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Dow Chemical Agrees to Buy Rohm and Haas for $15BDETROIT (AP) -- Dow Chemical Co. has agreed to buy rival Rohm and Haas Co. for more than $15 billion in cash in a deal that Dow hopes will fuel its growth in a more lucrative wing of the chemical- making business.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Government of Canada Bans More Harmful Chemicals: More Action Taken Under Chemicals Management PlanOTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 11, 2008) - Canada's Environment Minister, the Honourable John Baird, and the Minister of Health, the Honourable Tony Clement, announced today that the Government of Canada will publish final regulations to reduce the levels of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) that could be entering the environment.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Japan Companies Join Forces HOT STOCKSSony and other Japanese companies said they would jointly develop important technologies to make large-sized organic light-emitting diode panels for use in TVs.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Dow to Buy Competing Chemical Firm in U.S. $18.8 Billion Price Set for Rohm & HaasBy From news reports Dow Chemical said Thursday that it had reached a deal to acquire a competitor, Rohm & Haas, a specialty chemicals company, for about $18.8 billion. Dow, the biggest U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Wall Street Rebounds on Chemical DealWall Street rebounds on chemical deal NEW YORK, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Wall Street gained on Thursday as the Dow Chemical's multi-billion dollars offer to buy rival Rohm and Haas overshadowed the worrying financials and surging oil prices. Dow Chemical's 15 billion U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm BRIEF: Local Powder-Coatings Operations Part of DealBy Reading Eagle, Pa. Jul. 11--Rohm and Haas has two powder coatings facilities in Berks County: a plant at 150 Columbia Ave. in Glenside and a researchand-development/marketing location in Flying Hills. Rich Sammel, site manager, said the company employs about 175 in Berks.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Putting Money Where Their Mouths Want to Be Local Investors Give Farmers SupportBy Susan Saulny Catrin Einhorn contributed reporting from Chicago.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Hurricane Bermuda-Bound for WeekendOfficials in Bermuda advised residents to avoid the Atlantic Ocean Friday as Hurricane Bertha slowly advanced on the island with 85 mph winds. Gusts of 105 mph were recorded as the storm moved northwest at 7 mph 350 miles south-southeast of Bermuda, forecasters at the U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm BRIEF: Greeley Resident Named Chairman Colorado Judicial InstituteBy Greeley Tribune, Colo. Jul. 11--Staff Reports A Greeley resident has been selected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Judicial Institute, according to a press release. Perkins Coie announced Thursday that Robert N.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm Morocco Banks on Drip Irrigation System to Save WaterMorocco banks on drip irrigation system to save water RABAT, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan government has launched a program of generalizing the drip irrigation system to save water and increase the irrigated lands to 700,000 hectares, or 50 percent, local MAP news agency reported Thursday.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jul 2008 | 2:00 pm People line up early for Apple's new iPhone (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:52 pm Cicada jewelryTwo high-school crafters on Cape Cod, Katheryn Maloney and Brady Cullinan, are making jewelry out of the ubiquitous remains of the local 17-year cicadas, who did their thing this year:(Thanks, Andrew!)
(Image ganked from Cape Cod Times/Merrily Lunsford -- original here) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:48 pm "Vetrolium" From Agricultural Wastejunctionvin writes "The company Sustainable Power Corp. claims to have created a form of bio-crude oil from agricultural refuse. They use agro-waste from cracked soy beans, rice and cotton seed hulls, grain sorghum, milo, and jatropha and turn it into bio-crude oil. This crude can then be further refined into everything from gasoline to jet fuel and just about every petrochemical in between. The CEO is quoted: 'Our biggest problem is that we are too good to be true. We can literally replace every gallon of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel in the United States using just 12 percent of the waste byproducts in the country.' They also claim that their fuel burns to near 100 percent efficiency." The article doesn't mention what price the "vetrolium" would command in today's market or going forward, except to report the CEO's promise "to one day sell his gasoline for $1 less than the pump price for regular fuel, no matter what the cost. 'Even if it's $2 per gallon, I'll sell mine for $1,"' he said."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:43 pm Neal Stephenson lecture on whether genres matter anymoreHere's a 40-minute talk that Neal Stephenson gave to Gresham College in London last May, discussing the nature of "literary genres" and why these distinctions are melting away. It's a fascinating noodle on a subject close to my heart -- is there such a thing as genres anymore, and is science fiction a genre? Link (via Beyond the Beyond)Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:39 pm HOWTO protect your online privacy now that the Senate repealed the Forth Amendment?Boing Boing reader Lee sez, "Now that my own government has killed the 4th amendment, how do I protect myself? I know the basics of file encryption; I've even started to use Tor. I use OSX 10.5 at home, and Windows 2003 behind a corporate network at work."
