Streaming Urthe

I am awed by the magnitude of the video streaming task UrtheCast is taking on in intending to stream live HD video from cameras on the ISS. Even though it creeps me out a bit (1.1 meter resolution is pretty good!) I’ll be keeping my eye on this project and how it proceeds. I’m curious if there will be pressure to not show live footage of every region or if governments will press to have some regions blocked from public view. I can’t tell if they intend to make a profit on this project or not – I don’t see … Continue reading Streaming Urthe

Fill-in-the-Bubble Anonymity

In the further disappearance of the concept of anonymity, statistical analysis allows individuals’ marks on bubble forms to be identified as corresponding to the same person. That is, someone’s marks on a bubble form can be used to identify them the same way handwriting might (though it still seems with less accuracy). We learn that filling in your bubbles thoroughly and completely is probably the best way to stay anonymous. The shocker here of course is that a small little mark – filling in a circle – can be unique across a sample of almost 100 surveys. It did bring … Continue reading Fill-in-the-Bubble Anonymity