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Submission + - Bullet-Time for Terrorism: Crowdsourced Video Could Give Police 3D Surveillance (vice.com)

Submitted by pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: In the chaos that immediately follows a terrorist attack, there may be only one certainty: the incident has been documented by dozens, if not hundreds of cameras. At a large public gathering like the Boston Marathon, there are thousands of eyes: solitary recordings from closed circuit television video, TV broadcasters, and civilian mobile devices that generate reams and reams of footage of potential suspects.

After gaining access to that data—the FBI asked anyone in the area of Monday's bombing to turn over photographs and video—it falls to weary investigators to analyze that footage, from all directions at once, in search of a common thread. Somewhere inside Boston's amateur footage and CCTV video (there are 600 CCTV cameras covering the subway system alone), the FBI managed to point at the two men now thought to be the perpetrators.

But as authorities have discovered during more than a decade of urban terrorist attacks, scouring through what is thought to be the thousands of hours of video taken in the minutes surrounding any incident is a logistical nightmare. But that could change with CoSync, a piece of software under development, it turns out, at an MIT lab not far where one of the suspects shot and killed a campus police officer Thursday night.
Cellphones

Submission + - A Texas Cell Phone Bill Would Bar Warrantless Collection of Location Data (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "The Supreme Court may have approved the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens for just about forever, but the good old state of Texas isn't going to take that lying down. Texas lawmakers don't believe that cell phone location data is fair game for law enforcement, and a couple identical bills filed in Texas's House and Senate would provide sweeping protections for private cell users."
Slashback

Submission + - The Obama Administration Will Not Rule Out Using Drone Strikes on American Soil (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "Yesterday the FBI got all kinds of worked up about a drone sighting near JFK, even if it was careful to avoid the use of that rather-loaded noun. But while rising civilian drone use is becoming a rather convoluted legal topic, it's clear that the government has no problems using its favorite aerial surveillance technology with little legal oversight.

Now, a big question raised during the Christopher Dorner manhunt was whether or not a lethal drone strike on a US citizen on US soil would be legal. Attorney General Eric Holder has just commented on that matter, and while it would allegedly require war-like circumstances, he certainly didn't rule it out."
Government

Submission + - The FBI Wants Your Help Tracking Down the Brooklyn Drone (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "It's rare to see things flying outside your airplane window. A far off craft, a flock of birds — whatever else is zooming through the clouds at high speeds is going to feel a little dangerous. So when an Alitalia pilot made his final approach to New York's JFK airport on Monday afternoon, he was certainly startled to see another little plane flying near by. Here's an excerpt of the resulting talk with the air traffic controller:

JFK controller: Uh, what did you see?

Alitalia pilot: We saw a drone, a drone aircraft

JFK controller: What altitude did you see that aircraft?

Alitalia pilot: About 1,500 feet.

Within an hour, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a request for the public's help in finding the drone's operator. To the bureau's credit, they chose not to repeat the Alitalia pilot's "drone" designation, choosing instead to go with the slightly less militaristic "unmanned aircraft." Nobody called it a "model airplane."

The FBI is still looking for the miniature UFO. "The FBI is investigating the incident and looking to identify and locate the aircraft and its operator," reads a press release. "The unnamed aircraft was described as black in color and no more than three feet wide with four propellers.""
The Internet

Submission + - How Shakespearean Is Your Blogging? (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "We writers and bloggers all know a little something about living “on the alms-basket of words” these days. In the quick-fire media world, where complex ideas have little time for gestation, where speed is paramount and poetry a vain and distant hope, we rely on trendy syntax and pop signifiers to communicate quickly—to signal to our audience that we’re “one of them.” It’s about being frictionless.

Because view counts. Blame the interwebs, natch.

Have we lost a little something since the days of Shakespeare? There's a way to find out, thanks to a tool invented by the Oxford Dictionaries that tells you how “Shakespearean” your writing is."
Social Networks

Submission + - Here's What Happens When Social Media and Russian Project Housing Collide (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "We all know about flash mobs. They’re those quasi-spontaneous group demonstrations or performances that quickly materialize then disperse, organized for reasons ranging from political dissidence to conceptual improv to fighting en masse with light sabers. In the United States, despite freedom of assembly laws, many states have laws forbidding so-called “incitements to riot.” But these rapid changes in the ways people organize have opened up some new, problematic territories for organizers and law enforcement."
Japan

Submission + - Japan Is Going to Restart Its Nuclear Power Plants, But Don't Freak Out About It (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "Areva, the French nuclear fuel company, helps supply Japan with a lot of its juice. And Areva's chief executive says that Japan is going to restart up to six reactors by the end of the year. Eventually, it's going to power up at least two thirds of them. Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe has been a little cagey, but he recently told the press that yes, despite the upcoming March 11th anniversary of the Fukushima crisis, the nuke plants are coming back online.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that "half a dozen reactors may restart by the end of this year in addition to the two that resumed operations in 2012." Luc Oursel, the Areva CEO, said at a press conference that “I think two-thirds of reactors will restart” within several years. This is probably a good thing:

First, consider Japan's alternative: loads of coal, oil, and gas power. Japan has been importing fossil fuels to make up for the lost supply; burning all of the above pumps out climate change-causing greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, Japan is entertaining plans to build 12.5 gigawatts worth of coal-fired power. That would be a disaster in climate terms. Eventually, solar and wind could feasibly pick up the slack, but it takes years to build out that kind of infrastructure."

