Crunch time for Santa Anonymous toy drive

The annual Santa Anonymous toy drive is nearing the finish line, but there's still work to be done. The Salvation Army is still in need of boys and girls ...

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Anonymous

Anonymous. The young woman's face is blurred in the photo because she is 22 years old and lives in a high-risk area. Four years ago she started ...

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[FD] Notepad ++ NPPFtp Plugin Buffer Overflow

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Six-day Match!

December 18, 2015. Six-day Match! Anonymous donor will match next 83 Supporter sign-ups! Join before December 24th to have your Supporter ...

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Anonymous at NALIP

NALIP Stream · NALIP Stream · News & Updates · Member Work · NALIP Fellows · Industry Insights · Become a Member. 5sc. Anonymous. Quantcast.

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Djangoholics Anonymous Tickets

Djangoholics Anonymous tickets for the upcoming concert tour are on sale at StubHub. Sold out? Not for you. Buy and sell your Djangoholics ...

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5 Colorado Springs nonprofits receive anonymous donations totaling nearly $250K

Many nonprofits live and die by this motto: Every donation counts. It doesn't matter if it's pocket change or a big fat check. So imagine the reaction of ...

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Herbig Haro 24

This might look like a double-bladed lightsaber, but these two cosmic jets actually beam outward from a newborn star in a galaxy near you. Constructed from Hubble Space Telescope image data, the stunning scene spans about half a light-year across Herbig-Haro 24 (HH 24), some 1,300 light-years or 400 parsecs away in the stellar nurseries of the Orion B molecular cloud complex. Hidden from direct view, HH 24's central protostar is surrounded by cold dust and gas flattened into a rotating accretion disk. As material from the disk falls toward the young stellar object it heats up. Opposing jets are blasted out along the system's rotation axis. Cutting through the region's interstellar matter, the narrow, energetic jets produce a series of glowing shock fronts along their path. via NASA http://ift.tt/1k6olSs

Local Woman To Receive Kidney From Anonymous Donor

Christmas is the season for giving, or giving back. A few days before Christmas, a local woman will get a gift that is pretty high on her list.

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Anonymous Donor Hides $50k Check in Nonprofit's Nativity Scene

(AMARILLO, Texas) — The holidays are a season of giving. And in Amarillo, Texas, a staff meeting for a local non-profit turned downright joyous when ...

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When creating node as anonymous

[code]Notice: Undefined property: stdClass::$name in _node_resource_create() (line 315 of sites/all/modules/services/resources/node_resource.inc).

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Ocean City, MD's surf is at least 5.12ft high

Maryland-Delaware, December 23, 2015 at 08:00PM

Ocean City, MD Summary
At 2:00 AM, surf min of 2.11ft. At 8:00 AM, surf min of 2.61ft. At 2:00 PM, surf min of 3.01ft. At 8:00 PM, surf min of 5.12ft.

Surf maximum: 5.91ft (1.8m)
Surf minimum: 5.12ft (1.56m)
Tide height: 2.05ft (0.63m)
Wind direction: SSW
Wind speed: 12.44 KTS


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Ocean City, MD's surf is at least 6.02ft high

Maryland-Delaware, December 24, 2015 at 02:00AM

Ocean City, MD Summary
At 2:00 AM, surf min of 6.02ft. At 8:00 AM, surf min of 5.42ft. At 2:00 PM, surf min of 4.82ft. At 8:00 PM, surf min of 3.9ft.

Surf maximum: 7.03ft (2.14m)
Surf minimum: 6.02ft (1.84m)
Tide height: 0.58ft (0.18m)
Wind direction: SSW
Wind speed: 12.77 KTS


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[FD] KL-001-2015-008 : Dell Pre-Boot Authentication Driver Uncontrolled Write to Arbitrary Address

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-

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[FD] KL-001-2015-007 : Seagate GoFlex Satellite Remote Telnet Default Password

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-

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Anonymous

Anonymous. He is an elderly man who is worried about his wife. Two of her molars fractured, and this is causing her a lot of pain. Also, she is not able ...

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[FD] Samsung softap weak random generated password

================================================================ Samsung softap weak random generated password (This affects SmartTV and Printers) ================================================================ Information ********************** Vulnerability Type : Weak password Vulnerable Version : many Severity: Medium Author – Augusto Pereyra CVE-ID: CVE-2015-5729 (waiting) Twitter: @aedpereyra Description *********************** Samsung SoftAP WPA2-PSK weak password randomly generated. It’s possible intersept wpa2-psk handshake and crack the password using aircrack in a few hours Detailed description ************************** http://ift.tt/1PdV1GQ Severity Level: ========================================================= Medium Description: ========================================================== Vulnerable Product: [+] Samsung Smartvs with wifi included (Some of this firmware could be in process) ModelFirmware patchedX10P EUT-MST10PDEUCB-1210.0X10P UST-MST10PAUSCB-1300.0X10P UST-MST10PAUSCP-1302.0X10P IBRT-MST10PIBRCB-1104.0X12 EUT-MST12DEUCB-1111.4X12 UST-MST12AKUCB-1114.0X14H EUT-MST14DEUCB-1023.0X14H UST-MST14AKUCB-1100.4X14H CNT-MST14DCNCB-1010.0X14J CNT-MS14JDCNCB-1004.2X14J UST-MS14JAKUCB - 1102.5X14J EUT-MS14JDEUCB-1018.0NT14U EUT-NT14UDEUCB-1007.1NT14U UST-NT14UAKUCB-1008.0NT14U CNT-NT14UDCNCB-1003.1 [+] May be all printers Xpress series. Confirmed on M288OFW Vulnerable Parameter(s): [+] WPA2 password Advisory Timeline ************************ 20-Jul-2015- Reported 27-Jul-2015- Vendor Response 02-Dec-2015- Vendor Fixed some models 17-Dec-2015- Public disclosed Fixed Version: ***************** All version could be fixed if you read the workaround described in "Detailed Description" Reference ***************** http://ift.tt/1TUzySD http://ift.tt/1PdV1GQ

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[FD] PFSense <= 2.2.5 Directory Traversal

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ISS Daily Summary Report – 12/17/15

Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Status:  Today, Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the Mobile Serving System (MSS), surveyed the Mobile Transporter (MT) translation path and performed MT Checkouts.  The MSS was then powered down for the MT translation from Worksite 4 (WS4) to WS2.  The Translation Drive (TD) Integrated Motor Controller Assembly (IMCA)-A experienced an error shortly after the MT left WS4 which caused motion to stop.  Another error was experienced while trying to translate back to WS4.  Several attempts in different configurations were performed to move the MT back to WS4, but were unsuccessful.  The team has powered down the MT and powered up the MSS to Keep Alive using the Mobile Transporter Relay Assembly (MTRA).  The MT is currently braked but not latched.  Ground teams have completed surveys of the MT and surrounding areas, and are analyzing the video.  MCC-H and MCC-M are currently assessing impacts for upcoming Progress operations this weekend.   Habitability:  Today, Peake documented his recent observations related to human factors and habitability for the Habitability investigation.  Habitability assesses the relationship between crew members and their environment in order to better prepare for future long-duration spaceflights to destinations, such as near earth asteroids and Mars.  Observations recorded during 6 month and 1 year missions can help spacecraft designers determine how much habitable volume is required, and whether a mission’s duration impacts how much space crew members need.   Dose Distribution Inside the ISS – 3D (DOSIS 3D):  Kelly received passive radiation detectors from a Russian crewmember today and installed them in the Columbus module in the support of European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) DOSIS 3D investigation.  Data from the various active and passive radiation detectors installed in the ISS are used in the determination of the radiation field parameters absorbed doses and dose equivalents inside the ISS.  A concise three dimensional (3D) dose distribution map of all the segments of the ISS will be developed, based on this data and data from JAXA and NASA monitoring devices.   Space Headaches:   Peake completed another Daily Space Headaches questionnaire as part of his week-long series. The daily questionnaires are only scheduled immediately after arrival of a new crewmember to the ISS.  Weekly questionnaires will be completed in subsequent weeks.  Headaches can be a common complaint during spaceflight. The Space Headaches experiment will provide information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crew members in space.   Electromagnetic Levitation (EML) Operations:  Processing of samples in the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) EML facility continues for the fourth week.  The ongoing EML Batch 1 science experiments that are supported by EML utilize hardware that is ground commanded.  The multi-user facility EML electromagnetic levitator is designed for containerless materials processing in space. It covers research in the areas of meta-stable states and phases (e.g., investigations of nucleation and solidification kinetics in undercooled melts and the developing microstructure) and thermophysical properties of liquid metallic alloys at high temperatures.   Cygnus Cargo Operations:  Today, the USOS Crew participated in a Cygnus cargo conference with ground specialists.  Once complete, all three worked on transferring cargo from the Cygnus vehicle to ISS.   Crew Handover: The 45S crew participated in a handover from Kelly regarding lessons learned, and suggested on-orbit practices related to ISS systems and payloads. Kelly also provided some generic safety reminders and a review of the exercise equipment.   Today’s Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. BIOSIGNAL. Temperature check in Cryogem-03 Ultrasound 2 – Hardware Activation Ultrasound – Scan Prep Replacement of ИК0501 CO2 Filter Unit (БФ) Install БФ CO2 #165 (00068061R, СМ1РО_4_449_1, bag 249-17. Removed #163 – for disposal on Progress 428. Update IMS ТКГ 428 (DC1) Stowage and IMS Ops COSMOCARD. Setup. Starting 24-hr ECG Recording Cygnus Cargo Operations Tagup Ultrasound 2 Soyuz 719 Transfers and IMS Ops OBT Cygnus Emergency Procedure Review Ultrasound-2- Post-scan Ops Test activation of Vozdukh Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves [АВК СОА] [Aborted] OBT Cygnus Emergency Ops Ultrasound 2 – Data Export СОЖ Maintenance Cygnus Cargo Operations Ultrasound 2 – Deactivation WRS – fill from EDV for processing [Aborted] Bringing ODF up to date using ТК 719 delivered files Post-PE Hygiene Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation Photography of traces left by the Active Docking Mechanism Probe on the MRM1 Passive Mechanism Receiving Cone T2 Monthly Inspection Downlink docking cone internal surface photos to OCA Crew Preparation for PAO Event Preventive maintenance of MRM1 АСП Hatch Sealing Mechanism and Soyuz 719 hatch Preventive maintenance of DC1 АСП hatch sealing mechanisms and ТКГ 428 АСА hatch (DC1) ТК 719 Transfers and IMS Ops Health Maintenance System (HMS) – Food Frequency Questionnaire PAO Event CONTUR-2. P/L Assembly Setup on panel 418 Removal of ЛКТ (ТА251МБ) and ROM from ТКГ 428 (DC1) Place in SМ1РО_3_314_1, bag 353-8 (00037141R) Handover CONTUR-2. Experiment Session Ops В3 Fan Screen Cleaning in DC1 / Thermal Mode Control System [СОТР], 10.4.4 p. 10-9 (123) Inventory of rotation wrench set for [OHA] High Gain Antenna on RSOS/ r/g 0898 Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation Familiarization with PE procedures and ARED CONTUR-2. Experiment Session Ops Private Medical Conference HABIT – Experiment Ops On MCC GO ISS N2 Repress from Progress 428 (DC1) СрПК Section 2 HABIT – Applications Overviews OBT Cygnus Emergency Ops Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation CONTUR-2. De-installation of master arm with adapter from panel 418 Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation ISS N2 Repress from ТКГ428 (DC1) СрПК Section 2 (terminate) Handover of US cargo delivered on Soyuz 719 Handover of DOSIS 3D delivered on ТК 719 to US crew DOSIS 3D – installation ИП-1 sensor placement check SHD- questionnaire IMS ops Removal of GoPro camera in ТК 719. Transfer of Video to Hard Drive. Clearing flash card. Battery Charge. Stowage in ТК 719 RODF update on iPADs ECON-M. Observation and Photography URAGAN Observations and Photography Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media Installation of inserts to […]

