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Submission + - FAA ISRMA comment period closes in 3 days. (regulations.gov)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The comment period for the FAA's Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft closes in three days. If you fly, or want to learn how to fly, model aircraft — R/C, free-flight, control-line, FPV, AUV, multi-copters, micro-drones, anything that is fixed wing or rotary winged — you want to read this and comment on it. This is the FAA's self-given "We now regulate EVERYTHING from the ground up, including paper airplanes" proposed ruling that will absolutely gut and decimate aeromodelling as a hobby and industry. There's only 25K comments so far. 100K or more would be nice.

Submission + - Rupert Murdoch's quest to buy TimeWarner, not done yet

Submitted by Presto Vivace
Presto Vivace writes: It seems that Murdoch's desire to acquire TimeWarner predates his acquisition of Fox, and continues in spite of TimeWarner's recent refusal of his most recent offer.. The possible deal is important in and of itself, but it also bears upon the succession.

Murdoch’s skill is not just hiring the right people; he has been able to maintain control over them. They have his support as long as they produce results.

His executives are the hired help. There is never any threat to his control. When a Murdoch favourite begins to get more headlines than the chairman, the clock begins ticking for their departure.

But with the Time Warner bid, that balance may change. Chase Carey has put together a deal that, because of Murdoch’s history, is almost irresistible to him. But it’s a deal only Carey can put together.

If he succeeds, the $US160 billion company that will emerge will be an ungainly beast that will depend on Carey making the merger work. He’s indispensable.

Clearly we have not heard the last of this.

Submission + - Google, CNN Leaders in "Advertising Pollution" 1

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: "Everyone gets that advertising is what powers the internet, and that our favorite sites wouldn't exist without it," writes longtime ad guy Ken Segall in The Relentless (and annoying) Pursuit of Eyeballs. "Unfortunately, for some this is simply license to abuse. Let's call it what it is: advertising pollution." CNN's in-your-face, your-video-will-play-in-00:25-seconds approach, once unthinkable, has become the norm. "Google," Segall adds, "is a leader in advertising pollution, with YouTube being a showcase for intrusive advertising. Many YouTube videos start with a mandatory ad, others start with an ad that can be dismissed only after the first 10 seconds. Even more annoying are the ad overlays that actually appear on top of the video you're trying to watch. It won't go away until you click the X. If you want to see the entire video unobstructed, you must drag the playhead back to start over. Annoying. And disrespectful." Google proposed using cap and trade penalties to penalize traditional polluters — how about for those who pollute the Internet?

Submission + - Edward Snowden Live at HOPE-X Today at 2:00pm EDT

Submitted by penciling_in
penciling_in writes: Edward Snowden is scheduled to speak today, Saturday, July 19, 2014, at 2:00pm US EDT at the HOPE-X conference in New York City. Snowden, still in Russia, will be appearing via video. The HOPE-X schedule calls this "A Conversation with Edward Snowden” but provides no further details about what Snowden will say. Still, if you are curious to hear Snowden himself speaking this may be an interesting opportunity to do so. A live video stream will be available here.

Submission + - Is EPA About To Relax Radiation Protections From Nuclear Power? (forbes.com)

Submitted by mdsolar
mdsolar writes: Both proponents and opponents of nuclear power expect the Environmental Protection Agency in coming months to relax its rules restricting radiation emissions from reactors and other nuclear facilities. EPA officials say they have no such intention, but they are willing to reconsider the method they use to limit public exposure—and the public’s level of risk.

At issue is a 1977 rule that limits the total whole-body radiation dose to any member of the public from the normal operation of the uranium fuel cycle—fuel processing, reactors, storage, reprocessing or disposal—to 0.25 millisieverts per year. (This rule, known as 40 CFR part 190, is different from other EPA regulations that restrict radionuclides in drinking water and that limit public exposure during emergencies. Those are also due for revision.)

“We have not made any decisions or determined any specifics on how to move forward with any of these issues. We do, however, believe the regulation uses outdated science, and we are thinking about how to bring the regulation more in line with current thinking,” said Brian Littleton, a chemical engineer with EPA’s Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.

Submission + - Edward Snowden Says NSA Workers Pass Around Your Nude Photos

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: If you thought that nude photo you took of yourself was just for you and your significant other, you may be wrong. According to whistleblower Edward Snowden, young NSA employees occasionally get a hold of nude photos while searching through personal data and, if the person is attractive, the photos get passed around the office. Snowden explained how this happens to The Guardian during a 7-hour interview. Here's the relevant bit: You’ve got young enlisted guys, 18 to 22 years old, they’ve suddenly been thrust into a position of extraordinary responsibility where they now have access to all of your private records. Now in the course of their daily work, they stumble across something that is completely unrelated to their work in any sense. For example, an intimate nude photo of someone in a sexually compromising situation, but they’re extremely attractive. So what do they do? They turn around and they show their coworker. And their coworker says ‘Oh hey, that’s great. Show it to Bill down the way.’ And then Bill sends it to George, George sends it to Tom, and sooner or later this person’s whole life has been seen by all of these other people.

Submission + - Hackers Steal Personal Information of US Security-Clearance Holders (nytimes.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The article says they were Chinese but offers no evidence:

The intrusion at the Office of Personnel Management was particularly disturbing because it oversees a system called e-QIP, in which federal employees applying for security clearances enter their most personal information, including financial data. Federal employees who have had security clearances for some time are often required to update their personal information through the website.

This is a big deal. If I were a government, trying to figure out who to target for blackmail, bribery, and other coercive tactics, this would be a nice database to have. — B Schneier

Submission + - Congress "Defends" State Rights by Passing Law Prohibiting Local ISP Competition

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to approve a proposal that would essentially allow states to prohibit local municipalities from setting up their own ISPs to introduce competition in local markets. The bill seems to be a pre-emptive strike against FCC claims that it plans to limit the ability of individual states from stifling local competition. The proposal was inserted into a general appropriations bill (appropriations bill = government funding bill) by Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and passed 223-200. Blackburn, of course, has received thousands of dollars in "donations" from large, well-known ISPs and from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. The bill has to pass in the Senate in order to become law.

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