Good question. I use Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon and have some nice disk encryption tools, ssh tunnels for my email and other routine communications, and Tor for firewall circumvention and rudimentary privacy, but I'd love to know more, too. Go to it in the comments. Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:35 pm Christmas goes to the movies photoshopping contest Today on the Worth1000 photoshopping contest: remixing every movie as a Christmas flick. Link Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:32 pm Take a Flickr/Creative Commons surveyAlex sez, "I am public lead of Creative Commons in Poland (and a sociologist of new media). I'm running a study on CC license use at Flickr, and part of it involves a survey of Flickr users. The survey is really short and will only take several minutes to take part in. I don't know if you publish such information, but getting Boing Boing readers to participate would significantly increase the chances of understanding what it means that Flickr has offered CC licensing several years ago as an option." Link (Thanks, Alex!)Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:30 pm Asia underground market awaits iPhone (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:30 pm Cosmonauts recover explosive bolt - BBC News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:16 pm Phew! the Apple iPhone 3G is Out - Techtree.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:09 pm Rambus sues Nvidia - Inquirer
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:04 pm FCC Chief Says Comcast Violated Internet Rules - SlashdotSource: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:02 pm Distant Galaxy Booming With Baby StarsA distant galaxy is found pumping out baby stars at a surprising rate.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:00 pm FCC Chief Says Comcast Violated Internet RulesSeveral readers sent in word that the FCC chairman, Kevin Martin, is calling for sanctions and enforcement actions against Comcast for resetting BitTorrent traffic. "Mr. Martin will circulate an order recommending enforcement action against the company on Friday among his fellow commissioners, who will vote on the measure at an open meeting on Aug. 1... Martin, a Republican, will likely get support from the two Democrats on the commission, who are both proponents of the network neutrality concept. Those three votes would be enough for a majority on the five-member commission."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:59 pm Don't Run Out To Buy An iPhone Today - Washington Post
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:52 pm Microsoft to cut Xbox 360 price tag - ZDNet
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:31 pm Apple’s MobileMe goes live - Macworld
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:25 pm Hardware-Based Video Acceleration Coming To Linuxsammydee writes "Phoronix reports that GPU based video decoding acceleration will be implemented in Gallium3d sometime this year. Drivers currently using Gallium3d include the open source nouveau driver for NVIDIA cards and experimental Intel GMA drivers. This is definitely good news for anybody who has ever tried to play high definition 1080p content on any CPU older than about a year. "Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:13 pm Non-Monetary Utility and the WSOP BubbleMy trader friend Jeff is still hanging in at the current World Series of Poker no-limit hold'em event in Las Vegas. Matter of fact, he is almost in the money -- only a few more people need to to get knocked...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:09 pm New iPhone 3G puts Apple in the game - Reuters
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:05 pm IPhone Debuts in Japan To Cheers and SmokeApple iPhone goes on sale in Japan for the first time to eager buyers who had waited in lines around a city block. The celebration Softbank's store in Tokyo had swirls of smoke and a digital clock ticking away over the entrance, part of a rollout in 22 Asia/Pacific nations, including Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:59 am IPhone Debuts in Japan To Cheers and SmokeApple iPhone goes on sale in Japan for the first time to eager buyers who had waited in lines around a city block. The celebration Softbank's store in Tokyo had swirls of smoke and a digital clock ticking away over the entrance, part of a rollout in 22 Asia/Pacific nations, including Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:59 am Murdoch's News Corp. unlikely to be in Yahoo deal (AP)AP - News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said his media conglomerate is "very unlikely" to be a part of any deal for Yahoo Inc., scuttling talk that Microsoft Corp. was making headway in enlisting the media mogul as part of a deal to break up the Internet search company.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:54 am Murdoch's News Corp. unlikely to be in Yahoo dealNews Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said his media conglomerate is "very unlikely" to be a part of any deal for Yahoo Inc., scuttling talk that Microsoft Corp. was making headway in...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:54 am News Corp 'Unlikely' to be in a Yahoo Deal: MurdochRupert Murdoch says it's "very unlikely" News Corp would get involved in any sort of Microsoft-led deal for Yahoo. He doesn't even think there will be a deal: "There are bad personal feelings ... In six months, Microsoft will walk away."
