Northern Virginia technology entrepreneur Jerry Lucas hosted his first trade show for makers of surveillance gear at the McLean Hilton in May 2002. Thirty-five people attended. Nine years later, Lucas holds five events annually across the world, drawing hundreds of vendors and thousands of potential buyers for an industry that he estimates sells $5 billion of the latest tracking, monitoring and eavesdropping technology each year. Along the way these events have earned an evocative nickname: The Wiretappers’ Ball. Read full article > >

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Trade in surveillance technology raises worries

Almost two weeks ago, 21 Occupy Wall Street protesters decided to take the movement on the road , in a march from New York’s Zuccotti Park to the White House. Their goal: to spread the movement to the 12 cities and small towns they would pass through along the way, and to protest the supercommittee’s likely decision to retain Bush tax cuts “for the rich,” or “one percent.” Read full article > >

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Occupy Wall Street protesters finish journey from Zuccotti Park to D.C.

In the rush to take the capital, rebel forces who captured military garrisons along the way often looted weapons depots and guarded them only occasionally at best.

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U.S. Sending Contractors to Secure Libya’s Weapons

In the rush to take the capital, rebel forces who captured military garrisons along the way often looted weapons depots and guarded them only occasionally at best.

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U.S. Sending Contractors to Secure Libya’s Weapons

The longtime Raiders owner held a series of other positions along the way that gave him a unique pro football résumé.

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Sports of The Times: Al Davis Built a Unique Pro Football Résumé

New York is about to pick its next taxi, and one of the three vehicles being considered is the Ford Transit Connect. A Times reporter takes it out into New York and picks up passengers along the way.

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Behind the Wheel | Ford Transit Connect Taxi: Take Me to the Future, and Step on It

Some celebrities aren’t just pretty faces. A few of them are also touched with that Yankee prowess for tinkering and invention. In this weekly series, we introduce you to the Patents of the Rich and Famous. And maybe you learn a little bit about how patent literature works along the way. Inventor: Frank Gehry Known For: Unlike most building designers, Gehry is a household name — he’s a starchitect. From the Guggenheim in Bilbao to his own home, the deconstructed curves of Gehry’s buildings stand out. With a knack for design, Gehry has branched out into furniture construction, too. Like his buildings, his lounging creations are stylish. Invented Apparatus: ” Article of furniture or the like ” Looks just like a regular chair. Sure, it’s Gehry-esque with its curvy back. But what really makes this chair special? Well, it’s made of cardboard. According to the preferred embodiment of the above mentioned US pat. Application Ser. No. 73,0005, an article of furniture is made by forming a block of cross-laminated corrugated cardboard sheets, and then simultaneously cutting all of the sheets in the block to “sculpture” the article from the block. Gehry created a line of ” Easy Edges ” furniture, which contained pieces made from corrugated cardboard. Rationale Behind Invention: As the patent describes, cardboard is cheap, sturdy and produces aesthetically interesting pieces. The furniture produced by this technique is inexpensive yet strong and durable; moreover, a wide variety of interesting and attractive shapes can be formed. Perhaps most important from an aesthetic point of view is the unusual texture of the finished surface of the article formed by the adjacent cut edges of the cardboard sheets. Interesting buildings deserve interesting furniture. The curvaceous cardboard creations suit Gehry’s aesthetic. Off-Label Uses: In package sending desperation, you realize you don’t have an appropriate size box for your goods. In a frenzy, you grab your exacto knife and repurpose your stylish chair into a parcel for your post — oops. Future Directions: This chair may look cool, but it could use a few accoutrements. Like a cup holder, massager and heated seats to start. Peruse more Celebrity Inventions .

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Celebrity Invention: Frank Gehry’s Cardboard Chairs

It’s a new weekend, which means it’s time for a new film featuring aliens to hit theaters. This time it’s the comedy Paul, starringSimon Pegg and Nick Frost as a couple of fanboy blokes who travel from across the pond to the US to visit places like Area 51 and Comic Con. Hilarity ensues when they pick up a foul-mouthed alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) along the way. Joining Paul in theaters are a new sci-fi flick starring Bradley Cooper called Limitless, and Matthew McConaughey suits up for the drama-thriller The Lincoln Lawyer. Let’s take a look … Paul What’s the Scoop: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in their first Hollywood film as a couple of fanboys who take a road trip with a nasty, foul-mouthed alien named Paul. Why It Might Win The Weekend… Read More Read Comments

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Box Office Poll: Who Will Win The Weekend? (3/18-3/20)

It’s a new weekend, which means it’s time for a new film featuring aliens to hit theaters. This time it’s the comedy Paul, starringSimon Pegg and Nick Frost as a couple of fanboy blokes who travel from across the pond to the US to visit places like Area 51 and Comic Con. Hilarity ensues when they pick up a foul-mouthed alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) along the way. Joining Paul in theaters are a new sci-fi flick starring Bradley Cooper called Limitless, and Matthew McConaughey suits up for the drama-thriller The Lincoln Lawyer. Let’s take a look … Paul What’s the Scoop: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in their first Hollywood film as a couple of fanboys who take a road trip with a nasty, foul-mouthed alien named Paul. Why It Might Win The Weekend… Read More Read Comments

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Box Office Poll: Who Will Win The Weekend? (3/18-3/20)

Some celebrities aren’t just pretty faces. A few of them are also touched with that Yankee prowess for tinkering and invention. In this weekly series, we introduce you to the Patents of the Rich and Famous. And maybe you learn a little bit about how patent literature works along the way. Inventor: Andy Warhol Known For: A founder of the pop art movement, Warhol is probably best remembered for his bright colored screen printing series of iconic celebrities and brands, like Marylin Monroe and Campbell’s soup cans. Known as much for his persona as his art, Warhol was a deeply eccentric man with loud hair and a transgressive sense of celebrity. Beyond commercially producing tons of art, Warhol dabbled in other artsy industries, founding Interview magazine and The Velvet Underground, a ’60s experimental rock band. He coined the phrase “15 minutes of fame;” his exact birth date is unknown; and he invented a five-faced watch. Invented Apparatus: ” Watch ” It’s the Andy Warhol version of a watch: the same face, over and over again. Rationale Behind Invention:   A design patent, the literature doesn’t contain an explanation of why Warhol wanted a patent for this particular invention. But, as with Warhol’s other series, we suspect it had something to do with a critique of American consumerism, or the relativity of time, or whatever. Off-Label Uses: Let’s be honest, if you could buy this watch, it would be to diversify your investment portfolio. Future Directions: Why stop at the watch? You could bring the five-screen approach to the iPhone. Of course, you’d only use one, but the other four could show off your latest Instagrams. Peruse more celebrity inventions .

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Celebrity Invention: Andy Warhol’s Five-Faced Watch

It looks like the Winklevoss twins may have learned a thing or two from Mark Zuckerberg along the way: They themselves are being sued. Wayne Chang says the twins cut him out of his fair share of the $65 million Facebook settlement. “They pretty much…

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Winklevoss Twins Sued

Trying to read the tea leaves and predict elections this year is a gut-wrenching exercise in futility. And my party’s march to Election Day glory is having a lot of bumps along the way.

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Opinion: Victories not certain for GOP