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  3. Tech

    Drones / You don’t own what you bought.
    the company you bought your product from can magically make it that much less useful on demand without you being able to do a damn thing about it.
    https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150128/13212829842/you-dont-own-what-you-bought-drone-maker-updates-firmware-all-drones-to-stop-any-flights-dc.shtml

    Math / NSA funding unquestioned
    A new piece in Science discusses how the relationship between mathematicians and the NSA has changed following the Snowden leaks (PDF). But as Peter Woit points out, these ethical conundrums are not actually spurring any change. This is perhaps due to the NSA’s generous funding of mathematics-related research. For now, U.S. mathematicians aren’t willing to disown their shadowy but steadfast benefactor.”
    http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6221/495.full.pdf

    ID / people easy to pin point
    even when your name and personal information are stripped from big data sets..knowing just four random pieces of information, was enough to reidentify 90 percent of the shoppers as unique individuals and to uncover their records.
    http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/29/with-a-few-bits-of-data-researchers-identify-anonymous-people/?rref=technology&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Technology&pgtype=article

  4. Institutionalized Control & Abuse

    Aug 2012 / US Prison population
    according to United Nations figures, China is 87th in the world in the proportion of its people who are imprisoned. China is a billion people bigger than the United States – more than four times the population – yet U.S. prisons house in excess of 600,000 more people than China does.

    June 2014 / US schools / punishment
    In public schools across the country, it’s perfectly legal to take students who act out and isolate them in confined spaces against their will or even physically pin them down, ProPublica’s Heather Vogell reports.
    https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/handcuffs_leg_shackles_and_tasers_the_new_face_of_punishment_in_the_pu

    Aug 2014 / US schools / deadly force
    Texas was among eight states in the country where laws allow school employees to carry firearms on campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. And, as the Houston Chronicle pointed out this week, teachers in Texas are already granted immunity if they assault a student, and the “use of force, but not deadly force, against a [student] is justified.”
    http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/HB00868I.htm
    Bill / Sec. 38A.002. EDUCATOR’S DEFENSE OF SELF OR STUDENTS. (a)
    An educator is justified in using force or deadly force on school
    property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored event

    Jan 2015 / homes / use of flashbang grenades
    use of flashbangs has become common among today’s militarized police forces.
    https://www.propublica.org/article/flashbangs

    Jan 2015 / NYPD / new Strategic Response Group
    the new 350 cop unit, called The Strategic Response Group, will be dedicated to “disorder control and counterterrorism protection capabilities” against attacks
    http://gothamist.com/2015/01/29/nypd_machine_guns.php

  5. interesting changes to access to cutting-edge tech. wonder if this includes Black budget projects?

    Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson…
    …”DoD [Department of Defense] no longer has exclusive access to the most cutting-edge technology or the ability to spur or control the development of new technologies the way we once did,”

    …”many, if not most, of the technologies we seek to take advantage of today are no longer in the domain of DoD development pipelines or traditional defense contractors.”
    http://sputniknews.com/us/20150130/1017574851.html

  7. I was wondering if you would have an interview of value to the retirement classes. Or, I talked to my uncle about my retirement and he said he opened up a small cut flower business for something to do. Twenty years later and approaching ninety he still grows flowers but now just gives them away. My wife and I are planning to retire in the next year or so, move back to the family farm, get out of the city, be with family, and open a small winery. We already have 1000 grapevines in the ground, My wifes son wants to plant a hop yard, so I will work up some land for him to do this. Are we just crazy Norwegians getting old. Or, can we do like one of our friends. He retired five years ago, opened a small winery from his hobby, and now he is approaching 70 and has yet to pull any social security or pension and he and his wife take a month long trip each winter to Austroalia or France or New Zealand or Nappa. It is all confusing and I do analyze things, and try to take good actions for sucess. I know how to work. Do you ever have advice for old folks?

    1. David:

      I certainly have some thoughts about this from working with people who have retired. I will do some looking around for folks who have really mastered the art form.

      Thanks for the suggestion!

      Catherine

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