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:54 am Remote weather stations give farmers timely advice (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:49 am Remote weather stations give farmers timely adviceFor apple growers like Abby Jacobson, making or losing money depends as much on what they don't do as what they do. So when data from Michigan State University's high-tech weather...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:49 am Crossword puzzles come to the iPhone (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - I'm a crossword puzzle fanatic. I even dropped my New York Times subscription recently in favor of nytimes.com's annual puzzle subscription, and solve (or try to solve) most of the puzzles on my Mac. So finding Stand Alone's $9.99 Crosswords app among the first batch of iPhone software on the App Store makes me happy.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:45 am NYT: Freddie/Fannie Takeover Talks Heat Up. Voom Needed.According to the NY Times late tonight, discussions among senior U.S. government officials have heated up with respect to the U.S. taking over mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The structure...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:41 am FCC chief says Comcast violated Internet rules (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:31 am Meet the most dedicated iPhone fan in Los Angeles - TG Daily
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:31 am Apple iPhone goes on sale with smoke and cheersApple Inc.'s new iPhone went on sale Friday in swirls of smoke to eager buyers who had waited in lines around a city block and happily counted down the final 30 seconds before launch. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:19 am Verizon Wireless Rolls Out Evolutionary Store Design in Downtown BostonCompany Closes Arch Street Location, Reopens on Washington Street with New Design Providing Enhanced Hands-On Experience for Customers BOSTON, July 11 /PRNewswire/ --...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:15 am Guardian Media Group Acquires Paid Content For $30 MillionIt’s getting kind of lonely out here as an independent blogging startup. In May Ars Technica was picked up by Wired. Today Kara Swisher and Marshall Kirkpatrick report that blog network Paid Content’s...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:08 am App Store for iPhone already a hit with developers (USATODAY.com)USATODAY.com - Apple CEO Steve Jobs expected to launch his App Store - the online venue for third-party iPhone and iPod Touch applications - with 200 software offerings; he ended up with more than 500.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:08 am SIS Software, LLC Named to 2008 Microsoft Dynamics President's ClubMicrosoft honors SIS for Outstanding Customer Commitment and Sales Achievement ATLANTA, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- SIS Software, LLC (formerly Strategic Information...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:05 am Stevens Grad Wins HonorBy Anonymous A recent graduate of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology took home second place in a national technical competition. Adam Schaeffer, of Lancaster, won the silver award in Internet Working in the SkillsUSA National Competitions, held June 25-26 in Kansas City, Mo.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am New Peripherals Bring Style to the DesktopBy Anonymous Microsoft has brought the beauty of Windows Aero from the PC to the devices that surround it with its latest keyboard and mouse desktop set, the Wireless Laser Desktop 7000 - designed to complement the Vista operating system.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am IBM Wins South America Outsourcing DealsIBM has won two outsourcing contracts in South America. It has signed a five-year IT services contract in Venezuela with Banco Fondo Comun to provide data center outsourcing, technical support and database management operations, planning services, and computer hardware relocation.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Study: Laptop Use Tied to Higher Student Scores / About 14,550 Henrico County High Schoolers Are Utilizing ComputersBy LISA CRUTCHFIELD At any moment during the school year, 40 percent of Henrico County high school students are using their county-issued laptop computers. Students say they are learning more. And the results back them up.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Faster ImacsBy Anonymous Apple's all-in-one iMac line now has the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac. The latest models have processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Google Connects With 'Friends'By Hildebrandt, Peter Facebook Gives Cold Shoulder boom, boom-boom. On May 8, 2008, MySpace introduced Data Availability. On May 9, Facebook Connect was announced. Then 3 days later, Google Friend Connect showed up on the "open social web" scene.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Good GadgetsBy Ochalla, Bryan When it comes to creating a top-notch Web site, "bells and whistles aren't everything," says Mike Bunner, AVP/electronic marketing at Broomall, Pa.-based Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union (www.fmfcu.org), which has $432 million in assets and approximately 51,000 members.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Trace Cyrus Jumps on the Family's Celebrity TrainBy Brian Mansfield They love the '80s: Though Metro Station's self-titled album came out last fall, the Los Angeles-based band's synth-pop single Shake It has taken off only in the last several weeks.