Category Archives: Cloning

LUCKNOW: In an unusual development, March 31, the closing of banking operations, coincided with large scale cyber frauds in the city. More than 50 cases of cloning have been reported with 36 complaints being brought to the notice of Hazratganj-based cyber cell on April 1, 2 and 3. In what seems to be the work of an organised cyber gang with countrywide reach, a common plot has been detected in such frauds. Cyber cell incharge VVS Sirohi said at least Rs 10 lakh has been swindled from bank accounts in three days. "We feel that some hackers managed to get their hands on confidential customer information of a particular bank branch in Hazratganj. A report will be forwarded to the data center of the bank in Mumbai for further clarity," said Sirohi. While debit cards of the customers remained in their possession, they got text messages about withdrawals. Miscreants used the card twice to take out Rs 40,000, in most of the cases. Sub-inspector Sudheer Kumar Gautam was also targeted by the gang on April 1. "I started following up on the case and found that many more people have been duped. Two other constables had Rs 40,000 withdrawn from their accounts," said Gautam. On Tuesday, a police team inspected the ATM booth outside the Ashok Marg branch of the bank, the place where 60% of the victims hold savings account. Fraudulent transactions have been undertaken in Vadodara in all the cases. Sirohi said earlier too a gang which skimmed debit card data had been busted in city. "We are finding out if the same miscreants have come out on bail," said Sirohi.

Read the rest here:

Series of cloning cases reported in city | Lucknow News - Times of ... - Times of India

So, you've just installed VS 2017. Now you want to "copy" that setup and share what you installed with your coworkers, say you're trying to create a standard work or class setup...

How do you capture what you installed? You're sure there's some kind of command line switch or something, some way to export your currently installed VS 2017 setup/package/workload?

Nope.

There is a cool new VS 2017 Setup API, Setup Configuration, though, with code samples and everything. Maybe that can be used?

Yep!

Today's quick and dirty project from Tim Sneath uses the Setup Configuration API to capture and export your currently installed packages, generating the command line parameters that you can use to install a like looking VS setup on another PC.

timsneath/vs-clone

Clones a Visual Studio 2017 installation so it can be reproduced on another machine. Run this on a machine that already has Visual Studio 2017 installed, and it will interrogate the instance of Visual Studio to identify what workloads and components were selected, and attempt to create a command line that recreates the same installation.

Syntax:

...

... [Click through for the repo]

Read the original here:

Cloning Your VS 2017 Packages - Microsoft - Channel 9 (blog)

CHATHAM, Va. (WSET) -- Virginia State Police are warning Virginians of a recent phone scam going around.

State Police say within the past 24 hours, they have received calls from two Virginians and one New Yorker about IRS-impersonation telephone calls linked to a Virginia State Police Area 43 Office in Chatham.

They say the scammers have cloned the state police offices main number - (434) 432-7287 - as a tactic to help convince a caller that they are legitimate. VSP spokeswoman, Corrine Geller says this is a common ploy utilized by scammers as the annual IRS filing season comes to a close.

State Police want to remind you that the Internal Revenue Service will never:

Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail you a bill if you owe any taxes. Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

According to the IRS Website, the aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, including recent immigrants, has been making the rounds throughout the country. Callers claim to be employees of the IRS, using fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling.

Victims are told they owe money to the IRS and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. Victims may be threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or drivers license. Or, victims may be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn't answered, the scammers often leave an urgent callback request.

In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

Some con artists have used video relay services (VRS) to try to scam deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Taxpayers are urged not trust calls just because they are made through VRS, as interpreters dont screen calls for validity.

For more details see the IRS YouTube video: Tax Scams via Video Relay Service.

If a taxpayer receives an unsolicited email that appears to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), report it by sending it to phishing@irs.gov. Learn more by going to the Report Phishing and Online Scams page.

