Monday, November 30, 2009

Video Scenes Pulled from Peoples' Thoughts

“Some scenes decode better than others,” said Gallant. “We can decode talking heads really well. But a camera panning quickly across a scene confuses the algorithm.
clipped from www.livescience.com
Dr. Gallant and
his colleague Shinji Nishimoto have used fMRI to scan the brains of two
patients as they watched videos.


"A computer program was used to search for links between the
configuration of shapes, colors and movements in the videos, and
patterns of activity in the patients’ visual cortex.


"It was later fed more than 200 days’ worth of YouTube internet
clips and asked to predict which areas of the brain the clips would
stimulate if people were watching them.


"Finally, the software was used to monitor the two patients’ brains
as they watched a new film and to reproduce what they were seeing based
on their neural activity alone.


"Remarkably, the computer program was able to display continuous
footage of the films they were watching — albeit with blurred images."


This appears to be the first instance in which video scenes were recovered; previous work has been done to recover spatial memories seen in the hippocampus via fMRI.

Swiss referendum 'reflects unease with Islam'

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

As a Swiss referendum backs a ban on the building of minarets, the BBC's Islamic affairs analyst Roger Hardy looks at the often uneasy relationship between Islam and Europe.

Swiss People's Party poster against minarets

But it is not just in Switzerland that the presence of growing Muslim communities has polarised opinion.

Since the attacks of 9/11 in the United States, and the bombings in Madrid and London, Muslims have often been regarded as a security threat.

For governments anxious to maintain social harmony at home and good relations with Muslim governments abroad, this poses a set of difficult dilemmas.

And for many of the estimated 15 million Muslims in Western Europe, the Swiss vote will be seen as one more sign that - whatever governments may say - they are simply not welcome.

Remember those dreamlike images of Dubai? Guess what. You WERE dreaming

The Guardian says you were dreaming, oh well....

Dubai's fantasy skyline seems to have been built on sand
clipped from www.guardian.co.uk
Dubai World asks for debt moratorium

Monument to mammon . . . the Palm Island offshore property development in Dubai. Photograph: Jorge Ferrari/EPA

I am phenomenally stupid. Stupid in every conceivable way except one: I'm dimly aware that I'm stupid. This means I spend much of my time assuming the rest of the world knows better, that everyone else effortlessly comprehends things I struggle to understand. Things like long division, or which mobile phone tariff to go for. In many ways, this is a comforting thought, as it means there's a limitless pool of people more intelligent than myself I can call on for advice.

clipped from www.copytaste.com

via

The Arabs Have Stopped Applauding Obama

"American arms had won a decent outcome in Iraq, but Mr. Obama would not claim it—it was his predecessor's war. Vigilance had kept the American homeland safe from terrorist attacks for seven long years under his predecessors, but he could never grant Bush policies the honor and credit they deserved. He had declared Afghanistan a war of necessity, but he seems to have his eye on the road out even as he is set to announce a troop increase in an address to be delivered tomorrow."
clipped from www.copytaste.com





clipped from online.wsj.com

'He talks too much," a Saudi academic in Jeddah, who had once been smitten with Barack Obama, recently observed to me of America's 44th president. He has wearied of Mr. Obama and now does not bother with the Obama oratory.

He is hardly alone, this academic. In the endless chatter of this region, and in the commentaries offered by the press, the theme is one of disappointment. In the Arab-Islamic world, Barack Obama has come down to earth.

He has not made the world anew, history did not bend to his will, the Indians and Pakistanis have been told that the matter of Kashmir is theirs to resolve, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the same intractable clash of two irreconcilable nationalisms, and the theocrats in Iran have not "unclenched their fist," nor have they abandoned their nuclear quest.

Mr. Obama's election has not drained the swamps of anti-Americanism.
Mr. Obama has himself to blame for the disarray of his foreign policy
Rove

Dubai a city built on sand

clipped from current.com
Image...

Before the desert sands close over its luxury follies, lessons should be learned – number one, don't believe the hype.

Was anywhere heading for a fall so obviously as Dubai? Yet why did no one ever scream? Why did everyone just marvel?

When I first visited the place three years ago, it was already the most dangerous speculative bubble on earth. Breakneck building – using reputedly a quarter of the world's cranes – was sustained on hysterical public relations and $80bn of debt.

By last March the signs of impending doom were everywhere. Property and stock market prices were falling and only the PR firms were still sustaining morale, witness a cringing ITV documentary by Piers Morgan and grovelling coverage of Sol Kerzner's "world's biggest" hotel launch. Building projects worth a reported $300bn were stopping work overnight.

