News You Can Use

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The Military is Using Human Brain Waves to Teach Robots How to Shoot - Tech - GovExec.com

Modern sensors can see farther than humans. Electronic circuits can shoot faster than nerves and muscles can pull a trigger. Humans still outperform armed robots in knowing what to shoot at — but new research funded in part by the Army may soon narrow that gap.

Researchers from DCS Corp and the Army Research Lab fed datasets of human brain waves into a neural network — a type of artificial intelligence — which learned to recognize when a human is making a targeting decision. They presented their paper on it at the annual Intelligent User Interface conference in Cyprus in March.

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In Venezuela’s Chaos, Elites Play a High-Stakes Game for Survival - The New York Times

Even as Venezuela sinks into chaos, with clashes between protesters and the police escalating, why have its powerful political and military elites stuck by President Nicolás Maduro?

The country would seem to be a prime candidate for something scholars call an “elite fracture,” in which enough powerful officials break away to force a change in leadership.

Long-mounting rage against Mr. Maduro’s government exploded this past week when he called for a new Constitution, widely seen as the latest in a series of a power grabs. Demonstrators have overwhelmed city streets, so far undeterred by a police crackdown in which hundreds have been arrested and dozens killed.

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UK super-rich got richer despite Brexit: rich list

London (AFP) - Britain's super-rich "kept calm and carried on making billions" despite worries about Brexit, according to The Sunday Times newspaper's Rich List for 2017, with more billionaires living in the country than ever before.

In the past 12 months, the total wealth of Britain's richest 1,000 individuals and families surged 14 percent to £658 billion ($854 billion, 777 billion euros), the paper said.

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Columnist who defended NRA quits after being suspended | New York Post

A conservative columnist who was suspended by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after she defended the National Rifle Association from comparisons to ISIS fired back with her resignation and a series of targeted tweets.

The newspaper on Friday suspended Stacy Washington after a column entitled “Guns and the Media” disputed an anti-NRA article that argued since more Americans die from guns than from ISIS, the Second Amendment advocacy group is the greater danger.

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Pearl Harbor: Hawaii Was Surprised; FDR Was Not

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japan launched a sneak attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, shattering the peace of a beautiful Hawaiian morning and leaving much of the fleet broken and burning. The destruction and death that the Japanese military visited upon Pearl Harbor that day — 18 naval vessels (including eight battleships) sunk or heavily damaged, 188 planes destroyed, over 2,000 servicemen killed — were exacerbated by the fact that American commanders in Hawaii were caught by surprise. But that was not the case in Washington.

Comprehensive research has shown not only that Washington knew in advance of the attack, but that it deliberately withheld its foreknowledge from our commanders in Hawaii in the hope that the "surprise" attack would catapult the U.S. into World War II. Oliver Lyttleton, British Minister of Production, stated in 1944: "Japan was provoked into attacking America at Pearl Harbor. It is a travesty of history to say that America was forced into the war."

How many of our current national public servants are aware of FDR's treachery? 10%? 90%?

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Monsanto accused of hiring army of trolls to silence online dissent – court papers — RT America

Biotech giant Monsanto is being accused of hiring, through third parties, an army of Internet trolls to counter negative comments, while citing positive “ghost-written” pseudo-scientific reports which downplay the potential risks of their products.
The documents emerged during pre-trials on 50 lawsuits against Monsanto which were pending in the US District Court in San Francisco. The plaintiffs allege that exposure to the biotech giant’s flagship product, the herbicide Roundup, caused them or their relatives to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, while Monsanto concealed the potential risks.

In March, a judge ruled, despite Monsanto’s objections, that the documents obtained by the plaintiffs could be released. The court papers are being gathered at the website of food-safety whistleblower organization US Right to Know.

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The meaning of life in a world without work | Technology | The Guardian

As technology renders jobs obsolete, what will keep us busy? Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari examines ‘the useless class’ and a new quest for purpose

Most jobs that exist today might disappear within decades. As artificial intelligence outperforms humans in more and more tasks, it will replace humans in more and more jobs. Many new professions are likely to appear: virtual-world designers, for example. But such professions will probably require more creativity and flexibility, and it is unclear whether 40-year-old unemployed taxi drivers or insurance agents will be able to reinvent themselves as virtual-world designers (try to imagine a virtual world created by an insurance agent!). And even if the ex-insurance agent somehow makes the transition into a virtual-world designer, the pace of progress is such that within another decade he might have to reinvent himself yet again.

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3 Nephi 21:12 And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a alion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

3 Nephi 20:16 Then shall ye, who are a aremnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young blion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both ctreadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

MS-13: Experts see a new and more deadly profile emerge | Newsday

The recent eruption of gang violence on Long Island — highlighted by the discovery of the mutilated bodies of four young men in a public park — fits what experts and sources say is a new and more deadly profile of MS-13. At the heart of that profile are newcomers from Central America eager to make their mark within an immigrant gang already known for its code of brutality and its weapon of...

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EXCLUSIVE - Congressional Expert: North Korea Prepping EMP Catastrophe Aimed At U.S. Homefront

TEL AVIV – While the international community and news media focus on North Korean missile tests and the country’s nuclear program, one expert warned on Sunday that North Korea may be secretly assembling the capability to take out significant parts of the U.S. homeland via an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack.
Dr. Peter Vincent Pry is executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and is the chief of staff of the Congressional EMP Commission.

Speaking on this reporter’s talk radio program, Pry pointed to two North Korean satellites that are currently orbiting the U.S. at trajectories he says are optimized for a surprised EMP attack. “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio” is broadcast on terrestrial radio on New York’s AM 970 The Answer and NewsTalk 990 AM in Philadelphia and online.

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Pearl Harbor: Hawaii Was Surprised; FDR Was Not

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japan launched a sneak attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, shattering the peace of a beautiful Hawaiian morning and leaving much of the fleet broken and burning. The destruction and death that the Japanese military visited upon Pearl Harbor that day — 18 naval vessels (including eight battleships) sunk or heavily damaged, 188 planes destroyed, over 2,000 servicemen killed — were exacerbated by the fact that American commanders in Hawaii were caught by surprise. But that was not the case in Washington.

Comprehensive research has shown not only that Washington knew in advance of the attack, but that it deliberately withheld its foreknowledge from our commanders in Hawaii in the hope that the "surprise" attack would catapult the U.S. into World War II. Oliver Lyttleton, British Minister of Production, stated in 1944: "Japan was provoked into attacking America at Pearl Harbor. It is a travesty of history to say that America was forced into the war."

How many of our current national public servants are aware of FDR's treachery? 10%? 90%?

The First Presidency knew. As for the rest of the public. Maybe 10%.

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Hackers infect devices, create ever bigger rogue botnets | The Sacramento Bee

WASHINGTON
Dr. Herbert Lin, one of the nation’s pre-eminent thinkers on cybersecurity policy, shuns the internet-connected devices that fill some American homes.

He’ll have nothing to do with “smart” refrigerators, hands-free home speakers he can call by name, intelligent thermostats and the like.

“People say to me, ‘How can you have a doctorate in physics from MIT and not trust in technology?’ And I look at them and say, ‘How can I have a doctorate in physics from MIT and trust technology?’ ” Lin said.

Part of what he distrusts is the “internet of things,” and the ease with which hackers can penetrate “smart” devices with digital worms and shanghai them into massive robotic networks to launch crippling digital attacks or generate ever greater quantities of spam.

It is a mistrust based on mathematics. Internet-enabled devices are exploding in number. Gartner, a research giant in technology, says the devices will climb from 6.4 billion at the end of last year to 25 billion by 2020. Such growth sharply augments the power of hidden robotic networks, or botnets.

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Middle school student suspended for 'liking' photo of gun on Ins - Cincinnati News, FOX19-WXIX TV

TRENTON, OH (FOX19) -
An Edgewood Middle School student was handed a 10-day suspension for “liking” a picture of a gun on Instagram with the caption “ready."

