Swift to find bursts of gamma rays. They then scrambled to figure out where they came from. It turns out that when the universe was only about 600 million years old, a giant star collapsed on itself and turned into a black hole. That created a spectacular explosion, which in turn produced huge jets of radiation: gamma rays. The rays from that explosion took 13 billion years to reach Earth, finally arriving on April 23.

Hmmm ...

I have served on the Senate Intelligence Committee for eight years, and I have yet to see evidence -- classified or otherwise -- that has convinced me that revising the business records provision to include a less intrusive standard would be harmful to U.S. national security. Yet as Congress considers whether to reauthorize this standard -- written in a rush to judgment eight years ago -- some will undoubtedly argue that Congress should just trust that the provision is essential and blindly sign-off on reauthorization. I disagree. While "just trust us" has passed as informed national security debate in this country for eight years, it hasn't resulted in good national security policy. Indeed, the shortage of serious discussion of intelligence matters has frequently resulted in counterterrorism programs that are much less balanced and effective than they could and should be.

Experts on both sides agree that Chicago’s handgun ban was largely ineffective – homicides by handguns decreased immediately after the ban took effect, but almost doubled in the eight years after that, according to the Chicago Police Department statistics.

The truth is that you do not need much, when it comes to learning the martial arts. The truth of the matter is that when a fight starts you only need a few absolutely workable techniques. And, sad truth of the matter, most of the martial arts being taught these days are pretty much filled with lots of extra and needless tricks.

So true ...

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyer on Wednesday successfully shot down a medium-range mock ballistic missile in a test off Hawaii, the Defense Ministry said. In the drill conducted in cooperation with the US Navy, the ballistic missile was launched from a US military range facility on Kauai Island. Four minutes later, the MSDF's Myoko, equipped with the Aegis advanced missile tracking system, detected the target and fired a sea-based Standard Missile 3 (SM-3). The US-made interceptor hit the target more than 100 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean three minutes later after launching. The ministry said the successful missile test proved the effectiveness of Japan's missile defense system, adding that it plans to complete the system by March 2011. The drill was Japan's third attempt to test-fire high-tech SM-3 interceptors. The nation successfully conducted its first SM-3 test in 2007, but the second attempt last year failed when the interceptor lost track of the target.

Interesting ...

"Clean shoes and dirty fighting welcomed," a sign at the entry to the large gym area warns. The idea of Krav Maga — a martial arts system developed by Imi Lichtenfeld in Eastern Europe as a way for Jews to protect themselves against the Nazis and now used by the Israeli Defense Force — is to be able to "aggressively defend yourself" from an attack and then get away, Kahn said. "When attacked, you have to meet the threat with force," Kahn said. "Too little force, you'll be overwhelmed. Too much and there's liability." It allows a person "to simultaneously defend and attack. The object is just for your safety and not to subdue or anything. And anybody there, that's with you, to protect them." 

Hit and git ... what's not to love ...

In recent weeks, with active shooter events having occurred at a mall, a church and as children got off a school bus, I’ve seen some postings in various online forums from civilians who hold concealed carry permits asking, “How should we react to this?” The question they are asking, in general, is what they should be doing if they’re on the scene and the shooting starts. I was at first conflicted as to how to answer this question. Then, having developed an answer, I strongly prefaced it with “this is just my opinion”. There are far too many “what if”s that come into play when considering a response to an active shooter - even for police officers who are off duty. Those “what if”s multiply ten fold for a civilian who is legally armed and happens to be on hand when a shooting starts. What to do?

Hmmm ...

“There is a robust and constant I.E.D. effort among violent extremists who are using it as their weapon of choice,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, director of the Pentagon’s organization in charge of seeking ways to counter improvised explosives. “That won’t change for decades. We are in this fight for a long time.”

I think it's a mistake to think of them as a weapon of choice. IEDs are always a weapon of expediency. If the extremists can get better funding, you can bet they'll buy some factory explosives from somewhere ...

There is a well-known saying in Afghanistan: "You can rent an Afghan, but you can't buy him." Some experts on the region believe a U.S. program to pay Taliban fighters to quit the organization is buying temporary loyalty. President Obama on Wednesday signed a $680 billion defense appropriations bill, which will pay for military operations in the 2010 fiscal year. The bill includes a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is now receiving $1.3 billion. CERP funding also is intended for humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects at commanders' discretion.

Doesn't sound like a very long-term solution ...

A standalone Internet camera with advanced built-in software, the Mole provides auto-configuration so that the user can set up the camera in just a few easy steps and access their video privately without any network knowledge. Once set up, the Mole allows users to adjust the pan remotely to change the view instantly. While easy-to-use and affordable, the Mole camera includes high-end features such as motion detection activation, night vision, two-way audio, and a built-in DVR. The Mole also features both Ethernet or Wi-Fi connectivity. The Mole is designed for direct access from any web browser, which lets users watch their video instantly, from anywhere, including the iPhone. The on-board software is specifically tailored for seamless Internet sharing, including auto-uploads to YouTube. Users can also choose to receive real-time alerts via email or Twitter, sent to their mobile phone or any IP-enabled device.Available in early November 2009, the Mole will be distributed through Astak's network of retail and distribution partners, including Fry's Electronics, Costco, NewEgg.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Astak.com, with an MSRP of $299.00.

It's probably stopping anyone from using the driveway ...

An actor dressed as KFC's iconic spokesman breached several layers of security at the United Nations in New York Tuesday, eventually meeting with Ali Treki, the new president of the General Assembly. The "Colonel" showed up at the UN wearing his trademark white suit and black string bow tie and, after being ushered through security by guards, posed for photos in different parts of the headquarters, including one of him shaking hands with Treki.

This, if true, is the classic mark of a security operation that is more or less permeable depending on an entrant's place in the pecking order. If the security officer delays the Secretary General (or someone else high up in the pecking order), he will get in trouble or fired or some other undesirable outcome, so the officer makes sure that he/she doesn't execute the security routine when the Secretary General comes through. Because the security officers are always deciding whether to execute the routine or not, when something they don't really understand come along they tend to error on the side of the entrant being high up ("What the hell is Colonel Sanders doing here ... I don't know but it's probably important. We better walk him through!") It would never happen in an operation where everyone goes through the exact same vetting process, regardless of who they are, prior to be allowed through a particular checkpoint.

The measures are part of a new initiative to enhance security at Marc commuter rail stations. Police and canine teams will be on hand to conduct the searches. Officials say while they dont anticipate the new safety measures to cause any issues that commuters should add a few extra minutes onto their estimated travel time to account for any delays.

I wonder whose security they're hoping to enhance, presumably not the folks they're planning to search ...

It lets users see instantly where in the skies the International Space Station is, using a Google Maps-based system (at the time of writing it is over the North Pacific, just south of Alaska, moving towards the western United States and Mexico). If a Space Shuttle was flying, iPhone owners could track that too. You can also use it to keep up to date with Constellation, the proposed Space Shuttle replacement. The Ares 1-X rocket, the first test rocket of the new mission, is expected to launch on 27 October. It also provides an Image of the Day – currently a pre-launch shot of Ares 1-X – and an Astronomy Picture of the Day, currently a series of beautiful images of galaxies called Galaxy Zoo. 

