[Raiderman]

Originally Posted by icarian

Okay Exaday, what is it you saw with Blackhawks? Pray tell (because I am up on most things UH-60 Blackhawk--Army specifically although I am familar enough with the other Services' variants/missions and I can sort it out for you).

Maybe he meant the Chicago Blackhawks?

[icarian]

Perhaps...and if so, I am ZERO help there.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by braindead0

The only way to get decent actual news is to find the sources, in this case it looks like ScoopLV has tracked back to a single source which I suspect is simply PopSCI repeating information from ESD without doing any fact checking.

Looks like FUD to sell a product, not news.

This is my assessment as well. People don't seem to realize there is a big industry in simply making stupid [excrement] up in order to sell products or push a political goal. Journalists can either carefully research and dig up stories. Or they can republish any press release that crosses their desk or inbox. Both approaches pay exactly the same. The internet has obviated the need for rags like the Weekly World News and their continuous coverage of the "Bat Boy" story. (Surely he's grown up to become Bat Man by now.)

If something like this ran in the San Jose Mercury News, I'd pay attention. But it's Popular Science -- many of their stories feature conjecture about aliens and Area 51. People so desperately want to believe in gigantic sinister conspiracies that they will latch onto any old horse[excrement].

And somehow I'm the bad guy for being a skeptic.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

This is my assessment as well. People don't seem to realize there is a big industry in simply making stupid [excrement] up in order to sell products or push a political goal. Journalists can either carefully research and dig up stories. Or they can republish any press release that crosses their desk or inbox. Both approaches pay exactly the same. The internet has obviated the need for rags like the Weekly World News and their continuous coverage of the "Bat Boy" story. (Surely he's grown up to become Bat Man by now.)

If something like this ran in the San Jose Mercury News, I'd pay attention. But it's Popular Science -- many of their stories feature conjecture about aliens and Area 51. People so desperately want to believe in gigantic sinister conspiracies that they will latch onto any old horse[excrement].

And somehow I'm the bad guy for being a skeptic.

Nothing wrong with being skeptical. The RJ article however was a direct report and not from a press release. This guy is local and probably has found a real problem. Note that intercepting cell phone conversations was a wide spread hobby early on...Mostly went away though as the technology made it more difficult and the feds got snarly.

I don't know that it is still any big deal. I have long been of the opinion one should be very cautious about the privacy of cell phones or internet emails. If you really want to do it right you encrypt a message with pre 2002 PGP on a machine not internet linked. That however is a lot of work.

The RJ piece...

Someone is tapping cellphones in Las Vegas, other U.S. cities | Las Vegas Review-Journal

[ScoopLV]

And surprise, surprise, another blatant advertisement for ESD America.

Look at the Real Estate and Food sections of the RJ and tell me that whole swaths of content aren't for sale. The RJ doesn't count in my mind as a reputable newspaper. Any newspaper that doesn't clearly make distinctions between news and advertising has blurred the lines too far. The Real Estate section is bought and paid for by the developers. And besides Todd English pub, name me a single bad review in the food section. Either Heidi is lazy, or they're selling positive reviews to go with the restaurant advertising.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

And surprise, surprise, another blatant advertisement for ESD America.

Look at the Real Estate and Food sections of the RJ and tell me that whole swaths of content aren't for sale. The RJ doesn't count in my mind as a reputable newspaper. Any newspaper that doesn't clearly make distinctions between news and advertising has blurred the lines too far. The Real Estate section is bought and paid for by the developers. And besides Todd English pub, name me a single bad review in the food section. Either Heidi is lazy, or they're selling positive reviews to go with the restaurant advertising.

Now you are going to the garbage route. Yes Real Estate section are advertising as they are in NYT or the SJ Mercury or the LA Times etc.

ESD is apparently a local security shop and is of course glad to get a little free publicity. But that in no way changes the nature of the story...there are people grabbing cell phone conversations.

Whether that is of an significance or is just some limit geek having fun is left for the reader to decide. I actually think that if there are as few as 20 or even 100 in the USA it is of no real significance.

The real question is whether the government entities are in fact monitoring the whole system...

[ScoopLV]

I still read the Times regularly. There is no doubt in my mind the restaurant reviews there are incorruptible. Not so, here. And the Times still takes developers to task when mistakes are made. Ever seen anything negative about KB Homes in the RJ?

The lines everywhere are blurring. But there are still a few decent newspapers. The RJ is not one of them. They are second-rate. I think the Sun is little more than Brian Greenspun's expensive megaphone. But at least he plays it straight. I may not agree with his slant, but I don't wonder if I'm reading an advertisement disguised as news.

The only decent reporting going on in town at any given time is found in the Weekly and Seven. That cell tower story is basically the same as when Listerine invented and cured halitosis on the same day.

[Tek_Freek]

Since we are on the topic of newspapers, do any of them here print the Times crossword on Sunday?

Sorry about the OT.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Since we are on the topic of newspapers, do any of them here print the Times crossword on Sunday?

Sorry about the OT.

Don't think so. We have the times delivered.

[Tek_Freek]

Dang! Thanks. Going thru withdrawal.

Aha, Wikipedia (I know, I know) says the LV Sun does. Should've Googled it sooner.