I Buy These From eBay points out a Washington Post story about how stolen military equipment has ended up on eBay and Craigslist. Undercover investigators reported being able to purchase defense-related items with "no questions asked." Let's hope the sellers don't get their hands on any retired rebellious robots. From the Post: "Among the items purchased include two components from F-14 fighter jets, bought from separate buyers on eBay. The warplanes, now retired by the military, could easily be purchased and transferred to the Iranian military, which is seeking its components, the report said. Investigators couldn't determine where the sellers had obtained the F-14 parts. They also purchased from a Craigslist seller a used Nuclear Biological Chemical protective suit, other protective accessories as well as an unused chemical-biological canister, which contained the mask filter used to guard against warfare agents. The property was likely stolen from the Defense Department, the report said."
Ant writes in to note a study indicating that, because of air pollution, the smell of flowers is not wafting as far as it once did. Pollutants from power plants and automobiles destroy flowers' aromas, the study suggests: "The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment, such as in the 1800s, could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters; but in today's polluted environment downwind of major cities, they may travel only 200 to 300 meters." The finding could help explain why some pollinators, particularly bees, are declining in certain parts of the world.
Text of report in English by Vietnamese news agency VNA website [Unattributed article from the "Politics" page: "Party Leader Highlights Achievements of Chemical Force"] Hanoi (VNA) -Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh reminded the chemical force to be well aware of its important role in undertaking defence and security duties in the current situation of the country during his visit to the force on April 12. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Peter Callaghan, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. Apr. 13--Being part of a community brings opportunities and obligations. And no, this is not something I found inside a fortune cookie. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
Text of report in English by UN sponsored Radio Miraya FM, Juba on 12 April UNHCR [United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees] said Saturday [12 April] that a fire swept through a refugees camp in eastern Chad injuring ten people and leaving some 3,000 from Darfur region homeless. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
Q What exactly is pancetta? Is it just a variety of bacon? A echnically, no. lthough it is pork belly, which most bacon is made of, this Italian delicacy is cured then either sliced or cut into lardons to cook with. Q I've seen capers packed in salt as well as in brine. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Joe Marusak, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Apr. 13--Duke Energy has finished work at McGuire Nuclear Station that will allow the plant to lower the level of Lake Norman by an additional 3 feet in an extreme, prolonged drought. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Yolanne Almanzar, The Miami Herald Apr. 13--Miami-Dade County intends to use highly treated wastewater from a Cutler Bay plant now being expanded to help restore the historic freshwater flows of the Biscayne Bay coastal wetlands. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Enric Volante, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Apr. 13--Last Sunday at dusk, Bill McManus thought the dog padding toward him on the Ventana Canyon Trail in the Catalina Foothills looked like a golden retriever. Then he realized it was a mountain lion. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Elaine C. Smith IT doesn't surprise me that Scotland has the dirtiest beaches in the UK. Visit Scotland...it's mingin'. That's what the adverts should say. The dirtiest beaches, lochsides, riverbanks, with the odd burst couch left by kindly folks for us to sit on. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Georgia Tasker, The Miami Herald Apr. 13--Driving back to Miami from Homestead, Joe Zammit-Lucia saw a sign for Monkey Jungle. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Brent Frazee, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Apr. 13--The path to some of Jon Nee's favorite bass water was filled with detours Wednesday. After heavy rains, the back roads were muddy and pocked with puddles. And the pastures looked like swamps. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
Several cells of the international organization Hizb ut-Tahrir al Islami, which is banned in Russia as extremist, have been busted in various towns in Bashkortostan and six suspects arrested, Interfax reported on 13 April. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
