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Submission + - INTRODUCING THE PANCAKE PRINTER (shortlist.com)

Submitted by Press2ToContinue
Press2ToContinue writes: You probably haven't bought a 3D printer yet, have you? Sure they make great models of... stuff, but how many 10cm figurines of Bart Simpson does a house need? No, what you really want on your kitchen counter is a PancakeBot.

Claiming the prestigious title of "world's first pancake printer", the PancakeBot allows wrist-weary cooks to design and "print" their own pancakes.

Created by Miguel Valenzuela, the bot comes with a neat piece of software that allows you to 'trace' out your desired pancake shape, before transferring the design to the bot via an SD card. A motor-driven printing arm then squeezes batter (that you still have to make) onto a griddle, which then cooks your undoubtedly wacky 'cake.

Submission + - Instant Powdered Acohol: Approved for Sale (vice.com)

Submitted by retroworks
retroworks writes: From Motherboard.vice:

"The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has given the greenlight to Palcohol, a powdered alcohol that you mix with water to make, well, liquid alcohol. The TTB had already approved the product for sale last year but almost immediately backtracked on that decision, saying the approval had been “issued in error.”

"TTB spokesperson Tom Hogue today said the approval is only based on whether or not the label on the product matches what’s actually inside, according to the Associated Press. Palcohol sorted out the labelling issues since last year and so four flavors of Palcohol are now approved for legal sale."

Submission + - The White House's $100M, H-1B funded tech job plan comes under fire (computerworld.com)

Submitted by walterbyrd
walterbyrd writes: The White House has established a $100 million program that endorses fast-track, boot camp IT training efforts and other four-year degree alternatives. But this plan is drawing criticism because of the underlying message it sends in the H-1B battle.

The federal program, called TechHire, will get its money from H-1B visa fees, and the major users of this visa are IT services firms that outsource jobs.

Submission + - Dog Sniffs out Cancer in Human Urine 1

Submitted by randomErr
randomErr writes: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) found out that a scent-trained dog can identify thyroid cancer in human urine samples 88.2 percent of the time. Frankie, a male German shepherd mix identified the presence of cancerous cells in 30 out of 34 samples. The shepherd was only slightly less accurate than a standard thyroid biopsy. This offers the possibility of a cheaper, less invasive approach to diagnosis of the illness said Donald Bodenner, M.D., PhD, the study's senior investigator.

Submission + - Anonymous Social App Raises Controversy on College Campuses

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: Jonathon Mahler writes in the NYT that in much the same way that Facebook swept through the dorm rooms of America’s college students a decade ago, the social app Yik Yak, which shows anonymous messages from users within a 1.5-mile radius is now taking college campuses by storm. "Think of it as a virtual community bulletin board — or maybe a virtual bathroom wall at the student union," writes Mahler. "It has become the go-to social feed for college students across the country to commiserate about finals, to find a party or to crack a joke about a rival school." And while much of the chatter is harmless, some of it is not. “Yik Yak is the Wild West of anonymous social apps,” says Danielle Keats Citron. “It is being increasingly used by young people in a really intimidating and destructive way.” Since the app’s introduction a little more than a year ago, Yik Yak has been used to issue threats of mass violence on more than a dozen college campuses, including the University of North Carolina, Michigan State University and Penn State. Racist, homophobic and misogynist “yaks” have generated controversy at many more, among them Clemson, Emory, Colgate and the University of Texas. At Kenyon College, a “yakker” proposed a gang rape at the school’s women’s center.

Colleges are largely powerless to deal with the havoc Yik Yak is wreaking. The app’s privacy policy prevents schools from identifying users without a subpoena, court order or search warrant, or an emergency request from a law-enforcement official with a compelling claim of imminent harm. Esha Bhandari, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, argues that "banning Yik Yak on campuses might be unconstitutional," especially at public universities or private colleges in California where the so-called Leonard Law protects free speech. She said it would be like banning all bulletin boards in a school just because someone posted a racist comment on one of the boards. In one sense, the problem with Yik Yak is a familiar one. Anyone who has browsed the comments of an Internet post is familiar with the sorts of intolerant, impulsive rhetoric that the cover of anonymity tends to invite. But Yik Yak’s particular design can produce especially harmful consequences, its critics say. “It’s a problem with the Internet culture in general, but when you add this hyper-local dimension to it, it takes on a more disturbing dimension,” says Elias Aboujaoude.” “You don’t know where the aggression is coming from, but you know it’s very close to you.”

Submission + - Google hit with sexual harassment complaint from ex-employee (betanews.com)

Submitted by Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson writes: A former Google engineer revealed on Twitter this weekend that she suffered sexual harassment whilst working at the company. In a series of tweets, Kelly Ellis said that not only had she been sexually harassed by a male colleague, but that her promotion through the company had been effectively curtailed because she would have been in a position that meant reporting to her harasser.

There is more than a hint of irony at the timing of the revelation. Google would much prefer to be seen encouraging women into technology but Ellis — who worked on the Google+ team — dismisses this as nothing more than "PR bullshit". She also says that she was let down by co-workers who failed to back her up.

