☀ Cyber ♆ Space ☄ War ☠

#TPP: The Biggest Threat to the Internet You've Probably Never Heard Of

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:15:39 PDT

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is being negotiated in secret between more than 12 countries around the Pacific region. Find out why it's the biggest threat to the Internet you've probably never heard of.

from Electronic Frontier Foundation
Directed and animated by Santiago Rocha.

As Chinese Leader’s Visit Nears, U.S. Is Urged to Allow Counterattacks on Hackers

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:16:48 PDT

from apperspective.net: With President Obama preparing for a first meeting with China’s new president, a commission led by two former senior officials in his administration will recommend a series of steps that could significantly raise the cost to China of the theft of American industrial secrets. If milder measures failed, the commission said, the United States should consider giving companies the right to retaliate against cyberattackers with counterstrikes of their own.

The recommendations are from the private Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, which is led by two figures who parted company with the White House on strained terms: Dennis C. Blair, Mr. Obama’s first director of national intelligence, and Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the former ambassador to China who left his post to run, unsuccessfully, for the Republican nomination for president.

“China is two-thirds of the intellectual property theft problem, and we are at a point where it is robbing us of innovation to bolster their own industry, at a cost of millions of jobs,” Mr. Huntsman said, with a bluntness that would have been forbidden when he served in Beijing. “We need some realistic policy options that create a real cost for this activity because the Chinese leadership is sensitive to those costs.”

The commission’s report will be published Wednesday, two days before Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, Tom Donilon, travels to Beijing to prepare for the meeting between Mr. Obama and Xi Jinping, China’s new president. That two-day meeting, scheduled to start in California on June 7, has been highly choreographed on both sides. Mr. Donilon was preceded to Beijing by Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, Secretary of State John Kerry and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. All have prepared to line up new initiatives, consultations and military-to-military exchanges intended to show a maturing relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

But the recent disclosures about Chinese cyberattacks and the theft of industrial secrets, an operation managed partly from a Chinese People’s Liberation Army unit outside Shanghai, may affect the ability of Mr. Xi and Mr. Obama to forge anything the two men could claim to be a partnership. The new effort is similar to what Mr. Obama tried with Hu Jintao, Mr. Xi’s predecessor, which despite a promising start during the 2009 financial crisis quickly went sour. For the last three years, relations between the two countries have been dominated by disputes with China over its territorial claims and arguments over how to pressure North Korea and Iran.

Mr. Donilon, who has taken on the management of relations with China as a personal project, has begun to address the cyberattacks and intellectual property theft in public speeches, and he has made the argument that they must move to the center of the Sino-American relationship. He has steered clear of specific steps the United States was willing to take in response, and he has been more delicate about the subject than the Pentagon, which recently issued a blistering report that for the first time named the People’s Liberation Army as the source of much of the espionage against American companies and government facilities. In a sign of the diplomatic delicacy of the accusations, the White House would not say if it had reviewed the report; the Pentagon said it had been fully vetted.

The new report does propose specific remedies. One is to mandate that foreign companies that want to be listed on stock exchanges in the United States first pass a review by the Securities and Exchange Commission about whether they use stolen intellectual property. “They all want their shares to be traded here, so this would impose a real cost,” Mr. Blair said. Similarly, whether companies protect intellectual property would be considered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which judges whether an investment in the United States could pose a security risk. Currently it looks only at national security implications of investments; this would add a new criterion.

**CONTINUE READING**

‘Campaign to Stop Killer Robots’ calling for ban on ‘fully autonomous weapons’

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:10:43 PDT

from rawstory.com: The idea of autonomous killer robots may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but human rights groups are already preparing for what appears to be the future of weaponry. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of international groups, is preparing for a global summit in Geneva Switzerland on Wednesday, May 29 that will review a U.N. report on these types of weapons that was released earlier this week. The Campaign hopes to convince nations to sign on to an international ban on autonomous weapons.

Raw Story spoke with Mary Wareham of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch, who is the coordinator of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. The Campaign also includes representatives of Association for Aid and Relief Japan, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the International Committee for Robot Arms Control and others. Wareham began by explaining that there is a difference between these autonomous weapons and armed drones.

“We’re calling the weapons we’re talking about ‘fully autonomous,’” she said. “The U.N. report calls them ‘lethal autonomous robotics.’

“Fully autonomous weapons have complete autonomy in terms of who they target and how they engage force,” she said. “And by autonomy, I mean no human operation, intervention or involvement. With armed drones, there is still what they call ‘the man in the loop.’ Unlike autonomous weapons, drones are still controlled by a human.”

She said that while some people might find the campaign’s focus far-fetched or outlandish, this is the direction weaponry in which weaponry is moving, toward greater and greater autonomy.

“Our objective is to see what comes next,” she said. She cautioned against believing that autonomous weapons would be humanoid, cyborg “Terminators” like in the film series.

“We’re not talking about Terminators, here,” she said, “or cyborgs, or whatever you want to call sophisticated killer robots that people think of from science fiction. We’re saying that autonomous weapons will come in all different shapes and sizes. And even the most rudimentary device may be lethal.”

Human Rights Watch issued a 50-page report in November entitled “Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots,” in which the organization discussed issues of international humanitarian law, of accountability and other threats to civilians posed by autonomous weapons.

It also listed current weapons systems in use in the world that are what HRW sees as precursors to autonomous weapons systems, including armed drones, but also much larger aircraft like the X-47B, a pilotless stealth fighter that launched from an aircraft carrier this week. Other weapons include stationary weapons systems like the Samsung SGR-1 robot, which currently uses infrared vision to patrol the border between North and South Korea, directing machine-gun fire at warm, moving targets.

