Genral Web Comments
Monday, January 31, 2005
CNN.com - Freedom of what? - Jan 31, 2005
CNN.com - Freedom of what? - Jan 31, 2005: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- The way many high school students see it, government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag burning is hardly protected free speech.
It turns out the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of those nearing their own adult independence, according to a study of high school attitudes released Monday.
The original amendment to the Constitution is the cornerstone of the way of life in the United States, promising citizens the freedoms of religion, speech, press and assembly.
Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three high school students said it goes 'too far' in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories."
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb'
BBC NEWS | Health | Blackberry use 'can damage thumb': "Trendy handheld Blackberry devices could cause damage to users' thumbs, doctors are warning.
Sales of the �200 gadget, which can be used to email, page and phone, have boomed in recent years with celebrities such as David Beckham using them. "
Friday, January 28, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Standards and specs: A house divided
Standards and specs: A house divided: "As the previous Standards and specs column discussed, standardization is rooted in compromise -- and compromise can be hard. In some cases, competing interests leave some vendors in a position where they would rather fork the standard and launch their own sub-version, than continue working on resolving a conflict. Market pressures play a significant role in this. If customers demand a given piece of technology today, then you'll have a hard time explaining to them that it won't be around until next year because you're still deciding how it will work.
The work on ultrawideband, or UWB, standards has been going on for a while. The technology has been in use for decades. It was considered a military secret early on, because it has applications such as 'spotting stealth planes' and 'looking through walls.' However, the broader demands of commerce are coming into play. Discussions of UWB as a consumer technology don't go back as far, but there are IEEE meetings on the topic going back at least to 1998. The 802.15.3a working group, specifically working on an ultrawideband standard, was authorized in 2002. "
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
NewsForge | Running Windows viruses with Wine
NewsForge | Running Windows viruses with Wine: "Linux just isn't user-friendly when it comes to viruses. You have to work to find and run them. It doesn't happen automatically as it does with Windows. The GNU/Linux folks really should improve this glaring discrepancy.
While I have friends that collect viruses, I didn't need to bother them. I found plenty by looking through my staggering collection of bogofilter sorted mail. I apt-getted a copy of ClamAV, and after siccing it at my spam-and-other-things-I-don't-want-to-read collection, I yanked out a half-dozen unique, only Windows-compatible, viruses. That 'only Windows-compatible' part was about to change."
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
The EROS Operating System
The EROS Operating System: "EROS is a new operating system originally implemented at the University of Pennsylvania. The project has now migrated to Johns Hopkins University. EROS merges some very old ideas in operating systems with some newer ideas about performance and resource management. The result is a small, secure, real-time operating system that provides orthogonal persistence."
The EROS Operating System
The EROS Operating System: "EROS is a new operating system originally implemented at the University of Pennsylvania. The project has now migrated to Johns Hopkins University. EROS merges some very old ideas in operating systems with some newer ideas about performance and resource management. The result is a small, secure, real-time operating system that provides orthogonal persistence."
Monday, January 24, 2005
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Merriment Website Engine Project
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Merriment Website Engine Project: "Perl and mySQL based website engine/photo gallery designed specifically for owners of digital cameras for easy mass image organization. Allows for webpages, galleries, journals, user/admin permissions, comments, keyword searching and more."
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Open Searchable Image Catalogue
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Open Searchable Image Catalogue: "System using PHP and MySQL for creating libraries or catalogues of large numbers of images with associated metadata. It is similar to gallery and LinPHA but with the emphasis on large numbers of images and the ability to search."
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Open Searchable Image Catalogue
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Open Searchable Image Catalogue: "System using PHP and MySQL for creating libraries or catalogues of large numbers of images with associated metadata. It is similar to gallery and LinPHA but with the emphasis on large numbers of images and the ability to search."
SourceForge.net: Project Info - WordIndex Full Text Indexer
SourceForge.net: Project Info - WordIndex Full Text Indexer: "Wordindex takes huge amounts of document type files (html, pdf, zip, text, ps, etc...) and full text indexes them. All data is stored in a MySQL database and a alpha web based search util has been written."
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Open Searchable Image Catalogue
SourceForge.net: Project Info - Open Searchable Image Catalogue: "System using PHP and MySQL for creating libraries or catalogues of large numbers of images with associated metadata. It is similar to gallery and LinPHA but with the emphasis on large numbers of images and the ability to search."
SourceForge.net: Project Info - OpenWebSpider
SourceForge.net: Project Info - OpenWebSpider: "OpenWebSPider is a tool that works both as a search engine (in real time and in indicized mode using a mysql db) and as a Web Spider (also known as web robot). It works on Linux and Windows systems"
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Slashdot | Ciphire, A Transparent, Easy PGP Alternative
Slashdot | Ciphire, A Transparent, Easy PGP Alternative: "Useless... (Score:5, Insightful)
by gst (76126) on Sunday January 23, @10:49AM (#11447836)
(http://web.sysfrog.org/log/)
And what are the advantages? We already have the OpenPGP standard which is implemented by GnuPG and PGP. People who prefer free software are able to use GnuPG which is licensed under the GPL. If someone prefers commercial software he can use PGP - it even comes with a nice GUI if you use it on Windows. So let's look at your product: Non-free, No-source code, not standards complient, binaries only available for a limit number of platforms. So - in your posting you say 'OpenSource' - on the webpage you write that you may publish the source in the future, but that it will only be free for non-commercial users. This is NOT OpenSource - see http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php for the definition what OpenSource means. Anyway, are there ANY advantages why I should even bother do download your product? Ah - don't mind - I just noticed that there aren't any LinuxPPC binaries, so I can't use it."