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Bringing the Past to the PresentBy Herbert, John Estlund, Karen Newspaper digitization is exploding. As we move through the first decade of the 21st century, the number of digital newspaper initiatives is growing rapidly, which brings the past firmly into our electronic present.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am BT Acquires Online Business Directory UfindusBT has acquired online business directory provider Ufindus from Iomart Group for approximately 20m pounds ($39.5m). Lancaster, UK-based Ufindus has 20,000 small and medium-size business customers across the UK and 1.9 million online directory listings.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Perfect World Launches 'Zhu Xian' in Taiwan Through Soft-WorldBEIJING, July 11 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Perfect World Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: PWRD) ("Perfect World" or the "Company"), a leading online game developer andSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am DSP Group Inc.'s Second Quarter 2008 Earnings Release and Conference CallSAN JOSE, Calif., July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- href="http://www.dspg.com">DSP Group Inc. (Nasdaq: DSPG), will release its earnings report for the second quarterSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Live iPhone 3G Unboxing and ReviewSorry about the delay. I embedded the wrong code. Old video is after the jump. Live video is above. Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:58 am Live iPhone 3G unboxing and reviewSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:57 am The Pirate Bay's Plans To Encrypt the 'NetKeeper Of Keys writes "According to newteevee.com, The Pirate Bay, those fun- and freedom-loving Swedes, have embarked on a project to encrypt all internet traffic, probably by means of an OS-level wrapper around all network connections, which would fall back to an unencrypted connection when the other end is not similarly equipped. The move has been prompted by a recent change in Swedish law, allowing the authorities to snoop on network traffic. This will be a boon to filesharers and anyone else concerned about authorities and trade groups' recent moves towards 'policing' network traffic at the ISP level."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:50 am Asia underground market awaits iPhoneAs Apple Inc. rolled out its newest iPhone in Asia on Friday, dealers and buyers said it's only a matter of time _ maybe as little as a few days _ before the popular device hits the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:43 am Paid Content, indeedWell, there’s an embargo on this. So go read the scoop Kara has. I’ve been bursting with this news. For me, I see two of my favorite companies and sites come together and I get to work with...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:20 am Getty Images Wants To Buy Your Flickr PhotosBy Luke Anderson Have you ever been browsing Flickr and thought that some of the pictures are just incredible? It’s true that there are a lot of great pieces up on there, which have been taken by...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:20 am Solar dyes give a guiding light - BBC News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:09 am PaidContent Bought By the Guardian: Here's How Media History is MadeThe trailblazing blog PaidContent, specializing in coverage of the business of new media, will be acquired by the Guardian Media Group, writes Kara Swisher tonight in a very sweet scoop. As Swisher says,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am PaidContent Bought By the Guardian: That's One Way to Do ItThe trailblazing blog PaidContent, specializing in coverage of the business of new media, will be acquired by the Guardian Media Group, writes Kara Swisher tonight in a very sweet scoop. As Swisher says,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am Confirmed: PaidContent Bought By the Guardian - Here's How Media History is MadeThe trailblazing blog PaidContent, specializing in coverage of the business of new media, will be acquired by the Guardian Media Group, writes Kara Swisher tonight in a very sweet scoop. As Swisher says,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 10:00 am No plan to cut PlayStation 3 price: Sony (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 9:49 am PTV Telecom Chooses Sonus Networks to Lead its Next Generation Network MigrationSonus Networks Continues To Expand Cable MSO Base In Europe WESTFORD, Mass., July 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sonus Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONS), a market leader inSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:30 am Open WiFi Owners Off the Hook In Germanyulash writes "Ars Technica reports that a court in Germany ruled in favor of an open WiFi network owner stating that if other users use your open WiFi network without your consent and download copyrighted material, you cannot be automatically held responsible for their actions. This does not carry much (if any) weight in the US but here is to hoping that it will at least have a positive impact in the EU as starters."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:30 am Celebrity Squares: writer/broadcaster Danny WallaceWhat's your favourite piece of technology? Predictably, my iPhone. I wasn't sure it was all that incredible at first, but realised that the more I use it and the longer I have it, the more useful and...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:29 am Are You Dirty? Should Everyone Really Know if You Are?PHOENIX, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 11th a FREE resource will be made available online called href="http://www.dirtsearch.org">http://www.dirtsearch.org . This...