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Steelcase Home HabitatSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 1:30 pm 56 Heavenly Religious and Spiritual Innovations (CLUSTER)(TrendHunter.com) This slideshow highlights some of the most fascinating new religious innovations of our time. From Orthodox Barbies and Virgin Mary bread stampers to cell phones for Buddhists, weve...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 8:00 am Intel adds cheap dual-core, quad-core chips - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:43 am Sporran Inspired Skirts - Handbag Miniskirts (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) These miniskirts are not just hot, but functional too. They are just the ticket to forgo handbags. Like Scottish sporrans for kilts, a small pouch-like bag is incorporated into...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:40 am Geeky License Plates -Tech-Inspired Vanity Plates (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Geek-chic has reached new heights in recent years, with geek culture permeating everything from baked goods to Halloween costumes to jewelry and accessories. With that in mind, it...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:20 am Hulu will debut NBC shows before network broadcast - SlashGear
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:17 am Multiverse Introduces Places; Revolutionizes 3D Social Virtual WorldsInnovative Online Destination Integrates Social Networks and Gameplay; Open Sources World to Developers MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiverse, a...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:01 am Multiverse Launches Virtual World - 'Multiverse Places' - on Facebook(R) PlatformMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiverse, a leading provider of virtual world development technology for Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs),...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:01 am Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising and Multiverse Announce 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Virtual WorldRevolutionary Massively Multiplayer Online Game First Ever to be Available as Both Fully Immersive 3D Environment and Flash-Based 2D Game CENTURY CITY, Calif., Sept. 3...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:01 am Multiverse Begins Development of Titanic Virtual World3D World Based on Academy Award-Winning Director James Cameron's Historical Research Offers Pioneering, Virtual Experiential Learning HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 3...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:01 am Survey says: DVR could improve your relationships - CNET News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Want On The Digg Home Page? Thatll Be $1,200.InvespBlog has published what it claims is an interview with a top Digg user - someone who has a 34% success ratio in getting submitted stories to the home page of Digg. The Digg user isn't named - he...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Brand Killing Cross Promotions - Photoshop Marketing Fun (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Cross promotion: The result of two products teaming up to sell more of each. Like Rum and Coke or Peter and Pan, cross promotion has been around since Adam tried to cross promote Eve...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Banco Sabadell Selects SAP to Optimize Human Capital ManagementDuet(TM) Software Selected to Provide Simplified Access to SAP Business Processes via Microsoft Office Environment Bank to Align Employee Objectives to Corporate Initiatives With...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Youth suicide rate is still highThough suicides among U.S. adolescents drop a bit after a sharp escalation, the overall trend is upward, a study suggests. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Google's Chrome browser: This baby fliesThe new rival to Explorer and Firefox, now available for testing in Windows, makes up in exceptional speed for any minor shortcomings. And it's got a nice array of features. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Google launches Internet browser ChromeThe browser aims to challenge Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer Google Inc. reignited the Web browser wars...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am INRIX Expands Management Team and Establishes INRIX European HeadquartersHires GM Europe and Vice President of Marketing KIRKLAND, Wash. and DUSSELDORF, Germany, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- INRIX(R), the leading provider of traffic...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Getting ready for the digital TV switchGetting ready for the digital TV switch All full-power television stations in the U.S. will cease transmitting analog signals by the end of the day Feb. 17, 2009, and begin broadcasting only in digital...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Wilmington, N.C., ready for switch to digital TVThe FCC has swarmed Wilmington to prepare it for next week's roll-out, but February's nationwide changeover looms as a much larger task. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Woman pushes to cut red-tape delays in tracing cellphonesAfter her SUV, phone and dog were stolen, Mary Michael tried to get Verizon to track the phone. The utility said it couldn't without a warrant. Michael, whose dog died, is taking aim at that regulatio...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Adaptec Intelligent Power Management Reduces Storage Power Consumption Up to 70 PercentIndustry's First and Only RAID Controller-Based Power Management Solution for SATA and SAS Storage MILPITAS, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To significantlySource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am New Pumpkins single heads to 'Guitar Hero' (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:41 am New Pumpkins single heads to 'Guitar Hero'DENVER (Billboard) - The Smashing Pumpkins will release their new single, "G.L.O.W.," via the upcoming "Guitar Hero: World Tour" videogame.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:41 am Luxe Wedding Couture - 18 Dresses by Anjolique (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Anjolique has released new photos of the unique new collection of wedding dresses that will soon become available. Anjolique features an array of elegant, distinctive and classic...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:40 am Political Search Wins - Sexy Sarah Palin Dominates New Obama & McCain Videos (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) As Hurricane Hanna, Hurricane Gustav, and Sarah Palins family (mainly Bristol Palin and her faux beau Levi Johnston), have dominated headlines the last few days, it seems Barack Obama...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:34 am The Mystery Behind Men’s Commitment Problems: Bad Genes - eFluxMedia
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:20 am Dangerous Designer Weapons - Peter Gronquist's Fashions of Destruction (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) I adore these designer weapon pieces from Peter Gronquists solo show which includes rocket launchers, chainsaws, missiles, and other dangerous things, all branded with designer logos...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:20 am Darth Vader Radio/CD PlayerBy Luke Anderson There are times that I wonder whether George Lucas even cares what kind of products bear the Star Wars name. Take this Darth Vader Radio and CD Player for example. It’s not the worst...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:17 am "Anathem" Exclusive Video At MySpaceShawn M. Smith writes " We've recently discussed Neal Stephenson's imminent new novel 'Anathem.' Now, MySpace has an exclusive video, The World of Anathem, that accompanies the book, filled with the 'Gregorian chants' and ambient noise that were so eloquently described by numerous Slashdotters who had scored advance copies of Stevenson's latest tome."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:16 am New iPods on Sept. 9? - BusinessWeek
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:05 am Redknee Secures US $10 Million Credit Facility to Fund GrowthTORONTO, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Redknee (AIM: RKN), a leading provider of mission-critical billing and charging software and solutions for communications service...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 6:05 am Wilmington, NC, ready for switch to digital TV - Los Angeles Times
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:50 am Study: DVRs save relationships (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:48 am Fish or fuel? Debate divides Norway's far northThe pristine Lofoten Islands off Norway's far north paint an idyllic image of tranquility, but beneath the surface is a roiling debate over the islands' resources, dividing fishermen,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:42 am Shuttle rollout on hold - Florida Today
