Tech News

Future of Life Institute - The Pledge Against Lethal Autonomous Weapons:

...we the undersigned agree that the decision to take a human life should never be delegated to a machine. There is a moral component to this position, that we should not allow machines to make life-taking decisions for which others – or nobody – will be culpable. There is also a powerful pragmatic argument: lethal autonomous weapons, selecting and engaging targets without human intervention, would be dangerously destabilizing for every country and individual.

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The Seattle Times - Your passwords have probably been hacked and what to do about it:

An Australian security guru named Troy Hunt spends his days looking in dark corners of the Internet to add hacked data to this free site. It now totals half a billion exposed passwords and 5 billion hacked accounts. Hunt can hardly keep up.

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I love her because Apple and Google hate her.  Gadgets Now:

[Apple CEO Tim] “lectured her on corporate tax”, according to the Wired. Once the decision was out, Cook allegedly in private said that it was “political crap.”

Fuck. Tim. Cook.
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Tech News World - Is your Smart TV spying on you?

Did you know that fancy smart TV sitting in your living room, kitchen, bedroom or bathroom actually may be watching you?
[.]
If you are a marketer, you love it. You can get loads of user data for your marketing. However, if you are a consumer who cares about protecting your privacy, you feel invaded.

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Naked Security - hacker code leads to avatar gang rape:

...a whole lot of people unfamiliar with gaming rape culture found out earlier this month, when [an avatar] was gang-raped on a playground by two male avatars in the hugely popular, typically family-friendly game [Roblox].

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(MF'g Google. SOBs). C|Net - Google tries to hi-jack DuckDuckGo.com:

Google owns Duck.com, which has been driving rival search engine DuckDuckGo up the wall for over six years. Because when you type "duck.com" into a web browser, you get Google.com. Doesn't make a lot of sense, yes?

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Tech Dirt - India embraces net neutrality. U.S. run in opposite direction:

...the United States walks away from the concept of net neutrality, India just passed some of the toughest net neutrality rules in the world.
[.]
Facebook engaged in some shady behavior, at one point trying to trick Indian citizens into supporting its plans and opposing meaningful net neutrality protections. 

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PC Authority: Game potions are classified as real drugs?

["Joy"] isn’t the first drug-related run-in with the Australian Classification Board that videogames have had. One of the last infamous interactions occurred when Fallout 3 attempted to be classified here, but needed to be altered to remove references to morphine in-game.

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WccfTech: Vulnerability in Grammarly exposed user details:

To offer you writing assistance, Grammarly requires access to everything you type. From your social media posts to technical reports, everything is accessed by the extension to be able to catch the typos. However, this also means that any security flaw affecting Grammarly puts user data at risk of exposure.

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The Outline - What really scares teens?

I took to Reddit, texted my friend’s younger brother, and enlisted a handful of people under 20 to watch my “favorite” Gen Z horror movies and the trailers for those upcoming films, and then tell me about their experiences.

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The Drive - The $200,000 air-ride Hummer:

...just about everything aside from the H1's original frame saw an upgrade. Mil-Spec put a ton of focus into adding sound-deadening and making the Hummer much more livable than General Motors ever did. Now, the shop has come out with another build that ups the comfort ante by including air-ride technology.

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Threat Post - Airport Ranking by the Most Risky Wi-Fi:

...WiFi security is often sacrificed by airport operators in exchange for consumer convenience, leaving networks unencrypted, unsecured or improperly configured[.]

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HackRead - LabCorp suffers massive data breach:

...cybercriminals have managed to breach the security of America’s leading clinical laboratory and medical diagnostics center LabCorp that can put health records of not thousands but millions of patients at risk.
[.]
[LabCorp] is responsible for performing routine and specialty diagnostic tests including HIV tests, bloodwork and urine analysis.

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WIRED - You can’t sue your way to a solution for global warming.

Facing billions of dollars in climate change-related damage in the coming years, New York was hoping to extract some money from the transnational companies that extract the oil that people burn for energy[.]

States, cities, municipalities - all most overspending and all desperately looking for more revenue money. There's no one else left to sue. May I suggest "drastic budget reductions"?
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Technology Review - Google looking to help speed up quantum computing:

[Google's] Cirq, is a software toolkit that lets developers create algorithms without needing a background in quantum physics.
[.]
For now, developers can use Cirq to create quantum algorithms that run on simulators. But the goal is to have it help build software that will run on a wide range of real machines in the future.

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Info World - Powering AI:

The range of innovative AI hardware-accelerator architectures continues to expand. Although you may think that graphic processing units (GPUs) are the dominant AI hardware architecture, that is far from the truth.

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WHAT are they? Tech E Blog: The coolest cabins ever.

Another Boring NHL Post

NHL's former goalie Ray Emery died last week, age 35. What a shame. CBS News:

Ray Emery was found dead Sunday in Hamilton, Ontario, a victim of an apparent drowning. The 35-year-old Emery was identified by Hamilton Police as the man pulled from Hamilton Harbour. 

