Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s broadcast of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse has won an Emmy Award for Excellence in Production Technology.
At the 76th Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards on Dec. 4, in New York City, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the win. Walt Lindblom and Sami Aziz accepted the award on behalf of the agency. For the broadcast, Lindblom served as the coordinating producer and Aziz served as the executive producer.
“By broadcasting the total solar eclipse, this team brought joy and wonder for our Sun, Moon, and Earth to viewers across America and the world,” said Will Boyington, associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Congratulations to the production team, whose efforts demonstrate the hard work and dedication to the sharing the marvel that makes our solar system something we strive to understand.”
NASA’s live broadcast coverage of the 2024 total solar eclipse was the most complex live project ever produced by the agency. In total, NASA’s eclipse broadcasts garnered almost 40 million live and replay views across its own distribution channels, including on NASA+, the agency’s free streaming service. Externally, the agency’s main broadcast was picked up in 2,208 hits on 568 channels in 25 countries.
“Our unique place in the solar system allows us on Earth to witness one of the most spectacular science shows nature has to offer. NASA’s production team captured the action every step of the way across the path of totality, including the rare glimpse of the Sun’s corona,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters. “Congratulations to the NASA team for successfully showing the 2024 total solar eclipse through the eyes of NASA for the whole world to experience together.”
The broadcast spanned three hours, showcasing the eclipse across seven American states and two countries. From cities, parks, and stadiums, 11 hosts and correspondents provided on air commentary, interviews, and live coverage. Viewers tuned in from all over the world, including at watch parties in nine locations, from the Austin Public Library to New York’s Times Square. An interactive “Eclipse Board” provided real time data analysis as the Moon’s shadow crossed North America.
Live feeds from astronauts aboard the International Space Station and NASA’s WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft were brought in to provide rare and unique perspectives of the solar event. To make this possible, NASA deployed and enabled 67 cameras, 6 NASA Wide Area Network control rooms, 38 encoders, and 35 decoders. The team coordinated 20 live telescope feeds which represented 12 locations across the path of totality.
NASA’s eclipse broadcast won another Emmy award earlier this year at the 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live News Special. Additionally, the show received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Show Open or Title Sequence – News. NASA’s eclipse communication and broadcast efforts also won two Webby Awards and two Webby People’s Voice Awards.
On April 8, 2024, North America's last total solar eclipse until 2045 moved across the continent. It made landfall in Mexico, crossed the United States from ...
As Thursday drew to a close, the entire cryptocurrency market flipped sharply bearish again, causing Dogecoin’s price to fall below the $0.15 mark. Despite the persistent struggle to produce another major rally, traders’ sentiment seems to be turning bullish, leaning towards accumulation, as indicated by a key on-chain metric.
Dogecoin Moving Into Accumulation Mode
A fresh reading indicates that the Dogecoin market is currently at a pivotal juncture that could shape its next trajectory and price dynamics. Sina Estavi, a builder and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bridge AI, reported that on-chain data is pointing to a decisive shift in the current market trend of DOGE.
Estavi’s research is based on the key Dogecoin Bubble Risk Model, a metric that determines when the price of an asset is significantly overvalued relative to its fundamental value. After examining this crucial metric, the builder has found a shocking trend that suggests the meme coin is experiencing a positive market phase.
According to the expert, the data from the metric is quite clear, showing that DOGE is currently not in a bubble phase. It is worth noting that the bubble-risk indicator only flashes red when speculative excess rises to extreme levels. Meanwhile, recent data is showing that the signal is muted in comparison to previous market cycles.
This development opposes the tales of fear that frequently emerge with significant price fluctuations. Rather, the signal suggests that the market is acting in a surprisingly stable manner, bolstered by consistent accumulation, strong holder belief, and robust network activity.
Estavi highlighted that from a structural standpoint, Dogecoin is shifting into an accumulation territory, not a blow-off top. In the meantime, this measure is unfolding as a subtle but potent indicator that the asset’s base is still far stronger than critics believe.
