Happy Trails 5/16/08

Okay, so maybe not all happy, but it sounds good...right?

Air Force Aims for 'Full Control' of 'Any and All' Computers
The Air Force wants a suite of hacker tools, to give it "access" to -- and "full control" of -- any kind of computer there is. And once the info warriors are in, the Air Force wants them to keep tabs on their "adversaries' information infrastructure completely undetected."
Wired

NYU Student Creates Virtual Girlfriend—Shame She's Only 2D
Created with lonely people in mind, Drew Burrows' INBED is an "infrared-sensitive" light projected virtual girlfriend. A sexy brunette, she's got about three tricks up her sleeve—and she does all of them from a supine position.
Gizmodo

Charter Is Latest ISP To Plan Wiretapping Via DPI
Charter Communications has begun sending letters to its customers informing them that, in the name of an "enhanced user experience," it will begin spying on their traffic and inserting targeted ads. This sounds almost indistinguishable from what Phorm proposed doing in the UK. Lauren Weinstein issues a call to arms.
Slashdot

New NASA Mission to Sun Planned
Here’s one space mission that is definitely going to be unmanned—NASA is going to the sun. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is building a craft that will visit the sun’s corona. It’ll speed past the sun at 125 miles per second, be pelted with energized dust, and exposed to radiation and temperatures up to 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scientific American

NYU Greens Campus Move-Out Day
Expecting to keep about 25,000 pounds of reusable goods out of the landfill, this Saturday’s inaugural "Green Apple Move Out" collection drive being organized to coincide with the annual dorm move-out means students rooming at NYU will have a greener choice when it comes to getting rid of that old futon they just keep meaning to find another use for.
Treehugger

Photographers stand up for your rights in LA, June 1
One June 1, photographers throughout Los Angeles will gather at the Hollywood and Highland Metro Station to peacefully protest against the unnecessary treatment they have received from security guards (particularly the white shirts), LAPD, and LASD while photographing in public places, and on the Metro.
BoingBoing

Darpa Aims to Snuff Flames with Electricity, Sound
Darpa, the Pentagon's far-out research arm, typically works on morphing airplanes, thinking robots, and "kill-proof" soldiers. Now, the agency wants to help build a better fire extinguisher -- by using electromagnetic fields or sonic waves, naturally.
Wired