Can Google cure death?

Internet search √

Self driving car √

Death ?

I see two reasons not to proceed with this:

1. We already know how to extend life substantially: eat more fruit & vegetables, cut down on salt, sugar, alcohol, tobacco, red meat & animal fat. Get more (gentle) exercise.

2. By 2050 it is expected that we will be trying to feed twice as many people as we can't feed now. That's with current mortality rates. If the mortality rate fell, population growth would be even greater.

Life extension methods listed above are cheap, or in some cases, cash positive (less alcohol, tobacco, red meat). If the Google project is successful & substantial life extension becomes available to all, & unlike the currently available life extension methods, people choose to use them, without an equally substantial fall in the birth rate, the resulting population explosion will make the 2050 prediction above, seem like a mere fire cracker.

On the other hand, perhaps the life extension methods listed above represent all of the cheap measures, & Google will discover something (or somethings) that are only available to the wealthy. In this case, the actual increase in population will be smaller (depending on just how expensive life extension is), but will cause a disproportionate increase in pollution & other forms of environmental degradation, because, all other things being equal, the wealthier a person is, the more of the world's resources can be consumed, with proportionately greater impact on the environment.

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/google-is-launching-a-company-that-hopes-to-cure-death-2013-9#share

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2152422,00.html&sa=U&ei=PbRGUsKWL6f_iAee7YGgBQ&ved=0CCMQFjAD&usg=AFQjCNE6VmyG24Oj2K4DTZXkonnB5RVmNQ

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/bill-gates-on-calico-2013-9

http://www.digitaltrends.com/opinion/google-calico-disrupting-death/ / health food longevity mortality lifespan illness disease meat animal fat sugar fruit vegetable vegetables red fish protein gentle exercise glycemic index saturated fat diet cholesterol alcohol cigarette cigarettes tobacco carcinogen tobacco smoking lung cancer emphysema nutrition saturated unsaturated monounsaturated polyunsaturated fat fats animal protein nutrient antioxidant vitamin mineral carbohydrate calico /

Growth of mobile malware

Increasing use of smartphones & resulting volumes of personal & financial information on those devices mean that criminals will find them increasingly attractive targets.

http://www.idgconnect.com/blog-abstract/3676/the-growth-mobile-malware / mobile malware emerge from proof-of-concept proof of concept stag tool cyber criminal criminals cybercriminal cybercriminals make money illegally huge growth mobile malware different factors factor huge numbers number smart phone phones smartphones variety interesting data stored device device contact contacts photograph photographs text SMS messages message banking credentials credential network social networking logins login log in growing use mobile devices device business lack of awareness organization organizations organisation organisations mobile threats threat survey commissioned 55% businesses considered mobile devices work place workplace serious threat threats variety varieties mobile malware types SMS Trojans SMS messages premium rate premium-rate numbers number potential victims victim persuaded download Trojan application masquerade masquerades adult content cyber criminal criminals cybercriminals cybercriminal search engine optimisation techniques product appear top web searches search Trojans designed steal confidential data device Internet exercise exercising remote control over compromised devices co-ordinate co-ordinating cybercriminal activities download downloading downloads functionality new configuration informatio malware already installed banking Trojan target private banking data mobile variant notorious ZeuS banking Trojan intercepts SMS messages measage authentication bank transactions transaction allowing cybercriminals assume victim victims victim's online identity focused theft thief steal social networking login credentials credential stealing personal information social networking sites potential piece information together commit identity theft securing secure mobile data mobile malware growing volume sophistication only part of the picture increasing increase amounts data being stored mobile devices including confidential business data device unprotected password passwords PIN PINs data stored seldom encrypted encrypt devices lose steal stolen theft thief increasing risk data leakage task secure securing data become harder business businesses employee employees increasingly conduct business outside workplace work place heterogeneous mix endpoint devices hard harder manage geographically distributed diverse businesses growing threat from mobile malware risk data leakage future mobile malware growth continue increase increasingly conduct business sensitive transactions via mobile devicefollow the money mobile banking shopping popular popularity threats target targeting these devices financial data key target personal data harvested frame targeted attacks societal level combat increase mobile malware development legislative framework well developed legislation cross border cross-border co-operation law enforcement agencies market regulation harder set up affiliate network allow successful monetisation SMS-Trojans Russia China technology anti-malware whitelisting blacklisting whitelist blacklist encryption centralized centralised policy management and enclosing of personal and business data (a result of the BYOD trend network Red October targeted attack harvested data /

iOS 7 makes your iPhone waterproof?

Credit: 4Chan/ The Telegraph

After seeing the ad above, would you drop your iPhone in a bucket of water? Apparently the people who tweeted:

"Whoever said iOS7 was waterproof **** you."

