politics
Latest
Politician rallying against SWATting falls victim herself
Writing about SWATting victims is as depressing as writing about data breaches, but this is the future we live in. In regards to the former, the politician who's come out strongest against the potentially deadly prank found herself on the receiving end of it recently. As her Boston local CBS station reports, Congresswoman Katherine Clark had a smattering of police officers with "long guns" on her front lawn Sunday night. What'd she do, broadcast some Counter-Strike? No, She's rallying behind the Interstate Swatting Hoax Act, a bill that'd make prank calling the SWAT team on someone a federal offense. Currently, the law states that faking a bomb threat or terrorist attack via telecommunications and across state lines is illegal; SWATting is not.
Obama seeks $1 billion for cancer 'moonshot' over two years
During his final State of the Union address, President Obama detailed a "moonshot" goal of curing cancer. He also put Vice President Joe Bidden in charge of the task force. It looks like the president is getting right to work fighting the disease as NBC News reports he plans to ask Congress for $1 billion over the next two years. More specifically, President Obama's proposal looks to spend $195 million this year and another $755 million during the 2017 fiscal year.
Prep for the Iowa caucuses: Check out the Engadget Election Guide
Tonight the process of selecting the nominees for president from the Democratic and Republican parties officially gets underway in Iowa. The citizens of the Hawkeye State will gather and physically organize themselves into groups supporting each of the candidates. And at the end of the night delegates will be awarded to the candidates accordingly. As the first contest of the primary season the Iowa caucuses garner a lot of attention. They have not always, however, been a reliable indicator of who the eventual nominee would be. That being said, they can give candidates an early boost in the polls. If you're wondering exactly how a caucus works and how it's different from a primary, check out the excellent video from CPG Grey after the break. But before you go out and cast your vote tonight, make sure to read up on the candidates' positions on the most important tech and science issues facing America this election year.
Google makes it easier to keep up with the presidential candidates
It's an election year here in the United States. In truth, the candidates started eating up news cycles well before 2016 started. Regardless, keeping up with each of their platforms and statements on important topics is tough. Plus, there's the always confusing schedule of caucuses and primaries. So you can either have a live feed of all the cable news networks piped directly into your brain, or you can check out our election guide and Google's updated search and Now card results for candidates.
US and Europe struggle to agree on data sharing
How tech companies share your data overseas is a thorny issue, and it doesn't appear to be getting any easier. The US and European Union failed to reach a deal over data sharing before an end-of-January deadline, leaving important questions of privacy and legal responsibility up in the air. According to the New York Times, the two sides aren't even close. The EU wants promises that data is protected against bulk US spying, for instance, but it's not thrilled by a proposed US State Department "data ombudsman" who'd help Europeans concerned about American misuse of their info.
America is angry about Europe's tax investigations
An eyeliner-clad official from the US treasury has traveled to Brussels to scream leave Google alone! at their European counterparts. International tax chief Robert Stack has accused the European Union of unfairly targeting American tech companies in its recent clampdown on tax avoidance. The continent has begun investigating "sweetheart" deals between firms like Facebook and Apple after it was revealed how little tax they actually pay. Stack, however, feels that he's got to go to bat for the homegrown champions, and that the money Europe is going after isn't theirs to claim.
Parliamentary committee finds UK snooping bill too vague
The Joint Committee on the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill is preparing to lay out its concerns and recommendations for the new surveillance legislation, following its final evidence session with primary author, Home Secretary Theresa May. The committee's report will fuel further debate on several controversial powers, but the government's Science and Technology Committee has also been keeping a close eye on proceedings. Today, that committee published its own findings on the IP Bill, urging the Home Office to provide greater clarity on some of the proposals, and to further consider the cost and feasibility of data-gathering systems.
Aiding Syrian refugees, one iris scan at a time
Over six million people are thought to have been displaced by the Syrian civil war, leading to a human crisis on a scale not seen in decades. While countries around the world have offered aid and asylum -- some more than others -- to refugees, it's Syria's neighbors that house the vast majority. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered almost 4.6 million Syrians fleeing conflict, of which 4.45 million (97 percent) are in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. And these numbers don't take into account those that have been unable to return due to conflict -- Jordan claims to have 1.27 million Syrians within its borders, for example, while the UNHCR has only registered 635,000.
VR video brings you closer to presidential candidates
Sure, you can watch political debates and rally replays to get a feel for a presidential campaign, but what's it really like to be swept up in the fervor of a meet-and-greet or stump speech? The New York Times might help you find out. It just released a video for its VR news app that takes you inside campaign events for Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. In each case, you get a better sense of what it's like for the audience, not just people on stage -- you can see who's attending and how they react to key moments. Even if you don't care for the speeches themselves, this could help you understand the vibe around a given candidate just as well as if you were really at the venue.
President pledges $4 billion toward computer science in schools
The White House isn't just relying on legislation to make computer science education a priority in the US. President Obama has launched a Computer Science for All initiative that gives states $4 billion in funding to expand computer science in K-12 schools through a mix of better course materials, partnerships and teacher training. The move also sends another $100 million directly to school districts, unlocks $135 million in funding from government organizations and gets further cooperation from both local governments as well as tech leaders.
