Clipmarks | DazuPrime's clips

RIAA = BAD

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:30:52 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Despite collecting an estimated several hundred million dollars in P2P related settlements from the likes of Napster, KaZaA and Bolt, prominent artists’ managers are complaining that so far, they haven’t received any compensation from the labels. According to a lawyer, some are considering legal action.

Another school shooting

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:49:13 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime
clipper's remarks: My own community

Clip Source: venturacountystar.com

An eighth-grade boy shot in the head by a junior high classmate Tuesday in Oxnard — the first school shooting of its kind in recent Ventura County history — was expected to survive, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 8:30 a.m. in a computer lab at E.O. Green School at 3739 South C St. shortly after students had arrived at school, police said.

About two dozen students were in the lab working on projects for their English class when a boy shot and seriously wounded a classmate, police said.

Other students in the class identified the victim as Lawrence King and the suspect as Brandon McInerney. Oxnard Police would not confirm the names Tuesday but said the two students involved were both 15 years old.

Swedish cops probe flying fermented fish attack

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:52:15 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: www.theregister.co.uk

Swedish police are probing a malodorous fermented flying fish incident in which an open can of local delicacy surströmming was launched through the bedroom window of a 52-year-old Motala man.

Sweden's The Local describes the result as "breakfast in bed with a cruel and unusual twist", and according to our correspondent Mike Richards that pretty well sums it up, since he categorises the smell of surströmming as akin to "composted gorgonzola in a Viking's jockstrap".

The cops are treating the piscine projectile launch as "property damage", and reckon they have a pretty good idea who was responsible.

The tins are apparently banned by some airlines, since they may pose an explosive risk. Mercifully, al-Qaeda is unlikely to avail itself of this property to down aircraft because, according to Mike, you have to be "clinically Swedish" to even look at a can of the stuff without fainting. ®

Man Made global warming, not so man made.

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:34:00 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime
clipper's remarks: A link on this essay takes you to the scientific paper

Clip Source: www.sott.net

Excerpt: "The late-twentieth century is not exceptionally warm in the new Torneträsk record: On decadal-to-century timescales, periods around AD 750, 1000, 1400, and 1750 were all equally warm, or warmer. The warmest summers in this new reconstruction occur in a 200-year period centred on AD 1000. A 'Medieval Warm Period' is supported by other paleoclimate evidence from northern Fennoscandia, although the new tree-ring evidence from Tornetraäsk suggests that this period was much warmer than previously recognised." < > "The new Torneträsk summer temperature reconstruction shows a trend of -0.3°C over the last 1,500 years." Paper available here: & Full Paper (pdf) available here:

Environmental Catastrophism

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:51:08 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime
clipper's remarks: The Original essay makes some great points.

Clip Source: www.sott.net

What is sinister about environmental catastrophism is that it diverts attention from hundreds and hundreds of serious environmental concerns that can be dealt with - starting, perhaps, with the emission of nitrous oxides from power plants. Here, in California, if you drive upstate you can see the pollution all up the Central Valley from Los Angeles, a lot of it caused, ironically, by the sulphuric acid droplets from catalytic converters! The problem is that 20 or 30 years ago, the politicians didn't want to take on the power companies, so they fixed their sights on penalising motorists who are less able to fight back. Decade after decade, power plants have been given a pass on the emissions from their smoke stacks while measures to force citizens to change their behaviour are brought in.

Writers Strike Good for Online Video

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:52:37 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: www.techcrunch.com

Thanks Striking Writers, Online Video Going Up, Up, Up, Up

We wrote when the US writer’s strike started in November that it was a chance for millions online to bloom. We were right. According to new figures from Nielsen Online some online video sites have doubled their audience since the strike began.

A BBC report quoted Nielsen analyst Alex Burmaster “that is greater growth than you would normally see in such a short period and the strike could be a possible factor.”

48% of internet users said they had visited a video-sharing site such as
YouTube. A year ago, in December 2006, 33% of internet users said they had
visited such sites. That represents growth of more than 45% year-to-year.
15% of respondents said they had used a video-sharing site “yesterday” – the day
before they were contacted for our survey. A year ago, 8% had visited such a site
“yesterday.” Thus, on an average day, the number of users of video sites nearly
doubled from the end of 2006 to the end of 2007.

To Die Alone & Forgotten

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:00:34 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: www.newsvine.com

SYDNEY — A man lay dead in his apartment in Australia's largest city for a year before anyone noticed, officials and news reports said Thursday.

