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Comments: 20   The Most Obvious Scientific Discoveries of 2009 on Monday January 04, @02:27PM Comments: 20

Posted by samzenpus on Monday January 04, @02:27PM
from the fire-still-hot dept.
ectotherm writes "See the most obvious scientific discoveries of 2009, actually backed up by scientific studies. These include such no-brainers as 'Men are much more interested in casual sex than women.'"

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+-   Fruit bats have oral sex too-> on Saturday October 31, @09:21AM sciencehabit

Submitted by sciencehabit on Saturday October 31, @09:21AM
idle
sciencehabit writes "Researchers at Guangdong Entomological Institute in Guangzhou, China, have observed oral sex for the first time in a non-primate. During intercourse, female short-nosed fruit bats lick the genitals of their partner, a possible ploy to increase copulation time. The discovery suggests there may be a biological advantage to fellatio. Science carries the story, along with a video. Blog coverage also at BoingBoing and Not Exactly Rocket Science."
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+-   Secretarial mistake costs $1.26 billion to Pepsi-> on Thursday October 29, @08:08PM 9gezegen

Submitted by 9gezegen on Thursday October 29, @08:08PM
idle
9gezegen writes "Pepsi learned that if it needs to continue "Refresh Everything"TM, it needs an extra $1.26 billion. It looks like one of the secretaries forget to inform company lawyers about a a trade secrets case in a Wisconsin state court. When nobody arrived to court, the judge gave $1.26 billion default judgement According to Pepsi lawyers, they were not properly served because the secretary was "so busy preparing for a board meeting." One may think she was working on the refreshments. Perhaps Pepsi should learn more about Spamhaus case."
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+-   "Dead" Facebook User Gets Better-> on Thursday October 29, @05:27AM Two9A

Submitted by Two9A on Thursday October 29, @05:27AM
idle
Two9A writes "With the recent introduction of memorial accounts on Facebook, the potential arises for hilarity and abuse. Simon Thulbourn's Facebook page has been marked as "in memorial", on the word of a report submitted by one of his friends; unfortunately, the closest the report gets to Simon is that the funeral service in question was officiated by "Revd Simon Thorburn", which seems to be enough for Facebook to mark an unrelated user's profile as dead. Questions have previously been raised about the standard of proof required by Facebook for this service; it seems that those questions were pertinent, if the lax attention paid to these reports by Facebook staff continues."
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Comments: 1 +-   Family Guy proves too un-PC for Microsoft-> on Wednesday October 28, @11:55AM Barence

Submitted by Barence on Wednesday October 28, @11:55AM
idle
Barence writes "Two weeks after announcing its sponsorship of a special episode of Fox's edgy animated sitcom Family Guy, the computer giant has pulled out, saying the programme is "not a fit with the Windows brand". Quite why Microsoft thought Family Guy would complement their brand is anyone's guess — the Family Guy special that was to be sponsored by Microsoft was recorded on October 16 and reportedly features jokes about deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest. Fox plans to air the show on November 8, as scheduled, partnered with a new, as-yet undisclosed, "integrated" sponsor."
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Comments: 1 +-   Schwarzenegger Flips Off Lawmakers on Wednesday October 28, @11:24AM Anonymous Coward

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 28, @11:24AM
idle
An anonymous reader writes "Here is something for idle to chew on. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is ticked off.

He’s tired of signing bills that don’t address the pet causes he deems important. So when another unworthy bill crossed his desk recently for signing — addressing funding issues for the Port of San Francisco — the guv vetoed it and sent lawmakers a little note saying why. Only the note said a little more than lawmakers were expecting.

A shortcut to the letter supposedly sent by the Govenator can be found here. If you are still stumped, this should clear it up.

I have to admit, I never expected him to be this cleaver."
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+-   The Monrovian Analog Blogger-> on Tuesday October 27, @04:50PM Anonymous Coward

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 27, @04:50PM
idle
An anonymous reader writes "Motherboard.TV writes:

"In Monrovia, Liberia, there’s a guy taking the matter of a lopsided, state-run media and reshaping it into a free-of-charge, independent news-aggregator—all accomplished with dry-erase board and couple markers. (Sorry, internet!) Each morning, at 10:45 AM, Alfred Sirleaf wakes up and heads down to his bulletin board to post the day’s news, culling together a slate of stories his countrymen might otherwise never see. Grateful readers line up in droves, on foot and in cars, to read these updates, in what has been described as the country’s—and probably the world’s—only analog blog."

Full video (under 5 minutes) here: http://www.motherboard.tv/2009/10/27/monrovian-analog-blogger"
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+-   Facebook to preserve accounts of the dead -> on Tuesday October 27, @03:37AM Barence

Submitted by Barence on Tuesday October 27, @03:37AM
idle
Barence writes "Social-networking site Facebook is planning to preserve the accounts of dead members. The new "memorialized" accounts will continue to display photos and wall posts, but remove "senstive information" such as status updates and contact information. Friends or family who want to report the death of a Facebook member are encouraged to fill out the site's Deceased form. The form asks for proof of death, such as an obituary or news article, although it's not clear how Facebook can validate the death of a member if neither of those pieces of information is published on the internet. How long before someone snuffs it on Facebook before their time?"
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+-   Yahoo! apologizes for Hiring Strippers-> on Wednesday October 21, @11:45AM endikos

Submitted by endikos on Wednesday October 21, @11:45AM
idle
endikos writes "Yahoo! has apologized for hiring strippers to perform at its Taiwan Open Hack Day, where Yahoo! APIs and technologies are explored."
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+-   Singer in grocery store ordered to pay royalties-> on Wednesday October 21, @11:39AM yog

Submitted by yog on Wednesday October 21, @11:39AM
idle
yog writes "An assistant at a grocery store in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, was ordered by the Performing Right Society (PRS) to obtain a performer's license and to pay royalties because she was informally singing popular songs while stocking groceries. The PRS later backed down and apologized. This after the same store had turned off the radio after a warning from the PRS. We have entered an era where music is no longer an art for all to enjoy, but rather a form of private property that must be regulated and taxed like alcohol. "Music to the ears" has become "dollars in the bank"."
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+-   Meteorite hits SUV-> on Friday October 16, @04:02PM someyob

Submitted by someyob on Friday October 16, @04:02PM
idle
someyob writes "First of all, no one was hurt. With that out of the way, (a) do we need more proof SUVs are too big, and/or (b) is this a message of some kind?"
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+-   Malaysia Slows Divorce Rate With Free Honeymoons on Tuesday October 13, @10:22AM samzenpus

Submitted by samzenpus on Tuesday October 13, @10:22AM
idle
samzenpus writes "samzenpus writes "Officials in Malaysia are trying to slow down the divorce rate by offering feuding couples a three-day honeymoon package to help bring that spark back into their marriages. After all, what could more romantic than three days of talking about your faults over a lovely fruit plate, and three drunken nights at the hotel bar watching the love of your life flirt with some random guy on a business trip? Terengganu Welfare Community Development and Women Affairs committee chairman, Ashaari Idris says, 'We can understand newlyweds having problems understanding one another, where a slight skirmish could lead to a separation but it is unacceptable for those married more than two decades to file for divorce.'""
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+-   Malaysia Slows Divorce Rate With Free Honeymoons on Tuesday October 13, @10:13AM samzenpus

Submitted by samzenpus on Tuesday October 13, @10:13AM
idle
samzenpus writes "Officials in Malaysia are trying to slow down the divorce rate by offering feuding couples a three-day honeymoon package to help bring that spark back into their marriages. After all, what could more romantic than three days of talking about your faults over a lovely fruit plate, and three drunken nights at the hotel bar watching the love of your life flirt with some random guy on a business trip? Terengganu Welfare Community Development and Women Affairs committee chairman, Ashaari Idris says, 'We can understand newlyweds having problems understanding one another, where a slight skirmish could lead to a separation but it is unacceptable for those married more than two decades to file for divorce.'"
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+-   Chessboxing Storming the Athletic World on Monday October 12, @10:43AM samzenpus

Submitted by samzenpus on Monday October 12, @10:43AM
idle
samzenpus writes "Have you been craving an athletic competition that combines the raw physical energy of a chess match and the cognitive discipline of boxing? Crave no more. Chessboxing is here. No really, Chessboxing. As the name suggests, Chessboxing combines rounds of chess alternating with rounds of boxing. If there is no winner after 11 rounds, the match is awarded to the fighter with the most points in the boxing ring. Dutch artist, Iepe Rubingh, created chessboxing in 2003. He says, "I got the idea from a Serbian comic. It looked great. I wanted to see if it would work.""
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+- Screenshot-sm   Marge Simpson poses for Playboy-> on Friday October 09, @04:53PM caffiend666

