cats, cat signals, games, internet freedom

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Stingrays Fed by Tourists Showing Distinct Feeding and Behavior Patterns

Stingrays are not meant to be "pets"--

Stingrays Fed by Tourists Showing Distinct Feeding, Behavior Patterns: Study : animals : Nature World News: "Tourists feeding stingrays have changed the creatures' feeding habits along with behavior and mating habits, a new study finds. Researchers say the research finding raises questions about the impact of interactive tourism on marine wildlife, reports e!sciencenews. Stingrays are commonly found in shallow coastal waters in temperate regions, according to the National Geographic. Their toxin can be fatal to humans. The study was conducted by researchers from Nova Southeastern University's Guy Harvey Research Institute in Hollywood, Fla. and the University of Rhode Island who assessed the population and behavior of Southern stingrays, Dasyatis Americana, found in the Stingray City Sandbar, Grand Cayman, which draws about a million visitors each year. . . " (read more at link above)






Thursday, March 28, 2013

Eric Schmidt calls for Internet Freedom in China

Kudos to Eric Schmidt!--

Eric Schmidt calls on Internet save China from itself - SlashGear: " . . . executive chairman of Google Eric Schmidt let it be known that he’s fearful of the control China keeps over its citizens in regards to the internet – and has called upon the rest of the world to have a discussion about what that country’s handling of the web means for us all. Saying China’s censoring and control of the internet is currently “the most egregious example” of a country keeping a fierce grip over its citizens access to the web, Schmidt made it clear that the recent hacking of the New York Times was an example of a very negative pre-cursor to Chinese citizen fear. This chat occurred at the Big Tent Activate Summit in New Delhi, India, this week with Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger. . . ." (read more at link above)






Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Male Lions Use Dense Vegetation For Ambush-Style Hunting

Male Lions Use Dense Vegetation For Ambush-Style Hunting
iScienceTimes.com
Male lions, that have long been believed to be dependent on females when it comes to hunting, are successful hunters in their own right, finds a new study. It is known that female lions use cooperative strategies to hunt their prey. While some studies have ... (read more at link above)

iScienceTimes.com


Big cats just like me!





Saturday, March 23, 2013

Darrell Issa: Government Is Biggest Threat To Internet Freedom

Rep. Darrell Issa: Government Is 'The Biggest Threat To Internet Freedom': " . . . Speaking with Mashable Editor in Chief Lance Ulanoff at the 2013 SXSW conference, Issa says government needs to have data that is easier to search and agrees the information should be accessible on mobile devices. "We want to have data standards that allow you, based on any logical search, to be able to get the information you want and to get it in its original form," Issa says, adding that he hopes things like the DATA Act get through Congress. Issa says information about how government spends money and what new laws are being made is more closed than anything in the private sector. "The biggest threat to Internet freedom comes from a government that's not online and available," he says. . . ."






Thursday, March 21, 2013

Alec Ross on Internet Freedom, Innovation and Digital Diplomacy

This is one guy who will be missed--

Alexander Howard: Exit Interview: Alec Ross on Internet Freedom, Innovation and Digital Diplomacy: " . . . He told me then that technology was changing and challenging the hierarchical, traditional authority structures that dominated the 21st century, disrupting the ability of governments, companies and powerful people to control information about themselves or their societies. In many interviews and speaking appearances since, he said that "the 21st century is a terrible time to be a control freak. That's an observation one could easily applies to the institutions and officials of the United States government. While the the outcomes of revolutions across North Africa and the Middle East are far from certain, what is clear is that the world has seen historic changes that can be in part attributed to so-called connection technologies. After Ross announced on Twitter and Facebook that he would be leaving the State Department this month, we connected to discuss about his plans and reflections on his tenure. Our unedited interview follows. For more on what's next for Ross and his thoughts on his work, make sure to read Sarah Lai Stirland's interview with Ross on 21st century statecraft at TechPresident. . . ."







Sunday, March 17, 2013

Aaron Swartz receives James Madison Award From American Library Association

The American Library Association Has Given Aaron Swartz Its First Ever ...
Business Insider
Famed Internet activist Aaron Swartz was honored today by the American Library Association. He became the first person to posthumously receive the association's James Madison Award. This is an award for those who champion public access to government ...Yesterday, Swartz's lawyer publicly released a letter sent to the Justice Department that accuses Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Heymann of prosecutorial misconduct. It details the lengths he went to in investigating Swartz and accuses him of coercing Swartz into a guilty plea.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/aaron-swartz-granted-posthumous-award-2013-3#ixzz2NfW0Ck4I and http://www.scribd.com/doc/130195421/2013-01-28-Redeacted-OPR

Business Insider

Swartz Gets James Madison Award From American Library Association
Broadcasting & Cable
"I hope that Aaron's death and this award can serve as a wake-up call to the US Congress and the federal government," said Swartz partner, Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman in a statement. "We must no longer allow corporate greed to be the bottleneck to ...

