Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Here's The 'Star Trek Command Center' That NSA Chief Keith Alexander Used To Woo Politicians

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-army-star-trek-command-center-2013-9

star trek nsa

An extensive profile of NSA Chief Keith Alexander by Shane Harris of Foreign Policy mentions an "Information Dominance Center" in Fort Belvoir, Virginia that was designed to look like the 'Starship Enterprise' spacecraft from Star Trek.

As commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) from 2001 to 2003, Alexander oversaw the Trekkie setup and used it to woo policymakers

From Foreign Policy:

... Alexander brought many of his future allies down to Fort Belvoir for a tour of his base of operations, a facility known as the Information Dominance Center. It had been designed by a Hollywood set designer to mimic the bridge of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek, complete with chrome panels, computer stations, a huge TV monitor on the forward wall, and doors that made a "whoosh" sound when they slid open and closed. Lawmakers and other important officials took turns sitting in a leather "captain's chair" in the center of the room and watched as Alexander, a lover of science-fiction movies, showed off his data tools on the big screen.

"Everybody wanted to sit in the chair at least once to pretend he was Jean-Luc Pic! ard, " says a retired officer in charge of VIP visits.

Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian found what appears to be photographs of the 10,740 square foot headquarters on the website of DBI Architects, Inc. (which is "currently experiencing a high volume of traffic"). 

The brochure reportedly boasts that "the prominently positioned chair provides the commanding officer an uninterrupted field of vision to a 22'-0" wide projection screen."

star terk nsa

SEE ALSO: An Obscure 'Evil Genius' Engineer Was Instrumental To the NSA's Expansion

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Eton's New Boost Turbines Double (or Quadruple) Your Battery Life

Source: http://gizmodo.com/etons-new-boost-turbines-double-or-quadruple-your-ba-1279891344

Eton's New Boost Turbines Double (or Quadruple) Your Battery Life

Unless you own a RAZR MAXX, chances are good that your phone's battery is going to die by the end of the day. So you can either gird yourself for another fun-filled bus ride staring out the window or you can get the one of Eton's three new Boost Turbine backup batteries.

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ASUS' new PadFone Infinity unveiled with Snapdragon 800, microSD slot and design tweaks

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/17/the-new-padfone-infinity-snapdragon-800/

ASUS' new PadFone Infinity unveiled with Snapdragon 800, microSD slot and design tweaks

Just as promised, today ASUS has made its new PadFone Infinity official in Taipei, and there are definitely no surprises in the specs. The main update here is obviously the 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC, along with the addition of a microSD slot plus a secondary microphone for noise cancellation. Unsurprisingly, the internal storage options have been lowered to 16GB and 32GB, which is understandable with that new storage expansion capability.

One very subtle change that we missed in the leaks is the new diamond cut on the metallic backside, which gives the phone a more premium and solid look than the original version. To accompany that, the new PadFone Infinity comes in two new color options: "Titanium Black" and "Platinum White."

The software has also been given a gentle facelift, courtesy of a more consistent design language throughout the system -- from the simplified icons to the UI of some of the built-in Android apps. Since this is based on Android 4.2 instead of 4.1 out of the box, we should also see some performance boost as well. The good news for existing users is that the original PadFone Infinity will also receive this update, but there's no time frame for the roll-out just yet. %Gallery-slideshow84453%

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Fujifilm's X-A1 mirrorless ILC arriving this month with 16.3-megapixel APS-C sensor, $600 price

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/17/fujifilm-x-a1-mirrorless-entry-level-ilc-camera/

Fujifilms XA1 mirrorless ILC arriving this month with 163megapixel APSC sensor, $600 price

Fujifilm is swelling its retro-tastic line of X-Series cameras with the X-A1, an entry level model for wannabe photojournalists worldwide. The shooter comes with a 16.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS, although be warned that this isn't the X-Trans sensor that made the X-Pro 1 and X-M1 so alluring -- that's been reserved for the high-end. Instead, you'll get wireless image transfer, a 3-inch 920k-dot tilting LCD and five film simulation modes. Video-wise, the unit will shoot 1080p clips at 30fps, capturing sound with its built-in stereo microphone. The retail package will come with a f/3.5-5.6 24-76mm equivalent kit lens with optical image stabilization, and will set you back $600 when it lands later this month.

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drag2share: The 5 Most Dangerous Celebrities To Search For Online

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/8CR59qUlCS4/lily-collins-tops-list-of-most-dangerous-celebrities-to-search-online-2013-9

Lily Collins

NEW YORK (AP) — If you're curious about Lily Collins and head to the Internet to find out, beware — McAfee has ranked the actress as the most dangerous celeb to search for online.

Collins— who starred in movies such as "Mirror, Mirror" and "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" — posed the biggest risk of landing on a malicious site, according the computer security company; last year Emma Watson topped the list.

Female celebrities were the overwhelming lure to malware; Avril Lavigne, Sandra Bullock, Kathy Griffin and Zoe Saldana rounded out the top five; "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm was the only man in the top 10.

A person could be led to malware after doing a general search and clicking on dubious links, but risks increased when searchers added phrases like "free apps" or "nude photos."

Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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