Genral Web Comments
Friday, April 29, 2005
Dutch plans for iPod tax could kill MP3 industry | The Register
Dutch plans for iPod tax could kill MP3 industry | The Register: "A Netherlands proposed tax on MP3 players could devastate sales of hard disk players, and set up international waves over copyright legislation.
The tax is being proposed by the Stichting Thuiskopie foundation, and is set to become law in the Netherlands in a few short months unless the European Commission finds a reason to intervene. It is unlikely that will happen, as it has failed to come up with a policy for levy taxation so far."
'Hello? Chavez Here, Imperialists Want Our Oil' - Yahoo! News
'Hello? Chavez Here, Imperialists Want Our Oil' - Yahoo! News: "CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Telephone callers at Venezuela's oil ministry are getting the low-down on the country's oil strategy direct from President Hugo Chavez.
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'What is the reason for the imperialist aggression against our country? Venezuela is the world's top oil reserve and the world's oil is running out,' the short, repeated recording of a recent Chavez speech tells phoners as their call is put on hold and transferred internally."
Florida Governor Signs Deadly Force Law - Yahoo! News
Florida Governor Signs Deadly Force Law - Yahoo! News: "TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed a new anti-crime law on Tuesday that allows people to kill in self-defense without first trying to flee.
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Supporters say the law is a logical extension of common law that allows homeowners who fear for their lives to use deadly force to defend themselves from an intruder in their homes."
Exploding Toads Puzzle German Scientists - Yahoo! News
Exploding Toads Puzzle German Scientists - Yahoo! News: "BERLIN - More than 1,000 toads have puffed up and exploded in a Hamburg pond in recent weeks, and scientists still have no explanation for what's causing the combustion, an official said Wednesday.
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Both the pond's water and body parts of the toads have been tested, but scientists have been unable to find a bacteria or virus that would cause the toads to swell up and pop, said Janne Kloepper, of the Hamburg-based Institute for Hygiene and the Environment."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "LONDON (Reuters) - There are plenty of Web sites on the Internet encouraging Britons to swap sexual partners. Now, similar sites are urging them to swap votes.
Marginalised by the country's winner-takes-all electoral system, voters in some parts of the country are indulging in what one activist describes as 'orgiastic vote-swapping'.
For example, a Labour voter who realises that the party has no chance of beating the Conservatives in his or her constituency agrees to vote for the Liberal Democrats in a bid to keep the Conservatives out."
Guerrilla Art Group Mocks Exclusive Enclaves - Yahoo! News
Guerrilla Art Group Mocks Exclusive Enclaves - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a city where fame is an industry and privacy is a mark of privilege, guerrilla artists have erected mock guard towers to protest what they see as a disturbing proliferation of gated communities.
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Heavy Trash, a coalition of anonymous architects, designers and urban planners, erected the bright orange, 12-foot (3.6- meter) viewing platforms outside the gates of three upscale Los Angeles neighborhoods."
Thursday, April 28, 2005
DNA Reopens 32-Year-Old Serial Rapist Case - Yahoo! News
DNA Reopens 32-Year-Old Serial Rapist Case - Yahoo! News: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - DNA testing on semen found on a raped woman's underwear 32 years ago has reopened an investigation into 25 sexual assaults spanning three states over three decades, Manhattan prosecutors said on Tuesday.
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DNA testing of semen found on a victim's underwear in a 1973 Manhattan knifepoint rape was matched to Clarence Williams, 58, who was arrested last year after a 26-year hiatus, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said."
Man Drives on Taxiway at Iowa Airport - Yahoo! News
Man Drives on Taxiway at Iowa Airport - Yahoo! News: "DES MOINES, Iowa - Air traffic at Des Moines International Airport was temporarily halted when a disoriented 70-year-old man drove in through an exit gate and led security on a chase onto an active taxiway.
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Duane Edwards Sheets drove through an open gate at the adjacent Iowa Air National Guard base Tuesday, nearly striking a guard who tried to stop him, said Col. Greg Schwab, commander of the 132nd Air Fighter Wing."
Man Drives on Taxiway at Iowa Airport - Yahoo! News
Man Drives on Taxiway at Iowa Airport - Yahoo! News: "DES MOINES, Iowa - Air traffic at Des Moines International Airport was temporarily halted when a disoriented 70-year-old man drove in through an exit gate and led security on a chase onto an active taxiway.
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Duane Edwards Sheets drove through an open gate at the adjacent Iowa Air National Guard base Tuesday, nearly striking a guard who tried to stop him, said Col. Greg Schwab, commander of the 132nd Air Fighter Wing."
Man Allegedly Demands Ransom for Pooch - Yahoo! News
Man Allegedly Demands Ransom for Pooch - Yahoo! News: "BOSTON - A man whose truck was stolen with his 11-week-old puppy inside said the thief threatened to kill his pet unless he paid a $500 ransom. Instead, the dog owner brought the police along to the planned rendezvous, and a suspect was arrested.
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Timothy Connors, 30, left the keys in his pickup truck, with the dog inside, when he stepped into a convenience store Monday. That's when Michael Cyr allegedly stole the truck and Dakota, a two-pound Pomeranian-Maltese mix."
Friends Find $75,000 in Backyard Treasure - Yahoo! News
Friends Find $75,000 in Backyard Treasure - Yahoo! News: "BOSTON - Simple luck helped Tim Crebase and two friends find a stash of cash buried in his yard. Splitting up the money without damaging their friendship may take more skill.
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It was a rainy day that prevented Crebase and friends Barry Billcliff and Matt Ingham go to their roofing job, so they began digging around his Methuen yard to dig up a shrub whose roots were creeping into a nearby set of stairs."
Houston Bans Offensive Odor in Libraries - Yahoo! News
Houston Bans Offensive Odor in Libraries - Yahoo! News: "HOUSTON - Those who want to browse books at Houston's public libraries should get enough sleep, eat and bathe before they begin to peruse the shelves.
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On Wednesday, Houston's city council passed a series of library regulations that some say are an attempt to discourage homeless people from visiting the public buildings.
Library officials said people have been using their facilities as temporary shelters, restaurants and changing stations. The new ordinance prohibits sleeping on tables, eating, using restrooms for bathing and 'offensive bodily hygiene that constitutes a nuisance to others.'"
Burglar With Conscience Returns Items - Yahoo! News
Burglar With Conscience Returns Items - Yahoo! News: "ENID, Okla. - There may be a burglar with a conscience in Garfield County.
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A television, stereo, and VCR were stolen over the weekend from a house in the small town of Kremlin."
Beggars May Need Licenses in Minneapolis - Yahoo! News
Beggars May Need Licenses in Minneapolis - Yahoo! News: "MINNEAPOLIS - The police chief wants to license panhandlers, saying it would make it easier for officers to manage aggressive begging in Minnesota's largest city.
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Under the plan, panhandlers would have to register each year at a government center and have their picture taken. Anyone failing to wear an ID badge would be jailed for 30 days, and possibly fined."
Best Man Arrested in Honeymoon Blaze - Yahoo! News
Best Man Arrested in Honeymoon Blaze - Yahoo! News: "HAMPTON, Va. - A honeymooning couple was to return Wednesday night to find their home had been set on fire while they were away, and that police arrested the best man at their wedding and charged him with setting the blaze.
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Joseph Overton, 27, was charged with burning and destroying a dwelling and manufacturing and use of an explosive device, Fire Marshal Rick Rickett said"
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "LONDON (Reuters) - Dog-lovers have taken 2.7 million working days off to care for their sick pets over the last two years, according to a survey on Thursday.
Ten percent of owners missed five days of work, with half of these taking up to two weeks off to look after their pets.
Dog owners are so concerned about their pooches' wellbeing that 55 percent admitted they paid more attention to sick pets than an ill partner.
Fifty-three percent of owners also said they bought their dogs a present if their pets were feeling under the weather."
Utah Women Sue Religious Group for Fraud - Yahoo! News
Utah Women Sue Religious Group for Fraud - Yahoo! News: "SALT LAKE CITY - Two women claim they were bilked out of their life savings by an apocalyptic religious group that promised them land and a face-to-face meeting with Jesus Christ.
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Kaziah Hancock and Cindy Stewart earlier won their lawsuit against Jim Harmston and The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of The Last Days in a district court, but it was thrown out by a judge."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's normally strait-laced politicians are getting ready for a tieless look this summer to combat global warming but the idea has left fashion mavens cold.
Government workers and politicians are being encouraged to dress down between June 1 and September 30 so that air conditioner thermostats can be set higher to save energy."
Couple Hosts Surprise Wedding in Wash. - Yahoo! News
Couple Hosts Surprise Wedding in Wash. - Yahoo! News: "LAKE STEVENS, Wash. - After more than three decades together, Betty Tellesbo and John Troutman have tied the knot. But not before playing a complicated trick.
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The couple began by asking their parents, their three children and the children's spouses and children to meet them at a restaurant on the pretext of a combined celebration for a number of family members who have birthdays in April."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian court has sentenced a woman to nine months in jail for raping a man, the first such conviction in the Scandinavian country that prides itself for its egalitarianism.
The 31-year-old man fell asleep on a sofa at a party in January last year and told the court in the western city of Bergen he woke to find the 23-year-old woman was having oral sex with him."
Police Doubt Report That 'The Scream' Burned - Yahoo! News
Police Doubt Report That 'The Scream' Burned - Yahoo! News: "OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian police expressed skepticism about a newspaper report Thursday that thieves had burned Edvard Munch's missing masterpiece 'The Scream' out of fear that investigators were closing in.
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'The Oslo police have no knowledge of that,' Iver Stensrud, the police chief leading the investigation since gunmen stole the iconic 1893 painting from an Oslo gallery in August 2004, told Norway's NRK public radio."
Salem Not Thrilled With 'Bewitched' Statue - Yahoo! News
Salem Not Thrilled With 'Bewitched' Statue - Yahoo! News: "SALEM, Mass. - Not all Salem residents like the idea of a statue honoring the star of the TV show 'Bewitched.'
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Thousands of tourists flock each year to the Massachusetts city made famous by the witch hysteria of 1692."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "LONDON (Reuters) - The factors that drove a group of religious zealots to try blowing up parliament 400 years ago are as relevant today as they were then, police said on Thursday.
The Gunpowder Plotters, the most famous of whom was Guy Fawkes, were Catholic fanatics in an age when Catholicism was a persecuted minority faith in England.
'They were a minority who felt they had no say and when that happens people feel their options are limited and some turn to violence,' said police Commander Steve Allen.
'There are communities today who feel the same way, and our job is to try to build an inclusive society so that minorities do feel they have a voice,' he told Reuters at the opening of a special exhibition on the plot.
Neither Allen nor the exhibition at London's Globe Theatre mentioned the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington -- although there is a reference to England's 5/11, meaning November 5, the date in 1605 set for the detonation.
'We will be bringing groups of youths through here to study what happened and what it means,' Allen said. 'This is relevant to all young people because we are going to have to forge a country where everyone has a voice.'
The exhibition, with police-style profiles of the plotters is being staged at Shakespeare's Globe theatre because he wrote Macbeth immediately afterwards with a strong signal of support for the king, according to co-curator Daniel Hahn."
Inmate Sends Judge a Letter With Marijuana - Yahoo! News
Inmate Sends Judge a Letter With Marijuana - Yahoo! News: "AZTEC, N.M. - An inmate's letter delivered Monday to a district judge tested positive for marijuana, authorities said.
Craig Hopkins, an inmate at the San Juan County Detention Center, apologized to Judge Thomas Hynes for violating his probation. At the bottom of the envelope were marijuana leaves."
Standing Room Only at New Cemetery - Yahoo! News
Standing Room Only at New Cemetery - Yahoo! News: "CANBERRA (Reuters) - It will be standing room only for those being buried at a new Australian cemetery that aims to provide cheap, environmentally friendly burials.
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Australia's Victoria state government has approved plans for the cemetery at Darlington, 200 km (125 miles) southwest of the Victorian capital Melbourne, where corpses will be buried vertically in body bags -- instead of caskets -- on grazing land. 'When you die, you are returned to the earth with a minimum of fuss and with no paraphernalia that would affect the environment,' a spokesman for Palacom, which will establish the cemetery, told Australian Associated Press on Thursday."
Sport genetics could make Superman fantasy a reality - Yahoo! News
Sport genetics could make Superman fantasy a reality - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AFP) - Genetic engineering and steroid enhancement could turn Superman-like fantasy figures into reality, American football officials and players warned in a Congressional hearing.
The first signs of a massive mighty race might already be appearing in 21st Century American sports, where teams do not face World Anti-Doping Agency standards even though lawmakers are pondering imposing such measures.
Concerns about the future of doping were on the minds of several who testified here Wednesday at a House Government Reform committee hearing about steroids in the National Football League."
Mind Hacks: Does email really reduce IQ ?
Mind Hacks: Does email really reduce IQ ?: "A widely reported news story suggests that email and phone calls reduce IQ by up to 10 points. At closer examination however, the majority of the headlines do not stand up to scrutiny."
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Nuclear fusion on the desktop ... really! - Science - MSNBC.com
Nuclear fusion on the desktop ... really! - Science - MSNBC.com: "Scientists say they have achieved small-scale nuclear fusion in a tabletop experiment, using tried and true techniques that are expected to generate far less controversy than past such claims."
OSSIM (Open Source Security Information Management)
OSSIM (Open Source Security Information Management)
Yahoo! News - Man Who Put Mom in Freezer Had Odd History
Yahoo! News - Man Who Put Mom in Freezer Had Odd History: "TOWN OF CAMPBELL, Wis. - As a teenager, Philip Schuth was teased mercilessly by the other kids because his mother still walked him to school. As an adult, he lived with his mother, cut his backyard with a scythe, and once bought $150 worth of Spam in a single grocery store outing. But the strangest thing of all would come to light over the weekend: Schuth had kept his mother's remains in a basement freezer for years while he went on collecting her Social Security checks.
Schuth told authorities that his mother died of natural causes in 2000 and that he feared police might charge him with murder, according to court documents. An autopsy is planned.
'Everybody thought he was nuts,' said Gary Mitchell, 59, who lives next door. "
Yahoo! News - Casino Camera Operators Accused of Ogling
Yahoo! News - Casino Camera Operators Accused of Ogling: "ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Four more surveillance camera operators at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino have been accused of using the equipment to ogle women, according to a complaint filed Tuesday.
In December, the same casino was fined $80,000 for incidents involving two camera operators who trained their in-ceiling cameras on low-cut blouses and revealing clothing. "
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "BANGKOK (Reuters) - Doctors found around 50 maggots in the ears of an 84-year-old Thai man after he went to hospital complaining of an itch.
Wednesday's Nation newspaper said Anan Temtan, who lives in the tsunami-hit southern resort island of Phuket, had used cotton buds to relieve the itching, but had scratched so hard his eardrums ruptured and started bleeding.
'We believe flies might have gone inside his ears to lay eggs, which hatched into larvae and caused the itching,' said Somsak Nonthasri, the doctor who treated him.
Somsak, who used tweezers and a small suction device to remove the maggots, said Anan would be kept in for observation for a while to make sure no more eggs hatched. "
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
??? - RIM - Ami Ben-Bassat's Blog
??? - RIM - Ami Ben-Bassat's Blog: "Novel new data transfer system was launched recently in a unique experiment being held in KinnerNet 2005 camp (an Israeli internet camp , modeled after Tim Oreilly's Foo camp). The experiment conceived and run by a group of Israeli Internet addicts, including Yossi Vardi (former ICQ chairman), Shimon Schocken (computer scientist) and Ami Ben Bassat (science writer).
The system called SNAP (SNAil-based data transfer Protocol(, uses biological carriers, and, for the first time, taking advantages of the unique merits of the wheel for data transfer."
Yahoo! News - Priest Ordered to Stop Protests in Mass.
Yahoo! News - Priest Ordered to Stop Protests in Mass.: "BOSTON - The Archdiocese of Boston has ordered a priest to stop demonstrations outside the home of the state Senate president, protests the priest said were necessary because of the politician's support of embryonic stem cell research.
The Rev. Thomas DiLorenzo and several parishioners recently spent several days demonstrating outside Sen. Robert E. Travaglini's duplex, singing hymns, carrying rosary beads and displaying signs with slogans such as 'Stop Playing God' and 'This is all about money.' "
Yahoo! News - Internet quiz puts true British party loyalties to the test
Yahoo! News - Internet quiz puts true British party loyalties to the test: "LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party might be the hot favourite to win the British general election, but according to an innovative Internet-based test of the policies voters really support, millions may be backing the wrong politician. "
Yahoo! News - Restaurant Fined for Throwing Out Kissing Lesbians
Yahoo! News - Restaurant Fined for Throwing Out Kissing Lesbians: "STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish lesbian couple who were thrown out of a Stockholm restaurant in 2003 for kissing won an appeal Monday against an earlier court ruling that cleared the restaurant owner of sexual discrimination.
The Court of Appeals in Stockholm ordered restaurant owner Aziz Cakir to pay 50,000 crowns ($7,100) in damages and to cover the legal costs of Sweden's ombudsman against sexual discrimination, HomO, which filed the appeal.
Cakir asked Anna Fernstrom and Susanne Gustafsson to leave his restaurant after they kissed and later told police he did not let anyone engage in such behavior on his premises regardless of their sexual orientation. "
Yahoo! News - Woman Finishes Anthem on Morning News Show
Yahoo! News - Woman Finishes Anthem on Morning News Show: "NEW YORK - By the dawn's early light, Caroline Marcil finally finished on national TV what she started at a hockey game � a flawless rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' "
Yahoo! News - Woman Finishes Anthem on Morning News Show
Yahoo! News - Woman Finishes Anthem on Morning News Show: "NEW YORK - By the dawn's early light, Caroline Marcil finally finished on national TV what she started at a hockey game � a flawless rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' "
Yahoo! News - Woman Finishes Anthem on Morning News Show
Yahoo! News - Woman Finishes Anthem on Morning News Show: "NEW YORK - By the dawn's early light, Caroline Marcil finally finished on national TV what she started at a hockey game � a flawless rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' "
Yahoo! News - A Law Dogs Would Write, if They Were Lawyers...
Yahoo! News - A Law Dogs Would Write, if They Were Lawyers...: "ROME (Reuters) - Dog owners in Turin will be fined up to $650 if they don't walk their pets at least three times a day, under a new law from the city's council.
People will also be banned from dyeing their pets' fur or 'any form of animal mutilation' for merely aesthetic motives such as docking dogs' tails, under the law about to be passed in the northern Italian city.
'In Turin it will be illegal to turn one's dog into a ridiculous fluffy toy,' the city's La Stampa daily reported.
Italians can already be fined up to 10,000 euros and spend a year in prison if found guilty of torturing or abandoning their pets, but Turin's new rules go into much greater detail. "
Yahoo! News - 'Cat Hoarder' Forced to Give Up 70 Felines
Yahoo! News - 'Cat Hoarder' Forced to Give Up 70 Felines: "BRUNSWICK, Maine - An animal shelter has taken in more than 70 cats that were given up by their owner in what officials described as a case of 'animal hoarding.'
Sharon Turner, director of the Coastal Humane Society, said the man who had the cats is a hoarder and that hoarding 'is a bona fide mental illness' related to obsessive compulsive disorder.
An animal hoarder 'is a person who amasses more animals than he/she can properly care for. Such individuals generally fail to recognize � or refuse to acknowledge � when the animals in their custody become victims of gross neglect,' the Humane Society of the United States said on its Web site.
Turner said the cats' owner had been working with the shelter over a couple of years to build up trust. Finally, she said, he recognized his financial limitations and 'did absolutely the right thing' by giving the cats to the shelter. "
Yahoo! News - Restaurant Fined for Throwing Out Kissing Lesbians
Yahoo! News - Restaurant Fined for Throwing Out Kissing Lesbians: "STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish lesbian couple who were thrown out of a Stockholm restaurant in 2003 for kissing won an appeal Monday against an earlier court ruling that cleared the restaurant owner of sexual discrimination.
The Court of Appeals in Stockholm ordered restaurant owner Aziz Cakir to pay 50,000 crowns ($7,100) in damages and to cover the legal costs of Sweden's ombudsman against sexual discrimination, HomO, which filed the appeal.
Cakir asked Anna Fernstrom and Susanne Gustafsson to leave his restaurant after they kissed and later told police he did not let anyone engage in such behavior on his premises regardless of their sexual orientation. "
Yahoo! News - Restaurant Fined for Throwing Out Kissing Lesbians
Yahoo! News - Restaurant Fined for Throwing Out Kissing Lesbians: "STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish lesbian couple who were thrown out of a Stockholm restaurant in 2003 for kissing won an appeal Monday against an earlier court ruling that cleared the restaurant owner of sexual discrimination.
The Court of Appeals in Stockholm ordered restaurant owner Aziz Cakir to pay 50,000 crowns ($7,100) in damages and to cover the legal costs of Sweden's ombudsman against sexual discrimination, HomO, which filed the appeal.
Cakir asked Anna Fernstrom and Susanne Gustafsson to leave his restaurant after they kissed and later told police he did not let anyone engage in such behavior on his premises regardless of their sexual orientation. "
Yahoo! News - He Sues Lover After Sex Change Hitch
Yahoo! News - He Sues Lover After Sex Change Hitch: "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian who became a man to marry a female relative was dumped after the surgery, a newspaper reported Monday.