TALK about the switchboard being flooded. Maria Connelly, of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, gets pounds 10 for sending this in. If you have a funny internet photo, email it to mailbox@sundaymail.co.uk. Please remember to include your full postal address. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Kim Hone-McMahan, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio Apr. 13--A few hours after Samantha Parks voluntarily gave up all her technology devices for a week, the 14-year-old was already feeling out of touch. "Wanting to text my friend. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By Gail Pennington, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Apr. 13--Television is a business. Someone always reminds us of that when a favorite but low-rated show is canceled. We persist, though, in thinking of TV as a public service, if not a God-given right. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By TOBY MCDONALD SCOTS singer Sandi Thom is quitting the basement flat where she launched her chart-topping career. The 26-year-old won an army of fans by broadcasting free gigs over the internet from the London pad. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
TV host Jamie Theakston has become a dad for the first time. Wife Sophie gave birth to an 8lb 6oz boy in London on Friday night. He's been named Sidney. (c) 2008 Sunday Mail; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
By The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Apr. 13--Two men will remain in jail over the weekend as they prepare to face separate charges of attempted murder. Carlos Ramirez, 23, of Rochelle Street in Durham was arrested Friday after a grand jury indicted him, authorities said. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 11:00 am
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh has introduced an improved cooking stove that will consume 50 percent less of the biomass used for cooking in rural areas, a senior official said on Sunday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 10:21 am
Strategies to develop biofuel production without sacrificing food supplies will be one of the headline issues to be tackled at a Latin America conference by the UN Food and Agriculture... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 10:20 am
An anonymous reader writes "It's not just that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may be unsafe or vulnerable to hacker attacks. At this point, it seems everyone would be happy for it to arrive in any state. The 787's carbon-fiber construction and next-generation technology have pushed back their delivery schedule once again, this time requiring a redesign of the plane's wingbox. Airlines will have to wait 18 more months to get it delivered, which is an extremely serious blow to the credibility of the company and their financial standing, as they would have to pay penalties to the buyers of more than 850 of these planes. And we thought Airbus had problems." Good thing Boeing can still count on its patent portfolio.
A new book of photography has revealed a curious world of intricate beauty and startling forms hidden beneath the surface of everyday objects. Nick Veasey used a... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 8:17 am
By Hartman, Jonathan B Samra, Yassir M An empirical study was undertaken to determine the origins of teen Web-use. High school students (n = 200) from two diverse American cities answered questionnaires about their values and innovativeness (proposed antecedents of Web-behavior). Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
By Zegler, Jennifer Processing automation increases flexibility, productivity New recipes, more SKUs and packaging advancements have heightened performance demands in beverage plants. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 8:00 am
Russian officials have unveiled a monument to Laika, a dog whose flight to space more than 50 years ago paved the way for human space missions. The small monument is... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 7:21 am
Israeli defence officials say they have identified an unlikely new threat to national security - Facebook. A new list of rules aims to prevent soldiers and Defence... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 7:21 am
Crymson4 writes "We discussed the shutdown of the Demonoid torrent tracker last fall. For those who don't already know, Demonoid is back up. Looks like they found a new host for the Web site and the tracker is functioning properly as well. For those with old accounts, all the old data has been saved. It's almost as if they never left."
Europe's enormous $8-billion particle accelerator, to be activated as early as this summer, is generating both excitement and fear. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 7:00 am
A firm that has donated to the president's charity is accused of collaborating with the government in its crackdown on Tibetan activists. Hillary Clinton has spoken out against China's actions. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 7:00 am
Becky sez, "The Boing Boing discussion of the woman who let her kid find his way home alone on the subway got me interested in comparing that risk relative to the risk of a child dying in a car accident... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 5:55 am
Becky sez, "The Boing Boing discussion of the woman who let her kid find his way home alone on the subway got me interested in comparing that risk relative to the risk of a child dying in a car accident. What I discovered en route is a treasure trove of car accident data, which can be sliced and diced any way you want it--click the Query tab for an array of very specific variables. (Want to know how many people died in car accidents in Tompkins County, New York, on Martin Luther King Day in 2004 while riding in the back seat on the right-hand side of a vehicle traveling at 23 miles an hour driven by a female living in zip code 60656? No problem. And that barely scratches the surface of the possibilities.) I answered my initial question, then played with the thing for hours."
Link
(Thanks, Becky!)
