http://io9.com/see-a-planes-eye-view-of-a-red-sprite-forming-above-the-1714854525
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
The War Over Your Future Driverless Car Service Has Begun [feedly]
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The War Over Your Future Driverless Car Service Has Begun
// Popular Science
Uber
An example of a driver that Uber might replace, if the ride-sharing company continues to move towards driverless cars.
Even though Google's driverless car only hit public roads last week (and reportedly already had a close call), another tech giant is already angling to pose as a competitor. Uber, the often-sued not-a-taxi app, just acquired 100 engineers and unknown "assets" from Microsoft Bing, Google's mapping competitor, according to TechCrunch.
This transaction is the latest in a series of steps by Uber to prepare for a future of driverless cars, and signals a growing complication between Uber and Google, the latter of which is also an Uber investor through Google Ventures. On February 2, Uber announced it would partner with Carnegie Mellon University to develop robotic means for "safe, reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere," in other words, self-driving cars. The very same day, news broke that Google is developing its own ride-sharing app, presumably to put its driverless car research to work.
Uber's latest addition of 100 Microsoft engineers is no small move of intellectual property, and it's a clear sign that Uber is looking to improve and expand its core services. Microsoft will no longer be collecting its own maps for Bing, instead leaving that to Uber, who also brought an ex-Google Maps leader on board this month. That former Google VP, Brian McClendon, will oversee Uber's work at Carnegie Mellon, and will presumably oversee the numerous CMU robotics experts Uber is reported to have poached from the leading robotics institution.
Uber has a vested interest in driverless solutions. The company has been long-plagued with bitter legal battles from taxi companies and its drivers alike. Just this month, the California Labor Commission ruled in favor of a former Uber driver, granting her more than $4000 in business expenses. If other drivers come forward with the same claim, Uber could be forced to to reclassify its drivers as employees (they're currently contractors), and potentially pay overtime wages, payroll tax and health insurance. Driverless cars obviously don't demand the same type of equitable treatment as human drivers (at least not yet).
Uber has also been working on expanding its delivery service, acting as both a courier for food and packages. Right now if you're in a few select cities, Uber can bring you food, and same-day merchant delivery might be on the horizon. Uber also has been testing a courier service, Uber Rush, in New York City. However, Uber Rush is a bike courier service, which might be more difficult to replace with driverless cars. Cars, by definition, do not have arms to deliver packages.
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Supreme Court Will Reconsider Affirmative Action Case [feedly]
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Supreme Court Will Reconsider Affirmative Action Case
// NYT > Education
The court has agreed to take another look at a challenge to the use of race in admissions decisions by the University of Texas at Austin.
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Sunday, June 28, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
House bill would force Supreme Court justices onto Obamacare [feedly]
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House bill would force Supreme Court justices onto Obamacare
// Personal Liberty Digest™
A Texas congressman is floating a bill that aims to force the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court into the same Obamacare coverage they upheld in King v. Burwell.
Taking a cue from dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia, who quipped that Obamacare should henceforth be referred to as "SCOTUScare," Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) introduced the "SCOTUScare Act" on June 25.
In a statement on his congressional Web page, Babin said his bill would amend the Affordable Care Act so that the nine justices, as well as "Supreme Court staff," could obtain health coverage only by enrolling through an Obamacare exchange plan.
"As the Supreme Court continues to ignore the letter of the law, it's important that these six individuals [representing the majority opinion] understand the full impact of their decisions on the American people," Babin wrote. "That's why I introduced the SCOTUScare Act to require the Supreme Court and all of its employees to sign up for Obamacare. By eliminating their exemption from Obamacare, they will see firsthand what the American people are forced to live with!"
While Babin's idea will be received merely as a symbolic gesture, he's not alone in voicing substantive criticism of the court's majority opinion in the Burwell case.
Scalia was especially incensed with the six justices who voted to uphold the law, writing in his dissenting opinion that courts are, by the Constitution's design, inappropriate venues to resolve arguments over legislative intent.
