No, this is just silly. A laptop is going to be far more expensive than some high-quality two-way radios from Motorola or the like. Even if you already had the laptop, there's nothing that allows you to easily tap into VOIP via independent headsets. I'm not sure why regular, quality two-way radios (at $40 for a pair with rechargeable batteries) isn't good enough for this simple application?
I spent three years in my graduate school days (which was now a decade ago... yikes!) administering the hardware/software for the Autogenics system in our community mental health center at Nova Southeastern University under Doil Montgomery, Ph.D. Neural feedback is also referred to as EEG biofeedback. Not only is there some good research in this area, but it's a nice, non-invasive and non-drug way to treat this disorder (which should be especially interesting to teens and children, where medications are less tested and proven).
Some basic positive empricial results supporting the use of EEG biofeedback in the treatment of ADHD from MEDLINE:
Neurofeedback treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children: a comparison with methylphenidate. in Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2003 Mar;28(1):1-12.
Fuchs T, Birbaumer N, Lutzenberger W, Gruzelier JH, Kaiser J.
Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Gartenstr. 29, 72074 Tubingen, Germany.
Clinical trials have suggested that neurofeedback may be efficient in treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We compared the effects of a 3-month electroencephalographic feedback program providing reinforcement contingent on the production of cortical sensorimotor rhythm (12-15 Hz) and betal activity (15-18 Hz) with stimulant medication. Participants were N = 34 children aged 8-12 years, 22 of which were assigned to the neurofeedback group and 12 to the methylphenidate group according to their parents' preference. Both neurofeedback and methylphenidate were associated with improvements on all subscales of the Test of Variables of Attention, and on the speed and accuracy measures of the d2 Attention Endurance Test. Furthermore, behaviors related to the disorder were rated as significantly reduced in both groups by both teachers and parents on the IOWA-Conners Behavior Rating Scale. These findings suggest that neurofeedback was efficient in improving some of the behavioral concomitants of ADHD in children whose parents favored a nonpharmacological treatment.
The effects of stimulant therapy, EEG biofeedback, and parenting style on the primary symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. in Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2002 Dec;27(4):231-49.
Monastra VJ, Monastra DM, George S.
FPI Attention Disorders Clinic, 2102 E. Main Street, Endicott, New York 13760, USA. poppidoc@aol.com
One hundred children, ages 6-19, who were diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), either inattentive or combined types, participated in a study examining the effects of Ritalin, EEG biofeedback, and parenting style on the primary symptoms of ADHD. All of the patients participated in a 1-year, multimodal, outpatient program that included Ritalin, parent counseling, and academic support at school (either a 504 Plan or an IEP). Fifty-one of the participants also received EEG biofeedback therapy. Posttreatment assessments were conducted both with and without stimulant therapy. Significant improvement was noted on the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; L. M. Greenberg, 1996) and the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES; S. B. McCarney, 1995) when participants were tested while using Ritalin. However, only those who had received EEG biofeedback sustained these gains when tested without Ritalin. The results of a Quantitative Electroencephalographic Scanning Process (QEEG-Scan; V. J. Monastra et al., 1999) revealed significant reduction in cortical slowing only in patients who had received EEG biofeedback. Behavioral measures indicated that parenting style exerted a significant moderating effect on the expression of behavioral symptoms at home but not at school.
Treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with neurotherapy. in Clin Electroencephalogr. 2000 Jan;31(1):30-7.
Farnsworth really was a genius at manipulating electric fields. It's too bad he died early, or he might've been able to figure out how to make his fusor practical.
If by dying early you mean that 65 years old is "early," then sure... But for someone who conceived the principles of television at 13 years old and holds 300 U.S. and foreign patents, I'd say he did pretty good for himself in his lifetime. If only people spent more time thinking and inventing and less time reading/....
US Robotics makes a very inexpensive product called SoundLink which transmits MP3s from your computer to your stereo without any of that messy wiring to worry about. Only $80:
Clicking on the direct link to the larger movie actually now results in a "Referer denied" error message, but copying-and-pasting the link into a new browser window will still get it for you. Apparently they've noticed the/. effect...
Yeah, but afaik, akamai doesn't cache the actual html pages, just flash, images, videos, and so forth. Kinda difficult for those to be useful when no one can get CNN's index.html file, eh?
Actually, Akamai does cache HTML and static content as well as multimedia. EdgeSuite caches the customer's entire Web site with custom-specified TTLs.
At an estimated base price of $80k for a no-name brand (none of the prestige, for instance, of owning a Porsche) and a skimpy range of only 100 miles at 60 MPH (not 100 MPH!), this car's only benefit over GM's EV1 or the like is the acceleration numbers. But who cares? Any car that gets a range of only 50100 miles is appealing to virtually no one.
Oh, and don't forget replacing the battery pack every 15-20k at $3k a pop. No A/C either.
Nope, sorry, not there yet. Check back in in another 10-15 years... Hybrids are the way to go for now.
