News stories the mainstream media missed : 01/08/11

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Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* To every man who said a woman’s crying isn’t fair… well now there’s SCIENTIFIC PROOF!!! A woman’s tears… “may temporarily lower [a man’s] testosterone level. Those tears send a chemical signal as the man gets close enough to sniff them – even though there’s no discernible odor” AH HAH!! IT WAS SECRET CHEMICAL WARFARE ALL ALONG!! I KNEW IT!! [HUFFINGTON POST]

* I’ve got an idea. Come up with a product that’s a kid’s favorite toy. Make it addictive. Make it something small enough so they can take with them everywhere. Get them addicted to the toy. Then come out with an update to this amazing product that PERMANENTLY DAMAGES THEIR LITTLE EYES. Mu ha ha ha ha!!! MU HA HA HA HA HAAA!!! Wait, hold on, what’s the goal of the evil plan here Nintendo? [NEOWIN]

* Speaking of evil plots, those “Power Balance” bracelets? The ones that are advertised as metal medical genies that will cure just about everything that’s wrong with you? Just because you wear one on your wrist? Well the company was forced by an Australian court to post on their website that…. “We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct.” Too bad America doesn’t have strict “must be the truth” advertising standards like, oh, Australia, England, and the rest of the bloody world does. [POWERBALANCE]

* OK, so eating dead monkeys = world melting diseases, virologists are borderline mental cases, and I’m totally buying a Ploom. That is all. [THE NEW YORKER]

* NASA’s super-high tech orbital cameras are also used to detect skin cancer? Science rocks! [NASA]

* We can make rain now? For real? In the middle of the desert? Science really rocks! [TIME]

* A new finding shows that going under anesthesia is like putting your body into more of a “deep abyss-like coma” than a “restful happy-dreamy sleep”. OK, science is sometimes pretty scary, too. [SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN]

* In very serious news, police in California can now search your cell phone without a warrant. This means they get all your contacts, voicemails, call history, internet history, app use… everything on your cell phone. Without a warrant. Some “new and improved” administration this is turning out to be. [ARS TECHNICA]

* According to a secret found by Wikileaks, Israel is treating Gaza like something from the old cowboy movies. They’re leaving them in the middle of the desert without a firearm, food, water or a horse, but hey, they aren’t going to kill them! So who are the ones in the white hat again? [HAARETZ]

* The Economist has details on how to beat full body scanners at the airports! You know things are finally going to change when rich people start getting bothered and post stuff that gets poor people indicted and thrown in jail. [ECONOMIST]

* Texas is now a nuclear waste dump site? And they’re putting all the “gonna be deadly for a million-years” crap over a major state aquifer too? Dude! Even for deep West Texas, that’s not cool! [HUFFINGTON POST]

* And finally, speakin’ of my home state of Texas, Dallas busted out “Don Giovanni” at their opera house, but with palm trees, no conductor/actor sync, and “melodramatic lighting effects certainly made for what was evidently intended as a “grand opera” experience.” Ouch! Opera News magazine sure knows how to damn with faint praise!  [OPERA NEWS]

Opt out of “targeted” advertising on your iPhone/iPad

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Have you noticed some of the ads on your iPhone are for things you are marginally interested in? That’s because the iPhone iAd system is passively targeting your “Demographic(s), Application preferences, Music passions, Movie, TV and audiobook genre interests, Location, Device (iPhone, iPod touch) and Network (WiFi, 3G)”

So Apple sees me when I’m reading? They know when I’m awake? They know… waitaminute, that’s Santa’s gig!

Fortunately, there is a way to opt out of targeted advertising on the iPhone.

While you are on your iPhone, go to…

http://oo.apple.com

Once you visit that site, the message “You have successfully opted out” will appear and you will be automatically opted out of interest-based ads”.

You will have to do this on every device you have, though. (It’s not account based, but hardware based.)

You will still see ads on the apps that push them, but they will only be “generic” ads and not anything based on what they know about you.