This might be interesting if you have an iPhone ...

Police say that 69 year old Peter Gilmore was at his Port Charlotte, FL home, along with his 25 year old son James.  At about 10 PM, there was a knock on the front door, which Peter went to answer.  A pair of masked home invaders, armed with a knife and a tire iron, are said to have kicked the door open and rushed inside.  One of the robbers reportedly held a large knife to Peter's face, and threatened to kill him.  James reportedly ran to his father's bedroom, where they kept their firearms, with the tire iron wielding intruder in hot pursuit.  After grabbing a handgun and pointing it at the intruder, James told the intruder to leave, at which point the criminal refused and hit him in the head with a tire iron, according to police.  James then reportedly shot the violent home invader in the stomach, prompting him and his accomplice to flee.  Police reportedly apprehended both suspects, Keith Sowers and Joshua Eugene Becerril, shortly after the home invasion.  The injured suspect, Sowers, was listed in serious condition but is expected to live to face charges.

Hmmm ...

"You have to enhance architectural controls in all these buildings, the monitoring element has to be increased and there's really no mandatory prerequisite for security personnel -- all you need is a heartbeat and a pair of shoes," Salvador said. 

Why the shoes ...

A shoplifting suspect stabbed a security guard, leaving him with serious wounds, before fleeing from a Clairemont area Vons Friday night. The stabbing happened around 9 p.m. after store security detained a man for allegedly shoplifting.  The suspect fled the store located in the 5500 block of Balboa Avenue.

Today's the day, every day, part deux ...

In a display that looked more like something from a demolition derby rather than a parking attempt, the driver of the BMW SUV failed to use the brakes after pulling into a parking spot. After driving up onto the hoods of two cars, the SUV driver reversed and then proceeded to drive away from the Thornhill gym, located near Yonge Street and Highway 407.

Kind of like a testimonial, huh ... ?

Family members say Friday night around 7:30pm,  43-year-old Robbie Smith was trying to stop a home invasion when he was attacked and shot in the leg.  They say he managed to call 911 but then passed out.  By the time paramedics arrived, he had bled to death.

Today's the day, every day ...

China is becoming known for its global cyber espionage efforts. India believes that China's Cyber Warfare Doctrine is designed to achieve global "electronic dominance" by 2050. It believes that China’s capability would have the capability to disrupt the information infrastructure of China’s enemies. This doctrine includes strategies that would disrupt financial markets, military and civilian communications capabilities and other parts of an enemy's critical infrastructure prior to the initiation of traditional military operations.

Hmmm ... the interwebs will have gone through about 8 cycles of becoming unrecognizable to the previous cycle by then ... must be a really cool plan ...

Zachariah M. Aslam, a 17-year-old from South Rockwood, Mich., was arrested Tuesday evening after police were informed of a man making threats, the statement said. He was arraigned Friday and is being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $150,000 cash or surety bond.

Was he threatening to hold his breath 'til he turned blue, or what. A few details would be useful, here ...

If indeed, the family of the 'so-called' balloon boy conspired to sensationalize, and in so doing, capitalize upon a frightening and terrifying circumstance, than I believe this to be an act of media-fueled domestic terrorism that preyed upon the fears of parents and all those who work with, care for and about children.

Is there anything that isn't terrorism ...?

According to the allegations, the officer had been bearing a grudge against the soldier since a class on self-defense tactics held last week in the brigade's training base during which the soldier accidentally hit his commander. The officer then summoned the soldier to a room in the soldiers' barracks where he punched and slapped him in revenge for the incident at the class. 

It is critically important that one kill ones own ego if one is going to engage in violent training or employment.  If you don't, you will eventually end up publicly humiliated, incarcerated or dead ...

Opinionated and cynical, he doesn't hesitate to point out that one of the biggest limitations of technology is people. ("The user's going to pick dancing pigs over security every time," he has been quoted as saying.)

Unfortunately, true ...

I am working on building an encryption solution for novice Windows users who do not have administrator privileges on the machines they use. Giving the users admin access is not an option because of the environment they work in.

Fleener relied only on the screenshots that were taken captured every 5 or 10 seconds to see what the user of the laptop was up to. Within a short time, he learned the name, address, and other sensitive information about the man using the laptop. (Fleener is careful not to accuse the individual of being the thief because there is no proof of that.) The man visited Facebook, MySpace, and other social networks, according to Fleener. He used Google to search for auto parts and did queries on how to remove security tags from merchandise. He looked at porn and made pirate copies of DVDs, including "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Every time the laptop went online, typically on weekend nights and never on Tuesday, Fleener and others got paged.

You know that moment on a plane when it finally stops and everyone jumps up to grab their gear in the overhead bins? It was then that the plane was swarmed by police. Passengers were kept in their seats until the pilots could be interviewed. When passengers found out what had happened, many were horrified that the pilots of their plane seemed to not be paying attention while flying at 37,000 feet up. Well, yeah.

Can't wait to hear the rest of this story ...

What would such a program look like? What follows is speculation, based upon what is in the Augustine Report and some educated guesses about what decisions might be made in the months and years ahead as a result. 

Interesting speculation ...

It must be a mistake, this is all wrong! The leftist British government banned guns in 1997 and promised the measure will drastically reduce violent crime. That was 12 years ago. All murders, shootings and violence was supposed to disappear since Her's Majesty subjects were forced to surrender their guns. The entire country should have been a crime-free paradise by now. What do you mean by that "when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns"? You sure know that's just a slogan based on a lie made up by the NRA types? 

How very predictable ...

Funny ...

Police say that at about 9:50 PM on Wednesday, a suspect armed with a realistic looking BB gun broke in to a home on the 700 block of Oscar Smith Drive.  The residents called 911, but the intruder successfully broke in before police arrived.  One of the residents grabbed his self defense handgun and fired multiple shots at the intruder, causing him to flee, according to police.  Shortly thereafter, a man reportedly suffering from multiple gunshot wounds was found seeking treatment at a nearby hospital, and was listed in stable condition hours after the attempted home invasion.

Consciousness is crucial in breath control; it distributes Qi along the body. At the highest stage, the breath is controlled at the level of subconsciousness and do not require too much of your attention. Step by step learning to control his energy resources, a practitioner will pass from using the physical strength (Li) to the internal burst of effort (Tsin). This internal effort, as Chinese masters believe, is produced not by muscles but in tendons and marrow.

Interesting ...

Stun-gun maker Taser International has started telling police agencies to avoid firing the devices at suspects' chests, explaining that there's an "extremely low" risk of ill effects on the heart and that doing so will make defending lawsuits easier. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company made the recommendation in an Oct. 12 revised training manual, saying it "has less to do with safety and more to do with effective risk management for law enforcement agencies."

Hmmm ...

Police say that the 70 year old grandmother, whose name has not been released, was staying at the Continent Inn Motel in Columbus, Ohio.  She and the other members of the group were were in town for a horse show - the Quarter Horse Congress.  They were in their motel room at about 9:15 PM, with the door open to provide fresh air, when an armed robber burst in and threatened the lives of those present while demanding money.  The 70 year old woman grabbed her handgun and shot the robber, causing him to flee.  Police arrived about 5 minutes later and found 25 year old Wayne M. Winston lying dead in the parking lot from a gunshot wound.  Officers interviewed the grandmother and then released her without charges, stating that her justified self defense action may have saved the lives of the robbery victims.