The body of Jorge Chambe, 64, was found on Tuesday in his single bedroom, government-owned flat in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona when police and firefighters broke in, after concerns about his welfare were finally raised.

Decomposition of the body was advanced and bank records indicated Chambe died about a year earlier, officials said.

"How can it happen that a person can die in such a lonely way and no one know?" New South Wales state Housing Minister Matt Brown told the Macquarie Radio network on Thursday.

Critics said the state government had failed to follow through on a monitoring plan that was established after three elderly people's deaths that had gone unnoticed for months came to light within two weeks in early 2006.

Glowing Pigs

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:43:29 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: reversemonster.org

BEIJING (AP) - A cloned pig whose genes were altered to make it glow fluorescent green has passed on the trait to its young, a development that could lead to the future breeding of pigs for human transplant organs, a Chinese university reported.

The glowing piglets’ birth proves transgenic pigs are fertile and able to pass on their engineered traits to their offspring, according to Liu Zhonghua, a professor overseeing the breeding program at Northeast Agricultural University.

“Continued development of this technology can be applied to … the production of special pigs for the production of human organs for transplant,” Liu said in a news release posted Tuesday on the university’s Web site.

Exploding Dogs in Oz

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:54:31 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: www.theregister.co.uk

Oz crematorium menaced by exploding dog

We're very much obliged to Oz's ABC News this morning for clarifying something which has been bothering us for some time: do frozen dogs present an explosion risk?

The answer is a chilling yes, as proved by the case of the Darwin pet crematorium which last night got an unscheduled visit from three fire trucks and police after "a passing motorist reported the premises were on fire".

In fact, the facility's chimney was ablaze, and once the authorities "confirmed flames were coming out of the flue", they called the owner.

ABC's report splendidly concludes: "He revealed that a frozen dead dog in the furnace was the cause of the overheating chimney, as frozen dogs sometimes explode when cremated."

The final outcome of the exploding frozen dog incident is not noted, and we are unable to provide details on the breed. ®

Micro Nuclear Reactor

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:53:28 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime
clipper's remarks: Two words: No Comment.

Clip Source: www.nextenergynews.com

Toshiba Builds 100x Smaller Micro Nuclear Reactor

Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs.

Toshiba expects to install the first reactor in Japan in 2008 and to begin marketing the new system in Europe and America in 2009.

Cult of the Eye

Mon, 28 May 2007 08:08:55 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime
clipper's remarks: One of Us . . .

Clip Source: www.cultoftheeye.com

Well there are many conflicting accounts of the origin of the Cult of the Eye™, and more are being created every day. (There's nothing like a little "Creative Reminiscing" to boost one's self worth!) Perhaps in the future all will become clear. For now we must be content with this humble web site and its utter lack of useful information. However, plans are afoot and as soon as we are properly motivated we shall make ourselves known!

Tags: cult

Ghost Brides

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:20:00 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: today.reuters.com

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have arrested three men for killing two young women to sell their corpses as "ghost brides" for dead single men, a Chinese newspaper reported, warning the dark custom might have claimed many other victims.

Tags: strange

slacktivism

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:42:43 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: www.snopes.com

E-petitions are the latest manifestation of slacktivism, the search for the ultimate feel-good that derives from having come to society's rescue without having had to actually gets one's hands dirty or open one's wallet. It's slacktivism that prompts us to forward appeals for business cards on behalf of a dying child intent upon having his name recorded in the Guinness World Book of Records or exhortations to others to continue circulating a particular e-mail because some big company has supposedly promised that every forward will generate monies for the care of a particular dying child. Likewise, it's slacktivism that prompts us to want a join a boycott of designated gas companies or eschew buying gasoline on a particular day rather than reduce our personal consumption of fossil fuels by driving less and taking the bus more often. Slacktivism comes in many forms (and there are many other illustrations of it on this web site; our goal was merely to offer a few examples rather than provide a definitive list), but its key defining characteristic is its central theme of doing good with little or no effort on the part of person inspired to participate in the forwarding, exhorting, collecting, or e-signing.

Tags: the search for the ultimate feel-good that derives

Common Magick

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 05:51:02 GMT

clipped by: DazuPrime

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Psychologists and anthropologists have typically turned to faith healers, tribal cultures or New Age spiritualists to study the underpinnings of belief in superstition or magical powers. Yet they could just as well have examined their own neighbors, lab assistants or even some fellow scientists. New research demonstrates that habits of so-called magical thinking — the belief, for instance, that wishing harm on a loathed colleague or relative might make him sick — are far more common than people acknowledge.

Tags: common magick