Thursday, March 19, 2009
Depressed People Have Trouble Learning 'Good Things In Life'
ScienceDaily (Mar. 19, 2009) — While depression is often linked to negative thoughts and emotions, a new study suggests the real problem may be a failure to appreciate positive experiences.
Strong Links Between Mothers' Diets And Health Of Their Children
ScienceDaily (Mar. 19, 2009) — A new report by University of Southampton academics emphasises the links between poor diet in mothers and ill health in their children, and calls for women of childbearing age to be made more aware of the importance of good nutrition.
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The Pwn2Own trifecta: Safari, IE 8, and Firefox exploited on day 1
by Thomas Ricker, posted Mar 19th 2009 at 5:59AM
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Did Bat Hitch a Ride To Space On Discovery?
Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday March 18, @09:29AM
from the that'll-be-$10M-please dept.
suraj.sun writes"A bat was seen clinging to the external fuel tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery before its launch on Sunday, apparently clung for dear life to the side of the tank as the spaceship lifted off. The shuttle accelerates to an orbital velocity of 17,500 milers per hour, which is 25 times faster than the speed of sound, in just over eight minutes. That's zero to 100 mph in 10 seconds. Did it make it into space? No one knows yet. But photos of Discovery as it cleared the launch tower showed a tiny speck on the side of the tank. When those photos were blown up, it became apparent that the speck was a bat."
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Black Sea Pollution Could Be Harnessed As Renewable Future Energy Source
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2009) — The Black Sea harbours vast quantities of hydrogen sulfide, the toxic gas associated with the smell of rotten eggs. This noxious gas could be used as a renewable source of hydrogen gas to fuel a future carbon-free economy, according to Turkish researchers writing in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Nuclear Hydrogen Production and Applications.
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Shrinking In Hippocampus Area Of Brain Precedes Alzheimer's Disease
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2009) — People who have lost brain cells in the hippocampus area of the brain are more likely to develop dementia, according to a study published in the March 17, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
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Video: The Shimano Di2 electric bike shifter for the paradoxically lazy
by Thomas Ricker, posted Mar 17th 2009 at 5:45AM
Friday, March 6, 2009
Weight Loss Plan
A man calls a company and orders their 5-day, 10 lb. weight loss program.
The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck.
She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company.
The sign reads, "If you can catch me, you can have me."
Without a second thought, he takes off after her.
A few miles later huffing and puffing, he finally gives up.
The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens.
On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lbs. as promised.
He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program.
The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in his life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, "If you catch me you can have me."
Well, he's out the door after her like a shot.
This girl is in excellent shape and he does his best, but no such luck.
The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck.
She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company.
The sign reads, "If you can catch me, you can have me."
Without a second thought, he takes off after her.
A few miles later huffing and puffing, he finally gives up.
The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens.
On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lbs. as promised.
He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program.
The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in his life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, "If you catch me you can have me."
Well, he's out the door after her like a shot.
This girl is in excellent shape and he does his best, but no such luck.
So for the next four days, the same routine happens with him gradually getting in better and better shape.
Much to his delight on the fifth day when he weighs himself, he discovers that he has lost another
20 lbs. as promised.
He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program.
"Are you sure?" asks the representative on the phone. "This is our most rigorous program."
20 lbs. as promised.
He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program.
"Are you sure?" asks the representative on the phone. "This is our most rigorous program."
"Absolutely," he replies, "I haven't felt this good in years."
The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it he finds a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, "If I catch you, your ass is mine."
The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it he finds a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, "If I catch you, your ass is mine."
He lost 63 pounds that week.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Meteorite Hunters Find the West Texas Fireball
Posted by kdawson on Wednesday March 04, @01:14AM
from the sweet-dreams-and-flying-machines-in-pieces-on-the-ground dept.
An anonymous reader writes"A fireball streaked over Austin, Texas on February 15 producing sonic booms and startling people for hundreds of miles. The video of the event was shown on national television and viewed by thousands of people on the Net. The first news reports speculated that the fireball might have been debris from a February 13th collision between two satellites over Siberia but space experts said that the object was probably a meteor. Now this has been confirmed: experienced meteorite hunters located a strewnfield about 120 miles north of the filming site of the Austin cameraman and have recovered over 100 freshly fallen meteorites."