Blam ... blam, blam ... blam, blam, blam ... "don't make me use the gun" ...

Hardware versus software encryption. According to Girard, hardware-based encryption promises significant performance improvements over software-based technologies, and the new Trusted Computing Group (TCG) open standard offers a common management specification for hard-drive manufacturers. However, there is a lack of real-world products using the standard, he says. Hardware encryption will continue to evolve, he says, and future choices will appear in other device subsystems, such as CPUs or supporting chip sets.

Quite a bit of encryption stuff today ...

While Microsoft affirms the "unbreakable" nature of its new encryption technology, the company disputes claims that criminals would successfully use the programs to lock out police and other law-enforcement agencies. "Each time we have worked with law enforcement on any investigations we typically haven't found BitLocker has been a hurdle to the investigation," said Stuart Strathdee, the chief security adviser to Microsoft Australia. However, he was quick to assure users this did not mean there was a way to crack the encryption. "There is no back door under any circumstances; there is no way," he said. 

Hmmm ...

After his roommates noticed suspicious lights and buzzing in August 2007, Wyllie was arrested. Eventually he pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to visually record the woman in question in a private place without her consent. Open and shut case, right? Not quite: Wyllie is now going free without a jail sentence. Why? Because Wyllie encrypted the videos he recorded on his computer. Unable to crack the codes, police were never able to see what he recorded, limiting the evidence they had to use against him. Lacking any hard evidence of wrongdoing outside of the camera setup, the judge had to go on the lenient side for sentencing, since there was no real proof he'd ever actually used it.

I'm not sure why he would get no time after pleading guilty. Maybe the judge was impressed that he actually had the discipline to self-enforce an encryption policy ...

"Mr. Kerik has a toxic combination of self-minded focus and arrogance that leads him to believe that the ends justify the means, that rules that apply to all don't apply to him in the same way, that rulings of the court are an inconvenience," Robinson said.

State police investigated and said they found an overwhelming amount of evidence. What they found, they would not say in detail, but they took the student into custody in early October and immediately sent him to a local hospital for treatment. On Wednesday, the teen was released from the hospital and arraigned at a juvenile court in Waterford on charges including manufacturing a bomb, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, an act of terrorism, threatening and reckless endangerment.

Really, terrorism ...?

With a wave of a hand, the CDC has simply redefined gun-control research so the ban no longer applies. They're not researching guns; they're researching alcohol sales and their impact on gun violence, or researching how teens carrying guns affect the rates of non-gun injuries. "These particular grants do not address gun control; rather they deal with the surrounding web of circumstances," wrote National Institutes of Health (NIH) spokesman Don Ralbovsky.

Hmmm ...

Cool site ...

But no one expects a man waiting in the brush with five weapons and 300 rounds of ammunition. No one expects a giant, swooping act of violence in a county with a population smaller than the University of Texas at Austin. 

Today's the day, everyday ...

Body armour, unlike guns, can’t actually kill anyone. So it seems preposterous that the government could ban the sale of an item that isn’t, in and of itself, dangerous. And it isn’t as though gangs actually legally purchase guns and body armour anyway, so the banning of it will be just as effective as the ban on handguns: nil.

It should make it clear that it isn't your security that they're trying to improve ...

I am a firm supporter of the second amendment right to bear arms. In the state of Alabama there is one aspect where our second amendment rights are being heinously violated. The aspect I am referring to is the fact that it is illegal for people to openly carry a sword. Some prefer tazers, pepper spray, or pocket knives as a means of self-defense, but swords are simply not allowed. Why is it perfectly fine to have a concealed .44 magnum with a permit, but completely illegal to have a gladius on your belt? Why is it acceptable to own an AK-47 and a thousand rounds of ammunition in Alabama, but not acceptable to sell a fully sharpened sword? I support the right to own a gun for self-defense, but I personally detest them. So what am I supposed to carry to protect myself when the best alternative is illegal to carry in the streets? 

Interesting point ...

In August, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fired HWA from guarding six Columbia River and Snake River dams because it was not paying the almost 200 guards performing that task, the Tri-City Herald reported. Another company has taken over that contract.

It's odd how many security companies turn out to be shady ...

In what is seen as a landmark civil rights victory for the Sikh community, the US government has allowed Sikhs to serve as federal security officers while keeping their turbans and beards. The reversal of a ban comes after a discrimination case filed by a Sikh security officer who was told that he could not keep his turban and beard on the job, Sikh Coalition, a community advocacy group said Tuesday. 

As long as your still readily identifiable as Security and don't stink or anything, I don't see a problem ...

Citizen gun owners who attended a hearing before the Orange County Board of Supervisors testified, stating their dissatisfaction with the Sheriff's policy and the fact that she was not elected to office. Many suggested that Sheriff Hutchens has her own agenda, is intending to impose the Los Angeles County policies on the citizens of Orange County and the Board of Supervisors should distance themselves from her policy.

TrueCrypt’s response to the so called ‘janitor attacks’ is pretty straight forward - as long as someone had physical access to your hardware you should assume the worst if truly paranoid. Moreover, according to the developer, the physical security of the hardware is not TrueCrypt’s problem, and that a good strongbox might offer a clue that the hardware has been tempered with in the absence of its owner.

As with so much of Security, "Don't assume" is a great starting place ...

According to reports, DMX clashed with security officials, who told him he'd arrived too late to perform and the audience had already been told he wouldn't be performing.

It's hard to call without having been there. Security always has the home court advantage but the S/O that's doing the talking isn't really providing any information and he could have just as easily been talking a mile a minute about "Look the promoter has pulled the plug because things are getting explosive out there. The shows been canceled but if you step over here we can call the promoter, Look, I don't have any choice, the property managers have told us we have to trespass you and have you arrested if you try to go on, etc." DMX et al. appear to have come to a stop for some talk-talk, but all that's being said is "We're badder than you" which typically doesn't promote a positive outcome. Practitioners of the Security Craft should try to remember that the guy your messing with may be able to afford better attorneys than you can and there isn't anything that guarantees that you'll be dropped from the suit or that you'll prevail, so you should probably exhaust all the non-provocative and non-violent possibilities before moving on to name calling and so forth ...

International trends suggest that prison radicalization and recruitment are common. Richard Reid, the 2001 shoe bomber, and Muktar Said Ibrahim, involved with the second and failed London attacks in 2005, were radicalized while serving time for petty crimes in Britain. Jamal Ahmidan, a leader of the 2004 Madrid bombings, was radicalized while serving time for theft. Mohamed Achraf, while serving time for credit-card fraud in Spain, established the Martyrs for Morocco, recruiting nearly 20 inmates for attacks on Spain's National Court. Safe Bourada created the Partisans of Victory while serving time in France and recruited convicts for attacks in Paris. Jose Padilla, currently serving a 17-year terrorism conviction, and Michael Finton, arrested last month while allegedly attempting to detonate a bomb in Illinois, were both introduced to radical Islam while serving time on non-terrorism-related charges. And Kevin James founded the Assembly of Authentic Islam behind bars in California, recruiting two fellow inmates for attacks in Los Angeles.

