China retail gas, diesel prices to rise 1pc | South China Morning Post

China announced on Friday a small hike of a 100 yuan (HK$125.3) per tonne, or roughly 1 per cent, to its retail gasoline price ceiling and a 95 yuan increase to diesel, effective Saturday, largely offsetting a previous cut early this month.

China started a new fuel pricing system in March that has a closer link to the cost of crude oil.

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Source: http://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/1266016/china-retail-gas-diesel-prices-rise-1pc

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PlayStation 3 firmware update coming June 27th, promises to fix bricked systems

Are you one of the "small number" of folks with a PlayStation 3 that was bricked in this week's 4.45 firmware update? Though Sony's been aware of the issue since the update launched, apparently a fix isn't coming until June 27th -- that's nine days after 4.45 launched to an unsuspecting populace. The PlayStation Europe Twitter account announced as much this morning in a tweet. "We have identified the issue related to PS3 software update (4.45) that impacted a small number of PS3 systems earlier this week," the feed reads.

"A new system software update is planned to be released on June 27 that resolves that issue," it adds. There's also a bit of an apology, but that won't do much for the folks who are without their PlayStation 3 for the next six days. PlayStation's US arm also confirmed that the update will arrive in North America on the same date.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony

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Via: The Verge

Source: Sony, @PlayStationEU

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/21/playstation-3-firmware-update/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection

June 20, 2013 ? Duke University biomedical engineers and genome researchers have developed a proof-of-principle approach using light to detect infections before patients show symptoms.

The approach was demonstrated in human samples, and researchers are now developing the technique for placement on a chip, which could provide fast, simple and reliable information about a patient. A diagnostic device based on this chip also could be made portable.

The researchers developed a silver-based nanoparticle that homes in on a specific molecular marker that spills into the bloodstream at the first stages of an infection. When light is aimed at the sample, the nanoparticle attached to a molecular marker will reflect a distinct optical fingerprint.

"We have demonstrated for the first time that the use of these nanoprobes can detect specific genetic materials taken from human samples," said Tuan Vo-Dinh, the R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke' Pratt School of Engineering and director of The Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics at Duke. He is also a professor of chemistry.

The results of the Duke experiments appear online in the journal Analytica Chimica Acta. Hsin-Neng Wang, a post-doctoral fellow in Vo-Dinh's laboratory, was the first author of the paper.

In this interdisciplinary project, the Vo-Dinh team collaborated closely with scientists at Duke's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) who have developed a method of measuring the host's response to infection through RNA profiling.

The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Projects Agency, the Department of Defense and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.

In the Duke experiments, the nanoprobes are used in conjunction with a phenomenon first described in the 1970s known as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). When light, usually from a laser, is shined on a sample, the target molecule vibrates and scatters back in its own unique light, often referred to as the Raman scatter. However, this Raman response is extremely weak.

"When the target molecule is coupled with a metal nanoparticle or nanostructure, the Raman response is greatly enhanced by the SERS effect -- often by more than a million times," said Vo-Dinh, who has been studying the potential applications of SERS for decades.

"This important proof-of-concept study now paves the way for the development of devices that measure multiple genome-derived markers that will assist with more accurate and rapid diagnosis of infectious disease at the point of care," said Geoffrey Ginsburg, director of genomic medicine at the IGSP, executive director of the Center for Personalized Medicine at Duke Medicine, and a professor of medicine and pathology.

"This would guide care decisions that will lead to more effective treatment and improved outcomes of antimicrobial therapy," Ginsburg said. "Point-of-care diagnostics holds great promise to accelerate precision medicine and, more importantly, help patients in limited-resource settings gain access to molecular testing."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/bB4VZQVAqos/130620162846.htm

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PFT: Mangold says Jets want Sanchez as QB

AP

He who represents himself has a fool for a client.? That adage usually arises in connection with courtroom proceedings, where the litigant?s emotional attachment to the outcome will skew his efforts ? even if he otherwise has the skill.

It also has some application in the NFL, where nearly every player has someone representing him when it comes to negotiating with teams.