Active Addresses Showing Up At A Substantial Rate
The gradual shift into accumulation territory is evidenced by the massive wave of active wallet addresses on the Dogecoin network. Despite the ongoing volatility in the market and pullback in DOGE’s price, new investors appear to be reappearing at a substantial rate.
Ali Martinez, a market expert and trader, shared this development, which points to renewed demand and confidence in the leading meme coin. Data from Martinez shows that Dogecoin recorded over 71,589 active addresses on the network as of Thursday.
As seen on the chart, the figure marks the highest spike in the metric since September 2025. This rapid expansion suggests that genuine momentum is developing beneath DOGE’s current market trend, possibly foreshadowing a significant shift in market behavior and future price direction.
At the same time, heightened accumulation has also been ongoing within the whale cohort. In another X post, Martinez noted that whale investors have gone on a buying spree, scooping up millions of DOGE in the last 2 days. Within the time frame, the cohort acquired over 480 million DOGE, valued at approximately $71.2 million at current prices.
Teledyne FLIR Defense, a division of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, has received a $42.5 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command under Delivery Order 3 of the Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program, the company announced this week. According to a press release from Teledyne FLIR, the contract covers the delivery of more than 600 […]
The Office of Personnel Management is trying to address what it says are concerns from some managers and supervisors who worry they may be held personally liable for disciplining federal employees deemed poor performers.
In response to those concerns, a Nov. 21 memo from OPM clarified that managers and supervisors are generally acting on behalf of an agency when they “manage employees’ job performance and address unacceptable performance.” There is an “extremely limited scope” where managers or supervisors would be held individually responsible for those actions, OPM said.
When a manager puts an employee on a performance improvement plan, demotes an employee or removes an employee from their job for poor performance, that’s technically considered the action of the agency, OPM said, and not the individual manager’s responsibility. If an employee challenges one of those actions, OPM said that the agency, not the manager, would be responsible for responding.
“In the unusual event that a manager or supervisor is sued personally for actions within the scope of their employment, the Department of Justice (DOJ) typically provides representation,” the memo reads.
But if a supervisor or manager misuses their authority — for example through discrimination, harassment or whistleblower-related prohibited personnel practices — OPM said the individual can then be held personally accountable for their actions.
In its memo, OPM also reminded supervisors and managers of the availability of professional liability insurance, which may help protect them in the rare cases where they may be held liable. Supervisors and managers are usually eligible for a government reimbursement amounting to up to half the cost of the insurance.
“But even in these situations Congress did not give employees the right to hold their managers or supervisors personally liable for any performance or conduct-related adverse action,” OPM said.
OPM’s clarification comes after the Trump administration earlier this year set new expectations for measuring federal employees’ job performance. In June, OPM told agencies they don’t have to use “progressive discipline” and that they should not substitute a suspension when a full removal of an employee from their job “would be appropriate.”
The administration’s new performance management standards also attempt to more strictly delineate between different levels of employee performance and encourage agencies to rate fewer employees as high performers.
OPM Director Scott Kupor has repeatedly argued that the government has inflated performance ratings, and has targeted the rating system as a key area for OPM to update.
“In the real world we are not all equally successful and differences in performance from one person to the next are in fact real,” Kupor wrote in a Sept. 15 blog post. “We simply can’t all get A’s because not everyone’s contributions to the success of the organization are the same. Some people simply perform better than others — whether by luck or skill.”
More recently, OPM also announced a new mandatory training program for all federal supervisors, intended to educate supervisors on how to better manage performance of federal employees. The one-hour online course will cover topics including recognition, awards, hiring, firing and discipline of federal employees, according to a memo OPM sent to agencies Wednesday.
“At the end of the training, supervisors will be ready to set clear expectations, deliver quality feedback, document fairly, reward excellence, and take timely action when needed—all while building an engaged, high-performing team through transparency, accountability, and collaboration,” the memo stated.
