spriteleigh

Congrats to Heather and Jason, who took Swiffer to task earlier this month over its use of of J. Howard Miller's "We can do it!" iconography to sell cleaning products to women. After coverage spread to Huffpo, Mediaite, Yahoo News, MSN Money, TheWeek, International Business Times, Christian Post, Jezebel, CrabbyGoLightly, Red Alert, ABC and elsewhere, Proctor and Gamble pulled their campaign and apologized. See? Complaining works! If you see something dumb, say something smart.

If you can't make it to Comic Con this year, or just don't want to be around hundreds of sweaty, stinky nerds for a whole weekend straight, then live out the action without any of the smells thanks to the new Comic Con Star Stalker game for iPhone and iPad.

Link

[Video Link] Seth used his iPhone to shoot one second of video every day for a year. (Kevin Kelly did this when he went to Asia last year, but he used the ambient sound, which is better than replacing it with music as Seth did.)

If you know anything about Jay-Z, then you know he's got 99 problems, but a female certainly isn't one. As for what those problems are, a new Tumblr, probs99, is seeking to illustrate all of them so we can better relate with Beyonce's man.

The brilliant illustrations are created by Ali Graham.

Link Via Mashable

A footnote from this morning's dramatic airport conference convened by whistleblower-on-the-run Edward Snowden: if what Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch said is accurate, the former NSA contractor uses an email service called Lavabit. Pretty cool features list. If it's good enough for the most wanted hacker in the world... (HT: @ericragle.)

"ewerwe ertertert" created this NSA themed Pixar ID video spoof. And a dude on Reddit created this brilliant animated GIF version, along the same lines. [via BB Facebook]

The Sikorsky prize for human-powered helicopters has been claimed by a Kickstarter-funded startup called Aerovelo. Aerovelo's founders, Canadians Todd Reichert and Cameron Robertson, won the $250,000 purse for the 30-second flight of Atlas, a huge quadrotor with a bike in the middle whose flight is an absolute marvel to behold.

At that point, Reichert knew that the challenge was to keep supplying enough power through his legs to keep the craft from descending too quickly. On two previous flights in which he'd flirted with the three-meter mark, Reichert had descended too abruptly and fallen afoul of a phenomenon called vortex ring state, in which a helicopter essentially gets sucked down by its own downwash. Both times Atlas had been wrecked. This time, Reichert spent the balance of the flight easing the craft down gently to the ground. "You're so focused on having the body do a very precise thing," he told Pop Mech. "If you lay off the power even a little bit, or make any sharp control movement, you can crash."

Finally! A Human-Powered Helicopter Wins the $250,000 Sikorsky Prize [Jeff Wise/Popular Mechanics]

(via Kottke)

Arizona Public Service Co. will file a request today with the Arizona Corporation Commission to add a surcharge to customers who generate their own electricity with solar panels. The power company's proposal has two possible formulas to use for the extra charge, which are estimated to add between $50 to more than $100 to a solar customer's monthly bill. The reason is to offset the costs of maintaining the power grid.

APS officials said solar customers are not paying enough for the services they get from the power grid, which enables them to get electricity at night when solar panels don’t generate power and balance their household energy needs during the day when their solar-panel output and home demand don’t match up.

The change would only affect new solar customers, not those that already have solar on their homes, and would significantly reduce the savings associated with generating power using rooftop systems.

On the one hand, maintaining the power grid is a necessary service. But then you look at the details of the power company's reasoning. The system in place now allows solar customers who generate more electricity than they need to send electricity to the power company, which pays for it in kind, by crediting customers on their electric bills. For each kilowatt hour a solar customer sends to the grid, they are discounted one kilowatt hour from their bill. Therefore, generating extra power during the daylight hours helps to pay for a household's use of power at night.

APS charges its customers between about 9 cents to 17 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity, with prices increasing the more electricity a customer uses. Solar customers tend to be more affluent, with larger homes that use more electricity, so the average price they pay for a kilowatt-hour is about 15.5 cents, APS officials said. That means that when they get a credit for a kilowatt-hour of electricity from solar, the credit is worth about 15.5 cents.

