Virtual watchdog: Internet users banned from browsing privately for ‘security reasons’
PTA intends to curb communication between militants.
By the Waters of Babylon
The north and the west and the south are good hunting ground, but it is forbidden to go east. It is forbidden to go to any of the Dead Places except to search for metal and then he who touches the metal must be a priest or the son of a priest. Afterwards, both the man and the met...
Introduction to Databases - Stanford University
A bold experiment in distributed education, "Introduction to Databases" will be offered free and online to students worldwide during the fall of 2011. Students will have access to lecture videos, receive regular feedback on progress, and receive answers to questions. When you suc...
Essex police charge man over water fight planned on BlackBerry Messenger
A 20-year-old is due in court after police discover plans for a Colchester water fight circulating on BBM and Facebook
Hasnain says:
You're telling me they used the riots as an excuse to monitor all social media communications.. and the first thing they do is stop a WATER fight? seriously?
Posted on 2011-08-15T20:05:27+0000
TechCrunch | Google Buys Motorola Mobility For $12.5B, Says “Android Will Stay Open”
Google just announced that it is acquiring Motorola Mobility. The search and online advertising company is buying the company for approximately $12.5 billion (or $40 per share), in cash. The price represents a premium of 63 percent to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares last Friday. Google...
What Is Intelligence, Anyway?
When I was in the army, I received the kind of aptitude test that all soldiers took and, against a normal of 100, scored 160. No one at the base had ever seen a figure like that, and for two hours they made a big fuss over me.
Your Picks: Top 100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Books : NPR
More than 5,000 of you nominated. More than 60,000 of you voted. And now the results are in. Explore the winners of NPR's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy survey — an intriguing mix of classic and contemporary titles.
Hasnain says:
I'd put the foundation series at #2. Good list, though.
Posted on 2011-08-11T16:40:05+0000
Panic on the streets of London
Speculations circle as to why the London riots have become so big, but the answer is quite obvious.
Defcon Lockpickers Open Card-And-Code Government Locks In Seconds
To open a door fitted with the latest U.S. government-certified lock from high-end Swiss lock manufacturer Kaba, an employee must both enter a code up to eight digits long, then swipe a unique identity card coded to comply with a new standard that requires an extra layer of security, one [...]
Hasnain says:
Lock fail! Given how easy these are, I'd hate to see the real vulnerabilities that they didn't disclose.
Posted on 2011-08-08T12:31:30+0000
Fox Orders 13-Episode Sequel To Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' Docu-Series With Seth MacFarlane Producing For
After recently signing on to reboot one classic TV show, Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones, Seth MacFarlane is taking on another iconic TV series, Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. Fox has greenlighted Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey, a 13-part docu-series from Family Guy creator MacFarlane and lat...
Who Can Name the Bigger Number?
In an old joke, two noblemen vie to name the bigger number. The first, after ruminating for hours, triumphantly announces "Eighty-three!" The second, mightily impressed, replies "You win."
Hasnain says:
Long, but very good read. For all the SSE folks out there.
"If people fear big numbers, is it any wonder that they fear science as well and turn for solace to the comforting smallness of mysticism?"
Posted on 2011-08-02T19:50:34+0000
How an argument with Hawking suggested the Universe is a hologram
Stephen Hawking had a hard time accepting that the event horizon of a black hole could be a hologram. Now, people are starting to wonder whether the entire Universe is one.
Hasnain says:
" these often ended when Hawking said "rubbish." "When Hawking says 'rubbish,'" he said, "you've lost the argument." "
At least one thing that us and world renowned physicists have in common is trolling.
Posted on 2011-08-01T00:57:41+0000