Archive for December, 2009

p2pnet World Headlines: Dec 31, 2009

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // p2p

Hi all: Thanks for everything throughout 2009. See you next year. Cheers! Jon ___________________ New Year Honours for game makers BBC Veteran British game makers have featured strongly in the Queen’s New Year Honours list. In total, four games figures won honours including Oliver and Paul Collyer, the brothers behind the Championship Manager series. Also honoured were Rodney Cousens, head of Codemasters and Paul Jackson former head of industry group Elspa. Dr Andrew Herbert, who manages Microsoft’s Research labs in Cambridge, was given an OBE. The two brothers were made Members of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition for their services to the UK’s computer games industry. [In other words, the list is as debased as a knighthood.] Tweets, sexting “unfriended” in U.S. banned word list Reuters If you recently tweeted about how you were chillaxin for the holiday, take note: Fifteen particularly over- or mis-used words and phrases have been declared “shovel-ready” to be “unfriended” by a U.S. university’s annual list of terms that deserve to be banned. After thousands of nominations of words and phrases commonly used in marketing, media, technology and elsewhere, wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University on Thursday issued their 35th annual list of words that they believe should be banned. Tops on the Michigan university’s list of useless phrases was “shovel-ready.” The term refers to infrastructure projects that are ready to break ground and was popularly used to describe road, bridge and other construction projects fueled by stimulus funds from the Obama administration. And speaking of stimulus, that word — which was applied to government spending aimed at boosting the economy — made the over-used category as well, along with an odd assortment of Obama-related constructions such as Obamacare and Obamanomics. N.J. lawmakers target unsolicited text ads MSNBC A pair of state lawmakers are hoping to stop unsolicited text message advertisements from being sent to New Jersey residents by sponsoring legislation to heavily fine violators. Noting that such ads can be a costly nuisance for consumers, Sen. Joseph Vitale says the practice needs to be stopped immediately. He’s co-sponsoring legislation that would provide stiff penalties for violators, especially if they knew — or should have known — the consumer receiving the ads was a senior citizen or someone with a disability. First 3D Television Channel to Launch in the U.S. in 2010 Mashable It certainly looks like 2010 is shaping up to be the year during which 3D finally moves from the realm of novelty into both mainstream film and TV. Satellite cable provider DirecTV has a new satellite in the air, and according to HD Guru, one of the 200 new HD stations to be broadcast from it includes the first U.S. HDTV channel in 3D. There are still some technical hurdles to clear before you’re watching zany sitcom antics flying toward you, but the trend is clear. The satellite begins full operation in March, and existing DirecTV set-top boxes will simply need a firmware upgrade to support the 3D programming. Unfortunately, you’ll still need to pick up a 3D-capable HDTV to play it back, and that’s where the market lag will play a role in determining how fast 3D will penetrate. Study: Rumors of Written-Word Death Greatly Exaggerated Wired Americans’ print consumption has declined since 1960 but words delivered by computer have more than made up the difference. Americans’ print consumption has declined since 1960, but words delivered by computer have more than made up the difference. (Image courtesy of the University of California at San Diego’s Global Information Industry Center). Conventional wisdom holds that YouTube, videogames, cable TV and iPods have turned us away from the written word. Glowing streams of visual delights replaced paper and longhand letters shrank to bite-sized Facebook status updates, the theory held. Conventional wisdom, in this case, is wrong. A large-scale study by the University of California at San Diego and other research universities revealed what some of us have long suspected: We’re reading far more words than we used to as we adopt new technologies. Marvel shareholders approve $4.3 billion acquisition by Disney Associated Press Shareholders of Marvel Entertainment Inc., home of Spider-Man and the Hulk, on Thursday approved the company’s acquisition by The Walt Disney Co., as expected. Marvel said the $4.3 billion acquisition will close at the end of the day, bringing Spider-Man, Iron Man, and 5,000 other comic-book characters under the same roof as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Approval of the deal was expected. Marvel Chief Executive Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, who owns 37 per cent of Marvel stock, supported it. He will be overseeing the Marvel business after the acquisition. Suicide bomber was invited on base Associated Press The Associated Press has learned that the suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees at a remote outpost in southeastern Afghanistan had been invited onto the base and was not searched. A former senior intelligence official says the man was being courted as an informant and that it was the first time he had been brought inside the camp. The official says a senior and experienced CIA debriefer came from Kabul for the meeting, suggesting that the purpose of the meeting was to gain intelligence. - . More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi January, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy! Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://-/index-wml.php -? -

Dealing with the morning after hangover

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // p2p

- P2P:- It’s the last day of 2009, and as I said in my traditional intro to my traditional last post of the year, a lot of people will be greeting  2010 with tongues like a crocodile’s crutch, hemorrhaging eye-balls and swollen, pulsating brains. Because it’s de rigeur to get legless. But before I go any further, as I also posted last year, what’s the best cure for a hang-over? Don’t get pissed in the first place. If you insist, though, when you regain consciousness: Bang your head against something hard. The pain will definitely overwhelm the hangover pain, but only until you stop. Then it’ll be 10 times worse. Hypnotise yourself. Stand in front on the mirror, stare fixedly at your green-tinged image and repeat,  in a determined voice, ‘I am not going to die, I am not going to die, I am not going to die.’ But if the agony persists, forget ‘Take two soft-boiled Asprin”. Or even Ibuprofen. Says the the Unofficial Student Manual , “Aspirin should never be taken before, after, or during a drinking session.  Alcohol already irritates you gastrointestinal tract and aspirin just increases the acidity that can cause internal bleeding.” Recommendations from health911.com include > > > Activated charcoal Take one tablet of activated charcoal per drink while you are drinking. The charcoal absorbs the impurities in the alcohol which are the cause of the hangover. The charcoal also absorbs important nutrients, so if you are a heavy drinker, don’t use this remedy daily as you will end up with nutritional deficiencies. Bananas One of the quickest ways to cure a hangover is to make a banana milkshake sweetened with honey. The banana helps calm the stomach, and with the honey, builds up the depleted blood sugar levels. The milk soothes the stomach and rehydrates your system. Bananas are also rich in the important electrolytes, magnesium and potassium, which are severely depleted during heavy drinking. B-vitamins Take the vitamins before you go to bed and let them work their magic while you sleep. If you forget, take them immediately upon arising. B-Vitamins are important in aiding the carbohydrate (alcohol) metabolizing process and in dilating blood vessels. B-vitamins will help restore your energy level. You will need to take a high-potency B-complex supplement for this remedy to work (50-75 mg of B-complex twice a day, hopefully once before bed after indulging). Honey Take 2-6 teaspoonfuls of honey every twenty minutes upon awaking, depending on the severity of the hangover. Continue with the honey until you start to feel better, then take four teaspoonsful with your first meal. The potassium in the honey helps counteract the effects of the alcohol and will decrease the cravings for it. Alcoholic drinks are acidic in reaction and satisfy your natural desire for an acid, the same as coffee and tea do. If you have an alcohol problem, check your body chemistry and make appropriate changes in diet and supplementation. In addition, honey contains fructose, a type of sugar that helps your body metabolize alcohol more quickly. Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) extract has been found to relieve hangover nausea and dry mouth according to researchers at Tulane University and the University of California, San Francisco. Prickly pear is known to reduce inflammation, and hangover symptoms are due to an increase in inflammation. Researchers found that C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation, was 40% higher in the group that took a placebo. The extract was taken five hours before alcohol consumption. Scalp stimulation Pull your hair in clumps so that your full scalp is stimulated. This remedy brings blood to the scalp and relieves the headache. [Note: This does NOT say "pull your hair OUT in clumps," although you might be tempted.] Vitamin C stimulates the liver to break down the alcohol. Take 2-10 gm per day in divided doses. Start at 1,000 mg an hour and built up to bowel tolerance. An excess of vitamin C can cause diarrhea, and since you probably have stomach distress already too much C may cause a problem. Meanwhile, says the student manual  > > > Drink water before bed (about 1 liter) along with Vitamins C, E, and a multi-vitamin.  If that doesn’t work then try a Chocolate or your favorite flavored Milk Shake the next day. It works wonders plus it tastes great. Water, water, water is the number one cure from our panel of experts. Drink loadz of water the next day. This will help to “get rid of” some of the excess alcohol along with the excess water. The only side effect is you’ll spend most of your day on the porcelain. Eat something that is easy for your body to digest such as grapes and toast helps speed up recovery. Raw eggs, if it doesn`t make you feel better, it`ll make you throw up and that should make you feel better. For all those sporty students out there who happen to be studying by the seaside a quick dip in the sea will numb your nerves so you don`t feel a thing as well as get rid of that pounding headache.  The salt could also make you puke the unwanted alcohol. More Sugar. This helps because alcohol breaks down sugar stores in the liver that need to be replaced. Without these sugar stores we often feel light-headed and weak. Tomatoes!  Don`t ask me why this works, but it tends to do miracles.  This is why a bloody mary and V8`s are so popular as they are packed with nutrients.  Try some basic tomato sauce or pasta sauce on spaghetti.  This is quite easy on the stomach and has incredible results. Coffee.  Contrary to popular belief, coffee is not a sobering agent, but the caffeine can constrict the enlarged blood vessels in your head that cause that blinding headache.  If you are a heavy coffee drinker, then not having your regular cup could cause added headache through the typical withdrawal symptoms.  However, coffee will intensify your dehydration so don’t forget to drink twice as much water as coffee. A cold washcloth.  Much like coffee, a cold, wet towel can also help constrict the enlarged blood vessels in your head. A classic but goody is the cool refreshing taste of an energy drink.  The electrolytes and sugar will speed your recovery and absorption of the alcohol. And finally > > > - . More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi January, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy! Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://-/index-wml.php -? - Drinking water before bed (about 1 liter) along with Vitamins C, E, and a multi-vitamin.  If that doesn’t work then try a Chocolate or your favorite flavored Milk Shake the next day. It works wonders plus it tastes great. Water, water, water is the number one cure from our panel of experts. Drink loadz of water the next day. This will help to “get rid of” some of the excess alcohol along with the excess water. The only side effect is you’ll spend most of your day on the porcelain. Eating something that is easy for your body to digest such as grapes and toast helps speed up recovery. Raw eggs, if it doesn`t make you feel better, it`ll make you throw up and that should make you feel better. For all those sporty students out there who happen to be studying by the seaside a quick dip in the sea will numb your nerves so you don`t feel a thing as well as get rid of that pounding headache.  The salt could also make you puke the unwanted alcohol. More Sugar. This helps because alcohol breaks down sugar stores in the liver that need to be replaced. Without these sugar stores we often feel light-headed and weak. Tomatoes!  Don`t ask me why this works, but it tends to do miracles.  This is why a bloody mary and V8`s are so popular as they are packed with nutrients.  Try some basic tomato sauce or pasta sauce on spaghetti.  This is quite easy on the stomach and has incredible results. Coffee.  Contrary to popular belief, coffee is not a sobering agent, but the caffeine can constrict the enlarged blood vessels in your head that cause that blinding headache.  If you are a heavy coffee drinker, then not having your regular cup could cause added headache through the typical withdrawal symptoms.  However, coffee will intensify your dehydration so don’t forget to drink twice as much water as coffee. A cold washcloth.  Much like coffee, a cold, wet towel can also help constrict the enlarged blood vessels in your head. A classic but goody is the cool refreshing taste of an energy drink.  The electrolytes and sugar will speed your recovery and absorption of the alcohol.