Originally posted here:

State Police warn of IRS phone cloning scam - WSET

Attention-seeking amateurs have hijacked the cloning debate-and are eroding confidence in genuine research by Robert A Weinberg / March 20, 2003 / Leave a comment Published in March 2003 issue of Prospect Magazine

Biologists have been rather silent on the subject of human cloning. Some people accuse us of insensitivity to the consequences of our research. If not insensitivity, then moral obtuseness, and if not that, arrogance-an accusation that is never disprovable.

The truth is that most of us have remained quiet for quite another reason. Most of us regard reproductive cloning-a procedure used to produce an entire new organism from one cell of an adult-as a technology riddled with problems. Why should we waste time agonising about something that is far removed from practical utility and may forever remain so?

The nature and magnitude of the problems were suggested by Ian Wilmuts initial report, six years ago, on his cloning of Dolly the sheep. Dolly represented one success amongst 277 attempts to produce a viable, healthy newborn. Most attempts at cloning other animal species-to date cloning has succeeded with sheep, mice, cattle, goats, cats and pigs-have not fared much better.

Even the successes come with problems. The placentas of cloned foetuses are often two or three times larger than normal. The offspring are usually larger than normal too. Several months after birth, one group of cloned mice weighed 72 per cent more than mice created by normal reproduction. In many species, cloned foetuses must be delivered by caesarean section because of their size. This abnormality, the reasons for which no one understands, is so common that it now has a name-large offspring syndrome. Dolly (who was normal at birth) was briefly overweight when young and suffers from early-onset arthritis of unknown cause. Two recent reports say that cloned mice suffer obesity and early death.

Arguably the most successful reproductive-cloning experiment was reported in November 2001 by Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), a small biotech company in Massachusetts. Working with cows, ACT produced 496 embryos by injecting nuclei from adult cells into eggs that had been stripped of their own nuclei. Implanting the embryos into the uteruses of cows led to 110 established pregnancies, 30 of which went to term. Five of the newborns died shortly after birth and a sixth died several months later. The 24 surviving calves developed into cows that were healthy by all criteria examined. But most, if not all, had enlarged placentas and, as newborns, some of them suffered from the respiratory distress typical of large offspring syndrome.

It is great to see that you are enjoying the Prospect website.

You have now reached your allowance of 3 free articles in the last 30 days. Dont worryto get another 7 articles absolutely free, just enter your email address in the box below.

You are in complete control of which 7 articles you choose to read. Register now to enjoy more of the finest writing on politics, economics, literature, the arts, philosophy and science.

When you register, well also send you our free e-bookThe past in perspectivewhich considers how reflecting on the past can give great insight into the present AND well send you our free weekly newsletter. (If you prefer not to receive the newsletter you can unsubscribe at any time).

Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party. You can unsubscribe from the Prospect e-mail newsletter at any time.

Read the rest here:

The cloning clowns - Prospect

At long last, Facebooks Snapchat-apeing saga is complete: Stories is now rolling out to everyone on Facebook proper, after landing on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger over the past several months. Along with it comes a filter-tastic new in-app camera, as well as a direct messaging feature.

Today, were excited to introduce the new Facebook camera. We think itll give everyone more ways to express themselves and share what theyre up to. So from now on, you can just let your camera do the talking.

Posted by Facebook on Monday, March 27, 2017

Gary Vaynerchuk was so impressed with TNW Conference 2016 he paused mid-talk to applaud us.

Stories has been on trial ina number of countries since at least January, so we have a fair idea of what to expect. Which is to say, it works exactlylike on Instagram; Stories live above your News Feed for 24 hours, and can include both videos and images with a variety of filter effects. Theres even now a dedicated camera button on the top left of the app to serve as a constant reminderto post some goofy filtered-up photo.

But to Facebook, the filters are more than justtrivial additions. People are sharing more visual content than ever, and these effects are a way to augment and provide context for the moments being shared on screen. To my surprise, thecompany actually acknowledged Snapchatas the pioneer in the space during a press event, noting that its new push is ultimately a reflection of the visual nature of todays communication.