According to initial reports, Emery was visiting friends when the group decided to go swimming near the docks of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club around 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Emery plunged into the harbor and never re-surfaced. His body was recovered Sunday afternoon.

"They went out for a swim and unfortunately he did not emerge after diving in,' said inspector Marty Schulenberg[.]

We're all tethered to the thinnest thread.
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Vegas Knights' Marc-Andre Fleury inked a 3-year, $21 million dollar deal. Worth. Every. Cent. CBS Sports:

The veteran goaltender signed a three-year extension with the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. That extension carries a value of $21 million -- bringing an average annual value and cap hit of $7 million -- and will kick in after next season, keeping Fleury under contract through 2022.

His stats for one season are incredible. Same CBS link:

During the Knights' inaugural season, Fleury posted a .927 save-percentage and 2.24 goals against average (both career-highs) and finished fifth in Vezina voting. He was also exceptional during Vegas' improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final, posting a save-percentage of .927 and four shutouts in 20 postseason games.

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Seattle. Home for a new NHL expansion team?  KIRO: 

"We will be a team that will spend to the (salary) cap so, all things being equal, what would make a player choose Seattle over other cities in the NHL? And it's things like training centers that can make a huge difference," [said Tod Leiweke, CEO of the NHL Seattle organization].

A decision from the NHL on awarding an expansion team could come in September, with a potential first game in October 2020.

More Seattle NHL expansion discussion at Reddit.

I wonder what Phil thinks about getting an NHL Team?

Sporting News lists some possible names for a future Seattle NHL team; a few of many:

Seattle Cougars,

Seattle Whales,

Seattle Kraken[.]

Richmond is being a total sports whore (in a good way), open for business from any professional sports franchise. Richmond Times Dispatch:

Hunden Strategic Partners, the firm hired by Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to review a proposed replacement for the Richmond Coliseum, has declared the city one of the nation’s best markets for a pro sports team to locate in.

Hunden released the list on Friday, offering a list of the top markets “ready to host a Major League franchise” — a team from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL or Major League Soccer. 

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The Dallas Stars are the first professional sports team to openly oppose a proposed "bathroom bill" in the state of Texas...  Sporting News:

... that would require transgender people to use bathrooms in schools and government buildings assigned to the gender on their birth certificate.

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A good read on hockey legend Lou Lamoriello.  Newsday:

The transition to being the Islanders’ president of hockey operations and general manager did not give him a moment’s pause.

How quickly did he flip that mental switch? “The day you decide,” said Lamoriello, 75.

In other words, always look forward.

Friday Morning Music Video

"Heart of Glass" from Parallel Lines by Blondie

Nancy Pelosi Visits Detroit

My enviro-friendly electric car battery is charging as I write this so I can arrive in time for tomorrow's appearance by Nancy Pelosi visiting Detroit.

She'll be talking about pensions. I'm certain her speech will be most informative. Hopefully she'll avoid attempting to pronounce Lin Manuel Miranda and avoid that crazy First Amendment free speech controversy of yelling wolf in a crowded theater.

Then again, maybe she's visiting Detroit to personally meet RoboCop.

Menacing, Ominous "Baby Hillary Blimps" are appearing all over the world, terrifying onlookers.

Appearance of "out-of-the-blue" threatening and ominous Baby Hillary Blimps are appearing all over the world terrifying onlookers.

From The Eritas County Ledger International Edition:

From populated cities such as London, New York and Tokyo to remote areas such as the Grand Canyon and Area 51, giant, ominous, terrifying Baby Hillary Blimps have been spotted around the world. No one knows when or how they appeared.

"There it was, in the blink of an eye," said London resident Scotwood Havershaam on Wednesday afternoon. I was out on me midday stroll and this huge shadow falls over me and I glance up and there's this enormous Baby Hillary Blimp wearing a diaper on its bum with 'Hillary 2020'. I thought we was being attacked."

The UK Ministry of Defence was flooded with calls from panicked and frightened people fearing the apocalypse had begun. "We are asking people to remain calm and be cautious, until we know more.  Know that authorities are on full alert," according to UK Undersecretary of Security Yorral Dunnisenn.

Baby Hillary Blimps have appeared at various times over the past 24 hours all around the world. No one seems to know how, why, or when the exact time of these sightings began.

Former Democrat presidential candidate and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reached by telephone, replied, "it's obvious a Trump-Putin Pys Ops hologram designed to make me appear as some maniacal, crazed blimp." Her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton could be heard from the background saying, "you got that right," just before the phone call mysteriously ended. Attempts to reach the Clintons since then have been unsuccessful.

Sttevnn Andrrrsnn, of Calgary, was traveling back home on Canadian Air Flight EH9 after a vacation that included sight-seeing trips to the Grand Canyon. He spotted the Baby Hillary Blimp from the window of his plane. "Couldn't say how long it was there, it all happened so fast. I took some pictures with my phone and then the blimp vanished."

Others from around the globe have posted pictures of the Baby Hillary Blimp on their social media pages. The Baby Hillary Blimp has been seen in Washington DC (above), Area 51, the Kremlin, Tokyo, Chicago and New York City.

