Comment How long was I asleep? (Score 1) 344
Is it April 1st already?
Comment Mod parent up (Score 1) 175
This is a fact that a lot of people don't seem to care enough about.
I am a freelance writer. Most of the time, I contract with my newspaper to sell a stories (and the rights thereto) to that one publication. Yet when I search for myself on Google these days, I find more and more links to the full text of my articles on Web sites with names like "freebizarticlessourcedestination.com" (* not sure if that's a real site; I use that name purely for example).
And, more and more often, my name shows up attached to the story without the name of the publication.
Seeing this on some guy's shill site irks me, even though legally it's not my problem - I sold the rights to that story, it's the newspaper's story now. Even so, this reflects on me when it appears I may have written this story for the site in question. I don't write "content" for Web sites; I write for newspapers as a freelance journalist. And I don't like the thought of my work being plagiarized or repackaged, in general, although at this point the money is less of an issue than the annoyance of it being taken out of context.
Comment That's only 75 percent (Score 2, Interesting) 368
And the remaining 25% ...
Comment GOP will never choose Mars... (Score 1) 508
Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids.
In fact, it's cold as hell.
In fact, it's cold as hell.
Submission + - Teen unlocks iPhone from AT&T network
H_Fisher writes: "The Associated Press reports that a New Jersey teenager has managed to unlock the iPhone from AT&T's network. From TFA: " George Hotz of Glen Rock, N.J., confirmed Friday that he had unlocked an iPhone and was using it on T-Mobile's network, the only major U.S. carrier apart from AT&T that is compatible with the iPhone's cellular technology." The 'proof' — a video showing the TMobile logo on Hotz's iPhone — and the directions for the hack were posted on Hotz's blog. According to the AP: "Both hacks leave intact the iPhone's many functions, including a built-in camera and the ability to access Wi-Fi networks.""
Submission + - Mitochondria may hold secret to preventing death
H_Fisher writes: "Research into mitochondria — small parts within a cell that have their own DNA — are a cause of cellular death, Newsweek reports. The article from the most recent edition of the magazine, entitled "The Science of Death: Reviving the Dead," reports on people who have recovered from sudden death due to cardiac arrest through the use of medically-induced hypothermia. The cooling process may help stop the death of brain and heart cells caused by the mitochondria once they are deprived of oxygen. The next step: figuring out how to keep the brain from dying, and arguing for or against "the view that the mind is more than the sum of the parts of the brain, and can exist outside it.""
Comment Misread ... (Score 1) 1
For a second, I thought I read "a meth lab in your cell phone," and wondered if Kevin Federline's rap album had been made into ringtones
In all seriousness, I could see this sort of program (on a phone or other small-scale wireless device) becoming a tool for people who work in technical fields. The only problem is, there is likely to be a disconnect between the people who aren't afraid of trusting a cellphone for complex operations (i.e. graphing) and those who are still lugging around a TI-81 from the mid-'90s, or one of its decendants. Cellphones might work well for casual mathematics, but who really needs to graph something while out shopping or waiting in line at the bank?
Submission + - A math lab in your cell phone 1
Roland Piquepaille writes: "As most of us are using cell phones today, Israeli scientists have decided to put a math lab in your pocket. They developed a library of math modules which can be installed on almost cell phones available today. So you'll be able to see graphs or solve equations on your phone while on a train or a bus ride. You'll also be able to send graphs or formulas by SMS to other students — and to send the results of your exercises to your teacher. Did I mention you can download these applications for free? But read more for additional details and a look at one of the Math4Mobile applications."
Feed Techdirt: Clear Channel Shows RIAA A Non-Infringing Use Of File-Sharing Networks (techdirt.com)
A few years back, while the RIAA was trying to shut down file-sharing networks, it regularly claimed that there were no non-infringing uses of them -- though that claim was undermined by the fact that the music industry regularly uses data from such networks for market research purposes. Perhaps because of this, the RIAA's quieted down a bit on this front, and shifted its legal strategy to sue its customers instead. Now, in a move that will probably raise the ire of the RIAA, a unit of radio giant Clear Channel is now selling file-sharing data to radio stations to help them shape their playlists. Clear Channel's Premiere Radio Networks Mediabase unit is marketing the data from BigChampagne, the company that's been tracking file-sharing for some time. The RIAA, despite its general distaste for file-sharing, seems to have been largely content to let BigChampagne operate quietly and make a business on the back of the P2P networks the group has tried to shut down; it's not clear if Clear Channel getting involved will change that. What's interesting to note, though, is that Clear Channel and the RIAA might be heading for a collision course, should this development rub it the wrong way. While the two camps are seen by many people to share an anti-consumer ideology, the two are increasingly at odds as their financial concerns butt heads. First was Clear Channel's unhappiness with new webcasting royalty rates, then the RIAA's demand that radio stations pay royalties for promoting its members' music. Could profiting from a non-infringing use of P2P networks represent further escalation between the two?
Submission + - New Form of Googlebombing: The "Link Prank" (zug.com)
et_phone_home writes: Googlebombing has raised its head again, now disguised as a "link prank."
Will be interesting to watch results for the phrase "Chinese Tattoo Prank" on Google if this meme catches on. Will the prank itself rank first, or the page explaining the prank?
If the latter, doesn't that defeat the point of the prank, and doesn't Google win?
Doesn't Google ALWAYS win?
Will be interesting to watch results for the phrase "Chinese Tattoo Prank" on Google if this meme catches on. Will the prank itself rank first, or the page explaining the prank?
If the latter, doesn't that defeat the point of the prank, and doesn't Google win?
Doesn't Google ALWAYS win?
Submission + - AMD invest $7.5M in Transmeta (yahoo.com)
trouserless writes: AMD just made a `strategic investment' in Transmeta to the tune of $7.5M. Does this mean possible re-naming? HyperTranmesa?? I wonder what Linus thinks of this investment?
Journal Journal: Half-squid, half-octopus discovered off Hawaii 170
An apparent "octosquid", with eight arms and a squid-like mantle, was discovered off Hawaii. The creature, of a previously unknown species, was trapped in the net covering a 3,000 foot-deep intake tube for the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. (Link via Cryptomundo)
Both Sides of the PS3 Price Cut Rumor 257
So here's the deal: Kotaku has a flier for an upcoming Circuit City deal on the PlayStation 3, putting the price at $499. There's some confusion about whether this is just a sale from Circuit City, or an actual price drop from Sony. Next Generation has Sony saying 'no', indicating that this isn't a sign of an across-the-board price cut. Meanwhile, GameDaily says 'yes', with sources in the retail industry indicating this is the price adjustment we've heard coming for a while now. "As it turns out, a merchandising manager (who wished to remain anonymous) at one of the world's biggest retailers has confirmed to GameDaily BIZ that the price drop is indeed retail-wide and it's scheduled to take place on July 12, although the first wave of ads to promote the PS3's new price won't kick in until Sunday, July 15. Many analysts have speculated that Sony would drop the price on the expensive console this year, and some even predicted that it could happen this summer. It's starting to look like they were right. We're sure to find out much more next week when Sony holds its press conference at E3." Luckily we won't have to wait long to see what's the real story here.
Submission + - Germany passes "Anti-Hacker" law
RotHorseKid writes: German legislators have just passed the much-dreaded "Hacker Paragraph", which essentially says that all software that can potentially used as a "Hacker Tool" is outlawed. Somehow these IT-savvy legislators missed the fact that most of these tools are also used for intrusion detection. So, essentially all german Security Consultants, Network Administrators and other users of intrusion detection software are halfway in jail now.
Feed Science Daily: Insight Into Neural Stem Cells Has Implications For Designing Therapies (sciencedaily.com)
Scientists have discovered that adult neural stem cells, which exist in the brain throughout life, are not a single, homogeneous group. Instead, they are a diverse group of cells, each capable of giving rise to specific types of neurons. The finding, the team says, significantly shifts the perspective on how these cells could be used to develop cell-based brain therapies.
