Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Wired News - a must-read for the latest information and commentary on
our rapidly changing digital world.

W I R E D N E W S Top Stories - 07:15AM 19.Jun.04.PDT
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Pentagon Seeks U.S. Spy Powers (Security Blanket 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,63917,00.html/wn_ascii

The Department of Defense is asking for an exemption from the Privacy
Act, which outlaws secret databases on Americans. Civil-rights
activists are asking why the military wants to get into the domestic
spying business. By Ryan Singel.
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Costs of Warming on the Rise (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63895,00.html/wn_ascii

Scientists say climate change is upon us, and the longer we wait to do
something, the more expensive it will be. Also: New York air is getting
worse.... Coral reefs gain protection. By Stephen Leahy.
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Voter Drives, Without Politics (Politics 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63902,00.html/wn_ascii

Many special-interest groups, liberal and conservative, have tried to
get more young people to vote, but without much success. So the Soap
Box Coalition is trying a different tack -- by not appealing to
ideology at all. By Jacob Ogles.
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Blogs Welcome at Dems' Convention (Culture Sunday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/culture/0,1284,63920,00.html/wn_ascii

Coverage of this summer's political conventions could be a little more
colorful than in the past: Democrats have invited bloggers to apply for
media credentials for the party's bash. Republicans remain unsure how
to handle the brash voices filling the brave new world of political
blogs.
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Galileo: Challenge to U.S. Might? (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63865,00.html/wn_ascii

Global positioning satellite technology, developed by the U.S.
military, has become so pervasive and vital to national economies that
the Europeans want their own version. But the Europeans have to solve a
lot of problems first, including soothing American generals. By Noah
Shachtman.
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Builders in a Strange Land (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63893,00.html/wn_ascii

The first settlers on Mars probably won't be dragging building
materials to their new home, so people are planning to make buildings
from what's already on the surface. By Mark Baard.
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Eco-Terror Cited as Top Threat (Med-Tech Center 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,63812,00.html/wn_ascii

Law enforcement officials warn that biotechnology firms, particularly
those that conduct research on animals, must take greater precautions
against attacks by extremist groups. By Kristen Philipkoski.
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State Sets Standard for E-Voting (Business Tuesday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/business/0,1367,63869,00.html/wn_ascii

California officials release a set of standards for building touch-
screen voting machines with a voter-verified paper trail mechanism.
Other states, and the feds, may adopt California's standards. By Kim
Zetter.
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Calls for Leash on Voter Data (Business Tuesday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/business/0,1367,63861,00.html/wn_ascii

A California state task force says the state should take more steps to
guard the information that people reveal about themselves on voter
registration forms. By Kim Zetter.
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Thousands of Blogs Fall Silent (Culture Tuesday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/culture/0,1284,63856,00.html/wn_ascii

With the flip of a switch Sunday, Dave Winer closed Weblogs.com
without warning, leaving bloggers in the lurch. Winer cites personal
reasons, but that's not good enough for everyone. By Michelle Delio.
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Senate Votes for More Nukes (Politics Tuesday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63858,00.html/wn_ascii

The U.S. Senate backs the Bush administration's plan to study low-
yield and earth-penetrating nuclear weapons. The administration insists
it has no plans to actually build the weapons -- it just wants to keep
the door open to their development.
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Women Vote for Paper Trail (Machine Politics Monday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63847,00.html/wn_ascii

The League of Women Voters withdraws its support of paperless voting
machines and endorses a resolution in favor of 'voting systems and
procedures that are secure, accurate, recountable and accessible.'
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New 'Hiccup' for Florida Voters (Machine Politics Monday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63837,00.html/wn_ascii

The Sunshine State's election controversies continue to unfold: Now
the state admits that a number of e-voting machines have a software
flaw that makes manual recounting impossible. But things will work out,
officials say.
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Food Makers Changing Genes (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63779,00.html/wn_ascii

Better flavor and genetically altered livestock are on the agenda at
the BIO conference. Also: Protestors drop in.... Personalized medicine
not dead yet.... Do-it-yourself DNA extraction. Wired News reports from
San Francisco.
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The Son of Patriot Act Also Rises (Security Blanket 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,63800,00.html/wn_ascii

