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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 9 declined, 5 accepted (14 total, 35.71% accepted)

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Sci-Fi

Submission + - Science Fiction Summarized (sciam.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "Scientific American's Steve Mirsky presents a humorous look at science fiction movies summarized in a single sentence. See if you can identify such famous films as "Valiant insects try to repel totalitarian invaders", "The future governor of California and the future governor of Minnesota go hiking", and "A feisty cat survives tense times onboard a spaceship"."
Robotics

Submission + - Sega's EMA "can act like a real girlfriend" (reuters.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "Sega of Japan has developed E.M.A., or "Eternal Maiden Actualized", a 38 centimeter robot with large, umm, tracts of land that is targeted at single men in their twenties. The robot is programmed to be "sweet and interactive", touching and kissing humans that get nearby. According to the Sega spokesperson, "She's not a human, but can act like a real girlfriend." Video is available. Well, at least it doesn't have an arm cannon."
Earth

Submission + - Sixty years of measurements indicate warming trend (discovery.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "The Discovery Channel reports on a treasure trove of temperature data in Siberia, where three generations of scientists living on Lake Baikal have identified a warming trend. The family has taken consistent temperature measurements since 1946 which show a clear 2 degrees Fahrenheit warming deep in the lake."
Earth

Submission + - eBay pressured to block sales of ivory products (sciam.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "eBay is being pressured by an animal welfare group to ban sales of ivory and animal tooth products on its site. Although eBay is in compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species when it warns users that such postings may be inviolation of national and international law, the International Fund for Animal Welfare is demanding they the go a step further to search for and delete any posting of ivory products."
Earth

Submission + - DOE pumps $126.6 million into carbon sequestration (news.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "The DOE awarded $126.6 million in grants today to projects that will pump 1 million tons of CO2 into underground caverns at sites in California and Ohio. Environmental groups call carbon sequestration "a scam", claiming that it is too expensive and uncertain to be competitive with non-coal alternatives like wind and solar.

I just hope nobody drops a Mentos down the wrong pipe."
Media

Submission + - Blog posts and graphics stolen for hardcopy book (luclatulippe.com) 1

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "Kris Straub of Starslip Crisis pointed to the case of Luc Latulippe, an illustrator whose artistic works and text were lifted verbatim from his blog and published in a hardcopy book by a Hong Kong publisher. The books, which have fraudulent ISBN and contact information, have been sold to bookstores from Japan to Spain.

It seems that as Chinese industry matures, its demands for stolen intellectual property have moved from industrial designs and computer software to the realm of graphic illustration."
Biotech

Submission + - High-power X-ray builds 3D ancient insects

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "The BBC reports on a high-power X-ray radiation technique to build extremely detailed 3D models of dinosaur-era insects. The opaque lumps of fossilized amber containing the insects are radiographed 1000 times each. The X-ray source is bremsstrahlung radiation from electrons accelerated through a synchrotron particle accelerator."
Microsoft

Submission + - Official Windows XP SP3 Features Overview

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "Microsoft just posted an Overview for Windows XP Service Pack 3 on their download site. While the README does not have an explicit release date for the service pack, it does discuss new functionality, including: Network Access Protection (a security posture determination technology intended to work with Cisco's Network Admission Control) and the ability to perform a full install of Windows XP without providing a CD key during the install."
Biotech

Submission + - Newly discovered fungus threatens world wheat crop 5

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "The UN reports that a variety of the rust fungus originally detected in Uganda in 1999 has already spread as far north as Iran, threatening wheat production across its range. The fungus infects wheat stems and affects 80% of wheat varieties, putting crops at risk and threatening the food sources for billions of people across central Asia. Although scientists believe they can develop resistant hybrids, the fungus is moving much faster than anticipated and resistant hybrids may still be years away.

Meanwhile, national governments in the path of the fungus are telling folks that there is nothing to worry about."
The Internet

Submission + - Blog comments implicated in suicide of ad exec (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "The NY Times reports that advertising executive Paul Tilley committed suicide on Feb. 22, shortly after advertising industry blogs Agency Spy and AdScam posted scathing criticisms of his management at advertising agency DDB Chicago. Predictably, the print media are now asking: did blog writers go too far?

The comments sections of the blogs have now become release valves for grieving friends and family, some of whom blame the blogs for Mr. Tilley's despondent state."
Education

Submission + - School offers humiliating awards to students (knbc.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "Teachers in a Decatur, IN elementary school awarded dubious titles such as 'Sir Clowns-a-Lot' and 'Most Likely Not To Have Children' to an embarrassed sixth grader in front of his classmates. Although I can imagine an environment where 'Sir Clowns-a-Lot' would be considered good-natured ribbing, I can't imagine making light of a sixth-grader's reproductive prospects. Predictably, the school system has clammed up and will only say that they 'regret the incident.'"
Privacy

Submission + - Fed Panel: Privacy laws at fault at Virginia Tech (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
RickRussellTX
RickRussellTX writes: "A panel of Bush administration officials, including several bureau chiefs, concludes that confusing privacy laws contributed to the Virgina Tech shootings. The report claims that confusion over student privacy and medical privacy laws "has limited the ability of these officials to prevent the kind of violence that occurred at Virginia Tech.""

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