Comment Re:Laissez faire (Score 1) 891
That's cute. You think you know better than millions of intelligent people who make complex choices every day.
Comment Re:RTFA - really, it's interesting! (Score 1) 845
I conclude there are many factors that contribute to ones' success in life, math and reading being among them. This fellow is obviously very low functioning in some aspects of his life. Therefore, he focuses on his strengths and either depends on others for help where needed, or barely manages to get by in some cases.
Submission + - openSUSE 10.3 Has Been Released 1
apokryphos writes: "The openSUSE team have officially announced the release of openSUSE 10.3. Notable changes include the new package management, MP3 support out-of-the-box, a 1-click-install technology, a greatly improved boot time, and the new 1-CD media selection."
Submission + - Security software patents a boon for criminals (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Groklaw.net news posted an excerpt from an Ars Technica interview with Barracuda Networks CEO Dean Drako, who discusses how software patents impact the security software industry.
"...when patents limit the availability of free and open security software and stifle the development of new security software technologies, the negative impact is felt by all. "[By] making it harder for people to adopt security measures, it basically encourages criminals by making it easier for them to commit crimes — because people are unable or unwilling to deal with the costs of deploying security measures," [Drako] says."
Drako goes on to say the compromised computers can be used to wreak even more havoc on additional targets. "That has a cascading effect that impacts everyone on the Internet in a detrimental fashion. And that, I believe, is just wrong."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071002-barracuda-networks-joins-the-open-invention-network.html
Submission + - Scientists Develop Cyborg Interface Algorithm (news.com)
StCredZero writes: From the article:
'Scientists are making progress on neural devices that can translate the thoughts of a paralyzed person into driving action for a prosthetic device.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Wednesday that they've developed an algorithm for a neural prosthetic aid that can link an individual's brain activity to the person's intentions; and then translate that intention into movement.'
Only a matter of time before 14 year old kids are saving the world by piloting Giant Robots.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Wednesday that they've developed an algorithm for a neural prosthetic aid that can link an individual's brain activity to the person's intentions; and then translate that intention into movement.'
Only a matter of time before 14 year old kids are saving the world by piloting Giant Robots.
Submission + - Long Block Data standard finalized
Anonymous writes: "IDEMA has finally released the LBD (Long Block Data) standard. This standard increase the length of the data blocks of each sector from 512 bytes to 4,096 bytes. This is an update that has been requested for some time by the harddrive industry and the development of new harddrives will start immediately. The new standard offers many advantages where the improved reliability and higher transfer rates are the two most obvious. While the reliability is stated to increase as much as ten fold by some manufacturers, the performance improvements are a bit more elusive. Overall improvements include, besides the previous mentioned, shorter maintenance, time for format and more efficient data transfers due to less overhead per block during read and write operations."
Submission + - Blindness - Restoring Vision with Genetic Therapy
pizzaman100 writes: A clinical trial has begun in the UK to to treat blindness by genetically modifying DNA. The same method has already been used to restore vision to dogs. The treatment works by injecting a genetically modified virus into the retina. The virus attacks the cells in the retina in a beneficial way by inserting good DNA into the cells.
According to the article: Robin Ali at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and colleagues are treating adults and children with Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), caused by an abnormality in the RPE65 gene. This gene is important in recycling retinol, a molecule that helps the retina detect light. People with LCA usually lose vision from infancy. Ali's team are inserting healthy copies of RPE65 into cells in the retina, using a viral vector. Previously, dogs with LCA have had their vision restored in this way, allowing them to walk through a maze for the first time without difficulty.
According to the article: Robin Ali at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and colleagues are treating adults and children with Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), caused by an abnormality in the RPE65 gene. This gene is important in recycling retinol, a molecule that helps the retina detect light. People with LCA usually lose vision from infancy. Ali's team are inserting healthy copies of RPE65 into cells in the retina, using a viral vector. Previously, dogs with LCA have had their vision restored in this way, allowing them to walk through a maze for the first time without difficulty.
Submission + - Coleman has a Sterling Cycle cooler.
F34nor writes: "I for one was very impressed when Coleman introduced a Peltier Thermoelectric Device based cooler back in the 90's. I was deeply conflicted if I should make my beer frosty or tear the thing apart to make a CPU cooler. Now Coleman once again is making the jump from "kind of wacky" science project to tasty beverage in a way that makes me think someone at Coleman listens to just the right amount of Art Bell. The guts are made by a company called Global Cooling based out of the Netherlands. Todd Troutman covered it here, unfortunately the Costco link says no love yet and the manual says it pulls 48w not 24w."
