Archive for June, 2014
Idiocracy: “Forget to Flush? There’s an App for That”
June 12th, 2014Via: Bloomberg: Come home to a hot iron and smoldering clothes this afternoon? Soon, it may not be a sign of forgetfulness, but rather evidence that you’ve been hacked. In coming years, your smartphone will be able to lock your house, turn on the air conditioning, check whether the milk is out of date, or […]
Iraq Militants, Pushing South, Aim at Baghdad
June 12th, 2014Via: New York Times: Sunni militants consolidated and extended their control over northern Iraq on Wednesday, seizing Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein, threatening the strategic oil refining town of Baiji and pushing south toward Baghdad, their ultimate target, Iraqi sources said. As the dimensions of the assault began to become clear, it was evident […]
Dryers Waste $4 Billion a Year in Energy Costs
June 11th, 2014I almost thought that they were going to get away with not mentioning clotheslines in this article. So, after reading about the billions of dollars wasted and how upgraded appliances should be purchased, etc, you need to stick around until the last sentence for the dash of sanity: Best yet, he says, they can save […]
Ars Tests Internet Surveillance—By Spying on an NPR Reporter
June 11th, 2014If you are a non technical computer user, this article does a good job of explaining how much of your online life is like an open book for any man-in-the-middle observer. This observer could be your ISP, an intelligence organization, the police, anyone who has access to the network infrastructure between you and the Internet. […]
Militants in Iraq Take Over Four Cities, Make Off with Arms Cache and Nearly Half a Billion Dollars
June 11th, 2014Mission accomplished. Via: Irish Times: Iraq is facing its gravest test since the US-led invasion more than a decade ago, after its army capitulated to Islamist insurgents who have seized four cities and pillaged military bases and banks, in a lightning campaign which seems poised to fuel a cross-border insurgency endangering the entire region. The […]
HP Labs Attempting to Build Revolutionary Computer Architecture
June 11th, 2014Via: Bloomberg: That’s what they’re calling it at HP Labs: “the Machine.” It’s basically a brand-new type of computer architecture that HP’s engineers say will serve as a replacement for today’s designs, with a new operating system, a different type of memory, and superfast data transfer. The company says it will bring the Machine to […]
Google to Buy Satellite Company Skybox Imaging for $500 Million
June 11th, 2014Via: Reuters: Google Inc said on Tuesday it is acquiring satellite company Skybox Imaging for $500 million in cash, the Internet company’s second high-profile acquisition of an aerospace company this year. Google said that Skybox’s satellites will provide images for Google’s online mapping service. Google, the world’s No.1 Internet search engine, said that Skybox’s technology […]
U.S. Sends B-2 Stealth Bombers to Europe for First Time
June 11th, 2014Via: IB Times: The U.S. Air Force has sent its most advanced bomber to Europe for the first time, amid the still-festering Ukraine crisis. Two B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, the most sophisticated warplanes ever employed in combat by the U.S., will be based for a “short-term deployment” at Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in […]
FAA for the First Time OKs Commercial Drone Flights Over Land
June 11th, 2014Via: Los Angeles Times: Marking a milestone for the industry, Monrovia drone maker AeroVironment Inc. has announced a contract to use an unmanned aircraft to perform routine commercial services over land in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The company’s small drone, called Puma AE, is now scouring BP Exploration Inc.’s Prudhoe Bay oil field […]
Arms Windfall for Insurgents as Iraq City Falls
June 11th, 2014Via: New York Times: The insurgent fighters who routed the Iraqi army out of Mosul on Tuesday did not just capture much of Iraq’s second-largest city. They also gained a windfall of arms, munitions and equipment abandoned by the soldiers as they fled — arms that were supplied by the United States and intended to […]
