technology

After destroying newspapers, the Internet is now poised to disrupt television

"Having turned print media upside down, the Internet now is disrupting television, forcing broadcasters to adapt to tablets and video-on-demand to hold onto views and advertisers. 'The gap between what consumers want and the way the industry is delivering it has grown so big that the industry now has to start to make some moves,' Forrester Research analyst Jim Nail told AFP. For the first time this year, American adults are spending more time with the Internet than in front of television sets — about five hours a day compared to 4.5, according to a study in eMarketer this month. Internet giant Google has joined the party with Chromecast." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfter destroying newspapers, the Internet is now poised to disrupt television

Russia Today’s Editor-In-Chief: ‘The West Never Got Over the Cold War Stereotype’

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has created an anti-CNN for Western audiences with the international satellite news network Russia Today. He commissioned the network in order to 'break the monopoly of the Anglo-Saxon mass media.' The government seems to be succeeding in its task, with the network gaining more viewers in major cities in the United States that any other foreign broadcaster. In Washington, 13 times as many viewers tune in to Russia Today than they do its German equivalent Deutsche Welle. A total of 2 million Brits watch the program. On Youtube, the Moscow-based broadcaster recently broke the one-billion-hit barrier." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia Today’s Editor-In-Chief: ‘The West Never Got Over the Cold War Stereotype’

Feinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist

"The most recent congressional threat to the free press in the United States comes from California Democrat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In a proposed amendment to a media shield law being considered by Congress, Feinstein writes that only paid journalists should be given protections from prosecution for what they say or write. The language in her proposal is raising concerns from First Amendment advocates because it seems to leave out bloggers and other nontraditional forms of journalism that have proliferated in recent years thanks to the Internet. At a congressional hearing on the matter last week, Feinstein said shield laws should only apply to 'real reporters.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeinstein wants to limit who can be a journalist

Scientists use new ‘computational cell biology’ to kill cancer cells by making them sick

"One doesn’t often think of cancer cells themselves being vulnerable to infections, but a team of scientists in Ottawa, Ontario is using advanced mathematical modeling to engineer viruses that will infect and destroy cancer cells. The team uses predictive modeling to investigate how treatment techniques and genetic modification might allow cancer-killing (oncolytic) viruses to overcome cancer cells’ anti-infection defenses and kill them. Kaern and Bell constructed a mathematical model of the process of infection of a cancer cell with an oncolytic virus, including how the virus would replicate, spread itself and override the cancer’s biological defenses." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingScientists use new ‘computational cell biology’ to kill cancer cells by making them sick

Four cancer breakthroughs clear way for drugs that block tumor growth

"Researchers at the University College London announced Sunday in a study published by the journal Nature Cell Biology that they’ve observed for the first time ever how cancer spreads throughout the body and metastasizes, which causes about 90 percent of all cancer deaths. Meanwhile, another major breakthrough in recent days should give hope to breast cancer patients. Scientists at the Duke Cancer Institute announced on Saturday that a drug already on the market in Europe, approved to treat osteoporosis, has the added benefit of stopping late-stage breast cancer growth in its tracks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFour cancer breakthroughs clear way for drugs that block tumor growth

Doctor claims breakthrough in race for spinal cord injury ‘cure’

"After progress in a second round of tests using stem cells to regrow nerve fibres, the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (ChinaSCINet) has applied for regulatory approval in China for a third and final phase, which it hopes to start in the autumn. 15 out of 20 patients in the Chinese city of Kunming, who received umbilical cord blood cell transplants and intensive walking therapy, were on average able to walk with minimal assistance seven years after complete spinal cord injury. The treatment involves injecting umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells into patients’ damaged spines to help regenerate nerves, while lithium is used to promote the growth of the nerve fibres." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoctor claims breakthrough in race for spinal cord injury ‘cure’

Scientists switch off chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome

"Gene scientists on Wednesday said that in lab-dish cells, they had found a way to switch off the rogue chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome. The breakthrough opens up the tantalising goal of therapy for Down’s, they said, cautioning that years of work lie ahead before this aim is reached — if, in fact, it is attainable. Down’s syndrome is the world’s leading genetically caused mental disease, accounting for around one in 600 live births in the United States. It is the first time that correction has been achieved for an entire chromosome, a coil of DNA that is studded with hundreds of genes, the protein-making codes to build and sustain life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingScientists switch off chromosome that causes Down’s syndrome

Bunnies glow green in the dark, join lots of other glowing animals

"Earlier this week, a litter of bunnies were born in Istanbul. Scientists were pleased. That’s because two of the bunnies have been successfully genetically engineered to glow in the dark, a feat that the team of scientists from the University of Hawaii and a Turkish lab say demonstrates advanced genetic modification. These are not the first glow-in-the-dark rabbits: In 2000, artist Eduardo Kac commissioned a French lab to create for him a luminescent rabbit, Alba, also using borrowed genes from jellyfish. He called that rabbit art. The scientists called it science. A philosophical tussle ensued. And then a legal one. The glowing rabbit died before the matter was settled." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBunnies glow green in the dark, join lots of other glowing animals

Ron Paul blasts establishment in Ron Paul Channel debut

"Yesterday, Ron Paul launched his new internet media outlet. The fireworks began during the opening tease, with Paul claiming that President Obama 'perpetuates terror while he claims to prevent it' through his use of drone strikes to combat terrorism. The former Congressman and Republican presidential candidate also blasted the war on drugs and the Federal Reserve. That was all in the first minute. The highlight of the show was even more controversial: Paul’s exclusive interview with Glenn Greenwald. Greenwald has published the series of stories on Edward Snowden’s disclosures about the domestic surveillance activities of the NSA." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul blasts establishment in Ron Paul Channel debut

The Enemy of the NSA is My Friend

"My company was invited to present a new technology to 800 people at the July New York Tech Meetup. We showed off a self service kiosk that can save digital copies of house and apartment keys and then reproduce the physical keys when someone loses them or gets locked out. After our demonstration, one audience member asked if it would be used by the NSA to spy on people. My coworker told him not to worry because our CTO is an anarchist, which resulted in a round of applause. At the time, it was surprising how much credibility being an anarchist brought in that context. Yet, in retrospect it should have been obvious." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Enemy of the NSA is My Friend