Can we be far behind?
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=42520
Age checks on the way at cigarette machines in Germany
Verification process may exclude most Americans
By Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes European edition, Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Geoff Ziezulewicz / S&S
... A law going into effect this year requires everyone buying cigarettes at those ubiquitous corner machines to prove their age before that fresh pack comes tumbling down the chute.
And because of the age-verification technology involved, most members of the American military community in Germany will probably be left out.
The switch affecting all of the approximately 500,000 public cigarette machines centers around the so-called “GeldKarte-Chip,” a microchip found in German credit and debit cards that is not a feature in most U.S. banking cards.
The chip gives the owner’s age when it is put into a cigarette machine, according to Christiane Kroll, a spokeswoman for fischerAppelt Kommunikation, a German marketing company spearheading publicity for the changeover.
... To alleviate concerns regarding data privacy, Kroll said the age-determination feature was checked to make sure only age is being released [suggesting other information is available... Bob] when the card goes into the machine.
“We just see the constitution differently... You see it as a guarantee of rights, we see it as whatever we want it to be...”
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dorf/20070102.html
A Federal Appeals Court Upholds the Government's Seizure of Computer Records of Major League Baseball Players' Drug Tests
By MICHAEL C. DORF ---- Tuesday, Jan. 02, 2007
Last week, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected challenges to the federal government's 2004 seizure of computer files relating to illegal steroid use by professional baseball players and other athletes. The decision in United States v. Comprehensive Drug Testing, Inc. (CDT) has implications well beyond the fate of Barry Bonds, the Bay Area Lab Cooperative (Balco), and even professional sports. Indeed, quoting the opinion of one of the district judges whose rulings last week's decision reversed, dissenting appellate Judge Sydney Thomas asked: "What happened to the Fourth Amendment? Was it repealed somehow?"
“Bluesnarfing or Bluejacking” Sound like lots of fun!
http://digg.com/security/A_warning_to_turn_Bluetooth_OFF_whilst_in_public
A warning to turn Bluetooth OFF whilst in public!!
After watching this video you'll automatically reach for your phone and turn off its Bluetooth feature.......or risk a hefty fine!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dltjEnrePxc
Well, yes I do have Cain & Able installed. Why do you ask?
http://digg.com/security/How_to_hack_network_passwords_in_13_steps
How to hack network passwords in 13 steps
This instructional tutorial shows how easy it is to sniff people's passwords in plain-text form on a wired network. Common applications for this would be on a university, school or otherwise large network. This tutorial is for educational purposes only and should only be used to demonstrate the security weaknesses of common networking systems.
http://www.antiriddle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=706#706
Is it wise to rely on the government to do your investigating?
SBA criticized for pulling company data from Web site
By Jim Wyss McClatchy Newspapers
MIAMI Federal contracting watchdogs say the Small Business Administration's recent decision to delete key company data from a public Web site has stymied their efforts to try to catch large firms soaking up billions of dollars in contracts earmarked for small businesses.
At issue is the Central Contractor Registry Web site where companies that want to do business with the government are required to post profiles, including employee size and annual revenue. Recently, the SBA pulled the size data, citing privacy concerns. [I fail to see the connection... Bob]
Federal agencies and prime contractors use the Web site, known as CCR, to identify small businesses that qualify for contracts. But advocacy groups and small-business competitors use CCR to double-check contracts and challenge deals if they suspect the winner is actually a large company.
... The SBA has a poor track record of policing itself. Last year House Democrats released a report saying that $12 billion the SBA had reported as going to small businesses last year actually went to some 2,500 large or otherwise ineligible companies.
That report is just one of about a dozen studies that have found large corporations, including IBM and ExxonMobil, have soaked up small-business contracts. In most cases the firms were using legal loopholes to win the contracts. [Don't fix the law, complain that its “not fair” Bob]
... But full disclosure should simply be the cost of doing business with the government, said Paul Murphy, president of Eagle Eye Publishers of Washington. "If you work for the taxpayer, then they have the right to know as much about you as they can," he said. [Politicians won't like that! Bob]
This will become another “it isn't fair” argument.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1166782003678
Prisoners' Right to Internet Materials Contested
By Vesna Jaksic The National Law Journal 12-26-2006
The Internet age -- and all its legal complications -- has finally come to prisons.
When Danny Williams, a Georgia prisoner serving a life sentence for murder, wasn't allowed to receive legal materials downloaded from the Internet in his mail, he filed a pro se suit challenging the ban.
Brooke Savage, an associate in the Atlanta office of Holland & Knight, took over the suit in early 2004 shortly after joining the firm, which had been appointed by the court. Williams v. Donald, No. 5:01-CV-292-2 (M.D. Ga.).
"It was something that just stood out as being contrary to the First Amendment, a complete and seemingly arbitrary ban on a prisoner's mail solely because it is generated from the Internet," she said.
... Opponents have brought up an array of safety and security concerns, such as the possibility that the materials could include contraband. In Williams' case, state officials said that Internet printouts may increase the risk of inmates getting their hands on dangerous information, such as instructions on making a pipe bomb, according to court documents.
... In 2004, the California Department of Corrections was barred from preventing inmates from receiving mail containing Internet-generated information. Clement v. California Department of Corrections, 364 F.3d 1148 (9th Cir.).
