Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

20 Nov 2011 11:20

tags

Tech, U.S.: Report: Illinois industrial water pump damaged by … Russian hackers?!

  • Because that’s not weird or anything. On November 8, an industrial water pump in a rural Illinois town went down. Reportedly, the culprit was a Russian hacker who had gained access to the pump via compromised details from the software firm that produced the water pump’s remote-control software. The hack damaged the water pump, making it the first confirmed (but not claimed) cyber attack on an industrial system in U.S. history. The hack harkens back to last year’s Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Stuxnet, a piece of malware reportedly created by the U.S. and Israel with the expressed purpose of damaging the country’s budding nuclear program, reportedly gave the Iranian nuclear program a huge setback. Excuse us, we’re gonna hide out in a bunker to protect ourselves from the fallout from the forthcoming cyberwar. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Nov 2011 09:51

tags

World: Libya won’t hand Gaddafi’s son over to the International Criminal Court

  • what Despite the fact that the new Libyan government has yet to put together a justice system of its own, the country says it plans to try Saif al-Islam Gaddafi within its borders, rather than sending him to the International Criminal Court.
  • why “The ICC is just a secondary court, and the people of Libya will not allow Seif al-Islam to be tried outside,” claimed information minister Mahmoud Shammam. Gaddafi’s son is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Nov 2011 08:40

tags

U.S.: Pepper-sprayed UC Davis protester: It still burns, two days later

  • Don’t worry about it, I’m going to spray these kids down.
  • Lt. John Pike (according to a pepper-sprayed protester at UC Davis) • Speaking to fellow officers before the infamous pepper-spray incident on Friday. According to the protester, who spoke at length anonymously to Boing Boing, the pepper spray he used was military grade, and it still hurts, two days later. “It’s supposed to be used at a minimum of 15 feet,” the protester told Xeni Jardin. “But he sprayed us at point blank range.” Highly recommend you read Boing Boing’s photo-heavy account of the incident, which is very informative. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Nov 2011 18:55

tags

U.S.: Study: Drug usage, high childhood IQs may go hand-in-hand

  • Don’t be lulled by your kid’s good academic performance to think that they are not experimenting with drugs. It is commonplace with peers and it is naive to think that because you have a good, smart kid that they will not be curious.
  • Glen Oaks, N.Y., substance abuse official Bruce Goldman • Discussing a study that shows a connection between high childhood IQ and drug abuse. The study of 8,000 people showed that those who had high IQ scores when they were younger were more likely to use some illegal drugs at age 16 and at age 30. Despite this study, we still think kids should try their hardest in school; this isn’t some kind of crazy, blank check endorsement to dumb kids down even more. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Nov 2011 18:36

tags

U.S.: Reno firefighters make major progress on wildfire, save many homes

  • good The Reno wildfire, which has left some crazy pictures, a pretty insane resident-filmed video, and stunning damage in its wake, is roughly 80 percent contained, authorities say.
  • better While the fire damaged five homes and made 32 others uninhabitable, firefighters have saved roughly 4,500 others on Friday. Next time you’re in Reno, give a firefighter a high-five for a job well done. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Nov 2011 18:33

tags

Politics: Top-secret Obama security detail found lying in a gutter

  • Somebody’s getting a stern talking to: In a kind of amazing story that, for some reason, absolutely nobody is reporting, a classified copy of President Obama’s security detail was discovered lying in a gutter outside Australia’s parliament on Wednesday. The 120-page document contained seating arrangements of the presidential motorcade, and details of how exactly the Secret Service goes about protecting the president. Thankfully, it was discovered by reporter Dylan Welch who, as one would expect, wrote an article about it (after the president left the country, which he was visiting as part of his tour of the Asia Pacific) . But what if it had fallen into the wrong hands? Coming days after a man was charged with attempting to assassinate the president, this doesn’t look make anybody look good. The White House hasn’t commented on the incident. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Nov 2011 16:50

tags

Culture: J.J. Abrams: “Super 8” child casting agent was former sex offender

  • It’s shocking and it’s devastating, not just as a filmmaker but as a father and someone who is entrusted to make sure that everyone I work with, especially children, are safe. To think that someone like this was among us is unthinkable.
  • J.J. Abrams • Discussing his feeling after discovering that the casting agent he used on his most recent movie, “Super 8,” was a registered sex offender who spent six years in prison for molesting an eight-year-old boy in 1996. The man, Jason James Murphy, got around the limitations of his conviction (which would have prevented him from doing his job) by changing his professional name to Jason James. Among the other films he’s worked on? “Bad News Bears,” “The School of Rock” and “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” — all films with large numbers of child actors. While Murphy hasn’t been accused of committing any crimes during his time as a casting director, his previous conviction wasn’t exactly off the radar — it was featured on an episode of “America’s Most Wanted.” Abrams only learned about the casting agent’s background this week. So wow. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Nov 2011 16:15

tags

World: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured alive, complete with iconic photo

With perhaps the most iconic photo to come out of a capture since Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Gaddafi’s most notorious son, fearing for his safety, gave himself up without a fight early Saturday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Nov 2011 15:29

tags

Biz: McDonald’s drops egg supplier after gruesome video release

  • This is a warning that there is a systemic problem, not just at one barn or one location.
  • Former FDA food safety chief David Acheson • Discussing the situation at Sparboe Farms, the main producer of McDonald’s eggs — well, until now. See, thanks in large part to an undercover video shot by animal rights organization Mercy for Animals (which will air on ABC News’ “20/20” and “World News Tonight” Friday night), the company dropped the egg supplier. According to the company, “the behavior on tape is disturbing and completely unacceptable.” If you have the stomach for it, you can see the video over here, but it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s as bad as you’d expect, considering the buildup. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Nov 2011 13:51

tags

U.S.: VIDEO: The Reno wildfire, up close and extremely personal

  • Here’s what the guy that shot this video wrote: “I woke up to a power outage and and an orange glow outside my window at 2:30am. Accross the canyon from me the mountain was on fire and a few homes were in flames. Less than an hour later it had reached my balcony.” The guy, Andrew Lee George (who got out safe), was one of 9,500 people who had to leave their homes as a result of the quickly-growing fire, which has already injured a handful of people and destroyed 20 homes. Yikes. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>