For rookie contracts in the age of a true wage scale, it?s not nearly as critical.? That?s why it won?t hurt players like Ravens first-rounder Matt Elam, who?ll get the slotted deal available to the 32nd pick in the draft.

For veterans, however, it?s more complicated.? A skilled and honest agent (and, obviously, plenty are neither) can help compile evidence and fashion arguments to push back against the team?s legitimate belief that the player is worth less than what the circumstances otherwise suggest.? It?s not because teams are dishonest (and, obviously, some team employees are), but because teams necessarily will pooh-pooh the prospect of paying more because they?re the ones routinely doing the paying.

As a result, it?s awkward for the player to argue on his behalf why he?s a great player who deserves more than the team is offering.? Some guys (even football players) are too humble to do it, and some simply are so conditioned to defer to the notion of ?team? that they can?t and won?t disagree with the coach or the G.M.

That?s why all agents are very interested to see what 49ers defensive end Justin Smith got from the team via his recent two-year extension.? Smith confirmed on Wednesday that he negotiated the deal on his own, choosing not to hire a new firm after recently parting ways with CAA.

?At this point in my career ? my agent and stuff ? it wasn?t about that,? Smith said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.? ?It was about wanting to be here, wanting to play, having an opportunity to be on a great team.? And go for the championship.? That?s what it?s all about.? Having that opportunity, I feel real lucky.? Real fortunate.?

On one hand, the value of playing for a title means much more to the player than his agent.? (After all, the agent doesn?t get three percent of the ring.)? On the other hand, Smith?s desire to pursue a championship easily can result in Smith taking less than he objectively deserved.

That said, it sounds like he wasn?t bashful during the negotiations.? Smith said that he ?was in there asking all these questions,? comparing it to having ?your first kid.?

Still, players may not know what questions to ask.? And they may not be able to respond to the points raised by the team in a way that pushes the team to give them more.

Smith added that, if/when he gets to the point where he?s not a full-time player, he?ll walk away.? In our view, there?s also a chance he?ll call if quits if the Niners get back to the Super Bowl and win it.

The real question is whether buyer?s remorse will creep into his brain, and whether he?ll act on it.? Much of it will depend on the reaction to the deal he did.? While Smith won?t be getting that kind of feedback from his agent, he may end up hearing it from other players who get it from theirs.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/19/nick-mangold-says-jets-want-mark-sanchez-to-be-their-starter/related/

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LIDAR reveals ancient city remnants beneath Cambodian jungle

LIDAR scanning has recently become cost-effective enough for archaeologists to use on large historical sites, and they're taking full advantage. A helicopter jaunt last year has revealed a massive urban site below the jungles near Angkor Wat in Cambodia that likely housed thousands of people. New canals, temples and other man-made structures were discovered during a two-day scan, which emitted up to 200,000 laser pulses per second and would have taken years if done by traditional excavation methods. The technique can scope out features as small as a footprint, and is also being used in cities around the Egyptian pyramids and other archaeologically interesting regions -- marking another way that Indy-style archeologists are becoming obsolete.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Source: MIT Technology Review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/20/lidar-reveals-ancient-city-beneath-cambodian-jungle/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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How Our Phones Leave a Telltale Trail (WSJ)

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NSA chief confirms leaker had access to personal data

WASHINGTON ? The NSA director confirmed to Congress today that leaker Edward Snowden had access to a highly sensitive database containing personal information that could be mined to track a target?s thoughts and actions and possibly predict future acts.

U.S. Army General Keith B. Alexander, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, told the Senate Appropriations Committee that Snowden ?had great skills as an IT (Internet Technology) system administrator.?

Alexander?s explanation came in response to a query by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., about how Snowden had advanced to trusted access to a treasure trove of secret NSA information. The 29-year-old had dropped out of high school and failed in his military experience, only to end up working for three months as a Booz Allen Hamilton employee in Hawaii under a contract with the NSA.

Alexander confirmed that Snowden, as a system administrator for Booz Allen, had access to ?a wide range of sensitive NSA information.?

