Scott Pruitt just destroyed one of the EPA’s core safeguards, and we may never get it back

In an unprecedented move, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt just issued a directive that would prohibit individuals from serving on the agency’s independent scientific advisory boards if they also receive research grants from the agency.

The far-reaching directive will boot many mainstream environmental scientists from the congressionally-mandated panels that work to ensure the EPA administrator receives the best available scientific advice. It also opens the door for experts who do not typically obtain EPA grants, specifically industry representatives and state regulators, to be brought in to replace them.  Read more…

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Originally syndicated from Scott Pruitt just destroyed one of the EPA’s core safeguards, and we may never get it back

This AI nightmare bot spits out a new horror story every hour

Deep inside an MIT laboratory, an artificially intelligent bot is composing ghastly tales of nightmarish creatures and strange shrieks in the night. 

MIT researchers named their bot Shelley (after Frankenstein author Mary Shelley). They endowed her with an artificial mind, called a neural network, an advanced form of machine learning in which a computer learns a task by relying on training examples. In Shelley’s case, MIT researchers fed her silicon brain 140,000 horror stories published by writers on Reddit’s “No Sleep” forum.

SEE ALSO: We asked an expert about the worst (and grossest) movie viruses Read more…

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San Juan’s mayor isn’t happy Republicans canceled a hurricane response hearing

San Juan’s mayor has freely criticized the government’s response to Hurricane Maria. But now she’s been denied the chance to testify before Congress.

SEE ALSO: Trump gets a 10 on Puerto Rico response from San Juan mayor — but on a very different scale

Carmen Yulín Cruz was set to speak Wednesday in a hearing about FEMA’s preparation and response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Currently, only 33 percent of the island’s power has been restored.

She came to Washington, D.C., at the invitation of U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, a ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. This happened shortly after her public spat with President Donald Trump and Whitefish Energy, the two-person Montana firm hired to restore power to Puerto Rico.  Read more…

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People are getting locked out of their Google Docs. Here’s why you should be concerned.

It turns out that even your private documents can be censored online. This morning, a ton of users reported being locked out of completely innocuous Google Docs for “inappropriate content.” 

SEE ALSO: Why Twitter’s 30 million bots are here to stay

Google’s abuse policy prohibits the posting of serious threats, needlessly graphic or violent content, hate speech, harassment, confidential information, pornography, and anything illegal including child exploitation and copyrighted content. 

Today, however, multiple users believe that the content they were locked out of did not contain prohibited materialNational Geographic reporter Rachael Bale, who was locked out of a draft of a story about wildlife crime, claims that nothing in her document violated Google’s policies. “It’s about legal, but ethically dubious activity,” she tweeted.  Read more…

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Originally syndicated from People are getting locked out of their Google Docs. Here’s why you should be concerned.

How to take a screenshot with the iPhone X

The iPhone X is finally here.

If you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on one, then you know that the lack of a home button means you have to relearn quite a few basic tasks, like taking screenshots.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone X review: A bold step into the future

While other tasks, like app-switching, have replaced the home button with swipe gestures, taking a screen cap still requires you to press physical buttons. If you’ve ever been an Android user, then chances are, the new workflow will feel familiar. 

To take a screenshot with the iPhone X, hold the power switch and and the volume up key. You should still her the “click” and see the visual indication that the image was taken. Read more…

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These photos show how far the iPhone’s camera has come, from the original to the iPhone X

Read more…

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Originally syndicated from These photos show how far the iPhone’s camera has come, from the original to the iPhone X

Your mailman could soon deliver packages on this electric scooter

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An electric three-wheel scooter with a compartment for packages could one day become the preferred method for parcel delivery. With the eCommerce industry rapidly expanding, it’s never been more crucial to find ways to reduce bulk as well as emissions from large trucks.

The “Leo” design and prototype comes from Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) and TUMCREATE. Read more…

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Apple Photos can correctly identify your ‘brassiere’ photos in search

Apple has used image recognition algorithms to search and organize its Photos app since iOS 10 debuted in 2016 — but a viral tweet put the tool in the spotlight after it appeared to be stockpiling photos of women’s bras in a separate storage category within the Photos app.

Before going any further, it’s important to make a few things clear: There isn’t a separate “folder” filled with your intimate pics within the Photos app, and no one else can access your photos without you giving them permission. So the chance of your private photos leaking is exactly the same as it was before.

And what if you already have folders of your intimate photos on your phone, secret or otherwise? More power to you. You do you. Got it? Good.  Read more…

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Originally syndicated from Apple Photos can correctly identify your ‘brassiere’ photos in search