Tamu sez, "The National Marrow Donor Program is running a campaign from May 5 to 19, but I don't feel they are really emphasizing that registration is free to the first 10 000 people who register with them online during this period. In a previous BB post, a woman really wanted to help and said she couldn't afford it.
This enables people who want to get on the registry who haven't been able to afford it to reigister online with a cheek swab kit, WITHOUT EVEN LEAVING HOME.
Ethnicity plays a huge part in matching. My brother's search led me to discover there are only 1633 people registered in Canada who are of African descent. There are only 233 registered people in Canada who are Chinese. The matches from these people are going to come from other countries... maybe. The US has a severe shortage for many donor pools and needs to diversify their donor pool as well."
If you are not a US resident, this is still important information. Even if you do not live in the US, people who register in the US could save the life of a person anywhere in the world, maybe even where you live. So tell someone about this.
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has finally included the details of free registration during its Thanks Mom campaign.
During the event, costs to join the Registry online or at a bone marrow drive are paid for by generous partners and contributors so that it is
Free for the first 46,000 people who join the registry via the NMDP.
This includes the first 10,000 who register for a kit online.
In the US, you get the inside of your cheek swabbed. You get a kit at home or you go to a sponsored NMDP bone marrow drive.
To register online or find the nearest NMDP bone marrow drive, go to www.marrow.org.
Marco Trezzini writes "View exclusive interactive samples of the digital building blocks behind Speed Racer movie in VRMag's in depth interviews with award winning Matrix visual FX guru John Gaeta, Dennis Martin, Lubo Hristov, and Jake Morrison. Including Virtual Reality panoramas of the movie locations, turn tables of the mach 5 and 6, and many making of videos unveiling the secrets of the visual effects. Link to "Speed Racer uncovered" and to John Gaeta's interview." The first time I saw the trailer for this movie, my jaw hit the floor. Nobody makes live action "Cartoons" that look like this. I guess that makes me believe there is no way the movie can be good.
An anonymous reader writes "China's cyber warfare army is marching on, and India is suffering silently. Over the past one and a half years, officials said, China has mounted almost daily attacks on Indian computer networks, both government and private, showing its intent and capability."
Deutsche Telekom AG is in the preliminary stages of considering a bid for Sprint Nextel, according to the Wall Street Journal. DT had no comment, but such a deal would make T-Mobile the biggest wireless carrier in the U.S. market.
AP Video Shares of Yahoo fell 22 percent in premarket trading as hopes for the once dominant search engine dimmed on the withdrawal of a $47.5 billion bid from Microsoft Corp. over the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 11:55 am
jp_papin writes "The Chinese government is demanding that US-owned hotels there filter Internet service during the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, US Senator Sam Brownback has alleged. The Chinese government is requiring US-owned hotels to install Internet filters to 'monitor and restrict information coming in and out of China,' Brownback said Thursday. 'This is an insult to the spirit of the games and an affront to American businesses,' he said. 'I call on China to immediately rescind this demand.' US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said he wasn't aware of those specific requests from the Chinese government, but Brownback said he got the information on Internet filtering from 'two different reliable but confidential sources.' The State Department is apparently continuing dialog with China about freedom of expression."
Jerry Yang may be convinced that Yahoo is worth more than the rejected $47.5 billion Microsoft bid, but it is going to be a bumpy ride at least in the short term Monday as the stock opens for the first time since the deal fell through. In pre-market trading, Yahoo is down about 24 percent and Miscrosoft is up more than 4 percent.
Amnesty UK has produced four short films on China's human rights records, released in the runup to this summer's Olympics in Beijing. The first video's online now: Torchure. Link (Thanks, Kristyan!)... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 11:46 am
Amnesty UK has produced four short films on China's human rights records, released in the runup to this summer's Olympics in Beijing. The first video's online now: Torchure.
Link
(Thanks, Kristyan!)
