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Submission + - FBI Monitoring Facebook (bbc.co.uk) 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The BBC reports that armed police were called to a UK school earlier today after being advised of a potential threat by the FBI. The school stated that the FBI "raised the alarm after internet scanning software picked up a suspicious combination of words", strongly implying that they are carrying out routine, automated surveillance of social networking sites. While in this case it does appear that there may have been a genuine threat, the story nonetheless raises significant privacy concerns.
Earth

Submission + - Airplanes Unexpectedly Modify Weather (discovery.com)

Submitted by reillymj
reillymj writes: Commercial airliners have a strange ability to create rain and snow when they fly through certain clouds. Scientists have known for some time that planes can make outlandish "hole-punch" and "canal" features in clouds. A new study has found that these odd formations are in fact evidence that planes are seeding clouds and changing local weather patterns as they fly through. In one case, researchers noted that a plane triggered several inches of snowfall directly beneath its flight path.

Comment Re:I recommend blau.de (Score 1, Interesting) 153

by uigin (#31449218) Attached to: Best Pre-Paid Data Plan For a Visit To Germany?

I have both Vodafone callya and Blau. Honestly vodafone (and O2) is ridiculously expensive without a contract. Simyo http://www.simyo.de/ is another cheap alternative. All the cheap ones are pretty much the same price and adequate quality. The reason Vodafone et al get away with having the expensive prices is because Germans have this strange notion of paying extra for imagined 'quality' (the reasoning is along the lines 'it's more expensive so it must be good')

Dave.

Comment Re:Internet cafe's (Score 5, Informative) 153

by uigin (#31449162) Attached to: Best Pre-Paid Data Plan For a Visit To Germany?

Actually very few places in Germany have free Wifi. The going rate is €8 per hour! (If you are asking about it, they call it Wlan)

I agree about waiting until you arrive though. I think you'll have a lot of problems buying before you travel unless you sign up for a special tourist phone network that costs an outrageous amount.

Dave.

Comment Re:Let' see how fast they will run out of customer (Score -1) 222

by uigin (#26653875) Attached to: Ireland's Largest ISP Settles With Record Industry

Unfortunately, Eircom are the only realistic option for broadband connections for the vast majority of users in Ireland. And don't forget, if they are successful at identifying downloaders those are exactly the users an ISP can live without; they use a disproportionate amount of bandwidth. Eircom will be left with cash-cow customers, like grandma.

D

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