Jundollah is a small armed group of Baluchis that was formed in 2003 to fight the central government in what it termed "national discrimination against the Baluchi people of Iran." 

Interesting ...

The Origin Data Locker: For the paranoid geek who lives with his parents in their fortified underground bunker. Doubt it? Everything from the belongs-on-a-battleship looks to the AES encryption software to the 6-18 digit PIN screams "you will not get the 1TB of porn inside me."

Just waiting for the price to come down a tad ...

Indeed, Iran received a dose of its own medicine, when a shadowy Sunni separatist group named Jundullah targeted a group of high-level Iranian security officials with a lethal suicide bomb attack on Sunday. The attack killed the deputy commander of the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces, Gen. Noor Ali Shooshtari, as well as Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh, deputy commander of the Guard in the restive Sistan-Baluchistan province, and at least 29 others. Dozens of people were wounded. It was one of the harshest attacks sustained by Iran in recent years.

Life's a bitch, ain't it boys ...

Brazilian authorities said 2,000 police operatives were yesterday hunting for the drug traffickers behind a sudden outbreak of violence in Rio de Janeiro which has so far claimed at least 14 lives and seen a police helicopter shot down.

This will need to be ancient history if you want your Olympics to be profitable ...

Am I really going to compare how you should start a PPC campaign to a sniper’s bullet? Absolutely.

It might work ...

The Second Amendment Foundation on Oct. 9 warned Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels to heed the public rejection of a proposed gun ban at city parks facilities or face the consequences in court. SAF obtained information from the mayor's office that the overwhelming majority of citizens living both inside and outside the city turned thumbs down on the mayor's plan to ban even legally-carried firearms in city parks facilities. Nickels has already been advised by Attorney General Rob McKenna that the city has no authority to enact such a ban, which would be illegal under the state's preemption law.

You'd think that after being voted out of office over it he would get the idea that his gun-banning ways are not wanted there ...

Most Virginians say they want required criminal background checks on those who buy guns from unlicensed dealers, a survey found. The survey, conducted by the Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, also found a majority said they prefer a ban on concealed weapons in restaurants serving alcohol, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Sunday. The survey showed 80 percent of those likely to vote said they wanted a change in state law so it requires criminal background checks on people before they could buy a gun from an unlicensed dealer at a firearms show.

I bet it doesn't actually say any of that ...

Until now, the biggest known planetary rings in the solar system were Saturn's E ring and faint, thin sheets of dust orbiting Jupiter. The newly discovered ring spans from 128 to 207 times the radius of Saturn – or farther – and is 2.4m kilometres thick.

Cool pics, too ...

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel, one of several law enforcement leaders across the state who urged the governor to sign the ammunition bill, told lawmakers that Sacramento police were able to track 229 illegal ammunition purchases in 2008, the first year after the Sacramento City Council approved its ammunition ordinance. There were 173 convicted felons among those illegal purchasers. Scores of illegal guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition were taken out of the hands of criminals who are not supposed to have them.

Ahhh ... some new laws making illegal purchases a crime, how enlightened ...

This is a tragedy from any angle, and my bleeding heart goes out to Meleanie Hain's family and friends. She did not deserve to die, and was not killed because she owned a gun or openly carried it. She was not killed because her husband owned a gun. She was a victim of domestic violence, and so are her children. Scott Hain could have killed his wife and himself by any number of means. She and he would be just as dead, their kids just as parentless. The guns kept in Meleanie Hain's house did not cause her death, but they did not prevent it, either. That's bad news for the cause she spent the last year of her life advocating. Like most fringe distractions masquerading as real issues, the open-carry cause is all hat and no cattle, a tantrum seeking an easily cowed audience. Advocates push it as a gun-rights crusade, but it's goon rights they're really out to protect and expand.

No, it's goon rights they are out to curtail ...

The full-body scanner, which can spot weapons and explosives hidden under clothing, was launched with great fanfare at Manchester Airport last week. But now – with the system due to begin operating at full capacity at Manchester’s Terminal 2 next week – security chiefs have been told no one under 18 can be subjected to the new checks. Child protection experts have warned that the image produced by the Rapiscan machines may break the law which prevents the creation of an indecent image or pseudo-image of a child. The legislation, the Protection of Children Act 1978, could potentially have led to security officers facing criminal charges for doing their job by examining the images.

Probably shouldn't have abandoned evil intent as a necessary component for a crime to be committed ...

The boundary where the pressure from the solar wind and the interstellar medium are at the same pressure, 16 billion kilometres from Earth, forms a giant bubble called the heliopause, and it's nothing like what scientists predicted it to be.

Interesting ...

Recent Ubuntu releases have offered users the option of encrypting all but their boot partitions with block-level encryption, explains Brooks, but the feature has been limited to the text-based alternate install disk, not the more commonly used default LiveCD-based disk. In Ubuntu 9.10, the default LiveCD installer now offers a home directory encryption option, and according to Brooks, it's a good one. The encryption scheme is layered atop the file system and targets specific system folders, as opposed to encrypting everything on disk, and it should "deliver improved performance by ignoring data outside of home or swap directories," writes Brooks. It also allows for unattended booting, as well as for multiple home directories, each encrypted with its own key.

I need to give Linux some more thought and experimentation ...

The problem, of course, is that the global rule trumps any situational common sense, any discretion. But in granting discretion those in overall charge must trust people below them who have more detailed situational knowledge. It's CYA security -- the same thing you see at airports. Those involved in the situation can't be blamed for making a bad decision as long as they follow the rules, no matter how stupid they are and how little they apply to the situation.

Here, here ...

It looks like the Air Force will be getting a new toy.  The Pentagon recently awarded a nearly $52 million contract to speed up delivery of the "massive ordnance penetrator" or MOP.  The MOP, which will be the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal, is a precision-guided bomb that will carry 5,300 pounds of explosives and is designed to destroy deeply buried and hardened underground targets.  Not surprisingly, the MOP began development during the Bush administration – which certainly would have coveted such a weapon as part of its policy of preemption (more properly prevention since the Bush administration’s national security policy called for preempting emerging threats before they materialized rather than preemptive defense against known, imminent threats).  What is surprising is that the Obama administration has decided to accelerate the program so that the MOP can be aboard B-2 stealth bombers as soon as next summer.

Haaretz is reporting that the IAEA has viewed a three minute video that shows a simulated Iranian nuclear weapon detonation.

Hmmm ... the Iranian leadership must WANT their country reduced to a smoking glass crater ... crazy bastards ...

We wholeheartedly agree. NASA should put its unique resources into pushing back the final frontier and not in repaving the earth-to-orbit road it cleared a half century ago. Commercial human spaceflight is not competitive with NASA. It is complementary. Indeed, a strong partnership between NASA and the commercial sector is nothing new. NASA already relies on commercial rockets to launch multibillion-dollar science payloads and NASA is well along in its plans to turn over space station cargo resupply duties to the private sector. The time has come for NASA to build on these successes and embrace commercial crew transportation as well.