APS officials said it is unfair to pay those customers a 15.5-cent credit when the utility could contract to buy solar power for 8 to 9 cents per kilowatt-hour from large power plants.

So the more they charge a customer, the higher the reimbursement rate, and that's not fair? The idea behind charging more for higher-use customers is already solved for solar users, because they take less power from the grid. Isn't that what the graduated pricing is supposed to encourage? What do you think? Read more about the case at AZ Central. Link -via Simply Left Behind

(Image credit: Flickr user Dominic Alves)

POLL: Is it okay for a power company to charge household solar customers extra?

• Yes, we have to keep the power company running.
• Yes, maintenance is important, but $100 a month is too high.
• No, this is gouging and will discourage solar use.
• It's complicated. Just show me the poll answers.

Photo: Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden invited human rights groups to meet him at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport to discuss his options for seeking political asylum from the United States. He says his government is denying his right to seek asylum in retaliation for having exposed details of the NSA's previously secret spying programs.

At today's meeting, Snowden announced that he will apply for political asylum in Russia, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's previously-stated condition that he stop publishing documents that harm America. According to tweets from people inside the meeting, Snowden's eventual goal is to reach one of the Latin American nations that has offered him asylum.

According to the Associated Press, the following people were among those at the meeting: Russian MP Vyacheslav Nikonov, Amnesty International Russia's Sergei Nikitin, Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch, Russian presidential human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, and attorney Genri Reznik.

Separately, Wikileaks identified another participant as one of their representatives. Wikileaks has also published a copy of Snowden's statement to human rights groups here.

The Guardian, which received leaked documents from Snowden and broke the news they revealed, has a liveblog covering the story.

Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch captured the photo above, which is the first new photograph we've seen of Snowden since the story first spread weeks ago. HRW issued this statement earlier, supporting Snowden's right to asylum.

Wikileaks tweets that the person to the left of Snowden is "Wikileaks' Sarah Harrison."

Video is not permitted inside the meeting between Snowden and roughly 8 Russian human rights figures, according to Ellen Barry of the New York Times, who is there.

Rough machine translation of the Russian description at this RT link:

Today, the former CIA officer asked for a meeting at 17:00 Moscow time in the transit area of ​​the airport. Human rights activists and lawyers have expressed willingness to meet with Edward Snowden. Invitations to the meeting were sent to Sergey Nikitin of Amnesty International, Mikhail Krasnov of Transparency International, Inna Khadzhieva of Human Rights Watch, Yakubu Zyuleku.

Below, Paul Sonne, Moscow correspondent for The Wall Street Journal:

Scrum to end all scrums. #Snowden #NSA pic.twitter.com/ldOyjnVnKL

— Paul Sonne (@paulsonne) July 12, 2013

New York Times Moscow correspondent Ellen Barry says Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch, who is inside the no-video-allowed meeting, reports Snowden says that Venezuela, Russia, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador have all offered him asylum. He thanked them, and says he accepts any and all offers, present and future. He now asks for help reaching Latin America safely and will submit an asylum claim to Russia today, so that he can head to Latin America.

Barry's tweets from the scene are collected below.

In a recent Washington Post op-ed on the controversy around Snowden's asylum pleas, Daniel Ellsberg wrote:

Many people compare Edward Snowden to me unfavorably for leaving the country and seeking asylum, rather than facing trial as I did. I don’t agree. The country I stayed in was a different America, a long time ago.

Here are Boing Boing's coverage archives of the Edward Snowden story.