A high-ranking Pentagon official who spoke only on condition of anonymity said, "if Area 51 exists, and I'm not saying it does or doesn't, but if it does, there have been either no reports of a Baby Hillary Blimp appearing, or reports of a Baby Hillary Blimp appearing somewhere that doesn't exist are inaccurate and the product of someones overactive and wild imagination."

The dooms day clock advanced one minute closer to midnight after Russian Military Commander Sergei Novikinov said, "this unprecedented attack on Soviet air-space is considered a hostile act of aggression and a direct threat to our national security and we will respond with the appropriate force and action."

Traffic came to a standstill all around the Chicago metro area on Wednesday afternoon when the Baby Hillary Blimp floated above the city for over four hours.

"It kept drifting back and forth and up and down," said Chloe Masterson, one of hundreds of people waiting in line to hop onto the Loop. "Children were screaming, 'we scared, we scared', and we all tried to take shelter under something. It was the most insidious things I've ever seen."

Residents in downtown Tokyo ran and took cover in stores, under awnings, anywhere they could. The Tokyo appearance of the Baby Hillary Blimp lasted for six hours, bringing the city to a stand-still.

International, national and local law enforcement agencies urge caution and advise people not to approach the Baby Hillary Blimp. The Baby Hillary Blimp should be considered dangerous, and presumed armed until proven otherwise. Take no action on your own and instead contact your local law enforcement agency, said Adjunct Commander of INTERPOL Lord Calvert Sinclair.

The only comment from the Trump Administration was a tweet from President Donald Trump: "Blimp huh? Busy. ESPN & cartoon net. Need DietCovfefe."

World News - July 18, 2018

Mmmm...yum What could possibly go wrong? Lab-grown meat. CBS News:

A Dutch company that presented the world's first lab-grown beef burger five years ago said Tuesday it has received funding to pursue its plans to make and sell artificially grown meat to restaurants from 2021.
[.]
Environmentalists have warned that the world's growing appetite for meat [isn't sustainable].

Another hyperbolic, environmentalist "alarm." See the entry "Carnivore Free Menu" on yesterday's post.
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Dr Bumbum is on the run.  BBC: 

A celebrity Brazilian plastic surgeon known as Dr Bumbum has gone on the run after a woman died following injections he gave her to enlarge her bottom.
[.]
Lilian Calixto [fell ill during the procedure] to undergo buttock enhancement by Dr [Denis] Furtado (aka Bumbum) on Saturday evening, reports said. 

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Euro News - Our ancestors liked carbs:

Plaque preserved on the teeth of people dead for centuries can be used to reveal what their favorite foods were, an international team of researchers found. This dental calculus shows a diet heavy on carbohydrates[.]

Wouldn't this study, then, also reflect our ancestors didn't brush and floss as often as they should have?
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The New Zealand Herald - Last words of an executed man:

As the lethal injection of the sedative pentobarbital began to take effect, Christopher Young swore twice, he said he could taste it, and it was burning, ABC Eyewitness news reports.

"I taste it in my throat," he said[.]

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The New Zealand Herald: Lottery win brings division within family:

During the cheque presentation, [lottery winner Ms Barbara Reddick] unleashed a shocking attack on her nephew, telling reporters he "didn't deserve" the cash.

"See you in court," the CBC network reported the woman as saying at the event.
[.]
 "I put his name on the ticket for good luck because he's like a son to me — he was. He was lucky, but not for half a million dollars."

Ms Reddick said she was "heartbroken" by the feud.

"He's dead to me," she said.

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New snake species discovered immediately declared in danger of extinction.  The Independent:

Scientists have stumbled upon a previously undiscovered species of venomous snake, but warned it could already be at risk of extinction.

The new subspecies of bandy-bandy, a family of burrowing snakes endemic to Australia, was found by chance by biologists from the University of Queensland, who have quickly applied for it to be given protected status.

When the Zombie Apocalypse occurs, and it will, keep in mind that all snakes are edible. Survival Mastery (including directions how to clean and cook snake. Hey, you'll be thanking me for this during the ZApocalypse): 

The health benefits provided from snake meat far outweighs those of red meats and the good news is that they’re nearly all edible.
[.]
Even after decapitation, the head is able to see and sense you and will lash out and bite if you get too close. It can take well over an hour for the snake to die fully.

Some people report being bitten by a decapitated head several hours after killing the snake. They’re still every bit as deadly as well. 

The Zombie Apocalypse. Eat snakes.

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Bearing Arms - Guns beat Pepper Spray every time. (As well as beating rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock):

Just how do people think a blast of pepper spray would take out armed attackers?

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Trend News: Oil prices rebound.
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The Independent: Facebook 'leaves graphic content online in order to make money.'

An undercover investigation found that while nudity is almost always removed, violent videos involving assaults on children, racially charged hate speech and images of self-harm by children all remained on Facebook after being reported by users and reviewed by moderators.

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Gulf News - #Talk to a Muslim stirring up a storm:

Hashtag #TalkToAMuslim is kicking up a storm in India[.]