Have you ever looked at a visual puzzle where you had to relax your eyes and “let yourself” see the hidden image?  If you were able to do this, you probably noticed that you had to let it happen at first. Later you could let it happen more easily, and later still you could see the image whenever you wanted; you were in control.  Think of tai chi in this way.  First you have to let it happen.  Later you’ll learn to control it.

Perez-Hernandez, a painter by trade, was having trouble finding jobs because of 2002 felony domestic violence convictions in King County, Engle said.

A mug shot to compare to the ATM caps would be helpful, here ...

Interesting ... uhhh ... points ...

Despite its gusty reputation as a “gas giant,” Jupiter’s blood-red clouds hide a dense, rocky core that’s perhaps 20 times as massive as Earth. That core blocks any spacecraft’s passage through the center of the planet, but even a detour through the clouds would be a disaster.

Cool pic, too ...

Carried [a] full frame stainless 1911 Kimber in [a] Kholster today.

I've been a fan of USB thumb-drive encryption for a long time, and in recent years the best form of that encryption is hardware-based, employing an embedded crypto processor within the USB drive itself. Hardware encryption is critical to prevent "man in the middle" attacks that can occur with host computer encryption, and to achieve reliable cross-platform zero-footprint operation without installing special software.

Hmmm ...

I recently took my 90-year-old father to the airport so he could catch a flight to visit my brother in Chicago. He still walks on his own, but feebly. I had to leave him to not only maneuver through security by himself (taking off his shoes, etc.), but he had to negotiate the long concourse to his gate alone. He can do it, but it is physically and emotionally taxing, and he's too darn proud to ask for a cart, and all I can do is stand there helpless and watch him wearily shuffle away. My eyes tear, and I get angry at the insensitivity of our airport system. 

Don't vote for ANYONE that isn't actively pursuing the policies you want in place ...

The result of California’s new law will be to drive business out of state, to turn law-abiding citizens into criminals and conspirators, and to deprive citizens of their Constitutional rights. The law will have zero impact on real criminals, and in fact the state will know less about who has ammunition than before the law, since most gun owners will buy surreptitiously. The law does nothing except express, at a significant dollar cost, the contempt legislators have for legitimate gun owners.

He's never really acted like that much of a conservative so this should come as no surprise ...

When an Oregon teen talked his way onto an airplane bound for Chicago last weekend, he unknowingly revealed a little-known hole in airport security. Kids don't have to show photo ID. That may come as a surprise to many air travelers. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, travelers are accustomed to removing their shoes, not carrying liquids and otherwise coping with strict protocols of airport security.

The surveillance audio/video of a gun fight in a Toledo bar ...

In a press conference Friday, Muni officials addressed the separate melees, affirming that video footage captured both fights. The department has turned over tapes of the Monday scuffle on the 9-San Bruno to police investigators, with the hopes that inspectors will be able to identify some of the suspects involved in the brawl, according to Muni spokesman Judson True.

As usual, the cameras weren't helpful to the people being beaten ...

Scientists at the University of Missouri are developing a small nuclear battery that they say can hold a million times more charge than standard batteries. The radioisotope battery, being developed by Jae Kwon of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and other researchers, is the size and thickness of a penny.

Interesting ...

The Russian Soyuz capsule carrying Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte and two other space travelers landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sunday, ending the entertainment tycoon's mirthful space odyssey. Laliberte, who wore a bulbous clown nose during his stay aboard the International Space Station, was extracted from the cramped Soyuz capsule Sunday morning following its landing in the steppes of northern Kazakhstan. After the landing, he was carried from the capsule wearing the round red nose.

So far, the space tourism has been surprisingly safe.

That's why I've taken the important first step of signing on to an amicus brief encouraging the Supreme Court to overturn the Chicago gun ban. Last year, I signed onto a similar brief -- and I was joined by 55 U.S. senators and 250 U.S. representatives -- urging the Supreme Court to uphold our rights. I'm also encouraging all of my colleagues to sign on as well. Our fundamental rights are far too important to be put at stake.

My interest in home security did not start until 5 a.m. on a nice summer morning when a man with a baseball bat crashed through an all-glass door on my patio. It is not the sort of wake-up call anyone would enjoy. Things turned out fine for me and, for that matter, for the burglar. He got away with a wallet grabbed from the kitchen counter and I got away with my life and limbs intact.

It's unfortunate that it frequently starts that way but rarely has the happy ending ...

Some people have suggested that forms were designed originally for the purpose of passing down fighting techniques secretly, negating the need to document them and thus risk having them being exposed or stolen. While others suggest their designed and sole purpose was to provide a pre-determined set of training aids to improve such attributes as balance, coordination and timing, just as we might see a Western boxer using his shadow boxing. There is probably some truth to both, and this would explain why some forms flow naturally into successive techniques whilst some others are a combination of techniques which don’t seem to flow together.

[Smile]

My Passport Essential and My Passport for Mac drives also feature user-selected password protection combined with military-grade 256-bit hardware encryption, which scrambles files before they are stored. Typically found only on much more expensive drive systems, the encryption acts as a virtual padlock to keep data secure.

I was looking at these at Fry's over the weekend and found that there was almost no information about the encryption on the box (it said there was encryption but not what kind or anything). I guess it's a sign that you're getting old when you expect manufacturers to talk about their products on the containers ...

The application enables you to encrypt an entire partition or storage devices (USB flash drives, etc) or create a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mount it as a virtual disk, that can be accessed via a drive letter. Any file that is stored on this virtual drive is automatically encrypted on-the-fly, and can only be accessed while the drive is mounted with the correct password or key. TrueCrypt supports a variety of encryption algorithms, including AES-256, Blowfish (448-bit key), CAST5, Serpent, Triple DES, and Twofish. Other features include support for FAT32 or NTFS formatting, hidden volumes, hotkeys for mounting/dismounting and more.

The is worth spending some time with, but don't go crazy on it. Get a couple of thumb drives and experiment with the different features and processes before you try to encrypt your operating system or something else that is equally risky and probably completely unnecessary ...

The chemical irritant turned to be a pepper spray, according to a statement from the hotel. "The can of spray belonged to one of our guests, and was accidentally tipped over by a member of our housekeeping staff while servicing the room," the statement said. Once the hotel was aired out, all guests were able to return to their rooms.

A new experience and a fun story to tell ...

Someone apparently with Carney-Nunes videotaped that performance and posted it at the author's Web site without the approval of school officials. A copy of that video appeared in September on YouTube, titled "School Kids Taught to Praise Obama." Citing concerns for the safety of students and staff, Superintendent Christopher Manno has asked organizers to reconsider the protest because classes will be held that day. Manno said protesters will not be allowed on school property and additional district staffers will be on hand.

Let the kids sing their song. I'm sure the parents can get them out of it if they think it's appropriate or necessary.

MessageLabs said there was evidence of an increase in the number of brute-force password breaking attempts, where dictionary attacks are used against online webmail accounts, perhaps using POP3 or webmail to conduct the attacks. “Users with simple or weak passwords are the most vulnerable. On the website, an attacker will be asked to solve a Captcha puzzle to prove they are a real person. Captchas can be easily bypassed using a variety of Captcha-breaking tools,” MessageLabs said.

