technology

China Broadcasts “Confession” of Chinese-American Blogger

"Chinese state television on Sunday broadcast a startling video of a famous blogger in handcuffs, renouncing his Web posts and saying how dangerous the Internet would be if left uncontrolled by the government. The 10-minute news report featuring Charles Xue — a Chinese American businessman and one of China’s most popular bloggers — was the latest step in what appears to be asystematic campaign to intimidate online opinion leaders against speaking too freely or critically of the government." Continue reading →

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Barrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail

"Encountering Barrett Brown's story in passing, it is tempting to group him with other Anonymous associates who have popped up in the news for cutting pleas and changing sides. Brown's case, however, is a thing apart. Although he knew some of those involved in high-profile 'hacktivism,' he is no hacker. His situation is closer to the runaway prosecution that destroyed Aaron Swartz, the programmer-activist who committed suicide in the face of criminal charges similar to those now being leveled at Brown. But unlike Swartz, who illegally downloaded a large cache of academic articles, Brown never broke into a server; he never even leaked a document." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBarrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail

Poverty Just Ain’t What It Used To Be

"A newly released report by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that most Americans living below the bureaucratically designated 'poverty line' enjoy most modern conveniences. For example more than 80 percent of U.S. households below the poverty line have a: refrigerator (97.8%); stove (96.6%); television (96.1%); microwave oven (93.1%); air conditioner (83.4%); VCR/DVD player (83.2%); and cell phone (80.9%). In addition, more than half of households beneath the poverty level also have a: clothes washer (68.7%); clothes dryer (65.3%); computer (58.2%); and landline telephone (54.9)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoverty Just Ain’t What It Used To Be

Moon Shining At Sunset: Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore

"This sunset shot at the Marina Bay Sands was one in a million. The sky lit up just right as the moon was rising behind the resort. Many people don’t know but the resort is an actual complex complete with a shopping mall, casino, and a Venice Gondola ride. One of the cool things about the Marina Bay Sands Resort besides the amazing infinity rooftop pool is the fact that you can use your hotel Wi-Fi throughout the entire shopping complex. The picture was taken from the famous Merlion statue just across the water from the resort. This also happens to be where the cars zip by in the only night time Formula 1 race." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMoon Shining At Sunset: Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore

World’s first ‘invisible’ skyscraper planned for South Korea

"Architects in South Korea are going to need one big invisibility cloak. Seoul will soon add a 1,476-foot tower to its skyline, you just may not be able to see it. The international architectural firm GDS Architect received the green light to begin building the 'world's first invisible tower.' The glass-encased Tower Infinity will use cameras to snap real-time pictures of the area directly behind the building and project them back onto the building's reflective surface. This will create the illusion that viewers are looking straight through the building." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorld’s first ‘invisible’ skyscraper planned for South Korea

Here’s What Happened When Google Went Public

"I arrived at Google in late 2003, prior to our S-1 being filed in April 2004. There was already lots of internal and external speculation about our trajectory but until the document went public, no one understood just how powerful a business model the company had created. During my interview process Google HR was very secretive about the value of my equity. In fact they told me only the number of shares I had been granted. Without knowing the number of shares outstanding or the enterprise value of the company, a grant total was totally useless but they essentially said 'trust us.' What changed once we went public and how might these same shifts impact Twitter?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHere’s What Happened When Google Went Public

Google argues for right to continue scanning Gmail

"Attorneys suing Google say the firm violates privacy and takes personal property by electronically scanning the contents of people's Gmail accounts and then targeting ads to them. 'This company reads, on a daily basis, every email that's submitted, and when I say read, I mean looking at every word to determine meaning,' said Texas attorney Sean Rommel, who is co-counsel suing Google. But in a federal court hearing Thursday in San Jose, Google argued that the case should be dismissed, and that 'all users of email must necessarily expect that their emails will be subject to automated processing.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle argues for right to continue scanning Gmail

Court: WiFi Sniffing Can Be Wiretapping Because WiFi Isn’t Audio

"A couple years ago, we were disappointed to see a judge take the technologically wrong stance that data transmitted over WiFi is not a 'radio communication,' thereby making sniffing of unencrypted WiFi signals potentially a form of wiretapping. Indeed, based on that, the court eventually ruled that Google's infamous WiFi sniffing could be a violation of wiretap laws. This is wrong on so many levels... and tragically, an appeals court has now upheld the lower court's ruling. There are serious problems with this. Under no reasonable view is WiFi not a radio communication first of all. That's exactly what it is." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt: WiFi Sniffing Can Be Wiretapping Because WiFi Isn’t Audio

Apple’s Fingerprint ID May Mean You Can’t ‘Take the Fifth’

"For the privilege to apply, however, the government must try to compel a person to make a 'testimonial' statement that would tend to incriminate him or her. When a person has a valid privilege against self-incrimination, nobody — not even a judge — can force the witness to give that information to the government. But a communication is 'testimonial' only when it reveals the contents of your mind. We can’t invoke the privilege against self-incrimination to prevent the government from collecting biometrics like fingerprints, DNA samples, or voice exemplars. Why? Because the courts have decided that this evidence doesn’t reveal anything you know. It’s not testimonial." Continue reading →

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Two Guys Just Started A Site That’s Like A Bitcoin-Only Amazon

"One of the most common complaints about Bitcoin, the encrypted, digital currency that isn't controlled by any bank or country, is that you can't use it to buy anything practical. Alpaca wool socks? Come on, now. Entrepreneurs Michal Handerhan and Tim Sidie have startedBitcoinShop.us in order to solve this problem. Their site is probably best described as 'Amazon, but with Bitcoin.' There's 55,000 items for sale across all categories – books, electronics, sporting goods, even toys. It's all available here for purchase, via Bitcoin." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwo Guys Just Started A Site That’s Like A Bitcoin-Only Amazon