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Canadian Blood Services Promotes Pseudoscience 219

trianglecat writes "The not-for-profit agency Canadian Blood Services has a section of their website based on the Japanese cultural belief of ketsueki-gata, which claims that a person's blood group determines or predicts their personality type. Disappointing for a self-proclaimed 'science-based' organization. The Ottawa Skeptics, based in the nation's capital, appear to be taking some action."
Businesses

EA Shuts Down Pandemic Studios, Cuts 200 Jobs 161

lbalbalba writes "Electronic Arts is shutting down its Westwood-based game developer Pandemic Studios just two years after acquiring it, putting nearly 200 people out of work. 'The struggling video game publisher informed employees Tuesday morning that it was closing the studio as part of a recently announced plan to eliminate 1,500 jobs, or 16% of its global workforce. Pandemic has about 220 employees, but an EA spokesman said that a core team, estimated by two people close to the studio to be about 25, will be integrated into the publisher's other Los Angeles studio, in Playa Vista.' An ex-developer for Pandemic attributed the studio's struggles to poor decisions from the management."

Comment Re:hacking (Score 1) 792

Provided that you don't give them a reason to pull you over, you'll never have a problem with a cloned license plate. Bonus points if you make sure to use a plate that belongs specifically to the exact same colour/make/model of your car, and you can generally get away with just a ticket if you do get pulled for a moving violation.

Hacking/skimming RFID passports has be demonstrated, and will only get easier. The same rules apply, as long as you don't arrouse suspicion it is often bussiness as usual.

Comment Re:MMO: the Movie (Score 2, Insightful) 95

MMO: The Movie

Act 1. Scene 1.

Ext. Bank, Daylight

The Hero, Heroine, Sidekick and Disposable Guy#1, stand outside the bank, hanging around the mail box.

Hero: LF Healer, for heroic movie then gtg! Have geared tank, DPS! Must be keyed and exalted rep status!

...

Ext. Bank, Night

Sidekick: Seriously, screw this. Can't buy a freaken heroic run on this server. That's it, when a new MMO comes Im jumping ship.

Sidekick leaves party

Comment Re:To be used in court cases how? (Score 1) 438

Lets take a little look at the statistics for criminal justice system.

The 1997 BSJ figures put the number of American's in prison/jail and on parole/probation at a total of 5,692,500.

Of Those 5,692,500 inmates, African American's numbered 2,149,900 or 37.8%. The 2000 census (closest used for comparible numbers) lists total number of African American descent population the US at 36,419,434 or 12.9% of the total population.

The stats say that African Americans are 3 times more likely to be convicted of crimes than they statistically should be.

Statistically, by your standards of proof, I can argue that African Americans are more likely to be convictable criminals, and by encorporating your facts, conclude they most likely have a brain disorder.

So my point is to ask, what do we do with them? Do we just lock them up becuase they are statistically pre-disposed to crime? Or do we perhaps look at some other correlating factors? Like poverty, substance abuse, education levels, income etc? Perhaps we should leave the idea, that expressed genetics controls our lives at concious level, back in the 1900s with the rest of eugenics movement.

Comment Re:Cheating (Score 1) 112

I would say its easier to cheat in a video game, but don't forget that pro sports/racing are just as tainted by cheating. If this got bigger, individuals betting on team matches, I'm sure we would be more likely to see point shaving than flagrant hacks. Then again, if the technology existed... Im sure we would see some sort of android golfer botting up the links at least once.

Comment Re:from TFA (Score 4, Insightful) 921

"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."

I think thats more of an apt summary which doesn't imply a bias based on data which lies outside the scope of thier research.

They were comparing values of vitamins in one to the other, let those facts stand on thier own. There is no nutritional value in sustainability, pesticide use or ecologically sound farming practices nor should any imply as such.

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