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secrets

Bush, 'state secrets,' and national security run amok

A federal court case involving Internet wiretapping has revealed the Bush administration at its worst.

I don't say this lightly. Senior attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice showed up before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week and argued that the president should be able to violate federal law--and that judges can't do anything about it.

Their argument rests on something called the "state secret" privilege, which traditionally has been used to pull the plug on lawsuits that could, for instance, disclose national-security secrets such as a crashed military plane's true mission. … Read more

Pop goes the presidential SUV

Need to take out a book depository? This U.S. Secret Service Urban Assault SUV should do the trick.

The GMC-mounted mini-gun accompanies the presidential cavalcade, at least here at home. Apparently it's not a welcome guest in some host countries. England, for instance, asked the prez to leave his miniguns at home. Note the rotating turret.

Clean your Internet tracks with Ad-Aware 2007

The free spyware-removal software Ad-Aware 2007 helps protect your system from browser hijackers, data miners, and other malware, but it can also wipe your Web surfing tracks for Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera with just one click. Rich DeMuro shows you how it's done.

Quick Tip: Drag, drop, and download with BitComet

BitComet is one of the most popular BitTorrent applications on CNET Download.com, but did you also know that it can also work as a regular download manager. Rich DeMuro shows you how to drag, drop, and download with the P2P file-sharing app.

Every dog has its digital camera

TokyoMango points to Wonderful Shot, a digital camera that's designed to hang from a pet collar so you can see life through your dog's eyes. The toy has two settings: it will either take a real-time photo by pressing a button on the camera's remote control, or you can set the device to automatically take photos at regular intervals so you can figure out what your mutt's been up to while you were away. The company has also set up a community for sharing your dog's photos, but you're still on the hook for … Read more

A secret remote to drive men crazy

Few things are more closely associated with domestic male behavior than control of the TV remote. Sad but true.

So if you really want to mess with the man of the house, consider the "Covert Clicker"--a tiny but devious universal device that Chip Chick says can work on 90 percent of all TV sets (and probably 99.9 percent of all men).

Change channels and mute stations at will with one of these in your pocket, with no one the wiser. But you'd better practice your poker face, for the consequences could be dire.

Flat TVs, furniture and free samples

High-end home designers may be trying to on cash in on the flat-TV trend but, as plasmas and LCDs become increasingly common, so too will their furnishings. Witness the "rotating TV wall" featured on Gadget Review, which is available not from an Italian design house but from Costco.

Yes, it does cost $3,600, but think of it this way--you're adding a room to your home (sort of). Anyway, while you're shopping for it, you can at least gorge on the free samples.

The secrets that you keep

An artist from Germantown, Md., has embarked on a collective art project about secrets. But be careful what you tell him because he won't keep your secrets private. Instead, he'll post them online for all the world to see, just like a bad friend in junior high school.

Dubbed PostSecret, the project began at the Artomatic art exhibition in Washington, D.C., where 40-year-old Frank Warren left over 3,000 postcards and invited people to return the cards to him, decorated and bearing a secret they had never told a soul. As the secrets started pouring in, Warren … Read more