Another bit of everything...

Society:
-The fallout from the Wikileaks disclosures concerning alleged killings and torture in Iraq continues. Will some of it end in court? I sure hope so.

Economy:
-German business morale up again. Lets make business :)

Arts:
-3,000 Camera Flashes Illuminated the Streets of This Spanish City for a Massive Lightpainting. This is a beautiful work of art.

Technology:
Curious that this might happen: Solar power could crash Germany's grid. Uptake has been so rapid that solar capacity could reach 30 gigawatts, equal to the country's weekend power consumption, by the end of next year.

This is funny and intersting:


Portugal:
Corrupção: Portugal na 32.ª posição entre 178 países. Ei!!! subimos de posto! Nada mal... mas ainda há muito por fazer.
Governo admite rever diploma que beneficiava Igreja Católica em detrimento de outras igrejas. Concordo com uma revisão... Não acho que por a igreja católica ter a maioria, que deva ser mais beneficiada. No entanto, assusta-me seitas como a IURDE, que se aproveitam dos espíritos ignorates. Também há de ter em conta as obras sociais que serão afectadas, creches e lares de terceira idade. Poupar impostos e dinheiro é bom, qualidade de vida é que não.

Humour:
Don't know if I've posted this before, but I find it always hilarious.

So good to see so much improvement... I don't usual post must about Portugal

Medicine:
-Changes caused by smoking block tumour-fighting genes. Not only does it stink, now you have the scientific proof that it prevents you from fighting cancer cells that you might acquire throughout your life.

Science:
-First person treated in milestone stem cell trial. It was in America, I didn't expect that... I was expecting a more liberal country in Europe to take the first step in this matter. Anyway, I sure hope for the sucess of this experiment, and not only that the patient recover from his/her injuries, but that a treatment is deemed safe.
-Chile rescue thanks to multi-national ingenuity. This is just amazing :) it's days like this that make the world seem a better place.

Society:
-More Countries React To ACTA; Brazil Says ACTA Is Illegitimate. Though Brazil complains mostly about medical supplies and not electronic content. Here it is in Brazilian Portuguese: "Brasil ataca acordo de ricos contra falsificação".
And following this complain: Isn't It Unfortunate That We Need A Special Mark To Indicate Works That Are Already In The Public Domain? "The public domain is supposed to be the rule, with copyright the exception... but the fact that we need such a mark shows how far to the other extreme we've gone". I am concerned about this issue, since apparently no one else is!

Portugal:
Fico contente por poder colocar algumas coisas positivas que pode observar.
-Madrid pôs a América Latina a votar Portugal. É bom ver o nome de Portugal a ganhar posição.
-Pensões superiores a cinco mil euros vão ser taxadas. Acho bem... já que têm a possibilidade de contribuir para a sociedade desta forma.
-Assinado protocolo para pôr reclusos a limpar florestas nacionais. Acho produtivo. Espero apenas que nenhum recluso tenha a ideia de fugir aos seus deveres, morais e práticos.

I'm still alive... and kicking!

Society:
-Did you hear the joke about the comedian and copyright law? An inspiration for looking into more appropriate IP rights.
ACTA bill unconstitutional? Who would know?....
-Updated Research Showing, Yet Again, That Weaker Copyright Has Benefited Culture And Society. Something that the music industry is trying to hide. "... While file sharing disrupted some traditional business models in the creative industries, foremost in music, in our reading of the evidence there is little to suggest that the new technology has discouraged artistic production. Weaker copyright protection, it seems, has benefited society." Source -> arstechnica.com.
-If Andy Warhol Painted His Campbell's Soup Paintings Today, How Fast Would The Cease & Desist Arrive? Another view on copyright claims.
-Pirate Party Ramps Up To Invade Swedish Politics. I so much support them... I hope they get enough seats to make a difference.
-Journalism Warning Labels. Moving away from the Acta / copyright / IP discussion, here is another interesting thing.
-Nicholas Carr says that we are surfing our way to stupid. I wonder if that's true... I would disagree, if I could concentrate longe enough to read his interview ;)
Now really... I did read it, and I do disagree. Just because we train now our brains in a more dinamic information environment, does not make us stupid. We still need to train our brains to read books, though...
Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling in Graduation Speech.

I found it interesting and I agree with all that she said. Her experience is reflected in most of today's countries. It is a reflection of Sir Kenneths speach at TED.

Technology (indian plus some other):

-Custom Fit Earbuds. I should try to make one of these at home sometime.
-Canon Decides We Need 120 Megapixel Sensors. Hurray!!!
-A Machine That Turns Plastic Back Into Oil. Quickly... we need to lower the prices. But as it is known... just like the stone age finished, and there is still stone around, the oil age will finish and there will still be oil around.

Portugal:
Mudar de rede de telemóvel é mais fácil e barato a partir de hoje. Por acaso a alterção da lei já foi publicada à mais de um mês no Diário da República. Demorou, mas a luta valeu apena.

Humour:

Just a clean up of old articles I accumulated and had no time to post

Society:
-Racing on Carbon Fiber Legs: How Abled Should We Be? I do think that "disable" athlets are heroes.
-Dean Kamen's Full Bionic Luke Arm Video from All Things D. It's about a bionic arm development. I've placed this under society instead of science or medicine simply because of the sociological impact of the development and how the coordinator refers to the lack of courage to invest in bright youth...
-Google ‘no longer willing’ to censor Chinese searches.
-Google, a new approach to china.

Science:
-Artificial leaf could make green hydrogen.
-How to make a liquid invisibility cloak.
-Metal-Air Battery Could Store 11 Times More Energy than Lithium-Ion.

In portuguese:
-Curta no YouTube rende contrato em Hollywood (VÍDEO). Ainda à dúvida que o futuro da industria terá grande parter na internet??? Está na altura de abolir leis idiotas sobre protecção de direitos de autor e deixar o P2P viver á sua escala. Video aqui em baixo:



Humor:

And from XKCD...

Some jokes and more...

Ecology:
-Chocolate-Powered Race Car Made Out of Vegetables. However just such a vehicle exists, and it’s capable of carving through corners at 125mph while actually cleaning the air!

Society:
-The science of voodoo: When mind attacks body. Or how believes are bad for you. "Bad news promotes bad physiology. I think you can persuade people that they're going to die and have it happen," Meador says. "I don't think there's anything mystical about it. We're uncomfortable with the idea that words or symbolic actions can cause death because it challenges our biomolecular model of the world."
-'EQ' linked to frequency of orgasm. This gives another push on the concept of "you need a man". :D lol

Science:
-Lost robot crosses city by asking directions. This is so cool. :D
-Robotic battery swappers - the future of filling stations?
-Jealous female gorillas solicit unproductive sex. Female gorillas get friskier when their silverback has sex with another female, even when they themselves cannot conceive. The finding suggests they use sex to gain an advantage over competing females. Are we really so different from the monkeys? ;)
-Herschel and Planck talk to Earth. After many years of delays, finally they were launched.

Portugal:
Na América: Declarado inocente após 22 anos no corredor da morte. ufff... foi perto esta...
-Entrevista ajuda polícia a sustentar detenção. E não digas que veio daqui...

Humor: