Own Business Archive

  • See through PermaFLOW drain is a boon to the hirsute

    See through PermaFLOW drain is a boon to the hirsute

    Posted on December 18, 2009 | No Comments
    Listen, people, what you pour down your drain is your own business. But when you come to my house and put down like fifteen pounds of hair and a pipe cleaner (you know who you are) then you're on my S-list. Thankfully, there's this thing. The trick is that this thing has a turnable wiper that pushes goop out of the pipe and lets you grab wedding rings, bullet shells, and other precious items by pushing them out of the trap and up into the main pipe where you can grab them with a hook or your long, sticky proboscis.

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  • Privacy versus power: smart grids are the new battlefield

    Privacy versus power: smart grids are the new battlefield

    Posted on November 19, 2009 | No Comments
    I think we can all agree that protecting our own personal privacy is a generally good idea. There are an enormous number of ways that our privacy can be encroached in a given day. Some of them are "for our own good", or "just the cost of doing business" in the modern age. Some of the ways our privacy may be violated are extremely esoteric and not very likely (hard drive activity LEDs, for example! PDF: Information Leakage from Optical Emanations). Generally speaking, what I do in my own home is largely my own business, and not the business of anyone else. But the technology behind so-called "smart grids" for delivering electricity to appliances in a way that maximizes efficiency may leak a lot of personal information about you and your domestic habits.

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  • Beware the ‘r word’ when reading up on Net Neutrality

    Beware the ‘r word’ when reading up on Net Neutrality

    Posted on October 23, 2009 | No Comments
    The beauty of the Drudge Report right now is that Mr. Drudge is working against his very interests. He's got some ridiculous headline right now, JULIUS AT FCC WANTS TO 'REGULATE' INTERNET, that's meant to wile up his easily excitable readership. What's going on is that the FCC has moved one step closer to bringin Net Neutrality to fruition, and has invited the public to weigh in until January 14.

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  • Psst… Hey, buddy, I’ve got a 37-inch TV to sell you for $100

    Psst… Hey, buddy, I’ve got a 37-inch TV to sell you for $100

    Posted on August 14, 2009 | No Comments
    Oh, dear. Imagine you're minding your own business at the local Wal-Mart when a man approaches you. “Hey, buddy, want a brand new TV?” “Sure,” you reply, “why not?” The man pops open his boot, shows off what looks to be a TV...

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  • What happens when artificial intelligence gets too advanced for its own good?

    What happens when artificial intelligence gets too advanced for its own good?

    Posted on July 26, 2009 | No Comments
    Imagine you're sitting at the dining table reading the latest Wrestling Observer, as you do from time to time. Nothing too crazy, just minding your own business. Then, suddenly—it's always suddenly—the microwave hops off the counter, wielding a knife, and comes charging after you. Oh, dear!

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