white

White House says blocking Iraq Web documents was 'mistake'

The Bush administration says that blocking search engines from indexing key Iraq-related documents on its White House Web site was a simple mistake.

Until Thursday, the White House was using a robots.txt file that instructed search engines not to visit publicly accessible Iraq files on Whitehouse.gov, including a January strategy report (PDF) and a July benchmark report (PDF).

In response to phone conversations I had with them pointing out the problem, they've since revised their robots.txt file--meaning the progress report on Iraq due next week should be visible through Google, MSN and so on.

"It … Read more

Secrecy over lost White House e-mails continues?

Remember the mystery surrounding the potentially millions of "missing" e-mails exchanged by top White House aides like Karl Rove?

Apparently the White House would prefer that it remain that way--or at least that's the inference one might draw from a letter sent on Thursday to Fred Fielding (PDF), the president's chief lawyer, by Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform.

As reported last week by the Associated Press, the Bush administration has taken what Waxman deemed the "unusual position" of declaring the White House Office of Administration immune … Read more

A TV-PC that helps you shave

Apparently it's not enough to have a mirror that sends text messages or even engages us in conversation. We need one that'll run Windows too.

Facing stiff competition in its mainstay telly business, U.K.-based Mirror Media has created a line that incorporates a PC into its reflective TVs in sizes ranging from 20 to 36 inches with frames in wood, metallic and other finishes, according to Chip Chick. It remains to be seen, however, whether they'll be able to create the ultimate convergence appliance by including a radiator.

Bush signs off on billions for science, tech

President Bush on Thursday signed into law the America Competes Act, which authorizes $33.6 billion from federal coffers for government-sponsored research, education and teacher-training programs in the science and tech arena over the next few years.

The move promptly drew an avalanche of accolades from high-tech companies, who cheered the action as a way of helping the United States stay competitive in science, technology and engineering. But it may not be time to pop the corks yet.

After all, it's still up to the respective congressional appropriations committees to go through the formal process of doling out funding, … Read more

More crashing waves to make us drowsy

Forget the mousetrap--some inventors are apparently obsessed with building a better sleep machine instead. Or, in this case, a "travel sleep sound generator" called "Sound Oasis."

The latest example of white-noise machines, as we used to call them, tries to raise the bar yet again with all manner of sleep-inducing sounds (18 altogether). This one's product literature includes such marketing gibberish as "a patent-pending sound designed to combat jet lag using non-linear music and slowed nature sounds that encourage relaxation and can reset the body's internal clock." Our translation: They've added … Read more

FCC rejects 'white space'-sniffing device

A device made to find and use open areas of the spectrum band has received a failing grade from the Federal Communications Commission.

The companies involved likely don't feel too bad, after all, it was the FCC's idea to begin with. Last December, the commission called for suggestions for wireless devices that would sniff out and use the portions of the spectrum not utilized by TV broadcasters. Thus, the White Space Coalition was born, which includes Dell, EarthLink, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft and Philips Electronics.

Apparently the prototype the coalition submitted didn't cut it. Not only did … Read more

Congress OKs new direction for privacy panel

A White House panel charged with flagging privacy and civil liberties foibles in the government's electronic eavesdropping programs may soon be gaining a little more freedom.

Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have approved a 567-page conference report that would change the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board from a panel within the Executive Office of the President to an "independent agency" within the executive branch.

Just last week, the current vice chairman of the panel, a former Reagan White House attorney, told a congressional committee that the panel was fine as-is. But Lanny … Read more

Military's past and future at White Sands Missile Range

TULAROSA BASIN, N.M.--I'm looking at a field full of old, mainly Cold-War-era missiles, and it's hard not to get a chill, despite the high-'90s temperature.

I'm at the White Sands Missile Range, a giant facility in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico--visiting as part of Road Trip 2007--where the U.S. military conducts some of its most secret missile experiments.

Much of it is controlled from the Cox Range Control Center, a very highly classified building that my guide wasn't able to let me see.

But she did escort me through the … Read more

White House privacy adviser: We don't need more authority

WASHINGTON--Congress is already well on its way to bestowing new powers on an internal White House panel that's supposed to judge whether Bush administration programs like the National Security Agency's electronic surveillance regime pose privacy and civil liberties concerns.

But the board's chairman on Tuesday had one message for the politicians backing the new authority: thanks, but no thanks.

Civil liberties advocates have long dogged the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board--which was created within the White House by Congress in 2004 at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission but didn't meet until 2006--for … Read more

Puddle Pendant Lamp

It's a foggy grey not quite drizzly day here today, and i just came across this Puddle Pendant Lamp at Crate and Barrel's younger store CB2. And at a low $40 price tag, they aren't kidding when they say its "priced to hang in multiples". Size? 13.25"dia.x9"H ~ and you can see an image of it in context below. They describe it as a "sleek fluid teardrop of handmade iron glossed brite white." Gorgeous isn't it?