Friday, January 21, 2005
Cell Architecture Explained: Introduction
Cell Architecture Explained: Introduction: "Designed for the PlayStation 3, Sony, Toshiba and IBM's new 'Cell processor' promises seemingly obscene computing capabilities for what will rapidly become a very low price. In these articles I look at what the Cell architecture is, then I go on to look at the profound implications this new chip has, not for the games market, but for the entire computer industry. Has the PC finally met it's match?
To date the details disclosed by the STI group (Sony, Toshiba, IBM) have been very vague to say the least. Except that is for the patent application which describes the system in minute detail. Unfortunately this is very difficult to read so the details haven't made it out into general circulation even in the technical community.
I have managed to decipher the patent and in parts 1 and 2 I describe the details of the Cell architecture, from the cell processor to the 'software cells' it operates on.
Cell is a vector processing architecture and this in some way limits it's uses, that said there are a huge number of tasks which can benefit from vector processing and in part 3 I look at them.
The first machine on the market with a Cell processor will steal the performance crown from the PC, probably permanently, but PCs have seen much bigger and better competition in the past and have pushed it aside every time. In part 4 I explain why the PC has always won and why the Cell may have the capacity to finally defeat it.
In part 5 I wrap it up with a conclusion and list of references. If you don't want to read all the details in parts 1 and 2 I give a short overview of the Cell architecture."
Wired News: Solving the Enigma of Kryptos
Wired News: Solving the Enigma of Kryptos: "What does it say about the Central Intelligence Agency that its agents can crack the secret codes of enemy nations but can't unravel a coded sculpture sitting outside their cafeteria window?
It says, perhaps, that artist Jim Sanborn, who created the cryptographic sculpture named Kryptos that sits on CIA grounds, could have a career in covert operations if he ever grows tired of stumping the experts. "
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken? (washingtonpost.com)
Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken? (washingtonpost.com): "Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken?
By Michael Browning
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, April 17, 2002; Page F01
Each evening, thousands of Americans drift into Chinese restaurants or, if they are too lazy to go out, pick up the phone and order one of the most popular dishes on the menu: General Tso's Chicken, a sugary-spicy melange of dark-meat tidbits, deep-fried then fired up with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, scallions and hot chili peppers.
Not one in 10,000 knows who General Tso (most commonly pronounced 'sow') was, nor what terrible times he lived through, nor the dark massacres that distinguished his baleful, belligerent career. Setting their chopsticks aside, patting their stomachs, the satisfied diners spare scarcely a thought for General Tso, except to imagine that he must have been a great connoisseur of hot stir-fried chicken. "
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Linux fights off hackers - vnunet.com
Linux fights off hackers - vnunet.com: "Linux systems are getting tougher for hackers to crack, security experts have reported today.
A study by not-for-profit IT security testing organisation Honeynet Project has shown that, on average, Linux systems today take three months to fall prey to hackers, up from 72 hours in equivalent tests conducted between 2001 and 2002."
Yahoo! News - Man with nail in skull has $100,000 headache
Yahoo! News - Man with nail in skull has $100,000 headache: "DENVER (Reuters) - Doctors who removed a 4-inch (10-cm) nail from a Colorado construction worker's skull have left him with huge headache -- a $100,000 (54,000 pound) hospital bill.
Patrick Lawler, 23, who was recovering on Tuesday from surgery to remove the nail, said he had no health insurance and would have to find a way to pay the whopping bill after he is released from the hospital this week.
Lawler walked around with the nail in his skull for six days before seeking medical attention after accidentally shooting himself with a nail gun on a construction site.
He said he did not realize the pain in his mouth and blurred vision were the result of a nail in his head.
'We just thought it was like a big contusion or a punch,' he told reporters.
Asked what was going through his mind as he sat in a press conference contemplating the nail, Lawler replied: 'a new career.' "
Yahoo! News - Blazing Speed: The Fastest Stuff in the Universe
Yahoo! News - Blazing Speed: The Fastest Stuff in the Universe: "
SAN DIEGO -- If you're light, it's fairly easy to travel at your own speed -- that is to say 186,282 miles per second or 299,800 kilometers per second.
But if you are matter, then it's another matter altogether.
Nothing we know of zips along more quickly than light. Einstein, nearly 100 years ago, said it's not possible. For us, the speed limit makes strange sense: Go faster than light, and you could return before you've left, become your own grandpa, or other perform other leaps of cosmic logic."
