Thursday, March 3, 2011

Calculate DrunkenNES With an 8-bit Breathalyzer

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday March 03, @01:46AM

from the blowing-a-new-high-score dept.

HansonMB writes"Electrical engineer Batsly Adams isn't a traffic cop, but if you find yourself at a chiptune show in New York, you should probably pull over anyway to try his new homebrew 8-bit breathalyzer game. Unlike that 8-bit Gatsby game, DrunkenNES is a for-real NES game lovingly constructed with machine code by Batsly, music by chiptune artist Kris Keyser and art by Motherboard photographer Emi Spicer."

Cannabis Use Precedes the Onset of Psychotic Symptoms in Young People, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Mar. 1, 2011) — Cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood increases the risk of psychotic symptoms, while continued cannabis use may increase the risk for psychotic disorder in later life, concludes a new study published online in the British Medical Journal.

Posted by samzenpus on Thursday March 03, @01:30PM

from the masters-of-the-cheese-pairings dept.

Unsatisfied with the number of reasons people have to hate rodents already, scientists at Japan's Hiroshima University have taught mice to be wine snobs. After being trained to pick red wine over other kinds the mice were taught to distinguish between brands. From the article: "We examined performance of mice in discrimination of liquor odors by Y-maze behavioral assays. Thirsty mice were initially trained to choose the odor of a red wine in the Y-maze. After successful training (>70% concordance for each trained mouse), the individual mice were able to discriminate the learned red wine from other liquors, including white wine, rosé wine, sake, and plum liqueur."

Using Artificial, Cell-Like 'Honey Pots' to Entrap Deadly Viruses

ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2011) — Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Weill Cornell Medical College have designed artificial "protocells" that can lure, entrap and inactivate a class of deadly human viruses -- think decoys with teeth. The technique offers a new research tool that can be used to study in detail the mechanism by which viruses attack cells, and might even become the basis for a new class of antiviral drugs.

Verizon to end unlimited data plans this summer

By James Kendrick | March 1, 2011, 1:39pm PST

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The Verizon CFO indicated today that the carrier’s conversion to metered data usage will take place this summer, about the time Apple is expected to introduce the next iPhone model.

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Verizon Wireless has not been shy in the past about admitting it wants to charge all customers with mobile data plans based on a usage tier. CFO Fran Shammo indicated today that the conversion to metered data usage will take place this summer. This timing would put the Verizon switch from unlimited data for a fixed monthly fee to a tiered fee based on actual data usage about the time Apple is expected to introduce the next iPhone model.

Shammo also stated that Verizon expects a backlash from current iPhone customers when the new iPhone model is announced, as those customers will be locked in a contract with the older model phone. He went on to state that the carrier would see a financial hit for a quarter after a new iPhone hits the market.

Smartphone owners have grown used to the unlimited monthly data plan, and may be in for sticker shock once the conversion to metered usage takes place. Customers will have to pay attention to how they use the smartphone under such plans, as common activities like streaming audio/ video will keep the usage meter clicking.

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Meditation Beats Dance for Harmonizing Body and Mind

ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2011) — The body is a dancer's instrument, but is it attuned to the mind? A new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that professional ballet and modern dancers are not as emotionally in sync with their bodies as are people who regularly practice meditation.

By Vlad Savov posted Mar 2nd 2011 5:42AM

You don't have to go to the lengths of compiling a statistical project to know that advertised and actualbroadband speeds are two pretty disparate entities, but it does help. Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, recently took a thorough look at 11 broadband packages, which collectively account for over 90 percent of all British broadband subscriptions, and found that actual download throughput was less than half (only 45 percent) of the advertised "up to" speed. The worst offenders were resellers of BT's ADSL lines, with Orange dipping below 3Mbit on its 8Mbit lines and TalkTalk occasionally offering only 7.5Mbit to users paying for a 24Mbit connection, while Virgin's cable connectivity won out by sticking most loyally to its listed rating. What Ofcom proposes for the future is that all these service providers start offering Typical Speed Ranges that more accurately reflect the bandwidth a potential subscriber would be buying into -- a proposal that might actually have some teeth as the British Advertising Standards Authority is currently in the midst of a review specifically concerned with broadband advertising practices. Transparency in the way we're sold broadband? That'd make a welcome change!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Facebook Linked To One In Five Divorces In US

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday March 01, @12:05PM

from the sanctity-of-a-friend-request dept.