"Our only evidence of what Congress meant comes from the terms of the law, and those terms show beyond all question that tax credits are available only on state Exchanges," he wrote.
"… The Court's decision reflects the philosophy that judges should endure whatever interpretive distortions it takes in order to correct a supposed flaw in the statutory machinery."
The post House bill would force Supreme Court justices onto Obamacare appeared first on Personal Liberty.
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Parking your car by backing it into your driveway could soon be illegal in Jacksonville, Florida [feedly]
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Parking your car by backing it into your driveway could soon be illegal in Jacksonville, Florida
// Personal Liberty Digest™
The city council in Jacksonville, Florida, has taken up a proposal that, if approved, would make it illegal for residents to park their cars in any manner that prevents law enforcement from seeing their rear license plates from the street.
For those who live in single-family homes with off-street parking, such a law would make backing into the driveway to park an illegal act. Florida is among a handful of states that don't require car owners to display license plates at the front of their cars.
The proposed local bill would also require people who use car covers to figure out a way to make the license plates of covered cars similarly visible.
According to The Florida Times-Union, local officials attribute the need for such a law to code enforcers' inability to cite owners of abandoned vehicles.
If all that sounds like a head-scratcher, here's the language from the bill itself (italics have been added to highlight the most relevant portion):
WHEREAS, the Council finds that certain persons are storing vehicles in side yards or parking vehicles in such a manner which prevents the observation of the license tag from the right-of-way; and
WHEREAS, such improper storage of vehicles contributes to blight conditions; and
WHEREAS, the City of Jacksonville has a compelling interest in promoting the health and safety of citizens and visitors by regulating potentially hazardous conditions and blighting influences on private property; now therefore
BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the City of Jacksonville:
Section 1. Chapter 518 (Jacksonville Property Safety and Maintenance Code), Ordinance Code, amended. Chapter 518 (Jacksonville Property Safety and Maintenance Code), Ordinance Code, is hereby amended to read as follows:
…
It shall be unlawful for any person to store on any private or public property, or the owner or occupant of any property to store or allow to be stored on private or public property owned or occupied by such owner or occupant, outside of a legally constructed fully enclosed structure, unless approved pursuant to a Planned Unit Development zoning district, the following items:
1) any abandoned, disabled or inoperative motor vehicle or parts thereof, or unless it is stored on a bona fide automobile sales lot or an automobile storage yard or automobile wrecking yard, as those terms are defined in Section 656.1301, Ordinance Code;
2) any abandoned, inoperative, disabled or unattended freezer, refrigerator or parts thereof;
3) any junk, rubbish or garbage;
4) any materials, equipment, furnishings, furniture, appliances, construction materials or any items which are not designed to be used outdoors;
5) any item of personal property including clothing or bedding; or
6) any vehicle that is parked on private property, and is visible from the right-of-way or any vehicle that is covered to protect the motor vehicle which does not comply with this subsection:
Any parked vehicle that is visible from the right-of-way shall contain the required license tag, and such license tag shall be clearly visible from the right-of-way or the license tag shall be printed legibly and visible from the right-of-way, with characters not less than two inches in height so that it is clearly visible from the right-of-way. Any cover shall allow at least the bottom of at least six inches of each tire to be visible from the right-of way. The required license tag shall be clearly visible from the right-of-way or the license tag number shall be printed legibly on the cover with characters not less than two inches in height so that it is clearly visible from the right-of-way.Covers shall be in good condition without tears, rips or holes. The entire cover shall be one color, except factory-made fitted covers may have more than one color, and shall be kept clean and free from mold and mildew. Covers may include tarpaulin which shall be in good condition, free of holes, tears and rips.
As the bill makes plain, it seeks to apply these requirements to all vehicles, regardless of whether they're parked on public or private property.