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Juniper Firewalls with ScreenOS Backdoored Since 2012

Juniper Networks has announced that it has discovered "unauthorized code" in ScreenOS, the operating system for its NetScreen firewalls, that could allow an attacker to decrypt traffic sent through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). It's not clear what caused the code to get there or how long it has been there, but the release notes posted by Juniper suggest the earliest buggy versions of

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Shocking! Instagram HACKED! Researcher hacked into Instagram Server and Admin Panel

Ever wonder how to hack Instagram or how to hack a facebook account? Well, someone just did it! But, remember, even responsibly reporting a security vulnerability could end up in taking legal actions against you. An independent security researcher claims he was threatened by Facebook after he responsibly revealed a series of security vulnerabilities and configuration flaws that allowed

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[FD] Executable uninstallers are vulnerable^WEVIL (case 12): Avira Registry Cleaner allows arbitrary code execution with escalation of privilege

Geminids of the South

Earth's annual Geminid meteor shower did not disappoint, peaking before dawn on December 14 as our fair planet plowed through dust from active asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Captured in this southern hemisphere nightscape the meteors stream away from the shower's radiant in Gemini. To create the image, many individual frames recording meteor streaks were taken over period of 5 hours. In the final composite they were selected and registered against the starry sky above the twin 6.5 meter Magellan telescopes of Carnegie Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Rigel in Orion, and Sirius shine brightly as the Milky Way stretches toward the zenith. Near Castor and Pollux the twin stars of Gemini, the meteor shower's radiant is low, close to the horizon. The radiant effect is due to perspective as the parallel meteor tracks appear to converge in the distance. Gemini's meteors enter Earth's atmosphere traveling at about 22 kilometers per second. via NASA http://ift.tt/22acbu1

Comments not showing for anonymous on SOME pages

On some pages (all page type "Page"), comments are not displaying for anonymous visitors. Other pages (same type) are displaying all the comments ...

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I have a new follower on Twitter

John Scotland
I help entrepreneurs make dynamic video content. Filmmaker, Trainer. Give me a camera and slice of pizza and I'm happy! #brandyouvideo #video #VideoProduction
Liverpool, England
http://t.co/aW8iCgHf69
Following: 351 - Followers: 562

December 17, 2015 at 09:37PM via Twitter http://twitter.com/johnscotlandtv

Signal Representations on Graphs: Tools and Applications. (arXiv:1512.05406v1 [cs.AI])

We present a framework for representing and modeling data on graphs. Based on this framework, we study three typical classes of graph signals: smooth graph signals, piecewise-constant graph signals, and piecewise-smooth graph signals. For each class, we provide an explicit definition of the graph signals and construct a corresponding graph dictionary with desirable properties. We then study how such graph dictionary works in two standard tasks: approximation and sampling followed with recovery, both from theoretical as well as algorithmic perspectives. Finally, for each class, we present a case study of a real-world problem by using the proposed methodology.

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Differential Evolution with Event-Triggered Impulsive Control Scheme. (arXiv:1512.05449v1 [cs.NE])

Differential evolution (DE) is a simple but powerful evolutionary algorithm, which has been widely and successfully used in various areas. In this paper, an event-triggered impulsive control scheme (ETI) is introduced to improve the performance of DE. Impulsive control, the concept of which derives from control theory, aims at regulating the states of a network by instantly adjusting the states of a fraction of nodes at certain instants, and these instants are determined by event-triggered mechanism (ETM). By introducing impulsive control and ETM into DE, we hope to change the search performance of the population in a positive way after revising the positions of some individuals at certain moments. At the end of each generation, the impulsive control operation is triggered when the update rate of the population declines or equals to zero. In detail, inspired by the concepts of impulsive control, two types of impulses are presented within the framework of DE in this paper: stabilizing impulses and destabilizing impulses. Stabilizing impulses help the individuals with lower rankings instantly move to a desired state determined by the individuals with better fitness values. Destabilizing impulses randomly alter the positions of inferior individuals within the range of the current population. By means of intelligently modifying the positions of a part of individuals with these two kinds of impulses, both exploitation and exploration abilities of the whole population can be meliorated. In addition, the proposed ETI is flexible to be incorporated into several state-of-the-art DE variants. Experimental results over the CEC 2014 benchmark functions exhibit that the developed scheme is simple yet effective, which significantly improves the performance of the considered DE algorithms.

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Continuous online sequence learning with an unsupervised neural network model. (arXiv:1512.05463v1 [cs.NE])

The ability to recognize and predict temporal sequences of sensory inputs is vital for survival in natural environments. Based on many known properties of cortical neurons, a recent study proposed hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) sequence memory as a theoretical framework for sequence learning in the cortex. In this paper, we analyze properties of HTM sequence memory and apply it to various sequence learning and prediction problems. We show the model is able to continuously learn a large number of variable-order temporal sequences using an unsupervised Hebbian-like learning rule. The sparse temporal codes formed by the model can robustly handle branching temporal sequences by maintaining multiple predictions until there is sufficient disambiguating evidence. We compare the HTM sequence memory and other sequence learning algorithms, including the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and long short-term memory (LSTM), on sequence prediction problems with both artificial and real-world data. The HTM model not only achieves comparable or better accuracy than state-of-the-art algorithms, but also exhibits a set of properties that is critical for sequence learning. These properties include continuous online learning, the ability to handle multiple predictions and branching sequences, robustness to sensor noise and fault tolerance, and good performance without task-specific hyper-parameters tuning. Therefore the HTM sequence memory not only advances our understanding of how the brain may solve the sequence learning problem, but is also applicable to a wide range of real-world problems such as discrete and continuous sequence prediction, anomaly detection, and sequence classification.

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Unsupervised Feature Construction for Improving Data Representation and Semantics. (arXiv:1512.05467v1 [cs.AI])

Feature-based format is the main data representation format used by machine learning algorithms. When the features do not properly describe the initial data, performance starts to degrade. Some algorithms address this problem by internally changing the representation space, but the newly-constructed features are rarely comprehensible. We seek to construct, in an unsupervised way, new features that are more appropriate for describing a given dataset and, at the same time, comprehensible for a human user. We propose two algorithms that construct the new features as conjunctions of the initial primitive features or their negations. The generated feature sets have reduced correlations between features and succeed in catching some of the hidden relations between individuals in a dataset. For example, a feature like $sky \wedge \neg building \wedge panorama$ would be true for non-urban images and is more informative than simple features expressing the presence or the absence of an object. The notion of Pareto optimality is used to evaluate feature sets and to obtain a balance between total correlation and the complexity of the resulted feature set. Statistical hypothesis testing is used in order to automatically determine the values of the parameters used for constructing a data-dependent feature set. We experimentally show that our approaches achieve the construction of informative feature sets for multiple datasets.

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Deep Active Object Recognition by Joint Label and Action Prediction. (arXiv:1512.05484v1 [cs.AI])

An active object recognition system has the advantage of being able to act in the environment to capture images that are more suited for training and that lead to better performance at test time. In this paper, we propose a deep convolutional neural network for active object recognition that simultaneously predicts the object label, and selects the next action to perform on the object with the aim of improving recognition performance. We treat active object recognition as a reinforcement learning problem and derive the cost function to train the network for joint prediction of the object label and the action. A generative model of object similarities based on the Dirichlet distribution is proposed and embedded in the network for encoding the state of the system. The training is carried out by simultaneously minimizing the label and action prediction errors using gradient descent. We empirically show that the proposed network is able to predict both the object label and the actions on GERMS, a dataset for active object recognition. We compare the test label prediction accuracy of the proposed model with Dirichlet and Naive Bayes state encoding. The results of experiments suggest that the proposed model equipped with Dirichlet state encoding is superior in performance, and selects images that lead to better training and higher accuracy of label prediction at test time.