It has a small team of artists creating the filters, and works to adapt the filters for each region so that they are relevant to everyone using them (such as using different slang text in different countries). Its also partnering with various brands for themed filters, including Power Rangers, Minions, and Wonder Woman masks, and intends to introduce new ways for the Facebook community to create their own frames and effects in the coming months.

One area Facebook is a bit different from other apps is that you have the option to share Stories directly onto your Timeline and News Feed as well, giving them a bit more visibility by placing them among standard posts. You can also now share 24-hour media with only a few specific people via a Direct feature.

On Instagram, at least, we know that Stories have been hugely successful. The company shared that over 150 million peoplewere using the feature in January, just five months after it was introduced.

That might be because Instagram is arguably the most similar in nature to Snapchat, with its visual emphasis on quick sharing. Anecdotally, at least, the feature hasnt been quite as popular on WhatsApp, where users have clamored for its removal.

Well have to wait and see how it does on Facebook proper. Stories are clearly a huge push for the company, and the fact that they liveabove your News Feed is remarkable, considering the latter has always been your main way of experiencing media on the social network. After all, Facebook could have gone the WhatsApp route and kept the feature in a separate tab you could basically ignore. But it didnt.

You might also be wondering: why cant you just cross-post your stories all the apps at once? For now, Facebook says it wants to test out what works best on each app theres a reason Facebook proper is the last one to receive it. The company is considering cross-posting, but its waiting to see how it all plays out first.

That makes some sense. The more places you need to post stories onto, the more often youre compelled to try out the feature in the long run. But I still feel bad for the social media gurus who will feel the need to post the same story to four separate apps (five, if you include Snapchat).

Whatever your take on Stories, its clear the format is hereto stay. These new features should be rolling out to everyone onFacebook starting today.

More Ways to Share with the Facebook Camera on Facebook

Read next: This sci-fi short film turns augmented reality into a creepy psychothriller

See the original post here:

Facebook brings Stories to everyone, completes Snapchat cloning program - TNW

Courtesy of Texas A&M

CC, the world's first cloned cat, recently turned 15 years old.

Posted: Thursday, March 23, 2017 3:49 pm

Some paws for celebration: Worlds first cloned cat turns 15 Eagle Staff Report The Eagle |

CC, who made history as the first cloned cat, recently turned 15 and according to her owner is still going strong.

CC -- short for Copy Cat -- lives with Duane Kraemer, a senior professor in the Reproduction Sciences Lab at Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Kraemer cloned CC after 87 attempts, according to Texas A&M.

We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one.

Please click the button below to Start a new print or online subscription.

Thank you for reading your allotted free articles on our site. If you would like to continue to read ... Please log in below using your existing user ID and Password that you have created. If you need help, please contact our circulation office at (979) 776-2345.

We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one.

Please click the button below to Start a new print or online subscription.

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please click the button below to manage your account.

Thank you for reading your allotted free articles on our site. If you would like to continue to read ... Please log in below using your existing user ID and Password that you have created. If you need help, please contact our circulation office at (979) 776-2345.

kAmQ~?6 @7 E96 3:8 4@?46C?D E92E 4C:E:4D @7 4=@?:?8 925 H2D E92E 4=@?65 2?:>2=D H@F=5 DF776C 962=E9 AC@3=6>D 2?5 ?@E =:G6 2D =@?8 2D ?@?4=@?65 2?:>2=D[Q zC26>6C D2:5]k^Am

kAmQrr AC@G65 E92E E96@CJ H2D HC@?8[Q 96 D2:5] Q$96 😀 😕 8@@5 962=E9 2?5 96C <:EE6?D EFC?65 @FE E@ 36 962=E9J[ ?@C>2= 42ED]Qk^Am

kAmrr 92D E9C66 @77DAC:?8 E92E H6C6 3@C? `` J62CD 28@[ 2?5 E96J 2C6 2== 2=:G6 2?5 5@:?8 H6==]k^Am

