One tool in the FCC’s investigative arsenal is the ability to inspect radio gear, like TV stations’ transmitters, but the Commission also says that this extends to things like WiFi routers, cordless and cell phones, remote garage door openers, TV remotes, or “anything using RF energy.” This means that if you have any of those products, or anything with a radio, the FCC thinks it has the right to search your house.

The FCC contends the authority stems from the Communications Act of 1934, but as Threat Level points out, it’s never been challenged in court, mainly because it’s a relatively recent phenomenon for essentially every American household to have so many radio devices.

While it’s unlikely that the FCC will begin raiding homes to confiscate WiFi routers and garage door openers, there is speculation that should FCC agents enter a home and see evidence of unrelated criminal behavior, that evidence can be used for criminal prosecution. This could give law enforcement a potential back door around search and seizure laws, a move which certainly merits some concern.

Phoenix man killed in gun-safety demo | www.azstarnet.com ® — Geez.

A 26-year-old Phoenix man accidentally killed himself early Sunday while explaining gun safety to two Sierra Vista residents.

Samuel Benally Jr. was at an apartment on West Tacoma Street when he said guns should be kept unloaded because people could point them at their heads, said Sierra Vista police Sgt. Brett Mitchell.

Benally then demonstrated by putting his own 9mm Ruger, which he believed to be unloaded, to his head and firing it, Mitchell said.

Found by Keith Ray.

Is your leather sofa making you sick?: Consumer Reports on Safety

We’ve been following some interesting safety news from across the pond. The BBC News in the United Kingdom has been reporting that more than 1,600 people have suffered skin rashes and chemical burns from their new Chinese-made leather sofas. Reports say that one person has died.

After investigation, it was found that the couches were packed with sachets containing dimethly fumarate DMF, an antifungal agent intended to prevent the leather from getting moldy during storage and shipment from China. The chemical evaporates, penetrating the leather and can transfer to clothing and skin. Even small levels of exposure can cause serious skin sores, blisters, rashes and eye irritation. And some victims have reported that their problems have persisted long after the couch has been put on the curb.

In the United States, where driving while using telephones without hands-free adaptor kits and texting at the wheel are not widely illegal, one in four people confesses to texting and driving, a survey found Wednesday. “We often like to say 26 percent of people admit to driving while texting. We are sure that underestimates the problem,” said Dave Grannan, of Vlingo, a mobile voice application company that polled 4,800 people.

Vlingo says it is the inventor of “voice user interface” technology allowing people to “control their mobile phones with the power of voice” instead of punching buttons. The company said the poll has a plus or minus 1.41 percent sampling error.

The news comes as those polled revealed that texting — often seen as more typical behavior for young people — generally has spread to older people: 60 percent of all mobile phone users are texting, the survey found. And that means more people potentially texting at the wheel, currently only banned in seven US states and the capital city.

Twenty-six percent of those surveyed said they could not resist a bit of texting while driving, it found. The Hall of Shame went to Tennessee where 42 percent admit to indulging in the dangerous behavior. And “in our survey, the youngest and least experienced drivers those 16 to 19, they admit by 66 percent driving while texting. That’s scary,” said Grannan.

“Despite more states adding the laws, and despite some high profile accidents, people are still driving while texting at the same rate they were a year ago,” he said, noting: “we would have thought it would go down because of the public awareness and public policy.” Last year, authorities in Los Angeles said the conductor of a train involved in a rail crash that left 25 people dead was sending text messages on his mobile phone during working hours.

Anyone who reads this blog should know that I am the last person to recommend more nanny state control. However, I ride a motorcycle almost daily and the number of times I have been cut off or had a car pull out in front of me is getting ridiculous. As a biker I fear for my life. Depending on the results of this poll, I may or may not give up my motorcycle obsession.