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Blind, Greedy, and Random: Ordinal Approximation Algorithms for Graph Problems. (arXiv:1512.05504v1 [cs.GT])

We study Matching, Clustering, and related problems in a partial information setting, where the agents' true utilities are hidden, and the algorithm only has access to ordinal preference information. Our model is motivated by the fact that in many settings, agents cannot express the numerical values of their utility for different outcomes, but are still able to rank the outcomes in their order of preference. Specifically, we study problems where the ground truth exists in the form of a weighted graph of agent utilities, but the algorithm receives as input only a preference ordering for each agent induced by the underlying weights. Against this backdrop, we design algorithms to approximate the true optimum solution with respect to the hidden weights. Perhaps surprisingly, such algorithms are possible for many important problems, as we show using our framework based on greedy and random techniques. Our framework yields a 1.6-approximation algorithm for the maximum weighted matching problem, a 2-approximation for the problem of clustering agents into equal sized partitions, a 4-approximation algorithm for Densest $k$-subgraph, and a 1.88-approximation algorithm for Max TSP as long as the hidden weights constitute a metric. Our results are the first non-trivial ordinal approximation algorithms for such problems, and indicate that in many situations, we can design robust algorithms even when we are agnostic to the precise agent utilities.

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An Empirical Comparison of Neural Architectures for Reinforcement Learning in Partially Observable Environments. (arXiv:1512.05509v1 [cs.NE])

This paper explores the performance of fitted neural Q iteration for reinforcement learning in several partially observable environments, using three recurrent neural network architectures: Long Short-Term Memory, Gated Recurrent Unit and MUT1, a recurrent neural architecture evolved from a pool of several thousands candidate architectures. A variant of fitted Q iteration, based on Advantage values instead of Q values, is also explored. The results show that GRU performs significantly better than LSTM and MUT1 for most of the problems considered, requiring less training episodes and less CPU time before learning a very good policy. Advantage learning also tends to produce better results.

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A thermodynamical approach towards multi-criteria decision making (MCDM). (arXiv:1512.05569v1 [cs.AI])

In multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problems, ratings are assigned to the alternatives on different criteria by the expert group. In this paper, we propose a thermodynamically consistent model for MCDM using the analogies for thermodynamical indicators - energy, exergy and entropy. The most commonly used method for analysing MCDM problem is Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The conventional TOPSIS method uses a measure similar to that of energy for the ranking of alternatives. We demonstrate that the ranking of the alternatives is more meaningful if we use exergy in place of energy. The use of exergy is superior due to the inclusion of a factor accounting for the quality of the ratings by the expert group. The unevenness in the ratings by the experts is measured by entropy. The procedure for the calculation of the thermodynamical indicators is explained in both crisp and fuzzy environment. Finally, two case studies are carried out to demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed model.

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Probabilistic Programming with Gaussian Process Memoization. (arXiv:1512.05665v1 [cs.LG])

Gaussian Processes (GPs) are widely used tools in statistics, machine learning, robotics, computer vision, and scientific computation. However, despite their popularity, they can be difficult to apply; all but the simplest classification or regression applications require specification and inference over complex covariance functions that do not admit simple analytical posteriors. This paper shows how to embed Gaussian processes in any higher-order probabilistic programming language, using an idiom based on memoization, and demonstrates its utility by implementing and extending classic and state-of-the-art GP applications. The interface to Gaussian processes, called gpmem, takes an arbitrary real-valued computational process as input and returns a statistical emulator that automatically improve as the original process is invoked and its input-output behavior is recorded. The flexibility of gpmem is illustrated via three applications: (i) robust GP regression with hierarchical hyper-parameter learning, (ii) discovering symbolic expressions from time-series data by fully Bayesian structure learning over kernels generated by a stochastic grammar, and (iii) a bandit formulation of Bayesian optimization with automatic inference and action selection. All applications share a single 50-line Python library and require fewer than 20 lines of probabilistic code each.

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A Survey of Available Corpora for Building Data-Driven Dialogue Systems. (arXiv:1512.05742v1 [cs.CL])

During the past decade, several areas of speech and language understanding have witnessed substantial breakthroughs from the use of data-driven models. In the area of dialogue systems, the trend is less obvious, and most practical systems are still built through significant engineering and expert knowledge. Nevertheless, several recent results suggest that data-driven approaches are feasible and quite promising. To facilitate research in this area, we have carried out a wide survey of publicly available datasets suitable for data-driven learning of dialogue systems. We discuss important characteristics of these datasets and how they can be used to learn diverse dialogue strategies. We also describe other potential uses of these datasets, such as methods for transfer learning between datasets and the use of external knowledge, and discuss appropriate choice of evaluation metrics for the learning objective.

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Specifying and Staging Mixed-Initiative Dialogs with Program Generation and Transformation. (arXiv:1108.0476v4 [cs.PL] UPDATED)

Specifying and implementing flexible human-computer dialogs, such as those used in kiosks and smart phone apps, is challenging because of the numerous and varied directions in which each user might steer a dialog. The objective of this research is to improve dialog specification and implementation. To do so we enriched a notation based on concepts from programming languages, especially partial evaluation, for specifying a variety of unsolicited reporting, mixed-initiative dialogs in a concise representation that serves as a design for dialog implementation. We also built a dialog mining system that extracts a specification in this notation from requirements. To demonstrate that such a specification provides a design for dialog implementation, we built a system that automatically generates an implementation of the dialog, called a stager, from it. These two components constitute a dialog modeling toolkit that automates dialog specification and implementation. These results provide a proof of concept and demonstrate the study of dialog specification and implementation from a programming languages perspective. The ubiquity of dialogs in domains such as travel, education, and health care combined with the demand for smart phone apps provide a landscape for further investigation of these results.

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Anonymous: ESA Hack Was All Us

Anonymous: ESA Hack Was All Us. Europe Data Protection Digest | Dec 17, 2015. Facebook; Twitter; Google; LinkedIn; Comment; Email; Print.

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anonymous emails

Multiple Threats Made Against US School Systems Following San Bernardino Shootings. This article was featured in our weekly newsletter, the ...

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Replies to discussion posts result in an additional 'anonymous' reply

Now whenever an authenticated user replies to a discussion post, an additional 'anonymous' comment appears. I have poked around in various ...

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Anonymous Donor Leaves $50K Check At Texas Nativity Scene

Anonymous Donor Leaves $50K Check At Texas Nativity Scene. December 17, 2015 • No Comments. Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter.

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WOW! Anonymous Do-Gooders Cover $500K-Worth of Layaways at Walmart!

The manager of one of the stores that received a donation, Christy Evans, told ABC 7, "Probably about 1 o'clock this afternoon, I had an anonymous ...

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Anonymous 'Santa B' pays $79000 for layaway bills

An anonymous donor walks into a Pennsylvania Walmart and pays off the remaining balances on customer's layaway costs.

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I have a new follower on Twitter

Kay Lighting
We're making the world brighter by celebrating the art of light.
Conshohocken, PA
http://t.co/Wrn7FvtbFJ
Following: 10044 - Followers: 9488

December 17, 2015 at 01:06PM via Twitter http://twitter.com/KayLighting

Orioles: OF Hyun-soo Kim agrees to 2-year, $7 million deal; owns career .406 on-base percentage - Eddie Matz, reports (ESPN)

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New Pics Added to the Blog Gallery (December 17, 2015)

New Pics Added to the Blog Gallery! (December 17, 2015)

Click link below to visit gallery now!
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from The 'hotspot' for all things Bob Ross. http://ift.tt/1Jeev7J
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Anonysize

Anonysize helps you find the right gift or size by sending an anonymous text to your friend or loved one. Just select someone from your contacts, ...

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ISS Daily Summary Report – 12/16/15

Human Research Facility (HRF)-2 Resupply:  Kopra restocked the HRF supply kits in the HRF2 rack in the Columbus module and removed expired limited life items.  He then took photographs of the kits for downlink.   Fine Motor Skills:  Newly arrived ISS crewmembers Kopra and Peake each completed a session of the Fine Motor Skills experiment today.  During the experiment they performed a series of interactive tasks on a touchscreen tablet. This investigation is the first fine motor skills study to measure long-term microgravity exposure, different phases of microgravity adaptation, and sensorimotor recovery after returning to Earth gravity.   Space Headaches:   Peake completed another Daily Space Headaches questionnaires as part of his week-long series.  The daily questionnaires are only scheduled immediately after arrival of a new crewmember to the ISS.  Weekly questionnaires will be completed in subsequent weeks.  Headaches can be a common complaint during spaceflight. The Space Headaches experiment will provide information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crew members in space.   NanoRacks Module Installations:  Installation of the NanoRacks modules that arrived on the Orbital ATK-4 in a NanoRacks Platform-2 locker in the JEM Pressurized Module (JPM) has been postponed due to issues experienced overnight with responses received from ground commands sent to the hardware.   Emergency Roles and Responsibilities Review:  With the arrival of the 45S crew, all 6 crew members discussed priorities in the event of an emergency response and how to achieve safety of the crew as well as safe configuration of the ISS. Topics covered included crew actions during emergency retreat in the Soyuz, ISS Commander responsibilities, and communication and coordination among crew members and with ground teams.   Cygnus Cargo Operations: Today, Kopra unpacked cargo that arrived on the Cygnus vehicle.  Additional cargo operations with all three USOS crewmembers are scheduled for tomorrow.   Today’s Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. ОСТ – Hardware setup WRS – recycling system tank fill FINEMOTR- experiment test On MCC Go Progress 428 (DC1) СрПК Section 2 fill with N2 ISS crew adaptation ОСТ – eye scan IDENTIFIKATSYA. ИМУ-Ц linear acceleration meter measurements data copy to laptop BIOSIGNAL. CRYOGEM-03 thermostat activation to +29 deg С ОСТ – hardware stow Elektron БЖ liquid tank repress Crew adaptation and familiarization Exercise Hardware familiarization EVA – toothbrush state photography and stowage ER6-DVD- SW install Review of crew roles and responsibilities in contingencies СОЖ Maintenance CMS – Т2 – Glenn harness configuration ОВТ – CMO – onboard computer training WRS – recycling system tank fill NANO – modules install  [Aborted] WRS – water samples analysis Crew prep for PAO REGENERATSYA-1. Hardware relocation and placement HRF2- hardware setup for experiment REGENERATSYA -1. Photography at hardware location ОВТ – CMO – onboard computer training BIOSIGNAL. Hardware transfer from Soyuz POIC – camcorder setup and video shooting BIOSIGNAL. Photography BIOSIGNAL. Hardware placement in CRYOGEM -03 at +29 deg. C. CSA-CP check out Video hardware stow post ARED Exercise video On MCC Go Local temperature commutator (ТА251М1Б) #1417726325 and ROM #1417726934 (СМ1РО_3_314_1, bag 353-8 (00037141R) install in  Soyuz 719 orbital module ER6- SW install Fundoscope examination prep (eye drops for pupil dilation) HMS – food questionnaire entry Crew adaptation and familiarization Hardware setup for Fundoscope examination Crew adaptation and familiarization Fundoscope – eye test Hardware stow post Fundoscope examination SHD- questionnaire entry ER6- experiment close-out ops TOCA – data recording POIC – video recording d/l Soyuz 719 transfers with IMS update ECON-M. Observation and Photography Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media Installation of inserts to ease opening of SM interior panel latches (Unstow Элементы конструкции (Structural Elements) kit (004890R), ФГБ1ПГО_4_427_1, СТВ No.1112 (004106J)   Completed Task List Items None   Ground Activities All activities were competed unless otherwise noted. Nominal Commanding   Three-Day Look Ahead: Thursday, 12/17: Cygnus Cargo Ops, ISS Crew Handover Friday, 12/18: VEG-01, CIR Ops Saturday, 12/19: Crew Off Duty, Weekly Cleaning   QUICK ISS Status – Environmental Control Group:                               Component Status Elektron On Vozdukh Manual [СКВ] 1 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV1”) On [СКВ] 2 – SM Air Conditioner System (“SKV2”) Off Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab Standby Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 Operate Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab Idle Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 Operate Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) Process Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Norm Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab Full Up Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 Off  

