It was long-suspected that the Pentagon was behaving badly during the Bush years, spying on American citizens, operating beyond its jurisdiction, etc. Now we have a much better idea of just how badly the Pentagon was behaving now that they’ve released 800 pages of previously classified documents. The Inspector General has analyzed the documents and cited the illegal activities contained in the damning documents.

The Pentagon investigated everything from Planned Parenthood to Alaskans for Peace and Justice, which should give Sarah Palin a little cause for concern.  I’ll stick with the words of Benjamin Franklin, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.“

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as more documents are expected soon:

The reports, submitted to the Intelligence Oversight Board (IOB) by various Department of Defense components, cover the period from 2001 through 2008. The IOB’s role within the Executive Office of the President is to ensure that each component of the intelligence community works within the Constitution and all applicable laws. As such, the Inspector General of each intelligence agency is required to submit periodic reports to the IOB, which in turn is required to forward to the Attorney General any report identifying an intelligence activity that violates the law. Intelligence oversight reporting is rarely disclosed to the public.

This new release, from various Defense components including the Army and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comes in four parts, see here. Much of the reported improper activity consisted of intelligence gathering on so-called “U.S. Persons,” including citizens, permanent residents and U.S.-based organizations. Although Defense agencies are generally prohibited from collecting such information (except as part of foreign intelligence or counter-intelligence activity), it is apparent from the unredacted reports released to EFF that some DoD components have had chronic difficulty complying with that prohibition.

Some specific items of interest include:

Part 1

• Pg 98: A report that the Joint Forces Command, working with the FBI, improperly collected and disseminated intelligence on Planned Parenthood and a white supremacist group called the National Alliance, as part of preparations for the 2002 Olympics.
• Pg 122-137″ A NORAD intelligence briefing improperly included intelligence on an anti-war group called Alaskans for Peace and Justice in 2005.
• Pg 257-258: A 2006 report that NORAD had procedural problems relating to collecting information on U.S. Persons.

Part 3

• Pg 53-54: A report from 2003 of a closed investigation into prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and other sites in Iraq.
• Pg 60: A report from 2006 of improper intelligence (in the TALON program) on an anti-recruiting group.
• Pg 112: A report from 2007 of an Army Reserve officer routinely collecting data on U.S. Persons exercising their free speech rights.

Part 4

• Pg 19: A 2008 report that Army Signals Intelligence in Louisiana intercepted civilian cell phone conversations.
• Pg 65: A 2008 report that Army Cyber Counterintelligence officers attended the Black Hat hacker conference without disclosing their Army affiliation and without prior authorization to do so.
• Pg 173: A report that the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) set up a “honey pot” computer system to identify foreign threats in May 2006. In October 2007, AFOSI realized that the honey pot system might have been in violation of a sealed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) order that required a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant for such activity. AFOSI was not privy to the FISC order and only knew of it from public media reporting. The operation was suspended. Amazingly, when the Air Force asked the Justice Department to see the FISC order at issue, DOJ’s National Security Division denied the Air Force’s request.

According to the release schedule ordered by a federal judge last December, we expect to receive additional IOB reports from the CIA, National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Defense later this month. We will post the documents to our website as we receive them.

Source

Unfortunately one of the movies I was most exited about last year came and went before I had a chance to see it in theaters. The film I missed tells the timeless tale of two cultures in conflict. One is comprised of a dark-skinned race of people who are misunderstood and are being exploited by another group who considers themselves superior. In an attempt to gain total control the second group hatches a plot that takes advantage of medical science and uses the enemy’s own bodies against themselves. They also lie to one of the males and trick him into working as their inside man in order to keep the peace and prevent larger-scale violence and destruction.

While it sounds like I may be describing Avatar, that’s actually the plot of a different movie we’ve mentioned more than a time or two here on InfoAddict. The smaller independent film I am referring to is called Black Dynamite and it had so limited a release for such a short span of time that I never could find it playing anywhere even close to a time I could make it.

