Full-Body Scan Technology Deployed In Street-Roving Vans
“It’s no surprise that governments and vendors are very enthusiastic about [the vans],” says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of EPIC [Electronic Privacy Information Center]. “But from a privacy perspective, it’s one of the most intrusive technologies conceivable.”
“From a privacy standpoint, I’m hard-pressed to see what the concern or objection could be,” he [AS&E’s Joe Reiss] says.
Well, I can think of a few objections, most of them having to do with my right not to have my home, car, or person searched without a warrant or at least reasonable suspicion. In short, I do NOT approve of roving xray vans. Nope, not at all.
Software Predicts Criminal Behavior
Developed by Richard Berk, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the software is already used in Baltimore and Philadelphia to predict which individuals on probation or parole are most likely to murder and to be murdered.
In his latest version, the one being implemented in D.C., Berk goes even further, identifying the individuals most likely to commit crimes other than murder.
If the software proves successful, it could influence sentencing recommendations and bail amounts.
Emphasis above is mine. Didn’t really approve of the idea of this kind of software in the first place, because I don’t trust any software THAT much. Having it influencing sentencing and bail amounts? Definitely don’t approve. Feels a bit too much like punishing someone for a crime they have not yet committed.
Egg Kingpin Linked to Salmonella Scare Has History of Violations
The egg mogul linked to the widespread salmonella outbreak is considered by government officials a repeat offender, and the allegations and violations at his farms go far beyond sanitation to illegal immigration, unsafe workplace conditions and sexual abuse of female employees.
The whole story needs to be read. I can’t possibly quote all the sickening things in it without just copying the whole story. Then everyone needs to sit down and think about where their food comes from … and why people like this are still in business. Well, I can answer that last question: fines for infractions are too low. If a fine isn’t prohibitive –if it doesn’t hurt at all to pay it– and there are no other repercussions but the fine, fat cats will pay the fine and press on with business as usual. For example, if the fine for illegal parking was on $5 or so, I would be far more likely to park illegally when I can’t find a parking space, pay the fine, and press on with life. Three million dollars is a drop in the bucket to this guy. He won’t really even feel it’s loss, just like I wouldn’t really feel the loss of $5 if I got to park right in front of the door I wanted to enter.
And really … wow … this guy runs a disgusting business, for both people and chickens.
Gene Weingarten column mentions Lady Gaga.
My biggest beef with the New Newsroom, though, is what has happened to headlines. In old newsrooms, headline writing was considered an art. This might seem like a stretch to you, but not to copy editors, who graduated from college with a degree in English literature, did their master’s thesis on intimations of mortality in the early works of Molière, and then spent the next 20 years making sure to change commas to semicolons in the absence of a conjunction.
Funny story about the change in newspaper life with the onset of the internet. Well worth a read, and he’s right … as a former copy editor, I too bemoan the lost art of headline writing.
Police: NY cabbie is asked if he’s Muslim, stabbed
A drunken passenger riding in a New York City taxi cab attacked the driver after asking him if he was Muslim, police said Wednesday. The driver told police that when he answered yes, Michael Enright pulled out a folding hand tool, reached into the front seat and slashed him.
This is what I was talking about yesterday, and this isn’t going to get any better until Americans start acting less like bigots and more like the Americans we are expected to be. I’d like to go on more about this story, but don’t have the time right now. Find and read some other stories on it, or you can wait until I write my rant in the morning. There is a LOT more to this story. It hasn’t completely unfolded yet.
And I just want to point out this editorial cartoon as being the most disgusting piece of cartoon art I’ve seen in a long time. Truly appalling. I’d love to rant about it, but there really isn’t much else to say than … shut the f*ck up, Mr. Farrington.
The fact that they only give true positives for the software and leave false positives out of the article means that the true positives are meaningless. I can get 100% true positive on predicting who is wearing blue underwear, just by assuming that everyone is. The false positive rate (100% in that case) is what makes or breaks a classifier.
I saw that guy Enright on the news and was struck by how immature he looked. I’m guessing emotionally stunted rich boy living vicariously through his military friends, got shitfaced and let his fantasies get the best of him. I’m further guessing that he might very well be the type that enjoys close confinement with lots of men.
There will never be a time in my lifetime when software can be trusted to predict anything with 100% accuracy, especially when dealing with human beings who are LARGELY unpredictable. I mean, look at this Enright guy. Never in trouble with the law before, goes out and gets drunk and apparently loses his freaking mind and attacks someone. At least when humans are making the decisions, also sometimes faulty, there’s someone who can be pointed at to take responsibility. Asking a PC to take responsibility for making a crap decision doesn’t work, now does it?
On Enright: It’s been interesting seeing the talking heads going on about how he has to be a “liberal” since he was doing volunteer work for a “liberal” group as a videographer and video editor. Um, no. Film students just like art students (and probably any other kind of student) will take whatever opportunities they can get to add to their portfolio and resume, even if they don’t agree with what they are doing. I assure you, in the course of my early art career, I did volunteer and paid work for people I would have rather not been in the same room with, because I needed the portfolio and the experience.
And mostly what I see is an alcoholic with some anger issues, and well, a film-maker –who I find to be some of the most self-absorbed people on the planet, especially when young. Ought to be interesting to see what his story is at any rate.
What’s really hilarious this morning is how the right-wing blogs are all “this is an isolated instance of a crazy person” or even worse “it’s been orchestrated by liberals!” Well how many isolated incidents do we need before it becomes a pattern, and really … a seemingly well-off white man in America with everything going for him could be convinced to stand trial for attempted hate crime murder? Really?! Pretty much NO.
The crazy is only going to get worse. Mark my words, this is just the beginning. There will be more “isolated incidents” and then there will be something really big happen. All the while, the loudest among us will be saying nothing is wrong and that it’s the American Muslims who are the terrorists.