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am FDA approves Intel home medical deviceSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am About 33% of coral species threatened with extinction, study saysSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Gay online soap opera has a serious messageSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Syria software pirate lives by own code of ethicsSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am The five best 3-D filmsSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Cuomo: AT&T and AOL block child porn newsgroupsTwo more Internet access providers have agreed to eliminate certain newsgroups that contain child pornography and purge their servers of child pornography Web sites in an agreement with state Attorney...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:47 am Cuomo: AT&T and AOL block child porn newsgroups (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:42 am Apple Web service falters on eve of iPhone launch (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jul 2008 | 6:35 am Internet Based Political "Meta-Party" For Massachusettssophiachou writes "The Free Government Party, a non-profit, open source political 'meta-party' focused on providing citizens with more direct control of Congress through online polling and user-drafted bills, seems to be looking for a candidate to endorse for US Representative of Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District. If you're from the Boston area, you might have seen this already on Craigslist. The chosen candidate will be bound by contract to vote in Congress only as do his or her constituents online. However, they don't seem to be going for direct democracy. To make voting convenient, you can select advisers to cast your votes for you, unless you do so yourself. Supposedly, interviews for the candidate position are already underway. Anyone from MA's 8th Congressional District on Slashdot already apply?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 4:34 am Apple iPhone goes on sale in JapanThe new iPhone model went on sale in the Asia-Pacific region Friday, making its debut in Japan amid swirling smoke after a 30-second countdown chanted by hundreds of people lined up, some for days, snaking...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 4:12 am July 11, 1979: Look Out Below! Here Comes Skylab!1979: The Skylab space station reenters Earth's atmosphere after six years in orbit. It is perhaps the most highly anticipated return of any spacecraft ever, save Apollo 13. America's first space station, launched in May 1973 as a science and engineering laboratory, was not a success. Originally intended to remain in orbit as a shelter for crews from the new space shuttle program, Skylab was badly damaged during liftoff and plagued thereafter by a power deficit that played a significant role in its premature demise. NASA's plan was for Skylab to remain in relatively low orbit until a space shuttle equipped with a reboost module could reach it in 1979 and boost it into a higher orbit. Subsequent shuttle missions would focus on overhauling Skylab, making repairs and replacing various components. It was intended that Skylab remain in orbit throughout the 1980s. It fell well short of that, but there were some achievements, especially in the areas of solar research and the adaptation of astronauts to longer periods in space. Three crews traveled to Skylab aboard Apollo spacecraft -- spending a total of 171 days aboard and returning by splashdown -- and some repairs were made. The space station was placed in a parking orbit after the third Apollo crew departed, to await the eventual arrival of the first space shuttle. But delays in getting the shuttle program off the ground, coupled with Skylab's deteriorating orbit, compelled NASA to consign its space station to a fiery death. With Skylab out of control, NASA ground controllers were unable to conduct the routine reentry procedures. As they prepared to bring Skylab down, the world watched in an atmosphere that can only be described as circus-like. Skylab news coverage was amped up and sensationalized, merchandise was hawked everywhere, and bookmakers took bets on when and where the 77.5-ton space station would hit the Earth's atmosphere. The San Francisco Examiner, in one of its loopier promotional campaigns (disclosure: I was on the paper's editorial staff at the time), even offered $10,000 (about $30,000 in today's money) to the first person who could deliver a chunk of Skylab debris to the paper's newsroom. That person turned out to be Stan Thornton, a 17-year-old from Esperance, Australia. Ground control had struggled to coax Skylab into a position that would cause the spacecraft to break up over the Indian Ocean. Most of it did, but parts of it came down over Western Australia. It also hit the atmosphere at a shallower angle than intended, resulting in bigger pieces, a number of which managed to fall to Earth intact. A small piece landed on Thornton's roof in Esperance and the kid was off to San Francisco to claim his 10 grand. Source: NASA, Space.com
