Comment: Speaking with? (Score 2) 93
WTF. How about 'SPEAKING' to the law's abusers in the same manner they spoke, using threats of $150,000 fines.
+ - Fears of man-made global warming exaggerated->
Submitted
by
schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "Two of three scientists at a session on climate change and society at the Indian Science Congress on Tuesday felt fears of man-made global warming were greatly exaggerated. Their presence at the conference was particularly significant in light of the current 'development-versus-environment' debates.
"While I agree that glaciers are melting because of global warming, if this is because of man, then what was the reason for the melting of the glaciers in the Gondwana period long before man arrived on the planet?" asked Dhruv Sen Singh, Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, University of Lucknow."
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"While I agree that glaciers are melting because of global warming, if this is because of man, then what was the reason for the melting of the glaciers in the Gondwana period long before man arrived on the planet?" asked Dhruv Sen Singh, Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, University of Lucknow."
Link to Original Source
+ - EFF: Apple's Dev Agreement Means No EFF Mobile App for iOS->
Submitted
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schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "Today we launched a new app that will make it easier for people to take action on digital rights issues using their phone. The app allows folks to connect to our action center quickly and easily, using a variety of mobile devices.
Sadly, though, we had to leave out Apple devices and the folks who use them. Why? Because we could not agree to the outrageous terms in Apple’s Developer Agreement and Apple’s DRM requirements."
Link to Original Source
Sadly, though, we had to leave out Apple devices and the folks who use them. Why? Because we could not agree to the outrageous terms in Apple’s Developer Agreement and Apple’s DRM requirements."
Link to Original Source
+ - If the Internet becomes a public utility, you'll pay more. Here's why.
Submitted
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mpicpp
mpicpp (3454017) writes "The Federal Communications Commission is in the middle of a high-stakes decision that could raise taxes for close to 90 percent of Americans. The commission is considering whether to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service and, in doing so, Washington would trigger new taxes and fees at the state and local level.
The agency would like to make Internet service a public utility, placing broadband under Title II regulation of the Communications Act of 1934. This move would make broadband subject to New Deal-era regulation, and have significant consequences for U.S. taxpayers.
Under this decision to reclassify broadband, Americans would face a host of new state and local taxes and fees that apply to public utilities. These new levies, according to the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), would total $15 billion annually. On average, consumers would pay an additional $67 for landline broadband, and $72 for mobile broadband each year, according to PPI’s calculations, with charges varying from state to state.
Proponents of broadband reclassification, including the left-of-center organization Free Press, claim that it would not result in higher taxes or fees. The recently extended Internet Tax Freedom Act, they assert, prohibits state and local taxation of Internet service. This is incorrect, however. The act does not apply to telecom-related fees.
Free Press and other broadband reclassification proponents also say the new taxes and fees can be prevented if the FCC designates broadband as an interstate service. A Progressive Policy Institute report explains why this also is incorrect:"
The agency would like to make Internet service a public utility, placing broadband under Title II regulation of the Communications Act of 1934. This move would make broadband subject to New Deal-era regulation, and have significant consequences for U.S. taxpayers.
Under this decision to reclassify broadband, Americans would face a host of new state and local taxes and fees that apply to public utilities. These new levies, according to the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), would total $15 billion annually. On average, consumers would pay an additional $67 for landline broadband, and $72 for mobile broadband each year, according to PPI’s calculations, with charges varying from state to state.
Proponents of broadband reclassification, including the left-of-center organization Free Press, claim that it would not result in higher taxes or fees. The recently extended Internet Tax Freedom Act, they assert, prohibits state and local taxation of Internet service. This is incorrect, however. The act does not apply to telecom-related fees.
Free Press and other broadband reclassification proponents also say the new taxes and fees can be prevented if the FCC designates broadband as an interstate service. A Progressive Policy Institute report explains why this also is incorrect:"
+ - Study casts doubt on mammoth-killing cosmic impact->
Submitted
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schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "Rock soil droplets formed by heating most likely came from Stone Age house fires and not from a disastrous cosmic impact 12,900 years ago, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The study, of soil from Syria, is the latest to discredit the controversial theory that a cosmic impact triggered the Younger Dryas cold period."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
+ - Gogo Uses Fake SSL Certificates To Throttle Streaming
Submitted
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Amanda Parker
Amanda Parker (3946253) writes "In-flight internet service Gogo has defended its use of a fake Google SSL certificates as a means of throttling video streaming, adding that it was not invading its customer's privacy in doing so. The rebuttal comes after Google security researcher Adrienne Porter Felt posted a screenshot of the phoney certificate to Twitter, prompting speculation the firm could eavesdrop on customers in what is known as a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack."
