BGA packages have sockets just like LGA does and they come in the required pin count. Really the primary difference between an LGA and a BGA is the BGA is an LGA with little balls of solder already on the lands which make it easer to reflow onto a board but is by no means a requirement that it be soldered down. Currently if you want to solder a LGA you have to ball it first. Frankly I think this is a move to unify the chip packaging as they already offer BGA version of some of their CPUs why not make them all BGA and then the OEM builders have more options for mobile systems. The socket takes up a lot of height when you consider companies are fighting over millimeters.

Here's the deal. It's federally legal to receive on any band. IE I can receive on military bands, police bands, what ever band I want. It's only transmission that is regulated. As a side note, the radar detector mess is state level not federal and even then quite questionable. Keeping that in mind, if you are going to carry around a device which emits a unique signal that can be triangulated using a couple of USRP's with some cheap GPS units to get receiver location and timing â" expect to be triangulated. Hell, such a system could be built using a couple DTV tuners and the RTL-SDR module which can handle GPS AND Cell phone bands and they cost $20 a pop. Admittedly the bandwidth is narrow but its not the data thats interesting, just the signal.

It is entirely 100% legal for law enforcement to track your cellphone without a warrant if they are not using the carrier (not signal) to do it. The implications of making this illegal would be far worse then marginal protections it would grant.Here's the deal. It's federally legal to recieve

Last I checked I'd have a hard time considering most of the people arrested by the FBI "world class" hackers. The majority of Black Hat hackers are generally scriptkiddies. Most of the best (the ones who do it to see if they can) are either Grey or White already work for a security firm which pays FAR better then the government would. If the gov wants to hire the best hackers then they need to start offering better pay then giving the excuse âoeyou get the warm fuzzy feeling that your protecting your country, isn't that worth at least 20% or more?â

So who here has read the FISA act? How about we just go with what FISA even means. Anyone?

The foreign intelligence surveillance act specifics law for reporting on foreign actors which, last I checked, does not include US Persons. As opposed to the Fucking Idiots and Shitfurbrains act which also protects the rights of US Persons because most of them are such frigging morons it's considered a waste of taxpayer money to wiretap them. Seriously, READ THE FING LAW BEFORE YOU TALK ABOUT IT. Otherwise your just operating on assumptions and ya, you know how that ends.

Oh man if that only worked. I had an idea like this on the crapper a few weeks ago. Turns out that condensed matter, though cool on the surface (super conducting?), is a total harpy one angstrom down. Building a QC using feigenbaum's number might work but only if you could observe the perturbation in the field statics which otherwise looks Bayesian. Which as it turns out is symmetric about the mean so unless you know what the answer is from the start you can't determine the state. Same reason why the quantum delayed choice time loop right answer generator fails. Oh man if that only worked...

Do you know how much money it cost to develop those chemical sensors? Billions of dollars.
Dogs are great and all but pretty easy to fool as well. Just coat everything in BACON!

All Americans are created equal. And by Americans I mean North Americans AKA AWESOMACANS, right up until the point AMEICAAAAA stops and lame Cannadia (Canlamedia) starts. What?

"that the administration hasnâ(TM)t been able to estimate how many people in the U.S. have had their information reviewed under the program." So unless I'm mistaken I pretty sure communications going through other countries don't have some kind of "this is a us comms" tag. Ya, you MIGHT be able to use an IP but with the nature of the Internet and routing it's pretty easy to get that mucked up. So that said, how do you count the number of communications collected on US persons if your not sure where they came from? That said, even if you are filtering on IP then all anyone would need to do is connect to a US based proxy and WOOOO it's bannananananana time. I have no idea what that means.

True, the past was the wild wild west of intelligence. However, we now have laws some of which where specifically created in response to the incidents you linked to. Take the FISA, there are liabilities associated with violations which could be levied against a telco if they where to provide information without a warrant. This law moves that liability unto the collecting agency, so someone is still liable if the law is broken but it is better defined who that person is. One thing to remember though, there is a big difference between collection and reporting. It is possible that your communications could be collected given the nature of the interent, however that collection can not be reported on. There is also the second possibility that someone could be collected against in error. IE, appeared to be a foreign actor but was in reality a US citizen. I would assume this has to occur, because there are provisions for that and they are not, go get a FISA and continue collection like nothing happened. There are a massive number of protections that we have as citizens that most people don't even realize they have. Mostly this is cause by a lack of understanding / even attempting to read the law. That is not to say we have a perfect system, the laws regulating the TSA need some serious lovin.

As for trusting the government, it wasn't a question. Either you do, and can have a meaningful conversation about the law or you don't and there isn't a point as then it doesn't matter what the law says.

We live in a democracy, it is our responsibility to understand and act upon the law to the best of our ability and that doesn't mean, oppose all laws. Like most things in life there is a balance. I believe that security and freedom are not mutually exclusive concepts but you have to pay attention and work for it. In the end of the day the most important thing to remember is that freedom isn't free.

