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Hiding buildings from earthquakes
The seismic waves of an earthquake fall into two main groups: body waves that propagate through the Earth, and surface waves that travel only across the surface; invisibility cloaks could be used to make buildings invisible to surface waves
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Obama to seek sweeping changes for cybersecurity
High administration official says that the administration wants to create “far-reaching incentives” for prioritizing cybersecurity in the private sector, which controls much of the nation’s critical IT infrastructure
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U.K. government: Best cyber defense is cyber offense
New National Security Strategy document includes, for the first time, a public cyber security strategy; unnamed high government source: “We don’t want to engage in cyber war but we can’t remain a target for criminals to take a pop at”
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Licensing cybersecurity professionals, II
Even with all the unanswered questions, some cybersecurity experts are happy just to be having the conversation on the topic; they say that all the focus on cybersecurity will turn more attention on training and certification efforts
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U.S. cybercommand will be subordinated to the NSA
Secretary of Defense Gates announces the creation of the U.S. cybercommand; the organization will be based at Fort Meade outside Washington, D.C. and subordinated to the head of the NSA
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House panel votes for mandating safer technology at chemical plants
In a setback to the chemical industry, the House Homeland Security Committee approved a bill yesterday that could make chemical facilities use safer technologies and open them to civil lawsuits when they violate regulations
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Corporate security chiefs say insiders are greatest threat to data
Survey finds that 80 percent of CSIO are more concerned about employees and contractors than they are about external hackers
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Licensing cybersecurity professionals, I
There is a move in Congress to require the Commerce Department to develop or coordinate and integrate a national licensing, certification, and periodic recertification program for cybersecurity professionals
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Effective cybersecurity requires common language
Experts say that the lack of a common way of defining and speaking about cybersecurity threats, risk, and incidents hampers security efforts
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U.K. government to give up on massive Internet snoop scheme
The Home Office admits that its IMP (Interception Modernization Program) — the cost of which was to be £2 billion over ten years — cannot be realized because the technology does not yet exist
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U.S. cybersecurity chief says there is a lucrative market in malware
Philip Reitinger: “There is an entire community of people who are involved, organized crime is involved” in cybercrime underground market economy
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Cyber attackers strike Johns Hopkins University lab
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory has been awarded $7.3 million to work on the initial phase of the Obama administration’s cyber security project; the lab has been forced to take down its computers after discovering that hackers broke into the lab’s network
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Researchers find ways to slow down deformation of concrete
Concrete is used in practically all forms of construction — buildings, bridges, tunnels, dams; trouble is, it deforms and crumbles over time; MIT researchers discover the reasons for the gradual deformation of concrete, a discovery which will lead to concrete infrastructures capable of lasting hundreds of years rather than tens
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Building sturdier structures in hurricane-prone areas
The hurricane season is upon us; an architecture professor offers tips on how to build — and how not to build — sturdier structures in hurricane-prone regions
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Web-based news from Iran may contain malware
Many use Twitter to follow the fast-changing news from Iran; security experts warn that criminals may use Twitter to plant malware in your computer
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More headlines
The long view
Falling Space Debris: How High Is the Risk I'll Get Hit?
An International Space Station battery fell back to Earth and, luckily, splashed down harmlessly in the Atlantic. Should we have worried? Space debris reenters our atmosphere every week.
Using Drone Swarms to Fight Forest Fires
Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by climate change. Researchers are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires.
Strengthening the Grid’s ‘Backbone’ with Hydropower
Argonne-led studies investigate how hydropower could help add more clean energy to the grid, how it generates value as grids add more renewable energy, and how liner technology can improve hydropower efficiency.
LNG Exports Have Had No Impact on Domestic Energy Costs: Analysis
U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports have not had any sustained and significant direct impact on U.S. natural gas prices and have, in fact, spurred production and productivity gains, which contribute to downward pressure on domestic prices.