6 hours ago

Magnitude: 5.7

DateTime: Thursday October 25 2012, 10:32:20 UTC

Region: Near East Coast of Honshu, Japan.

5 hours ago

Magnitude: 4.6

DateTime: Thursday October 25 2012, 11:46:31 UTC

Region: Off East Coast Of Kamchatka

 

6 hours ago

Magnitude: 5.2

DateTime: Thursday October 25 2012, 10:31:29 UTC

Region: Taiwan.

6 hours ago

Magnitude: 5

DateTime: Thursday October 25 2012, 10:09:45 UTC

Region: Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia

7 hours ago

Magnitude: 5.2

DateTime: Thursday October 25 2012, 09:26:01 UTC

Region: Fiji Islands Region.

 http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/

Major Solar Flare Erupts From the Sun

The sun unleased a powerful solar flare late Monday (Oct. 22), releasing waves of radiation into space that have already caused a short radio blackout on Earth.
The flare erupted from the sunspot AR 11598 (short for Active Region 11598), and reached peak brightness at 11:22 p.m. EDT (0322 GMT this morning, Oct. 23), according to scientists working on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), a space telescope that constantly monitors the sun with high-definition cameras. It ranked as an X1.8 solar flare, one of the strongest types of solar flares, according to the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) run by NOAA and the National Weather Service.

25 Cutting Edge Firms Funded By The CIA

It's no secret the Central Intelligence Agency has an investment firm that funds startups that could have a big impact for the Agency. 
If there is a company out there doing intelligence research, it's likely that In-Q-Tel, the CIA's personal investor, either looked them up or made a check out to them. 
It's all to ensure that the Agency remains on the forefront of tech. Not long ago, In-Q-Tel invested heavily in a company called Keyhole. Never heard of them? Maybe you know their work, a little project eventually known as Google Earth. 
So, want to know what's next for technology? Keep an eye on these 25 companies. 

 http://www.businessinsider.com/25-cutting-edge-companies-funded-by-the-central-intelligence-agency-2012-8?op=1

Cloudera helps organizations do large-scale data storage

The CIA has massive databases of information. Controlling and sustaining these digital archives is just as important for the CIA as it is for technology companies. 
Cloudera Enterprises is one of the most cost-effective ways for companies to securely carry out large-scale data analysis and storage. 
The group specializes in helping groups use Google, Facebook, and Yahoo! software. In-Q-Tel has been invested in Cloudera since 2010.

In-Q-Tel

In-Q-Tel of Arlington, Virginia, United States is a not-for-profit venture capital firm that invests in high-tech companies for the sole purpose of keeping the Central Intelligence Agency, and other intelligence agencies, equipped with the latest in information technology in support of United States intelligence capability.[4]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-Q-Tel

Bloody fingerprint key to pregnant bride's murder

A BLOODY fingerprint left on a note found under the body of a dead expectant bride suggesting pregnant women are at risk from a serial killer, may help solve the case. 
 
The bizarre note found under the body of Brooklyn woman Vindalee Smith warns that a pregnant woman will be killed each month until Washington Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo is released from jail.
The 38-year-old bride, who was eight and a half months pregnant, was found dead by her landlord in her East Flatbush apartment the day before her wedding at the Dimensions Church in Brooklyn. Her throat had been slashed, she had puncture wounds on her neck and her unborn child also died in the horrific attack.

http://www.news.com.au/world/bloody-fingerprint-key-to-pregnant-brides-murder/story-fndir2ev-1226502037363 

 

 

IMF's epic plan to conjure away debt and dethrone bankers

So there is a magic wand after all. A revolutionary paper by the International Monetary Fund claims that one could eliminate the net public debt of the US at a stroke, and by implication do the same for Britain, Germany, Italy, or Japan. 

One could slash private debt by 100pc of GDP, boost growth, stabilize prices, and dethrone bankers all at the same time. It could be done cleanly and painlessly, by legislative command, far more quickly than anybody imagined.  

