Top 33 Winter Homesteading Activities To Stay Productive This Winter

Top 33 Winter Homesteading Activities To Stay Productive This Winter tallest) { tallest = thisHeight; } }); group.height(tallest); } equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); $(window).resize(function() { equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); }); }); ]]> Sorry, this product is unavailable. Please choose a different combination. ]]>

PRESS RELEASE: EPIC Announces Recipients of its 2023 Champions of Freedom Awards

WASHINGTON, DC – Today the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) announced the three individuals it will be honoring at its annual Champions of Freedom Awards ceremony, to be held on September 20th in Washington, DC.

EPIC established the Champions of Freedom Awards in 2004 to honor individuals and organizations that have worked to safeguard the right to privacy, open government, and democratic values with courage and integrity.

The theme of this year’s ceremony is “Envisioning a Better Future for the Internet.” We know a better future is possible, and EPIC is committed to doing the work to get us there.

EPIC will be celebrating public officials and leading experts who are working tirelessly towards a better future by strengthening privacy and civil rights protections in the digital age.

“We’re thrilled to be honoring Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Alondra Nelson, and Holly Jacobs this year,” says EPIC Executive Director Alan Butler. “These leaders are all doing amazing work to help shape a better future where privacy and civil rights are protected online.”

AG Phil Weiser headshot

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser
Champion of Freedom Award

For acting as a nationwide leader in protecting consumers from harmful business practices and holding big tech companies accountable, including by promulgating strong regulations under the Colorado Privacy Act regulations and leading a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general in suing Google for its anticompetitive conduct.

Alondra Nelson headshot

Alondra Nelson
Champion of Freedom Award

For advancing federal policy that ensures technologies are built with equity, democratic values, and critical human rights in mind, including her work leading the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s creation of the “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.”

Holly Jacobs headshot

Holly Jacobs
Privacy Champion Award

For her tremendous contributions to the field of intimate privacy and her brave advocacy on behalf of thousands of victims whose civil rights and liberties have been threatened by online abuse, including founding the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative.

The ceremony will be held during EPIC’s Champions of Freedom Awards reception on Wednesday, September 20th from 7 PM to 10 PM EDT at District Winery in Washington, D.C. The awards presentation will also be live-streamed to registrants who cannot attend in person.

We are living in a time of significant technology and policy changes that will reshape our digital ecosystem and fundamental rights. As lawmakers around the world grapple with the impact of new AI systems that threaten to exacerbate data-driven harms and fuel mass data collection, EPIC is working to ensure that policymakers set new standards that protect privacy and civil rights online. EPIC’s work on these important issues has never felt more urgent.

More information and registration for the event is available at epic.org/sept20.

If you have any questions about the event, please reach out to [email protected].

Spinning Yarn: How to Spin Raw Wool Into Yarn

Spinning Yarn: How to Spin Raw Wool Into Yarn | Homesteading tallest) { tallest = thisHeight; } }); group.height(tallest); } equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); $(window).resize(function() { equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); }); }); ]]> Sorry, this product is unavailable. Please choose a different combination. ]]>

How East Germany’s Stasi Perfected Mass Surveillance

The state has a monopoly on violence. However, abusive repression harms government credibility and alienates public support in the long run. A more subtle and effective way to exercise power is to surveil the population and to prevent open manifestations of discontent.

This article analyzes the case of the of the German Democratic Republic’s (DDR) Ministry for State Security (MfS), also known as the Stasi. The thesis is that an effective surveillance regime makes the use of open violence less urgent because the population is nudged to discipline itself.

Shield and Sword of the Party

A shield and a sword form the symbol of the MfS, which is modeled on the emblem of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police. Discipline and loyalty to the Socialist Unity Party (SED) of the DDR were the core values of the Stasi. Members of the secret police saw themselves as first-class comrades who could make use of surveillance, propaganda, and psychological terror to secure the power of the communist regime.

One of the defining moments of the Stasi’s history was the general strike of June 17, 1953, which sparked widespread protests among the East German working class. The MfS failed to foresee the turmoil and had to repress it with the help of Soviet tanks and the imposition of martial law. Since the incident, the mission of the Stasi became to surveil society to prevent new open manifestations of dissent against the ruling of the SED.

Relentless Privacy Violations

The MfS developed one the most pervasive surveillance apparatuses in human history. In 1981, Erich Mielke, the head of the Stasi from 1957 to 1989, stated:

In its constant effort to clarify “who is who” the MfS—with its chekist forces, means and methods—has to identify people’s true political attitudes, their ways of thinking and behaving . . . to clarify means . . . providing an answer to who is an enemy; who is taking on a hostile and negative attitude; who is under the influence of hostile, negative and other forces and may become an enemy; who may succumb to enemy influences and allow himself to be exploited by the enemy; who has adopted a wavering position; and who can the party and the state depend on and be reliably supported by.