You might try memorizing a long poem or something like that and then cycle through uses of the first letter of however many words are needed to hit the right password strength, next pass use the first and third letter, etc. It makes it easier to remember the new password each time because you remember the previous password from having used it for 3 months and you know the algorithm for choosing each 'next' password ...

The fact that a handcuffed soldier suspected of being AWOL escaped from federal authorities at Denver International Airport and then could not be found doesn't mean security procedures are lax, an airport spokesman said Thursday. "Obviously, the place is crawling with security," said Jeff Green, a spokesman for DIA. "We have security pretty much everywhere."

It might mean that, though ...

In December 2008 Zaidi hurled both of his shoes at Bush during a news conference – missing him – and yelled: "This is your parting gift, you dog."

Hmmm ... never heard that he was yelling anything at the time ...

The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting for more than three decades in several Indian states, demanding land and jobs for agricultural laborers and the poor. They frequently target police and government officials, whom they accuse of colluding with landlords and rich farmers to exploit the poor.

The trouble with reading/hearing about this sort of thing is that it's difficult to ascertain whether they have some legitimate gripe of whether they just like perpetrating violence. You're going to hear both versions and you can't really know ...

I've always (since a few seconds ago) wanted a chateau ...

What's special about WorldView 2 is the capability to image in eight different color bands, which is double the number on earlier satellites. The result will be the next step in the commercial Earth-imagery business, by taking the sharp clarity and painting the pictures in the truest natural colors. "At this time, there isn't another satellite which combines high-resolution with eight bands and the level of agility that we get from the WorldView-class satellite," a DigitalGlobe spokesperson told Spaceflight Now. The added colors promise to heighten the amount of information and insights that can be extracted for uses such as diagnosing the health of crops, determining the impact of natural disasters and identifying features for national security.

Police say that a 50 year old man was washing his car at the self-service car wash on East 22nd Street, near South Beverly Avenue at about 4:30 PM when a robber approached him.  The robber is said to have pulled out handgun, and threatened the man's life.  The victim reportedly drew his self defense gun and shot the robber, causing the robber to flee to a get-away vehicle driven by a suspected accomplice.  Shortly thereafter, a suspect arrived at a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound matching that of the robber.  The injured suspect, and the person who drove him to the hospital, are in custody.  The robbery victim was unharmed.

I do so love it when they fight back ...

The WaterWall is an end-to-end water security management system that provides government and municipality water utilities the ability to prevent, protect, detect, manage, and recover from everyday tasks to minor events and major crisis. These events include accidents, natural disasters, operational faults, contaminations, and sewer leaks to sabotage, chemical/biological materials, terror, and cyber crimes. Through online, real time data streaming the WaterWall collects and manages all information from the physical protection components and the water monitoring systems. The WaterWall unifies security and information systems to provide early warnings, and manage all events. It achieves this by using a sophisticated model composed of dynamic semi automatic procedures and on demand communication tools. With this, the WaterWall can manage manpower and resources to support all operational needs. Furthermore, the WaterWall reduces potentially costly human error, and makes it easier to establish and maintain compliance with industry and government regulations. The WaterWall also dramatically improves the speed and effectiveness of incident response and recovery while actually reducing operating costs. It"s a solution that creates an environment where all current and future technologies, people and actionable procedures are fused into a unified, control and management platform empowers control room and/or remote control personnel to focus on all aspects of management from one location.

Interesting ...

You can see three people walking across the parking lot. The first two walk out of the bottom of the video frame. A third person walks in the same direction as the first two, then stops and walks back towards the direction of the ocean. The person stops, apparently scanning the ocean, then turns and runs in the other direction after spotting the incoming tsunami wave. The questions that haunt the viewer are what became of these people? Did they survive?

One of the first two guys looks like he is aware that something is amiss but doesn't seem to realize what. (my guess is there's a distinct lack of water in the area where he's used to seeing the ocean.) The third person definitely realizes what's wrong and high-tails it. Presumably the video ends when the power shorted out ...

According to a report in Nature News, the suspect, a French-Algerian, was taken into custody by French police on October 8 in the town of Vienne. He is believed to be a postdoc at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) who, since 2003, has been performing data analysis on one of four major experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. French antiterrorism police arrested the 32-year-old researcher together with his 25-year-old brother. The duo is suspected of passing along information about possible terrorism targets inside France to members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - the North African wing of al-Qaeda. There is no evidence that his work at CERN is connected to terrorism, according to laboratory spokesman James Gillies. 

Hmmm ...

Nine shootings -- from pellet and BB guns -- have turned a Manhattan neighborhood into a shooting gallery, and cops can't seem to hold the fire. On Thursday night the shooter struck again. In recent weeks, police have arrested three people and confiscated two air guns, but the shootings continue, which means someone or some people are still on the loose.

"A while back, our New York Mayor Bloomberg came down here to take away some of your Virginia gun rights," a man says in the spot, in a Sopranos-like accent. "You see, the mayor thinks you guys are responsible for our New York crime problem. But when Mayor Bloomberg got down here, your guy, Bob McDonnell, kicked him out of Virginia. Now that was very disrespectful." Contacted about what the spot meant with the claim that McDonnell "kicked [Bloomberg] out of Virginia," an NRA representative said it was a reference to the fact McDonnell sent Bloomberg a "cease and desist" letter. He also pointed to McDonnell's work with the legislature to make sure sting operations would be illegal. "So now I'm here to make sure Mr. McDonnell doesn't get in New York's way again," the man continues in the ad, as Italian-style music plays in the background. "Listen to me: When you vote, I strongly suggest you forget about your freedoms and your Mr. Second Amendment Bob McDonnell. I want you to do it for New York. If you know what's good for you."

This $20 million project could surely save you a lot of pain at security checkpoints like airports, stadiums, mass transit centers etc. You may not even have to remove your jacket and shoes. However, one of the researchers, Daniel Martin is of the viewpoint that the measurement of body signals cannot measure the intent of the person. Many critics have say that the regular method of tracking the terrorist or suspect is much more convincing than the FAST technology. Civil liberties groups have found another reason protest claiming that no one has the right to measure ones bodily functions and is an invasion of ones privacy. The FAST technology hopes to start its field testing by 2011.

If means is lacking, intent is irrelevant ...

From the user's perspective, however, the drive is almost as easy to use as any thumbdrive. I tried it with a few computers and it worked very well. The drive comes with two separate partitions. One is a fixed 30MB read-only partition that contains the security software. The second is the rest of the drive's capacity to store data. The first time you insert the drive into a computer, be it a PC or a Mac, its self-contained security software will prompt you to pick a password and a security question for retrieving password when it's forgotten. Once a password is chosen, you'll need to run the software again each time you connect the drive to a computer, then enter the password to gain access to the drive's data partition. After that, the drive works just like any other thumbdrive. 

I'm happy to see more folks getting into the biz, maybe the prices will come down ...

