May 30, 2016

Taking down drones with eagles

I saw my first drone yesterday. It was hovering over homes alongside a major highway. I don't have a particularly large property, but it is mine and the only things I want spying on my from above are the birds waiting for me to refill their feeders. This article from the NY Times made me smile at the thought of an eagle swooping down on somebody's drone. I understand that our property rights can't extend up to space. However, am I the only person disturbed by the thought of having a drone watching me while I water my tomatoes? Can a stalker have a drone hovering over his victim's yard? Does someone's right to a toy override our right to privacy on our property?


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/world/europe/drones-eagles.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share NYTimes: Dutch Firm Trains Eagles to Take Down High-Tech Prey: Drones

May 2, 2016

No selfies in voting booth, West Virginia says

Source: CBS News

" If you want to share your voting experience on social media, you'll have to find some way other than taking a photo in the voting booth. West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant says it's forbidden.

Tennant said in a news release Friday that it's illegal to photograph any part of the voting process, and no electronic devices or cellphones are allowed in the voting booth."



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/no-selfies-in-voting-booth-west-virginia-says/

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This sounds innocuous at first, but is not. I posted this in LBN because of the profound implications this news has for our Presidential election (feel free to move it if there is a more appropriate forum). If no photos are allowed in voting booths, then voters will not be able to document if/when the machines "misbehave" and report votes other than those actually made by the voter. This is a VERY dangerous trend that needs to be stamped out immediately before it spreads to other states. We already have grave concerns, based on experience, that our votes are not being correctly recorded. We must be able to take the photos that document any voting fraud if we have any hope to fix our broken system.