Submission + - Redefining what "dead" is
FlyByPC writes: "According to a NewsWeek article, oxygen deprivation doesn't necessarily kill patients as much as the resumption of oxygen does. This could bring about new ways of, as TFA puts it, 'treating the dead'.
As Monty Python might say, perhaps some patients really 'aren't dead yet!'"
As Monty Python might say, perhaps some patients really 'aren't dead yet!'"
Submission + - Mathematica 6 launched
Ed Pegg writes: "Wolfram Research has just released Mathematica 6.
That link, in addition to the usual 'dramatic breakthrough'
material, has an amazing flash banner that simultaneously shows a
thousand mathematical demonstrations all at once. The animations came
from the Wolfram
Demonstrations Project, a free service with 1200+ dynamically
interactive examples of math, science, and physics (with code). For the
product itself, much is new
or improved, with built-in
math databases, improved
visualizations, and more."
Submission + - Partial Hack for Short Key Quantum Cryptography
sarkeizen writes: According to nature.com a team of researchers has, for the first time, hacked into a network protected by quantum encryption. . The MIT group was able to entangle a photons polarization with its momentum. Which allowed them to get up to 40% of the information by measuring the particles momentum without significantly disturbing it's polarization. The researchers agreed that this kind of attack, although interested could be rendered useless by increasing the key length.
Submission + - Calls to Close "Copyright Gap", 50 Years T
YouTalkinToMe writes: The BBC is reporting that
Widows and Orphans (ok, just Widows) are calling to increase the term of Copyright in Britain.
From the story: "The widow of skiffle king Lonnie Donegan has warned that the families of dead music stars could face financial hardship when royalty payments end." Mrs. Donegan continued: "It's not even as though they made us rich. People say I must be a millionaire, but, no. The royalties were just enough to get by."
Mrs. Donegan is joined by Sir Cliff and others who will lose Copyright protection on their performances in the near future. Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL), the UK broadcast royalties collection society, calls the situation "the Copyright Gap", and is lobbying for "harmonization" with songwriters and photographers, meaning Copyright terms of life plus 70 years.
From the story: "The widow of skiffle king Lonnie Donegan has warned that the families of dead music stars could face financial hardship when royalty payments end." Mrs. Donegan continued: "It's not even as though they made us rich. People say I must be a millionaire, but, no. The royalties were just enough to get by."
Mrs. Donegan is joined by Sir Cliff and others who will lose Copyright protection on their performances in the near future. Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL), the UK broadcast royalties collection society, calls the situation "the Copyright Gap", and is lobbying for "harmonization" with songwriters and photographers, meaning Copyright terms of life plus 70 years.
Submission + - Get Sued for Linking to Cingular.com
Desktop Nexus writes: "The official Terms and Conditions of Cingular now restrict the anchor text you can use to link to Cingular's homepage. Harry Maugans discovered a paragraph of the TOS that states:
I'm sure this is not legally standing, however it is amusing they'd attempt to restrict your links."You are granted a limited, nonexclusive right to create a hypertext link to the homepage of the Sites, provided such link does not portray Cingular Wireless or any of its products and services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise defamatory manner. [...] This limited right may be revoked at any time.
Submission + - UPS' Unlabeled Liability Forms: 'Just sign it!'
Rich writes: "A popular blogger on LiveJournal recently posted a hilarious but scary story about UPS' very real practices of sending uninformed drivers to people's doors with unmarked damage liability forms after packages are damaged or lost in transit. You sign this form, and you've just accepted responsibility for the loss.
I work at a Geek Squad, and they've tried to do this to me at least twice. Another friend of mine was almost put out of business after he absentmindedly signed one of these and ended up having to pay for two of the same $10K item. This is ridiculous, considering that UPS' insurance deductible is tiny, and they're worth more than $45B.
Anyway, here it is: UPS' Form of Mystery"
Submission + - Many Guantanamo practices illegal
Cleveguru writes: "The U.N. Commission on Human Rights basically states in it's report that the United States isn't fulfilling it's legal obligations under treaties it has signed, and also violates practices of other treaties it has signed. In other words, the United States government is breaking it's own laws.
View the Report
It's interesting to note that the response from the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. at the end mentions checks and balances! This is just a prime example of when our checks and balances fail to work.
In the end, it is the duty of the people to check the government itself as stated in our declaration of independence."