Federal supervisors are required to complete the training by Feb. 9, 2026, OPM said.
The required supervisor training comes shortly after OPM also launched two optional training programs, designed to educate senior executives in the federal workforce, while incorporating common themes from the Trump administration on “accountability,” performance management and adherence to the president’s priorities.
Human resources, corporate hierarchy concept and multilevel marketing - recruiter complete team represented by wooden cube by one leader person (CEO) and icon.
KnowBe4, the platform that comprehensively addresses AI and human risk management, has been recognised as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Email Security Platforms for the second consecutive year and acknowledged specifically for its Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision.
Advanced AI-enabled detection to mitigate the full spectrum of inbound phishing attacks and outbound data loss and exfiltration attempts
KnowBe4’s Agentic Detection Engine that leverages sophisticated natural language processing (NLP) and natural language understanding (NLU) models to protect inboxes from advanced phishing, impersonation and account takeover attacks
Integration in the KnowBe4 HRM+ platform that uses deep per-user behavioural analytics and threat intelligence to deliver personalized security at the point of risk
Continuous behavioural-based training delivered through real-time nudges
A rise in advanced technology to address sophisticated phishing attacks and behaviour-led outbound data breaches has driven significant innovation in email security. According to the KnowBe4 2025 Phishing Threat Trends Report Vol. Six, there was a 15.2% increase in phishing email volume between March 1st – September 30th, 2025, compared to the previous six months.
“We are honoured to be recognised as a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Email Security Platforms,” said Bryan Palma, CEO, KnowBe4. “Email communication remains the primary attack vector for organisations globally. KnowBe4 plays an instrumental role in providing adaptive AI-enabled technology to build a stronger security culture for customers. In our opinion, this positioning validates our strategic vision and relentless focus on human and agent risk management that goes beyond detecting threats to preventing them before they reach employees’ inboxes.”
This news follows several recent announcements which exemplify the strength of KnowBe4 Cloud Email Security, including the integration of Microsoft Defender O365 and recognition as a Gartner Peer Insights Customer’s Choice for email security platforms.
Federal executives may soon see even more changes coming from the Trump administration. The Office of Personnel Management is now encouraging agencies to consider possible reassignments of Senior Executive Service members. In a new memo, OPM argued that the SES has not served as a “mobile corps” of managers, and members are instead being “entrenched” at agencies. The new memo comes after OPM also advised agencies to consider lowering their staffing allocations for senior-level positions.
More than 118,000 Defense Department employees under the Federal Wage System are finally getting their long-delayed 2024 pay raise. The Pentagon’s Wage Committee met last week for the first time this year and approved updates to roughly 1,600 wage schedules across 250 wage areas. The panel had been unable to meet since March, when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paused all advisory committees for a broader review. Wage grade employees haven’t received a pay increase since 2023. The approved pay raises will be retroactive, and may not show up in paychecks until January 2026.
The Pentagon said it’s ready to launch a new plan to spend about $1 billion on small, inexpensive drones over the next two years. A request for information the Defense Department issued to industry this week ask for input on the possibility of building 300,000 small drones for one-way attack missions. DoD wants to start testing potential systems by February as part of a series of “gauntlets.” Up to 12 vendors could get awards after the first gauntlet.
A bill to overhaul the federal probationary period has cleared a hurdle in the House. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee advanced the so-called EQUALS Act along party lines on Tuesday. If enacted, the bill would double the length of the probationary period from one year to two years for most new federal hires. Committee Democrats criticized the legislation, saying it could open the door to more terminations of probationary workers. The EQUALS Act was one of about a dozen federal workforce bills the Oversight committee approved for further consideration in the House.
Thousands of post offices across the country have closed over the past few decades, according to a recent data analysis. The startup Use Postal estimates that 8,000 post offices have closed since the 1960s. It also estimates that out of the nearly 40,000 to have existed, about 67% of them are still operational to this day. Post office closures have disproportionately impacted states like Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.