White House refuses security clearance for Ashkan Soltani
Last month White House CTO Megan Smith announced that Ashkan Soltani would be joining her staff as a senior advisor, after leaving his post as the FTC's chief technologist. Today, Soltani revealed he will not be able to take the job, after being informed by the Office of Personnel Security that he is not receiving the necessary security clearance. There's no explanation as to why that is, but as The Guardian mentions and many are speculating, it could be a result of Soltani's participation in Pulitzer-winning reporting for the Washington Post covering the Edward Snowden revelations. We've contacted the White House and the Office of Science and Technology Policy but have not received any response.
What you need to know about Hyperloop
Elon Musk has a plan for humanity that covers clean energy, electric cars and spreading out amongst the stars. The billionaire also wants to do away with the tired and slow railways of the past in favor of pushing people around like parcels in a mail tube. That's what Hyperloop is: a series of vacuum tubes that'll enable travelers to get from A to B in minutes rather than hours. But Musk himself didn't have the time to develop the concept beyond his original idea, so in 2013 he open-sourced the project for anyone to have a go. Less than three years later, the first strides toward a global network of near-supersonic travel tubes are being taken.
Bernie Sanders shuns Microsoft's vote-counting app
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is taking matters into his own hands. Rather than use the Microsoft-provided tools to tabulate the results of the upcoming Iowa caucus, the Vermont senator's campaign has (rather impressively) built its own measurement tools, according to MSNBC. Why is the campaign so leery? It's concerned about impartiality seeing as how Microsoft employees have donated more than $200,000 toward his party rival Hillary Clinton's career over the years. Pete D'Alessandro is running the Iowa campaign for Sanders and told MSNBC, "You'd have to ask yourself why they'd want to give something like that away for free."
Why has Malaysia blocked Medium?
Medium is a popular platform, offering amateurs and professionals alike a simple way to publish their articles. This week, it was blocked in Malaysia. Over a single article posted by Sarawak Report.
Watch tonight's Republican debate with Engadget
Tonight, the field of Republican candidates for president will face off again on the debate stage. This is the last time the whole band will get together before the Iowa caucuses on February 1st. Well... almost the whole band. Professional blowhard Donald Trump will not be in attendance because Fox News refused to remove Megyn Kelly as one of the moderators. (Presumably he's somewhere hiding and wondering why the mean lady asked him so many questions.) Of course, with Trump out, there should be more time for the other candidates to make their voices heard. And ideological, libertarian favorite Rand Paul has regained his seat at the big boy table this evening. If you want to watch the undercard, featuring Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Jim Gilmore tune in to Fox News or to FoxNews.com at 7pm ET. But the main event will kick off at 9pm ET, with Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Rand Paul.
The FCC is going to war over set-top boxes
The FCC is preparing to propose rule changes that'll loosen cable companies' stranglehold on the set-top box market. According to the Wall Street Journal, Tom Wheeler is planning to give consumers far more choice over what hardware they can use. Right now, if you're a Comcast user, then you're expected to rent a Comcast box, or shell out for a TiVo and pay for it to be installed. The FCC, however, wants you to be able to choose whatever damn box you wanna use, so long as it's fit for purpose. AllVid is back, baby!
Google helps you hear directly from presidential candidates
Trying to understand presidential candidates' positions through debates can be an exercise in frustration. You might get a sense of where they stand on the issues... or might watch helplessly as their voices are drowned out by boisterous rivals. Google thinks it has a better way to keep tabs on politicians. It's testing a feature that lets candidates share their views, photos and videos in real-time while you're searching for a debate. If a would-be leader has smart ideas, you'll know even when they don't get a chance to speak up on TV. The feature will first be available during Fox News' debate on January 28th (at 7PM Eastern), but it's easy to see this becoming a mainstay for future events.
Japan may relax its drone rules to protect crops
Japan is leery about the threat drones possess after one deposited radioactive material on the home of its Prime Minister. That doesn't mean that the country doesn't recognize their potential as well, which is why it's currently mulling a relaxation of its tight rules. According to the Yomiuri Shimbum / Japan News, officials are planning "special drone zones," that'll enable UAVs to be flown around island regions and mountains. Initially, the technology will be tested to see if it can serve a practical purpose away from densely-populated urban regions.
ICYMI: California water woes, VR arcade life and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-599462").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: California adjusted the details in the project to address the water crisis in the state by diverting water, called WaterFix. VR gaming is being visualized at Sundance as a multiplayer theme park paradise. And a new smart mirror designed to simply take photos of full outfits has us feeling a little crazy. Which is where this Japanese product to capture bad guys comes in for the laugh relief. Please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
The next political speech you hear may be written by an AI
Humanity has made huge advancements in chatbot technology over the past few years. Artificial Intelligence systems can now imitate Philip K Dick, write convincing thinkpiece pitches and even pass the Turing test. However, they've never quite gotten the hang of political speechwriting and, in some cases, wind up sounding downright subhuman. However, a team from University of Massachusetts, Amherst announced on Monday that they have built a robotic writer able to pen passable political sentences.