Aaron Swartz to be honored with freedom of ... - CNET News
Aaron Swartz, the Internet activist who committed suicide earlier this year while ...Administered by the American Library Association, the award recognizes ...
news.cnet.com/.../aaron-swartz-to-be-honored-with-freedom-o...

American Library Association Honors Aaron Swartz with Madison ...
Today, the American Library Association posthumously awarded activist AaronSwartz the 2013 James Madison Award for his dedication to promoting and ...
www.districtdispatch.org/.../american-library-association-hono...

Swartz Gets James Madison Award From American Library ...
The late Reddit cofounder and Internet activist Aaron Swartz was posthumously awarded the American Library Association's James Madison Award. The award ...
www.broadcastingcable.com/.../492355-Swartz_Gets_James_...

Aaron Swartz Honored by Library Association
The late internet activist Aaron Swartz has been recognized by American LibraryAssociation for his efforts to promote open access to research and government ...
politix.topix.com/.../5115-aaron-swartz-honored-by-library-as...





Saturday, March 16, 2013

Vint Cerf says Google services should not require real names

Google services should not require real names: Vint Cerf | Reuters: "In the face of increasing government-led crackdowns on social media, Google Inc (GOOG.O) should not force Internet users to reveal their real names for some services, including its Google+ social network, said Vint Cerf, a senior Google executive known as a "father of the Internet." In an interview with Reuters, Cerf acknowledged that the search giant's sweeping push in the past 18 months to institute real-name authentication for Google+ and other services has sparked intense debate within its Mountain View, California, headquarters. But he argued that current name policy, which allows for some users to display pseudonyms, offers adequate "choice" in how users choose to represent themselves. Over the past year, the company has strongly encouraged users to merge their accounts on YouTube, Gmail and other Google properties into a single Google+ identity, the company's social network offering that asks users to use the "common name" they are known by in the real world. "Using real names is useful," Cerf said. "But I don't think it should be forced on people, and I don't think we do. . . ."






Friday, March 15, 2013

Internet Freedom

news links about internet freedom--

The U.S. Must Protect Internet Freedom
Mashable
Since the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union (ITU) convened the World Conference on International Telecommunication in December, concern has been mounting among Internet freedom advocates over efforts to regulate the Internet.

US lawmakers want Internet freedom task force
ITworld.com
New legislation in the U.S. Congress would establish a government task force to monitor domestic and overseas policy proposals that could threaten Internet freedom. The Global Free Internet Act, introduced ...

US Department of State Hosts Tech@State: Internet Freedom Conference
US Department of State (press release)
Former Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States Andrew McLaughlin will deliver the keynote address followed by sessions on the challenges facing internet freedom and the role that technology plays in enhancing internet freedom. The second ...

Activists criticise Internet freedom in Vietnam
New Europe
The Vietnamese authorities are accused of an escalating assault on freedom of expression and criminalisation of bloggers and netizens in the country in a new report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Vietnam Committee on...

New Europe

Necessary conditions created for freedom of internet in Azerbaijan – Ali Abbasov
News.Az
The program 'Optics to each house' is being implemented to ensure broadbandinternet to the population of the country and expansion of the specter of internetservices, the process of electronizing the services provided by the state bodies has been ...

News.Az

Indonesia urged to uphold rights in regulating Internet
英文中國郵報
In its “2012 Freedom on the Net” report, U.S.-based Freedom House gave Indonesia a rating of 42 out of 100, an increase from 46 points in 2011. A lower score means more Internet freedom. The report evaluated conditions in 47 nations based on barriers ...

Activists criticise Internet freedom in Vietnam - Information Policy
By Mikhail Doroshevich
By Stanislava Gaydazhieva The Vietnamese authorities are accused of an escalating assault onfreedom of expression and criminalisation of bloggers and netizens in the country in a new report by the International Federation for Human ...
Information Policy

The Iranian Struggle for Internet Freedom | Movements.org
The Iranian Struggle for Internet Freedom. In 2008, in the midst of writing about a new law concerning Iranian women requiring a male guardian's permission to ...
www.movements.org/.../the-iranian-struggle-for-internet-freed...

Internet Freedom Fellows | WebCast Program
The Importance of an Open and Multi-Stakeholder Internet to Freedom ...
www.internetfreedomfellows.com/webcasts/

US Lawmakers Want Internet Freedom Task Force - CIO.com
The task force would monitor proposals in the U.S. and other countries that could hurt the Internet.
www.cio.com/.../US_Lawmakers_Want_Internet_Freedom_Ta...