Text of report by Zimbabwean newspaper The Standard website on 3 May [Report by Leslie Nunu: "White Farmers Held Hostage"] Two white farmers in Nyamandlovu are being held hostage at their farms after surviving savage attacks by gun-toting war veterans as politically motivated violence blamed on Zanu PF [Zimbabwe African National Union -Patriotic Front] intensified. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
Text of report by Radio TV Hong Kong Radio 3 on 5 May Hong Kong has landed a solar energy research project in cooperation with Shenzhen. A research and development centre will be set up at the Science and Technology Park to look into advances in the use of solar energy. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Danielle Sottosanti, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson May 5--Residents of a Southwest Side neighborhood are using a grant of nearly $5,000 and a lot of elbow grease to turn a 750-foot strip of dirt along a city parkway into a butterfly and hummingbird habitat. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Martin Brown VIEW BY APPOINTTMENT THIS one's just come on the market: the owner's decided to sell. We're sure when you see it you'll like it: - A biosphere in its own shell. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Journal-World, Lawrence, Kan. May 5--Today is the last chance for residents to drop off tree debris created by last week's storm. The drop-off site at 1420 E. 11th St. is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no charge to drop off wood debris, tree limbs and brush. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Rad Sallee, Houston Chronicle May 5--Last week's story about the uncertainties endured by people who live in or near the route of the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor prompted many messages of support. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Wade Rawlins, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. May 5--For months, a group of Exploris Middle School students have been trying to answer a scientific question -- Where's Waldo? Waldo is an eastern box turtle who nearly died crossing Hillsborough Street near the State Fairgrounds. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Carli Teproff, The Miami Herald May 5--North Miami Beach's Charter Review Committee will meet once every two weeks after May 21, accept suggestions from the public and aim to have a public hearing in mid-June. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
Excerpt from report by Norway-based Burmese Democratic Voice of Burma website, on 4 May Cyclone Nargis has caused extensive damage in Rangoon Division, Irrawaddy Division, Pegu Division, Karen and Mon States. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
HOUSTON Exxon Mobil profits up 17 percent in quarter Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said Thursday that record crude prices helped its first- quarter profit climb 17 percent to $10.9 billion - the second- biggest U.S. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Jon Swartz SAN FRANCISCO -- For three months, Microsoft chased Yahoo in an escalating game of corporate cat-and-mouse. Yet in one day, it all came to an abrupt end after a civil discussion between executives of both companies. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Noam Cohen Imagine what it was like to be Dr. Kleenex. You invent a modern miracle, the cheap paper handkerchief, and suddenly you become the person to blame for America's disposable culture, or praised for a more convenient life. There never was a Dr. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
Celebrity guests and daughters attend Mattel's (NYSE:MAT) 2nd annual "Little Mommy Day" in Bel-Air, California in photos available on Business Wire's web site and AP PhotoExpress. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. May 5--Two respected Wake County judges say that they see no evidence in a study on bails set by county magistrates indicating racial bias. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
SAN FRANCISCO, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- DivineCaroline.com, the flagship site of Real Girls Media Network (RGM(TM)) and one of the leading Web sites for women, announced today it reached 2 million unique visitors in April. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Lucy Lynch EDUCATION REPORTER AN INTERNET system that's safe, educational and fun is helping pupils get ready for national tests this month. St Michael's Church of England Primary School, in Hazel Grove, Bedworth, is connected to the Warwickshire-wide we-learn internet portal. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
TICKETS have gone on sale for the Edinburgh leg of the Britain's Got Talent live nationwide tour. Last week 10.8 million tuned in to watch the launch of this year's search for the best talent in Britain on ITV1. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Real estate agents are continually looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve and provide potential home buyers with easy access to information regarding listed homes on the market. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
PLANO, Texas, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ViewCast Corporation (BULLETIN BOARD: VCST) , a leading developer of hardware and software for encoding live and on-demand audio and video content for streaming over Internet, corporate and mobile networks, will release before the market opens on Thursday, May 15, 2008, financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
Deutsche Telekom AG is considering a bid for Sprint Nextel Corp., according to a media report Monday. Bonn-based Deutsche Telekom did not immediately comment on the report in The Wall... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 11:00 am
With food prices hitting record highs the jury is still out in Asia as to whether genetically modified crops hold the key to future food security. The Philippine government... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 10:36 am
