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Media

Lack of Manpower May Kill VLC For Mac 398

Posted by timothy
from the vlc-generally-rocks dept.
plasmacutter writes "The Video Lan dev team has recently come forward with a notice that the number of active developers for the project's MacOS X releases has dropped to zero, prompting a halt in the release schedule. There is now a disturbing possibility that support for Mac will be dropped as of 1.1.0. As the most versatile and user-friendly solution for bridging the video compatibility gap between OS X and windows, this will be a terrible loss for the Mac community. There is still hope, however, if the right volunteers come forward."
Media

Largest prehistoric snake on record discovered in ->

Submitted by minimen
minimen writes "Scientists have recovered fossils of a 60-million-year-old South American snake. Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis by its discoverers, the size of the snake's vertebrae suggest it weighed 1140 kg (2,500 pounds) and measured 13 meters (42.7 feet) nose to tail tip. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest snake ever measured was 10 meters (33 feet) in length. The heaviest snake, a python, weighed 183 kilograms (403 pounds)."
Link to Original Source
Announcements

Fossil Remains Show Snake Was 42 Feet Long

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes "Titanoboa, an ancient snake that lived in the rain forest of Columbia nearly 60 million years ago was once 42 feet long — the length of a bus. The snake weighing more than a ton, greatly outweighs any snake on our Earth toady with Anaconda's reaching only 550lbs. The fossilized remains were flown to the University of Florida for analysis by Jonathon Bloch, an expert in prehistoric vertebrates. "I just about screamed. It was about as wide as a man's hand. The vertebra of a 17ft-long anaconda is only slightly more than an inch wide'."
Social Networks

Researcher Says Social Networks Link Terrorists 212

Posted by samzenpus
from the you-have-a-terrorist-request dept.
An anonymous reader writes "At the International Conference on Cyber Security 2009 in New York, Evan Kohlmann, a senior investigator and private consultant for Global Terror Alert, claimed that a new breed of terrorists are using online forums to recruit people who align themselves with the mission of Al Qaeda, creating global networks of would-be terrorists."
Earth

Scientists Build Neonatal Incubator from Car Parts

Submitted by
Peace Corps Online
Peace Corps Online writes "Madeline Drexler reported an interesting story earlier this month in the NY Times about a group of scientists who have built a neonatal incubator out of automobile parts including a pair of headlights as a heat source, a car door alarm to signal emergencies, and an auto air filter and fan to provide climate control. The creators of the car parts incubator — a project being promoted by the Global Health Initiative at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology say an incubator found in neonatal intensive care units in the United States costs about $40,000 or more, but the incubator that they have developed can be built for less than $1,000. One expert says as many as 1.8 million infants might be spared every year if they could spend just a week in the units, which help babies who are born early or at low birth weights regulate their body temperature until their organs fully develop. "It's so frustrating to see these preventable deaths," says Dr. Kristian Olson. "They won't name babies in Aceh, Indonesia, until they're two months old. It's a cultural adaptation to expect a death." Experts say in developing countries where infant mortality is most common, high-tech machines donated by richer nations often conk out when the electricity fizzles or is restricted to conserve power. "The future medical technologists in the developing world," says Robert Malkin, director of Engineering World Health, "are the current car mechanics, HVAC repairmen, bicycle shop repairmen. There is no other good source of technology-savvy individuals to take up the future of medical device repair and maintenance.""
Image

Nobel Winner Says Internet Might Have Stopped Hitler 290

Posted by samzenpus
from the what-can't-it-do dept.
There can be little doubt that the internet has changed everyday life for the better, but Nobel literature prize winner Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio has upped the ante by saying an earlier introduction of information technology could even have prevented World War II. "Who knows, if the Internet had existed at the time, perhaps Hitler's criminal plot would not have succeeded — ridicule might have prevented it from ever seeing the light of day," he said. I have to agree with him. If England had been able to send a "Stop Hitler Now!" petition to 10 friendly countries, those countries could have each sent it to 10 more friendly countries before the invasion of Poland, and one of history's greatest tragedies might have been averted.
Communications

Verizon Wireless to buy Alltel for $28B->

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes "Matt Hamblen reports that Verizon Wireless has officially announced an agreement to purchase Alltel for $28.1 billion, which would make the new company the largest wireless carrier in the U.S. with 80 million subscribers. The deal will undoubtedly provoke scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice, they acknowledge. Who loses? 'This [deal] is another nail in the coffin for Sprint," said Michael Voellinger, an analyst at Telwares in Parsippany, N.J. 'Alltel is a highly valuable and strategic roaming partner to the top four providers, and this acquisition would put long-term pressure on pricing and terms of those arrangements.'"
Link to Original Source
First Person Shooters (Games)

Jack Thompson sues for Omaha shooter videogames->

Submitted by
KlomDark
KlomDark writes "Omaha's KETV reports that our "good buddy" Jack Thompson is suing Omaha's police chief in connection with the Von Maur shootings. Attorney Jack Thompson said he wants to find out whether Robert Hawkins, 19, played any violent video games. Hawkins shot eight people to death, then killed himself at Von Maur on Dec. 5.

Well, he definitely played the ultimate first person shooter."

Link to Original Source
Music

RIAA Announces New Campus Lawsuit Strategy

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "The RIAA is once again revising their lawsuit strategy, and will now be sending college students and others "pre-lawsuit letters." People will now be able to settle for a discount. How nice."

Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well. -- Aristotle

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