X-Voter

From: The Technology Liberation Front

 Steve Bellovin points out a silly proposal to require licenses for Geiger counters. Like Bellovin, I’m at a loss as to why anyone would think this was a good idea. The police department says the legislation would “prevent false alarms and unnecessary public concern,” but it’s not clear either that false alarms are a major problem, or that this registration requirement would prevent them. Strangely enough, the article doesn’t cite a single example in which “false alarms” created serious problems for anybody.

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From: Fox

California energy regulators are considering taking control of residents’ thermostats, giving them the ability to control the temperatures of homes during energy crises, the New York Times reports.

The California Energy Commission is expected to vote on the rules next month, which would give utilities the power to control home thermostats via radio control to manage electricity shortages, the paper reports.