I've just put up my site for Little Brother, my young adult novel about hacker kids who use technology to reclaim the Bill of Rights from the DHS after a terrorist attack on San Francisco. Included on... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 10:34 am
I've just put up my site for Little Brother, my young adult novel about hacker kids who use technology to reclaim the Bill of Rights from the DHS after a terrorist attack on San Francisco. Included on the site are:
By Evan Ackerman I'll be posting tons of pics from this past weekend's Maker Faire over the next few days, but here's a little taste. This is Compubeaver. He's a beaver (or I guess he used to be a beaver),... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 10:32 am
A new, simplified family tree of humanity has dealt a blow to those who contend that the enigmatic hominids known as Neanderthals intermingled with our forebears. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 10:22 am
I put up a poll on this blog yesterday and a number of other blogs picked it up or linked to it. The net result was about 1,800 responses as of 6am eastern this morning. You can track the responses (and... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 10:20 am
By Andrew Liszewski It's no secret that many Hollywood celebrities are happy to appear in ads and commercials in Japan, while absolutely refusing to back home. George Lucas on the other hand seems happy... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 10:11 am
The strange saga of Omnidrive continues. On Friday we reported that online storage service Omnidrive, once a market leader, had joined the deadpool after the site's domain name expired. Further evidence... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 10:05 am
distefano links to a story on Computerworld, excerpting: "E-mail users are receiving an increasing number of bounceback spam, known as backscatter, and security experts say this kind of spam is growing. The bounceback e-mail messages come in at a trickle, maybe one or two every hour. The subject lines are disquieting: 'Cyails, Vygara nad Levytar,' 'UNSOLICITED BULK EMAIL, apparently from you.' You eye your computer screen; you're nervous. What's going on ? Have you been hacked? Are you some kind of zombie botnet spammer? Nope, you're just getting a little backscatter — bounceback messages from legitimate e-mail servers that have been fooled by the spammers."
By Andrew Liszewski A battery backup device is a must-have accessory for those who forget to recharge their toys every night. But if you're the type who forgets to recharge stuff, how are you going to... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 9:48 am
Alan Greenspan must have been up late in the bathtub again last night. In a new Bloomberg interview he coins yet another of his colorfully empty expressions: "pale recession", to describe... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 9:25 am
Thank you to our sponsors, for supporting ReadWriteWeb's mission to provide in-depth coverage of Web Apps, Web Technology Trends, Social Networking & Social Media. To enquire about sponsor slots on... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 9:07 am
NEW YORK, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advance Nanotech, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: AVNA), a leader in next generation chemical detection systems, announced today that Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 8:46 am
LENEXA, Kan., May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ICOP Digital, Inc. (Nasdaq: ICOP), an industry-leading company engaged in advancing digital surveillance solutions, today... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 8:45 am
WASHINGTON, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) announced today that the firm has launched Climate Change Insights ( Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 8:34 am
DALLAS, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First American Global Offshore Services, a member of The First American Corporation (NYSE: FAF) family of companies and a leading... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 8:32 am
CHICAGO, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NAVTEQ (NYSE: NVT), a leading global provider of digital map data for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, is proud... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 8:30 am
WALTHAM, Mass. and BETHESDA, Md., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Verdasys Inc., the leader in host-based data security with more than 1 million agents deployed, and Fidelis... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 May 2008 | 8:30 am
Some people really love to haggle. There’s always that feeling that you’ve somehow gotten away with something, even if you could have gotten the same deal at a store down the street. Fididel,... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 May 2008 | 8:22 am
davidmwilliams writes "I've been rallying against Microsoft's so-called 'Get the Facts' site for the last fortnight in my blog. Rather than give any legitimate comparison facing off Windows Server vs similarly spec'd Linux options, the Microsoft spin doctors opt for bunkum and hogwash with sensational headlines that don't have any substance underneath. Here's the state of play, including an update on my request to Microsoft PR to do something about the blatant lack of integrity displayed. I also go over the latest case study put up by Microsoft: they promise to show why people are choosing Windows Server 2008 over Linux using the City of Uppsala as an example."
Gaeta explains how he used VR "bubbles" and a mysterious team known as the "world unit" to create the film's "poptimistic photo-anime" feel. The live action Speed Racer is saturated in a candy-colored palette so rich, audiences may just leave the theater with a contact sugar high.
