Comment Re:The FU? (Score 1) 497
If they are organic, then this is probably precisely what they are sprinkled with. After all it's an organic fertilizer :-).
Comment Re:Healthy or Nutritious? (Score 1) 497
Actually, the study looks at both issues, and says that in fact organics do contain less pesticide residue. However, for some reason what's actually said in newspaper reports that link to the study is that "organics are no different." So don't blame Stanford for this—blame the reporters. If you ever thought the news was unbiased, this ought to give you some food for thought...
Yes, but would this food for thought be organic, pesticide-covered or genetically engineered?
Submission + - Inventor cultivates no-mow, easy-grow grass (foxnews.com)
schwit1 writes: After more than ten years of experimenting with thousands of seeds, Jackson Madnick cultivated Pearl’s Premium — a specific mix of red fescue, tall fescue, sheep fescue and other grasses.
It’s all in the grassroots. Pearl’s Premium develops 12- to14-inch roots and pulls water from underground, meaning it requires a quarter as much water as comparable grasses.
“It grows slow so you only have to mow it every four or six weeks,” he said. “And if you don’t mow it, it flips over and becomes a meadow.”
Madnick began experimenting with different grasses because he wanted to create environmentally sustainable lawns. “I took a weekend course on water management and learned that the number one enemy of ponds is fertilizer” He wanted a healthy alternative to a chemically-maintained lawn — deemed one of the "most toxic areas in your home" by Health Magazine.
It’s all in the grassroots. Pearl’s Premium develops 12- to14-inch roots and pulls water from underground, meaning it requires a quarter as much water as comparable grasses.
“It grows slow so you only have to mow it every four or six weeks,” he said. “And if you don’t mow it, it flips over and becomes a meadow.”
Madnick began experimenting with different grasses because he wanted to create environmentally sustainable lawns. “I took a weekend course on water management and learned that the number one enemy of ponds is fertilizer” He wanted a healthy alternative to a chemically-maintained lawn — deemed one of the "most toxic areas in your home" by Health Magazine.
Submission + - Cyber Security: Are Users to Blame? (esecurityplanet.com) 1
kongshem writes: "On the topic of cybersecurity, the issue of personal responsibility raises a lot of questions. To what extent should end-users be held accountable for patching their systems and running up-to-date antivirus software?
In an interview with eSecurity Planet, HP's Chief Technology Officer comes out strongly in favor of the expectation that users should take responsibility for the maintenance and operation of their computer systems.
"As individuals, we don't take responsibility for our own data and privacy," said Andrzej Kawalec, Global Chief Technology Officer at HP Enterprise Security Services. "We have locks on windows and doors at home .... [but] I don't think people are doing that with their personal data in the online world."
It's a good point, but the question remains: Where do you draw the line between the responsibility of the vendor (Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Cisco, etc.) and the user?
The question is somewhat analogous to the automobile industry, in which carmakers are held to safety standards by government regulation — but users (drivers) also have to pass competency exams, obey laws, and maintain their vehicles. But the key flaw in that analogy, I think, is that Internet security is a lot more complicated than learning to drive, obeying the rules of the road, and keeping your tires properly inflated. (At least for non-technical users.)
What do you think? Should users be held to a higher standard of personal responsibility when it comes to online security?"
In an interview with eSecurity Planet, HP's Chief Technology Officer comes out strongly in favor of the expectation that users should take responsibility for the maintenance and operation of their computer systems.
"As individuals, we don't take responsibility for our own data and privacy," said Andrzej Kawalec, Global Chief Technology Officer at HP Enterprise Security Services. "We have locks on windows and doors at home
It's a good point, but the question remains: Where do you draw the line between the responsibility of the vendor (Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Cisco, etc.) and the user?
The question is somewhat analogous to the automobile industry, in which carmakers are held to safety standards by government regulation — but users (drivers) also have to pass competency exams, obey laws, and maintain their vehicles. But the key flaw in that analogy, I think, is that Internet security is a lot more complicated than learning to drive, obeying the rules of the road, and keeping your tires properly inflated. (At least for non-technical users.)
What do you think? Should users be held to a higher standard of personal responsibility when it comes to online security?"
Submission + - Teen Marijuana Use Linked To IQ Loss
An anonymous reader writes: Frequent marijuana use before the age of 18 may cause irreversible harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory, scientists claim. Middle-aged people who had started using marijuana in their teens showed an average decline in IQ by about 8 points and quitting pot did not appear to reverse the loss either, according to researchers at Duke University.
Submission + - Google Launches Hurricane Isaac Site (ibtimes.com)
redletterdave writes: "Google Crisis Response, one of Google's thousands of active projects that merges various Google tools like Maps, Docs, Forms and Earth, posted a new webpage on Monday dedicated to Tropical Storm Isaac — soon to be Hurricane Isaac — in an effort to disseminate helpful information about the hurricane's path, its forecasted track, and how local residents can stay safe during this emergency situation. Google's Crisis Map for Hurricane Isaac allows the user to set up and see public alerts from weather.gov, flood gauge forecasts, surge zones, evacuation zones and routes, barrier resources and relevant YouTube videos for each impacted area."
Submission + - FAA to reevaluate inflight electronic device use – no cell phones though (networkworld.com)
coondoggie writes: "If you have been on a commercial airline, the phrase “The use of any portable electronic equipment while the aircraft is taxiing, during takeoff and climb, or during approach and landing,” is as ubiquitous but not quite as tedious as “make sure your tray tables are in the secure locked upright position.” But the electronic equipment restrictions may change. The Federal Aviation Administration today said it was forming a government-industry group to study the current portable electronic device use policies commercial aviation use to determine when these devices can be used safely during flight."
