A photo from NASA showing an airborne frog as the LADEE spacecraft takes off.

In the early 70s, and way ahead of it's time, cybernetics expert Stafford Beer created an information network in Chile which fed into a mainframe to detect and predict problems in the economy.

Known as Project Cybersyn, the network was quickly adapted during the US attempts to undermine the current democratically elected president. It then enabled Chile to function during lorry driver strikes by managing the routes and positions of available trucks.

Just as the network was expanding and becoming fully formed it was doomed by the coup carried out by Pinochet. The network and control room being destroyed soon after he took power.

Today these ideas are being realised as big data and smart cities.

Click here (damninteresting.com)

Listen to the recording of a reported (by kernelmag.com) MI6 telephone system for spies to receive encrypted messages.

In the past this was done in part by sending the information via a radio signal from Cyprus allegedly run by the British Secret Intelligence Service. It was known as the "Licolnshire Poacher" and ran from the 70s until a few years ago.

The service is apparently now run on a telephone number.

Click here for original article

A mysterious Russian radio signal at 4625kHz has been broadcasting since the 70s. Mostly it consists of a intermittent buzzing noise, but a 2-3 times a decade it stops and a voice can be heard. These interruptions have included '"Command 135 initiated", a playing of Swan Lake, and some overheard background conversations.

Possible explanations are that it's a simple emergency transmission frequency, or it could be part of Russia's "dead man switch", which automatically fires off nukes if Russia is otherwise crippled. It's also been postulated that it could be part of a system for measuring changes in the ionsphere:

Click here

A Canadian family have decided to live like it's 1986 for a year. Disturbed by his son's constant playing on a tablet and unwillingness to go outside, Blair McMillan decided to revert back to 1986, moving to an 80s house, disallowing the use of modern technology and growing a mullet and moustache.

Click here

Here's an interesting detailed summary of the evidence related to the alleged chemical attack in Syria.

Click here

justdelete.me is a new web site created to help with the fury that can be experienced while trying to figure out how to delete your account from popular websites.

The sites are colour coded to show how difficult it is to delete your account. Clicking on the site shows you how to delete your account.

Some of the hardest (or impossible) sites are listed as: Amazon, iTunes, Skype and Spotify.

justdelete.me

This is a couple of years old, but relevant none the less.
A member of the German Green party managed to get a hold of the data held by his mobile operator, and has used it to create an interactive map of his movements.
In the UK un-extracted data like this is kept by operators for at least 1 year.

Click here to see the animated data

A pie was stolen from Premier Stores, Commercial St, Aberbargoed at 6.50am last Friday. Call 101 and quote 96 19/7/13 with information

— Gwent Police (@gwentpolice) July 25, 2013

Comedy Magician Eric Buss shows off his new invention, the Bubble Wrap Bike.

Satire of news interviews. From the 90s.

"On June 13th, 2013, the AeroVelo's Atlas Human-Powered Helicopter captured the long standing AHS Sikorsky Prize with a flight lasting 64.1 seconds and reaching an altitude of 3.3 metres. The

competition was initially opened in 1980, and over the course of the 33 years that followed, dozens of teams from around the world pushed the limits of existing technology in pursuit of this once-thought-to-be impossible goal."

Is the commentary from Murray off of Flight of the Chonchords?