In this video, Flickr user Chriswoebken dissolves one of the London Underground's RFID-based Oyster cards with nail-polish remover, leaving behind nothing but the chip and its antenna -- and then gets on and off the tube using nothing but a flimsy bit of electronics, sometimes in his hand, sometimes taped to a sheet of paper.
I've been trying to come up with a good Oyster killing method since Transport for London made Oysters near-mandatory (you can't get a week-long pass without any Oyster anymore, and the buses are incredibly expensive if you don't pay by Oyster). In my ideal world, I'd pay cash for an Oyster card, use it for a couple weeks, trash it, and get a new one, so that there would be no long-term ride history for me on file.
Unfortunately, the ticket-agents have started to charge £3 for replacement Oyster cards, which I'm sure they'd waive if the card was malfunctioning. Microwaving the card leaves behind some unfortunate burn-marks.
The nice thing about this video is that it hints at the location of the RFID chip in the Oyster, which appears to be one of the corners. Anyone know which?
Link
(via Beyond the Beyond)
The low-watt firehouse bulb has been burning continuously since 1901. It's generated awe and respect, even among the boosters of a Texas rival. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 5 May 2008 | 7:00 am
The character's condition would have kept her from thinking as well as she does on the TV show. Such victims don't radically change personalities, either. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 5 May 2008 | 7:00 am
Scam artists are taking advantage of a trusting arena to get members to divulge passwords and other information. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 5 May 2008 | 7:00 am
Yahoo stock is likely to dive. Suitor has other means to pursue goals. In calling off its offer for Yahoo Inc. , Microsoft Corp. proclaimed... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 5 May 2008 | 7:00 am
Microsoft, Yahoo and Intuit have built a new kind of farm -- huge data centers called server farms -- stimulating development. But some think expectations are too high. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 5 May 2008 | 7:00 am
The company's shares are expected to plunge today, as investors punish it for pushing away Microsoft. He fended... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 5 May 2008 | 7:00 am
Wired has a timely story about putting more of the automated and non-automated decisions behind the use of electrical power into and around households. From the summary: "If the electric grid stops being just a passive supplier of juice, consumers could make choices about how and when to consume power. Power providers and tech companies are working to redesign the grid so you can switch off your house when high demand strains the system, or program your house or appliances to make that move." A similar story is featured right now on PhysOrg, highlighting a particular pilot project involving "smart meters" in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
boogi78 writes "Remember ASCII art? This is the Web 2.0 CSS version of ASCII art featuring Homer Simpson. Here is a CSS G.W. Bush. There's also an program that automatically converts jpegs into 'CSS images,' but it's a Windows executable. I found no sources for it, but I got it to work with WINE."
Intel, the world's largest maker of semiconductors, will become more acquisitive and expand into areas such as consumer electronics, according to Pat Gelsinger, head of the chipmaker's Digital Enterprise... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 5 May 2008 | 1:37 am
1992: Id Software releases Wolfenstein 3-D, and it launches a huge computer-game category.
Wolfenstein 3-D may not have been the very first "first-person shooter," as the genre came to be known, but it was by far the most successful. Technically the genre goes back to the '70s, but no one really paid any attention to it. Even id released an earlier FPS called Catacombs 3D, but again, it wasn't nearly as good as Wolfenstein.
But through massive online dissemination of the game's shareware version, Wolfenstein 3D (the hyphen was later dropped from the name) introduced millions to an immersive world in which the action seemed to be happening from the player's perspective.
"It was an incredible sensation, really unlike anything gamers had seen before," said Jamie Madigan, who helps operate the GameSpy Network's 3D Action website. "You could move smoothly in 360 degrees. You felt like you were there."
"Everything that's followed in [its] footsteps has just been a modification of that basic style," id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead said in 2001.
Players in the game assume the role of an American commando battling Nazis and their supernatural servants. It was banned in Germany because of its use of Nazi symbols, like the swastika, and music, like the "Horst Wessel Lied."
Wolfenstein 3D did more than define a genre. It also launched a company, id Software of Mesquite, Texas, which leveraged Wolfenstein 3D's success into a franchise of wildly successful first-person shooters, including the seminal Doom and Quake series.