I love Wikipedia's chart of the video game Quake and its many descendants unto the nth generation. Link (via Wonderland) Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 5:33 am
St. Louis's downtown Wi-Fi network goes live: AT&T; overcame the problem that led them to cancel a city-wide Wi-Fi network--a lack of 24-hour-a-day power on utility poles--by building just a square... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 5:15 am
By Kim Leonard Tollgrade Communications Inc.'s move to hire a financial adviser to help it review its strategy could move the company toward a sale, CEO Joe Ferrara said Friday, or it could lead to other steps to bolster Tollgrade's business. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 13 Apr 2008 | 5:00 am
Alien54 notes a blog posting by old hand Bruce F. Webster on the current state of affairs in hiring in IT, focusing on what he calls the Dead Sea Effect. "Many large IT shops... work like the Dead Sea. New hires are brought in as management deems it necessary. Their qualifications... will tend to vary quite a bit, depending upon current needs, employee departure, the personnel budget, and the general hiring ability of those doing the hiring. All things being equal, the general competency of the IT department should have roughly the same distribution as the incoming hires. Instead, what happens is that the more talented and effective IT engineers are the ones most likely to leave -- to evaporate, if you will. They are the ones least likely to put up with the frequent stupidities and workplace problems that plague large organizations; they are also the ones most likely to have other opportunities that they can readily move to. What tends to remain behind is the 'residue' -- the least talented and effective IT engineers."
Strategies to develop biofuel production without sacrificing food supplies will be one of the headline issues to be tackled at a Latin America conference by the UN Food and Agriculture... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 4:23 am
Rocketboom producer Andrew Baron has created possibly a first by putting his Twitter account up for sale on eBay. Barons explanation for the sale: I really love my Twitter account but I feel like I haven’t... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 4:11 am
DENVER (Billboard) - As the cash cow that was the ringtones market slowly heads to pasture, the music industry is turning to a new mobile stud -- ringback tones. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 2:45 am
CleverMonkey writes "I'm a town representative to a newly created municipal group creating a new type of telco. This group has formed to build and operate a FTTH network, and provide both triple-play services and access to other providers, to over 20 mostly rural towns in East-Central Vermont. The project is novel because of the size of the network (a cable pass down every road within 600 square miles), the low-density of the area served, and the public-ownership/private-financing model that is being used. Some of the towns included in this group currently have nothing beyond 14.4 dial-up on a good day. This project began as a grassroots effort in a couple of towns and the name they chose was ECFiber — East-Central Fiber — or sometimes the East-Central Vermont Community Network. We hope that this network will grow beyond one corner of this state, and we would like a name that is both descriptive and flexible. What would you name a community-owned, cutting-edge, G-PON fiber-optic network covering every remote corner of two-dozen contiguous towns?"
Polluted, crossed by busy shipping lanes, and disputed by many countries, the South China Sea has taken an environmental battering that threatens future food supplies, marine scientists... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 1:50 am
(TrendHunter.com) During a virtual safari, visitors of the Futuroscope in Poitiers (France) can learn about future animals. The exposition shows how the fauna of our planet evolve over the next million... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 1:10 am
Ethan Kaplan writes a beautiful tribute to the value of music, and how we as a society must come to terms with how we will value it as the business model around recorded music continues to disintegrate... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 13 Apr 2008 | 1:04 am
theodp writes "PC World reports that DHS has extended the time foreign graduates of US colleges can stay in the country and work to almost two-and-a-half years, an 'emergency' change that drew kudos from Microsoft and other H-1B visa stakeholders. Looks like when Bill Gates says 'Jump,' the government asks 'How high?' Bill Gates's Congressional Testimony, March 12, 2008: 'Extending OPT from 12 to 29 months would help to alleviate the crisis employers are facing due to the current H-1B visa shortage. This only requires action by the Executive Branch, and Congress and this Committee should strongly urge the Department of Homeland Security to take such action immediately.' DHS Press Release, April 4, 2008: 'The US Department of Homeland Security released today an interim final rule extending the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students.'"
