Comment So an article critical of the peer review process (Score 1) 139
...is published in a journal (in)famous for its lack of a peer review process. Makes complete sense.
Comment Re:non-toxic? (Score 2) 427
It is my training as a toxicologist coming out here, but the term "non-toxic" is nonsense. There is no such thing as non-toxic. Be exposed to enough of anything, including water and oxygen, and it is toxic, even fatally so. The question is "how much is safe". The assumption here is whatever they are using, the amount being used is within the expected maximum tolerable dose for humans. I would start to worry if they are doing this to bottles of baby formula, as what is tolerable for a 60kg adult might not be for a 6kg infant.
Master Engineer: Apple's "Mastered For iTunes" No Better Than AAC-Encoded Music 312
New submitter Stowie101 writes "British master engineer Ian Shepherd is ripping Apple's Mastered for iTunes service, saying it is pure marketing hype and isn't different than a standard AAC file in iTunes. Shepherd compared three digital music files, including a Red Hot Chili Peppers song downloaded in the Mastered for iTunes format with a CD version of the same song, and said there were no differences. Apple or someone else needs to step it up here and offer some true 'CD quality downloads.'"
Comment "No Duty to Monitor"? Misleading. (Score 3, Informative) 525
"They also argued misleadingly that the bills would have required Web sites to “monitor” what their users upload, conveniently ignoring provisions like the “No Duty to Monitor” section. "
Having just read through HR. 3261 (SOPA), the only mention of "No Duty to Monitor" applies to Payment Network Providers (the people who process credit card charges) and Internet Advertising Services (services that send ads to various websites). There is no "No Duty to Monitor" at all for Internet Sites, Internet Search Engines or Service Providers.
So, no, they were not conveniently ignoring those provisions, because those provisions do not apply to Web sites.
Comment Re:Arizona (Score 1) 344
So just make it official, move to DST all year then figure out how stupid it is to intentionally have your time off by a full hour or more.
You mean like Russia?
Average Gamer Is 37 Years Old 295
kolbe writes "A new study from the Entertainment Software Association suggests that the average age of today's gamers is between the 37 and 41 years old. If true, does this mean that game studios should be adjusting their demographics accordingly? Is Generation X the next 'baby boomer' market for the gaming industry?"
Fermi Lab May Have Discovered New Particle or Force 226
schleprock63 writes "Physicists at Fermi Lab have found a 'suspicious bump' in their data that could indicate they've found a new elementary particle or even a new force of nature. The discovery could 'be the most significant discovery in physics in half a century.' Physicists have ruled out that the particle could be the standard model Higgs boson, but theorize that it could be some new and unexpected version of the Higgs. This discovery comes as the Tevatron is slated to go offline sometime in September."
Comment Re:Lucas got two films added (Score 1) 129
Which means that Lucas and Spielberg are tied at five each for films included in the Registry (unless I have overlooked some).
Lucas: Star Wars, American Graffiti, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire Strikes Back, THX 1138
Spielberg: Jaws, ET, Raiders, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Schindler's List
Oddly enough, neither Wikipedia entry for Lucas nor Spielberg makes mention of the inclusion of their films in the National Film Registry.
Comment Lucas got two films added (Score 1) 129
Electronic Labryrinth: THX 1138 4EB was also added. That was a student film of Lucas' in 1967 while he was at USC.
Researcher Builds Machines That Daydream 271
schliz writes "Murdoch University professor Graham Mann is developing algorithms to simulate 'free thinking' and emotion. He refutes the emotionless reason portrayed by Mr Spock, arguing that 'an intelligent system must have emotions built into it before it can function.' The algorithm can translate the 'feel' of Aesop's Fables based on Plutchick's Wheel of Emotions. In tests, it freely associated three stories: The Thirsty Pigeon; The Cat and the Cock; and The Wolf and the Crane, and when queried on the association, the machine responded: 'I felt sad for the bird.'"
Comment As a resident of Dekalb county... (Score 5, Funny) 222
...it was probably CDC, not the DoD, that did it. CDC is based in a neighboring county (Fulton) and has offices in Dekalb. Definitely not county officials, though. The county police just shoot people.
Simulation of Close Asteroid Fly-By 148
c0mpliant writes "NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have released a simulation of the path of an asteroid, named Apophis, that will come very close to Earth in 2029 — the closest predicted approach since humans have monitored for such heavenly bodies. The asteroid caused a bit of a scare when astronomers first announced that it would enter Earth's neighborhood some time in the future. However, since that announcement in 2004, more recent calculations have put the odds of collision at 1 in 250,000."
Comment I recall the study with the compass belt (Score 1, Informative) 289
It was posted here two and a half years ago.
Comment Make the helmets more shock resistant (Score 3, Interesting) 294
There was just an article earlier today (Orange Goo) about a material that helps absorb shock, so why not line the inside of the helmets with the stuff?
Comment Been known, to a degree, for over 2000 years. (Score 4, Insightful) 215
"There is no great genius without a mixture of madness" - Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)
