Clipmarks | aerynvala's clips

The Methane Time Bomb

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:34:10 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: As pessimistic/cynical as I am, I really didn't want us to get to this point. Perhaps it won't reach the critical point, but I'm not holding my breath.

Clip Source: www.independent.co.uk

Exclusive: The methane time bomb

The first evidence that millions of tons of a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere from beneath the Arctic seabed has been discovered by scientists.

They have warned that this is likely to be linked with the rapid warming that the region has experienced in recent years.

The amount of methane stored beneath the Arctic is calculated to be greater than the total amount of carbon locked up in global coal reserves so there is intense interest in the stability of these deposits as the region warms at a faster rate than other places on earth.

Many scientists fear that the loss of sea ice could accelerate the warming trend because open ocean soaks up more heat from the sun than the reflective surface of an ice-covered sea.

Tags: global warming, environment

To Queer, or Not To Queer?

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:52:51 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: One of the few genuinely interesting things about the Knight Rider movie/pilot earlier this year was FBI agent Carrie Ruvai's apparent queerness. Unsurprisingly, it's caused waves and will probably never be seen again. But some of the people behind the scenes aren't as homophobic as the suits.

Clip Source: www.scifi.com

NBC's Knight Rider threw viewers for a loop when FBI agent Carrie Ruvai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) was introduced in a February television movie/pilot: She was shown climbing out of the bed she had just shared with a blond woman.

"There was a girl lying there when she was getting out bed, and I went through it like 10 times and watched it and wondered, 'Are they friends? Is that her roommate? Are they saying she's bisexual or she's gay or what?' I had to go to them and ask," said new Knight Rider executive producer Gary Scott Thompson in an interview. (He wasn't involved in the making of the TV pilot movie.)

Thompson said that, at the time, the studio was angry that a possible bisexual scene was used early on in a family TV movie.

"It's such a non-issue for my generation at this point," Poitier said. "I was really surprised that people were thinking about it and that they were so concerned.

There are people who are gay, that's the reality out there. It's, like, deal with it.

Tags: knight rider, queer issues

HP Lexicon Ruling Will Not Kill Fandom

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:09:23 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: The Lexicon book did too much verbatim copying and paraphrasing, so it’s not excused under fair use and it’s an infringement of JKR/WB’s rights as copyright holders. Tranformative works are cool; this transformative work isn't so cool.

Clip Source: praetorianguard.livejournal.com

the Southern District of New York’s decision in WB vs. RDR came down yesterday

Short version: The court permanently enjoined RDR’s publication of the Lexicon book and awarded JKR/WB statutory damages. But it’s ever so much more interesting than that.

To establish a prima facie case of copyright infringement, WB/JKR have to show: (i) that they own a valid copyright; and (ii) that the Lexicon copied elements of that copyrighted work that are original.

To recap:
JKR/WB: You copied.
RDR: Indeed. Whatever.
JKR/WB: It’s actionable because it’s substantially similar in both quantity and quality to our stuff, h0r, despite your crackhead arguments about “factual references” and alphabetizing that you seem to think mean it doesn’t matter that you totally took our shit.
Court: Yeah, what they said.
RDR: Crap.

Law: JKR/WB have a prima facie case of copyright infringement. If RDR doesn’t have an excuse, JKR/WB for the win.

Tags: harry potter, fandom, legal

Legally, maybe, but not morally...

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:40:50 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: "officially licensed" derivative works are not morally superior to unlicensed fan works - it's not about copyright

Clip Source: www.journalfen.net

I Reject Your 'Reality'

Tonight I was reading an article over on SyFy Portal, Taming the Technological Beast by Dan Compora. In it he mentions some of the man vs machine paranoia stories that have been told in print and on screen

Which reminded me of the Butlerian Jihad from Dune. Up until tonight I only knew what the six Dune books and the Dune Encyclopedia had to say about it.

Here is a compelling and horrifying story. A story that strikes deep in the heart of our animal selves: our fears for our children. And it's not a simple story by any means.