Currently, she said, the Korean device has to “signal back to base” and receive human permission to fire on targets. She does not expect that step to remain in place forever.

“There’s debate as to when fully autonomous weapons will show up,” Wareham said. “Some people say within 20 or 30 years, which we put in the report. Others say sooner.”

Also in November, the Pentagon issued a directive regarding autonomous weapons pledging that the U.S. military will keep humans in the loop with regards to decisions of targeting and the use of force. The upside of that, said Wareham, is that no other country is even considering a policy on autonomous weapons, even though all of the “usual suspects” (China, Russia and the U.S.) are exploring the technology.

The downside of the U.S. policy brief is that the treaty on autonomous weapons has to be renewed and is only in effect for the next 10 years at most.

When asked how current U.S. use of armed drones augurs for the future of autonomous weapons, Wareham said, “At Human Rights Watch, we’ve been working on armed drones for several years since they first started to deploy them. Our principle concern is with the use of armed drones, the rules regarding that, the compliance with international humanitarian law, the lack of transparency, the targeted killing policy, the role of the CIA and the Department of Defense, but all of those things relate to how drones are used” and will also have an impact on remote weapons when humans are removed from the process.

“We’ve got multiple concerns about drones,” she said, “but we’re also keeping an eye on the future and where this technology is heading.”

“We have to start asking the questions now. We have to start discussing it,” she said, “and start putting some rules and regulations in place around how we handle autonomy in warfare.”

In Geneva next Wednesday, the delegation from Human Rights Watch intends to ask for an international treaty on autonomous weapons, “but those discussions haven’t even started yet,” she said. “We’re at the very beginning here.”

According to the U.N. report, “lethal autonomous robotics raise far-reaching concerns about the protection of life during war and peace. This includes the question of the extent to which they can be programmed to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law and the standards protecting life under international human rights law. Beyond this, their deployment may be unacceptable because no adequate system of legal accountability can be devised, and because robots should not have the power of life and death over human beings.”

NASA taps 3-D printer firm for ‘Star Trek’-style food replicator

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:56:29 PDT

from rawstory.com: U.S. space agency NASA has tapped 3-D printer firm Systems & Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) to create the first-ever “Star Trek”-style food replicator using 3-D printing technology.

According to Quartz, NASA gave the company a six month, $125,000 grant contract to focus on developing 3-D printers that use cartridges full of carbohydrates, protein powders and oils that can be combined in layers to produce food.

The tech could dramatically cut down on food waste here on Earth while making it much easier to transport nutrients in bulk through space. Grocery stores could be gradually transformed to ultra-cheap cartridge retailers while non-nutrient edible products are phased out by market forces.

Of course, that’s all a radical, highly speculative version of the future, but it’s what SMRC mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor envisions for 3-D printed foods. He’s already successfully used a 3-D printer to spit out chocolate bars; an admittedly rudimentary accomplishment.

One day, however, more advanced printers could be used to customize nutrition for individuals, and whole meals could be downloaded over the Internet. But that’s all still fantasy until SMRC, or some other company, steps up to fill this void that most people don’t even know exists.

Sci-Fi Audio: 'A Martian Odyssey'

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:19:29 PDT

Gregg Margarite, a prolific audio book reader, provides description at Librivox website of science fiction writer Stanley G Weinbaum: "...best known for his short story 'A Martian Odyssey' which has been influencing Science Fiction since it was first published in 1934. Weinbaum is considered the first writer to contrive an alien who thought as well as a human, but not like a human." Weinbaum died from lung cancer only 18 months after writing story, a promising career cut short.

"A Martian Odyssey" caught attention of other writers affecting how sci-fi stories were written:

"Isaac Asimov has described "A Martian Odyssey" as "a perfect Campbellian science fiction story, before John W. Campbell. Indeed, Tweel may be the first creature in science fiction to fulfil Campbell's dictum, 'write me a creature who thinks as well as a man, or better than a man, but not like a man'." Asimov went on to describe it as one of only three stories that changed the way all subsequent ones in the science fiction genre were written. It is the oldest short story (and one of the top vote-getters) selected by the Science Fiction Writers of America for inclusion in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964," according to Wikipedia.

You can follow Dick Jarvis, story's protagonist, as he treks across hundreds of miles of Martian landscape (picture) and what he encounters along the way. Margarite reads "A Martian Odyssey" in his popular style. Thanks goes to SFFaudio for the link!

OK Drone: Vietnam Enters the UAV Market

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:47:04 PDT

from apperspective.net: Vietnam flight tested six indigenously made Unmanned Aerials Vehicles (UAVs) over the weekend, Xinhua News Agency reported.

“After three days of tests, from May 17-19, in Da Lat city and Lac Duong district of Lam Dong province, six vehicles made by the Vietnam Space Technology Institute, under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), successfully made 37 flights,” Xinhua News reported, citing local media outlets.

The tests reflect an effort by Vietnam to penetrate the UAV market, with many of its neighbors, including China and Japan, beefing up their own UAV forces in recent years.

Earlier this month the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) had announced that it had built five indigenous UAVs, the first of their kind for Vietnam. The first of the drones—AV.UAV.MS1, AV.UAV.S1, AV.UAV.S2, AV.UAV.S3 and AV.UAV.S4— was initially tested in early May. The Vietnamese scientists who built the drones began researching them back in 2008, and the project was picked up by the state in 2011.

