Big brother' is watching you online

CNN's John Roberts talks to a technology editor about privacy concerns on the internet

Full-body scans stored at courthouse

CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports that about 35,000 full-body scan images have been kept despite assurances to the contrary.

Alfa Romeo 8c

Only 500 were made of this Alfa Romeo, constructed on a Maserati chassis with a Ferrari engine.




It is fitted with specially developed 20 inch tyres: 245/35 at the front and 285/35 at the rear, fitted on perforated rims in fluid moulded aluminium. The 8C brakes have been called "phenomenal" by Road & Track magazine, with a stopping distance of 32 metres (105.0 ft), when travelling at an initial speed of 97 kilometres per hour (60 mph).[12] The official top speed is announced to be 292 kilometres per hour (181 mph) but it might be higher, with estimations that it could be around 306 kilometres per hour (190 mph) according to the Road & Track magazine.[15] An Alfa Romeo engineer also stated that it is faster than the announced top speed

New Facebook feature raises more privacy concerns

CNN) -- Based on comments on news sites and Facebook's official blog, many users appear apprehensive about Facebook Places, the social-networking site's new location feature.

It's not clear whether users' unfavorable reactions stem from privacy concerns or just confusion about the site's Places feature, which allows users to "check in" at restaurants, bars and other gathering spots. But it may be a good thing for Facebook that the site has no "dislike" button.

"People, use common sense. Foursquare and geolocation applications only increase the chance of violent crimes and theft," wrote a commenter on CNN.com. "If I announce online that I am on vacation, I'm pretty sure that leaves my house vulnerable."

A user on Facebook's blog wrote, "I'm upset that this was enabled by default -- especially for people who are victims of stalking and harassment, it could be potentially dangerous if their location was broadcast to the world. Please change it so that this feature (especially the ability of your friends to indicate your location) is turned off."

Some comments indicate that users may not understand how the Places feature, which Facebook unveiled Wednesday night, actually works. The feature won't reveal users' locations without their prior approval, for example.

"Do some of you people know how to read? It's not going to automatically tell people where you are UNLESS YOU 'CHECK IN'," wrote a CNN.com commenter.

Facebook Places: Here's how it works

Such confusion is not new to Facebook's community of 500 million members.

It seems every time Facebook adds a new feature, it takes people some time to accept it and feel comfortable with it, said Justin Smith, founder of the blog Inside Facebook.

"It's a cultural thing," he said. "People need to discover what types of things are appropriate to share about their friends. ... Just like other features, I expect there will be a learning process where [users] discover what they're really comfortable with."

Three months after Facebook tightened privacy controls in response to criticism about how users' information was being shared online, the site once again faces uneasiness about privacy.

In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California praised Facebook for taking the privacy of its users into consideration when drafting Places. But the ACLU chapter complained that while Facebook will give users the option to display their "check-ins" to "friends only," it hasn't provided an option for users to opt out of the feature entirely.

Rainey Reitman, a spokeswoman for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, told CNN that people may not realize "the problems associated with geotagging" -- adding geographical identification data to online messages or photos -- until it affects them personally.

"We recommend that if you're going to use any kind of location identity social network, that you don't tell people where you live. Don't tag your own home," she said. "If you at least keep your home somewhat private, you won't be sending an open invitation to burglars."

The same advice applies to people sharing and tagging pictures on Facebook, she added.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said the issue with Facebook Places is not so much with the feature itself as the way it's being introduced -- a sentiment some commenters also have shared.

Facebook should leave it up to users to enable the feature if they want to check in at places instead of making the people who don't want to use it have to adjust their privacy settings, Rotenberg told CNN.

"It's kind of unfair to people," he said. "It's a little bit like saying, 'We're not sure if you're happy, but this is how it is.' "

In its blog post, Facebook claims its Places feature will never tell people where you are if you don't choose to tell them.

One CNN.com user suggested that people could use the Facebook Places feature to keep tabs on the whereabouts of their spouses and partners.

"This will help to keep track of your [significant] other... Babe where are you? I'm at work. Prove it, check in!" the commenter wrote.

At least one commenter on Facebook's blog was tired of people griping about the site and offered a simple solution.

"OMG quit complaining about privacy. If u don't [want] people knowing about you then don't use Facebook," the user wrote.




