Wired reports that Federal prosectors have added nine additional felony counts against coder, freedom of information activist, and early Reddit employee (or Reddit co-founder, depending on who you ask) Aaron Swartz. Last year, he was charged with breaking hacking laws "by downloading millions of academic articles from a subscription database via an open connection at MIT." Pay attention to this case. The outcome could set precedents that increase legal hazards for security researchers, activists, and online journalists who operate with perfectly good and lawful intentions.
Feds charge open data activist with 13 felonies for downloading academic articles
Google AI researcher Timnit Gebru fired after complaining of "aggressions and harassments"
Timnit Gebru, an AI ethics researcher at Google, was fired this week after sending an internal email complaining that marginalized voices at the company were being silenced. Google, for its part, claims that Gebru failed to follow Google's requirements for a paper submission and that she subsequently threatened to resign. Ms Gebru is a well-respected… READ THE REST
Modem noise spectrogram
Scotty H created this spectrographic animation of a classic dial-up modem's startup noise. Here's a breakdown, by Oona Räisänen, of what each section concerns: READ THE REST
Apple's head of security indicted in iPads-for-gun-licenses bribery case
Apple's Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer was charged with bribery Tuesday after allegedly giving 200 iPads to local officials in exchange for concealed-carry gun licenses for Apple's security team. The Morgan Hill Times reports that others indicted included Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Undersheriff Rick Sung, Capt. James Jensen, and local businessman Harpreet Chadha, also… READ THE REST
This training collection can make you a Six Sigma project management black-belt
Anybody can be on the receiving end of a good idea or a lightning bolt revelation. It might be about a software project. It could be a method for reorganizing your business operations. It could be a new product idea or a major initiative that could have a huge impact on a business and everyone… READ THE REST
The Icebreaker Nordic Pop is the ice cube tray you've waited your whole life for
For all its basicness, it's surprising how many people have amazingly strong opinions about their ice. And after reading that sentence, you probably had a visceral reaction to the right ways and wrong ways for using ice too. Because, for something as fundamental as hardened water, we've all got a position. Whether you like it… READ THE REST
Here's the smart desktop warmer that safely keeps your coffee or tea at the perfect temperature
Simple solutions are almost always the best solutions. If you're cold, put on a jacket. If your car engine light clicks on, take it into the shop. And, if your coffee loses its piping hot bite…well, heat that baby up. Most of us are fans of the bold, burly sting of a fresh-off-the-brewer coffee at… READ THE REST