"From coast-to-coast, human rights activists have launched a month-long protest against the use drones by the US government. Throughout the month of April, the 'Days of Action' demonstrations will take it to the companies behind the construction of these robots in the sky. RT's Ramon Galindo brings us more from San Diego, California." Continue reading →
"For a long time, drones - unmanned aircraft - were used only by the military. Now local law enforcement wants them for police work such as surveillance and search-and-rescue missions. That in turn has sparked a fierce debate over the balance between cutting-edge law enforcement technology and the privacy rights of citizens." Continue reading →
"Festo isn't quite the household name that Boston Dynamics is. (And, really, we're not entirely sure Big Dog is a regular topic of conversation at dinner tables yet.) But, it certainly deserves just as much attention for the work they're doing with robotics. After crafting a machine last year that soared around like a herring gull, now the company has created BionicOpter. The 17.3-inch long dragonfly drone can flutter through the air in any direction, and even hover, just like its biological inspiration." Continue reading →
"The ATF doesn’t just want a huge database to reveal everything about you with a few keywords. It wants one that can find out who you know. And it won’t even try to friend you on Facebook first. According to a recent solicitation from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the bureau is looking to buy a 'massive online data repository system' for its Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information (OSII). The system is intended to operate for at least five years, and be able to process automated searches of individuals, and 'find connection points between two or more individuals' by linking together 'structured and unstructured data.'" Continue reading →
"The annual Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) conference, held in 2012 in San Antonio, Texas, looks like any other industry gathering. The 600 or so attendees sip their complimentary Starbucks coffee, munch on small plates of muffins and fresh fruit, and backslap old acquaintances as they file into a sprawling Marriott hotel conference hall. They will hear a keynote address by Robert DuPont, who served as drug policy director under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Nothing odd about any of this until you consider that the main subject of the conference is urine." Continue reading →
"The move is expected to boost banks’ cash reserves and put a damper on Russia’s shadow economy. However, the middle class will most likely end up having to pay the price for the scheme. In 2014, a ban on cash payments for purchases worth more than 600,000 rubles (about $19,500) will be introduced; the limit will then be halved in 2015. Furthermore, the document introduces mandatory, cash-free, salary payments. Smaller companies with fewer than 35 employees will be the only exception, and trade companies will be able to pay salaries in cash if they employ no more than 20 people on staff." Continue reading →
"More than two-thirds of American motorists use a mobile phone while driving despite recent laws in many jurisdictions banning the practice, a survey showed Thursday. The study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 69 percent of US drivers talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed. Some 31 percent of drivers also said that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving." Continue reading →
"US President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a $100 million project to map the intricate inner mysteries of the human brain, targeting cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s. The BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) initiative will be run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the National Science Foundation. Obama was introduced as 'scientist in chief' at the White House event by NIH Director Francis Collins, and his administration makes the case that despite tough fiscal times, investments in science are vital." Continue reading →
"Law enforcement intelligence-processing fusion centers have long come under attack for spying on Americans. The Arkansas director wanted to clarify the truth: centers only spies on some Americans – those who appear to be a threat to the government. In trying to clear up the ‘misconceptions’ about the conduct of fusion centers, Arkansas State Fusion Center Director Richard Davis simply confirmed Americans’ fears: the center does in fact spy on Americans – but only on those who are suspected to be ‘anti-government’." Continue reading →
"On January 16, 2013, President Obama released 23 'Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions' of which Action #2, #14, #16, #17, #21, and #22 utilize the national healthcare system to collect gun ownership information. As Obamacare grows over the next decade, unwary citizens will voluntarily divulge firearm ownership information including serial numbers in exchange for routine healthcare. Through the power of incrementalism, placing this information in a federal database seems harmless at first. However, someday in the future, imagine a loved one in your care needing critical medical attention, so you rush into an Obamacare facility because no other option exists." Continue reading →