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:22 am Rare Jellyfish Recovering at Aquarium After 'Rescue' ; A Rare Compass Jellyfish Found Floating Just Off a Holiday Beach Has Been "Rescued" By an RNLI Lifeguard and Given to an Aquarium.A rare compass jellyfish found floating just off a holiday beach has been "rescued" by an RNLI lifeguard and given to an aquarium. The jellyfish was spotted in the shallows just off Newquay's Towan Beach.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Landlord Fined for Failing to Correct Safety HazardsA landlord has been ordered to pay almost pounds5,000 for failing to correct electrical hazards and cold temperatures at his property in Lincolnshire. Edward Sanders of High Street, Wainfleet, near Skegness, failed to comply with a notice ordering him to address the issues.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Lifestyle Team Bag Praise for Eco-Friendly Project ; East Riding: A Group of Youngsters Taking Part in a Community Project Have Received Help Towards Their Environmental Efforts.East Riding: A group of youngsters taking part in a community project have received help towards their environmental efforts. The Tickton Trio of Dominic Jackson, 11, Amelia Jackson, 13, and Hetty Jackson, 10, all of Tickton, are taking part in the Humberside Police Lifestyle project.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Complain If You Think You're in the RightRecently along with my neighbours I received a letter from the county council highways department saying that it was going to remove six trees from the verge outside our houses.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Brown Bins Set for East Riding Launch"Providing an additional recycling service for garden waste will enable residents to divert this vital material from landfill and turn it into compost." (c) 2008 Hull Daily Mail (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Environment Agency Investigates Pollution in Drain ; Fears Have Been Raised About the Future of an East Yorkshire Fishery in the Wake of a Pollution Incident.Fears have been raised about the future of an East Yorkshire fishery in the wake of a pollution incident. Experts are today investigating the cause of the incident in Burstwick Drain, which led to thousands of coarse fish being killed.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Residents Sue St. Louis County Over Implementation of Trash DistrictsBy Angela Riley In an effort to prevent St. Louis County from dividing its unincorporated areas into eight different trash districts, two residents filed suit alleging that the county violated its own charter by not allowing citizens to vote on the proposal.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Sign Denial Suit Can Proceed, 8th Circuit Appeals Court SaysBy Donna Walter A man protesting St. Louis' use of eminent domain with a three- story mural got the go-ahead from a federal appeals court to pursue his claims against one of the city agencies that denied his application for a sign permit.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: Denial of Sign Permit Can Be ChallengedBy Donna Walter A man protesting St. Louis' use of eminent domain with a three- story mural got the go-ahead from a federal appeals court to pursue his claims against one of the city agencies that denied his application for a sign permit.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am There's No Sense in Closing Airport ; A Letter Headed "White Elephant" (August 20) Raises the Point About the Amount Cornwall County Council Has Spent on Newquay Airport. Yes, It Has Spent Money on Newquay Airport, but What Was the Alternative? Let ItA letter headed "White elephant" (August 20) raises the point about the amount Cornwall County Council has spent on Newquay Airport.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Quad-Core AMD Opteron(TM) Processors to Power New HP Blade TechnologyAMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that Quad-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processors exclusively power the innovation behind the world's first blade server designed specifically to eliminate performance bottlenecks for virtual server hosting, the HP ProLiant BL495c virtualization blade.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Grant Will Be Used to Buy 2 TasersThe Fennimore Police Department has received a justice assistance grant from the Wisconsin Department of Justice. The $9,500 award will be used to buy two Tasers and a second laptop computer to be used by officers while on patrol. (c) 2008 Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am LIFETIME Networks Host Celebration of Women's Leadership at Republican National ConventionMINNEAPOLIS, Sept.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am What's This 'Cloud' I Keep Hearing About?By Rhodri Marsden Cyberclinic Apple is making solemn promises to synchronise all our email, contacts and calendars in "the cloud". IBM is reported to be climbing aboard "the cloud".Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Tech Talk Opera Hits Right Notes As BrowserBy STEVEN ROSENBERG After years of thinking that the Firefox Web browser provided the best possible Internet experience, a strong contender has emerged on my desktop computers over the past month. No, it's not Internet Explorer.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am NBC Thrilled Aniston's Dropping By 'Rock'NBC says it is a thrill to have actress Jennifer Aniston guest star on an upcoming episode of the U.S. network's sit-com "30 Rock." Aniston won an Emmy for her work on "Friends," the former NBC sit-com she called home for a decade.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am No Action Against Men Arrested After Church Fire ; Police Are Taking No Further Action Against Two Young Men Arrested in Connection With a Fire That Destroyed a Methodist Church Hall.Police are taking no further action against two young men arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed a Methodist church hall. The fire ripped through St Michael's church hall at Ponsanooth in the early hours of Sunday, June 1.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am AT&T U-Verse Voice Launches in Northeastern IllinoisHOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. today announced the availability of AT&T U-verse(SM) Voice in parts of Northeastern Illinois, bringing consumers a next-generation digital voice service delivered over the AT&T U-verse Internet Protocol (IP) network.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Whatever He Does to Bail Out Housing Market, It Will Be Too Late to Save BrownBy Jeremy Warner Outlook The housing measures announced yesterday as part of the Government's intended autumn fightback were classically Brownite - a repackaging of already announced or pre-leaked initiatives collectively adding up to not very much at all.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 5:00 am Hands-on with Chrome: Google's browser shines (mostly) - Ars Technica
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:51 am There.com to add Mac support and Facebook plug-in (CNET)CNET - The virtual world, There.com, appears ready to reach for some new and broad audiences, announcing Tuesday night that it would finally be offering support for Mac OS X, as well as a new Facebook plug-in and an instant message application that can communicate directly with anyone on the Internet.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:47 am New eBay site has social, environmental aim (AP)AP - Most consumers probably associate eBay Inc. more with vintage lunch boxes and low-priced electronics than with laptop bags made from recycled plastic by women in New Delhi.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:07 am Review: Google Chrome lacks polish under the hood (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:05 am Using a Rare Veto, EPA Rejects - Wall Street Journal
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Alt Text: Ashes to Caches -- Cremation Services for Dead GeeksI've been contemplating the ever-present specter of death and eternal nothingness, mostly because Warcraft has been getting a little dull lately. I'm not too worried about the disposition of what eternal soul I may or may not possess, but I realize my surviving loved ones will have to deal with the rapidly cooling rest of me. I've pretty much settled on cremation, because of the efficiency and because the whole pallbearer conversation is so awkward. But then what? I'm just not an urn sort of guy. Those who are into urns, who are part of the urn scene, recognize me when I come in the door and avoid me.
