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lets not forget:

reports to the IRS
offers money market accounts
all non-money market accounts are FDIC insured for 1,000,000

it isn't just acting like a bank, it is a bank, and it doesn't deny that.

They don't need tougher regulation, the problems people have are *because of* the tough regulation- there are so many checks in place to try and stop money laundering, fraud etc
for example, if you've logged in from more than two computers in the past 24 hours (or as a result of the implementation, browsers..), if you and the person you are sending money to have logged in from the same ip address, if you are sending money to/from certain countries from outside of that country

Of course Obama isn't really in much better position than McCain on this matter, and in fact may have been even more obscure.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obamacitizen.asp

Some points missing from the Snopes article include the fact that his mother was a naturalized citizen of Indonesia (she gave up U.S. citizenship) and that Obama spent time there as well. Obama also maintain multiple nationalities, including being a "native-born" Kenyan citizen.

The legality of the birth certificate is also called into question, but that is really stretching things here. According to some evidence, Obama was actually born in Kenya but had his birth registered in Hawaii to protect his nationality (I guess American citizenship counts for something even now).

All this said, both attempts to discredit the candidates based on these obscure legal technicalities is immaterial to if either one is fit to govern the country or if they would be the best person for the job. Certainly the actual citizenship of neither candidate is really in question.

It's a moot point, anyway. John McCain isn't a natural-born citizen of the United States (citizenship was only extended to him a year after his birth), and therefore - according to the United States Constitution - he's not eligible to be President of the United States.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/mccain/citizen.asp

Yeah, it's stupid, but that's what the Constitution says, and there's no getting around it unless you ignore the Constitution.

Snopes is good at debunking (urban) myths.

Not really. They suck at accepting corrections. For example, there's an article on whether Marilyn Monroe had six toes. Now, I have no reason to believe that they reached the wrong conclusion, but I know for a fact that at least one of their reasons is fundamentally wrong:

• There is no record of Marilyn's having had an operation at that point in her life, and no contemporary references to anyone's noticing her walking with a bandaged foot or a limp for a period of time. (One doesn't simply get up and start trotting around after having a toe removed -- the missing digit affects one's balance, and it takes some time to adjust to the change and "relearn" how to walk.)

My wife is a podiatrist, and I asked her if that was correct. She said that no, it's an urban legend of its own, and that it takes little adjustment after a toe amputation once the surgical wound is healed. Even removal of the big toe is a relatively minor deal (try walking with it lifted off the ground sometime and see if it makes a difference), let alone a vestigial extra pinky toe hanging off the side.

I wrote to Snopes with that information from an expert source, and they wrote back that I was a dumbass for believing that Marilyn had six toes. I don't! I just didn't think they should be using invalid facts to "prove" their case, even if I agree with their conclusion.

Snopes is fine for entertainment value, but wholly worthless as an authoritative information source.

He was referring to articles discussing the negative health effect of plastics. Not this chemical... Kinda like this one.
Cooking in plastic containers

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

Didn't you realize that the snopes article in the summary talks about a completely different chemical?

tag: badsummary

Bah. I've already posted, but if I hadn't I'd mod you up. These are exactly the kind of worries one might have about a system like what Berners-Lee is suggesting.

But there's something else here. Suppose we were to pick one of the first two options you present (users or an uninvolved organization). Then the suggestion isn't terribly original. There are already sites that incorporate user input to rank sites (and some of them *koff*digg*koff* don't work all that well). And the idea of a neutral fact-checking group/site isn't too interesting either. Just thinking of factcheck.org and snopes.com, it isn't too hard to see something like a rating service coming down the line. (And there are probably more obvious relatives than those that I'm just missing.)

Just doesn't seem like a very good idea...

I wish I could mod this up. It's sad that the penta-puke books like the infamous Leviticus get all the cynical press (though I guess I'll let Genesis and Exodus slide). Books like Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Jeremiah, even Job, are real (+5) insightful literature.

Or, from the Word for Slashdot translation: "The magnitude of the random noise involved in success is an order-of-magnitude greater than your control coefficients. So, be humble and don't waste too much time twiddling knobs - you don't have as much time as you think, anyway."

Actually, the Space Pen was developed by Fisher; NASA simply bought a bunch of pens from them. The graphite leads can float around in zero gravity and wreak havoc with electronics, etc. See Snopes for more information.

