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Comment Re:No, Lucas is not trying to patent the Light Sab (Score 1) 481

by meta (#32828182) Attached to: George Lucas C&Ds 'Lightsaber Laser'

Until we see the complete C&D letter, there's no knowing.

It could be one of the hilts in the movie series---or, it occurred to me, one of the hilts in the merchandise as well.

Or it could be he's claiming the all hilts have a common design that is being copied. That would be harder to make stick because the hilts were quite different from one another, reflecting the story line that each was the unique design of its wielder.
Science

Submission + - Things you drink can be use to track you (sciencemag.org) 1

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: Science reports: Have you lapped up any lemonade in Laramie? Downed a daiquiri in Denver? Knocked back a microbrew in Boston? New research suggests that your visits to such places can be tracked by analyzing chemical traces in your hair. That's because water molecules differ slightly in their isotope ratios depending on the minerals at their source. Researchers found that water samples from 33 cities across the United State could be reliably traced back to their origin based on their isotope ratios. And because the human body breaks down water's constituent atoms of hydrogen and oxygen to construct the proteins that make hair cells, those cells can preserve the record of a person's travels. Such information could help prosecutors place a suspect at the scene of a crime, or prove the innocence of the accused.
Firefox

Submission + - Mozilla Releases Firefox 4.0 Beta 1 (conceivablytech.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Mozilla has quietly posted the first Beta build of its Firefox 4 browser early this morning. The “chromified” browser leaves a solid first impression with a few minor hiccups, but no surprises. If you have been using a previous version of Firefox 3.7, which now officially becomes Firefox 4.0, you should feel already comfortable with this new version. Mozilla has not posted detailed release notes yet, but there seem to be no major changes from Firefox 3.7a6-pre, with the exception that the browser is running more smoothly and with fewer crashes.

Submission + - Cancer Cells Detected Using $400 Digital Camera (gizmag.com)

Submitted by fergus07
fergus07 writes: Researchers have detected oral cancer cells using a fiber-optic cable and an off-the-shelf Olympus E-330 camera worth $400. The work by Rice University biomedical engineers and researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center could improve access to diagnostic imaging tools in many parts of the world where these expensive resources are scarce. In the tests, a common fluorescent dye was used to make cell nuclei glow brightly and images taken using tip of the fiber-optic bundle attached to the camera. The distorted nuclei which indicate cancerous and pre-cancerous cells could then be distinguished on the camera's LCD monitor.
Businesses

Submission + - Amazon Opposes Plan to End Saturday Mail Delivery

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: Online retailer giant Amazon.com has come out against a U.S. Postal Service proposal to end Saturday service, part of efforts to address the USPS budget deficit. 'Amazon's customers have come to appreciate and expect Saturday delivery,' explained Amazon VP Paul Misener. 'If the five-day delivery proposal is not withdrawn,' he added, 'we ask that Congress ensure that Saturday delivery be maintained.' In the past, Amazon has argued that it should not have to help support public services in states in which it has no physical presence.

Submission + - US Shows Interest In Zombie Quarantine Code (zdnet.com.au) 1

Submitted by bennyboy64
bennyboy64 writes: Barack Obama's cyber-security coordinator has shown interest in an e-security code of practice developed in Australia that aims to quarantine internet users infected by malware, also known as zombie computers. He reportedly said it would be a useful role model for the US to adopt. One suggestion within the code is to put infected users into a 'walled garden', which limits internet access to prevent further security problems until quarantined. Another is to throttle the speed of an infected users' internet connection until their computer fixed. The code is also being considered by other Asia-Pacific countries, ZDNet reports.
Medicine

Submission + - Researchers Create 'Living' Lung On A Chip (gizmag.com)

Submitted by ElectricSteve
ElectricSteve writes: Utilizing human lung and blood vessel cells, researchers have created a device mounted on a microchip that mimics a living, breathing human lung. About the size of a rubber eraser, the device was developed by a team from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston. Because it’s translucent, researchers can watch the processes taking place inside of it – kind of difficult to do with an actual lung. It will be used for testing the respiratory effects of environmental toxins, aerosolized therapeutics and new drugs. Using conventional models, such tests can cost over US$2 million.
Open Source

Submission + - ActivePython Updated for Finance, Scientific Users (pcworld.com)

Submitted by
jcasman
jcasman writes: "From PCWorld article ActivePython Updated for Finance, Scientific Users:
ActiveState has added three open source mathematics libraries to its ActivePython Python distribution that might interest financial and scientific computing markets, the company announced Thursday.
The packages are being added, in part, to anticipate the demand that may arise from new proposed rules for the U.S. financial community brought about the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the company.
In April, the government agency posted a set of proposed rules for handling asset-backed securities that called for financial firms to disclose, along with their prospectus filings, the source code of the programs that generated the filings, as rendered in Python. The government agency will be accepting input about the proposed rule until August 2.
The three libraries that are being added to the ActivePython package are NumPy, SciPy and matplotlib."
Government

Submission + - Experts say wiretap law needs digital era update (thehill.com)

Submitted by GovTechGuy
GovTechGuy writes: Experts at a Congressional hearing Thursday said the government needs to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to reflect changes in technology, notably location-based services. On one hand legal experts argue tracking a mobile user's location should require a higher burden of proof than simply intercepting their communications. On the other hand, first responders may need location data in order to save lives and respond to 911 calls. Either way, expect legislation from the committee later this year.

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