Commuters choked and coughed in the ticket hall of a busy station last Friday morning as a police officer tried to restrain a man. Stunned passengers at Ealing Broadway station watched as a single officer tackled the man who was resisting arrest for a public order offence at around 8:30am. The officer released pepper spray and peak hour commuters rushed to move away from the scene, covering their noses and coughing after inhaling the fumes.

Use the foam, guys ...

The River Rat’s face was photographed up close and uncovered during a bank heist in August — and the security video images were widely publicized by newspapers and TV stations around the area. And yet the armed robberies continued and now total at least 15, most in Vancouver and Portland, says the FBI. The holdups of banks and cash advance stores began Aug. 7 in Portland and, two months later, with the FBI and five police agencies trying to identify him, they still don’t know who he is. How does he do it?

If/when they catch him it will be interesting to see what his invisibility methodology looks like. He has to be in a situation where something other than his appearance causes peoples eyes to pass over him, or recognize him and then discount the possibility that he's the River Rat ...

The CCTV video (the action really begins at the 1:11 minute mark) is entertaining enough. It's not every day that you get to witness a pair of homophobic thugs getting their comeuppance. Nor do I suspect that our anti-heroes in question Dean Gardener, 19, and Jason Fender, 22 believed that they would achieve world-wide Internet fame, really more scorn and ridicule, for getting their clocks cleaned by guys in heels who can pack a punch.

This is pretty funny. I would like to see everyone develop their martial ability to the point where random attacks on the street become a thing of the past ...

At the outset, the viewer is high above the earth, ominous music precipitating a perilous dive through space and clouds directly into the CELL headquarters -- a camera move that ends with a symbolic explosion. Elway, who's inside, is brave enough not to run for cover -- but he's certainly more somber than usual as he shares his memories of 9/11 as the World Trade Center explodes again. Back then, he couldn't believe something like the attacks could happen in America, but he understands now. "This is something we're going to have to deal with the rest of our lives," he warns.

Seems like a good basic primer ...

Carrying a lethal weapon in public confers a grave power that carries with it great responsibilities. Those who lawfully engage in the practice realize that. Those who are considering “carrying” need to know what those experienced people know.

No matter how happy you are when you're at the mall buying your first gun, don't jump up and down yelling 'I've got a gun, I've got a gun!'

8. Big Trouble in Little China (1986): A trucker, who walks and talks like John Wayne, finds himself in an underworld battle in San Francisco’s Chinatown with an army of spirits. This is Carpenter’s parody of the action film and one of his favorite genres, the kung fu movie.

Great movie ...

Last year, in the landmark case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. However, as that case concerned the actions of the District of Columbia government, a federal entity, the high court was not called upon to decide whether the right bound states and local governments. Over the years, almost the entire Bill of Rights has been held to apply to state and local governments by operation of the Fourteenth Amendment.“The freedoms we enjoy as Americans are secured to us against violation by all levels of government,” noted Alan Gura, of Gura & Possessky, PLLC, lead counsel for the McDonald plaintiffs. “State and local politicians should be on notice: the Second Amendment is a normal part of the Bill of Rights, and it is coming to your town.”

Planetary scientists such as Lunine have suggested that methane plays the same role on Titan that water does on Earth, freezing, evaporating and raining down on the moon's surface. Cassini arrived at Saturn in 2004, and is on an extended mission to investigate the planet's rings and moons.

Denver's Police Chief Gerald Whitman agreed that law enforcement, through Colorado's intelligence and fusion centers, worked well together in the investigation that led to the arrest of terror suspect Zazi. However, Whitman says he hopes more tips in the future come from residents. "We need the tips from the community. We really do need those. Even though sometimes they may be burdensome, when they come in large numbers when we're in a heightened state of awareness after an arrest like this, but I guarantee we're going to follow up on each one of them and follow up to see if there's a connection to anything," Whitman said.

I think most people know what to look for. The problem is that they ultimately don't trust you enough to expose themselves unless they are really, REALLY sure ...

Police say that Mark Brown returned to his home on the 8500 block of Norton at about 9:30 AM, and heard an unusual noise that sounded like a burglar.  Brown is said to have grabbed a shotgun from his bedroom.  The burglar reportedly then jumped out of a bedroom closet and rushed towards him, causing Brown to fear for his safety.  Brown fired in self defense, fatally wounding the intruder and saving himself, police say.  Brown, who has lived on the same street for the last 50 years, was unharmed and is not expected to face any charges.

Probably folded him up like a snotty tissue ...

"He kept jumping up and down in the street here saying, 'He's trying rob me. He's trying to rob me.' And he said 'I shot him. Why'd you make me do this? Why'd you make me do this?' Becker said. "I kept telling him to, 'Put the gun down. Put the gun down. I want to go see if I could help this kid.' And he wouldn't drop the gun."

Remember ... no matter how happy you are when you go to the mall and buy your first pistol, don't start jumping up and down yelling "I've got a gun! I've got a gun!"

"Tracking devices can be useful to parents," Allen told the AP. "Our concern is that they will be viewed as more than they are." Security companies are marketing such devices as those that can be placed in children’s backpacks, although some more invasive methods, such as implantable devices also exist. Still, security firms say that these methods are not intended to be used as substitutes to good parenting. "This is not tag and release," Todd Morris, CEO of BrickHouse Security, told the AP. "But even the best parent, with the best intentions, can find it hard to keep track of their kids all the time."

A taxi driver, he had been detained on suspicion of attempted rape. The police interrogation was so relentless, he says, that it brought him to the brink of suicide. "When I first started saying I was innocent the intimidation and the pressure on me grew stronger," he said. "They kept saying, ‘Your family is giving up on you, they’re very disappointed in you.’ They kept repeating over and over. "I got to the stage of there’s really nothing I can do about this. Anything I say they’re not going to listen to, there’s nothing I can do. I just said yes, one word yes. That led them to arrest me." That confession was enough to see Hiroshi Yanagihara convicted and spend more than two years behind bars, even though a footprint at the scene did not match his shoe size. He was only cleared after he was released, when another man was found guilty of the crime.

Yes, traveling with kids is a whole different ball game. For sure.

Police say that 61 year old Carlton L. Burgess of Lumberton, NJ had some sort of unknown dispute with Marcel Alston of Halifax, NC back in 1988.  It is said that the two men had not seen each other in several years, until Burgess came to Alston's home at 7AM and knocked on the door, waking him up.  When Alston opened the door, Burgess promptly began beating the man, leaving a gash on his head, according to police.  Alston is then said to have turned and ran up the stairs of his home, only to have Burgess shoot him in the buttocks and continue to follow him.  Alston was able to run upstairs, get his self defense gun, and fatally shoot Burgess in self defense after Burgess followed him into his bedroom.  Alston survived, and was treated at a nearby hospital for the gunshot wound and gash on his head.

Oh man ... not in the buttocks ...

Fight Quest unveiled itself in December 2007 to eager viewers with the discipline of Kung Fu. Each episode follows a routine formula. First, the show opens with an introduction to the art (Kung Fu in this case) with a montage of exciting clips to hook viewers. Second, viewers see a staged Kung Fu fight between experienced practitioners to get the adrenaline flowing. The audience is then introduced to the masters who will be teaching the hosts. What makes ‘Fight Quest’ different from ‘Human Weapon’ is that the hosts, Doug and Jimmy, are split up and undergo different training regiments with different masters. Once the training begins, viewers are given the hosts’ points of view in asides. One will start to notice that each host has his defining characteristic.

