Network Archives

Medical breakthrough: Antibiotics could cure 40% of back pain patients

"Up to 40% of patients with chronic back pain could be cured with a course of antibiotics rather than surgery, in a medical breakthrough that one spinal surgeon says is worthy of a Nobel prize. The shock finding means that scores of patients with unrelenting lower back pain will no longer face major operations but can instead be cured with courses of antibiotics costing around £114. Scientists at the University of Southern Denmark found that 20% to 40% of chronic lower back pain was caused by bacterial infections. The NHS spends £480m on spinal surgery each year, the majority of which is for back pain." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMedical breakthrough: Antibiotics could cure 40% of back pain patients

105-year-old woman says eating bacon every day is her key to long life

"A 105-year-old woman from Richland, Texas says that the key to long life is bacon. Pearl Cantrell’s love of bacon is so strong that the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile made a stop through town last week to wish her a happy birthday, all because she told a local news station her amazing secret. 'I love bacon, I eat it everyday,' she told a reporter for Abilene-based Big Country Homepage in April. 'I don’t feel as old as I am, that’s all I can say.'" Continue reading →

Continue Reading105-year-old woman says eating bacon every day is her key to long life

Cheating to Learn: How a UCLA professor gamed a game theory midterm

"Morally, of course, games can be tricky. Theory predicts that outcomes are often not to the betterment of the group or society. Nevertheless, this case had an interesting result. When the students got carte blanche to set the rules, altruism and cooperation won the day. How unlike a 'normal' test where all students are solitary competitors and teachers guard against any cheating! What my class showed was a very 'human' trait: the ability to align what is 'good for me' with what is 'good for all' within the evolutionary games of our choosing." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCheating to Learn: How a UCLA professor gamed a game theory midterm

Lawyers say case against Kim Dotcom threatens Internet freedom

"Lawyers for Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom accused the US government Wednesday of launching a flawed prosecution against their client with 'frightening' implications for all Internet users. The New Zealand-based Internet tycoon’s legal team released a 'white paper' to coincide with a visit to Auckland by US Attorney General Eric Holder, which argues that online piracy allegations against Dotcom are baseless. The 38-page document says that while copyright issues are normally treated as a civil matter, US prosecutors are trying to use anti-racketeering criminal statutes normally used against gangsters to press their case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLawyers say case against Kim Dotcom threatens Internet freedom

Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox hit by $75 million lawsuit

"A lawsuit against Bitcoin’s main trading exchange Mt. Gox was filed this week regarding rights to the North American market. And no, the plaintiff is not seeking damages in Bitcoins. CoinLab, backed by venture capitalist Peter Vessenes, said it entered into an agreement with Mt. Gox in November that gave CoinLab access to Mt. Gox’s technology – its computer servers and the 'exclusive right to certain intellectual property' – so that CoinLab could provide exchange services to North American customers as Mt. Gox’s exclusive partner in the region. Mt. Gox is based in Japan. The suit alleges that Mt. Gox beached its contract with CoinLab." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBitcoin exchange Mt. Gox hit by $75 million lawsuit

A Push for a Bitcoin Buttonwood

"Amid the incense, cheap art and herbal remedies for sale in Union Square in Manhattan on Monday, a very different kind of product was changing hands: bitcoins. Just feet from the park’s statue of George Washington, a crowd of young men gathered on Monday afternoon to buy and sell the digital, crypto-currency. The men – and there were only men – were brought together by an online posting from Josh Rossi, 31, a bitcoin aficionado who works in technology at the World Trade Financial Group. He had proposed what he called Project Buttonwood, a reference to the where the New York Stock Exchange had its beginning in 1792." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Push for a Bitcoin Buttonwood

FBI releases April 2013 NICS report; January through April renunciations up by 78%

"The FBI released their latest report on Active Records in the NICS Index last Friday. NICS now contains the records of 21,823 persons who renounced U.S. citizenship under INA § 349(5) (or, theoretically, the wartime provisions of INA § 349(6)) and are thus barred from purchasing firearms in the United States. This is an increase of 319 records as compared to March 2013, and 1,169 records since December 2012. Since last year one additional un-American (or someone using the identity of one) attempted to purchase a gun and got caught during the background check, increasing the total number of denials to renunciants since the inception of the NICS system from 57 to 58." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI releases April 2013 NICS report; January through April renunciations up by 78%

What You Need To Know About The Liberator 3D-Printed Pistol

"The barrel of the gun is threaded but I wouldn’t expect this weapon to be very accurate. Think of this gun as a controlled explosion generator. It uses a very small .380 caliber bullet which is deadly, to be sure, but quite small. Could I print one? Yes. You can easily download the 3D-printable files from DEFCAD.org (here is a private mirror) and if you have a 3D printer you can easily print any of these parts. The creators built this gun using the Stratasys Dimension SST 3D printer, a high-resolution printer that works similarly to the Makerbot but offers a far finer and more durable print. This printer has a layer thickness of .25mm, however, which the Makerbot can easily match." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat You Need To Know About The Liberator 3D-Printed Pistol

Texas House approves bundle of radical pro-gun laws

"The bills that passed include a measure letting college students over 21-years-old carry weapons in classrooms. Lawmakers also approved letting schools select employees to carry concealed weapons on campus, and easing the standards for concealed carry permits. The bulk of the bills were targeted at easing restrictions on concealed carry weapons, such as making permit fees cheaper, preventing agencies from asking for detailed information on permit renewals, and restricting fingerprint registries for gun owners. The package of bills also includes a measure that declares all federal gun laws null and void in Texas." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas House approves bundle of radical pro-gun laws

Air Force sexual assault prevention officer arrested for fondling woman

"An officer tasked with preventing sexual assault in the U.S. Air Force has been arrested and charged with a sex crime in Arlington, local media reported. According to a crime report, Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski — described as 'a drunken male' — allegedly approached a women around 12:35 a.m. in a parking lot, and groped her breasts and butt. The women fought him off, but Krusinski tried to grab her again. The victim did not know 41-year-old man. Police arrived at the scene and Krusinski was arrested for sexual battery. He was held on a $5,000 bond." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAir Force sexual assault prevention officer arrested for fondling woman