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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 267 declined, 186 accepted (453 total, 41.06% accepted)

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Submission + - Baton Bob Strikes Back (against police that coerced Facebook post from him) (ajc.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: In June 2013, Atlanta police arrested (http://www.ajc.com/news/news/baton-bob-arrested-following-run-in-with-officer/nYWtd/) costumed street performer "Baton Bob" (wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...) during the middle of a street performance after Baton Bob was allegedly involved in a verbal altercation with mall security guards.

Now, a year later, Baton Bob has filed a federal lawsuit (http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional/baton-bob-strikes-back-at-atlanta-police/ngWps/) accusing Atlanta police of violating his constitutional rights, assault, discrimination, privacy violations and identify theft. The slashdot-worthy part of the story is that Atlanta Police allegedly forced Baton Bob to make a pro-police statement on his Facebook page before officers would allow Bob to be released on bond. According to the lawsuit:

At approximately 3:40 p.m., while Plaintiff sat handcuffed and without an attorney, he was told to dictate a public statement to Officer Davis, who then typed and posted the message to the Baton Bob Facebook account. The message read:

“First of all, the atl police officer that responded to the incident thru security has been very respectful and gracious to me even in handcuffs. So, the situation escalated from a complaint from a security officer in the area and for some reason she rolled up on me like she didn’t know who I was and like I had not been there before. For them to call police to come to intervene was not necessary. So, out of it, because of my fury, the Atlanta police officer did not understand the elements of the situation, so he was trying to do his job, respectfully and arrested my ass!!!!!!!!! I’ll be out tomorrow so look out for my show at 14th and Peachtree. So now I’m waiting to be transported so I can sign my own bond and get the hell out of here. I want to verify, that the Atlanta police was respectful to me considering the circumstances. See you when I see you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“As promised, Plaintiff was then given a signature bond and released from jail.”


Submission + - Mayors of Atlanta & New Orleans: Uber will knock-out taxi industry (theatlantic.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu agree: there will a 15 round fight between Uber and the taxicab industry that currently enjoys regulatory capture, but in the end, Uber will win. Landrieu explaned:

It actually is going to be a 15 round fight. And it's going to take time to work out, hopefully sooner rather than later. But that debate will be held.....But it is a forceful fight, and our city council is full of people on Uber's side, people on the cabs' side, and it's a battle.

Mayor Reed of Atlanta also expressed how politically powerful the taxi cartels can be:

I tell you, Uber's worth more than Sony, but cab drivers can take you out. So you've got to [weigh that]. Get in a cab and they say, 'Well that mayor, he is sorry.' You come to visit Atlanta, they say, 'Well that Mayor Reed is as sorry as the day is long. Let me tell you how sorry he is while I drive you to your hotel. And I want you to know that crime is up.' This guy might knock you out.

I want you to know it can get really real. It's not as easy as it looks.


Submission + - Cracking Atlanta Subway's Poorly-Encrypted RFID Smart Cards Is a Breeze, PART II (ajc.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: In December 2013, Slashdot reported (http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/12/29/1634239/cracking-atlanta-subways-poorly-encrypted-rfid-smart-cards-is-a-breeze) the arrest of seven metro Atlanta residents for allegedly selling counterfeit MARTA Breeze cards, stored-value smart cards that passengers use as part of an automated fare collection system on Atlanta's subway.

Now, six months later (June 2014), the seven suspects have finally been indicted (http://www.ajc.com/news/news/fraudulent-marta-breeze-card-ring-indicted/ngTdr/).
According to the indictment, the co-conspirators purchased legitimate Breeze cards for $1, then fraudulently placed unlimited or monthly rides on the cards. They then sold the fraudulent cards to MARTA riders for a discounted cash price. Distributors of the fraudulent cards were stationed at several subway stations.

The indictment claims that the ring called their organization the “Underground Railroad".

Submission + - Will ASU Online's Starbucks Baristas Outearn Their Professors? (Yes. Duh!)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Following up on the recent slashdot story "Starbucks Offers Workers 2 Years of Free College" (http://news.slashdot.org/story/14/06/16/1927205/starbucks-offers -workers-2-years-of-free-college), Steve Foerster commented that "This is a major PR boost for ASU as well, and considering many adjuncts make less than the baristas they'll be teaching, I doubt ASU is losing money here." (http://chronicle.com/article/In-Deal-With-Starbucks/147181/#comment-1439171567)

Mr. Foerster's comment caused the Chronicle of Higher Education to ask "Is it possible that Starbucks baristas will be better paid than their instructors? (http://chronicle.com/article/Will-ASU-Online-s-Starbucks/147239/)" While the article is behind a paywall, the answer is obvious to anyone who knows how little adjunct professors are paid.

Submission + - Kansas City Science Store Resurrects AC Gilbert Chemistry Set, the best-ever toy (kickstarter.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The A. C. Gilbert Company (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...) was once one of the largest toy companies in the world. It manufacturered Erector Sets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_Set), American Flyer toy trains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Flyer), and chemistry sets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry_set).