Twenty-nine-year-old rubber tapper Kuttiyamma, born with both male and female genitals, had been in love with the relative, Laura, 25, for 15 years before having surgery to become a man and change her name to Binu, the Hindustan Times reported. "
Yahoo! News - He Sues Lover After Sex Change Hitch
Yahoo! News - He Sues Lover After Sex Change Hitch: "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian who became a man to marry a female relative was dumped after the surgery, a newspaper reported Monday.
Twenty-nine-year-old rubber tapper Kuttiyamma, born with both male and female genitals, had been in love with the relative, Laura, 25, for 15 years before having surgery to become a man and change her name to Binu, the Hindustan Times reported. "
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladeshi customs officials found luxury cars, large-screen television sets and refrigerators in a container declared to be carrying metal scrap -- so they made it just that at a public ceremony on Monday.
Hundreds of people watched as officials from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) used bulldozers to crush a Mercedes Benz and a Toyota car and other luxury goods at a railway container terminal in Dhaka.
NBR chairman Khairuzzaman Chowdhury said a trading firm had sought to evade customs duties by falsely declaring that the container carried iron scrap.
'They wanted to befool us by saying they brought in scrapped metals...so we are giving them the same. They, or anyone like them, will not forget this,' he told reporters at the site."
Yahoo! News - Man Pleads Guilty in French Fries Rage
Yahoo! News - Man Pleads Guilty in French Fries Rage: "DuBOIS, Pa. - A man who angrily berated fast-food employees when a drive-thru clerk told him the restaurant was out of french fries pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 45 days in jail.
Gregg Luttman, of DuBois, pleaded guilty to assault, resisting arrest, institutional vandalism and other charges stemming from the confrontation on New Year's Day at a Burger King restaurant. "
Yahoo! News - Judge to Woman: Jail or Packers Tickets
Yahoo! News - Judge to Woman: Jail or Packers Tickets: "OSHKOSH, Wis. - It's a choice that could give pause to some Green Bay Packers fans. A judge ordered a woman convicted of theft to decide whether to spend 90 days in jail or donate her family's Packers tickets next season to charity. "
Monday, April 25, 2005
Linux.com - Create a Root Certification Authority Certificate.
Linux.com - Create a Root Certification Authority Certificate.: "2.2. Create a Root Certification Authority Certificate.
CA.pl -newcert
(openssl req -config /etc/openssl.cnf -new -x509 -keyout newreq.pem -out newreq.pem -days 365)
creates a self signed certificate (for Certificate Authority). The resulting file goes into newreq.pem. For the common Name (CN) use something like �ACME root Certificate�. This file needs to be split into 2 files cacert.pem and private/cakey.pem. The part -RSA PRIVATE KEY- goes into private/cakey.pem while the part -CERTIFICATE- goes into cacert.pem. Delete newreq.pem when finished.
Now ensure that the file index.txt is empty and that the file serial contains 01.
You may want to increase the number of days so that your root certificate and all the certificates signed by this root does not have to be changed when the root certificate expires. I think professional companies work over 5 years to 10 years for their root certificates.
openssl req -config /etc/openssl.cnf -new -x509 -keyout private/cakey.pem -out cacert.pem -days 3650
This last command is better than �CA.pl -newcert� as it will place the files in the required locations and create a root CA valid for 10 years.
Now ensure that this self signed root certificate is used only to sign other certificates. The private key is highly sensible, never compromise it, by removing the passphrase that protects it. Some people will place the private key on a floppy and will load it only when signing other certificates. If you computer gets hacked they can't physically get hold of the private key, if it is on a floppy.
Now you have a root Certification Authority. Other people need to trust your self-signed root CA Certificate, and therefore download it and register it on their browser.
You w"
Nmap Hackers: Microsoft Tightens the Noose on Raw Sockets
Nmap Hackers: Microsoft Tightens the Noose on Raw Sockets: "Many of us were annoyed last year when Microsoft intentionally broke
raw sockets on Windows XP, while leaving the feature enabled in
Windows 2003. MS is well known for maintaining the upgrade treadmill
by dubious means such gratuitous file format incompatibilities, but
this is a new low. People pay $299.99 for WinXP Pro with working raw
sockets, then MS cripples their systems and demands $1019 (WS2003
retail price) to return the functionality. Of course Microsoft claims
this change is necessary for security. That is funny, since all of
the other major platforms Nmap supports (e.g. Mac OS X, Linux, *BSD)
offer raw sockets and yet they haven't become the wasp nest of
spambots, worms, and spyware that infest so many Windows boxes.
This takes us back to 1996, when MS released Windows NT 4.0
Workstation with a limit of 10 incoming connections per 10 minutes[1].
They (falsely) claimed this limit was due to substantial technical
differences between Workstation and Server, and wasn't just a way to
force an $800 upgrade. But at least that was a new product -- MS
didn't proactively break existing, working web servers. Soon hackers
discovered that the 'substantial technical differences' were just a
registry key setting. MS backed down and removed the limitation.
Well, they haven't backed down this time! I know that some of you
have been avoiding SP2 to keep your system fully functional. MS made
a blocking tool available to Enterprises, but they overrode it on
April 12 and forced the upgrade through Automatic Update anyway[2].
And now they have quietly snuck the raw sockets restriction in with
their latest critical security pa"
Yahoo! News - Main Web Site Hackers Are Schoolboys, Watchdog Says
Yahoo! News - Main Web Site Hackers Are Schoolboys, Watchdog Says: "LONDON (Reuters) - Attacks on company and government Internet sites spike during school holidays when the main culprits -- schoolboys -- spend time in front of their computers rather than in the classroom.
There were almost 400,000 attacks on Web sites around the world last year, a surge of 36 percent from 2003, said a report issued by Internet watchdog agency Zone-H to coincide with a London information security exhibition.
'A lot of 15- and 16-year-old guys are smart enough to have strong political opinions,' Roberto Preatoni, Zone-H founder, told Reuters Monday. "
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Yahoo! News - 36 States Face Perchlorate Contamination
Yahoo! News - 36 States Face Perchlorate Contamination: "RIALTO, Calif. - Like dozens of other towns nationwide, this working-class suburb is facing an emerging threat of uncertain dimensions � a chemical used in rocket fuel and defense manufacturing that has befouled nearly half its drinking water supply. Concern spread along with the underground plume of water that carries the chemical from barren land that once housed World War II munitions, Cold War weapons-makers and, now, fireworks warehouses and a dump.
As one city well after another tested positive for perchlorate � six of the city's 13 wells in all � projected cleanup costs ballooned to more than double Rialto's $40 million annual budget. The town sued the Defense Department and dozens of other suspected polluters, pleaded with residents to conserve water and hiked water rates 65 percent.
Officials and townspeople, meanwhile, want to know just how hazardous perchlorate is. High amounts can be dangerous � the chemical can interrupt the production of thyroid hormones, which are needed for pre- and postnatal development. But how much exposure should be permissible sparks debate in governmental and scientific circles.
The conclusion of city leaders: Piping any amount of perchlorate into homes posed an unacceptable gamble. "
Yahoo! News - Nev. Researcher Suing Over Security Probe
Yahoo! News - Nev. Researcher Suing Over Security Probe: "RENO, Nev. - In just months, Hussein S. Hussein went from being an internationally known animal nutrition researcher who brought millions of dollars in grants to the University of Nevada, Reno, to a campus pariah. The reversal is an unfinished story of dead research animals, hidden surveillance cameras and FBI inquiries into allegations of terrorism and toxins.
Hussein, a native of Egypt, alleges that campus police were directed to call in the FBI to intimidate him earlier this year because of trumped up fears that his lab housed biohazards. He has filed two lawsuits in federal court against the university system, UNR President John Lilley and other administrators.
Hussein, an animal nutritionist, accuses them of orchestrating reprisals and trying to fire him since he complained to the U.S. Department of Agriculture last summer about alleged abuse of research animals at the college's labs and farms. "
Yahoo! News - Ocean Off Hawaii Strewn With Wreckage
Yahoo! News - Ocean Off Hawaii Strewn With Wreckage: "HONOLULU - From junked trucks to World War II submarines, vast fields of far-flung wreckage exist beneath the blue-green ocean off Hawaii. "
Yahoo! News - Slaying Highlights DNA Backlog in Mass.
Yahoo! News - Slaying Highlights DNA Backlog in Mass.: "BOSTON - The slow pace of DNA testing in the case of a fashion writer killed more than three years ago on Cape Cod illustrates a frequent complaint by Massachusetts prosecutors: The state crime lab is so understaffed and underfunded it has to ration how many tests local law enforcement agencies may submit.
'It is not a question of the science of the lab,' said Cape & Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe. 'The lab is excellent. The people there are dedicated. The issue is one of capacity.'
In March 2004, police investigating the death of fashion writer Christa Worthington took a DNA sample from her trash collector, Christopher McCowen, by swabbing the inside of his cheek. It had been more than two years since her death, and police were taking a second look at about three dozen suspects. "
Yahoo! News - Slaying Highlights DNA Backlog in Mass.
Yahoo! News - Slaying Highlights DNA Backlog in Mass.: "BOSTON - The slow pace of DNA testing in the case of a fashion writer killed more than three years ago on Cape Cod illustrates a frequent complaint by Massachusetts prosecutors: The state crime lab is so understaffed and underfunded it has to ration how many tests local law enforcement agencies may submit.
'It is not a question of the science of the lab,' said Cape & Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe. 'The lab is excellent. The people there are dedicated. The issue is one of capacity.'
In March 2004, police investigating the death of fashion writer Christa Worthington took a DNA sample from her trash collector, Christopher McCowen, by swabbing the inside of his cheek. It had been more than two years since her death, and police were taking a second look at about three dozen suspects. "
NASA - Gusev Dust Devil Movie, Sol 456 (Enhanced)
NASA - Gusev Dust Devil Movie, Sol 456 (Enhanced): "This movie clip shows a dust devil scooting across a plain inside Gusev Crater on Mars as seen from the NASA rover Spirit's hillside vantage point during the rover's 456th martian day, or sol (April 15, 2005). The individual images were taken about 20 seconds apart by Spirit's navigation camera, and the contrast has been enhanced for anything in the images that changes from frame to frame, that is, for the dust devil.
The movie results from a new way of watching for dust devils, which are whirlwinds that hoist dust from the surface into the air. Spirit began seeing dust devils in isolated images in March 2005. At first, the rover team relied on luck. It might catch a dust devil in an image or it might miss by a few minutes. Using the new detection strategy, the rover takes a series of 21 images. Spirit sends a few of them to Earth, as well as little thumbnail images of all of them. Team members use the 3 big images and all the small images to decide whether the additional big images have dust devils. For this movie, they specifically told Spirit to send back frames that they knew had dust devils.
The images were processed in three steps. All images were calibrated to remove known camera artifacts. The images were then processed to remove stationary objects. The result is a gray scene showing only features that change with time. The final step combined the original image with the image that shows only moving features, showing the martian scene and the enhanced dust devils.
Scientists expected dust devils since before Spirit landed. The landing area inside Gusev Crater is filled with dark streaks left behind when dust devils pick dust up from an area. It is also filled with bright 'hollows', which are dust-filled miniature craters. Dust covers most of the terrain."
Yahoo! News - Angola at Critical Stage in Marburg Battle -WHO
Yahoo! News - Angola at Critical Stage in Marburg Battle -WHO: "LUANDA, Angola (Reuters) - Angola is at a critical stage in its fight against an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus and must step up its drive to bring the disease under control, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday. "
Yahoo! News - N.Y. Looks Into Foster Kids in Drug Trials
Yahoo! News - N.Y. Looks Into Foster Kids in Drug Trials: "NEW YORK - A city agency that put more than 400 HIV-positive foster children into clinical trials for AIDS drugs has asked for an independent review of the program after children's rights advocates said it amounted to exploitation."
Yahoo! News - Gene Variant Yields Clues to Brain Cancer
Yahoo! News - Gene Variant Yields Clues to Brain Cancer: "FRIDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- A specific genetic trait appears to double the survival rate of patients with the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme, researchers report."
Yahoo! News - Gene Variant Yields Clues to Brain Cancer
Yahoo! News - Gene Variant Yields Clues to Brain Cancer: "FRIDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- A specific genetic trait appears to double the survival rate of patients with the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme, researchers report."
Yahoo! News - New Weapon Against Alzheimer's Found
Yahoo! News - New Weapon Against Alzheimer's Found: "FRIDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Regular infusions of plasma-derived antibodies appear to reduce levels of Alzheimer's disease-causing brain plaques while improving patients' thinking ability, researchers report."
Yahoo! News - Summary Box: Today Sponge Returns
Yahoo! News - Summary Box: Today Sponge Returns: "FOUND WORTHY: The Food and Drug Administration has approved U.S. sales of the Today Sponge, a popular nonprescription birth control product that was yanked from the market in 1995. "
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Involving both patients with end-stage cancer and their caregivers in a pain control program has benefits for both, results of a pilot study suggest.
Dr. Francis J. Keefe, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and his associates provided instruction in partner-guided pain management that included educational information about cancer pain and training in pain coping skills."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Millions of Americans may be struggling to cope with people who have personality disorders, a form mental illness in which people have trouble functioning with others, according to an expert.
A recent government survey estimated that nearly 15 percent of Americans have a personality disorder.
Consequently, Dr. Stuart C. Yudofsky of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas estimated that another 15 to 30 percent of people have a close relationship with someone -- perhaps a co-worker, partner or family member -- who has antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, or some other personality disorder.
People with the histrionic type of personality disorder, a common condition, are impulsive and quickly form intense but shallow relationships. People with borderline personality disorder are typically unstable, exhibit wild mood swings, and have self-destructive behavior. Other personality disorders include narcissistic, paranoid, schizotypal, and addictive types."
Yahoo! News - Peer-To-Peer Users Share More Than Stolen Songs
Yahoo! News - Peer-To-Peer Users Share More Than Stolen Songs: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - College kids looking for free music may have popularized Internet file-trading software, but the technology is now used by everyone from penny-pinching phone callers to polar explorers.
Even the recording industry is changing its tune as labels that for years have waged a legal war against 'peer-to-peer' companies are now allowing authorized uses of the technology.
'I never thought you'd hear this from me, but the record industry has, mostly, been fairly cooperative,' said Wayne Rosso, who is launching an authorized service called Mashboxx (http://www.mashboxx.com) while the U.S. Supreme Court considers the entertainment industry's copyright suit against Grokster, his old peer-to-peer company.
Peer-to-peer, or P2P, software allows users to connect directly to each others' computers, bypassing the powerful servers that underpin much of the Internet. Web pages, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and other material usually stored on servers can thus be made public directly from a user's hard drive. "
Yahoo! News - Peer-To-Peer Users Share More Than Stolen Songs
Yahoo! News - Peer-To-Peer Users Share More Than Stolen Songs: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - College kids looking for free music may have popularized Internet file-trading software, but the technology is now used by everyone from penny-pinching phone callers to polar explorers.
Even the recording industry is changing its tune as labels that for years have waged a legal war against 'peer-to-peer' companies are now allowing authorized uses of the technology.
'I never thought you'd hear this from me, but the record industry has, mostly, been fairly cooperative,' said Wayne Rosso, who is launching an authorized service called Mashboxx (http://www.mashboxx.com) while the U.S. Supreme Court considers the entertainment industry's copyright suit against Grokster, his old peer-to-peer company.
Peer-to-peer, or P2P, software allows users to connect directly to each others' computers, bypassing the powerful servers that underpin much of the Internet. Web pages, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and other material usually stored on servers can thus be made public directly from a user's hard drive. "
Yahoo! News - Microsoft Owns Up To Win2000 Bug
Yahoo! News - Microsoft Owns Up To Win2000 Bug: "A Microsoft executive took the unusual step this week of confirming a bug in Windows by posting a message on the official blog site of the Redmond, Wash.-based developer's Security Response Center. "
Yahoo! News - Woman With Hundreds of Wild Birds Arrested
Yahoo! News - Woman With Hundreds of Wild Birds Arrested: "KENNEWICK, Wash. - A woman was jailed after police and wildlife agents found hundreds of wild birds � many of them dead or neglected � littering her home and yard.
Raymona Balko, 70, was booked into the Benton County Jail for investigation of animal cruelty charges Thursday.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife also is expected to seek charges for possessing protected wildlife and live wild birds, Sgt. John McIntosh said. "
Yahoo! News - Woman With Hundreds of Wild Birds Arrested
Yahoo! News - Woman With Hundreds of Wild Birds Arrested: "KENNEWICK, Wash. - A woman was jailed after police and wildlife agents found hundreds of wild birds � many of them dead or neglected � littering her home and yard.
Raymona Balko, 70, was booked into the Benton County Jail for investigation of animal cruelty charges Thursday.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife also is expected to seek charges for possessing protected wildlife and live wild birds, Sgt. John McIntosh said.
About 400 birds � including wild magpies, hawks, owls, pheasants and quail � were found at Balko's home during the raid, Detective Rick Runge said. Some were in cages, others were perched on curtain rods and still others were in trees or bushes outside, he said. "
Yahoo! News - Most Condoms in India Used to Make Saris
Yahoo! News - Most Condoms in India Used to Make Saris: "NEW DELHI - Only a quarter of condoms made in India are used for sex, most of the others are used to make saris, toys and bathroom slippers, a newspaper reported Saturday.
The condoms are valuable to manufacturers because of the lubricant on them. Sari weavers place the condoms on their thread spools and the lubricant on the prophylactics is rubbed off on the thread, making it move faster through their sewing machines, The Economic Times newspaper quoted an Indian industry official as saying.
Sari makers also turn the condom's inside out, place them on their fingers and use the high-quality lubricant to polish gold and silver threads used in the traditional Indian women's outfits.
India manufactures more than 1 billion condoms annually to check population growth and curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. "
Yahoo! News - Man Uses Video Camera to Catch Speeders
Yahoo! News - Man Uses Video Camera to Catch Speeders: "VALPARAISO, Ind. - A man tired of drivers speeding through his neighborhood has started videotaping the violators.
Bill Fraze of Valparaiso said police always ask for a license plate number or a vehicle type when he reports motorists violating the 20 mph speed limit near his home on Beech Street.
So he decided to use a video recorder to catch them, the 34-year-old father told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville for a Saturday story. "
Yahoo! News - The Blind Struggle As Gadgets Proliferate
Yahoo! News - The Blind Struggle As Gadgets Proliferate: "As technology has evolved, it's become lighter, smaller and more portable. For most people, that makes it more convenient. For millions of blind and vision-impaired people, it's anything but.
Jay Leventhal, who is blind, still fumbles with the tiny controls on his iPod but has given up on the kiosk in his New York office building that lists all the tenants.
For Leventhal, even laundry has become a task requiring the help of a sighted person. The washers he uses now take smart cards instead of quarters, issuing instructions on a digital screen that he can't read.
'The biggest barrier for blind people is access to information, and more and more information is being made available through different machines that aren't designed for people who can't see,' says Leventhal, editor in chief of AccessWorld: Technology and People with Visual Impairments.
Blind people need a way to communicate with the machines that surround them, he says, from automated tellers to ticketing machines at train stations and airports. "
ABC News: Pleasantly Plump May Be OK
ABC News: Pleasantly Plump May Be OK: "April 20, 2005 � Obesity may not be as deadly as we once thought. A new analysis of weight and mortality finds that the number of excess deaths each year attributed to obesity and being overweight in the United States is around 112,000 � about one-quarter of the previous estimate of more than 400,000 deaths.
Last year, when scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta released the initial estimate of 400,000 obesity deaths, the figure came with a dire warning: Obesity was poised to overtake smoking as the No. 1 cause of preventable death in America. "
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Cheapbooks.com - Hard Drive Cooling for 10 Cents
Cheapbooks.com - Hard Drive Cooling for 10 Cents: "I have purchased almost every hard drive cooling device on the market, some costing as much as $50 or more. I have systems that place fans in front of the drive that suck air from the outside, and fans that mount underneath. The problem with these setups are that they tend to be expensive, the airflow tends to be quite low, and in general they just don't cool down the drives by more than 1 - 5 degrees. I even own one that claims an 80cfm airflow. But alas I was never satisfied with any of these cooling methods."
GIT - the stupid content tracker
GIT - the stupid content tracker
: "
'git' can mean anything, depending on your mood.
- random three-letter combination that is pronounceable, and not
actually used by any common UNIX command. The fact that it is a
mispronunciation of 'get' may or may not be relevant.
- stupid. contemptible and despicable. simple. Take your pick from the
dictionary of slang.
- 'global information tracker': you're in a good mood, and it actually
works for you. Angels sing, and a light suddenly fills the room.
- 'goddamn idiotic truckload of sh*t': when it breaks
GIT comes in two layers. The bottom layer is merely an extremely fast and
flexible filesystem-based database designed to store directory trees with
regard to their history. The top layer is a SCM-like tool which enables human
beings to work with the database in a manner to a degree similar to other SCM
tools (like CVS, BitKeeper or Monotone)."
GIT - the stupid content tracker
GIT - the stupid content tracker
'git' can mean anything, depending on your mood.
- random three-letter combination that is pronounceable, and not
actually used by any common UNIX command. The fact that it is a
mispronounciation of 'get' may or may not be relevant.
- stupid. contemptible and despicable. simple. Take your pick from the
dictionary of slang.
- 'global information tracker': you're in a good mood, and it actually
works for you. Angels sing, and a light suddenly fills the room.
- 'goddamn idiotic truckload of sh*t': when it breaks
This is a stupid (but extremely fast) directory content manager. It
doesn't do a whole lot, but what it _does_ do is track directory
contents efficiently.
There are two object abstractions: the 'object database', and the
'current directory cache'.