Technology, as always, comes to the rescue. There are so many neat things you can do with the dead, burnt part of yourself these days that mulling over the options is like visiting a death-obsessed Apple Store. Here are just a few of the options available to you, me or anyone mortal. PortraitAshes to Portraits will take your earthly remains, mix them into some paint and paint a picture ... of you! It's like a really sensitive mad scientist. If life were a movie, I'd completely go for this one, because you know you can't get made into a corpse-portrait without something cool happening. You'll come back to terrorize the family that moved into your home, or you'll help a young insecure woman find true love, or maybe you'll just drive someone insane with the staring. There's no bad outcome. But this is real life, or so I'm told, so I see no reason to be painted into a portrait of me. I'd rather be a painting of a robot version of myself with vibro-claws, earthquake-beam eyes and a nice HD screen. SpaceThis is the go-to destination for the rich, accomplished, dead geekish person, thanks to Space Services. Timothy Leary went this route. So did Gene Roddenberry. I'm not so keen on it myself. Why should my remains get to do something I can't? I'm the one hauling these calcium phosphates around, but after I get hit by a semi or try the pork tartare, they get to go on the trip of a post-lifetime? Let my ashes buy their own freaking ticket if they want to go into low-Earth orbit so much. DiamondFor those who enjoy jewelry, and the being thereof, LifeGem will infuse your remains into a diamond. Becoming one of the hardest substances known to humanity doesn't sound too bad -- at least I'd finally be in shape. Michael Phelps may have a perfect swimmer's body, but can he scratch chrysoberyl? I think not. I'd want all my cremains made into diamond, though. No reason to break up the set. That's either a lot of diamonds, or one huge diamond, requiring the assets of a small European country to purchase. All the more reason to get one to install me now as overlord. PencilsYes, you can get your ashes made into a bunch of pencils. I'm not sure if this is commercially available yet, but I don't really care. Who uses pencils? People who are bad at crosswords, that's who. And people taking Scantron tests. Those are not groups I want fondling my remains. I'm sure there are many people who would love nothing more than to spend their post-life being sharpened, but I'm not one of those people. FireworksOf all the services I've covered, the fireworks option is my favorite. My loved ones will be touched to see me reincarnated briefly as a shining work of art in the night sky, and my enemies will enjoy seeing me blow up. The toughest decision is whether to go for the smiley-face. They can make me into one of those smiley-face fireworks, but do you think they'd be willing to explain to the crowd that I'm being ironic? - - - Born helpless, nude and unable to provide for himself, Lore Sjöberg eventually overcame these handicaps to become a moralizer, a morphologist and a memento mori. 
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am eBay makes eco-play with new green marketplace (CNET)CNET - eBay on Wednesday plans to unveil a new e-commerce site for shoppers of environmentally friendly and fair-trade goods, as expected.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Ace Quantum Mechanics — the Reality TV WayWith CERN's Large Hadron Collider finally coming online, watercoolers around the world will soon be abuzz with talk of Higgs bosons, gluons, and other mind-blowing subatomic thingies. How to keep track of all that quantum fluff? It's easier than you think. Fans of shows like Survivor, American Idol, Top Chef, or America's Next Top Model already have the tools they need to wrap their heads around the fundamental bits in our universe. Turns out, if you understand reality TV, you can understand reality. Gluons (high-powered producers) 
Gluons are the Donald Trumps, Tyra Bankses, and Mark Burnetts of the subatomic world. Just as these executive producers (often doubling as onscreen overlords) dictate the rules and force contestants into tightly knit alliances for survival, gluons wield what's called the strong nuclear force, impelling quarks to clump together into the neutrons and protons of an atom's nucleus. Quarks (contestants) 
There are six types of quark, arbitrarily named up, down, top, bottom, charm, and strange. Think of them as the personality types that make every reality show go: the gay one, the jock, the bumpkin, the minority, the brainiac, and the drunken train-wreck girl. They always form alliances (called hadrons), and, well, they work best in threesomes. Hot! Higgs boson (lasting fame) 
We know the Higgs boson particle must exist — it's why matter has mass. But physicists have been unable to observe it. Have folks like Kelly Clarkson found the Higgs boson of reality TV — enduring stardom? Let's hope so. Because like the real Higgs boson, if lasting fame isn't possible, the whole Theory of Everything will need to be reconsidered. Photons (non-judging hosts) 
Photons carry electromagnetism, which bonds electrons to nuclei, and generally keep the excitement level up. Zooming around at the speed of light, these energetic particles hold the whole shebang together — just like Ryan Seacrest, Idol's charismatic liaison between judges, contestants, and viewers. Leptons (non-hosting judges) 
