A very good question: Some people just don’t like the idea of being watched. Being monitored and punished at the behest of a law-enforcement robot sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, and not an especially cheerful science fiction movie. Others worry about safety. Red-light cameras are supposed to make us safer by… Continue reading Why is Big Brother Ticketing You?
Category: society
The TSA’s Photo ID Rules are Useless
The rules that the TSA has rolled out regarding photo IDs and their requirements for getting onto passenger airplanes are usless. In fact, you could argue that they are worse than useless, since they create a false sense of security – and they cost us a lot of money (both directly and indrectly). But don’t… Continue reading The TSA’s Photo ID Rules are Useless
The Difference Between the Government and the Mafia
I saw this in a discussion over on Slashdot about New York sales/use tax – someone mentioned that “New York has always been a bit bizzare about taxes.” Someone else replied with: They’re not bizarre; they’re just greedy for every dollar they can get their grubby little paws on. Just remember that the only difference… Continue reading The Difference Between the Government and the Mafia
Microchip (RFID) Passport Cloned
In case there was any doubt that this whole digital passport / RFID passport thing was never about security (via Slashdot): “New microchip passports designed to be foolproof against identity theft failed the test when a researcher was able to manipulate one in minutes. The cloned passports were accepted as genuine by the computer software… Continue reading Microchip (RFID) Passport Cloned
News from the Not-To-Distant Future
From a Slashdot comment on the story “Big Six UK ISPs Capitulate To Music Industry“: BBC News April 2nd 2010 ISPs have detected a massive spike in encrypted activity on the internet. Indecipherable “SSL” packets have increased in volume massively in recent months. This trend is seen as “disturbing” in the words of one child… Continue reading News from the Not-To-Distant Future