EvilPhil - Slashdot User

Terry Pratchett's Self-Made Meteorite Sword 188

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday September 21, 2010 @10:15AM from the x4-crit-modifier dept.

jamie writes "Fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett says he was so excited after being knighted by the Queen that he decided to make his own sword to equip himself for his new status... the author dug up 81kg of ore and smelted it in the grounds of his house, using a makeshift kiln built from clay and hay and fueled with damp sheep manure."

High Fructose Corn Syrup To Get a Makeover 646

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday September 15, 2010 @07:55PM from the same-great-taste dept.

An anonymous reader writes "With its sweetener linked to obesity, some cancers and diabetes, the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) doesn't want you to think 'fructose' when you see high fructose corn syrup in your soda, ketchup or pickles. Instead, the AP reports, the CRA submitted an application to the FDA, hoping to change the name of their top-selling product to 'corn sugar.'"

Sound As the New Illegal Narcotic? 561

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday July 15, 2010 @12:46PM from the you-ever-see-the-back-of-a-$20-bill-on-sound? dept.

ehrichweiss writes "The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics is warning parents and teachers of a new threat to our children: sounds. Apparently kids are now discovering binaural beats and using them to get 'physiological effects.' The report goes on with everyone suggesting that such aural experiences will act as a gateway to drug usage and even has one student claiming there are 'demons' involved. Anyone who has used one of those light/sound machines knows all about the effects that these sounds will give and to state that they will lead kids to do drugs is nonsense at best. It seems the trend in scaring the citizens with a made-up problem has gone to the next level."

Nuclear Power Could See a Revival 415

Posted by kdawson on Wednesday July 14, 2010 @03:34AM from the comforting-bremsstrahlung-glow dept.

shmG writes "As the US moves to reduce dependence on oil, the nuclear industry is looking to expand, with new designs making their way through the regulatory process. No less than three new configurations for nuclear power are being considered for licensing by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The first of them could be generating power in Georgia by 2016."

Best Places To Work In IT 2010 205

Posted by kdawson on Tuesday June 22, 2010 @12:58AM from the wish-you-were-here dept.

CWmike writes "These top-rated IT workplaces combine choice benefits with hot technologies and on-target training. Computerworld's 17th annual report highlights the employers firing on all cylinders. The Employer Scorecard ranks IT firms based on best benefits, retention, training, diversity, and career development. Also read what IT staffs have to say about job satisfaction. How's your workplace, IT folk?" Read below for a quick look at the top 10 IT workplaces according to this survey.

Scientists Discover Booze That Won't Give You a Hangover 334

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday March 02, 2010 @02:58PM from the go-ahead-and-have-another dept.

Kwang-il Kwon and Hye Gwang Jeong of Chungnam National University have discovered that drinking alcohol with oxygen bubbles added leads to fewer hangovers and a shorter sobering up time. People drinking the bubbly booze sobered up 20-30 minutes faster and had less severe and fewer hangovers than people who drank the non-fizzy stuff. Kwon said: "The oxygen-enriched alcohol beverage reduces plasma alcohol concentrations faster than a normal dissolved-oxygen alcohol beverage does. This could provide both clinical and real-life significance. The oxygen-enriched alcohol beverage would allow individuals to become sober faster, and reduce the side effects of acetaldehyde without a significant difference in alcohol's effects. Furthermore, the reduced time to a lower BAC may reduce alcohol-related accidents."

Using EMP To Punch Holes In Steel 165

Posted by timothy on Saturday January 16, 2010 @12:25AM from the you'll-need-some-big-batteries dept.

angrytuna writes "The Economist is running a story about a group of researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology in Chemnitz, Germany, who've found a way to use an EMP device to shape and punch holes through steel. The process enjoys advantages over both lasers, which take more time to bore the hole (0.2 vs. 1.4 seconds), and by metal presses, which can leave burrs that must be removed by hand."

Air Canada Ordered To Provide Nut-Free Zone 643

Posted by samzenpus on Friday January 08, 2010 @07:09PM from the no-nuts dept.

JamJam writes "Air Canada has been told to create a special 'buffer zone' on flights for people who are allergic to nuts. The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that passengers who have nut allergies should be considered disabled and accommodated by the airline. Air Canada has a month to come up with an appropriate section of seats where passengers with nut allergies would be seated. The ruling involved a complaint from Sophia Huyer, who has a severe nut allergy and travels frequently. Ms. Huyer once spent 40 minutes in the washroom during a flight while snacks were being served."

Comment Re:Hmm, how safe is safe enough? (Score 1) 105

by EvilPhil on Monday November 09, 2009 @11:22PM (#30041914) Attached to: Researchers Neutralize Parkinson's Dopamine Killers

Stopping the progression is a pretty big step. You do adapt to the disease if the progression is slow such as in the young onset forms. I suspect that many don't quite realize that not all adaptations are favorable. For instance, when your dopamine comes in pill form, or is moderated by something in pill form you can have a period of mania after you take the pills, and a suicidal depression that lasts for a few minutes before going to sleep. After years of this one tends to get a little scrambled up upstairs. Psychosis is one of those little "whoopsie" features of jumpstarting dopamine conversion with tyrosine or carbodopa, and all the rest. It hit about 30% who take relatively high amounts. As for the percentage of people who are convinced that people are out to get them, or some other effect comprable to hitting that caffeine too hard, who can say. And then there are the extreme ends, the ones who want to kill the fundies so they can get their stem cells and go back to being functional again, or who are looking down on hitting stage three and possibly looking at just a little bit of payback. Worst case maybe you get the chair before you hit stage four, or wait, maybe that would be the upside. ;)

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