CNN) -- Based on comments on news sites and Facebook's official blog, many users appear apprehensive about Facebook Places, the social-networking site's new location feature.

It's not clear whether users' unfavorable reactions stem from privacy concerns or just confusion about the site's Places feature, which allows users to "check in" at restaurants, bars and other gathering spots. But it may be a good thing for Facebook that the site has no "dislike" button.

"People, use common sense. Foursquare and geolocation applications only increase the chance of violent crimes and theft," wrote a commenter on CNN.com. "If I announce online that I am on vacation, I'm pretty sure that leaves my house vulnerable."

A user on Facebook's blog wrote, "I'm upset that this was enabled by default -- especially for people who are victims of stalking and harassment, it could be potentially dangerous if their location was broadcast to the world. Please change it so that this feature (especially the ability of your friends to indicate your location) is turned off."

Some comments indicate that users may not understand how the Places feature, which Facebook unveiled Wednesday night, actually works. The feature won't reveal users' locations without their prior approval, for example.

"Do some of you people know how to read? It's not going to automatically tell people where you are UNLESS YOU 'CHECK IN'," wrote a CNN.com commenter.

Facebook Places: Here's how it works

Such confusion is not new to Facebook's community of 500 million members.

It seems every time Facebook adds a new feature, it takes people some time to accept it and feel comfortable with it, said Justin Smith, founder of the blog Inside Facebook.

"It's a cultural thing," he said. "People need to discover what types of things are appropriate to share about their friends. ... Just like other features, I expect there will be a learning process where [users] discover what they're really comfortable with."

Three months after Facebook tightened privacy controls in response to criticism about how users' information was being shared online, the site once again faces uneasiness about privacy.

In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California praised Facebook for taking the privacy of its users into consideration when drafting Places. But the ACLU chapter complained that while Facebook will give users the option to display their "check-ins" to "friends only," it hasn't provided an option for users to opt out of the feature entirely.

Rainey Reitman, a spokeswoman for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, told CNN that people may not realize "the problems associated with geotagging" -- adding geographical identification data to online messages or photos -- until it affects them personally.

"We recommend that if you're going to use any kind of location identity social network, that you don't tell people where you live. Don't tag your own home," she said. "If you at least keep your home somewhat private, you won't be sending an open invitation to burglars."

The same advice applies to people sharing and tagging pictures on Facebook, she added.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said the issue with Facebook Places is not so much with the feature itself as the way it's being introduced -- a sentiment some commenters also have shared.

Facebook should leave it up to users to enable the feature if they want to check in at places instead of making the people who don't want to use it have to adjust their privacy settings, Rotenberg told CNN.

"It's kind of unfair to people," he said. "It's a little bit like saying, 'We're not sure if you're happy, but this is how it is.' "

In its blog post, Facebook claims its Places feature will never tell people where you are if you don't choose to tell them.

One CNN.com user suggested that people could use the Facebook Places feature to keep tabs on the whereabouts of their spouses and partners.

"This will help to keep track of your [significant] other... Babe where are you? I'm at work. Prove it, check in!" the commenter wrote.

At least one commenter on Facebook's blog was tired of people griping about the site and offered a simple solution.

"OMG quit complaining about privacy. If u don't [want] people knowing about you then don't use Facebook," the user wrote.

Southern Sudan unveils plans to build animal-shaped cities

Juba, South Sudan (CNN) -- An amusement park sits in the ear of a rhinoceros; a five-star hotel takes the place of its eye. Another city takes the awkward image of a giraffe, with a golf course on its chest and a sewage treatment plant on its tail.

The government of Southern Sudan this week unveiled urban blueprints to rebuild cities in the shape of animals, raising eyebrows across the globe.

The man behind the plan, Housing and Physical Planning Ministry undersecretary Daniel Wani, says the attention has given his ambitious proposal a boost of new energy.

"The reaction has been very good. We have been getting calls from everywhere," Wani says in the Southern Sudan capital of Juba. "Generally, the feedback we are receiving indicates that we are on a positive track."

The $10.1 billion multi-decade project to re-create Southern Sudan's 10 state capitals into elaborately-shaped dream towns may sound Dubai-esque -- only Southern Sudan is no Dubai.

Actually, it is one of the poorest places on earth.

The undeveloped region -- which lacks any paved roads outside its three main cities -- is part of Africa's largest nation, Sudan, which is ruled by the Khartoum government South Sudanese fought against for most of the past half century in two long civil wars.

