Clipmarks | Thr4ll's clips

FREE wireless with Google TiSP

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 21:58:12 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll
clipper's remarks: I've been waiting for Google to come out with an ISP service for years! Odd that it would happen on April 1st, though...

Clip Source: www.google.com

Sign up for our free in-home wireless broadband service

Sick of paying for broadband that you have to, well, pay for?

Introducing Google TiSP (BETA), our new FREE in-home wireless broadband service. Sign up today and we'll send you your TiSP self-installation kit, which includes setup guide, fiber-optic cable, spindle, wireless router and installation CD.

TiSP in-home wireless broadband is:

Free, fast and highly reliable
Easy to install -- takes just minutes
Vacuum-sealed to prevent water damage

Tags: google, april fools

Can genetically modified mosquitoes wipe out malaria?

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 19:45:35 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll
clipper's remarks: ...so... I'm guessing these scientists never saw the movie Mimic...

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

The idea of using genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to help wipe out malaria has been around for a while. Theoretically, if you could create a "better," stronger mosquito that happens to be unable to spread malaria parasites, and you were to release tens of thousands of those better mosquitoes into the wild, they would eventually win the survival game and replace the mosquitoes that are able to spread malaria. In this theoretical solution, once malaria were eradicated from a particular area, it wouldn't come back because the mosquitoes couldn't carry it back. But there has always been a glitch.

Still, that mosquitoes modified to be malaria-resistant could outsurvive normal mosquitoes under any circumstances is a tremendous finding, and it may be the proof-of-concept needed to keep this line of research moving forward. At the very least, it's a possible step toward a financially manageable, large-scale approach to eradicating malaria.

Tags: malaria, health, mosquitoes

Gullible.info - March 15, 2007

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 19:28:29 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: www.gullible.info

March 15, 2007

posted by estaban

• Worldwide, over two hundred deaths are annually attributed to accidents that happen as a direct result of Daylight Saving Time.

• Richard Nixon was wearing the same pair of shoes the days he graduated from college, was inaugurated into the presidency and resigned the presidency.

• One in five people carry a spoon or fork in their pocket "just in case".

• Caddan's Syndrome, a rare disease that causes afflicted individuals to develop horn-like bone growths from their skull, affects one in six million individuals.

• Researchers have been able to double the jumping height of grasshoppers (Caelifera Acrididae) by injecting a precise mixture of sulfates under the exoskeleton. The study cost $1.2 million.

Tags: gullible.info, facts

Will Ferrell, Jack Black, John C. O'Reilly Oscars Song

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 05:26:19 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: funny, oscars

Cyborg army being developed. Oh… good.

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 05:09:17 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: blog.scifi.com

Well, it's official. Life is turning into a mediocre science-fiction movie and our remote control is out of batteries. Israeli defense firm VIPeR has developed an army of small cyborgs that can enter combat zones and exchange fire with enemies. Fortunately for the survival of our species, the 'bots need to be controlled by a human and don't act and feel on their own. That must be for version 1.2.

I've got to admit, I'm skeptical about how well this would actually work. I have yet to see any type of robot, working on its own or remote-controlled, that can maneuver with anything resembling ease. These things are still clunky and awkward, and I can't really imagine an army of them maneuvering with the agility needed to handle a real battle. But hey, I guess we'll see. Someone get the popcorn, will ya? — Adam Frucci

Tags: army, cyborg, friccu, scifi

Blood Clot Found in Vice President Dick Cheney's Leg

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 21:59:52 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll
clipper's remarks: He's gonna have to get Karl Rove to sacrifice a virgin to save him again.

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Doctors found a blood clot in Dick Cheney's left lower leg on Monday and have put the vice president on blood thinning medication to be taken for several months.

Cheney visited his doctor's office at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates in the afternoon following mild calf discomfort, said spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.

Cheney, 66, has previously been treated for a heart condition and has a pacemaker to regulate any irregular heartbeat. His annual physical in July showed his overall heart condition was stable. At the time, an electrocardiogram was also taken to check on repaired aneurysms on the back of his knees that were repaired through surgery in 2005.

