Archive for November, 2012
Italy: Catholic Church to Pay Property Tax from Next Year
November 20th, 2012Via: National Secular Society: Italy’s Catholic Church will be forced to pay taxes starting in 2013 after the EU pressured the country’s government to pass a controversial law stripping the Church of its historic property tax exemption. The Catholic Church in Italy is excluded from paying taxes on its land if at least a part […]
The Mine Kafon
November 20th, 2012Via: Massoud Hassani: Mine Kafon | Callum Cooper from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo. Research Credit: HPLovecraft666
‘Something Wonderful’ Happened in the World of Space Sim Video Games
November 20th, 2012This is really Off Topic, but I thought that some of you would enjoy the bird-flipping audacity of this project. Chris Roberts, a veteran game designer, wanted to make a game that no venture capitalists were interested in backing. So he raised $6.2 million from individuals, which is the largest amount ever raised for a […]
Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now
November 20th, 2012Via: NPR: Scientists working on NASA’s six-wheeled rover on Mars have a problem. But it’s a good problem. They have some exciting new results from one of the rover’s instruments. On the one hand, they’d like to tell everybody what they found, but on the other, they have to wait because they want to make […]
“No country on Earth would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders,” Says Man Who Regularly Bombs Pakistan and Yemen
November 20th, 2012Via: Reason: Speaking in Thailand Sunday, President Obama defended Israel’s counter-assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip by saying, “There’s no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders.” More from MSNBC: “Let’s understand what the precipitating event here that’s causing the current crisis and that was […]
Stanford Researchers Advance Performance of Thought-Controlled Computer Cursors
November 20th, 2012Via: Stanford University: Stanford researchers have designed the fastest, most accurate mathematical algorithm yet for brain-implantable prosthetic systems that can help disabled people maneuver computer cursors with their thoughts. The algorithm’s speed, accuracy and natural movement approach those of a real arm.
Homeland Security Spent $430-Million To Tune Its Radios To A New Frequency, And Failed
November 20th, 2012Via: TechDirt: Of 479 radio users the DHS inspector general tested, only one knew how to tune into the common channel, the report stated. Personnel either were unaware the channel existed, could not find it, or switched to an outdated channel inherited from the Treasury Department. “Personnel do not have interoperable communications that they can […]
Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots
November 19th, 2012Via: Human Rights Watch: Governments should pre-emptively ban fully autonomous weapons because of the danger they pose to civilians in armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. These future weapons, sometimes called “killer robots,” would be able to choose and fire on targets without human intervention. The 50-page report, “Losing Humanity: […]
14 Year Old Girl Invents New Solar Water Purification System
November 18th, 2012Her presentation describes how it works: Via: Good News Network: A 14-year-old New York student was named “America’s Top Young Scientist” for inventing a solar-powered water jug that changes dirty water into purified drinking water. Deepika Kurup not only surpassed 9 finalists with her science and math skills to win $25,000 from Discovery Education and […]
Photo Gallery: Hurricane Sandy: The Long Recovery
November 18th, 2012Via: The Atlantic: Sixteen days after the landfall of superstorm Sandy, much recovery work remains to be done. After Katrina in 2005, Sandy is the costliest hurricane to ever hit the United States, and New York and New Jersey have suffered most of the estimated $50 billion in damages. Most who lost power have had […]