Many shows have a panel of regulars that sit on the sidelines and observe. This is the lepton family. Some, like electrons, matter (Tom Colicchio).Some, like muons, are overblown and unstable (Simon Cowell). Others, like neutrinos, pass through without ever making contact with reality (Paula Abdul). W and Z bosons (surprise guests) 
W and Z bosons carry the weak nuclear force, which causes other particles to decay. These are like the parents, ex-lovers, and others who pop into a show merely to wreak havoc. Think Flavor of Love's Tiffany Pollard, aka New York, who returned in season two to terrorize anew. Illustrations by Kirsten Ulve
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Wired.com Readers' Best Geek Tattoos : From DNA to 80 digits (and counting) of pi, Wired.com readers take their geek tattoos pretty seriously. We asked you to flash your decorated flesh, and you obliged with pictures of some pretty wild skin art. Now it's time for the rest of the world to bask in your dermatological commitment to geekery. Click through the gallery to see more ink inspired by science, computers and other geek obsessions. Left: Ctrl+Alt+Del Photographer's comment: "Comes to show it's that easy to reboot and start over.”  : The Other Half of Rock Photographer's comment: "My brother and I got matching tattoos. He has a Guitar, with binary that says 'Rock' -- I've got a D20 with 'Roll.'”  : Extra-Large DNA Photographer's comment: "Seven years I've been working on this. Phase 1 is complete."  : Geek 4 Life Photographer's comment: "I am a GEEK 4 LIFE, SUCKA!!!"  : Pi Tattoo Photographer's comment: "Since tattoos were illegal in Oklahoma until only a couple of years ago, my friends and I made a tradition out of annual road trips for tattoos. Every time I can't think of something new, I add some more digits to pi. It's up to 80 digits."  : No More Hunting for Tape Measures Photographer's comment: "As a woodworker-graphic designer, I use a tape measure or ruler almost every day. Now I have one always within arm's reach. I use it for my work, but also my play. I measured some trout for length with it on a fishing trip to Mount Hood this weekend."  : Louder! Photographer's comment: "I always wanted a musical tattoo, and the audio-out icon on my 266-Mhz G3 seemed more appropriate than a G clef.”  :
Bassoon Keywork on My Leg Photographer's comment: "I was a bassoon major in college, and still play as a hobby. This gets a lot of interest, and many wrong guesses. The only people who have correctly identified it as a bassoon have all been players themselves. John at The Chameleon in Cambridge, Massachusetts, did a fantastic job on the artwork."  : Seattle, Third Avenue, 2004 Photographer's comment: "Taken with Nikkormat FT2 (film)."
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Sept. 3, 1803: Dalton Introduces Atomic Symbols1803: English chemist-physicist John Dalton starts using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements. Dalton, considered the father of modern atomic theory, made a logbook entry that day titled, "Observations on the Ultimate Particles of Bodies and their Combinations." It was the first use of symbols to represent the elements of modern chemistry. He soon had a table of 21 elements arranged by atomic mass, which he presented in a scientific paper the following month. Eventually, he had 36 different symbols. In his 1805 work, "A New System of Chemical Philosophy," Dalton propounded the tenets of his atomic theory:
Dalton's symbols were not the ones we use today, but circles containing distinct symbols (a dot for hydrogen, a cross for sulfur), or circles containing letters (C for copper, L for lead). He used them singly to represent elements and in combination to show compounds. A decade after Dalton formulated his symbols, Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius simplified the system. Half of Dalton's symbols used letters inside a circle to represent the element. Berzelius organized 47 elements with letters alone, and he based those letters not primarily on the English names, but on the Latin ones. In an era when all Europe's learned men (and the few women who were allowed into schools and universities) knew Latin, the shared language was an international lingua franca. All but a handful of Berzelius' symbols are still used today. So it's Au for gold and Ag for silver, not the circled G and S of Dalton's original notation. The simplified notation led the way for English analytical chemist John Newlands to formulate his Law of Octaves and a prototype periodic table of the elements in 1864, but it was Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev who really laid it all on the table with 63 elements in 1869. When he flipped his chart to a horizontal table two years later, he created a form much like what you see in chemistry textbooks and on the walls of chem labs today. Alas, Mendeleev's table was based on atomic mass rather than atomic number, so details like the placement of tellurium and iodine didn't work out. He thought it was a question of inaccurate measurement or other experimental error. It was 1913 before English physicist Henry Moseley reorganized the periodic table by atomic number. As for Dalton, his name lives on as alternate designation for the atomic mass unit or amu. Microbiologists and biochemists need a convenient measure for large organic molecules. Kilo-u or kilo-amu would be awkward, so a protein molecule might be said to have a mass of 35 kilodaltons, or kDA. But it's Berzelius' symbols and what they mean that plague first-year chem students: You've got to "get it" before you can do anything else.