Many DDR citizens collaborated actively with the MfS. In 1989, near the end of the communist regime, the Stasi employed about ninety-one thousand people, or one out of every 180 residents. After 1968, the MfS relied heavily on unofficial collaborators, whose role was to report every major and minor sign of resentment and resistance against the SED. Unofficial collaborators were recruited after being carefully surveilled by the MfS to ensure total loyalty to the regime. They were well trained and used fake identification to infiltrate workplaces and neighborhoods. Among the 180,000 unofficial collaborators employed by the MfS in 1989, four thousand sneaked into opposition groups to spread false rumors and generate chaos. The case of Wolfgang Schnur is emblematic of the…

5 Gardening Tips to Make the Most of Your Harvest

5 Gardening Tips to Make the Most of Your Harvest | Homesteading tallest) { tallest = thisHeight; } }); group.height(tallest); } equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); $(window).resize(function() { equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); }); }); ]]> Sorry, this product is unavailable. Please choose a different combination. ]]>

White House Announces New, Voluntary Commitments from Leading A.I. Companies to Manage A.I. Risks

Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new, voluntary commitments that seven leading A.I. companies—Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI—are taking to manage the risks of new A.I. development and use. These commitments come just two months after the White House announced new efforts to advance the development and use of responsible A.I. and six months after the National Institute for of Standards and Technology released its voluntary A.I. Risk Management Framework.

The voluntary commitments include (1) pre-deployment A.I. security testing, (2) A.I. risk management information sharing, (3) investments in A.I. cybersecurity safeguards, (4) exploration of A.I. vulnerability bug bounties, (5) research into watermarking systems and similar technical systems to help consumers identify A.I.-generated content, (6) public reporting of A.I. system capabilities and limitations, (7) research into the societal risks of A.I., including A.I. bias and privacy violations, and (8) greater deployment of advanced A.I. systems. The White House announcement did not detail any methods for holding leading A.I. companies accountable for these commitments.

In response to the White House’s announcement, EPIC released the following statement:

“While EPIC appreciates the Biden Administration’s use of its authorities to place safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence, we both agree that voluntary commitments are not enough when it comes to Big Tech. Congress and federal regulators must put meaningful, enforceable guardrails in place to ensure the use of AI is fair, transparent, and protects individuals’ privacy and civil rights.”

– Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Dinner Ideas For Two | 21 Recipes Fit For A Couple

Dinner Ideas For Two | 21 Recipes Fit For A Couple | Homesteading tallest) { tallest = thisHeight; } }); group.height(tallest); } equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); $(window).resize(function() { equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); }); }); ]]> Sorry, this product is unavailable. Please choose a different combination. ]]>

EPIC Statement on Privacy Risks of Worldcoin

EPIC issued the following statement on the launch of Worldcoin:

Worldcoin is a potential privacy nightmare that offers a biometrics-dependent vision of digital identity and cryptocurrency, and would place Sam Altman’s Tools for Humanity company at the center of digital governance. Worldcoin’s approach creates serious privacy risks by bribing the poorest and most vulnerable people to turn over unchangeable biometrics like iris scans and facial recognition images in exchange for a small payout. Mass collections of biometrics like Worldcoin threaten people’s privacy on a grand scale, both if the company misuses the information it collects, and if that data is stolen. Ultimately, Worldcoin wants to become the default digital ID and a global currency without democratic buy-in at the start, that alone is a compelling reason not to turn over your biometrics, personal information, and geolocation data to a private company. We urge regulatory agencies around the world to closely scrutinize Worldcoin. 
– Jake Wiener, Counsel, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Animal Invasion: 9 Species That Could Threaten Your Homestead

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

(Psst: The FTC wants me to remind you that this website contains affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase from a link you click on, I might receive a small commission. This does not increase the price you’ll pay for that item nor does it decrease the awesomeness of the item. ~ Daisy)

By Tom Lovrić

If you live in the country, one of the issues you’ll face is a constant animal invasion. They don’t do it on purpose, really – if you think about it, you’re the one who moved into their territory.

In an ideal world, you could share the area with them, and to achieve that, you’ll have to mark your territory the same way they do.

Based on research and my own experience, there are a few species you need to look out for the most, and in this article, I’ll tell you a bit about them, and we’ll see exactly what dangers they may pose.

Before we start, though, I’d like to insert a disclaimer.

The animals discussed in this article usually don’t mean you any harm. In fact, they’re mostly not interested in you or your family, and they’ll never attack you unless they’re threatened or starving.

They’re mostly interested in your crops and/or livestock, so they’re naturally attracted to your home. Getting physically close to you is what poses a real threat, and this is something to keep in mind.

The safest thing for both you and them is to keep your distance and admire them from afar.

Which animals invade gardens and pose a danger?

To save you from a whole lot of reading, here’s a simplified table.

Species Why Are They Dangerous?
Wolves Killing and eating livestock, possibly harming people.
Bears Eating crops, killing and eating livestock, possibly harming people.
Mountain Lions Killing and eating livestock, possibly harming people.
Deer Eating crops (and some flowers).
Moose Destroying crops (by walking over them), possibly harming people.
Raccoons Eating crops, possibly harming people (carriers of rabies and other illnesses).
Skunks Possibly harming people with their spray (bites are rare, but they’re carriers of rabies).
Venomous Snakes Possibly harming people, capable of eating small animals.

This list is certainly not comprehensive – different regions have different threats. But these are some of the most prevalent animals to look out for if you have a place in the country.

Wolves: behavior and diet

Wolves aren’t afraid of venturing into yards, especially if they can find sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, horses, or chickens there. They will return to the same spot for food unless the pack migrates, so you can expect several invasions if you don’t put up a fence.

They’ll avoid conflict with humans if possible and usually attack only if you get too close,…

Why Is My Laptop Slow? (And How To Fix It On A Budget)

Why Is My Laptop Slow? (And How To Fix It On A Budget) tallest) { tallest = thisHeight; } }); group.height(tallest); } equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); $(window).resize(function() { equalHeight($(“.dg-grid-shortcode .dg_grid-shortcode-col”)); }); }); ]]> Sorry, this product is unavailable. Please choose a different combination. ]]>