Thousands of Indian tweeps have taken to the social media platform to highlight the seemingly growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.

The trend seems to have kicked off after writer Zainab Sikander (@zainabsikander) tweeted: “I’m An Indian Muslim. I’m Human too. You can talk to me. #TalkToAMuslim.”
[.]
Non-Muslims also joined the tirade against communal violence in India and in support of the minority Muslim community.

@ektaa_malik posted: I’m a Hindu. I talk to Muslims... they are humans.

Image: Twitter

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The Independent - Virgin Media apologizes for letters addressed to "pants-wearer."

Virgin Media has apologised "to anyone offended" by an ad campaign which saw letters addressed to the "pants wearer" rather than householder.

It doesn't take much to offend people these days.
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The picture Cluck Schumer DOESN'T want you to see! Horn News: 

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is leading the media’s angry attacks on President Donald Trump over his comments Monday in Helsinki.

But there’s one photo circulating the internet that Schumer doesn’t want getting out.
[.]
The image shows Schumer cozy and smiling with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in 2009 over coffee and donuts[.]

Cluck and Vlad, donuts and coffee.

See - it's different because it's Schumer and Putin.

Portland "Art" Gallery Removes Illustration of Trump with knife held to throat.

Oh those Portland Liberals...and their widdle bookstores art galleries.

From: The Washington Times

An art gallery in Portland, Oregon, has removed a graphic window illustration of President Trump being threatened with a bloody knife at his throat after an angry outcry.
[.]
The One Grand Gallery took down the image entitled “F*** Trump” Tuesday in response to complaints, threats and a request from the landlord, as reported by Fox12.

“The same people offended over a ‘death threat’ are the same people upholding death threats & violence. Irony,” said the gallery in a Tuesday post on Facebook.
[.]
Although the window drawing was removed, the original artwork is still on display inside the studio, which held an open house Friday called “F*** You Mr. President.”

The sketch was displayed in a store window, facing outward. What reaction did the "art" gallery expect?

"...an open house Friday called “F*** You Mr. President.”... - how mature, from the political party of the "enlightened".

And "the gallery" sees "irony" in receiving death threats from people who object to death threats? The irony is the irony of the irony.

If "you're" going to display anything incendiary - and I'm not saying "you" shouldn't - just be prepared to deal with the consequences. Although, Libs don't feel consequences apply to them. Too bad they're wrong.

The now-removed Illustration of the "Art" Gallery

Lesbian Batwoman coming to The CW

Television network The CW is developing a new series with a Lesbian Batwoman. BBC:

A TV adaptation of Batwoman is to become the first live-action superhero series with an openly gay lead character.

The show is being developed for the US channel, the CW, adding to the network's collection of shows based on DC comics characters.

Well, there's only one actor that comes to (my) mind who is talented and skilled enough to really make this character work, and that - you're probably thinking the very same - is the one, the only - Kevin Costner.

A-Lister on tap to play role of Lesbian Batwoman?

World News - July 17, 2018

He appears to have a lot of practice sucking co... eating snow-cones.

Awwwwwww...The Kenyan returns home. SMH:

Former US president Barack Obama has arrived in Kenya for a lower-profile visit than the ones he made to the country as senator and president, still he is making headlines and meeting leaders.

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GlobalNews.ca - Thai cave rescuer called ‘pedo-guy’ by Elon Musk suggests he might take legal action. 

The British cave diver publicly called a “pedo” by tech billionaire Elon Musk is considering taking legal action against the Tesla CEO.
[.]
Musk gave no evidence for alleging [rescuer] Unsworth was a pedophile. Unsworth said he would consider taking legal action against Musk over the remarks[.]

I like, and have a lot of respect for, Musk, and I think we need to listen to what he says about AI and its potential to be used for harm. But his pedo comment is his ego leaping ahead of his intellect. C'mon Elon, you know better.
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Dying RINO John McCain still bitter he's not the president and that he still hates President Donald Trump.  AZ Central:

McCain's issued statement was among a number of Republican lawmakers who were condemning Trump's appearance in Helsinki, Finland.
[.]
McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a frequent Trump critic, said in a statement that "no prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant."

Yeah, well, fuck you John. I'll take "Word Phrases That We'll Never Hear For $500:" The Answer is: President John McCain. "What are words that John McCain will go to his death never hearing?" I am correct.
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GNewt GNingrich (who, IMO has never been able to decide what side of an issue he is on or for what length of time) and Lindsay Grahamcrackhead had apoplectical hissy-fits over Trump's words at the Trump-Putin Summit. BBC:

President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—-immediately.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) July 16, 2018
[.]
Senator Lindsey Graham...called the summit a "missed opportunity", a "bad day for the US" that will be sign of weakness to Russia."

Yeah, fuck these two dinosaurs. Both are irrelevant and long ago obsolete. And Lindsay...well, when one thinks of a "Strong America", the first person that pops into my mind is Lindsay. He's got that Bruce Willis/Charles Bronson/Clint Eastwood aura working for him. Am I wrong?
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France24 - The EU continues enabling Iran:

... the (European) Council has endorsed the update of the blocking statute annex on the nuclear deal with Iran[.]
[.]
The "blocking statute" forbids EU firms from complying with US sanctions, allowing them to recover damages from such penalties and nullifying any foreign court rulings against them.

