lipsforum.org

A homeless man who claims he wasn't paid the promised $20 for standing in line.

As long as there is still excitement about an iPhone, capitalism survives to crow another day.

So while many smiling faces and giddy torsos were witnessed around the world as the new iPhones went on sale Friday, some people were left grim.

At the Pasadena, Calif., Apple store, there was more than the average level of commotion.

A businessman had allegedly hired around 100 homeless people to stand in line on his behalf. Their remit was to get vouchers for two iPhones each. For this they say they were promised $20 for each phone they could secure. (Apple imposes a two-phone limit.)

However, as Rich DeMuro of KTLA-TV reports, some claim they didn't get their money.

One homeless man spoke to DeMuro on camera. He said he'd stood in line from 6 p.m. on ...read more...

A reassuring pop-up on the NSA's Web site.

The US National Security Agency has posted an ad for a "Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer," offering critics of the NSA a well-nigh irresistible chance to play the time-honored game of reading between the lines of a job listing.

Some of the potentially more ironic phrases:

• The candidate "rapidly adapts to...unexpected obstacles,"
• "deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity,"
• "complies with established control systems and rules," and
• "perceives organizational...reality and acts accordingly."

The NSA surveillance scandal is no joke, of course. It threatens both the Constitution and, possibly, the agency's effectiveness at fighting terrorism. But given the NSA's perceived double-talk on the issue, one might be forgiven a snigger or two at the job post. (Besides, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has said himself that the debate surrounding the agency's spy programs needed to happen -- surely that ...read more...

Meet Andrew Miller, part of an elite group of costumers who seek movie-quality perfection in their outfits.

Three types of people generally inhabit costuming (cosplay) culture: those who buy elementary outfits from places like Party City; those who pursue advanced costumes that tally up hundreds of dollars; and truly dedicated folks like Andrew Miller, who invested hundreds of hours into creating his own custom-made Boba Fett getup.

Related stories

• Watch video of Boba Fett's first screen test

For Miller, a Michigan office worker, being Boba Fett -- or at least looking and acting a whole lot like the intergalactic bounty hunter -- has become a second life of sorts. The pictorial below explores Miller's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"-inspired Boba Fett outfit, which took many years of dedicated work, research, and painting -- and, of course, extraordinary attention to detail -- to achieve.

You'll learn ...read more...