The author's assertions are based on his personal opinions, just like everyone else here on Slashdot. Yet he feels that he is somehow "better" than those that are arguing for Skylarov's release. Some good alternative points are made, but it just looks like he's trying to antagonize people to boost readership. What a crock.
Technically, the cells aren't immortal. An individual cell is just as likely to die as any other cell on Earth. However, since they are essentially single celled organisms now, these human cells can divide and spread to any habitable location. Assuming a low rate of mutation (characteristic of human mitosis), this cell line could live a very, very long time. Since humans usually only live about 85 years on average (and then all our cells die), that's why they're calling them immortal.
It's not just that these cells are living in a petri dish, or that she had cancer. The intro doesn't mention it, but HeLa cells have the ability to live in a wide variety of situations. The original lab realized that the cells were contaminating everything, because the cells were living outside the petri dishes (on people's hands, on desktops, etc). This is the first case of human tissue being able to survive away from the body, without the support of the circulatory system, immune system, or anything.
It sounds like everyone is falling into the whole copyright debate, rather than realizing the importance of the cells themselves.
As far as I could tell, the "fire" was the god-like AI that existed in the transcend, but was wreaking destruction in the "deep", or gravitationally dense areas of the galaxy.
As soon as a new system shows up here at work, I immediately wipe the hard drive and do a clean installation. That way I know exactly what's running, and prevents any annoying software the manufacturer deems necessary to install. That should fix your problem, unless this is being run from the BIOS...
One thing they don't mention is what happens when you move your eyes. The natural reaction to reading or viewing something is to allow the eye to move over the object. However, this device shines a laser through the iris. Is it really designed to follow a moving target? Or are we all going to have learn to keep our eyes still in order to read the display?
We don't care what people do with their own computers, unless they are directly connected to our network. In which case, they're required to have updated AV software installed. All our workstations are running Norton AV, as well as our servers. This catches anything coming in via disk, email, or file transfer. If they have an infected disk then BINGO, they're home system is infected and they need to clean it up. We haven't had a single incident of network infection, yet.
Just keep the viruses from getting in. There shouldn't be that many opening you need to watch. Oh, and if you're using Outlook, you might as well quit now...
Well, I believe that in this day and age, more cool stuff means more work for Mom and/or Dad. If they want to have a computer in the house, they're going to need to filter what their kids see. It's not the government's job, nor should it be. No self-respecting parent should let someone else tell their kid what should or should not be viewed.
I'm hoping those are for games, and not for a subscription based service like DirecTV. And why didn't they slap in a DVD/CD/MP3 player? How is anyone supposed to put new games on this thing? Download them?
"...the researchers say their study is a serious attempt to show how asteroids could be turned into weapons of mass destruction."
Great. Just what we need. More weapons. Like we don't have enough ways to kill people as it is...
Re:This news is nearly as old as dirt
on
Predatorial Trees
·
· Score: 1
"small insects such as nematodes"?!
Nematodes aren't even CLOSE to insects in the evolutionary scheme of things.
Besides, considering what the average person's education in sciences is, providing a little information now and then (even if it's old to you) is a good thing. Don't be such an ass unless you can keep your facts straight.
I really wish the media would be more specific regarding the fear of genetically modified agriculture in Europe. I think that, for the most part, people are afraid of the companies that are doing it (and their lack of safety precautions), rather than the GM studies themselves. I have friends that work for Aventis, and I really feel sorry for them now. Those quotes from their press agent are really bad.
Great! So if I send a copy of my tax refund through MSN for a friend to double-check, does that mean M$ gets my tax refund? For that matter, if I transmit my Social Security number, can they assume my identity?
I'm sure they may be working on a smaller scale, but researchers have been using laser tweezers to insert/remove/adjust objects inside cells for years. It's kind of fun to beat the crap out of paramecium with a PVC pellet. I'm just waiting for some giant alien to give me a taste of my own medicine...
I mean, the US government designed, built, and delivered the electronic system Brazil uses. It works like a dream, so I hear from the Brazilians I work with. Why the heck don't we just use something that we know already works?
I used to store our images on our NetWare network, boot from a floppy, and Ghost them down. But I finally realized I saved a lot of time just storing all the images (we use about 10) on a 20 Gig IDE drive, popping the cases off the systems that need the image, and Ghosting from a Win98 boot disk. Takes between 5 and 10 minutes compared to 20 to 40 minutes over the network.
I guess I just don't mind sticking my hands in the guts...
Luckily, it's not NASA's fault. The astronauts are quite happy with how NASA helps fix problems. It's the Russian Space Agency that's making them swear.
It's not an isotope issue. The number of neutrons in the atom would not change how the material conducted heat, or any other property aside from total mass.
It's the isotRopic qualities of the crystals that matter. It's a plain old silicon atom, just crystallized in a different manner.
Slashdot Mirror
The author's assertions are based on his personal opinions, just like everyone else here on Slashdot. Yet he feels that he is somehow "better" than those that are arguing for Skylarov's release. Some good alternative points are made, but it just looks like he's trying to antagonize people to boost readership. What a crock.