Common Marine Sponges May Provide Super-antibiotics Of The Future
ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2009) — No matter how sophisticated modern medicine becomes, common ailments like fungal infections can outrun the best of the world's antibiotics. In people with compromised immune systems (like premature babies, AIDS victims or those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer) the risk is very high: contracting a fungal infection can be deadly.
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Long-Term Use Of Nutrient Supplements May Increase Cancer Risk
ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2009) — Long-term use of beta carotene and some other carotenoid-containing dietary supplements may increase the risk of lung cancer, especially among smokers, according to a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers.
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Tuesday, March 3, 2009
First Touch-Screen, Bendable E-Paper Developed
Posted by timothy on Tuesday March 03, @12:40PM
from the don't-sign-contracts-written-on-this dept.
Al writes"The first touch-screen flexible e-paper has been developed by a team from Arizona State University and E-Ink (the company that makes the technology for Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader). Jann Kaminski and colleagues at ASU's Flexible Display Center say the main challenge is that most touch-screen technologies do not respond well to being flexed. So they used an inductive screen, which relies on a magnetized styluses to induce a field in a sensing layer at the back of the display. The first adopters for the technology are likely to be the US Army. Watch a video of the device being tested."
Oklahoma Bikers May Get to Run Red Lights Legally
There are few things in life as frustrating as burning gas at an extremely long red light when you can plainly see there are no other vehicles nearby. If you get around your town on a motorcycle, you get to experience this beautiful gas-wasting phenomenon routinely, since your vehicle isn't big enough to trigger the sensors at most traffic lights. That's why lawmakers in Oklahoma have introduced a bill that would make it legal for bikers to run red lights in certain circumstances.I like to call this concept "straight on red." It's like the wonderful "right on red," except this congestion-easing practice would only apply to motorcycles who passed through the light in a safe-ish manner where there was no traffic approaching. Seem dangerous? Sponsors of the bill say it would actually reduce traffic accidents by clarifying when it's OK to cross, while also saving fuel and reducing emissions -- especially if you happen to be riding this hog.
[via AutoblogGreen]
Ultimate In 'Green' Energy: Plants Inspire New Generation Of Solar Cells
ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2009) — The ability of plants to turn sunlight into energy through photosynthesis has been successfully mimicked by scientists at the University of Southampton to produce a new generation of solar cells.
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Health Campaigns That Promote Exercise May Cause People To Eat More
ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2009) — New research from the University of Illinois suggests that weight-loss campaigns that promote exercise may actually cause people to eat more.
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Advance In Making Stem Cells From Skin
Posted by kdawson on Monday March 02, @09:53PM
from the we-don't-need-no-steenkin'-viruses dept.
KillerBob writes with an advance on the news from a year back that stem cells can be produced from human skin — discussed here. Now Canadian researchers have found a safe way to generate stem cells without using viruses to modify the genome, a process that can have its own dangers."The ethical debate over embryonic stem cell use may soon be moot, thanks to a Canadian team of researchers who, together with a team out of Scotland, has found a safe way to grow stem cells from a patient's own skin. The revolutionary finding, described in a paper published yesterday by the international science journal Nature, means doctors may be one step closer to treating a multitude of diseases, including Alzheimer's, diabetes and Parkinson's."
Wiping American Butts Worse for the Environment than SUVs
Wow, we knew that America's obsession with soft and fluffy toilet paper was a problem, but how bad is it really? According to Allen Hershkowitz, senior scientist from the Natural Resources Defense Council, America's toilet paper problem is actually worse for the planet than it's love of fuel-hogging SUVs. That's on account of the chemicals used in the manufacture of pulp and, of course, the fact that we're leveling old-growth forests to wipe our butts with.The outcry over America's bathroom habits is being promoting in part by recent data showing that 98% of the toilet paper consumed in the US in 2008 came from virgin fibers (compare that to 60% in Europe and Latin America). According to the NYT, a significant portion of the quilted, super fluffy, triple-ply TP that comes from the nation's leading brands comes from rare old-growth forests in Canada. Sadly, the super comfy paper that is enjoyed for only a couple of unsavory seconds takes decades, if not centuries, to grow. Of course, there are plenty of alternatives out there like recycled TP or -- for hardcore conservationists -- the cloth toilet wipe.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Hardware: A New Way To Produce Hydrogen
Posted by kdawson on Sunday March 01, @05:20AM
from the doctor-clark-i-presume dept.
from the doctor-clark-i-presume dept.