Related:
Vietnam to purchase drones from Belarus

According to Vietnamese news media, the drones have a weight of 4 kg to 170 kg and wingspans ranging from 1.2 to 5 meters. The smallest of these “can fly at 70 kph [kilometers per hour] within a radius of 2 km and at a maximum altitude of 200 m,” while the biggest one “can fly at 180 kph, within a radius of 100 km and at an elevation of 3,000 meters. It can continuously fly for 6 hours in both daytime and nighttime.”

The unmanned aircraft are equipped with cameras, spectrometers and other devices and will be “used for [the] supervision of environmental natural resources in difficult direct approach territories; observation, communication and seashore rescue; exploration of natural resources, control of forest fire[s], and to follow the situation of national electricity system and transport,” VAST’s website has said.

It was not the only scientific breakthrough Hanoi achieved this month, with the country also launching its first remote sensing satellite, the VNRED Sat-1. The satellite was built largely with French funds, Xinhua reported at the time of the launch. Vietnam had previously launched two telecommunication satellites, the first in 2008 and another one last year.

The flight range of some of the drones tested this month can be extended using guiding satellites, according to local media reports.

Although the UAVs are ostensibly only for civilian purposes, their tests were monitored by leaders from the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense.

Alongside the domestic effort to build UAVs, Vietnam is looking to purchase them abroad. Last week it was announced that Vietnam would purchase UAVs from Belarus during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to that country. Few details were provided about the type of drones involved in the deal.

Fireballs in the Skies

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:21:55 PDT

American Meteor Society reported sightings of fireballs over the nights of May 18 and May19. Fireballs were reported in the skies above Virgina, Missouri, Colorado and Arizona. Does this represent an increase in meteor activity? Is it a sign of Nibiru?

Major Hollywood Studios All Sent Bogus DMCA Takedowns Concerning The Pirate Bay Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:04:24 PDT

from techdirt.com: We see so many bogus DMCA (Digital Millenium Copywright Act) takedowns, and we hear the big copyright holders insisting that it's just an accident each and every time -- and not to worry about the collateral damage and censorship it leads to.

So it seems interesting that TorrentFreak has uncovered a series of bogus DMCA takedown notices to Google from four different giant Hollywood players -- Viacom, Paramount (owned by Viacom), Fox and Lionsgate -- that each ask it to remove links to Simon Klose's excellent documentary about The Pirate Bay TPB AFK. As TorrentFreak notes, Fox, via DtecNet (another total failure for the "six strikes" company), asked Google to remove a link to the movie on Mechodownload. Viacom asked for links to be removed to the movie on Mrworldpremiere and Rapidmovies. Lionsgate asked for to remove a link to the movie from The Pirate Bay of all places. Needless to say, all of these were authorized copies that the movie studios were seeking to have hidden.

Beyond the obvious concern about censoring a movie that shows, perhaps, a more sympathetic side of the TPB crew and their legal situation, these kinds of take downs serve another, more nefarious purpose: making sure there is less value for authorized works on these various sites. You hear it all the time from these companies that these sites are "all bad" and must be taken down. Having authorized content really looks bad, so it's nice for them that they can remove it by filing bogus DMCA claims with no real recourse. No wonder the MPAA is so vehement that it shouldn't need to consider fair use before sending bogus takedowns.

Yes, I'm sure these were all just more "accidents" but the impact is very real. For struggling filmmakers like Klose, having authorized copies of his film removed from Google has a serious impact. Copyright maximalists never seem concerned in the slightest about the collateral damage on the people who have actually learned to use these platforms well. They prefer to protect those who fight against new systems of distribution, while harming those who have succeeded in using them.

Biggest meteor hits Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:02:18 PDT

from ITwire.com: The U.S. space agency NASA has been watching the Moon for about eight years, looking for signs of meteoroids hitting the lunar surface.

The results show that hundreds of recorded impacts occur each year. However, the biggest one ever recorded occurred on March 17th.

Bill Cooke, of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA, stated, “On March 17, 2013, an object about the size of a small boulder hit the lunar surface in Mare Imbrium. It exploded in a flash nearly 10 times as bright as anything we've ever seen before."

According to the March 17, 2013 NASA article Bright Explosion on the Moon, the impact was viewable by anyone who happened to be looking at the Moon at the time of the explosion. Binoculars or telescopes were not needed, only naked eye observations.

The impact site appeared to be as bright as a 4th magnitude star for a moment when the 0.98- to 1.3-foot (0.3- to 0.4-meter), in width, 88-pound (40-kilogram), in mass, meteor hit the Moon going about 56,000 miles (90,000 kilometer) per hour. NASA stated that the explosion “packed as much punch as 5 tons of TNT.”

Cooke added that “… NASA and University of Western Ontario all-sky cameras picked up an unusual number of deep-penetrating meteors right here on Earth. These fireballs were traveling along nearly identical orbits between Earth and the asteroid belt."

NASA contends that this meteor that hit the Moon and other meteors hit both the Earth and the Moon at about the same time.

For more on the story, please read the May 17, 2013 National Geographic article “NASA Announces Brightest Lunar Explosion Ever Recorded”.

Hi-tech contact lenses show texts and maps

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:55:08 PDT

from trueactivist.com: Imagine texting while driving, or placing a call while showering, without holding your phone in your hands.

It’s not sci-fi any more – a new technology allows information like text messages and driving directions to be projected onto a contact lens.

