Prison inmates in Ohio made a computer hidden in the ceiling, which was connected to the prisons network.
Facebook Rolled out Education Features to Combat Anti-Vax Propaganda
It’s amazing that in 2019, a lot of parents out there buy into the anti-vaccination rhetoric and expose their kids (and others’) to potential harm.
That’s why it’s encouraging that Facebook has taken steps to fight harmful misinformation and “fake news” that appeals to these anti-vaxxers. On Facebook, informational windows will pop up when a person searches for anything related to vaccines, taps related hashtags on Instagram (which Facebook owns), or visits vaccine-related pages and groups.
@facebook will be debuting an educational pop-up window on its platforms to direct users to trusted and reliable sources to help combat the spread of #vaccine misinformation — @CNN https://t.co/ikyR6B304H
— Vaccine Finder (@VaccineFinder) September 5, 2019
Furthermore, in the U.S., users can use pop-up windows to connect to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to read about accurate, credible information about vaccines. If you live outside the U.S., you can connect to the World Health Organization through the pop-up windows.
A spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the organization is fully onboard with the move by Facebook:
“We know that parents often turn to social media to access health information and connect with other parents, and it can be difficult to determine what is accurate and who the credible sources of information are. [Combating] vaccine myths and misinformation is a shared responsibility and we applaud these efforts.”
A new feature is rolling out on Facebook and Instagram to combat the spread of anti-vaccine misinformation.Facebook,…
Posted by Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services on Friday, September 6, 2019
Health experts have said that anti-vaccination information online has played a large role in fewer people getting vaccinated against diseases and that has led to outbreaks in measles and other illnesses—in fact, the US is close to having its status as a measles-free country. So this is very timely and very important.
There’s a lot of information about #vaccines online, but not all of it is accurate. Find credible, expert-approved information at https://t.co/jDq2UIHFmT.
— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) April 30, 2019
Nice work, Facebook. Let’s see more of this in regard to the spread of misinformation, because we all know how harmful that can be to Americans and others around the world.
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This German Train Only Emits Water
With the climate change debate heating up around the world, it’s no surprise that some countries are looking for more and better ways to cut carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
The train, dubbed the Coradia iLint, was developed over the course of just two years and runs on hydrogen fuel cellls combined with a lithium-ion battery to run its engine.
#france #coradiailint #energy #electricity #alstomRight now, Germany alone employs 4,000 diesel trains, but the iLint is expected to change that – and to drastically reduce the country’s carbon emissions in the process.
The trains have hydrogen fuel tanks on the roof and huge lithium ion batteries as part of their engines; they can travel 500 miles per day at speeds of up to 87 miles per hour. They give off only steam as a byproduct, and the only sound you’ll hear on board or as they whoosh past is the wheels and the air resistance.
Adam&Autumn Joseph 
Alstom (the company that builds the iLint), issued the following statement:
“Alstom is proud to launch a breakthrough innovation in the field of clean transportation. It shows our ability to work in close collaboration with our customers and develop a train in only two years.”
Hydrogen power works when hydrogen is burned with oxygen to produce huge amounts of energy. NASA has used liquid hydrogen and oxygen to propel rockets since the 1970s, but cost (and probably political lobbying) has kept it from being widely used in the consumer market until very recently.
There’s also the fact that in order to get hydrogen, you have to use electricity to split water into its constituent elements – and if you’re using electricity from a coal plant, hydrogen doesn’t wind up being that clean of a fuel. But if you’re using wind power, it can be totally emissions free!
Now, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway are all interested in buying some iLint trains of their own, and I can only assume more countries will follow.
Maybe there is some hope for the future after all.
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Check out This Artist’s Amazing Steampunk Sculptures Made out of Broken Watches
Dan Tanenbaum‘s work is pretty mindblowing. The Toronto-based artist utilizes old watch parts and makes incredible “steampunk“-inspired art pieces.
A lot of Tanenbaum’s creations are miniature motorcycles, but, as you’ll see in these photos, he makes plenty of other one-of-a-kind objects as well.