Well Black Dynamite was finally released on DVD yesterday and I can say without reservation that it was worth the wait. I rented it from my local Blockbuster early and have watched it several times already. Not because I am trying to squeeze every penny I can out of the rental fee, but because their are new things I notice every watch-through and some parts keep getting funnier. To put it on the t on the same level as “This Is Spinal Tap” would be a little blasphemous, but it would be accurate to say that it succeeds well at delivering the same kind of layered, deadpan, seemingly unintentional comedy that really grows on you.

If I go to return it at Blockbuster today it will only be because I plan on stopping somewhere else on the way home to buy a copy of my own.

As you can see from the image above (stolen from Kotaku), Americans have apparently demanded a dumber, lazier keyboard to help facilitate this already overly persistent Internet lingo that has given us such imaginatively constructed “words” such as “TTYL” and “BRB.”

Well, luckily for consumers, Fast Finger Keyboards has debuted its official hyper-ergonomic/brain dead keyboard that switches between alphabetical and QWERTY-style layouts and contains such highly necessary everyday initialisms such as “BTW.”

[Note from the grammar ninja: "BTW" is not an acronym.  To quote the immortal words of the ultimate grammar policeman, George Carlin: "An acronym is not just any set of initials.  It applies only to those that are pronounced as words.  MADD, DARE, NATO, and UNICEF are acronyms.  FBI, CIA, and KGB are not.  They're just pricks."]

Yes, thanks to Fast Finger Keyboards, now you too can kill brain cells by typing “lol” with a single keystroke.  Much like the word “you,” which evidently contains two too-many letters for the majority of cell phone owners, “lol” needed to be shortened to some retarded form of “internet shorthand” (as evidenced by “u” being frequently substituted for “you”).  But since that backfired, keyboard engineers simply reduced the number of keystrokes required to “lol,” increasing speed, efficiency and productivity in daily loling activities.

Not to be outdone by this stunning contribution to the further degradation of the English language, I have designed my own patented ULTIMATE PWNAGE keyboard which not only offers both alphabetical and QWERTY-style layouts, but contains a built-in infra red sensor beam (like those found on your typical high-end public toilets) that detects whether your bedroom door is being unceremoniously opened without your approval and instantly closes your porn-viewing tabs before your wife/girlfriend/mom/Aunt Bertha scares the hell out you by screaming “That’s not what nurses are supposed to do!”

Additionally, the F1 through F12 keys will support the following ergonomic features:

F1 generates a random Chuck Norris joke in every available MMORPG chat channel.
F2 contains a rapid-fire turbo feature that transforms your squat/sit button into instant, high-speed teabagging controls.
F3 posts a random picture of Mr. T.
F4 embeds your forum signature with an ascii-based image of Wacko Jacko beating the shit out of a parked car at the end of the original 1991 Black or White music video.
F5 links to this video of Steven Seagal saying “I’m going to take you to the bank, senator Trent.  To the blood bank.”
F6 does the Mario.
F7 recites George Carlin’s seven dirty words you can’t say on television – seven times.
F8 links to this video of Tommy Davidson from In Living Color spoofing Wacko Jacko beating the shit out a parked at the end of the original 1991 Black or White music video.
F9 translates your sentences into Australian.
F10 teaches you French with the special Groundkeeper Willie-edition of Rosetta Stone.
F11 queues an audio clip of Paul Hogan to tell your Modern Warfare 2 opponents “That’s not a knife.”
F12 does nothing noticeable at first, then gives you herpes two days later.

Satisfaction guaranteed or I commit seppuku.

In an amazing display of honor and integrity possibly extinct amongst American businesses, Toyota Motor Corp. CEO and President Akio Toyoda declined to accept an award from the Japanese Government for the Prius model’s energy efficiency. The Prius was one of 3 products selected this year to receive the Grand Prize for Energy Efficiency and Ecological Quality from Japan’s Trade Minister.