Legislators attempt to pass Patriot Act II provisions to increase
government power with legislative tricks, adding them to unrelated
must-pass bills. It's a repeat of last year's events, but this time
opponents are watching. By Kim Zetter.
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Florida Faces Election Fracas (Machine Politics 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63781,00.html/wn_ascii

Following the disastrous 2000 election snafu, Florida faces another
debacle -- this time over a database that's supposed to keep felons
from voting. But it also contains thousands of names of people who have
every right to vote, critics say. By Jacob Ogles.
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Clean Cars Lean on Dirty Old Gas (Autopia 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,63787,00.html/wn_ascii

Researchers have come up with a way for cars to run cleaner -- using
hydrogen pulled from gasoline. There are still plenty of hurdles to
overcome. By Mark Baard.
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Powell: Terrorism Report Mistake (Politics Sunday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63832,00.html/wn_ascii

A State Department report showing that terrorism declined last year
was a big mistake, according to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Embarassed and apologetic, Powell is trying to determine how the errors
originated.
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Infosys: Outsourcing Row Easing (Business Sunday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/business/0,1367,63830,00.html/wn_ascii

The controversy over sending U.S. jobs overseas is losing steam, says
the CEO of Infosys, India's second largest software exporter. The
election-year issue could spell trouble for tech companies depending on
the low-cost labor.
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New Nuclear Program Sidelined (Politics Thursday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63795,00.html/wn_ascii

A key congressman moves to withhold funding for the development of new
atomic arms, in a blow to the Bush administration. But the programs
won't go away without a fight. By Noah Shachtman.
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Suicide by Pseudoscience (Wired magazine 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.06/view.html?pg=4
Political purges will kill American science. Just ask Trofim Lysenko,
one of Stalin's top scientific stooges. By Bruce Sterling from Wired
magazine.
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Weapons Makers Turn to Medicine (Med-Tech Center Tuesday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,63759,00.html/wn_ascii

Soviet scientists once tasked with making bioweapons find a rewarding
alternative in medicine, with a boost from the U.S. State Department.
Kristen Philipkoski reports from San Francisco.
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Diebold Bans Political Donations (Politics Monday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63753,00.html/wn_ascii

Stung by criticism about its chief executive's political fund raising,
Diebold says it won't let its senior executives make donations to
candidates. Employees at its election systems division also will be
barred.
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Senators Back Low-Power Radio (Politics 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63731,00.html/wn_ascii

Sens. John McCain and Patrick Leahy introduce a bill that would allow
low-power radio stations to get licenses to broadcast in big markets.
But commercial radio interests probably won't give up the spectrum
without a fight. By Ryan Singel.
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Drowning in an Ocean of Plastic (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63699,00.html/wn_ascii

Today's World Environment Day focuses on the state of the seas. One of
the biggest concerns is plastic -- it's everywhere, from the surface to
the innards of plankton. By Stephen Leahy.
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Gulf Vets Victimized Again (U.S. vs. Them Friday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,63716,00.html/wn_ascii

Veterans of the first Gulf War, plagued by health problems that appear
to be associated with exposure to chemical agents, may be getting
shortchanged on their treatment due to flawed data gathering by the
Defense Department.
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Your Computer Is Bad for You (Technology Friday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63717,00.html/wn_ascii

Monitors and processors contain residual 'toxic dust,' chemicals that
are linked to various reproductive and neurological problems, a study
concludes. Bit by bit, manufacturers are dealing with the problem.
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Cities Say No to the Patriot Act (Security Blanket 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,63702,00.html/wn_ascii

As Bush launches a campaign to promote the Patriot Act and convince
Congress to renew sections set to expire next year, hundreds of cities
across the United States say enough is enough. By Kim Zetter.
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Summit: Carbon Dioxide Traders (Technology Sunday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63739,00.html/wn_ascii

A trade fair for buyers, sellers and brokers of carbon-dioxide
discharge permits convenes in Germany. Getting rid of the waste gas
blamed for global warming is a shell game, and profit may be the key to
reining in emissions.
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Solar-Powered Gadgets on the Move (Technology Saturday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63737,00.html/wn_ascii

In the wilds or on the road, solar panels that fold into notebook-size
cases are charging everything from laptop computers to cameras and Palm
Pilots. But for some, a cell phone that works in the wilderness may not
be a boon.
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