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Comment Poor prices from Dell, sorta (Score 2, Interesting) 132

We buy a ton of computers from Dell and HP and the one thing that really bugs me about Dell is that they give price breaks on the same models to consumers first, and then we 'premium' buyers basically have to beg them to match that price. Same models, crappier prices for their business customers. I just don't understand....do they think we can't see their banner ads all over the internet?
Links

Submission + - Drew Curtis of Fark attempts to trademark 'NSFW' (uspto.gov)

Kickstart70 writes: "Drew Curtis of Fark is attempting to trademark the term 'NSFW'. It seems a little crass to me, but no word on whether he's attempting to do it as a protest against ridiculous trademark law, or if he's just joining the greedy trademark crowd (but, FWIW(TM), discussions in the subscriber-only TotalFark have been deleted)."
Censorship

Submission + - Tool shows sophomoric edits to Wikipedia by CIA (bbc.co.uk)

Itninja writes: "The BBC recently published accounts of the CIA (among others) making juvenile edits to various Wikipedia entries. Among them, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, and Rush Limbaugh.

From the article: "On the profile of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the tool indicates that a worker on the CIA network reportedly added the exclamation "Wahhhhhh!" before a section on the leader's plans for his presidency.""

The Internet

Submission + - Terminal Size Of Websites

An anonymous reader writes: This article proposes the interesting idea of a terminal size of websites. "When a website reaches such a colossal size, huge groups of members and visitors form opinions about what should be done and what should not be done to update and change how it works. Similar to a country, the "citizens" of these websites prove to be a formidable force in deciding what is popular and, ultimately, what direction the website goes in. But what does not fit that comparison to a country is the fact that there isn't a reliable form of government (although I guess many countries would arguably fit that description as well). However, the point remains; what direction are these sites going in and who is really controlling it, if anybody?"
Biotech

HIV Vaccine Ready For Clinical Trials 385

amigoro writes with the happy news that a possible vaccine against HIV is nearing readiness for clinical trials. The compound could provide a 'double whammy' by not only inoculating the patient against future infection, but destroying an HIV infection in progress. "The vaccine is an artificial virus-like particle whose outer casing consists of the TBI (T- and B cell epitopes containing immunogen) protein constructed by the researchers combined with the polyglucin protein. This protein contains nine components stimulating different cells of the immune system: both the ones that produce antibodies and the ones that devour the newcomer."

Feed Engadget: GPS-equipped spy squirrels 'arrested' by Iranians (engadget.com)

Filed under: GPS

Talk about getting into some hot water. Reportedly, some 14 implike squirrels were recently "arrested by Iranian authorities for espionage," as the critters were apparently found to have various amounts of "spy gear from foreign agencies" on (er, in) their bodies. Some reports even mention that the animals were sporting embedded GPS sensors, but due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the capture, things are still a bit foggy. Nevertheless, Iran has apparently claimed that the "rodents were being used by Western powers in an attempt to undermine the Islamic Republic," and while it doesn't seem that anyone is really aware of the squirrels' fates, it looks like sending in the animals to do a human's dirty work isn't as effective as it once was.

[Via DailyWireless, image courtesy of UMT]

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United States

Submission + - Bush Administration Muzzled Surgeon General (scienceblogs.com)

rnws writes: "The Scientific Activist blog is carrying comment on a New York times article on political pressure applied to the former US Surgeon General:

Yesterday, former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona testified before congress that he was subjected to extensive and systematic political interference in his work by the Bush Administration. From Gardiner Harris of The New York Times:

"The administration, Dr. Carmona said, would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues."
"Dr. Carmona said he was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of his speeches. He also said he was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings.
And administration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization's longtime ties to a "prominent family" that he refused to name.
"I was specifically told by a senior person, 'Why would you want to help those people?'""

Music

Submission + - Putting Piracy in Perspective

An anonymous reader writes: Over the past year, Slashdot has pointed to many industry claims and governmental pressure (here, here, and here) arguing that Canada as a piracy haven. Canadian law prof Michael Geist has produced Putting Canadian "Piracy" in Perspective, a video that demonstrates how the claims are hugely exaggerated. For example, it shows how despite the MPAA's claim of movie piracy, Canada was the industry's fastest growing market last year. Similarly, while the recording industry says Canada is the world's top P2P country, the data shows that the Canadian music industry is experiencing record gains and that most of the decline from the major labels is due to retail pricing pressures.

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