And so castles made of sand...fall in the sea....eventually.....

.....the Great Jimi Hendrix......

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Laugh!

No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether irreclaimably bad.

You can't deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants.

With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.

Laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.

Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place.


Laughing is one of my MOST favourite things to do, no doubt about it.
clipped from www.quotegarden.com
I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. 
At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.
Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit. 


The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.


Laughter is an instant vacation. 
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other.
Laughter gives us distance.  It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.
A hearty laugh gives one a dry cleaning, while a good cry is a wet wash.
There can never be enough said of the virtues, dangers, the power of a shared laugh.
I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth."
Laughter is the corrective force which prevents us from becoming cranks. 
A man isn't poor if he can still laugh. 


A laugh is a smile that bursts.
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. 
Laugh
clipped from www.youtube.com

New species of chameleon discovered after snake coughs it up in front of startled scientist

clipped from www.dailymail.co.uk
Discovered: The new species - Kinyongia magomberae - was discovered when it popped out of the mouth of a twig snake in front of British scientist Dr Andrew Marshall

Discovered: The new species - Kinyongia magomberae - was discovered when it popped out of the mouth of a twig snake in front of British scientist Dr Andrew Marshall

twig snake

A twig snake puffed out, which it does when it feels threatened. They can grow to a length of 3ft

Wonderful Ways to Use Epsom Salts

clipped from www.care2.com
Relaxing and sedative bath
Foot soak
Soak sprains and bruises
clipped from www.care2.com
Face cleaner: To clean your face at night, mix a half-teaspoon of epsom salt with your regular cleansing cream
Homemade skin mask
1 tablespoon of cognac, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of non-fat dry milk, the juice of 1 lemon, and a half-teaspoon of epsom salt. For normal to dry skin, mix 1/4 cup of grated carrot, 1 1/2 teaspoons of mayonnaise and a half-teaspoon of epsom salt.
Skin exfoliator
clipped from www.care2.com
Remove excess oil from hair
9 tablespoons of epsom salt to 1/2 cup of oily hair shampoo. Apply one tablespoon of the liquid to your hair when it is dry; rinse with cold water. Pour lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar through the hair, leave on for 5-10 minutes, and then rinse.
Remove hairspray
Hair volumizer

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Saturday, November 14, 2009

I DO NOT

This is a perfect example of how slow and difficult social change is.

But these little girls have stood up to be counted as worthy to claim their childhood and the right to choose their own partner and their own life.

I can't imagine the type of courage that must take.
clipped from www.latimes.com
Breaking a trend

Her fate was all but sealed, the wedding bells ringing in her relatives' heads. Then the bride-to-be, a little girl playing in the dirt in this impoverished village, plucked up her courage and said, "I do not."


The British Raj tried to stamp it out. Mohandas Gandhi, himself a child groom, campaigned against it. The United Nations has condemned it. And in 2006, the Indian government explicitly banned it.

But child marriage remains pervasive in India, accounting for one-third of such unions worldwide and underscoring the contradictions and complexities of a society that produces cutting-edge engineers even as it clings to feudal traditions.

"These girls are very brave," said Sarita Singh, secretary of the Rajasthan state Department of Child and Women Development. "There are enormous social forces working against them."

Monday, November 9, 2009

Time gets better with age

clipped from home.att.net

TIME GETS BETTER WITH AGE
Read
it through to the end, it gets better as you go!

I've
learned that I like my teacher because she cries
when we
sings "Silent Night".
Age 5

I've
learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my
broccoli
either.
Age 7

I've
learned that when I wave to people in the
country, they
stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9

I've
learned that just when I get my room the way I
like it,
Mom makes me clean it up again.
Age 12
I've
learned that if you want to cheer yourself up,
you should
try cheering someone else up.
Age 14
I've
learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm
secretly
glad my parents are strict with me.
Age 15
I've
learned that silent company is often more healing
than
words of advice.
Age 24
I've
learned that brushing my child's hair is one of
life's
great pleasures.
Age 26

I've
learned that wherever I go, the world's worst
drivers
have followed me there.
Age 29

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Major Malik Nadal Hasan.......But First A “Shout Out” to Obama’s Bud

No reason I can’t go golfing, shoot some hoops, and hit the town with Michelle.