Referring to the recent voluntary recall of 437,000 Prius for possible brake problems, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said, “We declined to accept the award because we thought it was not appropriate.” Toyota made the decision to recall the Prius amongst the recent recall of a total of 8.5 million other Toyota autos after receiving only 200 complaints total in both the U.S. and Japan of the hybrid experiencing a braking delay in very specific cold weather conditions over very bumpy roads.

While some complain that the possibly company-killing recalls should have been made sooner, upon hearing of the refusal of the award and seeing some of the shame evident on some Toyota spokesmen’s faces during recent press conferences, I couldn’t help but be reminded of some of the principles and traditions that guided the gentlemen, knights, and samurai of old. It stands in stark contrast to the arrogant defiance I have seen on the faces of defeated and disgraced businessman and politicians lately.

It also made me wonder what it would be like if members of the video game industry had to show similar levels of contrition and shame to investors and consumers for crap they’d brought unabashedly to market. The unviewable screen of the original Game Boy Advance? The Xbox 360 and its Red Ring of Death failure rates? Daikatana, Battlecruiser 3000? Who are some companies, products, or people that you think ought to commit verbal Seppuku?

It sounds like something out of Sega’s recently released Bayonetta game, though perhaps a little more gruesome and lacking any semblance of bonus points.  Some poor bastard was riding in a taxi with his girlfriend when they began to argue. At some point, Gavin Taylor was stabbed in the eye with his girlfriend’s stiletto shoe. In fact, the stiletto heel passed through his eye socket and actually touched his brain, a concept that just sent an uncomfortable shiver up my spine.

Following the horrific incident Mr Taylor, of Stalybridge, Cheshire, was rushed to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where he was treated before being transferred to a specialist ward in Leeds, West Yorks.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “At around 2am on Sunday, police received reports of a serious assault which occurred in a vehicle travelling through Huddersfield town centre.

“A 28-year-old man was struck to the head and taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

“He was subsequently transferred to Leeds General Infirmary and is currently in a stable but critical condition.”

So who won the argument?

Source

All kidding aside, it’s been amusing to see the irrational explosion of emotions online from the two camps, both those that think it will change the world and people sure it’s destined to be a big slick paper weight. A huge part of the answer to that debate should be determined by the power of Apple’s new A4 processor – something we’ve only seen a little evidence of but is one of the big differences between existing Apple PDAs and the iPad, besides size. Hopefully we’ll learn more about it’s capabilities soon and see whether there’s any truth to this joke or not.

Only minutes ago and after months of rumor and speculation, self proclaimed genius, Steve Jobs, stunned the world by announcing yet another product sure to change the way we live life as we know it. It’s the Apple iPad! While most people thought Mr. Jobs would choose a more descriptive and less feminine hygiene product-sounding name, like iSlate or iTablet, the biggest surprise was actually the price. The most basic model (16GB/WiFi, no 3G) is only $499 which makes it much more affordable than most industry watchers expected and is probably meant to help it overcome some of the consumer adoption concerns many anticipate. The iPads will be managed through iTunes and run existing iPhone apps in a window (or pixel-doubled fullscreen) and will ship unlocked and attached to any specific carrier. WiFi-only units are supposed to hit store shelves in only 60 days with 3G-enabled units following 30 days beyond that.

More details & iPad Specifications:
iPhone 3.02 OS
10 Hr. Battery Life (month on standby)
Accelerometer
Compass
Speaker
Microphone
WiFi 802.11n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
1 Ghz Apple A4 Chip
16GB-64GB Flash Memory
Full Capacitive Touch
9.7 in. Display
0.5 in. thick
1.5 lb. weight

No Adobe Flash Support
Optional Keyboard & “Camera Connection Kit”

WiFi
16GB – $499
32GB – $599
64GB – $699

WiFi + 3G
16GB – $629
32GB – $729
64GB – $829

Optional AT&T Data Plans:

$14.99/Mo. for up to 250MB
$29.99/Mo. unlimited