Cheney has been traveling a lot and air flight is frequently blamed for blood clots. He recently returned from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Monday's ultrasound revealed a deep venous thrombosis or DVT. The vice president was not admitted to the hospital and has since returned to the White House to resume his schedule

Tags: vice president, cheney, health

Oil Falls Below $60

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 21:10:37 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Oil prices dropped sharply Monday, losing more than $1 a barrel, in a market driven by stock market declines and concerns about the world economy.

"There's a general sort of recoil from risk in the market," said Tobin Gorey, a commodity strategist with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery tumbled $1.38 to $60.26 a barrel in afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, the contract dropped as low as $59.55 a barrel, dipping below $60 for the first time since Feb. 28.

"There are still ongoing ramifications from China's drop last Tuesday," Gorey said, noting that most Asian equity markets were also down on Monday. "It was a jolt to the global economy."

Last Tuesday, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index plunged 9 percent, triggering huge losses on Wall Street and other markets.

Tags: oil

U.S. accused of firing on civilians

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:49:06 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: www.hamiltonspectator.com

U.S. troops opened fire on a highway filled with civilian cars and bystanders yesterday after a suicide car bombing in eastern Afghanistan. The Americans said the incident left at least eight civilians dead and 34 wounded.

One American was also wounded.

Afghan journalists covering the aftermath of the attack and shooting said U.S. troops deleted their photos and video and warned them not to publish or air any images.

There were differences in accounts of the incident, with the Americans saying that the civilians were caught in crossfire between the troops and militants, while Afghan witnesses and some authorities blamed the Americans for indiscriminately shooting at civilian vehicles after the explosion.

The accusation that U.S. forces killed or wounded so many Afghans was likely to cause an uproar in a country that has seen an untold number of civilians killed by international forces -- including Canadians -- since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

Tags: war, army, civilians, death

XM Canada Nearly DOUBLES Fees

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:29:52 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: gizmodo.com

XM Radio Online (XMRO) has been a free service to XM subscribers since its introduction. But starting September 1st, new Canadian subscribers will have to pay another $9.99 (Canadian cash) to listen to their subscription online. Existing subscribers will only be charged an extra $1 until Sep 2008 when they too will hand over their first born for Internet radio.

While Internet radio may not matter to most users, XMRO was one of the big reasons I bought XM for my wife. She works in a dungeon with no windows where ~~no on can stop me~~ her Inno cannot get line of site, and XMRO makes her subscription worth something during an otherwise wasted 8 hours of service a day.

Were you worried that the XM/Sirius merger would make satellite radio cocky? Hopefully this pricing won't make its way to the US, but I'm doubting we'll be luckier, aye? – Mark Wilson

XM Canada Raises Fees [orbitcast]

Tags: xm, radio, canada

Yet Another Reason to Boycott the RIAA

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:24:05 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: gizmodo.com

The Copyright Royalty Board has decided to accept the "per play" royalty rates proposed for internet radio channels by the RIAA's digital music ~~extortion~~ fee collection organization, Sound Exchange, despite protests by webcasters.

"Per performance" rates are charged per stream per listener. The example the Radio and Internet Newsletter gives is that an "audience of 500 listeners racks up 500 'performances' for each song" played. There is also a minimum fee of 500 bucks per station, even for tiny or noncommercial ones.

Why is this a big deal? "That math suggests that the royalty rate decision -- for the performance alone, not even including composers' royalties! -- is in the in the ballpark of 100% or more of total revenues." It's never enough is it? – Matt Buchanan

Webcast royalty rate decision announced [RAIN via Slashdot]
Gizmodo's RIAA boycott [Gizmodo]

Tags: riaa, extortion, evil

Paramount Officially Announces Trek XI For Christmas 2008

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:10:09 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll
clipper's remarks: Sweet!

Clip Source: www.trektoday.com

Paramount Pictures today officially announced the return of Star Trek on Christmas Day 2008.

"If there’s something I’m dying to see, it’s the brilliance and optimism of Roddenberry’s world brought back to the big screen," J.J. Abrams was quoted in a Paramount press release, which in its title again confirmed Abrams will be directing the new Trek film. Abrams continued: "[Alex Kurtzman] and Roberto Orci] wrote an amazing script that embraces and respects Trek canon, but charts its own course. Our goal is to make a picture for everyone — life-long fans and the uninitiated. Needless to say, I am honored and excited to be part of this next chapter of Star Trek."