Submission + - Will Your Books and Music Die With You?
theodp writes: Many of us will accumulate vast libraries of digital books and music over the course of our lifetimes, reports the WSJ, but when we die, our collections of words and music may expire with us. 'I find it hard to imagine a situation where a family would be OK with losing a collection of 10,000 books and songs,' says author Evan Carroll of the problems created for one's heirs with digital content, which doesn’t convey the same ownership rights as print books and CDs. So what's the solution? Amazon and Apple were mum when contacted, but with the growth of digital assets, Dazza Greenwood of MIT's Media Lab said it's time to reform and update IP law so content can be transferred to another’s account or divided between several people.
Submission + - Why WikiLeaks Is Worth Defending, Despite All Its Flaws (gigaom.com)
SomePgmr writes: "By now, anyone with even a passing interest in the WikiLeaks phenomenon is familiar with most of the elements of its fall from grace: the rift between founder Julian Assange and early supporters over his autocratic and/or erratic behavior, the Swedish rape allegations that led to his seeking sanctuary in Ecuador, a recent childish hoax the organization perpetrated, and so on. Critics paint a picture of an organization that exists only in name, with a leadership vacuum and an increasingly fractured group of adherents. Despite its many flaws, however, there is still something worthwhile in what WikiLeaks has done, and theoretically continues to do. The bottom line is that we need something like a âoestateless news organization,â and so far it is the best candidate we have."
Comment This is a catastrophy (Score 1) 294
Now I will have trouble finding Youtube!
They have so many complaints about pirated material. Help! ;-)
Comment Re:Stanislaw Lem (Score 1) 1130
Lem is a master of satire. I love his Ijon Tichy stories. Some of his stories are purely funny, some are philosophical and some you will enjoy if you have appropriate scientific background. I used one of his stories to teach college students about strange qualities of countability.
In the USA he is probably under-appreciated judging by the fact that I have not seen a single book by him in all the libraries where Azimov, Adams and Heinlein have been amply represented.
Submission + - Skype Bug Sends Messages To Random Contacts, Fix Coming Soon
An anonymous reader writes: A bug has been discovered in Skype that sends users' private instant messages to other contacts whom the messages were never intended for. Skype has confirmed the issue and is working on a fix. "We are aware that in rare circumstances IM's between two contacts could be sent to an unintended third contact," a Skype spokesperson told Engadget. "We are rolling out a fix for this issue in the next few days and will notify our users to download an updated version of Skype."
Submission + - G4S IT failure 'root cause' of London 2012 Olympics security debacle (computerworlduk.com)
DerekduPreez writes: "A failure in G4S’ internal computer systems was the primary reason it is not able to provide a sufficient number of security staff to support the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer.
According to the Independent, the company’s IT systems failed to correctly calculate staff rostering, which has now been identified as the “root cause of the problem”.
G4S won the security contract with LOCOG, the organisers of the Olympic Games, after it submitted a tender at least 25 percent lower than any of its competitors. However, it was revealed last week that it was not going to be able to fulfil its contractual commitments and the Home Office is being forced to deploy some 3,500 soldiers to cover the shortfall.
Home secretary Theresa May is now under pressure to explain why the government has had to make the decision to deploy troops at this late stage, considering that the Games start in the capital next week."
According to the Independent, the company’s IT systems failed to correctly calculate staff rostering, which has now been identified as the “root cause of the problem”.
G4S won the security contract with LOCOG, the organisers of the Olympic Games, after it submitted a tender at least 25 percent lower than any of its competitors. However, it was revealed last week that it was not going to be able to fulfil its contractual commitments and the Home Office is being forced to deploy some 3,500 soldiers to cover the shortfall.
Home secretary Theresa May is now under pressure to explain why the government has had to make the decision to deploy troops at this late stage, considering that the Games start in the capital next week."
Submission + - Canadian Supreme Court Entrenches Technological Neutrality Within Copyright Law (michaelgeist.ca)
An anonymous reader writes: Last week, Canadian Supreme Court decision attracted
attention for reduced copyright fees for music and
video. Michael Geist has a detailed analysis that concludes
there are two bigger long term effects. First, Canada has
effectively now adopted
fair use. Second, the Supreme Court has made technological
neutrality a foundational
principle of Canadian copyright. The technological neutrality
principle could have an enormous long-term impact on Canadian
copyright, posing a threat to some copyright collective tariff
proposals and to the newly enacted digital lock rules.
Submission + - If you run a contest as a startup, don't be dishonest. JPEGmini scammed me. (dropbox.com)
An anonymous reader writes: This guy entered a contest on twitter held by a startup called JPEGmini.com to win a Nikon D5100. The guy wins fair and square, but the company purposely violates all of their rules in order to choose someone else as the winner. This story makes it to the #1 spot on Hacker News (HN) and #1 spot on r/startups on reddit and the company is called out by many people. They have remained suspiciously silent as they know they scammed this guy.
Reddit post: http://www.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/was25/if_you_run_a_contest_as_a_startup_dont_be/
Hacker News post: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4220156
Reddit post: http://www.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/was25/if_you_run_a_contest_as_a_startup_dont_be/
Hacker News post: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4220156