And when Iran chomps the ass of any part of the EU...gee, I wonder who the EU will go whining to for protection and assistance?
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Google engineer was beaten to death . Deutsche Welle:

A 32-year-old Google engineer was beaten to death and three others were severely injured... on Friday in the latest incident of mob violence fueled by fake social media messages.
[.]
Since May, at least 25 people have become victims of vigilante justice triggered by fake warnings of kidnappers or organ harvesters circulated on the Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp.

Maybe Elon Musk has a plan to solve this problem.
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The ever-competent IMF says trade tensions could pose risks to global economic growth. Italy News Net:

'But the risk that current trade tensions escalate further - with adverse effects on confidence, asset prices, and investment - is the greatest near-term threat to global growth,' IMF Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld said.

And then again, maybe not. I love it when organizations like the IMF, or the World Bank, or the UN put out generalized statements that have as much value as saying, "you know, gambling in Las Vegas could harm you financially." Wow, would anyone think of this shit if it weren't for the IMF, WB or UN? And of course...the EU.
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New Zealand Herald - Vaping airline pilot causes plane to plunge 10,000 feet:

Air China Boeing 737 aircraft was flying to the Chinese city of Dalian from Hong Kong when it went down to 10,000 feet (3048m), with oxygen masks deployed.
[.]
"In the preliminary investigation, the co-pilot was found to be smoking an e-cigarette," state-owned China News said[.] 

See, in the U.S. we go and pay good money at amusement parks in order to experience the same kind of thing. With Air China you get two-for-one; one from Corrumn A and one from Corrumn B. It's a Win-Win!

Image: CBC

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VOA News: Greenhouse gases making food less nutritious.

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China cozies up to, and wants to be BFF with EU. Xinhua Net:

Chinese President Xi Jinping said], "China stands ready to work with the EU on the basis of mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, to make still further progress in the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and promote bilateral economic and social development and people's welfare.

No doubt China and the EU will get along...fabulously.
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Coming soon - Carnivore Free Menu? The Politicalization of Food. Globe and Mail:

Plant-based choices will be strongly encouraged and eating more animal proteins will be frowned upon. Switzerland just released a new food guide that encourages consumers to reduce their meat consumption by 70 per cent. It’s happening everywhere.

"When they take the bacon from my cold, dead hands."

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All the little critters living in your house. CBC:

... a team of entomologists spends a week delving into the dark crevices of a typical Toronto house, finding a whopping 112 distinct species. But they say that's no cause for concern; an insect census taken in homes all over the United States revealed that number is about average.

Well, there are worse things, I guess, that could be living in our homes.  (Fast-forward to the 2:30 time mark).
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NDTV -  Striking workers put dent in Amazon's Prime Day Shopping Bonanza: 

Nearly 1,800 Amazon workers in Spain went on strike Monday during Prime Day, the company's biggest sales day of the year, according to labor activitists [sic]. Thousands more Amazon employees in Germany are expected to walk off the job Tuesday, the second day of the 36-hour sale, for similar reasons. 

CNBC: Amazon's Jeff Bezos wealthiest man in modern history.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos’ fortune just crossed the $150 billion mark. That’s $55 billion richer than Bill Gates, at number two.

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Hmmmm...interesting.

Property owned by Pervez Musharraf seized. News Internationalist Pakistan:

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to seize [five luxury properties held] by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf after he failed to appear before the anti-corruption watchdog over allegations of Rs1,000 billion corruption and owning assets beyond means.

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TesFa News - it's a love fest now: Eritrean Embassy in Ethiopia Reopened:

“I feel boundless joy as I convey to you the message of peace, love and good wishes of the people of Eritrea. And, I congratulate you warmly for the successful and historic changes that you have brought about,” President Isaias said at a concert celebrating the peace process at the Millenial Hall in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

One. More. Time.
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The Week - Donald Trump's Weird Eating Habits:

The president’s diet has been ridiculed as childish and unhealthy. Here is what he eats and some of the weird ways he does it. He normally doesn’t eat breakfast.

OMG - what a heathen. He skips breakfast. (GAAAAASSSSP!) He must be the only one.  Why, I bet Trump wasn't even born in the United States.

Tech News

The police pull you over, go on a fishing expedition, allegedly find some controlled substance and, later, because you can't remember the passwords to your recently purchased cell phones the judge sentences you for contempt of court.  (WTF?) TechDirt:

The police have a warrant and claim that's all they need to demand access to the phones' contents. But that's predicated on a string of events that seem constitutionally-dubious, to say the least.
[.]
As it stands now, [suspect William] Montanez is going to spend six months in jail for preventing police from rooting around in seized cellphones for evidence they don't need and which would likely be highly irrelevant to these criminal proceedings. The police can't show probable cause for this search because none exists. And yet, the judge trying the case demanded Montanez unlock the phones in court and when he failed to do so (Montanez claimed he could not remember the passcodes), the judge tossed him in jail to, I guess, jog his memory.