InformationWeek > Security > New Antivirus-Firewall Combo Protects XML Traffic > April 22, 2005
InformationWeek > Security > New Antivirus-Firewall Combo Protects XML Traffic > April 22, 2005: "Forum Systems will integrate its XWall Web Services Firewall with Computer Associates' eTrust Antivirus software to fight viruses, worms, and other malware entering networks via XML, Soap, and attachments.
By Martin J. Garvey
InformationWeek
XML is becoming the great enabler for E-commerce. Years of proprietary and expensive connections between companies are being replaced by XML transactions over the Internet. But while companies use XML to exchange goods and currency at unprecedented rates, the information is at risk from virus attacks.
Two vendors on Monday will try to reduce such threats by combining antivirus software for XML with firewall protection at the edge of the network. Forum Systems Inc. will integrate Computer Associates' eTrust Antivirus software with its Forum XWall Web Services Firewall to fight viruses, worms, and other malware entering networks via XML, Simple Object Access Protocol, and attachments. The vendors hope to cut down on the threats that can damage IT infrastructure, degrade network performance, and hurt business apps that use XML as a standard data format. "
Torvalds Gives Inside Skinny on Git
Torvalds Gives Inside Skinny on Git: "Linus Torvalds didn't want to change software configuration management tools; however, business and open-source philosophy problems left the Linux founder with no choice but to abandon BitKeeper and create his own system: Git.
SCM programs are used to control the flow of updates and track program changes. In a project as large as Linux�more than 17,000 files�this can be very difficult and very slow. "
Linux-Kernel Archive: Kernel SCM saga..
Linux-Kernel Archive: Kernel SCM saga..: "[ And apparently this just hit slashdot too, so by now _everybody_ knows ]"
Torvalds Gives Inside Skinny on Git
Torvalds Gives Inside Skinny on Git: "Linus Torvalds didn't want to change software configuration management tools; however, business and open-source philosophy problems left the Linux founder with no choice but to abandon BitKeeper and create his own system: Git.
SCM programs are used to control the flow of updates and track program changes. In a project as large as Linux�more than 17,000 files�this can be very difficult and very slow. ADVERTISEMENT "
The Bosh
The Bosh: "Analysis of more than 2,000 aerial photographs dating from 1940 and more than 100 satellite images from the 1960s by Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the US Geological Survey show glaciers along the Antarctic Peninsula retreating at an increasingly rapid pace and almost 90 per cent have melted significantly in the past 50 years.
It is unclear, however, whether the increased temperature causing the shrinkage is a natural regional effect or a result of global warming, said the scientists who conducted the study, published this week in the journal Science reports ABCnews."
New York Post Online Edition:
New York Post Online Edition:: "April 21, 2005 -- Two NYPD veterans are being investigated by Internal Affairs for allegedly accepting payoffs from the motion-picture industry to arrest vendors of pirated DVDs, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
One officer, a sergeant on the force since 1992, has been transferred from the Staten Island Task Force to the 122nd Precinct pending the internal investigation.
The other, a cop for five years, still works on the task force.
As members of the unit, the officers, ages 36 and 32, would arrest the sellers of illegal DVDs and confiscate their stock. "
New York Post Online Edition:
New York Post Online Edition:: "April 21, 2005 -- Two NYPD veterans are being investigated by Internal Affairs for allegedly accepting payoffs from the motion-picture industry to arrest vendors of pirated DVDs, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
One officer, a sergeant on the force since 1992, has been transferred from the Staten Island Task Force to the 122nd Precinct pending the internal investigation.
The other, a cop for five years, still works on the task force.
As members of the unit, the officers, ages 36 and 32, would arrest the sellers of illegal DVDs and confiscate their stock. "
Airbag - A Better Tighty Whitey.
Airbag - A Better Tighty Whitey.: "There's a lot of talk about the recently declassified White House brief that mentions a possible attack by Al Queda forces within the United States but nothing about the state of intelligence reports given to the President of the United States.
I speak specifically to the design of the document. It's clearly inefficient in its purpose to communicate the assessment of threats against the United States. While a better designed document might not save the world, I believe it would help the President (Bush or otherwise) to quickly and more effectively assess the information given to him.
In a world with Jakob Neilson, how is it possible that nobody in the West Wing has learned the word usability?"
SSRN-Wi-Fi Liability: Potential Legal Risks in Accessing and Operating Wireless Internet by Robert Hale
SSRN-Wi-Fi Liability: Potential Legal Risks in Accessing and Operating Wireless Internet by Robert Hale: "Suppose you turn on your laptop while sitting at the kitchen table at home and respond OK to a prompt about accessing a nearby wireless Internet access point owned and operated by a neighbor. What potential liability may ensue from accessing someone else's wireless access point? How about intercepting wireless connection signals? What about setting up an open or unsecured wireless access point in your house or business? Attorneys can expect to grapple with these issues and other related questions as the popularity of wireless technology continues to increase.
This paper explores several theories of liability involving both the accessing and operating of wireless Internet, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, wiretap laws, as well as trespass to chattels and other areas of common law. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of key policy considerations. "
(PDF)
SSRN-Wi-Fi Liability: Potential Legal Risks in Accessing and Operating Wireless Internet by Robert Hale
SSRN-Wi-Fi Liability: Potential Legal Risks in Accessing and Operating Wireless Internet by Robert Hale: "Suppose you turn on your laptop while sitting at the kitchen table at home and respond OK to a prompt about accessing a nearby wireless Internet access point owned and operated by a neighbor. What potential liability may ensue from accessing someone else's wireless access point? How about intercepting wireless connection signals? What about setting up an open or unsecured wireless access point in your house or business? Attorneys can expect to grapple with these issues and other related questions as the popularity of wireless technology continues to increase.
This paper explores several theories of liability involving both the accessing and operating of wireless Internet, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, wiretap laws, as well as trespass to chattels and other areas of common law. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of key policy considerations."
Maxium concurrent connections with IPTables
Maxium concurrent connections with IPTables: "In January-February we tested conntrack where the setup was the
following:
- firewall: dual Xeon CPU, Serverworks chipset, 2GB RAM, Intel copper GE
cards with the e1000 driver
- two 3Com switches with GB uplink
- 20 'client' and 10 'server' machines. There was a minimal boa httpd
on the server and two httperf instances started on each client machines
One test series consisted of trying to issue 5000, 10000, 15000, ... 40000
parallel new http sessions trough the firewall per second. The tested
kernels were 2.4.25, 2.4.25+SMP, 2.4.25+SMP+NAPI, 2.6.3(+SMP+NAPI),
2.6.3 conntrack locking patch, 2.6.3 + conntrack locking + nonat patch,
2.6.3 + conntrack locking + nonat patch + TCP window tracking patch.
Overall, 2.6 was better than 2.4, SMP+NAPI and conntrack patches
helped to improve performance. The TCP window tracking patch resulted
practically no loss in performance.
Maximally we could reach ~200,000pps troughput (indifferent from packet
size), ~20,000 new connection/s and ~2,000,000 parallel connection with
this test firewall, in this environment. Delay, jitter, etc was not
measured. There was no iptables rule at all, we loaded in just the
ip_conntrack module."
: "Now suppose you put 512MB of RAM (a decent amount of memory considering today's
memory prices) into the firewalling-only box, and use all but 128MB for
conntrack, which should really be big enough for a firewall in console mode,
for example.
Then you could set both CONNTRACK_MAX and HASHSIZE approximately to:
(512 - 128) * 1024^2 / 308 =~ 1307315 (instead of 32768 for CONNTRACK_MAX,
and 4096 for HASHSIZE by default).
As of Linux 2.4.21 (and Linux 2.6), hash algorithm is happy with
'power of 2' sizes (it used to be a prime number before)."
: "
Setting HASHSIZE
----------------
For mathematical reasons, hash tables have static sizes. So HASHSIZE must be
determined before the hash table is created and begins to be filled.
Before Linux kernel version 2.4.21, a prime number should be choosed for hash
size, ensuring that the hash table will be efficiently populated. Odd
non-prime numbers or even numbers are strongly discouraged, as the hash
distribution will be sub-optimal.
Since Linux kernel version 2.4.21 (and for 2.6 kernel as well), conntrack
uses jenkins2b hash algorithm which is happy with all sizes, but power
of 2 works best."
Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California state senators approved a bill on Thursday that would ban hunters from killing animals over the Internet.
Hunters may now stalk prey online at www.live-shot.com, a Web site linking firearms and cameras so customers can point, click and shoot antelope, sheep and wild hogs on a Texas ranch from thousands of miles away.
Live-shot.com is the only Web site of its kind and California lawmakers voted 25 to 6 to deter imitators.
'It's an over the top, pay-per-view video game using live animals for target practice that ought to be banned from coast-to-coast,' said Sen. Debra Bowen, the bill's author."
The Elder Geek on Windows XP
The Elder Geek on Windows XP
Random windows info. Usefull (or so i'm told)
bit-tech.net :: Computers in Space
bit-tech.net :: Computers in Space: "Spaceships portrayed in the movies have vastly complicated computers running them. Databanks brimming over with the sum knowledge of human (or alien) kind within them. But as we know, life rarely imitates art, and none so more the case as real-life space computing.
Why is it, that at a time where you can go and buy a machine that is several thousands of times more powerful than the sum computing capability of NASA at the time of the Apollo moon shots, does the space industry lob hardware up there that�s only marginally faster than an old 386? Let�s find out. And no, before you ask, it�s not to stop infiltration by attractive looking clones and walking toasters.
The first thing to realise is that spacecraft don�t really need to be very clever at all. A rocket on the pad has one goal � up. And to keep a rocket going up doesn�t require billions of calculations per second. It does require a colossal amount of grunt from the engines, but the guidance system just needs to be able to keep your giant firework on a relatively accurate course � once in orbit, your course can be corrected and finessed with ease. And all of this can be done with a tiny amount of computational power.
Or no power at all, in the case of the early days of rocketry � the V2 just relied on accelerometers to gauge if it had hit the correct speed for it�s sub � orbital lob toward London. Besides, it�s much more important to be hyper-reliable in the calculations, not hyper-quick. Computers need to be able to withstand the enormous G and acceleration of takeoff, and function flawlessly during ascent. And the easiest way to do that is to keep it simple, and relatively dumb � so much so that the latest Ariane or Titan probably has less power than your Nintendo DS. A lot less.
Once you�re up there, the tasks that need to be accomplished may ch"
Friday, April 22, 2005
An Experimental Study of Search in Global Social Networks -- Dodds et al. 301 (5634): 827 -- Science
An Experimental Study of Search in Global Social Networks -- Dodds et al. 301 (5634): 827 -- Science: "An Experimental Study of Search in Global Social Networks
Peter Sheridan Dodds,1 Roby Muhamad,2 Duncan J. Watts1,2*
We report on a global social-search experiment in which more than 60,000 e-mail users attempted to reach one of 18 target persons in 13 countries by forwarding messages to acquaintances. We find that successful social search is conducted primarily through intermediate to weak strength ties, does not require highly connected 'hubs' to succeed, and, in contrast to unsuccessful social search, disproportionately relies on professional relationships. By accounting for the attrition of message chains, we estimate that social searches can reach their targets in a median of five to seven steps, depending on the separation of source and target, although small variations in chain lengths and participation rates generate large differences in target reachability. We conclude that although global social networks are, in principle, searchable, actual success depends sensitively on individual incentives. "
(PDF) - Local
Bug Me Not Login
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "MOSCOW (Reuters) - Red rain fell in the Voronezh region of southern Russia, coloured by pollutants from a local paint factory, Itar-Tass news agency reported on Wednesday.
It quoted local Emergencies Ministry officials as saying the rusty-red rain, which fell on agricultural land, was coloured by ochre, a natural pigment containing clay and iron oxide.
The pollutant came from a paint factory in the nearby town of Zhuravka, an investigation found, but it presented no danger to people or animals, Tass said."
Yahoo! News - Woman Sues for Being Fired for Piercing
Yahoo! News - Woman Sues for Being Fired for Piercing: "WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A woman who was fired by Costco in 2001 for refusing to remove her eyebrow ring has accused the company of religious discrimination, saying she is a member of the Church of Body Modification.
Kimberly M. Cloutier said she wears her eyebrow ring as a sign of faith. She has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider hearing the case.
The church, established in 1999, counts about 1,000 members who participate in practices such as piercing and tattooing, according to a December ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a trial judge's finding in Costco's favor. "
Yahoo! News - Man Accused of Blasphemy Shot Dead
Yahoo! News - Man Accused of Blasphemy Shot Dead: "ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani man accused of desecrating the Koran was shot dead Wednesday after being chased by an angry crowd.
Ashiq Nabi, in his thirties, was accused of being disrespectful to Islam's holy book and had been in hiding since Monday, a senior police official said.
'Today, a mob spotted him and shot him dead,' said Mazahar ul Haq, police chief of Nowshera town, about 100 km (62 miles) west of the capital, Islamabad. "
Yahoo! News - L.A. Attorney Moonlights As a Porn Star
Yahoo! News - L.A. Attorney Moonlights As a Porn Star: "LOS ANGELES - Criminal defense attorney Ronald S. Miller does more than file his briefs � he also takes them off. Miller has spent days in front of a judge and nights in front of a camera as Don Hollywood � porn star.
Miller, 56, who has performed in more than 90 films in the past seven years, tells his clients about his night job and says he has had no trouble balancing the two careers. His wife, a former accountant, is also a porn star. "
Yahoo! News - Harvard Students in a Lather Over Party
Yahoo! News - Harvard Students in a Lather Over Party: "CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard undergraduates are in a lather over a party where students donned bathing suits and danced in a sea of foamy bubbles, only to wake up the next morning with painful rashes.
Seven or eight students who attended the annual 'Mather Lather' party at the Mather House residence hall were later treated for skin rashes at Harvard's infirmary, according to Harvard spokesman Robert Mitchell.
The party, which drew an estimated 600 students last Saturday night, features a foam-making machine that fills the dance floor with suds. The foam apparently contains a chemical additive that keeps revelers from slipping, but can cause rashes if it isn't properly mixed or washed off soon after exposure.
Harvard freshman Andrew Trombly said he developed rashes on his arms and legs.
'I knew people who had it all over their body and couldn't get out of bed in the morning,' he said. 'Twenty years from now, it will be funny. At the time, it was kind of painful.' "
Yahoo! News - That Was No Lady, That Was a Bank Robber!
Yahoo! News - That Was No Lady, That Was a Bank Robber!: "STERLING, Va. - There are bank robbers. There are cross-dressers. A suspect being sought apparently fits both descriptions.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday it is looking for a robber who walked into the Washington First Bank on Tuesday, handed a note to a teller and implied he had a weapon.
Investigators described the suspect as a 6-foot-3 man � wearing a flowery dress, a dark wig and white gloves.
He was also carrying a purse at the time of the robbery. But the purse was empty on the way out, because despite passing a note to the teller and implying he had a weapon, the robber left without taking any cash.
Loudoun County investigators say that a 6-foot-3 man � wearing a flowery dress, a dark wig and white gloves � handed a note to a bank teller on Wednesday and implied he had a weapon. The suspect also was carrying a purse, police said.
But the man's purse was still empty when he walked out of the bank. The teller refused to give him any money and he walked away. "
Yahoo! News - Bear-Mauling Victim Survives Rare Second Attack
Yahoo! News - Bear-Mauling Victim Survives Rare Second Attack: "ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Scott MacInnes set an Alaskan record this week, although not one contenders would seek to break, by becoming the state's first person to survive two bear attacks, state officials said on Wednesday.
MacInnes, a 51-year-old biologist, was mauled during his early morning jog on Monday when he met up with a brown bear and one or two cubs near his home in the Kenai Peninsula town of Soldotna. "
Yahoo! News - Space Flight Not Just Billionaire Joy Ride - Rutan
Yahoo! News - Space Flight Not Just Billionaire Joy Ride - Rutan: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, whose SpaceShipOne flew to the atmosphere's edge last year, said on Wednesday the space tourism business could open cosmic travel to those outside the billionaires' club. "
Yahoo! News - Students Suspended Over 'Kiss' T-Shirts
Yahoo! News - Students Suspended Over 'Kiss' T-Shirts: "BAKER, Fla. - Two seniors at this rural Florida Panhandle community's only public school have been suspended and others were punished after they violated their principal's ban on T-shirts that read 'Kiss Our Class Good-bye' or 'Holy Ship, we're graduating.'
When dozens of Baker School students defied the edict by wearing the 'Kiss' T-shirt earlier this month they were warned suspensions would follow if they persisted. "
Yahoo! News - Burglar Gets Stuck in Chimney at Nev. Home
Yahoo! News - Burglar Gets Stuck in Chimney at Nev. Home: "RENO, Nev. - A burglar was busted because he made such a clatter and got stuck � in the chimney of a Lake Tahoe home. A neighbor on the lake's north shore in Kings Beach, Calif., telephoned the sheriff about 10 p.m. Wednesday when he heard screams coming from next door where the residents were away on vacation.
Sheriff's deputies and a fire rescue team found Jose Francisco Martinez, 19, wedged halfway down the chimney. He apparently had been stuck there for about two hours, Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Whigam said Thursday. "
Yahoo! News - Officer on Toilet Accidentally Fires Gun
Yahoo! News - Officer on Toilet Accidentally Fires Gun: "SAN ANTONIO - This is one story they'll be telling around the San Antonio Police Department for a long time. An off-duty officer was at a San Antonio auto auction house yesterday when nature called, a police spokesman said.
Officer Craig Clancy strolled to the appropriate facility and was lowering his trousers when his pistol fell from his waistband. When Clancy fumbled for the falling firearm, it went off, twice. "
Yahoo! News - School Suspends 2 Over 'Vagina' Buttons
Yahoo! News - School Suspends 2 Over 'Vagina' Buttons: "WINONA, Minn. - The off-Broadway hit 'The Vagina Monologues' has gotten two high school students into trouble. "
Yahoo! News - Candidate Admits Using Twin as Stand-In
Yahoo! News - Candidate Admits Using Twin as Stand-In: "SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - The leading candidate for mayor of San Antonio admitted on Thursday using his twin brother as a stand-in at a civic event without telling anyone it was not him.
Julian Castro, a 30-year-old city councilman, said brother Joaquin, his identical twin, rode for him in the annual River Parade through downtown San Antonio on Monday.
Videos showed Joaquin smiling and waving to the crowd as he floated along the San Antonio River in a barge for city council members.
'He was standing in the River Parade because I had to host a neighborhood leaders meeting,' said Castro. "
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "LONDON (Reuters) - Police issued an alert on Friday for a swarm of 30,000 honey bees that disappeared into thin air -- although they said they did not suspect foul play.
'The keeper noticed that his bees were suddenly swarming and then they all just buzzed off,' said a spokesman for West Mercia police.
'The owner reported it to us and we put out the alert -- although I must say this place has hardly been a hive of activity as a result,' he added, noting just one sighting.
The spokesman said the bees were not aggressive but probably just looking for somewhere new to live."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - A woman who said she found a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy's chilli has been arrested, capping an investigation into a horrifying claim that made headlines and hurt sales at the No. 3 U.S. burger chain.
Anna Ayala, 39, was arrested on Thursday night at her home in Las Vegas and was being held at the Clark County Detention Centre there, police said.
Ayala said she bit down on the finger after spooning up a mouthful of chilli at a Wendy's restaurant in San Jose, California, on March 22. The charge drew intense publicity and tarnished the image of the Dublin, Ohio-based burger chain.
An analysis of the finger tissue by both local health agencies and outside experts disproved some statements made by Ayala about the chilli incident, police said in a statement.
She was charged with attempted grand theft over the finger but the origin of the finger was still unknown, said San Jose police department spokesman Nick Muyo."
Yahoo! News - Dutch Law Grad Gains Infamy With E-Mail
Yahoo! News - Dutch Law Grad Gains Infamy With E-Mail: "AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Even for his fellow lawyers, a Dutch law school graduate may have a gone a bit too far in expressing a desire to strike it rich.
Reinder Eekhof, a freshly minted lawyer, recently wrote in an e-mail that he had 'finally finished this stupid education,' and was 'now looking for someone crazy enough to dump a suitcase full of money in my lap every month.'
The e-mail was meant for a friend at the Houthoff Buruma law firm. But Eekhof mistyped the address and his missive landed in the inbox of someone in the communications department instead. "
How computers make kids dumb | The Register
How computers make kids dumb | The Register: "'Holding other family characteristics constant, students perform significantly worse if they have computers at home,' the authors conclude. By contrast, children with access to 500 books in their homes performed better. The negative correlation, the researchers explain, is because children with computers neglect their homework more.
The Royal Society's quantitative approach mirrors concerned raised by qualitative analysis of technology in education. Children are now awash with 'facts', but don't know what to do with them.
Schoolchildren are developing a 'problem-solving deficit disorder', and losing the ability to analyze. A better way, experts insist, is to encourage creativity. And the best remedy for this is to turn off the computer and stimulate childrens' imaginations."
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Emails 'pose threat to IQ'
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Emails 'pose threat to IQ': "The distractions of constant emails, text and phone messages are a greater threat to IQ and concentration than taking cannabis, according to a survey of befuddled volunteers.
Doziness, lethargy and an increasing inability to focus reached 'startling' levels in the trials by 1,100 people, who also demonstrated that emails in particular have an addictive, drug-like grip.
Respondents' minds were all over the place as they faced new questions and challenges every time an email dropped into their inbox. Productivity at work was damaged and the effect on staff who could not resist trying to juggle new messages with existing work was the equivalent, over a day, to the loss of a night's sleep. "
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Emails 'pose threat to IQ'
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Emails 'pose threat to IQ': "The distractions of constant emails, text and phone messages are a greater threat to IQ and concentration than taking cannabis, according to a survey of befuddled volunteers.
