http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl News for nerds, stuff that matters en-us Copyright 1997-2009, Geeknet, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2009-12-20T05:03:11+00:00 Geeknet, Inc. help@slashdot.org Technology hourly 1 1970-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/topicslashdot.gif http://slashdot.org/firehose.pl //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7943006&from=rss The damaging effects of the illicit drug Cannabis on young brains are worse than originally thought, according to a psychiatric researcher. A new study suggests that daily consumption of cannabis in teens can cause depression and anxiety, and have an irreversible long-term effect on the brain. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:52:19+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7943004&from=rss Intensive medical therapy, including aggressive control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, for patients with asymptomatic plaque buildup in their carotid arteries (which supply blood to the brain) appears to be associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular events and reduced risk of microemboli (microscopic-sized blood clots) in the brain arteries, according to a new study. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:52:05+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1137258/Tiger-Woods-Affairsorg---Funny-Tiger-Woods-Song?from=rss Funny Tiger Woods Song Anonymous Coward 2009-12-20T04:43:42+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1137256/Catchy-Sports-Photography---In-35-Pics?from=rss Anonymous Coward 2009-12-20T04:34:24+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942808&from=rss Global warming is giving a boost to Sonoran Desert plants that have an edge during cold weather, according to new research. Although overall numbers of winter annuals have declined since 1982, species that germinate and grow better at low temperatures are becoming more common. As a result, the composition of the desert's spring wildflower display is changing, according to new research. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:33:54+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942802&from=rss Investigators surveyed 162 health-care providers to determine whether medical liability concerns were as important as antibiotic cost and formulary restrictions in selecting treatment regimens. They found a strong correlation between the prevalence of methicillin resistance and density of attorneys in countries in Europe and North America. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:33:43+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942794&from=rss A network of cameras deployed around the Arctic in support of NASA's THEMIS mission has made a startling discovery about the Northern Lights. Sometimes, vast curtains of aurora borealis collide, producing spectacular outbursts of light. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:33:32+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942792&from=rss Scientists have uncovered fundamental differences between the bone which makes up the skull and the bones in our limbs, which they believe could hold the key to tackling bone weakness and fractures. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:33:21+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942788&from=rss Not all regions of a tumor are equal in terms of their oxygen levels. One clinically important implication of this is that tumors with large areas with low levels of oxygen (areas known as hypoxic regions) are associated with poor prognosis and treatment response. Researchers have determined that a cellular response pathway known as the unfolded protein response pathway helps protect human tumor cells from hypoxia and anticancer irradiation treatment. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:33:09+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942784&from=rss On beautiful, sunny days with quiet weather conditions a strong wind develops in the evening at a height of about 200 meters. Scientists have now mapped how such a powerful wind develops high in the air. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:32:58+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942780&from=rss Just in time for the holidays: a Hubble Space Telescope picture postcard of hundreds of brilliant blue stars wreathed by warm, glowing clouds. The festive portrait is the most detailed view of the largest stellar nursery in our local galactic neighborhood. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:32:47+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942776&from=rss Bacteria of the genus Salmonella cause most food-borne illnesses. The bacteria attach to cells of the intestinal wall and induce their own ingestion by cells of the intestinal epithelium. Up till now, researchers assumed that Salmonella have to induce the formation of distinctive membrane waves in order to invade these gut cells. Researchers in Germany have now refuted this common doctrine. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:32:36+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942774&from=rss The northwards spread of human Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda is likely due to the movement of infected livestock, according to new findings. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:32:25+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7942772&from=rss Choosing the right cell type is particularly important in genetic studies. Researchers have now shown how variations in the genome can influence the activity of genes. This effect was found to be strongly dependent on the cell type in which these genes were active. sdfeed 2009-12-20T04:32:10+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1137254/Geology-and-beer---a-match-made-in-Heaven?from=rss Why do geologists drink so much beer? A new article at Wired poses three possibilities:1. It's related to the amount of time geologists spend in the "big blue room" compared to other sciences — a nice glass of Merlot doesn't hit the spot after dragging fifty pounds of rocks for fifteen miles.2. It makes better science, because drinking beer (being a social occasion) encourages geologists to hang out together, thus encouraging the spread of new ideas.3. It's a cultural artifact with no known origin — it's just "what they do".Clearly, this issue needs further study. Who wants to be in the control group? garg0yle 2009-12-20T04:29:40+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1137252/Something-to-remember-in-the-upcoming-weeks?from=rss Now that the holiday season is upon at least some of us, you will doubtless be invited to attend many social functions, called "parties". At these parties, drinks containing ethyl alcohol may often be served. Now, as many geeks know, the over-consumption of ethyl alcohol leads to a phenomenon known as the "hangover" (often recognizable by the victim's anguished moan of "I'm never doing THAT again!"). However, it turns out that a new study suggests that darker liquors (bourbon, in the study) make for worse hangovers than clear liquors (vodka, in the study) due to a considerably higher concentration of various toxins. So, if you do drink, stick to vodka, but buy that marketing drone as many bourbons as he can handle! garg0yle 2009-12-20T04:18:55+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1137250/auDA-moves-to-censor-internet-filter-protest-site?from=rss On Friday The Sydney Morning Herald reported that an internet censorship protest site had been setup under the Banner "Stephen Conroy: Minister for Fascism" and was ironically registered under the very name of the Australian Communications Minister responsible for trying to mandate the compulsory filtering scheme in Federal Law, stephenconroy.com.auWithin hours of the story being published, auDA, the Australian Domain Name Authority, had shut down the site giving the owners only 3 hours to respond to a request to justify their eligibility for the domain. Under normal circumstances auDA would allow several days to weeks for this process and an appeal to request an extension was denied with no reason given for the unusual response.The site was quickly moved to a US domain, stephen-conroy.com in order to stay active whilst the dispute with auDA is resolved. Anonymous Coward 2009-12-20T04:11:14+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1137248/Tips-For-Overcoming-Jealousy?from=rss Article with tips on learning how to cope with jealousy in a relationship. Don't suffer in a relationship or let jealousy consume you, get advice, live, and learn. Anonymous Coward 2009-12-20T03:30:08+00:00 //slashdot.org/submission/1137246/Oracle-Apex-Development?from=rss My company is considering Oracle Apex (http://www.oracle.com/technology/apex/index.html) as a tool to develop business applications that may even be sold commercially. The idea is to be able to get the application developed quickly. Does anyone on Slashdot have experience using Oracle Apex? How soon can one become productive with it? How does it scale? Anonymous Coward 2009-12-20T03:25:40+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7941912&from=rss It might be hard to tell from the picture, but that B.O.S.S. controller, built by Performance Designed Products, is no controller at all. Instead it's a SNES controller-shaped, super-sized shell that slides over a regular Wiimote and turns it into a monstrosity of memories and oversized buttons. Kudos for ingenuity, but unfortunately the playability suffers and the bulk is just too much to handle, according to Ars Technica. For $10 you can't fault it too much (and it least it isn't reliant on its own batteries, a sore subject for the manufacturer), but we think we might save that cash for some international postage to write Nintendo about its unconscionable neglect of the Wii Classic Controller with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. B.O.S.S. Wiimote shell fills giant people with sense of SNES nostalgia originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Ars Technica |Email this|Comments engfeed 2009-12-20T02:52:06+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7941714&from=rss Mike Nourse, a co-founder of the Chicago Art Department, has reconciled his love/hate relationship with iPhones by creating an art class around the phone. nytfeed 2009-12-20T02:32:33+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7941710&from=rss Google’s data centers distribute images among hundreds or even thousands of computers to identify them. nytfeed 2009-12-20T02:32:22+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7941708&from=rss By tracking a patient’s gait, a new system helps clinicians find the best alignment for a prosthetic leg. nytfeed 2009-12-20T02:32:10+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7941440&from=rss Barnes & Noble alerts some customers who preordered the new e-reader that they might not get the device in time for Christmas. Company says it will send a $100 gift certificate, with apologies. cnetfeed 2009-12-20T02:12:06+00:00 //slashdot.org/firehose.pl?op=view&id=7940430&from=rss It's hard to put too much credence in a survey. Not only is it easy to fake (although this one sounds fairly legit and has popped up elsewhere), but the questions posed could be purely theoretical. That caveat aside, there's a bunch of very interesting stuff in this list of features we just got from someone who claims to have done a survey for Sony about its plans to charge for "premium" PlayStation Network content. The actual subscription costs flung around ranged from $20 to $60 a year, or alternatively $6 to $9 a month, and while some features might sound familiar to Xbox Live members, there's plenty of innovative stuff here that we wouldn't mind seeing pop up on either platform, including: Customer Service Priority Access Exclusive Experiences with Sony Brands Extended Console Warranty 3 Years Access to Beta Games Early Access to All Store Content Member Demo Sharing of Full Game Cross-game Voice Chat Access Full Title Trial - 1st Hour Is Free Token Wagering User-to-user Challenges Free Access to PSOne Classics, PSP Minis, and PS3/PSP Themes Discounts on Store Content Member Only In-game Content Trophy Alerts Cloud Storage Space for Games Online Music Service Online Music Video Service Automatic Downloads and Updates Loyalty Program Rewards Facebook Connectivity Catch-up TV Netflix Access Without Disc What a mouthful! There are definitions of all these after the break, and while the survey seems to imply that not all of these would be available in whatever paid service Sony launches, we could imagine quite a few PS3 users (ourselves, for instance) shelling out cash for some of the perks listed -- as long as they can swallow their Xbox Live Gold-deriding pride. [Thanks, Christopher] Continue reading Possible PSN premium services detailed in leaked survey? Possible PSN premium services detailed in leaked survey? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | |Email this|Comments engfeed 2009-12-20T00:52:07+00:00