The key to astronomy has often been serendipity

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Tech News

The history of science is filled with lucky breaks, cases where researchers have stumbled across something unexpected that ended up leading to a major breakthrough—it was a scientist, after all, who said “chance favors the prepared mind.” But a perspective published today in Science brings the year of astronomy to a nice end by discussing just how often luck has played a role in the progress of that field. One of the stories, of course is Galileo—it’s the anniversary of his first use of a telescope. But it’s easy to forget that the first instrument wasn’t actually intended to be a telescope at all; instead, it was a spyglass that was expected to find use as an instrument of war. Nor was Galileo especially intent on completely upsetting Europe’s view of its place in the Universe when he pointed the spyglass at the skies. That just happened to be a side effect of seeing comets and the moons of other worlds for the first time.

p2pnet wins $750,000 Texaco prize!

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Off Topic:- On Wednesday I ran an item on how an 80-year-old man was scammed out of close to $750,000 when he was sucked in by crooks who told him he’d won big bucks in a state lottery. “Was this a ‘MICROSOFT PRIZE DRAW’ thing?” asked a Reader’s Write . “I’ve had dozens of those, and they do look a little more convincing than the average 419.” Mine didn’t. I’ve had loads of lottery notifications too, but since it’s the end of the year, I thought for the hell of it, I’d follow through on one that arrived this morning, apparently from China, which makes a kind of change. “You were selected in the Chevron/Texaco award which was held DECEMBER 2009 , and you are to claim the amount of $750,000 USD it means you are one of the five(5) lucky winners,” it said. “Your winning number is: (CT-100745-NG). You are adviced to send us this informations: NAME IN FULL: DELIVERY ADDRESS: AGE: NATIONALITY: OCCUPATION: PHONE: SEX: contact e mail: chevrontexacodept210@w.cn.” I emailed back, “Hello CHEVRON TEXACO AWARD, Wow! What do I have to do to claim my prize? Best regards, Jon,” to which Pastor Williams Moris [his spelling ]responded > > > ATTENTION: Jon, Your email was received, This is true that you are a winner of $750,000 (Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars), which your email address won in the just concluded Chevron/Texaco Promo that was held, no ticket where sold as this was conducted by an automated random machine ballot system. So your email won the award for you in the ongoing promo. So you are adviced to send your full details for proper verifications. 1.FULL NAME, 2.FULL ADDRESS, 3.NATIONALITY, 4.AGE, 5.OCCUPATION, 6.MOBILE/TELEPHONE NUMBER, 7. SEX, PASTOR WILLIAMS MORIS Claims Agent, CHEVRON TEXACO AGENT We tossed a few more emails back and forth, in each of which I wanted confirmation that when I supplied the info, I’d immediately be on the receiving end of $750K,until > > > As soon as i receive your full contact informations to compare with the ones i have here the i will proceed with the necessary arrangements so that your winnings can get to you you can as well call the chevron texaco office to confirm this +234 8074 384 658 I answered, “OK, thank you. I ask because I am very old and I have read stories about how old people have been robbed and I don’t want to be one of those. But you are a pastor so you must be genuine. What church?” And that was all he (or she ) wrote. So I guess I won’t be seeing in the New Year in Bermuda after all. *sigh* No need to stay tuned. JN - . More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi sucked in by crooks – 80-year-old swindled in lottery fraud, December 30, 2009 January, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy! Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://-/index-wml.php -? -

Purging the Queen’s English of "tweet," "app," and "sexting"

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Tech News

Using an app to tweet about sexting? One university wants you to watch your language. Lake Superior State University, though no doubt a fine institution of higher learning, doesn’t have big name recognition. But it does have one annual PR stunt created by the school’s public relations director back in 1975: a “word banishment” list for the year that just ended. The list’s full name, “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness,” pretty much sums up its function. For 2010, four tech terms made the cut.

Brief: TSA subpoenas bloggers to find source of security doc leak

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Tech News

The Transportation Security Administration is attempting to find the source of a leak of a sensitive security directive that followed a failed airline bombing attempt on Christmas Day. Two travel bloggers have revealed that they have been subpoenaed to provide information that may lead to the source of the leak. Shortly after an attempted “underwear” bomber was discovered on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on December 25, the Transportation Security Administration issued immediate, temporary changes to security procedures in an attempt to prevent similar incidents. The particular details of those changes were issued in an internal security directive, intended only for TSA employees. However, copies of the directive were leaked to several bloggers and quickly spread around the ‘Net. Writers Chris Elliott and Steven Frischling both received copies of the security directive from anonymous sources, and both published the text of the directive after mass confusion set in among holiday travelers affected by the sudden changes in security procedures. It appears that the TSA is not punishing either for publishing the document; rather, they are trying to find the source of the leak. “The DHS & TSA are taking this matter seriously, and that tells me that they are paying attention to security in detail,” Frischling wrote on his blog. So far, neither has admitted to knowing the identity of the source of the TSA directive. The leak is somewhat embarrassing for the TSA, though, in light of a recent leak of the entire contents of the TSA’s “Standard Operating Procedures” manual online. That disclosure was due to improper redacting of the document, which the TSA later claimed to be out of date . What is a “Brief” post?”

