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30 Jan 2012 23:27

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U.S.: Dentist heading to jail over botched paper clip root canal

  • cause In 2005, Massachusetts dentist Dr. Michael Clair performed a root canal. He used sections of a paper clip during the procedure in order to save money, something he had done on multiple occasions. This was not a good idea — it made the patient’s tooth turn black, and the tooth had to be removed.
  • effect As a result of this, along with allegations of illegal prescriptions and intimidating witnesses, Clair received a one-year jail sentence Monday. Prosecutors asked for more jail time, but Clair received a shorter sentence due to a lack of criminal record and “certain mental health issues.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2012 15:50

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Tech: How old does Google think you are? Because, um, they might be wrong

  • Google thinks I’m a senior citizen. Based on the websites you visit and the stuff you search for, Google infers your interests, age and gender, in order to show you more relavent ads (digression: It does this, in part, by having partner websites place a cookie on your computer; more on that here). Anyway, head on over to Google’s Ad Preferences page, and you can see what Google has inferred about you. It’s often less than accurate; for example, Google believes that I am a male above the age of 65. They got the gender right, but overshot my age by roughly 40 years (I guess I have drastically out-of-date tastes). With Google’s recent decision to allow all of its services to share users’ info with one another, it’d be nice if they had some idea of who we actually are. Or perhaps it’s better to remain shrouded in mystery? — Seth @ SFB
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2012 14:56

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Politics: Obama to take interview questions from YouTube, Google+

  • Maybe this is just a result of having been born in the 80s, but every time we hear the word “virtual,” regardless of the context, we always think of low-tech virtual reality gaming from the mid-90s (Dactyl Nightmare, anybody?). Here, we’re imagining a poorly-rendered 3D version of Obama, moving awkwardly against a cheap Oval Office background and glitching out every couple of seconds. Anyway, this “fully virtual interview” will focus on the content of the President’s State of the Union address, and will likely constitute the majority of Google+’s lifetime web traffic (don’t get us wrong; we love G+, but sometimes we feel like we’re the only ones). source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2012 14:28

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Politics: Indiana Democrat foils attempt to mandate drug testing of welfare recipients

  • the planIndiana Republican Jud McMillin (yes, just one “d”) introduced a bill in the Indiana General Assembly that would have required random drug testing of welfare recipients.
  • the sabotageDemocratic legislator Ryan Dvorak added an amendment to also require drug testing for elected officials in the state. McMillin withdrew the bill. source
  • » The nitty-gritty: “If we’re going to impose standards on drug testing,” Dvorak said, “then it should apply to everybody who receives government money.” McMillin claimed that he had to withdraw the bill after Dvorak’s amendment was added, due to a 1997 Supreme Court ruling that it’s unconstitutional to drug test candidates for elected office…but that logic is flawed, as the Dvorak Amendment would have only required testing of officials already in office, not candidates. Surprisingly, McMillin said he plans to introduce a new version of the bill….that requires lawmaker testing as well. “Give me the cup right now and I will be happy to take the test,” McMillin said. (EDIT: corrected spelling error)
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2012 02:23

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Tech: Megaupload data could get deleted as soon as next week

  • 3 days until your family photos get deleted source
  • » But only if you used Megaupload to store them. Megaupload wasn’t just a place to share pirated movies; it also served as webspace for people to store their personal documents, pictures, hard drive backups, and the like. But Megaupload didn’t actually own the servers on which its data was stored–they outsourced that two other companies. Now that Megaupload’s been shut down, its assets have been frozen, and so it can’t keep paying the storage centers their fee. So, according to a letter from the US Attorney’s Office, the two data centers could start deleting the data as soon as this Thursday. That would be a shame for many, many people (although it should have been clear from the outset that Megaupload wasn’t the wisest place to back up one’s data). An attorney for Megaupload says he’s “cautiously optimistic” that they’ll be able to keep the data from being erased.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2012 00:31

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Offbeat: Beam me up, coffee table: More exciting than a J.J. Abrams reboot

  • In case you’re tired of hearing about people dying in Syria, here’s a picture of a coffee table that looks like the Starship Enterprise. It can be yours for a mere $3,100. [h/t Geekologie] source
  • EDIT: Yes we were trolling. Sorry, all. 😛
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2012 23:09

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Politics: Conservative columnist: Newt, please shut up

  • Time is not Newt Gingrich’s friend, because the more time he has, the more he talks.
  • George Will on “This Week”• Regarding the hazardous effects of Newt Gingrich’s prolonged loquacity. Will was reacting in part to Gingrich’s allegation, made earlier on the same show, that Mitt Romney is a “maniacal liar.”  Just last month, Gingrich had pledged to run “a positive campaign focused on our country’s future;” guess that’s easy to say when you’re the frontrunner.  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2012 21:52

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World: Syria conflict: Calls for outside involvement rise as Arab League leaves

  • The current battles taking place in and around Damascus may not yet lead to the unraveling of the regime, but the illusion of normalcy that the Assads have sought hard to maintain in the capital since the beginning of the revolution has surely unraveled. … Once illusions unravel, reality soon follows.
  • U.S.-based Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid • Discussing the current situation in Damascus, where government tanks have gone into rebel strongholds in an attempt to take back the ground. The situation in the country is quickly deteriorating, with another 62 killed throughout the country Sunday, and the Arab League had to suspend their mission in the region on Saturday as a result of the violence. The big question here: Will outside military forces have to get involved to help ease the situation? Libya was a controversial decision for the U.S. and NATO, and the situation in Syria is in many ways as violent and unhinged. While the U.S. may not heed the call again, the United Nations might. A lot of difficult questions to answer in Syria. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2012 21:05

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Biz: Why does the FDA keep seizing imported orange juice?

  • 14% of all foreign orange juice is apparently tainted source
  • » The seized OJ contained a banned fungicide: The Food and Drug Administration has had to step up its orange juice-seizing lately, because a common fungicide called carbendazim, which, mind you, is safe in small amounts, is showing up in some of the imported orange juice. (Initially, this was reported to be a blanket ban, though the FDA says they’re only testing orange juice.) Here’s the kicker, though, from FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey: “We don’t feel that this is a safety problem. This is more of a regulatory issue.” So basically, they’re seizing a crapload of OJ because it’s got a chemical that is apparently being poorly regulated. You would assume it’s dangerous to consumers, but it’s not. Wait … we’re not following this.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2012 13:30

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Tech: Study: Teens flocking to Twitter more than they did two years ago

  • 8% of young people ages 12-17 had Twitter accounts in 2009, according to a Pew study
  • 16% of young people ages 12-17 had Twitter accounts in 2011, according to an updated study source
  • » Not so square anymore? Two years ago, Twitter had a bit of a reputation as the social network of choice for slightly older professionals, while many young teens were giving it a pass. The study appeared to be showing an interesting trend among teens, who preferred to stick with Facebook or other services. Things appear to have changed since then. “I love twitter, it’s the only thing I have to myself … cause my parents don’t have one,” noted 17-year-old Britteny Praznik. One major difference? Rather than self-promotion, the goal seems to merely be social in nature. Wow, who would’ve thought? A social network for social networking? Be still our hearts.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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