A Yahoo board meeting Friday authorized talks with both Microsoft and Time Warner (AOL) next week. According to a New York Times report quoting sources, Yahoo’s board met to evaluate Microsofts takeover... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:38 pm
(TrendHunter.com) This past week a fabulous light festival called Luminale has been taking place in Frankfurt Germany. Designers exhibit fantastic illuminated projects on various architectural canvases... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 11:19 pm
bigwophh writes "Liquid cooling a PC has traditionally been considered an extreme solution, pursued by enthusiasts trying to squeeze every last bit of performance from their systems. In recent years, however, liquid cooling has moved toward the mainstream, as evidenced by the number of manufacturers producing entry-level, all-in-one kits. These kits are usually easy to install and operate, but at the expense of performance. Asetek's aptly named LCLC (Low Cost Liquid Cooling) may resemble other liquid cooling setups, but it offers a number of features that set it apart. For one, the LCLC is a totally sealed system that comes pre-assembled. Secondly, plastic tubing and a non-toxic, non-flammable liquid are used to overcome evaporation issues, eliminating the need to refill the system. And to further simplify the LCLC, its pump and water block are integrated into a single unit. Considering its relative simplicity, silence, and low cost, the Asetek LCLC performs quite well, besting traditional air coolers by a large margin in some tests."
The government begins an unprecedented effort to give vaccine critics a say in shaping how the nation researches safety questions surrounding immunizations.
SueEasy, a Shangri-La for ambulance chasers, is now live and wreaking litigious havoc on the web. They’ve created, in their own words, a “harmonious and efficient system” for the filing... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:22 pm
(TrendHunter.com) Continuing with the recent fashion fascination with war, Marc Jacobs goes green with a moderately priced sub-line of recycled military goods for his Marc by Marc Jacobs brand. The... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 10:08 pm
The Canadian coast guard seized a boat belonging to opponents of seal hunting Saturday, the fishing minister said, in a move described by the targeted organization as an "act of war." Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 9:38 pm
Believe It Or Not, I Care About You writes "According to a new study in the British Medical Journal which examined the search results for various suicide-related search terms, the most common results supported or encouraged suicide. Wikipedia was one of the most prevalent sources of information, particularly on suicide methods, although the Wikimedia Foundation itself does not encourage suicide. Other studies have shown that media coverage has an effect on suicide particularly with respect to influencing the method chosen. Interestingly, this study notes that suicide rates actually decreased with increased Web usage in England, perhaps because support is readily available to anyone who wants it."
The Bush administration acknowledges several accidents occurred at the only U.S. lab allowed to research the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease. The incidents are worrisome because an outbreak of the disease could devastate the livestock industry.
DENVER Gray wolves have entered the spin cycle. Since March 28, when the wolf was taken off the list of federally protected species in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, a fierce battle of perceptions and... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:35 pm
(Photo: New Orleans after Katrina struck. (Associated Press)) A fresh study by a leading hurricane researcher has raised new questions about how hurricane strength and frequency might, or might not, be... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:35 pm
How much would you pay to have a small memory chip implanted in your brain if that chip would double the capacity of your short-term memory? Or guarantee that you would never again forget a face or a name?... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 8:35 pm
There's a bunch of FUD going around the internets today about orphaned works, thanks to this article by Mark Simon of Animation World Network. He's urging artists to write their Congresscritters about eeeeevil orphaned works legislation and screaming about how it will effectively invalidate copyright for everyone except big evil registrars.
The problem? There is no such legislation before Congress (there was a bill in 2006, but it was never voted on; Marybeth Peters of the Copyright Office recently spoke before a subcommittee, but that's not a bill), and Simon is flat-out wrong about every concern he raises.
I've distilled his article down to six key misconceptions, and explained why each is wrong.
This is a really well-written piece. I've gotten a ton of email about Simon's bizarre rant, and it's nice to have a single, central place to point people to.
Link
(Thanks, Meredith!)
Scientists discover an aquatic frog that has no lungs and breathes through its skin in a remote area in Indonesia. The finding, which appears in this week's edition of the peer-reviewed journal Current Biology, could provide insight into what drives evolution in certain species.