RT Tuesdays : 01/04/11

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Every Tuesday I re-post all zee tweets that didn’t originate from this blog just to keep everything in sync.

This last week (and the holiday week before) on Twitter, I said…

  • I blame hoarding on Disney movies. Mild psychosis + too many movies = “I can’t throw anything away! They’re my friends! They’re all alive!” (Tue Jan 4 around 8AM 2011 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • New game: drunken rambling or 80s song. Q: Shake up the picture the lizard mixture / With your dance on the eventide. A: 80s! (Mon Jan 3 11:52:56 2011 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • As a man it’s in my DNA to yell at sporting events on TV, acquire tools I may never use, and safely eat three day old pizza and/or chinese. (Sun Jan 2 14:16:06 2011 via At Once – iPhone App)
  • Found little known semi-circles of hell: “surprise visiting relatives”, “high decibel kids’ screams” and “New Year’s migraine.” Drawing map. (Sat Jan 1 18:27:27 2011 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • HAPPY NEW YEAR YA’LL!! (Sat Jan 1 00:04:40 2011 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • The new years’ eve ball drop for a nearby town is on a boom crane. That’s a major upgrade from the forklift drop a few years ago. (Fri Dec 31 23:51:16 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • Just saw a neti pot in action. Dude. Who thought of waterboarding for colds and sinuses? (Fri Dec 31 20:17:35 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • New law: DJs can only say their name once every hour. Nobody can groove to constant reminders that IT’S DJ BABY BUTT IN DA HOUUUUSE!! (Fri Dec 31 11:07:32 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • What would happen if you poured boiling water into an equal amount of liquid nitrogen? Ultimate iced tea? Insomnia scientist wants to know! (Fri Dec 31 03:16:45 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • I think doctors should be given a free pass to coldclock anyone who smokes outside an ER entrance. Their looks of pure rage need an outlet. (Thu Dec 30 16:31:34 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • “@ConanOBrien: how come the Hulk’s shirt falls off, but never his pants?” Two words: atomic wedgie. His legs go blue from bad circulation. (Thu Dec 30 16:18:14 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • Light up laser gun with attached chainsaw? When I was a kid, we had to use real chainsaws! And we liked it! http://yfrog.com/h3ny0cij (Thu Dec 30 16:16:33 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
Laser Chainsaw

Laser Chainsaw

  • Saw “Knight and Day” yesterday. C+ movie / A+ quote: “Someday. That’s a dangerous word. It’s really just a code for ‘never’.” – Tom Cruise (Wed Dec 29 11:44:22 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • WSJ p.A16: “White House aides say they are working up an executive order… to hold enemy combatants indefinitely.” http://yfrog.com/h4htuqj (Tue Dec 28 19:20:43 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
WSJ Detainee

WSJ Detainee

  • RT @HuffingtonPost Man faces up to 5 years in jail for reading wife’s email http://huff.to/dP71ty (Mon Dec 27 16:24:58 2010 via web by bbosker Retweeted by RoyceEddington and 100+ others)
  • RT @TheEconomist Which American airports have the new full-body scanners? http://econ.st/g5WHWN #economist (Sun Dec 26 03:49:07 2010 via SocialFlow Retweeted by RoyceEddington and 51 others)
  • The look of awe and bliss on my godchild’s face when he “caught” Santa putting presents under the tree was epic. Already scheming for 2011. (Sat Dec 25 01:50:16 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • WSJ 12/21 p1: investing in other’s life insurance next big $ thing. Buy and cash in when people die. Morbid much? http://yfrog.com/h3zubij (Wed Dec 22 01:22:53 2010 via Twitter for iPhone)
Insurance Investment

Insurance Investment

Recall : Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution from Ritedose Corporation

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Yow. This is a scary recall because I know someone who is using this specific product to get over their pneumonia.

Albuterol Sulfate (the Inhalation Solution) “is a prescription inhalation solution, administered via nebulization, for the treatment and maintenance of acute asthma exacerbations and exercise induced asthma in children and adults.”

