Category: Uncategorized

I know, you’re doing the whole “quantified self” thing. You’re wearing your FitBit, or your Microsoft Band, or your Apple Watch…whatever you happen to be wearing. It’s sending you all of this amazing (albeit easily faked) data about your sleep cycle, how many calories you’ve burned, how many deuces you’ve dropped over a six month period, how many inches you’ve walked, etc. And I get it. Maybe you’re a nerd that never thought twice about fitness and health, but now that it can interact with your smartphone or PC, woo boy! Sign me up! Right? And hey, I really like …read more

It seems like we don’t get to post much in the way of good or exciting news here on the Dark Android Blog usually, but today…well…today is a very different day for Dark Android! The excitement comes from an announcement by one of my favorite developer groups: The Guardian Project. Next to F-Droid and CyanogenMod, The Guardian Project is the very first place that I point people to as far as what apps to grab if they are interested in DAPS (Decentralization, Anonymity, Privacy, and Security). It’s a no-brainer when you see how closely they work with the The Tor …read more

La Paz, Bolivia – On Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Bolivia, the pontiff has requested to chew coca leaves, the raw ingredient for cocaine, according to Bolivian Culture Minister Marko Machicao.
The Pope was offered coca tea by the Bolivian government, but “specifically requested” to chew the coca leaves. The coca leaf has been utilized for thousands of years in the Andes region as a mild stimulant and to counteract the effects of altitude sickness.
According to a study published by Harvard University in 1975, (Nutritional Value of Coca Leaf (Duke, Aulick, Plowman 1975)) chewing 100 grams of coca, is enough to …read more

Philadelphia, Pa — The predictable rhetoric from those in law enforcement is that the “brave men and women in blue” are out there putting themselves in harm’s way in order to serve and protect the rest of us.
The reality, of course, is very different.
Consider the number of incidents in which the police have illegally confiscated cameras, deleted video recordings, even arrested people for filming these “public servants” in action. If they are out there being courageous and righteous, why do they exhibit the mentality of “secret police,” wanting to be able to do what they do without be subjected to …read more

On July 2, the Women’s Equality Party of New York filed its bylaws and a list of its interim officers. See them here. The party became ballot-qualified on November 4, 2014 by polling over 50,000 votes for Governor. Thanks to Mike Drucker for the link. Here is a news story about the filing.
There is also a Women’s Equality Party in Great Britain, but it is a bona fide party, whereas it seems likely the New York Women’s Equality Party will be completely controlled by Democrats. …read more

According to this story, Fox News has refused to say (so far, anyway) which polls it will use to determine invitations for its August 6 Republican presidential debate. The story shows that the Fox description of which polls it will use is vague. Fox implies that there are only five nationally recognized polling companies, but the story says there are more than that. The story also shows the various polls don’t agree with each other as to which are the top ten candidates. …read more

“Prison is for rapists, thieves, and murderers. If you lock someone up for smoking a plant that makes them happy, you’re the fucking criminal.” – Joe Rogan
Washington D.C. — The timeless words of Joe Rogan seem to be taking their toll on the consciences of American politicians. To kidnap and lock people in a cage for a personal choice and action that harms no one, is an evil act. Some politicians are figuring this out — or at least pandering to public demand. Either way, the result is the same.
Despite largely continuing the drug war and drastically increasing raids on …read more

Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery to become a leader of the abolitionist movement, a social reformer, a dazzling orator and a statesman. His antislavery writings were a testament to his amazing intellectual capabilities and served as a rallying cry against the tyranny of slavery.
Douglass revealed to a largely ignorant American public that a former slave was in no way inferior to any other man through both his writing and public speaking.
In essence, Douglass was a stark counter-example to the southern argument of slaves’ intellectual inferiority, as his intellectual capacity served to destroy the very notion of racial inferiority to those …read more

On July 2, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed SB 121. Wisconsin already permitted write-ins and already said that they should be counted for candidates who had filed a campaign finance report. But, except for presidential write-ins, the old law did not specify a deadline for such a campaign finance report to be filed. The bill says write-ins shall be counted if the write-in candidate files a campaign finance report by noon on the Friday before the election (however, presidential write-ins already had a write-in filing deadline that is somewhat earlier, and their own rules on filing).
Wisconsin is …read more