Short Takes – 9-22-22

Set a calendar alert: NASA to broadcast first asteroid redirect on Monday. ArsTechnica.com article. Engineering at its most interesting – smack something and see what happens. Pull quote: “The primary one [effect] is expected to be slowing Dimorphos' orbit down by roughly 1 percent. As Chabot explained, this will have the consequence of making it more tightly bound, gravitationally, to Didymos. There's undoubtedly going to be material ejected during the collision, but that's not expected to be the main feature. "This really is about asteroid deflection, not disruption," Chabot said. "This isn't going to blow up the asteroid, it isn't going to put it into lots of pieces."”

Hackers Paralyze 911 Operations in Suffolk County, NY. DarkReading.com article. Pull quote: “Emergency lines aren't the only systems that have been impacted in Suffolk County. Police don't have access to their car computers, and even the system for title reporting is shut down, meaning no one can close real estate deals in the area.” Great system segmentation here (sigh); 911 and police car computers I can almost understand (they directly communicate with each other), but title registration???

A House hearing saw expert testimony emphasizing the need for steady funding to cybersecurity programs in water utility providers––especially in rural regions. NextGov.com article. Pull quote: “He added that underfunded federal mandates put a disproportionate amount of strain on utility companies to handle cybersecurity infrastructure without adequate support––resulting in higher utility costs.” This is the same complaint that EPA faced when post-9/11 they tried to ensure physical security at water treatment facilities.

Train Crew Size Safety Requirements – Extension of comment period. Federal Register notice. Extends the comment deadline for the notice of proposed rulemaking until December 2, 2022. Public meeting is planned before that date deadline.

Homeland Security Advisory Council Meeting – 10-6-22. Federal Register notice. Pull quote: “The Council will meet in an open session between 1:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. ET. During the open session, the Council will receive a progress report from the Customer Experience and Service Delivery subcommittee.”

Hazardous Materials: Adjusting Registration and Fee Assessment Program ANPRM. Federal Register notice. Request for information for rulemaking. Pull quote: “PHMSA is publishing this ANPRM to solicit feedback on potential adjustments to the statutorily mandated hazardous materials registration and fee assessment program. Actions such as the potential adjustment of fees or the addition of other entities among those required to register may be necessary to fund PHMSA's national emergency preparedness grant programs at the newly authorized level in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.”

Have you been taking pills wrong? Here’s what science says. WashingtonPost.com article. The things scientists model… Pull quote: “The bottom line: leaning to your right side after swallowing a pill could speed absorption by about 13 minutes, compared to staying upright. Leaning to the left would be a mistake — it could slow absorption by more than an hour.”