The bill doesn't refer to other law enforcement endeavors that might require an unobstructed street view of parked cars — such as the use of license plate scanners. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 2012 whether it uses such devices — and what it does with any data it collects — but has not indicated any response.
The sheriff's office told WJXT-TV in 2013 that it does not use license plate scanners.
The post Parking your car by backing it into your driveway could soon be illegal in Jacksonville, Florida appeared first on Personal Liberty.
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Thursday, June 25, 2015
Apple Purges Confederate Flags, But Leaves Swastikas And Nazis Alone [feedly]
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Apple Purges Confederate Flags, But Leaves Swastikas And Nazis Alone
// ReadWriteWeb
This post first appeared on the Ferenstein Wire, a syndicated news service; it has been edited. For inquiries, please email author and publisher Gregory Ferenstein.
It's easy to see why Apple—following in the footsteps of retailers and tech companies like Google, Amazon and Etsy—wants to purge its App Store of applications depicting the Confederate flag. What's less clear is why the company would then leave Nazi Swastikas still standing prominently in some games.
See also: Google Play Developer Policy Updates In A Nutshell: Don't Be A Jerk
The choice to ban a symbol of slavery, but not of mass genocide, highlights how tech companies struggle to apply hate speech guidelines — often with strange inconsistency. It's obviously a gray area, one that could pose a real conundrum for app developers forced to comply with confusing rules.
Here's an example: Apple, in its haste to remove apps and games bearing the Confederate flag, has even banned popular Civil War re-enactment games that display the flag in historical context, such as Civil War 1863.
In other words, at the moment, Apple allows me kill virtual Nazis. But not Confederate generals.
What Constitutes Hate Speech Or Symbols?
According to gaming blog Kotaku, Apple's message to the director of these Civil War Games, Andrew Mulholland, states: "We are writing to notify you that your app has been removed from the App Store because it includes images of the Confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways."
The eviction appears to be swift. Indeed, I looked for the game in the App Store, and couldn't find it (as of this writing).
Maxim Zasov of Game Labs, a developer of the Civil War Game Ultimate General: Gettysburg explained in a statement why he would not remove the flag to comply with Apple's new rules.
We receive a lot of letters of gratitude from American teachers who use our game in history curriculum to let kids experience one of the most important battles in American history from the Commander's perspective…
Therefore we are not going to amend the game's content and Ultimate General: Gettysburg will no longer be available on AppStore. We really hope that Apple's decision will achieve the desired results. We can't change history, but we can change the future.
Apple, like Facebook and Google, have a long history of restricting speech deemed offensive or hateful. Google famously removed a game simulating the bombing of Gaza, and Apple removes "gay cure" apps. In trying to restrict pictures of bare nipples, Facebook has struggled with breastfeeding photos, initially banning them and then later loosening the policy in the face of ensuing criticism.
Removing hate speech or imagery is no easy task. Tech companies manage an unwieldy volume of user-generated posts, images and other media. Staff of even very profitable tech companies are vastly outnumbered, compared to the public at large. Applying algorithms or blanket rules is an efficient way of dealing with issues, but the result tends to err on the side of censorship.
Censorship rules are especially problematic, as websites, mobile apps and social networks become the dominant channels for free speech. Ultimately, tech companies are powerful new gatekeepers of the 1st Amendment, and their decisions have profound implications.
I have reached out to Apple and have not yet received a response to clarify its position on the Confederate flag vs. other symbols associated with hate groups.
For more stories, subscribe to the Ferenstein Wire newsletter here.
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Donald Trump tells it like it is [feedly]
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Donald Trump tells it like it is
// Personal Liberty Digest™
Hi. I'm Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty. Don't look now, but Donald Trump is in the GOP presidential race. And he's no joke. In the latest poll he's in second place in New Hampshire. So there's no avoiding the 10-ton guerrilla in the room. Let's discuss "The Donald."
