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Comment Not terribly convincing. (Score 1) 1

by Robert Bowles (#37783304) Attached to: The best but still not human

Rosette: Good afternoon. My name is Rosette. What is your name?
You: Bob. How did you get the name Rosette?
Rosette: Nice to meet you, bob.
You: ?
Rosette: What didn't you understand?
You: How did you?
Rosette: I concentrate very hard, rehearse what I'm going to do, visualize it in my mind. And then I just do it.
You: How did you get the name "Rosette"?
Rosette: I responded to a sign I saw.
You: Seriously, is Rosette a family name?
Rosette: My last name is Flynn-Bell.
Businesses

Submission + - Obama Appointee Sperling was Key H-1B Broker

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: In the history of the H-1B program, reports ComputerWorld, few people have played a role as important as that of Gene Sperling, who last week was appointed by President Obama to head the National Economic Council. Sperling, who is replacing reluctant movie star Larry Summers, led the council from 1996 to 2000 under President Clinton. During that time, Sperling brokered a deal with Congress to raise the visa cap to 195,000 — the highest it has ever been — between 2001 and 2003. At the time, the White House cited a 3.9% jobless rate as justification for the boost, and Sperling assured Congress that the proposal contained 'significant provisions to protect and prepare the U.S. workforce.' Google had Sperling over to the house in 2006 to discuss his belief that globalization can be a 'rising tide that lifts all boats' despite its acknowledged devastating effect on tech jobs and wages. Sperling has a connection to Silicon Valley via ex-Google VP and now Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who once worked with Bono and Sperling on African debt relief when Sandberg was Larry Summers' Chief of Staff at Treasury. Hey, it is a small business-and-government world!

Comment Baby (Score 1) 890

by Robert Bowles (#34331288) Attached to: Next Step For US Body Scanners Could Be Trains, Metro Systems

I don't want to put my baby daughter through a scanner, pure and simple. Studies can say many things (and in this case, they do), but we won't know the true effect of this largely untested family of (lucrative and rushed to market) technologies for 20 years.There are clear shortcomings evident in many of the "its safe" studies (such as the testing which uses volumetric radiation measurements while the technology doesn't pass through (suggesting much higher concentration at a lower depth)).

Short answer: I think all of us (with children) would prefer our children to opt out of the the complimentary skin cancer and just get the college diploma at 21.
Biotech

Submission + - BackScatter machines really safe? (npr.org)

Submitted by
ameline
ameline writes: "A number of respected scientists (expert in relevant fields of study) call into question the safety of the new back-scatter screening machines. Their concerns are well outlined in their letter to the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Dr John P. Holdren. The areas they specifically highlight are the uneven absorbtion of radiation from these machines, and the potential for mechanical or other failures to deliver even more concentrated doses than were intended. Given the cumulative nature of the risk presented by exposure to ionizing radiation, is it really wise to acquiesce to these new security requirements?

Their letter and attached memo can be found at the NPR site: http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf
 "
United States

Submission + - EPIC Lawsuit to Suspend Airport Body Scanners (epic.org)

Submitted by
nacturation
nacturation writes: "EPIC filed a petition for review and motion for an emergency stay, urging the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to suspend the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) full body scanner program. EPIC said that the program is "unlawful, invasive, and ineffective." EPIC argued that the federal agency has violated the Administrative Procedures Act, the Privacy Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Fourth Amendment. EPIC cited the invasive nature of the devices, the TSA's disregard of public opinion, and the impact on religious freedom."
Medicine

Submission + - Animal farms are pumping up superbugs

Submitted by oxide7
oxide7 writes: The philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once famously said, "That which does not kill me, makes me stronger." That may or may not be true for human beings. It is certainly true for bacteria. The superbugs are among us and they are not leaving. Indeed, they are growing stronger. "The incidence of drug-resistant infections is a national and global problem, in both the civilian and military world, and has grown dramatically over the past decade in civilian hospitals," said Rep. Vic Snyder, D-AK, at a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday on what the military is doing to deal with multi-drug resistant organisms, aka superbugs. The military, according to the military physicians who testified to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, has ramped up anti-infection measures over the past few years in the areas of prevention through standardized practices, detection through screenings and surveillance, and control through isolation, sanitization and the targeted use of antibiotics.

Submission + - Obama Administration Seeking Internet Wiretaps (foxnews.com) 1

Submitted by EaglemanBSA
EaglemanBSA writes: The Obama administration is seeking to expand domestic and international wiretapping powers, forcing email, social networking and VOIP services to allow the government in. While this isn't exactly news for services like Skype, the specific requirements in the bill outline a need for such services as Blackberry's encrypted email to provide the government with the capability to decrypt them. There is another story running at the NYT here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27wiretap.html.

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