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Comment Actually it's not a gene, it's a micro RNA. (Score 1) 243

Actually it's not a gene, it's a micro RNA.

A gene is like a blueprint for a protein. This a chunk of DNA that encodes and RNA which in turn up and down regulates other genes. It's not a great metaphor but you might think of it as like the scaffolding used to build a house rather than the blueprints.

Comment Re:Every once in a while someone points a study by (Score 3, Informative) 172

Technically it's an active ingredient in cocoa beans.

In order for it to be good for you, it's necessary to treat the bean differently from the farm to the bar.

You can buy the active ingredient on it's own. And it really is genuinely good for your heart.

http://www.cocoavia.com/

Here's a paper in a peer reviewed journal with some evidence for you:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098299710000774

Wireless Networking

American Cellular Companies Clamor For Fresh Spectrum 103

alphadogg writes "No one will ever say that America's wireless carriers are too proud to beg. This year's Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Wireless trade show in New Orleans seemed less like an industry gathering at times and more like an infomercial dedicated to forcing the government's hand to free up more spectrum. Start with CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent, who dedicated the vast majority of his introductory keynote address to discussing the challenges carriers will face if they don't get fresh spectrum to use within the next few years. Execs from T-Mobile, Verizon and others also beat the drum. Verizon Wireless CEO Dan Mead, for example, said: 'Innovation is at risk today due to the spectrum shortage that we face. If additional spectrum is not available in the near-term, mobile data will exceed capacity by 2015.'"
Communications

Why Creators Should Never Read Their Forums 221

spidweb writes "One full-time Indie developer writes about why he never goes to online forums discussing his work and why he advises other creators to do the same. It's possible to learn valuable things, but the time and the stress just don't justify the effort. From the article, 'Forums contain a cacophony of people telling you to do diametrically opposite things, very loudly, often for bad reasons. There will be plenty of good ideas, but picking them out from the bad ones is unreliable and a lot of work. If you try to make too many people happy at once, you will drive yourself mad. You have to be very, very careful who you let into your head.'"
Games

Game Endings Going Out of Style? 190

An article in the Guardian asks whether the focus of modern games has shifted away from having a clear-cut ending and toward indefinite entertainment instead. With the rise of achievements, frequent content updates and open-ended worlds, it seems like publishers and developers are doing everything they can to help this trend. Quoting: "Particularly before the advent of 'saving,' the completion of even a simple game could take huge amounts of patience, effort and time. The ending, like those last pages of a book, was a key reason why we started playing in the first place. Sure, multiplayer and arcade style games still had their place, but fond 8, 16 and 32-bit memories consist more of completion and satisfaction than particular levels or tricky moments. Over the past few years, however, the idea of a game as simply something to 'finish' has shifted somewhat. For starters, the availability of downloadable content means no story need ever end, as long as the makers think there's a paying audience. Also, the ubiquity of broadband means multiplayer gaming is now the standard, not the exception it once was. There is no real 'finish' to most MMORPGs."

Comment The 'N' word : Nutrition (Score 1) 978

There's more than calories and exercise to losing weight.

High calcium is important while losing weight for instace, people often cut out dairy when dieting, and a lot of people don't eat enough calcium anyway. (studies have shown)

Less accessible energy sources are a good idea too, hydrophilic colloids can create a matrix through which your nutrients get absorbed. (In terms of what you eat this means stew/chilli/curry with flour in it, also cut out simple sugars)

Ticking all your mineral and vitamin intake boxes is a really good idea (a daily multi vitamin is a great way to do this).

I personally found I could lose a lot of previously very stubborn weight by doing the above and then running for an hour in the morning. (n=1 study and so totally worthless)..

A lot of the overweight people in the study may have been overweight partly because of their bad diets in the first place, without changing that you don't expect changes.

Transportation

Plug-In Hybrids Aren't Coming, They're Here 495

Wired is running a story about the small but vocal, and growing, number of people who aren't waiting for automakers to deliver plug-in hybrids. They're shelling out big money to have already thrifty cars converted into full-on plug-in hybrids capable of triple-digit fuel economy. "The conversions aren't cheap, and top-of-the-line kits with lithium-ion batteries can set you back as much as $35,000. Even a kit with lead-acid batteries — the type under the hood of the car you drive now — starts at five grand. That explains why most converted plug-ins are in the motor pools of places like Southern California Edison... No more than 150 or so belong to people like [extreme skiing champion Alison] Gannett, who had her $30,000 Ford Escape converted in December. Yes, that's right. The conversion cost more than the truck."
Image

Under Fire Screenshot-sm 1

This guy sat through all of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Now nothing fazes him.

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