Archive for the 'Technology' Category
‘New Emotion Detector Can See When We’re Lying’
September 14th, 2011[???] Via: BBC: A sophisticated new camera system can detect lies just by watching our faces as we talk, experts say. The computerised system uses a simple video camera, a high-resolution thermal imaging sensor and a suite of algorithms. Researchers say the system could be a powerful aid to security services. It successfully discriminates between […]
Microsoft’s Desperation to Catch Apple in the Crackpad Race to the Land of Dumb and Dumber
September 14th, 2011As you guys know, I’m not much of a fan of any operating system. I find Windows XP to be the least bad for what I do. Windows 7 is usable. Mac OSX is usable (but doesn’t support MultiCharts, an application I use daily). Linux still sucks, on the client side, and I guess that […]
The $300 Million Cable That Will Save Traders Milliseconds
September 13th, 2011Now with more Flashcrash! Via: Telegraph: In the high-speed world of automated financial trading, milliseconds matter. So much so, in fact, that a saving of just six milliseconds in transmission time is all that is required to justify the laying of the first transatlantic communications cable for 10 years at a cost of more than […]
Post-September 11, NSA ‘Enemies’ Include Americans
September 13th, 2011Bamford mentions the new NSA facility in Utah, but he doesn’t mention the other new one in Texas. Ironically, he’s quoted in this piece about the new facility in San Antonio: Surrounded by barbwire fencing, the anonymous yet massive building on West Military Drive near San Antonio’s Loop 410 freeway looms mysteriously with no identifying […]
‘Find My Car App’ for Mall Zombies Also Handy for Police
September 11th, 2011Via: Sydney Morning Herald: Westfield’s new app means you’ll never lose your car in the shopping centre again – and police now have at their fingertips technology to track down stolen and unregistered vehicles. Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney recently added to its iPhone app the functionality for shoppers to find their parked car by […]
Canadians’ Mental Health Records Shared with U.S. Government
September 11th, 2011Via: CBC: More than a dozen Canadians have told the Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office in Toronto within the past year that they were blocked from entering the United States after their records of mental illness were shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Justice Department Loses Round in Warrantless Phone Tracking
September 9th, 2011What’s the NSA doing with all of the surveillance data that it’s collecting on Americans? There won’t be any ACLU victory dances over that one anytime soon. Via: Cnet: The American Civil Liberties Union is touting its victory in a case against the Department of Justice over alleged mobile phone tracking. According to the group, […]
A 20-Square-Mile Model of a Small U.S. City Will be Built in New Mexico to Test New Technologies
September 7th, 2011Via: Salon: New Mexico, home to several of the nation’s premier scientific, nuclear and military institutions, is planning to take part in an unprecedented science project — a 20-square-mile model of a small U.S. city. A Washington, D.C.-based technology company announced plans Tuesday to build the state’s newest ghost town to test everything from renewable […]
New Evidence Links Cisco to Jailing and Torture of Chinese
September 6th, 2011Via: Sydney Morning Herald: A human rights group suing Cisco for aiding the tracking and torture of people in China claims it has new evidence proving the tech giant tailored its technology to specifically enable these abuses. If accepted by the court, the revelations, including that Cisco trained Chinese officials in how to surveil net […]
Britain: Tanks Test Infra-Red Invisibility Cloak
September 6th, 2011Via: BBC: Tanks could soon get night time invisibility thanks to a cloaking device that masks their infra-red signature. Developed by BAE Systems, the Adaptiv technology allows vehicles to mimic the temperature of their surroundings. It can also make a tank look like other objects, such as a cow or car, when seen through heat-sensitive […]
