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Sci-Fi

Journal Journal: Who was Asimov's Ghostwriter? 10

I started reading Isaac Asimov's science fiction stories as a kid. Later, I also started reading his fact books, which were mostly interesting.

Feed Science Daily: New Technique Quickly Detects Cancer (sciencedaily.com)

Researchers have developed a new way to detect protein movements inside cells, which signal a variety of cellular changes such as those in cancer cell development. The method could help diagnose cancer in the future. By combining two distinct techniques, the technology can examine large numbers of cells individually, a feat not previously possible.


Feed Science Daily: New Alzheimer's Treatment Completes First Phase Of Testing (sciencedaily.com)

A molecule designed by a Purdue University researcher to stop the debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease has been shown in its first phase of clinical trials to be safe and to reduce biomarkers for the disease. CoMentis, the pharmaceutical company developing the drug, announced completion of its Phase 1 study of a treatment based on the molecule. Results from the study indicate that the treatment is safe and well tolerated.


Feed Science Daily: Move Over US -- China To Be New Driver Of World's Economy And Innovation (sciencedaily.com)

A new study of worldwide technological competitiveness suggests China may soon rival the United States as the principal driver of the world's economy -- a position the US has held since the end of World War II. If that happens, it will mark the first time in nearly a century that two nations have competed for leadership as equals.


Feed Science Daily: Cells Use Velcro-like Mechanism To Keep Viruses From Spreading (sciencedaily.com)

Like mobsters, cells keep their friends close and their enemies -- at least some of them -- closer. According to new results from HIV researchers, one way that human cells prevent certain viruses from raging out of control is by blocking new viral particles from ever leaving an infected cell's surface. And, they believe, HIV thrives in part because it has evolved the ability to get around this obstacle. Viruses can only reproduce using the mechanisms and material of their hosts. Some of them -- the so-called "enveloped" viruses, which are encapsulated inside a lipid membrane -- assemble at the host cell's outer membrane and then bud off during their release.


Wireless Networking

Submission + - Utah to make free and open wifi illegal

thisplaceisalmostout writes: State Representative Brad Daw from Orem Utah, is introducing HB 139.
Among other things, this legislation will make it against the law for any person to offer free and open wireless internet access, for instance a business to it's customers, or the public at large.
This law says in effect, that to offer wireless internet access to your customers, they must first prove that they are an adult, by providing either a government issued ID, or a Credit Card. Failure to do so would result in a fine up to $25,000.00

Furthermore the bill states "A person may not provide wireless Internet access to the public unless the person restricts access to prevent a minor from accessing material harmful to minors."
Additionally HB 139 makes it illegal for any retailer to sell a device capable of accessing the internet wirelessly, without it being clearly labeled as such.
Pete Ashdown the President and CEO of XMission the states largest internet provider, says that he will "shut down all XMission free wireless and cease expansion of this service." if this legislation is passed.

XMission provides a completely free wireless network that covers a substantial portion of down town Salt Lake City, and another similar one that is being constructed in Ogden will benefit the residents of that city as well.
If you live in Utah I urge you to contact your legislators and ask them to stop this bill, the potential long term damages from this bill are staggering.
Security

Submission + - Oracle IP address = 9th in world for ssh hacking? (theregister.co.uk)

An anonymous reader writes: As voted for by servers which run the "denyhosts" software to block ssh brute-force password attacks:

http://stats.denyhosts.net/stats.html

A box (or group of boxes behind a proxy) at Oracle UK seems to have hit the top 10 of machines on the Internet for launching attacks on boxes which run SSH server software...

This would imply that not only has a computer (or multiple computers) at Oracle UK been compromised without them noticing, but the new owners have then spent the last 3 months using Oracle's bandwidth to hack other boxes elsewhere on the net.

http://denyhosts.sourceforge.net/

Not so hot for a company which "has built a reputation for delivering many of the industry's most secure solutions"

http://www.oracle.com/security/security-solutions. html

Biotech

Submission + - Fingerprint Instead Of Blood Sample To Detect Drug (medicalnewstoday.com)

nontrad writes: To this day, fingerprints are just the thing when a perpetrator needs to be arrested or a person needs to be identified. British scientists working with David A. Russell also want to make it possible to use fingerprints to reveal drug and doping transgressions and to diagnose diseases. As the team from the University of East Anglia in Norwich and King's College in London report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they have now been able to use specific antibodies to differentiate between the fingerprints of smokers and nonsmokers. ..... In addition to forensic applications, this method would be ideal for detecting doping. Sample manipulations by the test subjects would hardly be possible since each sample is uniquely assignable to a specific athlete by virtue of the ridge pattern. Medical diagnostics could also benefit in the form of simple and quick mass screening with no danger of sample mix-ups. Another application could be drug screening without taking blood samples — from suspicious drivers, for example. In addition to forensics to identify suspects, this could be used by insurance agencies, employment, athletics, etc.
Businesses

CEO Questionably Used Pseudonym to Post Online 187

jpallas writes "The Wall Street Journal reports that court filings by the FTC about Whole Foods' plan to acquire Wild Oats reveal an unusual detail: The CEO of Whole Foods regularly posted to a Yahoo! stock bulletin board under a pseudonym. His alter ego was feisty, to say the least, and regularly disparaged the company that he later decided to acquire. A former SEC chairman called the behavior 'bizarre and ill-advised, even if it isn't illegal.' This certainly raises questions about online rights to free speech and anonymity, especially when the line between free speech and regulated speech depends on who is speaking as much as what they are saying."
Privacy

Submission + - Is Your Printer Spying on You?

gnujoshua writes: "In 2005, the EFF alerted the world to how laser printers are spying their users by providing tracking information in the form of a unique smattering of barely detectable yellow dots that appear on every printout. Revitalizing this issue, the Computing Counter Culture Group at the MIT Media Labs has launched Seeing Yellow. They provide instructions to see the tracking dots, as well as provide you with a list of clever questions, and appropriate contact information so that you can confront your laser printer manufacturer. Let's act before this issue slips through the cracks again and send the message that manufacturers' must respect our privacy and our right to anonymous free speech."
Music

Net Radio Wins Partial Reprieve 96

Joren writes "Just a few hours after our last discussion on this topic, Wired News is reporting that Internet radio broadcasters have won a temporary reprieve from the new rates. Apparently the details are still being worked out. 'A coalition of webcasters have worked out a deal with the recording industry that could temporarily stave off a portion of crippling net radio royalties set to take effect Sunday, according to people familiar with the negotiations ... For now, the parties involved in what's described as ongoing negotiations have agreed to waive at least temporarily the minimum charge of $6,000 per channel required under a scheme created by the Copyright Royalty Board, or CRB. The deal, brokered late Thursday, is not final and could change. One person involved in the talks described the situation as a reprieve, and said that internet radio won't be saved until a workable royalty rate is set.'"

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