DC police chief announces shockingly reasonable cell camera policy

"A bystander has the same right to take photographs or make recordings as a member of the media," Chief Lanier writes. The First Amendment protects the right to record the activities of police officers, not only in public places such as parks and sidewalks, but also in "an individual’s home or business, common areas of public and private facilities and buildings, and any other public or private facility at which the individual has a legal right to be present."

Lanier says that if an officer sees an individual recording his or her actions, the officer may not use that as a basis to ask the citizen for ID, demand an explanation for the recording, deliberately obstruct the camera, or arrest the citizen. And she stresses that under no circumstances should the citizen be asked to stop recording.

That applies even in cases where the citizen is recording "from a position that impedes or interferes with the safety of members or their ability to perform their duties." In that situation, she says, the officer may ask the person to move out of the way, but the officer "shall not order the person to stop photographing or recording."

OMG Facts: There’s only one man alive who was born in the 1800s and when he dies, everyone will be from the 1900s or later!

...Anyways, today the oldest documented person is a man living in Japan, Jiroemon Kimura. He was born April 19, 1897 making him 115 years and 84 days old. He’s also the oldest man to ever receive the title of oldest man alive. He has outlived two of his children and even a grandson.

He is also the last known man to have verifiably been born before 1900. Kimura had seven children, of which five are still alive, 15 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren. He is an active man and very health conscious.

Government: we can freeze Mega assets even if case is dismissed

The United States government said today that even if the indictment of the Megaupload corporation is dismissed, it can continue its indefinite freeze on the corporation's assets while it awaits the extradition of founder Kim Dotcom and his associates.

Judge Liam O'Grady is weighing a request to dismiss the indictment against Megaupload because (in Megaupload's view) the federal rules of criminal procedure provide no way to serve notice on corporations with no US address. At a hearing in Alexandria, VA, he grilled both attorneys in the case but did not issue a ruling.

O'Grady speculated, with evident sarcasm, that Congress intended to allow foreign corporations like Megaupload to "be able to violate our laws indiscriminately from an island in the South Pacific."

But Megaupload's attorney insisted that this may not be too far from the truth. Megaupload, they said, is a Hong Kong corporation with no presence in the United States. He argued it was perfectly reasonable for Megaupload to be subject to the criminal laws of Hong Kong, but not the United States.

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And a tweet from emptywheel:

emptywheel ‏@emptywheel

Why does Mitt Romney love Michael Phelps more than his own wife's horse?!?!?

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And a repeat of links for free Olympics apps:

The links to apps for iPhone and iPad shown above are listed here. (However, the BBC Olympics app was pulled from the U.S. iTunes store after a short stint.)

iPad Today, Episode 107, TWiT.tv

Another list of Olympics apps is in this article from TechHive, and it includes Android app links.

Must-have mobile apps for the Olympics