Daily Archives: August 4, 2013

Get ready for the ‘War on Sugar’

"The 'metabolic syndrome' maladies associated with insulin resistance and obesity – many authorities now just use the term 'diabesity' – are expected soon to overtake tobacco as the leading cause of heart disease in the world. And perhaps of cancer, too. Farmer Mike Small has high hopes for the campaign for a Scottish tax on sugar-sweetened beverages: he and his sustainable food campaign, the Fife Diet, will launch a new manifesto for it in September. Forms of sugar-sweetened beverage tax have already started in Denmark, France, Finland and Hungary. Scotland, Small says, is in the mood to follow." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGet ready for the ‘War on Sugar’

Watch: How GPS spoofing can take control of drones and ships

"A University of Texas researcher who has hacked the navigational systems of drones and ships told PBS on Friday that anyone with his software could do the same. Humphrey’s and and his graduate students used a technique called 'GPS spoofing,' in which false GPS signals are broadcast that trick a vehicle’s GPS receiver. The researchers first used the technique to commandeer an aerial drone. More recently, they commandeered a ship. Milton Clary of Overlook Systems Technologies told PBS that spoofing attacks posed a huge threat." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWatch: How GPS spoofing can take control of drones and ships

Glenn Greenwald: Congress ‘forced to learn about what the NSA is doing’ from newspapers

"Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald on Sunday chided the U.S. government for claiming it had provided 'robust oversight' of the NSA even though members of Congress were forced to go to his paper to learn about secret programs that gather data on American citizens. 'We keep hearing that there’s all kinds of robust oversight by Congress,' Greenwald said, adding that lawmakers had provided 'very detailed letters trying to get this information and they’re being blocked from getting it and they’ve said, and other members have said that they are forced to learn about what the NSA is doing from what they’re reading in our reporting.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Congress ‘forced to learn about what the NSA is doing’ from newspapers

The concept of delusions gets a big — but unnoticed — overhaul

"It’s not clear who forcibly sedated her in 1972. It’s not certain that she was admitted to a psychiatric ward in the following year. Many people thought she was mad as she ranted about conspiracies in the White House during eccentric phone calls to the press. Questions about Martha Beall Mitchell’s sanity were encouraged by the Nixon administration, who consistently briefed against her and probably had her medicated against her will. But ultimately her claims were proven correct when the Watergate scandal broke. Claims against authorities are often dismissed by suggesting that the person has mental health problems." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe concept of delusions gets a big — but unnoticed — overhaul

The FBI Ran a Child Porn Site for Two Whole Weeks

"The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Bureau agents posed as child porn dealers, actively distributing pornography while the site was under their control—just as other agencies perform sting operations with drugs and prostitution. It's not yet clear if the technique worked that well: in the two week period, the FBI attempted to identify 5,600 users who had shared over 10,000 images of children. What can, perhaps, be judged, is the ethical position of distributing child pornography to incriminate suspects. Is it worse than supplying drugs in a sting? Or is it fair game given the end result? What do you think?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe FBI Ran a Child Porn Site for Two Whole Weeks

Half Of Tor Sites Compromised, Including Tormail

"The founder of Freedom Hosting has been arrested in Ireland and is awaiting extradition to USA. In a crackdown that FBI claims to be about hunting down pedophiles, half of the onion sites in the TOR network has been compromised, including the e-mail counterpart of TOR deep web, TORmail. This is undoubtedly a big blow to the TOR community, Crypto Anarchists, and more generally, to Internet anonymity. All of this happening during DEFCON. If you happen to use and account name and or password combinations that you have re used in the TOR deep web, change them NOW." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHalf Of Tor Sites Compromised, Including Tormail

Casascius Physical Bitcoins Cracked at Defcon

"The methodology consisted of using a hypodermic needle to carefully inject tiny quantities of what the researchers will only refer to as a 'non-polar solvent' between the holographic security sticker and the brass coin itself. After the solvent weakened or entirely dissolved the adhesive they were able to peel back the holographic foil and access the private key beneath. The sticker was then trivially replaced, though Stits felt that using a secondary adhesive might be necessary since little of the original adhesive was left. The re-assembled coin bore only a tiny mark at the edge of the foil where the needle was first inserted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCasascius Physical Bitcoins Cracked at Defcon

7 Things I Am More Concerned About Than a Terrorist Attack

"What I am doing as a result of the new US government terrorist attack alert? Absolutely nothing. The chance of a terrorist striking me is less than .000,000,0001%. However, there are things I am real concerned about. These are all very real dangers created by the state. When the state warns us of a potential terrorist attack, keep in mind what the state is doing to us on a daily basis--things that have a very real impact on our daily lives. The state is much more threatening to us than the less than .000,000,0001% chance that we will be directly impacted by a terrorist attack." Continue reading →

Continue Reading7 Things I Am More Concerned About Than a Terrorist Attack

Senator Schumer: Putin is behaving like a schoolyard bully

"A senior Democratic senator said on Sunday that the U.S.-Russia relationship had become 'poisonous' and urged President Barack Obama to consider moving next month’s Group of 20 summit away from the Russian city of St. Petersburg. Charles Schumer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to antagonize the United States by granting American fugitive Edward Snowden asylum for one year. 'President Putin is behaving like a schoolyard bully,' Schumer said on the CBS television talk show 'Face the Nation.' 'In my experience, I’ve learned unless you stand up to that bully, they ask for more and more and more.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenator Schumer: Putin is behaving like a schoolyard bully

What Bradley Manning’s life will be like in military prison

"Bradley Manning faces the prospect of years of monotony with no Internet access in a small military prison cell but he would likely be allowed to mix with other inmates and exercise outdoors. The 25-year-old Manning, who has yet to be sentenced, would be able to nominate friends and relatives for visits pending official approval. A handshake, a brief kiss or a hug that does not involve touching below the waist are allowed during visits, and visitors and inmates may hold hands. Prisoners are allowed to telephone friends and family through payphones that may only be used at set times, but they are not permitted to send email or browse the Internet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat Bradley Manning’s life will be like in military prison