The parents of Zachary Bowlin posted a picture of the intended suspension notice which read, “The reason for the intended suspension is as follows: Liking a post on social media that indicated potential school violence.”

"I was livid, I mean, I’m sitting here thinking ‘you just suspended him for ten days for liking a picture of a gun on a social media site," father Marty Bowlin said. "He never shared, he never commented, he never made a threatening post… anything on the site, just liked it."

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Android apps secretly tracking users by listening to inaudible sound hidden in adverts | The Independent

An increasing number of Android applications are attempting to track users without their knowledge, according to a new report.

Over recent years, companies have started hiding “beacons”, ultrasonic audio signals inaudible to humans, in their adverts, in order to track devices and learn more about their owners.

Electronic devices equipped with microphones can register these sounds, allowing advertisers to uncover their location and work out what kind of ads their owners watch on TV and which other devices they own.

The technique can even be used to de-anonymise Tor users.

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Video: Man ticketed for warming up car in driveway loses in court | Fox17

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Warming up your car in the driveway might be a Michigan winter tradition, but a judge says it’s not legal in a Detroit suburb if no one’s behind the wheel.

Nick Taylor challenged a $125 ticket in court yesterday and lost. His lawyer says a Roseville ordinance against unattended running vehicles shouldn’t apply to driveways. But Judge Marco Santia says the law is in the public interest.

Taylor got attention in January when he posted a photo of the ticket on Facebook. The post was shared more than 6,000 times and garnered more than 5,000 comments.

Roseville Police Chief James Berlin has defended the ticket. He says a thief could have stolen Taylor’s car.

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Venezuelans Accused of Rebellion Are Hauled Into Military Court - Bloomberg

Hundreds of Venezuelans arrested in the past week have been tried in secretive military courts, a new maneuver by the government of President Nicolas Maduro as he fights to retain his grip on power in the face of escalating political opposition and massive street protests.

Those taken into custody were charged with crimes including “rebellion” and “insulting authorities,” and some were sentenced within hours, according to civil-rights groups. Thousands of people have been detained across the country in recent months, with authorities rounding up politicians, activists, student leaders, even shoppers waiting in queues to buy food who made complaints police officers decided were out of line.

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Vladimir Putin spent £1.3 million to spike clouds with chemicals to guarantee sunshine during Russia’s massive Victory Day parade... but he’s still been defeated by the weather

VLADIMIR Putin was defeated by the weather today, despite spending £1.3 million to spike the clouds with a chemical cocktail to supposedly guarantee sunshine on his vast annual military parade.

A 72-aircraft Red Square fly-past was grounded because of low cloud over the Kremlin, thwarting his bid to showcase his air force and honour Russian pilots who have served in Syria.

Russia showcases Arctic hardware in Red Square military ...

MOSCOW, May 9 (Reuters) - Russia rolled out air defence systems built to operate in sub-zero Arctic conditions on Tuesday as it showcased its military might at a parade on Moscow's Red Square.

The parade, an annual event commemorating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, took place under grey skies as President Vladimir Putin looked on from a platform alongside Soviet war veterans.

Vladimir Putin stages massive Victory Day parade featuring nuclear warheads, monster military vehicles and 10,000 troops to make his enemies 'salivate'

VLADIMIR Putin was today staging a monster military parade showcasing Russia’s huge firepower and hailing as heroes his troops who have seen service in Syria.

The annual Red Square march and fly-past marks the defeat of Hitler in World War Two.

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How Privacy Became a Commodity for the Rich and Powerful - The New York Times

Recently I handed over the keys to my email account to a service that promised to turn my spam-bloated inbox into a sparkling model of efficiency in just a few clicks. Unroll.me’s method of instant unsubscribing from newsletters and junk mail was “trusted by millions of happy users,” the site said, among them the “Scandal” actor Joshua Malina, who tweeted in 2014: “Your inbox will sing!” Plus, it was free. When a privacy policy popped up, I swatted away the legalese and tapped “continue.”