ACTA: epic fail

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // p2p

- P2P | Politics:- Today is the last day of 2009 and it’s time, therefore, for a Top 10 Worst of the Year list. But not this year. There’s only one contender. The net represents the most important communications  development since the steam engine. So it’s a given that in the eyes of politicians, bureaucrats and corporate captains everywhere, it must be brought under the strictest possible control. Right now. Their very existences depend on that. So they’ve come up with THE Number One, all-encompassing Bad not only of 2009, but of the last two centuries. It’s called ACTA, Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, and if it’s ever formulated as law around the world,  every man, woman and child on the planet will in one stroke lose their freedom of speech to fall under the thrall of companies and politicians who answer only to one small feral group —- —- corporate shareholders The self-serving, cynical corporate and political manoeuvrings, the secrecy, the lies and deceptions that are ACTA are the “con-trick played on the world”, says Glyn Moody in his Open blog . And he’s right. Unspun news, information and data Copyright as wielded over the preceding decades is dead.  Online People Power represents the decentralisation of traditional forms of communication,  replacing them with an amorphous,  ever-expanding web of P2P — People2People — sites where unspun news, information and data are posted and re-posted for unrestricted consumption by anyone of any age, anywhere, with a net account. That includes literature, movies, music. And news. In this 21st century, anything which can be digitised will be digitised and posted online in one format or another, and that in turn means the corporate and governmental Powers That Used To Be have all-but lost control of their formerly subservient ‘consumer’ and ‘voter’ bases. As events occur, they’re instantly disseminated, and lies and intrigues instantly exposed not just locally, but universally. With their MPAA as the front, the major Hollywood studios have escalated their efforts to force ACTA, their secret copyright ‘initiative’,  into being, I said in p2pnet recently, going on > > > But it isn’t only the MPAA. Big Music’s RIAA is also pushing ACTA for all it’s worth. “And it isn’t only ACTA. The entertainment industry — read the Big 4 record labels and Hollywood — is simultaneously hammering its Three Strikes plan , trying to have it adopted as law in countries such as Britain and France. Implemented, it would have administrations acting as industry copyright agents, and local ISPs  targetting their own customers on behalf of the cartels. Worse, “It is important to recognise that 3-strikes is fundamentally unjust/unethical given that no evidence is required”, Crosbie Fitch recently pointed out. “The victim is simply given two warnings (tipped-off as to what’s about to happen without any way of preventing it) before they are disconnected,” he said, going on: “Your evidence of innocence has to wait until after your ISP has disconnected you, after your PC has been confiscated, after your assets have been seized, after you have located a lawyer willing to take on your case, after you have paid your lawyer to demonstrate at a tribunal that you have grounds to plead for an appeal against your disconnection, and then at your appeal your evidence can be presented (if you still have it).” The Three Strikes plan is being dished up as separate governmment ‘initiatives’ created in the interests of the electorates. But it’s merely an element of ACTA, and only the movie and music studios benefit from it, as bizarre as that may seem. And if you find that alarming, also consider this: The major record labels and Hollywood movie studios are traditionally and infamously linked to organized crime, rampant drug use, the use of sex as currency and corruption at all levels, and they’re the absolute last entities on earth to be instructing anyone on anything. But they’re already ‘educating’ our children on moral issues, on what’s right and what’s wrong and on truth and fairness. It’s happening everywhere with the collusion of national and local governments and school staffs and administrations. And it would become standard practice under ACTA. The new money machine “It is planned that all these secret negotiations taking place will finish in 2010 and the world will be presented with a new world wide copyright/IP treaty that has been written and bullied through all levels of individual country governments by the US entertainment industry and their trade groups around the world,” says Steve Hodson in The Inquistr > > > If we think the copyright systems we have in each of our country is draconian I can promise you this – you ain’t seen nothing and if you don’t think this fight over copyright laws isn’t important then you sincerely need to give your head a shake. Under the provisions, that we know of from leaks, of ACTA we will see a sudden shift of power on the Internet. It will no longer be a medium of the people but instead it will be the new money machine of the entertainment industry and any voices against them will suddenly find themselves silenced and bereft of any legal recourse. It won’t be our Internet anymore. So think about that as you all get woodies about how important Twitter is. Think about it as you bicker over whether RSS is dead, whether blogging is dead, or whether real-time search is the next killer app. I would like to think that people are smart enough to see the coming danger – especially those of us in the tech industry – and do something to stem this tide. Sadly though we’re too worried about some new shiny toy. Too worried that we don’t have enough followers. Too worried about whether we are among the first to be using some stupid ass service. The really sad part about this? I don’t see it changing. But I think Steve is wrong. It’s already changing, and ACTA is the proof. Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, and Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures, are spending hundreds of millions of dollars  on trying to force it through. They’re  pulling out all the stops and calling in every political and lamescream media marker they have, twisting arms, bribing, blackmailing. It’s their last-ditch effort to maintain the status quo. But it’s too late. Ten years ago the  corporate entertainment industry Three Strikes campaign would have been a fait accompli . Now, however, thanks to the net, the cartels and the governments they’ve  suborned  are being thwarted at every turn and even if ACTA is implemented, it’ll be an epic fail. It’s impossible to cage a cloud. Copyright? Forget it. Creators are already dealing directly with their audiences and users, revolutionising the way things are handled and distrtibuted, and by whom. Copyright? Forget it. Natural rights, customers and creators connecting honestly and directly, one-on-one, is where it’s at. And as more and more people sign up and log on, opportunities for creators to  work with, as well as for, their customers increase exponentially. ACTA represents End-of-an-Age efforts by the cartels and corrupt governments who depend in their TV, radio and newspapers to give them substance, to retain their powers. The entertainment industry may run the corporate print and electronic news and information media with an iron hand,  but they have absolutely no control over what happens online. ‘We’re everyone you depend on … ‘ I’m just one old guy living in a tiny village on an island off mainland British Columbia in Canada. But I have a web page and with it, I  have the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of people during the course of a single year. This has never been possible before. And there are millions of other people like me. When Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club was written in the mid-1990s, the net was only just beginning to take hold. It central character is Tyler Durden who towards the end of the book and (and movie) says to ‘Them’ > > > Remember this. The people you’re trying to step on, we’re everyone you depend on. We’re the people who do your laundry and cook your food and serve your dinner. We make your bed. We guard you while you’re asleep. We drive the ambulances. We direct your call. We are cooks and taxi drivers and we know everything about you. We process your insurance claims and credit card charges. We control every part of your life. The executives, politicians and ‘creators should have that in neon lights, hanging on the walls in their offices. The net and P2P People Power are the Great Equalisers and now, for the first time, we can make sure our natural rights are respected. Copy? Jon Newton - p2pnet - . More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Open blog – ACTA as the (Fool’s) “Gold Standard”, December 24, 2009 p2pnet – Hollywood touts ACTA, November 22, 2009 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy! Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://-/index-wml.php -? - the new money machine

