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The self in the cloud

Our identity is not just about our internal memories, beliefs, hopes and fears. We are made up equally of our environment, of things outside ourselves – for example, by how we react to people and places. With this in mind, the dream of uploading ourselves to the cloud has a …

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Bitcoin, le veau d’or 2.0

Le bitcoin, dont l’émission relève d’un algorithme, reste trop volatil et pas assez répandu pour remplir les fonctions classiques d’une monnaie. Pourtant, son cours s’envole. Cet engouement soutenu par une conjoncture angoissante – le Covid – s’explique : pour les spéculateurs amateurs, cette cryptomonnaie représente la perspective de gains rapides …

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L’Irlande du Nord: un conte de deux frontières

Les violences qui ont sévi en Irlande du Nord au cours des 12 premiers jours d’avril sont-elles le signe d’un retour des « troubles » qui ont divisé ce pays pendant presque 30 ans? Est-ce que le Brexit est responsable de cette menace potentielle? Analyse. Pendant une douzaine de jours, …

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Is the Israel-Iran shadow war coming into the light?

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Is timing everything regarding this week’s attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility? In 2010, it came to light that the Stuxnet computer worm had struck Iran, reaching its Natanz nuclear facility. Stuxnet eliminated about 1,000 centrifuges by making them speed up and then slow down, creating vibrations that …

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Spooks with tzizit: Mossad, Shin Bet, cyber haredi agents speak for first time

Pardes is leading the charge to incorporate some of the smartest and most talented ultra-Orthodox men aged 24 to 34 into analyst and cyber units of the security establishment. The spy world just got a lot wilder in a way that even creative persons might have never imagined. The Mossad, …

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Iran enriches uranium to 60%, a short step from weapons grade levels

Top nuclear official says centrifuges producing 9 grams an hour, days after attack, blamed on Israel, at Natanz; E3: Iran has no credible civilian need for enrichment at this level Iranian scientists have successfully enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, its highest ever levels, senior Iranian officials declared on Friday. …

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Russia Vs. U.S.: Enemy And Admirer

The history of Russia-U.S. relations is long and complex, with many observers suggesting they are now at the lowest level they have reached in many decades and are poised to worsen further. I may agree with the first estimate but believe that these relations may be repaired and doubt they …

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Why It’s So Hard to Defend Against Drones

The attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia last month cut the country’s oil production in half, leading to a 20 percent spike in the price of oil and exposing the surprising vulnerability of the Saudi oil industry, which is vital to the global energy supply. It was all apparently …

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What the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Revealed About Future Warfighting

Last week’s Russia-brokered agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended 44 days of bloody clashes over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh—the first interstate war fought by conventional forces in recent years. The deal calls for Armenia to give up large swathes of territory in and around the breakaway region, which lies …

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Biden’s Restrictions on Drone Strikes Are About Much More Than Drones

The Pentagon confirmed this week that President Joe Biden has imposed new, temporary restrictions on counterterrorism drone strikes outside of active battlefields, making them subject to review by the National Security Council. According to The New York Times, which first broke the news, the rules were quietly put in place …

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