nycterent - Kuru

Google maps goes bike-tacular, just in time for spring

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:38:07 +0100

via feeds.boingboing.net

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IEEE Spectrum: Robosoft Unveils Kompaï Robot To Assist Elderly, Disabled

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:02:28 +0100

via spectrum.ieee.org

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INT: Why we must fire bad teachers

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:12:36 +0100

Once upon a time, American students tested better than any other students in the world. Now, ranked against European schoolchildren, America does about as well as Lithuania, behind at least 10 other nations.

via inlandnewstoday.com

Education: Usa vs Lithuania

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Determinism

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:39:13 +0100

via lukesurl.com

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DICE 2010: "Design Outside the Box" Presentation Videos

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:18:26 +0100

via g4tv.com

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Intelligent people have 'unnatural' preferences and values that are novel in human evolution

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:59:46 +0100

An earlier study by Kanazawa found that more intelligent individuals were more nocturnal, waking up and staying up later than less intelligent individuals. Because our ancestors lacked artificial light, they tended to wake up shortly before dawn and go to sleep shortly after dusk. Being nocturnal is evolutionarily novel.

via physorg.com

I always had doubts about those early birds ;D

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Open Source Software Turns Countries Into Pirate Havens

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:08:54 +0100

Open Source Software Turns Countries Into Pirate Havens

Anti-Piracy / Copyright

Tags: Open Source

February 24, 2010, by Ernesto 1

Many governments are promoting the use of free and Open Source software, a move that stings the US pro-copyright lobby. In a recommendation to the US Trade Representative, lobbyists have now asked to put countries that promote Open Source software on a watchlist of capitalist enemies.

The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) is a coalition of many pro-copyright groups including the MPAA, RIAA and the Business Software Association. Its aim is to protect their businesses from threats to their copyright exploitation models, and to convince lawmakers to clamp down on piracy.

Every year the outfit produces a set of recommendations for the US Government. It produces a list of countries that are a threat, recommending the US Trade Representative to put these on a watchlist. Usually, this has something to do with weak copyright laws but this year they see a news threat in addition to that.

Open Source software.

In other words, Firefox, Wordpress, Ubuntu and Open Office are the software equivalent of the axis of evil.

Countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and India should be placed on the watchlist for their Open Source support according to the International Intellectual Property Alliance. With similar initiatives countries such as the UK, The Netherlands and others may soon follow.

Open Source software “simply weakens the software industry and undermines its long-term competitiveness” while “it fails to build respect for intellectual property rights,” the IIPA recommendation says. “It encourages a mindset that does not give due consideration to the value to intellectual creations.”

Oh really?

What they really mean to say of course is that Open Software is saving the tax payers a lot of money, money that usually goes into the pockets of the some of the major software companies.

You can read more details on this absurd move at the excellent Guardian blog.

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IEEE Spectrum: Thousands of Companies and Their Computers Hacked In Newly Discovered Coordinated Attack

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:18:55 +0100

A story in today’s Wall Street Journal says that 2,400 corporations’ and numerous governments’ computer systems have been successfully hacked into by coordinated attacks over the past 18 months that have originated from Europe and China.

via spectrum.ieee.org

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TED 2010: Bing Maps Takes Panoramas Indoors | Epicenter

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:47:06 +0100

via wired.com

mappoop

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Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? | Harvard Video Course

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:35:22 +0100

In this course, Sandel challenges us with difficult moral dilemmas and asks our opinion about the right thing to do. He then asks us to examine our answers in the light of new scenarios. The results are often surprising, revealing that important moral questions are never black and white.
This course also addresses the hot topics of our day—affirmative action, same-sex marriage, patriotism and rights—and Sandel shows us that we can revisit familiar controversies with a fresh perspective.

via academicearth.org

The Morality of Murder. How Much is a Life Worth? Natural Rights and Giving Them Up. What’s Fair and Deserved? The Good Citizen and the Freedom to Choose. And other lectures. Makes you wanna jump and bump. It will make you better and different.

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Obama Slashes NASA Constellation Program, Scientists Furious

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:49:39 +0100

NASA scientists were severely disappointed to hear the news that President Obama is canceling the agency’s Constellation project in favor of less costly alternatives.