Source: History of the Atom, Elementymology Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Expired-Tired-Wired
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am User Charged With Taking ISP Tech HostageUser AttheCoalFac pointed us to a interesting tech support story from Canada. Halifax actress and playwright Carol Sinclair was arrested and is now facing criminal charges after a repairman says she threatened to hold him hostage until he fixed her Internet connection. Mrs. Sinclair denies the allegations and says that she merely stated, 'I don't want to hold you hostage, but would you mind hanging around until the other technician arrives so that the two of you can sort it out.' She was arraigned in Halifax Provincial Court Friday and is now free on conditions including that she have no contact with the repairman or any employee from her ISP. Having a lot of experience on both sides of this issue, I'm not sure who I'm cheering for.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2008 | 3:55 am Google polishes product line with Chrome browser (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 2:12 am Stanford's "Autonomous" Helicopters LearnAn anonymous reader writes "Stanford computer scientists have developed an artificial intelligence system that enables robotic helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by 'watching' other helicopters perform the same maneuvers. The result is an autonomous helicopter that can perform a complete airshow of complex tricks on its own. The stunts are 'by far the most difficult aerobatic maneuvers flown by any computer controlled helicopter,' said Andrew Ng, the professor directing the research of graduate students Pieter Abbeel, Adam Coates, Timothy Hunter and Morgan Quigley. The dazzling airshow is an important demonstration of 'apprenticeship learning,' in which robots learn by observing an expert, rather than by having software engineers peck away at their keyboards in an attempt to write instructions from scratch.'" The title of the linked article uses the term "autonomous," but that's somewhat misleading. The copters can't fly on their own, but rather can duplicate complex maneuvers learned from a human pilot.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2008 | 2:07 am IDrive Open Storage Service (OSS) - A Cloud Storage ServiceWOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Pro Softnet Corporation, a leader in the Storage-as-a-Service, Online Backup and Storage market, today announced that it is making an entry in Cloud Storage (http://www.idrive.com/oss/).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Sep 2008 | 2:00 am Google sees new browser displacing desktop software (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Sep 2008 | 1:52 am Sector Wrap: Semiconductor stocks slip slightlySemiconductor stocks dipped slightly Tuesday after an industry group reported that worldwide chip sales grew steadily in July but analysts raised fears about further pricing pressures on the notoriously...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 Sep 2008 | 1:44 am Japanese PSPs getting online store, PS3-based ad hoc play - GameSpot
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 3 Sep 2008 | 1:30 am Today on TokyoMango Today on TokyoMango, I wrote about ToastGirl, a crazy-cool female artist/performer; why anime director Hayao Miyazaki does all his drawings by hand; and artist Ryohei Tanaka. ( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.)
Source: Boing Boing | 3 Sep 2008 | 1:11 am Souring U.S.-Russia Relations Threaten Space StationThe U.S. ticket on the Russian Soyuz is tied to the Iran, North Korea, Syria Nonproliferation Agreement, one part of which bans payments to Russia in connection with the ISS (pdf) unless Russia is taking steps to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other weapons technology. A waiver for this part of the agreement runs out in 2011.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2008 | 1:00 am Gonzales Violated Secrecy Rules With Spy Docs, Lied to Cover It UpFormer Attorney General Alberto Gonzales repeatedly and knowingly mishandled ultra-secret documents about the government's warrantless wiretapping program and lied to investigators about it, according to a report by the Justice Department's inspector general. The Justice Department declined to prosecute him, however.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Sep 2008 | 12:44 am "Perfect" Mirrors Cast For LSSTeldavojohn writes "The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (which was partially funded by Gates & Co.) announced a world record casting for its single-piece primary and tertiary mirror blanks, cast at the University of Arizona. From the announcement: 'The Mirror Lab team opened the furnace for a close-up look at the cooled 51,900-pound mirror blank, which consists of an outer 27.5-foot diameter (8.4-meter) primary mirror and an inner 16.5-foot (5-meter) third mirror cast in one mold. It is the first time a combined primary and tertiary mirror has been produced on such a large scale.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Sep 2008 | 12:25 am The history of urawaza in the Japan Times I wrote an article for today's Japan Times about the history of urawaza. Urawaza is the name of a book I wrote; it's a collection of lifestyle tips and tricks, and it was published in April by Chronicle Books. Here, I explain the origins of the concept, the word, and the proliferation of the idea in Japan and the US.
Urawaza—quirky, everyday Japanese tips—head West (Japan Times) ( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.)
Source: Boing Boing | 3 Sep 2008 | 12:13 am South Carolina sheriff buys tank to conduct raids Don't even think about running an illegal bingo game in Richland County, South Carolina. The Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department (that's them above) just obtained an armored personnel carrier, complete with a belt-fed, .50-cal turreted machine gun. Sheriff Leon Lott has charmingly named the vehicle "The Peacemaker," and insists that using a caliber of ammunition that even the U.S. military is reluctant to use against human targets (it's generally reserved for use against armored vehicles) will "save lives."Sheriff Lott's New Toy Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:24 pm SpacewatchISS forced into lower orbit to dodge piece of debris from defunct Russian spy satelliteSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:08 pm Fertility clinics urged to cut number of multiple pregnanciesProposals set out target to reduce multiple birth rates from 24% to 10% within three yearsSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:07 pm Education: Glitches hold up study grants for pupilsMinisters are facing another embarrassing software failure after it emerged that at least 150,000 pupils will not receive their study grants for the beginning of term because of widespread computer glitches...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:07 pm Hurricane Gustav Post-Mortem: 'The Bullet Dodged Us'New Orleans survived Hurricane Gustav, but don't celebrate the city's half-rebuilt infrastructure just yet.