This case stinks all over.

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Is your DVR a Dahua? If so, your password and/or security may have been compromised. Bleeping Computer:

Login passwords for tens of thousands of Dahua devices have been cached inside search results returned by ZoomEye [...] these passwords are for Dahua DVRs running very old firmware that is vulnerable to a five-year-old vulnerability

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Wonderful article: Why Politicians always get tech wrong.  ZD Net:

...technology is one of the biggest drivers of change in society, because it underpins almost everything we do. It's one of the biggest sources both of threats and opportunities.

We need to vote tech-challenged politicians out of office. The future depends on it.
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A lot of businesses failing to detect malware, phishing domains and rogue imitation sites. Info Security:

Of the Alexa top 10,000 domains, 3390 were running one potentially vulnerable web component; 1,036,657 potentially vulnerable web components were found overall.
[.]
“Some of the cryptomining scripts we found have been active for over 160 days, suggesting that organizations are failing to detect them”[.]

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Motherboard -  AI-assisted fake...adult entertainment:

...this new type of fake [adult entertainment] shows that we're on the verge of living in a world where it's trivially easy to fabricate believable videos of people doing and saying things they never did.

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The Drive - Nissan's GT-R will be the fastest sports car in the world.

The Nissa GT-R, fastest ever.

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Tech XPlore - You're movie preferences analyzed so to better market to you.  In other words, tech enables Hollywood with a new tool designed to get more of your money. 
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BGR - New, 50-inch 4k TV for $399.99.
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Gadgets Now - The world should fear sex-bots and not AI.

Today, it seems impossible that even the most high-tech AI can create a robotic substitute for human relationships. Yet robots could play a supplementary role.

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France, an up-and-coming tech giant.  TechCrunch:

France has now graduated from “asteroid” to “planet,” and is well on its way to “gas giant.”

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Ars Technia: Chrome. Redesigned. (Yes...again.)
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Technocracy: "Anonymous" can be ID'ed on Twitter with over 97% accuracy.  (I bet it was a tech-savvy politician, U.S. no doubt, who discovered this.)

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Wccftech - Gamer or not...this chair looks really comfortable.

Sunday's Word

Tech News

Three members of You Tube Channel High on Life die in tragic accident. C|Net:

[Megan Scraper] ...  slipped and fell from the top of the falls into the water below[.]
[.]
[Ryker Gamble and Alexey Lyakh] jumped in after her in an attempt to save her, but no one survived.

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Will your financial institution survive a tech meltdown? BBC Tech:

UK banks have been told to explain how they would cope with a technology failure or cyber-attack.

The Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority have given financial firms three months to detail how they would respond if their systems failed.

Does this really matter since...The Illuminati controls everything?!?!?!
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Gadgets Now: Over 50% of smartphones not password protected.

[A Kaspersky Lab survey] showed that less than 48 per cent of people password-protect their mobile devices and just 14 per cent of people encrypt their files and folders to avoid unauthorized access.

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Do we have a say in this? Amazon wants Alexa EVERYWHERE.  PC Mag:

[We caught up with Zain Gulamali who manages the $100 million Alexa Fund] and [posed]  a few questions about the personal digital assistant and its future.

- - -  
Extreme Tech: Self-driving Acura steers driver into oncoming traffic:

...the camera that peers ahead through the windshield needs to be re-aligned when the windshield is replaced.

- - -
eWeek: WordPress had some security vulnerabilities:

A new version of open-source content management system WordPress, 4.9.7, was released on July 5 that patches a pair of security vulnerabilities that could expose WordPress sites to risk.

- - -
Mobile Syrup - Canada is having a tough time retaining cyber talent:

...Canadian demand for cyber talent is increasing by seven percent annually.
[.]
Deloitte says addressing cybersecurity risks is critical because they could slow the pace of global technological innovation by as much as $3 trillion USD in lost economic value in 2020.

- - -
Having issues with Win 10? ZD Net: Some free tech and trouble shooting tips:

Windows 10 upgrade: Survey finds half of users experience problems[.] (Win users...experiencing...problems? Really?-DD)

Dump Win; Covert to Linux.
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Beta News: The NSA is deleting millions of files.

The NSA...has announced that it is deleting hundreds of millions of call and text records because of "technical irregularities".
[.] While full details of the reasons for the deletion are not given, the NSA notes that it collected data it was not authorized to collect.

..."because of technical irregularities." Anyone buying this? It's reassuring that the NSA collects info they're not authorized to collect, isn't it?
- - -
Tech Explore - Bandages go high-tech.

[Engineers] led by Tufts University developed a prototype bandage designed to actively monitor the condition of chronic wounds and deliver appropriate drug treatments to improve the chances of healing.

Credit: Tufts University

- - -

Engadget - Pot In a Blender:

The Rosinbomb Rocket is a $600, 13-pound tabletop rosin extractor designed to squeeze and melt the THC crystals present on the surface of the flower into a solventless dabbable hash similar to shatter. Think of it as a panini press for weed.

