Atheist, technopagan and vegan.

Things are getting more and more 'up close and impersonal'. As found on Wired: Photo: Oran Viriyincy/Flickr Transit authorities in cities across the country are quietly installing microphone-enabled surveillance systems on public buses that would give them the ability to record and store private conversations, according to documents obtained by a news outlet. The systems are being installed in San Francisco, Baltimore, and other cities with funding from the Department of Homeland Security in some cases, according…

May the new year bring you good things.

"We, the undersigned, urge all computer makers implementing UEFI's so-called "Secure Boot" to do it in a way that allows free software operating systems to be installed. To respect user freedom and truly protect user security, manufacturers must either allow computer owners to disable the boot restrictions, or provide a sure-fire way for them to install and run a free software operating system of their choice. We commit that we will neither purchase nor recommend…

Signs. We would be lost without them.

Warning. Don't read if you love the Pope. Or like him. On second thought, perhaps then you should read this. In his 'Message for the celebration of the day of World Peace 2013' the Pope says: Nice. I fully agree with this request. Especially the "aspirations of all" part. For some reason I think that the writer of this piece missed something fundamental in the convictions of his holiness the Pope. Take gay people, who are…

As found on Celtic Myth Podshow: Swearing On Horns Pic:Wikipedia Swearing on the Horns, Highgate, 1906. Described by Bryon in Childe Herald, there were once about 20 public houses in Highgate, where strangers were required to take a pair of antlers horns in their hands, and swear a jocular oath: The custom of Swearing on the Horns in Highgate died out at the end of the 19th century, but has been revived as an occasional ceremony in…

As found on tor.com: Did you know that most versions of sign language do not have established vocabularies for scientific terms? In an effort to change this, reseachers at the University of Washington have been developing these terms, and with the help of Lydia Callis (the amazing ASL interpreter who we saw beside Mayor Bloomberg during Hurricane Sandy), they're going to teach you how science works in American Sign Language. Because the deaf community need…

So let me get this straight. Walmart is a place where you buy food, clothes, toys and tools, and so forth. Online I found this picture, taken in a Walmart branch (according to the accompanying text at least). I believe it is real as a close friend of mine told me her husband saw these things at a Walmart too: According to the information in the post these are, amongst others, a "Sig m400, sig…

The USA is a great country. No doubt about it. I've travelled it a lot of times, met wonderful, interesting, odd, funny people, and I saw beautiful places. It's definitely a great country. Note: from here on forward this post may be considered rude and offensive against the great nation of the United States of America. Proceed at own risk. The people that run it, though, can't make up their minds. It's this scary religion thing…