The government is clearly not the most efficient

Private industry is terribly, horribly inefficient as well. You just never hear about corporate inefficiency because private companies do not have to reveal how they work.

(that's why the astronauts didn't use a pencil, right? Don't answer that.)

Why shouldn't I answer that? Because its a myth cited by idiotarians like yourself as an example of government waste?

The government didn't spend a dime developing the space pen. Bad example, but valid point. Snopes

The government invests in basic research because it gives U.S. companies a competitive advantage on new technologies. We're not a manufacturing economy any more, so it's in our best interest to stay ahead technologically.

that's why the astronauts didn't use a pencil, right? Don't answer that

Why don't you want anyone to answer that?
Could it be that you know that it is not true?

Yep. The graphite dust and pencil shavings from sharpening are bad too. Oh, and the research wasn't funded by the government anyway.

We trust buffet restaurants even though someone could put crushed glass into the food.

That wouldn't matter.

From snopes.com:

One legend that I have heard a few times (mostly back in the late 80's and early 90's) was that President Reagan had the company that produced Cabbage Patch dolls make them intentionally ugly. This legend maintains that government scientists thought that this is what the offspring of survivors of a nuclear war would look like. By familiarizing people with this "look", the survival of the human race would be ensured.

http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/cabbage.asp

Palin didn't attempt to ban books.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.asp

Don't read everything you read on Digg or DailyKoS. Sheesh. I think every single degree should include a component in critical thinking and research... can you guess why?

If I recall correctly there used to be a scam with premium telephone numbers on landlines waaaaaaay back when. The idea is basicly that you call a regular looking number, but in fact the number you're dialing has a special tariff.

In the US, this scam still exists, although it's slightly different from the way you describe.

Nonsense

brain researchers using imaging technology have shown that, like the body's muscles, most are continually active over a 24-hour period.

It's a tired myth used by peddlars of supernatural crap.

Actually, Coke started the switch to HFCS nearly 5 years before the introduction of new coke - and had completely switched from cane sugar to HFCS over six months before Check the snopes article on the subject

Coca Cola invented Fanta so they could continue to sell soft drinks in the European market during the War

Not exactly. The company's german arm, isolated from the american one, invented it to keep the plant in operation during the war, when they could not get the Coca Cola syrup.

* http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/coke/coke2.html
* http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/fanta.asp

Ray, that's a funny picture, but it's not even a good photoshop job:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/palin.asp

Well, at least one person has spoken publicly about being involved in the protests about the library fiasco at the time. I'm not sure what exactly was published at the Daily Kos, but it's no more legitimate to say it didn't happen than to suggest Osama Bin Laden didn't topple the twin towers because supporters of the Bush administration was wrong about Saddam Hussein being involved.

snopes disagrees with you.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/kilkenny.asp

As it led me straight to snopes: http://www.snopes.com/photos/humor/rivalry.asp

It's far worse than you think, or fear even.

'normal' people (are there really such creatures?) will see that it is from MICROSOFT, and think "it must be good, all their stuff is really technical, and they know what they are doing ... if it wasn't for Microsoft, we'd not have any computers or Intarwebtubes or anything"
http://talkback.zdnet.com/5208-12558-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=44459&messageID=820843&start=0

You only need look as far as what passes for entertainment on television in the USA to figure out that you should be considered special if you have an 8th grade education! http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.asp

Disclaimer: I have yet to watch any episode of Seinfeld. I wasn't impressed with him before Gates conned him into this.

They got your information then intercepted the memory of it as it was being formed in your brain. It's a new web scam. You can read about it here http://snopes.com/Website-wipes-memory-of-you-giveing-your-private-info.html

Speaking of Rosa Parks and freedom from the tyranny of the state through civil disobedience and the courts reminds me of a funny story.

The KKK wanted an Adopt-a-Highway sign in Missouri. This, of course, was for propaganda purposes to show the Klan in a good light and probably also to frighten and intimidate non-whites along the highway. The state refused, and the Klan sued on First Amendment rights of speech and assembly. It went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Klan won in court, as they should have. The state of Missouri won in the long run, though. They named the section of highway that was adopted the Rosa Parks Highway. Nobody ever picked up the trash, and the Klan's adoption of the road was dropped from the register.