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 pm Dan Clowes' cover for Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons and True Stories Eric Reynolds cruelly teases his readers with this tiny jpg of Daniel Clowes' dustjacket for Ivan Brunetti's Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons and True Stories by Yale Press, avaiable out Oct 13, 2008. The Editorial Vision of Ivan Brunetti Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:54 pm Calligraphic manga featuring famous samurai Musashi Musashi Miyamoto is the famous 17th century samurai who wrote The Book of Five Rings, a classic text on martial arts and military strategy. Takehiko Inoue is the genius manga artist behind Slam Dunk, a 90s manga series about a goofy basketball player that sold 100 million copies and got an entire generation of Japanese boys hooked on the sport. Inoue's latest endeavor has been to chronicle the life of Musashi in a comic book series titled Vagabond. Instead of using a pencil, he used sumi ink and a calligraphy brush (no erasing mistakes!). The first volume of the manga series was published in English by Viz Media last year, and this month they're publishing The Water and The Sumi, two giant volumes chock full of illustrations from the series. It's a fine collection worth owning if you're a fan of samurai or manga, or both. Image copyrighted by I.T. Planning, Inc, 2008. ( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.) Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:49 pm The Making of BioshockGamasutra is running a feature from Game Developer magazine in which Bioshock's project leader writes about what went right and what went wrong making last year's award-winning shooter, Bioshock. He talks about what the developers learned from fans and focus groups, how long it took them to firmly define what the game was supposed to be, and how they tried to reconcile their ideas with their capabilities. Quoting: "...just after the first beta, the entire design team plus a contingent of 2K producers headed off to see how a group that knew nothing about our company or BioShock would react to the first level. It was brutal. The first level, they said, was overly dense, confusing, and not particularly engaging. Players would acquire new powers but not know how to use them, so they stuck to using more traditional weapons and became frustrated. They didn't interact with the Big Daddies, and they didn't understand (or care) how to modify their characters. They were so overwhelmed by dialogue and backstory that they missed key information. A few of the players did start to see the possible depth of the game, but even they were frustrated by the difficulty of actually using the systems we had created."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:41 pm Riot cops relaxing
My pal Gil Kaufman is covering the Republican National Convention for MTV.com. He took this great photo of police in riot gear kicking back on a stairwell outside. Gil says, "Yes, pepper spray does sting, real bad." Republican National Convention photos (MTV.com) Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:26 pm Discs Meet the Internet in Next-Gen Blu-ray PlayersSix years after its official launch, the consumer electronics industry's high-definition successor to DVD still hasn't taken off. That's got manufacturers concerned enough to take action. Fortunately for consumers, the action will include lowering prices, adding features and integrating players into "connected ecosystems" that let users take advantage of increasingly popular online media as well as content that comes on shiny plastic discs. Three main factors contribute to the perception that the now-dominant high-definition Blu-ray disc standard is stagnating: high overall prices, a general satisfaction with the current DVD format and buyer confusion in the midst of competing and multiplying technologies. "The [Blu-ray format] is being adopted in a similar pattern as previous technologies, but it is not being adopted at the same [rate]," says Paul Erickson, Director of DVD and HD Market Research for DisplaySearch. While DVD also took years to become popular, he says, the adoption curve for Blu-ray is even longer and is fraught with bumpy obstacles, such as a few DRM security code and playback problems. The two-and-a-half-year standards war with a competing high-def format, HD DVD, certainly didn't help. The battle ended in early 2008 when HD DVD's last major supporter, Toshiba, threw in the towel, but consumer confusion lingers. A tough economy has also slowed consumers' acceptance of the format. At next week's CEDIA 2008 conference, an annual gathering of television and home theater manufacturers, retailers and installers, expect to see an orgy of competing Blu-ray players. Some will focus on low prices (like Philips and Netlogic), and others will highlight features that integrate their physical content with wireless systems to download content from the internet (such as BD Live). Still, not everyone is convinced that these measures will help Blu-ray. Josh Martin of the Yankee Group says there are still too many "unclear messages" surrounding the format (such as unconventional BD spec profiles, which offer different versions of a player's capabilities) that throw that ecosystem out of whack. There's also a value disconnect: Most people can't justify purchasing a Blu-ray player that costs five times as much as a DVD player -- especially if it's not five times better. "The opportunity lies in creating a simple, mass-market device," says Martin. So far, that device hasn't arrived, despite tries by everyone from Sony to Magnavox. Until that device arrives, Martin says, a small price change (like Sony's recent 25 percent drop announcement), or even a cool spec upgrade won't make a difference. "Blu-ray will continue to struggle towards the end of [2008] because the format adoption is driven by price," Martin concludes. Andy Parsons, a senior vice president at Pioneer and chair of the Blu-ray Association, sees a different side. He points to the 8 million Blu-ray players already sold this year (on pace to triple last year's sales) as an example that people are excited about Blu-ray and HD technologies in general, and will respond to more aggressive features: "People say [low Blu-ray sales last year] were because of a lack of demand but it was really a lack of supplies. The demand was high," Parsons says. The shortage wasn't caused by the difficulty and expense of creating Blu-ray discs and players, which many critics of the format often cite, but because manufacturers simply didn't expect to sell that many players in the first place, Parsons says. Given the state of change, companies at CEDIA 2008 are focusing on developing the technology, regardless of the price. Pioneer will release a new Elite player next week that the company says will surpass every other high-end player in quality, but it comes with a heart-stopping $2,000 price tag. Yamaha is coming out with its own high-end player, as is up-and-coming Sherwood. And, it seems, every big-time audio maker at CEDIA is preparing huge systems to blow up the high-end sound produced by these players. But that relative excess is the heart of the problem, says Gartner analyst Steve Kleyhans. For him, the entertainment ecosystem is simply too expensive to keep up with. In order to fully realize the value of a Blu-ray player's high-definition features, families also need to buy new HDTVs, new speakers and who knows, maybe an extra fluffy couch. Watching an HD movie on the 14-inch analog TV just won't cut it. That's why Kleyhans predicts that more HDTVs will be sold as more Blu-ray players and other high-def media proliferates. What about the threat from downloadable or streaming internet video? Interestingly, most manufacturers and analysts we talked with do not believe that online media is an immediate threat to optical discs. First, the national bandwidth infrastructure is incomplete and can't come close to delivering HD movies on a wide enough scale to compete with physical discs within the next five years. Second, the market for set-top boxes that display internet video on your TV offers too many options, and most services are still incomplete (for example, Roku's set-top box only provides access to 10 percent of the Netflix catalog). And third, as Martin concludes, the experience is "still not as simple as popping in a disc." It looks like for the majority of people, popping a disc in a slot for entertainment is proving too hard of a compulsion to let go. It's just going to take awhile before that disc is a Blu-ray one.