Reuters/David W CernyRT News

Few will likely find themselves reading the fine print added to the new terms of service issued by Google this week, but the updated version clarifies to customers once and for all that the contents of messages going in and out of Gmail are being scanned.

On Monday, the search engine site-turned-Silicon Valley giant updated the terms of service that its hundreds of millions of Gmail users must agree to in order to use the immensely popular free email service. But while the latest TOS clause doesn’t exactly reveal any new practices being performed by Google or conditions that’d catch its customers by surprise, the company is now being upfront about its controversial practice of skimming content in order to, as they put it, provide users with “relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising and spam and malware detection. “   Continue reading “Google: We scan all Gmail messages”

Yahoo News – by Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ordered the U.S. Department of Justice to turn over key portions of a memorandum justifying the government’s targeted killing of people linked to terrorism, including Americans.

In a case pitting executive power against the public’s right to know what its government does, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling preserving the secrecy of the legal rationale for the killings, such as the death of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen.   Continue reading “Court orders U.S. to release memo on drones, al-Awlaki killing”

Ingameoffice has installed a green wall system into the TYJ Office Building in Shenzhen, C...GizMag – by Stu Robarts

The benefits to health and well being of having plants and greenery around an office are well documented. This project by Ingameoffice is more than just a few pot plants, though. Its TYJ Office Building refurbishment uses a vertical planting system in which plants can be moved around.   Continue reading “Modular planting system adds versatility to the living wall”

Science Daily

It’s a hard pill to swallow, but if you’re over 24 years of age you’ve already reached your peak in terms of your cognitive motor performance, according to a new Simon Fraser University study.

SFU’s Joe Thompson, a psychology doctoral student, associate professor Mark Blair, Thompson’s thesis supervisor, and Andrew Henrey, a statistics and actuarial science doctoral student, deliver the news in a just-published PLOS ONE Journal paper.   Continue reading “We’re over the hill at 24, study says”

Science Daily

A house window that doubles as a solar panel could be on the horizon, thanks to recent quantum-dot work by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers in collaboration with scientists from University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB), Italy. Their project demonstrates that superior light-emitting properties of quantum dots can be applied in solar energy by helping more efficiently harvest sunlight.   Continue reading “House windows that double as solar panels? Shiny quantum dots brighten future of solar cells”

KSBY 6 News

Silverado Stages Inc., the San Luis Obispo based bus company that owned the bus involved in a deadly crash on Interstate 5 Thursday, issued a statement regarding the accident.

The company told KSBY, “We take the most extensive actions possible to ensure the safety of our passengers, and all of our drivers, and this is never a call that you want to get. It’s a rough night for everybody in the Silverado family. Silverado Stages is helping the authorities in gathering information regarding the tragic accident that occurred Thursday evening. Our top priority is making sure that the injured are being cared for. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, their families, and everyone affected by this accident.”   Continue reading “Silverado Stages Inc. issues statement on deadly bus crash”

The radiation belt is a new line of defense in nuclear emergencies, screenshot from Reuters video.RT News

An Israeli company called Stemrad has developed a body belt that protects people from the worst effects of gamma radiation. Called the Stemrad 360 Gamma, the belt could be a lifesaver for the emergency services in a nuclear accident.

Oren Milstein, the co-founder of Stemrad, says it’s partially made out of lead and is designed to first and foremost protect the pelvic area, where most of the body’s renewable bone marrow is made, Reuters reports.   Continue reading “‘Anti-radiation belt’ developed by Israeli firm for nuclear emergencies”

WND

The National Popular Vote effort, which could see the 14 states with the largest populations decide the presidency, is more than halfway to its goal of legally bypassing the Electoral College established in the Constitution.

Last week, the Maine state Senate voted in support of the plan one week after both houses of the New York legislature overwhelmingly supported it.

Now the governors of both states will need to decide whether to formally back the National Popular Vote, or NPV.    Continue reading “Scheme to neutralize 36 states’ votes advances”