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Sci-Fi

Submission + - SPAM: Is the movie 2012 denigrating Mayan science ?

Submitted by destinyland
destinyland writes: As the science fiction movie 2012 opens Friday, one science writer challenges the idea that it's harmless "disaster porn". The film's writers are arguing that millions of people believe the final day of the Mayan calendar — December 21, 2012 — will bring "some kind of shift in society, or a shift in spirit," which this article calls "blithe cultural arrogance and staggering anthropological ignorance." It quotes BoingBoing's Xeni Jardin who knows Mayans through her work with a Guatemalan nonprofit, who calls it a parody of Mayan culture, and describes explaining to a laughing Mayan priest what the Hollywood version had cost to film. (The priest's response? "Well, that's gringos for you.")
Link to Original Source

Comment Re:Whoa, they invented the maintenance-free plane? (Score 3, Interesting) 389

by mraudigy (#28649219) Attached to: Eye In the Sky For City Crime Fighting
The average Cessna plane consume between 5 to 9 gallons of fuel per hour. With an rough estimate fuel price of $5.25/gallon in the SW region, a "surveillance" plane that flys 24/7 would cost:

$5.25 * 7 = $36.75/hr.
$36.75 * 24 = $882/day.
$882 * 365 = $321,930/year.

As such...
Cessna Surveillance Plan: $125,000
1 year of fuel: $321,930
Killing both privacy, the economy, and the budget is one fell swoop: Priceless.
Medicine

Submission + - Being Overweight May Lead to Longer Life 3

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "Findings of a new study show that underweight people and those who are extremely obese die earlier than people of normal weight — but those who are overweight actually live longer than people of normal weight. "It's not surprising that extreme underweight and extreme obesity increase the risk of dying, but it is surprising that carrying a little extra weight may give people a longevity advantage," said one of the coauthors of the study. "It may be that a few extra pounds actually protect older people as their health declines, but that doesn't mean that people in the normal weight range should try to put on a few pounds." The study examined the relationship between body mass index and death among 11,326 adults in Canada over a 12-year period. The study showed that underweight people were 70 percent more likely than people of normal weight to die, and extremely obese people were 36 percent more likely to die. But overweight individuals defined as a body mass index of 25 to 29.9 were 17 percent less likely to die than people of a normal weight defined as a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. The relative risk for obese people was nearly the same as for people of normal weight. The authors controlled for factors such as age, sex, physical activity, and smoking. "Overweight may not be the problem we thought it was," said Dr. David H. Feeny, a senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. "Overweight was protective.""
Math

Submission + - A radical idea for making Math education relevant (ted.com)

Submitted by
TEDChris
TEDChris writes: "Mathematician Arthur Benjamin thinks it's a big mistake to make calculus the pinnacle of high school Math. In just 3 minutes he makes a killer argument that a core understanding of probability and statistics would be far more relevant today. This strikes me as an "idea worth spreading", no?"
The Media

Submission + - Phony Wikipedia Entry Used by Worldwide Press

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens
Hugh Pickens writes: "A quote attributed to French composer Maurice Jarre was posted on wikipedia shortly after his death in March and later appeared in obituaries in mainstream media published in the Guardian, the London Independent, on the BBC Music Magazine website and in Indian and Australian newspapers. "One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear," Jarre was quoted as saying. However, these words were not uttered by the Oscar-winning composer but written by Shane Fitzgerald, a final-year undergraduate student studying sociology and economics at University College Dublin, who said he wanted to show how journalists use the internet as a primary source for their stories. Fitzgerald posted the quote on Wikipedia late at night after news of Jarre's death broke. "I saw it on breaking news and thought if I was going to do something I should do it quickly. I knew journalists wouldn't be looking at it until the morning," The quote had no referenced sources and was therefore taken down by moderators of Wikipedia within minutes. However, Fitzgerald put it back up a few more times until it was finally left up on the site for more than 24 hours. While he was wary about the ethical implications of using someone's death as a social experiment, he had carefully generated the quote so as not to distort or taint Jarre's life, he said. "I didn't expect it to go that far. I expected it to be in blogs and sites, but on mainstream quality papers? I was very surprised.""

Comment The nature of people (Score 2, Insightful) 238

by mraudigy (#27705451) Attached to: Cops To Start CrimeTube To Report Offenses
My concern is that this will turn into citizens adopting a semi-crazed state of vigilantism. In the States where I'm from people around here take the Neighborhood Watch program WAY too seriously -- 24/7 neighborhood patrols in their cars, radio communications, etc. Now that people can upload possible evidence, I can see people taking a fairly innocent concept to a whole new level -- actively looking for "crimes" and recording the footage. And, what about privacy issues? It would only be a matter of time before people start suspecting their neighbots of "crimes" and put 24/7 surveillance on them.
Security

Submission + - Should employees pay for required certifications?

Submitted by
mraudigy
mraudigy writes: "The company I currently work for is requiring all of its IT employees to take and pass the CompTIA Security+ exam by the end of the month. When I was hired, I did not know this would be a condition, but I was not too concerned when I found out. This is not all that uncommon, as many other organizations I've worked for have required me to get certified. I am not worried about passing the exam, but I am a little discouraged because the company is refusing to pay for any preparation materials and the cost of the exam, even though it is a required condition to keep our employment. Study materials and test vouchers can be rather pricey, and I'm not particularly in the financial position to afford the cost. Can an organization require its employees to take training and pass certification exams to remain employed, even if they refuse to foot any of the bills? Is this even a battle worth fighting?"
Medicine

Submission + - Skin Experts Identify Video Game Skin Disorder (yahoo.com)

Submitted by
mraudigy
mraudigy writes: "The British Journal of Dermatology has identified a disease, dubbed affectionately "PlayStation palmar hidradenitis", which is reported to be linked to excessive play time on game consoles. According to the article, a 12 year-old-girl was seen at the Geneva University Hospital with sores on her palms. The condition, known as 'idiopathic eccrine hidradenitis', is common in persons who regularly participate in heavy physical activity. The girl's parents state that while she was not involved in any intense physical activity, she had been playing a new Playstation game many hours a day for several days in a row, and continued to play even after sores developed. Doctors at the hospital believe the disorder was caused by continuous grasping of the console's hand grips and continued pressing of the console hand controls."

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