The State Department is telling employees targeted by mass layoffs this summer that their official separation date is imminent. The department’s human resources office told laid off Foreign Service employees that they will be officially separated from the agency this Friday. State Department attorneys determined that a recent stopgap spending bill passed by Congress does not require the agency to rescind any RIF notices that were sent before the government shutdown. These Foreign Service employees were originally on track to be separated from the agency on Nov. 10. But the department said it’s extending their administrative leave to address “administrative errors."
The General Services Administration made its 14th deal under its OneGov initiative. Through a new contract with SAP, agencies would receive up to an 80% discount off of Schedule prices for the company's database, integration, analytics and cloud software titles. GSA said this could save the government $165 million dollars over the agreement's 18-month duration, calculated against current government rates. GSA said this agreement is available to existing SAP customers for renewals, expansions or modernization projects.
The federal offices are back open and hundreds of thousands of federal workers have returned to work after the longest shutdown in history. But nothing is back to normal. Federal workers say morale and trust in leadership are at an all-time low, tensions are high between furloughed staff and those who worked through the shutdown, schedules are slipping and projects are being pushed back. More people are accelerating their retirement plans or leaving federal service altogether. But the recent shutdown has exacerbated the existing problems, and added to what federal workers described as an already extremely trying year for the federal workforce. “As if morale wasn’t already non-existent, it sure is now,” one government worker said.
U.S. and agency flags fly outside the Theodore Roosevelt Building, location of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Washington. Former President Donald Trump has plans to radically reshape the federal government if he returns to the White House, from promising to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally to firing tens of thousands of government workers. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Over the past few weeks, the price of Ethereum has been on a downward trend due to a highly volatile market environment. ETH’s bearish action appears to have hampered on-chain activities, as evidenced by a decline in its total transactions carried out within a monthly period.
A Quiet Month For The Ethereum Network
Ethereum’s on-chain activity appears to have slowed down alongside the ongoing decline of ETH’s price. The blockchain, which is typically bustling with contract calls, exchanges, and transfers, now feels a little more roomy, suggesting a cooling pulse beneath the surface.
After examining the Transactions on the Ethereum Network metric in the monthly time frame, Everstake.eth, a market analyst and the head of the ETH segment at Everstake, revealed that the blockchain has recorded its worst month of the year. While price has declined, ETH’s total transactions executed in a month, particularly November, experienced a cool-off.
According to the data, the overall number of transactions carried out on the Ethereum network in November alone was approximately 32.2 million. Although this figure may seem large, it actually marks the lowest monthly count in the past 12 months.
Such a drop in transactions may suggest the renewed waning appetite for the network. In addition to suggesting a retreat, this delay reads more like a collective pause as users catch their breath, procedures recalibrating, and the market adjusting to its new rhythm.
Everstake.eth highlighted that this kind of cooldown usually occurs when the market moves into a wait-and-see phase. During this phase, capital is observed sitting on the sidelines while developers continue to build on the blockchain. Despite this trend, the network still records more than 33 million transactions in a quiet month, which reflects its robust strength.
At a time like this, the expert noted that user behavior typically follows the market sentiment. As seen in the past, on-chain activity tends to cool down when volatility drops. However, Ethereum still retains the status as the most reliable network even during slow phases.
With the Fusaka Upgrade set to hit the market, Everstake.eth predicts that ETH transactions will see explosive growth. “If this is the worst month, imagine what the best will look like after Fusaka rolls out. It will be huge,” the expert stated.
ETH Active Transactions Pick Up
The monthly transactions may have slowed down, but the active addresses on the Ethereum network are heating up again. Leon Waidmann, the head of research at On-Chain Foundation, reported that active addresses throughout the entire ecosystem, Layer 1 and Layer 2s, bounced back above 9.5 million this week.
This surge points to a quiet resurgence of interest, utility, or a group readiness for the future. Waidmann highlighted that this marks the first meaningful reversal after several weeks of downside action.