 The conjuring trick is to replace our system of private bank-created money -- roughly 97pc of the money supply -- with state-created money. We return to the historical norm, before Charles II placed control of the money supply in private hands with the English Free Coinage Act of 1666. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/9623863/IMFs-epic-plan-to-conjure-away-debt-and-dethrone-bankers.html

Drug From Chinese ‘Thunder God Vine’ Slays Tumors in Mice

A drug made from a plant known as “thunder god vine,” or lei gong teng, that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine, wiped out pancreatic tumors in mice, researchers said, and may soon be tested in humans.

Mice treated with the compound showed no signs of tumors after 40 days or after discontinuing the treatment, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Cancer Center. The research, funded by the university and the National Institutes of Health. was published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine...

 http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-17/drug-from-chinese-thunder-god-vine-slays-tumors-in-mice

Almost 50 children's bodies found in unmarked graveyard at Florida school

"Besides the fact that none of the bodies have been identified, now scary details about the potential causes behind their deaths are being revealed by the victim's former peers, who say that brutal beatings and whippings at the hands of teachers were common in the 1960s."

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/tags/optical-illusion/

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/tags/optical-illusion/

Home schooling student, 17, tells 911 dispatcher that he shot dead his mother and 15-year-old sister

A 17-year-old student phoned a 911 operator early Friday morning and calmly told her over the next 20 minutes how he shot dead his mother and sister. 

Jake Evans called the emergency number at around 12:30am to explain that he used a .22-calibre revolver to kill his 48-year-old mother, Jamie Evans, and his 15-year-old sister, Mallory, in their home within an exclusive gated community.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2213425/Jake-Evans-Home-schooling-student-tells-911-dispatcher-shot-dead-mother-sister.html#ixzz28SLoQqKA

Russia says it will not renew arms agreement with U.S.

(Reuters) - Russia will not renew a decades-old agreement with Washington on dismantling nuclear and chemical weapons when it expires next year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

The death of the 1991 agreement, which had been renewed twice, is the latest in a series of hitches in relations between the United States and Russia and casts doubt on the future of the much-vaunted "reset" in relations between the Cold War-era foes.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/us-russia-usa-weapons-idUSBRE8991K020121010

60 Second Adventures in Economics

The Facebook jacket that can give you a real hug when someone likes you online

If you've ever felt a 'like' on Facebook wasn't quite real enough, a US designer has unveiled a jacket that hugs the wearer every time they receive one.


Designed by MIT student Melissa Chow, the 'Like-A-Hug' is a wearable social media vest that allows for hugs to be given via Facebook, bringing us closer despite physical distance. 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2214525/The-Facebook-jacket-hug-likes-you.html 

The Science of Lucid Dreaming

Jesus 'healed using cannabis'

Jesus w as almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study of scriptural texts published this month. The study suggests that Jesus and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings.
The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called kaneh-bosem which has since been identified as cannabis extract, according to an article by Chris Bennett in the drugs magazine, High Times, entitled Was Jesus a Stoner? The incense used by Jesus in ceremonies also contained a cannabis extract, suggests Mr Bennett, who quotes scholars to back his claims.

"There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion," Carl Ruck, professor of classical mythology at Boston University said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/jan/06/science.religion 

Flashback: Pyramid Of WWI German Helmets At Grand Central In 1918

"Victory Way" was set up after World War I ended—captured German war equipment was displayed on Park Avenue just near Grand Central to help raise money for the 5th War Loan. Each end of Victory Way had a pyramid made up of 12,000 German helmets. The helmets were supposedly going to be given away to large contributors to the 5th War Loan. One can only imagine the reaction if such a display of war souvenirs was put up today.

http://gothamist.com/2012/06/17/flashback_pyramid_of_wwi_german_hel.php

The Curta Calculator (Mechanical) Impressive Engineering

Mob picks on 'The Wrong Guy'

DeAndre and his gang of eight to 10 left the parking lot in a Meriden mall just a few weeks ago – soon after the park beat-down – he was confident little could go wrong when he told his friends he wanted to “beat someone up.”

