August 2007
51 posts
Astronomers Find a Hole in the Universe →
The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That’s an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday.
Point, Click ... Eavesdrop: How the FBI Wiretap... →
The FBI has quietly built a sophisticated, point-and-click surveillance system that performs instant wiretaps on almost any communications device, according to nearly a thousand pages of restricted documents newly released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Epidemiologists learn from World of Warcraft... →
Exposing "The Secret" →
The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Microsoft copying... →
At the Airport, You Better Smile →
“‘Behavior Detection Officers’ are now watching passengers’ facial expressions for signs of danger. It’s a new level of absurdity for America.”
"War on Drugs" defeating "war on terror" →
Thirty-six years and hundreds of billions of dollars after President Richard M. Nixon launched the war on drugs, consumers worldwide are taking more narcotics and criminals are making fatter profits than ever before.
Surviving Immortality →
Someone always has to be the last person to die of a disease that is being conquered. And if you take a very positive view of the Singularity that means someone has to be the last person to die, period. Ray is just determined that person isn’t going to be him, and I wish him all the best in that quest. Now pass me the chocolates, please.
Padilla: Guilty until proved guilty →
U.S. to Expand Domestic Use Of Spy Satellites →
“The U.S.’s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation’s vast network of spy satellites in the U.S.”
Cryptome founder John Young profiled in Radar →
“Radar has just published an extensive profile feature on John Young, the New York-based architect who is better known as one of the net’s most ardent foes of government secrecy.”
Whole House Off Switch →
… a single button that can turn off of the unnecessary power in the house, so as you walk out the door, you can be sure all the TVs, lights, and other appliances you may have left on are safely off and not consuming any electricity.
“Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that...”
– Vaclav Havel
US tech firm behind massive new human-tracking... →
The Chinese Bureau Of Reincarnation →
Richard Dawkins, Steve Jones, and Lewis Wolpert... →
Now romancer →
“William Gibson has been hailed as a prophet and a futurist, but his eye is on the present moment. He talks to Salon about virtual readings, emerging technology and his new novel — set in 2006.”
“There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast...”
– Bertrand Russell
AT&T blocks Pearl Jam's Bush slam →
America under surveillance →
“Granted new power to spy inside the U.S., the Bush administration may be doing more than eavesdropping on phone calls — it could be watching suspects’ every move.”
Getting high with Richard Branson: Virgin... →
If you listen closely, you can hear the cries of every other major airline’s CEO.
Christopher Hitchens vs. Ibrahim Hooper →
On CNN, Christopher Hitchens vs. Ibrahim Hooper on the Q’uran controversy at Pace University.
Making the Most of Your Time: Going Beyond To-Do... →
Bush signs wiretapping expansion law, permanent... →
“A new law passed in haste by Congress over the weekend and signed into law by President Bush on Sunday expands the government’s ability to spy on the phone calls and e-mails of US citizens — no warrants required.”
WatchWilliam Gibson on his new novel, “Spook Country”
“Meetings are an addictive, highly self-indulgent activity that corporations and...”
– Dave Barry
Alan Watts Theater →
Weapons Given to Iraq Are Missing →
The Pentagon has lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, according to a new government report, raising fears that some of those weapons have fallen into the hands of insurgents fighting U.S. forces in Iraq.
WatchRon Paul: ‘We achieved much more in peace than…unconstitutional, undeclared wars’
Homeowners in Katrina case lose in court →
“Hurricane Katrina victims whose homes and businesses were destroyed when floodwaters breached levees in the 2005 storm cannot recover money from their insurance companies for the damages, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.”
Senate endorses expanded wiretap powers →
First, Pants Man Loses Case. Next, His Job. →
“By the middle of next week, Roy Pearson, the D.C. administrative law judge who sued his neighborhood dry cleaners for $54 million and lost, will receive a letter that starts the process of putting him out of a job.”
Street Dog Dubbed Hero Mother by Chongqing... →
“Every day, dog mom Hua Hua swam about 2 kilometers to an island to feed her newborn babies.”
Who's minding the mind? →
100 Tips to Improve Your Life →
(via tinyblip)
Virgin America →
