openUReyes - Alternative News Blog

THE land of the insane would have us believe that free thinkers are the enemy and indoctrinated peons are model citizens. The corporate media would have us believe that Microsoft, which attacks Linux, actually “loves Linux” (because Microsoft’s CEO said so). We very much doubt that our existing readers believe the nonsense from Microsoft, but just in case, here is a refutation of some of the latest media propaganda. Microsoft is not the only one attacking Linux with software patents; its own patent trolls do too, so it’s not always so visible on the surface.
READ MORE: http://techrights.org/2015/10/01/microsoft-loves-linux-brainwash/

As cannabis prohibition laws crumble seemingly by the day, it’s allowing more research to be performed on this psychoactive substance that has long been a part of the human experience.

The first study to analyze the effects of cannabis on driving performance found that it caused almost no impairment. The impairment that it did cause was similar to that observed under the influence of a legal alcohol limit.

Researchers at the University of Iowa’s National Advanced Driving Simulator carried out the study, sponsored by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Institute of Drug Abuse, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
READ MORE: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/kind-study-finds-virtually-driving-impa...

Many economists and technologists believe the world is on the brink of a new industrial revolution, in which advances in the field of artificial intelligence will obsolete human labor at an unforgiving pace. Two Oxford researchers recently analyzed the skills required for more than 700 different occupations to determine how many of them would be susceptible to automation in the near future, and the news was not good: They concluded that machines are likely to take over 47 percent of today’s jobs within a few decades.
READ MORE: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/women-men-jobs-autom...

In today’s connected world, maintaining our privacy is an incredibly important topic to each of us, thus we welcome the questions and the feedback we’ve received since launching Windows 10.

Trust is a core pillar of our More Personal Computing vision, and we know we have to earn it. We’ve taken time to expand the documentation on our approach today with this blog, and new content we’re posting today for consumers and IT Pros, designed to complement our One Microsoft Privacy Policy. We look forward to the next round of questions and feedback on these new posts. I assure you that no other company is more committed, more transparent and listening harder to customers on this important topic than we are.
MORE BULLSHIT: http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/09/28/privacy-and-windows-10/

In a recent post Steve Burge reflects on how Free Software has managed to spread into tech companies in a big way, but then, those same tech companies have built walled gardens, cutting their clients off from all that freedom goodness.

And, of course, he’s right. Android, say, may be built on libre tech… Heck! All Google’s tech is based on GNU/Linux, Python and open database engines, but due to how their business model works, and the way the industry is set up, the trickle of freedom exists, but peters out well before it reaches the end user. The same goes for Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Valve, and many others. They are all free software users (or exploiters) as corporations, but none of them are much of a free software provider.
READ MORE: http://www.ocsmag.com/2015/09/18/2017-year-of-the-linux-desktop/

In a series of drills this week, the Marine Corps tested whether a new four-legged companion had what it takes to work with infantrymen in a variety of situations. The subject of the tests was Boston Dynamics' Spot robot, a 160-pound, hydraulicly actuated quadruped robot first revealed by the Google (soon to be Alpahbet) subsidiary in February.

Spot was brought to the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, home of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, by a team from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. DARPA has tested a number of previous robots from Boston Dynamics, including the BigDog quadruped robot, with the Marine Corps. Ben Swilling, a roboticist with DARPA who accompanied Spot for the tests, said "I think a robot like Spot has tons of opportunities we could use it for, like scouting or load carriage."
READ MORE: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/09/marines-give-googl...

To remedy the housing crisis, as well as the increasing demand for economical and sustainably-produced living spaces, many architects are experimenting with 3D printing.

One such designer is Ma Yihe, the owner of the private firm WinSun. According to BBC News, WinSun managed to produce 10 full-sized, detached single-story houses in just ONE day – a monumental achievement.
READ MORE: http://www.techswarm.com/2015/09/revolutionary-3d-printer-can-build-10.html

As the global drone arms race continues to expand, so do the counter measures.

The proliferation of commercial drones, in particular, is expected to present new challenges to an increasingly crowded sky. Among commercial and military drones is the potential for swarms of micro-drones that can be hidden in plain sight … at least to the naked eye. However, drones are never hidden from the electromagnetic spectrum.

A UK defense firm announced that it is working on a comprehensive defense shield that aims to “control the electromagnetic spectrum” – electronic warfare. It will not only identify drones that are a threat either to populations or critical infrastructure such as nuclear facilities, military installations, and seats of government, but also will have the ability to hijack the aircraft and remove it from the area.
READ MORE: http://www.activistpost.com/2015/09/electronic-drone-warfare.html

You might be in the process of acquiring Windows 10—whether you want the free upgrade or not. Microsoft has confirmed that it is “helping upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they need” in the event that owners decide to migrate to the new OS, even if they have heretofore passed up on "reserving" their free upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.

The issue seems to revolve around the Microsoft update KB3035583, and as such it appears to only afflict individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates. As far as we can tell, if you have automatic updates turned off, Windows 10 won't be pre-loaded onto your PC.
READ MORE: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/09/microsoft-is-downl...

The TSA is learning a basic lesson of physical security in the age of 3-D printing: If you have sensitive keys—say, a set of master keys that can open locks you’ve asked millions of Americans to use—don’t post pictures of them on the Internet.

A group of lock-picking and security enthusiasts drove that lesson home Wednesday by publishing a set of CAD files to Github that anyone can use to 3-D print a precisely measured set of the TSA’s master keys for its “approved” locks—the ones the agency can open with its own keys during airport inspections.
READ MORE: http://www.wired.com/2015/09/lockpickers-3-d-print-tsa-luggage-keys-leak...