Blowing Up The Burners: New Bill To Make Anonymous Cell Phones Illegal?

Chances are, as a modern human being, you own at least one cell phone that you guard with a vigilance that many bodyguards would envy.  It's as important as your wallet or keys, and maybe more so due to its irreplaceability.  But what about the cell phones that are used specifically for their disposable nature?  Should they be illegal just because sometimes you have business to handle that you don't want interacting with the rest of your real life?

Burner phones:  will they be burned at the legal stake for their perceived sins?
(Image courtesy survivethewild.net.)

Aviation Vs. Incarceration: Drones Delivering Drugs Into Prison Yards

Drones!  Is there anything they can't do?  They help to fight fires, deliver contraceptives, bomb insurgents, and don't even require an endless supply of pharmaceutical-grade speed to keep their pilots awake!  Now, they've added a naughty new skill to their flying functions...

"OVER HERE!  DROP THE WEED OVER HERE!"
(Image courtesy nativemonster.com.)

No Wires Required: Ikea To Offer New Furniture With Inductive Charging Pads

It's been a universal human quest since the dawn of mankind:  the lust for power.  Now, Ikea is making that quest a little easier, thanks to a new line of wireless charging furniture...

"+" marks the spot for the treasure of phone-charging power.
(Image courtesy gizmodo.com.)

On The Road Again? Never Lose Power Thanks To New "SmartBackpack"

Let's face it, electronic gadgets govern huge swaths of our modern lives.  Try going a day without your cellphone.  Think about the horror of hitting the gym without your trusty mp3 player.  And of course, the ubiquity of tablets and e-readers has now made them indispensable as well.  So, how do you keep them all powered for hours?

According to wired.com, a new wearable battery charger/backpack is the nomadic, stylish answer for how to induce the juice.  Equipped with an onboard charger that's capable of powering up your phone, camera, or even laptop, the AMPL SmartBackpack has got you covered.  Capable of charging multiple devices at once, an OLED screen informs you of progress, as well as weather conditions that may be a hindrance to you or your tech toys.  This intel can also be sent to your smartphone via an app (of course.)

Neglect none of your devices thanks to the SmartBackpack.
(Image courtesy indiegogo.com.)

A hierarchy of charging can be established so that more important devices juice up first.  At maximum output, the SmartBackpack offers 147 Wh of charge.  The modular batteries inside can be removed and used individually, or the entire backpack itself can be plugged into a wall socket to re-up its own power.

Currently engaged in an indiegogo.com campaign for development, the SmartBackpack will be for sale at $225 in pre-production, and $250 later in 2015.  It might be pricey for a backpack, but it's invaluable for today's tech gypsies who crave constant connectivity.  And maybe you can recoup some of the expense by renting out your power to electronically-estranged folks who planned their battery life badly.

Workaholics, your dreams have come true.
(Image courtesy ampl-labs.com.)

Your Smartphone Can Act As Your E-ID In Iowa Starting Next Year

Ever been caught without your driver's license and wished you could have some other critical bit of your physical property to cover for you?  Maybe something that you'd be carrying around every day?  Something like, say, your cellphone?

Seems legit.
(Image courtesy gizmodo.com.)

Now, thanks to new legislation in Iowa, drivers will be able to use their smartphones as credible license identification, starting in 2015.  According to theverge.com, the official license app will make your e-ID acceptable for police stops, airport trips, and other instances of age verification.

While it's not known what would happen if one were to lose the battery power to their "ID", or if other states would accept this app as valid, the idea is one that (if successful) could prove to be the forefront of change for many other states.  It's quick, it's easy, and it's usually right there in your pocket or hand anyway.  The only problem is dealing with who might set up fake license sites for the underage...

"It's okay officer, I'm not drunk, really...I puke all the time."
(Image courtesy party411.com.)

"Shut Up, Devil!" App To Help Save Your Soul

In this crazy and cruel modern world, it doesn't seem like one can get very far without hearing the voice of the devil (or however you may perceive the forces of evil) taunting and tempting you.  Now, a new app promises to offer a means of fighting back by using the force of the Lord (the Christian one.  Other lords' advice may vary.)

As reported by charismamag.com, the free "Shut Up, Devil!" app is there for you when the powers of darkness threaten their worst.  Users can choose from a variety of troubling topics, or indicate their exact feelings by typing them in.  Shut Up, Devil! then provides a Bible verse appropriate to remedying the situation, as well as a retort to set loose on Lucifer.

"The lies the devil launches at you will no longer influence you," app creator Kyle Winkler states.  To drive the message home, Shut Up, Devil! also includes reminder alarms that can be programmed to send you to your "favorited" in-app scripture cards whenever you feel you may need support during the day...be it when you're waking up feeling a little evil or slamming down drinks at last call.

Tell the Prince of Darkness to get behind thee and show him who's really boss, all with just the power of your smartphone!

Hell no, I'm not making out on the Ferris Wheel with you!  

Signal-Free Sipping At The Faraday Cafe

Ever wish you had a good excuse to turn off and tune out? Now, at one Canadian coffeeshop, the opportunity has presented itself through the truncation of technology. Welcome to the Faraday Cafe.

Designed by Vancouver artist Julien Thomas, the idea is a socially-minded art project that aims to see how people can allow themselves to react when unencumbered by their technological tethers. The cafe features a Faraday Cage, which blocks all cellphone and wifi signals inside its 8' by 16' perimeter.

“I’m interested in the interactions that can take place in certain scenarios,” Thomas told www.ctanews.ca. "There might be a sense of anxiety…but that’s not a bad thing.”

The Vancouver cafe will be open until July 16th for those who would fancy their coffee with a side of e-silence.

The effectiveness of an unrelated one-man Faraday Cage.  At Faraday Cafe, the only jolt you will get is from the caffeine.

T-Mobile Takes on the Money Changers with Mobile Money

The so-called "underbanked" segments of the population will be well served by such a service.  Hopefully it and similar services will help to undermine the parasitic banking sector.  From Engaget:

T-Mobile's latest service seems to fit its 'UnCarrier' agenda perfectly, since it has little connection to wireless and doesn't actually require users to have the company's phone service. Called Mobile Money, the personal finance product combines a smartphone app (iOS or Android) with a branded prepaid Visa card. Without paying a single fee, T-Mobile wireless customers can deposit checks into their Mobile Money account by taking a picture of them with their smartphone, withdraw money from 42,000 in-network ATMs and reload the cards with cash at T-Mobile stores (non-T-Mobile customers would pay additional fees). There are also no maintenance fees, minimum balances or activation fees.

Texans Lead the Charge Against Government Moblie Spying

From Ars Technica:

Privacy experts say that a pair of new mobile privacy bills recently introduced in Texas are among the “most sweeping” ever seen. And they say the proposed legislation offers better protection than a related privacy bill introduced this week in Congress.

If passed, the new bills would establish a well-defined, probable-cause-driven warrant requirement for all location information. That's not just data from GPS, but potentially pen register, tap and trace, and tower location data as well. Such data would be disclosed to law enforcement "if there is probable cause to believe the records disclosing location information will provide evidence in a criminal investigation."

Further, the bills would require an annual transparency report from mobile carriers to the public and to the state government.  Under current federal case law and statute, law enforcement generally has broad warrantless powers to not only track suspects in real-time based on their phone data, but also to access records of where and when calls were made or text messages were sent or received—and all of this is provided by the carriers.

Under the leadership of the Democratic and Republican parties, and the US Supreme Court have demonstrated themselves to be dangerous threats to Constitutional rights and liberties in the United States.  It is long past time for the people and the states to push back.