How to covertly toss an apartment, Stasi style

In 1984, the Stasi -- East Germany's notorious secret police -- searched the flat of an auditor to determine if he'd leaked files that put the country in a bad light to Stern, a West German magazine, published in Hamburg. They recorded the clandestine search for posterity, and used it as the basis for a training video explaining to other secret police operatives how to search a dissident's home without alerting them that they were under suspicion. (via Grugq)

Quantifying the additional killings commited by cops when they get military weapons

The US Department of Defense's 1033 program sends "surplus" military equipment to US police forces ("surplus" in quotes because military contractors lobby for the US military to buy more weapons than they need in order to feed materiel to the program), which has created a situation in which cops show up in their communities literally clad in the armor of an occupying army. (more…)

Canadian entertainment industry begs Chinese courts to censor its movies

The Supreme Court of Canada just handed down a controversial ruling in which it ordered Google to block links to a page that was deemed illegal in Canada for every Google user, everywhere in the world -- asserting that the Supreme Court of Canada's jurisdiction extends to the end of the earth. (more…)

The QFX Elite Series is like Sonos without the price tag

If there’s such a thing as a household name for networked home audio systems, Sonos is definitely at the top of the list. And for good reason—their products provide dead-simple wireless setup, with hi-fi speakers designed for a wide variety of interior spaces. But for anyone who doesn’t care about brand-name prestige, the QFX Elite Series offers a comparable experience for a smaller price. They’re available in the Boing Boing Store, with the entry-level Bach variant going for almost a quarter of the cost of its Sonos counterpart at $59.99.

Like the Sonos Play:1, the QFX Bach puts out surprisingly loud, transparent sound via Bluetooth, or over your wireless network. Aside from significantly increasing range, its WiFi capabilities allow it to steal Sonos’ main party trick: the ability to connect multiple units together for synchronized music playback in multiple rooms. Each speaker in your network can be EQ’d separately for DIY surround sound, or work standalone with a physical analog connection for older gear.

For a versatile home wireless speaker with nearly unlimited expandability, it’s hard to beat the QFX Elite Series for the price, starting at $59.99.