Comment: So long and Thanks for all the Fish (Score 1) 1521
The subject says it all Rob. As another poster noted -- from a guy you never met, we wish you well and will miss you.
As an aside, with 'Taco gone, what will the default poll option be??!
Snails On Methamphetamine 93
Posted
by
samzenpus
from the escargot-on-ice dept.
from the escargot-on-ice dept.
sciencehabit writes "Science answers the question: What happens when you put a snail on speed? From the article: 'The results suggest that meth improves memory, something that has been previously observed in creatures with large, complex brains like rats and humans. But since the snails store their memories in a simple, three-neuron network, the team hopes that studying the meth effect in these gastropods will help pinpoint how the drug's memory magnification powers work.'"
Comment: Re:Obvious. (Score 1) 555
Minor correction.. it's HIPAA, not HIPPA.
Comment: Re:And what's the problem here? (Score 2, Insightful) 826
I'm assuming you're approaching this from a US centric point of view. If not, please ignore.
From a U.S point of view the courts have made it VERY clear that the police, and the state in general do NOT have a duty to protect you (they should, and most try, but it is not a requirement). To quote
" But there is no constitutional right to be protected by the state against being murdered by criminals or madmen. It is monstrous if the state fails to protect its residents against such predators but it does not violate the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or, we suppose, any other provision of the Constitution. The Constitution is a charter of negative liberties; it tells the state to let people alone; it does not require the federal government or the state to provide services, even so elementary a service as maintaining law and order." (Bowers v. DeVito, 1982) see http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/686/686.F2d.616.80-2078.80-1865.html, paragraph 6.
To continue. The state "... does not have an affirmative duty to protect individuals from private third parties" (Gonzales vs. City of Castle Rock, 2004).
If you really want an eye opener on just what the state can get away with not doing in regards to the protection of a private citizen, read the Gonzales vs. Castle Rock opinion. It's read that sounds like a bad "B" movie.
The key part of the Bowers decision, in regards to your argument is "...it does not require the federal government or the state to provide services, even so elementary a service as maintaining law and order" (Bowers v. DeVito, 1982). This doesn't (in my opinion) invalidate your argument, but you'll be hard pressed to argue that a service is, in of itself, a right, rather than a privilege.
One last point, you *DO* have the right "to not be killed by random strangers", but, as the court noted, it is up to you to claim that right. You can have Life, Liberty, and Happiness, but it's up to you to do what is necessary, within the confines of our society, to exercise those rights.
DR Congo Ring May Be Giant Impact Crater 96
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the leaving-a-mark dept.
from the leaving-a-mark dept.
Phrogman writes "The BBC is reporting that deforestation has 'revealed what could be a giant impact crater in Central Africa, scientists say. The 36-46km-wide feature, identified in DR Congo, may be one of the largest such structures discovered in the last decade.' If you search Google Maps for 'Omeonga Democratic Republic of the Congo,' you will be right in the middle of the suspected crater."
Comment: Re:I do it (Score 1) 1324
"You'd be surprised how Internet-savvy homeschool teachers are. They don't often post to
Correct...
Posting unpopular view points to
Mexico Wants Payment For Aztec Images 325
Posted
by
samzenpus
from the montezuma's-latest-revenge dept.
from the montezuma's-latest-revenge dept.
innocent_white_lamb writes "Starbucks brought out a line of cups with prehistoric Aztec images on them. Now the government of Mexico wants them to pay for the use of the images. Does the copyright on an image last hundreds of years?"
PlayStation Network Expanding To Involve Other Devices 63
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the making-toasters-smarter dept.
from the making-toasters-smarter dept.
At CES, Sony's Kaz Hirai confirmed that the company will build out its PlayStation Network for use with other devices, such as televisions, Blu-ray players, and PCs. Quoting:
"... the expansion starts next month with the availability of the PSN video store on these other devices, and Hirai explained they are constructing a mechanism to create a single user ID across the entire network (if you have a PSN account, it's good to go on any other applicable Sony device, and if you create one on another device, it'll work on PSN). And finally, Hirai also announced the formation of a new Sony division — called Sony Network Entertainment, Inc. — to drive this expansion of the PSN service into a Sony-wide network."
Ocean-Crossing Dragonflies Discovered 95
Posted
by
samzenpus
from the incredible-journey dept.
from the incredible-journey dept.
grrlscientist writes "While living and working as a marine biologist in Maldives, Charles Anderson noticed sudden explosions of dragonflies at certain times of year. He explains how he carefully tracked the path of a plain, little dragonfly called the Globe Skimmer, Pantala flavescens, only to discover that it had the longest migratory journey of any insect in the world."
EA Shutting Down Video Game Servers Prematurely 341
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the sixty-dollar-yearly-fee dept.
from the sixty-dollar-yearly-fee dept.
Spacezilla writes "EA is dropping the bomb on a number of their video game servers, shutting down the online fun for many of their Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3 games. Not only is the inclusion of PS3 and Xbox 360 titles odd, the date the games were released is even more surprising. Yes, Madden 07 and 08 are included in the shutdown... but Madden 09 on all consoles as well?"