Yahoo! News - Dip in Visual Memory Seen Early in Mental Decline
Yahoo! News - Dip in Visual Memory Seen Early in Mental Decline: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults with mild cognitive impairment may have problems retaining a mental picture of objects they've just seen -- a subtle memory problem that could serve as an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites) risk, researchers reported Monday. "
Yahoo! News - FDA Set to Decide on Morning-After Pill
Yahoo! News - FDA Set to Decide on Morning-After Pill: "WASHINGTON - The government is considering whether to make morning-after birth control available without a prescription, and like most issues that involve sex and pregnancy, it has generated heated debate. "
Yahoo! News - Melanoma Vaccine Triggers T-Cells to Attack Tumors
Yahoo! News - Melanoma Vaccine Triggers T-Cells to Attack Tumors: "MONDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDayNews) -- Vaccines that contain tumor proteins help fight deadly melanoma skin cancer by increasing the number of immune system killer T-cells that can attack the tumor, says research in the Jan. 17 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine."
Yahoo! News - Absorbable Metal Stent Opens Blocked Leg Arteries
Yahoo! News - Absorbable Metal Stent Opens Blocked Leg Arteries: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Initial results with a bio-absorbable metal stent show that the novel device works as intended -- to prop open blocked leg arteries before being fully absorbed into the artery wall, so that complications common with standard stents don't occur. "
Yahoo! News - Disaster Looms for Megacities, UN Official Says
Yahoo! News - Disaster Looms for Megacities, UN Official Says: "KOBE, Japan (Reuters) - Earthquakes (news - web sites), floods and other natural disasters could kill millions in the world's teeming megacities and time is running out to prevent such a catastrophe, the United Nations (news - web sites) point man on emergency relief said on Tuesday. "
FreeBSD Documentation Project: Documentation Set
FreeBSD Documentation Project: Documentation Set: "The manual pages
The Project does not really concern itself with these, since they are a part of the base system. The exception to this is the Japanese team, who are translating them. There is no reason other volunteers could not step in to translate the manual pages to other languages as well.
That is not to say that the manual pages are unimportant, far from it. It is just that they are intimately tied to specific systems of FreeBSD, and most of the time the best person to write the manual page is the person that wrote that part of FreeBSD.
The Books
The project has a large amount of documentation that is 'book length', or becoming that way. These include the FreeBSD FAQ and the FreeBSD Handbook.
The Articles
FreeBSD has a wealth of information available in shorter, article form -- similar to the tutorials or HOWTO documentation of other projects."
Durability of Usability Guidelines (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
Durability of Usability Guidelines (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox): "Summary:
About 90% of usability guidelines from 1986 are still valid, though several guidelines are less important because they relate to design elements that are rarely used today.
The usability field is getting on in age, and we now have the cumulative wisdom of more than twenty years of user research at our disposal. Some usability enemies like to dismiss established findings, claiming, 'they may have been true once, but not any more.' Because the computer field does tend to move quickly, it's reasonable to ask whether old usability insights have indeed become obsolete.
From 1984 to 1986, the U.S. Air Force compiled existing usability knowledge into a single, well-organized set of guidelines for its user interface designers. I was one of several people who advised the project (in a small way), and thus received a copy of the final 478-page book in August 1986.
The project identified 944 guidelines. This may seem like a lot, but it pales against the 1,277 guidelines for Web and intranet usability we've identified so far--and we're not done yet. "
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Minty MP3
Minty MP3: "Tired of not being able to find cases for your projects? Stuck with those hideous ABS plastic RadioShack boxes? Try those ubiquitous tin boxes, not only do they block EMI, they come with free mints! Fresh breath and fresh design in one."
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Amazon.com: Books: Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition
Amazon.com: Books: Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition: "Aimed at any serious programmer or computer science student, the new second edition of Introduction to Algorithms builds on the tradition of the original with a truly magisterial guide to the world of algorithms. Clearly presented, mathematically rigorous, and yet approachable even for the math-averse, this title sets a high standard for a textbook and reference to the best algorithms for solving a wide range of computing problems.
With sample problems and mathematical proofs demonstrating the correctness of each algorithm, this book is ideal as a textbook for classroom study, but its reach doesn't end there. The authors do a fine job of explaining each algorithm. (Reference sections on basic mathematical notation will help readers bridge the gap, but it will help to have some math background to appreciate the full achievement of this handsome hardcover volume.) Every algorithm is presented in pseudo-code, which can be implemented in any computer language, including C/C++ and Java. This ecumenical approach is one of the book's strengths. When it comes to sorting and common data structures, from basic linked lists to trees (including binary trees, red-black, and B-trees), this title really shines, with clear diagrams that show algorithms in operation. Even if you just glance over the mathematical notation here, you can definitely benefit from this text in other ways.