Doziness, lethargy and an increasing inability to focus reached 'startling' levels in the trials by 1,100 people, who also demonstrated that emails in particular have an addictive, drug-like grip.
Respondents' minds were all over the place as they faced new questions and challenges every time an email dropped into their inbox. Productivity at work was damaged and the effect on staff who could not resist trying to juggle new messages with existing work was the equivalent, over a day, to the loss of a night's sleep. "
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mice put in 'suspended animation'
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mice put in 'suspended animation': "Mice have been placed in a state of near suspended animation, raising the possibility that hibernation could one day be induced in humans.
If so, it might be possible to put astronauts into hibernation-like states for long-haul space flights - as often depicted in science fiction films."
The Submarine
The Submarine: "'Suits make a corporate comeback,' says the New York Times. Why does this sound familiar? Maybe because the suit was also back in September 2004, June 2004, September 2003, November 2002, and February 2002.
Why do the media keep running stories saying suits are back? Because PR firms tell them to. One of the most surprising things I discovered during my brief business career was the existence of the PR industry, lurking like a huge, quiet submarine beneath the news. Of the stories you read in traditional media that aren't about politics, crimes, or disasters, more than half probably come from PR firms.
I know because I spent years hunting such 'press hits.' Our startup spent its entire marketing budget on PR. At a time when we were assembling our own computers to save money, we were paying a PR firm $16,000 a month. And they were worth it. PR is the news equivalent of search engine optimization: instead of buying ads, which readers ignore, you get yourself inserted directly into the stories."
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Sourcingmag.com: Practical Advice & Case Studies on IT Outsourcing
Sourcingmag.com: Practical Advice & Case Studies on IT Outsourcing: "Roger Green and David Cook seem like your run-of-the-mill high tech execs -- well dressed, well spoken, bright guys. That is, until they tell you their business plan. (I heard it at a party last night here at the Gartner conference, then did a quick interview with them.) And then you have to wonder, are these guys whacked?
Here�s their basic idea:
Take a used cruise ship, plant it in international waters three miles off the coast of El Segundo, near Los Angeles, people it with 600 of the brightest software engineers they can find around the world (both men and women), and run a 24-hour-a-day programming shop, thereby avoiding H-1B visa hassles while still exploiting offshore labor cost arbitrage and completing development projects in half the time they�d take onshore or offshore.
�As more people have run the [offshore] gauntlet and found the joys of traveling to India coach class and having three weeks of stuff on their desk when they come back, [they discover] it�s much more disruptive than they ever imagined it would be,� explains Mr. Green."
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Wired News: House OKs Family Copyright Bill
Wired News: House OKs Family Copyright Bill: "The House of Representatives passed copyright legislation on Tuesday that would dole out criminal penalties to those who make unauthorized recordings of films in movie theaters.
The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005 (HR357) also would permit technologies that allow users to skip objectionable content in movies viewed at home. "
Bastille Linux
Bastille Linux: "The Bastille Hardening program 'locks down' an operating system, proactively configuring the system for increased security and decreasing its susceptibility to compromise. Bastille can also assess a system's current state of hardening, granularly reporting on each of the security settings with which it works.
Bastille currently supports the Red Hat (Fedora Core, Enterprise, and Numbered/Classic), SUSE, Debian, Gentoo, and Mandrake distributions, along with HP-UX and Mac OS X. Bastille's focuses on letting the system's user/administrator choose exactly how to harden the operating system. In its default hardening mode, it interactively asks the user questions, explains the topics of those questions, and builds a policy based on the user's answers. It then applies the policy to the system. In its assessment mode, it builds a report intended to teach the user about available security settings as well as inform the user as to which settings have been tightened."
NewsForge | Bastille Linux update: Hardening the OS with help from Uncle Sam
NewsForge | Bastille Linux update: Hardening the OS with help from Uncle Sam: "NF: You mentioned recently that Bastille Linux has been under major development -- please talk a little bit about what is happening.
Beale: Until today, Bastille could only harden or 'lock down' systems. It did this by deactivating unnecessary operating system components and better configuring the ones that remained. It took proactive steps to make a system harder to compromise, reducing the probability that the next item in the attacker's toolkit will be successful against your system.
We've just finished adding reporting functionality to Bastille, so that it can tell you what parts of the system aren't locked down. It examines the system in a read-only fashion, reporting on the status of each of its hardening items. For example, Bastille might check whether the DNS server is locked in a chroot prison, whether telnet is turned off, or even if passwords are required to be a good length. You can take a look at a Web-only demo of this through this link. "
Funny and not so funny t shirts from the undead. CorpseClothing UK..
Funny and not so funny t shirts from the undead. CorpseClothing UK..
Soekris Engineering
Soekris Engineering: "We're now introducing the new net4801, the first board in the next generation of our PC-Based advanced embedded communication computers.
The net4801 is a compact, low-power, low-cost, advanced communication computer, based on a 266 Mhz 586 class Geode single chip processor. It has three 10/100 Mbit Ethernet ports, up to 128 Mbyte SDRAM main memory and uses a CompactFlash module or a 2.5' hard drive for program and data storage. It can be expanded using a MiniPCI type III board and a low-power 3.3V standard PCI board. It also offers a USB 1.1 interface and environmental monitoring. It has been designed as a higher performance upgrade to the net4501 and is software and form factor compatible.
The net4801 has been optimized for use as a Firewall, VPN Router and Internet Gateway Server, but has the flexibility to take on a whole range of different functions as a communication appliance.
The popular net4501 embedded PC communication computer, and the variations for wireless communication, the net4511 and net4521, will continue to be available as cost effective entry level boards."
EVDO StompBox Project
EVDO StompBox Project: "These web pages are about a project I've been working on. Put briefly, it's a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) router. In more human terms, it's a compact little box that gets data from cellular towers and re-shares it for multiple computers to use.
To use it all you do is plug it in to the cigarette lighter of a car (or a 12v supply when at home). It automatically boots up and links in to Verizon's 'Broadband Access' service, turning itself into an access point. Turn on your laptop, join the network and voila -- you're on the net! It's just like using a hotspot (such as they have at Starbucks and airports), but it goes anywhere you car goes.
As long as I've got an always-on internet link in the car, why not make it do other things? As part of this project I've made it do live vehicle tracking via Google Maps, upload pictures from an on-board web cam and other tricks.
Why is it called a 'StompBox'? I like to think of any nework I build as my own online 'stomping grounds'... and I figured if I made a little box that would let me bring my stomping grounds with me wherever I went, I'd have to call it a Stomp Box. It's also not much bigger than one of those effect-pedals that electric-guitar players use, which are also called stomp boxes. Mostly it's just an amusing project-name. :)"
Tech Insider: China Tightens Internet Filtering
Tech Insider: China Tightens Internet Filtering: "China is the world�s leading censor of the Internet, filtering web sites, blogs, e-mail, and online forums for sensitive political content, according to a study released Thursday.
The OpenNet Initiative said that China employs thousands officials and private citizens to build a 'pervasive, sophisticated, and effective' system of Internet censorship."
Science News Daily
Science News Daily: "New state of matter more remarkable than predicted -- raising many new questions
The four detector groups conducting research at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) -- a giant atom 'smasher' located at the U.S. Department of Energy�s Brookhaven National Laboratory -- say they�ve created a new state of hot, dense matter out of the quarks and gluons that are the basic particles of atomic nuclei, but it is a state quite different and even more remarkable than had been predicted. In peer-reviewed papers summarizing the first three years of RHIC findings, the scientists say that instead of behaving like a gas of free quarks and gluons, as was expected, the matter created in RHIC�s heavy ion collisions appears to be more like a liquid. "
Kernel Changes Draw Concern from Open-Source Community
Kernel Changes Draw Concern from Open-Source Community: "Members of the open-source community are expressing concern over rapid feature changes in the Linux 2.6 kernel, which they say are too focused on the desktop and could make the kernel too large."
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
U.S. shrugs off world's address shortage | CNET News.com
U.S. shrugs off world's address shortage | CNET News.com: "Global momentum is growing for a new address system, known as IPv6, which promises to vastly expand the pool of unique numbers available for connecting PCs and other devices to the Net. The standard is widely seen as a necessary successor to the current IPv4 system, which some fear could run short of addresses in Asia and Europe within the next few years. "
Monday, April 18, 2005
Yahoo! News - Kasparov Hit Over Head With Chessboard
Yahoo! News - Kasparov Hit Over Head With Chessboard: "MOSCOW - Garry Kasparov, the world's former No. 1 chess player who quit the professional game last month to focus on politics, said he had been hit over the head with a chessboard in a politically motivated attack. "
Yahoo! News - Surfer Fights Off Shark, Keeps Surfing
Yahoo! News - Surfer Fights Off Shark, Keeps Surfing: "CANBERRA, Australia - A surfer in Australia fought off a seven-foot shark with his board � and kept on surfing, a lifeguard said.
Simon Letch returned to Sydney's Bronte Beach 30 minutes after surviving the attack, despite the beach being closed because of the danger, lifeguard Aaron Graham said.
'He was pretty calm about it, very laid back,' said Graham, who was on the beach when the 40-year-old surfer rode his damaged board back in after the attack. "
Yahoo! News - Surfer Fights Off Shark, Keeps Surfing
Yahoo! News - Surfer Fights Off Shark, Keeps Surfing: "CANBERRA, Australia - A surfer in Australia fought off a seven-foot shark with his board � and kept on surfing, a lifeguard said.
Simon Letch returned to Sydney's Bronte Beach 30 minutes after surviving the attack, despite the beach being closed because of the danger, lifeguard Aaron Graham said.
'He was pretty calm about it, very laid back,' said Graham, who was on the beach when the 40-year-old surfer rode his damaged board back in after the attack. "
Yahoo! News - Man Upset With Penile Surgery Mails Bomb
Yahoo! News - Man Upset With Penile Surgery Mails Bomb: "STEVENS, Pa. - A man allegedly unhappy with penile-enlargement surgery he underwent mailed explosives to a Chicago plastic surgeon, according to a federal grand jury indictment.
Blake R. Steidler, 24, allegedly made an explosive device that included a model-rocket engine igniter inside a jewelry box, the federal indictment said. "
Yahoo! News - Last stop for Australian teen's tram obsession
Yahoo! News - Last stop for Australian teen's tram obsession: "SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian teenager described by police as a good kid with an obsession for trams reached the end of the line on Monday when he faced charges over the theft of two trolley cars in the southern city of Melbourne.
Police say the unidentified 15-year-old stole a tram from a Melbourne depot on Sunday and even stopped to pick up passengers during a 30-minute joyride. "
My Way News
My Way News: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - An Internet chat room monitor hired to keep children safe from sexual predators seduced a California girl online and was about to meet her for sex when he was found out by a co-worker, a lawsuit charges.
According to documents filed April 1 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the online relationship began when the girl was 15. She met the AOL employee in a children's chat room and confided in him about her parents' divorce and her troubles making friends.
Their conversations online and by phone became increasingly explicit, the lawsuit says. They were preparing to meet on the girl's 17th birthday when one of the monitor's co-workers became suspicious and prevented the encounter."
Sunday, April 17, 2005
The Coroner's Toolkit (TCT)
The Coroner's Toolkit (TCT): "TCT is a collection of programs by Dan Farmer and Wietse Venema for a post-mortem analysis of a UNIX system after break-in. The software was presented first in a Computer Forensics Analysis class in August 1999 (handouts can be found here). Examples of using TCT can also be found on-line in a series of columns in the Doctor Dobb's Journal. "
Wired News: Surprises Lurk in Satellite Snaps
Wired News: Surprises Lurk in Satellite Snaps: "For many years, Mike Leeds has been road-tripping from his home in Portland, Oregon, to Nevada's Black Rock Desert for the Burning Man arts festival.
So last week, when Google announced its new Maps service, which includes the ability to view and navigate with high-resolution satellite images, Leeds couldn't resist tracing his 500-mile route, one screen at a time, to see what he drives by on his annual round trip. He never expected that the last of his '45 miles to the click' route images would show, in great detail, the early setup of Burning Man."
DShield - Distributed Intrusion Detection System, The Internet's Early Warning System and Internet Security community site
DShield - Distributed Intrusion Detection System, The Internet's Early Warning System and Internet Security community site: "DShield provides a platform for users of firewalls to share intrusion information. DShield is a free and open service.
If you use a firewall, please submit your logs to the DShield database. You may either download one of our ready to go client programs, write your own, or use our Web Interface to manually submit your firewall logs. Registration is encouraged, but is not required.
Everybody is welcome to use the information in the DShield reports and database summaries to protect their network from intrusion attempts."
Saturday, April 16, 2005
USATODAY.com - LED evolution could spell the end for light bulbs
USATODAY.com - LED evolution could spell the end for light bulbs: "NEW YORK — If a time traveler from a hundred years ago were to visit a home today, much of the technology would be completely alien. The television, cordless phone and computer would probably leave him flabbergasted."
Mailman, the GNU Mailing List Manager
Mailman, the GNU Mailing List Manager: "Mailman is free software for managing electronic mail discussion and e-newsletter lists. Mailman is integrated with the web, making it easy for users to manage their accounts and for list owners to administer their lists. Mailman supports built-in archiving, automatic bounce processing, content filtering, digest delivery, spam filters, and more. See the features page for details.
Mailman is free software, distributed under the GNU General Public License. Mailman is written in the Python programming language, with a little bit of C code for security.
The name of this software is spelled Mailman with a capital leading M and a lowercase second m. It is incorrect to spell it 'MailMan' (i.e. you should not use StudlyCaps).
See the Security page for important security related information, including critical patches and contact information for reporting suspected security vulnerabilities."
Friday, April 15, 2005
Participatory Culture Foundation
Participatory Culture Foundation: "Announcing a new platform for internet television and video. Anyone can broadcast full-screen video to thousands of people at virtually no cost, using BitTorrent technology. Viewers get intuitive, elegant software to subscribe to channels, watch video, and organize their video library. The project is non-profit, open source, and built on open standards. Today we're announcing the project and releasing our current sourcecode. The software is launching in June."
ABC News: Scientist Urges Dormant Eggs to Life to Test Evolution
ABC News: Scientist Urges Dormant Eggs to Life to Test Evolution
Wired News: Surveillance Works Both Ways
Wired News: Surveillance Works Both Ways: "SEATTLE -- Surveilling the surveillers. It's an idea that Number 6, the nameless hero of the classic British TV show The Prisoner, would have loved.
In an attempt to establish equity in the world of surveillance, participants at the Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference in Seattle this week took to the streets to ferret out surveillance cameras and turn the tables on offensive eyes taking their picture."
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Security-Enhanced Linux
Security-Enhanced Linux: "As part of its Information Assurance mission, the National Security Agency has long been involved with the computer security research community in investigating a wide range of computer security topics including operating system security. Recognizing the critical role of operating system security mechanisms in supporting security at higher levels, researchers from NSA's Information Assurance Research Group have been investigating an architecture that can provide the necessary security functionality in a manner that can meet the security needs of a wide range of computing environments."
BBspot - New Linux Kernel Will Increase Intellectual Superiority
BBspot - New Linux Kernel Will Increase Intellectual Superiority: "Santa Clara, CA - A recent survey of Linux users found that the two main factors in their migration to Linux was its stability and that it made them feel intellectually superior. Developers promise that along with USB support there will be increased intellectual superiority in the upcoming 2.4 kernel release AKA the 'Hubris' kernels.
'Many users complained that in our previous release that we sacrificed some intellectual superiority in the name of 'ease of use'. We aren't going to make that mistake in this release,' said kernel programmer Johan Klens."
BBspot - Linux Developer Gets Laid
BBspot - Linux Developer Gets Laid: "Philadelphia, PA - In news that is sure to excite the Linux community, long time Linux developer Todd Stanton got laid.
Happy Todd'I still have trouble believing it myself,' said Todd. 'I was doing some coding when my power supply blew. Instead of pulling out the spare like I usually would, I decided to head down to Best Buy to check out the new DVD releases. Nothing new was out, so I bought another copy of 'The Matrix' since the one I had was pretty worn out. Turns out the checkout girl was a Matrix fan too and well one thing led to another.'"
BBspot - About the Slashdot Story Generator
BBspot - About the Slashdot Story Generator: "About the Slashdot Story Generator
Posted by brian on Sunday February 4, @10:15PM
from the explaining-it-all dept.
briggsb wrote in to say that for those of you who think that Slashdot doesn't update often enough, we have created the Slashdot Story Generator (SSG). Developed in PHP and utilizing the powerful and flexible Kozzmo Generation Engine (including random typos for Added Realism(tm)), the SSG removes the annoying wait between Slashdot story postings. Just press the convenient 'Next Story' button and you'll get the rush you desire when you see your chance to make the 'First Post!' Oh, and remember BBspot is your source for tech humor so not all the stories generated will be true to life."
SCIgen - An Automatic CS Paper Generator
SCIgen - An Automatic CS Paper Generator: "SCIgen is a program that generates random Computer Science research papers, including graphs, figures, and citations. It uses a hand-written context-free grammar to form all elements of the papers. Our aim here is to maximize amusement, rather than coherence.
One useful purpose for such a program is to auto-generate submissions to 'fake' conferences; that is, conferences with no quality standards, which exist only to make money. A prime example, which you may recognize from spam in your inbox, is SCI/IIIS and its dozens of co-located conferences (for example, check out the gibberish on the WMSCI 2005 website). Using SCIgen to generate submissions for conferences like this gives us pleasure to no end. In fact, one of our papers was accepted to SCI 2005! See Examples for more details."
Slashdot | From Bash To Z Shell
Slashdot | From Bash To Z Shell: "Conquering the Command line by Oliver Kiddle, Jerry Peek, and Peter Stephenson. In this moderate-sized book from Apress, the authors delve into both bash (the Bourne Again Shell) and zsh (Z Shell) to enable you to use them to their fullest advantage. Topics range from the simple editing of the command line to redefining key sequences, down into creating functions for editing and command-line completion. Some areas are covered in other books, but this one goes into some little-seen side streets and alleyways to show you the shortcuts to more efficient use of the shell.' Read on for the rest of Lodato's review."
Now taxes really can bug you
Now taxes really can bug you: "The Internal Revenue Service and professional tax preparers insist that people's privacy is ensured if they file their returns online.
But if you're one of the millions who this year have used the electronic services of Intuit's TurboTax or H&R Block, you may not know that a stealthy technology commonly known as Web bugs was used to track your comings and goings on the Internet.
Both Intuit and Block, which offer electronic filing for free through the IRS' Free File program, use hidden Web bugs throughout the tax-preparation process to monitor taxpayers' online behavior."
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Yahoo! News - Teens Bust Limo Driver for Wild Prom Ride
Yahoo! News - Teens Bust Limo Driver for Wild Prom Ride: "WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. - Ten friends took a limousine to assure themselves a safe ride to their high school prom � but they ended up busting their own limo driver.
Patrick Curley, a senior at Winter Springs High School, used his cell phone to call home Saturday and reported the driver had driven through stop signs, cut off other vehicles and veered onto the wrong side of the road.
Robert Curley told his son to tell the driver to pull over, and when she stopped, the students grabbed the keys out of the ignition. "
Yahoo! News - Teens Bust Limo Driver for Wild Prom Ride
Yahoo! News - Teens Bust Limo Driver for Wild Prom Ride: "WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. - Ten friends took a limousine to assure themselves a safe ride to their high school prom � but they ended up busting their own limo driver.
Patrick Curley, a senior at Winter Springs High School, used his cell phone to call home Saturday and reported the driver had driven through stop signs, cut off other vehicles and veered onto the wrong side of the road.
Robert Curley told his son to tell the driver to pull over, and when she stopped, the students grabbed the keys out of the ignition. "
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek court will rule on Wednesday whether to allow sales of a cartoon book from Austria depicting Jesus Christ as a drinking buddy of Jimi Hendrix and a marijuana-smoking, naked surfer.
Cartoonist Gerhard Haderer was found guilty by a Greek court of 'malicious public blasphemy' this year and received a six-month suspended prison sentence for his take on the life of Christ -- but he can only be detained if he comes to Greece.
The book went on sale in Greece briefly in 2002, but the Orthodox Church was outraged and succeeded in having it immediately withdrawn through a provisional court order."
Yahoo! News - Two Pit Bulls Rescue Woman From Red Chow
Yahoo! News - Two Pit Bulls Rescue Woman From Red Chow: "OMAHA, Neb. - Two dogs whose breed has a reputation for being mean played the roles of rescuers for a woman who was being attacked by another dog.
A red chow was on top of Angie Pecoraro, 22, in her yard on Monday when two pit bulls jumped over a fence and fought off the chow, Nebraska Humane Society spokeswoman Pam Wiese said.
Witnesses said the chow had bitten Pecoraro several times on her hands, arms and stomach, Wiese said. "
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "A study in Hong Kong has found the tiny, mouthwatering Chinese snacks are high in fat and sodium and excessive consumption will increase the risk of obesity.
'You definitely cannot have a dim sum meal every day because it's not possible to get a balanced diet that way,' said Ho Yuk-yin, a consultant with the government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, who led the research."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A common cold bug could cause heart attacks in younger men, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that Chlamydia pneumoniae and perhaps other infections can sometimes damage the heart and arteries, causing heart disease.
Christine Arcari and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore studied regular blood samples taken from soldiers aged between 30 and 50, identifying 300 of them who suffered heart attacks."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With just a little more cash and a lot more political clout, polio could become the second dread disease to be wiped off the Earth, experts said on Tuesday.
