New Kind of Gravitational Wave Detected? Slashdotby EditorDavid on space at January 1, 1970, 1:00 am (cached at August 26, 2017, 11:34 pm)

"Scientists possibly detected an entirely different type of gravitational wave," writes schwit1. "Gossip over potential detection of colliding neutron stars has astronomers in a tizzy," reports Nature: Astrophysicists may have detected gravitational waves last week from the collision of two neutron stars in a distant galaxy -- and telescopes trained on the same region might also have spotted the event. Rumours to that effect are spreading fast online, much to researchers' excitement. Such a detection could mark a new era of astronomy: one in which phenomena are both seen by conventional telescopes and 'heard' as vibrations in the fabric of space-time. "It would be an incredible advance in our understanding," says Stuart Shapiro, an astrophysicist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign... The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Louisiana and Washington state has three times detected gravitational waves -- ripples in the fabric of space-time -- emerging from colliding black holes. But scientists have been hoping to detect ripples from another cosmic cataclysm, such as the merger of neutron stars, remnants of large stars that exploded but were not massive enough to collapse into a black hole. One astronomer tweeted last week that "merging neutron-neutron star is the initial call," while Nature adds that the same rumor had already been circulating privately, according to "some astronomers who do not want to be identified." Friday Ligo announced cautiously that "We are working hard to assure that the candidates are valid gravitational-wave events, and it will require time to establish the level of confidence needed to bring any results to the scientific community and the greater public. We will let you know as soon we have information ready to share."

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Who can protect Yemen's civilians? AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)(cached at August 26, 2017, 11:30 pm)

With civilians bearing the brunt of conflict, there are calls for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen to be blacklisted.
Journalist Christopher Allen killed in S Sudan fighting AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)(cached at August 26, 2017, 11:30 pm)

American journalist, who has worked with Al Jazeera, was embedded with rebel forces when fighting broke out.
Employers Want More Open Source Workers, Says Linux Foundation Study Slashdotby EditorDavid on cloud at January 1, 1970, 1:00 am (cached at August 26, 2017, 10:34 pm)

As in past years, "Open source is professionalizing, and employers are seeking staff with demonstrable skills," says the executive director of the Linux Foundation, describing the results of a new study with Dice.com. An anonymous reader quotes ZDNet: According to the two groups' 2017 Open Source Jobs Survey and Report, "Not only do 89 percent of hiring managers report difficulty in finding qualified talent for open source roles, but 58 percent report needing to hire more open source professionals in the next six months than in the six months prior"... Seventy percent of employers, up from 66 percent in 2016, are hunting for workers with cloud experience. Web technologies placed second, with 67 percent of hiring managers hunting for workers with JavaScript and related skills. This is up five percent from last year's 62 percent. The demand for Linux talent remains strong. Sixty-five percent of hiring managers are looking for Linux experts. That's down slightly from 2016's 71 percent. The three most common positions that they're looking to fill are developer, DevOps engineer, and systems administrator, according to the study, and "a growing number of companies (60 percent) are looking for full-time hires, compared with 53 percent last year. "Nearly half (47 percent) of companies will pay for employees to become open-source certified."

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Spain unites for 500,000-strong Barcelona march AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)(cached at August 26, 2017, 10:30 pm)

Differences put aside as half-a-million people join major rally against violence following deadly attacks last week.
Tasers Implicated In Far More Deaths Than We Previously Thought Slashdotby EditorDavid on crime at January 1, 1970, 1:00 am (cached at August 26, 2017, 10:04 pm)

tedlistens writes: Independent studies have showed that when deployed correctly -- according to "guidelines" manufacturer Axon offers to police -- Tasers reduce injuries among both officers and the people they subdue. But amid a lack of official data about their use and effects, a new report by Reuters found 1,005 incidents in the U.S. in which people died after police stunned them with the electrical weapons, most since the early 2000s. The Taser was ruled to be a cause or contributing factor in 153 of those deaths -- far more than the 24 cases the company has counted. Reuters found that 9 in 10 of those who died were unarmed and one in four suffered from mental illness or neurological disorders; In 9 of every 10 incidents reviewed, the deceased was unarmed; More than 100 of the fatal encounters began with a 911 call for help during a medical emergency. Earlier this year, Axon rebranded, dropping the name Taser International to underscore its focus on body cameras and digital evidence, which is meant in part to add new transparency to fatal police encounters.

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Dist-Zilla-PluginBundle-Author-SKIRMESS-0.005 search.cpan.orgby Sven Kirmess at January 1, 1970, 1:00 am (cached at August 26, 2017, 10:03 pm)

Dist::Zilla configuration the way SKIRMESS does it
Alien-XGBoost-0.03 search.cpan.orgby Pablo Rodríguez at January 1, 1970, 1:00 am (cached at August 26, 2017, 10:03 pm)

Alien package to find, and build if necessary XGBoost dynamic library
[no title] Scripting News(cached at August 26, 2017, 10:02 pm)

Alt-right is a bullshit name. They wear Trump shirts and hats. These are Republicans. Don't like it? Take your party back.
Venezuela holds military drills after US threat AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)(cached at August 26, 2017, 10:00 pm)

Training exercises across country come at the heels of new US sanctions and Trump's warning of military action.
China Plans To Launch the World's First 'Unhackable' Quantum Communication Network Slashdotby EditorDavid on china at January 1, 1970, 1:00 am (cached at August 26, 2017, 9:04 pm)

An anonymous reader quotes Phys.org: China is about to launch the Jinan Project, the world's first unhackable computer network, and a major milestone in the development of quantum technology... the network is planned to be fully operational by the end of August 2017... By launching the network, China will become the first country worldwide to implement quantum technology for a real life, commercial end. It also highlights that China is a key global player in the rush to develop technologies based on quantum principles, with the EU and the United States also vying for world leadership in the field. The network, known as a quantum key distribution (QKD) network, is more secure than widely used electronic communication equivalents. Unlike a conventional telephone or internet cable, which can be tapped without the sender or recipient being aware, a QKD network alerts both users to any tampering with the system as soon as it occurs. This is because tampering immediately alters the information being relayed, with the disturbance being instantly recognisable. Once fully implemented, it will make it almost impossible for other governments to listen in on Chinese communications... It will be the world's longest land-based quantum communications network, stretching over 2,000 km.

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Saudi-led coalition admits attack on civilians in Yemen AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)(cached at August 26, 2017, 9:00 pm)

Sanaa air strike that killed 14 civilians, including young children, was 'a technical mistake', alliance says.
Hurricane Harvey slows but major flooding to hit Texas AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)(cached at August 26, 2017, 9:00 pm)

Storm weakens to category 1 after slamming the US state with powerful winds, but worst destruction yet to come.
[no title] Scripting News(cached at August 26, 2017, 8:32 pm)

What database would you use to implement a social graph?
[no title] Scripting News(cached at August 26, 2017, 8:32 pm)

"Hold the line until our country gets back to respecting each other."