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.

a lot or news in portuguese

Society:
In Portuguese: Drug addicts paid to be sterilized.:
-Toxicodependentes pagos para serem esterilizados. Uma abordagem desesperada e chocante... Será a única resposta? Está certamente na area cinzenta da moralidade...
And still on the morality issue:
-Morality: Don't be afraid – science can make us better. Another fascinanting text. Some times new scientist surprises me :)
Another follow up on the morality issue: Sam Harris says that what is "right" is what promotes well-being. "The world religions will land somewhere near astrology, witchcraft and Greek mythology on the scrapheap. In their place we will have a thoroughgoing understanding of human flourishing, which will include even the most rarified and traditionally "spiritual" states of human consciousness."
-The Death of ACTA. I wish it was the news about it's actual death, but instead it is only a music track. I'm not a hip-hop / rap fan, but the lyrics are very interesting.
"
...
I'm just a citizen that's teaching you a lesson
for restricting my freedom of expression
Yes, and deep packet inspection? squeeze that up your rectum
If your postman did that to you you'd be having him sectioned
arrested for meddling in your private affairs
But it's only online, right? so why should we care?
Because digital rights should be applicable right
here in real life, and we're not criminals, right?
...
"
Medicine:
-Homem "sem rosto" do Rossio remove tumor de 5,5 quilos. Um caso médico fascinante... Pena que não está em inglês para poder partilhar com mais gente.

Humour:

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.

Just starting another day with a smile.

Society:
-The green city that has a brain. And this one suprise me very positively :D The planned city of PlanIT Valley, on the outskirts of Paredes in northern Portugal (see map), is aiming to be an environmentally sustainable city. And, just like an organism, it will have a brain: a central computer that regulates everything from its water use to energy consumption.
-Hungary looks into nationalizing the responsible company for the spill. But that is not what I consider the good news. The good news is that they intend to force the responsibles to pay the 73 million Euros for environmental damages.
-Close healthwatch on miners before ascent. Almost over...
-Greek policeman jailed for murder of teenager. Though it was mostly due to social pressure. I think it's good to have heavier sentences in such crimes.

Technology:
-Exoskeleton helps the paralysed walk again.
-Gliding spaceship brings space tourism closer. Almost there... :)

Arts or maybe Society..:
Something to look into anyway.
-The yes man fix the world. It's a really cool movie, free of charge to be downloaded. I give my thanks and support to Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno.
"Great fun! It takes some nerve, not to mention diabolical intelligence... to pull off the elaborate pranks devised by the Yes Men." — New York Times
"This is the year's top documentary film." — New Scientist
"We think it is a serious matter when people willingly misrepresent themselves." — Exxon
PS. I did made a donation by Paypal.

Back to an old habit of posting good news.

Ecology:
-Oxfordshire town sees human waste used to heat homes. One step towards a balanced ecosystem.

Society:
-US congress clears private space taxis for lift-off. Virgin has now orders to take off. I would not mind having a ticket.
-Clashes mar settler peace gesture. A remarkable peace gesture from six rabis in giving Corans to attacked mosque. Sadly blemished by the israli military. But a good news none-the-less. I like when people finally start accepting their differences and work for peaceful coexistence.

Science:
-Hawking radiation detected in artificial black hole. Interesting experimental physics development.

Technology:
-Ditch the glasses for lifelike 3D. The next step after the wonderful world of 3D that I seen the past few months. And as expected: Toshiba has beaten its rivals by developing the world’s first 3D television for which viewers do not have to wear special glasses. Sadely only to be sold in Japan for now.
-This bra could save your life, and your creativity could win you one.. You have got to see this! It is really funny.
-'Buoyancy bazooka' wins James Dyson prize. And speaking of crazy inventions...
And last but not least: I want this table for my new house. You don't need to wrap it, just walk it in.

A little something for the weekend.