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:00 pm Discs Meet the Internet in Next-Gen Blu-ray PlayersSix years after its official launch, the consumer electronics industry's high-definition successor to DVD still hasn't taken off. That's got manufacturers concerned enough to take action. Fortunately for consumers, the action will include lowering prices, adding features and integrating players into "connected ecosystems" that let users take advantage of increasingly popular online media as well as content that comes on shiny plastic discs. Three main factors contribute to the perception that the now-dominant high-definition Blu-ray disc standard is stagnating: high overall prices, a general satisfaction with the current DVD format and buyer confusion in the midst of competing and multiplying technologies. "The [Blu-ray format] is being adopted in a similar pattern as previous technologies, but it is not being adopted at the same [rate]," says Paul Erickson, Director of DVD and HD Market Research for DisplaySearch. While DVD also took years to become popular, he says, the adoption curve for Blu-ray is even longer and is fraught with bumpy obstacles, such as a few DRM security code and playback problems. The two-and-a-half-year standards war with a competing high-def format, HD DVD, certainly didn't help. The battle ended in early 2008 when HD DVD's last major supporter, Toshiba, threw in the towel, but consumer confusion lingers. A tough economy has also slowed consumers' acceptance of the format. At next week's CEDIA 2008 conference, an annual gathering of television and home theater manufacturers, retailers and installers, expect to see an orgy of competing Blu-ray players. Some will focus on low prices (like Philips and Netlogic), and others will highlight features that integrate their physical content with wireless systems to download content from the internet (such as BD Live). Still, not everyone is convinced that these measures will help Blu-ray. Josh Martin of the Yankee Group says there are still too many "unclear messages" surrounding the format (such as unconventional BD spec profiles, which offer different versions of a player's capabilities) that throw that ecosystem out of whack. There's also a value disconnect: Most people can't justify purchasing a Blu-ray player that costs five times as much as a DVD player -- especially if it's not five times better. "The opportunity lies in creating a simple, mass-market device," says Martin. So far, that device hasn't arrived, despite tries by everyone from Sony to Magnavox. Until that device arrives, Martin says, a small price change (like Sony's recent 25 percent drop announcement), or even a cool spec upgrade won't make a difference. "Blu-ray will continue to struggle towards the end of [2008] because the format adoption is driven by price," Martin concludes. Andy Parsons, a senior vice president at Pioneer and chair of the Blu-ray Association, sees a different side. He points to the 8 million Blu-ray players already sold this year (on pace to triple last year's sales) as an example that people are excited about Blu-ray and HD technologies in general, and will respond to more aggressive features: "People say [low Blu-ray sales last year] were because of a lack of demand but it was really a lack of supplies. The demand was high," Parsons says. The shortage wasn't caused by the difficulty and expense of creating Blu-ray discs and players, which many critics of the format often cite, but because manufacturers simply didn't expect to sell that many players in the first place, Parsons says. Given the state of change, companies at CEDIA 2008 are focusing on developing the technology, regardless of the price. Pioneer will release a new Elite player next week that the company says will surpass every other high-end player in quality, but it comes with a heart-stopping $2,000 price tag. Yamaha is coming out with its own high-end player, as is up-and-coming Sherwood. And, it seems, every big-time audio maker at CEDIA is preparing huge systems to blow up the high-end sound produced by these players. But that relative excess is the heart of the problem, says Gartner analyst Steve Kleyhans. For him, the entertainment ecosystem is simply too expensive to keep up with. In order to fully realize the value of a Blu-ray player's high-definition features, families also need to buy new HDTVs, new speakers and who knows, maybe an extra fluffy couch. Watching an HD movie on the 14-inch analog TV just won't cut it. That's why Kleyhans predicts that more HDTVs will be sold as more Blu-ray players and other high-def media proliferates. What about the threat from downloadable or streaming internet video? Interestingly, most manufacturers and analysts we talked with do not believe that online media is an immediate threat to optical discs. First, the national bandwidth infrastructure is incomplete and can't come close to delivering HD movies on a wide enough scale to compete with physical discs within the next five years. Second, the market for set-top boxes that display internet video on your TV offers too many options, and most services are still incomplete (for example, Roku's set-top box only provides access to 10 percent of the Netflix catalog). And third, as Martin concludes, the experience is "still not as simple as popping in a disc." It looks like for the majority of people, popping a disc in a slot for entertainment is proving too hard of a compulsion to let go. It's just going to take awhile before that disc is a Blu-ray one. Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:00 pm "Google Satellite" To Be Launched This WeekLord Satri writes "Well, almost. Google signed an exclusivity deal with GeoEye regarding GeoEye-1, the most advanced high-resolution, civil, remote-sensing satellite to date. This must be annoying for other high-resolution, remote-sensing data users since Google already has an exclusivity deal in place with DigitalGlobe, the other major civil satellite imagery provider. From the CNet article: 'Under the deal, Google is the exclusive online mapping site that may use the imagery... in its Google Maps and Google Earth product. And as a little icing on the cake, Google's logo is on the side of the rocket set to launch the 4,300-pound satellite in six days from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. GeoEye-1 will orbit 423 miles above Earth, but it will be able to gather imagery with details the size of 41 centimeters... Google, though, is permitted to use data only with a resolution of 50 cm because of the terms of GeoEye's license with the US government.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:53 pm Scientists Fear Impact of Asian Pollutants On USDuring the Olympics we discussed the international monitoring effort as China shut down factories and curtailed automobile travel in an attempt to reduce pollution. Now reader Anti-Globalism sends in a story that reveals that monitoring effort to be ongoing, with a bigger mandate: assessing the impact of China's pollution on the US. In fact the problem is bigger still because, as one researcher put it, "It's one atmosphere." Scientists are finding that pollution from, for example, Europe can travel right around the globe in three weeks. "By some estimates more than 10 billion pounds of airborne pollutants from Asia — ranging from soot to mercury to carbon dioxide to ozone — reach the US annually. The problem is only expected to worsen: Some Chinese officials have warned that pollution in their country could quadruple in the next 15 years. While some scientists are less certain, others say the Asian pollution could destabilize weather patterns across the North Pacific, mask the effects of global warming, reduce rainfall in the American West and compromise efforts to meet air-pollution standards."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:07 pm Horse Whisperer author poisoned by wild mushrooms