Take a look at these, you’ll be blown away.
1. A mini chopper.
2. Steampunk teddy bear.
3. The details are amazing.
4. Rip it up!
5. Big wheel bagger.
6. Sweet pair of Jordans.
7. A pride motorcycle.
8. The Knight Rider.
9. Heart like a hand grenade.
10. Get a load of this skull.
11. Luke, I am your father.
12. A café racer.
13. Vintage hot rod.
14. Encrusted concrete robot.
15. This is so cool.
I’m blown away by how amazing Tanenbaum’s work is. Simply incredible!
Which piece is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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A Corpse on a Body Farm Was Caught Moving
This can safely be filed under: Nightmare Fuel.
Apparently, corpses don’t stop moving for up to a year after death, due to the various decomposition processes they go through.
Which makes me wonder how many of those bells rang at Victorian gravesides even though the people in the coffins were, in fact, dead.
Yikes.
Australia 
Netherlands 
Canada 
and now ……….. the UK! 
Rumour has it that a taphonomic facility is in the works to add to global research (@nature.research) #bodyfarm #taphonomy #taphonomic #skeleton #bones #science #forensicscience #anthropology #bioarchaeologyThe research that brought you this lovely tidbit of macabre information comes from an Australian body farm (a place where scientists study how bodies decompose in order to improve forensic techniques.
In a time-lapse video containing images taken every 30 minutes over a period of 17 months, researchers saw movement for far longer than they expected to – over a year and a half in some cases. In an interview with ABC News Australia, the authors said they believe the movements were mostly the result of drying ligaments.
“What we found was that the arms were significantly moving, so that arms that started off down beside the body ended up out to the side of the body.”
) #humanremains #decomposition #remains2beseen #ediblebodyfarm #decay #deliciousdecay #taphonomy #bodyfarm #anthroplogyThey’ve yet to publish their study, but hope their findings will continue to add to a body of research that helps police solve murders, among other things.
“This research is very important to help law enforcement to solve crime and it also assists in disaster investigations. It’s important for victims and victims’ families, and in a lot of cases it gives the victim a voice to tell their last story.”
Just an FYI: Body farms exist all over the world, and they depend on body donations from people looking to assist science after they’ve expired.
I say you might as well be helpful. Either way, you’re just going to be decomposing.
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A Tree-Planting Search Engine Saw a 1150% Increase in Use After the Amazon Rainforest Fires
Step aside, Google. An eco-friendly search engine saw a 1150% increase in daily downloads in a single day after the Amazon rainforest fires.
Ecosia is a search engine that uses 80 percent of its profits from advertisements to plant millions of trees in Brazil, Ethiopia, and other emerging economies, Business Insider reports. The website claims to have planted 65 million trees to date – an impressive number.
Usually, Ecosia sees about 20,000 downloads per day. But recently, large swaths of the Amazon went up into flames in an urgent environmental disaster. As more people became aware of what was going on, people began using Ecosia en masse in an attempt to help combat the damage.
Photo Credit: iStock
On August 22, the company experienced 250,000 downloads in a single day, but the record-breaking moment was bittersweet for Ecosia.
“We had our team meeting and people were, on the one side, very happy because of the numbers but also very sad because of the forest fires,” Christian Kroll, Ecosia’s chief executive, told Business Insider. “So it’s both exciting and a tragic occurrence.”
The sudden burst in popularity is largely thanks to word-of-mouth. The app is frequently mentioned by Instagram and Twitter users who are spreading the word about the rainforest fires. Ecosia is now the top-ranked iOS app in Brazil.
Photo Credit: iStock
The Amazon rainforest experienced over 72,000 fires this year so far, an 83 percent increase from 2018. This is partly because of dry weather, and party because Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has walked back a decade’s worth of environmental protections. His actions have given cover to thousands of illegal farmers and ranchers to light fires to burn down forest to create more arable land for them to use. It’s a difficult situation because many of them have no other way to earn income, but the damage they’ve done to the forest – and thus to the world – is enormous.
