Mad John

June 11, 2015 by Marc Handelman in Information Security, Oddities

News, of the surfacing of John McAfee at last week's Infosec 2015 confab in London, United Kingdom; at which, oddities ensue, mayhem kept at a minimum. All in all, a good time was had by all... Read the full story here.

IARPA's Psychic Computational Device

March 12, 2015 by Marc Handelman in All is Information, Oddities, Intelligence

Astonishing news, via NextGov's Aliya Sternstein of a purported Watson-like automated, IARPA supported psychic, computational device. Seemingly mythic in nature, this project has overtones of Forbin coupled with Verne... Operating under the moniker "Cyber-attack Automated Unconventional Sensor Environment", this is certainly a component of national security that bears additional scrutiny, eh Watson?

"IBM has even expressed interest in the "Cyber-attack Automated Unconventional Sensor Environment," or CAUSE, project. Big Blue officials presented a basic approach at a Jan. 21 proposers' day. CAUSE is the brainchild of the Office for Anticipating Surprise under the director of national intelligence. A “Broad Agency Agreement” -- competition terms and conditions -- is expected to be issued any day now, contest hopefuls say." - via NextGov's Aliya Sternstein

Balls of Gas (Heated)

January 26, 2015 by Marc Handelman in All is Information, Science, Common Sense, Oddities, Opposable Thumbs, Physical Sciences, Physical Security, Sarcasm

'For the Patriots to blame a change in temperature for 15% lower-pressures, requires balls to be inflated with 125-degree air.' — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) January 26, 2015

WIFI, Overheard

November 24, 2014 by Marc Handelman in Oddities, Signals

In a rather bizarre case of superbes capacités auditives or Hyperacusia comes this story via IO9, detailing one man's capability to discern WIFI signals in and about his person. Odd that...