"We could not be more thrilled to be back in business with J.J. Abrams," Paramount CEO and Chairman Brad Grey said. "The revival of the Star Trek franchise is an important part of Paramount’s turnaround."

Tags: star trek, j.j. abrams, paramount, movies

RIAA Launches P2PLawsuits.com

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:07:11 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

As part of its new initiative to convince universities to turn over the names of students suspected of copyright infringement (more on that soon), the RIAA has launched its P2Plawsuits.com website, which, in a deliciously ironic twist, had previously hosted all sorts of ads for dodgy P2P clients.

On the site, students whose universities have agreed to turn over student names to the RIAA and users whose ISPs have agreed to turn over subscriber names to the RIAA can apply for a settlement by entering their case number, and even pay their settlement online, which the RIAA promises will be represent "a substantial discount" from what they would have had to settle for before this campaign launched.

The new process is a response to the RIAA's frustration with our legal system, which requires the organization to use the IP address of a suspected infringer to subpoena ISPs or universities for the name of the suspected infringer, after which settlement talks usually begin.

Tags: riaa

'Stupid' computer error messages leave users befuddled

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:04:35 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

You know what ticks off Ben Ezzell? Bad error messages. Messages that "offer no intelligence, don't tell the user what's wrong [and] frustrate people," he says.

Ezzell is a veteran programmer and author

Ezzell and publisher O'Reilly & Associates held a contest in which they asked people to send in their favorite bad error messages. Ezzell was the sole judge.

Contest entries

The procedure failed with the following error: The command completed successfully.

Error: Keyboard not found. Press F1 to continue.

Unexpected error, quitting.

Windows has found an unknown device and is installing a driver for it.

Your system shell has changed. The Compaq software will work with your new shell, but the new shell will not work with your Compaq software. Do you wish to keep your Compaq software working? Click yes if you are unsure.

Error 0000: No errors found, restarting computer.

grand-prize winner:

You need to supply a fax number in order for your request not to receive fax notifications to be processed.

Tags: error messages

Cassini Snaps Saturn from Dizzying Height

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 06:55:22 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll
clipper's remarks: Some awesome shots.

Clip Source: space.newscientist.com

Saturn and its golden rings appear in dizzying new images taken by the Cassini spacecraft as it flew high above the planet's poles.

“Sailing high above Saturn and seeing the rings spread out beneath us like a giant, copper medallion is like exploring an alien world we’ve never seen before. It just doesn’t look like the same place," she continues. "It’s so utterly breathtaking, it almost gives you vertigo.”

For the last two months, Cassini has been taking pictures during high-latitude trips around Saturn, providing new views of the planet and its rings. You can see the full collection of Saturnian images here.

One of the pictures includes a top-down view of Saturn with the overexposed planet removed from the shot to showcase all of the golden rings. Still, an eerie shadow is cast over them by the ghost planet.

Tags: saturn, cassini, planets

Frozen Puppy Loses Tail, Other Stuff

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 06:52:53 GMT

clipped by: Thr4ll
clipper's remarks: The owners should be horse whipped.

Clip Source: www.associatedcontent.com

Callously left to die in the freezing temperatures of January a puppy is one out of ten to survive; parts of his little four-week-old body had frozen off.

"Something had definitely happened to his tail and we were shocked to find out that he had damage to the end of his penis. After a trip to the vet in the morning it was discovered both were lost to frostbite and exposure. Samson was underweight, full of worms, and needed some TLC," said Flatjord in an email.

Upon questioning the owners as to what had happened

"She tried to convince her husband to set them up with a heat lamp somewhere, but his comment was" I'm not spending money on that for puppies, let Mother Nature take its course"! So the pups started dying and by the time I had called to see if she had them, there was one left and against her husbands wishes they put a heat lamp out for the last one but it was not doing well as it's tail had frozen off," Flatjord said, explaining what the woman told her.

Tags: puppies, cruelty