Ed Dowding

1. Heathrow runway ‘approval is due’

The government is expected to confirm approval for a third runway at Heathrow Airport later, the BBC understands. (http://is.gd/fVkJ)

Your government doesn’t care about your long term future, so please take responsibility for it yourself. Only fly when you HAVE to. If you want to get away that much, consider moving. You’ll have a better quality of life.

2. Biometric passports agreed to in EU

The European Parliament has voted to implement biometric passports in the EU, starting June 29.(http://is.gd/fXoc).

Your government doesn’t care about you, so when you’re issued with your new biometric passport:

• DO NOT USE IF FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN TRAVEL. That means don’t allow hotels to see it, don’t use it for booking cars, generally just don’t use it at all.
• Get a Faraday mesh to cover your passport. Sounds like paranoia? Once your biometric data is out, it’s out. You can’t have it revoked like you can a serial number or PIN code.
• Be sure not to be a bricklayer or lose your arms, because then you’ll need to get a new temporary passport every 12 months.

If I were to get the very best security experts in the whole of the EU, form them into a well funded group (www.fidis.net/about), and ask them to look at the viability of this plan, and they came back with the answer that they “dramatically decrease security and privacy and increase the risk of identity theft” (http://is.gd/fXqc), I think I’d stop the plan, since that’s the DIRECT FUCKING OPPOSITE of the stated goals.

So see the level of competence and thought that has gone into this plan, have a look at the member states’ answers to the security questions posed (http://is.gd/fXwy). Generally it’s of the tone “we aren’t actually collecing data yet, so we don’t have to think about its security”. And these are the people in charge of you.

3. Miliband regrets ‘war on terror’

The idea of a “war on terror” puts too much emphasis on military force and unifies extremists, says the foreign secretary. (http://is.gd/fXlA)

If your government does care, it’s too stupid to do the right thing. (See 1 and 2)

4. I’ve started knitting a scarf

I’m one whole yarn through so far. That’s right, folks, knitting is making a comeback.

Visitors To US Now Required To Register Online

Starting today, visitors to the US from 35 visa-waiver countries will
be required to register online with the Department of Homeland
Security in advance. The DHS is asking people to go online for the
ESTA program 72 hours before traveling, but they can register any
amount of time ahead. Approval, once granted, is good for 2 years. DHS
says that most applications are approved in 4 seconds. If an
application is rejected, the traveler will have to go to a US embassy
and get a visa. CNet reports that information from applications will
be retained for 12 years, and eventually up to 75 years.

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/13/0252208

Tonight is the first knitting night. I never knew knitting was so cool!

http://www.threadbanger.com/

START;
$SELF = ~1;
$PARTNER = ~1;
FIND PARTNER;
IF ( $SELF + $PARTNER < 2 ) {GO TO START} ELSE {END};

Quite amazing.

“A combination of drugs could trick the body into sending its repair
mechanisms into overdrive, say scientists. The technique could be used
to speed the healing of heart or bone damage, they claim. The bone
marrow of treated mice released 100 times as many stem cells – which
help to regenerate tissue. ”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7815449.stm

The way this is on the BBC website as a small story reminds me of a
part in a science fiction novel (Red Mars is the one it brings to
mind, but others also apply) where the scientists announce some
research they’ve been doing on cell repair. In Red Mars, it’s only a
page long, and used as a plot device to allow the main characters to
live long enough to allow the full story of colonising Mars to play
out. But I’ll bet this is the biggest news of the decade in terms of
historical impact.