Now go read the official version

Are you fucking kidding me?

It's a cheap knock-off of lesser ideas grafted onto one of the most amazing stories ever written.

I write and read fan fiction and I love it and believe that it is a good (as well as legal) thing.

Yet, after reading this horrid re-imagining of the Butlerian Jihad, I want to scream and shout that no one should ever, ever be allowed to add to the canon after a creator dies.

Tags: fandom, dune, frank herbert, fan fiction

As The Disc Turns

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:31:13 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: I would make me quite sad if it turned out to be a fraud, but ultimately it is better to know the truth. I'm looking at you Greece.

Clip Source: tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com

Why Not Test the Phaistos Disc?

If there are suspicions that the renowned Phaistos Disc is fake, why not address them by determining its age? That was the excellent question raised by Lab readers in response to a post on the disc. The short answer is that the keepers of the disc — the Herakleion Archaeological Museum in Crete, where the purportedly ancient artifact was found a century ago — won’t allow it.

For a longer answer, I consulted Jerome M. Eisenberg, the editor-in-chief of Minerva and the author of the article in that archaeological journal questioning the disc’s authenticity. He provided more details, and also addressed other questions raised by Lab readers. He told me that he has been trying for many years to test the disk (as well as another artifact at the museum, the Archalochori Axe, which he considers suspicious):

I’ll let you know what I hear from the Herakleion Archaeological Museum.

Tags: science, phaistos disc, archaeology, forgery, hoax, minos, undeciphered scripts

Potential Paradigm Shift?

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:22:43 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: I am always wary of ideas that glorify computers as the best (and perhaps only true) way to understand the functions of the world and life. However, this one is slightly different from the ones I've seen before, so...maybe?

Clip Source: www.wired.com

The Petabyte Age: Because More Isn't Just More — More Is Different

As our collection of facts and figures grows, so will the opportunity to find answers to fundamental questions. Because in the era of big data, more isn't just more. More is different.

Clip Source: www.wired.com

The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete

"All models are wrong, but some are useful."

Today companies like Google, which have grown up in an era of massively abundant data, don't have to settle for wrong models. Indeed, they don't have to settle for models at all.

At the petabyte scale, information is not a matter of simple three- and four-dimensional taxonomy and order but of dimensionally agnostic statistics. It calls for an entirely different approach, one that requires us to lose the tether of data as something that can be visualized in its totality. It forces us to view data mathematically first and establish a context for it later.

It's time to ask: What can science learn from Google?

Tags: petabyte, science, math, computers, biology

Remember Ladies: You Are A Person, Not An Object

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:44:45 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: It's so very sad that this even needs to be said. That women need to be shown that it's okay to demand to not be treated like prey.

Clip Source: thehathorlegacy.com

Why, if you think harassment is flattering, you are stupid

by BetaCandy

Strange men do not hoot at, yell at, or leer at you because they think you’re hot. They do those things because they think you’re vulnerable and needy. If you think they want you sexually, you need some serious education on power psychology. They want to feel like they’re on top of you, but not in the way you imagine.

When you see someone attractive, it’s natural to look.

And you don’t talk unless the person you’re looking at says something to you first, because when you get caught looking, it would be aggressive to follow that up with verbalization. This is something your cat understands, for pete’s sake.

Men who devote their energy to aggression toward strange women enjoy winning fights with women.

And when you find that flattering, they think you’re pathetic.

They start talking behind your back about the things they’d like to do to you, and those things revolve around humiliation, not simple sexual enjoyment

Tags: feminism

Sarah and John Connor are on the job!

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:25:46 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: Always causing trouble.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Skynet military launch postponed

The launch of the third and final satellite in the UK's next-generation military space communications network has been delayed by a few days.

Software on the launch vehicle did not behave normally during a test sequence.

The Skynet satellites match the sophistication of the very latest civilian platforms used to pass TV, phone and internet traffic - but also are "hardened" for military use and will resist attempts to "jam" them, for example.

