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The Debate on Government Cell Phone Tracking

When it comes to the cell phone tracking debate, most participants seem to at least be wary of the implications. In essence, the newer cell phones on the market are being fitted with special chips that will allow for government tracking by GPS signal – some ad networks may also have access as well so they can send targeted advertisements.

Many people are very opposed to having their cell phone act like a tracking device. It takes away a huge level of privacy that Americans hold very dear. The reluctance may stem from the apprehension of a new thing, however, most people seem to reference how this would truly be the end of the Wild West days. Funny enough, the government tracking doesn’t seem to be meeting the largest part of the resistance. The fact that ad networks may be able to access the information appears to be more disturbing for most. After all, who wants to disclose where they are paying for toilet paper? For more of the latest information on the debate, you should check out Modsaf.org.

However, there are some that look at cell phone tracking as a positive change. After all, if you ever went missing or were seriously injured in a car accident, it would be much easier for rescue crews to track and locate you. Unfortunately, it doesn’t turn on and off – you would be tracked to the store, to friends, to the gas station, anywhere you went. This increased level of privacy intrusion is too intense for most American citizens to grin and bear with, and the changes are meeting a large resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: General, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Online Tax Preparation Services Help Americans and IRS

April 15 is a date that many people in the United States dread. For a number of years this date has  been associated with the day that taxes are due for a large majority of Americans. All over the country people sit crunching numbers and finishing their taxes before the deadline. However, in recent years that has all changed due to technology.

 

Online tax preparation services have helped many Americans save time, energy and money by offering an easy way to complete their taxes. This is a look at exactly how online tax preparation software programs have helped many Americans.

 

Cost Involved

Seal of the Internal Revenue Service

Image via Wikipedia

 

Many online tax preparation services are free to use. This allows many Americans to take advantage of tax help for a very low cost. It used to be tax advice and help could only be sought by experts and could cost a huge fee, but with online tax preparation services it can reduce the cost associated with taxes.

 

Time Involved

 

It used to take hours and hours to gather all the information, calculate the taxes and figure out what is owed. However, with online tax preparation services all it takes is a few minutes and putting in a few numbers and you can come up with how much you owe or the government owes you.

 

April 15 is no longer a day that many Americans dread. With the help of online tax preparation services they can quickly and effectively have their taxes turned in well before the deadline, and even help them save money by providing accurate tax returns to the IRS.

Filed Under: General, Technology Tagged With: , ,

A SHOTGUN FOR 21

The shotgun has been a traditional tool of choice for hunting and personal defense.  But only a few significant changes have been made to this weapon in over 100 years.  We now live in the dawning of the 21st century, and it is only fitting that we see new developments in shotgun technology.

The American AA-12 automatic shotgun traces its beginning to the hands of Maxwell Atchisson in the second half of the last century.  Since then through to 2005, the Atchisson Assault weapon got some serious modifications to make it the formidable front line combat machine that it is today.  According to it’s current developer, Jerry Baber of Military Police Systems, the AA-12 is quite possibly the most powerful weapon in the world.  That’s a tall claim in light of the innumerable nuclear warheads knocking about the planet, but he makes a point.  Most battles are fought in close quarters and on the streets of populated urban hubs.  An automatic 12-gauge shotgun capable of firing a reported 300 rounds per minute would seem almost certainly unstoppable.

THE UPPER HAND

There are a few clever ways to employ the AA-12.  As might be expected, it can throw enough lead downrange in such a short time that it virtually writes off any assailant on foot.  Stainless steel and titanium alloy shot can be fired into a moving automobile, destroying all occupants.  Frag-12 shells can deliver grenade-like bursts which can be considered a force-multiplier in any defensive or offensive campaign.  Although designed for military and police use, certain states in the U.S.A. will issue civilian licenses for the AA-12 and similar automatic weapons, after an applicant satisfies that jurisdiction’s requirements.

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TOWERS OF POWERS

How would you like to be watched, everywhere you go?  How would you like to go to your local big-box super store, while under surveillance?  If you live in America then you probably are already.  ICx Technologies / FLIR Systems has already been supplying law enforcement departments with a mobile unit they call SkyWatch.  Billed as a Manned Mobile Surveillance System, SkyWatch is essentially a guard booth on a hydraulic lift.  These portable towers are being acquired by police departments in the U.S.A., turning up in public byways and, yes, even retail outlet parking lots.  The booths can house radar and imaging systems, long-distance body heat sensors, and all the basic mod-cons for the officer(s) inside.  The stated reasons for deploying these towers range anywhere from crowd control to counter-terrorism.

HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE

According to the ICx Technologies literature, vantage point counts when policing human behavior.  An officer some 15 feet above us in the safety of a bullet-proof cabin may alleviate some anxieties in an otherwise high-risk environment.  No one wants to see a crime committed where it could have been prevented and, if crime is what these guard towers are hoisted up to deter, then we should be satisfied our tax dollars are as well spent.  Search through the world wide web, though, and a different concern is aired.  Are citizens being intentionally desensitized to police-state maneuvers by the gradual rollout of units like the SkyWatch?  There is speculation that these towers are nothing more than a link in the chain around Liberty’s neck, another example of technology put to ill use.  “May you live in interesting times”, goes the old blessing.  Let us hope it was not meant as a curse.

Filed Under: Government, Technology Tagged With: , ,

NEXI, UAV and JLTV: Three Acronyms That Save Soldiers

Behind nearly every technological advancement and convenience of today sits the United States military. Where would you be without your GPS? Where would you be without the Internet? Military engineers originally designed both of these inventions for military purposes, only later to be opened up on the consumer market. It’s logical to assume, then, that devices the military is producing and using currently could some day become devices Americans use in their everyday lives. The following list gives a rundown of several new — and in some cases mind-blowing — creations by the U.S. military.