The world effort to eradicate polio is short only $75 million. And leaders of the few countries where the virus is still endemic -- Nigeria, Niger, Egypt, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan -- need to get on board, they told a conference.
Tuesday was the 50th anniversary of the approval of the first vaccine against poliomyelitis, which once killed or paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children each year."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With just a little more cash and a lot more political clout, polio could become the second dread disease to be wiped off the Earth, experts said on Tuesday.
The world effort to eradicate polio is short only $75 million. And leaders of the few countries where the virus is still endemic -- Nigeria, Niger, Egypt, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan -- need to get on board, they told a conference.
Tuesday was the 50th anniversary of the approval of the first vaccine against poliomyelitis, which once killed or paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children each year."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - A combination vaccine developed to reduce the number of shots given to infants provided less immunity to some diseases than vaccines administered separately, a British study said on Tuesday.
U.S. children now receive up to 20 separate injections in their first 18 months of life due in large part to successes that vaccines have had against diseases such as meningitis and bacterial pneumonia.
In the British trial, 240 infants were divided into two groups: one receiving a nine-vaccine combination and the other getting immunized separately with several vaccines."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Antibodies that attack the protein believed responsible for Alzheimer's disease may offer a new way to treat the brain-destroying illness, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
The infusion of antibodies seemed to be safe and may have delayed or even halted progression of the fatal disease in Alzheimer patients, the researchers said.
But the trial of immunoglobulin, or IVIg, therapy was done in just eight patients and it is too early to know much about its promise, the team at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center cautioned.
'If these results are confirmed in larger, controlled trials, we might have a safe Alzheimer's treatment capable of clearing the amyloid protein away,' Dr. Marc Weksler, who helped lead the study, said in a statement."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Biogen Idec and Elan Corp. on Tuesday reported for the first time full results from a pivotal-stage trial of their suspended multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, showing that it slows disability in relapsed MS patients.
Tysabri was withdrawn from the market in February after a patient died from a rare brain infection. A second patient was later determined to have died from the same infection and a third was diagnosed with the condition, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, but lived."
Yahoo! News - Liver Protein Points to Anti-Obesity Drugs
Yahoo! News - Liver Protein Points to Anti-Obesity Drugs: "TUESDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- A liver protein already well known for its role in regulating cholesterol may also help the body pack on unwanted fat, new research suggests."
Yahoo! News - U.S.: Marburg Outbreak Not Likely a Global Threat
Yahoo! News - U.S.: Marburg Outbreak Not Likely a Global Threat: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An outbreak of deadly Marburg virus in Angola is probably not a global threat but international experts are working to bring it under control, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. "
WYAE - Documentation
WYAE - Documentation: "Checkpoint's Firewall-1 does not offer sending its firewall logs to a syslog server - which is especially hurting when a central system already is installed especially to correlate network events. There is a trick though, where you can re-route the logs to a different location: the user-defined alert. We (mis)use the user-defined alert to send a log entry to a local shell script instead of to the log file. "
SourceForge.net: Project Info - FW1-Loggrabber
SourceForge.net: Project Info - FW1-Loggrabber: "FW1-Loggrabber is a command-line tool to grab logfiles from Checkpoint FW-1 remotely using Checkpoints LEA (Log Export Api), which is one part of Checkpoints OPSEC API."
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Technology News: Space: The Mission NASA Hopes Won't Happen
Technology News: Space: The Mission NASA Hopes Won't Happen: "Two years after space shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it returned to Earth, NASA is preparing to launch two shuttles this spring. But the agency desperately hopes one of those flights never gets off the ground.
The flight nobody wants to launch would be ordered only if the first shuttle blasted off and ran into so much trouble that its crew had to be rescued.
Such a mercy mission would be dramatic, the most daring trip in the history of space exploration, but it could also force NASA to break its own safety rules. And it would end the U.S.'s ability to send astronauts into orbit for years, even decades. "
USATODAY.com - N.J. man charged with aiming laser at aircraft
USATODAY.com - N.J. man charged with aiming laser at aircraft: "A New Jersey man was charged Tuesday under federal anti-terrorism laws with shining a laser beam at a charter jet flying over his home, temporarily distracting the pilots."
Wired News: Pentagon: Back Off, Flyboy!
Wired News: Pentagon: Back Off, Flyboy!: "The Pentagon said Monday it will use lasers to warn pilots when they've flown into restricted airspace near the Capitol, even though federal officials have warned that terrorists might use the beams of light to blind pilots as they approach airports.
There have been more than 100 incidents nationwide since November in which laser beams have been flashed into cockpits. The aircraft all landed safely, but federal aviation officials are concerned that a laser could be used to blind pilots and cause a crash. "
Die Wagenschenke - Das Partyzelt am Albanifest in Winterthur.
Die Wagenschenke - Das Partyzelt am Albanifest in Winterthur.
How far can you make the drunk man walk?
Wired News: Testing Your Tech Smarts
Wired News: Testing Your Tech Smarts: "Normally, the prospect of taking a two-and-a-half-hour test produced by the Educational Testing Service, makers of the dreaded Scholastic Aptitude Test, would have kept me awake for nights.
But the Information and Communication Technology literacy assessment is no SAT. For one, it's not an admissions requirement for U.S. universities -- at least, not yet. More important, it's not trying to determine whether I remember how to calculate the surface area of a sphere, or that I know what 'obsequious' means. (I don't.) "
Wired News: Testing Your Tech Smarts
Wired News: Testing Your Tech Smarts: "Normally, the prospect of taking a two-and-a-half-hour test produced by the Educational Testing Service, makers of the dreaded Scholastic Aptitude Test, would have kept me awake for nights.
But the Information and Communication Technology literacy assessment is no SAT. For one, it's not an admissions requirement for U.S. universities -- at least, not yet. More important, it's not trying to determine whether I remember how to calculate the surface area of a sphere, or that I know what 'obsequious' means. (I don't.) "
Wired News: Testing Your Tech Smarts
Wired News: Testing Your Tech Smarts: "Interfaces aside, I also had trouble with some of the tasks the test wanted me to perform. For instance, one question asked me to select images and text for a document aimed at adolescent schoolchildren. Given that I've forgotten exactly what it was like to be that age -- mainly on purpose -- I had a hard time figuring out what would fit best.
I wondered: Would a grade-school teacher have had an unfair advantage in completing that task? And how much better would I have done if I could use familiar software to perform familiar tasks, like researching facts for an article? "
Yahoo! News - Panel to Review Inamed's Silicone Breast Implants
Yahoo! News - Panel to Review Inamed's Silicone Breast Implants: "GAITHERSBURG, Md. (Reuters) - Inamed Corp. will try to convince a U.S. panel on Tuesday that its silicone breast implants are safe enough for regulators to lift a 13-year-old ban and allow widespread sales. "
Yahoo! News - Rootkit Web Sites Fall to DDoS Attack
Yahoo! News - Rootkit Web Sites Fall to DDoS Attack: "Two prominent Web sites that specialize in remote access software known as rootkits have been taken offline by a large distributed denial of service attack (DDoS). The take-down was allegedly ordered by a shadowy group of hackers and rootkit authors who took offense at criticisms of their software posted on the sites. "
Yahoo! News - Rootkit Web Sites Fall to DDoS Attack
Yahoo! News - Rootkit Web Sites Fall to DDoS Attack: "Two prominent Web sites that specialize in remote access software known as rootkits have been taken offline by a large distributed denial of service attack (DDoS). The take-down was allegedly ordered by a shadowy group of hackers and rootkit authors who took offense at criticisms of their software posted on the sites. "
PhysOrg: New material structure produces world's fastest transistor
PhysOrg: New material structure produces world's fastest transistor: "A new type of transistor structure, invented by scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has broken the 600 gigahertz speed barrier. The goal of a terahertz transistor for high-speed computing and communications applications could now be within reach. "
CTV.ca | Computer keyboards havens for superbugs: study
CTV.ca | Computer keyboards havens for superbugs: study: "Computer keyboards are havens for some nasty superbugs that can live nestled in among the keys for at least 24 hours, a new study finds.
The study led by epidemologist Dr. Gary Noskin finds that keyboards get easily contaminated by germs.
And that's especially bad news for hospitals. There, these germs can take the form of antibiotic-resistant germs that can contaminate the hands of nurses or doctors and then are passed on to patients."
Yahoo! News - Study: Brand Drug Prices Outpace Inflation
Yahoo! News - Study: Brand Drug Prices Outpace Inflation: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. prices for brand-name drugs on average rose at 2.5 times the rate of inflation last year, while generic drug prices remained flat, according to a study released on Tuesday by the nation's largest lobby for the elderly. "
Yahoo! News - Injuries Rising as More Kids Take Up Golf
Yahoo! News - Injuries Rising as More Kids Take Up Golf: "MONDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- The increasing popularity of children's golf has teed off an upswing in golf-related head injuries among youngsters, a new study finds."
Yahoo! News - Few Women Say They'd Use Tamoxifen Preventively
Yahoo! News - Few Women Say They'd Use Tamoxifen Preventively: "MONDAY, April 11 (HealthDay News) -- Even though the drug tamoxifen has proven effective in preventing breast cancer, a new survey finds fewer than one in five women at high risk for the disease say they would take the medication."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Sunday that an investigation of the drug wholesaling business centers on possible drug tampering and mislabeling.
Appearing on ABC-TV's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos,' Spitzer said investigators were looking at 'pricing and the integrity of the drugs, whether or not there are drugs that are being adulterated, that are being tampered with.'
Spitzer attributed potential problems to 'porous holes' in the chain of drug distribution."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For some patients suffering a sudden stroke, extra oxygen therapy improves their clinical symptoms deficits and brain abnormalities seen on an MRI a small, pilot study suggests
The study was performed with 'a carefully selected group of patients,' lead investigator Dr. Aneesh B. Singhal of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, told Reuters Health. 'Our results, though preliminary, raise the exciting possibility that stroke patients...may benefit simply by breathing large amounts of oxygen as soon as possible after symptom onset.'
Singhal and colleagues randomly assigned 16 patients who had started to have a stroke less than 10 hours beforehand to 8 hours of treatment with high-flow oxygen delivered via facemask, or to normal room air."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Moderate exercise alone has little effect on systolic blood pressure -- the upper number in a standard reading -- in older adults, new research suggests.
'Older people should still be encouraged to exercise because it produces numerous health benefits, but their expectations need to be modified about how much good the exercise alone will do for reducing systolic blood pressure,' lead author Dr. Kerry J. Stewart, from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, said in a statement."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A high concentration of silica in drinking water seems to protect against Alzheimer's disease, a study in France suggests.
Dr. Sophie Gillette-Guyonnet, at Hopital Casselardit in Toulouse, and colleagues studied women enrolled in the Epidemiology of Osteoporosis Study (EPIDOS). The subjects included 7598 women older than 75 years from five cities in France, whose mental acuity was measured at the start of the study between 1992 and 1994.
Their intake of water (tap versus mineral water) was ascertained by questionnaire, and data on levels of silica, calcium, and aluminum were obtained from local water companies and companies distributing mineral water."
Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. hard-core porn pioneer Al Goldstein, who went from multimillionaire owner of Screw magazine to being homeless on the streets of Manhattan after his sleaze empire collapsed, is making a comeback.
Goldstein, 69, last employed as a greeter at a Kosher deli and as a wholesale bagel salesman working on commission, is back promoting smut, this time over the medium that helped push him from his porn pedestal -- the Internet."
Yahoo! News - Ga. High School to Pay Student Informants
Yahoo! News - Ga. High School to Pay Student Informants: "ROME, Ga. - A high school is looking for a few good snitches. Using revenue from its candy and soda sales, Model High School plans to pay up to $100 for information about thefts and drug or gun possession on campus.
'It's not that we feel there are any problems here,' said Principal Glenn White. 'It's a proactive move for getting information that will help deter any sort of illegal activity.' "
Yahoo! News - Hissing Canada Goose Greets Iowa Shoppers
Yahoo! News - Hissing Canada Goose Greets Iowa Shoppers: "DES MOINES, Iowa - Customers of a south side print shop beware of the hissing goose. For the second year in a row, a Canada goose has made the front door area of Artcraft Inc., her home. Mother Goose, as she's called, greets customers by hissing at them.
Last year, she hatched a gosling just a few feet from the front door. She has already made a nest this year. "
Yahoo! News - N.C. Man Told to Remove Hanging Motorcycle
Yahoo! News - N.C. Man Told to Remove Hanging Motorcycle: "RALEIGH, N.C. - Harley-Davidson enthusiast Richard Woodworth has an unusual piece of art in his back yard, and it's causing him quite a headache with the city of Raleigh. It's the gnarled metal of a wrecked motorcycle hanging in a tree.
In February, a city inspector walked on Woodworth's wooded property and decided the dangling metal fell under Raleigh's code definition of a nuisance motor vehicle. But even though Woodworth lives a mile outside the city limits and has posted no-trespassing signs, he falls under some city code enforcement. "
Yahoo! News - Calif. Man Detains Naked Intruder
Yahoo! News - Calif. Man Detains Naked Intruder: "BREA, Calif. - A man who awoke Sunday to find an armed and naked intruder standing over his bed subdued the suspect until police arrived, authorities said.
Eric Wall, 45, told police that the intruder � identified as 18-year-old Arthur David Macias � was carrying a kitchen knife and said the anti-Christ had sent him to the house to kill Wall. "
Yahoo! News - Teen Accused of Stealing Head From Tomb
Yahoo! News - Teen Accused of Stealing Head From Tomb: "MORRISVILLE, Vt. - A 17-year-old Morrisville youth was being held on $100,000 bail after police said he raided a tomb in a cemetery and removed a head from a corpse.
'We had a person voice their concerns about information they had heard on the street,' said Chief Richard Keith of the Morristown Police Department.
Keith said police at first could not believe what they had heard. But when they went to Morrisville Cemetery and investigated, they found that someone had broken into a tomb, broken open the casket and removed a man's head. "
Yahoo! News - Inmate Flushing Causing Major Problems
Yahoo! News - Inmate Flushing Causing Major Problems: "MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - It's amazing what a bored inmate will do. 'To get a whole jumpsuit down a toilet seems like a major undertaking,' Curtis Keller said of the items from the Eastern Regional Jail that have been jamming a pumping station auger.
Keller, general manager of the Berkeley County Public Service Sewer District, said the county has spent approximately $11,000 to clear out the jams during the past six months and more than 200 hours of labor.
'We know that inmates are likely to flush inappropriate things in an attempt to flood cells, or in an attempt, just out of boredom, of something else to do,' Steve Canterbury, executive director of the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, said Sunday. 'I'm not sure why they flush what they flush. ... They've always flushed badly.' "
Yahoo! News - Replacing Child Camel Jockeys with Robots
Yahoo! News - Replacing Child Camel Jockeys with Robots: "DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates, under pressure to stamp out the use of children as camel jockeys, plans to introduce robot riders this year, newspapers said on Sunday.
'The mechanical jockey is light in weight and receives orders from the instructor via a remote control system fixed on the back of the camel,' the daily Gulf News said, quoting an official statement. "
Yahoo! News - Replacing Child Camel Jockeys with Robots
Yahoo! News - Replacing Child Camel Jockeys with Robots: "DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates, under pressure to stamp out the use of children as camel jockeys, plans to introduce robot riders this year, newspapers said on Sunday.
'The mechanical jockey is light in weight and receives orders from the instructor via a remote control system fixed on the back of the camel,' the daily Gulf News said, quoting an official statement. "
Yahoo! News - Outlaw Laid Low by Short Fuse
Yahoo! News - Outlaw Laid Low by Short Fuse: "TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania's most wanted man fought off special police and eluded capture for years only to blow himself up while fishing with dynamite, police and newspapers said Friday.
Dubbed the 'Last Cowboy' in northern Albania because of his gunfights with the law, Riza Malaj, 34, failed to accurately gauge the length of the fuse as he tried to blow up trout. "
Google Help : Basics of Search
Google Help : Basics of Search: "Doing a search on Google is easy. Simply type one or more search terms (the words or phrase that best describe the information you want to find) into the search box and hit the 'Enter' key or click on the Google Search button."
Advanced Google Search Operators
Advanced Google Search Operators: "Google supports several advanced operators, which are query words that have special meaning to Google. Typically these operators modify the search in some way, or even tell Google to do a totally different type of search. For instance, 'link:' is a special operator, and the query [link:www.google.com] doesn't do a normal search but instead finds all web pages that have links to www.google.com.
Several of the more common operators use punctuation instead of words, or do not require a colon. Among these operators are OR, '' (the quote operator), - (the minus operator), and + (the plus operator). More information on these types of operators is available on the Basics of Search page. Many of these special operators are accessible from the Advanced Search page, but some are not. Below is a list of all the special operators Google supports."
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Sea life 'killed by exploding star'
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Sea life 'killed by exploding star': "A huge blast of radiation from an exploding star might have been behind one of the Earth's worst mass extinctions, some 450m years ago.
In the latest issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters, scientists argue that a gamma ray burst, the most powerful explosion that occurs in the universe, was responsible for the Ordovican mass extinction in which 60% of all marine invertebrates died. "
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Science (The Ten-Percent Myth)
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Science (The Ten-Percent Myth): "Claim: We use only ten percent of our brains.
Status: False. "
New Scientist Technology - Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength
New Scientist Technology - Bionic suit offers wearers super-strength: "A ROBOT suit has been developed that could help older people or those with disabilities to walk or lift heavy objects.
Dubbed HAL, or hybrid assistive limb, the latest versions of the suit will be unveiled this June at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan, which opened last month. A commercial product is slated for release by the end of the year.
HAL is the result of 10 years' work by Yoshiyuki Sankai of the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and integrates mechanics, electronics, bionics and robotics in a new field known as cybernics. The most fully developed prototype, HAL 3, is a motor-driven metal 'exoskeleton' that you strap onto your legs to power-assist leg movements. A backpack holds a computer with a wireless network connection, and the batteries are on a belt."
Monday, April 11, 2005
Die Wagenschenke - Das Partyzelt am Albanifest in Winterthur.
Die Wagenschenke - Das Partyzelt am Albanifest in Winterthur.
Mergic VPN Features
Mergic VPN Features: "Supports the widely available Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP).
Runs on Palm OS Devices with an English version of Palm OS 3.1 or higher, including OS 5.
Compatible with all Palm OS based smartphones, including palmOne's (formerly Handspring) Treo 180, 270, 300 and 600 series, the Samsung SPH-i300, SPH-i330 and SPH-i500, the Kyocera QCP 7135 and 6035, and the palmOne Tungsten W.
Supports handheld connections using Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless LANs, as well as wireline and wireless modems. Mobile phone connections to handhelds using Bluetooth, infrared and cable are all supported, as are GSM, GPRS, 1xRTT, CDMA, TDMA and CDPD wireless networks.
Highly optimized encryption and authentication routines provide fast authentication and good performance with all devices and over all network types, including pre-OS 5 devices, 3G wireless networks and 802.11b (WiFi) wireless LANs. "
Sunday, April 10, 2005
The New York Times > Magazine > Our Ratings, Ourselves
The New York Times > Magazine > Our Ratings, Ourselves: "One of the great contradictions of modern American life is that almost everyone watches television while almost no one agrees anymore about what it really means to watch television. True, we know that as spring gets under way, new episodes of ''Desperate Housewives'' and ''C.S.I.'' and ''American Idol'' will battle for prime-time supremacy in the overnight Nielsen ratings. We also know that local broadcast stations around the country will begin scheming -- just as they do every April -- to win the May sweeps, the tense weeks when rival stations pursue a fierce one-upmanship of flamboyance and hype and the Nielsen-measured audience sizes determine future advertising rates. But when it comes to figuring out how many of us are watching these shows, and whether we're paying attention while we're watching and even whether we're actually noticing the advertisements among the shows we may or may not be watching -- well, this is where things get tricky. "
The New York Times > Magazine > Our Ratings, Ourselves
The New York Times > Magazine > Our Ratings, Ourselves: "One of the great contradictions of modern American life is that almost everyone watches television while almost no one agrees anymore about what it really means to watch television. True, we know that as spring gets under way, new episodes of ''Desperate Housewives'' and ''C.S.I.'' and ''American Idol'' will battle for prime-time supremacy in the overnight Nielsen ratings. We also know that local broadcast stations around the country will begin scheming -- just as they do every April -- to win the May sweeps, the tense weeks when rival stations pursue a fierce one-upmanship of flamboyance and hype and the Nielsen-measured audience sizes determine future advertising rates. But when it comes to figuring out how many of us are watching these shows, and whether we're paying attention while we're watching and even whether we're actually noticing the advertisements among the shows we may or may not be watching -- well, this is where things get tricky. "
PLoS Biology: Algorithmic Self-Assembly of DNA Sierpinski Triangles
PLoS Biology: Algorithmic Self-Assembly of DNA Sierpinski Triangles: "Algorithms and information, fundamental to technological and biological organization, are also an essential aspect of many elementary physical phenomena, such as molecular self-assembly. Here we report the molecular realization, using two-dimensional self-assembly of DNA tiles, of a cellular automaton whose update rule computes the binary function XOR and thus fabricates a fractal pattern�a Sierpinski triangle�as it grows. To achieve this, abstract tiles were translated into DNA tiles based on double-crossover motifs. Serving as input for the computation, long single-stranded DNA molecules were used to nucleate growth of tiles into algorithmic crystals. For both of two independent molecular realizations, atomic force microscopy revealed recognizable Sierpinski triangles containing 100�200 correct tiles. Error rates during assembly appear to range from 1% to 10%. Although imperfect, the growth of Sierpinski triangles demonstrates all the necessary mechanisms for the molecular implementation of arbitrary cellular automata. This shows that engineered DNA self-assembly can be treated as a Turing-universal biomolecular system, capable of implementing any desired algorithm for computation or construction tasks."
Physics News Graphic 231
Physics News Graphic 231: "A biotransistor, consisting of a gate electrode, two gold electrodes (source and drain), and an intermediator a single metalloprotein."
Zettl Group Research : Nanotube Rotor Supplementary Material
Zettl Group Research : Nanotube Rotor Supplementary Material
Hole Drilled to Bottom of Earth's Crust, Breakthrough to Mantle Looms
Hole Drilled to Bottom of Earth's Crust, Breakthrough to Mantle Looms: "Scientist said this week they had drilled into the lower section of Earth's crust for the first time and were poised to break through to the mantle in coming years.
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) seeks the elusive 'Moho,' a boundary formally known as the Mohorovicic discontinuity. It marks the division between Earth's brittle outer crust and the hotter, softer mantle."
Lead In Dishes and Crystal - NSC
Lead In Dishes and Crystal - NSC: "Do dishes or ceramic ware contain lead?
Since 1980, FDA has had limits on lead and cadmium in ceramic ware products. The limits were lowered in 1991 to reduce consumer exposure to lead in food from ceramic dishes that may have lead glazes. Most ceramic ware items sold in the United States meet current FDA limits because manufactures tightly control the way they make dishes to minimize the potential for lead to leach into food.
Suspect ceramic ware products entering the United States from other countries can be automatically held at Customs until the importer or distributor can prove that the products meet FDA requirements. Sometimes, however, individuals bring ceramic ware items into the United States in personal baggage. These items may not be closely examined when they enter the country and may have a lead glaze or decoration that can allow high levels of lead to get into food. Ceramics made by craftspeople in the United States may also pose a risk because of uneven quality control or the ceramics firing practices used."
Piercing the peer�to�peer myths: An examination of the Canadian experience
Piercing the peer�to�peer myths: An examination of the Canadian experience: "Canada is in the midst of a contentious copyright reform with advocates for stronger copyright protection maintaining that the Internet has led to widespread infringement that has harmed the economic interests of Canadian artists. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) has emerged as the leading proponent of copyright reform, claiming that peer�to�peer file sharing has led to billions in lost sales in Canada.
This article examines CRIA�s claims by conducting an analysis of industry figures. It concludes that loss claims have been greatly exaggerated and challenges the contention that recent sales declines are primarily attributable to file�sharing activities. Moreover, the article assesses the financial impact of declining sales on Canadian artists, concluding that revenue collected through a private copying levy system already adequately compensates Canadian artists for the private copying that occurs on peer�to�peer networks."
Slashdot | Linus Drops Bitkeeper
Slashdot | Linus Drops Bitkeeper: "Oompa Loompa doompadee doo
I've got another puzzle for you.
Oompa Loompa doompadah dee
If you are wise you will listen to me.
Who do you blame when your software goes closed,
The source is kept secret, so nobody knows?
Blaming the user is such a shame
You know exactly who's to blame:
The closed software proprietor!
Oompa Loompa doompadee dah
If you're use GNU then you will go far.
You will live in freedom too
Like the Oompa Loompa doompadee do. "
Linux-Kernel Archive: Re: Kernel SCM saga..
Linux-Kernel Archive: Re: Kernel SCM saga..: "Yes. That's going to be my interim, I was just hoping that with 2.6.12-rc2
out the door, and us in a 'calming down' period, I could afford to not
even do that for a while.
The real problem with the email thing is that it ends up piling up: what
BK did in this respect was that anythign that piled up in a BK repository
ended up still being there, and a single 'bk pull' got it anyway - so if
somebody got ignored because I was busy with something else, it didn't add
any overhead. The queue didn't get 'congested'."
Wired News: Ruling Unlikely to Deter Gaming
Wired News: Ruling Unlikely to Deter Gaming: "In the wake of a trade ruling lending support to U.S. prohibitions on internet gambling, gaming industry insiders aren't predicting any slowdown in Americans' online-wagering activities.
Other developments on the legal and legislative fronts, including efforts by several states to legalize net wagering, could put pressure on federal regulators to loosen gaming restrictions, industry observers say. The passage of a sweeping gambling bill in the United Kingdom, they say, could also open doors for overseas betting sites. "
Russian hackers 'the best in the world' - ZDNet UK News
Russian hackers 'the best in the world' - ZDNet UK News: "The Russian police's cybercrime division, known as Department K, has warned that Russian hackers are the best in the world.
'Everyone knows that Russians are good at maths,' said lieutenant general Boris Miroshnikov of Department K. 'Our software writers are the best in the world, that's why our hackers are the best in the world.' "
The Whole-House Machine - Discover Magazine - science news articles online technology magazine articles The Whole-House Machine
The Whole-House Machine - Discover Magazine - science news articles online technology magazine articles The Whole-House Machine: "In a sunny laboratory at the University of Southern California, a robotically controlled nozzle squeezes a ribbon of concrete onto a wooden plank. Every two minutes and 14 seconds, the nozzle completes a circuit, topping the previous ribbon with a fresh one. Thus a five-foot-long wall rises�a wall built without human intervention."
Itronix Rugged Computers - gobookiii
Itronix Rugged Computers - gobookiii: "Launched in September 2004, the GoBook� III is the new standard in STATE-OF-THE-ART fully rugged wireless laptops available today. The GoBook III is more than the world's most advanced wireless rugged mobile computer. It is proof of Itronix's industry-leading legacy in the development, implementation and support of computing products and services that improve the productivity of mobile workers, worldwide. Highlights of this ground-breaking rugged product follow: "
Yahoo! News - Jane Goodall Defends Exotic Deer in Calif.
Yahoo! News - Jane Goodall Defends Exotic Deer in Calif.: "POINT REYES STATION, Calif. - Jane Goodall, best known for studying primates in Africa, now wants to save exotic deer in Point Reyes National Seashore.
Point Reyes officials have proposed a plan to eliminate more than 1,000 non-native deer � using shotguns and contraception � from the national park about 40 miles north of San Francisco. Park biologists say the rapidly expanding populations of fallow and axis deer threaten the park's fragile ecosystem. "
Yahoo! News - State Legislators Weigh in on Gun Debate
Yahoo! News - State Legislators Weigh in on Gun Debate: "With more than four out of five states allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons, that argument is finished. Now, the nation's long-running argument over guns turns on how much to loosen the rules � should guns be allowed in judge's chambers? Bars? In workplace parking lots? "
Yahoo! News - State Legislators Weigh in on Gun Debate
Yahoo! News - State Legislators Weigh in on Gun Debate: "With more than four out of five states allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons, that argument is finished. Now, the nation's long-running argument over guns turns on how much to loosen the rules � should guns be allowed in judge's chambers? Bars? In workplace parking lots? "
Yahoo! News - Clancy Donates $2M for Eye Professorship
Yahoo! News - Clancy Donates $2M for Eye Professorship: "BALTIMORE - Author Tom Clancy, who reaped millions from blockbusters such as 'Patriot Games' and 'The Hunt for Red October,' wants people to see life a little more clearly. To that end, he has donated $2 million to fund a professorship in ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "
Yahoo! News - 3 Students Suspended for Using Fake Money
Yahoo! News - 3 Students Suspended for Using Fake Money: "WEST SEATTLE, Wash. - A sixth-grader and two of his friends were suspended for using phony dollar bills made on a home computer to buy food in the school cafeteria.
On Monday, a cafeteria worker at James Madison Middle School found a dollar bill that didn't look or feel like the real thing. Seattle School District spokeswoman Patti Spencer said people in the lunch room were told to watch for more counterfeit bills.
An assistant principal called Seattle police the next day after a sixth-grader tried to use one of the fake bills to buy beef jerky from the cafeteria. "
Yahoo! News - Dog Helps Rescue Woman From Fake Trooper
Yahoo! News - Dog Helps Rescue Woman From Fake Trooper: "SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Authorities are looking for a man who posed as a highway patrol trooper and stopped a woman early Friday at a highway rest stop. The woman had pulled over at the Highway 385 rest area in western South Dakota to let her dog out, investigators said.
She told authorities that as she started to leave, a man pulled up in a car that resembled a highway patrol vehicle and told her he was working as a special officer and needed to see papers for her dog. "
Yahoo! News - San Jose State Suspends Sexy Dance Team
Yahoo! News - San Jose State Suspends Sexy Dance Team: "SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose State has suspended its dance team after a sexy routine at a basketball game triggered a confrontation involving an elderly alumnus and and a 20-year-old dancer.
The team is suspended until it develops guidelines to represent the university 'at the highest possible standard,' the division of intercollegiate athletics decided last week. "
Yahoo! News - San Jose State Suspends Sexy Dance Team
Yahoo! News - San Jose State Suspends Sexy Dance Team: "SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose State has suspended its dance team after a sexy routine at a basketball game triggered a confrontation involving an elderly alumnus and and a 20-year-old dancer.
The team is suspended until it develops guidelines to represent the university 'at the highest possible standard,' the division of intercollegiate athletics decided last week. "
Why can't you pay attention anymore? | Newsmakers | CNET News.com
Why can't you pay attention anymore? | Newsmakers | CNET News.com: "All of that data flying at you by e-mail, instant message, cell phone, voice mail and BlackBerry--it could actually be making you dumber.
Dr. Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist who's studied attention deficit disorder for more than a decade, has identified a related disorder he calls attention deficit trait, and he says it's reaching epidemic proportions in the corporate world. Unlike attention deficit disorder, or ADD, people aren't born with ADT. It's the result, he contends, of the modern workplace, where the constant and relentless chatter coming from our computers, phones and other high-tech devices is diluting our mental powers. "
Saturday, April 09, 2005
The Korea Herald : The Nation's No.1 English Newspaper
The Korea Herald : The Nation's No.1 English Newspaper: "The Defense Ministry plans to deploy robots with combat capability along the heavily fortified inter-Korean border as part of revamped security measures to deter North Korean infiltration.
Other measures include installing electronic warning systems and computerized surveillance cameras, including remotely monitored battlefield sensor systems and closed circuit televisions, along the 253-kilometer border in stages by 2011. "
Rands In Repose: N.A.D.D.
Rands In Repose: N.A.D.D.: "I just finished reading Guns of the South (tip of the hat to JayBees for the recommendation). The gist of the book is straight forward, yet odd... what if, during the Civil War, the South became equipped with a lot of AK-47s. Long story short, they would have won. Harry Turtledove chose to not focus on time travel or other delectable sci-fi tidbits; he spends the time on 'YAY! The South Won! So, uh, what are you going to do about that whole slavery thing?'"
Om Malik on Broadband � Internet Anxiety Disorder Anyone?
Om Malik on Broadband � Internet Anxiety Disorder Anyone?: "Broadband brings the world right to your laptop or your handheld. With it comes information, and along with it comes desire to stay connected, and on top of everything. Welcome to Internet Anxiety Disorder, a malaise that is more problematic than that blog fatigue.
Back in the early 1990s, the blinking light of a voice mail machine greeted me every evening when I walked into my Astoria, Queens� apartment, after searching for a job or doing odd jobs during the day. The red LED�s every blink either held a promise of a new start, or perhaps disappointment of being stuck in a rut. Occasionally, there would be a message from one of my dozen odd friends. Still, that damn blinking light caused me anxiety, a lot of it. "
Wired News: Microsoft Wants You to Sell It
Wired News: Microsoft Wants You to Sell It: "In its latest bid to make money on free internet services, Microsoft is betting that consumers will be willing to use its instant-messaging identities as billboards for products ranging from Sprite to Adidas sneakers.
The newest version of MSN Messenger allows consumers to download free backgrounds, pictures and other content tied to specific ad campaigns. The hope is that users will then share those downloads with other consumers -- providing another boost to advertisers, who pay Microsoft for the privilege."
Yahoo! News - Earth's Oldest Known Object on Display
Yahoo! News - Earth's Oldest Known Object on Display: "MADISON, Wis. - A tiny speck of zircon crystal that is barely visible to the eye is believed to be the oldest known piece of Earth at about 4.4 billion years old. For the first time ever, the public will have a chance to see the particle Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where researchers in 2001 made the breakthrough discovery that the early Earth was much cooler than previously believed based on analysis of the crystal."
Yahoo! News - Senators Eye Undersea Cable Sale Security
Yahoo! News - Senators Eye Undersea Cable Sale Security: "WASHINGTON - Three Republican senators are urging a secretive government panel to investigate the national security implications of the $130 million sale of a network of U.S. undersea communications cables to India's largest phone and broadband company."
Yahoo! News - Bush Web Backers Not All on the Same Page
Yahoo! News - Bush Web Backers Not All on the Same Page: "WASHINGTON - The word came down from the GOP's polling experts: The proper phrase is 'personal accounts,' never 'private accounts,' when talking about President Bush's plan for Social Security.
Evidentially, some of the president's supporters didn't get the memo. Both terms are widely used on a Web site sponsored by the Republican National Committee that invites supporters to post their views."
Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The top executives of Google took salary cuts and received negligible bonuses in 2004 but hit financial jackpots after the company went public in August, according to regulatory filings.
Last year, Chief Executive Eric Schmidt earned a salary of $81,432 (43,000 pounds), a third of his 2003 salary, and a bonus of just $1,556, according to the company's proxy filed on Friday.
Co-founders and presidents Larry Page and Sergey Brin each took a similar cut in pay. They each received a 2004 salary of $43,750 plus a similar bonus of $1,556.
In the second quarter of 2004, Schmidt, Page and Brin requested that their salaries each be slashed to $1 per year. They will continue to be paid $1 (53 pence) in 2005, as per their request, despite a recommendation by the board to boost their pay."
Yahoo! News - Swiss Biotech Company Settles Over Corn
Yahoo! News - Swiss Biotech Company Settles Over Corn: "WASHINGTON - The Swiss biotechnology company Syngenta said Friday it had reached a settlement with the U.S. government over the inadvertent sale to farmers of a genetically engineered corn seed that had not been approved by American regulators.
The company said in a statement that under the settlement reached with the Agriculture Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, it would pay a fine of $375,000 and sponsor a compliance training conference."
Yahoo! News - Kennewick Man Scientists Protest Bill
Yahoo! News - Kennewick Man Scientists Protest Bill: "WASHINGTON - Scientists hoping to study the ancient skeleton known as Kennewick Man are protesting legislation they say could block their efforts. They say a two-word amendment to a bill on American Indians would allow federally recognized tribes to claim ancient remains even if they cannot prove a link to a current tribe."
Science News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Science News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday canceled a controversial program to test the effects of bug spray and other pesticides on infants after two Senate Democrats threatened to block his confirmation.
Sens. Barbara Boxer of California and Bill Nelson of Florida said they would place a 'hold' on the White House's nomination of acting EPA administrator Stephen Johnson unless he canceled the $9 million program.
The Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study would have paid families $970 to videotape how spraying insecticides in their homes affected infants over two years."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday called for stepping up measures in Angola to halt the further spread of the deadly Marburg virus, which has killed 174 people mainly in the north of the country.
The United Nations agency said a first case of the incurable disease had been found in Kuanza Sul, the sixth province in the northwest to be hit, while a suspect death was also under investigation in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
There was an unusually high death rate among the 200 cases identified since October, mainly in the northern town of Uige, with an overwhelming number of initial cases striking children under 5 years old, the WHO said in a statement."
Yahoo! News - Researchers Spot Proteins Key to Cancer's Spread
Yahoo! News - Researchers Spot Proteins Key to Cancer's Spread: "FRIDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've identified several key proteins on the surface of cancer cells that help these cells spread."
Yahoo! News - Health Tip: Infertility's Emotional Toll
Yahoo! News - Health Tip: Infertility's Emotional Toll: "(HealthDayNews) - Infertility often is a complicated medical problem that can trigger many emotions. The experience can spark reminders of unresolved emotional issues, and may launch a major assault on a person's self esteem."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Antidepressants may do more than improve the mental health of people with both HIV and depression. New study findings suggest the treatment may also bolster patients' compliance with their HIV medications.
In a study of HIV-positive people seen at Denver public health clinics, researchers found that among the patients with depression, those who were on antidepressants were more likely to be compliant with their antiretroviral HIV drugs.
'Attention to diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders in this population may improve antiretroviral adherence and ultimate survival,' the study authors write in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
'Depression screening should be a part of care for all patients,' study co-author Dr. Arthur J. Davidson of the Denver Public Health Department told Reuters Health.
'Many patients may present with physical symptoms that are directly related to depression,' he added.
For their study, Davidson and his colleagues looked at 1,713 HIV-positive patients age 12 and older who were treated between 1997 and 2001. The researchers used data from patients' medical and pharmacy records to gauge their compliance with prescriptions for antidepressants and antiretroviral medications."
Yahoo! News - Abortion trial in Portugal suspended
Yahoo! News - Abortion trial in Portugal suspended: "LISBON (AFP) - The trial of three women accused of violating the staunchly Roman Catholic nation's strict rules against abortion was suspended again after a defense lawyer complained the judge was biased."
Yahoo! News - Peanut Allergy Linked to Lupin Flour Allergy
Yahoo! News - Peanut Allergy Linked to Lupin Flour Allergy: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with peanut allergy may also be allergic to lupin flour, which is increasingly being added to human food products, British investigators report in The Lancet medical journal."
Yahoo! News - 'Good' Bacteria Help with Eczema in Infants
Yahoo! News - 'Good' Bacteria Help with Eczema in Infants: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mixing a type of beneficial or 'probiotic' bacteria, Lactobacillus GG (LGG), into food helps reduce symptoms in allergic infants with the skin condition eczema, according to a report in the medical journal Allergy."
Yahoo! News - Woman Allegedly Steals Pups, Dyes Them
Yahoo! News - Woman Allegedly Steals Pups, Dyes Them
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Construction crews in a town near Los Angeles have uncovered the fossilized skeleton of a mammoth, with tusks, believed to between 400,000 and 1.4 million years old, a paleontologist says.
The mammoth, up to 75 percent complete, may be a member of the first species of the elephant-like animals that reached North America.
Paleo Environmental Associates of Altadena, California, was called in last week to dig out the skeleton in Moorpark, 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, and expects to complete the task on Friday, Bruce Lander, a partner in the firm, told Reuters."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "LONDON (Reuters) - A 66-year-old grandmother with a taste for marijuana casserole has been spared jail despite admitting she had shared cannabis-laced cookies with fellow pensioners.
Patricia Tabram from East Lea in Northumberland, who said she uses cannabis to alleviate pains in her neck and back, pleaded guilty to possession of the drug with intent to supply.
But Judge David Hodson said he would not make a 'martyr' of her when she returned to Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing on Friday. Instead, she received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
The white-haired, bespectacled granny was unrepentant, and said she would keep cooking with pot."
Yahoo! News - Man Drives Into DMV's Wall, Renews License
Yahoo! News - Man Drives Into DMV's Wall, Renews License: "ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A man drove his car into a wall at the Division of Motor Vehicles building, then walked in and renewed his driver's license, police say. Police believe the man was driving while impaired on medication and charged him with driving under the influence."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government says it has started deploying police helicopters equipped with infrared cameras to catch graffiti artists at night despite criticism they are grossly over-reacting.
Interior Ministry spokesman Rainer Lingenthal said the new operations to catch vandals in the act had been successful.
But a leader of the Greens party Hans-Christian Stroebele, said the 'James Bond' style manhunts were totally over the top."
Yahoo! News - ISC Explains Microsoft Server Poisoning Vulnerabilities
Yahoo! News - ISC Explains Microsoft Server Poisoning Vulnerabilities: "The Internet Storm Center Thursday clarified details of the ongoing DNS cache poisoning attack, and how hackers are infecting Windows servers"
Wired News: Patriot Provisions Set for Sunset
Wired News: Patriot Provisions Set for Sunset: "Several provisions of the USA Patriot Act expire Jan. 1, 2006, if not renewed by Congress.
Section 201: Gives federal officials the authority to intercept wire, spoken and electronic communications relating to terrorism."
Yahoo! News - Google Lowers Price on Mini Search
Yahoo! News - Google Lowers Price on Mini Search: "Google (Nasdaq: GOOG - news) has lowered the price of its SMB search application, Google Mini, to US$2,955 and boosted its search capacity to allow users to search up to 10,000 documents -- twice the level as before. Included is one year of support, software updates and hardware replacement coverage."
How to find nuclear power plants
How to find nuclear power plants
The internet is a great thing. Many people and organizations put a lot of information on their websites, which only have to be combined. If done properly, it’s interesting how much information can be retrieved within a very short time.
My goal was to identify a nuclear power plant in the United States of America on a satellite picture. First of all, I searched for a list of nuclear power plants in the US. That was easy: http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/united_states.html
The “International Nuclear Safety Center” is so kind to put up a good overview over the power plants in the US. I chose one of the power plants, namely the one in Oyster Creek, N.J., according to this page the oldest operating nuclear power plant in the US, and known by fishers as certain kinds of fishes are attracted by cooling system’s warm water output. That reminds me of some studies that concluded that river Danube would have the right temperature for alligators and that type of animals should the Zwentendorf power plant start operating. But I digress.
Software helps hunt down child porn online - Spam, Scams & Viruses - MSNBC.com
Software helps hunt down child porn online - Spam, Scams & Viruses - MSNBC.com: "TORONTO - Microsoft and Canadian authorities on Thursday launched a software program designed to help police worldwide hunt down child porn traffickers by enabling authorities for the first time to link information such as credit card purchases, Internet chat room messages and arrest records.
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Microsoft said the Child Exploitation Tracking System is the first software designed specifically to capture pornographers who prey on children and sell their images via the Internet. It will allow police departments worldwide to share and track previously unlinked information on investigations and suspects.
David Hemler, president of Microsoft Canada, said Internet pornographers were computer savvy, so the program would put law enforcement officials 'on the same level as the bad guys.'
The open source program was developed by Microsoft Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Toronto police, with the help of the Department of Homeland Security, Scotland Yard and Interpol.
(MSNBC is a Microsoft - NBC joint venture.)
The FBI has seen a 2,000 percent increase in the number of child pornography images on the Internet since 1996 and Canadian police estimate that more than 100,000 Web sites contain images of child sexual abuse. Experts say at least 95 percent of victims are abused by someone they know, either a relative or neighbor.
Hemler said Microsoft committed $4 million toward the program and that the software would be available to any police force at no cost.
John P. Clark, deputy assistant secretary of immigration and customs enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security, said the program released Thursday was the first dedicated to child protection.
'We were lending our expertise because we have established tracking systems,' said Clark, who attended the launch.
The initiative was the result of a January 2003 e-mail sent to Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder, from a member of the Toronto Police Service sex-crimes unit, asking for help in battling child pornography.
The billionaire, known for his philanthropy in the area of AIDS research and education, called on Microsoft Canada to develop software that would aid police officials.
Detective Sgt. Paul Gillespie, who sent the initial e-mail, told The Associated Press several suspected pornographers had already been arrested during testing of the new system. One man was arrested in Toronto last week, after a tip plugged into CETS linked with two previous reports on the suspect.
'When we pulled up all three, it gave us the ability to physically identify somebody and grounds for an arrest warrant,' Gillespie said.
Gillespie said another suspect was arrested several months ago, after information from the FBI, Scotland Yard and Homeland Security, investigating child pornography chat rooms and credit card purchases of the images, were programmed into the system.
'It identified a link between one of those people on the credit card list with one very small consistency in this chat room in the UK,' Gillespie said. 'Both pieces of the puzzles were put together and out of that we were able to identify somebody; an abuser of a young child taking pictures with his own camera.'"
Yahoo! News - Doctors Remove Leech From Woman's Nose
Yahoo! News - Doctors Remove Leech From Woman's Nose: "HONG KONG - Doctors have removed a leech from the nose of a 55-year-old Hong Kong woman after she swam and washed her face in a stream, a medical journal reported.
The woman went to her doctor complaining of nose bleeds and an occasional sensation that something was blocking her left nostril, the Hong Kong Medical Journal said in its April issue. Her family doctor noticed a 'brownish mass' in her nostril but couldn't remove it because of heavy bleeding, the journal said."
Yahoo! News - Lawsuit: Teacher Makes Girl Unclog Toilet
Yahoo! News - Lawsuit: Teacher Makes Girl Unclog Toilet: "BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. - After a girl got sick in the bathroom of her kindergarten class, the teacher made her don rubber gloves and manually remove a clog from the toilet, according to a lawsuit filed by the girl's mother."
Yahoo! News - Woman Claiming Finger in Chili Sues Often
Yahoo! News - Woman Claiming Finger in Chili Sues Often
Yahoo! News - Teacher Allegedly Smokes Pot With Students
Yahoo! News - Teacher Allegedly Smokes Pot With Students: "VENICE, Fla. - A 34-year-old high school math teacher was arrested after two female students said he served them vodka drinks and smoked marijuana with them at his house, officials said.
Michael B. Ziemian also showed the girls how he was growing marijuana in his garage, a Sarasota County sheriff's report said.
He was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, cultivation of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, delivery of a controlled substance to a person under 18 years old and contributing to the delinquency of a minor."
Insider Hints at GPL Changes
Insider Hints at GPL Changes: "Version 3.0 of the General Public License (GPL) may be years away, but one insider says proposed changes to it could impact companies like Amazon, Yahoo and Google.
Sleepycat Software CEO Mike Olson told internetnews.com that the Free Software Foundation (FSF) is looking at adding provisions to the GNU GPL to address a loophole. The current version of the GPL, which was last updated in 1991, fails to trigger the open source license if a company alters the code, but does not distribute its software through a CD or floppy disk.
The problem is moot for such open source applications as Linux, KDE (define), OpenOffice, Samba (define), Perl (define) and X-Chat, all of which can be distributed using conventional means. But the rule does not apply to companies that distribute software as a service, such as Google and eBay, or even dual-license companies like Sleepycat.
'My concern is that we run into a tragedy of the commons,' Olson said. 'There is this notion of quid pro quo, but if the vendor doesn't ship his software, he doesn't need to show his source code. That means a bunch of innovation is being taken out. This is an important problem for us working on the new GPL to get right.'"
Yahoo! News - Software Thwarts Wi-Fi Hackers
Yahoo! News - Software Thwarts Wi-Fi Hackers: "Senforce Technologies, a maker of location-aware end-point security enforcement, has made available a comprehensive new security enforcement technology: Senforce Connectivity Control. According to the company, users of the new software working at public access Wi-Fi hotspots will be virtually invisible to hackers."
Yahoo! News - Firefox Flaw Publicity Good for Open Source
Yahoo! News - Firefox Flaw Publicity Good for Open Source
Yahoo! News - DNS Cache Poisoning Hacks on the Rise
Yahoo! News - DNS Cache Poisoning Hacks on the Rise: "According to the SANS Internet Storm Center, there have been reports of continuing attacks related to Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news) server software and Domain Name System (DNS) cache systems, resulting in users being routed to sites run by attackers."
morons.org - Man Arrested for Using $2 Bills at Best Buy
morons.org - Man Arrested for Using $2 Bills at Best Buy: "Mike Bolesta of Baltimore, MD, knew that paying his $114 installation charge to Best Buy in only $2 bills would cause a small stir, but he didn't think it would cause him to be arrested (article requires registration; use login bselig@dodgeit.com/bselig - thanks, bugmenot).
Humiliating,' the 57-year old Bolesta was saying now. 'I am 6 feet 5 inches tall, and I felt like 8 inches high. To be handcuffed, to have all those people looking on, to be cuffed to a pole -- and to know you haven't done anything wrong. And me, with a brother, Joe, who spent 33 years on the city police force. It was humiliating.'
After buying a stereo, finding that it would not work, having a new stereo model installed, and being told that he did not have to pay an installation fee, Bolesta was contacted by the store, and was threated with police action if he did not pay the fee he was told before did not exist. As a sign of protest, Bolesta decided to pay using only $2 bills, which he has an abundance of because he asks his bank for them specifically."
Program Details for Dance Movie 2
Program Details for Dance Movie 2: "This is the second dance movie by JuniorX made in the World of Warcraft MMORPG, beta version. As with most movies made in massively-multiplayer games, the character actions are limited to emotes and moves built into the game. In this case, JuniorX relies on Orc dance and fighting moves, set to the tune of MC Hammer's 'Can't Touch This.' "
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Defense Tech: ITSY-BITSY DRONE
Defense Tech: ITSY-BITSY DRONE: "There are now dozens of different types of drones in the Pentagon's arsenal. But you'd be hard-pressed to find one smaller than this Wasp Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), now being tested aboard the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group off Southern California."
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Science News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Science News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "OSLO (Reuters) - Humans are damaging the planet at an unprecedented rate and raising risks of abrupt collapses in nature that could spur disease, deforestation or 'dead zones' in the seas, an international report said on Wednesday.
The study, by 1,360 experts in 95 nations, said a rising human population had polluted or over-exploited two thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water, in the past 50 years.
'At the heart of this assessment is a stark warning,' said the 45-member board of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.
'Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted,' it said."
Wired News: What Search Sites Know About You
Wired News: What Search Sites Know About You: "For most people who spend a lot of time online, impulsively typing queries into a search engine has become second nature.
Got a nasty infection in an embarrassing spot? Look up a treatment on your favorite search site. Obsessing about an ex? Try Googling his or her name. Chances are the queries will unearth some enlightening information."
Yahoo! News - New Cotton Fabric May Absorb Toxins
Yahoo! News - New Cotton Fabric May Absorb Toxins: "LUBBOCK, Texas - Cotton, the fabric of your life, could soon have the potential to save it. Scientists at Texas Tech University's Institute of Environmental and Human Health on Monday unveiled a new composite cotton fabric they say will protect against biological and chemical agents. "
Yahoo! News - New Cotton Fabric May Absorb Toxins
Yahoo! News - New Cotton Fabric May Absorb Toxins: "LUBBOCK, Texas - Cotton, the fabric of your life, could soon have the potential to save it. Scientists at Texas Tech University's Institute of Environmental and Human Health on Monday unveiled a new composite cotton fabric they say will protect against biological and chemical agents. "
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Children riding on school buses are breathing in more pollution than people standing out on the streets, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
They found that exhaust from the buses was leaking into the passenger cabin, and probably affecting the children. Older buses were the worst, they found.
And exhaust 'scrubbers' did little to help, perhaps because the exhaust is coming inside before it gets to the devices, the team at the University of California, Berkeley, found."
Yahoo! News - Suspect's Phone Tips Police to Burglary
Yahoo! News - Suspect's Phone Tips Police to Burglary: "ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. - Hawkins County authorities were waiting for two would-be burglars after a cell phone in a suspect's pocket accidentally dialed 911 and dispatchers overheard them plotting the crime.
Authorities arrested Jason Anthony Arnold, 29, and James Keith Benton, 38, both of Church Hill, and charged them with burglary and theft over $500. Officers said they tried to steal a refrigerator from a mobile home dealership.
The Hawkins County Sheriff's Department was tipped off early Friday morning when dispatchers overheard a 40-minute conversation from a cell phone about plans to rob the dealership.
'It's the kind with the numbers exposed,' detective Eve Jackson said. 'Apparently with this type of phone if you hold down the number nine it automatically dials 911. So Mr. Arnold's phone was in his front jeans pocket, and somehow the number nine got pressed, and central dispatch heard everything they said.' "
Yahoo! News - Deliveryman Stuck in Elevator for 80 Hours
Yahoo! News - Deliveryman Stuck in Elevator for 80 Hours: "NEW YORK - Ming Kuang Chen was written off after vanishing Friday night while making a delivery for Happy Dragon restaurant at a high-rise apartment building.
As police conducted a massive search and days passed, speculation grew that the 35-year-old Chen was the victim of armed bandits or some other urban horror in the Bronx borough.
But more than three days later, the deliveryman emerged with a mean thirst and a tale of survival: He had been stuck by himself in an elevator the whole time, without food or water. He was pulled out at about 5 a.m. Tuesday � 80 hours later � by firefighters responding to a security officer's call for help from the high-rise. "
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
BBC NEWS | Health | Anaemia 'can damage baby bonding'
BBC NEWS | Health | Anaemia 'can damage baby bonding': "New mothers who are mildly deficient in iron may have trouble properly bonding with their baby, US research suggests.
A study by Penn State University of 95 South African women found those with anaemia were less emotionally in tune with their babies.
Loss of blood during childbirth can often lead to anaemia - particularly among women who do not take vitamin supplements during pregnancy. "
BBC NEWS | Health | Bionic eye will let the blind see
BBC NEWS | Health | Bionic eye will let the blind see: "It comprises a computer chip that sits in the back of the individual's eye, linked up to a mini video camera built into glasses that they wear.
Images captured by the camera are beamed to the chip, which translates them into impulses that the brain can interpret. "
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Filters worn in the nostrils and designed to trap inhaled pollen are useful for preventing hay fever symptoms during allergy season, according to a report from Australia.
As described in the medical journal Allergy, the filters are about 1 centimeter in diameter and fit in each nostril. They feature a tiny mesh that catches the pollen, preventing it from contacting the nasal surface.
In a study, 46 patients with ragweed and grass pollen allergy were randomly selected to wear either active or fake 'placebo' nasal filters for 2 hours while visiting a park in autumn."
Yahoo! News - Drinking During Pregnancy May Upset Child's 'Body Clock'
Yahoo! News - Drinking During Pregnancy May Upset Child's 'Body Clock': "MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- A study in rats suggests fetal exposure to alcohol may upset the body's circadian clock as children mature into adulthood."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although the majority of Americans support organ and tissue donation and are willing to become donors themselves, many have not taken the steps required to ensure that their wishes will be carried out after their death, according to the results of a new survey.
'Willingness is great,' David Fleming, executive director of the Coalition on Donation, told Reuters Health. 'If you are willing, why not take steps to ensure your wishes are carried out?'
Such steps may involve more than signing the back of a driver's license or notifying family and friends, depending on where you live. 'Unfortunately, laws that govern transplantation vary from state to state,' Fleming said."
Yahoo! News - China establishes earthquake monitoring for Three Gorges Dam
Yahoo! News - China establishes earthquake monitoring for Three Gorges Dam: "BEIJING (AFP) - An earthquake monitoring and early tremor warning system has been set up for China's 21 billion dollar Three Gorges Dam, the world's biggest hydroelectric project. "
Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat: Virtualization
Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat: Virtualization: "Virtualization as a technology is interesting for a number of real-world uses. Presently, we are working towards integrating the Xen virtual machine infrastructure into Fedora Core."
Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat
Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat: "The information in this FAQ is valuable for those who are new to SELinux. It is also valuable if you are new to the latest SELinux implementation in Fedora Core, since some of the behavior may be different than you have experienced. "
Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat: SELinux
Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat: SELinux: "Security-enhanced Linux (SELinux)is a patch of the Linux� kernel and a number of utilities with enhanced security functionality designed to add mandatory access controls to Linux. The SELinux kernel contains new architectural components originally developed to improve the security of the Flask operating system. These architectural components provide general support for the enforcement of many kinds of mandatory access control policies, including those based on the concepts of Type Enforcement�, Role-based Access Control, and Multi-level Security."
redhat.com | SELinux
redhat.com | SELinux: "Security-enhanced Linux (SELinux), to be introduced in the next release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, has a strong access control architecture incorporated into the major subsystems of the Linux kernel. Developed by the National Security Agency as a research prototype, SELinux provides a mechanism to enforce the separation of information based on confidentiality and integrity requirements. By allowing threats of tampering and bypassing of application security mechanisms to be addressed, SELinux enables the confinement of damage that can be caused by malicious or flawed applications. This allows the Linux operating platform to support stronger levels of security.
Red Hat concurs with security experts that a secure operating system is the cornerstone for system security and information assurance. Furthermore, Red Hat believes that SELinux can provide a best practices approach for transparent, universal system security and information assurance."
Monday, April 04, 2005
The Price of Restricting Vulnerability Information
http://www.digital-law.net/IJCLP/Cy_2004/pdf/Granick_ijlcp-paper.pdf
There are calls from some quarters to restrict the publication of information about security vulnerabilities in an effort to limit the number of people with the knowledge and ability to attack computer systems. Scientists in other fields have considered similar proposals and rejected them, or adopted only narrow, voluntary restrictions. As in other fields of science, there is a real danger that publication restrictions will inhibit the advancement of the state of the art in computer security. Proponents of disclosure restrictions argue that computer security information is different from other scientific research because it is often expressed in the form of functioning software code. Code has a dual nature, as both speech and tool. While researchers readily understand the information expressed in code, code enables many more people to do harm more readily than with the non-functional information typical of most research publications. Yet, there are strong reasons to reject the argument that code is different, and that restrictions are therefore good policy. Code's functionality may help security as much as it hurts it and the open distribution of functional code has valuable effects for consumers, including the ability to pressure vendors for more secure products and to counteract monopolistic practices.
20050405-01-Granick_ijlcp-paper.pdf
International Journal of Communications Law and Policy
International Journal of Communications Law and Policy: "There are calls from some quarters to restrict the publication of information about
security vulnerabilities in an effort to limit the number of people with the knowledge and ability to attack computer systems. Scientists in other fields have considered similar proposals and rejected them, or adopted only narrow, voluntary restrictions. As in other fields of science, there is a real danger that publication restrictions will inhibit the advancement of the state of the art in computer security. Proponents of disclosure restrictions argue that computer security information is different from other scientific research because it is often expressed in the form of functioning software code. Code has a dual nature, as both speech and tool. While researchers readily understand the information expressed in code, code enables many more people to do harm more readily than with the non-functional information typical of most research publications. Yet, there are strong reasons to reject the argument that code is different, and that restrictions are therefore good policy. Code�s functionality may help security as much as it hurts it and the open distribution of functional code has valuable effects for consumers, including the
ability to pressure vendors for more secure products and to counteract monopolistic practices."
Yahoo! News - Metal Cutlery Returns to the Sky...
Yahoo! News - Metal Cutlery Returns to the Sky...: "LONDON (Reuters) - Passengers flying from British airports will be able to dine with metal cutlery again when anti-terrorism rules banning sharp objects on board are relaxed later this month.
The British government banned all such objects on airplanes after Islamic radicals used box-cutters to hijack planes in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Now improved in-flight and airport security means the rules can be relaxed, transport chiefs say. "
Yahoo! News - Jailed 'Killer' Freed After Wife Turns Up Alive
Yahoo! News - Jailed 'Killer' Freed After Wife Turns Up Alive: "BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man jailed and badly beaten for his wife's murder has been freed after she turned up not only alive but with another husband, domestic media said on Monday, revealing a brutal arbitrariness to China's legal system. "
Yahoo! News - Jailed 'Killer' Freed After Wife Turns Up Alive
Yahoo! News - Jailed 'Killer' Freed After Wife Turns Up Alive: "BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man jailed and badly beaten for his wife's murder has been freed after she turned up not only alive but with another husband, domestic media said on Monday, revealing a brutal arbitrariness to China's legal system. "
Yahoo! News - Notable Quotes
Yahoo! News - Notable Quotes: "HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) - They really said it -- notable quotes from the news:
'I'm not that much of a ladies' man. Romantic things people do - like putting candles around the house - I see that as more of a fire hazard.'
-- Actor JIMMY FALLON in the New York Daily News. "
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "CUATRO CIENEGAS, Mexico (Reuters) - With cobalt waters harbouring eerie, coral-like formations, this archipelago of lakes in Mexico's searing Chihuahuan desert has always had an other-worldly appearance.
Now top researchers at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration say the calcified clumps of primitive bacteria lurking in its pools could provide important clues in their search for extraterrestrial life.
The network of 170 cactus-ringed lagoons around the town of Cuatro Cienegas have intrigued evolutionary biologists for decades because their fish, snail and turtle species rival the Galapagos Islands in their uniqueness."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - One in five U.S. teenagers say they have engaged in oral sex, an activity that some adolescents view as not sex at all and certainly less risky than intercourse, according to a report.
The survey of 580 children with a mean age of 14-1/2 found 20 percent said they had engaged in oral sex, compared to 14 percent who said they had engaged in sexual intercourse.
In addition, one-third of the multi-ethnic 9th graders surveyed said they intended to have oral sex within the next six months and nearly one-fourth planned to have intercourse during the period. It was more common for boys to have performed oral sex on girls than vice versa, the report said."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "ABOARD THE SAMBONG-HO (Reuters) - Poets have read patriotic verses as a ferry rocks violently offshore islands that South Korea and Japan both claim in a bitter territorial dispute.
Covering about 40 acres (16 hectares), the rocky outcroppings of uninhabited isles are much smaller than New York's Central Park. But South Koreans aboard the Sambong-ho on Monday told a foreign reporter making a rare trip to the islands Koreans call 'Tokto' that the dispute with Japan strikes at the heart of their national identity.
The islands are called Takeshima in Japan."
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish jail inmates have gone on strike after authorities cut down on weight-lifting and exercise sessions to stop prisoners becoming too muscle-bound.
The prisoners, whose protest sparked no violence, were locked in their cells after refusing to attend any workshops or study sessions. Around 1,000 inmates from 20 of Sweden's 60 prisons protested."
Yahoo! News - After 20 Years, Wallet With $177 Returned
Yahoo! News - After 20 Years, Wallet With $177 Returned: "JACKSON, Wyo. - Twenty years after losing her wallet, along with $177 and her Social Security card, Lisa Tonks finally has it back. Tonks lost the wallet during a family trip to Jackson and Yellowstone National Park.
The wallet was turned over to police. But without more information, and because the case was considered a minor one, it collected dust on a shelf along with other old evidence, including drug paraphernalia and weapons. "
Yahoo! News - Mich. Police Hunt for Menacing Turkeys
Yahoo! News - Mich. Police Hunt for Menacing Turkeys: "MENOMINEE, Mich. - A group of turkeys has been trotting around the city, chasing kids, startling motorists and loitering at people's homes. Authorities were notified, the EagleHerald reported, and after a slew of complaints, a hunt ensued.
'It's been keeping us on our toes,' said Mike Baker, public service officer for the Menominee Police Department.
Two turkeys were captured by state Department of Natural Resources employees and turned loose in Menominee. One disappeared. Another turned up as a carcass on a city street, the newspaper reported. "
Yahoo! News - Police: Teacher Starts Brawl in Class
Yahoo! News - Police: Teacher Starts Brawl in Class: "DALLAS - A high school teacher faces an assault charge after police say she walked into a middle-school classroom, grabbed that teacher's hair, yanked her out of her chair, and dragged her across the room while punching her in the face and kicking her.
According to the police report, Paulette Baines grabbed Mary Oliver in front of the class full of gifted students Friday. Baines was angry because Oliver told her daughter to quit loitering by lockers and go to class, Dallas school district spokesman Donald Claxton said. "
Hitachi claims leap in drive density: ZDNet Australia: News: Hardware
Hitachi claims leap in drive density: ZDNet Australia: News: Hardware: "Hitachi Global Storage will come out with hard drives containing 230 gigabits of data per square inch, the company is expected to announce on Monday, which could mean a 20GB iPod mini."
Wired News: Bioterror Victims: Wait to Exhale
Wired News: Bioterror Victims: Wait to Exhale: "When a Johns Hopkins University researcher called a pig farmer and asked to use some of his porkers in a research study, the farmer was happy to oblige. 'We sell everything but the oink,' he replied.
Actually, that's exactly what senior scientist Joany Jackman was looking for. 'I told him I wanted to buy pig breath, and there was silence for a while,' she said. But the farmer agreed to help by using a special mask to condense the water vapor from porcine breath. "
Wired News: What a Little Moon Dust Can Do
Wired News: What a Little Moon Dust Can Do: "SUNNYVALE, California -- If the Bush administration's plan to set up a base on the moon is to become a reality, scientists will first have to devise a way to deal with a tiny but ubiquitous enemy: lunar dust.
Lunar dust is extremely abrasive -- and unavoidable -- as astronauts quickly learned during the Apollo missions of the 1960s and '70s. Within hours, the dust covered the astronauts' spacesuits and equipment, scratching lenses and corroding seals. "
Grits for Breakfast: Why surveillance cameras don't reduce crime
Grits for Breakfast: Why surveillance cameras don't reduce crime: "Why surveillance cameras don't reduce crime
Dennis Bailey at the Open Society Paradox calls me out on yesterday's Grits post about surveillance cameras, and offers up examples of surveillance 'sucess stories.' To me, the wisdom of proliferating security cameras should be evaluated based on the empirical results of a three-way tradeoff between security, liberty, and measurable, real-world effectiveness. So I'm happy to see his set of success stories. Taken together, the two posts supply readers with a pretty good range of cases documenting both risks and benefits, pros and cons of camera surveillance.
Some of his examples are private surveillance, not government, which is a different matter, though when enacted on a large scale, it too deserves scrutiny. I don't know anybody, though, who thinks there shouldn't be a camera behind the counter at the convenience store. Still, even in his other examples, serious crimes were committed in the cameras' presence, though perhaps it was easier to prosecute crooks (unless, I suppose, they operated at night or wore a hat).
Earlier I'd cited longitudinal research showing widespread use surveillance cameras doesn't reduce crime. They've been used long enough in Britain now to allow extensive analysis of the resulting crime data.
So Dennis' post got me wondering why, despite its internal logical consistency, the idea of camera surveillance reducing crime never played out that way in the real world in Britain where it's much more widespread (except in a few specific places like parking facilities). "
Yahoo! News - Oil Platforms May Be Used for Fish Farms
Yahoo! News - Oil Platforms May Be Used for Fish Farms: "NEW ORLEANS - Thousands of oil and natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico could be converted into deep-sea fish farms raising red snapper, mahi mahi, yellow fin tuna and flounder, under a plan backed by the Bush administration. "
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some areas of cognitive function, or thinking ability, are impaired in patients with type 1 diabetes, but learning and memory remain intact, Dutch investigators report.
'The magnitude of the cognitive deficits is mild,' report Dr. Augustina M. A. Brands, of University Medical Center, Utrecht, and colleagues, 'but even mild forms of cognitive dysfunction might hamper everyday activities.'
The researchers conducted a review of studies that looked at cognitive performance in diabetic patients. Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A computer-aided detection system can help radiologists spot small breast tumors that may otherwise be missed, results of a study show. The system detected 92 percent of cancers that were 5 millimeters in size or smaller.
'The mammographic detection of small breast cancers is most challenging,' Dr. Rachel F. Brem, director of breast imaging at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and colleagues note in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
They assessed the ability of a computer-aided detection system to detect breast cancers that had been confirmed by biopsy. The study population included 201 women with various types of breast tumors."
Yahoo! News - New Options Offer Relief from Cancer-Related Bone Pain
Yahoo! News - New Options Offer Relief from Cancer-Related Bone Pain: "FRIDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- Three techniques that either heat or freeze bone tumors reduced by up to 89 percent the severe pain felt by people for whom other pain relief options had failed, researchers reported."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "GENEVA (Reuters) - Some 714 surviving victims of Nazi medical experiments are being paid additional funds, bringing their compensation to 6,693 euros ($8,675) each, an international aid agency said on Friday.
But the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said no amount could make up for 'atrocious experiments' performed on human guinea pigs by Nazi doctors in concentration camps."
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk
Health News Article | Reuters.co.uk: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush issued a directive on Friday allowing authorities to detain or isolate any passenger suspected of having avian flu when arriving in the United States aboard an international flight.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed 49 people in Asia since 2003, 35 in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and 2 Cambodians, while millions of birds have been slaughtered to contain the disease.
Even so, the World Health Organization has said it had seen no evidence so far to suggest the bird flu virus was changing into a form that could be easily transmitted from one human to another.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy called the directive a precautionary measure."
Yahoo! News - Surgical Infection Rates Lower in Elderly
Yahoo! News - Surgical Infection Rates Lower in Elderly: "FRIDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- Risks for infection at the site of surgery appear to rise each year until age 65, when the risk steadily begins to decline, a new study reports."
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Yahoo! News - Google Boosts Free Storage in Web E-Mail Battle
Yahoo! News - Google Boosts Free Storage in Web E-Mail Battle: "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc., which took the first shot in the free e-mail storage battle with the release of its Gmail product last year, said on Thursday it is doubling free storage to 2 gigabytes shortly after Yahoo Inc. matched its original offer. "
Latest Business News and Financial Information | Reuters.co.uk
Latest Business News and Financial Information | Reuters.co.uk: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices surged 2.6 percent on Thursday as Goldman Sachs Group, the biggest trader of energy derivatives, said prices could ultimately surge all the way above $100 (53 pounds) a barrel.
The gains were bolstered by growing fears over slipping stockpiles of gasoline in the United States ahead of the summer travel season, and fresh buying by investment funds as the dollar weakened, dealers said.
U.S. light crude settled up $1.41 to $55.40 a barrel after peaking at $56.10, within $1.50 of the $57.60 record high struck on March 17. Benchmark Brent futures jumped $2.20 to $54.29 a barrel. "
Yahoo! News - New Ethics Rules Cost NIH Another Top Researcher
Yahoo! News - New Ethics Rules Cost NIH Another Top Researcher: "James F. Battey, chief of the National Institutes of Health's high-profile human-stem-cell program and director of that agency's deafness institute, will retire in September after more than 20 years at the agency, citing his inability to comply with strict new conflict-of-interest rules that have roiled the NIH internally and prompted a backlash in the broader science and business communities."
Yahoo! News - Study Uses Video Games to Fight Obesity
Yahoo! News - Study Uses Video Games to Fight Obesity: "CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Like many 11-year-old boys, K.D. Jones loves sports. But at 5 feet, 175 pounds, he found his weight and the asthma it caused an obstacle to enjoying many activities. His doctor wanted him to lose 50 pounds, and he's hoping a new health study using video games to fight obesity will help him get down to 125 by the end of summer in time to play football. "
c't 8/2005, S. 172: Hard Disk Security
c't 8/2005, S. 172: Hard Disk Security: "With most notebooks it is possible to secure the hard disk against unauthorized access with the aid of a password. Without the latter the disk, even when inserted into another computer, won't divulge its data. In the meantime this security function has become a feature of all 3.5' ATA hard disks and can hence be used - and abused - on desktop PCs!
One morning the screen stays blank - disk boot failure, insert system disk and press Enter. Could it be that the hard disk has given up the ghost overnight? No unusual noises can be heard and the disk does register with the BIOS. A DOS from a diskette boots suspiciously slowly and cannot access the hard disk - things aren't looking too good. And so into the Internet at the double with your second PC in search of diagnostic software. In such cases Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test is a blessing; its diagnosis tells you: 'Device is password protected and cannot be tested.' The hard disk is password protected. And who did that? And what is more important still: What is the password and how do I remove it?
In the last edition of c't magazine a number of articles appeared on how through encryption confidential data can be protected against outside scrutiny [1]. In that edition a further article had originally been slated to appear describing how instead of taking such elaborate measures hard disks could simply be sealed with the aid of a password. Such a move would be simple, take next to no time, involve no drag on performance and be considered sacure. Notebooks have been offering this function for a long time now, as have a number of desktop PCs and in the case of the others the function can easily, with the help of a few simple tools, be added on. "
c't 8/2005, S. 172: Hard Disk Security
c't 8/2005, S. 172: Hard Disk Security: "With most notebooks it is possible to secure the hard disk against unauthorized access with the aid of a password. Without the latter the disk, even when inserted into another computer, won't divulge its data. In the meantime this security function has become a feature of all 3.5' ATA hard disks and can hence be used - and abused - on desktop PCs!
One morning the screen stays blank - disk boot failure, insert system disk and press Enter. Could it be that the hard disk has given up the ghost overnight? No unusual noises can be heard and the disk does register with the BIOS. A DOS from a diskette boots suspiciously slowly and cannot access the hard disk - things aren't looking too good. And so into the Internet at the double with your second PC in search of diagnostic software. In such cases Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test is a blessing; its diagnosis tells you: 'Device is password protected and cannot be tested.' The hard disk is password protected. And who did that? And what is more important still: What is the password and how do I remove it?
In the last edition of c't magazine a number of articles appeared on how through encryption confidential data can be protected against outside scrutiny [1]. In that edition a further article had originally been slated to appear describing how instead of taking such elaborate measures hard disks could simply be sealed with the aid of a password. Such a move would be simple, take next to no time, involve no drag on performance and be considered sacure. Notebooks have been offering this function for a long time now, as have a number of desktop PCs and in the case of the others the function can easily, with the help of a few simple tools, be added on. "
c't 8/2005, S. 172: Hard Disk Security
c't 8/2005, S. 172: Hard Disk Security: "With most notebooks it is possible to secure the hard disk against unauthorized access with the aid of a password. Without the latter the disk, even when inserted into another computer, won't divulge its data. In the meantime this security function has become a feature of all 3.5' ATA hard disks and can hence be used - and abused - on desktop PCs!
One morning the screen stays blank - disk boot failure, insert system disk and press Enter. Could it be that the hard disk has given up the ghost overnight? No unusual noises can be heard and the disk does register with the BIOS. A DOS from a diskette boots suspiciously slowly and cannot access the hard disk - things aren't looking too good. And so into the Internet at the double with your second PC in search of diagnostic software. In such cases Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test is a blessing; its diagnosis tells you: 'Device is password protected and cannot be tested.' The hard disk is password protected. And who did that? And what is more important still: What is the password and how do I remove it? "
Yahoo! News - Cancer Patients Exposed to High Radiation
Yahoo! News - Cancer Patients Exposed to High Radiation: "TAMPA, Fla. - Dozens of patients at a cancer treatment center were exposed to radiation levels 50 percent stronger than they were supposed to receive because a radiation machine was improperly installed.
Yahoo! Health
Have questions about your health?
Find answers here.
Physicists from the federal Radiological Physics Center detected the error on March 7, but the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute didn't acknowledge it until Friday. "
Yahoo! News - Expert Finds Dandruff in Air Pollutants
Yahoo! News - Expert Finds Dandruff in Air Pollutants: "WASHINGTON - A researcher has discovered unexpectedly large amounts of dandruff and other flaking skin, fur, pollen and similar materials in air pollutants known as aerosols.
Aerosols, tiny particles in the air, are widely studied because they are an important factor in regulating climate, variously absorbing heat to warm the air and reflecting sunlight to cool it. They are also important in forming rain and snow.
But the amount of cellular material � bacteria, plant fragments, spores, fungi and so forth � had been thought to be only a small proportion compared with mineral dusts, clay and sea salt. "
Yahoo! News - Virginia Task Force Probes Fish Deaths
Yahoo! News - Virginia Task Force Probes Fish Deaths: "RICHMOND, Va. - A state task force is investigating the deaths of hundreds of fish in Peninsula waters last week and this week.
An algal bloom that can be harmful to humans and animals was found in one creek where dead fish were found, and Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bill Hayden said Thursday that officials are trying to determine whether it was connected to kills in nearby waters.
However, he said officials believed gill nets were responsible for the deaths of menhaden in the Poquoson River, Back River and Queens Creek. "
NewsForge | Zeta OS is rising from BeOS ashes
NewsForge | Zeta OS is rising from BeOS ashes: "BeOS was a lighweight but full-fledged operating system designed from the ground up to be a desktop OS with strong multimedia capabilities. Its claim to fame was the real-time response of its graphical interface, even on low-powered hardware. Its minimalistic approach made it easy to use even for beginners. Its database-like BFS file system with indexed attributes made file searches a breeze. All of this in a system that could boot in 10 to 15 seconds on most hardware, and that was as stable as a rock.
Zeta inherits all of the above, and also takes advantage of the enhancements that Be Inc. had slated for the next version of BeOS, which was never released, including the kernel-land BONE networking environment and a better media kit (one of the several kits that comprise the object-oriented BeOS API). Here is a good selection of Zeta screenshots for those who have never seen it. "
Yahoo! News - Russia Lawmakers Brawl in Parliament
Yahoo! News - Russia Lawmakers Brawl in Parliament: "MOSCOW - Flamboyant ultranationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky spat at an opponent and grabbed him by the hair before being pummeled by other colleagues in a parliament brawl Wednesday.
AP Photo
Zhirinovsky, dubbed the clown of Russian politics because of his antics, was protesting the results of weekend regional parliamentary elections in Yamalo-Nenets in western Siberia, in which his Liberal Democratic Party fared poorly. "
Yahoo! News - Death Charged in Theft From Cemetery
Yahoo! News - Death Charged in Theft From Cemetery: "NEW YORK - His name is Death, and prosecutors say he stole from a cemetery. Donald Death Jr., 60, of Locust Valley, was arraigned Wednesday on charges he stole nearly $300,000 from the Locust Valley Cemetery Association on Long Island.
Death, who is the chairman and assistant treasurer of the cemetery association, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count of third-degree grand larceny for allegedly using cemetery funds for his own purposes, a spokeswoman for Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon said in a statement. "
Yahoo! News - Death Charged in Theft From Cemetery
Yahoo! News - Death Charged in Theft From Cemetery: "NEW YORK - His name is Death, and prosecutors say he stole from a cemetery. Donald Death Jr., 60, of Locust Valley, was arraigned Wednesday on charges he stole nearly $300,000 from the Locust Valley Cemetery Association on Long Island.
Death, who is the chairman and assistant treasurer of the cemetery association, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count of third-degree grand larceny for allegedly using cemetery funds for his own purposes, a spokeswoman for Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon said in a statement. "
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk
Oddly Enough Article | Reuters.co.uk: "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian trainers helping police to understand body language have caused a row by likening George Bush's facial expressions to a chimpanzee's.
Interior Minister Patrick Dewael said he was unaware of the pictures when he signed a letter promoting the training package for police dealing with unruly soccer fans, and said the idea was 'of bad taste', Het Laatste Nieuws daily reported.
The training presentation pictured the U.S. president's face in various expressions beside photographs of a chimpanzee, the paper showed on its front page, in what was meant to be a humorous introduction to the subject of reading expressions.
Dewael's office was not immediately available for comment. "
Yahoo! News - Confused Cops Swarm Woman After Birth
Yahoo! News - Confused Cops Swarm Woman After Birth: "KETTERING, Ohio - A woman rushing to a hospital to give birth hit a few stops along the way � first at a gas station where she delivered the baby herself, then when confused police ordered her out of the car at gunpoint.
Debbie Coleman, whose 3- and 4-year-old daughters were asleep in the back seat, pulled over at a gas station just after midnight Tuesday.
'I asked if she needed help, and she just leaned back in the seat, hollered a little, and I looked down and there was the baby's head,' said station co-owner Lloyd Goff, who was alerted to the emergency at pump No. 7 by a customer. "
Yahoo! News - Little Leaguers to Test Flush New Toilets
Yahoo! News - Little Leaguers to Test Flush New Toilets: "MANCHESTER, N.H. - On Friday, Little Leaguers will get to test the new Fisher Cats Ballpark that's being built � but they won't be out on the field. Instead, they'll be in the bathrooms, making sure the toilets work.
Stadium managers have recruited the youngsters to flush all 103 of the new toilets to clear the system and make sure they're ready for opening day. Officials will use radios to coordinate the flushing, which will happen in a certain sequence, sort of like the wave.
As the team's manager notes, for whatever reason, young boys like to flush toilets. "
Yahoo! News - Snohomish School Bans 'Snohos' T-Shirts
Yahoo! News - Snohomish School Bans 'Snohos' T-Shirts: "SNOHOMISH, Wash. - 'Snoho' has appeared without incident in Snohomish High School yearbooks, on the school district's Web site and in the name of an espresso stand, SnoHo Mojo, but the plural form is another matter.
Justin Patrick, 17, a senior, was suspended briefly in February after arguing when he was told to cover up a T-shirt with 'SNOHOS' emblazoned across the chest. "
Yahoo! News - Postal Worker Found With Mail From 1996
Yahoo! News - Postal Worker Found With Mail From 1996: "FRANKLIN, Ind. - Some city residents could soon get letters nearly 10 years old after police found several bags and boxes of undelivered mail in a postal worker's home, authorities said.
Police were investigating a domestic dispute at mailman Glenn Snow's home when officers found first-class mail dating from 1996 to 1999, police said.
A female roommate told police Snow did not deliver the mail because it was too much, according to a police report. "
Yahoo! News - Sleeping Man Keeps Cops at Bay for Hours
Yahoo! News - Sleeping Man Keeps Cops at Bay for Hours: "GANG MILLS, N.Y. - A police standoff that lasted 11 hours because the suspect said he was sleeping ended peacefully Thursday. Billy Abbey, 31, surrendered at 11:30 a.m. after Steuben County sheriff's deputies broke his second-floor bedroom window, waking him and his son.
Authorities responded after reports that Abbey had disputes with his neighbor and girlfriend around midnight, state police Sgt. David Jiusto said. Abbey locked himself in a bedroom where his 8-year-old son was sleeping. "
Yahoo! News - Wis. Wheelchair Pageant Winner Loses Crown
Yahoo! News - Wis. Wheelchair Pageant Winner Loses Crown: "APPLETON, Wis. - Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin has been stripped of her title because pageant officials say she can stand � and point to a newspaper picture as proof.
Janeal Lee, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a scooter, was snapped by The Post-Crescent newspaper standing among her high school math students.
'I've been made to feel as if I can't represent the disabled citizens of Wisconsin because I'm not disabled enough,' Lee said Thursday.
Lee, 30, of Appleton, had planned to go to the national pageant with her younger sister, who also has muscular dystrophy and won the competition in Minnesota. "
Yahoo! News - Yacht Crew Uses Door to Sail Safely Home
Yahoo! News - Yacht Crew Uses Door to Sail Safely Home: "WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Six men aboard a Russian yacht used a cabin door to help steer the crippled vessel.
It sailed � limped, really � into New Zealand's Wellington Harbor on Friday after a month at sea with the makeshift rudder.
The crew of the Apostol Andrey was relieved to make land after battling high seas in the storm-tossed Southern Ocean on the disabled 50-foot yacht, skipper Nikolay Litau said.
Owned by a Moscow adventure club, the boat was going around Antarctica when it lost its rudder about 1,306 miles south of New Zealand on March 3, he said.
The crew decided to replace it with the cabin door and try to make their way toward New Zealand, the nearest land. "
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Yahoo! News - Who Closes a Sex Festival for Lack of Interest?
Yahoo! News - Who Closes a Sex Festival for Lack of Interest?: "LONDON (Reuters) - Organizers of a major erotic festival are closing for business in Manchester due to a lack of interest, which they blame on recalcitrant northern English men.
Erotica Manchester opened on Friday, selling a range of sex aids, clothing and footwear, but ticket sales have been poor and organizers say they will not be coming back.
'We've tried to warm this city up for more than two years but northerners just haven't responded in sufficient numbers,' said event director Savvas Christodoulou.
'They are happy enough to come to our London event in the autumn but they seem embarrassed about being seen at Erotica Manchester.' "
Yahoo! News - Man Convicted of Tricking Men to Strip
Yahoo! News - Man Convicted of Tricking Men to Strip: "INDIANAPOLIS - Prosecutors offered a man convicted of tricking men into stripping by posing as a radio disc jockey a plea agreement that would send him to prison for up to 16 years.
The agreement would allow 41-year-old Richard C. Brown to avoid trial on 14 charges for similar incidents involving seven more men, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.
Superior Court Judge Mark Stoner said Brown had until Friday to accept the plea agreement. If he does not, Brown would face an April 18 pretrial hearing on the other charges. "
Yahoo! News - Car Hood Pops Open, but Men Keep Driving
Yahoo! News - Car Hood Pops Open, but Men Keep Driving: "CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Two men traveling on Interstate 380 ended up in jail because the hood of their car popped open. The men were heading south of I-380 on Tuesday when the hood open and covered the windshield, the Linn County sheriff's office said.
Instead of pulling over to fix the problem, the men stuck their heads out the windows so they could see the road and kept going at about 55 mph, officials said. "
Yahoo! News - Error Puts Strippers on Public Access TV
Yahoo! News - Error Puts Strippers on Public Access TV: "POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Viewers expecting to see the latest local meeting on their public access channel got an eyeful recently when Cablevision played a tape of nude dancers accidentally.
The mistake affected customers in parts of Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam and Orange counties.
Hopewell Junction resident George Morton returned home from Palm Sunday Mass and turned on his television to see a striptease contest.
'I thought, this is terrible,' Morton said. 'I don't get HBO or anything like that.' "