The technology behind this helmet has been available and in use for nearly a decade. The machines that most of the scientific research has been done on are $10,000 units, but when you mass produce something like this, I guess you can get the price down to nearly affordable.
The games I've seen are usually fairly simplistic but the idea behind the technology is simple -- you can re-train your brain by being properly reinforced. Used in kids with ADD/ADHD, it helps reduce the amount of deficit in attention and also can reduce hyperactivity. There is a fairly decent-sized research base on EEG neurofeedback, and this would appear to be one of the first devices for the "do-it-yourselfer" who wants to help their child over a period of time. (For a good research reference, see "Evaluation of the effectiveness of EEG neurofeedback training for ADHD in a clinical setting as measured by changes in T.O.V.A. scores, behavioral ratings, and WISC--R performance," Biofeedback & Self Regulation Vol 20(1), Mar 1995, 83-99 by Lubar, J.)
Here's an example of one of the EEG machines they use in clinical and research work.
This article at The Industry Standard nicely dispells the many myths floating around UCITA. Contrary to the many claims made, no, UCITA doesn't require software warranties or anything of the sort.
The only thing keeping me from moving my domains to another registrar is the question, what happens to your domain if the company responsible for maintaining it goes out of business? Some of these newer registrars don't exactly inspire confidence based upon their Websites and the (somtimes, lack of) information provided. I know Network Solutions will be in business 10 years from now. I'm not so certain about some of these other folks...
>> The game type effect as well as all two- and three-way interactions between >> the independent variables were nonsignificant (allps >.05).
>The key word here is "nonsignificant". In other >words, this means that when they attempted to >find an increase in aggression due to playing >violent video games, they completely failed. >There was no measureable increase in aggression >due to playing violent video games.
Sorry, but you're completely wrong on this point. That's what happens when people quote things out-of-context. The part you quoted was describing the results of just one part of the study. What you say is true insofar as the results of that one questionnaire. What you failed to mention was the additional tests and measurements used by the researchers where significance was found:
"Aggression Accessibility scores were higher for those who had played the violent video game (M = 5.54) than for those who had played the nonviolent video game (M =- 6.69). In other words, the violent video game primed aggressive thoughts. This result suggests one potential way in which playing violent video games might increase aggressive behavior-by priming aggressive knowledge structures."
"Most importantly, participants who had played Wolfenstein 3D delivered significantly longer noise blasts after lose trials than those who had played the nonviolent game Myst. In other words, playing a violent video game increased the aggressiveness of participants after they had been provoked by their opponent's noise blast."
"Playing the violent video game increased accessibility of aggressive thoughts and aggressive behavior but did not reliably increase state hostility."
Anyone who's ever met Dyson or has sat in on meetings with her knows she's a no-nonsense individual who usually gets results. But the gist of the article, that she's not well versed in things political, is absolutely true. Intellects rarely have time for the niceties of typical social interactions, and Dyson is most certainly an intellectual.
That has additional drawbacks as well. As others have already pointed out in this thread, intellectuals tend to think of their solutions as the most obvious and sensible, often without regard to other people's opinions. This gets the job done, but in a way that rarely is satisfying to anyone.
Should she be a member of Icann? Probably, but she probably should not be its leader. She's competent in that role, but I don't think she excels in it. As the saying goes, Jack of all trades, master of none. She made her reputation in computers. Computers alone do not equal the Internet (people are a bigger part of it), and she's taken a while to learn that.
Homicidal thoughts are common for teens, study says
Philadelphia, Pa. -- April 20 marks the anniversary of the fateful day when Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris opened fire at Columbine High School -- the deadliest school-shooting spree in the history of the United States. While their actions were extreme, a new study indicates that their murderous thoughts may not be.
Dr. Peter Crabb, associate professor of psychology at Penn State's Abington Campus near Philadelphia, recently conducted a study, "The Material Culture of Homicidal Fantasies," in which he examined the thoughts of approximately 300 undergraduate students. During his research, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Aggressive Behavior, Crabb learned that nearly half of the participants, most of whom were 18-19 years of age, had fantasized recently about committing homicide.
"The purpose of the study was to explore impulsive aggressive fantasies in normal young people so that we might better understand the acts of violence that occur periodically in our schools and elsewhere," he says, "so that resources can be productively directed at reducing the likelihood of these tragic events.
"Laypeople and behavioral scientists, alike, typically associate homicidal thoughts with psychopathology," he says in the study, noting this includes substance abusers and schizophrenics, among others. "Recent theorizing and empirical evidence suggests, however, that homicidal fantasies may be a relatively normal phenomenon with roots in the evolutionary history of the species."
The professor hopes such research, as his study will help avert future tragedies such as the one at Columbine High School.
In the early days of the human species, for instance, those with more aggressive impulses were more likely to kill others in order to maintain food and shelter for survival. That survival kept those aggressive genes in play during future generations, says Crabb.
