Comment Re:I agree with SciAm, sort of. (Score 5, Informative) 254
Except the whole point is that many science bloggers at SciAm have posted "non-scientific" posts as well, so the "this is not about discovering science" excuse is BS.
Submission + - Craigslist sent Cease and Desist to PadMapper (techcrunch.com)
Autumnmist writes: Craigslist has sent a Cease and Desist to PadMapper, a site that does a mashup of Craigslist (as well as Rent.com, Apartments.com) apartment listings and Google Maps. Craigslist is great, but apartment hunting through Craigslist has always been a needle in a haystack proposition, because all apartments for an entire city area are shown in a giant list. PadMapper made Craigslist better by locating each listing on a Google Map of the area.
From PadMapper:
I recently received a Cease and Desist letter from Craigslist, and wasn’t able to get a meeting or convince Craigslist’s lawyer that PadMapper was beneficial to Craigslist and apartment hunters in general. They allow mobile apps to display their listings if you buy a license from them, but not websites.
From PadMapper:
I recently received a Cease and Desist letter from Craigslist, and wasn’t able to get a meeting or convince Craigslist’s lawyer that PadMapper was beneficial to Craigslist and apartment hunters in general. They allow mobile apps to display their listings if you buy a license from them, but not websites.
Comment Human Genetics (Score 1) 150
Human genetics. Rapidly expanding field, massive and noisy data sets. Jobs in both industry and academia.
Comment Re:Data Control (Score 4, Informative) 126
That's why the US has GINA (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008).
Whether it'll actually work is a separate issue. One of the points of this project is that trying to keep your genetic information private is a losing battle and that it might be better/neutral to just be open about it.
Comment Re:A sad day (Score 1) 294
You missed the context of that quotation. Myriad's patent gives it the "exclusive right to perform diagnostic tests on the genes" because the patent covers, among other things, the "normal" sequence of the genes! The patent also covers the fact that mutations in the gene greatly increase the risk of developing cancer.
No one else can offer an alternative test because... well, how can you test someone for a disease-causing mutation without comparing their sequence to the "normal" sequence? (Hint: You can't!) How can you test someone for a disease-causing mutation in a gene when the fact that mutations in the gene cause disease is patented? You can't!
Comment Re:I don't understand it. (Score 2, Informative) 294
Nope you are both wrong. This *IS* about the gene itself. The patent is extremely broad and covers such things as:
1) the "normal" sequence of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes
2) the fact that various mutations in those genes are associated with breast cancer
Researchers/doctors are unable to offer alternative tests because offering a test requires being able to compare a patient's sequence with the (patented) "normal" sequence. But Myriad refuses to allow this, so even scientists doing basic research can't sequence their subject's BRCA1/2 genes!!!
Since Myriad Genetics even owns a patent on the "fact" that certain mutations are associated with disease, researchers/doctors aren't even allowed to interpret the results for their patients because doing so would utilized the patented fact that the patient's mutation is associated with breast cancer.
Read the article and/or complaint filed. This lawsuit has been a LONG time coming.
YEs it IS that ridiculous. The patent office was dumb/ignorant when they awarded the patents and it's about time this mistake was challenged.
Comment Re:Procedures (Score 1) 294
You're wrong. If you read the article or the complaint or the ACLU writeup or any of the scientific commentary, you'd see that the patent is in fact on the actual SEQUENCE of the gene(s)! This makes it impossible for anyone to do something like, for example, develop an alternative test because it's impossible to offer an alternative test when the "normal" sequence is patented.
In this particular case, Myriad Genetics even owns a patent on the "fact" that certain mutations are associated with disease, such that researchers/doctors aren't even allowed to interpret the results for their patients because doing so would utilized the patented fact that the patient's mutation is associated with breast cancer.
That's why this lawsuit has been a long time coming. Good luck to ACLU/PUBPAT/etc.
Comment DevonThink on a Mac (Score 2, Insightful) 211
If your professor uses a Mac, consider Devonthink by DevonTechnologies.
http://www.devon-technologies.com/products/devonthink/index.html
For searching, the software has an artificial intelligence system, keywords, meta data. It can store PDFs, word docs, emails, notes. It can be integrated with a scanner so you can scan and store documents in the database. It's got OCR built in...
I have DevonThink (personal edition, not Pro/Office) and I don't even use 1/10 of the power built into this system. You should check out some of the reviews online and videos of people using DevonThink.
Submission + - 2006 Independent Game of the Year
cyrus_zuo writes: "Creating off-beat, original, and carefully crafted games is the heritage of
Independent Game developers, and the
Top 10 Independent Games
of 2006 does its ancestry proud. Each of the 10 games selected this year is
a winner in its own right, an undiscovered gem just waiting to be found.
So dim the lights and warm up your modem, as
Game Tunnel presents The Top 10
Independent Games of 2006."
Battlestar Galactica DVD Movie In the Works? 202
Philias writes "Although Battlestar Galactica has been going down in ratings and has yet to get picked up for another season, the sales of its DVDs has got Universal thinking of a Direct-To-Video Movie. GeekMonthly.com is reporting that plans are afoot for a film that will bridge the gap between Galactica and the new spinoff 'Caprica.' The film would be shot in March during the usual hiatus between seasons. The big difference between this and the mini-series and other seasons would be that this would be sold on DVD before being aired on the SciFi channel."
Submission + - CIO study finds Linux ready for prime-time
An anonymous reader writes: Nearly half of all enterprises will be running mission-critical business applications on Linux in five years' time. That's according to survey of IT directors, VPs and CIOs carried out by Saugatuck Research, which questioned 133 businesses worldwide.
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?news ID=7681
Submission + - Parasite makes us dumber or sexier
odie_q writes: It has long been known that the Toxoplasma gondii parasite alters its host's behaviour, but now it seems the way it alters it depends on the sex of the host. From the article, "A common parasite can increase a women's attractiveness to the opposite sex but also make men more stupid, an Australian researcher says.", and further, "Infected men have lower IQs, achieve a lower level of education and have shorter attention spans. They are also more likely to break rules and take risks, be more independent, more anti-social, suspicious, jealous and morose, and are deemed less attractive to women.
On the other hand, infected women tend to be more outgoing, friendly, more promiscuous, and are considered more attractive to men compared with non-infected controls."
So, next time you want to score with a chick, slip some... eh.. cat feces in her drink.
So, next time you want to score with a chick, slip some... eh.. cat feces in her drink.
Submission + - The science behind the joy of the bubbly
isabotage3 writes: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articleArchive/dec2006 /champagnescience.php
Everything you need to know about champagne in time for New Year's — From how to maximize your bubbles to why bubbles follow certain patterns and then suddenly change to when the time is right to stop studying your bubbly and drink up.
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