ETH layer 2s such as Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, and World Chain have witnessed a strong rebound following a period of decline. Furthermore, multi-chain activity is starting to stabilize after the drop in Q3. These factors are painting a bullish picture for the network and its price prospects.
Dubai, UAE – December 1, 2025 — Mining pool Neopool reported a record 169 BTC (approximately $15 million USD) in payouts to its global miner network for November 2025.
This volume reflects Neopool’s expanding market presence and operational performance since its inception earlier this year. Independent data from miningpoolstats.stream continues to rank Neopool as the most efficient mining pool worldwide.
“Reaching $15 million in monthly payouts is a direct result of the trust our mining partners place in us,” stated Andrei Kapeikin, CEO of Neopool. “We built Neopool to offer more than just scale; we deliver the efficiency, transparent FPPS payouts, and dependable daily settlements that directly enhance miner profitability.”
The pool’s growth has been rapid, breaking into the global top-15 within months. This performance is driven by proprietary optimization technology, a low-latency global routing infrastructure, and a foundational commitment to transparency.
The November record was set during a period of increased Bitcoin network difficulty, demonstrating how Neopool’s technical focus provides a competitive edge.
“Other pools often prioritize hash rate volume,” Kapeikin noted. “We’ve shown that technical excellence and transparency are what ultimately drive value. Our miners’ daily results — and this monthly record — are the proof.”
Neopool remains focused on advancing its infrastructure and optimization algorithms, strengthening its position as an independent, high-performance alternative for the global mining community.
For details on performance metrics and mining solutions, visit neopool.com.
About Neopool
Neopool is a next-generation Bitcoin mining pool, rapidly achieving a top-15 global ranking and the #1 spot for daily PPS efficiency. Founded by a team with over a century of combined experience in mining and IT, we combine proprietary algorithms, robust infrastructure, and transparent FPPS payouts. We serve miners worldwide with automated daily settlements, a low 0.001 BTC payout threshold, and 24/7 support.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored press release. Readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence before acting on any information presented in this article.
Electra announced on December 3 the creation of “Electra Defense,” a new business unit aimed at advancing the company’s work with the U.S. military through the development of the EL9, a hybrid-electric aircraft with ultra-short takeoff and landing (ultra-STOL) capabilities. The EL9 is a nine-passenger fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate from spaces as short as […]
AWS CEO Matt Garman unveils the crowd-pleasing Database Savings Plans with just two seconds remaining on the “lightning round” shot clock at the end of his re:Invent keynote Tuesday morning. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)
LAS VEGAS — After spending nearly two hours trying to impress the crowd with new LLMs, advanced AI chips, and autonomous agents, Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman showed that the quickest way to a developer’s heart isn’t a neural network. It’s a discount.
One of the loudest cheers at the AWS re:Invent keynote Tuesday was for Database Savings Plans, a mundane but much-needed update that promises to cut bills by up to 35% across database services like Aurora, RDS, and DynamoDB in exchange for a one-year commitment.
The reaction illustrated a familiar tension for cloud customers: Even as tech giants introduce increasingly sophisticated AI tools, many companies and developers are still wrestling with the basic challenge of managing costs for core services.
The new savings plans address the issue by offering flexibility that didn’t exist before, letting developers switch database engines or move regions without losing their discount.
“AWS Database Savings Plans: Six Years of Complaining Finally Pays Off,” is the headline from the charmingly sardonic and reliably snarky Corey Quinn of Last Week in AWS, who specializes in reducing AWS bills as the chief cloud economist at Duckbill.
Quinn called the new “better than it has any right to be” because it covers a wider range of services than expected, but he pointed out several key drawbacks: the plans are limited to one-year terms (meaning you can’t lock in bigger savings for three years), they exclude older instance generations, and they do not apply to storage or backup costs.
He also cited the lack of EC2 (Elastic Cloud Compute) coverage, calling the inability to move spending between computing and databases a missed opportunity for flexibility.
