While we're at it, let's get the kiddies indoctrinated into the panopticon mindset too:
- Playmobil Security Check Point
- Operation Checkpoint Jr. Airport Security Education Center [via Gizmodo]
Related Posts:
- Surveillance Light
- Privacy Apparel
OK, not quite apparel. Maybe we need to branch out into privacy and security oriented home furnishings. The Surveillance Light 2008 is pricey, but sure to bring a taste of modern public spaces into your home.
[via Gizmodo]
Related Posts:
Surveillance for the whole family
Privacy Apparel
I had been considering buying an Elgato Turbo.264
My first test, using the "Normal" preset in HandBrake 0.9.1 (Mac OS X 10.5.1) yielded an approximately 2x real-time speed. I was pleasantly surprised that all eight cores were being kept efficiently busy:
The source was a two-hour NTSC 4:3 DVD VIDEO_TS file on hard disk, and the default two-pass encoding took almost exactly one hour. I'd be very surprised if the turbo.264 would help on this platform as most comments that I have seen report 0.5-1x real-time encoding on dual-core Macs, but still a benefit would be being able to do its thing in the background while keeping my processors more available for other work. Probably more overall real clock time, but perhaps with more efficient use of human and processor time.
Please chime in with a comment if you've used the turbo.264 on a quad-core or eight-core Mac Pro.
[graphs via MenuMeters]
On the heels of the TSA responding to posts on its new Evolution of Security blog by putting a stop to the practice of making travelers at some locations take all of their elecronic gadgets out of their luggage [1][2][3], the EFF is suing the DHS over substantially more intrusive practices:
Civil Liberties Groups Sue Homeland Security for Records on Intrusive Questioning and Searches of U.S. Travelers
IANAL, but it seems that there are potentially 1st, 4th, and 5th amendment issues at stake here. Let's hope that our next administration will respect the liberties of its citizens enough to restore constitutional rights to returning residents, and remove the Guantanamo-like status of our borders. Then we can get to work on the other irrelevant practices like the shoe and liquid bans, and fingerprinting innocent non-citizens. A valid passport and not being a wanted felon/terrorist should be enough for one to retain one's privacy and dignity when entering the US from abroad. After all, if the goal of national security is not to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then what is it?
UPDATE: Nat Torkington has an interesting post on O'Reilly Radar pointing out that these confiscation measures can be made less relevant to savvy travelers by simply using the cloud to their advantage. Also, Chris Soghoian has an excellent post on CNET on other self-help measures for the privacy-minded to take back the Constitution.
UPDATE (19 May 2008): Two great EFF posts...
EFF Answers Your Questions About Border Searches
Congress Must Investigate Electronic Searches at U.S. Borders
"If you work on your mind with your mind, how can you avoid an immense confusion?" -Seng-Ts'an
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