---

Snowden says he has received offers from Venezuela, Russia, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and thanks them.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Word from mtg prtcipnt: #Snowden says he accepts all offers, present and future. With Venezuela the asylum state is formal.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Updates are from @TanyaLokshina @hrw: He wants help in guarantee of safe passage to Latin America

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

From @TanyaLokshina @hrw Today, he will submit an asylum claim to Russia, plans to go to Latin America eventually.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

From @TanyaLokshina @hrw #Snowden says he can only have guaranteed safety to stay temporarily in Russia is with asylum, so asking for it.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

From @TanyaLokshina @hrw : #Snowden says govts in W. Europe, N.America are acting outside the law, preventing me from traveling.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

From @TanyaLokshina @hrw : "I am only in a position to accept Russia's offer because of my inability to travel." #Snowden

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Big news is that #Snowden is applying for political asylum in Russia, despte Putin's condition that he stop publishing. from @TanyaLokshina

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Russia has sought to avoid coming down on either side of #Snowden asylum request.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Snowden is saying he seeks to remain in Russia and travel. He wants intl orgs to petition the United States, EU not to interfere. from @hrw

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Snowden wants the people present at the meeting to intervene with Putin on his behalf, @TanyaLokshina @hrw reports

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

"No actions I take or plan are meant to harm the US," Snowden says, so Putin's condition poses no obstacle, @TanyaLokshina @hrw reports

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

"I want the US to succeed," #Snowden says, per @TanyaLokshina @hrw

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Snowden said he cannot appeal to intl organizations bc they require you to come to them, he is in airport, @TanyaLokshina says

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Snowden says he is recognized as asylum seeker by UNHCR but US doesn't acknowledge, as evident in Morales situation, @TanyaLokshina reports

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Fuller #Snowden quote: "No actions I take or plan are meant to harm the US...I want the US to succeed." from @TanyaLokshina @hrw

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Putin said, "If he wants to stay, one condition: He must cease his work aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners."

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Peskov tells Ifax that previous conditions are in force: #Snowden can stay if he fully stops activities that cause damage to US.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Peskov tells Ifax that Kremlin has no confirmation of #Snowden appeal for asylum, but conditions are the ones Putin articulated July 1.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Based on meeting reports, #Snowden sees logic: His work is not meant to damage US, so Putin's condition is no obstacle.

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

Tanya Lokshina of @HRW tells that Snowden feels fine, sleeps here at the airport and feels safe in Russia

— Olaf Koens (@obk) July 12, 2013

Snowden tells @hrw that he won't fly to Latin-America and will apply for political asylum in Russia

— Olaf Koens (@obk) July 12, 2013

Has #Snowden agreed to stop leaking, or is he making the case that leaking is not damaging to American interests?

— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013

We will be releasing Edward #Snowden's statement to human rights groups early this evening.

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 12, 2013

Vladimir Lukin, Russia's HR-ambassador, tells that Snowden considers himself a patriot.

— Olaf Koens (@obk) July 12, 2013

Lukin adds: 'He doesn't look very well fed, a skinny guy. But he has a great haircut'

— Olaf Koens (@obk) July 12, 2013

(YouTube link)

Who knew Grover could sing just like Pharrell Williams! The Sesame Street Muppets are the stars of this video mashup to the tune of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." -via Uproxx

Dave from the Electronic Frontier Foundation sez, "Remember that time an air-conditioning association tried to bully Carl Malamud into taking down safety standards from Public.Resource.Org, claiming they owned the copyright to a public law? Well, Carl and EFF fought back--and won. The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association backed down and signed an agreement allowing Public.Resource.Org to publish the safety standards. It's a major win for free speech and open government." From the article: "Whether it's the Constitution or a building code, the law is part of the public domain," (EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry).

High drama from the world of Eve Online, where a week ago, a spy stole 400 billion ISK, and this week, a trusted player who was secretly a spy masterminded the destruction of a rare ship worth 390 billion ISK (the in-game currency, not to be confused with Icelandic Krona). Eve is notorious for high-denomination economic shenanigans, including a credit crunch, a massive Ponzi scheme, large-scale espionage, another Ponzi scheme, and more.

From the BBC:

Apple conspired with publishers to fix the price of electronic books, a US judge has ruled. Manhattan Judge Denise Cote said the iPad maker "conspired to restrain trade".

Mat Honan remarks: "Stabbing Apple to stop it from punching Amazon while your local bookstore bleeds out on the pavement."

