Clipmarks | PatrisTimoris's clips

Judge: RIAA Owes Wrongfully-Accused Defendant Over $68K

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:12:08 GMT

The RIAA must pay P2P defendant Debbie Foster $68,685.23 for accusing her of sharing copyrighted music over a P2P network. Judge Lee R. West had ordered the RIAA to pay these fees back in April, but didn't specify a total, which he revealed in an Order (PDF) issued yesterday.

Foster had originally sought fees totaling $114,363.18 but the RIAA objected, claiming that the number of billable hours and the hourly rate were too high, that the case was too simple to cost over a hundred grand to defend, that some of the work was duplicative, and that Foster was "not entitled to fees that could have been avoided had she assisted the plaintiffs or acceded to settlement," among other things.

Besides limiting the fees it owes, it the RIAA succeeded in another, possibly more crucial aspect of the case: not having to disclose what it pays its own attorneys to go after music uploaders.

Tags: riaa, music, p2p, legal

Turn Yourself Into a Simpson Character

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:08:28 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

To promote the launch of the first full-length Simpsons feature film, Burger King and Fox have created The Simpsonizer. Woo-hoo!

Go to simpsonizeme.com, upload a photo of yourself and the application analyzes your face, turning you into an honorary Springfield resident.

Here are some tips from my own trial and error:

1. The site is under a heavy load, so if you keep getting errors, try again.
2. Your picture needs to be at least 640x480, but bigger is better. Go for 800x600 to be safe.
3. 72dpi is OK, but again: bigger is better.
4. Straight-on head shots are all that seem to work. If you get errors, go into Photoshop and pump up the contrast settings. The more, the better.
5. While in Photoshop, removing any random items behind your head will also improve your results, especially if they have a lot of texture. A white wall works, but things like bricks, trees and skylines need to go.

Tags: simpsons, character, animation

Why 'Survival of the Fittest' Produces Runts

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:05:50 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

Like a secret ingredient to a signature recipe, "survival of the fittest" is a crucial part of the theory of evolution. The fittest individuals survive to mate and pass on their genetic lineage, and the weaker creatures fail to pass on their wimpy genes.

But if that's how it works, where do all the runts in nature come from?

A new study of red deer populations, detailed in a recent issue of the journal Nature, suggests that a genetic tug-of-war related to sex may be responsible. When red deer search for mates , each sex instinctively looks for different qualities. Males seek out females that will produce the biggest, toughest sons, and females seek males that carry a genetic blueprint for the best offspring-creating daughters.

It turns out, however, that the genes that make a good male aren't the same genes that make a good female.

Such an evolutionary paradox creates weak members of each sex every generation alongside stronger members

Tags: biology, red deer, evolution

Low hospital staff levels increase infection rates

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:02:01 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

Decreasing the number of nurses on duty in an intensive care unit (ICU) increases the risk of serious infection, according to a report published in the open access journal Critical Care.

The team found that when there were lower numbers of nurses, patients were more likely to catch pneumonia six days or more after being placed on a ventilator. This suggests that bacteria are transferred between patients, or from one site to another in the same patient. This could be due to short-staffed nurses having less time to follow hand hygiene recommendations and proper isolation procedures or being unable to provide adequate care to the ventilated patient. The nurses’ training level had no effect on infection rates.

The authors concluded that this study backs up findings from their earlier general study on ICU infection risks, namely that employing more than two nurses per patient per day would prevent a large proportion of infections.

Tags: biology, medicine, health, hospitals, infection, pneumonia, switzerland

Girls Who Complain About Their Problems At Greater Risk For Anxiety and Depression

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:16:00 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Science Daily — A researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that girls who talk very extensively about their problems with friends are likely to become more anxious and depressed.

The study involved 813 third, fifth, seventh and ninth grade students. The participants answered questionnaires that assessed co-rumination, depression, anxiety and the quality of their best friendship in the fall and spring of the school year.

Ironically, although co-rumination was related to increased depression and anxiety, Rose also found that co-rumination was associated with positive friendship quality, including feelings of closeness between friends. Boys who co-ruminated also developed closer friendships across the school year but did not develop greater depressive and anxiety symptoms over time.

Rose said adolescents should be encouraged to talk about their problems, but only in moderation and without co-ruminating.

Tags: science, medicine, health, psychology, anxiety, depression, adolescents

Organic Solar Cells, The Next Frontier

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:04:09 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.goletavalleyvoice.com

While conventional organic solar cells are comprised of single sheets of material, the new “tandem” organic solar cell is made of two multilayered parts that work together to gather a wider range of the spectrum: they collect both the shorter and longer light wavelengths. The architecture of the cells — two organic photovoltaic cells with different light absorption characteristics linked by a transparent layer of titanium oxide — is the equivalent of two cells in series, said Heeger.

