Use the Internet to find things you can do off the Internet. Has potential!
http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/2006/08/08/busytonight-search-engine-for-events/
August 8, 2006
BusyTonight Search Engine For Events
Filed under: Culture-Events
Crawling the Internet searching for event data? Yoiks. But that’s what BusyTonight is doing, a new search engine for events in the US. (And available at BusyTonight.com .) And though the site submission warned me that the number of listings in the next ten days would increase by two or three times, there’s enough here now to warrant a look.
How terrorist change society. OR How come we let the bastards do this to us?
http://www.techzonez.com/comments.php?shownews=18941
New rules put laptops in checked baggage
Posted by Reverend on 10 Aug 2006 - 20:36 GMT
Techzonez U.K. authorities banned passengers from taking electronic items on board airplanes following the arrests of 21 people Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to blow up aircraft mid-flight en route to the U.S.
... Additional information on heightened security measures in the U.S. can be found at http://www.dhs.gov and http://www.tsa.gov.
Laptop computers, iPods, and mobile phones must be placed in checked baggage on flights out of the U.K. Airline passengers have become accustomed to additional checks following the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Airport security checks require that laptops must be removed from their cases and X-rayed. But the new security measures in the U.K. could mean an increased chance of theft or damage to laptops and devices that must be checked and not carried on.
Full story: InfoWorld
http://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/001094.html
Wednesday, 9 August 2006
USA Supreme Court asked to rule on secrecy of law restricting freedom of travel
A petition for certiorari was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court last Friday in the case of Gilmore v. Gonzales , asking the court to rule on whether "the government keep secret a directive that is generally applicable to millions of passengers every day", requiring them to present documentary evidence of their identity (or maybe to submit to a more intrusive search) in order to travel by airline common carrier within the USA.
The Supreme Court doesn't have to hear this (or almost any other) case, and could let stand the abominable reasoning and outcome of the decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. But I'm cautiously optimistic that the Supreme Court may take up the question of the Constitutionality of secret law. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of John Gilmore (and everyone who believes in justice) on that question, we may finally get a chance on remand to address the issues of freedom of travel:
So what does this work out to per customer? (And why won't I get any of that money?)
Sprint settles consumer privacy case
Thu Aug 10, 2006 06:07 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp. said on Thursday that it had secured a $1 million settlement from 1st Source Information Specialists in a suit over the sale of phone call records.
How to be a politician in the 21st century?
http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/003489.shtml
Fantastic collection of political mashups
John Anderson sent me a link to a fantastic collection of political mashups. The current President is a popular target, but the Nixon stuff is really great as well.
Towards ubiquitous surveillance.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2001723,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
Subway Merges Payment, Loyalty and CRM Programs
By Evan Schuman, Ziff Davis Internet August 10, 2006
In what one executive of the $9 billion, 26,000-restaurant Subway chain dubbed "the single largest integrated cash card program in the world," Subway has come out with a card that handles payment, instant loyalty rewards and highly targeted promotions that can be tracked by the customer.
Geek stuff...
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2002063,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
Yahoo Delivers Resource for Python Developers
August 10, 2006 By Darryl K. Taft
Yahoo has created a new resource for Python developers.
The search company on Aug. 8 opened its Yahoo Developer Network – Python Developer Center. The Yahoo Python Developer Center is a Web site that provides Python developers with access to information to help them build applications in the Python object-oriented dynamic language.
A description on the Yahoo Python Developer Center site says Python "offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, comes with extensive standard libraries, and can be learned in a few days."
http://blog.wired.com/27BStroke6/#1537057
All Lawsuits Lead to San Francisco
Some 25 class action lawsuits against the nation's telecoms for their alleged participation thewarrantlesss surveillance of American citizen's communications will all be heard by the same judge who recently refused to dismiss an anti-spying suit against AT&T over the government's objections.
That case was put on hold Tuesday until late September, pending this decision from the multi-district litigation panel in Chicago and any movement from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the government's and AT&T's appeals of Chief Judge Vaughn Walker's refusal to dismiss the case on the grounds of national security.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012087.html
August 10, 2006
June/July Issue of Global Legal Monitor Available
The Law Library of Congress announces the release of the June/July issue of the Global Legal Monitor. [Luis M. Acosta, Legal Information Analyst, Law Library of Congress]
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012095.html
August 10, 2006
International Terrorism: Threat, Policy, and Response
CRS Report, International Terrorism: Threat, Policy, and Response, August 9, 2006
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/012094.html
August 10, 2006
Treasury IG Report Details Increased Security Risks from Non Business Use of Email
Inappropriate Use of Email by Employees and System Configuration Management Weaknesses Are Creating Security Risks, July 31, 2006, Reference Number: 2006-20-110 (20 pages, PDF). "We found e-mail messages that violated the IRS' personal use policy in the electronic mailboxes of 71 (74 percent) of 96 employees."
If businesses spent half the effort trying to understand (take advantage of) new technologies, they could own the market...
