MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody’s movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday.

However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was “more than a little troubled” by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals.

As the law currently stands, the court said police can mount GPS on cars to track people without violating their constitutional rights — even if the drivers aren’t suspects.

The article from the Chicago Tribune, bothers me to no end. I am one of those few people still very skeptical of GPS. I don’t like the idea of anyone being able to find me wherever I go, and the concept that this is no difference than what could be achieved through surveillance is complete bull. It’s not the same, because they can monitor any number of people without being out on the streets. I could have one on my car, and not even know it.

I could say a lot more things about it, but I really need to stop looking at Digg, and get some homework done.

I’m trying out this new Flock Browser, and so far it’s pretty spiffy. The premise is a browser that’s focused on social media. Still working on it, so we’ll see how much I like it in the future.

Flock Browser – The Social Web Browser

First up, a guy who stabs his teenage son for wearing a hat in church.

A 58-year-old man stabbed his teenage son who refused to take off his hat at church earlier in the day, Baltimore police said.

The father and his 19-year-old son got into an argument in the 700 block of Vine Street on Sunday afternoon.

That’s when police said the father went to a car and got a knife. He stabbed his son in the left buttock and fled, police said.

The son was taken to University of Maryland Medical Center for treatment. The father’s name was withheld pending his arrest.

I honestly can’t think of anything to add to that except that I’m grateful that it’s not just us Midwesterners who do crazy stuff like that.

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Interesting news in the wake of the Michael Phelps “incident,” 40 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana. I’m not sure where I stand on this spectrum, but I don’t see the huge difference between pot being legal and alchohol being legal. Only 46 percent of Americans are against the legalization of pot, and it’s been theorized that legalizing it could help California out of the financial sinkhole they are currently in.

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Of interest to nerds who like their music and movies free, the trial of The Pirate Bay continues. I (sort of) understand where the recording industry is coming from. An interesting Canadian study says that things like BitTorrent don’t stop people from buying music. I’ve found this definitely to be true in my life, not that I’ve downloaded music from BitTorrent. But I would much rather listen to a CD before I buy it, whether I borrow it from someone or whatever. And when I like a band I’m incredibly loyal, and buy every CD I can get my hands on. Really. I’m the customer they want downloading their stuff illegally.

Also, as TorrentFreak points out so nicely, it’s not just about music anymore. Gaming, along with many other factors, have also led to the decline of the music industry.

A massive selection of entertainment alternatives (home computing, console gaming, mobile devices, etc.) have appeared in the home, effectively marginalizing music as an activity. 15-20 years ago, youths would regularly visit each other just to listen to music together; today, that is virtually unthinkable without some form of activity involved, such as playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band, or dancing at a concert.

And there’s quite a lot of truth to this. I can’t think of the last time I just sat and listened to music without multitasking: driving, reading, checking email, writing. I do it once in a blue moon when I’m trying procrastinating, and that’s about it.

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And finally, a feel good story:

The awesome people at Weta gave Nadya Vessey, a double leg amputee, her own mermaid tail.

Miss Vessey, from Auckland, New Zealand, said: “I never had a fantasy to be a mermaid. I am still getting used to it because it requires you to swim in a different kind of way.

“Children sort of go ‘oh, a mermaid.’ People who like it more, I think, are adults.”

Miss Vessey approached Wellington based Weta with the ambition of making a tail that was both practical and beautiful and is delighted with the finished article.