Submitted by caffiend666 on Friday October 09, @04:53PM
idle
caffiend666 writes "'Marge Simpson poses for Playboy....the magazine is giving the star of "The Simpsons" the star treatment, complete with a data sheet, an interview and a 2-page centerfold.' ... '"We knew that this would really appeal to the 20-something crowd," said Playboy spokeswoman Theresa Hennessey.' ... Playboy even convinced 7-Eleven to carry the magazine in its 1,200 corporate-owned stores, something the company has only done once before in more than 20 years."
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Comments: 1 +-   Carl Sagan on Marijuana-> on Thursday October 08, @01:44PM eldavojohn

Submitted by eldavojohn on Thursday October 08, @01:44PM
idle
eldavojohn writes "BoingBoing is reporting that allegedly Carl Sagan wrote a piece for "Marihuana Reconsidered" under the pseudonym Mr. X that appears to look fondly upon the science of trippin' balls. Puff the Magic Sagan's full piece can be found here. It opens with 'It all began about ten years ago. I had reached a considerably more relaxed period in my life — a time when I had come to feel that there was more to living than science, a time of awakening of my social consciousness and amiability, a time when I was open to new experiences.' Too bad old Mr. Cosmos couldn't enjoy his latest vocals."
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+-   Candy Linked to Violence in Study-> on Wednesday October 07, @08:25AM T Murphy

Submitted by T Murphy on Wednesday October 07, @08:25AM
idle
T Murphy writes "A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry links daily consumption of candy at the age of 10 to an increased chance of being convicted of a violent crime by age 34. The researchers theorize the correlation comes from the way candy is given rather than the candy itself. Candy frequently given as a short-term reward can encourage impulsive behavior, which can more likely lead to violence. An alternative explanation offered by the American Dietetic Association is that the candy indicates poor diet, which hinders brain development. The scientists stress they don't imply candy should be removed from a child's diet, although they do recommend moderation. The study controls for teachers' reports of aggression and impulsivity at age 10, the child's gender, and parenting style.

The study can be found here: http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/195/4/366 but full text is behind a paywall."
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+-   Avatars to have business dress codes by 2013 -> on Wednesday October 07, @06:17AM nk497

Submitted by nk497 on Wednesday October 07, @06:17AM
idle
nk497 writes "With businesses increasingly using digital tech like virtual worlds and Twitter, their staff will have to be given guidelines on how they "dress" their avatars, according to analysts.

"As the use of virtual environments for business purposes grows, enterprises need to understand how employees are using avatars in ways that might affect the enterprise or the enterpriseâ(TM)s reputation," said James Lundy, managing vice president at Gartner, in a statement. "We advise establishing codes of behavior that apply in any circumstance when an employee is acting as a company representative, whether in a real or virtual environment.""
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+-   IOC Sends C&D To Remove Own Photos From Flickr-> on Wednesday October 07, @01:53AM skribe

Submitted by skribe on Wednesday October 07, @01:53AM
idle
skribe writes "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sent a cease and desist notice to a committee member of the Australian Web Industry Association (AWIA) over his publication of photos he took at the Beijing Olympics on Flickr."
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+-   Mechanical Tumor as CPU Meter-> on Wednesday September 30, @05:26AM Sabre Runner

Submitted by Sabre Runner on Wednesday September 30, @05:26AM
idle
Sabre Runner writes "As if computer accessories weren't weird enough as it is, a new art project presents the Mechanical Tumor, a pulsating brown body that attaches to your computer and whose size indicates the stress on your machine at the moment."
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Comments: 3 +-   iSnack 2.0 gets Toasted-> on Wednesday September 30, @12:55AM hools1234

Submitted by hools1234 on Wednesday September 30, @12:55AM
idle
hools1234 writes "Australian icon 'Vegemite' released a new product name on Saturday called 'iSnack 2.0'. It was poorly received, with Vegemite enduring a storm of consumer outrage over its tampering with the Vegemite brand. The new product is a combination of the traditional Vegemite sandwich spread mixed with Cream Cheese. Within hours fury was unleashed on Twitter, Facebook and Blogs labeling the name as an 'epic fail' or #vegefail. The Australian is now reporting that within only three days of launch, Kraft has announced it will hold a national vote to come up with a new name.

The iSnack 2.0 name was suggested in a competition that attracted over 40,000 entries to name the product, with the orginal Vegemite spread named in the same fashion. iSnack 2.0 is believed to have been chosen so as to resonate with the young and hip iProducts phenomenon such as iPod and iPhone. To make matters worse, the iSnack name is already under copyright to sandwich-press maker Breville. We just hope the new name isn't iSnack 3.0!

It seems iSnack 2.0 wasn't compatible. FAIL."
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