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Editorial

Submission + - An inconvenient study?

Submitted by lego_boy_aus
lego_boy_aus writes:
Climate scientists at the University of Rochester, the University of Alabama, and the University of Virginia report that observed patterns of temperature changes ('fingerprints' ) over the last thirty years are not in accord with what greenhouse models predict and can better be explained by natural factors, such as solar variability...

The report is published in the December 2007 issue of the International Journal of Climatology of the Royal Meteorological Society...

Lead author David Douglass said: "The observed pattern of warming, comparing surface and atmospheric temperature trends, does not show the characteristic fingerprint associated with greenhouse warming. The inescapable conclusion is that the human contribution is not significant and that observed increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases make only a negligible contribution to climate warming."

Co-author John Christy said: "Satellite data and independent balloon data agree that atmospheric warming trends do not exceed those of the surface. Greenhouse models, on the other hand, demand that atmospheric trend values be 2-3 times greater. We have good reason, therefore, to believe that current climate models greatly overestimate the effects of greenhouse gases. Satellite observations suggest that GH models ignore negative feedbacks, produced by clouds and by water vapor, that diminish the warming effects of carbon dioxide."

Particularly in view of the current Bali talks, this would have to be an "incovenient study".

The Abstract for this is available on the website.
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Russian scambot passes Turing Test?

Submitted by UbuntuDupe
UbuntuDupe writes: CNet reports that a chatterbot has been extracting personal information by pretending to flirt in Russian chatrooms — information that could be used for identity theft. Apparently, its flirting is realistic enough to make people want to share that information, as if it were a real human flirter. From the article:

A program that can mimic online flirtation and then extract personal information from its unsuspecting conversation partners is making the rounds in Russian chat forums, according to security software firm PC Tools.

The artificial intelligence of CyberLover's automated chats is good enough that victims have a tough time distinguishing the "bot" from a real potential suitor, PC Tools said. The software can work quickly too, establishing up to 10 relationships in 30 minutes, PC Tools said. It compiles a report on every person it meets complete with name, contact information, and photos.

"As a tool that can be used by hackers to conduct identity fraud, CyberLover demonstrates an unprecedented level of social engineering," PC Tools senior malware analyst Sergei Shevchenko said in a statement.
Via Marginal Revolution.
The Courts

Submission + - Supreme Court upholds White House faith program (cnn.com)

Submitted by
The Spoonman
The Spoonman writes: "In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court struck a blow against freedom of religion (which implies freedom FROM religion) in the U.S. The conservatively stacked court stated "taxpayers did not have "standing" to challenge in court the discretionary spending authority of the executive branch for its Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives." So much for "of the people, by the people, for the people"."
Education

Submission + - Pavlov's cockroaches, they drool from memory (msn.com)

Submitted by
Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: "Japanese researchers discovered that a cockroach's olfactory senses are sharp and they have memories like that of a dog. When the scientists exposed the filthy, disgusting roaches to an odor while feeding them sugar, and then later gave them a whiff of the odor without the food, the bugs drooled. Another set of cockroaches that weren't exposed to the odor when they ate, did nothing when they were exposed to the same smell later. '"Understanding the brain mechanism of learning in insects can help us to understand the functionings in the human brain. There are many, many common characteristics,"' one scientist said in a telephone interview with Reuters."
Enlightenment

Submission + - Professor is denied tenure for criticizing Israel.

Submitted by pasha2891
pasha2891 writes: Finkelstein, son of holocaust survivors and outspoken critic of oppressive Israeli policy in Palestine, has come under attack from detractors like Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who seeks to silence critics of Israel and has successfully interfered in internal DePaul tenure processes. Despite being in the midst of their hectic finals-week and upcoming graduation, student leaders are currently sacrificing their time by occupying the Executive Offices of DePaul University indefinitely until their demands for the tenure of Professors Finkelstein and Larudee are met. Link to protest site.
Censorship

Submission + - Church of England Chastises Sony (physorg.com)

Submitted by
eldavojohn
eldavojohn writes: "The game "Resistance: Fall of Man" has been called sick & sacreligious by the Church of England due to a point in the game in which rival gunmen kill hundreds inside Manchester cathedral. The Church of England said that Sony did not ask for permission to use the cathedral in their game and demanded an apology. The bishop of Manchester is quoted as saying, "It is well known that Manchester has a gun crime problem. For a global manufacturer to recreate one of our great cathedrals with photorealistic quality and then encourage people to have gunbattles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible." A representative for Sony said a formal letter of apology will be sent Monday."
It's funny. Laugh.

