Agorism

3D-Printed Handgun Prompts Congressman To Propose Impotent Legislation

"After Forbes's Andy Greenberg broke the news that Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed have successfully created a (apparently) working gun with a 3D printer, Rep. Steve Israel, who has been warning of doom, doom!, should this day come, quickly issued a press release calling for new laws to head off the menace of DIY weaponry. Israel's objection is, allegedly, that Wilson's 3D-printed gun is made of ABS plastic, and therefore invisible to metal detectors (Wilson built a hunk of metal into his gun to address this concern, but it could easily be left out)." Continue reading →

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The Market Shall Set North Korea Free

"Today, when North Koreans are ordered by their state employer to take part in political activities, they know their time is being wasted. Fewer North Koreans show up for their state jobs. This growing economic and psychological independence among regular people is becoming the greatest thorn in the regime’s side. It is also the key to change. Instead of focusing on the regime and its agents as possible instigators of reform, we must recognize the power of the flourishing marketplace to slowly but definitively transform North Korea from the bottom up." Continue reading →

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That 3D-Printed Handgun You’ve Been Waiting For Is Here

"Remember when Defense Distributed's Cody Wilson promised to unveil an entirely 3D-printed handgun made of ABS plastic with the firing pin its only metal part? Well, he's apparently done it. Forbes's Andy Greenberg was given a sneak peek of the result, and it looks and appears to be quite an achievement. If all goes well, the plans will be unveiled at Defcad.org next week." Continue reading →

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Collected Quotations Of The Dread Pirate Roberts, Silk Road Founder

"In public, the pseudonymous Internet drug czar known as the Dread Pirate Roberts doesn’t say much. But within the community that the Dread Pirate Roberts has created, Silk Road’s founder is hardly so shy. On the Tor-hidden online forums associated with Silk Road, Roberts posts long manifestos, philosophical and political musings, love letters to Silk Road’s users, and even hosts the Dread Pirate Roberts Book Club, a reading and discussion group devoted to 'agorism, counter-economics, anarcho-capitalism, Austrian economics, political philosophy, freedom issues and related topics.'" Continue reading →

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3D-Printed Weapons Builder Says He’s Ready to Print Entire Handgun

"For Cody Wilson, the world's most notorious 3D printing gunsmith, it all started with a simple question: 'Can you use a 3D printer to print a gun?' The answer to that question might come sooner than anybody expected, as Wilson says he will 3D-print an entire handgun in just a couple of weeks. The gun will be made of 12 parts, all printed in ABS+, a very sturdy type of thermoplastic. There might be, perhaps, just one small metal part — a firing pin. While Wilson and his team are still designing the weapon, it won't be a reproduction of an existing firearm, but instead a custom design." Continue reading →

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Florida pot grower busted for manufacturing ‘high-end assault rifles’

"Police in Port St. Lucie, Florida announced on Wednesday that they had arrested a couple on charges related to a 'weapons manufacturing warehouse' and a marijuana growing operations, according to TCPalm. WPTV reported that a traffic stop made by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office earlier in the week led to a marijuana grow house, which then led to a warehouse facility where 'high-end' weapons were being manufactured. At a warehouse on Northwest Settle Avenue, investigators found about 150 marijuana plants and ten guns, including an AK-47 military-style assault rifle." Continue reading →

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Apple’s iMessage encryption trips up feds’ surveillance

"Encryption used in Apple's iMessage chat service has stymied attempts by federal drug enforcement agents to eavesdrop on suspects' conversations, an internal government document reveals. An internal Drug Enforcement Administration document seen by CNET discusses a February 2013 criminal investigation and warns that because of the use of encryption, 'it is impossible to intercept iMessages between two Apple devices' even with a court order approved by a federal judge." Continue reading →

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Thaddeus Russell: ‘A Renegade History of the United States’

"You think you know American history? Think again. Drunks, slackers, prostitutes, and pirates were the real heroes of the American Revolution. Slaves created a culture that made America free. Prostitutes, not feminists, were the pioneers of women's liberation. Gangsters helped establish Hollywood, birth control, Las Vegas, legal alcohol, and gay rights. And zoot-suiters and rock-and-rollers, not generals or the Air Force, brought down the Soviet Union." Continue reading →

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Decentralizing Science: Local Biohacking

"Far-out ideas make established scientists uncomfortable. If your entire career was built around the fax machine, phrenology, the geocentric model or the beeper, you’re not too excited about these crazy kids and their ideas. There is a lot of untapped brainpower out there. The state education mill is a barrier to entry, a great divider — a credential firewall. MOOCs and badges may displace the academic cartel, but not without vested interests fighting to halt creative destruction along the way. Statistician and philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb recognizes that 'stochastic tinkering' rather than systematic, institutional agendas yield the greatest discoveries." Continue reading →

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3D Printed Guns (Documentary)

"This is a story about the rapid evolution of a technology that has forced the American legal system to play catch up. Cody Wilson, a 24 year old University of Texas Law student, is an advocate for the open source production of firearms using 3D printing technology. This makes him a highly controversial figure on both sides of the gun control issue. MOTHERBOARD sat down with Cody in Austin, Texas to talk about the constitution, the legal system, and to watch him make and test-fire a 3D-printed gun." Continue reading →

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