An anonymous reader writes"yes, in theory if you're single, Facebook can help you meet that special someone. But for those in even the healthiest of marriages, improper use can quickly devolve into a marital disaster. A recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that Facebook is cited in one in five divorces in the United States. Also, more than 80 percent of divorce lawyers reported a rising number of people are using social media to engage in extramarital affairs."

'Stupid Strategies' Could Be Best for the Genes

ScienceDaily (Mar. 1, 2011) — Blindly copying what your parents did -- no matter how stupid it may seem -- could be the best strategy for the long-term success of your genes, according to research by the Universities of Exeter and Bristol.

Man Pays $200,000 To Save Fake Online Girlfriend

Posted by samzenpus on Monday February 28, @03:30PM

from the scam-of-the-heart dept.

An anonymous reader writes"A 48-year-old Illinois man has experienced an online scam that was particularly devastating, both financially and emotionally. A woman he believed to be his online girlfriend turned out to be a fake, and his money has disappeared with her. The scam was recently revealed because he went to the police asking for help to rescue the woman, insisting that she had been kidnapped in London. The online 'relationship' between the two began over two years ago, during which he wired about $200,000 to several different bank accounts in Nigeria, Malaysia, England, and the US."

Mega Hurtz paintball robot is the remote-controlled, armor-plated tank you always wanted (video) By Vlad Savov posted Feb 28th 2011 9:58AM For whatever reason, the paths of paintball and robotics development have tended to converge. Latest in maintaining this fine tradition is the Mega Hurtz drone you see above, designed by a chap named Chris Rogers. It features a reconfigurable weapon platform -- so yes, you can spruce it up into a modern-day ED-209 -- equipped with a night-vision camera, a thermal imaging camera, and a laser scope. The paintball gun Chris has installed on the Mega Hurtz can rip through 20 rounds each second and tilt both vertically and horizontally for more refined aiming. It comes with a remote control feeding video of what the drone sees to the user, so all you'll really need to dominate your next wargame with the Mega Hurtz will be a generous helping of ruthlessness. Video after the break.

By Vlad Savov posted Feb 28th 2011 9:58AM

For whatever reason, the paths of paintball and robotics development have tended to converge. Latest in maintaining this fine tradition is the Mega Hurtz drone you see above, designed by a chap named Chris Rogers. It features a reconfigurable weapon platform -- so yes, you can spruce it up into a modern-day ED-209 -- equipped with a night-vision camera, a thermal imaging camera, and a laser scope. The paintball gun Chris has installed on the Mega Hurtz can rip through 20 rounds each second and tilt both vertically and horizontally for more refined aiming. It comes with a remote control feeding video of what the drone sees to the user, so all you'll really need to dominate your next wargame with the Mega Hurtz will be a generous helping of ruthlessness. Video after the break.

China Cleans Up Spam Problem

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday February 28, @08:49AM

from the i'm-feeling-much-better dept.

angry tapir writes"It's been a few years coming, but it looks like China may finally be getting a handle on its spam problem. Once the largest source of the world's spam, China has been gradually fading off the list of the world's top spam-producers. Right now Cisco Systems' IronPort group ranks it at number 18 in terms of spam-producing countries. That's a big drop from two years ago, when it consistently ranked in the top five."

Gmail Accidentally Resets 150,000 Accounts

Posted by samzenpus on Monday February 28, @08:08AM

from the did-you-need-that-mail? dept.

tsj5j writes"Many users have reported loss of their Gmail accounts, as they signed in to find their email accounts reset — losing years of email history. This appears to be a result of a bug which treats existing owners as new users. For those affected, Google is currently trying to resolve the problem. For the rest of us, perhaps this is a timely reminder to backup our data and be less trusting of the cloud."

Given Prior to Loud Noise, Two Drugs Protect Hearing Better Than One

ScienceDaily (Feb. 28, 2011) — Whether on a battlefield, in a factory or at a rock concert, noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common hazards people face.

ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2011) — Freshmen on the eve of finals and graduate students staring down a thesis committee may not feel this way, but the privilege of obtaining an advanced education correlates with decades of lower blood pressure, according to a study led by a public health researcher at Brown University. The benefit appears to be greater for women than for men.

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