again taken with mobile phone

the rest of my phone pictures

shot with my razr.

Rare “Rainbow” Spotted Over Idaho:

From The National Geographic:

It looks like a rainbow that’s been set on fire, but this phenomenon is as cold as ice.

Known in the weather world as a circumhorizontal arc, this rare sight was caught on film on June 3 as it hung over northern Idaho near the Washington State border.

The arc isn’t a rainbow in the traditional sense—it is caused by light passing through wispy, high-altitude cirrus clouds. The sight occurs only when the sun is very high in the sky (more than 58° above the horizon). What’s more, the hexagonal ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds must be shaped like thick plates with their faces parallel to the ground.

Arphid Watch: Leeches and Ghosts:
“In this study we show that the modeling predictions are quite accurate. We show how to build a portable, extended-range RFID skimmer, using only electronics hobbyist supplies and tools. Our skimmer is able to read ISO-14443 tags from a distance of 25cm, uses a lightweight 40cm-diameter copper-tube antenna, is powered by a 12V battery–and requires a budget of $100. We believe that, with some more effort, we can reach ranges of 35cm, using the same skills, tools, and budget.”

(…)
“A German hacker used a simple PDA, equipped with an RFID read/write device, and changed product prices in a grocery shop using a software he wrote. He managed to reduce the Shampoo price from $7 to $3 and go through the cashier without incident. Supermarket checkout trials held by NCR corporation showed that some clients standing at the cashier paid for groceries held by clients standing behind them in the queue.
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and yet one more reason why one cannot really trust rfid tech.

For the first time in history, there is a chance that a feminist party, with a feminist agenda, will take place in a national parliament. This is a momentous occasion. It is nothing short of a revolution. It is something that could improve the situation of women around the world in many different ways. It would prove that feminism can no longer be ignored in politics.

http://www.feministsupport.com/

feminist initiative party platform

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the feminist initiative in Sweden is running for seats in parliament. to the best of my knowledge, this is the first organized feminist party platform running for elected national office.

AlterNet: The Da Vinci Senator:
“In his dream, America, the one he believes both the Bible and the Constitution promise, the state will simply wither away. In its place will be a country so suffused with God and the free market that the social fabric of the last hundred years — schools, Social Security, welfare — will be privatized or simply done away with,” reads the article. “There will be no abortions; sex will be confined to heterosexual marriage. Men will lead families, mothers will tend children, and big business and the church will take care of all.”

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this would not be an america….. it would be something else entirely. something like ‘canada’ but with religion.