Researchers at the Buck Institute are studying the regulation of mitochondrial genes in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster in relation to ageing and lifespan. They are trying to understand how mitochondrial function relates to diet and energy metabolism, specifically the molecular mechanisms responsible for organismal longevity and lifespan extension.

It is well known that mitochondrial function declines with age in many biological organisms. “Our study shows that dietary restriction can enhance mitochondrial function hence offsetting the age-related decline in its performance,” said Buck faculty member Pankaj Kapahi, lead author of the study. Their study presented a genome-wide study of the effect of dietary restriction on certain proteins. They reported that while there is a reduction in protein synthesis globally with a low protein diet, the activity of specific genes involved in generating energy in the mitochondria are increased.

They particularly studied the d4EBP protein, which is involved in a molecular signaling pathway that mediates cell growth in response to nutrient availability called TOR (target of rapamycin). They observed that when the activity of d4EBP is genetically “knocked out,” flies did not live longer, even when fed the low protein diet. When the activity of d4EBP was enhanced, lifespan was extended, even when the flies ate a rich diet.

The research calls into question the health benefits of high-protein diets. The long-term impacts of such diets have not been examined in humans. “In flies, we see that the long-lived diet is a low protein diet and what we have found here is a mechanism for how that may be working,” Kapahi said. The study provides a significant advance in understanding the role of 4EBP, a downstream molecular target of TOR, which mediates a switch in metabolism to extend lifespan.

A recent study published in Nature has demonstrated that feeding rapamycin (an antibiotic) to mice inhibited TOR and extended their lifespan.

Below is the summary of their paper published in Cell (October 2, 2009):

Dietary restriction (DR) extends lifespan in multiple species. To examine the mechanisms of lifespan extension upon DR, we assayed genome-wide translational changes in Drosophila. A number of nuclear encoded mitochondrial genes, including those in Complex I and IV of the electron transport chain, showed increased ribosomal loading and enhanced overall activity upon DR. We found that various mitochondrial genes possessed shorter and less structured 5′UTRs, which were important for their enhanced mRNA translation. The translational repressor 4E-BP, the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein, was upregulated upon DR and mediated DR dependent changes in mitochondrial activity and lifespan extension. Inhibition of individual mitochondrial subunits from Complex I and IV diminished the lifespan extension obtained upon DR, reflecting the importance of enhanced mitochondrial function during DR. Our results imply that translational regulation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial gene expression by 4E-BP plays an important role in lifespan extension upon DR.

El día de hoy se jugó la segunda ronda del torneo de Fin de Año del 2009 y estos fueron los resultados:

Con estos resultados, la tabla de posiciones queda de la siguiente manera:

Todavía le queda cuerda a este torneo así que nos vemos la próxima semana para continuarlo.

¡Hasta entonces!

Thanks to @johnjosephadams for bringing this to my attention. Looks like I’ve got some reading to do. You can see the list and a bit of commentary over at LibraryJournal.com.

• The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Published by Night Shade Books.
• Flood by Stephen Baxter. Published by ROC: Penguin
• Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman. Published by Pocket: S. & S.
• Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson. Published by Spectra: Bantam.
• Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. Published by Tor and available for free on the author’s website.
]]> http://mentatjack.com/2009/11/18/review-lamentation-by-ken-scholes/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:23:13 +0000 mentatjack http://mentatjack.com/2009/11/18/review-lamentation-by-ken-scholes/



Lamentation is Ken Scholes‘ first novel. It’s the first chapter of the 5 book Psalms of Isack series expanded from the short story Of Metal Men and Scarlet Thread and Dancing with the Sunrise which appeared in the August 2006 issue of Realms of Fantasy. (be warned that that link doesn’t include the full text of the original story) I find myself comparing it to Dune and some Asimov with a tinge of Dying Earth in the mix. Someone who’d read more extensively in the traditional fantasy space might very well make other connections. I was drawn to this series because it promised a group of characters that believe they’re in a fantasy world, which over time gets revealed to be more and more of a science fictional setting.

My default method of analyzing fiction has become one of dissecting what I read into the various tags I’d use to describe it. (I blame my TagShadow project) The list that I jotted down for Lamentation included the following: Fantasy, Weapon of Mass Destruction, Non-Verbal Communication, Stealth, Robots, Steampunk, Religion, Science, Shifting Alliances, Drug Use, War, Carrier Pigeon, Cryptography, Third Person, Past Tense, Multiple Points of View, Glossolalia, Artificial Intelligence, Series. All of these were fascinating in one way or another, but I particularly liked how often multiple conversations were described simultaneously. It heightened the dramatic irony and amplified some of the core mysteries. This density of ideas coupled with an intrigue laden plot straddling the line between fantasy and science fiction is what brings Dune to mind.

The story deals with epic ideas and happenings but relates to us via highly nuanced and continuously developing characters and relationships. Thousands of years before the destruction which opens the book the world had descended into madness. I assume this cycle of knowledge and civilization waxing and waning in the world will be a driving force for the series. Considering that you know most of that in the first few pages of the book, you might expect a crazy dense tome and while there are plenty of engaging ideas, history, and description, the pace is brisk and the overall length quite comfortable. Chess and modern psychology are given their own terminology by Scholes, but are recognizable and used to great effect to describe complex personal interactions.

