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Software

Submission + - RMS on Jobs: "I'm not glad he's dead, but I'm glad (latimes.com)

Garabito writes: Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, has posted on his personal site: "As Chicago Mayor Harold Washington said of the corrupt former Mayor Daley, 'I'm not glad he's dead, but I'm glad he's gone.' Nobody deserves to have to die — not Jobs, not Mr. Bill, not even people guilty of bigger evils than theirs. But we all deserve the end of Jobs' malign influence on people's computing." His statement has spurred reaction from the community; some even asking to the Free Software movement to find a new voice.

Comment Re:Fifty votes from "executives"? (Score 2, Insightful) 189

Well, realistically, how much code can someone actually write? I think the most influential people are going to be those those who can corral and co-ordinate the efforts of disparate people to work together one one big project that no single person can handle alone. They maybe never even write code themselves.
The Courts

Submission + - Pirate Bay trial ends in jail sentences. 1

myvirtualid writes: "The Globe and Mail reports that the Pirate Bay defendants were each sentenced Friday to one year in jail. According to the article, "Judge Tomas Norstrom told reporters that the court took into account that the site was 'commercially driven' when it made the ruling. The defendants have denied any commercial motives behind the site." The defendants said before the verdict that they would appeal if they were found guilty. "Stay calm — Nothing will happen to TPB, us personally or file sharing whatsoever. This is just a theater for the media," Mr. Sunde said Friday in a posting on social networking site Twitter."

Comment Re:So they're doing another type of immunosupressi (Score 1) 201

Immunosuppression is obviously a complex beast, but two things that stand out:

1) Different organs have different immunogenecity which means one can 'get away' with different levels of immunosuppression.

For example, the mismatch (i.e. difference in HLA) between a donor and recipient for a liver can be much greater than for a pancreas (one of the most immunogenic organs). The liver is pretty good at mopping up circulating antibodies.

Consequently, the amount of immunosuppression needed varies. Whereas a recipient of a pancreas might be on an antimetabolite (azathioprine, mycophenalate), a glucorcitcoid (i.e. steroi, eg prednisolone), and a calcineurin-inhibitor (i.e. anti-T cell, e.g. tacrolimus, ciclosporin), recipients of a liver may end up getting by on just a glucocorticoid.

2) Side Effects of the Immunosuppression

In addition to the general effects (bone marrow suppression, increased infection risk, and malignancy), perhaps the most 'ironic' side effect is that of renal/graft-failure. The calcineurin inhibitors are notoriously nephrotoxic (bad for kidneys), and so it's not uncommon for a renal or liver transplant recipient to require renal transplantion as a result of renal failure due to immunosuppressants.

Software

Internal Instant Messaging Client / Server Combo? 360

strongmantim writes "I manage an internal help desk (25-30 people) for a medium-large company in the healthcare industry. We're looking for an internal, secure, FOSS (if possible) instant messaging / presence awareness client and server combo. Transmission of Protected Health Information is a sensitive issue, so the server has to be able to log any conversations that occur. It is preferred that the client not support outside protocols such as AIM, MSN, Yahoo, etc.; if it does, I will have to promulgate and enforce yet one more policy that my techs not connect to them. All of the computers that will connect run Windows XP. The system should be scalable up to ~100 people (in case we decide to include our entire office in the roll-out). Hardware and OS for the server are not an issue. Oh, and one more thing: It has to be free. Suggestions?"
User Journal

Journal Journal: God as identified and/or defined by US (Good, Bad, or Evil)? 3

God as identified and/or defined by anyone, anything, any religion, any government ... has never existed. IOW: a god cannot be copyrighted, claimed, patented ... except by weak, fearful, slaves of "the unknown and may never be" destiny/option.

Too Know and Too Fear will always be mutually exclusive or inversely proportional!

Space

Submission + - Hayabusa to begin long journey back to Earth

Sparky writes: "Japan is planning to set the Hayabusa spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth next month after a delay of more than a year, but it's far from certain that it will get back safely. It was supposed to retrieve asteroid debris, but it's thought that a computer error meant that this didn't happen. A fuel leak means that it's chemical thrusters are out of action, and the craft is relying on it's weaker ion engines. The journey back will take 3 years, and the capsule will be on Earth in June 2010 — even if it is empty."

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