Christian says he was inspired to start Ecosia after learning about environmental damage during his travels to South America and Nepal.
“In my opinion, planting trees helps people and the environment at the same time,” he said. He’s right.
He founded Ecosia in 2009, but it doesn’t do all that search work on its own. It partners with Microsoft’s search engine Bing to power its search results and display ads.
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This Artist Uses Illustrations to Try to Tackle Some of Society’s Problems
And though there are a hundred different ways to discuss the impact of what’s wrong with the world, art is one of the most poignant and, for many people, the most relatable without being preachy.
If you’re an art lover, or someone who enjoys pretty, scathing commentary, these 18 images are going to take your breath away.
18. Well, that’s an awful image to consider.
17. Why have we let governments do this to people forever?
16. There won’t be anything else for penguins to live on, soon.
15. My heart is breaking.
#iconeo #globalwarming #climatechange #climatechangeisreal #polarbear #arctic #climateaction #animallovers #motherearth #illustrationartists #illustratorsoninstagram #vectorart #vectorillustration #picame #streetartglobe #simplycooldesign #supplyanddesign #thedesigntip #antarctica #bear #graphicroozane #creativehappylife #creativeart #creativeminds14. I’d like to be able to break this addiction, myself.
#shoppingqueen #consumption #consumelocal #capitalism #cocaine #drugsdontwork #wasteofmoney #moneymaker #moneymoneymoney #iconeo #minimalism #lessismore #buylocal #streetart #ethicallymade #streetartglobe #thedesigntip #picame #illustrationartists #illustratorsoninstagram #creativehappylife #creativeart #creativeminds #awareness #mindfulliving #zerowaste13. How often do we stop and wonder what the other person is thinking?
Please, don‘t forget to credit me when you share it (with @iconeo in the caption). Thanks 
#iconeo #samethoughts #helpinghand #helpinghands #thoughtful #awareness #empathy #courage #moralcourage #illustrationartist #makeartnotwar #artivist #ecodesign #graphicart #contemporaryart #dontlookaway #socialwork #artgallery #ethical #adobeillustrator #illustration #illustrator #comicart #streetart #designstudio12. And everyone loves turtles, you know?
11. Heartbreaking to think of what’s happening in the Arctic.
#penguin #iconeo #penguins #globalwarming #climateaction #animalillustration #graphicart #vectorillustration #illustrationartists #illustrationart #picame #supplyanddesign #simplycooldesign #leonardodicapriofoundation #nationalgeographic #greenpeace #sustainability #illustrator #illustration #contemporaryart #creativehappylife #vaniladesign #thedesigntip #behance #artistsofig10. I wonder how many people would notice?
I do. #aliens #extraterrestrial #ufo #invisible #iconeo #illustratorsofinstagram #artiststudio #artistsofig #creativeminds #creativehappylife #creativeart #picame #thedesigntip #society #simplycooldesign #supplyanddesign #vaniladesign #illustree #behance #graphicart #illustration #art #designstudio #design #vectorart #vectorillustration #alien #modernlife #streetartglobe #artfido9. A few companies have recently vowed to stop these practices – about time.
8. It’s not subtle but it does make its point.
Litter dropped on the street doesn‘t stay there. Rainwater and wind carries plastic waste into streams and rivers. 7. You wouldn’t do that, would you?
#plasticpollution #iconeo #plasticfree #plasticocean #oceancleanup #oceanart #ocean #plastic #strawlessocean #stopsucking #contemporaryart #zerowaste #sustainability #creativehappylife #illustrationartists #illustrator #illustration #illustrationart #illustrationartist #fish #aquarium #aquariumlife #fishlife #artfido #graphicart #ecodesign #picame #artistsagainstplastics @gretathunberg #gretathunberg6. How much stuff do we need, really?
5. Another one that’s straight to the point.
#earthday #earthday2018 #iconeo #illustratorsofinstagram #earth #savetheearth #motherearth #savetheplanet #sustainable #sustainability #artistsofig #creativeart #creativehappylife #creativeminds #art #behance #vectorart #vectorillustration #awareness #noplastic #organic #ecology #ecodesign #consumelocal #consuming #consumption #society @gretathunberg #gretathunberg4. They need us as much as we need them.