"These satellites have technology that allows them to pinpoint communications on to particular regions of the world with absolute precision, and without interference," explained Malcolm Peto from Paradigm Secure Communications, the company set up to run Skynet.

The new system will enable British forces to make use of next-generation weapons systems, such as the recently introduced Reaper drones.

These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are deployed over Afghanistan but are remotely piloted by RAF personnel in the US.

Tags: science, technology, military

Skeery Death Cult of Emo! (or you know, not)

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:30:00 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: Don't take my word, see for yourself. They are many things, but leaders/members of a dangerous suicide cult they are most definitely not.

Clip Source: stardustonsable.livejournal.com

We Are Emo: A Picspam

We are emo! We will corrupt your society and lead your kids to do bad things! But first, we will show you our leaders.

This is your stereotypical emo kid.

This is My Chemical Romance. Death Cult. They’re our leaders.

…yeah

Gerard Way, their lead singer and originator of the death cult idea.

Ugh. This is Frank. He’s a good Jersey boy. Italian, probably has mob ties.

Do any of these guys know how to look threatening? Oh! Bob! He will Fuck You Up.

Pete Wentz! He is the originator of emo. ~~Despite the fact that the genre originated in the 80’s~~ See! He’s being threatening! This is his Wentzface. Grr!

Um. Shit. Andy! He has Alternative Beliefs. He’s an anarchist.

Its…probably time to rap this up. We’ll end it with our perfect emo boy! He is what we all aspire to be! He is the Quintessential Emo Kid!

…what the shit is this? Is that tamboriene? Is he smiling?! Argh!

In conclusion:

....what?

Tags: emo, hannah bond, suicide, music, media

Programming Robots(.txt)

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:31:58 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala

Clip Source: googleblog.blogspot.com

Controlling how search engines access and index your website

1/26/2007 11:36:00 AM

Clip Source: googleblog.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 03, 2008 at 9:00 AM

Common REP Directives

The following list are all the major REP features currently implemented by Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo!. With each feature, you'll see what it does and how you should communicate it.

Each of these directives can be specified to be applicable for all crawlers or for specific crawlers by targeting them to specific user-agents, which is how any crawler identifies itself. Apart from the identification by user-agent, each of our crawlers also supports Reverse DNS based authentication to allow you to verify the identity of the crawler.

1. Robots.txt Directives

2. HTML META Directives

Other REP Directives

Learn more

Tags: web design, search engines

Listening To Teens, Not Just Demonizing Them

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:34:47 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: I listen to My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy and others that are called 'emo'. I know, from an adult perspective, that calling them suicide-promoting cults is a filthy lie. But it's really good to see a teenager eloquently saying it as well.

Clip Source: icwales.icnetwork.co.uk

‘Emo’ music is far from a black suicide cult

May 21 2008 by Sophie Brown

After an inquest into the suicide of a 13-year-old girl earlier this month linked the Emo genre of music and fashion to the glamorisation of death among young people, Sophie Brown, 14, from Llandybie, writes from a teenage perspective

Recently, a coroner linked the death of Hannah Bond in Kent with her liking for Emo music.

But, in my view, that’s an easy scapegoat. People make their own choices and would not simply do something of that magnitude because a song told them to.

And at the turn of the Millennium, Emo began making its way to the UK. It picked up fans slowly until two bands changed everything – My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy.

Emo music is about expressing yourself in many ways and standing up for your beliefs and choices. It is not about cutting yourself to pieces. The media did a lot of harm by saying that.

I want to set the record straight. I want to stand up for it and I won’t let people be blinded

Tags: emo, music, my chemical romance, fall out boy, suicide, hannah bond

Fatal Hit And Run By My Home

Thu, 15 May 2008 04:31:52 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: I heard this happen. I heard a huge thudding crunch and then silence. I knew that there had been yet another accident at this intersection. I'm saddened, but not remotely surprised that it was fatal. Always, always the accident is caused by someone attempting to go West on Buckingham. Without fail.