Unlike Klebold and Harris, of course, the vast majority of teens will not act on such fantasies. "It is likely that the social norm proscribing homicide effectively inhibits acting out aggressive fantasies to their ultimate conclusion," Crabb says.
Of those studied, 60 percent of males said they had had a recent homicidal fantasy, while the number dropped significantly among women, to 32 percent. The top reasons given for the homicidal fantasies were lovers' quarrels (21 percent), and trivial disputes, such as conflicts with friends, bosses and co-workers, acquaintances, businesses, and teachers (20 percent). Next to bare hands, the most popular weapons in these fantasies were firearms.
Psychologists and school counselors and other mental health professionals are the only legitimate folks who should be going around diagnosing people. Asking laypeople to do it, and for that matter, teens, is not only dangerous (for all the reasons cited by the many posters above), but also likely to cause more problems than it solves. It is a type of profiling which is being suggested here, and profiling people who may look "depressed" or "dangerous" is difficult for even the most highly-skilled professionals. For everyone else, it's just educated guessing and stereotyping.
And let me assure you, psychologists and other mental health professionals are pretty poor at determining how "dangerous" a person is or might be. We have few, if any, reliable indicators or tests for such decisions; most such opinions are based solely on whether the person has been dangerous in the past (history is the best predictor of future behavior). So you can just throw that one out the door, because even the professionals don't usually do any better than chance in making this kind of determination.
As for depression, yes, that's diagnosable. But so what? There is no research to show that a person who is more depressed is likely to murder anyone else or become violent, but yes, they are more likely to commit suicide. If you have a friend you know is depressed, a good friend will already try talking to them about it. And if that fails, talking to someone else about the situation to seek advice about what to do. Losing friends over suicide is preventable, but not by this sort of program. It can only be done personally, one-on-one, in much the way it is done today.
Verisign is already a monopoly, with their recent acquisition of Thawte, the only real alternative for signed digital server certificates.
Network Solutions is not an equal player in the domain registration business, since they are the maintainers of the database itself.
Combine the two and you have a company which is responsible for keeping key pieces of the infrastructure of a great deal of the Internet running (DNS and SSL usefulness).
That's the reason to be scared. Show me another company which comes close to this powerhouse; you can't, because one simply doesn't exist today.
The Wired Story is Right On
on
LonelyNet
·
· Score: 1
Is this anything new? No. Can people do two things at once? Yes, but not usually both equally well.
What the study's own researchers obscured was that most people in the study experienced no change in the amount of time they spent with friends and family. And some people's time in the study actually increased with their friends and family.
Why did the researchers not publish their study in a peer-reviewed journal? No peer review usually means poor research to begin with. No study (there is no study of which to speak -- good luck trying to get a copy of the detailed data or data analyses used, since they don't have them) means big problems.
Last, the potential biases introduced by the researcher and university both having finanical interests in the survey company which conducted the actual research is unfortunate. It calls into question the findings even further, since all of this press nicely highlights the company's name and mission.
You don't buy or judge an NOS based upon a single benchmark result. Read the whole story and you'll see why RH Linux didn't quite make it to the top, mainly because of its poor user management abilities, monitoring tools, and lack of other niceties expected from an enterprise NOS these days.
From http://www.truste.org/about/about_software.html:
For Immediate Release
Contact Information:
Dave Steer Director of Communications TRUSTe 408/342-1943 415.260.9669 (mobile)
TRUSTe & REALNETWORKS COLLABORATE TO CLOSE PRIVACY GAP
Pilot Privacy Seal Program for Software Applications Initiated
Cupertino, CA, November 8, 1999 - TRUSTe, the leading online privacy seal program, today announced that it is expanding its commitment to supporting consumer trust and confidence in a networked environment. The recent incident involving RealNetworks prompted a broad set of solutions for addressing consumer concerns about personally identifiable information.
Today's announcement follows reports that RealNetworks' RealJukebox product transmitted globally unique identifiers (GUID) to RealNetworks via the Internet. In response, TRUSTe immediately sought to uncover the nature of the reported data collection practice and gauge the scope of the RealNetworks situation.
"After an initial inquiry, TRUSTe found that because the transmission of user data through RealNetworks' RealJukebox program did not involve collection of data on the RealNetworks Web site, the privacy incident was outside of the scope of TRUSTe's current privacy seal program," said Lori Fena, TRUSTe's Chairman. "However, because consumer trust is more important than legal technicalities for both TRUSTe and RealNetworks, we have worked together to find a series of appropriate solutions."
"RealNetworks recognizes the importance of protecting consumer privacy, and apologized to its customers for not being clear enough about the data being transmitted by the use of RealJukebox. Issues associated with use of GUIDs in consumer software products should be of concern to the entire Web community," added Bob Lewin, Executive Director of TRUSTe. "That said, TRUSTe recommended a 5-point program to RealNetworks for restoring the trust and confidence of its customers."
