Archive for November, 2013
Coming Soon, a Night Watchman with Wheels?
November 30th, 2013I liked being a security guard in the early 1990s. haha. I wore a polyester uniform that made me look like like ten pounds of shit in a five pound sack. I think it paid $7 per hour. I had near zero contact with any other human beings the whole night. Now, why was this […]
If You’re Fed Up with the Total Disaster That Is Facebook, Syme Deserves Consideration, Just Don’t Trust It Too Much
November 29th, 2013Syme looks like it could be useful for small, private groups looking for social networking functionality. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT believe any claims that they can’t access your material. Maybe that’s true, and even if it is, I wouldn’t assume that others can’t read it. I tend to believe that these guys are […]
Typhoons Spread Fukushima Fallout
November 29th, 2013Via: AFP: Typhoons that hit Japan each year are helping spread radioactive material from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the country’s waterways, researchers say. Contaminated soil gets washed away by the high winds and rain and deposited in streams and rivers, a joint study by France’s Climate and Environmental Science laboratory (LSCE) and Tsukuba University […]
Billionaire Bunkers: Beyond the Panic Room, Home Security Goes Sci-Fi
November 29th, 2013Via: Forbes: Al Corbi’s residence in the Hollywood Hills has the requisite white walls covered in artwork and picture windows offering breathtaking views of downtown Los Angeles, but it has more in common with NSA headquarters than with the other contemporary homes on the block. The Corbi family doesn’t need keys (thanks to biometric recognition […]
China Sends Warplanes to Newly Declared Air Zone
November 28th, 2013Via: BBC: China has sent warplanes to its newly declared air defence zone in the East China Sea, state media reports. The vast zone, announced last week, covers territory claimed by China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. China has said all planes transiting the zone must file flight plans and identify themselves, or face “defensive […]
Renault Will Remotely Lock Down Electric Cars
November 28th, 2013Via: FSFE: For a long time, cars were a symbol of freedom and independence. No longer. In its Zoe electric car, car maker Renault apparently has the ability to remotely prevent the battery from charging. And that’s more chilling than it sounds. When you buy a Renault Zoe, the battery isn’t included. Instead, you sign […]
“Ninja Polymers” vs. MRSA?
November 28th, 2013Via: IBM: In earlier chip development research, IBM researchers identified specific materials that, when chained together, produced an electrostatic charge that allows microscopic etching on a wafer to be done at a much smaller scale. This newfound knowledge that characterization of materials could be manipulated at the atomic level to control their movement inspired the […]
What Happens When Big Data Meets Human Resources?
November 27th, 2013In the mid 1990s, I worked for FedEx and even back then, every minute of the work day had to be accounted for by noting activity codes and times on our timesheets. At random intervals, the bean counters would light fires under our managers’ tails and the managers would get on our cases about, “Productivity.” […]
Human Portable Tripwire System
November 27th, 2013Via: Fast Company: Location-based services are great for things like discounts at nearby restaurants, or a heads-up for traffic, or tracking a morning jog. But what if your phone could take action on your behalf in the event you drove past (say) a rogue nuclear weapon? Last month on the U.S. government’s Federal Business Opportunities […]
Italy’s Senate Expels Ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi
November 27th, 2013Via: BBC: The Italian Senate has voted to expel ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from parliament with immediate effect over his conviction for tax fraud. Berlusconi, who has dominated politics for 20 years, could now face arrest over other criminal cases as he has lost his immunity from prosecution.
