Category Archives: Big Brother
The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025
By Janna Anderson and Lee Rainie
To a notable extent, the experts agree on the technology change that lies ahead, even as they disagree about its ramifications. Most believe there will be:
- A global, immersive, invisible, ambient networked computing environment built through the continued proliferation of smart sensors, cameras, software, databases, and massive data centers in a world-spanning information fabric known as the Internet of Things.
Facebook Launches NSA-Style Auto-Eavesdropping Feature
“I hope there are people who love the feature and post more,” says Facebook’s product manager excitedly about the new feature they just added. We suspect people will not… As The WSJ reports, starting Wednesday, the app has the ability to recognize music and television shows playing in the vicinity of users. Read that again… ‘in the vicinity of users‘. In other words, Facebook is unveiling its own NSA-style eavesdropping feature (on you and all your friends). Don’t worry though… even if users decide not to share what they’re hearing or watching, Facebook will hold onto the data in anonymous form, keeping tabs on how many users watched particular shows. Sound familiar?
Federal ‘Biosurveillance’ Plan Seeking Direct Access to Americans’ Private Medical Records
By Barbara Hollingsworth
The federal government is piecing together a sweeping national “biosurveillance” system that will give bureaucrats near real-time access to Americans’ private medical information in the name of national security, according to Twila Brase, a public health nurse and co-founder of the Citizens Council for Health Freedom.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response is currently seeking public comment on a 52-page draft of the proposed “National Health Security Strategy 2015-2018” (NHSS).
Net Neutrality’s Death Could Spark Populist Revolt
National Journal | May 6, 2014
By Ron Fournier
In the Gilded Age, wrenching economic and technological change hardened life for the vast majority of Americans while an elite few prospered. Innovators like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt disrupted old industries, creating news ones, and cemented their fortunes via government-approved monopolies. The most pernicious of these were railroad trusts.
In our times, wrenching economic and technological change hardens life for the vast majority of Americans while an elite few prosper. Innovators like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg disrupt old industries, create news ones and ….
The Rise of the Drone Master: Pop Culture Recasts Obama
New York Times | April 29, 2014
By
In Marvel’s latest popcorn thriller, Captain America battles Hydra, a malevolent organization that has infiltrated the highest levels of the United States government. There are missile attacks, screeching car chases, enormous explosions, evil assassins, data-mining supercomputers and giant killer drones ready to obliterate millions of people.
Its inspiration?
President Obama, the optimistic candidate of hope and change.
Morpho and IntegenX join forces to offer rapid DNA ID technology
Planet Biometrics | April 29, 2014
Morpho (Safran), the world leader in biometric solutions, is joining with IntegenX, the market leader in rapid DNA technology, to offer a fast pace DNA identification solutions to law enforcement and government agencies in select countries around the world.
Based on a breakthrough technology, the RapidHIT is a fully automated system that generates DNA profiles from reference samples. It can be used in laboratories, police stations or directly at the crime scene. It is the first rapid DNA technology to use an FBI-approved chemistry, enabling the upload of DNA profiles to the National DNA Index System (NDIS).
A Doctor’s Declaration of Independence
Wall Street Journal | April 28, 2014
By Daniel F. Craviotto Jr
In my 23 years as a practicing physician, I’ve learned that the only thing that matters is the doctor-patient relationship. How we interact and treat our patients is the practice of medicine. I acknowledge that there is a problem with the rising cost of health care, but there is also a problem when the individual physician in the trenches does not have a voice in the debate and is being told what to do and how to do it.
As a group, the nearly 880,000 licensed physicians in the U.S. are, for the most part, well-intentioned. We strive to do our best even while we sometimes contend with unrealistic expectations. The demands are great, and many of our families pay a huge price for our not being around. We do the things we do because it is right and our patients expect us to.
So when do we say damn the mandates and requirements from bureaucrats who are not in the healing profession? When do we stand up and say we are not going to take it any more?
Miggy: 
ARIZONA: 
Pitstop: 
Common Sense: 