The book moves forward with more advanced algorithms that implement strategies for solving more complicated problems (including dynamic programming techniques, greedy algorithms, and amortized analysis). Algorithms for graphing problems (used in such real-world business problems as optimizing f"
Yahoo! News - New Worm Wishes Users a Happy Nude Year
Yahoo! News - New Worm Wishes Users a Happy Nude Year: "Distributed through a large-scale e-mail campaign, the worm has a subject line of 'amusing file' and includes an attachment of a photograph that features naked men and women whose bodies spell out the words 'Happy New Year.' "
Yahoo! News - Army to Hackers: We Know Where You Live
Yahoo! News - Army to Hackers: We Know Where You Live: "The executive producer of 'America's Army,' the free online game funded by the U.S. Army, is hopping mad at hackers who have taken advantage of the game's security holes, saying, 'the Army is angry, and we're coming for you.' "
Yahoo! News - Majority Of Teens, Young Adults Have Broadband Access
Yahoo! News - Majority Of Teens, Young Adults Have Broadband Access: "Seven out of 10 teenagers and young adults are surfing the web with broadband connections, which have become a driving force behind the increasing amount of time they spend online, a media company said Friday. "
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with diabetes-related nerve damage may find pain is relieved by taking a compound related to the popular supplement L-carnitine -- provided the treatment is started early -- according to a re-analysis of data from two large clinical trials.
Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) is not currently approved in the US for treating nerve pain, 'but it is used widely for painful neuropathy in patients with diabetes and AIDS in Europe,' Dr. Anders A. F. Sima from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
The original two trials -- one conducted in Europe and the other in the US and Canada -- involved over 1000 patients with diabetic neuropathy who were given ALC (500 or 1000 milligrams taken three times a day) or an inactive placebo for 52 weeks.
Those tests showed ALC had no significant effect on nerve conduction velocity, an indicator of improvement in nerve damage, but when Sima's group looked into the data they found certain patients did benefit."
Yahoo! News - Microsoft: No Plans to Tweak DRM Download Mechanism
Yahoo! News - Microsoft: No Plans to Tweak DRM Download Mechanism: "Microsoft Corp. says it has no plans to change the way its Windows Media Player handles the download of DRM licenses."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Early tests are raising hopes that a new device can help people who've injured their spinal cord.
Implantation of an oscillating field stimulator, which generates an electrical field, is a safe, well-tolerated treatment that may improve motor and sensory function in such patients, findings from a pilot study suggest.
The device, which was developed at Purdue University, is placed near the site of injury and is designed to stimulate nerves to regenerate and, it's hoped, restore some degree of function.
After seeing encouraging results in dogs with spinal cord injury, Dr. Scott Shapiro, from Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, and colleagues tested the device in humans. The researchers' findings appear in the Journal of Neurosurgery-Spine."
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Photo Gallery (Creature Feature)
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Photo Gallery (Creature Feature): "Phuket Deep Sea Creatures - Found At Seaside After TSUNAMI
As everyone knows, the tsunami in Southeast Asia was devastating both in the loss of life and economically to the region. However now that the clean up is underway in the region, deep sea creatures that live too deep to be studied are being found scattered throughout the wreckage. These creatures were washed up on shore when the waves hit.
Amazing what lives so far below the surface isn't it? It is ironic how terrible human tragedy and natural disaster can lead to unprecedented expansion of scientific knowledge.
The theory is the tsunami created enough vertical currents to sweep these deep living creatures to the surface quickly. The gases in their blood expanded rapidly causing death (like divers ascending too quickly). "
The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald: "A New Zealand resident who sent $5000 to his ill uncle in India had the money frozen for nearly a month because his name matched that of several men on a terrorist watch list.
When Mohammad Abbas' uncle desperately needed a kidney transplant, the Mt Roskill resident quickly sent money for the operation through Western Union to India.
But Western Union held it, waiting for confirmation that Mr Abbas was not a terrorist.
'Is my religion, the fact that I'm Muslim, and my name a reason to be discriminated against?' said Mr Abbas, a native South African who became a permanent New Zealand resident early last year."
The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald: "A New Zealand resident who sent $5000 to his ill uncle in India had the money frozen for nearly a month because his name matched that of several men on a terrorist watch list."
Border Patrol hails new ID system - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - December 21, 2004
Border Patrol hails new ID system - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - December 21, 2004: "Border Patrol agents assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) identified and arrested 23,502 persons with criminal records nationwide through a new biometric integrated fingerprint system during a three-month period beginning in September, CBP officials said yesterday. "
Watch Report | New Casio Digital Watch Feature: Terrorism
Watch Report | New Casio Digital Watch Feature: Terrorism
Friday, January 14, 2005
MSNBC - Judge nixes evolution textbook stickers
MSNBC - Judge nixes evolution textbook stickers: "ATLANTA - A federal judge Thursday ordered a suburban Atlanta school system to remove stickers from its high school biology textbooks that call evolution �a theory, not a fact,� saying the disclaimers are an unconstitutional endorsement of religion."
US slaps on the wardriver-busting paint | The Register
US slaps on the wardriver-busting paint | The Register: "Security-minded US decorators' supply outfit Force Field Wireless claims to have developed a DIY solution to the international menace of marauding geek wardrivers - DefendAir paint 'laced with copper and aluminum fibers that form an electromagnetic shield, blocking most radio waves and protecting wireless networks'.