President Bush used to break into tears when addressing soldiers and was reviled as a stone-hearted warmonger; Donald Rumsfeld was demonized for using a machine to sign notification letters to fallen soldiers’s next-of-kin. President Obama gives out rounds of virtual fist-bumps to his buds before even mentioning a slaughter of American soldiers, perpetrated by Americans, in mid-America.

We desperately need an adult in the White House. Sadly, today’s press conference proves we do not have one.

(Incidentally, the shooter " who killed 12 people with two handguns " is reportedly an adherent of the Religion of Peace who was incensed about being sent to war.)
clipped from newsrealblog.com

Shortly after Major Malik Nadal Hasan opened fire at the largest activity duty armored post in the United States, Ft. Hood in Texas, President Barack Obama held a press conference to address the issue. Before getting around to the shooting that had already claimed a dozen lives and wounded at least 31 people, he began his remarks by saying:

I want to thank my Cabinet members and senior administration officials who participated today. I hear that Dr. Joe Medicine Crow (ph) was around, and so I want to give a shout out to that Congressional Medal of Honor winner. It’s good to see you.

The quotation says it all: our commander-in-chief feels there is no event so serious that it cannot be prefaced by a moment of glib hipness, no solemn loss so sacred he will deny himself a moment of wry self-indulgence. Soldiers were killed? Let’s say hi to Joe first. An entire theater of war needs a plan to defeat the terrorists who struck America on 9/11?

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

World in Motion - Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2009

In the space of 20 weeks, the world’s biggest photo contests, Digital Camera magazine’s Photographer of the Year, received a massive 101,000 online entries from 126 countries.The overall £10,000 prize winner will be announced at the exhibition of winning and commended entries, taking place at Mall Galleries, London. The exhibit will be open to the public from the 9th – 13th December. A full list of the shortlisted entries across all 10 categories can be seen now at PhotoRadar.com - http://www.photoradar.com/news/story/digital-camera-photographer-of-the-year-shortlist-announced
clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
TAXI - Abdullah Al Hasawi, Saudi Arabia


Here are the shortlisted entries - in alphabetical
order - in the World in Motion category, sponsored by the Telegraph.
clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Dancer and Her Dog - Amni Amry, Malaysia

Dancer and Her Dog

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Propulsion - Betina La Plante, United States

Propulsion

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
TYR - Betina La Plante, United States

TYR

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Life in Motion - Cumhur Kaplan, Turkey

Life in Motion

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Bird Battles - Denis Glennon, Australia

Bird Battles

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
First Ride - Dibyendu Dey Choudhury, India

First Ride

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Modern Bridge - Giuseppe (Pino) Bucca, Italy

Modern Bridge

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
The Green Express - Johannes Johannesson, Iceland

The Green Express

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Aqua da Musica - Kerstin Enderlein, Germany

Aqua da Musica

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Northsea - Kerstin Enderlein, Germany

Northsea

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Behind a Waterfall - Konstantin Shcherbak, Iceland

Behind a Waterfall

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Vietnam04 - Luis Davilla, Spain

Vietnam04

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Little Planet Dive - Rob Whitworth, UK

Little Planet Dive

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Tunnel - Maciej Dakowicz, UK

Tunnel

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Soul of Mr Hitchcock - Maciej Makowski, Poland

Soul of Mr Hitchcock

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Lunar Eclipse - Mariette Geest, Netherlands

Lunar Eclipse

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
The Chase is on? - Michael Hume, UK

The Chase is on?

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
The Pacu Jawi (Cow's Race) - Muhammad Fadli, Indonesia

The Pacu Jawi (Cow's Race)

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
The Jump - Nicola Bombassei, Italy

The Jump

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Powder-hound - Per Ottar Walderhaug, Norway

Powder-hound

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Untitled - Polly Rothwell, UK

Untitled

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
The Door - Ricardo Vigil, Spain

The Door

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Gobstopper - Robert Patefield, UK

Gobstopper

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Dewi Cahaya - Seto Wibowo, Indonesia

Dewi Cahaya

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Dog Race - Shui Kee Janet Yim, Hong Kong

Dog Race

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Goal - Shui Kee Janet Yim, Hong Kong

Goal

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Light at the End - Tamara Kulikova, UK

Light at the End

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Dragons - Vittorio Velasquez, Philippines

Dragons

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
At the Ending Point? - Yap Kok Hing, Malaysia

At the Ending Point?

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk
Through the Path - Nadav Dov Boretzki, Israel

Through the Path - Nadav Dov Boretzki, Israel

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