Clipmarks | jamreilly's clips

What's really in your shampoo?

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:57:20 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

There are two types of ingredients in shampoo. One type cleans your hair. The other type strokes your emotions. I'm holding a bottle of Pantene Pro V, one of the world's most popular shampoos. Of the 22 ingredients in this bottle of shampoo, three clean hair. The rest are in the bottle not for the hair, but for the psychology of the person using the shampoo. At least two-thirds of this bottle, by volume, was put there just to make me feel good.

Don't ask the mirror who's the fairest of them all - your brain will tell you lies

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:50:15 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

You’ve spent an hour in front of the mirror making sure that you look perfect. But don't be fooled.

No matter how good you think you look, anyone else will be confronted with a somewhat different sight.

It is all down to the way the brain processes faces, say scientists.

Studies show that most people's eyes are drawn to the left - that is the right side of someone else's face.

This means that many of our first impressions are drawn from looking at just that half of a person's face.

However, looking left at a mirror we see our own left side, which, researchers say, will be all but ignored by those who look at us.

So when we think we look our best in the mirror it is simply satisfaction at how the left side of the face is looking.

But with some people's features or facial expressions being very different from one side to the other, what is perceived by others can be quite different.

Do Some Plants Want to Catch Fire?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:06:37 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: judson.blogs.nytimes.com

It’s common knowledge that plants regularly exposed to fire tend to have features that help them cope with it — such as thick bark, or seeds that only grow after being exposed to intense heat or smoke. But what is less often remarked on is that the plants themselves affect the nature and severity of fire.

Many plants that live in places prone to fire are highly flammable — more flammable than plants that live elsewhere. This has led some to speculate that these plants have actually evolved to cause fires: that they “want” fire, and have evolved features that make it more likely that a spark will become a flame, and a flame will become a fire. I call this the torch-me hypothesis.

The argument goes like this. Many plants depend on fire for their propagation. Indeed, without fire, these plants disappear.

This idea has sparked a heated debate

Pitfalls of Self-Control

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:44:47 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.scientificamerican.com

Try a Little Powerlessness—Pitfalls of Self-Control

We admire self-discipline, but could too much control be a bad thing?

Self-control is one of our most cherished values. We applaud those who have the discipline to regulate their appetites and actions, and we try hard to instill this virtue in our children. Think of the marketing slogans that key off the desire for restraint: “Just say no.” “Just do it.” We celebrate the power of the mind to make hard choices, despite our emotions or other temptations, and keep us on course.

But what if we can’t just do it? What if “it” is too difficult or if our strategy for success is misguided? Is it possible that willpower actually might be an obstacle rather than a means to happiness and harmony? Can we have too much of a good thing?

Two Tufts University psychologists believe there may be some truth to this possibility

China’s Internet Users Force Government to Back Down on Censorship

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:46:23 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: blogs.discovermagazine.com

In a rare victory for freedom of information in China, the government has abruptly reversed course on its mandate that Internet filtering software be installed on every computer sold in China after July 1.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that mandatory installation of the software, called Green Dam Youth Escort, would be delayed indefinitely. The software caused a torrent of protests from both Chinese computer users and global computer makers…. China has said the software is designed to filter out pornography and violence to protect minors, but many experts say it can also block any other content that the authorities deem subversive [The New York Times].

While some experts suggested that the Chinese government might be delaying the program’s roll-out simply to give computer makers more time to test the software and comply with the policy, others believe that the government was forced to bow to the pressure from outraged citizens.

Plants may be able to recognise themselves.

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:07:43 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Plants may be able to recognise themselves.

Experiments show that a sagebrush plant can recognise a genetically identical cutting growing nearby.

What's more, the two clones communicate and cooperate with one another, to avoid being eaten by herbivores.

The findings, published in Ecology Letters, raise the tantalising possibility that plants, just like animals, often prefer to help their relatives over unrelated individuals.

The ability to distinguish self from non-self is a vital one in nature.

It allows many animals to act preferentially towards others that are genetically related to themselves; for example, a female lion raising her young, or protecting other more distantly related cubs in her pride.

But the evidence that plants can do the same is limited and controversial.

Because his team doesn't yet know exactly how the plants are communicating, others remain sceptical of the research, Karban admits.

Post 9/11, Who Is to Blame for the Next Attack?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:44:56 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Who Is to Blame for the Next Attack?

AFTER watching the farce surrounding Dick Cheney’s coming-out party this month, you have to wonder: Which will reach Washington first, change or the terrorists? If change doesn’t arrive soon, terrorists may well rush in where the capital’s fools now tread.

The Beltway antics that greeted the great Cheney-Obama torture debate were an unsettling return to the post-9/11 dynamic that landed America in Iraq. Once again Cheney and his cohort were using lies and fear to try to gain political advantage — this time to rewrite history and escape accountability for the failed Bush presidency rather than to drum up a new war. Once again Democrats in Congress were cowed. And once again too much of the so-called liberal news media parroted the right’s scare tactics, putting America’s real security interests at risk by failing to challenge any Washington politician carrying a big stick.

Music Labels Cut Friendlier Deals With Start-Ups

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:37:40 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

SAN FRANCISCO — With CD sales dropping fast, it is not hard to imagine how the major music labels could benefit from the growth of Web start-ups like Imeem. The company’s service lets people listen to songs, discover new artists and share their favorites with friends. And the labels are owed licensing fees for Imeem’s use of the music.

But two months ago, Imeem’s founder, Dalton Caldwell, was ready to pull the plug. While 26 million people a month were using the service, Imeem owed millions of dollars to the music labels, and income from advertising was nowhere close to covering expenses

Then the ground shifted. This month, Warner Music Group forgave Imeem’s debt, and both Warner and Universal Music agreed to relax the terms of their licensing deals with the site.