“This product is being recalled because the 2.5 mg/3 mL single use vials are embossed with the wrong concentration of 0.5 mg/ 3 mL and therefore, represents a potential significant health hazard.”

Um, yeah. Slight difference in .5 mg and 2.5 mg doses. Albuterol Sulfate doesn’t play nice with significant increases like this, either.

“Administration of this defective product could result in a range of potential health effects that spans from temporary and medically reversible to life threatening and death. There is significant concern that health professionals who read the incorrect embossed concentration may upwardly adjust the volume of product used resulting in an administered amount that is 5 times the recommended dose.”

“The following lot numbers manufactured by The Ritedose Corporation under NDC: 0591-3797-83, 0591-3797-30, and 0591-3797-60 are included in the recall: 0N81, 0N82, 0N83, 0N84, 0NE7, 0NE8, 0NE9, 0NF0, 0P12, 0P13, 0P46, 0P47, 0PF0, and 0S15. No other Albuterol formulations or products are included in this recall.”

If you know someone who has a nebulizer and is using it to get better, please check with them to see what specific meds they are using.

Here’s the link to the FDA article.

Monday Morning Music : 01/03/11

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Every Monday I like to post some music to start the week off on the right foot.

This week… it’s back to work!

Bass Down Low – The Cataracs (feat Dev.)



Skillet – Awake and Alive



Berlin – Like Flames



…and finally, Van Halen – (Oh) Pretty Woman

Christmas and New Years’ break

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Things have been more bananas than usual, so I’m going to take a much needed break.

Posts should get back to normal around the new year.

Merry Christmas everybody!

RT Tuesdays : 12/21/10

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Every Tuesday I re-post all zee tweets that didn’t originate from this blog just to keep everything in sync.

This last week on Twitter…

  • wilw Wow! Obama lied about enforcing Network Neutrality, too! What a gigantic surprise! I wonder what’s next? I can’t wait! http://bit.ly/dWvDnZ (12/21/10 via web Retweeted by RoyceEddington and 100+ others)
  • Lunar eclipse is beautiful. I’m somewhat hypnotized. Once in a 500-or-so-year event. Philosopher nerd totally emblissed right now. (12/21/10 via Twitter for iPhone)
  • wilw Some of your Android and iPhone apps, including Pandora and Text Plus 4, are spying on you: http://on.wsj.com/eFRFRD (11:16 AM Dec 18th via web Retweeted by RoyceEddington and 100+ others)
  • “@breaknews246: Tropical Tropical Storm Hermine Heads For Mexico, Texas – http://xrl.us/bib3q2” – WHAT? No way! That was back in September! (7:49 PM Dec 17th via Twitter for iPhone)
  • RT @Wolfire: The Humble Indie Bundle (pay what you want for five awesome indie games) http://bit.ly/fRYX0C (11:08 AM Dec 14th via web)

Monday Morning Music : 12/20/10

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Every Monday I like to post some music to start the week off on the right foot.

This week… it’s the music needed to calm the “AHHHHHH! ONLY FIVE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS AND I’VE STILL GOT PRESENTS TO PRINT AND PITCH! PROJECTS TO BUY AND GIFT WRAP! AHHHHHH!” spirit.

Vince Guaraldi Trio – O Tannenbaum



Keith Jarrett – Long As You Know You’re Living Yours



Brad Mehldau Trio – Knives Out



Ahmad Jamal Trio – Darn That Dream



Bill Evans – Waltz For Debby



Oscar Peterson – If I had you



News stories the mainstream media missed : 12/18/10

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Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* Kicking off the “oh that’s just friggin’ spiffy” game, “President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan… called the US one of three enemies faced by Afghanistan, and added, “If I had to choose sides today, I’d choose the Taliban”… before storming out of the room”. No worries. Playing Monopoly makes everybody storm out of the room at some point. [JUANCOLE]

* If you know what a LOIC is, and you’ve used it recently without a proxy to cover your butt, there’s something important you should really really realllllly read about… [NEOWIN]