But the database pricing wasn’t the only basic upgrade to get a big reaction. For example, the crowd also cheered loudly for Lambda durable functions, a feature that lets serverless code pause and wait for long-running background tasks without failing.
Garman made these announcements as part of a new re:Invent gimmick: a 10-minute sprint through 25 non-AI product launches, complete with an on-stage shot clock. The bit was a nod to the breadth of AWS, and to the fact that not everyone in the audience came for AI news.
He announced the Database Savings Plans in the final seconds, as the clock ticked down to zero. And based on the way he set it up, Garman knew it was going to be a hit — describing it as “one last thing that I think all of you are going to love.”
Lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have advanced a slew of federal workforce bills, one of which aims to make some significant changes to the federal probationary period.
The GOP-led EQUALS Act was one of about a dozen bills that passed favorably out of the committee on Tuesday. If enacted, it would require new federal employees to serve a two-year probationary period, doubling the length that most newly hired or promoted currently face.
Under the bill, agencies also would have to actively certify that a probationary employee “advances the public interest” before the employee can become officially tenured, while those who are not certified would be removed from their jobs. The legislation advanced in a party line vote of 24-19.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), who introduced the legislation, said the EQUALS Act builds on an April executive order from President Donald Trump, which similarly required agencies to review and actively sign off on probationary workers’ continued employment.
“President Trump could not be more right,” Gill said. “Probationary periods and trial periods are long-standing, essential tools to ensure newly hired federal employees are sufficiently performing before their appointments are finalized permanently.”
Democrats on the committee criticized the Republicans’ bill, arguing that extending the length of the probationary period would negatively impact federal recruitment, as well as open the doors to more terminations of new hires in the government.
“This bill would double the time during which federal employees have limited due process and appeal rights as probationary employees. During this time they could be fired within 30 days’ notice, they have limited rights to an attorney or representative and they generally cannot appeal their removal,” Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia (R-Calif.) said Tuesday. “At a time when Donald Trump is attempting illegal mass firings and purging experts from agencies across our government, this bill is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.”
Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) added that the EQUALS Act would “give the Trump administration yet another tool to weaponize against federal employees who they perceive as ideological threats, and to continue efforts to destroy the non-partisan civil service.”
Gill, however, argued that the bill would not lead to mass terminations, but instead only make sure that new federal employees are carefully reviewed. He also pointed to a 2015 report from the Government Accountability Office, as well as a 2005 report from the Merit Systems Protection Board, both of which call for reforms to the probationary period.
“An employee can often work for the federal government for over 25 years,” Gill said. “Having an extra year of probationary status to ensure the right employee becomes tenured is a common sense, good government measure.”
During the committee meeting, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) motioned to strike the EQUALS Act and replace it with legislation to first require GAO to review effects of prior probationary period extensions before making any long-term changes. Lynch’s amendment was struck down by the committee’s Republican majority.
Legislation on official time advances
Committee Republicans also advanced a bill that would require agencies to report in greater detail the use of official time by federal employees governmentwide. The Official Time Reporting Act passed out of the committee in a vote of 24-19 along party lines.
If enacted, the bill would require all agencies to submit reports on how much official time is used in each fiscal year, and justify any potential increases in official time that may occur.
During the committee meeting, Republican lawmakers argued that official time takes away from employees’ job responsibilities. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the lead co-sponsor on the bill, also criticized the lack of agencies’ reporting on official time over the last several years.
The bill “will let the American people know exactly how much of their hard-earned money is spent not providing valuable service, but on federal employee union activities,” Foxx said.
Some committee Democrats, however, described the legislation as an attack on union rights. The lawmakers emphasized that official time is used for activities that support federal employees, while raising concerns about the possibility that the bill could let the Trump administration further limit union rights.
“This year under the Trump administration, federal employees have faced job insecurity, financial strain and the loss of collective bargaining agreements. This bill will make matters worse,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) said. “We all benefit when unions and their members are empowered to prevent and address retaliation, discrimination and sexual harassment.”