These games, in turn, begat a slew of sequels, imitators and adaptations, from Half-Life to Max Payne.
Wired.com Game|Life blogger Earnest Cavalli added, "The key to the whole Wolfenstein thing is that its success -- which was massive -- paved the way for ... thousands of games that mimicked them, transforming the PC into a gaming system best known for FPS titles. Plus, who doesn't like killing Nazis?"
rippe77 writes "Google has taken down the open-source project CoreAVC for Linux due to a DMCA complaint. The CoreAVC codec is a commercial high-definition H.264 DirectShow filter for windows provided by CoreCodec Inc.. The CoreAVC for Linux project provided various patches for Linux applications (mplayer, MythTV, xine) to use these DirectShow decoder filters in Linux. The takedown is quite controversial, as the CoreAVC project did not provide any copyrighted material — only the means to use the DirectShow filters in Linux." (The takedown notice is not yet up at Chilling Effects, but Google's page has a link that will take you there when it is.)
jweatherley writes "I found a new (for me at least) use for BitTorrent. I had been trying to download beta 4 of the iPhone SDK for the last few days. First I downloaded the 1.5GB file from Apple's site. The download completed, but the disk image would not verify. I tried to install it anyway, but it fell over on the gcc4.2 package. Many things are cheap in India, but bandwidth is not one of them. I can't just download files > 1GB without worrying about reaching my monthly cap, and there are Doctor Who episodes to be watched. Fortunately we have uncapped hours in the night, so I downloaded it again. md5sum confirmed that the disk image differed from the previous one, but it still wouldn't verify, and fell over on gcc4.2 once more. Damn." That's not the end of the story, though — read on for a quick description of how BitTorrent saved the day in jweatherley's case.
Mike writes "British defence giant BAE Systems is creating a series of tiny electronic spiders, insects and snakes that could become the eyes and ears of soldiers on the battlefield, helping to save thousands of lives, and they claim that prototypes could be on the front line by the end of the year. A fascinating development to be sure, but who thinks this won't be misused domestically for spying and evidence gathering?" Included in the story is a link to a creepy little (scripted, rendered) demo video of these robots in action.
A key Senate oversight panel begs for answers on what the new cyber-security "Manhattan Project" is up to. It's so secretive even the Senate Homeland Security committee can't find out what's going on and why Homeland Security wants to triple the cybersecurity budget.
This simple WikiHow explains how to convert a crappy, mass-produced pink dollhouse into a faerie house:
Collect materials for your home. They must be dry or the glue won't stick to them. For lap siding, you can use cat tail leaves. You can also make a stone cottage, or cover it with birch bark. Norway Pines have wonderful bark for shingles on the roof. Use old slips, fabric and lace for curtains. Layer them for a good effect. To detail the house, you might find some great shapes in potpourri, or from dried flowers from the garden. You can even make an entire faerie house with food!
Beijing has scoured the world for mining and logging concessions. Now, Chinese enterprises are snapping up vast tracts of land abroad and forging rubber-farming deals. Officials in poor countries tout the "miracle crops" that'll lift struggling populations out of poverty, but some farmers are losing ancestral lands and not being compensated.
Here's a nice use for an unloved plastic dollie: a coatrack!
1. Dismember your doll
2. Arrange hands and feet on board in an order you like. Space them evenly apart, marking their positions with a pen or pencil. Set limbs aside.
3. Drill 3 holes per limb. I counter sank the holes so the board would lie flat against the wall. Make sure your holes will not come too close to the edge of the limb, because the screw make poke out of the side of a hand or foot.
4. Position keyhole hanger and mark the spot. Chisel out the wood until the hanger fits snugly and until the drywall screws’ heads fit.
If the electric grid stops being just a passive supplier of juice, consumers could make choices about how and when to consume power. Power providers and tech companies are working to redesign the grid so you can switch off your house when high demand strains the system, or program your house or appliances to make that move.
If you are not a US resident, this is still important information. Even if you do not live in the US, people who register in the US could save the life of a person anywhere in the world, maybe even where you live. So tell someone about this.
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