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Is the Creative Internet Just About Dead?

Thu, 22 May 2008 11:47:47 GMT

clipped by: haraya

Zittrain thinks we're seeing the end of the freewheeling Internet and PC era. He calls the technologies of today "tethered"

items like iPhones or many brands of DVR -- they're sterile to their owners, who aren't allowed to build software that runs on them. But they're generative to the companies that make them

worse than plain old sterile technologies. They allow for abuses undreamed of in the IBM mainframe era.

Zittrain's solution to the tethering problem is to encourage the existence of

people who work together to create open, untethered technologies and information repositories. They are the force that pushes back against companies that want to sterilize the Internet and turn it back into something that spits information at you

this is a good start, but there are a lot of problems with depending on communities

to fix a system created by corporate juggernauts

companies can create an incredibly oppressive tethering regime while still allowing users to think they have control.

Tags: internet, technology, community, freedom, web, people, sharing, media, open source, innovation

Another INSANE Dictator!

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:39:24 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: Ugh! I suppose we will want to send money to this man too!!!!

Clip Source: en.afrik.com

Society - International - The Gambia - Religion - Sexuality - Governance

President plans to kill off every single homosexual

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh says he will “cut off the head” of any homosexual caught in his country.

Addressing supporters at the end of his meet the farmers tour here Sunday,

Jammeh also ordered any hotel or motel housing homosexuals to close down, adding that owners of such facilities would also be in trouble

He said the Gambia was a country of believers, indicating that no sinful and immoral act as homosexual would be tolerated in the country

He warned all homosexuals in the country to leave, noting that a legislation “stricter than those in Iran ” concerning the vice would be introduced soon

President Jammeh said he was bent on making the Gambia one of the best countries to live in, adding that his government had spent over US$ 100 million towards the development of the country since 1994

Tags: religion, sexuality, politics, world

silk beauty

Wed, 21 May 2008 23:01:11 GMT

clipped by: mikosilk

Clip Source: www.astrographics.com

Spider spinnerets are organs located on the abdomens of spiders from which spider web silk is extruded. The individual spinnerets move independently yet in a highly coordinated manner to build cocoons or webs. Each spinneret is dotted with many tiny spigots, through which various types and thicknesses of silk are extruded. The strong muscles that move the spinnerets also force liquid silk through the narrow spigots. This pressure, as well as external pulling by the spider, rearranges the liquid silk molecules into a solid but flexible thread. Although spider web silk is only about one millionth of an inch thick, it is considered a natural high-performance polymer. The strength of some silk exceeds that of steel, and its toughness exceeds that of kevlar.

i am not here..

Wed, 21 May 2008 22:51:37 GMT

clipped by: mikosilk

Clip Source: news.softpedia.com

A Step Forward to the Invisibility Cloak

- Red waves turned invisible

Since "The invisible man", the scientific world has been looking for an exotic material with a negative refractive index for visible light.

Boston is in Hot Water

Thu, 22 May 2008 23:33:21 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.planetark.com

28 solar hot water panels atop Fenway Park in Boston

The Boston Red Sox unveiled 28 solar hot water panels atop Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts May 19, 2008, which will help heat water throughout the facility.

According to Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the installation of the panels will also help avoid 18 tons of Carbon Dioxide or CO2 emissions each year.

Offsetting 18 Tons of CO2 is the environmental equivalent of planting 4.86 acres of trees, not driving a car for 43,611 miles, or off-setting the CO2 produced through natural gas use from approximately 4 average U.S. homes annually.

Dave Hume - Quotation

Wed, 21 May 2008 21:17:13 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Not really a surprise if you have ever watched a border collie and a huge flock of sheep.

Clip Source: www.refdesk.com

"Nothing is more surprising than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few." - David Hume

Life Found Where You Least Expect It

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:23:36 GMT

clipped by: Beholder

Clip Source: www.space.com

Scientists working on the MARTE (Mars Astrobiology Research and Technology Experiment) project have been drilling into the ground around Rio Tinto in Spain. They were studying underground environments and discovered areas that were inhospitable to life.

Inhospitable, that is, until they were colonized by tough microbes.