Technically, the cells aren't immortal. An individual cell is just as likely to die as any other cell on Earth. However, since they are essentially single celled organisms now, these human cells can divide and spread to any habitable location. Assuming a low rate of mutation (characteristic of human mitosis), this cell line could live a very, very long time. Since humans usually only live about 85 years on average (and then all our cells die), that's why they're calling them immortal.
It's not just that these cells are living in a petri dish, or that she had cancer. The intro doesn't mention it, but HeLa cells have the ability to live in a wide variety of situations. The original lab realized that the cells were contaminating everything, because the cells were living outside the petri dishes (on people's hands, on desktops, etc). This is the first case of human tissue being able to survive away from the body, without the support of the circulatory system, immune system, or anything.
It sounds like everyone is falling into the whole copyright debate, rather than realizing the importance of the cells themselves.
As far as I could tell, the "fire" was the god-like AI that existed in the transcend, but was wreaking destruction in the "deep", or gravitationally dense areas of the galaxy.
As soon as a new system shows up here at work, I immediately wipe the hard drive and do a clean installation. That way I know exactly what's running, and prevents any annoying software the manufacturer deems necessary to install. That should fix your problem, unless this is being run from the BIOS...
I do believe I submitted this story over a month ago, after having seen it long before that. Glad to see things are being kept up-to date around here.
One thing they don't mention is what happens when you move your eyes. The natural reaction to reading or viewing something is to allow the eye to move over the object. However, this device shines a laser through the iris. Is it really designed to follow a moving target? Or are we all going to have learn to keep our eyes still in order to read the display?
We don't care what people do with their own computers, unless they are directly connected to our network. In which case, they're required to have updated AV software installed. All our workstations are running Norton AV, as well as our servers. This catches anything coming in via disk, email, or file transfer. If they have an infected disk then BINGO, they're home system is infected and they need to clean it up. We haven't had a single incident of network infection, yet. Just keep the viruses from getting in. There shouldn't be that many opening you need to watch. Oh, and if you're using Outlook, you might as well quit now...
Well, I believe that in this day and age, more cool stuff means more work for Mom and/or Dad. If they want to have a computer in the house, they're going to need to filter what their kids see. It's not the government's job, nor should it be. No self-respecting parent should let someone else tell their kid what should or should not be viewed.
I'm hoping those are for games, and not for a subscription based service like DirecTV. And why didn't they slap in a DVD/CD/MP3 player? How is anyone supposed to put new games on this thing? Download them?
"The reigning notion today is that the laws of economics are not, after all, suspended in cyberspace like the laws of gravity in outer space."
So, there's no gravity in outer space? Wow! So planets just sit around stars for the fun of it?
"...the researchers say their study is a serious attempt to show how asteroids could be turned into weapons of mass destruction." Great. Just what we need. More weapons. Like we don't have enough ways to kill people as it is...
"small insects such as nematodes"?! Nematodes aren't even CLOSE to insects in the evolutionary scheme of things. Besides, considering what the average person's education in sciences is, providing a little information now and then (even if it's old to you) is a good thing. Don't be such an ass unless you can keep your facts straight.
I prefer the fungi that catch nematodes in loops and then suck them dry. They've got pictures here.
I really wish the media would be more specific regarding the fear of genetically modified agriculture in Europe. I think that, for the most part, people are afraid of the companies that are doing it (and their lack of safety precautions), rather than the GM studies themselves. I have friends that work for Aventis, and I really feel sorry for them now. Those quotes from their press agent are really bad.
Great! So if I send a copy of my tax refund through MSN for a friend to double-check, does that mean M$ gets my tax refund? For that matter, if I transmit my Social Security number, can they assume my identity?
I'm sure they may be working on a smaller scale, but researchers have been using laser tweezers to insert/remove/adjust objects inside cells for years. It's kind of fun to beat the crap out of paramecium with a PVC pellet. I'm just waiting for some giant alien to give me a taste of my own medicine...
What type of availability do these things have? Special order? Production line?
Finally, someone gets what they deserve. Well, I'd have liked the money, too...
I mean, the US government designed, built, and delivered the electronic system Brazil uses. It works like a dream, so I hear from the Brazilians I work with. Why the heck don't we just use something that we know already works?
I used to store our images on our NetWare network, boot from a floppy, and Ghost them down. But I finally realized I saved a lot of time just storing all the images (we use about 10) on a 20 Gig IDE drive, popping the cases off the systems that need the image, and Ghosting from a Win98 boot disk. Takes between 5 and 10 minutes compared to 20 to 40 minutes over the network. I guess I just don't mind sticking my hands in the guts...
Luckily, it's not NASA's fault. The astronauts are quite happy with how NASA helps fix problems. It's the Russian Space Agency that's making them swear.
Um. Okay. What are you smoking?
It's not an isotope issue. The number of neutrons in the atom would not change how the material conducted heat, or any other property aside from total mass. It's the isotRopic qualities of the crystals that matter. It's a plain old silicon atom, just crystallized in a different manner.
Did you guys try this one? I've been using it successfully for months.... http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/