RealNetworks, working closely with TRUSTe, will implement a series of changes to its current privacy practices. Beginning immediately, RealNetworks will:
Conduct Third Party Audit - RealNetworks has agreed to conduct an outside audit of its privacy practices to ensure that privacy issues raised regarding RealJukebox have been resolved. In particular, the audit will verify that RealJukebox GUIDs have been disabled and are no longer associated with email or other registration data. TRUSTe and one of the major auditing firms familiar with the fair information requirements of TRUSTe's program will conduct the audit. A report will be issued upon the conclusion of the audit process. Privacy Statement - The Web privacy statement that has been certified by TRUSTe will be modified to inform consumers that the audit described above is underway. Opt-In - RealNetworks has already announced that it has disabled GUIDs in RealJukebox, and beginning with today's release of RealPlayer 7, RealNetworks will anonymize GUIDs and require consumers to opt-in to enable the use of this feature. Privacy Officer - RealNetworks will identify a key privacy officer who is responsible for handling the company's privacy practices and policies, customer privacy complaints, and who will serve as a liaison to TRUSTe. Consumer Education - RealNetworks will collaborate with TRUSTe to identify consumer education programs relating to Internet privacy. These programs include educational forums, Web sites, and other communications activities aimed at educating consumers about privacy issues on the Internet. Rob Glaser, Chairman and CEO of RealNetworks, said, "Our customers care a great deal about privacy issues. We want to demonstrate that we value the trust of our customers by playing a leadership role in moving the software industry to the next level of privacy protection for consumers. What we found through this process is that it is imperative for senior management of a company to be active in communicating the importance of consumer privacy and trust through the design and development of their products and services. We are committed to working with TRUSTe to demonstrate a new standard for personal information practices in software applications."
Beginning immediately, RealNetworks will work with TRUSTe to verify the application of fair information practices in its consumer software products that transmit GUIDs and other data via the Internet. Under the direction of TRUSTe, RealNetworks will establish the first-ever software privacy statement, clearly disclosing what personally identifiable information is collected and how that information is used. TRUSTe will also establish a working group comprised of experts from within and outside of the software and Internet industry to advise the organization on how to best extend its privacy seal program.
"As the line between data collected on Web sites and the rest of network software applications has become blurred, TRUSTe recognizes the need to expand its program to the greater network," said Lewin. "Just as we did more than two years ago with our Web site privacy seal program, TRUSTe will begin working to establish a seal program with oversight on software privacy practices that utilize personal data."
About TRUSTe
TRUSTe, the leading privacy seal program, is an independent organization dedicated to building consumer trust and confidence in individual data practices. The TRUSTe network of participating companies include: America Online, Compaq, Ernst & Young, Excite, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Novell.
Founded in 1997, TRUSTe is the premier privacy seal program worldwide. The TRUSTe seal is currently displayed on all the Internet's portal sites, 15 of the top 20 sites and approximately half of the top 100 sites. TRUSTe was recently rated the most visible symbol on the Internet by Nielsen//NetRatings.
TRUSTe is based in Cupertino, CA, with an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit the organization's Web site at www.truste.org.
I wrote an article in March after the Microsoft fiasco illustrating Trust-e's bumbling inability to actually make good on its promise to consumers. It's just a feel-good whitewash organization for the industry to grab on to and say, "See, we care about your privacy."
Actions speak louder than words, and Trust-e's inaction speaks volumes.
As someone who has been involved in this area of research and theory since it first began, let me just say that the ABCNews survey was pure crap. Here's why...
First, the suggestion that a person could be addicted to the Internet is too broad. What exactly are they addicted to? Chats (e.g., social interaction!?!?!?)? Gaming (e.g., entertainment)? Information/researching (e.g., knowledge)?
Second, the survey was a self-selected population of people who chose to take it via only one commercial news Web site. We have no idea whether those people are representative enough of the general population to have the results also generalize.
Third, IAD is currently atheoretical. That means there is very little theory about how or where it comes from... "Researchers" are simply aping another disorder's symptoms (one which has nothing in common with Internet usage -- pathological gambling) and assuming they are similar enough to each other to be valid. Good researchers don't make such ludicrous assumptions, since on the face of it, pathological gambling has little, if any, redeeming social value.
Fourth, why the intense focus on the Internet? Americans spend on average nearly 4 hours a day watching television (according to Nielsen Media Research), a very passive, non-social activity. Teens spend hours a day talking on the phone. Where's the uproar about these behaviors? This attention on the Internet may very well be a result of the "newbie effect," where it takes time for new people to the online world to get acclimated to it and use it in a responsible manner.
Fifth, there is an immediate assumption, backed by *no* research, that online relationships are more negative and less fulfilling than RL relationships. In fact, what research does exist shows that online relationships are often more intense, and more "real" to the people involved in them than their RL counterparts.
I could go on, but you get the point... The media love negative news, especially when it has the legitimacy of being backed by a news organization of ABC's stature. But in the end, it's still pure crap.
