Jul 16
The next time you’re frantically rushing to plug your parking meter, you can curse Carl C. Magee. Because it was on this day in 1935 that Magee’s parking meters made their world debut, much to the chagrin of future drivers everywhere.
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Jul 16
3D-Printed Cover + Standard Logitech Mouse = The Infinitely Customizable Mouse
Posted in: Today's ChiliGaming peripherals, while pricey, are quite durable and full of features that even the sternest desk-jockey can appreciate. Recently, I saw a couple of LED-powered keyboards that had me drooling, since they lit up very brightly to highlight gaming keys. The Mad Catz RAT has always been an extremely good mouse for gaming, since it allowed you to get the perfect shape for your hands. If you don’t like to buy off-the-shelf peripherals like these, then check out this 3D-printed alternative.
Granted, the Statial mouse housing costs a lot more than I expected, but if you can get similar functionality to a higher priced mouse, then you’re still winning. The Statial is a cover that will turn any Logitech M100 mouse into an adjustable alternative. Each section of the Statial cover can be adjusted to fit the form of your hand. The Statial was designed by Pyott Design.
Unfortunately, the $69.99 price tag for the shell on Shapeways makes this kind of a non-starter, since you can buy gaming mice with more functionality for the same total price. Still, if you’ve got the blueprints and a 3D printer, you can always print your own custom mouse cover.
Jul 16
Reminiscent of the original waffle runner that launched Nike, the Free Hyperfeel is the company’s latest minimalist runner inspired by the actual geometry of the body. Which, if you’ll recall, is something Under Armour addressed with its bra-like Speedform.
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Jul 16
Hot on the heels of last week’s rumor regarding Nokia possibly bringing Bluetooth Low Energy support to certain Lumia smartphones, The Verge claims to have heard from sources that Nokia is developing a software update that will enable Bluetooth 4.0 […]
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jul 16
Electronic Frontier Foundation sues NSA, calls surveillance programs unconstitutional
Posted in: Today's Chili
Earlier today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the Obama administration over concerns surrounding the NSA’s extensive surveillance programs, just weeks after the ACLU did the same. Filed on behalf of human rights, religious and environmental activist groups, the suit argues that the federal government’s so-called Associational Tracking Program is inherently unconstitutional because it threatens stipulations found in the Bill of Rights, like freedom of speech and the right to assembly. The list of plaintiffs is extensive, and the suit has united groups with varying mission statements, like Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. To read the complaint in full, head on over to the source link below.
Via: Bloomberg
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
Jul 16
Ever been to Legoland, man? Ever been to Legoland on waterslides? Visitors to Legoland Malaysia will soon be able to, once the largest such waterpark on Earth opens in mid-October.
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Jul 16
Jul 16
The recent fiasco with the NSA and the US government over their involvement with tech companies has got many people up in arms. It was revealed several weeks ago that the US government has been secretly asking companies for customer information in an effort to cut down on terrorist activities, but many tech companies have been speaking out since the whistleblow occurred, including Microsoft.
In a blog post, Executive Vice President of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Microsoft Brad Smith spoke rather candidly about how the company is dealing with the US government on customer information requests and whether or not Microsoft can get permission to post numbers and figures about government requests in the company’s transparency report. Turns out that Microsoft is getting their requests denied.
However, they’ve taken things to the next level and have contacted the Attorney General of the United States in order to get permission to publicly post government request information. In the past, Microsoft has contacted “government lawyers” about permission to post request information online, and have either been ignored or denied so far.
“The world needs a more open and public discussion of these practices. While the debate should focus on the practices of all governments, it should start with practices in the United States. In part, this is an obvious reflection of the most recent stories in the news. It’s also a reflection of something more timeless. The United States has been a role model by guaranteeing a Constitutional right to free speech. We want to exercise that right. With U.S. Government lawyers stopping us from sharing more information with the public, we need the Attorney General to uphold the Constitution.”
In any case, though, Microsoft is at least moving forward and posting the information they do have permission for on how the government is involved in the company’s various services. Microsoft says that the government does not have “direct access” to Outlook mail, and they only provide officials with information from specific accounts for specific purposes.
Microsoft also confirms that despite allegations that the company was freely providing direct access to the government, Microsoft denies this by saying that they never “provide or agree to provide any government with direct access to user content or the ability to break our encryption.” Microsoft also mentions Skype and SkyDrive as services that also don’t allow direct access to government officials.
Indeed, the recent whistleblowing has us worried about what information that companies are simply just handing over to the government, but it’s also providing companies the opportunity to step up and be transparent about their privacy practices and dealings with the government. Many big companies have already stepped up to request permission to disclose information to the public, including Google.
Microsoft requesting permission to post NSA involvement: Request denied is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 16
This week the Electronic Frontier Foundation has announced that they’re heading a coalition of groups – 19 in all – in a lawsuit targeting the NSA. The National Security Agency is under the microscope in this suit which suggests the government be obligated to inventory and make public (or at least let it be known what they’ve got) before they destroy all data collected in what’s known as the Associational Tracking Program. This program works with data collected from Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.
You’ll remember this program from its first appearance in the public immediately preceding the rush of NSA surveillance controversy with PRISM. Back earlier this year it was Verizon who was first revealed to be taking part of metadata collection and government sharing, this report expanding quite quickly to cover AT&T and Sprint as well.
Though the White House retort suggested it was “critical” that they have these records from phone companies, this suit suggests that it’s the violation of constitutional rights that takes precedent here.
“This lawsuit challenges an illegal and unconstitutional program of dragnet electronic surveillance, specifically the bulk acquisition, collection, storage, retention, and searching of telephone communications information (the “Associational Tracking Program”) conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) and other defendants.” – EFF Complaint for Constitutional and Statutory Violations, Seeking Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, Case No. CV 13 3287
Those involved in this case are numerous. There’s 19 total plaintiffs, they ranging from the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles to the Franklin Armory. Also on the list is the Calguns Foundation, the Free Software Foundation, Media Alliance, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, TechFreedom, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and Greenpeace.
EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn spoke up on the matter this afternoon, suggesting that the citizens of the United States’ First Amendment rights at being violated harshly in this NSA program.
“Who we call, how often we call them, and how long we speak shows the government what groups we belong to or associate with, which political issues concern us, and our religious affiliation.
Exposing this information – especially in a massive, untargeted way over a long period of time – violates the Constitution and the basic First Amendment tests that have been in place for over 50 years.” – EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn
You’ll find more information on the lawsuit – if you’d like to go digging around in the massive amount of legal documentation and strongly worded demands from the EFF, through the “EFF Complaint” link above. We’ll be following this suit to the finish, of that you can be sure.
NSA sued by coalition headed by EFF over US-based telephone surveillance is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 16
It hasn’t been hard to get Exchange support on iOS devices, but there’s some for whom third-party apps and web clients just won’t do. Microsoft has them covered today — it just repackaged the Outlook Web App as a pair of native iOS releases. Both OWA for iPad and OWA for iPhone deliver email, calendar and contacts to Office 365 subscribers with access to Exchange Online. The developer is quick to note that this isn’t a recreation of the Windows Phone environment, and there are a few elements borrowed from Outlook’s web version. Still, we see a few reasons to give OWA a try: the native iOS software sends push notifications, takes voice commands, and supports both passcodes as well as remote wipes. Between the new apps and Office for iPhone, it’s clear that iOS users are now welcome in Microsoft’s world.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: App Store (1), (2)
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