Generally, official time hours can go toward negotiating union contracts, meeting with management, filing grievances or representing employees dealing with management disputes. Under law, federal unions are allotted specific amounts of time and resources to conduct these activities.
Federal unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, have pushed back against the Trump administration’s characterization of official time as “taxpayer-funded union time,” calling it a misrepresentation.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Garcia argued that official time leads to lower staff turnover and higher employee morale, while also preventing potential legal costs down the road.
“Official time is work time that employees are allowed to use for making the workplace safe and protecting workers from discrimination or harassment,” he said.
Committee approves some bills with bipartisan support
In contrast, some legislation that the committee approved on Tuesday gained strong bipartisan support from lawmakers. That includes bills on training for federal supervisors, skills-based hiring of federal contractors and amending the system for relocation payments for federal employees.
The Federal Supervisor Education Act, for instance, unanimously advanced out of the Oversight committee in a vote of 43-0. If enacted, the legislation would require agencies to work with OPM to create training programs for newly hired or promoted agency managers and supervisors.
Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.), who introduced the legislation in October, argued during Tuesday’s meeting that many federal supervisors step into leadership roles without enough training, and with no clear expectations for how to adjust to a managerial role in government.
“Agencies promote strong technical employees into supervisory jobs, and then send them in blind,” Timmons said. “That leads to low productivity, uneven standards and a system where good employees feel unsupported and bad employees rarely face consequences.”
Timmons added that the legislation would result in “real, meaningful training,” rather than being “a slideshow or a checkbox exercise.”
Although he said he mostly agreed with the bill’s intentions, Walkinshaw proposed striking one provision of the legislation. The initial bill text included a requirement that supervisory training programs must include additional training on the probationary period — something that Walkinshaw argued was outside the bill’s scope.
Committee Republicans agreed to adopt Walkinshaw’s amendment, after saying that it would result in stronger bipartisan support for the bill. Ultimately, the legislation advanced unanimously, with the amendment included.
“I am a strong supporter of the goal of this legislation,” Walkinshaw said. “Almost all of the language will provide supervisors within the federal workforce the appropriate training and resources to ensure there are strong leaders within their respective agencies.”
ServiceNow Inc. announced on Tuesday plans to acquire Veza in a move aimed at fortifying security for identity and access management. The acquisition will integrate Veza’s technology into ServiceNow’s Security and Risk portfolios, helping organizations monitor and control access to critical data, applications, systems, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The deal comes as businesses increasingly..
Connected devices are ubiquitous in our era of wireless chips heavily relying on streaming data to someone else’s servers. This sentence might already start to sound dodgy, and it doesn’t get better when you think about today’s smart glasses, like the ones built by Meta (aka Facebook).
[sh4d0wm45k] doesn’t shy away from fighting fire with fire, and shows you how to build a wireless device detecting Meta’s smart glasses – or any other company’s Bluetooth devices, really, as long as you can match them by the beginning of the Bluetooth MAC address.
[sh4d0wm45k]’s device is a mini light-up sign saying “GLASSHOLE”, that turns bright white as soon as a pair of Meta glasses is detected in the vicinity. Under the hood, a commonly found ESP32 devboard suffices for the task, coupled to two lines of white LEDs on a custom PCB. The code is super simple, sifting through packets flying through the air, and lets you easily contribute with your own OUIs (Organizationally Unique Identifier, first three bytes of a MAC address). It wouldn’t be hard to add such a feature to any device of your own with Arduino code under its hood, or to rewrite it to fit a platform of your choice.
We’ve been talking about smart glasses ever since Google Glass, but recently, with Meta’s offerings, the smart glasses debate has reignited. Due to inherent anti-social aspects of the technology, we can see what’d motivate one to build such a hack. Perhaps, the next thing we’ll see is some sort of spoofed packets shutting off the glasses, making them temporarily inoperable in your presence in a similar way we’ve seen with spamming proximity pairing packets onto iPhones.
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