Responding to Snowden?s claim that he could wiretap any phone call in the United States, Alexander said that?s false.

?I know of no way to do it,? the NSA chief said.

In defense of NSA surveillance activities, Alexander claimed the NSA data collection has prevented dozens of ?critical? terrorist events.

?We are less secure than we were two weeks ago,? Alexander further claimed, arguing Snowden?s leaks had jeopardized national security.

Snowden has access to PRISM technologies widely used by the federal government in law enforcement to collect, manage and mine macro-databases to track an individual?s personal information with the goal of profiling potential national security risks.

PRISM is an acronym for Personal Record Information System Methodology. PRISM software integrates Personally Identifiable Information, which includes name and address, with data records accessed from other sources. The sources include emails, text messages and telephone conversations.

PRISM system

A Department of Homeland Security document dated June 4, 2009, devoted to a privacy impact assessment for the DHS PRISM system, makes clear DHS was using a commercial off-the-shelf software program to drive the DHS PRISM system used primarily to administer and monitor DHS procurement contracts.

A similar Federal Aviation Administration PRISM system operates to manage and administer FAA outside contracts. The FAA PRISM system is contracted from Compusearch Software Systems Inc.

Similarly, the Department of Defense PRISM software is provided by Compusearch Software Systems Inc. and appears to be dedicated to managing Department of Defense acquisition and grants program.

The common characteristic is that PRISM software is designed to combine personal information with information obtained in various databases. For the FAA and DOD that includes contracting information, project management reports and financial accounting data.

The focus changes once the PRISM application has a law enforcement application.

Targeting ?persons of interest?

U.S. Secret Service PRISM-ID targets national security risks to determine who might be a potential risk to a person, place or event the Secret Service is charged to protect.

The U.S. Secret Service PRISM system appears to mirror the NSA PRISM system in its role of collecting personally identifiable information to protect the president and vice president and foreign heads of state visiting the United States.

A DHS document titled ?Privacy Impact Assessment Update for PRISM-ID,? dated Nov. 10, 2010, describes in detail the U.S. Secret Service PRISIM-ID computer technology.

The personally identifiable information obtained by the Secret Service PRISM-ID system includes the following collected on persons considered to be a potential threat to persons, events and facilities under Secret Service protection:

• Name and/or Alias;
• Address;
• E-mail Address;
• Date and/or Place of Birth;
• Social Security Number;
• Driver?s License/State ID Number;
• Passport Number;
• Alien Registration Number;
• FBI and/or State Criminal Record Identification Number;
• Prisoner Number;
• Identification Numbers issued by other foreign or domestic government units; and/or
• Case Number.

The purposes for which the Secret Service PRISM-ID system collects the data include:

• Develop threat assessments for protected persons by identifying cases of interest;
• Identify individuals who have previously come to the attention of the Secret Service;
• Identify suspects for investigations in which the subject is unknown;
• Report administrative case information to Secret Service management officials; and
• Report statistical case information to the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Management and Budget, and the U.S. Congress.

The sources of information include official reports, queries of government and public records systems, emails and telephone calls, in-person meetings and information posted on the Internet or developed through investigative efforts.

An international news source reporting on the U.S. Secret Service PRISM-ID system has produced the following graphic to display the range of websites available for PII data collection:

U.S. Secret Service PRISM-ID collects Personally Identifiable Information

Secret Service access to Internet search engine data permits the creation of subject profiles in which a particular targeted individual expresses interest.

The PRISM system uses sophisticated computer software to combine micro-targeted personally identifiable information with information about the individual obtainable from mining macro-database information. The system can find the activity of a specific individual by scanning macro-databases of all phone calls and Internet postings.

Once the micro-data is mined from the macro-database, a profile can be built of a particular person?s likely attitudes, interests, concerns, goals, ambitions and fears, affording the capability of surmising thoughts and feelings and predicting future actions.

Predictive algorithms are employed to assess whether or not the target is likely to take actions that pose a national security risk.

Source: http://www.wnd.com/2013/06/nsa-chief-confirms-leaker-had-access-to-personal-data/

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