Author: kenmay

DHS Can Seize Your Electronics Within 100 Mi.of US Border, Says DHS

dreamstateseven writes “In a not-so-unexpected move, the Department of Homeland Security has concluded that travelers along the nation’s borders may have their electronics seized and the contents of those devices examined for any reason whatsoever — all in the name of national security. According to legal precedent, the Fourth Amendment — the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures — does not apply along the border. The memo highlights the friction between today’s reality that electronic devices have become virtual extensions of ourselves housing everything from e-mail to instant-message chats to photos and our papers and effects — juxtaposed against the government’s stated quest for national security. By the way, the government contends the Fourth-Amendment-Free Zone stretches 100 miles inland from the nation’s actual border.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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DHS Can Seize Your Electronics Within 100 Mi.of US Border, Says DHS

Google aiming to build $82 million aircraft facility at SJC, probably launch more Project Glass demos from it

It’s no secret that Google has an interest in the automotive industry , but over the years the popular search engine has also managed to amass quite the collection of aircraft. So much in fact, the company is in the process of inking an $82 million construction deal that would bring its fleet to Mineta San Jose International Airport. Pending city council approval, the privately funded facility would generate an annual $2.6 million rent lease, around $400,000 in fuel revenues and create 236 jobs. If agreed upon, the 29-acre Googleport will take up to two years to build and will include an executive terminal along with hangers to house the company’s private Boeing 737 and 747 jets. Google currently parks its jets at Moffett Federal Airfield, where the company has offered to renovate NASA Ames’ Hanger One in exchange for two-thirds of its facility space to house its planes. There’s no word if either deal will affect the other, but as it stands San Jose’s city council is expected to vote on its proposal sometime in April. Filed under: Misc , Google Comments Via: Gizmodo Source: Mercury News

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Google aiming to build $82 million aircraft facility at SJC, probably launch more Project Glass demos from it

Use Photoshop’s Color Lookup Adjustment Layer to Quickly Applies Color Effects to Photos

Thanks to apps like Instagram , color effects that emulate film stocks and vintage camera styles have become increasingly popular. While we’ve seen Photoshop actions that provide these effects , and you can even make your own , if you’ve got Photoshop CS6 you have a built-in tool that’s far more flexible: Color Lookup. More »

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Use Photoshop’s Color Lookup Adjustment Layer to Quickly Applies Color Effects to Photos

E-Mail Hack Exposes Bush Family Pictures, Correspondence

New submitter rHBa sends this article about another high-profile email account breach: “The apparent hack of several e-mail accounts has exposed personal photos and sensitive correspondence from members of the Bush family, including both former U.S. presidents. The posted photos and e-mails contain a watermark with the hacker’s online alias, ‘Guccifer.’ … Included in the hacked material is a confidential October 2012 list of home addresses, cell phone numbers, and e-mails for dozens of Bush family members, including both former presidents, their siblings, and their children. … Correspondence obtained by the hacker indicates that at least six separate e-mail accounts have been compromised, including the AOL account of Dorothy Bush Koch, daughter of George H.W. Bush and sister of George W. Bush. Other breached accounts belong to Willard Heminway, 79, an old friend of the 41st president who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut; CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, a longtime Bush family friend; former first lady Barbara Bush’s brother; and George H.W. Bush’s sister-in-law. ” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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E-Mail Hack Exposes Bush Family Pictures, Correspondence

Cause of Super Bowl blackout was installed to prevent Super Bowl blackout

Entergy New Orleans, the utility that provides power to the Mercedes SuperDome in New Orleans, announced today that its technicians had determined the cause of the partial blackout during the Super Bowl last Sunday: an electrical relay the company had installed to prevent blackouts. The relay was supposed to trip switches to redirect power in the event of a line fault over one of the cables connecting Entergy’s switching gear to the stadium. In a statement , the company said that “the relay functioned without issue during a number of high-profile events—including the New Orleans Bowl, the New Orleans Saints-Carolina Panthers game, and the Sugar Bowl.” But on Super Bowl Sunday, the device instead triggered when there was no fault, signaling a switch to open shortly after the second half began. The relay has now been pulled, and Entergy is evaluating other equipment. “While some further analysis remains,” said Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Charles Rice in the prepared statement, “we believe we have identified and remedied the cause of the power outage and regret the interruption that occurred during what was a showcase event for the city and state.” Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Cause of Super Bowl blackout was installed to prevent Super Bowl blackout

Hydrophobic, dirt-shedding spray is indistinguishable from magic

“Ultra Ever Dry” is a nanomaterial spray-coating that is (apparently) insanely hydrophobic, shedding dirt, water and oil. The jaw-dropping product video suggests many possibilities, from extreme hydroplaning sports to odd molecular gastronomy possibilities (though it’s not rated food-safe, so caveat sprayer). If you’re impatient, just zip the video to 2:00 or so and marvel. What is it? The company says it’s a “coating” that will repel almost any liquid by creating a barrier of air on the surface. They don’t say what’s in the coating. Whatever it is, the How to Apply This Product video suggests you don goggles, gloves and protective gear when you spray. They claim it will protect in temperatures ranging from -30 degrees Fahrenheit to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, but durability is a question. In the video, they say abrasion might affect performance (which makes me wonder how long a pair of sprayed boots would stay dry if you were on a wet, slippery, rocky hiking trail). It’s expensive. The base coat is $57.95 and the top coat is $100.95 a quart. On the other hand, if you dare to spray it on your car windows, you wouldn’t need window wipers. Or would the windows get too cloudy? If you sprayed it on a car surface, would it affect the gloss? Probably. Next Time Your Mom Says Don’t Go Out in The Rain, Spray Yourself With This [Robert Krulwich/NPR] ( Thanks, Fipi Lele! )

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Hydrophobic, dirt-shedding spray is indistinguishable from magic

At long last, TI releases graphing calculator for the iPad

A TI-Nspire’s functionality, replicated on an iPad. TI/TechPoweredMath Texas Instruments has brought its graphing calculator functionality to a more modern platform, according to TechPoweredMath . TI-Nspire for iPad mimics the functionality of the color TI-Nspire calculator and has cloud integration for teachers to share files with students. TI’s graphing calculators have been stuck staunchly in the past as much as possible.  Color screens were  a recent development for its most popular line of devices, and developers have had to build games with only a handful of kilobytes of code . As smartphones and tablets rise in popularity, it makes increasing sense to fold the graphing calculator functionality into devices that students are likely carrying around with them anyway. This is not to say graphing calculator apps haven’t existed for some time—they have, for both smartphones and tablets, and many are free. But until now, TI has refused to cross over. Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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At long last, TI releases graphing calculator for the iPad

SkyDrive now hosting over a billion Office files, adds editing without Microsoft login

Microsoft’s cloud storage service SkyDrive has hit a significant numerical landmark: over a billion Office documents are now hosted on it . To celebrate, Redmond has made is a little easier to edit files using Office Web Apps — you no longer need to sign in using a Microsoft account (unless the sharing party wants you to), so if you’ve got the right link, you can start tweaking with minimal fuss. A billion Office files sounds like a big number, but we’d really like the details of how many users that’s spread over. As many as DropBox ? Who knows. Filed under: Internet , Software , Microsoft Comments Source: Microsoft

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SkyDrive now hosting over a billion Office files, adds editing without Microsoft login