Comment Re:Pedantry (Score 1) 346
I'm inclined to think that the logical conclusion of that argument would be to call them "Madoff schemes"...
Comment Pedantry (Score 4, Informative) 346
Surely these are pyramid schemes rather than Ponzi schemes?
Comment Re:I'm....stumped... (Score 1) 1582
You mean it's a waste of time trying to gain all these achievements? OH NOES
Comment Re:TFA is crap, 2M not 2K (Score 1) 151
"2k" is the industry term for an image with 2048 horizontal pixels (and 1080 vertical). It's comparable to the use of the number of vertical pixels to denote the resolution of an HDTV system (eg 1080p)
Comment Re:3D Movies? (Score 1) 151
Comment Re:'Fully' roll out? (Score 1) 151
I've been watching 3D films at Odeon cinemas for over a year - this isn't their first rollout of 3D-capable projectors.
Comment Re:Next thing is frame rate (Score 2, Insightful) 151
The effective resolution of a 35mm film print is about the same as HDTV. Film productions tend not to use the slow, fine-grain films that you need for recording fine detail, and the process of producing successive prints for distribution reduces the detail even further.
Also, don't forget that although the cinema screen might be twelve times bigger than a television, you'll probably be sitting twelve times further away.
Comment Re:Bloody greenwashing (Score 1) 222
So what you're saying is that those hot water systems have a low-power "standby" state in which they just monitor the mains for a pulse? Do you happen to know how much power they consume in that standby state?
Comment Re:Bloody greenwashing (Score 1) 222
It's not always just engineering laziness. At least for the UK, some digital television manufacturers need to find a compromise between turning everything off when in standby and listening for over-the-air firmware updates, which are typically only delivered in the middle of the night.
Evolving Rocks 172
SpaceAdmiral notes a new study making the claim that rocks have been evolving throughout Earth's history. "'Mineral evolution is obviously different from Darwinian evolution — minerals don't mutate, reproduce or compete like living organisms,' said Hazen in a statement announcing the study's findings. 'But we found both the variety and relative abundances of minerals have changed dramatically over more than 4.5 billion years of Earth's history. For at least 2.5 billion years, and possibly since the emergence of life, Earth's mineralogy has evolved in parallel with biology,' Hazen added. 'One implication of this finding is that remote observations of the mineralogy of other moons and planets may provide crucial evidence for biological influences beyond Earth.'"
Submission + - Canadian coins with transmitters used for spying
James Gardner writes: "http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM .20070109.wlooniespies0109/BNStory/National/home
***
If you're a spy, Canadian money talks
JIM BRONSKILL
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — They say money talks, and a new report suggests Canadian currency is indeed chatting, at least electronically, on behalf of shadowy spies.
Canadian coins containing tiny transmitters have mysteriously turned up in the pockets of at least three American contractors who visited Canada, says a branch of the U.S. Defense Department.
Security experts believe the miniature devices could be used to track the movements of defence industry personnel dealing in sensitive military technology.
"You might want to know where the individual is going, what meetings the individual might be having and, above all, with whom," said David Harris, a former CSIS officer who consults on security matters.
"The more covert or clandestine the activity in which somebody might be involved, the more significant this kind of information could be."
The counterintelligence office of the U.S. Defense Security Service cites the currency caper as an example of the methods international spies have recently tried to illicitly acquire military technology.
The service's report, Technology Collection Trends in the U.S. Defense Industry, says foreign-hosted conventions, seminars and exhibits are popular venues for pilfering secrets.
The report is based on an analysis of 971 "suspicious contact reports" submitted in the fiscal year 2005 by security-cleared defence contractors and various official personnel.
"On at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006, cleared defense contractors' employees travelling through Canada have discovered radio frequency transmitters embedded in Canadian coins placed on their persons," the report says.
The report did not indicate what kinds of coins were involved. A service spokeswoman said details of the incidents were classified.
As a result, the type of transmitter in play — and its ultimate purpose — remain a mystery.
However, tiny tracking tags, known as RFIDs, are commonly placed in everything from clothing to key chains to help retailers track inventory.
Each tag contains a miniature antenna that beams a unique ID code to an electronic reader. The information can then be transferred by the reader into a computerized database.
The likely need for such a reading device means the doctored coins could be used to track people only in a controlled setting, not over long distances, said Chris Mathers, a security consultant and former undercover RCMP officer.
"From a technology perspective, it makes no sense," he said. "To me it's very strange."
Then there's the obvious problem: what if the coin-holder plunks the device into a pop machine?
"You give the guy something with a transmitter that he's going to spend — I mean, he might have it for an hour," Mr. Mathers said with a chuckle.
