Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) promised Monday to filibuster a controversial Senate proposal that greatly expands the government’s ability to shutter and disrupt websites “dedicated to infringing activities.”

The Protect IP Act, similar to the House’s Stop Online Piracy Act, largely grant rights holders the unfettered power to effectively kill websites they believe are dedicated to infringing activities — all in a bid to combat piracy.

Wyden tried to kill the bill six months ago by putting a hold on it, a rarely used Senate rule (.pdf) allowing one senator to block a measure from a floor vote.

But...

Imagine if giving docs a single drop of semen was all it took to keep you healthy. Your dream could soon become a reality, as the Pentagon pushes for every male soldier to hold his health, quite literally, in the palm of his hand.

In a solicitation released last week, Darpa, the Pentagon’s far-out research agency, is asking for technology that’d replace good old diagnostic standbys — a vial of blood or cup of urine, for example — with “a portable format” that’s about the size and weight of a credit card. The initiative is one part of the agency’s $25 million Autonomous Diagnostics to Enable...