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19-Year-Old Teen Steals $150,000 by Hacking into Airline's Website

What do you do to earn up to $150,000? Somebody just hacks into airlines and sells fake tickets. That's exactly what a 19-year-old teenager did and made approximately 1.1 Million Yuan (£110,000 or $150,000) by hacking into the official website of an airline and using the stolen booking information to defraud hundreds of passengers. <!-- adsense --> The teenager, identified as Zhang

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Bad Santa! Microsoft Offers — 'Upgrade now' or 'Upgrade tonight' to Push Windows 10

Many Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users don't want to upgrade their machines to Microsoft’s newest Windows 10 operating system now or anytime soon. Isn't it? But what if you wake up in the morning and found yourself a Windows 10 user? <!-- adsense --> That's exactly what Microsoft is doing to Windows 7 and 8.1 users. Windows 10 Upgrade Becomes More Aggressive Ever since Microsoft

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You can Hack into a Linux Computer just by pressing 'Backspace' 28 times

So what would anyone need to bypass password protection on your computer? It just needs to hit the backspace key 28 times, for at least the computer running Linux operating system. Wait, what? A pair of security researchers from the University of Valencia have uncovered a bizarre bug in several distributions of Linux that could allow anyone to bypass any kind of authentication during

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Hackers Plan to Ruin Christmas Eve for Millions of PlayStation and Xbox Live Gamers

Remember the notorious hacker group Lizard Squad that spoiled last Christmas holidays of many game lovers by knocking the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live offline with apparent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks? But, Will you be able to Play Xbox and PlayStation Game this Christmas? Probably Not. <!-- adsense --> Because a new hacking group is threatening to carry out

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The Horsehead Nebula

The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae on the sky. It is visible as the dark indentation to the red emission nebula in the center of the above photograph. The horse-head feature is dark because it is really an opaque dust cloud that lies in front of the bright red emission nebula. Like clouds in Earth's atmosphere, this cosmic cloud has assumed a recognizable shape by chance. After many thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will surely alter its appearance. The emission nebula's red color is caused by electrons recombining with protons to form hydrogen atoms. On the image left is the Flame Nebula, an orange-tinged nebula that also contains filaments of dark dust. Just to the lower left of the Horsehead nebula featured picture is a blueish reflection nebulae that preferentially reflects the blue light from nearby stars. via NASA http://ift.tt/1lPuhBd

Monthly burned area from the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED)

This time series was created using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) onboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. Burned area is estimated by applying an algorithm that detects rapid changes in visible and infrared surface reflectance imagery. Fires typically darken the surface in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and brighten the surface in several wavelength bands in the shortwave infrared that are sensitive to the surface water content of vegetation. Thermal emissions from actively burning fires also are measured by MODIS and are used to improve the burned area estimates in croplands and other areas where the fire sizes are relatively small. This animation portrays burned area between September 2000 and August 2015 as a percent of the 1/4 degree grid cell that was burned each month. The values on the color bar are on a log scale, so the regions shown in blue and green shades indicate small burned areas while those in red and orange represent a larger percent of the region burned. Beneath the burned area, the seasonal Blue Marble landcover shows the advance and retreat of snow in the northern hemisphere. More information about the Global Fire Emissions Database, including maps of burned area and fire emissions, can be found here.

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Conditions for Normative Decision Making at the Fire Ground. (arXiv:1512.04976v1 [cs.AI])

We discuss the changes in an attitude to decision making at the fire ground. The changes are driven by the recent technological shift. The emerging new approaches in sensing and data processing (under common umbrella of Cyber-Physical Systems) allow for leveling off the gap, between humans and machines, in perception of the fire ground. Furthermore, results from descriptive decision theory question the rationality of human choices. This creates the need for searching and testing new approaches for decision making during emergency. We propose the framework that addresses this need. The primary feature of the framework are possibilities for incorporation of normative and prescriptive approaches to decision making. The framework also allows for comparison of the performance of decisions, between human and machine.

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BayesDB: A probabilistic programming system for querying the probable implications of data. (arXiv:1512.05006v1 [cs.AI])

Is it possible to make statistical inference broadly accessible to non-statisticians without sacrificing mathematical rigor or inference quality? This paper describes BayesDB, a probabilistic programming platform that aims to enable users to query the probable implications of their data as directly as SQL databases enable them to query the data itself. This paper focuses on four aspects of BayesDB: (i) BQL, an SQL-like query language for Bayesian data analysis, that answers queries by averaging over an implicit space of probabilistic models; (ii) techniques for implementing BQL using a broad class of multivariate probabilistic models; (iii) a semi-parametric Bayesian model-builder that auomatically builds ensembles of factorial mixture models to serve as baselines; and (iv) MML, a "meta-modeling" language for imposing qualitative constraints on the model-builder and combining baseline models with custom algorithmic and statistical models that can be implemented in external software. BayesDB is illustrated using three applications: cleaning and exploring a public database of Earth satellites; assessing the evidence for temporal dependence between macroeconomic indicators; and analyzing a salary survey.

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Symphony from Synapses: Neocortex as a Universal Dynamical Systems Modeller using Hierarchical Temporal Memory. (arXiv:1512.05245v1 [cs.NE])

Reverse engineering the brain is proving difficult, perhaps impossible. While many believe that this is just a matter of time and effort, a different approach might help. Here, we describe a very simple idea which explains the power of the brain as well as its structure, exploiting complex dynamics rather than abstracting it away. Just as a Turing Machine is a Universal Digital Computer operating in a world of symbols, we propose that the brain is a Universal Dynamical Systems Modeller, evolved bottom-up (itself using nested networks of interconnected, self-organised dynamical systems) to prosper in a world of dynamical systems.

Recent progress in Applied Mathematics has produced startling evidence of what happens when abstract Dynamical Systems interact. Key latent information describing system A can be extracted by system B from very simple signals, and signals can be used by one system to control and manipulate others. Using these facts, we show how a region of the neocortex uses its dynamics to intrinsically "compute" about the external and internal world.

Building on an existing "static" model of cortical computation (Hawkins' Hierarchical Temporal Memory - HTM), we describe how a region of neocortex can be viewed as a network of components which together form a Dynamical Systems modelling module, connected via sensory and motor pathways to the external world, and forming part of a larger dynamical network in the brain.

Empirical modelling and simulations of Dynamical HTM are possible with simple extensions and combinations of currently existing open source software. We list a number of relevant projects.

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Solving stable matching problems using answer set programming. (arXiv:1512.05247v1 [cs.AI])

Since the introduction of the stable marriage problem (SMP) by Gale and Shapley (1962), several variants and extensions have been investigated. While this variety is useful to widen the application potential, each variant requires a new algorithm for finding the stable matchings. To address this issue, we propose an encoding of the SMP using answer set programming (ASP), which can straightforwardly be adapted and extended to suit the needs of specific applications. The use of ASP also means that we can take advantage of highly efficient off-the-shelf solvers. To illustrate the flexibility of our approach, we show how our ASP encoding naturally allows us to select optimal stable matchings, i.e. matchings that are optimal according to some user-specified criterion. To the best of our knowledge, our encoding offers the first exact implementation to find sex-equal, minimum regret, egalitarian or maximum cardinality stable matchings for SMP instances in which individuals may designate unacceptable partners and ties between preferences are allowed.

This paper is under consideration in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP).

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Feature Representation for ICU Mortality. (arXiv:1512.05294v1 [cs.AI])

Good predictors of ICU Mortality have the potential to identify high-risk patients earlier, improve ICU resource allocation, or create more accurate population-level risk models. Machine learning practitioners typically make choices about how to represent features in a particular model, but these choices are seldom evaluated quantitatively. This study compares the performance of different representations of clinical event data from MIMIC II in a logistic regression model to predict 36-hour ICU mortality. The most common representations are linear (normalized counts) and binary (yes/no). These, along with a new representation termed "hill", are compared using both L1 and L2 regularization. Results indicate that the introduced "hill" representation outperforms both the binary and linear representations; the hill representation thus has the potential to improve existing models of ICU mortality.

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Computing rational decisions in extensive games with limited foresight. (arXiv:1502.03683v4 [cs.AI] UPDATED)

We introduce a class of extensive form games where players might not be able to foresee the possible consequences of their decisions and form a model of their opponents which they exploit to achieve a more profitable outcome. We improve upon existing models of games with limited foresight, endowing players with the ability of higher-order reasoning and proposing a novel solution concept to address intuitions coming from real game play. We analyse the resulting equilibria, devising an effective procedure to compute them.

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I have a new follower on Twitter

D. Ho
Software Engineer for @Microsoft
London
http://t.co/CkKdykNxBP
Following: 1000 - Followers: 2376

December 16, 2015 at 05:01PM via Twitter http://twitter.com/ComethTheNerd

[FD] Executable installers are vulnerable^WEVIL (case 10): McAfee Security Scan Plus, WebAdvisor and CloudAV (Beta)

[FD] User man Local Root Exploit/Linux Kernel setgid Directory Privilege Escalation/PAM Owner Check Weakness

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-

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[FD] Two bytes change and you have a zero day

Hello everyone, The details of MS15-130 is now public. http://ift.tt/1IJhXMS If interested, you can find more analyzing in the following links: Yet Another Windows GDI Story - MS15-035: http://ift.tt/1lQrZBY In memory of a zero-day - MS13-051 http://ift.tt/1NTKlwb @hosselot

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[FD] libnsbmp: heap overflow (CVE-2015-7508) and out-of-bounds read (CVE-2015-7507)

Overview ======== Libnsbmp[1] is a decoding library for BMP and ICO files. It is primarily developed and used as part of the NetSurf project. As of version 0.1.2, libnsbmp is vulnerable to a heap overflow (CVE-2015-7508) and an out-of-bounds read (CVE-2015-7507). CVE-2015-7508 ============= libnsbmp expects that the user-supplied `bmp_bitmap_cb_create' callback allocates enough memory to accommodate for `bmp->width * bmp->height * 4' bytes. However, due to the way `pixels_left' is calculated, the last row of run-length encoded data may expand beyond the end of `bmp->bitmap', resulting in a heap overflow. src/libnsbmp.c #951..1097: ,-

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[FD] libnsgif: stack overflow (CVE-2015-7505) and out-of-bounds read (CVE-2015-7506)

Overview ======== Libnsgif[1] is a decoding library for GIF images. It is primarily developed and used as part of the NetSurf project. As of version 0.1.2, libnsgif is vulnerable to a stack overflow (CVE-2015-7505) and an out-of-bounds read (CVE-2015-7506) due to the way LZW-compressed GIF data is processed. Details ======= src/libnsgif.c #80..133: ,-

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[FD] Back to 28: Grub2 Authentication Bypass 0-Day [CVE-2015-8370]

Hi everyone, A vulnerability in Grub2 (Back to 28) has been found. Versions from 1.98 (December, 2009) to 2.02 (December, 2015) are affected. The vulnerability can be exploited under certain circumstances, allowing local attackers to bypass any kind of authentication (plain or hashed passwords). And so, the attacker may take control of the computer. More details at: http://ift.tt/1Rm20im Regards, Hector Marco & Ismael Ripoll.

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[FD] #BadWinmail: The "Enterprise Killer" Attack Vector in Microsoft Outlook

Hi All, I have released a paper & demo describing a novel/serious attack vector I discovered in Microsoft Outlook. Paper: http://ift.tt/1JcnVRa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngWVbcLDPm8 Reference:http://ift.tt/1IUWPDg --ConclusionIn this report, the author disclosed a novel attack vector to attack Outlook users via emails, which theauthor named as BadWinmail. Specifically, we disclosed that a Flash (or other types of) exploit can bepacked and delivered via a TNEF email (or MSG attachment). The most serious impact is that the exploitwill get executed as long as the Outlook user reads/previews the attacking email. Because there is nosandbox on Outlook, it allows the attacker to take control of the victim’s computer immediately. BadWinmail is an ideal attacking technique for targeted/APT attacks because of its severity and thenature of email-based attacks - all the attacker needs to know is the victim’s email address. It’s a “killer”exploit-delivering method as usual tricks such as delivering via email attachments or delivering via URLs(in email bodies) require additional user interactions and are protected by various applicationsandboxes. It’s also a wormable issue rarely seen on Windows platform nowadays

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[FD] ERPSCAN Research Advisory [ERPSCAN-15-022] SAP NetWeaver 7.4 - XSS

Application: SAP NetWeaver Versions Affected: SAP NetWeaver J2EE Engine 7.40 Vendor URL: http://SAP.com Bugs: Cross-Site Scripting Send: 13.07.2015 Reported: 13.07.2015 Vendor response: 14.07.2015 Date of Public Advisory: 14.12.2015 Reference: SAP Security Note 2176785 Author: Roman Bezhan (ERPScan) Description 1. ADVISORY INFORMATION Title: SAP NetWeaver J2EE Engine 7.40 Advisory ID: [ERPSCAN-15-022] Risk: Hight Advisory URL: http://ift.tt/1MhqpO1 Date published: 14.12.2015 Vendors contacted: SAP 2. VULNERABILITY INFORMATION Class: Cross-Site Scripting, XSS [CWE-79] Impact: information disclosure, still anti-SCRF tokens Remotely Exploitable: Yes Locally Exploitable: No CVSS Information CVSS Base Score: 4.3 / 10 CVSS Base Vector: AV: Access Vector (Related exploit range) Network (N) AC: Access Complexity (Required attack complexity) Medium (M) Au: Authentication (Level of authentication needed to exploit) None (N) C: Impact to Confidentiality None (N) I: Impact to Integrity Partial (P) A: Impact to Availability None (N) 3. VULNERABILITY DESCRIPTION An attacker can ask victims to visit a malicious site with special content, where external SWF and resourceModuleURLs attributes can force vulnerable SWF of NetWiewer Portal 7.4 to execute a query, in the context of the victim and send private data to attacker's site. 1) The attacker can steal anti-SCRF tokens and read private data 2) Also, the attacker can create an XSS vulnerability.Cross-site scripting can be used to steal another user's authentication information, such as data related to their current session. An attacker who gains access to this data may use it to impersonate the user and access all information with the same rights as the target user. If an administrator is impersonated, the security of the application may be fully compromised. 4. VULNERABLE PACKAGES SAP NetWeaver J2EE Engine 7.40 Other versions are probably affected too, but they were not checked. 5. SOLUTIONS AND WORKAROUNDS To correct this vulnerability, install SAP Security Note 2176785 6. AUTHOR Roman Bezhan (ERPScan) 7. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Adobe Flex SDK 3.x and 4.x before 4.6 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to the loading of modules from different domains. 8. REPORT TIMELINE Send: 13.07.2015 Reported: 13.07.2015 Vendor response: 14.07.2015 Date of Public Advisory: 14.12.2015 9. REFERENCES http://ift.tt/1MhqpO1 10. ABOUT ERPScan Research The company’s expertise is based on the research subdivision of ERPScan, which is engaged in vulnerability research and analysis of critical enterprise applications. It has achieved multiple acknowledgments from the largest software vendors like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, VMware, HP for discovering more than 400 vulnerabilities in their solutions (200 of them just in SAP!). ERPScan researchers are proud to have exposed new types of vulnerabilities (TOP 10 Web Hacking Techniques 2012) and to be nominated for the best server-side vulnerability at BlackHat 2013. ERPScan experts have been invited to speak, present, and train at 60+ prime international security conferences in 25+ countries across the continents. These include BlackHat, RSA, HITB, and private SAP trainings in several Fortune 2000 companies. ERPScan researchers lead the project EAS-SEC, which is focused on enterprise application security research and awareness. They have published 3 exhaustive annual award-winning surveys about SAP security. ERPScan experts have been interviewed by leading media resources and featured in specialized info-sec publications worldwide. These include Reuters, Yahoo, SC Magazine, The Register, CIO, PC World, DarkReading, Heise, and Chinabyte, to name a few. We have highly qualified experts in staff with experience in many different fields of security, from web applications and mobile/embedded to reverse engineering and ICS/SCADA systems, accumulating their experience to conduct the best SAP security research. 11. ABOUT ERPScan ERPScan is the most respected and credible Business Application Security provider. Founded in 2010, the company operates globally and enables large Oil and Gas, Financial and Retail organizations to secure their mission-critical processes. Named as an ‘Emerging Vendor’ in Security by CRN, listed among “TOP 100 SAP Solution providers” and distinguished by 30+ other awards, ERPScan is the leading SAP SE partner in discovering and resolving security vulnerabilities. ERPScan consultants work with SAP SE in Walldorf to assist in improving the security of their latest solutions. ERPScan’s primary mission is to close the gap between technical and business security, and provide solutions to evaluate and secure SAP and Oracle ERP systems and business-critical applications from both, cyber-attacks as well as internal fraud. Usually our clients are large enterprises, Fortune 2000 companies and managed service providers whose requirements are to actively monitor and manage security of vast SAP landscapes on a global scale. We ‘follow the sun’ and function in two hubs, located in the Palo Alto and Amsterdam to provide threat intelligence services, agile support and operate local offices and partner network spanning 20+ countries around the globe. Adress USA: 228 Hamilton Avenue, Fl. 3, Palo Alto, CA. 94301 Phone: 650.798.5255 Twitter: @erpscan Scoop-it: Business Application Security

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[FD] [ERPSCAN-15-021] SAP NetWeaver 7.4 - SQL Injection vulnerability

Application: SAP NetWeaver Versions Affected: SAP NetWeaver J2EE Engine 7.40 Vendor URL: http://SAP.com Bugs: SQL injection Send: 13.07.2015 Reported: 13.07.2015 Vendor response: 14.07.2015 Date of Public Advisory: 14.12.2015 Reference: SAP Security Note 2193389 Author: Vahagn Vardanyan (ERPScan) Description 1. ADVISORY INFORMATION Title: SAP NetWeaver 7.40 Advisory ID: [ERPSCAN-15-021] Risk: Hight Advisory URL: http://ift.tt/1ZcBeKF Date published: 14.12.2015 Vendors contacted: SAP 2. VULNERABILITY INFORMATION Class: Information Exposure [CWE-89] Impact: SQL injection, database, SAP Batch Processing Remotely Exploitable: Yes CVE Name: CVE-2015-7239 CVSS Information CVSS Base Score: 4.6 / 10 CVSS Base Vector: AV: Access Vector (Related exploit range) Network (N) AC: Access Complexity (Required attack complexity) High (H) Au: Authentication (Level of authentication needed to exploit) Single (S) C: Impact to Confidentiality Partial (P) I: Impact to Integrity Partial (P) A: Impact to Availability Partial (P) 3. VULNERABILITY DESCRIPTION An SQL injection vulnerability means that the code comprises an SQL statement that contains strings that can be altered by an attacker. The manipulated SQL statement can then be used to retrieve additional data from the database, or to modify the data. 4. VULNERABLE PACKAGES SAP NetWeaver 7.40 Other versions are probably affected too, but they were not checked. 5. SOLUTIONS AND WORKAROUNDS To correct this vulnerability, install SAP Security Note 2193389 6. AUTHOR Vahagn Vardanyan (ERPScan) 7. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION An attacker can exploit SAP Batch Processing and use specially crafted inputs to modify database commands. This results in either the retrieval of additional information or the modification of data persisted by the system. PoC The following code snippet is vulnerable: ****LINE 128**** SELECT * INTO CORRESPONDING FIELDS OF TABLE joblist FROM tbtcp AS tstep INNER JOIN tbtco AS tjob ON tjob~jobcount = tstep~jobcount AND tjob~jobname = tstep~jobname WHERE (where_main). ****LINE 164**** 8. REPORT TIMELINE Send: 13.07.2015 Reported: 13.07.2015 Vendor response: 14.07.2015 Date of Public Advisory: 14.12.2015 9. REFERENCES http://ift.tt/1ZcBeKF 10. ABOUT ERPScan Research The company’s expertise is based on the research subdivision of ERPScan, which is engaged in vulnerability research and analysis of critical enterprise applications. It has achieved multiple acknowledgments from the largest software vendors like SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, VMware, HP for discovering more than 400 vulnerabilities in their solutions (200 of them just in SAP!). ERPScan researchers are proud to have exposed new types of vulnerabilities (TOP 10 Web Hacking Techniques 2012) and to be nominated for the best server-side vulnerability at BlackHat 2013. ERPScan experts have been invited to speak, present, and train at 60+ prime international security conferences in 25+ countries across the continents. These include BlackHat, RSA, HITB, and private SAP trainings in several Fortune 2000 companies. ERPScan researchers lead the project EAS-SEC, which is focused on enterprise application security research and awareness. They have published 3 exhaustive annual award-winning surveys about SAP security. ERPScan experts have been interviewed by leading media resources and featured in specialized info-sec publications worldwide. These include Reuters, Yahoo, SC Magazine, The Register, CIO, PC World, DarkReading, Heise, and Chinabyte, to name a few. We have highly qualified experts in staff with experience in many different fields of security, from web applications and mobile/embedded to reverse engineering and ICS/SCADA systems, accumulating their experience to conduct the best SAP security research. 11. ABOUT ERPScan ERPScan is the most respected and credible Business Application Security provider. Founded in 2010, the company operates globally and enables large Oil and Gas, Financial and Retail organizations to secure their mission-critical processes. Named as an ‘Emerging Vendor’ in Security by CRN, listed among “TOP 100 SAP Solution providers” and distinguished by 30+ other awards, ERPScan is the leading SAP SE partner in discovering and resolving security vulnerabilities. ERPScan consultants work with SAP SE in Walldorf to assist in improving the security of their latest solutions. ERPScan’s primary mission is to close the gap between technical and business security, and provide solutions to evaluate and secure SAP and Oracle ERP systems and business-critical applications from both, cyber-attacks as well as internal fraud. Usually our clients are large enterprises, Fortune 2000 companies and managed service providers whose requirements are to actively monitor and manage security of vast SAP landscapes on a global scale. We ‘follow the sun’ and function in two hubs, located in the Palo Alto and Amsterdam to provide threat intelligence services, agile support and operate local offices and partner network spanning 20+ countries around the globe. Adress USA: 228 Hamilton Avenue, Fl. 3, Palo Alto, CA. 94301 Phone: 650.798.5255 Twitter: @erpscan Scoop-it: Business Application Security

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[FD] [CFP] Speak About Your Cyberwar at PHDays VI

​Positive Hack Days VI, the international forum on practical information security, opens Call For Papers (http://ift.tt/1Rp4In5). Our international program comittee (http://ift.tt/1P7wVvm) consisting of very competent and experienced experts will consider every application, whether from a novice or a recognized expert in information security, and select the best proposals. Now, more than ever before, cybersecurity specialists are being asked to stop sitting on the fence and choose a side — competitive intelligence vs DLP systems; security system developers vs targeted cyberattacks; cryptographers vs reverse engineers; hackers vs security operations centers. A new concept (http://ift.tt/1Rp4Kvn) of PHDays VI is designed to show what the current vibe is in information security. We want researchers to speak about the real dangerous threats and possible consequences. We also expect developers and integrators to give real answers to these threats rather than to talk about empowering security technologies. Come and share your experience at PHDays VI in Moscow, May 17 and 18, 2016.  Your topic can revolve around any modern infosec field: new targeted attacks against SCADA, new threats to medical equipment, vulnerabilities of online government services, unusual techniques to protect mobile apps, antisocial engineering in social networks, or what psychological constitution SOC experts have. In addition, this year, we are planning to discuss IS software design, development tools, and SSDL principles. Our key criteria is that your research should be unique and offer a fresh perspective on hacking, modern information technologies, and the role they play in our lives. If you have something interesting or surprising to share, but none of the formats are suitable for your participation, please apply anyway and be sure we will consider your work.  The first stage of CFP ends on January 31, 2016. Apply now — the number of final reports is limited. In 2015, the forum brought together 3,500 participants. In 2016, it is expected to see 4,000 attendees: information security leaders, CIO and CISO of the world's largest companies, top managers of giant banks, industrial and oil and gas producing enterprises, telecoms, and IT vendors, representatives from different government departments.  Positive Hack Days featured a variety of distinguished participants including Bruce Schneier (the legendary cryptography expert), Whitfield Diffie (one of the inventors of asymmetric cryptography), Mohd Noor Amin (IMPACT, UN), Natalya Kasperskaya (CEO of InfoWatch), Travis Goodspeed (a reverse engineer and wireless enthusiast from the U.S.), Tao Wan (the founder of China Eagle Union), Nick Galbreath (Vice-President of IPONWEB), Mushtaq Ahmed (Emirates Airline), Marc Heuse (the developer of Hydra, Amap, and THC-IPV6), Karsten Nohl (a specialist in GSM engineering), Donato Ferrante and Luigi Auriemma (famous SCADA experts from Italy), and Alexander Peslyak (the creator of the password cracking tool John the Ripper). Find any details about the format, participation rules, and CFP instructions on the PHDays website: http://ift.tt/1P7wXn0

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TRIPLE Your Impact Today!

Yellowstone Park Foundation Unable to view the message below? View it online Dear Kathryn,The Year-End Matching Gift Challenge is back… your investment today will TRIPLE in supporting our efforts to provide a world-class experience for all who visit Yellowstone Park in the new year ahead!Members of our Board of Directors have generously agreed to match your donation, multiplied by three, up to a total of $300,000! To qualify, all gifts must be received no later than January 15, 2016.Just click here to triple the power and impact of your tax-deductible donation now.An opportunity like this couldn’t have come at a better time. With 2016 almost here, there are significant needs throughout the Park that require both immediate and long-term funding. I need your support to help keep our promises to Yellowstone throughout the new year.Your gift of $50 automatically triples to $150. A donation of $100 will multiply three times to $300!Please don’t let this incredible opportunity slip by. Make the most generous year-end gift you can now while it TRIPLES in value.Thank you, in advance, for your support.Karen Bates KressPresidentShare this message>>P.S. Please forward this email to family and friends – spread the word that all gifts to the Yellowstone Park Foundation will now go three times as far in meeting critical needs throughout this amazing Park that belongs to us all.             Consider donating appreciated stock:DTC (Electronic Transfer of Securities):Bank: SEI Private Trust FBO TIAA-CREFDTC #    2039Agent Internal Account: 11129-CFor further credit to:Yellowstone Park Fd Inc.Account # 882288801Examine all the benefits  Thank you for your support! Photo: Tom Murphy  .    Unsubscribe | Forward to a Friend | Visit our web site © 2010 Yellowstone Park Foundation. All rights reserved.222 East Main Street, Suite 301, Bozeman, MT 59715 tel: 406.586.6303 fax: 406.586.6337 CONNECT WITH US Keep updated on all things YPF! Site Design By Charity Dynamics nonprofit software

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'LIKE SANTA': Anonymous man pays off $106G in shoppers' layaways at 2 Ohio Walmart

The anonymous donor paid off a total of nearly $70,000 for the layaway items at the Steelyard Commons store in Cleveland and about $36,000 for ...

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[FD] OLE DB Provider for Oracle multiple DLL side loading vulnerabilities

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[FD] Shockwave Flash Object DLL side loading vulnerability

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[FD] Shutdown UX DLL side loading vulnerability

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than 300 children receive bikes from anonymous donors

(Sioux City AP) Two youth organizations in Sioux City have teamed up with a bicycle shop owner and anonymous donors to give bicycles to more than ...

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ISS Daily Summary Report – 12/15/15

45 Soyuz (45S) Launch and Dock:  45S successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 5:03 am CST this morning with Malenchenko, Peake, and Kopra onboard.  45S executed a nominal 4 orbit rendezvous and docked to the ISS Mini-Research Module (MRM)-1 at 11:33 am CST.  Docking was completed in manual mode following a failed thruster message during the initial automated approach.  With the arrival of the 45S crew, the ISS crew complement increased from 3 to 6 crewmembers.   Observation and Analysis of Smectic Islands in Space (OASIS):  Kelly exchanged the OASIS samples in the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) today. OASIS studies the unique behavior of liquid crystals in microgravity, including their overall motion and the merging of crystal layers known as smectic islands. Liquid crystals are used for display screens in televisions and clocks, and they also occur in soaps and cell membranes. The experiment allows detailed studies of the behavior of these structures, and how microgravity affects their unique ability to act like both a liquid and a solid crystal.   Russian Pilot-T Experiment:  Kelly performed a session of the Russian experiment Pilot-T today. The goal of Pilot-T is to improve methods and develop equipment to assess and predict crewmember performance reliability during the execution of complex operator tasks (such as piloting a space vehicle or controlling transport and robotic equipment on the surface of a spacecraft) during various stages of long-term spaceflight.   Veg-01:  Kelly refilled the Veg-01 plant pillows with water on Saturday and again today. The Veg-01 investigation is used to assess on-orbit function and performance of the Veggie facility, focusing on the growth and development of seedlings in the spaceflight environment and the composition of microbial flora on the plants and the facility.  For this run, Zinnias will be grown for 60 days and are expected to produce flowers.   Journals:  Kelly completed a Journals entry today. The Journals investigation obtains information on behavioral and human issues that are relevant to the design of equipment and procedures used by astronauts during extended-duration missions. Study results provide information used in preparations for future missions to low-Earth orbit and beyond.   Space Headaches:   Later this afternoon, Peake will complete the first of a week of daily Space Headaches questionnaires.  The daily questionnaires are only scheduled immediately after arrival of a new crewmember to the ISS.  Weekly questionnaires will be completed in subsequent weeks.  Headaches can be a common complaint during spaceflight. The Space Headaches experiment will provide information that may help in the development of methods to alleviate associated symptoms and improvement in the well-being and performance of crew members in space.   Vozdukh Status:   Vozdukh experienced an anomaly on Thursday of last week. Several attempts to reactivate the system had been unsuccessful.  Russian Life Support Specialists suspected a failure of the vacuum pump and scheduled additional troubleshooting.  On Monday, the Russian Crew performed the troubleshooting in order to verify the failed component and then successfully performed a vacuum pump change out.  Vozdukh is now operating nominally.   Today’s Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. Soyuz ODF Procedures №719 ISS – HAM RADIO Power Down PILOT-T. Preparation for Experiment Closing USOS Window Shutters Review TV Coverage procedure “Hatch Opening from MRM1″ and “Arrival of Expedition 46” PILOT-T. Experiment Ops Closing window 6,8,9,12,13,14 shutters Filling (separation) of EDV (KOV) for Elektron or EDV-SV. Separate KOV No. (00063570R) RS Arriving Crew CQ outfitting Gas Analyzer Activation in ТК 718 СОЖ Maintenance Soyuz 718 Samsung Tablet Recharge – Initiate OASIS – Sample Swap PILOT-T. Closeout Ops On MCC GO ISS Repress from Progress 428 (DC1) СрПК Section 1 – initiate Water Recovery System (WRS) Drain Waste Water Tank, initiate On MCC GO ISS O2 Repress from ТКГ 428 (DC1) СРПК Section 1 – terminate MPEG2 Multicast Test via Ku-band (Activation/Deactivation of TV data and MPEG2 Multicast controls) Soyuz 718 Samsung Tablet Recharge – terminate Preparation for Soyuz 719 Docking СТТС configuration for ТК 719 docking to MRM1. Comm check with Soyuz 719 via RSA2-S/G2 Monitoring Soyuz 719 Rendezvous with ISS (MRM1) Activation of TV Data and MPEG2 Multicast Monitoring Equipment On MCC GO Activation of mpeg2 multicast video recording mode Water Recovery System (WRS)  Drain Waste Water Tank, terminate On MCC GO Switch MRM1-ТК PEV to ELECTR CONTR position Comm config after Soyuz 719 docking Closing Applications and Downlink of MPEG2 Multicast video via OCA BIOSIGNAL. Installation of Cryogem-03 INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops On MCC GO ТК 719 – MRM1 Interface Leak Check. Start Drying 2 space suits Hardware Setup in SM and checkout for “Expedition 46 Arrival” TV PAO Coverage from SM Disconnecting TVS Camera КЛ-153М from МRM1 TVS CONTENT. Experiment Ops Hardware Setup in MRM1 for “Hatch Opening from MRM1″ TV PAO Coverage from SM and Test Checkout from MRM1 WRS – Recycle Tank Fill TV Coverage “Soyuz 719- MRM1 Hatch Opening”, TV Coverage “Expedition 46 Arrival” Soyuz 719-MRM1 Hatch Opening, TV coverage “Expedition 46 Arrival” VEG-01 – Refilling Root Mat with Water JRNL – Journal Entry Safety briefing after ТК 719 docking Handover of the 3rd space suit and gloves for drying in Soyuz 718 Comm reconfig for nominal ops Drying the 3rd spacesuit in Soyuz 718 – start Terminate drying suits 1,2, in Soyuz 719 On MCC GO Closing Applications, Deactivation of camcorders and TV  data monitors Installing the 1st pair of gloves for drying in Soyuz 719 ТК 719 Deactivation (without Gas Analyzer deactivation) CEVIS Exercise Connecting TV Camera КЛ-153М to MRM1 TVS SHD1ST – Survey Questionnaire Completion Terminate drying the first pair of gloves and start drying the second pair in Soyuz 719 Soyuz 719 Deactivation (without Gas Analyzer deactivation) INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops Terminate Drying the Second Pair of Gloves in Soyuz 719 Stowage of the 1st and the 2nd suit and gloves in TK 719 after drying Terminate drying the 3rd suit, start drying the 3rd pair of gloves in TК 718 Terminate Drying the 3rd pair of Gloves in Soyuz 718 Handover of the 3rd space suit and gloves […]

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Cyber bullying concerns over anonymous parent-proof phone app

After School is an anonymous, teens only application that's designed to keep adults out.

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Fit notes: plans for collecting anonymous data in England

These documents explain to GPs and patients how we will collect anonymous data about fit notes in England.

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N3XT — Advanced CHIP that Could Make Your Computer 1000 Times Faster

Researchers have come up with an all new way to revolutionize the standard computer chip that comes inbuilt in all our electronics. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, and the University of California, Berkeley among others, have invented a new material that could replace the 'silicon' in conventional chips – built in all electronic devices – making the device's processing speed

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Module to display no of authenticated and anonymous users visiting the site

Please suggest a module that can display total no. of anonymous and authenticated users visiting the site. The count should increment by one per visit ...

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British Intelligence Open-Sources its Large-Scale Graph Database Software

UK's Secretive Spy Agency Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has open-sourced one of its tools on code-sharing website GitHub for free... A graph database called 'Gaffer.' Gaffer, written in Java, is a kind of database that makes it "easy to store large-scale graphs in which the nodes and edges have statistics such as counts, histograms and sketches." <!-- adsense -->

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Top 10 — 2016 New Year's Resolution for Cyber Security Professionals

Billions of dollars are spent in securing business operations, and yet attackers still find ways to breach a network. With the ever increasing growth in security attacks across all threat vectors, you should consider these New Year’s resolutions to help solve your security challenges in 2016:Take stock of what you have Segment your Network Setup controls with ACLs Secure protocols, network ports,

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Colorful Arcs over Buenos Aires

What are those colorful arcs in the sky? Like rainbows that are caused by rain, arcs of sunlight broken up into component colors can also result when ice crystals floating in Earth's atmosphere act together as a gigantic prism. The top color arc is more typical as it is part of the 22 degree halo surrounding the Sun when hexagonal ice crystals refract sunlight between two of the six sides. More unusual, though, is the bottom color arc. Sometimes called a fire rainbow, this circumhorizon arc is also created by ice, not fire nor even rain. Here, a series of horizontal, thin, flat ice crystals in high cirrus clouds refract sunlight between the top and bottom faces toward the observer. These arcs only occur when the Sun is higher than 58 degrees above the horizon. The featured sky occurred to the northwest in the early afternoon last month over a street Diagonal of La Plata City, Buenos Aires, Argentina. via NASA http://ift.tt/1J92mRy

Global Rainfall-Triggered Landslides from 2007 through 2015

Landslides occur when an environmental trigger like an extreme rain event, often a severe storm or hurricane, and gravity's downward pull sets soil and rock in motion. Conditions beneath the surface are often unstable already, so the heavy rains act as the last straw that causes mud, rocks, or debris- or all combined- to move rapidly down mountains and hillsides. Unfortunately, people and property are often swept up in these unexpected mass movements. Landslides can also be caused by earthquakes, surface freezing and thawing, ice melt, the collapse of groundwater reservoirs, volcanic eruptions, and erosion at the base of a slope from th flow of river or ocean water. But torrential rains most commonly activate landslides. The NASA Global Landslide Catalog (GLC) was developed with the goal of identifying rainfall-triggered landslide events around the world, regardless of size, impact, or location. The GLC considers all types of mass movements triggered by rainfall, which have been reported in the media, disaster databases, scientific reports, or other sources. THe GLC has been compiled since 2007 at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Landslide inventories are critical to support investigations of where and when landslides have happened and may occur in the future; however, there is surprisingly little information on the historical occurrence of landslides at the global scale. This visualization displays all rainfall-triggered landslides from 2007 through December 2015 from a publically available global rainfall-triggered landslide catalog(GLC). This is a valuable database for characterizing global patterns of landslide occurence and evaluating relationshipswith extreme precipitation at regional and global scales. For more information on the Global Landslide Catalog, please visit http://ift.tt/1PT1MwV

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Colorado College gets anonymous $8.5 million donation to advance innovation program

Colorado College has received an $8.5 million anonymous...

