Mini-Drone Can Watch Neighbors From Above

Domestic Spying: Mini-Drone Can Watch Neighbors From Above -- CBS News

WASHINGTON (CBS) – Your neighbors’ fences are no longer tall enough.

While President Obama takes flak for the US’s use of unmanned drone attacks abroad, there is a smaller, smartphone-controlled drone hovering above urban rooftops and suburban backyards: The Parrot AR Drone 2.0.

The Parrot AR Drone 2.0, listed on Amazon just below $300, is the best way to live out one’s fantasy of being a spy. The miniature drone is controlled through your iPhone or iPad and features multiple sensors, including a hi-definition front-facing 720-pixel camera and a vertical camera looking straight down from the bottom of the miniature quadricopter (four propellers).

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My Comment: I can see these drones being used FOBs in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

New Cyber Virus Detected That Targets Middle Eastern Bank Accounts

Code from the Gauss virus, a new cyberweapon that attacks bank accounts. CNN

Virus Seeking Bank Data Is Tied To Attack On Iran -- New York Times

A security firm said Thursday that it had discovered what it believed was the fourth state-sponsored computer virus to surface in the Middle East in the last three years, apparently aimed at computers in Lebanon.

The firm, Kaspersky Lab, said that the virus appeared to have been written by the same programmers who created Flame, the data-mining computer virus that was found to be spying on computers in Iran in May, and that it might be linked to Stuxnet, the virus that disrupted uranium enrichment work in Iran in 2010.

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More News On A New Cyber Virus That Targets Bank Accounts

Nation-sponsored malware with Stuxnet ties has mystery warhead -- Ars Technica
Flame and Stuxnet Cousin Targets Lebanese Bank Customers, Carries Mysterious Payload -- Wired
Kaspersky Lab Says It Has Found Another State-Sponsored Computer Virus -- NPR
Newly discovered malware linked to Stuxnet, Flame -- Washington Post
Virus found in Mideast can spy on bank transactions -- Reuters
Nation-backed surveillance malware monitors Middle East bank accounts -- Computer World
Cyberweapon targets Middle East bank accounts -- CNN Money
Stuxnet-like spy virus Gauss hits Middle East banks -- The Guardian
Meet the ‘Gauss’ Virus, Stuxnet and Flame’s New Cousin -- Mashable Tech

My Comment: It looks like someone is monitoring Middle Eastern financial transactions and transfers of money .... and probably for a long time. To build and conduct such a surveillance operation will require huge amounts of money and personnel .... only a handful of countries could do this .... correction .... only 3 or 4 countries can. (U.S., Israel, Russia, and China). My money is on the U.S. and Israel working together on this one.

The Fracking And Geothermal Energy Revolution

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Fracking And A Geothermal Energy Revolution -- Energy Tomorrow

In the news: Projects are advancing that use hydraulic fracturing to crack “hot rocks” thousands of feet below the earth’s surface and turn them into geothermal energy-producing zones. Some say it could start a revolution in electricity generation.

Certainly, this map from the Energy Department’s National Renewals Lab, posted on the EnerGeo Politics blog, suggests there’s lots of hot-rock energy beneath the United States – especially in the West:

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My Comment: A very useful and informative map.

World's Biggest Purpose-Built Yacht Carrier

Dockwise's new Yacht Express carrier is launched.

Dockwise Debuts The World's Biggest Purpose-Built Yacht Carrier -- Gizmag

"The majority of yachts do not have the range to reach many of the world's inviting cruising areas and international playgrounds," reads the company's vision statement, but this need no longer be a limitation. Yacht owners simply sail their craft into the massive semi-submersible Yacht Express, where they are securely attached. The owners can then rendezvous with the yacht at its destination, or accompany their craft aboard the carrier in five-star luxury.

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My Comment: Owning a yacht is becoming a global social and economic trend .... a development that I am sure will give this ship a considerable amount of business.