kAm%6I2D pU2>Aj| 92D DF446DD7F==J 4=@?65 D:I DA64:6D[ :?4=F5:?8 42ED[ 9@CD6D[ A:8D[ 8@2ED[ 42EE=6 2?5 566C] zC26>6C H2D :?G@=G65 😕 E96 4=@?:?8 @7 E96 42E 2?5 566C]k^Am

kAm$6G6C2= AC:G2E6 4@>A2?:6D ?@H @H? E96 C:89ED E@ D@>6 <6J 4=@?:?8 E649?@=@8:6D[ A=FD E96 6IA6?D:G6 @7 4=@?:?8[ 92D =:>:E65 4=@?:?8 677@CED 😕 C646?E J62CD]k^Am

kAmQ!6E 4=@?:?8 @7 5@8D 2?5 42ED 😀 DE:== 36:?8 5@?6 😕 r2?252[ 2?5 D@>6 7@C>6C %6I2D pU2>Aj| DEF56?ED 2C6 24E:G6=J 5@:?8 E9:D H@C<[Q zC26>6C D2:5]k^Am

kAmzC26>6C D2JD rr 😀 4@?E6?E H:E9 96C =:76 😕 2 EH@DE@CJ 4FDE@>3F:=E 9@FD6 3F:=E 6DA64:2==J 7@C 96C 2?5 96C @77DAC:?8]k^Am

We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one.

Please click the button below to Start a new print or online subscription.

Thank you for reading your allotted free articles on our site. If you would like to continue to read ... Please log in below using your existing user ID and Password that you have created. If you need help, please contact our circulation office at (979) 776-2345.

We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one.

Please click the button below to Start a new print or online subscription.

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please click the button below to manage your account.

Posted in Texas A&M, Local News, Zoology on Thursday, March 23, 2017 3:49 pm. | Tags: Duane Kraemer, Zoology, Cloning, Deer, Animal, Effort, Cat, Offspring

Read more from the original source:

Some paws for celebration: World's first cloned cat turns 15 - Bryan-College Station Eagle

Please know that there is only one manufacturer of the authentic CEM3340.

The widow of analog synth chip pioneer Doug Curtis has spoken out against the practice of cloning vintage music technology, saying that she is deeply saddened by the attempt of others to trade on [Curtiss] name.

Mary Curtis didnt say which company she was referring to by name, but budget gear manufacturer Behringer recently confirmed it wasmaking replicas of the CEM3340 chip that featured in the original Oberheim OB-Xa synth.

While Behringer is legally allowed to make replicas of theCEM3340 because the patents have expired, Curtis Electromusic still exists, and still makes its ownchips for analog synth gear.

Many of you who are active on synth forums have recently contacted us regarding another companys claim of producing VCO chips that are the equivalent to the CEM3340 that was used in many legendary synthesizers, Curtis said in a statement on Facebook.

To avoid any confusion, please know that there is only one manufacturer of the authentic CEM3340 designed by my late husband, Doug Curtis. Any claims, use of this product designation, and use of the name Curtis Electromusic by other companies are made without permission from OnChip Systems (our current company name) or the Curtis Family.

As much as Doug would be humbled and so very happy about the legacy his products enjoy, we can assure you that as a person of the highest integrity he would be deeply saddened by the attempt of others to trade on his name and to make unsubstantiated claims of equivalency to his original inventions.

Benringers parent company Music Group has been making chips through its Coolaudio subsidiaryfor 17 years, and as Uli Behringer has noted, itsproducts have also been used by Dave Smith Instruments and Elektron to make their own gear.

The general rule and the law clearly describe that technology is free for everyone to use, provided it is not protected, Behringersaid in defense of synth cloning earlier this month. You may have a different personal view, but thats how our society and every industry works again why the law has been designed the way it is.

