A solution to the full-body scanner controversy...

Here's a solution to all the controversy over full-body scanners at the airports:

All we need to do is develop a booth that you can step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have hidden on or in your body.
The explosion  will be contained within the sealed booth. This would be a win-win for everyone. There would be none of this crap about  racial profiling and the device would eliminate long and expensive trials. This is so  simple that it's brilliant.

I can see it  now: you're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly thereafter an announcement comes over the PA system,

"Attention standby passengers, we now have a seat available on flight number..."

Gingerbread brings the ext4 file system to new devices

In an almost overlooked note on the Android Developers Blog, Tim Bray lets us know that starting with the Nexus S and Gingerbread, some Android devices will be moving from the YAFFS file system to the ext4 file system.  This is going to bring a big boost in input and output file operations, and explains some of the amazing speed improvements we're already seeing on the Nexus S.  Read more

Notify Me!

How about instead of giving me a big vibrating brick of plastic at the restaurant while I wait for a table, let my phone connect to your system and you can ping me instead.

Virtual Panoramic Tour of the Sistine Chapel

Open the following page on another tab: The Sistine Chapel. After the page is loaded, simply click anywhere on picture, hold down your mouse button, then drag it to change views!

In the lower left, click on the plus (+) to move closer, on the minus (-) to move away. Choir is thrown in free.

Here's the link again: http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

Phone Companies' $100 Billion Rip-off -- Where Is That Hidden $6 a Month Going in Our Phone Bills?

Next time you open your phone bill, check out the numerous anonymous charges listed on it. In particular, note the one identified as the "FCC Line Charge" or the "Federal Subscriber Line Charge" (SLC). Ask yourself two questions: What is it for and why am I paying it?

If you look at your bill, you'll likely have a hard time finding the SLC. Each state's phone billing method is different and the SLC is often hidden in what is labeled the "taxes and surcharges" section or the "monthly service" section -- or completely missing but added to the bill.

Read more

Operation LeakSpin - Wikileaks saga

The vigilante-style statement of dissent called Operation Payback is coming to an end. Loosely organized by anonymous supporters of Wikileaks, the aim of Operation Payback was to target companies and organizations that dropped support for Wikileaks - or even opposed the group's actions - by attacking their public-facing Web infrastructure. Using a software program called LOIC, which automates DDoS attacks (a type of Web-based attack that can take sites offline), the supporters targeted high-profile websites like Visa and MasterCard, taking them offline briefly during the first stages of what later became a full-on cyberwar. More recently, and with less success, the attackers went after PayPal and Amazon, too.

As those attacks fizzled out, the group is changing direction. Instead of using their collective energy to attack Wikileaks' opponents, it will now focus on spreading the information contained in the Wikileaks documents themselves. Read more...

We're Open and Taking Orders...

We're Open and Taking Orders! Glifs are now available on theglif.com. If you missed your chance to grab one on Kickstarter or wanted to order another for a friend, now is your chance! Orders will begin shipping in 2-3 weeks, and we hope (fingers crossed) they will arrive just before the holidays. So what are you waiting for? Head on over to theglif.com to order. We hear they make great stocking stuffers. Thanks to all of you for making this thing real. - Tom & Dan