But Southern Sudan expects to achieve independence next year through a January secession referendum promised in a 2005 peace deal that granted the war-torn region self-rule until the vote.

Even without the unique city designs, the multi-billion dollar price tag alone was sure to turn heads. Southern Sudan's total budget for 2010 is less than $2 billion, 98 percent of which comes from the oil revenues it hopes will fund its postwar re-construction.

Critics think South Sudan's expected oil bonanza could be getting to its head.

"There are so many priorities they should be focusing on before they should be attempting such a thing. It's not cost effective," says Ben Jerome Gama, 28, a South Sudanese living on a dirt road in Juba where the city's erratic electricity supply has yet to reach. "There is a lot to address -- in health, education, infrastructure."

Others think the idea could help put an aspiring new nation on the map.

"If it happened, everybody would come to see the country. It would mean we are developed," says Ochira Bosco, 27, who works in a Juba restaurant.

But Bosco says his government should budget for more pressing matters first.

"If they build these and we still don't have hospitals or proper schools or good roads, that would not be good," he says.

Wani defends his plan, saying that one must start planning for the future today.

And for those who consider the giraffe or rhino city designs silly or impractical, they should think bigger, says the official, who holds a doctorate in civil engineering from University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.

"The shapes are what is innovative about the whole idea, that is what is attracting all the attention," Wani says.

Eventually, the government hopes to get more than 70 percent of the project financed privately. Businessmen from Japan and Abu Dhabi have already flown in to discuss joining the investor pool since the plans were unveiled.

The proposal has yet to be finally approved by the nation's executive Cabinet, and investors will not begin work until a $500 million guarantee materializes from the Bank of Southern Sudan.

But the man who envisions giving Southern Sudan a unique aerial view is confident his idea will soon turn stones on the ground.

"We are implementing the plan, definitely," he says.
By Alan Boswell, For CNN
August 21, 2010 7:31 a.m. EDT

ATL co. wins $110M Titanic artifacts grant

A federal court in Virginia granted RMS Titanic Inc. the total fair market value of all artifacts it has salvaged from the Titanic over two decades -- a salvage award worth $110 million.

RMS Titanic Inc. is a unit of Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions Inc. (NASDAQ: PRXI).

The salvage award is based upon the company's work recovering and conserving more than 3,000 artifacts from the wreck of Titanic during expeditions in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia reserved the right to determine the manner in which to pay the $110 million. It will rule by Aug. 15, 2011, whether to pay RMS Titanic Inc. a cash award from proceeds from a judicial sale or issue the company an award of title to the artifacts with certain covenants and conditions that would govern their maintenance and future disposition.

This award is in addition to some 1,800 artifacts RMS Titanic Inc. recovered in its first expedition to the wreck of Titanic in 1987. RMS Titanic Inc. already owns the title to those artifacts, which are worth an estimated $35 million.

“When Sellers Capital won its proxy fight and removed previous management in January 2009, we had two main goals: to stabilize the financial condition of the company, and to convince the court that we are trustworthy stewards of the Titanic shipwreck and artifacts and would follow a sharply different course than prior management,” said Mark Sellers, Premiere Exhibitions chairman, in a statement. “With this ruling, we believe we've now accomplished both of those goals.”

Read more: ATL co. wins $110M Titanic artifacts grant - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Tyler Perry buyer of Dean Gardens - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Tyler Perry buyer of Dean Gardens - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Atlanta writer, actor and director Tyler Perry is buying Dean Gardens, according to Databank Inc.

Dean Gardens sold Aug. 4 for about $7.6 million with $25,000 in closing costs. It had been on the market for $13.9 million.

The 32,000-square-foot Neo-Classical mansion was built in 1992 and stands at 5100 Old Alabama Road in one of the ritziest parts of the Atlanta suburbs.

The 58-acre estate, with 1,200 feet of Chattahoochee River frontage, is in the Johns Creek area of North Atlanta. The grounds include an 18-hole golf course, swimming pool, grass tennis court, croquet lawn, amphitheater, 3-acre stocked lake and formal gardens in French, Italian and Oriental styles.

Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty sold Dean Gardens. Listing agent Suzanne Close and co-listing agent Jason Dean, of the firm’s North Atlanta office, negotiated the transaction.