Television networks, seeking new ways to tap into revenue through online ads, attract new viewers and keep loyal fans, are making bigger, riskier bets on Internet delivery of their shows.
Dave Knott writes "The Canadian federal government has blocked the $1.3-billion sale of the space technology division of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates to Alliant Techsystems, a major US defense contractor. Industry Minister Jim Prentice is quoted as saying he is 'not satisfied' the sale will be a net benefit for Canada. MDA is Canada's leading developer of space-based technology, including the famous CanadArm and the recently installed space station robot Dextre."
BEAVERTON, Ore., April 12, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announced that Thomson, Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 7:00 pm
Virtual reality at a desktop computer has always seemed so -- how should I say it? -- unreal. Now a new generation of inexpensive video cameras that sense 3D information is taking a tiny step toward the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 12 Apr 2008 | 6:35 pm
Boris sez, "A great video showing Bruce Sterling giving the closing talk at the conference 'Innovationsforum Interaktionsdesign' in Potsdam, Germany.
As usual, he creates a weird and wonderful vision of a technological and interface-driven future.
The 'Innovationsforum Interaktionsdesign' was one of the most important conferences on interaction design in 2007. All presentations from the conference are available as videos on the conference site."
Just listening to Bruce lay out the litany of devices that the mobile phone has replaced is a moment of sheer technological hilarity; and hearing him talk about why science fiction writers love talking computers (which all turn into Mr Clippy in the real world) is an eye-opening exercise in the difference between sensawunda and cognitive loading.
Link
(Thanks, Bruce!)
Today on Jon Taplin's blog, a sobering reality check on US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's irrational exuberance at the G-7:
Treasury Secretary Paulson, meeting with the G-7 Finance Ministers in Washington, tried to reassure them that the U.S. economic slump was only temporary.
He said he told his counterparts that checks from the stimulus package would go out in May and June and that they would add 500,000 to 600,000 jobs to the economy. He said that the federal government was helping more than a million homeowners keep their homes.
I worry that Paulson is engaging in reckless speculation about the future of the American job market. That somehow a flood of $600 checks next month from the government is going to lead to the creation of 600,000 new jobs is pure fantasy. That money is going to be used to pay down maxed out credit cards or keep cars from being repossessed. As Floyd Norris points out, the real jobless number (chart above) number for working men in America is not 4% but 13%. When someone gives up looking for work, the government no longer considers them unemployed–thus the huge discrepancy in the two figures.
We have been trying to raise awareness about British MP Austin Mitchell's crusade to protect photographers' rights in the UK in FlickrCentral. And we are trying to help him out via a write-in campaign to other British MPs. It is a slow start, but we are doing everything we can including asking your readers for help.
We need information about:
1) Names and contact information of MPs
2) Civil liberties group that we can contact
3) Other ways we can raise awareness about this issue.
The amazing illustrator Jordan Crane has produced a beautiful cover for Michael Chabon's forthcoming book Maps and Legends. It's pure Crane, that dreamlike, old-timey (but still sharp-edged) style that makes books like The Clouds Above so memorable. The treatment is really elaborate and luscious, an object lesson in making the physical book into a piece of genuine desiderata, an artifact you want to own as well as read.
The black cloth (or paper that resembles it) wraps around the hardcover jacket with debossing and foil. Then there are three bellybands with Jordan Crane’s illustrations (has anyone seen a book with three different belly bands?).
Do you ever...
..let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk alone to school? Take a bus, solo? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free Range Kid! At Free Range, we believe in safe kids. We believe in helmets, car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school age children go outside, they need a security detail. Most of us grew up Free Range and lived to tell the tale. Our kids deserve no less. This site dedicated to sane parenting. Share your stories, tell your tips and maybe one day I will try to collect them in a book. Meantime, let's try to help our kids embrace life! (And maybe even clear the table.)
We have been trying to raise awareness about British MP Austin Mitchell's crusade to protect photographers' rights in the UK in FlickrCentral. And we are trying to help him out via a write-in campaign to other British MPs. It is a slow start, but we are doing everything we can including asking your readers for help.