[.]...tokers can get stonier than a rock garden.

I don't know what any of it means. Is this about rock gardens...comments,  anyone?
- - -
File Hippo - Free data recovery software for Windows that boasts a 96% recovery rate.

Recoverit retrieves your data from all data loss scenarios including emptied recycle bin, accidental deletion, disk formatting, partition loss, external device corruption, virus attack, system crashes...[.]

- - -
Have you ever wondered why cruise ships and yachts are painted white? Technology.Org:

Container ships and all other kinds of cargo and fishing ships are all kinds of colours...[while] cruise ships and luxury yachts are usually white. Why?

- - -
And because I know you've been waiting on this news: Pokémon Quest downloaded 7.5 million times.  Mobile Syrup:

The game launched on May 30th for the Nintendo Switch and was followed on June 27th with a mobile release across iOS and Android. Pokémon Quest has been climbing the charts[.]

- - -

The Rosinbomb Rocket-Image: Marijuana Retail Report.com

Friday Morning Music Video

"Love Stinks" from the album Love Stinks by The J. Geils Band

Did you notice what drummer Steven Bladd is using as drum sticks?

EU Thumbs Down on Copyright Reform

So far, so good, on news with the EU Copyright Reform (EU CR).

The Globe Post - Parliament rejected the bill in a 318 to 278 vote. 31 lawmakers abstained.

The European Parliament voted against a proposed controversial legislation that would require internet companies and users to take more extensive measures to prevent copyright infringement, a bill that was denounced as a threat to internet freedom.

As is "the devil is in the details", the EU copyright reform is overflowing with the devil, especially with Article 11 and Article 13.

Why is this legislation important? Had it been approved, I don't think it would have crushed news aggregators, blogs, social media and others that reproduce copyrighted material. It would have made what now is a relatively simple and fair concept into a deeply tangled mess.

While there is the component of this being a U.S./EU copyright issue, the much bigger elephant to tackle - and really, it can't be - are electronic file formats.

Had the proposed EU Copyright Reform passed, it would have created a mountain of problems, the least severe being reproducing copyrighted text. Text is text. Far more unmanageable is regulating a myriad of electronic file formats.

One example from the failed EU CR is its lack of definition in licensing copyrighted material. ArsTechnia:

...the [EU CR] proposed law does not explain how [licensing] could be done for fragmented markets where there is no single licensing body. Alternatively, online services must "prevent the availability on their services of works or other subject-matter identified by rightsholders."

Image: CDev

This is nothing new, though. Ask the music industry about their track record regarding licensing and copyright. They've been trying to define and figure it out for decades.

Th EU CR is not a dead issue. The EU Parliament will revive this copyright reform in a few months. CDRinfo: 

Parliament's position will now be up for debate, amendment, and a vote during the next plenary session, in September.

Technology consistently out-paces attempts of its regulation and law. This will never change.

The EU cannot define what it wants to define. I'm not sure any type of government, coalition or organization can do what the EU is attempting. At least it isn't the UN sticking its finger in this pie. The EU CR was thankfully voted down. I don't think they're going to figure it out come September either.

Ed Schultz, former Air America personality dead at 64

January 27, 1954 – July 5, 2018

I was surprised to read that radio and television personality Ed Schultz died. Twin Cities.com:

Sources in Fargo, N.D., say that Schultz died of natural causes in Washington, D.C. He was 64.
[.]
 He [dominated] local airwaves as a conservative firebrand in the 1990s.

However, he later said his views changed and he became a Democrat.

In 2004, Schultz took his radio show nationwide. Then in 2009, he moved to national television, becoming a prime-time progressive voice on MSNBC.

What are "natural causes" at age 64? Yes, 64 isn't 35 or 48...but 64 due to natural causes?

He later moved on working for RT News.

To say that I didn't think all that much of Ed Schultz is an understatement. Ed could get rather nasty at times, and, blogging at my old site, yeah...I took some sharp jabs at many things he said. I thought he was rather buffoon-ish and, I wrote it in the past so I can't deny it (nor would I) - I referred to him as, "Big, Fat and Dumb."

Maybe he spoke outlandish, beyond-the-point-of-pushing-the-envelope statements in order for ratings/attention/more gigs/enduring himself to the Fringe Left? I don't know. I do know I think it is very...very NOT nice...to refer to anyone as " a dead whore. " Well...I guess Ed had his demons, as do we all. And, not judging here, only noting that some of us deal with, and process, our demons better - or worse - than do others.

Back then, Air America was trying to build a successful, Liberal-oriented talk network that would compete with conservative talk radio. To make it successful, (which it was not),  it's entirely possible their on-air hosts spoke outrageous and pretty darn venomous  statements pandering to, what then was, a very agitated Liberal Fringe, the same agitated Liberal Fringe we have currently.

Some of the things he said on his radio program provided me fun material to play with.

No gloating here, though, on the news of his passing. I wish his family, friends and colleagues my condolences and sympathy.