Submission + - Computer History Museum announces Hall of Fellows Class of 2013 (networkworld.com)

Submitted by alphadogg
alphadogg writes: The Computer History Museum on Monday announced its Class of 2013 includes Ed Catmull, a computer scientist and Pixar co-founder, along with two PC pioneers: Harry Huskey (creator of the G15, called by some the first PC) and Robert W. Taylor (leader at ARPA & Xerox PARC). These accomplished technology industry professionals will be inducted into the museum's Hall of Fellows http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/current/ on April 27 in Mountain View. While their names might not be household ones, they join a roster of technology bigwigs from Web creator Tim Berners-Lee to Internet pioneer Vinton Cerf and Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe.

Submission + - How to deal with service providers that make it purposely hard to leave?

Submitted by DrHappyAngry
DrHappyAngry writes: After calling Tmobile to look at getting out of my contract for unnacceptable service throughout Downtown Seattle, I found that they require a snail mail letter or fax. They also require a copy of ID or utility bill showing my address, which would not even show the locations that are problematic, such as my office. The service quality is at the point where most buildings in the core of a major city are not even able to be serviced by their network. How do you deal with a provider that is out to make it as impossible to leave as they can? Asides from posting this to /. how else can they be publicly shamed? I was very upset when they told me this, and in fact told them "This isn't 1980, nobody uses that anymore, and this is for the sole purpose of making it more difficult to terminate the contract."

Submission + - White House urges reversal of ban on cell-phone unlocking (networkworld.com)

Submitted by
netbuzz
netbuzz writes: "In a dramatic call for action directly prompted by 114,000 signatures on a “We the People” petition, the Obama Administration moments ago urged the reversal of a federal regulatory decision that had rendered the act of unlocking a cell phone illegal. From the reply: “The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties. In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren't bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It's common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers' needs.” Statements from the FCC and Library of Congress indicate that they back the administration’s position."
Robotics

Submission + - Ohio Man Charged With Shooting Robot (singularityhub.com)

Submitted by
kkleiner
kkleiner writes: "In what is sure to be only the beginning of human vs. robot confrontations, a surveillance robot belonging to the police was recently shot after a six-hour standoff with a 62-year-old heavily inebriated man. Shortly afterward, police entered the home and used an electronic stun device to subdue the man. After being issued a search warrant, authorities found a number of firearms within the residence, including two AK47 rifles and a 75-round ammunition drum, which is illegal in Ohio. Incidents between citizens and police robots will surely be on the rise as more bots are brought into service."
Space

Submission + - The Swiss Plan on Clearing Space Junk with a Giant Claw (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "There are about 19,000 pieces of space debris larger than 5 cm currently being tracked by NASA—debris that multiplies when other debris collides. There's now way around it: eventually we're going to have to clean up the floating mess. Which is exactly what a new Swiss uber-satellite intends to do.

Called CleanSpace One, the monster has been dubbed the "janitor satellite." It's been designed to match a defunct satellite's orbital plane, grip it with a giant mechanical claw, and pull it back down into the Earth's atmosphere. Both satellites would then burn up upon reentry.

The Swiss scientists hope to launch CleanSpace One on its trial mission in under five years. The first target is the Swisscube, Switzerland's first working satellite, which was put into orbit in 2009, and completed its imaging mission in 2011. Even though the first CleanSpace One will disintegrate upon re-entry, the Swiss are planning a whole family of space janitors. Eventually, they may be able to dispose more than one satellite at a time."
Medicine

Submission + - The Gameification of Medicine: How Video Games Are Sharpening Surgical Skills (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "Move over, Dr. Mario? Turns out budding surgeons are playing games to develop a steady hand. To wit: A group of post-graduate medical students in Rome who participated in a recent month-long program using the Nintendo Wii went on to earn higher scores in surgical simulators relating to laparoscopic, or keyhole, surgery compared to students who did not use the Wii."
Government

Submission + - Why Won't Congress Talk About 3D-Printed Guns? (vice.com)

Submitted by
pigrabbitbear
pigrabbitbear writes: "The Senate Judiciary Committee opened its doors this week for an emotional hearing about gun violence, gun control and, specifically, a ban on 157 different types of assault rifles. What exactly an assault rifle is has been a source of debate, but the proposed ban defines them as having having "military-style" features like detachable magazines, pistol grips, and even the capacity to be used as grenade or rocket launchers.

Introduced by Sen. Diane Feinstein in the days after the Newtown massacre, the ban is especially controversial, because it includes America's favorite rifle: the AR-15. That's one of the guns that Adam Lanza used when he killed 20 first graders and six adults in Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The AR-15 also happens to be the same gun that a band of renegades known as Defense Distributed have been 3D-printing down in Texas for the past few months. Last week, we learned that DEFCAD, the Defense Distributed-made database of files you feed into a 3D printer to make various gun components, is starting to get some real traction.

According to Defense Distributed, the website is getting about 3,000 unique visitors a day. That's not exactly Facebook-sized traffic, but it is about as big as eBay India. And DEFCAD is sort of like eBay, in a way. It's one big store that lets people upload and download files for 3D printing guns. So far about a quarter of a million files have been downloaded. "Obviously, there’s an interest in what we’re doing," Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson told Venturebeat. "Enthusiasts want these files.""

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