  • NEXI: NEXI the robot, currently called Octavia, is one of the newest members of the Navy. While she isn’t in use quite yet, NEXI is designed to remove military troops out of life-threatening situations. In those situations, NEXI can interact with humans using speech, touch, and hand gestures to rescue troops during a disaster in order to save lives.
  • The UAV: The UAV, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, is a new military technology that does just what the name suggests. The UAV is able to fly without the control of a solider. The main advantage of the UAV is the possibility of saving lives that would otherwise be lost when flying into dangerous territory. The UAV can take more risks and reach higher speeds because there are no lives on board to be put in jeopardy.
  • The JLTV: The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is a quick, sturdy, and yet lightweight, take on the military Humvee. This vehicle can reach speeds of 102 miles per hour while being attacked on all sides. The JLTV can be both a transport vehicle for cargo as well as an ambulance for retrieving troops in dangerous surroundings.

None of these inventions are particularly suited to become attractive to consumers, but no one thought the Internet would catch on, either. It’s possible the technology being created by the military can be utilized for other devices in the future. For example, the technology in NEXI could be employed in machines for housework, which would make the world of the Jetsons seem realistic.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: , ,

Mission Possible: The Federal Bureau of Investigation

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Since its creation in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a number of key goals. These goals have always stayed in the realm of national security against outside and inside intelligence threats, but the FBI also endeavors to uphold the laws of the country like any other sector of the Department of Justice. The FBI is unique in that it is a federal form of justice rather than a state or local force. This allows the department to pick and choose its battles, so to speak, and focus on what it sees as the most important missions of the time.

As of today, the FBI’s priority list contains 10 types of investigations in order from most to least important.

  1. Protection from terrorism
  2. Protection from foreign intelligence issues such as spies
  3. Protection from attacks to or from technology
  4. Fight against corruption
  5. Preserve civil rights of citizens
  6. Fight against organized crime
  7. Fight against high-status crime
  8. Fight against crime extremely violent in nature
  9. Keep in touch with and reinforce other municipalities of the department
  10. Keep FBI technology top-notch and head of the criminals

Those 10 items may be the FBI’s most targeted types of crimes, but the crimes that people are being charged for following FBI investigations don’t exactly correlate with the previous 10. The top five in that second category are bank robberies, drugs, conspiracy, sexual exploitation, and mail fraud. While mail fraud doesn’t seem as monumental as protecting the country from terrorism, the amount of charges against these seemingly lesser crimes might actually be a sign the FBI is doing its job well.

The FBI isn’t a foolproof agency. It is, however, known and revered around the world as one of the toughest agencies of justice. The high standards of its goals shows how dedicated the FBI is to justice in America and worldwide.

Filed Under: Government, News Tagged With: , ,

Terrorism – Inside United States

Terrorism by far is one of the most destructing and take back conditions of the Economy of a country. It not only destroys the Economic growth of the country but also corrupts the citizens and the younger generation and takes them towards carrier and moral destruction which can destroy the country’s future. The super power of the world The US was also not left behind.

If we go by the records put up by FBI there were 250 attacks in United States out of 335 confirmed incidents which were suspected to be terrorist attacks and were committed by US citizens.

Some of the major US Terrorist Organizations were named as Army of God. This organization was held responsible for destruction of an abortion clinic, a lesbian club and a gay club in mid-90’s by a series of bombings. The group was a loose network of individuals connected ideologically of ending Abortion in United States.

Another group known as Alpha 66 and Omega 7 were 2 Cuban groups in which Alpha 66 is still existent but Omega 7 is now dysfunctional. It was responsible in many of the bombing in the United States. Manly related to the Cuban exile violence the acts of these groups have been extensively documented by Joan Didion in his book MIAMI.

Black liberation army was another organization which was distinguished as a destructive group in US between 70’s and 80’s. They idealized that had they should over through the US Government because of racial discrimination and worked with Marxist ideology. They were mainly involved in killing of police officials.

The Order also known as Silent Brotherhood, the most talked about act of this group was the brutal murder of the talk show host aired on radio Alan Berg in 1984. This is how terrorism within United States is prevalent.

Filed Under: Government, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Benefits of Global Positioning Systems

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. GPS systems are becoming a standard all around us, especially in portable formats and in new vehicles. GPS systems can even be found in cellular phones, which are now largely capable of delivering the same mapping capabilities as a portable GPS device. If you are thinking about buying a portable GPS device or a phone with GPS capabilities, then consider the following benefits:

  • Where are you? A GPS device can help you to determine exactly where you’re at during any given time. Not only is a GPS going to give you the name of the road that you are traveling on, but many can also give you exact coordinates including longitude and latitude so that you can find yourself on a map as needed.
  • Receiving directions. GPS systems come loaded with highly detailed maps, and they will be able to give you concise, step by step directions depending on where you are trying to go. Simply put in your intended destination and your current location and the directions will lead you to where you need to go.
  • Safety considerations. GPS systems can read the directions to a specified destination to you, meaning that you can keep your focus on the road rather than on the map while you are driving. Many GPS setups also can function as a hands free device on your cell phone, which means that you can access them quickly and easily. Your GPS may also be able to broadcast to emergency crews where you are in the event of an accident.
  • Avoiding traffic. Many GPS systems are capable of monitoring traffic and helping you to avoid it by steering you in the opposite direction. Your GPS will be able to provide you with up to date traffic news so that you know the best way to get home.
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