Reznor Helms New Beats 1 Radio Launch; Brings Listeners Closer To God

And you can have it all.  His empire of...well, a lot more than dirt.  Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor wants to help music fans find new artists to aurally appreciate, as well as enjoy classics, with the new Beats 1 radio program by Apple...

Despite previous claims, his intent is neither to let you down, nor to make you hurt.
(Image courtesy knowyourmobile.com.)

Prize In The Skies: Solar Plane Set To Cross Pacific, Break World Record

With solar technological innovations progressing every day, and with powerful supporters claiming it will be the energy of our future, solar power is rapidly eclipsing all that oil has to offer.  Now, a solar-powered plane is poised to make history, if only it can keep the lights on to cross the Pacific...

Could there be a bright future in store for solar planes?  The Solar Impulse 2 will help find out!
(Image courtesy industrie-techno.com.)

Space Station Sunday: "Space Is Hard"

Good afternoon, space fans!  It's been a difficult day for spacefaring, but rocket science rocks on...

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted this image of the SpaceX rocket explosion as seen from above,
along with text including, "Space is hard."
(Image courtesy Scott Kelly.)

Nothing to Hide: Privacy and Surveillance in New York City

"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to be afraid of." This is perhaps the most well known slogan of anti-privacy advocates and would-be totalitarians the world over. At one and the same time, this simple statement both criminalizes the practice of privacy while excusing some of the most heinous attacks on the rights and liberties of individuals by governments and corporations.

Of course, the notion that "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to be afraid of" is absurd on its face, at least in any society that is predicated upon the civilizational principle separating the public and private spheres. Perhaps the simplest way to undermine this dangerous idea is to ask some rather simple questions of those who espouse it. For example: What is your name? What is your Social Security Number? What is your bank account number? What is the password to your main email account?

Recently, we decided to head out onto the streets of New York City with actor and comedian Adrian Sexton to ask folks if they agreed with the statement "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to be afraid of." And if they answered in the affirmative, we then asked them to provide us with rather sensitive information. Some of the replies were rather surprising. Check it out below:

Know Your Joe: New App For Coffee Connoisseurs

In today's busy, bustling world, few things fuel you faster than a nice cup (or carafe) of coffee.  Iced, spiced, black, blonde, it doesn't matter as long as it does the job.  Now, there's a new app to help you learn more about the world's greatest caffeinated creation...

This may be true, but you can still do a damned decent home-brew...
(Image courtesy funnysigns.net.)

Who Would Jesus Watch? New Facial Recognition Software Tracks Church Attendance

Oh, god.  As if it weren't "bad" enough in the eyes of The Most High that your lapsed morals caused you to skip church on Sunday to be a brunch-munching heathen or false-idolater football fan, now you've also been caught...by computer.

The lord doesn't always work in mysterious ways...sometimes it's just computers and cameras.
(Image courtesy hackingchristianity.net.)

Want A Better Future? This Break-Up App Might Help...

When Paul Simon wrote his classic song, "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" back in 1975, smartphones had yet to be invented.  However, had he written it recently, he could have included a line to the effect of, "Just tap on the app, Chap..." as one of the means of easily escaping a failed romance...

Granted, breakups have been brutal throughout all of recorded history...
(Image courtesy pinterest.com.)