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Headline: UT officials urging students to learn how to protect themselves:

"Safety officials at the University of Tennessee said police can't always get to you in time, so they are asking students to learn how to protect themselves.

Officials are asking student and staff to take part in an online training program that includes tips for staying safe around campus. The idea is to help people know better how to protect themselves in the minutes immediately following a crisis situation."

I'd like to see the content of the course.  I'd be surprised if any of the tips included using hollow points or putting in extra practice at a range.

But you do get Starbucks coupon and a certificate for completing the training.

Via Uncle

LYTRO - Light Field Camera

So there is a new kind of camera on the block. The LYTRO camera uses Light Field technology to take pictures. This tech captures light information which allows the picture to be "refocused" after the picture is taken. An example is worth a thousand words (click on the photo to change the focus):



The camera must be simple to operate - there aren't a thousand menus settings accessible via a dial and half a dozen buttons. Controls include a power button, a shutter button, a zoom slider, and the touchscreen. That's it. Check out the full specs here.

Maybe this is what I need to keep up with Oleg, Les, and Linoge. Realisticly, this won't make my must have list (especially since they start at $399), but I really, really like to see cool new ways of doing things we've been doing for years. It could be like the Apple Newton that eventually evolved into a pretty cool product - the name escapes me right now.

Links:
Lytro: A True Point-and-Shoot Camera

Lytro launches Light Field camera

Lytro: Like No Camera You’ve Ever Seen Before

I'll. Be. Brief.

Some good reading for any candidate...

Short Version:

“The Second Amendment states a personal constitutional right both to keep, and also to bear arms. The politician trying to regulate this fundamental freedom is bound by the strict scrutiny test. I will not nominate any federal judge or justice who will not affirm this understanding of the law.”

The long version for those that aren't distracted easily, OH! Look! Something shiny.

*1000 bonus points for knowing the origin of the post title.

Google News

Google Reader is getting a new design and some Google+ features. GMail is getting an overhaul, too. And Google+ will allow pseudonyms (or at least nicknames).

Jetsons

I like my Logitech Harmony Remote Control, but there would be something very cool and futuristic about controlling my TV via the iPad or my phone. Enter the Logitech Harmony Link. Toss a little flying saucer looking disc near your components, hook it up to your WiFi network, and start controlling your TV from your tablet/smartphone. Since you are working over WiFi, you can make changes from anywhere in the house. Next, I want to control the thermostats and lights. Stuff like this could bring the X10 dream to a reality for the masses.

Via LifeHacker

KG-UV920R: Rumors Again

I'm feeling better and am a little feisty, so I figure I might as well stir things up again. (And to really point fingers, it was Moleculo on the WorldWideDX forum that brought it up.)

A Chinese company has 668 KG-UV920R units for sale for $315 USD.

Good luck with that. If you like that deal, then I have a bridge or two you might want to buy. But seriously, $315 would be disappointingly high.

The Flu

I have it. I don't like it. Regular programming will resume when I get better.

We are winning - Angry Birds Edition

Groupon: $25 for Skeet-Shooting Outing for Two at Birds and Clays, Inc. – Washburn

Superhero Gone Bad

When good superheroes go bad. Real-life super hero Phoenix Jones arrested for assaulting people with pepper spray.

Amazon Whispersync vs. Apple iCloud

Ready. Fight.

Amazon Whispersync + Silk + Cloud Storage + Amazon Prime

Apple iCloud + iTunes/Documents/Apps/Backups in the Cloud + Photo Stream

What a great time to be a geek (assumes some non-trivial amount of disposable income).