Who dares to dodge Google’s information tax? | McKenzie Wark
Of course Google doesn’t want to pay its taxes to the British crown, like a loyal corporate subject. In Google’s mind it secretly thinks that it is now something like a state, and we are all its subjects. It is we who should pay tribute to it – and we do.
We pay it a sort of information tax. Google is the Ministry of Information Retrieval. If you want some data, you have to give up some, about who you are, what you do, what your movements are. Like most other states, Google will then sell access to you to other interested part [...]
More centrifuges at Iran plant
22 May 2013
Last updated at 13:01 ET
Iran’s activities at its Natanz facility have been under scrutiny by its critics
Iran has installed hundreds of new centrifuges at its Natanz plant, the UN’s atomic agency says in a report.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had installed almost 700 advanced IR2m centrifuges at the plant, compared with 180 in February.
It again expressed concern about the “possible military dimensions” of Iran’s nuclear programme.
But it said there had [...]
Does Oklahoma natural disaster prove there is no God?
Tragedy in Oklahoma: tornadoes devastate a community, an elementary school is leveled and the death toll stands at 24 dead.
Does the idea of the existence of a loving God get swept away in the wake of such storms like a tin building or mobile home?
Looking at the outpouring of prayer and the massive faith-based response to help those affected, it doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, it appears to be just the opposite. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve read or heard the phrase, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the peo [...]
New Jersey’s "Operation Swill" cracks downs on alleged liquor substitut...
Attention, happy-hour lovers: this could be hard to swallow.
New Jersey’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced Wednesday that it had seized alcohol from 29 bars and restaurants as part of a year-long investigation into allegations that the businesses have been fooling customers by filling bottles from premium brands with cheaper well liquor.
More than 100 investigators fanned out across the state Wednesday morning to carry out the raids in an effort dubbed “Operation Swill.”
Related: The lucrative bus [...]
Roberto Martínez to decide Wigan future in 24 hours, says Dave Whelan
The Wigan Athletic chairman, Dave Whelan, has said he expects Roberto Martínez to decide whether he is staying with the relegated FA Cup winners on Thursday.
Martínez and Whelan met on Wednesday to discuss the club’s plans following relegation from the Premier League and the manager’s uncertain future. The 39-year-old has been heavily linked with the manager’s position at Everton following David Moyes’s departure for Manchester United, while Stoke City and Málaga have also been mentioned as potential destinations a [...]
Montreal tells 1.3 million residents to boil their drinking water
Wed May 22, 2013 2:16pm EDT
(Reuters) – Montreal, Canada’s second-largest city, has asked 1.3 million people to boil their drinking water after a problem at one of the city’s water treatment facilities.
The advisory, posted on the city’s website on Wednesday, covers much of the south and east of the city of 1.65 million.
The order followed reports of brown-tinged water in parts of the city, and Montreal Fire Department division chief Gordon Routley told CTV News that the advisory was likely t [...]
Piers Morgan penning book on CNN
Piers Morgan is set to publish a “warts and all” book about life behind the scenes at CNN, his publisher announced Wednesday.
Simon Schuster imprint Gallery Books will release “Shooting Straight: Guns, Gays, God, and George Clooney” by the CNN host this October. The book — written in a real-time, diary format — will detail Morgan’s time at the network interviewing celebrities and world leaders, covering stories such as the killing of Osama bin Laden and the school shootings in Newtown, his controversial gun control advocacy campaign and [...]
Amid Threats From Anonymous, Guantanamo WiFi Shut Down
Despite cries from the Left, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is still up and running. The same, however, can’t be said for Guantanamo’s WiFi.
The United States military turned off wireless Internet service at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base amid threats from the hacker collective Anonymous. Officials have also nixed access to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, a spokesperson for the Guantanamo Bay prison said.
Anonymous reportedly threatened to disrupt activities at the base, although no disruptions have been report [...]
Mother, infant who sought shelter in 7-Eleven among tornado victims identified
Joshua Hornsby says he will always cherish the moments he had with his nine-year-old daughter Ja’Nae, remembering her as energetic, lovable and kind, before she perished in the deadly tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla. Sarah Stewart reports.
By Elizabeth Chuck and Gabe Gutierrez, NBC News
A mother who sought shelter in a 7-Eleven that collapsed under the force of tornado winds, killing both her and her four-month-old son, are among the victims whose names were released by Oklahoma’s chief medical examiner Wednesday.
Meg [...]
Khomeini daughter attacks Rafsanjani ban
The daughter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran‘s Islamic republic, has protested against the disqualification of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from next month’s presidential election.
Zahra Mostafavi has written to the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling on him to reinstate Rafsanjani in order to prevent the forming of a dictatorship.
Neither Rafsanjani, a confidant of Khomeini and the opposition’s favoured candidate, nor President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s close ally Esfandiar [...]
How police can find your deleted text messages
A forensics tool from Cellebrite can crack a phone’s password and retrieve all of its data.
Think that a secure password and erasing your phone’s memory will protect sensitive information on your smartphone? Think again.
Smartphone forensics experts can retrieve just about anything from any phone. Police will often seize and analyze phones for evidence of things such as indecent photos and videos, what calls were placed when and to whom, browser history, calendar events and explanations of a suicide or murder.
All of tha [...]
Carroll could be out until August
Striker Andy Carroll could be out until the start of the new season with the heel injury that forced him out of England’s
two post-season friendlies.
The 24-year-old, who spent last season on loan at West Ham from Liverpool, fell awkwardly in the Hammers’
final game of the season.
Although no surgery is required Carroll could be out for at least three months.
It is understood the injury will not jeopardise Carroll’s
proposed move from Liverpool to West Ham.
The clubs agreed a fee in the region [...]