(Photo of Cortinarius Speciosissimus from Mycocheype) Author Nicholas Evans and three family members are seriously ill after eating poisonous mushrooms in The Highlands. There are about 10,000 species of mushroom found in Britain and Cortinarius Speciosissimus is known to be one of the most deadly. Found mostly in Scotland, where it grows in conifer woods, it causes damage to the liver, kidneys and spinal cord. As other members of the Cortinarius family are also dangerous none are recommended for human consumption.Horse Whisperer author, Nicholas Evans, poisoned by wild mushrooms Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:41 pm Weapons-Grade Lasers by the End of '08?Defense contractor Northrop Grumman is promising the Pentagon that it'll have weapons-grade electric lasers by the end of 2008. Which means honest-to-goodness energy weapons might actually become a military reality, after decades of fruitless searching.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:34 pm Couple gets hitched at a funeral home A Michigan couple decided to get married at a local funeral home. Part of it was because the husband was a funeral director there. But also, he points out, just as many caskets are carried down the wedding aisle at a church, so what's the difference? Some guests were hesitant to attend, but ultimately everyone showed up and had a good time. Link ( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.) Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:29 pm Unsolicited Offer For My Personal Domain Name?Batzerto writes "Last Friday I received an unsolicited email offer for my domain — click the link below for the message. Their company name matches my domain, but with a country-specific top level domain (.NL in this case). They do seem to be legitimately using the domain in their country. As for my usage, the domain is my last name(.COM) and I'm only really using it for email. I'm not really that attached to it other than the hassle of changing email addresses. There are other flavors of the domain available (.US for example) that would suit my purposes just fine. So, Slashdot veterans, I ask you, what should I do? I'm leery of making an offer and falling into someone's legal trap. I wouldn't mind getting a chunk of cash out of the deal though."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:23 pm AppJet Offers Browser-Based Coding How-To, Hostingtheodp writes "Know someone who wants to learn to program? Paul Graham advises programmer wannabes to check out The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming on the Web from AppJet, which aims to be 'the funnest and easiest way for a beginner to get started programming.' Setting the guide apart from other tutorials is the ability to edit and run any of the all-Javascript examples directly in your browser. Newcomers to programming and experienced developers alike can also publish their AppJet creations on the web. Sure beats GE BASIC on the General Electric Time-Sharing Service!"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:40 pm Gustav brings down cell, Internet service (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:15 pm Many versions of "Morning Dew" Bedazzled has links to several versions of Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:00 pm Possible Monogamy Gene Found In PeopleCalopteryx sends in a New Scientist summary of research from Sweden pointing toward the existence of a gene that influences monogamy in men. (The article doesn't mention women, and the study subjects were all men at least 5 years into a heterosexual relationship.) "There has been speculation about the role of the hormone vasopressin in humans ever since we discovered that variations in where receptors for the hormone are expressed makes prairie voles strictly monogamous but meadow voles promiscuous; vasopressin is related to the 'cuddle chemical' oxytocin. Now it seems variations in a section of the gene coding for a vasopressin receptor in people help to determine whether men are serial commitment-phobes or devoted husbands."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 6:56 pm Conet Project free onlineXeni and I were just talking about the wonder of Wilco and their performance at the recent Outside Lands festival. As many of you know, Wilco's magnificent album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was named for (and uses samples from) the Conet Project, a four CD collection from Irdial-Discs of "numbers stations." For decades, intelligence organizations have reportedly broadcast one-way messages to their agents in the field via shortwave, and the transmissions happen to sound weirder than any Stockhausen score or minimalist electronica you've ever heard -- a child's voice, or the obviously synthesized intonation on what's known as the "Lincolnshire Poacher" station, named for the folk song accompanying the numbers. The Conet Project contains recordings of 150 of these stations. I wrote about the Conet Project in 1999 for a feature article in Salon. (Cory also blogged about the project on BB after Irdial oddly sued WEA, Wilco's label, for copyright infringement.) Since then, Irdial has posted the Conet Project audio on Hyperreal. From my Salon article, titled "Counting Spies":Conet Project (Hyperreal), "Counting Spies" (Salon), buy Conet Project (Amazon) Previously on BB: • Who owns recordings of numbers stations? Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 6:53 pm Struggling Alcatel-Lucent names new top executives (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 5:14 pm Your Cheatin' Heart: It's GeneticIs the urge to stray genetic? A new study of Swedish men suggests it may partly be so.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:26 pm Jamaican Lizards Work Out at Dusk and DawnTo impress competitors, anole lizards start each day with a vigorous exercise routine.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 2 Sep 2008 | 2:26 pm Comet-Chasing Spacecraft Pauses for Asteroid FlybyThe Rosetta spacecraft is on schedule for a close encounter with an asteroid.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 2 Sep 2008 | 1:26 pm New Orleans Largely Spared by GustavAfter its first major test since the 2005 hurricane season, New Orleans is still standing.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:26 am Much-Hyped RED Takes Aim at Digital Still CamerasAfter turning the film industry on its ear with a super-high-resolution digital movie camera, RED founder Jim Jannard has leaked a few details on a digital SLR still camera that he is planning.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:56 am
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My preferred dose? One CD of Conet before bedtime. Repeat if necessary. Be warned, though: Side effects may include grainy and nihilistic nightmares starring a grayscale spy cabal armed with an arsenal of dead media. Conet as soundtrack to a J.G. Ballard noir documentary. Indeed, Ballard's style of (non) fiction blends seamlessly with the blurb on Conet's stark, minimalist packaging: "The origin of these stations is in dispute. Their purpose is unclear. Some of these organizations should have been closed down after the 'end of the cold war,' yet they continue to transmit like clockwork."