Had this idea when I designed the shirt for @veganveins Who has the space and money to realise it? 
#mosaic #savethebees #iconeo #bees #design #typography #designinspiration #naturelovers #typedesign #picame #thedesigntip #behance #supplyanddesign #simplycooldesign #thedesigntalks #graphicroozane #graphicdesignblg #newyork #berlin #paris #vegansofig #veganshoes #veganart #savetheplanet #savetheearth #ecodesign #urbangardening3. There’s more than one way to do almost everything.
2. Talk to your neighbors.
1. A literal representation of the Earth in a few short years.
#iconeo #globalwarming #climatechange #climateaction #sustainability #sustainableliving #ecological #consciousliving #climatechangeisreal #illustrator #illustrationartists #illustratorsofinstagram #artwork #graphicart #creativehappylife #creativeart #designforgood #picame #designstudio #ecodesign #ecowarrior #vectorart #streetartglobe #savetheearth #globetrotter #savetheplanet #nytimes #gretathunberg @gretathunberg
These illustrations definitely did their job because they made me think (and also feel sad and guilty and like it’s time to do something – past time).
If you loved them, make sure and follow the artist – Steffan Kraft, who also goes by the name Iconeo – on Instagram and Facebook.
How did they make you feel? We’d love to hear about it!
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Period Trackers Used by Millions of Women Are Sharing Your Sensitive Data with Facebook
A new research study showed that period tracking apps, including MIA Fem and Maya, have sent your personal information to Facebook. This not only includes when you’re on your period, but the type of contraception you use, how often you are having sex, and any PMS symptoms like mood swings.
When does the invasion of privacy stop?
Photo Credit: Pedro Sandrini, Pexels
“The data sharing with Facebook happens via Facebook’s Software Development Kit (SDK), which helps app developers incorporate particular features and collect user data so Facebook can show them targeted ads, among other functions. When a user puts personal information into an app, that information may also be sent by the SDK to Facebook.”
Great. So they know about your period because – you guessed it –advertising.
“Advertisers are often interested in people’s moods because it helps them strategically target ads to them at times they might be more likely to buy. And women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant are likely to change their shopping habits.”
When BuzzFeed News broke the story, the owner of the Maya app emailed a warning to BF, fighting back:
“As BuzzFeed has not been the intended recipient of the email, it should have never been shared with BuzzFeed and you as its representative,” the email said. “Considering that the unauthorized disclosure has already happened, we hereby urge you to erase all the material erroneously obtained without prevarication and delays. We shall be waiting on your confirmation of the erasure.”
“All data accessed by Maya are also essential to the proper functioning of the product. Predicting information pertaining to menstrual cycles is complex and dependent on thousands of variables,” the email added. “Location information, the significance of which is highlighted in the report, helps us triangulate regional variations in cycle lengths and thus help improve accuracy of our prediction over time.”
Right…as if a news agency that received info on a story ‘erroneously’ is required to delete the info because of its ‘erroneous’ origins. NOT.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
I mean, maybe they don’t share all your info, as they suggest, but there is residual proof that what their app collects can trigger certain ads even without specific information. Per Buzzfeed:
“MIA Fem asks users about all kinds of habits ranging from smoking to coffee consumption and tampon use. This data isn’t immediately shared with Facebook, Privacy International’s analysis found, but it enables MIA Fem to suggest articles to app users. Those articles — which are tailored to a user’s selected interests — are shared with Facebook. It also shared “reminders” within the app to take birth control medication with Facebook.”
Really what this is telling us is to read the terms of service before downloading an app. As consumers, we need to understand what information these companies are collecting. Sure, it might seem like a waste of time to read pages of legalese, but it just might save you the headache of your privacy being invaded.
Or maybe our government could step up and regulate an industry that is clearly flouting the reasonable standards of privacy that we’ve lived with in the law for generations? Or not. Whatever.