Ars Technica’s most popular stories of 2009

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Tech News

Another year has come and gone. 2009 saw a couple of major operating system releases, but the releases of Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 were just a couple of the stories that piqued our readers’ interest over the past 12 months. Here are the ten news posts with the highest number of pageviews over the past year, followed by the five most popular features.

Brief: Dismissal of iPod hearing loss lawsuit upheld on appeal

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Tech News

A class action lawsuit filed in 2006 alleging that Apple’s iPods can damage a user’s hearing was dismissed in Apple’s favor last year. The decision was appealed, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal this week. It has been well-documented that iPods are capable of outputting as much as 115dB of sound with stock earbuds, which is certainly capable of damaging your hearing even if listening for short periods of time. However, the maximum output can vary depending the type of headphones used, and iPods have a setting that can automatically limit the maximum output power . The plaintiffs claimed that the mere potential to damage hearing was enough to bring the lawsuit against Apple, even though none of them had actually suffered any hearing loss themselves. The appellate court agreed with the lower court’s ruling that such potential alone did not represent a reasonable cause of action, since an iPod can be used in a manner which wouldn’t cause hearing loss. Further, the court also ruled that since the named plaintiffs did not suffer any injury and could reasonably avoid possible injury, they had no standing to bring a class action against Apple. There are plenty of good reasons for an iPod to have a high output level, the least of which being using it with a variety of audio equipment beyond the included standard Apple earbuds. Suing Apple won’t necessarily protect anyone from hearing loss, but limiting the volume or the length of timeyou use your iPod(or both!) will. What is a “Brief” post?”

FDA using weak clinical studies to approve cardiac implants

// December 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Tech News

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for approving drugs for medical uses, and the agency has developed a set of expectations for using results from randomized clinical studies to determine (with varying degrees of success) whether a drug is safe and effective. But advances in materials science and miniaturization have led to an explosion in the use of medical implants, which do everything from acting as a replacement for balky knees to restarting arrhythmic hearts. Two new evaluations of the clinical studies used during the implant approval process suggests that the approval process for implants isn’t nearly as rigorous as it might be. The significance of the FDA’s approval is made clear by the authors of one of the evaluations, which was published yesterday by the Journal of the American Medical Association . As is the case with drugs, many physicians view the FDA’s acceptance as an indication that a device is safe and effective, as do many insurance companies. The makers of the implants, for their part, often view approval as a sign that it’s safe to begin a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign for their product.

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