interesting," said Dr. Jesse N. Mills, Associate Clinical Professor at the UCLA Department of Urology when talking to Thrillist. "Nothing beats whipping it out and letting it rip. But if you want to sit down and think about life, it's a break in your day."

While evidence suggests that it most certainly is normal to sit down and pee, is it healthy? Yes, and much more so than standing apparently.

According to research from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, sitting down to pee allows for ‘a more favourable urodynamic profile’ [translation: the flow is stronger] which helps ward off prostate problems.

The study goes on to suggest that when we stand, we activate muscles around our lower abdomen, pelvis and spine that actually prevent proper urination.

“Sitting down is a better option for men with prostate conditions or men who just can't stand up for a long time,” said Dr. Mills. “A lot of guys sit to pee if they can't fully evacuate their bladder. When you sit down, you can use your abdominal muscles more, and you get your last few squirts out and feel like you've emptied better.”

The Dutch research project also suggested that further problems with standing also arise as men engage extra pee-stifling muscles while using public toilets. The reason? The muscles engaged to hold in loud and embarrassing farts are also muscles involved in preventing further urination.

Following the results of the study, governments have taken action to instigate cultural change surrounding our habits. Countries such as Sweden and Japan are actively encouraging men to sit while peeing.

So there you have it. If you’re sitting reading this article on the John, rest easy. You’re onto a winner, and your prostate will thank you.

 

I am looking forward to watching the activities and discoveries of InSight on Mars.

https://www.space.com/42607-insight-mars-lander-solar-power-record.htm

 

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/insight-is-catching-rays-on-mars

 

You'll probably like this then Ski. Rare unseen footage from the Apollo 11 mission...………….

 

now now stroller
we have a conspiracy thread

 

Ha! Ha!

 

A very interesting 3D interactive guide through IS tunnels.

It is a bit fiddly, but nonetheless, a very enjoyable virtual exploration.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-5c6bc253-d161-41f4-8501-4e7cacf047d5

 

Maybe the EU are stockpiling these before launching their EuroArmy.....

Are these robots the future of warfare? - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-46432390/are-these-robots-the-future-of-warfare

 

Autonomous Lethal Weapons will be the future.

Where is the thin line of ethics between today’s man assisted drones, A.I. assisted weapons and fully autonomous weapons?

It was once SciFi and soon it may be reality?

 

An amazingly successful project from the 1970’s

Nasa's Voyager 2 probe 'leaves the Solar System' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46502820

 

Anybody in a high rise need their windows washed?

Window washing drone takes flight - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-46292361/window-washing-drone-takes-flight

 

'It was the only colourful thing in the Universe' - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stori...tronauts-took-the-famous-earthrise-photograph