Technological Revolution

Proposed surveillance scanner database goes too far

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 23:12

BOSTON, Massachusetts - July 21, 2011 - Civil libertarians are raising the alarm over the state’s plans to create a Big Brother database that could map drivers’ whereabouts with police cruiser-mounted scanners that capture thousands of license plates per hour - storing that information indefinitely where local cops, staties, feds and prosecutors could access it if they choose.

“What kind of a society are we creating here?” asked civil rights lawyer Harvey Silverglate, who along with the American Civil Liberties Union fears police abuse. “There comes a point where the surveillance is so pervasive and total that it’s a misnomer to call a society free any longer.”

NSA building artificial intelligence system that can read minds

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 23:09

WASHINGTON - July 20, 2011 - The National Security Agency is working on a computer system that can predict what people are thinking.

"Think of 2001: A Space Odyssey and ITS most memorable character, HAL 9000, having a conversation with David. We are essentially building this system. We are building HAL. The system can answer the question, 'What does X think about Y?'"

These are the words of an unnamed researcher who discussed an amazing artificial intelligence system she was building at the NSA.

Police State Chronicles: Cops to begin iPhone iris scans amid privacy concerns

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 07/27/2011 - 23:05

CONWAY, Massachusetts - July 20, 2011 - Dozens of police departments nationwide are gearing up to use a tech company's already controversial iris- and facial-scanning device that slides over an iPhone and helps identify a person or track criminal suspects.

The biometric technology, which seems to take a page from TV shows like MI-5 or CSI, could improve speed and accuracy in some routine police work in the field. However, its use has set off alarms with some who are concerned about possible civil liberties and privacy issues.

Science fiction replicator exists with new 3D printer

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 15:05

In this astonishing demonstration, a new 3D printer can actually create three-dimensional constructs! You take a solid object and place it into the 3D printer; out comes a duplicate and fully functional object! The future has arrived! Though the potential for abuse must be considered, this is a truly exciting breakthrough!

See video

Commentary: How machines are taking over war

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 15:02

By Barbara Ehrenreich and Tom Engelhardt

July 10, 2011 - Last week, William Wan and Peter Finn of the Washington Post reported that at least 50 countries have now purchased or developed pilotless military drones. Recently, the Chinese had more than two dozen models in some stage of development on display at the Zhuhai Air Show, some of which they are evidently eager to sell to other countries.

Artificially intelligent machines are just years away

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 14:55

LONDON, England - July 5, 2011 - It's a standard scenario across the world - the computer crashes and we scream exactly what we think at the flickering screen.

But we may soon have to learn to bite our tongues - or risk the wrath of being shouted at by the machine we've just cursed.

This is because scientists are building a voice-activated device that can interact with people in a “natural and intelligent way”.

Artificial intelligence will help it become familiar with a user's voice, with the ultimate goal that it can understand, speak and behave like a human.

Fourth Reich Files: L.A. jail tests torture beam on brawling inmates

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 07/06/2011 - 15:19

LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia (PNN) - June 24, 2011 - Officials at a Los Angeles County jail plan to test out an invisible heat-beam weapon - a torture device - originally developed by the military as a way to subdue brawling inmates by making them feel "intolerable heat."

The technology, called an Assault Intervention Device, is a non lethal-weapon developed by Raytheon Company. It employs a form of torture in order to quell prisoner dissent.

Battery-free surveillance device can be implanted under the flesh

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 06/29/2011 - 16:26

LONDON, England - June 17, 2011 (PNN) - A new generation of battery-free surveillance devices, which can be implanted under the skin and transmit over huge distances via wireless, have been developed by scientists.

Researchers are working on nano machines that could be injected into the arms of patients and then report back to doctors who are monitoring them from miles away.

New toy lets children pretend to be TSA agents

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 06/29/2011 - 16:22

NEW YORK - June 15, 2011 - If you want to prepare your children for their next TSA checkpoint, Wild Planet has just the thing. The company’s Spy Gear series includes the Security Scanner, a handheld metal detector that’s not for finding loose change on the beach, but instead for finding hidden weapons in your pants.

Fascists checkpoints of the future

Submitted by Freedomman on Wed, 06/22/2011 - 19:17

WASHINGTON - June 9, 2011 - Billing it as a way to end the one-size-fits-all approach to airport security, the International Air Transport Association on Tuesday unveiled a mock-up of what it called the "Checkpoint of the Future."

Instead of a single screening procedure applied to all fliers, the group envisions that passengers would be divided into risk categories based on information available about them. They would then be directed to one of three lanes: "Known Traveler," "Normal" and "Enhanced Security."

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