Archive for the 'Technology' Category
NZ Snowmageddon
August 15th, 2011Update: Snow in Auckland Via: New Zealand Herald: Snow has fallen in downtown Auckland for the first time in 80 years as a ‘once in a lifetime’ polar blast spreads across New Zealand, forecasters say. Widespread reports of snow emerged this afternoon as bitterly cold and stormy conditions set in around Auckland. — There are […]
Pre-Crime: BART Admits Halting Cell Service to Stop Protesters
August 13th, 2011Via: San Francisco Chronicle: BART officials acknowledged this afternoon that they shut down cell phone and wireless data service in its downtown San Francisco stations to disrupt a planned protest. Their announcement sparked denunciations from civil libertarians and the apparent threat of a cyber-attack on the BART website. A statement posted on the transit agency’s […]
Epidermal Electronic System
August 12th, 2011Via: National Science Foundation: Through a combination of careful theoretical modeling and precise micro-manufacturing, a team of engineers and scientists has developed a new type of ultra-thin, self-adhesive electronics device that can effectively measure data about the human heart, brain waves and muscle activity–all without the use of bulky equipment, conductive fluids or glues. The […]
China, North Korea, Iran, Libya… David Cameron Threatens to Shut Down UK Social Networks When Pre-Crime Detected
August 11th, 2011Via: Thinq: In a move worthy of China’s communist regime, UK PM David Cameron wants to shut down social networks whenever civil unrest rears its head in Britain’s towns and cities. Speaking in the House of Commons, Cameron said, “Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were, organised via social media. […]
Google Admits Handing over European User Data to U.S. Intelligence Agencies
August 11th, 2011Via: Softpedia: Google has admitted complying with requests from US intelligence agencies for data stored in its European data centers, most likely in violation of European Union data protection laws. Gordon Frazer, Microsoft UK’s managing director, made news headlines some weeks ago when he admitted that Microsoft can be compelled to share data with the […]
U.S. Military to Launch Unmanned Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2
August 11th, 2011Update: Contact ‘Lost’ During Flight Via: USA Today: The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency says contact with its experimental hypersonic glider was lost after launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central California coast. The glider was launched from this Minotaur IV rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.. The agency says […]
Power Companies Prepare as Solar Storms Set to Hit Earth
August 8th, 2011Via: Reuters: Three large explosions from the Sun over the past few days have prompted U.S. government scientists to caution users of satellite, telecommunications and electric equipment to prepare for possible disruptions over the next few days. “The magnetic storm that is soon to develop probably will be in the moderate to strong level,” said […]
Did Crashed Lockheed Martin HALE-D Airship Have EEStor Systems On Board?
August 5th, 2011If you’re not familiar with the EEStor story, I’ve done several posts on it over the years. With regard to this HALE-D airship crash, let’s first note Lockheed Martin’s links to EEStor. This is from 2008: Lockheed Martin to Use EEstor’s Ultracapacitors for Military and Homeland Security Applications: Lockheed Martin has signed an exclusive international […]
U.S. Wants to Build Cybersecurity Protection Plan for Cars
August 4th, 2011Better make sure your car’s firewall and antivirus definitions are up to date. *grin* Via: Network World: As cars and other forms of transportation increasingly rely on online systems for everything from safety to onboard entertainment, the cybersecurity threat from those who would exploit such electronic control packages has also increased. That’s why the US […]
Facebook Comes Before Tap Water as India’s Poor Get Smartphones
August 4th, 2011Via: Bloomberg: In a two-room shanty with no running water in northern Mumbai, Darshana Verma makes tea on a small stove. On a bench nearby, her 18-year-old son, Vishal, messages Facebook friends on the keypad of his Nokia smartphone. “This is the Internet age,” said the 36-year-old domestic helper, who spent more than half her […]