They found their victim a few minutes later. Soon DeAndre and his confederate, Deshaun Jones, were peeling off from the group, heading for a guy walking home from work. Alone.
We don’t know his name or race or much else about him other than this: He was The Wrong Guy.
With their friends lurking less than 100 yards away, DeAndre and Deshaun attacked The Wrong Guy. Then came the surprise: The Wrong Guy fought back. He pulled a knife. Soon DeAndre was dead, and Deshaun was on his way to the emergency room.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/10/black-mob-picks-the-wrong-guy/ 

Hacker gets 6 years in prison for 'sextortion' scheme

Authorities said he hacked into more than 100 computers by tricking people to download software that allowed him to take control of their computers. He listened to victims through the computers' microphones, read their emails and watched them through their webcams.

He also obtained explicit pictures of many of them.

He threatened the victims by saying he would post the pictures on the Internet if the victim did not send him more explicit videos.

"When one victim shared Mijangos 'sextortionate' threats with a friend, Mijangos responded by posting nude pictures of the victim on her MySpace page," prosecutors said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/09/02/california.nude.extortion/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Extreme Weather Events And Global Unrest September 2012

Your right to resell your own stuff is in peril

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — Tucked into the U.S. Supreme Court’s busy agenda this fall is a little-known case that could upend your ability to resell everything from your grandmother’s antique furniture to your iPhone 4.

At issue in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons is the first-sale doctrine in copyright law, which allows you to buy and then sell things like electronics, books, artwork and furniture as well as CDs and DVDs, without getting permission from the copyright holder of those products. 

Under the doctrine, which the Supreme Court has recognized since 1908, you can resell your stuff without worry because the copyright holder only had control over the first sale.

Put simply, though Apple has the copyright on the iPhone and Mark Owen does on the book “No Easy Day,” you can still sell your copies to whomever you please whenever you want without retribution.

That’s being challenged now for products that are made abroad and if the Supreme Court upholds an appellate court ruling it would mean that the copyright holders of anything you own that has been made in China, Japan or Europe, for example, would have to give you permission to sell it.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-right-to-resell-your-own-stuff-is-in-peril-2012-10-04?dist=countdown 

3-D printed gun project derailed by legal woes

After raising thousands of dollars to develop a free, 3-D-printable handgun, a group calling itself Defense Distributed has had to put its plans on hold, after the company providing their printing hardware refused to do business with them. It's an early episode in what is likely to be a long controversy.
Defense Distributed is a loosely organized group that intends to explore the possibility of creating weapons entirely using 3-D printed parts — and providing the files to do so freely online. They are unrelated to another recent project that partially built an assault rifle that way, but the concept is similar.
The group originally tried to raise money to develop the Wiki Weapon, as they call it, on the crowd-funding website IndieGoGo. The site pulled the plug, however, before the $20,000 the group was hoping to collect was pledged. Undeterred, Defense Distributed solicited donations in the Bitcoin virtual currency, and soon achieved their funding goal.

With the money, they leased a powerful 3-D printer from a company called Stratasys. But before they even had a chance to take the device out of its box, Stratasys caught wind of what its hardware was going to be used for and canceled the contract, sending someone to pick up the printer immediately.

 http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/3-d-printed-gun-project-derailed-legal-woes-6213570

Anti-Downloading Law Hits Japan, Up To 2 Years in Prison From Today

According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan and their IFPI affiliates, the Japanese music industry is in trouble. Unauthorized downloads eclipse those from official source by 10 to 1, and the market for downloads shrank by 16% last year.
This decline needs to combated, they insist.
After intensive lobbying by the music industry, in June this year Japan approved an amendment to its Copyright Law that would see downloaders of unauthorized music face stiff criminal penalties in addition to the civil remedies already in place.
The wording here is important. While in some countries downloading copyrighted media without permission is already illegal, it is usually the uploaders (distributors) of content that are targeted in so-called “3 strikes” style campaigns.
While Japan already has the legislative muscle to hit uploaders with up to 10 years in prison and a 10 million yen ($128,300) fine, this new legislation makes criminals of mere downloaders.''

 http://torrentfreak.com/anti-downloading-law-hits-japan-up-to-2-years-in-prison-from-today-121001/