Submission + - Outcry and fear as Pakistan builds new nuclear reactors in dangerous Karachi (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: World leaders have fretted for years that terrorists may try to steal one of Pakistan’s nuclear bombs and detonate it in a foreign country. But some Karachi residents say the real nuclear nightmare is unfolding here in Pakistan’s largest and most volatile city. Of all places to locate a nuclear reactor, they argue, who could possibly make a case for this one — on an earthquake-prone seafront vulnerable to tsunamis and not far from where al-Qaeda militants nearly hijacked a Pakistan navy vessel last fall.

Submission + - New images from Mangalyaan

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Indian scientists have released a new set of color images taken by their Mars orbiter, Mangalyaan.

Arsia Mons is one of the three giant volcanoes to the east of Mars’ biggest volcano, Olympus Mons. Arsia Mons is important for future manned colonization, as there are known caves on its western flanks. In addition, those western flanks show solid evidence of past glaciers, which means that it is very likely that those caves will harbor significant quantities of water-ice, making settlement much easier.

Submission + - Robocops Direct Traffic in the Congo (theguardian.com)

Submitted by mspohr
mspohr writes: The Guardian describes robocops used in Kinshasa to direct traffic:
"The solar-powered aluminium robots are huge, towering over the jammed streets of Kinshasa, as cars and motorcyles jostle for road room, their horns blasting.
Each hand on the odd-looking machines — built to withstand the year-round hot climate — is fitted with green and red lights that regulate the flow of traffic in the sprawling city of nine million.
The robots are also equipped with rotating chests and surveillance cameras that record the flow of traffic and send real-time images to the police station."
These are second generation robots designed by a Congolese association of women engineers.
"Although the humanoids look more like giant toys than real policemen, motorists have given them a thumbs up.
“There are certain drivers who don’t respect the traffic police. But with the robot it will be different. We should respect the robot,” taxi driver Poro Zidane told AFP."

Submission + - UNDER U.S. PRESSURE, PAYPAL NUKES MEGA FOR ENCRYPTING FILES (torrentfreak.com)

Submitted by seoras
seoras writes: After coming under intense pressure PayPal has closed the account of cloud-storage service Mega. According to the company, SOPA proponent Senator Patrick Leahy personally pressured Visa and Mastercard who in turn called on PayPal to terminate the account. Bizarrely, Mega's encryption is being cited as a key problem.... ... What makes the situation more unusual is that PayPal reportedly apologized to Mega for its withdrawal while acknowledging that company’s business is indeed legitimate.
However, PayPal also advised that Mega’s unique selling point – it’s end-to-end-encryption – was a key concern for the processor."

Submission + - Research Suggests That Saunas Help You Live Longer

Submitted by jones_supa
jones_supa writes: A study of Finnish men suggests that frequent sauna baths may help you live longer. Previous research has suggested that saunas might improve blood vessel function and exercise capacity, or even lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension. The new study links long, hot sauna baths with more benefits, including fewer deaths from heart attacks, strokes, various heart-related conditions and other causes. The study tracked 2315 Finnish men for nearly 20 years on average. Most participants used saunas at least once weekly. Those who used them four to seven times weekly received the greatest benefits. The study published in JAMA Internal Medicine wraps up by saying that further studies are warranted to establish the potential mechanism that links sauna bathing and the aforementioned cardiovascular benefits.

Submission + - Apple loses patent suit to the tune of $532 million (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Harlequin80
Harlequin80 writes: Apple has lost a patent law suit in the US District Court, Eastern District of Texas. Smartflash brought a suit against Apple in 2013 in relation to its payment system tied to the iTunes account. Smartflash appears to be a patent holding company with no actual products themselves.

from the article "SMARTFLASH said that the patents cover a portable data carrier for storing data and managing access to it through payment information rules."

Apple have indicated that they plan to appeal.

Submission + - Our Inevitable Earth Overpopulation: Just How Doomed Are We?

Submitted by Press2ToContinue
Press2ToContinue writes: How Mice Turned Their Private Paradise Into A Terrifying Dystopia

In 1972, animal behaviorist John Calhoun built a rat paradise with beautiful buildings and limitless food. He introduced eight mice to the population. Two years later, the mice had created their own apocalypse.

Universe 25 was a giant box designed to be a rodent utopia.

Universe 25 started out with eight mice, four males and four females. By day 560, the mouse population reached 2,200, and then steadily declined back down to unrecoverable extinction.

At the peak population, most mice spent every living second in the company of hundreds of other mice.

Here's why overpopulation caused their extinction. And more importantly, are we doomed to a similar fate?

Submission + - The disappeared: Chicago police detain Americans at abuse-laden 'black site' (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The Chicago police department operates an off-the-books interrogation compound, rendering Americans unable to be found by family or attorneys while locked inside what lawyers say is the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site.

The facility, a nondescript warehouse on Chicago’s west side known as Homan Square, has long been the scene of secretive work by special police units. Interviews with local attorneys and one protester who spent the better part of a day shackled in Homan Square describe operations that deny access to basic constitutional rights.

Alleged police practices at Homan Square, according to those familiar with the facility who spoke out to the Guardian after its investigation into Chicago police abuse, include:

        Keeping arrestees out of official booking databases.
        Beating by police, resulting in head wounds.
        Shackling for prolonged periods.
        Denying attorneys access to the “secure” facility.
        Holding people without legal counsel for between 12 and 24 hours, including people as young as 15.

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