Living in harmony

The team, led by David Fernández-Remolar of the Centro de Astrobiología in Spain, expected the underground areas to be barren. They were understandably surprised to find places perfect for microscopic life. What was going on? The answer came in the form of tiny microbes that reacted with the rocks and then gave off heat. It wasn't much — just enough to raise the overall temperature and make the environment more liveable.

Once our technology for studying planets around other stars improves, we could search for signs of life like this around distant worlds.

Tags: life, astrobiology, microbs

Earth 2030 - healthier, safer, more enjoyable

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:59:39 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Forward-thinkers believe that by 2035, memories, personality, and feelings ¬ non-physical elements that describe a human being ¬ could be scanned and uploaded into a robot, or newly-cloned human body, enabling life to continue indefinitely.

Clip Source: memebox.com

What will life be like in 2030? Those who ponder such things, futurists and other visionaries, suggest exciting and sometimes fantastic possibilities. As we begin our trek into the world of tomorrow, predictions of things to come rush towards us at breathtaking speeds.

Experts predict that between now and 2020, we will see more science and technology advances than we experienced during the entire 20th century and from 2020 to 2100, developments will outpace the last 20,000 years of human progress.

World population has climbed to 9.3 billion, and most people look forward to a life expectancy of 200 years or more. Advanced nanotech has eliminated world hunger in 2030 and could, experts say, provide a comfortable life on Earth for up to 100 billion people in the future.

2010 to 2020 was heralded as the “golden age of biotech”. Stem cell and other gene therapies made replacement organs affordable to everyone.

Tags: futures, prediction, life in 2030

Baby squirrel adopts park ranger

Wed, 21 May 2008 03:36:44 GMT

clipped by: papananook

Clip Source: www.metro.co.uk

As adoptions go, this one is slightly unusual – a baby squirrel has 'adopted' a park ranger after apparently mistaking him for a daddy squirrel.

The rodent, named Oakley Junior, formed a bond with Mark Swift after being abandoned by his family.

The grey squirrel leapt into 43-year-old Mr Swift's arms for a cuddle and became inseparable.

'I put out my hand and he jumped on and looked adoringly at me,' said the ranger.

'Then he clambered all over me.

'He has lost his family and thinks I'm his dad. He's more like a monkey than a squirrel and I'm convinced he thinks he's human.'

Oakley has also won the hearts of staff at Central Park, in Peterborough, where he is given ice cream and cake in the tea room.

The rodent, named after the park's mascot, may have a lucrative career ahead.

'I was going to train him to pick up litter – he'd be happy with the wage, we get peanuts here,' said Mr Swift (let's hope the squirrel's sense of humour is better than Mr Swift's...).

US Teen: We're here. We're sexual. GET USED TO IT.

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:43:30 GMT

clipped by: righthand
clipper's remarks: So it's not just their minds that is to be ignorant? The delusion of abstinence to produce dumb breeding machines and army fodder?

Do you remember how difficult it is to keep 'bad' thoughts out of your mind? The harder you try the harder it gets. I've an image of the Christian youth on his knees, blessing himself with one hand while wanking with the other. One of the most important intellectual realizations that I had was knowing that a church's god and my sex were incompatible. I've never regretted my decision. I'm just a human. Let others be mini gods.

Clip Source: www.colorlines.com

May

We're here. We're sexual. GET USED TO IT.

In 1937,
studies claimed that nine out of 10 children caught masturbating were

a) severely punished;

b) told they would go insane or blind

c) threatened with having their penises cut off or their vaginas sewn closed; or

d) all of the above.

The answer? d) all of the above

abstinence-only organization Women’s Clinic of Kansas City/Life Guard, which has received almost a million dollars in federal funds for sex education:

“Being able to have sex does not make you any different from a rat in a warehouse. They have sex too. Is that what you want to compare yourself with?”

Over the past year, this surging abstinence-only education movement has finally shown signs of retreat. Numerous studies have proven it to be ineffective, even harmful, and a growing list of states have turned down federal money when it comes with abstinence strings attached

So will the half-hearted sex education that preceded abstinence return in coming years?

anything at all?

failure

Tags: usa, sex, youth, education, history

Sleep

Thu, 22 May 2008 16:46:22 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Your personal sleep profile
Whether you have trouble sleeping or not, take the Sleep Profiler and get tailored advice on how best to optimise your sleep.