The department referred calls to Pelican Bay State Prison, where the case originated. The prison's spokesman, Lieutenant Ken Thomas, said the policy has been changed to allow for such materials as long as they don't jeopardize the security of the institution.
More recently, a Colorado district judge ruled in October against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, saying its policy was unconstitutional because it prohibited an inmate from getting printed materials in the mail. Jordan v. Hood, No. 03-cv-02320 (D. Colo.).
Living to 100 – Centennial Man forever! (depressing, isn't it)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1980978,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1
No religion and an end to war: how thinkers see the future
Alok Jha, science correspondent Monday January 1, 2007 The Guardian
People's fascination for religion and superstition will disappear within a few decades as television and the internet make it easier to get information, and scientists get closer to discovering a final theory of everything, leading thinkers argue today.
The web magazine Edge (www.edge.org) asked more than 150 scientists and intellectuals: "What are you optimistic about?" Answers included hope for an extended human life span, a bright future for autistic children, and an end to violent conflicts around the world.
... Leo Chalupa, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Davis, predicted that, by the middle of this century, it would not be uncommon for people to lead active lives well beyond the age of 100. He added: "We will be able to regenerate parts of the brain that have been worn out. [Perhaps we could require this treatment before running for elected office? Bob] So better start thinking what you'll be doing with all those extra years."
My tax dollars at work
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/013427.html
December 29, 2006
Fact Sheet: Select Homeland Security Accomplishments For 2006
Fact Sheet: Select Homeland Security Accomplishments For 2006, Release Date: December 29, 2006.
Related: Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Protecting the Homeland: Meeting Challenges and Looking Forward,
Release Date: December 14, 2006.
When you've got a hot property, charge all the market will bear... (How much will they charge for the second copy? How much if I just hack in an make my own copy?)
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4930659?source=rss
Centennial says $2,000 to see year of e-mails is warranted
By Carlos Illescas Denver Post Staff Writer DenverPost.com Article Last Updated:12/31/2006 09:54:57 PM MST
Public information can cost a lot in Centennial.
The mayor says the city is justified in charging $2,000 for a year's worth of e-mails from its embattled city treasurer.
But governments should be open for public review, and charging large amounts for records ensures that the average person will not do it, critics say.
"How public is this public record if you have to have $2,000 to get it?" said Jenny Flanagan, executive director of Colorado Common Cause. "It's unreasonable. Maybe this whole process needs to be re-evaluated."
The city contracts its information technology services to a private company, which said it would probably charge The Denver Post $2,000 to see all of Treasurer Doug Milliken's e-mails since January.
Centennial Mayor Randy Pye sees a benefit in the high price. The cost also works to keep those away who would take advantage of the system, Pye said, people asking for massive amounts of information just for the sake of asking.
"I think it's reasonable," Pye said. "The only thing I am trying to do is protect my citizens so they don't get hung up with a request from a media outlet or individual who comes in every two or three weeks asking for information. That can get costly."
According to Colorado's law on public records, the public is entitled to see most any record, including e-mails, that are made or maintained or kept by any public entity in carrying out that city's or government's duties.
But Ed Otte, executive director of the Colorado Press Association, told The Associated Press last year that results of an AP survey showed that obtaining records can be a discouraging process to many.
"In some situations where there are obstacles to getting copies of records, or the fees seem unusually high, that can serve as a deterrent," he said.
Because Centennial contracts its information technology services to a private company, that company can charge whatever it deems appropriate. [Oh? Another gap in the contract language? Bob] In this case, CH2M Hill Inc. said it would charge about $2,000 - $125 an hour for each of the 12 months, plus other possible charges.
City officials say when Centennial came into existence five years ago, they decided to contract out most services to keep costs low. Police and fire services were contracted out to Arapahoe County. Public works is subbed out too. Even the entire land department is handled by a private company. The same holds true for information technology, including the city's computer system.
The Denver Post asked for the e-mails after it was learned that Milliken, who is leaving the city and taking the treasurer position in Arapahoe County this month, has had problems handling his personal finances.
Milliken had a bankruptcy in 1993 for credit card debt of more than $90,000 and also had foreclosure proceedings started on his home on the day before the Nov. 7 election, although he recently made restitution and is out from under foreclosure.
A few years ago, some city officials questioned his skills to handle Centennial's finances and Milliken was stripped of some of his responsibilities.
Centennial officials say they were merely charging the amount their private company charges to retrieve his e-mails. The city did say it would waive its own charges, although officials did not elaborate what those were.
"When you call up and say, 'I want to see all e-mails for the last year,' somebody has to gather that up all together," city spokeswoman Nancy Reubert said.
At least if you have the money, you can get a year's worth of e-mails in Centennial. Other cities, such as Lakewood, keep e-mails for a short period of time. Lakewood spokeswoman Stacie Oulton wasn't sure how long the city keeps e-mails but said it could be weeks or even just days.
Try it! What's the worst that could happen?
http://digg.com/general_sciences/How_to_Think_Like_a_Genius_2
How to Think Like a Genius
Even if you're not a genius,(though most diggers probably are.) you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future.
http://www.studygs.net/genius.htm
Got something to say?
Call For Proposals
The deadline for proposals is January 20, 2006
The Program Committee of the Seventeenth Conference on Computers, Freedom, and Privacy (CFP2007) seeks your proposals for innovative conference sessions and speakers.
Before submitting a proposal, please review the submission guidelines.
Select the type of proposal you would like to submit:
No comments:
Post a Comment