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Hyper-Heuristic Algorithm for Finding Efficient Features in Diagnose of Lung Cancer Disease. (arXiv:1512.04652v1 [cs.AI])

Background: Lung cancer was known as primary cancers and the survival rate of cancer is about 15%. Early detection of lung cancer is the leading factor in survival rate. All symptoms (features) of lung cancer do not appear until the cancer spreads to other areas. It needs an accurate early detection of lung cancer, for increasing the survival rate. For accurate detection, it need characterizes efficient features and delete redundancy features among all features. Feature selection is the problem of selecting informative features among all features. Materials and Methods: Lung cancer database consist of 32 patient records with 57 features. This database collected by Hong and Youngand indexed in the University of California Irvine repository. Experimental contents include the extracted from the clinical data and X-ray data, etc. The data described 3 types of pathological lung cancers and all features are taking an integer value 0-3. In our study, new method is proposed for identify efficient features of lung cancer. It is based on Hyper-Heuristic. Results: We obtained an accuracy of 80.63% using reduced 11 feature set. The proposed method compare to the accuracy of 5 machine learning feature selections. The accuracy of these 5 methods are 60.94, 57.81, 68.75, 60.94 and 68.75. Conclusions: The proposed method has better performance with the highest level of accuracy. Therefore, the proposed model is recommended for identifying an efficient symptom of Disease. These finding are very important in health research, particularly in allocation of medical resources for patients who predicted as high-risks

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From One Point to A Manifold: Orbit Models for Knowledge Graph Embedding. (arXiv:1512.04792v1 [cs.AI])

Knowledge graph embedding aims at offering a numerical paradigm for knowledge representation by translating the entities and relations into continuous vector space. This paper studies the problem of unsatisfactory precise knowledge embedding and attributes a new issue to this problem that \textbf{\textit{inaccuracy of truth characterization}}, indicating that existing methods could not express the true facts in a fine degree. To alleviate this issue, we propose the orbit-based embedding model, \textbf{OrbitE}. The new model is a well-posed algebraic system that expands the position of golden triples from one point in current models to a manifold. Extensive experiments show that the proposed model achieves substantial improvements against the state-of-the-art baselines, especially for precise prediction.

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Increasing the Action Gap: New Operators for Reinforcement Learning. (arXiv:1512.04860v1 [cs.AI])

This paper introduces new optimality-preserving operators on Q-functions. We first describe an operator for tabular representations, the consistent Bellman operator, which incorporates a notion of local policy consistency. We show that this local consistency leads to an increase in the action gap at each state; increasing this gap, we argue, mitigates the undesirable effects of approximation and estimation errors on the induced greedy policies. This operator can also be applied to discretized continuous space and time problems, and we provide empirical results evidencing superior performance in this context. Extending the idea of a locally consistent operator, we then derive sufficient conditions for an operator to preserve optimality, leading to a family of operators which includes our consistent Bellman operator. As corollaries we provide a proof of optimality for Baird's advantage learning algorithm and derive other gap-increasing operators with interesting properties. We conclude with an empirical study on 60 Atari 2600 games illustrating the strong potential of these new operators.

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Anonymous Targets Donald Trump's Trump Tower Website

Soon after Donald Trump's proposal of banning Muslims from entering the country, online hacktivist collective Anonymous has released a video ...

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Orioles Buzz: Free-agent OF Denard Span talking to Baltimore, Royals, Giants, Mets - Britt McHenry; hit .301 last season (ESPN)

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Ravens: Baltimore (4-9) up 1 spot to No. 29 in Week 15 NFL power rankings; open here for full rankings (ESPN)

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Anonymous

This anonymous woman is 29 years old and was born in the province of Chapare. She is a hard working individual. She is a single mother of one child ...

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Is Anonymous Grading Really Better?

A philosophy professor has written in with some questions about anonymous or “blind” grading, in which the identity of the student whose work is ...

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Anonymous vs. ISIS: Wishing the Vigilante Hackers Luck Against the Murderous Jihadists

Anonymous, the self-styled vigilante group best known for malicious online exploits ranging from vandalism to data theft, opened a new tactic in its ...

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Anonymous threat made this month against TCC referenced mass shooting

A person who made an anonymous online threat against Tidewater Community College earlier this month threatened to kill “at least” 35 people in a ...

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Anonymous users can modify the set of allowed file types

Access to the file type selection page is open to all. Patch to restrict to users with the "administer mandrill" permission follows.

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Into anonymous head?

Late night anonymous head. tonight and looking to make one of the options below happen. Will be 1am or later. You be in or close to Beverly-Salem, ...

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13 Million MacKeeper Users Hacked — 21 GB of Data Exposed

MacKeeper anti-virus company is making headlines today for its lax security that exposed the database of 13 Million Mac users' records including names, email addresses, usernames, password hashes, IP addresses, phone numbers, and system information. MacKeeper is a suite of software that claims to make Apple Macs more secure and stable, but today the anti-virus itself need some extra

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An Anonymous Forum?

An Anonymous Forum? Can't edit moodle frontpage after upgrade to Moodle 2.9 · determing creator of a course. Display mode. Display replies flat ...

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Pluto: From Mountains to Plains

What do the sharpest views ever of Pluto show? As the robotic New Horizons spacecraft moves into the outer Solar System, it is now sending back some of the highest resolution images from its historic encounter with Pluto in July. Featured here is one recently-received, high-resolution image. On the left is al-Idrisi Montes, mountainous highlands thought composed primarily of blocks of water ice. A sharp transitional shoreline leads to the ice plains, on the right, that compose part of the heart-shaped feature known as Sputnik Planum, which contains ices including solid nitrogen. Why the plains are textured with ice pits and segmented is currently unknown. The image was taken about 15 minutes before closest approach and shows an area about 30 kilometers across. The New Horizons spacecraft is next scheduled to fly past Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU 69 on New Year's Day 2019. via NASA http://ift.tt/1I3Z5b6

Moon Phase and Libration, 2016

Dial-A-MoonMonth: Day: UT Hour: init_user_date();show_moon_image(); show_moon_info();Click on the image to download a high-resolution version with labels for craters near the terminator.The animation archived on this page shows the geocentric phase, libration, position angle of the axis, and apparent diameter of the Moon throughout the year 2016, at hourly intervals. Until the end of 2016, the initial Dial-A-Moon image will be the frame from this animation for the current hour.More in this series: 2016 South | 2015 | 2015 South | 2014 | 2014 South | 2013 | 2013 South | 2012 | 2011Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been in orbit around the Moon since the summer of 2009. Its laser altimeter (LOLA) and camera (LROC) are recording the rugged, airless lunar terrain in exceptional detail, making it possible to visualize the Moon with unprecedented fidelity. This is especially evident in the long shadows cast near the terminator, or day-night line. The pummeled, craggy landscape thrown into high relief at the terminator would be impossible to recreate in the computer without global terrain maps like those from LRO.The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the Moon from slightly different angles over the course of a month. When a month is compressed into 24 seconds, as it is in this animation, our changing view of the Moon makes it look like it's wobbling. This wobble is called libration.The word comes from the Latin for "balance scale" (as does the name of the zodiac constellation Libra) and refers to the way such a scale tips up and down on alternating sides. The sub-Earth point gives the amount of libration in longitude and latitude. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk and the location on the Moon where the Earth is directly overhead.The Moon is subject to other motions as well. It appears to roll back and forth around the sub-Earth point. The roll angle is given by the position angle of the axis, which is the angle of the Moon's north pole relative to celestial north. The Moon also approaches and recedes from us, appearing to grow and shrink. The two extremes, called perigee (near) and apogee (far), differ by about 14%.The most noticed monthly variation in the Moon's appearance is the cycle of phases, caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon orbits the Earth. The cycle begins with the waxing (growing) crescent Moon visible in the west just after sunset. By first quarter, the Moon is high in the sky at sunset and sets around midnight. The full Moon rises at sunset and is high in the sky at midnight. The third quarter Moon is often surprisingly conspicuous in the daylit western sky long after sunrise.Celestial north is up in these images, corresponding to the view from the northern hemisphere. The descriptions of the print resolution stills also assume a northern hemisphere orientation. (There is also a south-up version of this page.)The Moon's OrbitFrom this birdseye view, it's somewhat easier to see that the phases of the Moon are an effect of the changing angles of the sun, Moon and Earth. The Moon is full when its orbit places it in the middle of the night side of the Earth. First and Third Quarter Moon occur when the Moon is along the day-night line on the Earth.The First Point of Aries is at the 3 o'clock position in the image. The sun is in this direction at the March equinox. You can check this by freezing the animation at the 1:04 mark, or by freezing the full animation with the time stamp near March 20 at 4:00 UTC. This direction serves as the zero point for both ecliptic longitude and right ascension.The north pole of the Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees toward the 12 o'clock position at the top of the image. The tilt of the Earth is important for understanding why the north pole of the Moon seems to swing back and forth. In the full animation, watch both the orbit and the "gyroscope" Moon in the lower left. The widest swings happen when the Moon is at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions. When the Moon is at the 3 o'clock position, the ground we're standing on is tilted to the left when we look at the Moon. At the 9 o'clock position, it's tilted to the right. The tilt itself doesn't change. We're just turned around, looking in the opposite direction.The subsolar and sub-Earth points are the locations on the Moon's surface where the sun or the Earth are directly overhead, at the zenith. A line pointing straight up at one of these points will be pointing toward the sun or the Earth. The sub-Earth point is also the apparent center of the Moon's disk as observed from the Earth.In the animation, the blue dot is the sub-Earth point, and the yellow dot is the subsolar point. The lunar latitude and longitude of the sub-Earth point is a measure of the Moon's libration. For example, when the blue dot moves to the left of the meridian (the line at 0 degrees longitude), an extra bit of the Moon's western limb is rotating into view, and when it moves above the equator, a bit of the far side beyond the north pole becomes visible.At any given time, half of the Moon is in sunlight, and the subsolar point is in the center of the lit half. Full Moon occurs when the subsolar point is near the center of the Moon's disk. When the subsolar point is somewhere on the far side of the Moon, observers on Earth see a crescent phase.The Moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle. The orbit is slightly elliptical, and because of that, the Moon's distance from the Earth varies between 28 and 32 Earth diameters, or about 356,400 and 406,700 kilometers. In each orbit, the smallest distance is called perigee, from Greek words meaning "near earth," while the greatest distance is called apogee. The Moon looks largest at perigee because that's when it's closest to us.The animation follows the imaginary line connecting the Earth and the Moon as it sweeps around the Moon's orbit. From this vantage point, it's easy to see the variation in the Moon's distance. Both the distance and the sizes of the Earth and Moon are to scale in this view. In the HD-resolution frames, the Earth is 50 pixels wide, the Moon is 14 pixels wide, and the distance between them is about 1500 pixels, on average.Note too that the Earth appears to go through phases just like the Moon does. For someone standing on the surface of the Moon, the sun and the stars rise and set, but the Earth doesn't move in the sky. It goes through a monthly sequence of phases as the sun angle changes. The phases are the opposite of the Moon's. During New Moon here, the Earth is full as viewed from the Moon.

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