Archive for the 'Technology' Category
J.K. Rowling Sells Harry Potter Ebooks Herself and They’re DRM Free
April 4th, 2012Overall, I think that this is a good development. Rowling has just routed around powerful publishers and Amazon and gone straight to people who want to buy her ebooks. There are, however, some howlers in the terms and conditions on the Pottermore site. This is from section 12.3: 12.3 You may not and may not […]
Shady Companies With Ties to Israel Wiretap the U.S. for the NSA
April 4th, 2012Via: Wired: In addition to constructing the Stellar Wind center, and then running the operation, secretive contractors with questionable histories and little oversight were also used to do the actual bugging of the entire U.S. telecommunications network. According to a former Verizon employee briefed on the program, Verint, owned by Comverse Technology, taps the communication […]
U.S. Draws Up Plans for Nuclear Powered Drones
April 3rd, 2012Via: Guardian: American scientists have drawn up plans for a new generation of nuclear-powered drones capable of flying over remote regions of the world for months on end without refuelling. The blueprints for the new drones, which have been developed by Sandia National Laboratories – the US government’s principal nuclear research and development agency – […]
Russia Eyes Development of Futuristic Weaponry, Including Psychotronic Weapons
April 3rd, 2012Many sites are quoting the Daily Mail on this one, but I’m not able to verify statements supposedly made by Putin at this time. RIA Novosti is state owned, so at least we can assume that this is actually Russian propaganda and not some shit the Daily Mail made up. Now, for those who might […]
‘Your Government Is On The Verge Of Recording Every Move You Make’
April 1st, 2012Via: Casey Research: To move forward, I’d like to step backwards – to the revelation that your government is on the verge of recording every move you make. As an exercise in critical thinking, let’s think a little deeper about the potential consequences of this development. As I believe you’ll quickly see, they’re important. To […]
Britain: ISPs Must Install GCHQ Intercept Equipment
April 1st, 2012Via: Telegraph: Under legislation expected in next month’s Queen’s Speech, internet companies will be instructed to install hardware enabling GCHQ – the Government’s electronic “listening” agency – to examine “on demand” any phone call made, text message and email sent, and website accessed in “real time”, The Sunday Times reported. A previous attempt to introduce […]
With GPS Data Out, Feds Eye Warrantless Cell Phone Surveillance
April 1st, 2012*yawn* Via: Wired: Prosectors are shifting their focus to warrantless cell-tower locational tracking of suspects in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that law enforcement should acquire probable-cause warrants from judges to affix GPS devices to vehicles and monitor their every move, according to court records. The change of strategy comes in the case […]
People in Britain Need Permission from U.S. to Board Flights to Canada, Mexico and Cuba
April 1st, 2012Via: Independent: One million British travellers planning to fly to Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico this year face the risk of being turned away at the airport – at the insistence of the US Department of Homeland Security. New rules require British Airways and other airlines flying to certain airports outside America to submit passengers’ […]
And Now… Degrees in ‘Drone Studies’
March 29th, 2012Via: The Daily: America’s newest college major may well be Drone Studies. Amid a worldwide boom in unmanned aerial vehicles, a handful of U.S. colleges have begun offering classes and even four-year degrees for students looking for jobs in the fast-growing field where even newcomers can earn six-figure salaries. Jeb Bailey, 28, who has taken […]
LG Begins Mass Production of First Flexible, Plastic E-Ink Displays
March 29th, 2012Via: ExtremeTech: LG, that South Korean conglomerate that has mostly spent the last few years fading into Samsung’s shadow, has just announced that it has begun mass production of the world’s first flexible, plastic e-ink display. This is opposed to the hard, heavy, prone-to-cracking glass-laminate e-ink displays found in devices such as the Kindle and […]