Journal Journal: A Non-Terminal Problem With Wikipedia 3

Journal by eldavojohn
At the risk of referring you to SomethingAwful, there is an article that drew my interest in that it points out a problem with Wikipedia. Although the beloved open encyclopedia has overcome many problems of graffiti and defamation, there are subtler problems with it--like the fact that the entry on Modern Warfare pales in comparison to the entry on
Privacy

Submission + - 14-yr-old girl's self portrait stolen for porn DVD

Submitted by
titaniumdoughnut
titaniumdoughnut writes: "14 year old girl's self portrait stolen from Flickr and used as cover for porn DVD "Body Magic." TVX Films refuses to acknowledge infringement, claiming to have purchased the image from an unknown stock company and business partner of 25 years, and later blames girl (now 17) for putting her photo on Flickr in the first place. U.S. lawyers requesting £50,000 to take up case.

From TVX Films agent: "I'M SURE BY THE END OF THE MONTH YOUR FACE WILL BE HISTORY ... WE HAVE FURTHER CHECKED OUT YOUR NAME AND ITS NOT LIKE IT'S A HOUSE WHOLE NAME. ACTUALLY, REMOVING YOUR IMAGE WILL HELP IMPROVE THE SELL OF THE DVD..... SO FAR IT BOMBED ... AS FOR COMPSENSATION;YOUR SILLY!"

The DVD continues to be sold and marketed with the photo in question attached. DVD info claims that all models featured are over 18."
Slashdot.org

Submission + - Hard drive failure greater thant vendor estimates.

Submitted by
Agent2592
Agent2592 writes: "Here is a very interesting article on a study about hard drive failure. Notable from the article: -Hard drive failure rate is much higher that what the vendors suggest -SCSI/FC discs ("server class"), contrary to common perception DO NOT have a significant advantage over PATA/SATA ("desktop class") when it comes to failure rate. -Operating temperature and failure rate DO NOT have a significant correlation. In other words discs kept at a lower operating temperature fail just as much. (RAPID & frequent temperature change do have an impact) -There is NO reliable predictor of failure. (SMART included)"
Space

Submission + - NASA Focuses Launch Efforts on Virtual Island

Submitted by
theodp
theodp writes: "Speaking as avatar 'Simon Pete Raymaker' until repeated crashes forced him back into the real world, NASA Director Simon Pete Worden announced that the Ames Research Center has launched an island in Second Life, which will allow the public to take part in future missions to Mars. 'This is not your father's space program,' Worden said. NASA joins other government agencies that have jumped on the Second Life bandwagon, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health and its National Library of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. No word if the efforts are funded by real or virtual tax dollars."
Wii

Submission + - Rejected WiiPlay Games - Comedy Video

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Short comedy video about the games Nintendo decided not to include in WiiPlay, complete with 3D Miis doing a variety of silly things.
Robotics

Submission + - Robotic Ecologies

Submitted by
Roland Piquepaille
Roland Piquepaille writes: "The University of Virginia (UVA) School of Architecture has started a new program about 'robotic ecologies' which wants to answer the question: Will robots take over architecture? As said the program leader, 'This research is not just about architectural machines that move. It is about groups of architectural machines that move with intelligence.' Apparently, buildings tracking our movements and adapting their shape or texture according human presence are not far fetched. Maybe one day, we'll talk to our homes and they'll answer... Read more for additional details and a picture of Super Galaxy, 'a high-rise apartment complex that's constantly in motion and responds to the needs of its inhabitants.'"

Feed The Magnetic Brain Stimulator Will See You Now (wired.com)

From feed by wiredfeed
Psychiatrists are optimistic about the potential of a new therapy for treating tough cases of depression. Transcranial magnetic stimulation delivers a pulse to the gray matter and it could come to market as soon as the end of the year.


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