Scientists at Ohio State University have shown that the mycelium of cultivated shiitake and button mushrooms can act as computer memory with 90% to 95% accuracy. Bio-neutral circuitry, here we come!
The massive Cloudflare outage this week was caused by an SQL query that didn't filter its results sufficiently, which led to an input file with too many configuration records, which led to processing overload. Hackaday point out that input verification and error handling are basics of software development for reasons like this.
Researchers at Cornell University have developed an analog microwave based neural network chip with low power usage (200 milliwatts) and 88% accuracy at classifying wireless signal types.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new technique to allow hidden objects to be viewed using wireless signals. This technology can be applied to manufacturing and shipping to ensure objects inside boxes are not broken or misplaced before being shipped.
BBC Future published a piece highlighting different systems around the world that are stuck using old tech and operating systems. Apparently the automatic train control system of San Francisco's Muni Metro boot up every morning from DOS using a floppy disk.
Tech Target published an interesting piece about how backups can generate a considerable carbon footprint when transmitting and storing data, which can be avoided or reduced with measurement and planning.
Researchers at NTT built a drone wrapped in a Faraday cage, flew it into a storm with a tethered conductive cable attached to a high-voltage on the ground, switched it on and induced a lightning strike through the drone. The system could be used to protect an area from lightning strikes by diverting them during a storm.