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Some Police Departments Can Now Monitor Neighborhoods Through Amazon’s Ring Doorbells
Ring, Amazon’s home security company, makes video doorbells that allow homeowners to answer the door from anywhere using their smartphone. In what some are calling an invasion of privacy, Amazon is now collaborating with law enforcement agencies to give them access to the video streams from Ring doorbells — though only in certain regions.
Amazon named 405 different law enforcement agencies currently working with Ring. Police can submit a request for a video recording of an incident from a Ring doorbell through Amazon’s neighborhood watch app, Neighbors Portal. Authorities can also view and comment on public posts on the app, where users are encouraged to share “tips” about criminal activity in their neighborhoods.
Giving access to these video streams will help police “make decisions about how to deploy emergency personnel,” Lifehacker reports.
Photo Credit: Amazon
Ring says it doesn’t provide personal information about its customers to the police without consent. When police request access to video footage, they don’t know where the request goes until the user chooses to share the video.
The company’s collaboration with the police doesn’t end there. Amazon has also pursued access to real-time emergency dispatch data to help push out alerts about crime activity. This data includes personally identifiable information, such as names and even precise GPS information.
So, how do you find out if this is happening in your city? Amazon posted an interactive map of all the law enforcement agencies they’re currently involved with. They include police departments in Miami, Phoenix, Houston, Denver and Detroit.
Photo Credit: Amazon
If you’re curious how ring works, check out this video:
I can see the appeal of giving law enforcement access to this data, I really can – but with all the data breaches and secret government surveillance programs we’ve dealt with, can we honestly say it’s a good idea for a private company to be helping law enforcement get video of what happens on our own doorsteps?
It seems like a short hop to panopticon.
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This Hack Reveals That Private Instagram Accounts Are Not so Private
It’s a battle keeping your photos and posts private on social media – no matter how many times you update your privacy settings, Facebook and Instagram always change them (Facebook owns Instagram).
And now there’s a creepy work around where your followers can easily get your photos and videos and share them. It doesn’t matter if your account is public or private – your followers can distribute your pics and vids either way.
And that’s not supposed to be the case.
Photo Credit: Pexels, energepic
Here’s how the simple hack works
- Open up Google Chrome
- Go to the Instagram photo you would like to ‘rip’ the URL from
- Right click anywhere in the browser
- Click “INSPECT”
- A side bar will open. Click on “NETWORK” at the top tool bar of the sidebar.
- Click IMG
Photo Credit: Google Chrome, Nicole Flasco
Below this tool bar a list of several small thumbnails with apear. You can right click the IMG and copy the web address. I tried it and this is a valid fact.
According to BuzzFeed News, this is possible for public feeds, “private feeds and stories” and “can be viewed, downloaded, and shared publicly…”
Is this the same as taking screen shots of photos?
A Facebook spokesperson says yes.
“The behavior described here is the same as taking a screenshot of a friend’s photo on Facebook and Instagram and sharing it with other people. It doesn’t give people access to a person’s private account.”
The report says no.
“There is a difference between being able to screenshot a private image from a webpage and being able to easily publicly share the URL of that private image with un-authenticated users. These public URLs contain some basic info about the photo or video they link to, including details about how it was uploaded and photo dimensions. They also prove authenticity; you can’t fake one. Beyond this, deleted photos and videos are being stored and accessed on Facebook’s content delivery network after a person took an action to remove them from their profile.”
Photo Credit: Pixabay
The other issue with ripping the URL is traceability. All of your IG and Facebook data is hosted by the social media company’s content delivery network. Currently, Instagram tracks who sees your content. However, if someone grabs the URL, traceability is lost. Now your photos can be used without your permission, and you’d never even know they were floating around the internet.
We’ve all heard the news about Zuckerburg and the privacy issues Facebook has gone through in the past. He promised users that Facebook would shift to being a privacy focused network. So far, I’m not sure things have gotten better.
It this a flaw in Facebook’s security? Or is it unavoidable given internet browser permissions to view HTML? Let us know what you think!
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