firehose

The book is better than the movie. Or TV show. And the movie is inevitably better than the video game, right? It's an article of faith: The first thing is the best thing. But it's not so clear that's the case with HBO's "Game of Thrones" and its source material, George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire."

maxcapacity:

Double Dragon Art Print by Max Capacity | Society6

Five years after her three year old daughter died from malnutrition and dehydration, a woman who played World of Warcraft obsessively every day is now in prison. Rebecca Colleen Christie of Las Cruces, NM has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, almost two years after her 2009 conviction on second-degree murder and child abandonment charges.

As Owen Good at Kotaku wrote:

The case against Christie showed that the day the girl died, Christie had been playing Warcraft and chatting with friends she'd made online for 15 hours. Prosecutors said there appeared to be so little food that the girl ate cat food.

In a ruling from the US Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit (PDF) this week, judges confirmed the right of the state to search computers for evidence. The ruling contains some extremely upsetting details about the life and death of Ms. Christie's toddler (referenced in the court documents as "BW"), but if you can make it past that, there are some interesting 4th Amendment considerations.

The ruling also references Christie's former husband, Derek Wulf, a man enlisted in the Air Force who was also an avid (or, one might argue, pathologically obsessive) gamer.

An excerpt:

Because BW died on an Air Force base, federal authorities bore the responsibility to investigate and the power to prosecute. They proceeded against Ms. Christie and Mr. Wulf separately. In our proceeding, a federal jury found Ms. Christie guilty of second-degree murder, two assimilated state law homicide charges, as well as an assimilated child abuse charge. After trial, the district court dismissed the two assimilated homicide charges and entered a twenty-five year sentence on the remaining second-degree federal murder and the assimilated child abuse charge.

It is this judgment both sides now appeal.

Much of the evidence presented at trial against Ms. Christie came from the computer she so prized. From their forensic analysis, FBI investigators learned that Ms. Christie's online activities usually kept her busy from noon to 3 a.m. with little pause. They learned that she was in a chat room only an hour before finding BW near death, and that she was back online soon afterwards. They learned from Ms. Christie's messages to other gamers that she was annoyed by her responsibilities as a mother and “want[ed] out of this house fast.” When Mr. Wulf was slated for deployment, she announced to online friends that she would soon be free to “effing party.”

Ms. Christie contends this evidence and more from her computer was uncovered in violation of her Fourth Amendment rights and the district court should have suppressed it from her trial. Because the court didn't, because it admitted the proof against her, Ms. Christie says a new trial is required. To be precise, Ms. Christie doesn't question whether the government's seizure of the computer satisfied the Fourth Amendment. The government took possession of the computer in May 2006 with Mr. Wulf's consent. Everyone accepts that he was at least a co-owner of the computer—it was a gift from his father—and everyone accepts he had at least apparent authority to relinquish its control. Instead, Ms. Christie attacks the propriety of the two searches the government undertook once it had control of the computer. To justify its searches the government does not seek to rely on Mr. Wulf's consent but points to a pair of warrants it sought and received, one for each search. It is these warrants Ms. Christie challenges, arguing they were issued in defiance of the Fourth Amendment.

The judges conclude by stating:

So it is we decline to reverse the district court on this score, just as we find no other reversible error anywhere else in its careful treatment of this sad case. The judgment is affirmed.

Here's a spectacular Monotribe synthesizer cake, apparently last year's birthday cake for Moonbuz.

Happy Birthday with Monotribe Cake (via Crazy Abalone)

When you leak secrets about the internet, it has a way of getting back at you.

Thomas Drake may know better than anyone what NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden faces in the days to come. In 2010, the former Agency official was prosecuted for allegedly revealing classified information about the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program.

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Five different people have taken a stab at creating lists of the top 50 most essential epic fantasy novels of all time. And their different lists reveal that... nobody's quite sure how to define "epic fantasy." And there's been a noticeable shift in the parameters of the genre lately.

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"The number of happy faces on Lego toy mini-figures has been decreasing since the 1990s, and the number of angry faces has increased, giving rise to concerns that children could be affected by the negativity of the toys."

"Lego people are right to be angry – they have to live with Barbie."

Korean pop music is rigorously produced, stunningly choreographed and filled with beautiful people. Most K-Pop groups are manufactured through contests and production companies looking to capitalize on swoon-worthy heartthrobs. So when this effervescent music turns to dystopian and post-apocalyptic motifs, things get weird.

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"I'm worried about, somebody in our government might kill him with a cruise missile or a drone missile," said Ron Paul

WASHINGTON—Following reports Sunday that the source of the leaked National Security Agency surveillance practices is 29-year-old government contractor Edward Snowden, polls revealed today that beyond concerns about privacy, Americans are primarily d...

nowthisistaken:

Hermès, Fall 2010 RTW.

Rising from the water like rusty invaders out of H.G. Wells, the Maunsell Army Forts in the Thames Estuary are decaying reminders of the darkest days of World War II.

It's one thing that seems to happen every single year about the same time: the hordes of "X tips for perfect steak!" articles that crowd the internet, packed with misinformation, old wives' tales, and outdated knowledge that, in some cases, has been outright disproven for decades.

One of the greatest comic series ever may finally make its way to the big screen. However, most people in the United States haven’t even read the book. Late last month at the annual movie spectacle Festival de Cannes, Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn revealed in an interview with France Inter that he was beginning [...]

Knock loud, I’m home.

Upon returning from this year's HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina, Brett reflects on how Captain Marvel's fans, members of the growing Carol Corps, reflect the future of comic books.

