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+ - Oldest known multicellurar lifeforms on public display for the first time

Submitted by Sique
Sique writes "The Natural History Museum in Vienna is the first to show the oldest fossils of macroscopic multicellular life. These outstanding fossils were investigated by an international team of scientists led by French-Moroccan geologist Abderrazak El Albani from the University of Poitiers and French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). This sensational discovery fundamentally changed our understanding of evolution and pushed back the known origin of multicellularity about 1.5 billion years. Despite their evidence for the evolution of life, the Gabon fossils have never before been open to the public."

Comment: Re:Yes, that's obviously safer (Score 5, Informative) 142

by StatureOfLiberty (#46367963) Attached to: Using Handheld Phone GPS While Driving Is Legal In California

Looking at the screen and interacting with it is obviously safer than holding the phone to your ear and talking to someone. Don't be an idiot. You're operating a two ton machine at speed. Keep your eyes on the road.

Steven R. Spriggs, the appellant, held his mobile phone in his hand to use the mapping application to find his way around the congestion when STOPPED in heavy traffic

This person was not moving at the time. On top of that, if the phone had been a Garmin GPS instead of a phone the ticket would never have been issued even though the user would have been using both devices in the same way.
This kind of stuff is just stupid.

Comment: Chalk board moment (Score 1) 206

Fuller of information?

Is it just me, or did that topic title make you cringe? So I guess my mind treats information like a fuller treats wool?

Here is an article about fullers:
Wool industry

Also, things cannot be 'fuller' than full. Things are full or they are not. And even then, it would be 'more full' not fuller.

Comment: Re:Making smart choices (Score 1) 1146

by StatureOfLiberty (#45718913) Attached to: US Light Bulb Phase-Out's Next Step Begins Next Month

How dare the government force me to buy seat belts for my car!

Hey, don't laugh, I remember when seat belts were an option. My grandmother literally said "I don't want to wear a seat belt. If I get in an accident, I want to be thrown from the car."

Then of course she would talk about one person who was thrown from a car and then the vehicle caught on fire. "And if they had worn their seat belt they wouldn't be alive today." It didn't matter that almost any day in the newspaper you could point out where someone died in an auto accident and almost every time they were not wearing a seat belt.

No, you really can't count on people on their own to do what is best even for their own long term self interest.

+ - How Finland's Unfair Advantage Helped it Become Real Silicon Valley Altrernative->

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes "The Finnish government's tech investment arm, called Tekes, is constantly looking to invest in companies which have an "unfair advantage" over others in the market. However Finland itself has somewhat of an "unfair advantage" in its world leading education system and an ability to look to plan for the long-term, which mean it is the ideal place for innovation to thrive and investors from around the globe are now clamoring to get a slice of the action — especially its dominant mobile gaming sector."
Link to Original Source

Comment: Picking winners and losers (Score 5, Interesting) 1030

by StatureOfLiberty (#45493689) Attached to: A War Over Solar Power Is Raging Within the GOP
Congress (especially GOP members) don't seem to understand that we have no choice but to pick losers and winners. Their reluctance to fund research into alternative energy sources just ensures that the United States will lose. By the time they finally realize we have no choice but to get on board, we will have to pay China, Germany ..... to use the technology because it will have already been developed and made practical (and profitable) by them.

Comment: Re:Terrible blog (Score 1) 94

by StatureOfLiberty (#45403167) Attached to: Chicago State University Lawyers Attack Faculty Bloggers

What did the janitors at Olive-Harvey do to deserve having their names and wages published?

If you work for the public, you can't count on this information not being exposed in a freedom of information act request. I don't think it is fair either. But, this kind of information is posted at least once a year by our local newspaper for people working for our county.

So if you don't want this kind of information publicly available, don't work in a public sector job.

Comment: I understand, but ... (Score 1) 534

by StatureOfLiberty (#44861941) Attached to: Toronto Family Bans All Technology In Their Home Made After 1986

I can certainly understand their desire to get away from these devices. So many people use these devices to 'entertain' their children. I've always found you are trading one problem for another. When we bought our last van I refused to have a DVD player in the vehicle. Having three children, I knew I'd be replacing 'I'm bored' with a battle over which video they would watch. BTW: try finding a used Sienna XLE without a DVD player. On long trips, we talk or listen to music. We do have tablet devices, cell phones and iPad touches. But we monitor their use. Until homework is done, they are not touched. If the weather is nice we ask them why they aren't outside playing. Without supervision, they would never take their eyes off the devices.

But, these devices also really do provide services that I would not want to do without. One great example, the quality of textbooks today is often poor. Sometimes my children actually do not have a textbook they can bring home. I'm often using the internet to help them when they run into a road block doing their homework. I would not do without that.

Comment: Would have had to charge many of my co-workers (Score 1) 282

by StatureOfLiberty (#44593349) Attached to: Feds Target Instructors of Polygraph-Beating Methods

I worked in electronics sales in the early 80s. In San Antonio, TX at the time you had to take a polygraph to work almost anywhere (for example, Radio Shack was one). As soon as I was hired in most places, my new co-workers started telling me how to beat the polygraph. (I had no reason to worry, but they told me anyway). In the end I found out that many of these folks were robbing the employer blind. And all had passed a polygraph.

Of course, your ability to beat the polygraph probably has a lot to do with who was administering the test. Since so manyl employers back then required polygraphs, you ended up with a bunch of 'Polygraph Marts' who had people administering the tests who really weren't qualified to do so.

Comment: Quality of hands free solution (Score 1) 286

I have no interested in texting and driving. But, I can't help but wonder if these hands free capabilities were easier to use if the outcome of this study would have been different. I have two cars with voice recognition capabilities. One, works pretty well. The other is so difficult to use I would never use it while driving. If using hands free technologies were like having a conversation with someone sitting beside you, I would think the level of distraction would be significantly less than is currently the case. Maybe we just aren't there yet.

Comment: Re:Here comes the legislation (Score 1) 174

by StatureOfLiberty (#43876323) Attached to: Google Maps Used To Find Tax Cheats
That would be a waste of time. Many jurisdictions are already paying for aerial imagery taken by aircraft flying and filming precise routes over their territory. They can clearly see when new structures appear or when existing structures are modified. In fact, automated algorithms can actually find the changes for them. With oblique imagery, jurisdictions can even measure the height of structures. Here is an example of a company that provides such services. Pictometry - Government - Assess