Slashdot Mirror
No, this is just silly. A laptop is going to be far more expensive than some high-quality two-way radios from Motorola or the like. Even if you already had the laptop, there's nothing that allows you to easily tap into VOIP via independent headsets. I'm not sure why regular, quality two-way radios (at $40 for a pair with rechargeable batteries) isn't good enough for this simple application?
I spent three years in my graduate school days (which was now a decade ago... yikes!) administering the hardware/software for the Autogenics system in our community mental health center at Nova Southeastern University under Doil Montgomery, Ph.D. Neural feedback is also referred to as EEG biofeedback. Not only is there some good research in this area, but it's a nice, non-invasive and non-drug way to treat this disorder (which should be especially interesting to teens and children, where medications are less tested and proven).
Some basic positive empricial results supporting the use of EEG biofeedback in the treatment of ADHD from MEDLINE:
Neurofeedback treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children: a comparison with methylphenidate. in Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2003 Mar;28(1):1-12.
Fuchs T, Birbaumer N, Lutzenberger W, Gruzelier JH, Kaiser J.
Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, Eberhard-Karls-University, Gartenstr. 29, 72074 Tubingen, Germany.
Clinical trials have suggested that neurofeedback may be efficient in treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We compared the effects of a 3-month electroencephalographic feedback program providing reinforcement contingent on the production of cortical sensorimotor rhythm (12-15 Hz) and betal activity (15-18 Hz) with stimulant medication. Participants were N = 34 children aged 8-12 years, 22 of which were assigned to the neurofeedback group and 12 to the methylphenidate group according to their parents' preference. Both neurofeedback and methylphenidate were associated with improvements on all subscales of the Test of Variables of Attention, and on the speed and accuracy measures of the d2 Attention Endurance Test. Furthermore, behaviors related to the disorder were rated as significantly reduced in both groups by both teachers and parents on the IOWA-Conners Behavior Rating Scale. These findings suggest that neurofeedback was efficient in improving some of the behavioral concomitants of ADHD in children whose parents favored a nonpharmacological treatment.
The effects of stimulant therapy, EEG biofeedback, and parenting style on the primary symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. in Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2002 Dec;27(4):231-49.
Monastra VJ, Monastra DM, George S.
FPI Attention Disorders Clinic, 2102 E. Main Street, Endicott, New York 13760, USA. poppidoc@aol.com
One hundred children, ages 6-19, who were diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), either inattentive or combined types, participated in a study examining the effects of Ritalin, EEG biofeedback, and parenting style on the primary symptoms of ADHD. All of the patients participated in a 1-year, multimodal, outpatient program that included Ritalin, parent counseling, and academic support at school (either a 504 Plan or an IEP). Fifty-one of the participants also received EEG biofeedback therapy. Posttreatment assessments were conducted both with and without stimulant therapy. Significant improvement was noted on the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; L. M. Greenberg, 1996) and the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES; S. B. McCarney, 1995) when participants were tested while using Ritalin. However, only those who had received EEG biofeedback sustained these gains when tested without Ritalin. The results of a Quantitative Electroencephalographic Scanning Process (QEEG-Scan; V. J. Monastra et al., 1999) revealed significant reduction in cortical slowing only in patients who had received EEG biofeedback. Behavioral measures indicated that parenting style exerted a significant moderating effect on the expression of behavioral symptoms at home but not at school.
Treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with neurotherapy. in Clin Electroencephalogr. 2000 Jan;31(1):30-7.
Nash JK.
Behavioral Medicine Associates,
Farnsworth really was a genius at manipulating electric fields. It's too bad he died early, or he might've been able to figure out how to make his fusor practical.
/....
If by dying early you mean that 65 years old is "early," then sure... But for someone who conceived the principles of television at 13 years old and holds 300 U.S. and foreign patents, I'd say he did pretty good for himself in his lifetime. If only people spent more time thinking and inventing and less time reading
Mirror here of one reader buys a SCO license.
Don't people use search engines any more before posting a question like this?
The Sky's No Limit
XM Satellite Radio
Digital Radio Takes to the Road
US Robotics makes a very inexpensive product called SoundLink which transmits MP3s from your computer to your stereo without any of that messy wiring to worry about. Only $80:
US Robotics SoundLink Website
For the kinds of prices these folks are charging, you could easily buy a dedicated PC and DIY for at least half the cost.
Clicking on the direct link to the larger movie actually now results in a "Referer denied" error message, but copying-and-pasting the link into a new browser window will still get it for you. Apparently they've noticed the
Yeah, but afaik, akamai doesn't cache the actual html pages, just flash, images, videos, and so forth. Kinda difficult for those to be useful when no one can get CNN's index.html file, eh?
Actually, Akamai does cache HTML and static content as well as multimedia. EdgeSuite caches the customer's entire Web site with custom-specified TTLs.
