Music
Radiohead has a new album, A Moon Shaped Pool. If you are, or have ever been, a Radiohead fan, you need to check it out. I’ll make your life easier and embed the video for Burn the Witch below.
Science
NASA shared footage of mercury passing in front of the sun. A reminder of how beautiful our solar system can be.
Privacy
In the coming weeks, I am going to write a blog post on why you should care about online privacy. But, for those of you who want a quick and simple list, head over to the Center for Democracy and Technology for some tips on how to protect yourself.
Law
Prince should be remembered for being a fantastic musician and a prolific songwriter. He should not, however, be remembered for his terrible views on the law. Minnesota’s legislature has put together the Personal Rights In Names Can Endure (PRINCE) Act, which would create a perpetual (i.e., lasts beyond death) right of publicity. It is bad enough copyright protection gets extended past death (see last week’s post). This is just one more law that will waste court resources to protect the parties that don’t actually need protection (the estates of dead famous people).
The Director of the FBI, Jim Comey, continued his never-ending campaign against encryption. He also said that even though he has no proof, he thinks that the police are scared of being videotaped which has led to an increase in violent crime. Well, Jim, you know what you call something that you believe, is provable, but can’t prove? Hmmm.
The Philadelphia police have been driving around a vehicle equipped with license plate readers disguised as a Google Street View truck. Another of the many examples of why you should be concerned about your privacy, even as a law-abiding citizen.
Politics
An anonymous former Facebook contractor claims that his colleagues engaged in the suppression of conservative stories in the trending topics sidebar (that thing you never look at). Lots of commentary on the issue. Here are a few links:
Ending on a Happy Note
A dog ran away from home to go to doggie daycare. I hate linking to CNN, but this is too damn cute.
Scott Kumis 