Yes, this! I work in bioinformatics, and while relational DBMSes are used by a large number of projects, the problem you face with experimental data is that its organisation is non-obvious and relationships between different bits of data are not apparent. This means that RDBMSes aren't a natural fit. One of my colleagues has been experimenting with graph oriented databases (specifically neo4j (http://neo4j.org/)), an approach which has interesting intersections with declarative programming. In the near future I think much of use will come from being a scientific "data geek", utilising the kind of skills described by Deepak Singh (blog: http://mndoci.com/).

I also thought that when I first looked at Buzz.... but then I realised that Buzz is actually working off a rather minimalist integration of different websites model. This is actually a good thing - so instead of Facebook's model of providing "albums" and "notes", etc, I can publish a "newsfeed" that features the pictures I upload to flickr, the videos I put on youtube, the blog items I post on blogger, etc. Done right this is much much more powerful than Facebook - and part of "done right" will have to be integrating good ways of finding people - both by attributes such as name and location, and also by "group" - organisational or interest-based affiliation.

Ok so then let's take sexualised violence, a staple of slasher films but also available as "snuff" porn. "Flower of Flesh and Blood" for example involves a woman being drugged and cut apart. Ok, so let's take this to its photorealistic conclusion - a computerised simulation of rape and murder. No problems yet? Is there any point where you'd have a problem? Virtual Nazi concentration camp?

I think the point of the article is simply this: a) take something you find disturbing b) imagination a perfectly realistic simulation of that thing and then imagine the effect on people. I don't agree with the author that a legal solution is correct in this instance but I do think there are psychological and social issues to be faced here.

iraqbodycount.org is based on news media reports and they themselves state that: "Gaps in recording and reporting suggest that even our highest totals to date may be missing many civilian deaths from violence." How much undercounting that IBC does no one knows. So your figures are, as you say, bunk.