Monthly Archives: October 2014

Raymond Loewy's NASA Designs Are The Space Future That Never Was

Posted: October 13, 2014 at 9:46 pm

From 1967 until 1973 NASA employed the services of Raymond Loewy, a legendary figure in the design world. Loewy's firm produced over 3,000 designs for NASA during this time. And everything they produced for the space agency would fit perfectly in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey like the Loewy space taxi pictured above.

Loewy is best known for his work designing earthbound objects, from trains to the iconic Coke bottle to the livery that still decorates Air Force One. But during those six years, the employees at Loewy's design firm served as "habitability consultants" to NASA with the hope of making projects like America's first space station Skylab (in orbit from 1973-1979) more human-friendly. Not all of their ideas were terribly practical, but they helped define the space design agenda for decades to come.

Below, we see one of Loewy's full-scale mock-ups for an "artificial-G, shuttle-compatible space station interior" courtesy of NASA.

"Prior to Skylab, NASA designed its vehicles like aircraft cockpits, where providing basic life support was the guiding principle," the new book Milestones of Space edited by Michael J. Neufeld explains. "Engineers at the NASA Marshall Center in Hunstville, Alabama, saw no need for amenities; instead, they stressed functionality and reliability."

But people like NASA's George Mueller and the contractor Martin Marietta (who were actually responsible for bringing Loewy into the fold) understood that if regular humans who weren't fighter pilots and astronauts were to ever go into space, things would have to be designed a bit more posh.

The stated goal of bringing on Loewy was to "help insure the psycho-physiology, safety and comfort of the astronauts." And even though some of the designs were too wild for the time (many of them having to do with space constraints and practicalities) they helped NASA consider new ways to make humans more comfortable in the cold, alienating confines of space vehicles.

If you're a fan, you can read Loewy's 1973 report [pdf] to NASA on designs for space shuttles and stations. The images and ideas evoke the space age futurism of the late 1960s and 70s perhaps better than any other official report produced for NASA. Loewy's work helped bridge the gap between science fiction and science fact, bringing a mod-sensibility to the agency.

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Raymond Loewy's NASA Designs Are The Space Future That Never Was

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ABB Product Launch in Hollywood to be Addressed by Futurist Jack Uldrich

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Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 13, 2014

Robotics are changing the world at a dizzying pace and ABB/Thomas & Betts is on the cutting edge of the movement. Innovation is at the forefront of what ABB/Thomas & Betts do and many of the technologies that drive modern society were pioneered by ABB. On October 13th, ABB/Thomas & Betts is presenting a revolutionary new product launch in West Hollywood, CA., and they have selected global Futurist Jack Uldrich to deliver the keynote for the event.

In 2012 ABB merged with Thomas Betts and together they are a global leader in power and automation technologies. Their solutions improve the efficiency, productivity and quality of customers operations while minimizing environmental impact. They are a leading supplier of industrial robots, modular manufacturing systems and service. Their strong solutions focus helps manufacturers improve productivity, product quality and worker safety. To date, ABB has installed more than 250,000 robots worldwide.

Uldrich, a best selling author, trend expert and futurist is well versed in the coming trends and he will be addressing the ABB Group in West Hollywood, CA., with his talk, "Breakthrough: Ten Technological Trends Transforming Tomorrow."

In his talk Uldrich will provide an in-depth examination of a number of trends, including wearables technologies, 3D manufacturing, mobility, advances in nanotechnology, data anlytics, the Internet of Things and robotics, and discuss how these trends are transforming the competitive landscape. In addition to discussing the technologies that will be introduced in the near future, he also poses some serious questions for his audiences: "Think about how much we already rely on machines. What would happen if those machines were no longer available, or even temporarily offline? What risk does handing a growing number of our decisions off to automation pose?"

In his book "Foresight 20/20" Uldrich puts together a plethora of future based scenarios and robotics, energy, utilities and 3D printing are just a few of his highlighted chapters. In additon to speaking to companies like Emerson (most recently at their 2014 Global Users Exchange in Orlando last week,) Eaton, PMMI, The National Association of Manufacturers, Uldrich also speaks on topics in retail, education, finance and healthcare, among others. He will be following up his talk in California at ABB/Thomas & Betts events in Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and New York City throughout the month of October.

Uldrich is a renowned global futurist, best-selling author; editor of the monthly newsletter, The Exponential Executive. Parties interested in learning more about him, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about either the event or interviewing Jack can contact Amy Tomczyk at (651) 343.0660.

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ABB Product Launch in Hollywood to be Addressed by Futurist Jack Uldrich

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NATO Secretary General – Joint Press Point with Polish Prime Minister 06 OCT 2014 – Video

Posted: October 12, 2014 at 6:49 pm


NATO Secretary General - Joint Press Point with Polish Prime Minister 06 OCT 2014
Joint press point by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Poland Ewa Kopacz Warsaw, Poland - Monday 6 October 2014.

By: NATO

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NATO Secretary General - Joint Press Point with Polish Prime Minister 06 OCT 2014 - Video

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Turkey: "ISIL poses threat to Iraq, Syria and NATO nations," warns Stoltenberg – Video

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Turkey: "ISIL poses threat to Iraq, Syria and NATO nations," warns Stoltenberg
Video ID: 20141009-015 W/S NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Istanbul [BUG AT SOURCE] SOT, Jens Stoltenb...

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Turkey: "ISIL poses threat to Iraq, Syria and NATO nations," warns Stoltenberg - Video

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Census Harassment: "They won’t take no for an answer"; "the NSA listens to everybody" – Video

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Census Harassment: "They won #39;t take no for an answer"; "the NSA listens to everybody"
This is audio of a real phone call that transpired on October 6, 2014. The Census representative issued veiled threats and promised ongoing harassment if I would not respond to a questionnaire...

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Census Harassment: "They won't take no for an answer"; "the NSA listens to everybody" - Video

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NSA Prism Surveillance Program The Big Brother – Video

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NSA Prism Surveillance Program The Big Brother
A video by Hindu Judaic.

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NSA Prism Surveillance Program The Big Brother - Video

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NSA Leaker Edward Snowden Gets Three-Year Residence Permit in Russia

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MOSCOW NSA-leaker Edward Snowden was granted a three-year residence permit in Russia today and will be able to apply for a Russian citizenship in five years.

Snowden's lawyer Anatoly Kucherena announced the decision made by the federal migration service (FMS) at a news conference in Moscow on Thursday afternoon.

"Speaking about [Snowden's] subsequent status, he will be now free to travel abroad for a period of up to three months," he said.

According to Kucherena, Snowden did not apply for political asylum in Russia. "We are not talking about political asylum here. We are talking about temporary residence," he said. "Political asylum is a totally different procedure. It is granted by a presidential decree."

Snowden, who raised controversy last summer when he leaked a number of classified documents to the press, arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in late June 2013 and spent more than five weeks at the airport's transit zone before obtaining temporary asylum, which allowed him to enter Russian territory.

STORYRussia's Biggest Movie Theater to be Inaugurated

As Snowden's story came to public attention, it almost immediately attracted filmmakers. Last September, a parody character based on Snowden was featured in the U.S. cartoon series South Park, bringing the ratings of the episode, Let Go, Let Gov, to a two-year high.

Classified: The Edward Snowden Story, a Canadian independent movie centered on the former NSA contractors story, is slated for release this September.

In June 2014, director Oliver Stone had bought the rights to Kucherena's novel based on Snowden's life and will use it alongside Luke Harding's nonfiction book, The Snowden Files, as a basis for the screenplay of his movie, which is due to begin production later this year.

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NSA Leaker Edward Snowden Gets Three-Year Residence Permit in Russia

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Former NSA Director Keith Alexander Invested Heavily In Tech Firms, Agency Denies Conflict Of Interest

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Former National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander held multiple personal investments in several technology companies, according to NSA documents obtained by Vice NewsFriday. Alexanders supervisors indicated his financial reports did not reflect any conflicts of interest during his tenure as NSA director, but, before they were released, the agency claimed they could compromise the national interest of the United States.

Among Alexanders personal portfolio companies were Synchronoss Technologies Inc., a firm that provides mobile carriers such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. with cloud storage, Ars Technica reported. They also included Datascension Inc., a data-gathering company and several outfits that specialize in different types of surveillance, such as air-traffic control, radar and video, Vice said.

The documents represented Alexanders financial reports from 2009 to 2014. Each report claimed Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper concluded his investments were unrelated to his prospective duties and no conflicts appear to exist, Vice said.

The NSA previously refused Vice journalist Jason Leopolds request for Alexanders financial reports under the Freedom of Information Act. After a lawsuit was filed, the agency released the documents.

Alexander was the head of the NSA during the year when NSA leaker Edward Snowden provided to the media many classified documents revealing embarrassing details about the agencys spying. Alexander resigned in March 2014 and has since opened a cybersecurity company that sells protection to financial institutions, Ars Technica noted.

Alexander charges between $600,000 and $1 million a month for his services, Bloomberg News reported.

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., criticized Alexanders company in a letter to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, or Sifma, in June. Grayson claimed there is no way Alexander could offer his services without disclosing classified information made available to him through his former position at the NSA.

In his letter, Grayson requested Sifma hand over all information regarding its negotiations with Alexander so that Congress can verify whether or not he is selling military and cybersecurity secrets to the financial services industry for personal gain. He wrote, Without the classified information that he acquired in his former position, he literally would have nothing to offer you.

Alexander denied the implication to the Associated Press in August. Ive been in government for 40 years, he said. I fully understand the importance and sanctity of classified material.

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Former NSA Director Keith Alexander Invested Heavily In Tech Firms, Agency Denies Conflict Of Interest

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Code cases: Police want phone access, but some pass

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By Elisabeth Hulette The Virginian-Pilot October 12, 2014

VIRGINIA BEACH

Picture this: You're being prosecuted for a crime.

Police have a search warrant for your iPhone, but they can't open it without your pass code. Now they're asking a judge to order you to give it up. What do you do?

If you're David Baust, you put up a fight. The Emergency Medical Services captain, who is charged with trying to strangle his girlfriend during a fight in February, argues the move raises a Fifth Amendment issue - that by opening his phone, he could incriminate himself.

A judge will decide Baust's case, but it's unlikely to settle the issue for good. Apple and Android recently announced plans to dramatically increase the amount of information on their phones that's automatically encrypted - translated into code - making it far more difficult for law enforcement officials to get the access they say they need to convict criminals.

As that happens, attorneys and experts say, the courts are likely to see more cases pitting prosecutors and police against pass codes.

"It's a bitterly disputed debate on all fronts," said Sharon Nelson, immediate past president of the Virginia State Bar and the president of Sensei Enterprises, a digital forensics company in northern Virginia.

"You can see the need of law enforcement on the one hand," she said. "On the other, the Fourth Amendment means nothing if you have to turn your life over to the government." The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches.

Police access to cellphones changed radically after a June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Officers still can extract information from cellphones of people who are arrested but now need a court-issued search warrant.

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Code cases: Police want phone access, but some pass

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god and first amendment 10/9/’14 – Video

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god and first amendment 10/9/ #39;14
ok all good peoples out there - - this video is about the lack of common sense being applied to all this religious controversy - - I know I probably have off...

By: dave esser

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god and first amendment 10/9/'14 - Video

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