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Comcast has flatly denied it has ordered customers to stop using the Tor browser, or that it has taken any action to enforce such a ban.

The statement follows a report at DeepDotWeb, a site specializing in the darknet — a term that can cover both darknet filesharing (a form of peer-to-peer with a restricted audience) and the deep Internet (websites that aren’t indexed by mainstream search engines.)

DeepDotWeb cited two reports, one posted on Reddit (now deleted) and one submitted directly to it. The reports claimed Comcast agents have been contacting customers directly and ordering them to stop using Tor, which the agents (incorrectly) cited as an illegal service. Another agent allegedly said that sanctions could include a suspension or termination of the account, or even a fine.

Not surprisingly that kicked off a firestorm, not just because of the alleged threats and demands, but because for Comcast to know somebody was using Tor raised some questions about exactly how closely it monitors user activity.

Jason Livingood, Comcast’s VP of Internet Services, has now posted a statement saying:

Comcast is not asking customers to stop using Tor, or any other browser for that matter. We have no policy against Tor, or any other browser or software. Customers are free to use their Xfinity Internet service to visit any website, use any app, and so forth.

Livingood went on to say it does not monitor what sites customers visit or what browsers they uses; that it only hands over account activity information in response to a valid legal request; and that although it is part of the voluntary “six strikes” copyright alert system, it doesn’t terminate accounts. He also noted that “our customers can use Tor at any time, as I have myself.”

While that seems fairly conclusive, DeepDotWeb has seized on a line in the post stating “The anecdotal chat room evidence described in these reports is not accurate” and pointed out that Livingood doesn’t detail the inaccuracies. It’s not clear if or how “chat room” relates to the phone calls. That said, there doesn’t appear to be any conclusive evidence the phone calls ever happened.

While it's certainly still not guaranteed, Time Warner executives recently made their strongest statement yet that they'll offer a standalone streaming version of HBO that doesn't require you have a traditional cable subscription. Historically HBO and Time Warner have stated it doesn't make economic sense to offer such a product, as it could damage their cozy, subsidized relationship with traditional cable operators.

Speaking at an investment conference last week however, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes hinted that he's seeing something in the numbers that's making him slowly change his mind:

quote:

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the broadband opportunity is getting quite a bit bigger, and the ability of the plant to deliver something robust is getting stronger; and so the question you re asking is becoming more viable, more interesting. What we re trying to do is basically make sure that we ve done everything we can with our distributors to take advantage and have them take advantage of what customers they could have. And we ve got to keep looking actively. We re seriously considering what is the best way to deal with online distribution, but I don t have anything to announce about it today.

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Illustrated by Justin Hall.
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Forget Frosted Flakes, sometimes some nice bottom biscuits are a grrrrrreat way to start your morning off!

Indiana

The post They’re GRRRRRREEEEEAATTTT! appeared first on People Of Walmart.

Shark Punch, a four-person studio operating out of San Fransisco, California and Helsinki, Finland has recently launched its lovely looking 2D tactical-action heist game on Steam Early Access.

The Masterplan is said to draw inspiration from well-known tactical turn-based games as well as Hollywood's classic heist films. If you noticed that the music and some aspects of the game's look have a certain Tarantinoesque feel to them, this isn't a coincidence. As it turns out, I learned today in an email exchange with co-founder Harri Manninen that the team are fans of the American filmmaker, and the aesthetics are somewhat influenced by his work.

The studio reports that that at launch, The Masterplan should have around 1.5 - 2 hours worth of playtime, but it will be updated every two weeks. Expect the title to evolve quite a bit during the Early Access phase. Also of note, the levels that are available in this build are sandbox in design, and are meant to be replayed several times so that you can experiment using different tactics to experience the various results.

In an interview with Counter Frag, CEO Jiri Kupiainen stated that The Masterplan isn't actually turn-based, but is more like "real-time with pause, except that you can't fully pause the game either -- just slow it down to bullet time." The reasoning behind this design choice is to try to strike a balance between being able to plan your next few steps, while still feeling the pressure of pulling off a heist in progress.

From what I've seen, this looks like it has a lot of promise. While perhaps not a perfect fit for what I'm looking for in an Early Access title, I'm not going to rule it out completely until I see more footage of it running in the next few weeks.

The Masterplan is available for both PC and Mac on Steam and the Humble Store. Linux support is coming soon and will most likely to be added before the title leaves Early Access.

(Photo: Vintage Technics)

Before the Walkman, the Discman, and the MP3 player, there was the Emerson Wondergram. This battery-powered record player manufactured by General Electric in the UK from 1960 to 1965 played 33 and 45 RPM records. GE marketed it as "the world's smallest record player." It measured about 8x4x2 inches. You can occasionally find one for sale on eBay.

(Video Link)

-via Messy Nessy Chic

This 1958 Ford Fairlane Skyliner is has been customized recently with fresh two-tone metallic paint and “tuck and roll” upholstery, complete with a padded dash and stereo box. The Ford’s drivetrain is the original 332 V8 with automatic and the seller describes the car as a decent driver. Since it isn’t often that Skyliners are modified and 1958 isn’t a popular year for Ford’s styling, it seems appropriate that this car has some tasteful custom touches. Find it here on the H.A.M.B. in Naperville, Illinois for $24,000.

