The annual Freedom on the Net report from Freedom House is out, and like in most such reports, the actual rankings are largely unsurprising. Iceland, the frozen whistleblower nirvana, ranked first, and second was Estonia, the tiny Baltic country that gave us Skype. China, Cuba, and Iran came in last, obviously.
Continue reading… “Internet freedom on the decline globally”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DconsfGsXyA[/youtube]
3D printers allow people to print guns, but just because we have the ability to do so doesn’t mean that we have to. But, of course, there will be someone who is going to do it. And that somebody isn’t just going to print their own guns, but they’re going to make it their cause, and devote their time and energy to making sure other people can too. That person, in America today, is 25-year-old Cody R. Wilson.
Looks like an unofficial iPhone and iPad app that let you view WikiLeaks site content and follow the WikiLeaks Twitter account on the go has been removed from the App app store earlier today…
Continue reading… “Apple Removes WikiLeaks App From App Store”
Technology is about possibilities. Phones increase how many people you can connect with. Cars, how much ground you might cover. Powerful, highly networked computers may shift your every situation, changing what you might do and where you might be, every hour of any day.
Continue reading… “Your Choice in 2020 – How Computing Will Make Every Action a Transaction”
Three current and former Google executives have been convicted of privacy violations in Italy
Three Google executives were convicted on Wednesday of violating privacy laws by allowing disturbing footage of a disabled Italian boy being bullied to be posted on the internet. The ruling was the first of its kind in history and was condemned by critics as “the biggest threat to internet freedom we have seen”.
Continue reading… “Internet Freedom in Jeopardy After Google Italy Ruling”
President Chavez said the US was “playing God” by testing devices capable of creating eco-type catastrophes, the Spanish newspaper ABC quoted him as saying.
Continue reading… “Chavez Says US ‘HAARP Weapon’ Caused Haiti Quake”
Too much to choose from
Modern life is making us miserable because we have too much choice, claims new research.
Continue reading… “Too Much Freedom of Choice Leaves Us Unhappy and Bewildered”
Religion repressed in a third of all countries
In Indonesia, Muslim groups burn down a mosque belonging to the minority Ahmadiyya. In Singapore, the government refuses to recognize Jehovah’s Witnesses. In Belgium, 68 religion-based hate crimes are reported in 2007 alone. People living in a third of all countries are restricted from practicing religion freely, either because of government policies and laws or hostile acts by individuals or groups, according to a study released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, “Global Restrictions on Religion.”
Continue reading… “70% of the World’s Population Restricted From Practicing Religion Freely”
Local and state governments in the U.S. may be restricting individual rights
“Big Government” has been characterized by those on various sides of the political spectrum as an ever-expanding bureaucracy interfering with individual rights and limiting economic freedoms. Some also believe that small government may pose a similar threat. They charge that state and local governments are guilty of intervening too much in private citizen affairs.
Continue reading… “Are Local And State Governments In The U.S. Getting Too Big?”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jquXcwooV6A[/youtube]
Founded by Frenchman David Belle, the aim of parkour is to get from one point to another as quickly and as efficiently as possible, making use of any maneuvre needed to get around any obstacles.
Not to be confused with free running, which is something different.
Wikipedia defines the difference as this: “Parkour as a discipline comprises efficiency, whilst free running embodies complete freedom of movement – and often includes many acrobatic manoeuvres.”
Continue reading… “Parkour: To Get From One Point To Another Quickly And Efficiently”
Keep humming “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. The 1980s New Age-inspired hit got it right. New research shows being happy can add several years to life.
Continue reading… “‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’: Happiness Can Add Several Years To Your Life”
Here is a list of the top fifty countries containing the highest percentage of people who identify themselves as atheist, agnostic, or non-believers in God.
Continue reading… “The 50 Countries with the Highest Percentage of Atheists”