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 4:00 am Dell Colludes With RIAA, Disables Stereo MixRCTrucker7 writes with a link to a Maximum PC story, which begins: "Details of Dell's surreptitious collusion with RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) have emerged. Apparently, the computer manufacturer disabled the Stereo Mix/Mono Mix/Wave Out sound recording function on certain notebooks to assuage RIAA. The hardware functionality is being disabled without any prior notice and one blogger has even alleged that he was asked by Dell's customer support staff to [shell] out $99 if he desired the stereo mix option. Gateway and Pac Bell are the other two manufacturers to have bowed to RIAA at the expense of their customers' satisfaction and disabled stereo mix without warning." (There are some workarounds posted in the comments of the linked article.)Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:50 am Global Geek Out: iPhone 3G Launches WorldwideGeeks around the world are lining up to be among the first to buy Apple's upgraded iPhone 3G, which goes on sale everywhere at 8 am (local time) July 11. Gadget Lab has ongoing coverage of the launch -- and the phone itself.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:00 am Pack a Hefty Backcountry Load Without Breaking Your BackImpressive capacity and clever shock-absorbing stabilization make this cavernous expedition pack so comfortable we almost forgot we were wearing it.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:00 am 8 Cool Things You Can Do With Your iPhone 2.0With Thursday's launch of the Apple App Store, the iPhone is suddenly capable of a whole lot more. Here's our list of the eight things you can do with the iPhone's latest software upgrade -- from finding a restaurant to tuning your ukulele.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:00 am Global Geek Out: iPhone 3G Launches WorldwideGeeks around the world are lining up to be among the first to buy Apple's upgraded iPhone 3G, which goes on sale everywhere at 8 am (local time) July 11. Gadget Lab has ongoing coverage of the launch -- and the phone itself.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:00 am Pack a Hefty Backcountry Load Without Breaking Your BackImpressive capacity and clever shock-absorbing stabilization make this cavernous expedition pack so comfortable we almost forgot we were wearing it.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 1:00 am Apple Web service falters on eve of iPhone launchApple Inc.'s new data synching service got off to a rocky start Thursday, as some users were denied access to their accounts just hours before the next-generation iPhone is slated to go on sale.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:52 am Boulder man faces $2000 fine/day for guerilla garden fencingScott Hoffenberg, who lives in my hometown of Boulder, Colorado, is growing a vegetable garden in the space between the sidewalk and the street on University Avenue. A neighbor complained about the trellises and fencing in the parkway, and Hoffenberg has been ordered to remove them or face a $2,000 per day fine. [L]ast month, an enforcement officer from Boulder’s Environmental and Zoning Enforcement office showed up and said a neighbor had complained about the garden.Boulder, curbside gardeners spar over right-of-way (Boulder Daily Camera) (Thanks, Nina!) Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:45 am Melanoma cases surge among young womenSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:28 am The Very Worst Uses of Windowsbigplrbear writes "I found an interesting article revealing the many places that Microsoft products reside, and what they're used for, ranging from elevators to ticket scanners." From the article: "Thanks to VMWare Windows is spreading throughout the datacenter. And, of course, there is only one operating system to use if you are dependent on Microsoft apps like Outlook, Word, and Excel. While I have joined the chorus of security folks who rail against the Microsoft Monoculture I still cannot believe some of the uses for Windows. Some of them are just downright silly, some you may claim are criminally negligent." Note: I'm making no claim of criminal negligence!Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:14 am Gallery: Fire Arts Festival Opens in Blaze of Glory : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comOAKLAND, California -- Talk about a hot night. From a fire-spouting piano to flame cannons that licked the smoky sky, the attractions Wednesday night at the Fire Arts Festival kicked California's heat wave up a few degrees. "Who doesn't like fire?" said Hick Messiah, 47, of Oakland as he took in the event. More than 50 different artists from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond showcased infernal contraptions and sizzling performances at the fest, which was more three-ring circus than safety demonstration. The Fire Arts Festival, organized by Oakland industrial arts nonprofit The Crucible, runs through Saturday. Left: Modeled after a county fair attraction, this shooting gallery substitutes flamethrowers for pop guns.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comAn member of the Unmata urban belly-dance group twirls balls of flame during opening night festivities at the Fire Arts Festival. During Unmata's short routine, which was set to up-tempo techno and ethnic beats, members of the Sacramento, California-based collective swiveled their hips and twirled flaming poi balls on a stage festooned with colored lights. The stage was also rigged to shoot bursts of fire synchronized with songs.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comArtist Sean Orlando's Steampunk Tree House could double as a set prop in a Tim Burton film. The 25,000-pound monstrosity is powered by a 1920s steam engine that breathes life into the coppery creation, sounding a cacophony of steam whistles. The towering structure stands tall within the patron pavilion at the Fire Arts Festival. Visitors willing to pony up the additional cash for a VIP ticket are granted the opportunity to climb hand-over-foot to the top of the 40-foot-tall sculpture for a bird's-eye view of the event. The roped-off pavilion also housed a bar, catered snacks and a swanky red-velvet lounge area.