Archive for October, 2011
‘Steve Jobs, The Pioneer Of The Computer As A Jail’
October 8th, 2011Via: Stallman: Steve Jobs, the pioneer of the computer as a jail made cool, designed to sever fools from their freedom, has died. As Chicago Mayor Harold Washington said of the corrupt former Mayor Daley, “I’m not glad he’s dead, but I’m glad he’s gone.” Nobody deserves to have to die – not Jobs, not […]
Homeland Security Moves Forward with ‘Pre-Crime’ Detection
October 8th, 2011Via: Cnet: An internal U.S. Department of Homeland Security document indicates that a controversial program designed to predict whether a person will commit a crime is already being tested on some members of the public voluntarily, CNET has learned. If this sounds a bit like the Tom Cruise movie called “Minority Report,” or the CBS […]
FBI to Launch Nationwide Facial Recognition Service
October 8th, 2011Via: Nextgov: The FBI by mid-January will activate a nationwide facial recognition service in select states that will allow local police to identify unknown subjects in photos, bureau officials told Nextgov. The federal government is embarking on a multiyear, $1 billion dollar overhaul of the FBI’s existing fingerprint database to more quickly and accurately identify […]
Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet
October 8th, 2011Via: Wired: A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones. The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from […]
A Florida School District is Taking Attendance by Scanning Students’ Fingers
October 7th, 2011Via: Popular Science: Roll call is going high-tech in Washington County, Fla. Rather than the usual name calling and response, students are now checking into class with finger scanning devices. And to keep better track of students from the minute they come under district supervision until they are delivered safely home again, the scanners are […]
Finland: 79 Children Will Require Lifetime Medical Care After Receiving Swine Flu Vaccine
October 7th, 2011Via: AFP: The Finnish government and major insurance companies announced Wednesday they will pay for lifetime medical care for children diagnosed with narcolepsy after receiving the swine flu vaccine. “The compensation will provide much-needed financial assistance for the families, although it cannot take away the emotional distress caused by this condition,” Social Services and Health […]
Japan: Food Radiation Checker
October 7th, 2011Send the bill to Tepco? *groan* Via: Cnet: For many Japanese, food safety is an urgent concern in light of the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, from which radiation has entered the food supply. Kyoto-based scientific equipment maker Horiba is trying to help with a radiation detector kit that can tell users […]
Georgia May Use Prisoners to Fill Farm Labor Gap
October 7th, 2011Via: AP: State officials have set their sights on another potential pool of workers to help bridge Georgia’s severe farm labor gap: prisoners. The idea is to put nonviolent inmates — who are spending the end of their prison terms at one of the state’s 13 transitional centers — to work picking fruits and vegetables […]
Bank of England Governor: World Facing Worst Financial Crisis in History
October 7th, 2011So, the green shoots are off then? Via: Telegraph: The world is facing the worst financial crisis since at least the 1930s “if not ever”, the Governor of the Bank of England said last night. Sir Mervyn King was speaking after the decision by the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee to put £75billion of newly created […]
IMF Advisor: Could See Eurozone ‘Meltdown’ in 2 Or 3 Weeks
October 7th, 2011“The US investment banks and the rating agencies are now attacking these French banks. They know where the bodies are buried, and they are using the weapons they sold them to attack them… This is part of a new era on Wall Street – they go after sovereign debt. Wall Street and rating agencies are […]