According to a South Florida Sun Sentinel report, one coat of the water-based paint 'shields Wi-Fi, WiMax and Bluetooth networks operating at frequencies from 100 megahertz to 2.4 gigahertz', while two or three applications are 'good for networks operating at up to five gigahertz'."
p2pnet.net - the original daily p2p and digital media news site
p2pnet.net - the original daily p2p and digital media news site: "p2pnet.net News:- Entertainment lawyer Jay Flemma doesn�t believe Altnet�s circular email campaign to p2p companies in a bid to get them to license the TrueNames �hash� patent will work.
In fact, �As I understand the lay of the land in this case, I believe they are grossly over-reaching in attempting to turn the world of IP into the wild, wild west and effectively mug these companies by trying to make them pay for something for which they do not have the rights to defend or prosecute,� he told p2pnet."
BBC - Science & Nature - Horizon
BBC - Science & Nature - Horizon: "NARRATOR (JACK FORTUNE): This is a film that demands action. It reveals that we may have grossly underestimated the speed at which our climate is changing. At its heart is a deadly new phenomenon. One that until very recently scientists refused to believe even existed. But it may already have led to the starvation of millions. Tonight Horizon examines for the first time the power of what scientists are calling Global Dimming. "
Torvalds Criticizes Security Approaches
Torvalds Criticizes Security Approaches: "Linux creator Linus Torvalds had a few things to say this week about the way potential security issues are disclosed to fellow open sourcers. And it wasn't all good.
His comments came as part of a mailing list discussion among kernel developers about creating a security contact point for people to use when potential kernel security issues arise.
According to kernel developer Chris Wright,who began the discussion thread, kernel security issues are currently discussed in multiple locations, including the Linux Kernel mailing list, Kernel maintainers and the limited access vendor-sec mailing list. Membership to the vendor-sec mailing list is decided by consensus among existing members, which includes most of the major Linux distributions. In addition, security advisories discussed on the list are embargoed so vendors have time to prepare fixes before full public disclosure. "
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Why the Sun seems to be 'dimming'
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Why the Sun seems to be 'dimming': "We are all seeing rather less of the Sun, according to scientists who have been looking at five decades of sunlight measurements.
They have reached the disturbing conclusion that the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface has been gradually falling. "
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Kurt Seifried - Information security / Port 9999 TCP, UDP
Kurt Seifried - Information security / Port 9999 TCP, UDP: "'distinct | CIPE default port (VPN software that uses udp distinct "
Manpage of SSH2
Manpage of SSH2: "-L port:host:hostport
Specifies that the given port on the local (client) host is to be forwarded to the given host and port on the remote side. This works by allocating a socket to be listened port on the local side, and whenever a connection is made to this port, the connection is forwarded over the secure channel and a connection is made to host:hostport from the remote machine. Port forwardings can also be specified in the configuration file. Only root can forward privileged ports.
-R port:host:hostport
Specifies that the given port on the remote (server) host is to be forwarded to the given host and port on the local side. This works by allocating a socket to listen to port on the remote side, and whenever a connection is made to this port, the connection is forwarded over the secure channel, and a connection is made to host:hostport from the local machine. Privileged ports can be forwarded only when logging in as root on the remote machine. "
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
X-CD-Roast FAQ
X-CD-Roast FAQ: "17. Uh...I feel stupid but how to write downloaded ISO-images?
If you downloaded an ISO-image (e.g. a linux distribution) you have to copy that big file (extension should be .iso) first to an image-directory of X-CD-Roast. You specify these directories in Setup at the 'HD Settings' tab. These are the places where X-CD-Roast will look for audio (.wav) or data tracks.
Now you enter the 'Create CD' menu and you will see your image-file displayed nicely in the 'Image-Information' window. Go to 'Write Tracks' -> click on 'Layout tracks' tab, add your image-file, click on 'Accept track layout' and finally a click at 'Write tracks' will write that image perfectly to your CD-R/RW."
NASA - Get Ready for the Largest Demolition Derby on the Planet
Scientists say Slow-Motion Collision Near Antarctic Research Station Imminent
NASA - Get Ready for the Largest Demolition Derby on the Planet
Scientists say Slow-Motion Collision Near Antarctic Research Station Imminent: "It is an event so large that the best seat in the house is in space: a massive iceberg is on a collision course with a floating glacier near the McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica. NASA satellites have witnessed the 100-mile-long B-15A iceberg moving steadily towards the Drygalski Ice Tongue. Though the iceberg's pace has slowed in recent days, NASA scientists expect a collision to occur no later than January 15, 2005."
monkey methods research group
monkey methods research group: "What the heck is this article about?
After the recent shutdowns in the BitTorrent community, notably the popular site SuprNova.org, many were left wondering if BitTorrent was on its last legs. You can read some of the coverage here . Since this happened, many people are asking: How big of a blow are these shutdowns? Is BitTorrent dead or dying?
