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US Terrorist Watchlist Upgrade More Flawed Than Current One, Says Rep.

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 7th 2008 at 2:42PM

Government Terror Watchlist Upgrade Going Disastrously Wrong?
We've all heard the tales of woe from some travelers who've been delayed or even apprehended at airports because they had names vaguely similar to those of some terrorist somewhere. They've been victims of the government's current aged and misbehaving terrorist watchlist. The good news is that there's a $500-million (and counting) upgrade in process that will replace the current system. The bad news is that one government official is saying the new system is even worse than the original.

Democratic Representative Brad Miller from North Carolina has been given a preview of the new system and recently concluded that "if actually deployed will leave our country more vulnerable than the existing yet flawed system in operation today." It's called Railhead and is supposed to help inter-agency searches and reduce the false-positives that have been angering so many. However, according to Miller, it actually makes searching across agencies even harder, and while it would prevent many with names similar to known terrorists from being flagged, it makes it even more difficult to tag real terrorists.

The National Counterterrorism Center, the group overseeing Railhead's development, has naturally said Miller doesn't know what he's talking about and has had "no interaction with the NCTC or the Intelligence Community on the Railhead Program." It's not clear when Railhead is scheduled to go live, but if Miller's claims prove to be true, it could be quite some time. [From: ars technica]
Engadget Mobile

Sri Lanka to Ban Phone Sharing to Thwart Terrorist Activities

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 1st 2008 at 3:33PM

We've seen countries institute some pretty weird regulations when it comes to wireless handsets, but this one is apt to seem patently absurd to anyone outside of (and possibly within) Sri Lanka. Government officials are reportedly gearing up to implement legislation that would require handset owners to "to carry a certificate of ownership at all times when carrying their phone around."

The new law will hopefully cut down on some terrorist activities that have apparently been going on, but it will also inconvenience quite a few innocent citizens as well. Ah well, at least locals can legitimately ask their mooching friends to get their own without sounding all snobbish. [Source: Cellular News via textually]

Bullet-Proof "Safe" Bed Has Own Toilet, Air Supply, and Microwave Oven

by Will Safer, posted Mar 28th 2008 at 4:02PM

The Quantum Sleeper safe bed

For the truly paranoid among us, there's a new extreme standard for which to strive in securing a good night's sleep. The "Quantum Sleeper" promises restful protection from "bio-terrorist attack, natural disaster, kidnappers/stalkers" and, of course, it's bulletproof.

If you regularly bed down in a hostile environment, maybe this is the right bed for you. The great thing is that securing yourself inside doesn't mean you're separated from many of the common comforts you would expect. The Quantum Sleeper can be fitted with a CD player, a DVD player with PC hookup, a microwave oven and even a refrigerator. Plus, it has options for cell phones, CB and short-wave radios.

The price tag on this bunk runs about $160 thousand. Basic requirements include enough space to install the unit, which weighs about 2000 pounds and expands to 138" wide x 98" high x 150" long when fully open. If you choose the natural disaster options, the manufacturer recommends it be installed on a ground floor with a concrete slab for proper anchoring, "to resist the forces of wind and water." Plus, installing on the ground floor will prevent the unit from falling through should the home structure become weak due to fire or other forces (or, say, really heavy beds).

Some other characteristics of the bed:
  • The 1.25" thick Polycarbonate plastic plating is constructed of laminated sheets and is capable of stopping a bullet from a hand gun up to a 357 magnum caliber. It has a tensile strength of 9,000 psi with a Specific Gravity of 1.2.
  • The units are designed to 20 percent compression and rated for greater than 7 psi (15' of water static head pressure).
  • The head cover side and front plates will be clear but w/ reflective characteristics that will allow the unit occupants to see out but prevent those on the outside from seeing in. The polycarbonate plating together provides the main attributes of a safe bed, safe room & bomb shelter.
The bed is still in the prototype phase and the company is seeking investors. Forget the race car bed you had when you were a kid. This sleeper steals the show.

From Boing-Boing.

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