+ - Ansel Adams Act Would Allow Photographs in Public Spaces-> 1
Submitted
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davidannis
davidannis (939047) writes "Photographers have been harassed for taking pictures in public places since 9/11. One was arrested for participating in an Amtrak contest. The park service is charging fees. Representative Steve Stockman (R, Texas) addresses the problem with the Ansel Adams Act which he introduced today. It says "It is contrary to the public policy of the United States to prohibit or restrict photography in public spaces, whether
for private, news media, or commercial use." The act prohibits government agencies from prohibiting photography for National Security Reasons without a court order, from charging photographers fees, and prohibits equipment from being confiscated.
Link to Original Source
"Federal law enforcement officers or private contractors shall not seize any photographic equipment or their contents or memory cards or film, and shall not order a photographer to erase the contents of a camera or memory card or film.
Link to Original Source
+ - FBI says search warrants not needed to use "stingrays" in public places->
Submitted
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schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking the position that court warrants are not required when deploying cell-site simulators in public places. Nicknamed "stingrays," the devices are decoy cell towers that capture locations and identities of mobile phone users and can intercept calls and texts.
The FBI made its position known during private briefings with staff members of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). In response, the two lawmakers wrote Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson, maintaining they were "concerned about whether the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have adequately considered the privacy interests" of Americans.
According to the letter, which was released last week:
Link to Original Source
The FBI made its position known during private briefings with staff members of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). In response, the two lawmakers wrote Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson, maintaining they were "concerned about whether the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have adequately considered the privacy interests" of Americans.
According to the letter, which was released last week:
"For example, we understand that the FBI’s new policy requires FBI agents to obtain a search warrant whenever a cell-site simulator is used as part of a FBI investigation or operation, unless one of several exceptions apply, including (among others): (1) cases that pose an imminent danger to public safety, (2) cases that involve a fugitive, or (3) cases in which the technology is used in public places or other locations at which the FBI deems there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.
Link to Original Source
+ - Writers Say They Feel Censored by Surveillance->
Submitted
by
schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "A survey of writers around the world by the PEN American Center has found that a significant majority said they were deeply concerned with government surveillance, with many reporting that they have avoided, or have considered avoiding, controversial topics in their work or in personal communications as a result.
The findings show that writers consider freedom of expression to be under significant threat around the world in democratic and nondemocratic countries. Some 75 percent of respondents in countries classified as “free,” 84 percent in “partly free” countries, and 80 percent in countries that were “not free” said that they were “very” or “somewhat” worried about government surveillance in their countries.
The survey, which will be released Monday, was conducted anonymously online in fall 2014 and yielded 772 responses from fiction and nonfiction writers and related professionals, including translators and editors, in 50 countries."
Link to Original Source
The findings show that writers consider freedom of expression to be under significant threat around the world in democratic and nondemocratic countries. Some 75 percent of respondents in countries classified as “free,” 84 percent in “partly free” countries, and 80 percent in countries that were “not free” said that they were “very” or “somewhat” worried about government surveillance in their countries.
The survey, which will be released Monday, was conducted anonymously online in fall 2014 and yielded 772 responses from fiction and nonfiction writers and related professionals, including translators and editors, in 50 countries."
Link to Original Source
+ - For The First Time, SpaceX Will Land A Rocket After Launch->
Submitted
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schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "On January 6, Musk’s company SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station. The launch itself is fairly unremarkable; SpaceX has had a contract with NASA for some time now to transport cargo to the ISS via unmanned rockets, as part of the Commercial Resupply Services program.
What SpaceX will attempt to do after the launch is what makes the mission so exciting. The company will try to land the first stage of its Falcon rocket on a platform in the ocean — a feat that has never been done before."
Link to Original Source
What SpaceX will attempt to do after the launch is what makes the mission so exciting. The company will try to land the first stage of its Falcon rocket on a platform in the ocean — a feat that has never been done before."
Link to Original Source
+ - FCC says it will vote on net neutrality in February->
Submitted
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schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "Federal regulators looking to place restrictions on Internet providers will introduce and vote on new proposed net neutrality rules in February, Federal Communications Commission officials said Friday.
President Obama's top telecom regulator, Tom the Dingo Wheeler, told fellow FCC commissioners before the Christmas holiday that he intends to circulate a draft proposal internally next month with an eye toward approving the measure weeks later, said one official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agency's deliberations are ongoing. The rules are meant to keep broadband providers such as Verizon and Comcast from speeding up or slowing down some Web sites compared to others."
Link to Original Source
President Obama's top telecom regulator, Tom the Dingo Wheeler, told fellow FCC commissioners before the Christmas holiday that he intends to circulate a draft proposal internally next month with an eye toward approving the measure weeks later, said one official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agency's deliberations are ongoing. The rules are meant to keep broadband providers such as Verizon and Comcast from speeding up or slowing down some Web sites compared to others."