Among their most egregious offenses was a requirement of a Notarized statement from a doctor certifying that they had a small penis. Amazingly, remarkably few customers availed themselves of the refund offer.

"Sorry, but do to a supply chain issue, we can not fulfill your order. Here's your refund, courtesy of The Anal Sex and Fetish Perversion Company."

Man, 1999 came and went and it's still way funny!

(In other words, no, it's not funny anymore, and provably false.)

http://www.snopes.com/weddings/horrors/titanium.asp is the link you implicitly mentioned.

Ah, good to know that it may not be possible to do it onsite, good info, thanks! I remember the observation that something that would bend or distort a titanium ring would propably do horrible things to your hands if you didn't have that ring on in the first place. Regarding ERs, an article I read spoke of high speed saws (similar to a dremmel) that could cut through these rings. Snopes is one among many sites that dispel this rumor.

While I'm at it, I screwed up the link for Moissanite . There's also the link for the company that produces Moissanite, however I really don't want to link to a flash only site... But JC Penney and some other local shops sell it (and have it to view in person). To the submitter, whichever center stone you choose, go for the beauty and durability. Even Sapphire (and Ruby), carbon coated Cubic Zirconia, Sythetic Diamonds can make for a great wedding ring center stone. By the way, you can find synthetic diamonds in yellow, blue, red, and white. If you just Google for "Synthetic Diamond" you should get mostly good hits.

Oh and make sure that Iridium is scratch resistant (or choose a finish that would better mask future wear and tear). Again in my quest for the perfect ring, I was dissuaded from going with platinum due to this one fact (and one very passionate jeweler who had the old platinum rings to prove it!).

So, google has this for employees, and microsoft gives away wristbands? .

Microsoft should give away armbands instead.

So, google has this for employees, and microsoft gives away wristbands?

Explains a lot.

Does Obama need the vacation, or his young children? McCain did not do a full campaign during the Olympics either, in fact most days he made no public appearances.

it's Obama who thinks there are 57 or 58 states

Here it is pretty clear what your game is, that particular quote was analyzed by snopes. There is a long pause between 'fifty' and seven, then he goes on to say he has visited all the states but one and was not allowed to go to Hawaii or Alaska. It is pretty clear that he meant 48 continental states.

McCain on the other hand has made more than just one memory gaffe, he can't remember what factions are fighting in Iraq, which ones are with us and which against. Its not just the fact he had to ask an aide how many houses he has or what car he drives.

And another problem with McCain is that he keeps denying what he said in previous interviews, or tries to pass his previous comments off as jokes.

it's Obama who is afraid to debate McCain at 10 town-hall style meetings, after saying he would debate him anywhere and anytime.

Obama never said that, another McCain lie I am afraid. Only a fool would imagine that a skilled politician would unconditionally agree to debate his opponent in his opponent's favored format. It is one of those lies that are put out because they know that the faithful will believe it. It isn't meant to be believed by anyone other than the Republican party base.

McCain only invites GOP donors to his so-called town hall meetings. The campaign does not want to risk putting their candidate in a situation where someone would ask about the Rovian slime McCain is putting out in his TV ads. They certainly don't want someone else asking if he is too old and getting another 'you little creep' out of McCain. Why on earth would Obama want McCain to choose the audiences he speaks to?

Not really....Obama repeated it over and over again....

If by "repeated" you mean "once", then yes.

That being said, I'm actually sure that many wealthy people out there, that own > 4-5 homes, probably don't really keep up with how many they actually own.

Sure, sure. But if you can't remember how many homes you own and then accuse your opponent of being an elitist, you're firing a howitzer in a glass house.

Yes, it's copyrighted, and all commercial use of the song must be paid for. I believe the Phillipines is a signatory of the Berne Convention, which standardized copyright around the world, so it'd apply there too.

Does anyone know how the CD came to be 5.25" in diameter?

The lore is it was sized to 74 minutes so Beethoven's 9th would fit, and it's not 5.25"...

Here is a rehash of the classic Beethoven's 9th story. According to legend, the president of Sony was presented with a prototype 11.5cm CD with a 60 minute limit. He demanded that the CD be capable of storing his favorite symphony, Beethoven's 9th, and it required a capacity of 74 minutes with a corresponding size of 12cm.

Not

More evidence that Microsoft was behind it.