As (the character) Doc (played by Russell Hodgkinson ) says in the (fantastic) series Z Nation, "...all is forgiven in the end."

RIP "Big Eddy".

World News - July 5, 2018

Some fun Independence day facts. Voice of America - Crunching Numbers of the 4th of July. 
- - -
Sky News:  Meet the British divers who found the Thai football team trapped in the cave.

Rick Stanton and John Volanthen were the first rescuers to reach the group of young footballers and their coach[.]

- - -
(At publishing time) British couple critically ill, exposed to Novichok nerve agent. Xinhua Net:

A British couple critically ill in hospital have been poisoned by the same nerve agent used in the recent attack on a former Russian agent and his daughter[.]
[.]
Britain's most senior counter-terrorism cop [confirmed] that a couple from Wiltshire have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, and are both critically ill in hospital.

More: Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her partner Charlie Rowley, 45 fighting for their lives. The Express:

It is not thought the couple had links to Russia.

More: The Express: Timeline of key events in the Novichok poisonings.

More: RT News: Twitter awash in conspiracy theories:

What is claimed to be a new case of Novichok poisoning of an unsuspecting British couple has made Twitter explode, with users finding links between the incident and the World Cup, Brexit, and even alleging it was an inside job.

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The EU Copyright Issue:

(At publishing time) Here comes the vote on the EU's controversial copyright law. BBC:

The two most controversial parts of it are Article 11 and Article 13.
[.]
The first of these is...called the "link tax."
[.]
Article 13 puts more onus on websites to enforce copyright laws and could mean that any online platform that allows users to post text, images, sounds or code will need a way to assess and filter content.

More: The Register: Privacy group raises eyebrows at EU copyright reform.

... the idea of getting web giants to proactively stop copyrighted material from appearing online is a good one in theory, but in practice is fraught with danger.

More: CityAM: Will the EU copyright reform break the internet?  (Internet inventor Albert Gore, Jr. will be able to fix it!)

More: CityAM: Paul McCartney pro EU copyright reform.

More: Billboard: Is this the expected outcome of the vote?

More: Crooked Timber: When copyright goes wrong.

More: Japan Times: Wikipedia protests EU copyright by going dark.

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Houston Chronicle: Angel Merkel warns of worldwide financial crisis.

(Is she setting the stage for the "big world event" to crash the global economy? Is she the Illuminati's messenger of bad news?)
- - -
Jaguar Land Rover have Brexit fears. Daily Mail:

A hard Brexit would cost Jaguar Land Rover £1.2billion a year curtailing its future operations in the UK, the British carmaker's chief executive warned yesterday.

- - -
The Epoch Times - Stress tests for Canadian mortgages:

The new rules mandate that borrowers must qualify for interest rates 2 percent higher than the rate of the mortgage they apply for.

- - -
BBC:  Kim Dotcom loses appeal against extradition:

New Zealand's Court of Appeal upheld the decision that Mr Dotcom and three others can be extradited to stand trial for copyright infringement and fraud.

The charges are related to Mr Dotcom's now defunct fire-sharing website Megaupload, which allowed millions of people to download digital content.
[.]
It is now up to New Zealand's Justice Minister Andrew Little to decide whether extradition should take place.

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SMH: Sydney, a 24 hour city.

Round-the-clock public transport, less red tape for businesses, and a shift in the popular narrative that the city shuts down at night, are among the priorities identified by the City of Sydney's nightlife and creative sector advisory panel.

- - -
The Express - China asks EU to join-up against the U.S. on trade and tariffs:

A European diplomat said: “China wants the European Union to stand with Beijing against Washington, to take sides.

“We won’t do it and we have told them that.”

- - -
Trade War "D-Day" for Trump. The New Zealand Herald:

The first round of US tariffs - on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods - comes into effect on Friday night (NZT) and with it fears that we'll see the start of a full blown trade war.

- - -
Is the Answer buying commodities? Live Mint:

...Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has poured cold water on the notion that a trade war between the US and China represents a serious threat to raw materials, saying most of them aren’t likely to be significantly impacted[.]
[.]
[The] trade war impact on commodity markets will be very small, with exception of soybeans[.]

- - -

Dealers arrested; had two tons of gold coins.  Trend News:

Iranian police arrested two gold coin dealers in Tehran, saying that the arrested people were responsible for gold coin price stagnation in the market.
[.]
...police have seized 20 kilograms of gold coin and gold from [them].

- - -
I hope this doesn't increase bacon prices. From The Hill - Tariffs will devastate US pork producers:

...some major U.S. pork producers fear they will lose a significant amount of money once China and Mexico implement the tariffs, forcing some to move their investments overseas.

Image: Pinterest

Happy 4th of July - Independence Day!

Flag via: http://bestanimations.com/Flags/USA/USA.html

A Happy and Safe Independence Day / 4th of July to All.

And let us never forget the significance of this day.  Military.com:

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States.
[.]
In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

And to those who served or currently serve in any branch of the U.S. Military, who served to protect our freedoms and who put their lives on the line for our freedoms, this day would not exist if not for you. God Bless you.

 Image via: Gify