Perry was represented by Josh Reeves, of Keller Williams, Peachtree Battle office, according to Databank Inc.

Perry, perhaps best known as his character Medea Simmons, is also the creator of television shows Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns.


Read more: Tyler Perry buyer of Dean Gardens | Atlanta Business Chronicle

Tropical Depression #6 Forms in Atlantic - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

Tropical Depression #6 Forms in Atlantic - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA


Atlanta writer, actor and director Tyler Perry is buying Dean Gardens, according to Databank Inc.

Dean Gardens sold Aug. 4 for about $7.6 million with $25,000 in closing costs. It had been on the market for $13.9 million.

The 32,000-square-foot Neo-Classical mansion was built in 1992 and stands at 5100 Old Alabama Road in one of the ritziest parts of the Atlanta suburbs.

The 58-acre estate, with 1,200 feet of Chattahoochee River frontage, is in the Johns Creek area of North Atlanta. The grounds include an 18-hole golf course, swimming pool, grass tennis court, croquet lawn, amphitheater, 3-acre stocked lake and formal gardens in French, Italian and Oriental styles.

Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty sold Dean Gardens. Listing agent Suzanne Close and co-listing agent Jason Dean, of the firm’s North Atlanta office, negotiated the transaction.

Perry was represented by Josh Reeves, of Keller Williams, Peachtree Battle office, according to Databank Inc.

Perry, perhaps best known as his character Medea Simmons, is also the creator of television shows Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns.

Read more: Tyler Perry buyer of Dean Gardens - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Ways To Earn Money When You’re Broke

Money doesn’t grow on trees. When you need quick cash here’s 25 unique ways to earn it right now.

Desperate times / Photo Fanboy30

You reach into you wallet to pay for your hostel bed for the night, and come up empty. You dig deeper, finding only receipts and pocket lint.

You realize you’re out of money.

Nervous, you excuse yourself from the hostel clerk and rip open your backpack, in search of a secret stash of cash. Nothing. Not even a few coins.

All you have left are some smelly socks, an overdrawn bank account and an unquenchable thirst for adventure.

What do you do? Pack up your gear, hang your head in shame as you call your friends/parents to send the money for a ticket home? Or do you consider these innovative options for funding a life on the road:

1. Travel Writer

Considered by many as the ultimate travel job, writing for online publications can help you buy your next mug of beer. Work your way to becoming the next Hunter S. Thomson by learning about the craft and querying your next inspired idea.

2. Wield that camera

National Geographic may not be knocking your door down, but that doesn’t mean that your photos don’t deserve an audience. Try selling your landscape and portrait shots to travel publications or submit it to a stock photography company such as Shutterpoint.com, Andes Press Agency and Getty Images.

3. Video journalism

With the advent of Youtube amateur videos are in great demand. Become a backpack film maker, set up your own vblog or simply sell it to tourism sites.
National Geographic may not be knocking your door down, but that doesn’t mean that your photos don’t deserve an audience.

4. Busking

If you’re talented (or even if you aren’t), this is a great way to earn money. Just make sure you’re not taking someone else’s “spot” and check the legalities of performing in a certain area. Or if the police come, you could just run away really fast.

5. Work an a Bookstore

It’s a great way to show-off your “intellectual” side whilst devouring the latest books. Keep in mind that most may require a work permit before they hire you. A great alternative is to bunk in Paris’ famed Shakespeare and Company where the owner offers free beds and work in exchange that you promise to read at least one book a day.

6. Online Poker

This is the perfect money-making means for risk takers. Many travelers who have funded their trips from their winnings on Online Poker. Make sure to weigh the risks of wiping out your bank account and developing a gambling problem.

7. Massage

Have you been known to make your dates swoon with your suave massage moves? Maybe it’s time you put your seduction skills to good use by working as a freelance masseuse. Find willing clients on the beach or a location where people are looking to relaaaaxxxx. Invest in some scented oil, clean nails and your most disarming smile and you’ll have enough funds for your own spa treatment.

WWoofing it for cash / Photo strickeal

8. Farm Work

Fruit picking and farm work is one of the favorite possibilities for hippies, idealists and masochists. Though it is literally hard labor, it’s a paying job with invaluable perks, like meeting new people, enjoying the outdoors and having a unique experience.

One of the best resources is Transitions Abroad, Matador’s Guide to WWOOFING and Finding Paying Work in Europe.