Ocean Wave Energy The Next Big Thing

Stefan Siegel, president and chief technology officer of Atargis Energy Corporation, talks about the 1:10 scale model of a cycloidal wave energy converter that the company is testing in the wave basin at Texas A&M Offshore Technology Research Center Monday, July 16, 2012, in College Station. Hydrofoil blades on the underwater device rotate to extract energy from waves. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Melissa Phillip / © 2012 Houston Chronicle

Scientists Seek Next Wave In Power Generation -- Fuel Fix

Aerospace engineers are working to make ocean wave energy the nation’s newest source of green power by applying the physics of wind turbines to the sea.

Former U.S. Air Force Academy scientists took over Texas A&M University’s wave tank recently to test the idea that if air can produce affordable electricity, so can ocean water.

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My Comment: It is still years away from any possible development.

Mars Explorer Curiosity Successfully Lands On Mars - A News Roundup

Mars Landing Went 'Flawlessly,' Scientists Say -- CNN

(CNN) -- NASA's rover Curiosity successfully carried out a highly challenging landing on Mars early Monday, transmitting images back to Earth after traveling hundreds of millions of miles through space to explore the red planet.

Scientists praised the landing Monday.

"This is a stunning achievement. The engineering went flawlessly," said Scott Hubbard, who was the first Mars program director at NASA headquarters, and is currently a consulting professor at Stanford University.

The 10 science instruments aboard Curiosity are in "perfect health," and testing and calibration are under way, NASA said Monday.

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More News On The Successful Mars Landing Of NASA's Curiosity

NASA’s Curiosity rover lands on Mars after 352-million mile journey -- Washington Post
Mars rover Curiosity lands, NASA releases new image: ‘The surface mission of Curiosity has now begun’ -- Washington Post
Safely on Mars, NASA rover Curiosity gets busy -- Computer World
Next on Mars: 400 scientists on an alien road trip -- AFP
Curiosity rover beams back first photo from Martian surface -- Christian Science Monitor
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity makes history (A Google+ hangout) -- L.A. Times
NASA photographs split second when Curiosity enters Mars airspace -- FOX News
Photos illustrate Mars rover's precise landing -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Mars Rover FAQs: What's Next -- PC World
Mars Rover Landing a Success—What Happens Now? -- National Geographic
Curiosity opening Martian frontier? -- Meg Urry, CNN

My Comment: A job well done.

Hiroshima Marks The 67th Anniversary Of The World's First Atomic Attack

Japan Marks Hiroshima Bombing Amid Anti-Nuclear Calls -- BBC

Japan is marking the 67th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima in an annual ceremony.

Tens of thousands of people attended the event, amid growing anti-nuclear sentiment and protests in the country.

A bell marked the start of a one-minute silence at 08:15 local time (23:15 GMT) when the US bomber Enola Gay dropped the bomb that killed 140,000 people.

Mayor Kazumi Matsui called for a nuclear-free world at the event at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

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More News On The Hiroshima Anniversary Of The First Atomic Attack

Hiroshima marks 67th anniversary of A-bomb attack -- AJC/AP
Japan marks Hiroshima A-Bomb anniversary with anti-nuclear call -- The Telegraph
Nuclear fears focus attention on 67th Hiroshima anniversary -- Haaretz
Harry Truman's grandson arrives in Japan for Hiroshima visit -- The Telegraph
Grandson of President Truman lays wreath for Hiroshima dead -- The Guardian
Target Nagasaki: the men who dropped the second bomb -- The Telegraph

How To Best Feed The World

How To Ensure The World’s Food Supply -- Greg Page, Washington Post

In America’s heartland, farmers are making the agonizing decision to plow down cornfields that have succumbed to the worst drought in decades. The parched land, resulting lower yields and already tight grain stocks remind us that we can’t take food production for granted. They also raise the question: Can we feed a world on its way to 9 billion people, given weather events, pressure on natural resources and changing diets? At Cargill, we believe the answer is yes. But leaders in government, business and civil societies need to take into account three key imperatives to create a more food-secure world.

