366339
submission
mikemuch writes:
This evening Microsoft took the wraps off several of its Windows Live free consumer software: Mail, Writer, Photo Gallery, OneCare Family Safety, and Messenger 8.5. All of the software requires at least XP SP2 and a Windows Live ID (formerly .NET Passport). The apps include some slick features: Mail can work with non-Hotmail/Live accounts and includes RSS and Usenet readers. There's also an option to subscribe to your contacts' updates so that you're not stuck with a lot of out-of-date email addresses. Photo Gallery is a respectable answer to Picasa, with an impressive panorama creator. OneCare Family Safety comprises both a service and installed software; it provides online filtering and activity reporting on Live accounts you designate as children's. Writer isn't a word processor but a very WYSIWYG blog updater that works with non-Spaces blogs an includes image resizing in the editor. The new Messenger is mostly a face-lift of version 8. A unified installer lets you pick which pieces you want without multiple downloads/installs.
366329
submission
TTest writes:
Kinda like in Fern Gully... only real. Scientists at the University of Washington are reporting the creation of fast-growing, pollutant-eating poplar trees. According to a NIH press release, the trees rapidly absorb and break down cancer-causing hydrocarbons from the air and soil around them. The original research publication also mentions that the trees may be cheaper than conventional waste clean-up techniques, prevent erosion, capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and can be harvested to make biofuel or paper.
243319
submission
yapplejax writes:
New York City seeks funding for multi-million dollar surveilance system in Lower Manhattan.
Steven Swain from the London Metropolitan Police states "I don't know of a single incident where CCTV has actually been used to spot, apprehend or detain offenders in the act". The statement is countered by New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, stating the unprovable "We don't know acts that may have been planned that — because of the surveillance and deterrence systems that are in place — did not go forward."
And as the story also states, does a terrorist who is about to embark on a suicide mission really care if he gets caught on camera?
Do you have any expectation of privacy in a public area? Do you care if you are being filmed by a network of cameras while you walk around a major city? What if it was your home town?
