Episode38

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Bush to set up domestic spy service

  • George Bush has announced a new Intelligence agency to be set up within the FBI - the National Security Service
  • The agency will be empowered to sieze the property of those suspected of spreading WMD
  • This story ironically comes shortly after GB intervened to prevent the controversial supreme court decision allowing so called 'eminent domain'
    • where local governments to enact compulsory purchase orders for private developments
  • The FBI will restucture to include a new
    • The NSS will consolidate the bureau's counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and intelligence duties
  • The expantion of the FBI's duties from crime fighting to domestic surveilance seems clear
  • The agency will be headed up by John Negraponte, the controversial former US amassador to Hondoras
    • alleged to have been involved in the training and aid to Nicaraguan Contras death squads
    • Actions that would later result in the conviction of the United Stated in the UN International Court of Justice for unlawful use of forse
    • additionally he is alleged to have been involved in the running of CIA trained Honduran death squads - responsible for the deaths of opponents of the US supported regieme
    • and the establishment of secret detention and tortue facilities in Honduras
  • One potentially positive move is the establishment of a counter-proliferation center - to prevent the spread of chemical / biological / nuclear weapons
  • The changes are being marked as a reaction to the Silverman-Robb Commission report on the "Intelligence Failures" in Iraq - which led to the 'mistakes' on WMD
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Scientist Unite To Attack Creationism

  • The Inter Academy Panel on International Issues - of the International Council for Science has released a strong condemnation of anti scientific / anti evolutionary education
  • The statement attacks the denial of evolution - and the confusion of untestable beliefs with scientific hypotheses
  • It urges parents and educators to teach children about the scientific method and scientific discoveries
  • It also lists a variety of evidence based statements in support of evolution and the scientific method
  • The statement is signed by representatives of 68 International scientific representative bodies
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ACLU hounds NSA on brain scan misuse

  • In a story right from the pen of Philp K. Dick - The ACLU have accused the NSA of adapting functional neuroimaging in the questioning of suspects domestically and internationally
  • FMRI likely to be the technology involved
    • The technology works by capturing statistical alterations in oxygenated bloodflow to various brain regions in response to activity
    • which is assumed to correllate with brain activity
    • When hemoglobin - the bloods oxygen transporter - is oxygen rich, it become magnetic in response to the application of external magnetic fields - allowing the recording of blood oxygen level dependent images of neural activity
    • Images are mathamatically transformed into meaningful analogues of brain activity
  • MRI and fMRI techniques are revolutionizing neuroscience - however the very idea of a 'lie region' in any individuals brain is absurd - although it might be possible to present individuals with stimuli (e.g.: photographs) and observe their brains activation in response
  • The ethics of subjecting suspects (or even convicted criminals) to unnecessary medical proceedures in order to extract information, is highly dubious
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Short Stories

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Warner to sell movies via GUBA.com

  • Studio Giant Warner Bros. (a subsidiary of Time Warner) have announced a deal with startup GUBA.com
  • Interestingly the studio is not persuing horizontal integration with TM owned America Online
  • Warner are experimenting with a variety of distribution mechanisms - having already signed a deal with bittorrent creator Bram Cohen
  • Pricing
    • Movie - 24 hour rental - $1.99
    • Movie - 'Permanent' DRM'd download - $19.99 / $9.99 - same day DVD release
    • TV shows - $1.79 per episode
  • Compatibility - Windows media PC's, networks and portable devices
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Google launches Paypal rival

  • Google has finally launched its long awaited PayPal rival checkout #
  • If the service proves popular - it could ultimately be an even greater income generator than adwords
  • Signing up is as simple as filling in a single page form with credit card / billing details
  • Each user can store an unlimited number of credit card / billing address combinations
  • Google have cleverly linked the tech into adwords adds - with a shopping cart icon indicating support for the service
  • Order / shipping status & fraud protection are included
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Canadian Scientists Regrow Teeth and Bones Eh

  • Canadian Scientists are using ultrasound to fix fractured & diseased teeth
  • The wireless device - inserted like a cap above teeth stimulate the gum and roots to produce growth
  • The technology may one day allow bone growth to increase height
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Links

BreitBart.com Article

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Java may go open source in months

  • Sun have announced their intention to Open Source their Java virtual machine / programming environment
  • The move may save the beliegered language which has come under attack from new tech
    • Like Microsofts .Net and C# technologies
  • It could additionally provide a huge boon to embeded devices running Linux
  • Move comes 2 years after it was suggested by IBM & Eric S. Raymond
  • Compatibility & forking issues may delay the move for several months
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Links

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Media Pimp

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Gareth

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Daniel

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Jonah

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Fiona

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