If you care about your privacy, click the link here. An amendment to FISA (Foreign Information and Surveillance Act) expanding the President’s ability of warrantless surveillance, and granting retroactive immunity to telecomm companies is up for a vote. The collection of every credit card, transaction, fax, email and telephone conversation of everyone is at stake. Make yourself knowledgeable and take action here.

Pine nuts, the edible seed inside pine cones, have been eaten in Europe and Asia since humans lived in bands of 25 to 100 members. During this era the human population numbered around only one person per square mile. The era is characterized by the use of stone tools, cave paintings and humans living a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

Fast forward as Dippold finds a new use for the ancient seed. See “PinHolo”, a tiny pinhole camera used to create microphotographies. Dope!!!

From the MAKE Flickr pool.

What we know as surveillance is changing everyday. More and more average citizens are being watched by public and private organizations. Take London for example, which has nearly 500,000 surveillance cameras around the city. Once the art of human observation, surveillance has now evolved into a technological discipline of spy drones and social network data mining. And although average citizens may not be able to compete with the CIA, we can still get our James Bond on with some of the top 10 barely-legal gadgets for the modern spy. See them here.

Last night, The Wire followed up its season premiere with an episode that is sure to bring casual fans back to seeing Baltimore in its reckless glory. With both feel good moments and throwbacks to season 1, this is definitely going to be a season to remember. More »

Last night HBO premiered its fifth and final season of The Wire. I don’t think I have to say much about the series except for the fact that it’s definitely TROUBL. It’s not often that the media explores our issues with the level of relevance as The Wire. And with this season examining the media’s relationship to drug game, politics and policing, it’s only right that we provide a forum for people to discuss the series. More »

For the readers who checked out yesterday’s Power Tools post, I’m returning to the topic with some useful links. This is a conversation we can’t let die. In fact, we’re developing a series dedicated to surveillance. We need all of your help to put it together. Let us know what surveillance specific issues you’d like to talk about. If we’re gonna create change we have to come together and innovate ways to employ the tools and tactics available to us. Never forget, there’s strength in numbers. More »

If the powers that be wanna up there surveillance on us, than we’ll up ours on them. Each week will do a White House rundown. Check some of this weeks stories.

Out of this B-I…

Christmas Cards

Shredding Soars

Road to White House: Obama Leads in New Hampshire