Last month, the true cost of Unroll.me was revealed: The service is owned by the market-research firm Slice Intelligence, and according to a report in The Times, while Unroll.me is cleaning up users’ inboxes, it’s also rifling through their trash. When Slice found digital ride receipts from Lyft in some users’ accounts, it sold the anonymized data off to Lyft’s ride-hailing rival, Uber.

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Why Liberals Aren’t as Tolerant as They Think - POLITICO Magazine

The political left might consider itself more open-minded than the right. But research shows that liberals are just as prejudiced against conservatives as conservatives are against liberals.

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College asks students to contemplate ‘pee privilege’

The notorious Northern Arizona University now has signs outside of on-campus restrooms that ask students to consider whether they have “pee privilege.”

“Do you have pee privilege?” one sign questions, informing restroom-goers that if they “never have to think about gender identity, ability, or access when peeing,” then “[they] do.”

Another sign expands upon the definition of “pee privilege,” noting that the “ability to use a restroom without fear or concern for your own safety constitutes” such a privilege, explaining that other factors like the “gender binary,” or the “ability to undoubtedly know which bathroom to pick,” contribute to “pee privilege.”

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News from The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former President Barack Obama is starting to define his new role in the age of Donald Trump.

After dropping out of sight for a pair of glamorous island getaways, Obama is emerging for a series of paid and unpaid speeches, drawing sharp contrasts with Trump even as he avoids saying the new president's name. He's wielding his influence overseas, offering his support for some of the international political candidates who are clamoring for his endorsement. His aides are engaging in real-time political combat with Trump, including revealing Monday that Obama personally warned his successor against tapping embattled Michael Flynn as his national security adviser.

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Ontario man given three tickets by ‘the smoke police’ for having a cigarette alone in his SUV | National Post

LONDON, Ont. — Harry Kraemer knows darn well that smoking isn’t good for you but it’s a 60-year habit he doesn’t want to break.

The 76-year-old owner of Sparkles Cleaning Service is a healthy guy who loves a puff or two when he’s alone, sometimes at home with the windows open in his rec room or in his Porsche SUV, minding his own business and away from others who could breathe in his second-hand fumes.

What he doesn’t like are those he calls “the smoke police,” the Smoke-Free Ontario enforcement officers who he believes have placed a no-smoking sign as a target on his back.

The provincial anti-smoking laws set out stringent rules banning smoking in enclosed workplaces, enclosed public places, outdoor patios and vehicles where children are passengers and other spaces to protect people from second-hand smoke.

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California may end ban on communists in government jobs | The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.
Being a communist would no longer be a fireable offense for California government employees under a bill passed Monday by the state Assembly.

Lawmakers narrowly approved the bill to repeal part of a law enacted during the Red Scare of the 1940s and '50s when fear that communists were trying to infiltrate and overthrow the U.S. government was rampant. The bill now goes to the Senate.

It would eliminate part of the law that allows public employees to be fired for being a member of the Communist Party.

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Condoleezza Rice on Slave Owner Statue Purge: ‘It’s a Bad Thing’ (Video)

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning and criticized efforts to tear down monuments to historical figures who owned slaves. “When you start wiping out your history, sanitizing your history, to make you feel better, it’s a bad thing,” Rice said. Co-host Brian Kilmeade started the conversation about the sanitizing of history when discussing Rice’s new book, “Democracy.”

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At least this is the truth!

Obama: ‘You get the politicians you deserve’

Former President Barack Obama gave a speech Tuesday in Milan, Italy, at a summit on food innovation. During a question-and-answer session after the speech, Obama may have tossed in a dig at people who didn’t show up to the polls in November.

“You get the politicians you deserve,” Obama said without mentioning President Trump. “And if you don’t vote and you don’t participate and you don’t pay attention, then you’ll get policies that don’t reflect your interests.”