I know. I know. "Trump is flawed," the critics say. "He is a clown." "He is a buffoon." "He's divorced — twice." "He has business bankruptcies." Yes, all true. And Ronald Reagan was a failed B-movie actor who played second fiddle to a chimp. Heck, Reagan had a failed Vegas lounge act that closed in a week. Reagan was rejected by United Artists executives to play the part of a president. Two years later, he was governor of California. Then he went onto become the man polls show is regarded as our greatest modern president. Could Trump be "Reagan — Part Duex?"
Yes, Trump is flawed. But, ironically, he may be the perfect candidate at the perfect time. Why? Because he says whatever is on his mind. He has no filters. He doesn't care about political correctness. He doesn't answer to anyone: not donors, not handlers, not consultants, not pollsters and — God bless him — not the media. Trump is his own man. Trump says whatever he wants because he is worth $9 billion.
The Donald doesn't need any donations. He doesn't need the support of fat-cat donors or multinational corporations like the other GOP candidates. He doesn't need scandalous donations (aka bribes) from foreign governments like Hillary Clinton. Hillary is greedy. We know she thinks of herself as broke. Her hubby Bill says he's still worried about "paying the bills." Desperate people do desperate things. But Trump has $9 billion dollars. He never has to do desperate things. He has 9 billion reasons to say whatever he wants — and let the chips fall where they may.
Trump is free to become Bullworth
Remember that 1998 movie starring Warren Beatty as U.S. Sen. Bullworth? He didn't give a damn what people thought anymore, so he said whatever he wanted. He told the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Bullworth stood at the pulpit of a black church and told black voters that the Democratic Party and their politicians claim to want to help you, make all kinds of promises, but they are all lying to get your vote. Then after the election, they're nowhere to be found. They never keep those promises. Why? "Because you don't donate enough money," Bullworth admitted. "What's the proof?" Bullworth asked. "Half your kids are unemployed; the other half are in prison." The truth hasn't changed since 1998.
Bullworth dared to tell the truth. And the people loved it! Not only was Bullworth re-elected, he became an instant media sensation and the shocking favorite of voters for president. Honesty is that refreshing. Can real-life imitate art? We are about to find out.
Trump is the real-life Bullworth. When voters listen to the raw truth of Trump next to the "mainstream, establishment candidates" who tell lie after lie to get elected, The Donald will shine by comparison. Suddenly, it will all become clear: The lies and BS aren't working. The other candidates are scamming you, bribing you, placating you. It's time for someone willing to tell it like it is. It's time for a real-life Bullworth.
Maybe, just maybe, Trump will admit out loud the damage Barack Obama has done to our economy with his socialist policies. It's time for a politician to ask what socialism did for Greece, or Spain, or Italy, or France, or miserable Cuba, or Venezuela with food and toilet paper shortages? And what have more than 50 straight years of Democratic leadership done for bankrupt, crime-ridden hellholes like Detroit, Chicago or Baltimore? I'm betting Trump is the guy willing to tell the truth.
Maybe he'll admit there is no recovery. It's all a lie, a mirage. The numbers are gamed. It's all created with fake money printing by the Fed, artificially low interest rates and half the country being propped up by government checks.
We already know The Donald will dare to tell the raw truth about the border and illegal immigration. He did it in his presidential announcement speech. He said what no other Republican has the chutzpah to say: The border is wide open; and the illegals flowing across will destroy middle-class jobs and drown our nation under a tsunami of welfare, food stamps, free healthcare and the costs for cops, courts and prison. He actually said many of these illegals are not nice people; they are criminals being dumped on us by their own governments. We're so dumb we accept them. Trump finally admitted the worst-kept secret in American politics: Illegal immigration is bad for the economy and the country.
Maybe he'll also admit that our open border will soon lead to a terrible terrorist attack. Maybe he'll ask out loud: "What kind of president would purposely leave the border open?"