The curator puts it a little more succinctly: Shit for making websites. [shitformakingwebsites.com]

To reiterate, there is no audio for meeting and the bill was NOT on the committee calendar. #sneakattack #hb695 #ncpol #standwithNCwomen

— Planned Parenthood (@PPHSNC) July 10, 2013

North Carolina House Republicans have, without notice, inserted sweeping changes to the state's abortion rules into a motorcycle safety law. Effectively, they've reintroduced the abortion bill that Governor Pat McCrory had threatened to veto.

“It is a disgrace to North Carolina that legislators have again resorted to sneak attacks to move their anti-women’s health agenda forward,” said Melissa Reed, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood Health Systems said in a statement. “Once again there was no public notice that this bill would be heard. The public and even many legislators on the committee only learned this was a possibility at 9:57am -- three minutes before the committee was to meet -- when a political reporter was tipped off and posted it on Twitter. This is outrageous and not how the people’s business should be conducted.”

Without notice, NC House rushes forward new abortion bill

"In the field of magic, theft is rampant. Close-up magic wholesalers steal from close-up magic wholesalers. Parlor manipulators steal from parlor manipulators. Large-scale illusionists steal from large-scale illusionists. Why do they do it? Because they can." —Rick Lax at Wired.com.

FaceMashups is a video project by someone named Chase who blends together two celebrities into a surreal amalgam of horror, beauty, and celebrity. Above, Natalie Portman blended with Will Ferrell. Co.Create interviewed Chase who came up with the idea as a way to teach himself Adobe After Effects. "Face Mashups' creator explains how he's literally changing the face of celebrity"

Here's a shoe I've been waiting to drop: a US federal court in San Francisco has granted the Electronic Frontier Foundation leave to go ahead in suing the US government over the NSA's bulk surveillance program. EFF has been trying in various ways to bring this case since 2005, when former AT&T tech Mark Klein blew the whistle on NSA spying, but the Bush and Obama administrations have foiled them at every turn by invoking state secrecy. With the revelations from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden now in the public domain, EFF can continue its suit with reference to public information.

After years of controversy, millions spent, and nothing to show for it, the French government has backtracked on HADOPI, the "three strikes" law that made it possible for entertainment companies to demand the termination of Internet accounts implicated in illegal downloading accusations. People whose routers are said to have been used for piracy may still face fines -- even if they can prove they didn't personally download anything illegally -- but no one will lose their Internet connection over piracy accusations in France: "the panel concluded that the three strikes mechanism had failed to benefit authorized services as promised."

Wolfie sez,

A few days before the NSA/Snowden fiasco, we released the first English version of Data Dealer, a game to provoke conversation about surveillance, personal data & online privacy in a really new, clever and fun way. It's a browser game about running your own Smoogle & Tracebook, tracking people, collecting millions of personal profiles and selling them to health insurance companies or governmental agencies. Play 'god' with other people's data! Or simply: PRISM, the Game. It's a nonprofit project, based on extensive research and offers a simple but important perspective on the personal data ecosystem of today's digital age.

In the last couple of weeks we have been mentioned in The New Yorker, ProPublica, Fast Company, Guardian, Mashable, Washington Post, Le Monde and many more. Recently we won the prominent "Games for Change Award" in NYC and other awards in the fields of serious gaming and digital literacy in Austria, Germany and France. We've also been featured by leading privacy & consumer rights organizations.

The game is 100% free to play and even licensed under Creative Commons. But a project like this isn't free to create. Two years in the making, and we've been working hard on it. There are several future partnerships in preparation, but to realize them, we'll have to survive the next couple months. That's why we have launched a Kickstarter for a funding injection. Deadline is on Thursday July 11th:

It's a very worthy project, and they've already done the development; they're looking for $50K to keep the doors open while they finish a deluxe, multiplayer version with a wide variety of exciting features (scroll down the Kickstarter page to "Full Featured Multiplayer Version").

Data Dealer - Legal? Illegal? Whatever. (Thanks, Wolfie!)

Privacy International has filed a lawsuit in the UK against the government, claiming that the GCHQ spy-agency's Tempora programme violates UK spying regulations. The programme's existence was leaked by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, whose documents showed that GCHQ was harvesting all communications on undersea cables that landed on UK shores and storing it for 30 days.