Link to Original Source
+ - Scientific team sounds the alarm on sugar as a source of disease->
Submitted
by
schwit1
schwit1 (797399) writes "Is sugar making us sick? A team of scientists at the University of California in San Francisco believes so, and they're doing something about it. They launched an initiative to bring information on food and drink and added sugar to the public by reviewing more than 8,000 scientific papers that show a strong link between the consumption of added sugar and chronic diseases.
The common belief until now was that sugar just makes us fat, but it's become clear through research that it's making us sick. For example, there's the rise in fatty-liver disease, the emergence of Type 2 diabetes as an epidemic in children and the dramatic increase in metabolic"
Link to Original Source
The common belief until now was that sugar just makes us fat, but it's become clear through research that it's making us sick. For example, there's the rise in fatty-liver disease, the emergence of Type 2 diabetes as an epidemic in children and the dramatic increase in metabolic"
Link to Original Source
+ - The 5 Cases That Could Pit the Supreme Court Against the NSA->
Submitted
by
Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "We've all been wondering how the U.S. Judicial branch will deal with the NSA's bulk metadata surveillance. Getting a case to the Supreme Court isn't a quick process, so we haven't seen much movement yet. But later this year, several cases have the potential to force a Supreme Court ruling on the NSA, whether they like it or not. Ars summarizes the five likeliest cases, and provides estimates on their timelines. For example, Klayman v. Obama was one of the first lawsuits filed after the Snowden leaks were published. The first judge to hear it actually ordered the government to halt the metadata program and destroy all data, but stayed his own order pending appeal. The case is now awaiting a decision from the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, and several other high-profile lawsuits are awaiting its outcome. The decision in Klayman will have a domino effect on NSA-related court battles across the country."
Link to Original Source
Link to Original Source
Comment: FBI evidence is laughable (Score 4, Insightful) 231
http://marcrogers.org/2014/12/...
"So in conclusion, there is NOTHING here that directly implicates the North Koreans. In fact, what we have is one single set of evidence that has been stretched out into 3 separate sections, each section being cited as evidence that the other section is clear proof of North Korean involvement. As soon as you discredit one of these pieces of evidence, the whole house of cards will come tumbling down."
+ - Zapping drones with laser->
Submitted
by
Taco Cowboy
Taco Cowboy (5327) writes "Mini-UAVs like quadcopters and hand launched drones has proliferated amongst the hobbyists, activists, journalists, businesses, and in the case of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, terrorists as well
Counterterrorist agencies from Washington to London, Moscow to Jakarta, are worrying about the ability of terrorists to use mini-UAVs to scout out attacks, or act as impropmtu bombers
In December 2013, a mapping drone flying near airplane flight paths within the vicinity of the Beijing airport, China mobilized 1,200 troops, two fighter and two helicopters to arrest the drone's three rogue operators. Learning from that experience, a group of Chinese companies has developed a powerful anti-drone laser for use in urban areas
The 10 kilowatt (coincidentally the same output as the initial laser on Lockheed Martin's HEL MD truck) laser can destroy drones flying at speeds of 180km, at ranges of 2km and a 50 meter altitude. The laser relies on electro-optical sensors for targeting; it takes about five seconds to compute a firing solution. These specifications match the needs in the target market of urban law enforcement and military operators
According to a spoke person of the consortium, snipers and drones are less than optimal solutions for dealing with small drones due to operator mistakes
Compared to missiles and anti-air cannons, the laser has a far lower likelihood of causing collateral damage and injury to nearby civilians. The anti-drone laser is light enough to either be installed to protect a fixed position like a stadium or government building, as well as to be mounted on trucks
The anti-drone laser has a perfect record of shooting down over 30 drones in a single test run"
Link to Original Source
Counterterrorist agencies from Washington to London, Moscow to Jakarta, are worrying about the ability of terrorists to use mini-UAVs to scout out attacks, or act as impropmtu bombers
In December 2013, a mapping drone flying near airplane flight paths within the vicinity of the Beijing airport, China mobilized 1,200 troops, two fighter and two helicopters to arrest the drone's three rogue operators. Learning from that experience, a group of Chinese companies has developed a powerful anti-drone laser for use in urban areas
The 10 kilowatt (coincidentally the same output as the initial laser on Lockheed Martin's HEL MD truck) laser can destroy drones flying at speeds of 180km, at ranges of 2km and a 50 meter altitude. The laser relies on electro-optical sensors for targeting; it takes about five seconds to compute a firing solution. These specifications match the needs in the target market of urban law enforcement and military operators
According to a spoke person of the consortium, snipers and drones are less than optimal solutions for dealing with small drones due to operator mistakes
Compared to missiles and anti-air cannons, the laser has a far lower likelihood of causing collateral damage and injury to nearby civilians. The anti-drone laser is light enough to either be installed to protect a fixed position like a stadium or government building, as well as to be mounted on trucks
The anti-drone laser has a perfect record of shooting down over 30 drones in a single test run"
Link to Original Source