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comUnmata's dancers sway and shake their bellies to electronic tunes. The crowd swelled forward as the group's performance opened the Fire Festival. Afterward, a wide array of acts -- including a troupe of fire-swallowing vaudeville bartenders, youth dance troupes, trapeze artists and fiery Flamenco dancers -- occupied the stage until midnight. For the grand finale, San Francisco-based lo-fi funk band Gooferman created a crazed carnival atmosphere with its bouncy beats.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comA Pswarm fire sculpture presented by Department of Spontaneous Combustion bursts into flames. All the Pswarm sculptures were interactive, with the group pulling people from the crowd and letting them fire up the artwork.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comBay Area-based Omega Recoil inverts a Tesla Coil for a performance dubbed Electricity Theater. "To our knowledge, that's never been done before," said Omega Recoil member Sparky Jewell. The Tesla coil wasn't the only aspect flipped during the campy show: Members dressed as mad scientists coerced an unwilling soul -- Human Test Subject No. 1 -- through the high-voltage maze.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comWhat keeps the human guinea pig from becoming Fried Human Test Subject No. 1? "It's definitely not prayer," quipped Omega Recoil's Chris Ruedy, who played the test subject, after the show. Ruedy wore a homemade Faraday cage made from steel mesh that kept the electric charge flowing around his body rather than through it. After successfully completing his tasks, he claimed his reward -- a can of beer.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comSmoke and flames pour from a large 3-D skull constructed by Oakland's Department of Spontaneous Combustion. To build the piece, members of the art collective bought a wooden 3-D puzzle of a human skull, scanned each piece and enlarged it several times. After tracing and cutting the shapes from steel, they refit the pieces together. The Department of Spontaneous Combustion also displayed a fire-breathing Venus flytrap and a 20-foot fire cannon, which member Matthew Andreoli affectionately referred to as the "Space Invaders cannon." "If any aliens attacked me, I'd blast 'em with it!" he said. First-time festival attendee Shana Muwwakkil took aim Wednesday and fired the cannon from behind a protective cage. "A friend made me come tonight," said Muwwakkil afterward. "But I really liked that -- it was different."  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comAt Matisse Enzer's Flamethrower Shooting Gallery, people blast steel targets shaped like the Burning Man effigy known as "The Man." Enzer got the idea for this fiery twist on a traditional county fair game after Paul Addis prematurely torched Burning Man's giant icon at 2007's desert art party. "My nickname for this project is, 'You too can burn the Man,'" said Enzer, who lives in the Bay Area. Flamethrowers are illegal in California, so Enzer's rig got an in-depth assessment from the Oakland fire inspector -- and failed. "She took a step back when all four throwers went off," Enzer said. "And she's been working this event for years." The inspector decided that demonstrations were permissible -- but only technicians and safety personnel were allowed to participate.  : Photo: Emily Lang/Wired.comSan Francisco electronica outfit Gooferman closes out opening night at the Fire Arts Festival with a high-octane performance. In addition to shooting bursts of fire synchronized to songs, band members wore sparkling costumes and jester's caps, along with harlequin-inspired face paint, creating a crazed carnival atmosphere. Gooferman's gritty beats filled the air as the band's entourage -- including latex-wrapped stilt-walkers, gymnastic floor tumblers and cheerleaders clad in spangled bodysuits -- moved to the music. Earlier acts on the main stage included fire-eating vaudeville bartenders, youth dance troupes and trapeze artists. The Crucible's eighth annual Fire Arts Festival runs every night through Saturday. Tickets range from $5 to $55.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jul 2008 | 12:00 am Roq La Rue's 10th Anniversary Show
Seattle's incredible Roq La Rue Gallery is celebrating its tenth anniversary with an extravaganza of Pop Surrealism. The 10th Anniversary Group show opens tomorrow and it will spank your eyeballs. Featured artists include: Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Femke Hiemstra, Brian Despain, Travis Louie, Scott Musgrove, Lisa Petrucci, Shag, Liz McGrath, Andrew Hem, Glenn Barr, John Brophy, Viktor Safonkin, Anthony Pontius, Tin, Kay Tuttle, Ronald Kurniawan, Chris Crites, Johnny Bergeron, Mia Araujo, Mike Leavitt, Christian Vanminnen, Gabe Marquez, and Lori Earley. (At top, Ryan Heshka's "Humants" (detail); above left, Mark Ryden's "Turkey Baby," above right, Liz McGrath and Morgan Slade's "Death Before Dishonor" sculpture; below Scott Musgrove's ""Great Lesser Plant Sampler- Extinct ca. 1877.") Congratulations, Kirsten Anderson!!! From the show description: Online preview of Roq La Rue 10th Anniversary Show Source: Boing Boing | 10 Jul 2008 | 11:59 pm Interview with author Jay Lake needs your phone calls
Rick Kleffel sez, "John W. Campbell Award winning author Jay Lake will be in the studio on Saturday, July 12 for GeekSpeak, to be interviewed by RIck Kleffel, Lyle Troxell and Sean Cleveland. We'll be taking your phone calls at 1-800-655-5877, or you can email me your questions in advance (agony@trashotron.com). We'll be talking with Jay about his latest novels, Mainspring and Escapement and the widespread interest in the the Steampunk aesthetic. We want your live voices on the air, so be sure to call!"
Link
(Thanks, Rick!)