The hardware behind this invention is a spherical curved LCD display that can fit into a contact lens, developed by Ghent University’s Centre of Microsystems Technology in Belgium.

“This is not science fiction,” chief researcher for the project Jelle De Smet told the Telegraph. “This will never replace the cinema screen for films. But for specific applications it may be interesting to show images such as road directions or projecting text messages from our smart phones straight to our eye.”

These lenses may hit the market within the next few years. In an upgrade from previous models, a new LCD display allows the entire curved surface of the lens to be used.

Earlier versions were based on LEDs, where the display resolution would be limited to only a small number of pixels.

The University of Washington has also been developing new generation of contact lenses that would receive emails and would be able to project information from the Internet, much like in the movie ‘Terminator.’

Other uses of the lens include the concept of adaptable sunglasses – the contact lenses would darken on exposure to light. The lenses could also be used in the fields of medicine and cosmetics.

These advances mark the push for a much wider development of the technology, with the aim of creating a fully pixelated contact lens display as detailed as a television screen.

Tech giants such as Google and Apple have been working to develop similar technology. This past year, Google introduced Project Glass – frames for eyeglasses that project a small computer display into a person’s field of vision. Apple has reportedly patented similar innovations.

Sci-Fi Short Weekend: 'Cockpit: The Rule of Engagment'

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:37:31 PDT

A film festival finalist Sci-Fi video, "Cockpit: The Rule of Engagment" stars Ronny Cox. An excellent storyline makes for great viewing. "'COCKPIT' is the story of a squadron of space fighter pilots, stranded in their cockpits deep in enemy space, struggling with reality and delusion as they are hunted by mind controlling aliens.'COCKPIT: THE RULE OF ENGAGE- MENT' is a standalone chapter from the same universe which follows the Carrier Captain (Ronny Cox) who must decide if it is worth risking the security of Earth to save a suffocating pilot who may or may not have been corrupted by the mind controlling aliens," reveals You Tube summary. You may visit cockpitthemovie.com website to learn more.

Sci-Fi Short Weekend: 'Stealing Time'

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:59:35 PDT

Sci-Fi Short Weekend presents "Stealing Time" a Finite Films Production. This short sci-fi video follows theme in similar style to "Primer," a 2004 film. "When a down- on-his-luck inventor builds a time machine to change the past, he unwittingly sets off a disastrous chain of events," explains You Tube summary. It's well-produced video that tests your mental acuity whether you spot the clues? Video captures attention but admit in the end - to not getting it. You can view, however, to see if you do. Admission is free.

Aussie scientists print flexible solar panels

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:58:18 PDT

from smh.com.au: Australian scientists have found a way to print large but extremely lightweight and flexible solar panels like money.

World-leading scientists at the CSIRO said the A3-sized panels, which are created by laying a liquid photovoltaic ink onto thin, flexible plastic could soon mean everyone has the ability to print their own solar panels at home.

"It would definitely be feasible to do that," said CSIRO materials scientist Dr Scott Watkins.
"The general concept of being able to manufacture on demand, in a house or in a workplace, is really a key feature of what we're doing."

It comes as scientists around the world continue to develop 3D printing - a method of making three-dimensional objects using a digital design.

The potentially revolutionary method could be used to make just about any object from scratch.

Experts from the University of Wollongong and Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital are already testing the idea of printing human body parts, such as replacement organs and tissues.

"In the future, these sorts of devices will be able to recreate parts of people's joints and bones, conceivably, in the future, even organs," Professor Mark Cook told the ABC recently.

CSIRO's solar panels, which have been in development for five years with a team of experts at Monash and Melbourne universities, are attracting interest from big companies that see a wide range of applications.

Near-term uses include putting the panels, similar in feel to a glossy magazine page, onto laptops or mobile phones - offering an extra hour of power once the inbuilt battery dies.

They could also be printed on to skyscraper windows or roofs.

"We're actively talking to a Victorian company at the moment about incorporating them into windows," Dr Watkins added.

The ability to print solar panels is not new in itself - but what is new is the ability to make them as large and powerful as the Australian version.

At the moment, the 30 centimetre-wide panels generate between 10 to 50 watts of power per square metre and have been proven to last at least six months.

But that lifetime and wattage will be boosted in the future and the printers needed to make the panels far smaller, Dr Watkins said.

UAVs are searching for oil in Norway

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:58:26 PDT

from stratrisks.com: Like an army, science needs the high ground. This is true when it comes to oil exploration and especially so in the rugged landscape of Norway. The Virtual Outcrop Geology (VOG) group at the Norwegian Centre for integrated petroleum research (CIPR) is working to capture this vantage point in a distinctly 21st century way, by using UAVs to seek out oil by helping geologists build 3D models of the terrain.

We tend to think of oil exploration as taking place on desert plains or out in the ocean, but finding oil deposits depends on having a comprehensive understanding of local geology, which is one reason why the question of how much oil we have left sparks so much argument – there’s still so much we don’t know about most of the Earth. By studying the Norwegian terrain and matching it up with other data, such as that gathered from seismographs and core drilling, geologists can build up a three-dimensional picture of what’s going on beneath the ground – both on land and under the sea.

“A landscape’s surface often reflects what lies beneath ground and corresponds with the rocks below the seabed. When we have an overview of the rocks and minerals in one area, it is far easier to make estimates about where to find oil and how the oil flows,” said Simon Buckley, senior researcher at CIPR and head of the VOG group.

Such surveys can be arduous, time-consuming and expensive, with teams of experts tramping over mountains to take measurements with optical instruments, laser scanners, infrared sensors and digital cameras. Many times, the terrain is too mountainous for the teams to get everywhere, so helicopters have to be hired to fill in the gaps.

The researchers describe the drones as being like a camera tripod in the sky. That may sound trivial, but gaining the ability to survey terrain straight down from a height is a tremendous advantage. The information is much clearer, it’s easier to match images to one another and to correlate with ground images, and it’s easier to build up stereoscopic images from which 3D models can be made. A UAV not only allows geologists to do this more cheaply than with a helicopter, but also at heights and in areas where using a ‘copter would be too dangerous, if not impossible.

Similar to techniques used for mineral surveys in Switzerland and Germany, the helicopter-like UAV used by CIPR carries the scanners, sensors and cameras needed for the survey, and helps geologists to build a more precise 3D model of the area that can be flown over and studied virtually. In this way, they can learn about the types of rock present, the thickness of sediments, and other aspects of geological formations to help in finding oil deposits.

The main restrictions on the drones are regulatory. The ground controllers who operate the UAV and its cameras need to be certified in a simulator by the Norwegian aviation authorities and must exercise extreme care in avoiding populated areas.

CIPR is a joint venture between the University of Bergen (UiB) and Uni Research.

Active sunspot fires solar flares, CME toward us

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:30:38 PDT

from ZDnet.com: Four powerful solar flares and CMEs have erupted from a sunspot over the past few days, and one could affect us on late Friday.

The sun is sending fireworks to perhaps celebrate the debut of the latest Star Trek Into Darkness movie, which has been released this week.

Sunspot AR1748 has discharged four powerful solar flares in the past few days, is expected to be more active, and is rotating into more direct view across the sun's near side. Flares are also connected with coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

Of the four CMEs created this week, NOAA space weather forecasters say there's a 40 percent chance that the most recent one could bounce off Earth on May 17.

Solar flares are powerful bursts that send light and radiation into space. CMEs, usually produced in conjunction with solar flares, erupt from the sun and send billions of tonnes of solar material into space. They are not directly dangerous to us, but can disrupt atmospheric communications services such as GPS and cell phones. While personal disruptions can be annoying, GPS airline navigation and extremely accurate clocks that govern financial transactions could be affected.

The current quartet of solar flares has been categorized to reach the highest measuring category, X-class, with the highest of the four given an X-3.2 rating. It is the 18th X-class flare of the current solar season.

The good news is that NASA's observation satellites and NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center are constantly monitoring space activity, and can give warnings, similar to hurricane warnings, when potentially dangerous solar activity is approaching.

Another highlight is the appearance of auroras.

Blue Kachina and Its Moon

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:12:57 PDT

Could you climb above clouds in Costa Rica for a clear view of the Blue Kachina from Hopi Prophecy? Marshall Masters has done just that and provides latest develop- ments. You Tube summary notes: "This ancient pro- phecy tells us the Blue Kachina, appears first with some disruptions. Then comes the Red Kachina and the end of life as we know it. Based on a detailed study of hundreds of images, this video show a planet with a predictable orbit, a moon and that it is closing on us." You may not buy Masters' case for the Blue Kachina closing on Earth? You will be forced to think, however, as Masters delivers challenging arguments!

Australian police to use surveillance drones to "combat crime" ahead of G20 conference

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:15:09 PDT

from apperspective.net : Australian police plan to send drones into the skies for bikie and anti-terror surveillance ahead of the G20 conference in Brisbane.

The $30-an-hour drones would also be used for covert drug crop identification, traffic operations and natural disasters following a successful trial last year.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Police Minister Jack Dempsey wants the aircraft, possibly second-hand ex-military drones used in Afghanistan, in time for the trans-national G20 conference in November next year.

But the plans have angered privacy advocates, with the head of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties saying they amount to "Big Brother in the sky".

Mr Dempsey said drones would be a "cost-effective" measure in police aerial intelligence, with an hourly operating fuel price-tag of $30 compared to $500 per hour for a helicopter.

"Originally even basic drones cost upwards of a million dollars but today they can be purchased for as little as $50,000 and the price continues to fall," Mr Dempsey said.

"Furthermore, with many countries continuing their withdrawal from various theatres of war we may see their high-end surplus military drones come on to the market at very low prices."

"I believe if the business case for drones stacks up they'd be invaluable for a range of policing tasks, including traffic management, covert drug crop identification and even surveillance for events such as the 2014 G20 meeting and reconnaissance during outlaw biker runs.

"Additionally there are many emergency applications such as being used for spotting bushfires for the Rural Fire Service and providing real-time aerial intelligence from flood or cyclone affected areas."

Mr Dempsey said helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were useful "when it comes to search and rescue activities".

"But of course they are limited by fuel capacity and fuel availability in remote areas," he said.

"With some drones able to fly and hover for days and weeks on end, we'd be able to keep a single aircraft up for much longer while beaming back real-time video which, together with traditional aircraft, would complement most search and rescue activities."

In the US the Pentagon has splurged on drones, reportedly increasing the number to 7000 compared to about 50 a decade ago.

However, the government is currently locked in a fierce political debate on how they are used and associated privacy concerns.

In Australia, 34 organisations are certified to use drones for activities including aerial photography, surveying and power line inspection.

Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said giving police access to drone technology was a "huge boost" to their powers and shouldn't be done without legislation and parliamentary debate.

