Archive for December, 2012
Gigabit Seattle
December 14th, 2012Via: seattle.gov: In December of 2012 Mayor Mike McGinn announced that the City of Seattle has reached an agreement with broadband developer Gigabit Squared to develop and operate an ultra high-speed fiber-to-the-home/fiber-to-the-business broadband network. The plan will begin with a demonstration fiber project in twelve Seattle neighborhoods and includes wireless methods to deploy services more […]
Falling Into a Dream – Brian Tyler
December 14th, 2012A friend of mine from high school made this. I thought that some of you might like it. Via: Brian Tyler:
The Great Decoupling of the U.S. Economy
December 14th, 2012Via: Andrew McAfee’s Blog: What’s going on? Why have the things that workers care about – jobs and wages – become decoupled from the the other things that economy-watchers care about? So far, explanations for this unhappy phenomenon include tax and policy changes, and the effects of globalization and offshoring. These are clearly powerful forces, […]
Courtroom at Camp Justice a ‘Censorship Chamber’
December 13th, 2012Via: Miami Herald: The chief of the Guantánamo war court has approved the use of a time delay on public viewing of the Sept. 11 death-penalty trial as well as a censor in his court to make sure nobody divulges details of a now defunct CIA interrogation program, citing national security interests. The American Civil […]
Tiny Bhutan to Move to 100% Organic Farming Methods; Most Farmers Already Farm Organically
December 13th, 2012Via: NPR: The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan drew international attention a few years back for saying gross national happiness should trump gross domestic product when measuring a nation’s progress. If you’re going to prioritize happiness, the Bhutanese thinking goes, you’d better include the environment and spiritual and mental well-being in your calculations. (Not everyone […]
National Counterterrorism Center to Examine Government Files of U.S. Citizens for Possible Criminal Behavior
December 13th, 2012Via: Wall Street Journal: Top U.S. intelligence officials gathered in the White House Situation Room in March to debate a controversial proposal. Counterterrorism officials wanted to create a government dragnet, sweeping up millions of records about U.S. citizens—even people suspected of no crime. Not everyone was on board. “This is a sea change in the […]
Samsung Firmware Flaw Allows ‘Smart’ TVs to Watch You
December 13th, 2012Via: Security Ledger: The company that made headlines in October for publicizing zero day holes in SCADA products now says it has uncovered a remotely exploitable security hole in Samsung Smart TVs. If left unpatched, the vulnerability could allow hackers to make off with owners’ social media credentials and even to spy on those watching […]
The Real Toy Story
December 12th, 2012Via: Business Insider: German photographer Michael Wolf has taken a phenomenal series of photos he calls “The Real Toy Story” that shows what workers’ lives are like as they make all those toys. Wolf’s photographs come from visits to five toy factories around mainland China. He has given us permission to share them with you […]
Human Operator Taxies X-47B on Flight Deck of Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman
December 12th, 2012Via: U.S. Navy: The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air Systems (UCAS) demonstrator taxies on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Harry S. Truman is the first aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft.
British Police Use Alternating Current Frequency Fluctuations to Authenticate Audio Recordings
December 12th, 2012Via: BBC: For the last seven years, at the Metropolitan Police forensic lab in south London, audio specialists have been continuously recording the sound of mains electricity. It is an all pervasive hum that we normally cannot hear. But boost it a little, and a metallic and not very pleasant buzz fills the air. … […]