* In related news, are young kids getting dumber? Duh! Durrrr! Ah-der-deeerrrrr! Derrr-derrr-ah-derrrrr! [PHILLYMAG]

* In related related news, “stopping a thought burns more energy than thinking”. Actually, this explains a great, great many things. [CASE.EDU]

* I successfully converted some pitchforks into show shovels this week! Just by agreeing with something Michael Moore said! Specifically… “Imagine if the men who planned this war crime back in 2002 had had a WikiLeaks to deal with… WikiLeaks exists, in part, because the mainstream media has failed to live up to its responsibility”. And the 30 degree below grand prize blizzard winner… “Might WikiLeaks cause some unintended harm to diplomatic negotiations and U.S. interests around the world? Perhaps. But that’s the price you pay when you and your government take us into a war based on a lie.” Dude! The truth at last! [DAILYKOS]

* Speaking of Assange, a grand jury is meeting in the US to decide whether or not to indict and prosecute the Wikileaks founder. Soooo the US is groovy with starting a war on false data and damned lies, locking away POWs without counsel or trial, waterboarding and torturing the hell out of them just for giggles, the man who was elected to stop all this crap hasn’t, and the one guy who exposes the tip of the BS iceberg is the one that’s targeted for trial? When did I crash land on Bizarro world and where’s my damn rocket ship to get outta here? [THE REGISTER]

* Passwords 101 : Use different random passwords for every site. That’s it. Done. This very easy lesson is something the US government may have to learn the hard way if this next story on PBS is right. [PBS]

* Google’s new OS is getting a the big stink eye from GNU founder Richard Stallman. Why? He says putting everything in the cloud means “a loss of control of data.” I love me some Google (even though I didn’t get any of their new laptops to beta, dammit!) but Stallman has a semi-point here. I think data has always relied on the user for survival, so instead focusing on “a loss of control of data”, I think it should be a focus on proper data retention and data security. [GUARDIAN.CO.UK]

* WalMart is going all 1984 on us. Specifically, they’re putting up large TVs that will stream Homeland Security’s ads and Homeland Security’s “if you see something, report it” campaign. Hellooooooo Target! [GREELY GAZETTE]

* And finally, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that State Senator R.C. Soles is a giant elfin’ hypocrite. This politician was a major hardcore anti-gun loon, but the headline “Anti-Gun Senator Shoots (Home) Intruder” says to me his laws for us apparently don’t apply to people like him! Do as I say and not as I do, right Solaroonie? [SMART GIRL POLITICS]

That’s all I got this (very busy with work projects) week! Back Monday!

RT Tuesdays : 12/14/10

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Every Tuesday I re-post all zee tweets that didn’t originate from this blog just to keep everything in sync.

This last week on Twitter…

  • To younger/cool self: In 2010 you will willingly put on a full santa suit with beard & happily HO HO HO all day for your family. Deal w it. (11:00 PM December 13th via Twitter for iPhone)
  • Late revelation- when someone says they’re “pushing” a certain age, the truth is they’re trying to push back to that age. Never up to it. (7:03 PM Dec 10th via Twitter for iPhone)
  • Insomnia is like home-brewed beer. It sounds pretty good until you have some. (3:01 AM Dec 10th via Twitter for iPhone)
  • Just DVRed “Community” Christmas episode. If you’re not watching this show, you’re missing out on great TV. #abed #nbccommunity #community (12:46 AM Dec 10th via Twitter for iPhone)
  • HuffingtonPost – Keith Olbermann’s blistering special comment on tax deal: Obama ‘goddamned wrong’ http://huff.to/fkiUR7 (7:14 AM Dec 8th via The Huffington Post Retweeted by you and 62 others)
  • chpwn – Using the word “cyber” immediately kills all respect for you. Please, stop w/ cyberspace, cyberwar, cybercrime, cyber bully, cyberterrorism. (6:03 PM Dec 7th via web Retweeted by you and 100+ other)