Comment Re:Math Fail (Score 1) 309
Don't reply to your own post, blah blah. BBC News covered this in a far less misleading manner and the numbers they quote are in line with my calculations.
Comment Math Fail (Score 1) 309
I'm no expert in this *biology* or *math* thing (anymore), but the poster is misleading, if not wrong. Regardless, they failed at their math. If you observe 12 changes in a sequence 10,149,085 nucleotides in length, then your mutation rate is 12/10149085. Follow? Ok, now here is the big leap: The size of the human genome is 3.25x10^9. That is 3,250,000,000 which the observant will notice is a larger number than 10,149,085. At this point we should be thinking, are we really comparing 12 to 150? It's not as straightforward as all that, and I suppose you can't blame the poster for not mentioning a couple nuances...
If you project the mutation rate on the size of the human genome, sort of like this guy we know (Haldane), you might notice that we expect that maybe there would be 3840 changes. Forgive the massive oversimplification, but trust that this is totally in the spirit of the original. Now, there has been about 7.3 generations. So if we take the "distance" you have to travel from each to get back to the common ancestor, that's roughly 15 (7.3 x 2 and round up for some padding). So with 3840 mutations / 15 generations we end up with about 260 expected mutations per generation. This is about twice the 150 Haldane expected, but considering the tech they had in 1935, that's not too far off is it? So, are we talking 260 vs 150, or 12 vs 150?
Moral: Whenever you read stories where math and biology overlap, do the math yourself before you start. Chances are that they didn't.
By the way, I used Wolfram Alpha for the definition of "size of the human genome" and "average length of a generation".
Comment OpenDNS (Score 4, Informative) 678
Just change your DNS servers to OpenDNS (http://www.opendns.com/) and register your IP with them. You can use their category-based filtering to block the pr0n. Block adware, malware, and phishing while you're at it. Oh, and enjoy a faster DNS service and extensive stats pages. If you are worried about a dynamic IP from your ISP, don't be: most ISP's preferentially reassign IPs to customers instead of switching it up. Happy censoring!
GPL Violations On Windows Go Unnoticed? 445
Scott_F writes "I recently reviewed several commercial, closed-source slideshow authoring packages for Windows and came across an alarming trend. Several of the packages I installed included GPL and LGPL software without any mention of the GPL, much less source code. For example, DVD Photo Slideshow (www.dvd-photo-slideshow.com) included mkisofs, cdrdao, dvdauthor, spumux, id3lib, lame, mpeg2enc, and mplex (all of which are GPL or LGPL). The company tried to hide this by wrapping them all in DLLs. There are other violations in other packages as well. Based on my testing of other software, it seems that use of GPL software in commercial Windows applications is on the rise. My question is how much are GPL violations in the Windows world being pursued? Does the FSF or EFF follow up on these if the platform is not GPL? How aware is the community of this trend?" This new method of detecting GPL violations could help here.
Viacom Says User Infringed His Own Copyright 404
Chris Knight writes "I ran for school board where I live this past fall and created some TV commercials including this one with a 'Star Wars' theme. A few months ago VH1 grabbed the commercial from YouTube and featured it in a segment of its show 'Web Junk 2.0.' Neither VH1 or its parent company Viacom told me they were doing this or asked my permission to use it, but I didn't mind it if they did. I thought that Aries Spears's commentary about it was pretty hilarious, so I posted a clip of VH1's segment on YouTube so that I could put it on my blog. I just got an e-mail from YouTube saying that the video has been pulled because Viacom is claiming that I'm violating its copyright. Viacom used my video without permission on their commercial television show, and now says that I am infringing on their copyright for showing the clip of the work that Viacom made in violation of my own copyright!"
China Says Tibetans Need Permission To Reincarnate 553
michaelcole writes "China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. This article is both hilarious and sad, looking at the lengths to which a government will go to regulate thought through censorship. It also goes into some of the more subtle politics of the current 72-year-old Dalai Lama as he thinks about his political and spiritual successor. The Dalai Lama 'refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long as it's under Chinese control.'"
Can Apple + AT&T Shut Down iPhone Unlockers? 318
aalobode writes "Do Apple and AT&T have the legal right to stop hackers from selling unlocked iPhones? Under their terms, only AT&T may sell iPhones, and Apple gets a commission. When unlocked iPhones are used on other providers' networks, AT&T and hence Apple get nothing beyond what they earned on the initial sale of the hardware. Can they prohibit unlocking? Reselling? The article in Businessweek gives the for and against arguments, but leans toward the view that the hackers may have the law on their side for once."
New York Taxi Drivers To Strike Over GPS 293
Stony Stevenson notes a NYTimes story on labor unrest caused by high-tech privacy concerns. One organization of taxi drivers plans a 48-hour strike, while another opposes any such action. "One taxi group plans to strike from 5 a.m. Sept. 5, through 5 a.m. Sept. 7, in opposition to New York City's requirement that all cabs be equipped with GPS technology beginning Oct. 1... saying GPS infringes on drivers' privacy... The Taxi and Limousine Commission passed a rule stating that all New York City cabs must have touch-screen display panels, credit card readers, and GPS beginning this year. Many taxis already are equipped with the technologies, which allow passengers to get news, route data, and other information. The TLC claims that the technology will not be used to invade drivers' privacy but will provide real-time maps and help passengers recover lost property."
IP Holders Press For Access To WHOIS Data 103
Stony Stevenson writes to tell us that the battle for access to whois data remains at a stalemate this week. "In a blog post on the Internet Governance Project's (IGP) Web site, Milton Mueller, Professor and Director of the Telecommunications Network Management Program at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies and a partner in the IGP, details the Final Outcomes Report of the WHOIS Working Group, published on Tuesday, and inability of the various stakeholders to reach any kind of consensus."
