26736052
submission
pdragon04 writes:
We've all been seeing the occasional story lately for PayPal screwing people over by freezing their accounts. This one takes it to a whole new level. Apparently according to Paypal you can donate to help a sick cat. But poor people? Screw them.
18977138
submission
pdragon04 writes:
This youtube clip preview of an upcoming National Geographic episode of Explorer shows how stem cell research has brought about an amazing treatment for burn victims that can repair second degree burns in a matter of days.
Show is premiering on Feb 7th — http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/4828/Overview
16213974
submission
pdragon04 writes:
"After a new technology is introduced to the market, there is usually a predictable decrease in price as it becomes more common. Laptops experienced precipitous price drops during the past decade. Digital cameras, personal computers, and computer chips all followed similar steep declines in price. Has the price of broadband Internet followed the same model? Shane Greenstein decided to look into it. "
14035772
submission
pdragon04 writes:
To try and allay the fears of Blizzard's new REAL-ID system of sharing their user's real-life names, an employee shared his real name. Maybe the consequences of this will make them rethink their new system?
13894220
submission
pdragon04 writes:
In a moment sure to make your face hit your palm, Best Buy is trying to fire the employee that made those hilarious iPhone vs EVO videos over at Tiny Watch Productions (http://www.youtube.com/user/tinywatchproductions). Looks like it'll turn out better for the kid in the long run and BB's stunt will hurt them more than the videos ever did.
11074272
submission
pdragon04 writes:
An abuse hotline set up by the Catholic Church in Germany melted down on its first day of operation as more than 4,000 alleged victims of paedophile and violent priests called in to seek counselling and advice. The numbers were far more than the handful of therapists assigned to deal with them could cope with. In the end only 162 out of 4,459 callers were given advice before the system was shut down.
9295116
submission
pdragon04 writes:
Congress held a hearing today examining the proposed acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast. Speaking before the committee were Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast and Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC.
During the hearing the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, Rep. Rick Boucher, asked Zucker “What about Boxee?”.
Zucker is claiming Boxee is stealing Hulu's content and it was Hulu's management that made the decision to block Boxee. Boxee begs to differ and is more than open to Zucker's claim of being open to discussion.
9092660
submission
pdragon04 writes:
In virtually every part of the body, stem cells stand ready to replenish mature cells lost to wounds, disease, and everyday wear and tear. But like other cells, stem cells eventually lose their normal functions as they age, leaving the body less able to repair itself.
Surprisingly, this age-related decline in stem cell potency may be somewhat reversible. A team of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers has found that in old mice, a several-week exposure to the blood of young mice causes their bone marrow stem cells to act “young” again.
8812990
submission
pdragon04 writes:
My main gripe against traditional tv service is that I have to pay for a TON of content I don't want. I've been really enjoying Boxee since its recent beta release and this could be a huge step towards the "a la carte" tv service that I've always wanted, where I only pay for the individual channels or shows I want to see.
"Users want to see more content on Boxee. Content owners want to be paid for what they produce (whether that;s TV Shows, movies, music, or applications). We don't believe these are conflicting interests.
This is why we plan to release a Payment Platform this summer where users will be able to make purchases with one click on the remote. The content partners we launch with will offer shows, movies and channels that were previously not available to Boxee users. The content owners will be able to package and price as they wish, including pay-per-view and subscription. Content partners will have the flexibility to decide what they make available, whether it's premium content, content from their existing library, or extras that will never make it "on air"."
6643533
submission
pdragon04 writes:
When leaving the US Armed Forces, it was always stressed how important it was to never loose your copy of your DD-214 as it was your only record of having served. Getting a new copy if you lost it was a long and arduous process and significantly delayed obtaining veterans benefits. An email today from my college's financial aid office stated:
"It's official, DD-214's are NOW Online. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214's online: http://vetrecs.archives.gov/
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes. NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files. Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new on-line military personnel records system to request documents. Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can be downloaded from the on-line web site. Because the requester will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized. The new web-based application was designed to provide better service on these requests by eliminating the records centers mailroom and processing time."
6643333
submission
pdragon04 writes:
"Brain pleasure centers became progressively less responsive in rats fed a diet of high-fat, high-calorie food, a new study has found. As the changes occurred, the rats developed compulsive overeating habits — and became obese. The overeating continued even when it meant the rats had to endure an unpleasant consequence (a mild foot shock) in order to consume the food."
5602995
submission
pdragon04 writes:
Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland have found that robots equipped with artificial neural networks and programmed to find "food" eventually learned to conceal their visual signals from other robots to keep the food for themselves. The results are detailed in a PNAS study published today.
4886169
submission
pdragon04 writes:
From the article, "As the threat of global warming grows more urgent, a few scientists are considering radical--and possibly extremely dangerous--schemes for reengineering the climate by brute force. Their ideas are technologically plausible and quite cheap. So cheap, in fact, that a rich and committed environmentalist could act on them tomorrow. And that's the scariest part."
4875875
submission
pdragon04 writes:
In not quite so surprising news, direct-to-consumer genetic testing isn't predicting diseases as well as they claim. "...Collins, who played a central role in the Human Genome Project and is rumored to be the next head of the National Institutes of Health, announced at the Consumer Genetics Conference in Boston last week that he had had his genome analyzed by the big three of direct-to-consumer genetic testing: 23andMe, Navigenics, and DecodeMe. Collins said that sequence-wise, the tests "appear to be highly accurate": there were almost no differences in the genotype information generated in the three different analyses. But there were significant differences in the numbers of genetic variations used to calculate disease risk, as well as the final risk score."
4834537
submission
pdragon04 writes:
From the Article, "Through education Dr. Steven C. Schlozman is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Education. He is also an avid sci-fi and horror fan — and, apparently, the world's leading authority on the neurobiology of the living dead ... He conducted extensive research by talking with George Romero and immersing himself in genre literature and memorabilia — which is why the alternate title for his lecture is "A Way Cool Tax Deduction for a Bunch of Cool Books, Action Figures and a Movie." "