At an estimated base price of $80k for a no-name brand (none of the prestige, for instance, of owning a Porsche) and a skimpy range of only 100 miles at 60 MPH (not 100 MPH!), this car's only benefit over GM's EV1 or the like is the acceleration numbers. But who cares? Any car that gets a range of only 50100 miles is appealing to virtually no one.
Oh, and don't forget replacing the battery pack every 15-20k at $3k a pop. No A/C either.
Nope, sorry, not there yet. Check back in in another 10-15 years... Hybrids are the way to go for now.
The technology behind this helmet has been available and in use for nearly a decade. The machines that most of the scientific research has been done on are $10,000 units, but when you mass produce something like this, I guess you can get the price down to nearly affordable.
The games I've seen are usually fairly simplistic but the idea behind the technology is simple -- you can re-train your brain by being properly reinforced. Used in kids with ADD/ADHD, it helps reduce the amount of deficit in attention and also can reduce hyperactivity. There is a fairly decent-sized research base on EEG neurofeedback, and this would appear to be one of the first devices for the "do-it-yourselfer" who wants to help their child over a period of time. (For a good research reference, see "Evaluation of the effectiveness of EEG neurofeedback training for ADHD in a clinical setting as measured by changes in T.O.V.A. scores, behavioral ratings, and WISC--R performance," Biofeedback & Self Regulation Vol 20(1), Mar 1995, 83-99 by Lubar, J.)
Here's an example of one of the EEG machines they use in clinical and research work.
This article at The Industry Standard nicely dispells the many myths floating around UCITA. Contrary to the many claims made, no, UCITA doesn't require software warranties or anything of the sort.
The only thing keeping me from moving my domains to another registrar is the question, what happens to your domain if the company responsible for maintaining it goes out of business? Some of these newer registrars don't exactly inspire confidence based upon their Websites and the (somtimes, lack of) information provided. I know Network Solutions will be in business 10 years from now. I'm not so certain about some of these other folks...
>> the independent variables were nonsignificant (allps >
>The key word here is "nonsignificant". In other >words, this means that when they attempted to >find an increase in aggression due to playing >violent video games, they completely failed. >There was no measureable increase in aggression >due to playing violent video games.
Sorry, but you're completely wrong on this point. That's what happens when people quote things out-of-context. The part you quoted was describing the results of just one part of the study. What you say is true insofar as the results of that one questionnaire. What you failed to mention was the additional tests and measurements used by the researchers where significance was found:
Anyone who's ever met Dyson or has sat in on meetings with her knows she's a no-nonsense individual who usually gets results. But the gist of the article, that she's not well versed in things political, is absolutely true. Intellects rarely have time for the niceties of typical social interactions, and Dyson is most certainly an intellectual.
That has additional drawbacks as well. As others have already pointed out in this thread, intellectuals tend to think of their solutions as the most obvious and sensible, often without regard to other people's opinions. This gets the job done, but in a way that rarely is satisfying to anyone.
Should she be a member of Icann? Probably, but she probably should not be its leader. She's competent in that role, but I don't think she excels in it. As the saying goes, Jack of all trades, master of none. She made her reputation in computers. Computers alone do not equal the Internet (people are a bigger part of it), and she's taken a while to learn that.
Press release from Penn State today:
Homicidal thoughts are common for teens, study says
Philadelphia, Pa. -- April 20 marks the anniversary of the fateful day when Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris opened fire at Columbine High School -- the deadliest school-shooting spree in the history of the United States. While their actions were extreme, a new study indicates that their murderous thoughts may not be.
Dr. Peter Crabb, associate professor of psychology at Penn State's Abington Campus near Philadelphia, recently conducted a study, "The Material Culture of Homicidal Fantasies," in which he examined the thoughts of approximately 300 undergraduate students. During his research, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Aggressive Behavior, Crabb learned that nearly half of the participants, most of whom were 18-19 years of age, had fantasized recently about committing homicide.
"The purpose of the study was to explore impulsive aggressive fantasies in normal young people so that we might better understand the acts of violence that occur periodically in our schools and elsewhere," he says, "so that resources can be productively directed at reducing the likelihood of these tragic events.
"Laypeople and behavioral scientists, alike, typically associate homicidal thoughts with psychopathology," he says in the study, noting this includes substance abusers and schizophrenics, among others. "Recent theorizing and empirical evidence suggests, however, that homicidal fantasies may be a relatively normal phenomenon with roots in the evolutionary history of the species."
The professor hopes such research, as his study will help avert future tragedies such as the one at Columbine High School.
In the early days of the human species, for instance, those with more aggressive impulses were more likely to kill others in order to maintain food and shelter for survival. That survival kept those aggressive genes in play during future generations, says Crabb.
Unlike Klebold and Harris, of course, the vast majority of teens will not act on such fantasies. "It is likely that the social norm proscribing homicide effectively inhibits acting out aggressive fantasies to their ultimate conclusion," Crabb says.
