People put a lot of trust in their mobile phones; we use them to make payments‚ do work‚ and jot down last night’s weird dreams (thank you Notes app). But unfortunately‚ they can also be used to target us‚ and a new study from MIT researchers has revealed how hackers could take advantage of a phone’s light sensor to track and reconstruct our activity.Ambient light sensors are used by phones to detect surrounding light levels and adjust brightness accordingly‚ if it’s on an auto-adjust setting. Whilst other phone features require user permission for apps to access them‚ such as the camera or microphone‚ light sensors typically don’t. It’s this that researchers believe could be exploited.Led by Yang Liu‚ the team at MIT developed an algorithm that’s capable of using variations captured by the light sensor to reconstruct images of a person’s touch interactions with their phone‚ such as scrolling or swiping.They tested the algorithm out on an off-the-shelf Android tablet in multiple scenarios‚ including sitting a dummy in front of the screen and using either a mannequin‚ cardboard cutout or human hand to touch it‚ as well as seeing if it could pick up on gestures whilst watching videos. In all circumstances‚ the results revealed that light sensor data could be used to pick up on interactions with the screen and create images of them.Pixelated images reconstructed from gestures on an Android tablet.Image credit: Yang Liu et al.‚ Science Advances 2023 (CC BY-NC 4.0)“This imaging privacy threat has never been demonstrated before‚” said Liu in a statement.If that sounds a tad worrying‚ you’ll be pleased to know that such a threat is far from imminent. The rate at which images could be retrieved in the study was only one frame every 3.3 minutes – that’s slow enough that whoever was trying to get the images would struggle to keep up with your phone interactions in real-time. And even if they do get images‚ if retrieved from a natural video‚ the pictures can be pretty blurry.Nevertheless‚ the researchers came up with some ways that could help to mitigate some of the potential risks. The main target is software; they recommend that access to ambient light sensors should be restricted‚ with users having to give permission in the same way as done with camera or microphone requests.They also suggest putting a cap on the sensors’ capabilities‚ keeping the precision and speed low enough to prevent high-resolution images‚ and also placing the sensor on the side of the device where it can’t detect the most revealing gestures.And if you also happen to be concerned that you’re phone is listening to you‚ don’t be – it isn’t. If anything‚ you should probably think about giving it a decent clean.The study is published in Science Advances.

How will the world change over the next 1‚000 years? Unless you happen to hold the keys to time travel or immortality‚ it’s a question that none of us will live to know the answer to. But in Tuscon‚ Arizona‚ an experimental philosopher has created the Millennium Camera‚ a device that hopes to capture it all.The idea of taking an image over the course of 1‚000 years was thought up by University of Arizona research associate Jonathon Keats. His design is relatively simple for a camera; it consists of a pin-sized hole in a thin sheet of 24-karat gold‚ through which light can hit a small copper cylinder that sits atop a steel pole.Inside is a light-sensitive surface coated in thin layers of the oil paint pigment rose madder‚ which will fade with the light‚ though whether this will happen at the correct rate is something of an educated guess.With the help of researchers from the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill‚ the camera was installed next to a bench overlooking the Star Pass neighborhood in Tuscon. There‚ visitors are encouraged to sit and think about the future.However‚ even with a carefully designed camera‚ there’s no guarantee that anyone in the future will get to see the image it could theoretically produce."One thousand years is a long time and there are so many reasons why this might not work‚" Keats said in a statement. "The camera might not even be around in a millennium. There are forces of nature and decisions people make‚ whether administrative or criminal‚ that could result in the camera not lasting."The camera overlooks the distant hills in Tuscon‚ Arizona.Image credit: Christopher Richards‚ University of Arizona CommunicationsBut if it does happen to survive‚ Keats has some ideas about what it might show. Whilst the landscape features like hills will most likely appear mostly sharply‚ there will be a blur to features that change more easily‚ like buildings.It’s also important that the camera isn’t opened before the 1‚000 goal: "If we open in the interim‚ then it diminishes the imagining that we need to be doing.”Keats hopes that the camera will encourage people to reflect on how best to plan for the future‚ taking into account the growth of populations and with it‚ our relationship with the natural environment."Most people have a pretty bleak outlook on what lies ahead‚" said Keats. "It's easy to imagine that people in 1‚000 years could see a version of Tucson that is far worse than what we see today‚ but the fact that we can imagine it is not a bad thing. It's actually a good thing‚ because if we can imagine that‚ then we can also imagine what else might happen‚ and therefore it might motivate us to take action to shape our future."Keats is planning on installing further cameras in Chongqing‚ China‚ Griffith Park in Los Angeles‚ and the Austrian Alps. "This project depends on doing this in many places all over the world‚" he said. "I hope this leads to a planetary process of reimagining planet Earth for future generations."

Taoism is an ancient tradition that originated in China and has influenced many aspects of Asian culture and spirituality. Taoism is both a philosophy and a religion‚ but it is not based on dogma or scriptures. Rather‚ it is a way of living in harmony with the natural order of the universe‚ called the Tao. The word Tao means “way” or “path”‚ but it is not a fixed or rigid concept. It is more like a dynamic and mysterious process that underlies everything that exists and changes. Taoists seek to align themselves with the Tao‚ to follow its flow and… This premium content is for PLUS+ members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. The post Trees Help Us Heal and This is How You Can Use Their Energy appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Over in the U.K.‚ Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Simon Crick said that someone who had been walking their dog on Thursday night alerted authorities after finding an infant in a shopping bag.Temperatures in London on Thursday night were reportedly quite cold.Crick said the individual who found the child kept the infant warm until paramedics arrived.He said the baby was uninjured and was being cared for by hospital staff. He noted that the temporary name Elsa had been bestowed upon the child.Crick said it is thought that the baby is either black or mixed race.While he said it is thought that the child was under an hour old when she was discovered‚ it is not known how long the baby had been there when discovered."We are extremely concerned for her welfare‚" he said regarding the child's mother‚ noting that she would require "immediate medical attention following the birth."He urged the child's mother to seek help‚ suggesting that she could call or head to a police station or hospital."If you are the baby's mother‚ please know that your daughter is well‚" Crick said. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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