"There is a real concern about the eye in the sky, the flying Big Brother who can see everything and anything, in the hands of police," he said. "Bikies are just the selling point, it will be used across the board."

He said using drones to monitor public protests was unjustified and could make people afraid of expressing themselves publicly.

US seizes top Bitcoin exchange as crackdown begins

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:14:00 PDT

from RT.com: The US Department of Homeland Security seized a payment processing account Tuesday belonging to Mt. Gox, the largest international Bitcoin trader, claiming the monetary exchange service falsified financial documents.

The American government has previously made it clear that officials are watching Bitcoin, a decentralized economic currency that international regulators have not yet been able to control. Many of those who favor Bitcoin use Dwolla, an Iowa-based startup that allows customers to transfer their dollars into Bitcoins.

Unfortunately for those consumers, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warrant Tuesday effectively shutting down Dwolla’s ability to process Bitcoin payments, as reported by CNET.

Whether because of the DHS’ charge of operating an “unlicensed money transmitting business,” the sudden timing of the allegations, or another reason, Dwolla and Mt. Gox officials have been reluctant to comment.

“In order not to compromise this ongoing investigation being conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore, we cannot comment beyond the information in warrant, which was filed in the District of Maryland [Tuesday],” said Nicole Navas, a representative for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The warrant claims Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles did not disclose he operated a financial transfer site when he opened a new bank account for the business. Money transmitting services, according to Gawker, are required to register with the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen). Mt. Gox, which is involved in roughly 63 per cent of all Bitcoin purchases, has not done so.

Despite the technicalities skeptics are wondering if Bitcoin’s friction with the Treasury department is the cause of this recent scrutiny. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said the anonymity afforded by the service provided an “online form of money laundering” and campaigned for its downfall.

“Literally, it allows buyers and users to sell illegal drugs online, including heroin, cocaine, and meth, and users do sell by hiding their identity through a program that makes them virtually untraceable,” Schumer said during a 2011 news conference. “It’s a certifiable one-stop shop for illegal drugs that represents the most brazen attempt to peddle drugs online that we have ever seen. It’s more brazen than anything else by light years.”

Most notably, proponents have asserted that Bitcoin would be impermeable in instances where WikiLeaks, for example, saw its funding evaporate as the federal government pressured PayPal to cut off the whistleblower site’s support network. Bitcoin would be more resistant to a crackdown of that nature.

Jerry Brito, a scholar at the libertarian Mercatus Center at George Mason University, told the Washington Post Bitcoin could reduce the cost of financial services by pioneering new business formats.

“Bitcoin has the potential to be a boon to the economy and a boon to merchants,” he said, adding that it could “disrupt traditional payment networks that have not been innovative for a very long time.”

A blind governmental crackdown would only serve to push Bitcoin further underground, Brito argued.

“You can’t put the genie back into the bottle,” he continued. “I hate to say it, but the Bitcoin community needs to start lobbying. It needs to start educating policymakers, lobbyists and influencers about the pros of Bitcoin and the impossibility or the difficulty in getting rid of all the bad uses.”

iRobot military bots to patrol 2014 World Cup in Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:33:32 PDT

from BlackListedNews.com: FIFA may be implementing goal-sensing technology in international soccer games, but the World Cup is getting even more high-tech with military robot security.

iRobot announced today $7.2 million in contracts to provide Brazil with military PackBot robots for security at the 2014 World Cup.

PackBots have been deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and even inside Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

As part of the deal, Brazil will get 30 PackBot 510 units, which usually cost about $100,000 to $200,000 apiece. The contracts include services, spares, and associated equipment.

To spot troublemakers, Brazilian police will be equipped with facial-recognition camera glasses that reportedly can capture 400 facial images per second, storing them in a central database of up to 13 million faces.

Retro Sci-Fi Weekend: 'The Land Unknown'

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:38:59 PDT

1957 Sci-Fi film "The Land Unknown" takes you on a lost-continent adventure: " A small crew led by Comman- der Harold Roberts [Jock Mahoney] and woman reporter Maggie Hathaway [Shawn Smith] are on an expedition into Antarctica for the United States Navy. During a helicopter flight ...rotor is damaged by a collision with a pterodactyl. Unable to stay in the air they start to descend, and are surprised when they end up landing well below sea-level in a warm volcanic crater. Inside, they discover a steamy tropical jungle, dinosaurs, giant carnivorous plants, and human footprints. The crew encounter many dangers and perils in the jungle in a fight for survival."

Eccentric Cinema provides fine review, detailing aspects of cinema-making average viewer may learn to appreciate:

"Much of the film's budget obviously went into the elaborate sets and special effects. These positively creak by modern standards but for the "I like Ike!" era they're fairly impressive. Except for stop-motion, every major FX technique of the day was employed to depict the monsters. The Pterodactyl, man-eating plant and aquatic Elasmosaur are animatronic puppets; a pair of monitor lizards wrestle on a diorama in the obligatory 'live-animals-used-as-dinosaurs' scene. (At least it's not that familiar footage of an iguana — floppy rubber fin glued to its hide — battling a young alligator, a sequence used in God knows how many movies.) The T-Rex is a guy in a bulky monster suit, stomping around on a well-detailed miniature 'forest primeval' set. The suit's forelegs don't function but at least the head and eyes are articulated. (I've seen much worse, believe me.) Model work is above par for the period, even if one can occasionally glimpse the wires holding up the helicopter. That the movie was shot in widescreen CinemaScope helps negate the cheap look and cramped feel typically associated with completely stage-bound productions (regardless of their actual cost or how well photographed they might be)."

