Is this a Distributed Denial of Science attack?
I'll get my lab coat...
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is investigating a computer security breach at the Australian Synchrotron that saw hackers steal scientists' usernames and passwords Friday. Hackers of as yet unknown origin hit systems hosting the web portal where researchers from ANSTO and third parties can …
How great would a Steam-Punk Atom smasher be? Want to get kids into science, make hi-tech stuff touchy feely with knobs, flashing lights, levers, whoosing sounds and the occasional bang.
Sidenote:
Took my Kids to the the Thinktank in Brum who are hosting exhibits from the MAD museum in Stratford-Upon-Avon and the Caberet Mechanical Theatre
Great bonkers inventions that the kids love:
http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank/whats-on/mechanical-things-adventures-and-inventions-from-the-world-of-rowland-emett
http://themadmuseum.co.uk/
http://www.cabaret.co.uk/
"How great would a Steam-Punk Atom smasher be?"
I'm sort of envisioning a large centrifugal regulator-like thingie, where two atoms are carefully loaded (with huge pincers, while wearing thick leather gloves and dark welding goggles, of course) into the regulator spheres, then they spin up, and when they're just a whirling blur a lever is sprung, the spheres suddenly split up and the atoms get hurled into giant cast iron bullseye targets with brass accents.
....what? Don't all particle accelerators work that way...?
"I don't think being in Victoria makes it Victorian."
In addition, it has nothing whatsoever to do with atom smashing. It even makes it clear right on the page the article linked to - this is a synchrotron light source which produces (oddly enough) light (mainly x-rays, but covering a wide spectrum down to infrared) by accelerating electrons. No atoms are involved, let alone smashed. It is a facility though, so they did at least get one word correct.
Here's a tour of the facility...
Courtesy of Dave Jones from EEVBlog...
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As was reported up there, not a particle smasher, worse, the title suggests the accelerator was hacked, when, in fact, it was an off-site web portal .... there I was hoping to see some blackhat with a serious science degree creating havoc in the accelerator ... sad, really ... come on, guyz, you can do better than that!