Clip Source: cbs11tv.com

Garland PD: Hit & Run Driver Flees Scene On Foot

May 7, 2008 4:58 pm US/Central

GARLAND (CBS 11 News) ― A hit and run accident that took the life of a Garland mother early Tuesday morning remains unsolved.

Police say the driver of a Dodge failed to yield when turning left, striking Kassayes' car almost head on. Her car flipped over.

Clip Source: cbs11tv.com

Police Searching For Driver In Deadly Hit & Run

May 14, 2008 5:40 pm US/Central

GARLAND (CBS 11 News) ― Police have released new information today about a deadly hit and run case that killed a Garland mother.

Juan Pedro Tobias, 30, is wanted for crashing into Tsigereda Kassaye's car last week at the intersection of Jupiter and Buckingham. Kassaye later died at a local hospital from her injuries.

Tags: death, local, cars, accident

Cutting Your Food's 'Gas' Price

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:31:38 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: I've heard of the whole eating locally thing, which I still like the idea of, but I like that this goes a step further. Of course, I'm starting from a pretty decent spot...being only lacto-vegetarian. Damn my cheese addiction.

Clip Source: environment.newscientist.com

Food miles don't feed climate change - meat does

An analysis of the environmental toll of food production concludes that transportation is a mere drop in the carbon bucket. Foods such as beef and dairy make a far deeper impression on a consumer's carbon footprint.

"It seems much easier to shift one day of my beef consumption a week to chicken or vegetables, than going through and eating only Jerusalem artichokes for three months in the winter," says Weber, a "vegetarian bordering on vegan."

Whatever the source of greenhouse gas emissions from food, many are now calling for labelling that lets shoppers know how much carbon went into their goods. In the UK, the government-supported Carbon Trust offers a voluntary carbon label, and a proposed California law aims to regulate such labelling, much like organic food standards.

"If you're interested in the hamburger you're not going to switch to tofu, but you might switch to a chicken burger," Perry says.

Tags: environment, food

Monkey Pornographer

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:53:43 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: Trust the French to make this a valid career option. *wink*

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

Monkeys eavesdrop on neighbours' orgasmic cries

Dana Pfefferle of the German Primate Center in Göttingen and her colleagues recorded ejaculatory and non-ejaculatory calls produced by both fertile and infertile females in "La Forêt des Singes", a primate visiting centre in France where Barbary macaques roam freely.

They then hid a speaker in the park foliage, not far from a resting male, and played the recorded cries.

Males showed strong responses to ejaculatory calls. They turned around and looked in the direction from which the call came for roughly twice as long, and in some cases rose and approached the microphone.

"It's all about sperm competition," Pfefferle told New Scientist. "I think the female wants to get as much sperm as possible to 'choose' which genetic material is passed on to her offspring."

The ejaculation-inducing cries of promiscuous female macaques during sex arouse other local males – perhaps to increase her chances of multiple matings

Watch the full-size video

Tags: science, barbary macaques

Sound in Smoke

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:16:36 GMT

clipped by: aerynvala
clipper's remarks: It doesn't sound like much at all, but for something recorded in soot it's pretty damn impressive

Clip Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

Earliest Known Voice Recording Discovered in France

At first listen, the grainy high-pitched warble doesn't sound like much, but scientists say the French recording from 1860 is the oldest known recorded human voice.

The 10-second clip of a woman singing "Au Clair de la Lune," taken from a so-called phonautogram, was recently discovered by audio historian David Giovannoni.

Clip Source: www.firstsounds.org

Au Clair de la Lune--French folk song (1860 Phonautogram)

Scott recorded someone singing an excerpt from the French folksong "Au Clair de la Lune" on April 9, 1860, and deposited the results with the Académie des Sciences in 1861. The existence of a tuning-fork calibration trace allows us to compensate for the irregular recording speed of the hand-cranked cylinder. The sheet contains the beginning line of the second verse-"Au clair de la lune, Pierrot répondit"-and is the earliest audibly recognizable record of the human voice yet recovered.

Au Clair de la Lune--French folk song (mp3)

Tags: music, history