Mr. Harris speculates recent leaps in miniaturization could allow for a sophisticated transmitter capable of monitoring a target's extensive travels.
"I think we can be pretty darn confident that the technology is there for the sorts of micro-units that would be required to embed these things in a coin," he said.
"It's a brave new world, and greatly concerning on so many levels."
Passing the coin to an unwitting contractor, particularly in strife-torn countries, could mark the person for kidnapping or assassination, Mr. Harris said.
"You could almost, by handing a coin to somebody, achieve the equivalent of the Mafiosi's last kiss on the cheek."
The Defense Security Service report says employees of U.S. contractors reported suspicious contacts from individuals, firms or governments of more than 100 countries during the year.
Technologies that generated the most interest were information systems, lasers and optics, aeronautics and sensors.
A foreign approach often meant a simple request for information from the contractor.
But the report also underscores clandestine means of acquiring secrets from U.S. employees, particularly those travelling abroad.
"It is important to recognize copiers and shredders can contain built-in scanners to copy the data."
Other common methods include placing listening devices in rooms, searching hotel rooms, inspecting electronic equipment and eavesdropping on conversations.
The report, which first came to light in a U.S. newspaper, has since been posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientists, an organization that tracks the intelligence world and promotes government openness."
***
If you're a spy, Canadian money talks
JIM BRONSKILL
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — They say money talks, and a new report suggests Canadian currency is indeed chatting, at least electronically, on behalf of shadowy spies.
Canadian coins containing tiny transmitters have mysteriously turned up in the pockets of at least three American contractors who visited Canada, says a branch of the U.S. Defense Department.
Security experts believe the miniature devices could be used to track the movements of defence industry personnel dealing in sensitive military technology.
"You might want to know where the individual is going, what meetings the individual might be having and, above all, with whom," said David Harris, a former CSIS officer who consults on security matters.
"The more covert or clandestine the activity in which somebody might be involved, the more significant this kind of information could be."
The counterintelligence office of the U.S. Defense Security Service cites the currency caper as an example of the methods international spies have recently tried to illicitly acquire military technology.
The service's report, Technology Collection Trends in the U.S. Defense Industry, says foreign-hosted conventions, seminars and exhibits are popular venues for pilfering secrets.
The report is based on an analysis of 971 "suspicious contact reports" submitted in the fiscal year 2005 by security-cleared defence contractors and various official personnel.
"On at least three separate occasions between October 2005 and January 2006, cleared defense contractors' employees travelling through Canada have discovered radio frequency transmitters embedded in Canadian coins placed on their persons," the report says.
The report did not indicate what kinds of coins were involved. A service spokeswoman said details of the incidents were classified.
As a result, the type of transmitter in play — and its ultimate purpose — remain a mystery.
However, tiny tracking tags, known as RFIDs, are commonly placed in everything from clothing to key chains to help retailers track inventory.
Each tag contains a miniature antenna that beams a unique ID code to an electronic reader. The information can then be transferred by the reader into a computerized database.
The likely need for such a reading device means the doctored coins could be used to track people only in a controlled setting, not over long distances, said Chris Mathers, a security consultant and former undercover RCMP officer.
"From a technology perspective, it makes no sense," he said. "To me it's very strange."
Then there's the obvious problem: what if the coin-holder plunks the device into a pop machine?
"You give the guy something with a transmitter that he's going to spend — I mean, he might have it for an hour," Mr. Mathers said with a chuckle.
Mr. Harris speculates recent leaps in miniaturization could allow for a sophisticated transmitter capable of monitoring a target's extensive travels.
"I think we can be pretty darn confident that the technology is there for the sorts of micro-units that would be required to embed these things in a coin," he said.
"It's a brave new world, and greatly concerning on so many levels."
Passing the coin to an unwitting contractor, particularly in strife-torn countries, could mark the person for kidnapping or assassination, Mr. Harris said.
"You could almost, by handing a coin to somebody, achieve the equivalent of the Mafiosi's last kiss on the cheek."
The Defense Security Service report says employees of U.S. contractors reported suspicious contacts from individuals, firms or governments of more than 100 countries during the year.
Technologies that generated the most interest were information systems, lasers and optics, aeronautics and sensors.
A foreign approach often meant a simple request for information from the contractor.
But the report also underscores clandestine means of acquiring secrets from U.S. employees, particularly those travelling abroad.
"It is important to recognize copiers and shredders can contain built-in scanners to copy the data."
Other common methods include placing listening devices in rooms, searching hotel rooms, inspecting electronic equipment and eavesdropping on conversations.
The report, which first came to light in a U.S. newspaper, has since been posted on the website of the Federation of American Scientists, an organization that tracks the intelligence world and promotes government openness."