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My Comment: Reading Greg Page's point on Africa representing about 60 percent of the potentially available cropland in the world surprised me .... I always grew up believing that the bread baskets were in North America, the steppes of Russia, Australia, and Argentina. But he is right .... and that is why Africa's long history of feeding it's own citizens is so tragic .... it does not have to be.

This is an excellent analysis on food production and distribution from a man whose business is food production and distribution, and is a must read.

A Robot Rescue Copter For Wounded Troops?

U.S. Navy Corpsmen transport wounded from an Army Medical Evacuation H-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Wikipedia

Army Eyes Robot Rescue Copters For Wounded Troops -- Danger Room

It’s one of the most dangerous missions on the modern battlefield — and one of the most important. Crews flying big, vulnerable and sometimes unarmed helicopters brave gunfire, bad weather and rugged terrain to snatch wounded troops from a firefight or the scene of a bomb blast.

Medical evacuation crews are some of the gutsiest people around. But to avoid another Black Hawk Down scenario — in which the rescuers also get trapped alongside the wounded — in the hottest battle zones the Pentagon sometimes grounds the medevac copters under certain conditions. Now the Army has latched onto a possible solution: replace the human copter crews with Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) drones.

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My Comment: Patient-panic problems will probably be the #1 problem in using such a system.

Are We On The Brink Of Another Global Food Crisis?

Historic U.S. Drought Raises Fears Of Global Food Crisis -- Radio Free Europe

By this point in the summer, corn stalks are supposed to be as high as a farmer’s head, not his knees. But this is no normal summer in the agricultural heartland of the United States. The stunted plants, bending over cracked and dusty fields, are a product of the worst drought to hit the United States in more than 50 years.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already forecast a 3 to 4 percent rise in domestic food prices next year and more than 1,000 counties across the country have been declared disaster areas. Data released on July 26 by the U.S. Drought Monitor found that the situation is only worsening, with almost two-thirds of the United States affected.

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More News On The Global Food Crisis

Another food crisis looms -- The Economist
We are teetering on the brink of another global food crisis -- The Guardian
Spike in Crop Prices May Signal 'Chronic Food Crisis' -- CNBC
US drought: Stuck on dry land -- Financial Times
Could the Midwestern Drought Cause a Global Crisis? -- Suzanne McGee, The Fiscal Times

Could A Brain Scan Tell You How Smart You Are?

Well connected: Ten per cent of intelligence could be explained by the strength of neural pathways connecting the left lateral prefrontal cortex

Could A Brain Scan Tell You How Smart You Are? Research Shows Intelligence Linked To Strength Of Neural Connections -- Daily Mail

Brain scans which establish how well different regions of your brain are detected may be able to predict how intelligent you are, a new study claims.

Research suggests that 10 per cent of individual differences in intelligence can be explained by the strength of neural pathways connecting the left lateral prefrontal cortex to the rest of the brain.

The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, establish 'global brain connectivity' as a new approach for understanding how human intelligence relates to physiology.

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My Comment: Is it that simple?

'Earliest' Evidence Of Modern Human Behavior Found

a) Wooden poison applicator from Border Cave made from Flueggea virosa dated to 24,564 - 23,941 years, with close-up showing notches, and b) adhering residue containing poisonous ricinoleic acid found in castor beans.
c) Kalahari San poison applicators housed at Museum Africa, Johannesburg, showing lumps of organic compounds used for hafting (yellow) and poisoning (black) arrow points, and the notching to prevent slippage of the material.
d) Lump of beeswax from Border Cave containing Euphorbia tirucalli resin and possibly egg, bound with twine, and dated 41,167 - 39,194 years.
e) Bone arrow point from Border Cave and f) Kalahari San fixed bone arrow heads.
Credit: Francesco d’Errico and Lucinda Backwell

'Earliest' Evidence Of Modern Human Culture Found -- BBC

The earliest unambiguous evidence for modern human behaviour has been discovered by an international team of researchers in a South African cave.

