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Comment Re:Heisenberg compensator ... (Score 1) 83

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke

The fact that a person feels a phenomenon is beyond his comprehension doesn't alter the reality of the phenomenon. I know people who believe that Einstein's special theory of relativity is flawed. I have heard of others who believe rockets cannot fly in a vacuum because there is nothing for the rocket to push against. Still others insist that, "If men were meant to fly, God would have given them wings."

What was my point? I forgot.

Submission + - When Snowden speaks, future lawyers (and judges) listen (youtube.com)

Submitted by TheRealHocusLocus
TheRealHocusLocus writes: We are witness to an historic 'first': an individual charged with espionage and actively sought by the United States government has been (virtually) invited to speak at Harvard Law School, with applause. HLS Professor Lawrence Lessig conducted the hour-long interview last Monday with a list of questions by himself and his students.

Some interesting jumps are Snowden's assertion that mass domestic intercept is an 'unreasonable seizure' under the 4th Amendment, it also violates 'natural rights' that cannot be voted away even by the majority, a claim that broad surveillance detracts from the ability to monitor specific targets such as the Boston Marathon bombers, calls out Congress for not holding Clapper accountable for misstatements, and laments that contractors are exempt from whistleblower protection though they do swear an oath to defend the Constitution from enemies both foreign and domestic. These points have been brought up before. But what may be most interesting to these students is Snowden's suggestion that a defendant under the Espionage act be permitted to present an argument before a jury that the act was committed "in the public interest". Could this pure-judicial move help ensure a fair trial for whistleblowers whose testimony reveals Constitutional violation?

Professor Lessig wraps up the interview by asking Snowden, Hoodies or Suits? “Hoodies all the way. I hope in the next generation we don't even have suits anymore, they're just gone forever.”

Submission + - The threat of right-wing acts of terrorism is real (thebulletin.org)

Submitted by Lasrick
Lasrick writes: Charles Blair explores the controversy and subsequent squashing of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Environment Threat Analysis, which documented the rising threat of US far-right extremism and terror attacks, and the possibility that returning veterans would be recruited by these extremist groups for weapons and planning expertise. Now considered "prophetic," the document created such an outcry from conservatives that the DHS repressed the report. 'The report’s demise was an unfortunate loss for all levels of law enforcement. Since its release, credible plots and attacks by violent extremists have surged. As the report forewarned, responsibility for the vast majority of these events lies with far-right individual extremists and extreme groups.' Blair states that despite a wave of plots since the muzzling of the report, DHS remains reluctant to address the growing threat.

Submission + - The FCC Was Hacked After John Oliver Called for Net Neutrality Trolls (vice.com)

Submitted by Daniel_Stuckey
Daniel_Stuckey writes: When HBO host John Oliver called for Internet trolls to deluge the Federal Communications Commission with comments about net neutrality, he may not have expected for the FCC's site to get shut down. That, however, is exactly what happened, but it wasn’t because Oliver’s viewers overwhelmed the site with public comments, as was widely reported. In fact, shortly after Oliver’s 13-minute rant last Sunday, the FCC’s website was compromised by attackers who effectively shut down the site’s commenting system using a database Denial of Service attack, the FCC confirmed to Motherboard on Tuesday.

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According to all the latest reports, there was no truth in any of the earlier reports.

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