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Do You Have 100 Terabytes of Free Storage? Download the Universe

Andrew Orr ·

Researchers have prepared the Uchuu simulation of the universe, the most detailed ever made so far. It contains 2.1 trillion “particles” in a space 9.6 billion light-years across.

The simulation models the evolution of the universe across more than 13 billion years. It doesn’t focus on the formation of stars and planets but instead looks at the behavior of dark matter within an expanding universe. The detail of Uchuu is high enough that the team can identify everything from galaxy clusters to the dark matter halos of individual galaxies. Since dark matter makes up most of the matter in the universe, it is the main driver of galaxy formation and clustering.

“Fortunately, if you don’t have that much spare change, you can access the data online. The Uchuu team has their raw data on skiesanduniverses.org, so you can explore their virtual universe all you want.”

Photo by Guillermo Ferla on Unsplash

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FTC Reveals its Study on Acquisitions From Big Tech

Andrew Orr ·

The Federal Trade Commission will change the way it scrutinizes acquisitions from Big Tech. On Friday it released the findings of its decade-long study on deals that weren’t reported.

The FTC reviewed 616 transactions valued at $1 million or more between 2010 and 2019 that were not reported to antitrust authorities by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft. 94 of the transactions actually exceeded the dollar size threshold that would require companies to report a deal. The deals may have qualified for other regulatory exemptions. 79% of transactions used deferred or contingent compensation to founders and key employees, and nearly 77% involved non-compete clauses. 36% of the transactions involved assuming some amount of debt or liabilities.

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Apple Once Threatened to Remove Facebook From App Store Over Human Trafficking

Andrew Orr ·

On Friday a report claims that Apple once threatened to remove Facebook from the App Store in 2019. The cause was human trafficking. (Original, paywalled report here).

The BBC published a sweeping undercover investigation of the practice, prompting Apple to threaten to remove Facebook from its store, the paper said.

An internal memo found that Facebook was aware of the practice even before then: A Facebook researcher wrote in a report dated 2019, “was this issue known to Facebook before BBC inquiry and Apple escalation?,” per the Journal.

Do the right thing, Apple: Remove Facebook.

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The DIY Raspberry Pi Automatic Guitar Tuner

Jeff Butts ·

First of all, “music is notably mathematical” is a brilliant pun. Second of all, this project is a brilliant merger of Maker DIY tech and music, especially since the gadget actually turns the pegs for you to tune your guitar strings. This Raspberry Pi project is based on Band Industries’ Roadie 3 automatic tuner. I love the fact that Jean-Gilles not only provides the instructions and source code for the project, but also the 3D printing files.

Music is notably mathematical, so it should come as no surprise that many makers turn to creating their own Raspberry Pi-based solutions for musical problems. Today we’ve got a sharp, problem-solving creation to share from maker Guyrandy Jean-Gilles. Tired of twisting his pegs, Jean-Gilles opted to develop his own Raspberry Pi Pico-powered automatic guitar tuner.

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'OSX.ZuRu' Malware Spreads From Trojanized Apps via Sponsored Search Results

Andrew Orr ·

The latest Mac malware to be discovered is called OSX.ZuRu. It spreads via infected apps from sponsored search results.

The legitimate and the malicious iTerm2 application bundles contain a massive number of files, including several Mach-O binaries. Moreover, the malicious version appears largely benign (as is the case with most applications that have been surreptitiously trojanized). As such, it takes us a minute to uncover the malicious component.

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Health Apps Must Warn Users of Data Breaches, Says FTC

Andrew Orr ·

The Federal Trade Commission issued a policy statement on Thursday. It says that health apps and wearable companies must warn their users of data breaches or face fines.

In a policy statement adopted during an open meeting, the Commission noted that health apps, which can track everything from glucose levels for those with diabetes to heart health to fertility to sleep, increasingly collect sensitive and personal data from consumers These apps have a responsibility to ensure they secure the data they collect, which includes preventing unauthorized access to such information.

Excellent news. Now they should make sure the fines are high enough to deter repeat offenders (cough T-Mobile).

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PrivacyTools Website Rebrands as Privacy Guides (Update)

Andrew Orr ·

PrivacyTools.io is a website I’ve long used to learn about different types of private software. The team announced that it will rebrand as Privacy Guides.

Our work maintaining PrivacyTools has been extremely difficult of late without access to key assets such as the domain and without the participation of its founder.

This name change is the first step in this process of regaining our independence as a community. Eventually, we plan on creating a new legal organization designed around the community to ensure our long-term sustainability. This will take some careful planning and time to get right, but we’re confident we can prevent this from ever happening again, and keep us independent of any one team member.

Update: It appears there is some contention or intra-politics. The official PrivacyTools Twitter account said it is a project split, not a rebrand.