Polar vortex: temperatures drop below freezing in all 50 US states | World news | The Guardian - Iceweasel Temperatures in all 50 US states dipped below freezing on Tuesday in a rare nationwide chill that will keep a grip on much of the country for at least another day, with cutting winds and blizzards posing the most danger. Florida, a state that normally basks in its reputation as a warm winter escape, experienced unusually low temperatures. In the midwest, northeast and eastern Canada, it was dangerous to venture outside. At some point on Tuesday, at least one location in each of the 50 US states recorded temperatures below freezing, with the highest point on Hawaii, Mauna Kea, recording a temperature of 21F (-6C). The so-called polar vortex that funnelled an Arctic low pressure system into the upper US this week swung south and east on Tuesday. It was colder in the southern state of Georgia than Alaska as Atlanta plunged to 6F (-14C) – the lowest temperature since 1966 – while Anchorage, Alaska, recorded 27F (-3C) . Anderson said she couldn't recall it ever being so cold.
NSA is collecting phone records of millions of US citizens daily The U.S. NSA is collecting phone records of millions of customers Verizon, the second telephone company in the country. The shocking news has been revealed by ‘ Guardian ‘ whose journalists had access to a “Top Secret” court order, signed by Judge Roger Vinson, issued in April against Verizon. The order obliges the Verizon company to deliver the daily list of calls, “both within the Member States and between the United States and other countries.” The order was issued by the U.S. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court directs Verizon’s Business Network Services Inc and Verizon Business Services units to hand over electronic data including all calling records on an “ongoing, daily basis” until the order expires on July 19, 2013. The order reveals that is ongoing a massive collection of communications records of millions of Americans, each citizen is intercepted regardless of whether he was suspected of some crime. A spokesman for the National Security Agency announced:
40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World - A Sheep No More - Iceweasel If you’re a visual learner like myself, then you know maps, charts and info graphics can really help bring data and information to life. Maps can make a point resonate with readers and this collection aims to do just that. Hopefully some of these maps will surprise you and you’ll learn something new. If you enjoy this collection of maps, the Sifter highly recommends the r/MapPorn sub reddit. 1. Map by Google 2. Map via Wikimedia Commons 3. Map by Stuart Laycock (via The Telegraph) 4. Map by eatrio.net via Reddit Pangea was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, forming about 300 million years ago. 5. Map by Business Management EU 6. Map by The New York Times 7. Map by Teepr on Reddit 8. Map by ChartsBin.com 9. Map by Phoenix B 1of3 10. Map by Carna Botnet via Reddit 11. Map by Vizual Statistix 12. Map by valeriepieris on Reddit 13. Map by andrewfahmy on Reddit 14. Map by World Health Organization 15. 16. Map by Nelson Minar 17. Map by Deadspin.com 18. 19. 20.
Hunton Hosts Next EU Regulation Seminar on the Consistency Mechanism On June 5, 2013, Hunton & Williams hosted a seminar in the firm’s London office: Tracking the Draft EU Regulation ̶ General Update and the Concept of the “One-Stop Shop.” Bridget Treacy , Rosemary Jay and Tim Hickman of Hunton & Williams gave a presentation on the operation and effects of the “consistency mechanism” to be introduced in the proposed General Data Protection Regulation . The June 5 update was the most recent in Hunton & Williams’ ongoing series of Executive Briefings on the Proposed Regulation. The consistency mechanism is intended to ensure that, once the Proposed Regulation comes into force, it is applied consistently across all 27 EU Member States. Accordingly, the mechanism is of particular importance to organizations that carry out any processing of EU personal data, as it will have significant implications for the regulation of such organizations. View consolidated notes from the presentation.
