Recent Posts
How the Sugar Industry Gums Up Science
A friend of mine pointed this out, and it would apply to Facebook's paper that was published on the PNAS site:For experiments involving human participants, authors must also include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from all participants. All experiments must have been conducted according to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Acceptance of Facebook's user agreement, at the time of signup, would not be considered "informed consent".
Informed consent is described in the Declaration of Helsinki as:26. In medical research involving human subjects capable of giving informed consent, each potential subject must be adequately informed of the aims, methods, sources of funding, any possible conflicts of interest, institutional affiliations of the researcher, the anticipated benefits and potential risks of the study and the discomfort it may entail, post-study provisions and any other relevant aspects of the study. The potential subject must be informed of the right to refuse to participate in the study or to withdraw consent to participate at any time without reprisal. Special attention should be given to the specific information needs of individual potential subjects as well as to the methods used to deliver the information.
After ensuring that the potential subject has understood the information, the physician or another appropriately qualified individual must then seek the potential subject’s freely-given informed consent, preferably in writing. If the consent cannot be expressed in writing, the non-written consent must be formally documented and witnessed.
All medical research subjects should be given the option of being informed about the general outcome and results of the study.-app103 (June 29, 2014, 03:18 AM)
As for Dystopias, I did a project in high school twenty years ago that there is no utopia at all, only varying grades of dystopias.-TaoPhoenix (June 29, 2014, 01:46 AM)
your racist uncle’s latest rant against the government-wraith808 (June 28, 2014, 10:15 AM)
If all this is because of Canadian legislation, Canada had best watch it's step.-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
It's all well and good to go around acting like yet another totalitarian bully. But Canada is not politically significant enough that something can't be done about (and to) Canada.-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
Copying the 800lb gorillas (i.e. USA, Russia, China) doesn't reflect well on Canada.-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
Especially when they have nothing other than a BS trade agreement (which exists only because the current US administration wants it) to give their laws any teeth outside their borders.-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
Sad. I really used to like Canada.-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
Spent a lot of time up there some years ago,-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
and had nothing but the deepest respect and admiration for the country and its people. It's getting hard to feel that way about our "Northern Neighbor" these days.-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
Not to single out Canada. Everything I've said previously applies equally, if not more, so to the present version of the United States.-40hz (June 28, 2014, 09:07 AM)
"Do words affect your mental state?" is what the question can be boiled down to. Well... duh?-wraith808 (June 28, 2014, 09:31 AM)
Nicely put! 
It all comes down to just one more way the quest for green technology has actually created an even bigger problem than the one it solved because it was forced into mainstream before it was mature.-SeraphimLabs (June 26, 2014, 11:56 AM)
“Government did us in,” says Dwayne Madigan, whose job will terminate when General Electric closes its factory next July.
Madigan makes a product that will soon be illegal to sell in the U.S. - a regular incandescent bulb. Two years ago, his employer, GE, lobbied in favor of the law that will outlaw the bulbs.
Madigan’s colleagues, waiting for their evening shift to begin, all know that GE is replacing the incandescents for now with compact fluorescents bulbs, which GE manufactures in China.
Last month, GE announced it will close the Winchester Bulb Plant 80 miles west of D.C. As a result, 200 men and women will lose their jobs. GE is also shuttering incandescent factories in Ohio and Kentucky, axing another 200 jobs.
GE blamed environmental regulations for the closing.
Shining A Light on Crony Capitalism
LED technology is shaping up nicely though. I think the only remaining snag with it is getting the manufacturing costs down- and making it so manufacturing them isn't so hazardous. Of the LED based fixtures I have deployed in the past 5 years, I have been consistently impressed with the reliable and efficient output. Its just a question of does their durability meet expectations- which so far is yes.-SeraphimLabs (June 26, 2014, 11:56 AM)
On the other side of the LED issue...
I do a fair amount of work in the semi-conductor industry, and LED lighting is a good part of that.
Going forward, what you need to be aware of is that LEDs ARE SEMI-CONDUCTORS. This is important.
The capabilities of lighting devices will expand well beyond "lighting" in the future. Any number of different sensors can be included with them.
