November 2009
21 posts
Court Orders Spam Network to Pay $15.2 Million →
PC World reports on the “largest spam gang” being fined and penalized by a U.S. District Court judge.
Harvard study: Computers don't save hospitals...
A new study of computerization in hospitals and clinical settings concludes that the systems are built for accountants and managers and not to help provide medical care to patients. As a result, they do not save money and negatively impact overall care.
(Via ComputerWorld.)
Why Happy Shoppers Buy Extended Warranties
Most people buy extended warranties to feel better, not because they are good deals. Most, in fact, can be relatively worthless when you really go through the fine print.
Personally, I believe Apple’s AppleCare to be an exception while many electronics stores own brand of extended warranties are often nothing more than “additional profit”.
(Via NYTimes.com.)
Canadian judge rules Happy Gilmore golf shot...
A judge in Canada has ruled that the swing made popular by Adam Sandler in his movie, “Happy Gilmore”, is illegal.
(Via Christian Science Monitor.)
Trapped in his own body for 23 years - the coma...
A man was misdiagnosed as being in a vegetative state for 23 years when he was actually suffering form paralysis. His brian was functioning but he had no way to communicate with his caregivers and family.
(Via Guardian.)
Interview on WTOP Radio
My interview by Shirley Rooker of WTOP Radio and Call for Action, Inc. is now available online.
The radio show was about the topic of social networking and media and how businesses can benefit from embracing them. It’s also available as an MP3 download from the WTOP Radio web site.
(Via WTOP Radio: Of Consuming Interest.)
Global warming research exposed after hack
A notied climatologist had their system hacked and various files and e-mail messages, from the last decade and more. made public. It has turned the spotlight onto what some critics are calling proof of an outright bias in climate research related to global warming.
(Via ComputerWorld.)
Photos from The Mojave Desert’s Airplane Graveyard
Ransom Riggs managed to get access to the infamous aero-boneyard in the Mojave Desert. This area is actually a working airport and space port. It’s also home to Richard Branson’s outer space venture.
(Via Mental Floss.)
Tammy the Turkey Takes to the Turnpike
...
This turkey decided to make a run for it down the New Jersey Turnpike. It didn’t get very far, likely because it didn’t have correct change or an EZ-PASS transponder. At one point, the turkey was seen staring down an oncoming tractor-trailer.
(Via NBC New York.)
Rare Headshrinking Footage Confirmed?
A National Geographic team embarks on a journey to the jungles of South America to determine if a rare film of a head-shrinking ceremony from 1961, taken by a Polish exploration team, is authentic. During their journey, they locate a surviving warrior from that period who confirms his brother is in the film. A missionary also discusses how the practice of head-shrinking was still being exercised...
2 Online Guides to Check Your Illness Symptoms...
2 Online Guides to Check Your Illness Symptoms Online
Sometimes you want to check your symptoms before seeking treatment, as much to avoid the 4 hour delay in the waiting room as to really see how bad off you are (or aren’t).
These two sites can help with that.
(Via MakeUseOf.)
China's Weather Manipulation Brings Crippling...
The Chinese government has long used cloud seeding and other weather manipulation techniques, but residents are getting fed up after this season’s second major snow storm in Beijing.
(Via Popular Science.)
Music industry bows to point-and-shoot cameras
It seems the music industry, and the artists themselves, have finally started to come to grips with the fact that they cannot control their live performance images. This is a blessing for anyone that has every entered a concert and undergone a search for a camera.
(Via CNET.)
Vanished Persian army said found in desert
Thousands of years ago, a Persian army numbering 50,000 marched from a desert oasis, never to be heard from again. Archeologists believe they have stumbled across the answer.
(Via Discovery - MSNBC.)
7 Ways to Get More Out of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is still the social network of choice for most professionals. But many are ignoring their LinkedIn profiles as more people turn to use Facebook and Twitter for business networking.
Here are 7 ways to get more out of your LinkedIn account.
(Via Mashable.)
How Background Sound Produces Emotion at Disney...
How Mr. Q Manufactured Emotion. How music and background sounds, like waterfalls, rustling leaves, and bidsong help to create emotion at the happiest place on Earth.
As Mr. Q says in the interview, “What’s funny is that no one probably ever notices.”
(Via Dustin Curtis.)
Dead wrong: Man attends own funeral after mix-up...
Dead wrong: Man attends own funeral after mix-up over body’s ID - CNN.comOn Brazil’s holiday, The Day of the Dead, Ademir Jorge Goncalves shocked his family and friends by walking into his own funeral. Some mourners were so upset that they attempted to flee by jumping out of windows.
(Via CNN.)
Supreme Court to decide important patent case with...
The Supreme Court takes on a case that dramatically change the landscape around software patents and whether work processes can be patented
(Via Christian Science Monitor.)
Update: RI Hospital surgeon operates on wrong...
RI Hospital surgeon operates on wrong finger
(Via The Providence Journal.)
Giant Crack in Africa Will Create a New Ocean |... →