A win for internet freedom in Canada | Freedomwatch
A win for internet freedom in Canada. By James Paterson on February 27, 2013 in Technology and online rights · Good news from Canada, which demonstrates ...
freedomwatch.ipa.org.au/a-win-for-internet-freedom-in-canada/

Internet Freedom Essential for Democratization - Jarl Hjalmarson ...
Nevertheless, the discussions must continue in order to bring about acceptance of citizens' rights and freedom of the internet,” writes Margareta Cederfelt and ...
www.hjalmarsonfoundation.se/.../internet-freedom-essential-fo...

multicast » Blog Archive » Scholar of Internet Freedom Denied ...
(Or: Yale will be next.) Noted freedom of expression scholar Cherian George has been denied tenure by the Singaporean government against the wishes of his ...
https://blogs.law.harvard.edu/niftyc/archives/790

Help Fight To Secure Internet Freedom! - Minecraft Forum
Help Fight To Secure Internet Freedom! Started by ... Once again the Government is going about piracy on the internet the wrong way. If this passes then the ...
www.minecraftforum.net/.../1709340-help-fight-to-secure-inte...

Reddit leads effort to protect internet freedom and privacy | MTSU ...
Last year, reddit.com spearheaded the effort to halt the three bills which threatened to end Internet freedom and privacy in the United States, but on Feb. 13 the ...
www.mtsusidelines.com/reddit-leads-effort-to-protect-internet-...

Europe - Internet Freedom Coalition
Media Freedom. Susan Crawford likes to hold out Europe – a sort of contiguous, happy whole – as the model for how to wire more of America with broadband ...
www.internetfreedomcoalition.com/?p=2950

Internet Freedom Fellows Panel Discussion | Webster Geneva
On Friday, March 8 at 14:00, Webster University Geneva is honored to host a special IFF Panel Discussion.
www.webster.ch/.../internet-freedom-fellows-panel-discussion

Freedom to Connect 2013 on Livestream
F2C: Freedom to Connect brings under-represented people and issues into the Washington, DC based federal policy discussion to promote Internet freedom, ...
new.livestream.com/internetsociety/f2c

“Internet's development is predicated on freedom and openness ...
“Internet's development is predicated on freedom and openness”. se-postit-forsif. It is time to present the first of the Stockholm Internet Forum's three organizers – ...
www.stockholminternetforum.se/internets-development-is-pre...

Aaron Swartz Campaign for Open Internet Continues at Freedom to ...
Broadcast live from the Freedom to Connect conference, a national gathering to promote Internet freedom and universal connectivity.
occupyamerica.crooksandliars.com/.../aaron-swartz-campaign-...

'After Aaron:' Late Activist's Campaign for Open Internet Continues at ...
We broadcast live from the Freedom to Connect conference, a national gathering to promote ...
www.nationofchange.org/after-aaron-late-activist-s-campaign-...





Thursday, March 14, 2013

Lessons From SOPA

Don't Mess with the Internet: Lessons From the SOPA Movement | Collective Intelligence | Big Think: "While the media may have reported the failure of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) as the result of high-level interventions from Silicon Valley big shots, that was not the case. So argues Elizabeth Stark, who was on the front lines of the battle for a free and open Internet. Stark, who has a law degree from Harvard, said that SOPA -- a bill that sought to create a blacklist for websites that infringed on copyright law -- "was the worst bill about the Internet that I had ever read." Against seemingly insurmountable odds, she helped stop the legislation, with the help of millions of Americans from all walks of life. . . .  "






Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Toxic Red Tide in Florida Kills Manatees Along Gulf Coast

 Red tide covers roughly 70 miles from Sarasota south to Pine Island Sound

View Larger Map
According to a story in the Miami Herald "Toxic red tide has killed a record number of endangered manatees along the Southwest Florida coast. With no sign of when the deadly algae bloom might abate, the preliminary death toll of 174 is likely to continue rising, state and federal wildlife managers said Monday. The number already has topped a previous red tide high of 151 in 1996. “It’s really hard to make any kind of prediction on it,’’ said Kevin Baxter, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. . . . This red tide covers roughly 70 miles from Sarasota south to Pine Island Sound, where the majority of deaths have been recorded in warm waters where the sea cows congregate during the winter. Sampling has found the algae, which also has triggered sporadic fish kills, as far south as Collier County at times. . . Once afflicted, they (manatees) lose coordination and the ability to swim upright or lift their heads out of the water to breathe. If reached early, stricken manatees can be saved, Baxter said. A dozen have been rescued so far, transported to area zoos where workers hold their heads above water until the effects fade. The FWC asks anyone in the impact area to report struggling or dead manatees to the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922)." Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/11/3280136/red-tide-kills-record-number-of.html#storylink=cpy

According to Wikipedia: "Red tide is also potentially harmful to human health. Humans can become seriously ill from eating oysters and other shellfish contaminated with red tide toxin."





Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Geeks are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties

Geeks are the New Guardians of Our Civil Liberties | MIT Technology Review: " . . . . So powerful was Anonymous in these events that a few weeks after they passed, I received a call from a venture capitalist involved with organizing the SOPA protests. He wanted to learn more about how Anonymous operated and whether its participants could be harnessed a little more directly. The beauty and frustration of Anonymous lies in an unruly and unpredictable spontaneity—as they like to boast, “We are not your personal army.” But his intuition—that they were an important part of the mix—was correct. One key ingredient to the success of Anonymous lies in its participatory nature, especially when compared to spheres of hacker action where technical skill is a prerequisite for participation (and often respect). Skilled hackers are indeed vital to Anonymous’s networks—they set up communication infrastructure and grab most of the headlines—for instance, when they hack into servers to search for information on government or corporate corruption. Hacking, however, still remains one tool of many (and some Anonymous subgroups oppose hacking and defacing). There is other work to be done: stirring press releases to write, propaganda posters to design, and videos to edit. Geeks and hackers may have different skills sets, but they are often traveling companions online, ingesting similar news, following similar geeky cultural currents, and defending Internet freedom, although using distinct methods and styles of organizing. The depth, extent, and especially diversity of this geek political movement was made evident to me just recently, not at an official political event but at a memorial service that doubled as an informal political rally. Over a thousand people gathered in New York City’s regal Cooper Union Hall to honor Aaron Swartz, a hacker and self-proclaimed activist who had recently taken his own life, some say due to government overreach in his federal case concerning the legality of downloading millions of academic articles from MIT’s library website (see “Why Aaron Swartz’s Ideas Matter”). . . ."






Saturday, March 9, 2013

Political Prisoners - Leakers, Hackers and Activists

Aaron Swartz is apparently more dangerous than the men who ruined the nation's economy . . . 

The New Political Prisoners: Leakers, Hackers and Activists | Rolling Stone: " . . . . Manning may be America's most famous political prisoner – but he's far from the only one. From environmentalists to hackers to whistleblowers, the U.S. government has made a policy of charging and convicting a wide range of activists across the country. To the FBI, an information transparency activist like the late Aaron Swartz is apparently more dangerous than the men who ruined the nation's economy . . . ."






Thursday, March 7, 2013

Google I/O 2013 Cats!

Google I/O 2013: Google Developers "Cat Experiment" Click 11100111







CISPA is back

Despite Protests, Congress To Bring Back CISPA Exactly As It Was Last Year, While Obama Signs Exec Order | Techdirt: " . . . the extremely flawed bill that passed the House last year. You can, of course, understand why the sponsors would bring back the identical bill. After all, it passed (fairly easily), even with tremendous protests. Many tech companies like the bill, because it puts no specific requirements on them, and also (more importantly) frees them from liability for sharing info on their users. But that's the really problematic part. It's disappointing that tech companies have not realized that standing up for their users' privacy rights is a smart business decision on its own. Tragically, they're taking the short term view on this one. The privacy concerns about CISPA are incredibly serious. . . . While the Obama administration threatened to veto CISPA last year, in part due to the privacy concerns, I'm not sure anyone is confident that the administration is serious about that. . . . "





Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Guyana vows to protect jaguars

Good Guyana!--

Guyana vows to protect jaguars as the cats are a near-threatened species | Fox News: "The lushly forested nation of Guyana on Thursday joined a regional pact to protect jaguars, the elusive spotted cat that is the biggest land predator in the Americas but is vulnerable due to expanded agriculture and mining that carves away at their fragmented habitat. Leaders of the government's environment ministry were signing an agreement with the New York-based conservation group Panthera, which is trying to establish a "jaguar corridor," a network of pathways that would link core jaguar populations from northern Argentina to Mexico. Guyana is pledging to ensure the protection of jaguars, the national animal that is a near-threatened species."





Saturday, March 2, 2013

Inventor of WWW says an open net is crucial

Are you listening US DOJ, ITU, UN???--

Inventor of WWW says an 'open' net is crucial - One News | TVNZ: "The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, says an "open" internet, free of Government and corporate controls, is crucial. The physicist is in New Zealand for a series of public appearances, including a rare public lecture at Te Papa museum in Wellington. Three hundred people attended the lecture tonight and appropriately those who missed out on tickets could log on and watch it streamed live through the internet. Sir Tim said it was important to ensure the internet is a place of open communication. . . . The issue of copyright and internet freedom has been particularly topical in New Zealand in the past year with the ongoing extradition case for Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom. The internet tycoon is wanted by US authorities for online piracy charges related to his former file sharing website."







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