The word on the street: Yes.
Monthly Archives: July 2010
Save Net Neutrality from The Corporate Takeover of Media
From Al Franken:
The Comcast-NBC merger is the first domino. If it falls, the rest will soon follow. If no one stops them, how long do you think it will take before 4 or 5 megacorporations effectively control the flow of information in America not only on television, but online? How long do you think it will take before the Fox News website loads 5 times faster than DailyKos?
It’s almost too late to stop this from happening, but not quite. The government can stop them. . . but first the government has to be MADE to act.
Net Neutrality is THE First Amendment issue of our time. If you want to protect the free flow of information in the country and all that depends on it, you have to help me fight this.
Personal data of 100m facebook users published
These data were scraped by security consultant Ron Bowles, using code that scans Facebook profiles and collects all data not hidden by privacy settings. Which, as some but not all of you know, are probably not set the way you think they are set for your account.
You can have the data if you want. Click here to download it.
I’m a little unconcerned about these data being spread around. I was already available to anyone who simply went on (after joining) facebook.
Bowles did this in order to highlight the fact that stuff you put on Facebook is pretty much like stuff you leave around on the seat of your car or on a table near an unurtained window. Not invisible.
Bowle’s data set is incomplete, as there are about a half billion Facebook users.
Now, I wonder. What language was the script written in? Please tell me it was in bash using wget and sed! That would be so cool!
The story is all over, but here is one source.
The most exciting political get together of the year without guns!
The bio-future of joint replacement
Arthritis and injury grind down millions of joints, but few get the best remedy — real biological tissue. Kevin Stone shows a treatment that could sidestep the high costs and donor shortfall of human-to-human transplants with a novel use of animal tissue.
Notes
Without looking, can you name five major cities that still exist and have changed their names? Miss Cellania can.
What is a pleurodiran? Second in a series at Tetrapod Zoology.
This is interesting: “For the first time the number of [animal research] procedures involving genetically altered animals (which includes GM and naturally occurring mutants) exceeded the number of procedures using normal animals.” source Hat Tip: Skepchicks
Minnesota Atheists Talk Radio is BACK!!!
Whooping cough, in case you were not aware…
Whooping cough appears to be back, with a vengeance. It is now an epidemic in California. You need to know that it is serious business.
Blogging, Curing diabetes and Dengue Fever in Florida
Is the future of the science blogging blogosphere gong to look like the Early Triassic (which followed a mass extinction event)? Bora seems to think so: Science Blogging Networks: What, Why and How
Reversal of hyperglycemia in diabetic mouse models using induced-pluripotent stem (iPS)-derived pancreatic β-like cells … say no more. Just read all about it here.
Dengue fever in florida: What’s the story?
Sociopolitical Apes
It was already stifling at 9 o’clock in the morning as I frantically took notes on what I was witnessing through my field glasses. Without warning a black, hairy arm reached out to smack an unsuspecting victim, immediately giving way to a frantic chase that roused the entire troop. With teeth bared, the large, muscular ape bared down on his assailant amidst high-pitched screams of excitement before a resounding smack reverberated beneath the canopy and signaled …
… that it is time for you to CLICK HERE to read this fascinating post that bears on issues of Primate Psychology, Animal Rights, and Human Evolution, by Eric Michael Johnson, guest blogging at Neuron Culture.
Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing
Sheena Iyengar studies how we make choices — and how we feel about the choices we make. At TEDGlobal, she talks about both trivial choices (Coke v. Pepsi) and profound ones, and shares her groundbreaking research that has uncovered some surprising attitudes about our decisions.
Triassic Life on Land: I love this book
The Triassic is old. This book is new. That is a hard to beat combination.
Continue reading Triassic Life on Land: I love this book
Cape Peninsula
Notes
Note: On the Intertubes, he word “strike” and “scienceblogs” now occurs randomly in relation to topic at hand rather than in connection with Pepsico. Such as “Lightning Strike” and “Hunger Strike” and “doesn’t strike me as shocking”
Note: When you are a single parent, it’s pretty much baby OR blogging. I’ve been a single parent for several days, but getting back to the whole “village raises the child” thing shortly.
Kittywhumpus Pwns Target
Everybody should do this:
Dear Target,
What’s $2183.70 to a big company like you, beloved by millions of shoppers throughout the land, with sales of $63.4 billion during 2009? Not much, but it’s what my little family of three spent at your stores in 2009 and 2010, up to now. I know you don’t need me anymore. After all, your 2009 results “reflect the strongest retail segment profit in [your] history”.
It’s been grand, or, dare I say “Super”, but I think it’s time we see other people….
Everyone needs the new Video Camera Barbie
Details on the Barbie Video Girl Doll
Your Barbie Video Girl doll is a real working video camera! With Video Girl, it’s fun and easy to make your own movies. Here’s how it works: her necklace is really a video camera lens! Lift her hood and you’ll see a color LCD screen and three easy-to-use controls. The screen lets you see what you shoot! With just the push of a button, you can record any video you want, and then play it back instantly. You can also plug Video Girl into your computer and download your movies, then watch and share them with your friends! Includes doll, USB 2.0 cord. Barbie Video Girl doll is Windows/Mac compatible. Visit Barbie.com/videogirl to download free Video Girl editing software and get fun movie-making tips!