Maybe he'll admit the taxes aren't "historically low," as Obama claims. The taxes are, in fact, "too damn high." High taxes are killing entrepreneurship and jobs. If billion-dollar corporations are so damaged by the 35 percent corporate tax rate that they are forced to escape America with "inversions," then why isn't any politician admitting the 43.8 percent top individual tax rate is damaging taxpayers and killing even more jobs? Maybe the average taxpayer needs an inversion, too! I'm betting Trump is the guy to say it.
Maybe he'll admit public schools are failing and dumbing-down our children. Your kids are not learning. They are not prepared to compete in the global marketplace. And the problem isn't money. We already spend too much on education. The problem is teachers unions and bad teachers who can't be fired.
Maybe he'll admit we have too many government employees and they are paid way too much. Their obscene pensions are bankrupting cities, counties, states and our entire federal government. Those pensions can never be paid in full. Someone needs to admit that. I'm betting Trump will be that guy.
Maybe he'll admit there are no quality jobs because of thousands of pages of new regulations, and Obamacare's 2.1 million words of regulations, and insane EPA mandates, and thousands of more "climate change" regulations coming down the pike.
Trump has already bravely pointed out that black unemployment is twice as high as white unemployment, thereby proving Obama has been a terrible president for the same black Americans he claims to support.
Maybe Trump will point out we have absolutely no plan to stop ISIS and that it is winning.
Maybe Trump will point out that Obama's policies are bad for Israel and that Jewish voters are crazy to support Obama.
Maybe, just maybe, America is ready to hear the truth. And Trump is just the man to tell it like it is.
Will Trump win the presidency? The jury is still out. But he will be a breath of fresh air. He will wake the voters up. A real-life Bullworth has arrived. Trump will certainly make the 2016 race for president fun. I can't wait.
I'm Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty. See you next week. God bless America.
The post Donald Trump tells it like it is appeared first on Personal Liberty.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Nothing DRMs Like a Deere: Why Farmers Can’t Fix Their Own Tractors [feedly]
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Nothing DRMs Like a Deere: Why Farmers Can't Fix Their Own Tractors
// MakeUseOf.com
John Deere, manufacturer of some of the world's most popular tractors and farming equipment, recently submitted a letter to the U.S. Copyright Office asking it to forbid its customers from modifying the software that operates its machines. The implications here are huge: because of copyright laws, farmers cannot diagnose problems or make repairs on their own tractors. But what do copyright laws have to do with repairing tractors? Let's ask John Deere. Deere: You Don't Own That Tractor — You Just License It Six pages into John Deere's letter to the Copyright Office, the company makes a jarring statement about ownership: […] the...
Read the full article: Nothing DRMs Like a Deere: Why Farmers Can't Fix Their Own Tractors
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Chinese Cargo Ships Get the Military Option [feedly]
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Chinese Cargo Ships Get the Military Option
// Popular Science
China builds both a cargo ship that carries battle ready hovercraft, and orders new cargo ships to be ready for emergency military service.
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Monday, June 22, 2015
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Fwd: Watch "Alligator at Smith lake May 5th" on YouTube
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Sondra Harper" <sondraharper@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 9, 2015 10:09 PM
Subject: Watch "Alligator at Smith lake May 5th" on YouTube
To: "Anthony" <anthonyrharper@gmail.com>
Cc:
From: "Sondra Harper" <sondraharper@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 9, 2015 10:09 PM
Subject: Watch "Alligator at Smith lake May 5th" on YouTube
To: "Anthony" <anthonyrharper@gmail.com>
Cc:
Oil Trucks In Canada Will Soon Drive Themselves |
Soon, with the loss of jobs due to technology, the only people that will be able to afford the oil is the people that own the company , and the oil, in the first place.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
SAAB To Test Remote Control Towers - I have been warning of this for about three years now.
No one in the tower. That is ok. There is no one in the plane either. If the plane crashes and hits a car or truck, that is ok too.
There is no one in either of them either.
If it hits a factory, that will be ok too. No one is there either. Only robots.There is no one in either of them either.
Monday, June 1, 2015
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