When I posted the last list of niche blogs, a commenter expressed surprise that a Tumblr is a blog. Yes, Tumblr is a blogging platform, although it is also a social network. It’s the same with Twitter, although it is referred to as a “microblogging” platform because of the restriction on text. Is Facebook a blogging platform? Yes, if you choose to use it as one, although the public will only drop in to see what’s new if you post interesting subject matter on a regular basis. A blog is a website that is updated regularly like a diary, and in fact the word “blog” is short for “web log.” The updating with new material is what keeps us going back for more. Are you ready to explore some new and interesting single subject blogs?

1. Ask the Past

Ask the Past is a blog by Johns Hopkins history professor Elizabeth Archibald. She quotes advice from old books, often very old books, whether it’s good advice or not. Mostly not. Here are some other example posts:

How to Keep Your Cat, c. 1470
How to Mouse-Proof Your Cheese, 1649
How to Fart, 1530
How to Tell if Someone Is or Is Not Dead, c. 1380
How to Sober Up, 1628

If you start reading at the home page, you may be busy all day.

2. Small Town Noir

The blog Small Town Noir tells the stories of people who were arrested in New Castle, Pennsylvania, between 1930 and 1960. Diarmid Mogg became interested in the town and its people when he found some mugshots on eBay, and researched the stories of those people in the local newspaper archives -not just their crime, but their entire lives as well as they can be reconstructed.

The men and women in these mug shots are nobody special, but they saw things that none of us will ever see. They were all arrested in New Castle, a small town in western Pennsylvania, right over by the Ohio border. It was once one of the most industrially productive cities in America, but all that’s gone now.

Although Mogg is in Scotland, he continues to collect and research the mugshots that the New Castle police threw out some time around 1990. The stories are sparse but fascinating, and the blog as a whole serves to chronicle the history of a declining American town and the everyday people who lived and died there. 

The mugshot above is of John Saul, who was arrested in 1957 for disorderly conduct. But the real story came later, when he got involved with holding a woman against her will for the purpose of prostitution, a crime that involved some of the town’s notable politicians.

3. WTF Renaissance

“Like most Fashion Week attendees, Chris and Uma judged shows on the quality of their gift bags.”

The Twitter feed WTF Renaissance gives modern captions to Renaissance and other classic paintings, or, more often, details found in Renaissance paintings. You’re sure to find something in there to make you smile.

4. Illustrated Twitter Typos

It’s hard to get every letter right when you’re Tweeting from a phone. For some people, even large keyboard keys and small words will trip you up. So it was inevitable that a site dedicated to Twitter typos would come along. Illustrated Twitter Typos not only showcases the funniest typos, but shows the “Freudian typos” illustrated. Misspellings are included as well as typos, as long as they’re funny, and indeed misspellings make up the majority of funny entries. The results are unintented puns.

5. Pop Sonnets

Pop Sonnets takes modern, familiar songs and renders them into Shakespearean language. That’s all, but it’s certainly enough to make you laugh, particularly if your favorite song is there. It might well be: the songs posted so far range from “I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor to “Rude” by Magic! If not, you can suggest a song.

6. Real Anime Food

Have you ever had a hankering to try out the recipes for dishes people eat on TV? If you’re an anime fan, Real Anime Food can help! The unnamed blogger is an anime fan and amateur cook. About Sukuyo’s Mystery Croquettes (from the show Kill la Kill), she says:

Sorry it took so long to post this. This whole life thing isnt easy! Anyway I made my version of mystery croquettes! They are made kind of cheaply too because the Mankanshoku’s werent rich. Making a little cheap food go far would be important to a family on a tight budget!! I basically grabbed what I had around my kitchen cut it all up really tiny and mixed with potatoes just like Sukuyo states is her trick! If you want a recipe for meat croquettes I have one here.

That’s followed by the recipe and directions illustrated by photographs. There are nine pages of recipes so far.

7. Lego Academics

“The @LegoAcademics overlooked one somewhat improbable 'risk' on their ethics approval form.”

Stockholm scientist Ellen Kooijman (Alatariel Elensar) designed a LEGO set featuring women scientists. It was picked up and manufactured by the LEGO company, and Donna Yates, an American archaeologist in Glasgow, Scotland, bought one of the first Research Institute sets as soon as they went on sale -plus a few extra pieces for creativity’s sake. She recreates scenes from her own life in archaeology and academia and posts them to her new Twitter account, Lego Academics. It has become a hit among scientists and academics who relate to her LEGO scenes.

The image above incorporates the T. rex fossil included in the set. Other vignettes deal with drinking as stress relief, dealing with budgets, and a dinosaur fossil that wants to be involved in research. Yates says she’s been a LEGO fan since childhood, and will continue to post such scenes “as long as it’s funny.”

8. Ryan Gosling Disneyland Cats

Four years ago, there was a spate of new blogs featuring Photoshopped images of unrelated topics spawned by Selleck Waterfall Sandwich, which is now defunct, as are most of the spinoff blogs. Mental_floss reader shavenwarthog told us his favorite was Bea Arthur Mountains Pizza, which still has three pages of images. You can also still check out the archives of Tony Danza Space Pretzel, too. But the longest-lived of these image blogs is Ryan Gosling Disneyland Cats, which is still being updated, although infrequently, in 2014. It must be the subject matter.

9. It's Like They Know Us

"I am getting so much work done. Toddlers are easy."

Advertising and stock photos are an endless source of comedy, because they show an idealized illustration of the perfect life and whatever it is they are trying to sell. One blogger saw how ridiculous the depictions of parenthood, pregnancy, and particularly breastfeeding are, and thought up snarky captions. The result is the new blog It’s Like They Know Us. Anyone who has ever been around a child can relate.