Month: June 2014
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California Removes Ban on Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Other Alternative Currencies
from pcworld.com: A new California law removes a ban on using currencies other than the U.S. dollar, which is intended to accommodate the growing use of alternative payment methods such as bitcoin. The law, signed by state Governor Jerry Brown on Saturday, is likely to boost confidence around bitcoin, as regulators and tax authorities worldwide…
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#FalseFlag Watch: Spying Malware Leaves Countries’ Energy Grids Open To Attack
from engadget.com: Cyberwarfare campaigns against Western energy grids aren’t just the stuff of action movies these days. Symantec has discovered a “likely state-sponsored hacking group”, nicknamed Dragonfly, that has been using phishing sites and trojans to compromise energy suppliers in the US and several other countries. Unlike targeted, destruction-focused malware like Stuxnet, this appears to…
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Berlin House of One: The first church-mosque-synagogue?
from BBC News: Berlin thinks it is making religious history as Muslims, Jews and Christians join hands to build a place where they can all worship. The House of One, as it is being called, will be a synagogue, a church and a mosque under one roof. An architecture competition has been held and the…
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@PumpUpThaVolume: Episode116 – Hold Tight
♫Makin’ a soundtrack for another planet to hear♫ on Episode116 – Hold Tight which features brand new sounds from FM Belfast, Conor Oberst, Liam Bailey, Sinkane, Meshell Ndegeocello, Peter Matthew Bauer, Hamilton Leithauser, Dub Thompson, Happyness, Pete Molinari, Atmosphere, Tom Vek, Har Mar Superstar and Say Hi… Download/Subscribe Previous: Episode115 – Believer **************************************** ♬Liner Notes♬:…
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Google CEO: 100,000 lives a year lost through fear of data-mining
from guardian.com: Fear of data-mining of healthcare could be costing as many as 100,000 lives a year, according to Google’s Larry Page. Speaking out in response to fears over his company’s vast haul of personal information, Page made the case that not only is Google not going too far with collecting and analysing such information…
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Stonehenge’s Singing Stones
from archaeology.org: SALISBURY PLAIN, ENGLAND—Could the massive standing stones of Stonehenge also have made sounds? The New York Times reports that a team of researchers from London’s Royal College of Art hypothesizes that some of the dolmens make a loud, clanging noise when struck, producing a high–pitched sound similar to a large bell being rung.…
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Teenager Builds Browser Plug-in To Show You Where Politicians Get Their Funding
from engadget.com: The murky world of lobby groups bankrolling politicians is garnering more attention, but is there a way to find out which representatives are in the pocket without a lot of tedious research? A 16-year-old programmer has developed a browser plugin that, when you mouse-over the name of a US lawmaker, will serve up…
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FAA Grounds Amazon’s #Drone Delivery Plans…For Now
from arstechnica.com: The Federal Aviation Administration has said that online shopping powerhouse Amazon may not employ drones to deliver packages, at least not anytime soon. The revelation was buried in a FAA document (pdf) unveiled Monday seeking public comment on its policy on drones, or what the agency calls “model aircraft.” The FAA has maintained since…
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DHS biometric program gets $250 million from Senate
from RT.com: A Senate subcommittee this week approved a request from the United States Department of Homeland Security for nearly a quarter-of-a-billion dollars to be used on a state-of-the-art biometric system. On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on DHS green-lighted more than $47 billion to go towards the agency as part of a request made…
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Three Thrown Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
from damninteresting.com: Sometime in the 1940s, an improbable encounter occurred at a mental institution in Maryland. Two women, each of whom was institutionalized for believing she was the Virgin Mary, chanced upon one another and engaged in conversation. They had been chatting for several minutes when the older woman introduced herself as “Mary, Mother of…
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Australia: GM Grass For Dairy Cows Sparks Concern
from theage.com.au: A plan to feed Australian dairy cows genetically modified rye grass designed to boost milk production has sparked concerns from both organic and non-organic farmers. Opponents of the scheme fear that GM grasses could contaminate neighbouring properties and that existing labelling requirements would not allow consumers to identify products made from cows fed on the modified…
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Police Story: Hacking Team’s Government Surveillance Malware
from citizenlab.org: This report analyzes Hacking Team’s Android implant, and uses new documents to illustrate how their Remote Control System (RCS) interception product works. This work builds on our previous research into the technologies and companies behind “lawful interception” malware. This technology is marketed as filling a gap between passive interception (such as network monitoring) and physical searches.…
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The Power of the Bard
from IshtarsGate.wordpress.com: “As some followers here may have noticed. I’ve recently decided to concentrate more on writing poetry than long essays, but not because I want to hide in some irrelevant and anachronistic past-time …..far from it. It’s because I‘ve been coming to realise that what’s known as the ‘power of the bard’ is one…
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@PumpUpThaVolume: Episode115 – Believer
“♫Makin’ a soundtrack for another planet to hear♫” on Episode115 – Believer which features brand new sounds from Black Bananas, Guided By Voices, Two Cow Garage, The Antlers, Crystal Stilts, High Ends, Small Black, Old Man Canyon, Caroline Smith, Cilantro Boombox, Cesaria Evora, Beck, Underworld and Kris Orlowski… Download/Subscribe Previous: Episode114 – Right Time ****************************************…