Iddo Genuth writes"Scientists at Pennsylvania State University and Virginia Commonwealth University are producing hydrogen by exposing clusters of aluminum atoms to water. Rather than relying on the electronic properties of the aluminum, this new process depends on the geometric distribution of atoms within the clusters. It requires the presence of 'Lewis acids' and 'Lewis bases' in those atoms (water can act as either). Unlike most hydrogen production processes, this method can be used at room temperature and doesn't require the application of heat or electricity to work. The researchers experimented with a variety of different aluminum cluster patterns, discovering three that result in hydrogen production."
Volt Asks Temps To 'Vote" For Microsoft Pay Cut
Posted by kdawson on Sunday March 01, @03:47PM
from the one-contractor-one-vote dept.
from the one-contractor-one-vote dept.
theodp writes"In an email sent Friday evening to its Microsoft temp workers, Volt Workforce Solutions asked the techies to 'vote' to agree to a 10% pay cut. From the email: 'We want to support you in continuing your assignment at Microsoft and respectfully ask that you respond by going to the upper left hand corner of this email under the "Vote" response option and select, "Accept'" by close of business Tuesday, March 3, 2009. By accepting you agree to the [-10%] pay adjustment in your pay rate.' Microsoft managed to keep the Feb. 20 email detailing plans to slash rates from leaking while it pitched its Elevate America initiative at the 2009 Winter Meeting of the National Governors Association, touting Microsoft skills as just the ticket to economic recovery."
Read More... Underlying Sleep Problem Linked To Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder In Children
ScienceDaily (Mar. 2, 2009) — A study in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP suggests the presence of an intrinsic sleep problem specific to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and supports the idea that children with ADHD may be chronically sleep deprived and have abnormal REM sleep.
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Uproar Over Netflix's New Instant Viewer
Posted by kdawson on Sunday March 01, @08:14PM
from the one-way-beta dept.
almechist writes"Many Netflix customers are up in arms over the new instant-watch player powered by Microsoft's Silverlight. The official Netflix blog is full of complaints from users who decry not only the new player's quality but also the way it's being distributed, with many claiming they were deceived into downloading it. Once you opt for the new player, the old Windows Media based player won't function, not on any computer associated with the account. The new player is supposedly still beta, but NF members are strongly encouraged (some say tricked) by NF into the so-called 'upgrade,' which is permanent — there is no way to opt out. The marked decrease in video quality seen by those who have switched is perhaps not surprising, since the old player could utilize bit streams up to twice as fast as the new one, but this information is nowhere given out by NF. So far NF has been answering all complaints with variations on 'tough luck pal, you're stuck with it,' but many customers are so disgusted they're ready to cancel their NF membership. This could be a public relations disaster in the making for Netflix."
Friday, February 27, 2009
Indoor Air Pollution Increases Asthma Symptoms, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Feb. 27, 2009) — A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University found an association between increasing levels of indoor particulate matter pollution and the severity of asthma symptoms among children. The study, which followed a group of asthmatic children in Baltimore, Md., is among the first to examine the effects of indoor particulate matter pollution.
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
WORM INFILTRATES COMPUTER, DISABLES CPU FAN, CAUSES OVERHEATING
by Tim Stevens, posted Feb 26th 2009 at 10:17AM
[Via Switched]
Sony To Unveil New Fuel-Cell Prototype
Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday February 25, @07:34PM
from the new-power dept.
Nakeot writes"On Friday, Sony plans to unveil their newest portable fuel-cell technology, aimed at a variety of mobile applications. From the article: "The system contains both a methanol fuel cell and a Li-on battery" and can "intelligently switch between power from the battery, fuel, or even both under high-draw circumstances." Sony intends to show off two models claimed to power your cell for a week or a month, respectively, as well as the latest developments with their sugar-batteries that can now run purely off your favorite cola beverage. This model builds on Sony's 2008 model, their first commercially-demonstratable prototype, and could make waves with Sony's OLED devices, but will Sony be able to avoid another battery recall?"
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