Of those studied, 60 percent of males said they had had a recent homicidal fantasy, while the number dropped significantly among women, to 32 percent. The top reasons given for the homicidal fantasies were lovers' quarrels (21 percent), and trivial disputes, such as conflicts with friends, bosses and co-workers, acquaintances, businesses, and teachers (20 percent). Next to bare hands, the most popular weapons in these fantasies were firearms.
Psychologists and school counselors and other mental health professionals are the only legitimate folks who should be going around diagnosing people. Asking laypeople to do it, and for that matter, teens, is not only dangerous (for all the reasons cited by the many posters above), but also likely to cause more problems than it solves. It is a type of profiling which is being suggested here, and profiling people who may look "depressed" or "dangerous" is difficult for even the most highly-skilled professionals. For everyone else, it's just educated guessing and stereotyping.
And let me assure you, psychologists and other mental health professionals are pretty poor at determining how "dangerous" a person is or might be. We have few, if any, reliable indicators or tests for such decisions; most such opinions are based solely on whether the person has been dangerous in the past (history is the best predictor of future behavior). So you can just throw that one out the door, because even the professionals don't usually do any better than chance in making this kind of determination.
As for depression, yes, that's diagnosable. But so what? There is no research to show that a person who is more depressed is likely to murder anyone else or become violent, but yes, they are more likely to commit suicide. If you have a friend you know is depressed, a good friend will already try talking to them about it. And if that fails, talking to someone else about the situation to seek advice about what to do. Losing friends over suicide is preventable, but not by this sort of program. It can only be done personally, one-on-one, in much the way it is done today.
Verisign is already a monopoly, with their recent acquisition of Thawte, the only real alternative for signed digital server certificates.
Network Solutions is not an equal player in the domain registration business, since they are the maintainers of the database itself.
Combine the two and you have a company which is responsible for keeping key pieces of the infrastructure of a great deal of the Internet running (DNS and SSL usefulness).
That's the reason to be scared. Show me another company which comes close to this powerhouse; you can't, because one simply doesn't exist today.
Is this anything new? No. Can people do two things at once? Yes, but not usually both equally well.
What the study's own researchers obscured was that most people in the study experienced no change in the amount of time they spent with friends and family. And some people's time in the study actually increased with their friends and family.
Why did the researchers not publish their study in a peer-reviewed journal? No peer review usually means poor research to begin with. No study (there is no study of which to speak -- good luck trying to get a copy of the detailed data or data analyses used, since they don't have them) means big problems.
Last, the potential biases introduced by the researcher and university both having finanical interests in the survey company which conducted the actual research is unfortunate. It calls into question the findings even further, since all of this press nicely highlights the company's name and mission.
You don't buy or judge an NOS based upon a single benchmark result. Read the whole story and you'll see why RH Linux didn't quite make it to the top, mainly because of its poor user management abilities, monitoring tools, and lack of other niceties expected from an enterprise NOS these days.
From http://www.truste.org/about/about_software.html:
For Immediate Release
Contact Information:
Dave Steer
Director of Communications
TRUSTe
408/342-1943
415.260.9669 (mobile)
TRUSTe & REALNETWORKS COLLABORATE TO CLOSE PRIVACY GAP
Pilot Privacy Seal Program for Software Applications Initiated
Cupertino, CA, November 8, 1999 - TRUSTe, the leading online privacy seal program, today announced that it is expanding its commitment to supporting consumer trust and confidence in a networked environment. The recent incident involving RealNetworks prompted a broad set of solutions for addressing consumer concerns about personally identifiable information.
Today's announcement follows reports that RealNetworks' RealJukebox product transmitted globally unique identifiers (GUID) to RealNetworks via the Internet. In response, TRUSTe immediately sought to uncover the nature of the reported data collection practice and gauge the scope of the RealNetworks situation.
"After an initial inquiry, TRUSTe found that because the transmission of user data through RealNetworks' RealJukebox program did not involve collection of data on the RealNetworks Web site, the privacy incident was outside of the scope of TRUSTe's current privacy seal program," said Lori Fena, TRUSTe's Chairman. "However, because consumer trust is more important than legal technicalities for both TRUSTe and RealNetworks, we have worked together to find a series of appropriate solutions."
"RealNetworks recognizes the importance of protecting consumer privacy, and apologized to its customers for not being clear enough about the data being transmitted by the use of RealJukebox. Issues associated with use of GUIDs in consumer software products should be of concern to the entire Web community," added Bob Lewin, Executive Director of TRUSTe. "That said, TRUSTe recommended a 5-point program to RealNetworks for restoring the trust and confidence of its customers."
RealNetworks, working closely with TRUSTe, will implement a series of changes to its current privacy practices. Beginning immediately, RealNetworks will:
Conduct Third Party Audit - RealNetworks has agreed to conduct an outside audit of its privacy practices to ensure that privacy issues raised regarding RealJukebox have been resolved. In particular, the audit will verify that RealJukebox GUIDs have been disabled and are no longer associated with email or other registration data. TRUSTe and one of the major auditing firms familiar with the fair information requirements of TRUSTe's program will conduct the audit. A report will be issued upon the conclusion of the audit process.