"Although it can't escape the clichés and conventions of both its genre and the time it was made, The Land Unknown at least benefits from brisk pacing and good performances. Henry Brandon (The Drums of Fu Manchu, The Searchers) stands out among the cast, effective as the scientist driven to madness by years of isolation in a harsh, hostile environment. As played by athletic Jock Mahoney (Tarzan Goes To India), the Roberts character — while afflicted with the terminal blandness of so many '50s sci-fi heroes — is exactly the kind of guy you'd want in charge during a crisis. He's a quick-thinking man of action but not brashly gung ho, tempering logic with empathy and compassion. (When Miller, backed by Carmen, tries to torture Hunter into revealing the location of the wreck, Roberts pulls a gun and makes them stop. "We're not gonna dig our way out of here through human flesh," he calmly asserts.) Typical for pre-Women's Lib fare, sole female cast member Shawn Smith (It! The Terror from Beyond Space) is on hand mainly to scream and wear progressively skimpier clothing."

"Perhaps I'm being a tad generous with my Film Rating score... But anyone who appreciates '50s sci-fi, or just digs dinosaur movies in general, should have a decent time with this film. It certainly beats the hell out of similar, albeit laughable, Z-budget fare such as Lost Continent (1951) and King Dinosaur (1955). If you liked The Land That Time Forgot — made nearly 20 years later but with no appreciable improvement in special effects — you'll definitely enjoy it. (Can't abide antiquated FX? Best to pass.)"

The backstory of a movie's production can be just as interesting. Wikipedia informs: "William Reynolds [Lt. Jack Carmen] recalled the studio spent so much money on their mechanical dinosaur that they couldn't afford to shoot the film in colour as they first planned." Star Jock Mahoney holds title of oldest Tarzan in cinema history, starring in early sixties' films at age 44. Mahoney also married actress Margaret Field and was stepfather to Sally Field.

Mars 2023: Inhabitants Wanted

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Sat, 11 May 2013 07:13:29 PDT

A non-profit endeavor to place colony on Red Planet, Mars One, has already received thousands of applications. Universe Today provides summary of process:

"Mars One says it has received applications from more than 78,000 people in more than 120 countries for the Mars One astronaut selection program, in hopes of becoming a Mars settler in 2023. Mars One will continue to receive online applications until August 31, 2013. From all the applicants in Round 1, regional reviewers will select around 50–100 candidates for Round 2 in each of the 300 geographic regions in the world that Mars One has identified. After four rounds, ending in 2015; Mars One will employ 28–40 candidates, who will train for around 7 years. Finally an audience vote will elect one of groups in training to be the envoys of humanity to Mars."

It'l be interesting to see how Mars mission unfolds in the next few years!

War of the Worlds Returns with a BANG!

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:50:57 PDT

Radio Drama Revival (RDR) posted, in anticipation of the 75th anniversary of original broadcast, a 1988 remake of Orson Welles' October 30, 1938 broadcast, "War of the Worlds." "GRAMMY-nominated for Best Spoken Word production, digital sound design by Oscar-winner Randy Thom at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, an international broadcast event, this contemporary NPR/CNN version of the Orson Welles classic stars Jason Robards with Hector Elizondo, Steve Allen, CBS newsman Douglas Edwards and public radio personalities Scott Simon and Terry Gross. Why the excitement? Because of our crazy contest, of course! To celebrate the 75th anniversary of War of the Worlds, Radio Drama Revival is proud to be promoting a new WoW radio drama re-creation contest." RDR welcomes submissions for 75th Anniversary remake here with new deadline of June 1st. A link to original Welles broadcast is available here.

Australia's top hackers uncovered in tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:14:34 PDT

from apperspective.net: Bunkered down in rooms across the nation, 43 teams of students spent 24 busy hours hacking IT systems non-stop this week.

Their challenge? To uncover flaws in a fictitious company's IT systems.

Telstra chief information security officer Mike Burgess said "If I find 10 good people out of this exercise, I'm going to give all 10 of them a job because there is actually a big demand for these skills"

Telstra, along with other government agencies, held their "2013 Cyber Security Challenge" on Tuesday and Wednesday to try to uncover Australia's next top IT security minds. The students' mission was to find the most flaws in the fictitious company's IT systems in 24 hours.

Groups of four students from 20 universities and TAFE colleges across Australia participated and Telstra said the competition proved so popular that it had to cap the number of teams per institution to three.
Winning team, "UNSW1", which included students Karla Burnett, Petr Novak, Jack Murray and Theo Julienne, from the University of New South Wales, were awarded a trip to the infamous Black Hat IT security conference in Las Vegas.

They could also be offered Telstra or government jobs in IT security, depending on how good they are, according to Telstra's chief information security officer, Mike Burgess.

They scored 94 points.

Earlier this year Burnett and Julienne were involved in cracking the secret algorithm used on Sydney's public transport tickets for buses, trains and ferries, which could have allowed them to print their own tickets.

The second and third places went to "UNSW2" (68 points) and "UNSW3" (66 points), two other teams at UNSW, which will each be awarded either a new smartphone or tablet of their choice from Telstra.

"If I find 10 good people out of this exercise, I'm going to give all 10 of them a job because there is actually a big demand for these skills," Burgess said on Wednesday, just before the winners were announced.

As part of the challenge, the teams were required to conduct testing on a fictitious security company's product called "Very Secure Transfer Protocol".