The Xbox ecosystem's conversion to local currency will be "equal or greater" than the existing Microsoft Point value currently banked on accounts.

"When the transition takes place, the balance of Microsoft Points in an account will be retired and the customer will be given an amount in local currency that is equal or greater in Marketplace value," a Microsoft spokesperson informed Joystiq. "That value will be stored in your account and can be used similar to Microsoft Points to make purchases in the Xbox Live Marketplace."

What that means in North America is that it will be 80 points (or less) to the dollar when the point exchange occurs. There is currently no official date for the conversion.

[Thanks, Martin]

Banked Microsoft Points will convert to local currency at 'equal or greater' value originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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rachel shared this story from Feministe.

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Today marks the 46th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision, the Supreme Court decision that declared Virginia’s anti-miscegenation statutes unconstitutional and ended all similarly discriminatory laws across the country. Mildred Loving–a black woman–and Richard Loving–a white man–were each sentenced to a year in prison for marrying in violation of Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act after police raided their house late at night in 1958 in response to an anonymous tip. Their sentences were suspended on the condition that they leave the state of Virginia. The ruling was upheld on appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court, but in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction on the grounds that Virginia’s statute violated the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

From Chief Justice Earl Warren’s decision:

Marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man,” fundamental to our very existence and survival. … To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State’s citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry or not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the state.

These convictions must be reversed.

Groups across the country are celebrating the occasion with Loving Day events, including the tenth annual such observance this weekend in New York and even an event tonight as far away as London, UK. In Birmingham, Alabama, a couple celebrated this past weekend by hosting a screening of the documentary The Loving Story along with a history of bans on interracial marriage and an opportunity for viewers to share their own stories.

The significance of this court decision, however, is certainly not lost on Jason and Williesha Morris, an interracial couple living in the Birmingham area. “It’s a very, very important part of our history; it changed everything,” Williesha said. Because without that case she and Jason may not have been able to marry last October.

…

Williesha hopes that even those who aren’t in interracial relationships will attend Saturday’s event.

“I just want people who accept diversity and appreciate diversity to be there,” she said.

“For me it’s the history,” Jason said. “It’s important for people to understand where we came from because otherwise there’s a small chance we’ll end up repeating it.”

LovingDay offers tips on finding or hosting a celebration in your area to celebrate this landmark decision.

rachel shared this story from The Atlantic Wire.

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The man who invented the emoticon,Scott "fuddy duddy" Fahlman, does not like what you kids have done to his sideways smiley face with all of the hip emoji and sticker trends of the social media, thank you very much. "Sometimes I feel like Dr. Frankenstein," he told The Wall Street Journal's Evelyn M. Rusli. "My creature started as benign but it's gone places I don't approve of." Those "places" are the beloved emoji — adorable poop smiley face included — as well as the latest in picture messaging, also known as stickers (pictured at right).

To Fahlman's cranky credit, his :) has evolved quite a bit from its humble past, even more so than The Atlantic Wire's Jen Doll chronicledon the typed face's 30th birthday. Indeed, the latest in smartphone pictographs are most definitely these stickers — or "souped-up versions of emoji," in the words of emoji aficionado Jenna Wortham ofThe New York Times. "Compared with emoji, stickers are elaborate, artsy creations," she explains. They take the small playful icons and blow them up into detailed designs, far more intricate than those twerpy little emoji ever could.

So, yes, things have changed from the colon-parentheses days. But the principle remains the same: Sometimes people want to express things and words just won't cat it, as Fahlman admits in a post about the origins of the face. "After all, when using text-based online communication, we lack the body language or tone-of-voice cues that convey this information when we talk in person or on the phone." For that problem, Fahlman created the smiley and sad faces. But it just wasn't enough, and now we have so many other wonderful ways to express the way we feel. Fahlman should appreciate that and lighten up.

Onyx Moonshine aging in small barrels.

EAST HARTFORD, CT -- Connecticut is getting in on the craft distilling craze.

Onyx Spirits Company has announced plans to release the state's first aged whiskey, although it bears a name similar to many unaged whiskies now on the market.

What they are calling Onyx Moonshine is presently resting in nearly three dozen charred American white oak barrels sealed in organic beeswax, the standard method for aging American bourbons and rye whiskies.

Don't start scrambling for your liquor store if you don't live in the state, however. The distillery says it will limit distribution to stores and restaurants in Connecticut, with only one barrel allowed per location.

The total release is expected to be just under 1,000 bottles, with a suggested retail price of $60.

…seemingly started by someone at Brown University Scheduling Office. It appears to be going to every alum ever.

“please unsubscribe"
"STOP REPLYING ALL"
"why am i receive these email?"
"DON’T REPLY ALL U GUYZ”

Here’s the question: if I were to respond to the thread with 1 animated GIF and 1 GIF only, what GIF should it be?

Original Source

Politico

Why Google is fighting back Politico In less than a week, Google has transformed a public relations nightmare into a crusade for Internet freedom. The Silicon Valley titan rallied loudest against reports that major Internet companies handed the National Security Agency information on foreign ... Facebook Got Fewer Than 10000 Gov. Data Requests In 2nd Half of 2012Wall Street Journal (blog) Google details how it hands over data to federal officialsWashington Post US Government Will Allow Tech Firms To Release Information On Surveillance ...Business Insider All Things Digital -Hot Hardware -ECNmag.com all 403 news articles »

FORT MEADE, MD—Members of the National Security Agency told reporters yesterday that if they thought the electronic surveillance program known as PRISM invaded the privacy of law-abiding citizens, the newly updated PRISM 2.0 will be far, far ...