Technology:
-Tiny tractor beams enter the third dimension. A step forward to star-trek technology.
-New technology that captures "exciton" particles could replace today's solar cells. Replace as in upgrade... True that photo-voltaic cells need to improve their efficency in order to take a better position in the energy market, but I hope with delevopments like this we can reduce our oil and coal consumption.
-IBM 'one atom, one bit' storage breakthrough. Using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to essentially record a "movie" of an atom's magnetic behavior, that behavior can now be analyzed at frame rates one million times faster than before, according to researchers at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San José, California — down to a nanosecond time frame.
-Transgenic Indian potato superspuds pack more protein. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that 925 million people will suffer chronic hunger this year. "Despite promises that GM crops could make a significant contribution to achieving global food security," Chakraborty and colleagues write, such crops have so far mostly been used for industry or fodder, not for boosting human nutrition. The researchers hope their potatoes will change that.

Society:
-Benjamin Franklin, the first IP pirate? Apparently the man already had some very current ideias back in 1700's. Franklin saw the whole world as his instructor. "That we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of Others," he once wrote, "we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously.".
I also liked his letter on Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress (1745).

Humour:

Sad news... just ot balance off the usually good news I post.

Swedish Pirate Party failed to get seats in the parliament. Damn it.

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:

Some old but funny news....

Society:
-Gunkanjima: Ruins of a Forbidden Island. This is one cool ride that I would like to undergo myself.
-The Burdens Of Our Fathers. The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it. (April 2010, Romania) A thirty-five-year-old man from Braila was only trying to fix a broken soil tamper, a tool his father had made himself and used for decades. The metal handle of this family heirloom had rusted loose and our man was trying to weld it back into position, but unfortunately he was welding the metal rod onto an antique WWII cannon shell.
Yes, the family had been banging a cannon shell against the garden dirt for two generations!
Specialists from the Bucharest ISU (General Institute for Emergency Situations) stated that the first weld had been made in a harmless position, but the second weld was made in exactly the wrong spot. The heat triggered the shell to explode, mortally wounding the man. In his defense, he was sure the projectile was harmless because his father had used it to compact earth for almost 40 years.
If one generation doesn't get it right, the next does.
-Update on google china. This is becoming interesting...

Technology:
Even Wil Wheaton agrees with me that the current situation is B.S.. "There has got to be a better way to balance the needs of consumers with the rights of creators to be compensated for their work. I don't know what it is, but I think it has to be a change in philosophy and thinking, because what the way they're doing it now just isn't working for anyone."
-Huge Security Flaw Makes VPNs Useless for BitTorrent. Ahhhhh shit....
-Self-folding sheet offers lazy way to origami. "Imagine foregoing all the tools in your toolbox and instead using a stack of self-folding sheets to produce the tools and structures you need for a particular job," says Wood.
-There's a New A/V Cable Standard in Town.
Three connectors for the Internet under the sky,
Seven for your A/V devices in all their power,
Nine for wired peripherals doomed to die,
One for the mighty computer in his metal tower,
In the world of gadgetry where awesomeness lie.
One BaseT to rule them all,
One BaseT to find them,
One BaseT to bring them all,
And in a harmony bind them.
In the world of gadgetry where awesomeness lie.

Science:
-A drug that could make you live 30 percent longer - but only if you're fertile. We still don't know exactly how this works mechanistically, but we've shown that the presence of the germline is absolutely essential for this longevity extension to happen.
-Blinded eyes restored to sight by stem cells. Stem cell research producing the first positive and palpable results.

Arts:
From National Geographic: View From the Top of the World. Not many people have had the opportunity to look down on the peaks of the Himalaya, but this 1963 picture from photographer Barry Bishop gave proof that Americans had finally reached the summit of Mount Everest. Bishop's teammates became the first Americans to summit Everest on May 1, 1963.
-Pop Icons In A Different Light. This is so cool :D

Humour:

http://wedinator.com/2010/06/10/funny-wedding-photos-wedding-trailers/

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...

Slowly, very slowly....

Technology:
-Lotus Scura: I'm not much of a car guy, I just need 4 wheels and a steering wheel, but this baby left me wishing....
I'm guessing the consumption isnt' the lowest.

Society:
-UK Parliamentary Group Blames Entertainment Industry For File Sharing Problem, Opposes Kicking People Off The Internet. It about time some one with authority saw what the entertainment industry is doing.... But it's not yet the ideal answer to the problem at hands.
-Photo of the Day: “High Fiving Whale”

Humor:




“気違い” translates from Japanese to something like “I am a lunatic.” Probably not what he was going for.