The finds provide early evidence for the origin of modern human behaviour 44,000 years ago, over 20,000 years before other findings.

The artefacts are near identical to modern-day tools of the indigenous African San bush people.

The research was published yesterday in PNAS.

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My Comment: Time to rewrite the anthropology books.

No Porn For Missile Defense Agency Employees

Inside the heart of defence: The revelation constitutes a massive security risk because pornographic sites provide perfect cover for criminals and foreign spies to smuggle spying software past even the most sophisticated of firewalls (stock image)

Pentagon Orders Missile Defense Staff To Stop Watching Porn On Office Computers -- Daily Mail

* Workers at the Missile Defence Agency were caught downloading x-rated material on office computers and sharing them with each other via the internal network
* Fears raised that criminals or spies may have hacked agency's mainframe
* Porn sites provide perfect cover for hackers to smuggle spying software past sophisticated firewalls
* MDA is responsible for developing, fielding and upgrading the nation’s ground-and sea-based missile defense programs

The Pentagon has ordered staff at its top-secret missile defence unit to stop watching porn and concentrate on the job in hand.

Military chiefs are furious that workers at the Missile Defence Agency have been wasting valuable hours surfing the web for smut rather than developing state-of-the-art weaponry.

The violation came to light after fears were raised that viruses may have already been smuggled into the department's mainframe through x-rated sites.

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More News On The Pentagon Warning Missile Defense Employees And Contractors To Stay Away From Porn Sites

Missile Defense Staff Warned to Stop Surfing Porn Sites -- Bloomberg
Pentagon’s War on Porn Spreads to Missile Defense Machines -- Danger Room
Director wants missile defense workers to stop watching porn at work -- FOX News
Missile Defense Agency warns workers to lay off the porn -- New York Daily News
US missile defense staff asked to stop watching porn at work -- Global Post
Missile Defense Workers Aren't Practicing Safe Porn -- Atlantic Wire

Cybersecurity Bill Fails In The US Senate

Cybersecurity Bill Fails In Senate -- Washington Post

A bill establishing security standards to prevent large-scale cyberattacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure — including water supplies and the electrical grid — failed in the U.S. Senate on Thursday despite strong endorsements from top military and national security officials.

Senators voted 52 to 46 in favor of the bill, coming up short of the two-thirds majority necessary to advance it to final passage. The failure to pass the measure further stalls years of bipartisan efforts to establish stricter security standards and, experts say, could leave the nation vulnerable to widespread hacking or a serious cyberattack.

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More News On The Failure Of The US Cybersecurity Bill

Cyber-security measure fails to pass in Senate -- L.A. Times
Senate fails to approve cybersecurity legislation -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Cybersecurity Bill Is Blocked in Senate by G.O.P. Filibuster -- New York Times
Hopes fade for new U.S. cybersecurity law in 2012 -- Reuters
US Senate blocks Obama-backed cybersecurity bill -- AFP
Political infighting blocks Senate passage of cybersecurity bill despite dire warnings -- Christian Science Monitor
Despite Threat of ‘Cyber 9/11′, Lawmakers Punt Cyber Security Bill -- ABC News
Senators hold out hope that cybersecurity bill can be revived -- The Hill

No Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" For The U.S. Military

'Dark Knight Rises' crew members lifted up what is allegedly a flying bat mobile in the Financial District to shoot a scene for the Batman movie on Sunday. John Taggart for New York Daily News

US Military Shoots Down Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" Idea -- Live Science

When the Dark Knight rises to defend Gotham once more, he literally takes to the skies in a flying vehicle known simply as the Bat. The new nonlethal weapon in Batman's arsenal can hover like a helicopter and pull off aerial maneuvers worthy of "Top Gun" fighter jets — a combination that may seem almost too good to be true.

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My Comment: I understand .... it's just too far fetch.

The Legal Battle That Could Decide How Much Your Next Phone Costs

Photo: The Samsung Galaxy S II

The Legal Battle That Could Decide How Much Your Next Phone Costs: Apple Takes On Samsung As Billion Dollar Court Case Finally Gets Underway -- Daily Mail

* Apple vs Samsung begins in earnest today following legal scuffles across the world

* Jury of ten ready to listen to arguments in trial which is expected to run for four weeks

* Experts say verdict could affect evolution of smartphone market

Today should see the opening shots fired as the billion-dollar Apple v Samsung patent case gets underway in a San Jose courtroom.

The two bitter rivals are arguing over a cluster of phone patents, each alleging that the other is infringing on intellectual property as they vie for top place in the smartphone wars.

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My Comment: Steve Jobs always wanted this battle .... it is a shame that he is not around to see it.

Can Certain Types Of Chilli Be Used As A Biological Weapon?

Dr Anuj Baruah, who cultivates the bhut jolokia chilli, holds a vial containing oily red capcaisin at his lab in Kherti, Assam.

Chilli Used By Indian Army In Weaponry Is Hot Property For Poor Farmers -- The Guardian

Military's demand for bhut jolokia, once the world's hottest chilli, is offering thousands of Assam farmers a way out of poverty.

"Look at this," said Dr Anuj Baruah, holding up a vial containing a few drops of rusty red liquid. "With this I could make you senseless." His nose started twitching; his eyes watered. "Oh dear. I think I may have got some on my fingers," he said, looking remarkably unconcerned that his skin had touched something the Indian government has developed into a biological weapon.

"I know what happens. Your brain starts to not work properly, you become restless … " He scurried off, returning a few minutes later after washing a particularly pungent strain of bhut jolokia chilli concentrate off his hands on his farm-cum-chilli research lab in the north-east Indian state of Assam.

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My Comment: Hmmmm .... I am intrigued .... I love hot and spicy food .... and I love chilli.

On A Sinking Ship It Is Everyman (Not Woman) For Himself

A scene from the 1997 film 'Titanic' directed by James Cameron Photo: Reuters

Every Man For Himself On Sinking Ships -- The Telegraph

As torrents of freezing water gushed onto the Titanic, its male passengers selflessly shepherded women and children to the few available lifeboats in what was described as a typically British act of chivalry.

But although their gallantry was hailed as an example of a moral code shared by all mariners, a new study suggests the situation on board the Titanic, where female survivors outnumbered men three to one, was something of an exception.

Although convention dictates that men should step aside and put "women and children first", history shows that the male attitude is better summed up as "every man for himself".

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My Comment: And then we have stories like this one.

Welcome To The 'Megadrought'

Pinon Pines Near Los Alamos, New Mexico in 2002 (Left) and 2004 (Right) Courtesy Oregon State University via Flickr

The 2000-2004 North American Drought Was The Worst In 800 Years -- Popular Science

Welcome to the 'megadrought'.

An analysis of past climate data published yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience paints a less-than-rosy picture for the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in the 21st century. The 2000-2004 dry spell was the worst drought in the region in 800 years, the researchers claim, and before the century is over we’ll look back on those days as the wetter end of a much larger hydroclimate shift. Dry conditions will become the “new normal.” They invoked the word “megadrought.”

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My Comment: Dry conditions becoming the “new normal” .... not a comforting thought if you live on the plains.

Brain Structures Are Different For Those With Excellent Autobiographical Memory

UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10. (Credit: © James Steidl / Fotolia)

Brains Are Different In People With Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2012) — UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10.

The phenomenon of highly superior autobiographical memory -- first documented in 2006 by UCI neurobiologist James McGaugh and colleagues in a woman identified as "AJ" -- has been profiled on CBS's "60 Minutes" and in hundreds of other media outlets. But a new paper in the peer-reviewed journal Neurobiology of Learning & Memory's July issue offers the first scientific findings about nearly a dozen people with this uncanny ability.

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