Well, we had the same questions too, and decided we wanted to understand the distribution of torrent files on the Internet. Using this information, we can examine issues such as centralization and other important factors.
(If you want an introduction to BitTorrent, please read this Wired article and this FAQ)"
Modders Now Have The Coolest Memory Upgrade Ever
Modders Now Have The Coolest Memory Upgrade Ever: "Modders, those folks that customize their computer cases inside and out, have traditionally had a tough time making memory sticks look slick.
Beyond anodized heat sinks, or a smattering of LEDs that flicker as more or less bits pass through, your system's memory has been pretty devoid of pizazz (or junk, if you're not a fan of the 'modding scene). And if you've cut a window in the side, you always know where the memory is in your case: It's the dark boring spot amidst all the glow in the dark fans, cables and tubing.
Enter Corsair Memory's new XMS XPERT Memory.
XPERT has one seriously distinguishing feature: It has a 10 character alphabetical LED display that snaps in place over your DIMMS. Install the RAM in your system and it automatically offers up your your memory speed, voltage, and DIMM temperature in bright red characters. Remember calculators in the Seventies? It's that kind of LED display, and it really stands out through a case window.
Better yet, you can use Corsair's Memory Dashboard to program the memory to display your own personalized greeting (or obnoxious salute). Type in the message, click a button, and your message gets sent to some spare bits on the memory. And from then on, that message will scroll across the display like your very own tiny Times Square Zipper...except it won't be giving you the latest news headlines and sports scores."
Technocrat.net | Review: FMKit Home FM Broadcast Transmitter
Technocrat.net | Review: FMKit Home FM Broadcast Transmitter: "Listening to internet audio ties you to the computer. I wanted to be able to walk around the house and yard while listening to net audio, discs on my stereo, and my ham receiver. Those iPod FM transmitters are good for a few tens of feet at most, and just wouldn't cut it. But here's a digital controlled, 100 miliwatt transmitter that covered my whole block the first time I tried it, and could work as an FM station for your neighborhood."
Monday, January 10, 2005
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Review: Rega P2, P3, P5, P9 Turntables
Review: Rega P2, P3, P5, P9 Turntables: "Surely one of the most recognizable badges in the world of moderately priced analog gear, Rega has established an enviable position as a leader in the field.
A significant advantage of Rega turntables are their simplicity. While you can choose to use any cartridge with Rega arms, the company offers their own line of cartridges designed to mate perfectly. A three-hole mounting system has been devised that allows several of the Rega cartridges to be mounted on their arms with a minimum of fuss, requiring little prior knowledge of set-up techniques."
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Open-Source Backups Using Amanda | Linux Journal
Open-Source Backups Using Amanda | Linux Journal: "Those of us who have received the call can feel the tension and nervous tone in the caller's voice when he or she asks, 'How good are the backups?' A failed disk, files deleted by mistake, a disgruntled coworker or, worse, a security breach all can be times when you need to depend on backups.
Data probably is the most important element in computing, but in too many cases I see data backups overlooked or approached in such a carefree manner that I shiver. To this end, this article discusses the University of Maryland's Amanda (advanced Maryland automatic disk archiver) backup software, a relatively easy-to-use disk archiver built upon native dump and/or GNU tar tools. I often feel Amanda does not get the respect it deserves in a Linux/UNIX cross-platform environment. I confidently can say, however, that Amanda is a reliable platform for many Linux and UNIX users who are comfortable with a command-line interface.
I began using Amanda approximately three years ago as a backup platform in an educational environment. Working in an educational and research environment provides many challenges when it comes to backups. Many technical professionals and hobbyists face these same challenges related to their own backups. The challenges include the lack of a budget large enough to include backup software, a wide variety of OSes and distributions to back up and limited human resources to accomplish all the backups.
For myself and others, the ideal solution would be to have a central backup server that can accommodate multiple configurations as well as multiple backup tape devices, while requiring a minimum amount of time and resources. Amanda meets these requirements and and many more."
AMANDA, The Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver
AMANDA, The Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver: "AMANDA, the Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver, is a backup system that allows the administrator of a LAN to set up a single master backup server to back up multiple hosts to a single large capacity tape drive. AMANDA uses native dump and/or GNU tar facilities and can back up a large number of workstations running multiple versions of Unix. Recent versions can also use SAMBA to back up Microsoft Windows hosts. "
SanDisk spins SD/USB flash combo
SanDisk spins SD/USB flash combo: "Flash memory pioneer SanDisk has created an innovative memory card packaging technology that enables memory cards to plug into both SD card slots and USB ports. The company debuted the new combo SD/USB cards at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week."
palmOne Software Connection- Software for Palm Handhelds and Treo Smartphones
palmOne Software Connection- Software for Palm Handhelds and Treo Smartphones: "Pocket Tunes turns your Palm OS 5.2 device into a portable audio player! Play compressed audio files (MP3, WMA, or Ogg Vorbis) or uncompressed WAV files from a flash memory card or stream music live over your wireless Internet connection. (Supported devices include all handhelds with PalmOS 5.2 and later, and the Tungsten T. See below for details.)
This is the Deluxe version of Pocket Tunes. It includes all the Pocket Tunes features, including WMA support, crossfade, gapless playback, ShoutCast, and bookmarks. The deluxe version includes all future 3.X upgrades for free. You can also try the Basic Version.
WMA File Plaback.
Fit more music on your handheld with smaller WMA files*. (deluxe version only)
Windows Media Player integration.
Copy music faster and easier from Windows Media Player.
Improved Organization
Organize your music by artist, album, and genre.
ARM-Native MP3 and Ogg Vorbis decoding.
Pocket Tunes can decode any MP3 or Ogg Vorbis file in real time without any skips or delays.
NEW! Streaming MP3
Listen to ShoutCast audio on your Internet-capable Palm. (deluxe version only)
NEW! Large screen support.
Pocket Tunes's built-in skin works on all Palms with expandable and rotating screens.
NEW! Hi-Fi Graphic equalizer.
Bring out the best in your music!
Background playback.
Play your tunes while running other Palm applications.
Crossfade.
Smoothly transition from one song to the next, like your own personal radio station. (deluxe version only)
Bookmarks.
Add bookmarks for your eBooks or music so you never lose your place. (deluxe version only)
Auto-B"
CarsDirect.com: Select from thousands of used cars. Listings update daily
CarsDirect.com: Select from thousands of used cars. Listings update daily
RealPlayer - Mobile > RealPlayer for Palm
RealPlayer - Mobile > RealPlayer for Palm: "
RealPlayer for Palm runs on the latest Palm-branded OS 5 devices with ARM processors. It supports the local playback of MP3 and RealAudio content from inserted SD memory cards. The RealPlayer for Palm currently supports the following Palm PDAs:
Tungsten T, T2, T3, and C
Zire 31, 71, and 72
Treo 600
A plug-in for the RealPlayer for PC allows easy and seamless transfer of songs to the device. Installing the software and getting started is easy! Click below for an installation and use overview, or to download the RealPlayer for Palm."
Technocrat.net | Review: FMKit Home FM Broadcast Transmitter
Technocrat.net | Review: FMKit Home FM Broadcast Transmitter: "Listening to internet audio ties you to the computer. I wanted to be able to walk around the house and yard while listening to net audio, discs on my stereo, and my ham receiver. Those iPod FM transmitters are good for a few tens of feet at most, and just wouldn't cut it. But here's a digital controlled, 100 miliwatt transmitter that covered my whole block the first time I tried it, and could work as an FM station for your neighborhood. "
Wisconsin Girl Survives Rabies with New Treatment
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - A 15-year-old Wisconsin girl who received an experimental treatment to become the first person known to survive rabies without a vaccination has been released from hospital, a spokeswoman for the hospital said on Sunday.
Jeanna Giese of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, was released on Saturday from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where she had been treated for the disease since mid-October.
The deadly virus, which attacks the nervous system and is usually transmitted through an animal bite, can be prevented with a vaccine if treated immediately.
But the teenager, who contracted the virus from an infected bat on Sept. 12, did not seek medical care until symptoms appeared and it was too late for the vaccine.
Doctors at Children's Hospital devised a new treatment that involved inducing a coma to allow Giese's body to better fight the infection, and administering a cocktail of drugs, Children's Hospital spokeswoman Jackie Gauger said.
The hospital said in a statement on its Web site (http://www.chw.org) that Giese was '...the first person in the world to survive the disease without receiving a vaccination after infection.'
The girl, who regained weight, strength and coordination in recent weeks and will continue to receive therapy at home, is expected to make a near-full recovery, the statement said.
'She is progressing very well, better than they had even expected,' Gauger said.
The new treatment shows promise for use in developing nations where rabies infection is more common than in the United States, and could be used for other illnesses that affect the nervous system, the Web site statement said. "
Free Wireless Security Tools
Free Wireless Security Tools: "Tools and utilities to help you test, monitor and protect your wireless network"
Palm/Palm Pilot: Personal Experiences and Tips
Palm/Palm Pilot: Personal Experiences and Tips: "In an astounding business failure, Xerox and Palm were unable to come to agreement on licensing of the Palm developed Graffiti software. (It was found to clash with a Xerox patent. I have no knowledge of the merits of the case.) Palm dumped Graffiti in favor of Jot, and renamed it Graffiti 2. Jot/G2 is relatively easy to learn, but it is very inefficient and involves a lot more pen activity than Graffiti. It is also pickier about stroke form and timing.
Mercifully, Teal SW had TealScript around. It's $20 to register. It allows use of much of the old Graffiti, with a few new strokes and some Jot strokes. You can edit/add strokes and it's trainable. In my testing it's been a life-saver too far.
I've produced a scanned document (pdf, 121K) to help remind Graffiit veterans of the G1 strokes; they are no longer available as a Palm help file."
Yahoo! News - Robber Nabbed After Locking Keys in Car
Yahoo! News - Robber Nabbed After Locking Keys in Car: "LAKE STATION, Ind. - A 26-year-old man locked his keys in his car while robbing a convenience store across the street from a police station, authorities said.
Dan L. Griggs, of Gary, stole three cartons of cigarettes about 1 a.m. Thursday from a store across the street from the Lake Station police department, and returned to his vehicle to find the doors locked, police Lt. Mike Stills said
The robber told a clerk, who followed him out of the store, that it was just a joke and that he didn't intend to steal the cigarettes. The clerk then called police officers
Griggs returned to the store, ripped out the telephone cord and demanded money, opening the store's lottery machine to take about $50 and fled again, according to court documents filed Thursday in Lake Superior Court.
Griggs returned to the store again and grabbed a broom, Stills said. Dispatchers then watched from the police station in the city just east of Gary as Griggs used the broom to smash out a vehicle window.
An officer arrived as Griggs was driving away from the store. After a brief chase through snowy streets, Griggs struck an oncoming police cruiser and fled from the car.
He was arrested when he became stuck in a ditch.
'Unfortunately for him, that was the end of the line,' Stills said.
Police officers found the money, lottery tickets and three cartons of cigarettes that investigators believe Griggs took from the store, he said.
Griggs was charged with a felony count of robbery and was being held without bond."
Exclusive: The headlines you WON'T see in 2005 - silicon.com
Exclusive: The headlines you WON'T see in 2005 - silicon.com
Exclusive: The headlines you WON'T see in 2005 - silicon.com
http://software.silicon.com/os/0,39024651,39123596,00.htm
Gates: Longhorn 'bug free and on time'
If there are two certainties in life it's that Microsoft operating systems will launch late and with more than their fair share of bugs and glitches. Longhorn will be no different. The shipping date has already changed more times than David Beckham's hairstyle – expect at least one more false dawn and heightened speculation throughout 2005.
Markets go mad for tech IPOs
A lot is being said about the fact 2004 finally saw some technology IPO activity, but let's not get carried away. Merger and acquisition still looks the far likelier exit strategy for any company in this space.
Spam drops back below 50 per cent mark
All indications suggest the problem of spam email will continue to increase well into 2005. The watershed mark of spam accounting for more than 50 per cent of email was passed in mid-2003 and it's unlikely to dip below that mark again any time soon... if ever.
Indian firm opens Middlesbrough call centre
A lot has been written about the effects of offshoring on the UK job market. The emotive claims of 'jobs to India' often overshadowed the facts. However, while some predict a slowing down in this trend don't expect to see it reversing.
ID cards: Government offers to waive charges...
ID cards have proven to be a controversial issue through 2004 and that will certainly continue into 2005 and beyond to the time they are eventually, inevitably introduced. One issue is the fact the government intends to charge people for what many view as an infringement of their civil liberties, but it's unlikely the Home Secretary will pass up the chances for the scheme to be partially self-funding.
UK police 'well resourced' in fight on cyber-crime
The biggest problem facing the crackdown on virus writers, spammers, scammers and online crooks is the fact the police are as under-resourced to catch them as the judges are unqualified to try them. The authorities are very much playing catch-up in this battle and that situation won't improve in 2005.
Brit: I really did win £10m on Dutch email lotto
People continue to fall for scams such as the Nigerian 419 scam and the Dutch National Lottery emails. Often with the promise of huge fortunes, individuals are asked to pay upfront fees to process their windfall. Such ploys continue to have great success and it's a certainty that 2005 won't see one such email turn out to be genuine.
Mobile giants: 3G spend worth every penny
3G devices are hitting the shops and the marketing machines are really cranking things up but it's unlikely with all the extra cost that entails anybody will ever be too bullish about those incredible licence fees paid almost five years ago.
No oddball lots on eBay this week
Even in the slowest of news weeks there will always be somebody selling an item on eBay that hits the pages of the newspapers. eBay has become the most bizarre bazaar on the web. What crops up for sale in 2005 is anybody's guess.
Sun revenues soar: Wall Street baffled
Until this year Sun had endured an incredible run of falling revenue - racking up 12 consecutive quarters of decline. Although recent signs look more positive, with one-off charges all that dragged the last quarter below the line, 2005 is unlikely to be the year when McNealy and Co. comes back with a bang. In fact questions are more likely to persist about how long McNealy's name remains above the door.
CIO now stands for 'Cherished', 'Important' and 'Odds-on for CEO'
With a lot of talk this year about the uncertain future for the CIO post, it's unlikely there will be a complete U-turn next year which will see the CIO elevated to a higher status. Unloved and undervalued appear more applicable.
Symantec: 'No more acquisitions'
The security market is likely to see continued consolidation – more so than any other sector and expect Symantec to be at the front of the pack throwing around some serious amounts of cash.
Yahoo! News - Honeypot Project Finds Unpatched Linux PCs Stay Secure Online For Months
Yahoo! News - Honeypot Project Finds Unpatched Linux PCs Stay Secure Online For Months
"The average unpatched Linux (news - web sites) system survives for months on the Internet before being hacked, a report recently issued by the Honeypot Project claims."