Behringer has said that he wants to clone the Minimoog, ARP 2600 and OSCar, with a replica Oberheim OB-Xa also looking likely. However, it could be a while before they come to market the companys recentDeepMind 12 synth took over three years to develop. [via Synthtopia]

Read next: 8 classic synths that are crying out to be reissued

Read more:

Curtis chip company speaks out against cloning vintage synth technology - FACT

How can a legally binding agreement on human cloning be established? Science Daily Since Dolly the Sheep was cloned in 1996, the question of whether human reproductive cloning should be banned or pursued has been the subject of international debate. In an attempt to address the issue, the UN formulated a Declaration on Human ... and more »

Go here to see the original:

How can a legally binding agreement on human cloning be established? - Science Daily

Dive Brief:

Apple announced a new video editing app called Clips in a company blog post Tuesday. Clips allows users to overlay augmented reality filters, speech bubbles, emojis and even music onto pictures and video in a manner similar to Snapchat.

Gene Munster, a veteran Apple analyst, suggested to CNBC's "Squawk Alley" program that Clips is not a Snapchat competitor, however, as the app doesn't have a built-in social network. Instead, Clips videos and images are intended to be shared on other platforms like Instagram, Facebook or through Apple's own Messages feature. The app automatically recommends shares based on who appears in videos or who the user shares content with most frequently.

AR certainly appears to have caught Apples eye of late, with CEO Tim Cook suggesting that the technology could be as revolutionary as the iPhone was when it first launched. Industry analysis backs up that prediction: In December, the International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast that shipments of AR-ready headsets will reach 15 million over the next three years.

"AR may just be on track to create a shift in computing significant enough to rival the smartphone," Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, said in a statement at the time. "However, the technology is still in its infancy and has a long runway ahead before reaching mass adoption."

In the "Squawk" interview, Munster similarly suggested that "the future of computing" will shift focus to AR; the program also addressed that Apple is rumored to be working on some sort of glasses wearable that might compete against Snap's own Spectacles hardware.

Snap is likely sweating the proliferation of copycat apps that continue to pop up following its initial public offering of stock at the beginning of the month. While some competitor platforms like InstagramStories have appeared to take a big bite out of Snapchat'suser base, Clips might arrive as less of a direct threat though still an app to keep a close watch on, as AR is an area that makes sense for Snap to invest innow that it's more flush with cash for research and development.

For marketers,AR applications are fairly rudimentary at the moment, with the most popular use cases found in Snapchat'sSponsored Lenses or games that can tie to real-world locations like Pokemon Go. However, as the technology evolves, it has the potential to revolutionize sectors like retail, allowing consumers to scan and visualize products both in-store and at home.

View post:

Apple joins Snapchat cloning craze with Clips - Marketing Dive

PUNE: A judge from a small cause court in Pune recently fell victim to debit card cloning in which fraudsters made away with Rs 47,930. The judge, S J Gharat, registered a complaint with the Deccan Gymkhana police station on Sunday.

Gharat had received an SMS on February 20 about Rs 50 being debited from her salary account at Axis Bank's FC Road branch. The money was deposited back immediately. Minutes later, Rs 1,600 was debited from the account, but she ignored the SMS thinking that the money would be re-deposited, police said.

The fraudsters withdrew more money several times till February 27, but Gharat did not receive most of the SMSs of the transactions. She saved one of them and obtained a statement of the account from an ATM. The printout indicated that 19 transactions had been carried out even though she had not used her debit card or shared her PIN or any other card verification information.

Gharat quickly blocked her card the same day, and filed a complaint with the bank. She sought an inquiry and told the bank to deposit the money in her account as she was not at fault.

"The bank has assured me that they will refund the amount, but the money has not been deposited in my account. I was directed to register an FIR. I have filed a complaint against unidentified men with Shivajinagar police station," Gharat told TOI on Monday.

Follow this link:

Pune judge loses Rs 48,000 to card cloning | Pune News - Times of ... - Times of India