&

"Wtf iOS7 isn't waterproof!! Now my phone's at the bottom of the river."

did.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/10330414/iOS-7-users-destroy-iPhones-after-fake-waterproof-advert.html / fake commercial almost identical appeared Apple's Apple poster advertising image images iPhone white background accompanied neat text update iOS 7 become waterproof poster read emergency smart switch smartswitch smart-switch shut off phone smartphone smart phone phone's power supply corresponding components prevent damage iPhone's delicate circuitry explained bottom poster was a promise waterproofing waterproof water proof water proofing covered Apple's warranty policy share sharing shared social media sites user users encouraging people try new feature angry complaints appeared fooled practical joke prank started controversial forum 4Chan chequered history hosting faked material fake host hosted site came criticize criticized criticism fake screen shots posts iOS 7 /

Toxic load: blue-green algae's role in motor neuron disease

Credit: Mark Sadowski/ The Conversation

http://theconversation.com/toxic-load-blue-green-algaes-role-in-motor-neuron-disease-16041 / scientist scientists exposure blue-green algae linked increased incidence neuro degenerative neurodegenerative diseases neuro-degenerative neuro degenerative reason link mystery research published journal PLOS ONE answer algal toxin BMAA long been associated increased incidence motor neurone disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS hypothesis sceptics plausible mechanism theory team cell biologists ethnobotanists BMAA mimics mimic amino acid proteins protein L-Serine toxin amino acid body incorporates human proteins harmful low levels exposure BMAA over long periods ALS appears diagnosis death 3 years fruit bats Guam provided clues BMAA 40 years ago disease ethnobotanist Paul Cox jungles Pacific island Guam searching causes devastating neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Parkinson’s dementia like-complex ALS/PDC killed nearly half adult indigenous population Chamorros /

MacGyver's phone case

Credit: IN1/ The Gadgeteer

Tools:

• blue pen
• red pen
• Phillips head screwdriver
• flat head screwdriver
• kickstand
• nail file
• tweezers
• scissors
• toothpick

This is Swiss Army Knife meets phone case. MacGyver would have loved it!

Unfortunately, iPhone only, at least for now.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/09/25/if-macgyver-owned-an-iphone-he-would-probably-have-the-in1-case-on-it/ / smartphone smart phone case protect IN1 design designer designing designed IN1 case iPhone 5 5s Protect protects your nine useful accessories polycarbonate felt inside protect IN1 case TSA-compliant TSA compliant travel traveller traveling travelers Apple iOS device /

German group claims to have hacked Apple iPhone fingerprint scanner

Credit: Reuters

Recently, I reported on security concerns about reliance on the fingerprint scanner in the new iPhone 5s. At that time, it hadn't been hacked.

Now, just two days later:

Update: link below now broken, but yes, the fingerprint scanner was hacked – see the Reuters article.
http://istouchidhackedyet.com/

Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/23/us-iphone-hackers-idUSBRE98M01X20130923 / Reuters group German hackers crack cracking cracked iPhone fingerprint scanner Sunday two 2 days Apple Inc launched technology promise promised promises better protect devices criminal criminals snoop snooping snoopers seeking access claim verified embarrassment embarrass embarrassing Apple scanner smart phone smartphone new models Samsung Electronics Co Ltd run running Android OS operating system Google Inc. prominent iPhone security experts Reuters Chaos Computing Club CCC success succeed succeeded defeat defeated defeating Apple's Touch ID personally replicated the work Charlie Miller co-author iOS Hacker's Handbook work complete break Touch ID security secure secured new possibility attack attacking attacked attackers Apple representatives did not respond requests for comment CCC respected hack hacker hacking groups posted video website access accessing iPhone 5S fabricated print members member biometrics team had cracked new fingerprint reader few major high-tech features added latest version iPhone group targeted Touch ID knock down difficult crack fingerprints security secure Starbug Touch ID photograph photography photographing fingerprint user print printer printed printing transparent sheet create mold fake finger CCC similar processes crack vast majority fingerprint sensors market Dino Dai Zovi co-author author iOS Hacker's Handbook fool around hype over-hype make political point /

"Terminator" polymer can spontaneously self-heal in just two hours (video)

Credit: CIDETEC Centre for Electrochemical Technologies/ ExtremeTech

Cut, push together, two hours later, it's whole again!

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/166656-terminator-polymer-can-spontaneously-self-heal-in-just-two-hours#disqus_thread / self heal healing self-healing power skin powerful other contexts surrounded sensitive computer components sack sac soft material air water tight air-tight water-tight repairs could end technician suturing shut scalpel hole researcher Ibon Odriozola CIDETEC Centre for Electrochemical Technologies created polymer potential lead future material poly urea-urethane urea urethane elastomeric matrix network complex molecular interactions spontaneously cross link cross-link heal almost most any break this context word spontaneous material needs no outside intervention begin healing process catalyst extra reactant experiment experiments sample cut in half razor blade room temperature healed the cut 97% efficiency efficient just two hours reaction metathesis reaction to dub the material his terminator polymer reference Terminator 2′s 2 T-1000 apt comparison homogenous material resembles thick liquid T-1000′s interior self-healing materials requires catalyst no layering no word on how well it can heal itself over multiple separations potential technology extent life spans lift-spans some plastic parts repetitive strain often slowly acquire minute growing fractures group group’s main goal harder version formed into such parts itself polymer squishy somewhat soft research researcher researchers stretch a single piece to breaking by hand cut, not rigid enough to make parts from just yet self healing self-healing material big challenge artificial skin quickly stop up small wounds on its own potentially grants grant ability grow over time new units of the matrix could be incorporated as the material stretches and tears microscopic level graft artificial skin growing child might grow allow allows easy surgical work self-healing skin body stay shut up tight against germs germ healing mechanism proves robust enough material injected like an adhesive or a sealant impressive combination elasticity strength self healing self-healing advantage leaky window frames painful joints need of some padding stop bones from rubbing together protective coatings inventors search self healing self-healing protective coating top sheet top-sheet soak up small nicks return prior state thick piece cut video healed barely perceptible scar hope transparent coating that heals invisibly screen protectors research paper catalyst-free catalyst free room temperature room-temperature self-healing self healing elastomers based on aromatic disulfide metathesis /