Chemist John Farrell Kuhns (https://www.kickstarter.com/profiles/1742632993/bio) received an AC Gilbert Chemistry set for Christmas 1959, while he was still in grade school. By the time Kuhns was twelve years old he had a home lab set up in my family's basement. Now, more than 50 years later, he still has a home lab.

As an adult, Mr. Kuhns wanted to share these experiences with his daughter, nephews and nieces, and their friends. But he soon discovered that real chemistry sets were no longer available. He wondered how, without real chemistry sets and opportunities for students to learn and explore, where would our future chemists come from?

In 2004, Kuhns and his wife opened their science store, H.M.S. Beagle (http://www.hms-beagle.com/) and last year used Kickstarter to launch a new Heirloom Chemistry set. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1742632993/heirloom-chemistry-set). Kuhns uses a CNC router to cut out his wood cases, which are then hand assembled and finished with the shiny brass hardware and exotic wood inlays. Kuhns also synthesizes, purifies and/or formulates and packages all of the chemicals.

Gary Hanington, professor of physical science at Great Basin College, was another child who was lucky enough to own a Gilbert chemistry set. Hanington wrote about his set in this article (http://elkodaily.com/lifestyles/speaking-of-science-a-c-gilbert-chemistry-sets/article_30dc31c8-c258-11e1-9dfd-001a4bcf887a.html).

Sadly, not everyone sees the educational value of real chemistry sets. The AC Gilbert chemistry sets are #3 on Cracked's "The 8 Most Wildly Irresponsible Toys" (http://www.cracked.com/article_19481_the-8-most-wildly-irresponsible-vintage-toys_p2.html) and #8 on Complex.com's "The 25 Worst Must-Have Christmas Toys Ever (http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/12/25-worst-must-have-christmas-toys-ever/gilbert-chemistry-set)

Submission + - Study: Half of US jobs to be replaced by computers, robots & autonomous cars (ox.ac.uk)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The answer to the "Ask Slashdot: Does Your Job Need To Exist?" (http://ask.slashdot.org/story/14/05/10/1953227/ask-slashdot-does-your-job-need-to-exist) is a big "NO!", according to a study from the Oxford Martin Programme on the Impacts of Future Technology. They found that half of US jobs could be susceptible to computerisation over the next two decades. (http://www.futuretech.ox.ac.uk/news-release-oxford-martin-school-study-shows-nearly-half-us-jobs-could-be-risk-computerisation).

‘The Future of Employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?’ report measured the vulnerability of 702 occupations in terms of their likelihood to be replaced by various forms of computerisation, including within robotics, sophisticated data-scanning software or autonomous vehicles. Yhe study found that jobs in transportation, logistics, as well as office and administrative support, are at “high risk” of automation. More surprisingly, occupations within the service industry are also highly susceptible, despite recent job growth in this sector.

“We identified several key bottlenecks currently preventing occupations being automated,” says co-author Dr Michael A. Osborne. “As big data helps to overcome these obstacles, a great number of jobs will be put at risk.”

The full report is available here: http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac....

Submission + - Missing Malaysian 767:Experts unable to replicate satelite company's analysis (theatlantic.com) 1

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The lynchpin of the investigation of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has been the pings from the plane to one of Inmarsat’s satellites. The pings are the sole evidence of what happened to the plane after it slipped out of radar contact. Without them, investigators knew only that the plane had enough fuel to travel anywhere within 3,300 miles of the last radar contact—a seventh of the entire globe.

Inmarsat concluded that the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean, and its analysis has become the canonical text of the Flight 370 search. It’s the bit of data from which all other judgments flow—from the conclusive announcement by Malaysia’s prime minister that the plane has been lost with no survivors, to the black-box search area, to the high confidence in the acoustic signals, to the dismissal by Australian authorities of a survey company’s new claim to have detected plane wreckage.

But scientists and engineers outside of the investigation have been working to verify Inmarsat's analysis and many say that it just doesn’t hold up.

Submission + - Absent-minded IT Specialist inadvertently drives onto White House grounds (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: IT Specialist Mathew Goldstein’ was driving his gray Honda Civic along 17th Street NW in Washington, DC when he made a wrong turn and inadvertently followed the motorcade carrying President Obama’s daughters into the secure perimeter for the presidential compound.

Goldstein’s mistaken left turn raised serious questions about how an unauthorized vehicle was able to travel within five feet of the Obama girls’ motorcade and get through two rows of metal security bollards at the checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Submission + - IBM System/360 joins "Mad Men" television show (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: The May 4, 2014 episode of the "Mad Men" introduced a new bad guy character: an IBM System/360 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/360).

The computer replaced the "creative lounge" where the show's fictional copywriters spit-balled ideas. Fictional character explained "This machine is intimidating because it contains infinite quantities of information and that's threatening because human existence is finite. But isn't it godlike that we've mastered the infinite? The IBM 360 can count more stars in a day than we can count in a lifetime. "

Submission + - Google celebrates Teacher Appreciation Day by granting Wishlists of 356 Teachers (ajc.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper blogger Maureen Downey reports (http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2014/may/06/teacher-appreciation-day-google-atlanta-chooses-fu/) that, to celebration Teacher Appreciation Day, Google Atlanta today flash-funded the classroom requests of every Greater Atlanta teacher on DonorsChoose.org, Google’s $340,000 donation will provide materials for 356 Atlanta teachers and their 38,775 students.

“With two kids in the Atlanta Public School system, I’m inspired daily by the hard work of our local teachers,” said Tom Lowry, head of Google’s Atlanta office. “Today, we’re excited to team up with DonorsChoose.org to say a big thanks to teachers and to support all their classroom projects in the Atlanta area.”

Submission + - High School students google Criminal Justice Teacher, find his criminal record (wsbtv.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Remember the slashdot story about the Nissan Leaf owner who was arrested for stealing 5 cents worth of electricity from his child's school? (http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/12/04/1817227/ev-owner-arrested-over-5-cents-worth-of-electricity-from-schools-outlet) Well, the Dekalb County School District (http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/) that had him arrested is in the news again after a few DeKalb County High School Technology South (http://www.dhstsouth.dekalb.k12.ga.us/) students googled their teacher.

The students discovered that their CRIMINAL JUSTICE teacher had engaged in a sexual act with a student past. The State of Florida had banned the teacher from teaching in 2009 after he entered a nolo contendre plea to a single count of child abuse. (http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/dekalb-teacher-resigns-after-past-sexual-accusatio/nfnk8/)

While two wrongs don't make a right, I can't help but think the school district's time would have been better spent keeping child molesters out of the classroom instead of prosecuting a parent for 5 cents worth of electricity.

Submission + - Charged with 45 felonies, RadiumOne CEO Gurbaksh Chahal avoids jail, plans IPO (businessinsider.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: In August 2013, Gurbaksh Singh Chaha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurbaksh_Chahal), CEO of online advertising network RadiumOne (http://www.radiumone.com/), was charged with 47 counts of domestic violence. The San Francisco District Attorney's Office alleges that Chahal "hit and kicked" his girlfriend 117 times over a half-hour period on August 5, 2013.

Chahal's apartment has a video security system. During their investigation, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) obtained surveillance footage that showed Chahal kicking his then-girlfriend in the head multiple times and attempting to smother her. Two cameras in Chahal's bedroom --one in a tinted glass dome on the bedroom ceiling-- recorded the alleged attack.

SPFD Officer Anh Nguyen testified that the "girlfriend claimed Chahal held his hands over her mouth and nose while telling her he was going to kill her." (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/03/ad-mogul-chahal-court-domestic-violence-charges.html?page=all) Prosecuters also allege that Chahal attacked his girlfriend after learning that she had taken a trip to Las Vegas with another man.

However, on April 2, 2014, a judge ruled that the video obtained from Chahal's apartment could not be used as evidence in his trial. Charhal then accepted a plea bargain and pled guilty to one charge of domestic violence battery and one charge of battery. He was sentenced to three years probation, a 52-week domestic violence training course, and 25 hours of community service.

Chahal has made numerous TV appearances, including a lengthy interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, a philanthropic stint on Secret Millionaire and was named America's most eligible bachelor by Extra TV five years ago. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2611943/Millionaire-Tech-CEO-filmed-hitting-kicking-girlfriend-117-times-brutal-30-minute-attack-sentenced-25-hours-community-service.html)

Bloomberg recently reported (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-10/radiumone-said-to-be-preparing-ipo-to-expand-overseas.html) that RadiumOne is in the final stages of preparations for an initial public offering.

Submission + - Intuit, maker of Turbotax, lobbies against simplied tax filings (propublica.org) 1

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Return-free filing might allow tens of millions of Americans to file their taxes for free and in minutes. Or that, under proposals authored by several federal lawmakers, it would be voluntary, using information the government already receives from banks and employers and that taxpayers could adjust. Or that the concept has been endorsed by Presidents Obama and Reagan and is already a reality in some parts of Europe.

Sounds great, except to Intuit, maker of Turbotax: last year, Intuit spent more than $2.6 million on lobbying, some of it to lobby on four bills related to the issue, federal lobbying records show.

Submission + - Former US President says Snowden disclosures are "good for Americans to know" (usatoday.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Former United States President Jimmy Carter defended the disclosures by fugitive NSA contractor Edward Snowden on Monday, saying revelations that U.S. intelligence agencies were collecting meta-data of Americans' phone calls and e-mails have been "probably constructive in the long run."

"I think it's wrong," President Carter said of the NSA program. "I think it's an intrusion on one of the basic human rights of Americans, is to have some degree of privacy if we don't want other people to read what we communicate."

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