Congress ok’s bill that opens skies in U.S. to unmanned drones

unmanned-drone

Unmanned drones controlled by remote operators on the ground will fly in the same airspace as airliners, cargo planes, business jets and private aircraft.

A final congressional bill was approved Monday to speed the nation’s switch from radar to an air traffic control system based on GPS technology, and to open U.S. skies to unmanned drone flights within four years.

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Congress and the EU are fighting to change Google’s privacy policy

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Are you ready for Google’s new privacy policy?

Google’s new privacy policy has already caused a stir among users. Now, Congress and EU regulators are sniffing around the changes and aren’t happy about them — but Google doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.

According to The Hill, house lawmakers questioned Google representatives for two hours yesterday about the changes, but they still aren’t satisfied with the company’s explanations. Speaking to The Hill, Representative Mary Bono Mack said…

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Twitter to censor tweets on a country-by-country basis

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Some Twitter users are planning to go all of Saturday without tweeting to show their displeasure.

There are fears of Twitter censorship among bloggers and activists from China, the Middle East and Latin America as new Twitter policies could allow governments to censor messages, stifling free expression.

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Comparing the Senate and House crowdfunding proposals

apple and orange

The differences aren’t miles apart, but not inches either.

As the topic for our Monday’s Startup Junkie Underground, the House (H.R. 2930) and Senate (S.1791) have proposed competing Bills on the topic of crowdfunding. It’s important, however, to know the differences between the two, because the devil is in the details. And, when it comes to H.R. 2930 and S.1791, the differences are pretty crucial. Crowdfunding advocates need to pay attention.

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Wikipedia to go dark on Wednesday, Google to join protest against SOPA

wikipedia blackout

“[SOPA and its Senate counterpart Protect IP] allow people with lots of money, and lots of lawyers to take down Internet sites they don’t like”

Wednesday will be a day against an anti-piracy bill as the world’s biggest websites call for a day of dramatic action.  They fear the legislation will reshape the Internet as we now know it.

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1 in three American military aircraft is a drone

drone

MQ-1 Predator Drone

Nearly one third American military aircraft is a drone, according to a congressional report, a 40-fold increase in the drone army from just a few years ago. From tiny man-portable flying wings to behemoth strike planes, unmanned aircraft now make up 31 percent of the military’s air power.

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How China’s One Baby Policy works?

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Fertility on the decline, but at what cost?

You probably already know that China has a one child per couple policy, but you might not know how it is enforced or who is granted exceptions to the rule. The answers to these questions can be found over at Mental Floss and they are simply fascinating….

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China axes two-thirds of popular television shows

supergirl

Chinese reality TV show, Super Girl is an annual national singing contest produced by Hunan Satellite Television.

On January 1st, an order to curb “excessive entertainment” on television came into force in China. In response, the number of scheduled entertainment programs has dipped sharply from 126 a week to just 38, according to Xinhua, the state news agency.

Crowdfunding temporarily halts oil extraction in Ecuador

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No drilling here for now.

Ecuador had agreed last year to accept money in exchange for not drilling foroil in Yasuní National Park, an area of the Amazon rainforest that last year set a record for the most mammal, bird, amphibian and plant species in the world.

But a fundraiser was held last night that collected the $116 million necessary to temporarily halt exploitation of the area for oil…

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Is that Flame Retardant in your Soft Drink?

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Brominated vegetable oil is patented as a flame retardant and it’s banned in food all over Europe and Japan, but it’s on the ingredient list of about 10 percent of sodas in the U.S. It’s not in Coca-Cola, but is in Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, and in some flavors of Powerade and Gatorade.

What brominated vegetable oil (BVO) does to soda is, Coca-Cola explains, “prevent the citrus flavoring oils from floating to the surface in beverages.” The fruit flavors that are mixed into a drink would otherwise settle out. What BVO does when it’s acting as a flame retardant is not much different: It slows down the chemical reactions that cause a fire…

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
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By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

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