Expect LED lighting to include more sensors, and to have the capability to spy on you. It will happen. Just keep your eye on the added "benefits" that they tout in their marketing.
I'm well aware that a good number of people here think that I'm a paranoid conspiracy theorist. You wouldn't if you saw what I saw. I get to look at internal documents that aren't public. As an example, I recently had a document come across my desk from a large semi-conductor manufacturer talking about how they were near ready to distribute tracking chips designed to be embedded in people. This is almost not-news at all. It has been reported for many years, and the technology is near ready for large scale deployments.
LED lighting has huge potential. It can recreate what looks like sunlight. The range of light that it can replicate is astounding. The development kits for lighting device manufacturers are becoming more and more robust with lighting being able to be upgraded through simple engine replacements rather than through complete redesigns.
But... it's a Trojan horse. Make sure your horse is empty before you let it through the gates.-Renegade (May 20, 2014, 06:08 PM)
Of course, such a thing could never happen...Oh wait, do you mean to imply with that argument that it has happened...?-IainB (June 28, 2014, 08:09 AM)
"due to changing governmental policies concerning the issuance of automated electronic messaging" ... WTF?!?-Stoic Joker (June 27, 2014, 05:19 PM)
Again, short-sighted legislation without an understanding of technology. And the fact that this will cross country boundaries... wow.-wraith808 (June 27, 2014, 06:34 PM)
[Bob Slydell and Bob Porter are interviewing Tom]
Bob Slydell: What you do at Initech, is you take the specifications from the customers and you bring them down to the software engineers?
Tom Smykowski: Yes. Ye...yes. That...that's right.
Bob Porter: Well, then I just have to ask, why couldn't the customers just take them directly to the software people, huh?
Tom Smykowski: Well, I...I'll tell you why. Uh, because engineers are not good at dealing with customers.
Bob Slydell: Uh-huh. So, you physically take the specs from the customer?
Tom Smykowski: Well, no, my, my secretary does that, or the fax.
Bob Slydell: Ah.
Bob Porter: So, then you must physically bring them to the software people.
Tom Smykowski: Well...no. Yeah, I mean, sometimes.
Bob Slydell: What...what would you say you do here?
Tom Smykowski: Well, look, I already told you. I deal with the goddamn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills. I am good at dealing with people! Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?!
I'm slowly working my way through the actual text of the decision.-40hz (June 26, 2014, 04:22 PM)
Do you have a crisp link to the decision? I always get lost in layers of news articles and their "descriptive links" that go to other news stories.-TaoPhoenix (June 26, 2014, 11:24 PM)
The Supreme Court's Aereo decision could endanger cloud storage services
MYTH #3: A cold wind is blowing and Dropbox and all cloud-storage providers are going to be chilled out of existence by it.
I'm slowly working my way through the actual text of the decision.-40hz (June 26, 2014, 04:22 PM)
-superboyac (June 26, 2014, 06:02 PM)
http://edition.cnn.c...ernatives/index.html
Bye bye Aereo. The shitlords have won again.-Renegade (June 26, 2014, 04:14 AM)
What's amazing is that Scalia of all people was in the dissenting opinion.-wraith808 (June 26, 2014, 08:53 AM)
Um... More context please? I clicked the link but all I saw was what you quoted, and a bunch of replies.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: When it comes to Reddit, I just don't geddit.-Deozaan (June 26, 2014, 03:32 AM)
The MPAA Is Trying (and Failing) to Take Down an Entire Subreddit
Call attention to something sketchy and you're bound to make it more popular. In its latest piracy-thwarting attempt, the MPAA just alerted hundreds of people to the fact that there are links to stream and download thousands of full-length movies on the subreddit /r/FullLengthFilms. Smooth move.
Early on June 24th, before TorrentFreak got its hands on a Google takedown request filed by the MPAA against the subreddit, you can see there's a relatively small hundred or so users checking the subreddit each hour. But last night, when TorrentFreak published its article, you can see a substantial jump.
Anyone else only here because the MPAA sent them?
As far as movies about assassinating the POTUS...
http://en.wikipedia....President_(2006_film)-wraith808 (June 25, 2014, 09:11 PM)