Just because someone adds something to a bill it does not override other laws unless it specifically provides such provisions. I do not see anywhere in this law where Title 50 is amended to allow for collection of this information without a warrant. If a US corporation where to provide PI of a US Person in any threat report for which there was not an outstanding warrant covering the collection of that information the government would be unable to report on that information or utilize it in any manner. At some point you have to trust the government will follow the law otherwise whats the point, why even care if they are passing this bill if they would do it anyway. This is not some Orwellian we are watching you bill, it really just provides a framework for sharing information between corporate entities and the government and controlling who maintains liability for the collection and storage of that information. IE if in the case your information where included in a report in violation of the law it would be the government who is liable not the providing entity. Again, this does not modify the rigor to which a government entity must prove a collection is necessary.

Man I wish I knew! I am thinking something that involves transfers between devices without a RF based wireless link. Should be cool. Ya, I'm pretty stoked to get the goods and monky arround with them. Who knows, maybe I'll find a way to make free money. Although, I'd have to keep that secret until they release the thing.

Just got the email today! Any other slashdotters selected?

Which are the good laws? Laws good for you? What about laws good for other things, but not so good for you. What about laws which are good for me and bad for you? I make it a point to understand as much of the law as I have time for. There are always going to be laws, and they are always going to screw you if you don't take the time to understand them. Please go read something, spend a few hours on gov tracker if anything. I really recommend starting with the Titles, they make really good bed time reading.

The occupy movement is a bunch of idiots, should have protested ten years ago when they deregulated everything. I KNOW I DID. I remember standing in a part in downtown (Sorry, you don't get to know where I lived) with a sign showing “They are gonna fuck it up” written on one side, and "Osama != Iraq" on the other. That lasted all of 10 minutes. I still have the damn sign! Found it when I was moving a few months ago. Triggered one of those, "maybe its time I purge some of this carp". Anyway. the occupy lot isn't any better then the people they protest, only see what happened, never looking ahead to what is going to happen and trying to stop it. That lot only gives a flying crap about it self and it can't even get that right.

You know what I want to see, people protesting? The lack of regulations on corporate handling of personal information. Ya, not much has happened there yet, just you wait. But no, they protest their debt, “corporate greed”, and what not. I really don't get protesting how deep in the hole you are. Should have had the foresight to understand the damn loan was shit. Really, when did taking out a loan for 120% of the value become a good idea, or was it just the “free money”? No one gives out free money! Oh wait, I forgot – no foresight.

Corporations are greedy, fact of life. If you vote a bunch of corporate friendly politicians into office what do you think was going to happen. YOU VOTED, protest yourself.

Oh and while I'm on the subject of protesting one's self. If you vote in representatives which pass laws allowing people to shoot each other willy nilly its YOUR OWN FAULT when your kids get shot. Should have been paying attention to your government. But thats hard, it's much easer to just bitch when it all goes to shit and you didn't see it coming.

Maybe you should stop watching propaganda and spend some time learning. Whats, really good about that propaganda though. The fact that you can watch it and not get arrested. Welcome to America, but it only stays that way if you keep on top of it and take the time to understand what the hell is going on.

Next time, before you decide to go all righteous fury, take the time to figure out if your right.

NOTE: I understand the use of pronouns might be confusing, however when I use "you" I am not directly speaking about You, more the general youes.
Double NOTE: Writing in a condescending tone is not a good way to convince someone to do anything, it does however make one's self fell better about what they are saying. I know I felt better writing this note!

You are incorrect there. It is Illigal to Collect where in that collection involves reporting on US persons without a warrent. NOW, it does include provisions for, we where collecting and some random data got into the system, Basically, you have to delete it. Also, once it's IC carp, it dosn't matter if its PI or not its collecting on a US person. Have you even read the law?

This bill amends the National Security Act of 1947 to include "(1) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or (2) theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information" as "cyber threat intelligence". This is important because amending the National Security Act makes "cyber threat intelligence" a product of the intelligence community. This is important because US persons have protections under Title 50 when included within intelligence products.

Basically it would make it unlawful to collect these products against a US person without a very serious warrant. Now say AT&T decides to cooperate with the government in this bill, they would become a "certified entities" and thus as a collection partner and would be subject to restrictions. IE it would be pretty impossible for say the RIAA to subpoena the intelligence that in reality can't even be collected without a warrant and even if it was and was done with a warrant it would have to be the AG acting on it. Basically, it turns your info into intelligence which makes it a very protected thing.

In reality this bill might make it significantly harder to monitor your communications and provide much larger penalties for doing so without a sufficient warrant. Basically it would make it unlawful to collect these products against a US person without a very serious warrant. Now say AT&T decides to cooperate with the government in this bill, they would become a "certified entities" and thus as a collection partner and would be subject to restrictions. IE it would be pretty impossible for say the RIAA to subpoena the intelligence that in reality can't even be collected without a warrant and even if it was and was done with a warrant it would have to be the AG acting on it. Basically, it turns your info into intelligence which makes it a very protected thing.

In reality this bill might make it significantly harder to monitor your communications and provide much larger penalties for doing so without a sufficient warrant.

------
I am not a lawyer, I am not your lawyer, I might be a pound of chease.