Short Takes – 12-2-22

Cops Can Extract Data From 10,000 Different Car Models’ Infotainment Systems. Forbes.com article. Pull quote: “The ATF investigator did, however, detail how cars’ internal computers were “designed to store a vast amount of data” and it was “possible to recover a great deal of information off the phones that have been connected to the car without access to the phone itself.” They went on to outline the sheer number of car models that can be raided thanks to their use of digital technologies. “There are over 10,000 supported vehicles by BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Hummer, Jeep, Lincoln, Maserati, Mercedes, Mercury, Pontiac, Ram, Saturn, Toyota and Volkswagen,” they wrote.”

NASA Awards $57M Contract to Build Roads on the Moon. GovExec.com article. Pull quote: “As NASA looks to have astronauts return to the moon and eventually travel to Mars, the agency is also looking at creating a sustainable presence in outer space and establishing a long-term presence on the moon. As a result, building infrastructure on the moon is a necessary component towards that goal.”

New Estimate Finds More Magma Under Yellowstone Supervolcano. NYTimes.com article. New detection technique not more magma. Pull quote: “Although the Yellowstone volcano is a little more capable of erupting than previously believed, the new study corroborates that its shallow reservoir is predominantly solid, making the prospect of any forthcoming eruption extremely small.”

What we know about the deadliest U.S. bird flu outbreak in history. NPR.org article. Pull quote: “It's the worst toll on the poultry industry since 2014-2015, when more than 50 million birds died. That earlier outbreak also started in the winter — but while that ordeal was over by the following June, the current outbreak lasted through the summer and has surged anew.”