As a result, the tandem cell has a 6.5 percent efficiency.

“This is the highest level achieved for solar cells made from organic materials,” Heeger said.
Silicon-based solar cells typically convert about 12 percent to 15 percent of solar energy to electricity, while previous organic photovoltaic cells converted up to about 6 percent.

To provide energy for today’s electronics, organic photo cells need an efficiency of around 10 percent, but it shouldn’t take long to get there.

Tags: science, physics, polymers, photovoltaic, solar energy, energy

Murderer's Mother Blames Videogames for Sons's Actions

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:40:48 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris
clipper's remarks: It is staggering the lengths people will go to lay blame elsewhere.

I knew he was playing the video games but we didn't really know what went on in them, how brutal and graphic they were.

Indifference to your child's activities cannot be blamed on an entertainment medium.

he donned a long dark wig, sunglasses and jacket from the ‘killing kit' he had spent 10 months amassing on eBay. He then headed out with a large hunting knife.

and

police discovered that, before the murder, Harling spent days on the internet talking to paedophiles and researching serial killers

So the internet supplied the research and the materials, where is the outrage against the internet?

"Stuart never gave us any reason to think he was violent at all. He was a very normal boy—quiet and reserved.

Except that he was playing violent games and the using the internet to research serial killers and purchasing the equipment necessary to mimic them

Clip Source: www.gamesindustry.biz

"Stuart was 11 or 12 when I bought him the PlayStation. For a long time I didn't even realise games had age limits on them. We'd just buy him the game that all the other kids had. I didn't really know what they were about. I think most parents are the same."

"Every night he would retreat into his darkened bedroom at home in Rainham, Essex, and enter a grisly virtual world that revelled in sadism, ritual blood-letting and death. Just like millions of other youngsters," the article reads.

Harling's mother is quoted as saying, "I know these games are played by kids across the world, but some are truly horrific. And if they can cause a trigger to be pulled in someone's head they should be banned."

The mother of Stuart Harling, the 18 year-old convicted of stabbing nurse Cheryl Moss to death, has claimed that his violent behaviour was triggered by playing videogames

"Just like he'd PRACTISED on the PlayStation in his bedroom."

Tags: sociology, crime, murder, video games, violence

Condom Fashion

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:10:41 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

Beijing, China, July 12, 2007, —Stretching the limits of fashion—and perhaps good taste—designers decked out models in condom couture at the Fourth China Reproductive Health New Technologies and Products Expo, which was sponsored by a condom company.

Promoting prophylactic use to fight HIV/AIDS and timed to World Population Day, the fashion show was designed to get people talking—specifically about sex.

In China a traditional unwillingness to discuss sex and scant sex education contribute to the current spread of AIDS and to a booming population, experts say. By 2033, the country's population is expected to grow from 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion, according to China's State Population and Family Planning Commission.

Tags: photography, world population day, china, condom

New particle explains odd behavior in cuprate superconductors

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:06:40 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- New fundamental particles aren’t found only at Fermilab and at other particle accelerators. They also can be found hiding in plain pieces of ceramic, scientists at the University of Illinois report.

The newly formulated particle is a boson and has a charge of 2e, but does not consist of two electrons, the scientists say. The particle arises from the strong, repulsive interactions between electrons, and provides another piece of the high-temperature superconductivity puzzle.

Twenty-one years ago, superconductivity at high temperatures was discovered in copper-oxide ceramics (cuprates). Existing explanations of superconductivity proved inadequate because, unlike low-temperature superconductors, which are metals, the parent materials from which all high-temperature superconductors arise are insulators.

Now, a new theory suggests something has been overlooked. “Hidden in the copper-oxide materials is a new particle, a boson with a charge of 2e,” said Philip Phillips

Tags: science, physics, high energy physics, superconductor, cuprates, boson, fermilab

How Solar Systems Are Organized

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 06:02:40 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.space.com

The majority of extrasolar planets known were found using the radial velocity method, which involves measuring the stellar wobbles caused by planets gravitationally tugging on their stars. Because this technique is best suited to detecting massive planets close to their stars (large planets located close to their stars create the biggest wobbles), astronomers were unsure whether more gas giants could be found at a greater distance from their stars via different detection methods.

To answer this question, Biller and her colleagues conducted a three-year survey using telescopes in Arizona and Chile. The team looked specifically for gas giants residing relatively far from their parent stars. They surveyed 54 nearby, young stars where gas giant planets would still be forming. Theory predicts young Jupiters are brighter and thus easier to spot than older gas giants.