WaterWheel to ease burden on women | Mark Tran | Global development | theguardian.com - Iceweasel Girls and women carrying plastic jerry cans of water on their heads is a common sight in rural areas of poor countries. The WaterWheel eases that burden by storing water in a round 50-litre container that doubles as a wheel. Designed after consultations with villagers in the dry northern Indian state of Rajasthan, the WaterWheel is made from high-quality plastic that can withstand rough terrain. It will sell for $25-$30, compared with $75-$100 for similar products. "Our goal is to distribute on a large scale, on small margins to 10,000-20,000 customers a year," says Cynthia Koenig, founder and chief executive of Wello, a US social venture working on ways to deliver clean water in poor countries. The idea came from an exploratory trip to India in 2010 to ask what people thought of the idea of rolling water, instead of carrying it. The designers played around with different sizes – 10-20 litres – before agreeing on 50 litres.
British Intelligence Agency Is Accessing NSA's PRISM Surveillance Data The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in the UK is reportedly accessing information obtained by PRISM, the covert initiative created by the National Security Agency and FBI to monitor communications in the United States. The Guardian claims to have obtained documents which show that GCHQ has been able to leverage the system since June 2010. The evidence also suggests that the British intelligence agency created 197 reports using the data last year. GCHQ is also cited in the report, explaining that it takes its legal obligations “very seriously”. The $20 million program code-named PRISM was uncovered by two reports published by the Guardian and the Washington Post yesterday. It has since been revealed that the initiative was born out of the Protect America Act, which was introduced in 2007 . The Guardian says GCHQ’s involvement with PRISM is set out in a number of documents that were prepared for analysts working at the National Security Agency. Image Credit: Thinkstock
Star Trek Fan Line Rainville Spent $30,000 Transforming her House Into the Enterprise - Iceweasel Line Rainville is probably the world’s biggest Star Trek fan, and it’s not just all talk (and you know how big those fanboys and girls can talk). This girl decided to spend $30,000 transforming her house into one, giant, testament to her dedication to the series: the Starship Enterprise. I thought I liked television, but this woman has boldly gone where no man has gone before. This is what the original bridge of the Enterprise looked like on Star Trek. Line Rainville This is what one woman’s living room looked like after she converted her house into one huge, fan tribute. Complete with cool lights, blinking dash… And a furry little Tribble sitting on the dash. This is the sexy bedroom (where I presume she thinks of the alluring Captain Kirk). Even the bathroom in this place looks awesome. I can imagine all of the sweet space girls a captain could bring back to this place. That’s right, a Starfleet academy mosaic. The hallway is just like the Transporter room (where I assume Scotty beams things).
Looking at Privacy Protections for Facial Recognition On Sunday, Google announced that it would not allow facial recognition applications on Google Glass until “strong privacy protections” were in place. But this announcement begs the very question: what sort of privacy protections can actually be put in place for this sort of technology? Thus far, concerns about facial recognition technology have appeared within the context of “tagging” images on Facebook or how it might be used to transform marketing , but these interactions are largely between users and service providers. Facial recognition on the scale offered by wearable technology such as Google Glass can change how we navigate the outside world. As one commenter put it, notice and consent mechanisms can protect Glass users but not the use by the user himself. Many suggestions have focused on sending signals to the outside world that Glass is at work, such as blinking lights or other audio or visual cues. Stopping the collection of this information may prove impossible.
The writers guide to making a digital living - Australia Council for the Arts - Iceweasel The writer's guide was developed through the Australia Council's Story of the Future project to explore the craft and business of writing in the digital era. It includes case studies from Australia's rising generation of poets, novelists, screenwriters, games writers and producers who are embracing new media and contains audio and video content from seminars and workshops, as well as extensive references to resouces in Australia and beyond. Read it online via the left-hand chapter navigation or download it as a PDF from 'The writer's guide PDF' link under the Quicklinks menu. New writing universeIs the literature game over or about to begin? Step inside this interactive 'New writing universe' and find the answer! Watch 'The writer's guide' video Watch this short animation for an introduction to 'The writer's guide to making a digital living'. “In one of the more backwater galaxies of this particular universe, resides the rather unremarkable planet earth....”