In the scenario created, the company, "Computer Security Synergistic Cloud Computing", was supposedly concerned that its popular product could be hacked and required it to be tested. Burgess said it involved the students being engaged as consultants to the company to "undertake a range of security consultancy functions to test the company's security". They were required to conduct what's called penetration testing on the company's web apps, network and product, as well as give advice in easy-to-understand language.

Burgess said Telstra hosted the fake company's infrastructure while Defence created the challenge.

Just last month Telstra was awarded a $1.1 billion six-and-a-half year Defence telecommunications contract, which will require 230 new jobs in Canberra, some of which will require security expertise.

Because of this, Burgess said Telstra was looking for new talent.

He said there was an IT security skills shortage in Australia and that this week's challenge was just one of the ways Telstra and government agencies could recruit staff who had the required technical skills.

There were several other reasons why the challenge was being conducted, Burgess said.

"One is just to raise awareness on cyber security as an issue," he said.

"It's also trying to encourage bright young minds to take up a career in cyber security. We're trying to encourage these guys and girls [to think about] a career in cyber security because it's an important national issue and ultimately Telstra, the [Defence Signals Directorate] and CERT Australia would really love to recruit these people, especially the good ones ..."

Although Telstra did not hire anyone from last year's challenge, Burgess said the team that won did work experience with Defence, where Burgess was recently deputy director of Cyber and Information Security.

China Probes N.Korea's Bank Accounts

noreply@blogger.com (Broc West) — Wed, 08 May 2013 23:25:38 PDT

from apperspective.net: Chinese authorities have identified most of the accounts of North Korean companies and individuals in major Chinese banks, a diplomatic source in Beijing said Wednesday.

Three or four North Korean banks in Dandong, the biggest trading hub between North Korea and China, have reportedly closed down.

According to the source, Chinese authorities have combed through all North Korea-related accounts in major Chinese banks in an effort to implement sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council in the wake of the North's latest nuclear test.

In the process, North Korea apparently tried to dodge detection by opening new bank accounts under borrowed or false names, but Chinese authorities traced these accounts too.

If the accounts prove to be linked to illegal activities like nuclear weapons and missile development, Beijing apparently plans to impose sanctions on each individual North Korean bank, just as it did when the Bank of China cut ties with the Foreign Trade Bank of North Korea on Tuesday.

Another source in China said, "It seems the U.S. provided China with indisputable evidence of illegal activities by the Foreign Trade Bank of North Korea."

In principle, North Korean banks in China are barred from remittance and currency exchange business and are nominally mere liaison offices. But in fact Beijing used to look the other way when they carried out such transactions for North Korean agencies and firms.

Now Chinese authorities are taking a tougher line.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's own money and cash for the North Korean military crosses the border in diplomatic pouches to avoid customs inspections, a North Korean source said.

A North Korean businessman said, "More than 20,000 Korean Chinese live in Dandong, and we've been dealing with many Chinese for more than a decade. There are lots of ways to remit money to the North."

Sci-Fi Apocalypse: 'Soylent Green'

noreply@blogger.com (Xnihilator) — Sat, 11 May 2013 07:34:07 PDT

Is "Soylent Green" merely science fiction or is there a hidden agenda within the movie? The 1973 movie starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Edward G Robinson and Joseph Cotten makes an impression on any viewer. Perhaps, one reason movie leaves an indelible memory, is discovery by Sol (Robinson) that Soylent Green is made from people. Sol makes decision because of this horrible thought to go to a voluntary euthanasia center to depart this world. Corbett.com hosts discussion on most recent venture into "...Film, Literature and the New World Order ...[to] talk to James Evan Pilato...about Soylent Green, the 1973 sci-fi movie based on the 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison. We discuss the differences between the book and the movie, the eminent personage [Paul Ehrlich] who wrote the introduction to the book, and how the story has been used to predictively program some of the favourite memes of the eugenics propagandists." It's likely, movie represents predictive programming with central focus on cementing thoughts of overpopulation and control firmly in public's subconscious. You're convinced overpopulation is a problem, because you're informed so over and over.

A Chemtrails News writer found movie disturbing and recorded her reaction below:

"I saw the movie about 6 years after it was released, on TV. I was then a young lady and a very young mother. I remember that evening very well, because afterwards I couldn’t get any sleep. Usually pictures don’t have an effect on me easily, especially these Hollywood catastrophic ones, but this one had, and also a very bad one. I went to bed depressed and with a very bad feeling that there was something about this movie. Those days, sci-fi films were very much a la mode, a kind not so much of my taste. But dislike was not the issue, only worrying. The 2022 seemed so far away, also our lives from a situation like this, but somehow, an unexplainable force made me pay good attention to this film and remember it until now, 33 years later."

The above writer had a "gut reaction" and instinctively knew implications before her consciousness fully realized it. The movie offers depopulation meme embedded in its script, Agenda 21 before they met in Rio, sustainable growth and all that.

The Chemtrails News writer does make one more interesting observation: "Another strange detail in the film, is that the color chosen for Soylent wafer is the ‘green’. The red would make more sense since it was the one made of people. But green…? And of course one should not miss the very last image of the film, when Thorn is taken away on a stretcher and he raises his hand making the satanic symbol with his two fingers!!!" Is the hidden esoteric message "going green" comes at the cost of people's lives? Oh, by the way, don't forget your Soylent Green Crackers, if they don't taste bad they're at least in bad taste!