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Reading it, you'd think this would stop the theists from repeatedly dragging the man unwillingly into their camp; but since this well-known remark...

"It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it

...didn't do it... somehow, I doubt this new letter will, either, clear as it may be.

Hugh Pickens writes "Individual nano-size building blocks such as nanotubes, nanosheets and nanorods are ultrastrong but scientists have had difficulty transferring the strength of individual nanosheets to the entire material. Now researchers at the University of Michigan have created a new composite plastic made of layers of clay nanosheets and a water-soluble polymer with a machine they developed that builds materials layer by layer like mother of pearl, one of the toughest natural mineral-based materials. The layers are stacked like bricks, in an alternating pattern. "When you have a brick-and-mortar structure, any cracks are blunted by each interface," explained Nicholas Kotov adding that further development could lead to lighter, stronger armor for soldiers or police and their vehicles and could also be used in microelectromechanical devices, microfluidics, biomedical sensors and valves and unmanned aircraft."

mgoldberg writes "With news that TJX — they of the biggest data breach publicized so far — has advertised for a new IT security architect manager, veteran journalist Scott Berinato asks Is TJX Getting Its Act Together? The job description, breathtaking in its goals for protecting the company's information systems, sounds like the equal and opposite reaction to the breach that caused tens of millions of lost customer transaction records, and an embarrassing string of corporate announcements. No salary is listed, but if you're interested, expect to work many late nights."
http://advice.cio.com/scott_berinato/is_tjx_getting_its_act_together

The two closely related bird species, the collared flycatcher and the pied flycatcher, can reproduce with each other, but the females are more strongly attracted to a male of their own species. This discovery, published in Science, sheds new light on how new species are formed.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071005092723.htm

Current food labeling leads to under-consumption of calcium, according to this study. Those who were taught how to translate the information consumed more. Researchers believe the same is true for other beneficial nutrients.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071005092729.htm

An anonymous reader writes ""Apache/2.2.3 (Ubuntu) PHP/5.2.1 Server at www.foxnews.com Port 80""

Six US teams vie to create the most sophisticated "LittleDog" - a prototype robotic helper for military personnel

http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?i=a878f8d4518b1456a0b8d7da7975116a

The Get 1, Give 1 promotion for the $100 laptop is very tempting.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9783640-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Maximum Prophet writes "Programmers and System Administrators typically don't get overtime. A law firm based in Nevada is looking to stand up for white-collar workers around the country, trying to reverse decades-old (and incorrect) thinking about what it means to work in an office. 'Computer workers of various stripes, for example, have commonly not been paid for their extra hours ... But under California law, the exemption applies only for workers whose primary function involves "the exercise of discretion and independent judgment." In numerous lawsuits, Thierman and other plaintiffs' attorneys have alleged that legions of systems engineers, help desk staff, and customer service personnel do no such thing. Of programmers, Thierman says, "Yes, they get to pick whatever code they want to write, but they don't tell you what the program does ... All they do is implement someone else's desires.'"

Diamonddavej writes "ABC News has a report about a start up company, Pudding Media, that has devised a new way of making money on the internet. It has developed speech-recognition software that listens in on VoIP calls and displays banner ads related to key words spoken in conversations. The initial trial of the software goes live today on http://www.thepudding.com/ . Users can now register for a VoIP service that provides free calls to the US and Canada, paid by banner ads generated by speech-recognition. The company does not want to offer a free VoIP service but hopes to license their speech-recognition software to other VoIP companies. Their service is not compatible with Firefox."
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3641249

The Carbon Disclosure Project, a collaboration of over 315 institutional investors managing more than $41 trillion of assets, releases new global reports, the largest and most comprehensive database of strategies from the world's largest corporations regarding the impact of climate change on shareholder value.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070924072431.htm

To a person with a pollen allergy, an 18-acre ragweed field sounds like a sneezy, red-eyed zone of misery. But to two environmental engineering researchers, the parcel presented a rare and valuable opportunity to learn how the troublesome weeds grow, reproduce and scatter their pollen under varying weather conditions.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070924104603.htm

GiantHaystacks writes "The BBC reports that the XO '$100 laptop' is to be sold to the American public in November. The laptop in question is a waterproof machine which can be powered by solar, foot-pump or pull-string chargers. It will be sold under a scheme called G1G1, or "Get 1 Give 1". For $399 an American consumer will be able to buy two of the laptops, with one being sent to them and the other being donated to a needy child in the Third World. But don't blink, because the program will only be open for 2 weeks."