Imeem’s amnesty is one sign that a new accommodation is being forged between Web music start-ups and the companies on which they are almost wholly dependent, the major music labels.

Legalise Everything : Paying With Our Sins

Mon, 25 May 2009 22:54:19 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

THE Obama administration’s drug czar made news last week by saying he wanted to end all loose talk about a “war on drugs.” “We’re not at war with people in this country,” said the czar, Gil Kerlikowske, who favors forcing people into treatment programs rather than jail cells.

Here’s a better idea

Legalize drugs and then tax sales of them. And while we’re at it, welcome all forms of gambling (rather than just the few currently and arbitrarily allowed) and let prostitution go legit too. All of these vices, involving billions of dollars and consenting adults, already take place. They just take place beyond the taxman’s reach.

In terms of economic stimulation and growth, legalization would end black markets that generate huge amounts of what economists call “deadweight losses,”

a Harvard economist, calculated that ending marijuana prohibition would save $7.7 billion in direct state and federal law enforcement costs while generating more than $6 billion a year if it were taxed

Animals can tell right from wrong

Sun, 24 May 2009 10:56:07 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Animals possess a sense of morality that allows them to tell the difference between right and wrong, according to a controversial new book.

Scientists studying animal behaviour believe they have growing evidence that species ranging from mice to primates are governed by moral codes of conduct in the same way as humans.

Until recently, humans were thought to be the only species to experience complex emotions and have a sense of morality.

But Prof Marc Bekoff, an ecologist at University of Colorado, Boulder, believes that morals are "hard-wired" into the brains of all mammals and provide the "social glue" that allow often aggressive and competitive animals to live together in groups.

He has compiled evidence from around the world that shows how different species of animals appear to have an innate sense of fairness, display empathy and help other animals that are in distress.

Top 5 Security Tactics Of Window Software Revealed!

Fri, 22 May 2009 20:37:06 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.designvee.com

There are many security tactics of Window software which can help us from being a victim of hackers and viruses. Some are given below:

Use Good Desktop Firewall- Use a good quality desktop firewall. This will prevent any virus from entering your computer. There is Windows firewall that is provided with MS Windows and is really effective and up-to-date. For a personal computer, firewalls become mandatory. If you rely on the notion that computer antivirus will help is a big myth.

Research And Test Your Updates- it is important that all your software are updated. This will reduce the risk of threats from viruses. Before you install updates it is important that you research and test all the updates you have downloaded.

Disable Unneeded Services-

Disable Dangerous Features- Windows has a lot of features that you might not use or are enabled by default and you do not know about them. These features introduce security risk

Install And Update Malware Protection Software-

Top 5 Security Tactics

Globe’s Oldest Blogger Dies At 97

Fri, 22 May 2009 16:31:32 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.webpronews.com

Globe’s Oldest Blogger Dies At 97

A Spanish great-grandmother known as the world's oldest blogger has died at the age of 97 in the northern Spanish province of La Coruna.

Maria Amelia Lopez, who started blogging after being introduced to it by one of her grandchildren, grabbed readers attention with a mix of memories and humor about her long life that included living through Spain's Civil War and years of dictatorship under General Francisco Franco.

In one of her final postings in February she wrote, "When I'm on the internet, I forget about my illness. The distraction is good for you - being able to communicate with people. It wakes up the brain, and gives you great strength."

"My grandson gave me this blog when I was 95 on December 23 2006 and my life changed," reads one of her entries. "Since that day I've had 1,570,784 visits from bloggers from 5 continents who have cheered up my old age."

Tabloid - from tablet to newspaper

Mon, 18 May 2009 17:25:47 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: nancyfriedman.typepad.com

Tabloid: A reduced-format newspaper, generally half the size of a traditional broadsheet paper, that opens vertically like a magazine for easier reading on buses and subway trains. Introduced in the late 19th century in England and the United States, tabloid newspapers quickly became known for their sensational content. Tabloid is often shortened to tab.

So far, so familiar, at least for this lapsed journalist. What I hadn't known was that tabloid derives from an old trademark for a pharmaceutical brand.

At first readers didn't know what to call this compact type of newspaper. By analogy it resembled a kind of compressed medical pill introduced in 1884 by Burroughs, Wellcome. T

It didn't take long for this term to be applied to any compressed item, including the vertical-fold newspaper format pioneered by London's Daily Mail and New York's Daily News. Because tabloid newspapers tended to emphasize sensational news coverage, their name itself came to signify that style of reporting.

Congo Conflict Fueled by our electronics

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:54:29 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.raisehopeforcongo.org

The conflict in eastern Congo, the deadliest in the world since World War II, is being fueled by a multi-million dollar trade in minerals that go into our electronic products from cell phones to digital cameras. Over five million people have died as a result of the war, and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped in eastern Congo over the past decade. The armed groups that are perpetuating the violence generate an estimated $144 million each year by trading in four main minerals, the 3 Ts and gold:

Billy Bragg: Do we want ISPs to penalise our fans?

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:03:56 GMT

clipped by: jamreilly

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Do we want ISPs to penalise our fans?

The record industry wants ISPs to take action against unauthorised downloaders – but fans are the wrong target

Having failed miserably in previous attempts to stamp out illicit filesharing, the record industry has now joined forces with other entertainment lobby groups to demand that the government takes action to protect their business model.

Not for the first time, we at the Featured Artist Coalition are forced to question whether the record industry is representing the best interests of artists in calling for such measures.

Even if this proposal should become law, as recording artists we question the wisdom of pursuing and penalising our potential audience. The people who are doing the most damage to our industry are not the music fans swapping files for no commercial gain – it's the sites that are making money without paying for content that are really ripping us off.