usatoday:

howgovtworks:

govtoversight:

The U.S. Navy has lots of fancy gadgets, including rail guns and laser cannons, but when they want to make sure two ships stay the same distance apart while refueling, they shoot a rope out of an M14 rifle.

OK then.

There you have it, folks.

(P.S. Give a follow, won’tcha, to howgovtworks, a new Tumblr from USA TODAY political editor Paul Singer.)

reuters:

SPECIAL REPORT: When it comes to hacking, the best defense is not the best offense. 

Even as the U.S. government confronts rival powers over widespread Internet espionage, it has become the biggest buyer in a burgeoning gray market where hackers and security firms sell tools for breaking into computers.

The strategy is spurring concern in the technology industry and intelligence community that Washington is in effect encouraging hacking and failing to disclose to software companies and customers the vulnerabilities exploited by the purchased hacks.

That’s because U.S. intelligence and military agencies aren’t buying the tools primarily to fend off attacks. Rather, they are using the tools to infiltrate computer networks overseas, leaving behind spy programs and cyber-weapons that can disrupt data or damage systems.

The core problem: Spy tools and cyber-weapons rely on vulnerabilities in existing software programs, and these hacks would be much less useful to the government if the flaws were exposed through public warnings. So the more the government spends on offensive techniques, the greater its interest in making sure that security holes in widely used software remain unrepaired.

Moreover, the money going for offense lures some talented researchers away from work on defense, while tax dollars may end up flowing to skilled hackers simultaneously supplying criminal groups. “The only people paying are on the offensive side,” said Charlie Miller, a security researcher at Twitter who previously worked for the National Security Agency.

space-tart:

Illustrated Misconception: NASA is already over-funded, and will not be affected by the recent budget cuts.

In a 1997 poll, people were found to estimate NASA’s share of the federal budget was around 20%. “Had this been true,” Launius writes, “NASA’s budget in 1997 would have been $328 billion.” In actuality  NASA receives less than one percent of the Federal budget each year- a budget that has been diminishing since the early 1990s. [Launius 174, “Public Opinion Polls and Perceptions of US Human Spaceflight”]

For those of you who want to continue NASA’s progress- you’re not alone! Popular television host and “Big Think” speaker, Bill Nye, has this to say on the matter: “If the Earth gets hit by an asteroid, it’s game over. It’s control-alt-delete for civilization.” The benefits of improving the budget for NASA don’t just end at defense, but to improve current technology, including noninvasive medical technology.

Anonymous nay-sayers to the idea of stopping the 2013 budget cuts to NASA funding say ”Perhaps NASA needs to sharpen its priorities, and drop the whiz bang stuff. “Because its there” is not a sufficient justification for a bunch of new toys.” (sfbaywalk, Washington Post) However, if you enjoy satellite television, artificial limbs, MRI and CAT scans, breast cancer screenings, heating protection materials used by firefighters, freeze-dried food, solar energy, water filters, smoke detectors, or even memory foam mattresses then you have NASA to thank for these devices, and the lists goes on and on and on…

[Visit here to learn more about “Penny 4 NASA”]

(via the-science-llama)

sagansense:

Sequestered Science: How Research Got Tied Up with Federal Dollars

More than 10 U.S. departments and agencies that receive federal funding for scientific research will suffer from budget cuts enacted by the federal government on March 1, aka “the sequester”

The first active federal budget “sequester,” an automatic, across-departments spending reduction, in more than two decades will cut funding from several U.S. departments and agencies that fund scientific research. Currently, the government funds more than one third of all research and development in this country. Details remain to be seen and the situation is still playing out, but many of these organizations clearly foresee losses in jobs and crucial funding. So, how did government become so entwined with scientific progress? The federal agencies supporting science in this country have fascinating, if sometimes convoluted, origins that reflect distinct cultural moments in U.S. history.

(via proofmathisbeautiful)

breakingnews:

Bulgaria’s government resigns

AP: Bulgaria’s government has resigned after days of violent protests fueled by outrage over rising energy costs, corruption and a general economic decline in what is already the European Union’s poorest nation.

Tens of thousands of Bulgarians had turned out in cities across this nation of 7.3 million people since Sunday in protests. They accused their leaders of having ties to crime and demanded that the government resign. Many chanted ‘Mafia!’

Photo: Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (R) leaves the parliament in Sofia on February 20, 2013 after announcing his government’s resignation following days of sometimes violent street protests in the European Union’s poorest member. (AFP/Getty Images)           

ourpresidents:

Today at noon, the National Archives released 950 pages of records sealed in U.S. v. Liddy, the Watergate break-in case. The sealed proceedings include evidentiary discussions held outside the jury’s hearing, pretrial discussions between defendants’ lawyers and the Court, and post-trial sentencing information. 

The 36 folders of documents total approximately 950 pages. A folder title list is available here: http://go.usa.gov/gWG5

Image: Document from Exhibits B and C.

On the off chance that you, typical Tumblr reader, missed most of Watergate, check out How the Watergate Scandal Worked.

motherjones:

What a Seat in Congress Costs, By the Hour.

Verrrry interesting…