9. Construction

If you’d like to fatten your wallet whilst trimming your waistline, then take on some short-term construction work. Who knows, with your newly sculpted abs and beefy biceps, you may find other uses for that tool belt.

10. Work in a hostel

Many hostels hire part-time workers in exchange for cheaper rates on rooms. Cleaning up after travelers may seem pretty disgusting, but it’s an opportunity for quick cash, a free bed and some new friends.

11. Painting

You don’t have to cut off your ear to get a painting gig, but you can put your artistic abilities to good use by offering your services for home, office or building refurbishments.

12. Dishwasher or Kitchen Staff

Grab some leftovers without having to resort to dumpster diving. Experience the stress, camaraderie and craziness of working in a restaurant’s kitchen. It may even open your eyes to a new career path like it did for bad-ass chef extraordinaire, Anthony Bourdain.
Get prodded and poked by nervous science students in the UK, US and in Europe as a guinea pig.

13. For the love of science…or some cash

If you were the type of kid that purposely ignores the expiration date on milk cartons just to “see what would happen,” then this is the job for you. Get prodded and poked by nervous science students in the UK, US and in Europe with Get Paid to Guinea Pig.

14. Donate Blood

So what if you feel a bit woozy? A train to Russia is not cheap. Sissy. Plus, you’re helping save lives.

15. Modeling

Do you enjoy staring at your reflection on train windows and hostel mirrors? Then throw down that backpack for a few hours and head off to the glamorous world of commercial and print modeling. Often found in the gigs section of craigslist ads and city job sites, these opportunities require little more than a few cheesy poses.

16. Movie Extra

Run through the streets of Berlin with Jason Bourne or flee Godzilla’s rampage in Tokyo by working as a movie extra. You can check out casting agencies, local job posts or even the local couchsurfing group where independent film makers often post openings. It’s a great way to rub elbows with international celebrities (or at least tell your friends you did), earn some fast cash and possibly get discovered.

17. Recycle

Yes, saving the environment does pay. In most European cities, you can get cash back for the bottles you collect. Scour the hostel lounge and trash cans for some empty containers which you can take to the local supermarket where you’ll be given enough change to finally buy that banana you’ve been eyeing.

Play the streets as a busker / Photo Kafka4prez

18. Sports events

Run after wayward golf balls or mop up the latest spillage from the Tae Kwon Do championships. For sports enthusiasts, it’s a great way to earn some money whilst gaining insight on the local games.

19. Trim some bushes

No, not those, pervert. Knock on a few doors and ask if they need any cleaning, yard work or repairs done. Though you may be chased off by Rover (or Ganesh if you’re in India), with a rumbling stomach, anything is worth a try.

20. Expositions

If you consider yourself a master of setting up tents, then challenge yourself by working at an exposition. Find these jobs on the city classified pages and help put up the displays, tarps and booths for a quick and easy buck.

21. Write Content

If you’ve been annoying your friends and family back home with your lengthy emails, then maybe its time to get paid by writing about other things than yourself. Work for a site that pays per hits such as blogit.com, helium.com and Associatedcontent.com.

22. Resell stuff

Don’t quite know what to do with that weird doll you got in Romania? Then sell it in your next location. From convincing your bunkmate to buy your lucky charms to auctioning fleamarket finds on ebay, reselling unusual travel goods can turn into quite the lucrative on-the-road business.

23. Handicrafts

If you’ve got a knack for crochet or can weave a basket at hyper speed, then selling some of your crafts can be used towards funding your next bus ticket. At the very least, you could make yourself something warm for those homeless evenings.

24. Festival Stalking

One of the best ways to combine a crazy cultural adventure, lots of drinking and enough dough for your next hangover spot is to work the festival circuit. You could either apply for a gig in one of the stands or push your own agenda by selling homemade space cakes, jell-o shots or setting up a kissing booth.

25. Sail Away

Sail off towards the sunset by working on a yacht or a cruise ship. You can find work by perusing crew job sites or simply asking people by the harbor if they have any leads. It provides a sense of freedom, a means to sustain to yourself and a way to get to your next stop.

Being on the road with very little or no cash may seem daunting at first, but the challenge of using your imagination to provide for yourself will make the experience all the more exciting and valuable.

Face the fear! There are always opportunities for the resourceful and intrepid traveler.

Any money-making ideas we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments!