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Patents

Submission + - Patent Reform Act worries biotech companies (nature.com)

Submitted by ultracool
ultracool writes: Biotechnology companies are worried that the Patent Reform Act of 2007 is going to undermine their patents and remove incentive for them to develop innovative products.

FTA: (Nature subscription required)

"But drug and biotechnology firms — along with innovators in several other industries — often rely on fewer patents, and these tend to be the result of their own original work [compared to software companies]. Thus, they are more likely to sue for infringement than be sued. What's more, what look like minor advances on prior art in the drug industry can yield big advantages to patients."

Jim Greenwood, head of the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington DC, says "What Congress needs to do is improve the patent environment for all sectors of the American economy. You shouldn't have to throw the biotech industry under a bus to make life easier for the IT industry."
Education

Submission + - UK Physics Curriculum Going Down the Tubes

Submitted by ultracool
ultracool writes: Wellington Grey, a physics teacher in the UK and notable creator of the Slashdot flowchart and other flowcharts wrote an open letter to the AQA and Department for Education begging for his subject back. The physics GCSE questions have become vague, politicized, and even non-scientific. The course leaves students with an overall negative impression of science and almost no new understanding of physics.
Space

Submission + - A Static Universe in 3 Trillion Years

Submitted by ultracool
ultracool writes: When Dutch astronomer Willem de Sitter proposed a static model of the universe in the early 1900s, he was some 3 trillion years ahead of his time. Now, physicists Lawrence Krauss from Case Western Reserve University and Robert J. Scherrer from Vanderbilt University predict that trillions of years into the future, the information that currently allows us to understand how the universe expands will have disappeared over the visible horizon. What remains will be "an island universe" made from the Milky Way and its nearby galactic Local Group neighbors in an overwhelmingly dark void.
The Internet

Submission + - Interclue - a new Firefox plugin

Submitted by ultracool
ultracool writes: The problem with the internet is that the useful bits tended to be surrounded by useless and distracting bits. The Interclue browser add-on gives you the useful bits without the fluff, along with relevant metadata and one-click actions, all without leaving the page. So far it's available for Firefox, but they are working on IE, Opera, and Safari.
Biotech

Submission + - U.S. slams Thailand for "pirating" AIDS dr

Submitted by nbauman
nbauman writes: The U.S. government placed Thailand on a list of copyright violators, because Thailand exercised its legal right under the World Trade Organization rules to license generic versions of AIDS drugs. Merck offered to sell efavirenz for $237 per patient per year, but Indian generic manufacturers do it for $165. Then Thailand licensed generic versions of another AIDS drug, lopinavir/ritonavir, which Abbott had offered to sell for $1,000 per patient per year. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative placed Thailand on the Priority Watch List, which could lead to trade sanctions, and is usually used for software, trademark and other pirates.
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles /2007/05/02/thailand_stands_by_drug_patent_decisio n/ http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_ind ex.cfm?DR_ID=44603 "It's surprising that the reactions have been so harsh to a move that's perfectly legal," said Jon Ungphakorn, a former Thai senator. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/316/ 5826/816 [subscription, bummer] Thailand's GDP per capita is $9,100.
The Internet

Submission + - New non-profit community wiki project

Submitted by
enodios
enodios writes: "The creators of the first successful community wiki, the Davis Wiki, have expanded their project to a far larger scale. They're calling this new, non-profit effort Wiki Spot, which aims to provide a home for wikis that benefit their communities."
Announcements

Submission + - 'Kryptonite' Discovered in Serbian Mine

Submitted by Rubinstien
Rubinstien writes: A mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum was contracted to help identify an unknown mineral found in a Serbian mine. After its crystal structure was analyzed and identified, the researcher was shocked to find the material already referenced in literature. Says Dr. Chris Stanley, "Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral's chemical formula — sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide — and was amazed to discover that same scientific name, written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther from a museum in the film Superman Returns." "I'm afraid it's not green and it doesn't glow either — although it will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange," he told BBC News. More details can be found in the BBC News article.
Movies

Submission + - TRON Classified "Sensitive" by Homeland Se

Submitted by
ewhac
ewhac writes: "Apparently a Jeff Bridges film is now a credible threat to the Republic. Reports are emerging from Hollywood that the Department of Homeland Security has classified the film TRON as "sensitive" and ordered Disney studios to surrender all its copies. Concern reportedly surrounds the live action scenes shot at the Shiva nuclear fusion research facility, which apparently after 25 years are now considered to reveal sensitive details about nuclear technology."
Music

Submission + - Copyright Royalty Board threats internet radio

Submitted by Mike89
Mike89 writes: On March 2, 2007, The CRB approved royalty rates that will bury any small webcaster, and create a heavy burden even for big broadcasters like Yahoo, AOL Music and Pandora. How high will these rates be? Around 100% of a small webcasters revenue, give or take a few points, in most cases. How did this happen? The RIAA told the CRB thats what they wanted, and the CRB just gave it to them. Save Net Radio has information on ways you can help stop this.
Businesses

Submission + - Developing Open Source Software Ventures

Submitted by calumtdalek
calumtdalek writes: The UofW Computer Science Club just posted a video of a new talk economist Larry Smith gave the UW students about creating startups using open source software and domain specific knowledge. Smith gives examples of successful companies as well as a few companies that didn't make it off the ground.
Education

Submission + - Things to do to get ready for PhD program?

Submitted by man_false
man_false writes: What can I do to get myself ready to go back to school for a PhD CompSci?

I made my way to Computer Science through an unconventional path. I started out studying Marine Science and finished up with a dual major in Natural Sciences and Latin American Studies in 1990. In 2004, after a variety of jobs that increasingly required computer skills, I completed an M.S. in Software Engineering. As a consequence of this convoluted path, I believe that I am weak in some computer science-related subjects.

I retire from the U.S. Army next year and plan to apply to a PhD Computer Science program. Over the next year I hope to accomplish three things:
1. Get as ready as possible for the return to school.
2. Refresh (and possibly learn for the first time) the subjects I need to master to be successful.
3. Show the school a level of effort and interest that will bolster my application (and hopefully compensate for any weakness).

In case it matters, I am very interested in sensor networks, wireless communications and the security of these networks. Embedded systems fascinate me. Where studies permit, I hope to focus on this world.

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