Announced by the global credit card company on Monday, these best practices are designed to further the payment industry's efforts to develop a common, open standard while providing guidance to encryption vendors and early adopters. Data field encryption protects card information from the swipe to the acquirer processor with no need for the merchant to process or transmit card data in the "clear."

Every laptop user should have a healthy paranoia about the possibility of getting their notebook stolen or hacked while they're using a public Wi-Fi network at the airport or coffeehouse. Stay circumspect and use some of the tools built into your notebook's operating system to keep yourself safe.

Not much detail, but ...

CSD already had in place a fiber optic-supported virtual local area network (VLAN), which allows users to view stored and real-time video without interrupting regular enterprise traffic. This allows administrators to handle surveillance and respond immediately to a security problem, as well as to review potential security breaches, captured by the cameras as they occur, at day's end.

The article doesn't really say whether they have someone watching the cameras all the time or whether there are people on campus that, once notified that something is going on, will be able to respond and come up with the right answer. The fact that they plan on reviewing potential security breaches at 'day's end' doesn't really load me with confidence that they have any idea what security is all about.

HANGOVERS Sometimes so bad, ya need a friend just to hold your brain in your skull….

Lieutenant General Fang Fenghui, general director of the parade, told Xinhua the parade was supposed to showcase the transformation of the PLA from a low-tech, manpower-intensive force to a high-tech, 21st-century one. And nothing says futuristic! like white go-go boots. 

Sooo right ...

In fact, developers claim the laser gunship would have sniperlike precision. When they requested the Advanced Tactical Laser to be deployed to Iraq a couple of years back, the Marine Corps envisioned using it as a way to target individual insurgents — to devastating psychological effect. Such weapons, when used against people, “can be compared to long-range blowtorches or precision flamethrowers, with corresponding psychological advantages for [Coalition Forces] CF,” the request stated. But don’t expect a frightening “spontaneous combustion” weapon to be fielded soon. The Advanced Tactical Laser is still a demonstration program; the company has proven that it can package a chemical-powered laser inside a C-130, but as Noah has been writing for years, it’s hard to see the practical application of flying around with lots of toxic chemicals.

Let me know when it's available as a sidearm ...

For those entranced by security theater, New York City is a sight to behold this week. A visit to one of the two centers of the action -- the Waldorf Astoria, where the presidents of China, Russia, the Prime Ministers of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the President of the United States -- are all staying. (Who gets the presidential suite? Our POTUS.) Getting to the Waldrof is a little intimidating, which is the point. Wade through the concrete barriers, the double-parked police cars, the NYPD mobile command post, a signals post, acreages of metal fencing, snipers, counter surveillance teams, FBI surveillance teams in street clothes, dodge traffic and a dignitary motorcade or two, and you're right at the front door of the hotel. A Secret Service agent from the Midwest gestured dismissively when a reporter showed him a press credential. "You don't need it. Just go in that door over there."

Have you ever worried that knuckle cracking will give you arthritis or wondered why pregnant women don't tip over? Me too. Research into those topics--as well as studies finding that diamonds could be created from tequila and giant panda feces are good for composting--received Ig Nobel Prizes in a ceremony on Thursday night at Harvard University. The prizes, awarded to scientific achievements that "cannot and should not be reproduced," are presented in the week before the real Nobel prizes are announced and are sponsored by the science humor magazine "Annals of Improbable Research." A Thousand Oaks, Calif., doctor won the Ig Nobel medicine prize for his firsthand research into arthritis in fingers. As a child and in adulthood, Donald Unger's mother, several aunts, and mother-in-law warned him that cracking his knuckles would lead to arthritis in his fingers. To test that theory, he cracked the knuckles of his left hand, but not the right hand, every day for more than 60 years.

"There's a new reality in laptop pricing," said Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at market-researcher IDC. "It's getting harder and harder to sell anything over $800." O'Donnell cited a data point that showed the average selling price of notebooks falling below desktops briefly in retail. "That may have been an anomaly, but the fact that's it's even close is indicative of this phenomenon."

The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. It is a date that parallels the autumn and spring Equinoxes of the solar calendar, when the moon is supposedly at its fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.

Thunder Bay‘s tai chi association is looking to raise $100,000 towards the construction of International Taiji Park on the city‘s waterfront. The rest of the $200,000 project will come from government and other funding sources, members of the Peng You Taiji Quan Association said Friday at the campaign‘s launch in Marina Park. The park, which will be located near the skateboard plaza and will ideally be completed in 2011, will include a traditional Chinese-style moon gate entrance, leading to a flagstone pad in a Yin Yang shape. It was designed by Thunder Bay architect Walter Kuch, a news release says.

Most important: Forgive yourself for being captive and unable to meet your obligations. When Ingrid Betancourt was rescued from FARC forces in Colombia, she told debriefing officers that she had more problems related to the mental stress from feeling she had let down her family, friends and associates by becoming a captive than the physical stress. Even though she understood that she was a captive through no fault of her own, she had a difficult struggle overcoming her guilt. She and other captives have reported that self forgiveness is the most important key to survival in a long term captivity. Seven years, in her case.

This is a fairly exhaustive dissertation on personal security measures for traveling in terror-prone regions ...

This paper argues that terrorism, beyond its immediate impact on innocent victims, also raises the costs of crime, and therefore, imposes a negative externality on potential criminals. Terrorism raises the costs of crime through two channels: (i) by increasing the presence and activity of the police force, and (ii) causing more people to stay at home rather than going out for leisure activities. Our analysis exploits a panel of 120 fatal terror attacks and all reported crimes for 17 districts throughout Israel between 2000 and 2005. After controlling for the fixed-effect of each district and for district-specific time trends, we show that terror attacks reduce property crimes such as burglary, auto-theft, and thefts-from-cars. Terror also reduces assaults and aggravated assaults which occur in private homes, but increases incidents of trespassing and “disrupting the police.” Taken as a whole, the results are consistent with a stronger deterrence effect produced by an increased police presence after a terror attack. A higher level of policing is likely to catch more people trespassing, and at the same time, reduce the number of property crimes. The decline in crimes committed in private houses is likely an indication that the tendency for individuals to stay home after a terror attack further increases the costs of crime.

Hmmm ...

Formation flying missions in space sound like science fiction, but missions using multiple spacecraft are already in the planning stages. These missions will involve multiple spacecraft flying anywhere from tens to hundreds of meters apart. The highly accurate distance measurements would allow a formation to monitor their distance and turn the formation into a single large sensor.

[Smile] ...

The end result, the developers of Mozilla's Content Security Policy (CSP) hope, is that policy-enhanced browsers will be completely immune from cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks from malicious sources, by virtue of restricting themselves to either only executing inline code from trusted, certified sites, or not executing any such code at all.

Firefox just keeps getting better and better ...

An unscientific poll can be found here ...

For police the incident turned out to be little more than a false alarm, but for the university, it turned out to be an opportunity to test their ability to get the message to the students through technology they use.