File this one...

... in the "Wise and Proper Use of Municipal Resources" bin.

=======================
The Nebraska city’s elected leaders and police department are urging
residents who see violations to call the 9-1-1 emergency system for an immediate
response.

Omaha banned smoking in public Oct. 2. Penalties are $100 for the first
offense, $200 for the second and $500 for the third and subsequent
infractions.

Teresa Negron, sergeant in charge of public information for the police,
explained the department encourages observers of infractions to pick up the
phone to report the infraction – just like they would for any other crime they
observe being committed.
=======================

See a guy smoking at Omaha's Mickey-D's?

Report'im!

Who cares if you're tying up a line that could be used to report a heart-attack or injury car accident, or rape?

Gotta git dem smokahs!

Cam, PI

Well, I am now a private investigator - of sorts.

A year and a half ago, I spent $7,000 for a computer security track at SMU. I took the course to get some training in Computer Forensics, but got some other training, too (ethical hacking, Security +, wireless stuff and CISSP).

But, since taking the classes, I've been unable to make much use of it. I was interviewed by Dallas Police for a position as manager of their Computer Forensics group, but they decided to promote from within, instead.

I thought of doing some freelance stuff on the side, but found out that any sort of investigations work in Texas must be done by a licensed private investigator. If not, the investigator AND the person who hires them, can be hit with a big fine and jail time.

To get the license, one had to be employed by a licensed PI firm. Or, if working independently (kind of a Rockford or Magnum affair), one had to have three years of investigation experience in law enforcement or with a PI firm. I had neither, so, I was out of luck there.

During some email correspondence, my Computer Forensics instructor asked me if I'd like to do some free-lance consultant work for his agency. His company has a PI license and it covers me as a PI.

Totally cool.

It's just part-time work, but it gets me the time in as an investigator so that I can go it alone down the road, if I like.

All I need now is a Ferrari, an uppity English major domo with two Dobermans and a guest house on a Hawaiian estate...

Google Kneels Again

It appears Google never met a government it wouldn't kow-tow to, unless it's the US government.

I'm all for the protection of artistic content, and, if there was a question on a video's legality, Google should've removed it on its own. But, instead, they wait until someone complains. And, should that complaintant be a government other than that of the US, Google will fall over itself to comply.

Beam Me Up, Scotty!

Take that, Heisenberg!

===================
'Star Trek' teleporter nearer reality

June 17, 2002 Posted: 12:47 AM EDT (0447 GMT)

CANBERRA, Australia -- It's not quite "Star Trek" yet, but Australian university researchers in quantum optics say they have "teleported" a message in a laser beam using the same technology principles that enabled Scotty to beam up Captain Kirk.

What the team at the Australian National University have managed to achieve is to take apart an encrypted laser beam and simultaneously rebuild a replica one meter away.

Using a process called "quantum entanglement", the team effectively teleported a radio signal contained in the laser beam of light from one place to another.
===================

Maybe a Heisenberg Compensator isn't needed after all...

The nature of information security with computers based upon this quantum event will change radically. Quantum information is impossible to tap.

Totally cool, Maynard...