Clip Source: www.nlm.nih.gov

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sleep problems and sleep advice
Get to the root of some common and not so common sleep problems. For a list of foods that could be keeping you awake go to sleep advice.

Why do we sleep?
What would happen if we didn't sleep? Find out more about the science behind sleep, from REM to the sleep cycle.

Clip Source: www.sarahbaingallery.com

Clip Source: whijo.net

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

What's your daily rhythm?
Could your sleep pattern be at odds with your DNA? This Circadian test is used by scientists and can help you discover your natural 24 hour body clock.

Sheep dash!
Tiredness can affect your reaction times. See how alert you are with this game and test the impact of a cup of tea or coffee on your performance.

Clip Source: www.healthscape.co.uk

Clip Source: photo.net

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Face memory test
Are you too tired to remember? 'Executive skills' such as memory are the first to go when you're tired. See how you score.

Sleep quiz

Clip Source: photo.net

Clip Source: www.voipmonitor.net

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

TV Programme: How to Sleep Better

Ghostly Girl Causing Car Crashes

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:33:51 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead
clipper's remarks: "For 22 years we have been running a group who investigate claims of the paranormal. Most of the time there is a logical explanation - but so far I haven't found one for this case. "

Clip Source: images.google.com

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

A ghostly apparition of a young girl is being blamed for a series of crashes on a stretch of country road.

David Taylor, chairman of the Parasearch group, said he had received reports that the apparition had been the cause of several accidents along the road between Wollescote and Cradley.

Paranormal researchers are investigating the sightings of a girl in Victorian dress on a road in the West Midlands, which locals say is an accident blackspot.

"There could be a logical explanation for this, it could be an optical illusion of some sorts.

"The image had been described as a small girl between the ages of three and five years old and wearing Victorian clothes.

"We are trying to find out any stories locals might have of the area which might explain what or who this could be."

Resident say most of the crashes have been minor, but there have been a couple of serious incidents over the years.

Tags: ghost, paranormal, bizarre, weird, uk

The walls still keeping untouchables out

Wed, 21 May 2008 20:42:19 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

What do many higher caste Hindus in parts of India's Tamil Nadu state still not share with the Dalits, formerly known as untouchables?

They insist on separate glasses for drinking tea and they do not allow the untouchables to go to the same barber shops.

They ban them from temples, cremation grounds and river bathing points, among other examples.

All this in a state that prides itself on being one of the most politically progressive and educationally advanced parts of the country.

But studies have found at least 45 different forms of "untouchability" being practised by upper caste Hindus against Dalits in Tamil Nadu.

Tags: india, racism

They say they want a revolution

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:46:59 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Increasing computing power 10,000 times — to speeds in the hundreds of petaflops — would allow modellers to study simulations at the kilometre scale, enabling better predictions on the activity of hurricanes and, eventually, the local deep convection that transfers much energy into the upper atmosphere (see 'A real solution?'). This research could then be fed into operational models.

Clip Source: www.nature.com

Climatologists have called for massive investment in computer and research resources to help revolutionize modelling capabilities. The eventual aim is to provide probabilistic climate predictions that are as useful, and usable, as weather forecasts.

At the end of a four-day summit held last week at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading, UK, the scientists made the case for a climate-prediction project on the scale of the Human Genome Project. A key component of this scheme, which would cost something up to, or over, a billion dollars, would be a world climate research facility with computer power far beyond that currently used in the field.

Questions on how severe the effects of global warming will be, and which regions will be hit in what ways, are beyond the capabilities of current climate science, at least in part because of computing constraints.

Tags: climate, climate science, computing

What a relief ... some humanity in the world!

Wed, 21 May 2008 19:22:02 GMT

clipped by: NonStatQuo
clipper's remarks: I followed this story and was dismayed when the UK began to exercize some Draconian like blindfolding to the plight of a young man who most definitely deserved the benefit of asylum.

It seems as though they have had a change of heart and listened to something other than fear!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Gay Iranian granted asylum in UK

A gay Iranian teenager who said he could be executed if he was sent home has been given asylum in Britain.

Mehdi Kazemi, 19, came to London to study English in 2005, but later discovered his boyfriend had been charged with sodomy in Iran and hanged.

Tags: humanity, human rights, asylum, gay, yippie!