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060810/1134213.shtml
Wine Sellers' Prediction Of Internet-Enabled Teen Winos Comes Up Empty
from the who-knew? dept
It's always fun when industry groups who are clearly trying to protect a business model under threat come up with scare mongering quotes to try to get politicians to block out new competitors with new business models. For years, many states had protectionist laws when it came to online wine sales. Most of these were designed to protect the local wine sellers -- but, of course, the public spin was that it was all about "protecting the children." Last year, of course, the Supreme Court knocked down the most protectionist of these laws. So, now that it's been a year, if the wine sellers were right, we should be hearing stories of teens ordering wine all the time. Unfortunately for them, a new study shows that teens really don't seem to care much about ordering wine online. Perhaps the times have changed, but when I was a teen, wine wasn't exactly the alcoholic beverage of choice among my friends. Plus, you have to take into account that wine deliveries still require signatures, and most teens tend to live at home with parents who might notice an incoming shipment of alcohol. So, you would think this would make those who were screaming about "protecting the children" quiet down -- but, you'd be wrong. Instead, they're still trying to spin this, calling the findings "shocking" and saying that the low number only means it's about to rise rapidly. "This is new, hard evidence that should really shake up this debate about direct sales." No, this is actually new, hard evidence that the problem you've been screaming about isn't a problem at all.
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060810/1638224.shtml
Maybe We Can Let R2D2 Be The Judge, Too
from the tipping-the-scales dept
With high profile trials, a huge part of the circus is the jury selection, where jury consultants conduct mock trials, focus groups, and extensive background checks, all with the idea to create a jury that is most favorable for each side. It's a very expensive process, one that is out of reach for most defendants. Well, suprisingly, automation has now hit the art of jury selection, with computer-aided jury picking, by JuryQuest. Using just seven attributes: age, sex, race, education, occupation, marital status, and prior jury service, the service guides trial lawyers towards selecting juries with the best chance of their victory. JuryQuest defendants are acquitted over 50% of the time, which is almost twice the average for defendants with retained lawyers (26%) and nearly three times higher than those with just public defenders (15%). It seems crazy that just seven attributes could have such an affect on the outcome of a trial, but the difference for publicly defended defendants is perhaps most shocking. If automated jury selection becomes more accessible for all defendants, will it be able to close the gap for the defendants that currently stand the most chance of being convicted?
http://techdirt.com/articles/20060811/0215254.shtml
Will Your Text Messaging Style Implicate You In Criminal Cases?
from the perhaps dept
There has been plenty of research done into how people write in distinct ways, such that a certain person can be connected (or not) to a specific written work. However, it appears that some of that research doesn't work when it comes to the text messaging world, where people change the style of what they write to fit within the character limit or the need to "triple tap" on a numeric keyboard. With that in mind, researchers are starting a project to collect and analyze text messages to see if they contain similar identifying characteristics -- with the hope of helping police in criminal cases. So, if you plan on being a criminal mastermind via your mobile phone, you may want to start mixing up your text messaging style.
Not a conspiracy theory: But, at what point does protecting intellectual property harm society? Is “what's good for Microsoft” at odds with the “greater good?” It used to be that “What's good for General Bullmoose is good for the country!” (L'il Abner)
http://news.com.com/Windows+defense+handcuffs+good+guys/2100-7355_3-6104379.html
Windows defense handcuffs good guys
By Joris Evers Story last modified Fri Aug 11 04:37:26 PDT 2006
A protective feature in Windows is locking out the good guys, but letting in a lot of bad guys, according to security software makers.
Microsoft designed PatchGuard to safeguard core parts of Windows, including Vista, against malicious code attacks. But some security companies say that the feature makes it harder for them to protect Windows PCs, as it locks them out of the kernel, the core of the operating system.
Tools and Techniques (timely too)
http://digg.com/general_sciences/How_liquid_explosives_work
How liquid explosives work
tlmac59 submitted by tlmac59 15 hours 53 minutes ago (via http://science.howstuffworks.com/liquid-explosives.htm/printable )
In light of the terrorist attacks foiled by authorities in the UK, I was left wondering exactly how liquid explosives work and how they would be deployed by terrorists. This Howstuffworks article is the answer to such questions.
Global same-ing?
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-08/nsf-oas081006.php
Public release date: 10-Aug-2006
Contact: Dena Headlee dheadlee@nsf.gov 703-292-7739 National Science Foundation
Overall Antarctic snowfall hasn't changed in 50 years
Large variations make establishing trends difficult
For an animated graphic of snowfall variability across Antarctica and over time and b-roll of the U.S. ITASE traverse on Betacam SP, contact Dena Headlee (dheadlee@nsf.gov) (703) 292-7739.
The most precise record of Antarctic snowfall ever generated shows there has been no real increase in precipitation over the southernmost continent in the past half-century, even though most computer models assessing global climate change call for an increase in Antarctic precipitation as atmospheric temperatures rise.
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