Daily Archives: June 11, 2013

For those that don't think the current NSA surveillance program is no big deal,…

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For those that don't think the current NSA surveillance program is no big deal, consider what was happening 50 years ago

Through the 1940s, 50s and 60s, the United States and in particular J Edgar Hoover's FBI built up an elaborate surveillance system that was supposed to be for keeping tabs on the Soviets and the communist menace.

As inevitably seems to happen when such a system exists, it was turned inward to spy on Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr and the head of the household at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, John F Kennedy. Over the decades of Hoover's tenure at the head of the bureau, they also filled dossiers on countless well known Americans that dared to protest government policies.

When you create such a huge and wide ranging police state it will inevitably be abused.

Martin Luther King, Jr. – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Actually, the Negro has been betrayed by both the Republican and the Democratic party. The Democrats have betrayed him by capitulating to the whims and caprices of the Southern Dixiecrats. The Republicans have betrayed him by capitulating to the blatant hypocrisy of reactionary right wing …


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Is +Elon Musk the new Steve Jobs? 1

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Is +Elon Musk the new Steve Jobs?

Sure seems that way

Tesla Supercharger expansion mirrors Apple’s music retailing takeover
The parallels between Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors and the late Steve Jobs’ Apple are hard to ignore, as the former’s Supercharger network feels like the vehicular equivalent of what Apple created with iTunes.

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Poll shows majority of Americans don't understand the most basic fundamentals… 1

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Poll shows majority of Americans don't understand the most basic fundamentals of freedom and democracy

Poll shows majority of Americans fine with NSA phone record tracking
Although the National Security Agency’s broad tracking of Verizon telephone records has drawn a lot of criticism, a new poll shows that a majority of American adults actually think the NSA’s progra…

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As automakers struggle to reduce vehicle weight, Corning Gorilla Glass could hel… 3

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As automakers struggle to reduce vehicle weight, Corning Gorilla Glass could help

At the same time customers are demanding more features in new cars and regulators are mandating better crash protection for occupants, engineers are trying to save weight and hence fuel. Corning thinks it may be able to help with its tough gorilla glass by allowing windows to get thinner. 

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Imagine living in East Germany or North Korea where every move is being watched,… 2

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Imagine living in East Germany or North Korea where every move is being watched, that's what we're moving toward

Even if the data monitoring that the NSA is doing today is relatively benign (and we don't yet know that to be true and shouldn't assume it), there is no promise that it will stay that way tomorrow. The half of Americans that appear to be OK with what is happening should consider what it would be like if these tools were used for more blatant suppresion.

The Lives of Others
In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

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I don't really care that Apple copies good features from other systems, it's… 2

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I don't really care that Apple copies good features from other systems, it's their hypocrisy that irritates me

Apple shamelessly steals concepts and ideas from Windows Phone, +Android and Web OS but persists in sending their lawyers after just about everyone else in the industry.

Apple please just acknowledge that everyone borrows ideas and drop the patent suits. 

Much iOS 7 design inspiration came from others but Apple elegantly puts it all together
Summary: Watching the iOS 7 debut I couldn’t help but notice design cues from Android, HTC, Microsoft and even Palm. In some ways these have caught up to Apple in terms of design, but Apple is best at putting the pieces together.

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