24044052
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
Earlier today Netflix CEO Reed Hastings sent out an email apologizing for a bunch of things like the sudden price hike and the subsequent reaction from his company spokespeople. An excerpt from his email "It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our intent, and I offer my sincere apology."
Another interesting development mentioned in the email was the renaming of the DVD-by-mail service to Qwikster. Currently the website shows nothing — www.qwikster.com . Also from the email — "The new envelope is still that lovely red, but now it will have a Qwikster logo."
23589908
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
The First Court of Appeals has reached a decision that would allow the general public to video-tape police officers while they are working. This decision comes right after several well-known public cases have come to light involving citizens being arrested for video-taping police.This specific case in question was Simon Glik vs.The City of Boston (and several police officers), in which a teenage Simon Gilk was arrested after videotaping Boston Police abusing a homeless man. While Mr. Gilk was not interfering with the police, he was arrested on wiretapping charges. The ACLU had sued on his behalf, even when the charges were dropped, noting that there was a growing epidemic of citizens in the United States being arrested by police for videotaping, even when documenting police brutality and abuse. The First Court Agreed with the ACLU that this should be legal, and wrote that: "The filming of government officials engaged in their duties in a public place, including police officers performing their responsibilities, fits comfortably within these principles [of protected First Amendment activity].
23321118
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
New studies by researchers at the University at Buffalo have found that when a woman's goal is to be romantically desirable, she distances herself from academic majors and activities related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The studies, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, were undertaken to determine why women, who have made tremendous progress in education and the workplace over the past few decades, continue to be underrepresented at the highest levels of STEM. Lead author Lora E. Park, PhD, UB associate professor of psychology and her co-authors, found converging support for the idea that when romantic goals are activated, either by environmental cues or personal choice, women — but not men — show less interest in STEM and more interest in feminine fields, such as the arts, languages and English. Alternative link is here
23030224
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
In the research published Wednesday, doctors at the University of Pennsylvania say the treatment made the most common type of leukemia completely disappear in two of the patients and reduced it by 70 percent in the third. In each of the patients as much as five pounds of cancerous tissue completely melted away in a few weeks, and a year later it is still gone. The results of the preliminary test “exceeded our wildest expectations,” says immunologist Dr. Carl June a member of the Abramson Cancer Center's research team. Using a modified, harmless version of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, they inserted a series of genes into the white blood cells. These were designed to make to cells target and kill the cancer cells. After growing a large batch of the genetically engineered white blood cells, the doctors injected them back into the patients.
21709782
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
On June 2, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that revealed various concepts behind a newly advanced next generation camera system that could employ infrared technology. Apple's patent describes systems and methods for receiving infrared data with a camera designed to detect images based on visible light. A system could include a camera and image processing circuitry electrically coupled to the camera. The image processing circuitry could determine whether each image detected by the camera includes an infrared signal with encoded data. Based on the decoded data, a device could display information to a user or modify an operation of the device. On one side, the new system would go a long way in assisting the music and movie industries by automatically disabling camera functions when trying to photograph or film a movie or concert. On the other hand, the new system could turn your iOS device into a kind of automated tour guide for museums or cityscapes as well as eventually being an auto retail clerk providing customers with price, availability and product information. More details on the patent here http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2011/06/apple-working-on-a-sophisticated-infrared-system-for-ios-cameras.html
To me this looks like a dangerous trend to exercise control on their users for such a trivial thing.
20947286
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
I live in an area where we cannot get good over the air reception for network channels. I have been looking for expensive antennas but they don't seem to help much either. I don't want to get cable or satellite, I hate paying out of my skin for Comcast and I don't watch more than a few channels anyway. I realize that I am watching more and more things online these days anyways with Netflix etc so I am wondering what options do I have to watch TV online. I know aggregator sites like Hulu exist, but I would like all network channels and all shows, not just a few of them. Also, I want to watch shows at the same time as they broadcast not a few days later when it gets online. So my question is: Is there a way to get my network channels online ? I don't mind paying a monthly fee but I would like two things:- I would like a single site where I can watch all channels and ALL shows and the site should be reliable. Is there any such option?
19822386
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
Apple is under fire for approving a controversial created by a religious organization — Exodus International. The app seeks to help gay individuals become heterosexual. It received a "4" rating from Apple, which indicates the company considered the app to contain "no objectionable material". The new smartphone app was released last week and is now available through iTunes. Exodus International claims to be "the world's largest ministry to individuals and families impacted by homosexuality". A petition has been launched by Truth Wins Out, which describes itself as a non-profit organisation that fights anti-gay religious extremism on the change.org website, asking Steve Jobs to intervene to remove the app.