Tags: science, astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics, space, planets, solar system, gas giants

Source of "Killer Electrons" in Space Discovered, Study Says

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 05:54:41 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

Scientists have discovered the force that creates "killer electrons," particles that pose a significant hazard to spacecraft and astronauts.

The supercharged particles are also a menace to satellites, which are increasingly vital to phones, television, and other communication systems.

Killer electrons are found in the outermost of Earth's doughnut-shaped radiation belts. The belts circle the Earth and are bound by the planet's magnetic fields.

Scientists have long pondered where the killer particles come from and how they accumulate in the radiation belts.

But a team at New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory may have solved the mystery, and their findings suggest the particles actually form much closer to home.

"I think we show conclusively they do not come from further out [in space]. They are accelerated in the radiation belt itself," said Reiner Friedel, co-author of a paper published in the July issue of the journal Nature Physics.

Tags: science, astronomy, astrophysics, cosmic radiation, los alamos national laboratory, killer electrons, nasa

Reducing smoking -- mixed messages and poor markers

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 05:51:06 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

Some people are unwilling or unable to stop smoking, but are prepared to try and reduce the numbers of cigarettes they smoke each day. After studying healthcare literature, a team of Cochrane Researchers could find only a few reports that assessed methods aimed at helping people reduce use. It is also unclear whether cutting down the number of cigarettes delivers clear health benefits.

The main effort in therapies aimed at smokers has been at helping them to stop smoking completely. Little attention has been given to the idea of helping them reduce their use.

Firstly, they found that between 6% and 9% of people using nicotine replacement therapy delivered by either chewing gum or inhaler managed to reduce their use of cigarettes.

Secondly they found no evidence that the treatments that aimed to help people reduce their use diverted them from attempting to stop completely. “In fact cessation rates were higher, not lower, in nicotine replacement treatment groups,”

Tags: medicine, health, smoking, smoking cessation

In violent neighborhoods, adults too fearful to intervene with most young offenders

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 05:47:08 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A study of young, violent criminals in New York City found that they used fear and intimidation to keep adults from interfering with their criminal activities.

Almost 40 percent of the young offenders interviewed said that adults' fear of teens was the defining characteristic of their relations.

As a result, in many situations, adults ignored criminal activity by teens and young adults, findings showed.

These results suggest that one of the usual prescriptions for ending youth violence – more informal social control by neighborhood adults – may not be realistic in some violent neighborhoods.

“Adults look at the age of the youth involved, whether the offender is from the neighborhood, the severity of the crime, the likelihood of retaliation, and whether there is some kind of personal relationship,”

“It's not as easy as saying adults should be more involved in the lives of the adolescents in their neighborhood. There's a lot of factors adults have to consider.”

Tags: sociology, crime, violence, drugs, age

Universal flu vaccine being tested on humans

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 05:37:54 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.eurekalert.org

Ghent, Belgium -- A universal influenza vaccine that has been pioneered by researchers from VIB and Ghent University is being tested for the first time on humans by the British-American biotech company Acambis. This vaccine is intended to provide protection against all ‘A’ strains of the virus that causes human influenza, including pandemic strains.

In the 1990s, VIB researchers connected to Ghent University, under the direction of Prof. Emeritus Walter Fiers, invented a universal flu vaccine. One protein on the surface of the influenza virus, the so-called M2 protein, remains unchanged in all human flu viruses known, including the strains that caused the pandemics in the last century. On the basis of the M2-protein they developed a vaccine and successfully tested it on mice and other laboratory animals: the M2 vaccine provided total protection against ‘A’ strains of flu, without side effects.

Tags: science, biology, medicine, virus, influenza, vaccine, belgium

Pluto's Moon is an Ice Machine

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 05:34:31 GMT

clipped by: PatrisTimoris

Clip Source: www.space.com

Slushy geysers on Pluto's moon Charon apparently coat the tiny world in ice crystals, making it something like the outer solar system's equivalent of an ice machine.

A very, very slow ice machine.

Water is likely trickling out at a glacial pace, researchers say, repaving Charon in a thin layer of 1-millimeter deep ice every 100,000 years.

The finding, announced today and detailed in the July 10 issue of Astrophysical Journal, hints at water ice inside Charon and has implications for other Kuiper Belt Objects-a class of relatively small, rocky bodies located beyond the orbit of Neptune.

The researchers ruled out other possible mechanisms for the ice and concluded it must be due to cryovolcanism-the eruption of liquids and from inside the moon.

"The real proof will come from the deep-space NASA probe New Horizons, which will arrive at this system in 2015 and send back images that can verify what we've seen," Cook said.

Tags: science, astronomy, pluto, charon, astrophysics, nasa, new horizons