The project, which hoped to put man back on the moon by 2020, is being shelved in favor of more unmanned probes, further experimentation on heavy-lift rocket systems and orbital tests of new technology. However, NASA scientists say that this decision will severely impede Mars exploration efforts, and represents a significant loss of existing resources.

A NASA Scientist, who requested to remain unnamed, said that this decision will unnecessarily junk previous investments.

“The Constellation program has had some serious issues, but it’s hard to build a rocket. Starting from scratch after spending $2 billion doesn’t seem like a particularly good idea, and a lot of engineers are going to lose their jobs because of this decision, “ she said. She added that, “What really irritates me about the decision is that now we won’t be going back to the Moon for ages. Robotic missions are fine, but we’ve been doing that for 50 years. if we want to go to Mars someday, we have to go to the Moon first.”

In lieu of lunar exploration, the President has asked NASA to focus on Earth Observation.

Combined with recent announcements regarding the privatization of the space program, this suggests that President Obama has grown tired with NASA’s persistent budgetary issues. By axing the trip to the Moon, Obama hopes to save resources for a potential future Mars trip.

This would be fine if a Moon trip weren’t so important along the road to Mars. While the Moon trip would be a mere fraction of the length of the Mars mission, it’s a necessary proof of concept for the Mars mission. Certain systems necessary to survive an extraorbital mission cannot be tested in low Earth orbit. By making a manned trip to the Moon, these vital systems could be given the shakedown and test that they will need. If the Obama Administration doesn’t wish to give up on a manned mission to Mars, they should reverse their decision and keep the Constellation program alive, despite its many flaws.

via feedproxy.google.com

“In lieu of lunar exploration, the President has asked NASA to focus on Earth Observation.”

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See Fabian Hemmert and his amazing, shape-shifting cellphone prototype (video) -- Engadget

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:33:26 +0100

via engadget.com

Phone poop

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Hands-on with the new Apple iPad | Mobilize - InfoWorld

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:38:07 +0100

I wasn’t the only person who noticed the iPad’s weight. As I was looking over the device with a lot of other media types after Jobs’ speech, I heard the guy next to me tell an Apple representative: “If I throw this at someone’s head, they are going down.

via infoworld.com

Reminds my old Nokia

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Biboulakis - Such A Bad Idea(feat Nina Zeitlin)_Radio Edit© - SoundCloud

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:55:19 +0100

Such A Bad Idea(feat Nina Zeitlin)_Radio Edit© by Biboulakis

via soundcloud.com

Some bad ideas are good.

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What's A Hand Ninja? Ohhh, That's A Hand Ninja (VIDEO)

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:44:48 +0100

via huffingtonpost.com

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U.S. enables Chinese hacking of Google - CNN.com

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:00:05 +0100

China’s hackers subverted the access system Google put in place to comply with U.S. intercept orders. Why does anyone think criminals won’t be able to use the same system to steal bank account and credit card information, use it to launch other attacks or turn it into a massive spam-sending network? Why does anyone think that only authorized law enforcement can mine collected Internet data or eavesdrop on phone and IM conversations?

via cnn.com

I think this is just a start

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Morphy - Turn The Tablas (Cylon) - SoundCloud

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:05:38 +0100

Turn The Tablas (Cylon) by Morphy

via soundcloud.com

Nice track!

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Ice Creamy Goodness | Archives | Our work | Rethink Communications

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:22:26 +0100

via rethinkcommunications.com

Vanilla

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Mentat Wiki: Home Page

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:39:26 +0100

This wiki is a collaborative environment for exploring ways to become a better thinker. Topics that can be explored here include MemoryTechniques, MentalMath, CriticalThinking, BrainStorming, ShorthandSystems, NotebookSystems, and SmartDrugs. Other relevant topics are also welcome. How have you made yourself smarter in writing ?

via ludism.org

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Challenged cartoon by Stuart McMillen - Recombinant Records

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:28:15 +0100

via recombinantrecords.net

Few days left to brainwash yourself for 2010!

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