18260484
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
Amazon is working on a solution that could revolutionize digital gift buying. The online retailer has quietly patented a way for people to return gifts before they receive them, and the patent documents even mention poor Aunt Mildred. In other words, the consumer could keep an online list of lousy gift-givers whose choices would be vetted before anything ships. Amazon's idea has raised the ire of the Miss Manners crowd, which thinks the scheme rather uncouth. After all, receiving an e-mail notification of a forthcoming gift — and thereby being able to check its price — is hardly the same as unwrapping the item at home. The patent can be accessed here
17882380
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
I find this paper very amusing.
From the abstract — To develop a mathematical model for the determination of total areas under curves from various metabolic studies. Hint! If you replace phrases like "curves from metabolic studies" with just "curves", then you'll note that Dr. Tai rediscovered the rectangle method of approximating an integral. (Actually, Dr. Tai rediscovered the trapezoidal rule.). Apparently this is called "Tai's Model. This is also discussed here .
12890328
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
EETimes reports on Clathrin, a protein found in every cell of the human body, could become a self-assembler of future information processing systems that are smaller, faster and cheaper than today's computer circuitry, according to a company investigating the technology. Boston-based ExQor Technologies has demonstrated that Clathrin Proteins can be formed into nano-sized biolasers suitable for transmitting information. It expects the technology will initially be used in medical applications. The precision of clathrin's self-assembly process , and ultra-small size also could be used to improve solar cells and batteries with nanoscale electronic and photonic properties not possible with silicon.
11259840
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
From ilounge iLounge, during Apple’s iPhone OS 4 event today, Steve Jobs announced the creation of a new mobile advertising platform which will be integrated directly into the iPhone OS. The new platform, named iAd, is designed to allow developers to easily add in-app advertising to their applications by supplying ads through a centralized advertising network without having to implement their own solution. Apple will take care of selling and hosting the ads, providing developers with the industry standard 60% of advertising revenue. Is this what google was really was after when they launched Android ?
10600400
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is a professor of politics at New York University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California. In his new book, The Predictioneer (The Predictioneer's Game in the US), he describes a computer model based on game theory which — and others — claim can predict the future with remarkable accuracy. The primary website link also has a game page where he provides an online version of the game and information on how to play.
"Over the past 30 years, Bueno de Mesquita has made thousands of predictions about hundreds of issues from geopolitics to personal problems. Overall, he claims, his hit rate is about 90 per cent. So how does he do it? What more, the CIA seems to be using this model to predict the outcome of political situations around the world!!". The original article from NewScientist (semi-walled, may need to register) is here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527520.500-the-predictioneer-using-games-to-see-the-future.html?page=1
10597720
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is a professor of politics at New York University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California. In his new book, The Predictioneer (The Predictioneer's Game in the US), he describes a computer model based on game theory which he — and others — claim can predict the future with remarkable accuracy.
Over the past 30 years, Bueno de Mesquita has made thousands of predictions about hundreds of issues from geopolitics to personal problems. Overall, he claims, his hit rate is about 90 per cent. So how does he do it? What more, the CIA seems to be using this model to predict the outcome of political situations around the world!!
7724686
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
Vikram Buddhi, a PhD student in Purdue University was arrested three years ago and since then he has been languishing in a jail in United States. He was arrested for writing anti-Bush content and publishing it through university’s website, allegedly. Literally fighting his own battle, Buddhi said his lawyer "did not discuss the case properly with him but only touched upon some issues superficially. He also did not discuss with me what he is going to present in court and did not do any meaningful research". The URL for the story is here http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/IITian-Vikram-Buddhis-sentencing-postponed-to-Friday/articleshow/5326011.cms and here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/vikram-buddhi-anti-bush-b_n_322111.html
6711135
submission
parallel_prankster writes:
The regulatory body ICANN has approved plans to let web addresses be written in non-Latin characters in a move that it calls the “biggest technical change” to how the Internet works since its invention four decades ago. The proposal means domain names could be written in languages such as Greek, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi or Cyrillic and be understood natively by the servers that connect computers together over the web. Guess that is supposed to increase the numbers of people surfing the web as they can do so now in their own native language, as if that was the only thing stopping them so far.
