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Spam attack halts Virgin e-mail
Tens of thousands of Virgin customers have spent four days cut off from, or with little access to, their e-mail accounts after a suspected spam attack.
The problem affected a company which processes messages delivered through the Virgin.net platform.
All legitimate e-mails were held back when the "large" attack began on Tuesday evening so the spam could be removed, a Virgin Media spokesman said
Spam Tens of thousands of Virgin customers have spent four days cut off from, or with little access to, their e-mail accounts after a suspe... more -
USDA biotech regulations could allow drugs in food
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today denounced newly proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules governing genetically engineered crops, including food crops engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial products. The proposed rules, UCS charged, would not protect the U.S. food supply from potential contamination by drugs from "pharma" crops, and could allow drugs that it deems "safe" to enter the food supply. This contamination could occur through cross-pollination or seed mixing between pharma food crops and crops intended for consumption.
The USDA ignored recommendations for a ban on the outdoor production of pharma food crops from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, major food companies, UCS, and more than 100 environmental, agricultural, health, and consumer organizations.
Below is a statement by Jane Rissler, UCS's Food and Environment Program deputy director:
"Under the proposed rules, USDA's new motto is 'Only safe levels of drugs in U.S. food.' If these proposals are enacted into law, American consumers must accept the possibility of drugs in their breakfast cereal or other common foods. Moreover, these rules likely will lead to contamination scares, which will hurt the food industry.
"The USDA proposal, unlike the ban we recommended, offers no incentives to drug companies to pursue already existing, safer methods for producing drugs.
"In its rush to enact the proposed rules into law before the end of the Bush administration, the USDA has given short shrift to public participation. The department is allowing only 45 days for the public to analyze and comment on this major proposal, which will determine the government's approach to regulating genetically engineered organisms for years to come.
"The proposed rules also overhaul the existing regulatory system for genetically engineered crops other than pharma crops. Some of the proposed changes represent steps in the right direction such as making the regulatory program more coherent and comprehensive, expanding the scope of genetically engineered organisms subject to government oversight, and allowing the department to consider impacts on public health."
For UCS's Web feature profiling innovative biotechnology companies that are developing drugs more safely, go to
http://ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/solutions/sensib....
For the location of pharma crops that have been grown outdoors across the country, go to
http://go.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/pharm/index.p....
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Here we go again. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today denounced newly proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules governing genetical... more -
Nature losses to far exceed losses due to 'bank crisis'
The global economy is losing more money from the disappearance of forests than through the current banking crisis, according to an EU-commissioned study.
It puts the annual cost of forest loss at between $2 trillion and $5 trillion.
The figure comes from adding the value of the various services that forests perform, such as providing clean water and absorbing carbon dioxide.
The study, headed by a Deutsche Bank economist, parallels the Stern Review into the economics of climate change.
It has been discussed during many sessions here at the World Conservation Congress.
Some conservationists see it as a new way of persuading policymakers to fund nature protection rather than allowing the decline in ecosystems and species, highlighted in the release on Monday of the Red List of Threatened Species, to continue.
Capital losses
Speaking to BBC News on the fringes of the congress, study leader Pavan Sukhdev emphasised that the cost of natural decline dwarfs losses on the financial markets.
"It's not only greater but it's also continuous, it's been happening every year, year after year," he told BBC News.
"So whereas Wall Street by various calculations has to date lost, within the financial sector, $1-$1.5 trillion, the reality is that at today's rate we are losing natural capital at least between $2-$5 trillion every year."
The review that Mr Sukhdev leads, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb), was initiated by Germany under its recent EU presidency, with the European Commission providing funding.
The first phase concluded in May when the team released its finding that forest decline could be costing about 7% of global GDP. The second phase will expand the scope to other natural systems.
Stern message
Key to understanding his conclusions is that as forests decline, nature stops providing services which it used to provide essentially for free.
So the human economy either has to provide them instead, perhaps through building reservoirs, building facilities to sequester carbon dioxide, or farming foods that were once naturally available.
Or we have to do without them; either way, there is a financial cost.
The Teeb calculations show that the cost falls disproportionately on the poor, because a greater part of their livelihood depends directly on the forest, especially in tropical regions.
The greatest cost to western nations would initially come through losing a natural absorber of the most important greenhouse gas.
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And that isn't only on a monetary scale. The loss of forests, natural carbon sinks, biodiversity, our oceans, and the ecosystems that depend on them will lose us as a species far more than $$$$$$. We will lose our very essence and our reason for being on this planet. We will lose the very breath of our Earth. To me, while the global markets struggle to maintain a tangible asset, let us not forget that our Earth and its sustainability is our most precious asset in more ways than just the tangible. And if we as a world community do not get truly serious about dealing with this loss within the next year it will not matter what happens on a global market. The loss to us otherwise will be even more catastrophic. The global economy is losing more money from the disappearance of forests than through the current banking crisis, according to an EU-... more -
World's thinnest TV screen unveiled
Sony have unveiled the thinnest ever TV screen, whose screen is as slim as a CD case.
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Hand-blown BIC art
These hand-blown BIC biro vases are pretty impressive pieces of recycled art, even if they do hold only one daisy. I want one, but refuse to pay $29 for a biro. Maybe I could blow one myself, though I'm not sure I'd survive the toxic fumes ... These hand-blown BIC biro vases are pretty impressive pieces of recycled art, even if they do hold only one daisy. I want one, but re... more
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Techno-fantastical artwork
Check out some fantastic artwork from Matthias Adolfsson, with his amazingly detailed techno-fantasy drawings. More through the link. Kinda reminds me of a mixture of steampunk and some fantasy books. Check out some fantastic artwork from Matthias Adolfsson, with his amazingly detailed techno-fantasy drawings. More through the link.... more
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GeoEye starts new Earth photo album with high-res pics
Smile big for the GeoEye :)
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New machine prints sheets of light
"On a bank of the Mohawk River, a windowless industrial building of corrugated steel hides something that could make floor lamps, bedside lamps, wall sconces and nearly every other household lamp obsolete." "On a bank of the Mohawk River, a windowless industrial building of corrugated steel hides something that could make floor lamps,... more
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Army keeps military green push, embraces solar, wind, and bio-fuel power
The Army is following the Air Force's green efforts to cut their energy expenditures and, presumably, don't see their weapons budget cut. They will install solar panels and windmills, while investing in bio-fuels and energy conservation in bases all around the country. According to Keith Eastin, assistant Army secretary for Installations and Environmen, this will be good not only for the military, but for all of us:
The Army plans to increase efficiency and serve as a model for the military and the nation when it comes to the operation of our housing, buildings, and forward operating bases. The Army will use its considerable purchasing power to push green projects that might not otherwise receive needed money.
One of these projects is the installation of a 500 megawatt solar thermal plant in Ft. Irwin, an Army base located in the Mojave Desert. Another, the purchase of 4,000 Small Neighborhood Electric Vehicles similar to the Peapod, which will always beat the SUVs currently in use at these bases.
The effort will have to be really serious, as their energy costs have increased a full 40% during the last seven years, even while they have cut consumption by almost 8%. According to their latest numbers released this week in Washington, D.C., right now they are spending $2 billion on fuel every year. However, most of it goes to feeding the generators that power the temporal bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, so no matter how much money they spend on saving energy at home, they still will have to feed the monster around the world. The Army is following the Air Force's green efforts to cut their energy expenditures and, presumably, don't see their weapon... more -
Tech Report: Nolan Bushnell
The man who started two of the great institutions of our time, Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, shows Ben the future of dining.
The infoMania Tech Report is a weekly segment where technology guru Ben Hoffman takes a look at the newest tech products, gadgets and video games. It has been called “the funniest tech show on the web.” (No source for that quote is available at this time. In fact, there’s a good chance it was made up.)
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. The man who started two of the great institutions of our time, Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, shows Ben the future of dining. ... more -
World's stickiest glue could make you walk up walls
"A new type of dry glue designed to mimic gecko feet is 10 times stickier than the gravity-defying lizards, and three times stickier than other gecko-inspired glues, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
'It's the stickiest dry glue yet,' said Liming Dai of the University of Dayton, who reported on the glue in the journal Science. 'Our sticky glue has a force 10 times that of gecko feet and three times more than previous sticky glues trying to mimic the gecko feet.'
A 1-inch (2.5-cm) square of the adhesive can support the weight of a 220-pound (100-kg) man climbing up a vertical surface, but it can be easily lifted and reapplied, an ideal material for, say, a Spider-Man suit.
Aside from helping people walk up walls, the glue could be used in electrical components without the need for soldering."
Learn more at: http://www.udayton.edu/News/Article/?contentId=18761 ; http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/322/5899... "A new type of dry glue designed to mimic gecko feet is 10 times stickier than the gravity-defying lizards, and three times stick... more -
$800 Macbooks? Say WHAT?!?
Some Apple retailers in the United States have been given price lists for a new Apple laptop line, and there’s a big surprise: an $800 laptop. The information comes from a source we would categorize as reliable, would have access to such information, and who has been accurate in the past.
According to the source, Apple retail stores have been given price sheets that list 12 price points for the new range, with prices between $800-$3100. Current lines only have 8 price points, 3 Macbooks starting at $1099, 3 Macbook Pros and 2 Macbook Airs. According to the source, retail outlets usually get the price lists 10 days before products hit the market. Technical specs for the new laptops were not included on the price sheet.
An $800 laptop would be the first sub-$1000 laptop offered by Apple, and would signal a shift from Cupertino to target a broader range of price sensitive customers for the first time. Whether this laptop is a sub-laptop or ultra-portable we simply don’t know, it could be Apple more aggressively pricing their new Macbook range, or it could be a completely new laptop altogether, presumably utilizing the much discussed “Apple Brick” manufacturing process (pic above). What we do know is that there will be four additional price points, so unless the updated versions of existing lines are offered with more options, we would presume that Apple may actually launch an entirely new laptop. Some Apple retailers in the United States have been given price lists for a new Apple laptop line, and there’s a big surprise: an $800... more -
Frozen death looms for Phoenix Mars Lander
After more than four months on the arctic plains of the red planet, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's days are finally numbered.As the sun begins to set for the frigid Martian winter, the spacecraft will lose its energy supply, freeze and eventually fall into a mechanical coma from which it will likely never wake up. After more than four months on the arctic plains of the red planet, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's days are finally numbered.A... more
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Blending safety with sexy: space fashion is here
You can almost picture it now: Paris Hilton swallowed up by a tight-fitting futuristic designer space suit -- one hand waving at the on-flight camera, the other clasping a Dior "space traveler" handbag.
Oh yes, with the age of space tourism upon us, space fashion looks set to become the next step into this infinite world of adventure.
One factor certain to drive the fashion-crazy towards space concepts is the super-wealthy space tourists (reportedly paying a minimum price of $200,000 per seat) who are set to make trips into orbit an everyday occurrence for those with deep pockets.
And space-inspired fashion is already making cosmic waves in the design world.
Last year Louis Vuitton held an exhibition at the Espace Louis Vuitton in Paris titled "The Temptation of Space" which included an installation by legendary French designer Philippe Starck.
This show followed two international space fashion shows in Japan and the U.S.
David Jankowski, president and founder of DestinySpace, one of the organizations behind the American and Japanese shows, said space fashion is more than just a fad.
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"Space fashion is important and will be in the next generation of space suits. I don't know how much we will see at the beginning because simpler versions of space attire are going to be what people are interested in," he said. "But there will be some sense of fashion involved. I would like something futuristic if I was going up into space."
Forecasting that space travelers would soon become fashion-conscious, Jankowski likened the situation to the beginnings of commercial air travel.
"Women had certain dresses and jackets to wear just for flying in the airplane. Back then it was this brand new experience and you had to dress for it."
And there is no doubt space fashion is being taken seriously.
DestinySpace and a similar company called Rocketplane are looking at forming a space fashion organization with other partners, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is looking at a new slim-fit space suit. NASA also is looking to design a new "Constellation" suit especially for space travelers.
Jankowski said the space fashion shows were important for a variety of reasons.
"The event got people to start thinking about space tourism. The whole reason behind the show was to get people thinking about it and make it something that everyone can participate in."
While space travel may be inaccessible to many, a fashion show is something the average person can participate in, he said.
The shows had produced a variety of results, Jankowski said. You can almost picture it now: Paris Hilton swallowed up by a tight-fitting futuristic designer space suit -- one hand waving at the o... more -
infoMania 10.09.08
Chewing up the week's media so we can regurgitate it, half-digested, into your mouth.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at current.com/infomania. Chewing up the week's media so we can regurgitate it, half-digested, into your mouth. ... more -
Make charging your iPhone child's play - with iYo-yo
Genius ... Play with yo-yo, attach Firewire, charge iPhone. Keep it kinetic kids.
Warning - may not actually exist yet ... though stranger things have happened ... neat idea.
d Genius ... Play with yo-yo, attach Firewire, charge iPhone. Keep it kinetic kids. ... more -
Lost: Ministry of Defence hard drive
Here we go again! The Ministry of Defence's main IT contractor, EDS, has lost a hard drive containing personal details of up to 100,000 armed forces and 600,000 potential recruits.
I think somewhere in the folds of another dimension exist all the hard drives and personal data and single socks gone missing in the dryer. Here we go again! The Ministry of Defence's main IT contractor, EDS, has lost a hard drive containing personal details of up to 1... more -
How to say I Luv U in Nigeria
Your mobile phone beeps, you have received a text message.
It begins: "I swear, I will make sure I give you HIV..."
But it's not an abusive threat, it's a "romantic" text message copied from a book on sale all over Nigeria that professes to give young people the words they need to court the woman or man of their dreams.
"H is for Happiness and joy forever with an I: Incomparable love that will never V: Vanish until death do us part. I love you," the message concludes.
The book, called "Touching the heart through unforgettable text messages (vol.2)" is one of several on sale in markets around the country that give suggestions to tongue-tied young lovers.
Nigerians are compulsive text senders.
Many men complain that women send them "hot" text messages, but all they really want is money, while women say they are pestered by men sending "romantic" texts when all their suitors really want is sex.
But the book's author, 33-year-old entrepreneur Femi Emmanuel, says he writes text messages for people who are too busy, or illiterate, to properly express what is in their hearts.
He is not married but says he send "special" text messages to his girlfriend - original ones, not out of his books.
The sale of all four volumes has been such a success he has bought a car with the proceeds.
"People have really embraced the mobile phone here in Nigeria, but they may not be smart enough to know what to say in these kind of situations, or maybe they're too busy, running an office or whatever," he said. Your mobile phone beeps, you have received a text message. It begins: "I swear, I will make sure I give you HIV..." ... more -
Fighting the Taliban with cell phones
A radical new plan is being considered by the UK government to counter growing Taleban propaganda in Afghanistan, the BBC has learned.
The programme involves using new media like mobile phones and the internet to empower ordinary Afghans to contradict the prevailing Taleban message.
Non-governmental organisations would distribute mobile phones to Afghans so they can make their own video diaries.
Anti-Western films already circulate on Afghanistan's estimated 6m mobiles.
These films are also distributed among the country's half a million internet users.
The plan, devised by an outside consultant and said by the Foreign Office to "have merit," envisages having up to 100 short films made by Afghans ready in time for a film festival next summer.
Whitehall officials say the aim is to deprive the Taleban of its virtual monopoly on propaganda using new media.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said there is a growing realisation in Whitehall and Washington that the US-led coalition has been losing the propaganda war in Afghanistan to the Taleban.
The coalition's reputation was particularly damaged by the recent distribution of mobile phone footage showing the bodies of dozens of Afghan civilians killed in a US-led raid in August, our correspondent added.
-They're willing to give poor Afghans mobile phones while there is still a food shortage over there. This isn't exactly the way to win the war of "hearts and minds." A radical new plan is being considered by the UK government to counter growing Taleban propaganda in Afghanistan, the BBC has learned.... more
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