Privacy Statement - The Web privacy statement that has been certified by TRUSTe will be modified to inform consumers that the audit described above is underway.
Opt-In - RealNetworks has already announced that it has disabled GUIDs in RealJukebox, and beginning with today's release of RealPlayer 7, RealNetworks will anonymize GUIDs and require consumers to opt-in to enable the use of this feature.
Privacy Officer - RealNetworks will identify a key privacy officer who is responsible for handling the company's privacy practices and policies, customer privacy complaints, and who will serve as a liaison to TRUSTe.
Consumer Education - RealNetworks will collaborate with TRUSTe to identify consumer education programs relating to Internet privacy. These programs include educational forums, Web sites, and other communications activities aimed at educating consumers about privacy issues on the Internet.
Rob Glaser, Chairman and CEO of RealNetworks, said, "Our customers care a great deal about privacy issues. We want to demonstrate that we value the trust of our customers by playing a leadership role in moving the software industry to the next level of privacy protection for consumers. What we found through this process is that it is imperative for senior management of a company to be active in communicating the importance of consumer privacy and trust through the design and development of their products and services. We are committed to working with TRUSTe to demonstrate a new standard for personal information practices in software applications."
Beginning immediately, RealNetworks will work with TRUSTe to verify the application of fair information practices in its consumer software products that transmit GUIDs and other data via the Internet. Under the direction of TRUSTe, RealNetworks will establish the first-ever software privacy statement, clearly disclosing what personally identifiable information is collected and how that information is used. TRUSTe will also establish a working group comprised of experts from within and outside of the software and Internet industry to advise the organization on how to best extend its privacy seal program.
"As the line between data collected on Web sites and the rest of network software applications has become blurred, TRUSTe recognizes the need to expand its program to the greater network," said Lewin. "Just as we did more than two years ago with our Web site privacy seal program, TRUSTe will begin working to establish a seal program with oversight on software privacy practices that utilize personal data."
About TRUSTe
TRUSTe, the leading privacy seal program, is an independent organization dedicated to building consumer trust and confidence in individual data practices. The TRUSTe network of participating companies include: America Online, Compaq, Ernst & Young, Excite, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Novell.
Founded in 1997, TRUSTe is the premier privacy seal program worldwide. The TRUSTe seal is currently displayed on all the Internet's portal sites, 15 of the top 20 sites and approximately half of the top 100 sites. TRUSTe was recently rated the most visible symbol on the Internet by Nielsen//NetRatings.
TRUSTe is based in Cupertino, CA, with an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit the organization's Web site at www.truste.org.
I wrote an article in March after the Microsoft fiasco illustrating Trust-e's bumbling inability to actually make good on its promise to consumers. It's just a feel-good whitewash organization for the industry to grab on to and say, "See, we care about your privacy."
Actions speak louder than words, and Trust-e's inaction speaks volumes.
Article link.
First we got the computer hassock, now the screen fridge.
Can the Xeon Toothbrush(tm) be far behind? ("More power to get to those nasty teeth in the back!")
How about the Alpha Door(tm)? ("Not only can I open automatically, but I can finish the SETI work in a week or two.")
The Linux Loveseat(tm)? ("Open source couch potato.")
The list is endless.
As someone who has been involved in this area of research and theory since it first began, let me just say that the ABCNews survey was pure crap. Here's why...
First, the suggestion that a person could be addicted to the Internet is too broad. What exactly are they addicted to? Chats (e.g., social interaction!?!?!?)? Gaming (e.g., entertainment)? Information/researching (e.g., knowledge)?
Second, the survey was a self-selected population of people who chose to take it via only one commercial news Web site. We have no idea whether those people are representative enough of the general population to have the results also generalize.
Third, IAD is currently atheoretical. That means there is very little theory about how or where it comes from... "Researchers" are simply aping another disorder's symptoms (one which has nothing in common with Internet usage -- pathological gambling) and assuming they are similar enough to each other to be valid. Good researchers don't make such ludicrous assumptions, since on the face of it, pathological gambling has little, if any, redeeming social value.
Fourth, why the intense focus on the Internet? Americans spend on average nearly 4 hours a day watching television (according to Nielsen Media Research), a very passive, non-social activity. Teens spend hours a day talking on the phone. Where's the uproar about these behaviors? This attention on the Internet may very well be a result of the "newbie effect," where it takes time for new people to the online world to get acclimated to it and use it in a responsible manner.
Fifth, there is an immediate assumption, backed by *no* research, that online relationships are more negative and less fulfilling than RL relationships. In fact, what research does exist shows that online relationships are often more intense, and more "real" to the people involved in them than their RL counterparts.
I could go on, but you get the point... The media love negative news, especially when it has the legitimacy of being backed by a news organization of ABC's stature. But in the end, it's still pure crap.