tracked | Common News Update

Jul172021 by adminNo Comments

Mystery 19th Century botanist tracked down following appeal

Science

RHSA mystery 19th-Century botanist has been found, thanks to sleuthing work by the public.Isabella Anne Allen had been known only by the secrets she left behind, tucked between the pages of an old book.But following an appeal for information, on the BBC News website, she has now been traced to the village of Madresfield, Worcestershire.Her story came to light when clues such as pressed flowers, poems and doodles were found inside The English Flora.Donated to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) decades ago, the botanical text was rediscovered by staff sorting through boxes ahead of a move to a new library.And libraries and exhibitions head Fiona Davison said the clues within revealed its original owner "would have been a figure in the local society and in public". "She is a gardener as we...

Jun132020 by adminNo Comments

Red pandas tracked by satellite in conservation ‘milestone’

Science

Conservationists are satellite tracking red pandas in the mountains of Nepal to find out more about the factors that are driving them towards extinction.The mammals are endangered, with numbers down to a few thousand in the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.Ten red pandas have been fitted with GPS collars to monitor their range in the forests near Mount Kangchenjunga.The GPS collars are said to be working well and yielding "exciting data".The six females and four males are being tracked and photographed using camera traps in a conservation effort involving scientists, vets, government officials in Nepal and conservation group Red Panda Network. "This is a great mi...

May32020 by adminNo Comments

Love Bug’s creator tracked down to repair shop in Manila

Technology

The man behind the world's first major computer virus outbreak has admitted his guilt, 20 years after his software infected millions of machines worldwide.Filipino Onel de Guzman, now 44, says he unleashed the Love Bug computer worm to steal passwords so he could access the internet without paying.He claims he never intended it to spread globally.And he says he regrets the damage his code caused."I didn't expect it would get to the US and Europe. I was surprised," he said in an interview for Crime Dot Com, a forthcoming book on cyber-crime.The Love Bug pandemic began on 4 May, 2000. Victims received an email attachment entitled LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU. It contained malicious code that would overwrite files, steal passwords, and automatically send copies of it...

Oct112019 by adminNo Comments

Apple pulls app that tracked Hong Kong police

Technology

Apple has removed an app that Hong Kong protesters have used to track police movement, following pressure from China.Pro-democracy protesters had used the crowdsourced app, called HKmap.live, to avoid water cannon fire, ID checks and tear gas, as they keep up weeks-long demonstrations. Apple, which had originally banned the app, last week allowed it to sit on its App Store, drawing criticism from China's ruling Communist Party.The party's official paper People's Daily called the app "poisonous", and said Apple was helping the protesters.The company says it conducted an investigation into the app, after "many concerned customers in Hong Kong" had contacted them with complaints, and found it to violate its rules. Advertisement ...

Dec152018 by adminNo Comments

Were Taylor Swift fans tracked at her gig?

Technology

A major stadium in Los Angeles has confirmed that it uses facial recognition tech during sport and music events, to spot known troublemakers.The Rose Bowl told news site Gizmodo that it used the tech "inside and outside" the stadium gates.It made the statement after an article in Rolling Stone alleged that Taylor Swift fans were scanned at a pop concert in an effort to spot stalkers.However, the companies involved have been reluctant to talk.What happened at the Taylor Swift concert?According to Rolling Stone, visitors to a Taylor Swift concert at the Rose Bowl were encouraged to visit a pop-up booth playing behind-the-scenes footage of the pop star.The booth allegedly recorded fans and compared their pictures to a database of Swift's known stalkers.The c...