Hilarious but, sadly, not real. At least according to snopes.

I, for one, was eager to see the shelf with the exhumed barbie-head and rusty craftsman wrench.

Not true, but still entertaining.

Uh, not to be impolite, and I didn't say I believed it, I did only mention it, because it is a theory.

The link to this "ahem, cough, cough" research is here.

http://www.snopes.com/religion/soulweight.asp

Now, the truth is, regardless that our "soul" has weight or not, the issue was.. what role does it have? if one does wrong repeatedly because of a DNA defect, then, how can we have a "conscience" so to speak? That's really what I was trying to bring it.

But as I can see by your remarkable display of the english language, you like to jump to conclusions and attack, more than think. If I was moderator, I would actually give you a "karma" hit.. Unless you can prove to me that your DNA is the reason you are a "tool" :)

This type of test should only be used to solve crimes and diagnose illnesses -- not to invade privacy. Imagine your insurance rates going through the roof because the form you signed had traces of tobacco and who-knows-what-else. Surprise!

Even for crime solving this technology isn't good.
Mass spectroscopy allows the detection a very impressive dynamic range of concentrations.
It can pick up incredibly tiny traces of some substance, which means it is very good at picking up contaminants too.

Thus a lot of false positive may happen : forensic detect presence of substance X in some fingerprints. Did the suspect actually use-/consume-/come in contact with- substance X ? Or is it a contaminant that the suspect got on the fingers after shaking hand, touching the same object as someone different who actually had it on the hands, etc. (The cocaine on US Money comes as a nice example).
What make the DESI-MS situation different compared to drug screening test, is the expected detected concentration :
with a drug screening test, a big sample is used which is expected to contain a significant amount of the target substance, contaminant are either in much lower concentrations or aren't even detected to begin with.
but with the kind of test described here (getting a tiny sample using a fraction of the material deposited in a finger print) even with "true positives", the concentration is going to be very low because of the small sample.
So is the result of a given test small because of the small material used (true positive), or is it low because it was a contaminant (false positive) ?

Thus the only situation for which this kind of detection may be interesting is to determine if we *can exclude* or not that a person has come into contact with some (rare) substance. i.e.: the few situations where the absence of detection is an useful information.

In diagnostics the situation is different :
because it is a very controlled environment which follows strict procedures, you *can* (and actually *do already*) trust answers you get from high sensitivity MS machine.
Because the sample was supposedly handled following good practice to avoid contaminants, because the potential contaminants are limited and known and can be accounted for, and because the nature of contaminants may be completely different from the nature of the interesting bits (often what you look for are specific proteins and peptides in the blood stream, and the potential contaminants are either synthetic polymers from the tubes and instruments or entirely different proteins coming from the skin of the operator).

Disclaimer: after medicine, i'm doing a second degree in bioinformatics and proteomics - MS machines are my best friend.

Most U.S. paper money has some traces of Cocaine on it.
If you pulled out a dollar for a pepsi, you could be leaving coke on your keyboard.

http://www.snopes.com/business/money/cocaine.asp

These tests don't prove that you are more of a druggie.
It proves how sensitive the tests are.
You may think of your finger prints as being small, buth they are still millions of molecules.

From the most reliable news source in the interwebs, http://www.snopes.com/business/money/cocaine.asp I have found that a significant percentage of dollar notes have cocaine in them. So, don't use dollar notes if you don't want to be harrassed in the airport for touching cocaine.

Old and tired photoshop.

Come on man, you can do better than that.

Wow, I see that the /. gullibility meter is pegged this week!

The magic carburetor. You guys are wound a little too tight.

BTW, my name is not Mr. TROLL, it's Mr. SARCASM. But you can call me "Hardcase".

I could train a cuttlefish to write a complex accounts program in COBOL.

Yeah, those cuttlefish are smart. I once saw a film of an octopus observing another octopus open a jar to get a live crab inside. He learned by observation how to do it quicker. Here's a Snopes link.

But if a cuttlefish is smart enough to lern COBOL, he'll probably learn Java instead so he can earn more crabs per hour. So I don't see COBOL cuttlefish flooding the market yet.

Careful, you might end up buried partway in a cliff with a plasma drive hanging out your rear bumper.

Actually, the (supposedly) true story of the Rocket Car Legend is a rather interesting read.