See also: Jay Lake's "Mainspring": Clockpunk adventure
Source: Boing Boing | 10 Jul 2008 | 11:53 pm In search of the penis thievesSeveral months ago, I posted about the capture of 13 "penis thieves" in the Congo who allegedly stole, or shrank, their victims' members. In the June issue of Harper's Magazine, Frank Bures tells of his travels to Africa in search of the penis thieves. During his quest, he riffs on the idea of "culture-bound syndromes" and "the interplay among culture, mind, and disease." From Harper's Magazine:Wasiu, Bad Teeth told me, had gotten on the bus and sat down next to this woman. He didn’t have a watch, so he asked her what time it was. She didn’t know. Then the conductor came around and asked her for her fare. She didn’t have that either. As she stood up to get out of the bus, she bumped into Wasiu.Penis thieves (Harper's Magazine, thanks Vann Hall!) Previously on BB: • Accused penis thieves captured Source: Boing Boing | 10 Jul 2008 | 11:41 pm Vending machine sells ideas for things to do  (Click on thumbnails for enlargement) Sarah says: "Spotted this en route to work this morning at the bodega out front of my house in the East Village NYC. Any ideas? I was in too much of a hurry to take the bait." It reminds me of Mister Jalopy's "Pocket Guide to Life & Death with Modest Automobiles," which can be purchased for $1 from a vending machine at Coco's Variety, or as a PDF at Boing Boing's Digital Emporium. Source: Boing Boing | 10 Jul 2008 | 11:12 pm Package Managers As Achilles HeelAn anonymous reader writes "Researchers from the University of Arizona have released a study that takes a look at the security of ten popular package managers. They were able to show all ten were vulnerable to attacks from a mirror or man-in-the-middle that allow an attacker to (along with other things) crash the system or obtain root access. Furthermore, the researchers created a fictitious administrator and company name and were able to lease a server and get it listed as an official mirror for all the distributions they tried (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, and OpenSUSE). This raised the question: What keeps you up at night, the thought of attacks on your package manager or previously discussed and patched vulnerability in DNS?" justin samuel (one of the Arizona researchers) also points out a synopsis on CERT's blog.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 10 Jul 2008 | 10:53 pm Spammers Announce World War IIIschliz writes with the stub of a disheartening article at IT News: "Hackers are deluging web users with malware-laden spam claiming that World War III has started following a US invasion of Iran. Security experts warned [yesterday] that spam emails with subject lines including 'Third World War has begun,' '20000 US Soldiers in Iran,' and 'US Army crossed Iran's borders' have been intercepted. The emails contain links to a malicious webpage that displays what appears to be a video player showing the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 10 Jul 2008 | 9:56 pm Hacker Sentenced to Two Years For MySpace Cyber StalkingJeffrey Robert Weinberg, aka V.I.P., is shipped off to a California state prison after being arrested for allegedly trying to extort phone sex from a teenage internet video star.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Jul 2008 | 9:48 pm Sweet: Pandora's Streaming Radio App for iPhoneOnline-radio favorite Pandora has unveiled a super slick version of its interactive music service for the iPhone -- the first time Pandora has ever been available for free on a cellphone. Color us impressed.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Jul 2008 | 9:03 pm Jesse Jackson TV Show Comment Takes On Life Of Its Own OnlineCivil rights leader Jesse Jackson has apologized to Barack Obama for wanting to "cut his nuts off" in front of millions of Fox News' viewers on Sunday -- but as with other controversial events the televised comments have taken on a life of their own on the internet.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 10 Jul 2008 | 8:52 pm Third of Coral Reefs ThreatenedOne-third of the world's coral reefs are threatened with extinction.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Jul 2008 | 6:41 pm How to Get the iPhone 2.0 Upgrade Right Now — for FreeAlthough the second-generation iPhone won't be available until tomorrow, you can download and install the iPhone 2.0 operating system today -- and start using the App Store to get new iPhone applications. Here's how to do it, step by step. In Gadget Lab.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 10 Jul 2008 | 6:27 pm Implant Designed to Shrink WaistlineA device implanted just under the skin uses electrical signals to reduce appetite.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Jul 2008 | 5:41 pm Review: Rugged Notebook Revels in Brutal BeatdownsGammaTech's newest rugged notebook makes some pretty lofty claims. Spill resistant, drop proof, fire retardant. (Well maybe not the last one.) We heaped generous amounts of abuse on this notebook to see if we could ultimately destroy it. We failed. It's just that tough.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 10 Jul 2008 | 5:30 pm Bug-Eyed Flatfish Evolution RevealedTwo flatfish fossils found in museum drawers help answer an evolutionary puzzle.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Jul 2008 | 3:13 pm At Antarctic Peninsula, Fast ChangeDramatic shifts in the food web are happening on the Antarctic Peninsula.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Jul 2008 | 2:29 pm Birds Struggle to Tweet Over Traffic DinBirds are shifting the frequencies of their songs to compete with urban noise.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 10 Jul 2008 | 1:22 pm
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Roq la Rue is ten years old!