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Comment Navigeddon (Score 1) 519

Adam Carolla pitched this movie idea on his (former) morning show to McG. ("Famed director McG, the creative force behind Charlieâ(TM)s Angels, and most recently, We Are Marshalls.")

Summarized on the old blog.

Adam's got a movie pitch for McG. It takes place in the year 2222, and the military has constructed a satellite weapon that can think for itself. Adam plays Col. Duke LaCrosse. He feels like he wants no part of this military anymore, because this satellite system has gone too far. And of course, it has become evil. Itâ(TM)s getting into the GPS systems of vehicles, because itâ(TM)s the year 2222, and every vehicle has GPS. It's starting to misdirect people, by having them drive out to the Grand Canyon, even though they are trying to pick up their kids from school. And this navigation satellite wants to destroy Adam, because it knows that he knows it's evil. On his side, Adam has a friendly robot â" a wise-cracking Roomba. The Roomba serves as Adam's navigation device, so he doesnâ(TM)t have to rely on the evil GPS.

With the help of the Roomba, Adam navigates the corridors of the ground base, but canâ(TM)t control the satellite from Earth. Itâ(TM)s too evil. They have to launch into space, and dismantle it from there. "Whoâ(TM)s the NASA insider," McG asks? "Michael Richards." He's a wild-haired nerd, whose wife was misdirected into the Grand Canyon by this satellite, so he's got a score to settle.

Also made the same pitch to JJ Abrams..

Comment Re:As I recall, about 2 years ago. SCOTUS (Score 1) 639

I don't think he has been sentenced yet. He wasn't found guilty but it signed a plea bargain, which likely to give him less than 5 years in jail, but probably a lot less or just a fine.

The rule is: If it's obscene, it's illegal and you are a criminal but there's no sentencing guideline. There is a *new* law, though, that says if it's obscene and depicts a child (this is quite vague), the sentencing guideline is 5 years for each obscene image. But these would be consecutive sentences.

What's obscene is really, really vague. Apparently, the definition of free speech can change based on where you're prosecuted, since obscenity is determined based on "community standards." Which is probably why Christopher Handley _in Iowa_ entered into a plea agreement.

Comment Re:Two more words for Nielsen: Security Cameras (Score 1) 849

If someone can install a security camera in your house, they likely have physical access to your machine. What do you think is more likely: Keyboard sniffer or security camera?

For me who works at home, it's nice idea to be able to see your password. And even if you're in an office, who's really going to try and steal your password? Do you worry when you leave your wallet or car keys at your desk that a coworker is going to steal your credit cards or vehicle?

It might just encourage users to chose a longer or more complicated password that's more difficult to hack. Security always has trade-offs.

If you want real security, you should use two or three factor authentication anyway. Too bad the web doesn't readily allow for it.

The Internet

FTC Recruiting Identity Theft Victims 48

coondoggie writes "In an effort to buttress its enforcement and better understand the scourge that is identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission said today its plans to conduct a wide-ranging study of victims of the crime. The FTC is looking for people harmed by the crime and said the survey will examine the remedies available to victims under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act). Among other things, the FACT Act gave consumers the right to place fraud alerts on their credit files if they are, or suspect they may become, victims of identity theft; block information on their credit reports that resulted from identity theft; and obtain copies of their credit reports free of charge."
Robotics

Submission + - A drone as wide as a Boeing 737

Roland Piquepaille writes: "According to a short report by AFP, Israel is developing a killer robot plane. This drone is designed for long-range operations — more than 50 hours and several thousand miles — while weighing 4 tons during takeoff. This unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), dubbed Eitan (Steadfast) will have a wing span of 35 meters — like a Boeing 737. And this long-endurance (HALE) drone is the largest unmanned aircraft designed by Israel. It should be tested in coming days, but details are scarce, and it might already have flied in 2006. Read more for my investigations about this huge drone."

Mars Probe May Have Spotted Sojourner Rover 149

Maggie McKee writes "NASA's eagle-eyed Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter may have spotted the tiny, toaster oven-sized Sojourner rover just a few meters away from its companion, the Mars Pathfinder lander. It appears to have crawled there in an attempt to re-establish contact with the lander after the lander had already died. But the pictures aren't clear enough to definitively ID the rover, and it's possible Sojourner simply took off on its own. If it were miraculously still alive after 10 years, it could be 3 kilometers away from Pathfinder — and probably impossible to find, even with MRO."

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