And I remember when I got a phone that could take pictures I was pumped.

Since 2004, a team of professors and students from the University of California, Berkeley has searched for ways to let a single human supervise a team of robot planes. Now, this Center for Collaborative Control of Unmanned Vehicles has a new device for ordering around its drones: an iPhone.

In a video taken from this month’s Teaching & Technology conference, the Berkeley crew uses an iPhone to pick tasks for its drone squadron, input a set of coordinates for a local reconnaissance mission, and send the planes new orders while the aircraft are in the sky.

But don’t tell Steve Jobs how the Berkeley folks are using his gadget. According to the terms of the Apple Software Developer Kit agreement, “applications may not be designed or marketed for real-time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.”

Clayton Williams is a well known person when it comes to Texas politics for all the wrong reasons. During his gubernatorial election campaign in 1990 he made some crude jokes about rape including, “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” The remarks were publicized and played a huge role in his loss that year.

Williams recently became a fundraiser for John McCain and put together an event that would have raised $300,000 for McCain. McCain does like sexist jokes. Right around the time of the fundraiser, McCain was supposed to be gaining women supporters who were disappointed by Hillary Clinton’s loss. He did this by publicizing his love for horrible Swedish pop sensations, ABBA. When the McCain campaign was asked about Williams remarks on rape he canceled the fundraiser.

Now it turns out that the fundraiser was not canceled and the money is still in circulation. The venue is just shifting to a new location.

Submit your interview questions for Mr. Dick Cheney as a comment and you could hear your question during the interview tomorrow! It’s your chance to get creative and ask those burning questions. Subscribe to the Synthesis YouTube and watch to hear if your questions pop up!

Fight the Smears (.com) is a website dedicated to removing the smear campaigning used on the internet against Barack Obama. The site attempts to dispel rumors such as Obama being a Muslim, or that his books contain inappropriate race remarks. With the amount of crap that is usually tossed around between candidates and their minions this time of the year, hopefully this will shed a little bit of light on the issue.

In other political news, check out a video we recently put up of our good friend Dubbya Bush’s address at the White House. Enjoi.

The potency of marijuana increased last year to the highest it has been in 30 years. A report released by the White House said that this means there are greater health risks for those who view the drug as harmless. Analysis was done at the University of Mississippi’s Potency Monitoring Project to track the average amounts of THC. Levels have more than doubled since the 1980’s due to sophisticated growing techniques, like hydroponic systems.

John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said there are risks of psychological, cognitive and respiratory problems and the potential to become dependent on cocaine and heroin. I just have to say I have never used marijuana then felt the sudden urge to pick up a needle but hey, whatever. There’s no data that shows the higher potency leads to more addiction. Marijuana withdrawl symptoms are said to be mild irritability, craving for weed and decreased appetite. Well then wouldn’t you just smoke some weed, be happy, end the cravings and eat a crapload of food? Being hungover from drinking way to many dollar beers or running out of coffee seems way worse. Like a psychology professor at the State University of New York said, “Stronger cannabis leads to less inhaled smoke.”

Fuck all this Obamania horse shit. I’m voting Republican because I want government out of my life, except when it comes to who I fuck, how I fuck, what happens after I fuck, what church I go to, and who I pay to blow up.