Networks, AP cancel exit polls in 19 states

Dan Merkle, director of elections for ABC News, and a member of the consortium that runs the exit poll, confirmed the shift Wednesday. The aim, he said, “is to still deliver a quality product in the most important states,” in the face of mounting survey costs.
The decision by the National Election Pool — a joint venture of the major television networks and The Associated Press — is sure to cause some pain to election watchers across the country. (For a full list of the states that won’t have exit polls scroll to the bottom of this post.)
Voters in the excluded states will still be interviewed as part of a national exit poll, but state-level estimates of the partisan, age or racial makeups of electorates won’t be available as they have been since 1992. The lack of data may hamper election night analyses in some states, and it will almost certainly limit post-election research for years to come.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/10/04/networks-ap-cancel-exit-polls-in-19-states/

Philippines gags internet with 'draconian' cyber crime law

The Philippines has approved measures to prosecute users that post “defamatory” comments on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook. They will be liable for a fine of 1 million pesos (US$24,000) or face up to 12 years in prison.
Websites that publish the material may also be shut down.
The cyber-law has been branded as ‘draconian’ and a serious violation of freedom of speech by rights groups.
“The cyber crime law needs to be repealed or replaced,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of the Human Rights Watch. “It violates Filipinos’ rights to free expression and it is wholly incompatible with the Philippine government’s obligations under international law.”
He stressed that while the bill was in action it will have a “chilling effect over the entire Philippines online community.”

 http://rt.com/news/philippines-internet-gag-law-545/

National 'virtual ID card' scheme set for launch

The Government will announce details this month of a controversial national identity scheme which will allow people to use their mobile phones and social media profiles as official identification documents for accessing public services.

People wishing to apply for services ranging from tax credits to fishing licences and passports will be asked to choose from a list of familiar online log-ins, including those they already use on social media sites, banks, and large retailers such as supermarkets, to prove their identity.

Once they have logged in correctly by computer or mobile phone, the site will send a message to the government agency authenticating that user’s identity.

The Cabinet Office is understood to have held discussions with the Post Office, high street banks, mobile phone companies and technology giants ranging from Facebook and Microsoft to Google, PayPal and BT.

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/national-virtual-id-card-scheme-set-for-launch-is-there-anything-that-could-possibly-go-wrong-8196543.html

New project aims to upload a honey bee’s brain into a flying insectobot by 2015

Every once in a while, there's news which reminds us that we're living in the age of accelerating change. This is one of those times: A new project has been announced in which scientists at the Universities of Sheffield and Sussex are hoping to create the first accurate computer simulation of a honey bee brain — and then upload it into an autonomous flying robot. This is obviously a huge win for science — but it could also save the world. The researchers hope a robotic insect could supplement or replace the shrinking population of honey bees that pollinate essential plant life. 

 http://io9.com/5948202/new-project-aims-to-upload-a-honey-bees-brain-into-a-flying-insectobot-by-2015?tag=futurism

This Picture Is Worth 1,000 Pictures

http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2012/10/04/hyper_photos_jean_fran_ois_rauzier_attempts_to_create_the_most_detailed_images_in_the_world_.html 

Hyperphotos are to panoramic photos what Google Earth is to a globe. You can keep clicking and zooming and clicking and zooming, seemingly endlessly, until you find yourself on a dramatic balcony, looking up a statue’s nose.  (Try it on the link above. The more one zooms in; the more real the image begins to seem.)

Implant humans with algae so we can 'eat the sun'

Each week a global thinker from the worlds of philosophy, science, psychology or the arts is given a minute to put forward a radical, inspiring or controversial idea – no matter how improbable – that they believe would change the world. 


First of all a little background: the corals on a coral reef are actually a symbiotic combination of photosynthetic algae living inside of the coral animal and as a result, these animals only have a limited need to feed. They get most of their nutrition directly from sunlight, just like a green plant. So my idea is to implant tiny unicellular photosynthetic algae under the skin of humans.
Of course this would result in an even more wonderfully colourful human race than what we have now. But more importantly, these tiny symbiotes would create most of the food we need directly to humans and could help feed starving masses all over the world.
And since humans are warm-blooded, we could be growing our own food under our own skin even in winter, providing the sun was shining.”

 http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120928-implant-humans-with-algae