WPEC

'Secret' CIA bulk data collection raises questions about surveillance laws

HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TND) — The Central Intelligence Agency has a “secret” bulk data collection program that could “incidentally” include information about Americans, according to two U. S. senators. ‘WARRANTLESS BACKDOOR SEARCHES OF AMERICANS’ What kind of information? That’s classified. But concerns are being raised the CIA has hidden details about the program.

ZDNET

NSA reform report: End bulk metadata program, no more software backdoors

Two of the 40 recommendations — which the White House can still ignore — hints that private companies should be allowed to report data access figures.

Inverse

Machine learning could translate thoughts to speech in near real-time

Scientists have used deep learning to decode thoughts into speech, which can benefit people who lost their ability to talk.

bioRxiv

High-resolution image reconstruction with latent diffusion models from human brain activity

Reconstructing visual experiences from human brain activity offers a unique way to understand how the brain represents the world, and to interpret the connection between computer vision models and our visual system. While deep generative models have recently been employed for this task, reconstructing realistic images with high semantic fidelity is still a challenging problem. Here, we propose a new method based on a diffusion model (DM) to reconstruct images from human brain activity obtained via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). More specifically, we rely on a latent diffusion model (LDM) termed Stable Diffusion. This model reduces the computational cost of DMs, while preserving their high generative performance. We also characterize the inner mechanisms of the LDM by studying how its different components (such as the latent vector of image Z, conditioning inputs C, and different elements of the denoising U-Net) relate to distinct brain functions. We show that our proposed method can reconstruct high-resolution images with high fidelity in straight-forward fashion, without the need for any additional training and fine-tuning of complex deep-learning models. We also provide a quantitative interpretation of different LDM components from a neuroscientific perspective. Overall, our study proposes a promising method for reconstructing images from human brain activity, and provides a new framework for understanding DMs. Please check out our webpage at this https URL. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Climate Clock

Climate Clock

The Climate Clock melds art, science, technology, and grassroots organizing to get the world to #ActInTime.

Breakthrough in tin-vacancy centers for quantum network applications

Quantum entanglement refers to a phenomenon in quantum mechanics in which two or more particles become linked such that the state of each particle cannot be described independently of the others, even when they are separated by a large distance. The principle, referred to by Albert Einstein as "spooky action at a distance," is now utilized in quantum networks to transfer information. The building blocks of these networks—quantum nodes—can generate and measure quantum states.

Consensus decision-making is surprisingly effective in both communities and workplaces, says researcher

If you're in a leadership position—at work or in the community—you make decisions and oversee decision-making processes. Often it's best to consult the people you are leading to reach a group decision.

Democracy Now!

Palestinian Bedouins Resist Calls by Israeli Lawmakers to Demolish Their Village

In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian protesters gathered Monday at the site of a Bedouin village after two high-profile Israeli lawmakers demanded its demolition to make way for illegal Israeli settlements. This is Eid Jahalin, a spokesperson for the Bedouin villagers. Eid Jahalin: “The existence of settlements here means fragmentation of the West Bank. This village is the key for peace in the Middle East or the dream of every Palestinian for the establishment of a state. If this village is taken and gone and they confiscate the area from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, the West Bank will be split into West Bank North and South.” On Monday, Human Rights Watch warned in a new report that Israeli guidelines on access to the West Bank for foreigners threaten to further isolate Palestinians from loved ones and global civil society. The group added in a statement, “By making it harder for people to spend time in the West Bank, Israel is taking yet another step toward turning the West Bank into another Gaza, where two million Palestinians have lived virtually sealed off from the outside world for over 15 years.”

Blocking radio waves and electromagnetic interference with the flip of a switch

Researchers in Drexel University's College of Engineering have developed a thin film device, fabricated by spray coating, that can block electromagnetic radiation with the flip of a switch. The breakthrough, enabled by versatile two-dimensional materials called MXenes, could adjust the performance of electronic devices, strengthen wireless connections and secure mobile communications against intrusion.

3D Printing Industry

Scientists at the National Eye Institute have 3D bioprinted eye tissues from stem cells

Researchers at the USA’s National Eye Institute (NEI) have developed a way of 3D bioprinting eye tissues using patient stem cells.  Using their approach, in which three different types of immatur