Similar to the future posited by much of Asimov’s writing where humanity is alone in the galaxy, we’re given a fantasy world with no elves or dwarves or original creatures. Similar to Asimov’s robots, the mechanical men in Lamentation play a crucial role, particularly Isack who lends his name to the series. This humanity centered world where most magical elements could be explained as forgotten science appeals to me. The central theme of the book is knowledge. The lengths some will go to to protect it is contrasted with the ease with which others dismiss it. In that way, it kept reminding me of Anathem which I never managed to finish. No such problem with Lamentation. I find myself hoping the tone will darken a bit, but I seriously doubt the Name Lands have reached rock bottom yet.

I have a signed copy of Canticle, the sequel to Lamentation, and I look forward to starting it. I suspect I’ll feel a bit more free to discuss the plot of Lamentation when I review Canticle and I’m glad there’s another story in this setting to hold me over till the third book is published.

]]> http://kulturundfortschritt.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/deepsec-it-sicherheitskonferenz-in-wien/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:16:39 +0000 kulturundfortschritt http://kulturundfortschritt.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/deepsec-it-sicherheitskonferenz-in-wien/

Gulli berichtet über den Beginn der DeepSec, einer Sicherheitskonferenz, die sich unabhängiges und besonders kritisches Vorgehen auf die Fahnen geschrieben hat. Dort soll es unter anderem um GSM-Hacking, Social Engineering, die Sicherheit im Web 2.0, Twitter und Cloud Computing unter dem Aspekt der Sicherheit, Cyberkriminalität, E-Voting, GSM-Hacking und um die Simulation von Angriffen auf große Netzwerke gehen, aber auch um die Sicherheit des beliebten Anonymisierungsnetzwerkes TOR.

]]> http://travizzt.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/lamentation-by-ken-scholes/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:37:16 +0000 travizzt http://travizzt.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/lamentation-by-ken-scholes/

Lamentation by Ken Scholes- This is the first book of The Psalms of Isaak series which will consist of five books. The second book is titled Canticle.

The city of Windwir was the heart of the world, but now lies in a field of ash and desolation. The destruction of the city is seen from miles around. People come to investigate the disaster. Among them is a man named Rudolfo, the Lord of the Gypsy Scouts and of the Ninefold Forest Houses, who seeing the smoke and comes rushing to the ruined city of knowledge. Elsewhere, an old fisherman by the name of Petronus, sees the smoke and goes to the city in which he once called home. The army of the city-states of the Entrolusion Delta were on their way to the city when their leader, Sethbert, calls his army to a halt when he sees the smoke and smiles at the destruction. Sethbert’s constort, the lovely Jin Li Tam, sees the desolation and is horrified by it and Sethbert’s reaction to it. Finally, a young boy and his father make their way out of the city, when the boy, Neb, forgets an important letter and his father goes back to get it, when the city explodes. Neb’s world is turned inside out from losing everything he once knew. Who would cause this tragedy? What happens with the knowledge that is lost from the destruction of Windwir?

 Negatives:
1) Overwhelming Name Dropping. This is the biggest, most frustrating problem of the book. The reader is pretty much blindsided from all the unknown names, unfamiliar terms, and the references that are made. It really does bog the book and story down a lot, causing the reader to be taken out of the story. To make matter worse, most of these terms are never explained until much, much later in the book. Even then they are hard to follow and the explanations were broad. It doesn’t help that everything seemed to be repeated every other line, over and over again. Why not include a simple word or two describing who so-and-so is? It was painful, as a new reader to this world, to not know anything about everything that is being mentioned. It wouldn’t have been bad if there were explanations. As a mentioned before, it really takes the reader out of the story.
2) Awkward Sentences. A lot of the wording felt awkward in the beginning. Words didn’t seem to fit right and some of the action and dialogue seemed forced. There were times when a character was doing one thing and they really never finished what was happening, or at least that’s what it felt like. Really, it felt like whole sentences and paragraphs were forced down the readers throat. It made it even harder to follow the action.
3) Pointless Descriptions. For some reason, food seemed like it was really important to the story. You have all these descriptions of wine and food that it seemed like the author was hungry when writing certain scenes. Not to mention, they were random. For example, you have one scene where something important was being discussed, and a paragraph was inserted explaining the food that was before them. It just felt pointless. Yes, we know characters have to eat, and a little information may be needed at times, but was there really a need to go into excruciating detail about the “chilled peach wine that was tart and sweet”?

 Positives:
1) Characters. The characters were really well written throughout the story. The chapters are set up in a way that you have sections when a certain character is in the lead role and it really adds depth and an interesting look into each characters thoughts. Rudolfo was your ordinary “knight in shining armor” so to speak. However, he was ruthless and cunning. Jin Li Tam your average beauty, but with cunning and a perfect match to what Rudolfo is. Petronus, Isaak, and Neb were the better characters of the story. They each were deep, thoughtful and complete characters. You got a sense of hope and hopelessness that this characters felt throughout the story. Petronus in becoming something he doesn’t want to be but is forced to, Neb in his feelings of hurt and revenge along with finding something akin to love, and Isaak with the knowledge of what he has done but that it wasn’t his fault. Overall, these characters really made you feel sorry and happy during certain times in the story.
2) Story. When not being taken out of the story, it was really good. It’s not your average fantasy story. There isn’t many action sequences or huge battles, instead it’s more of a personal and political story. The concept is fairly original. You see how this destruction impacts the characters lives and the world around in a way that is fresh and new. Basically, the story is character driven and it works well. The whole mystery behind the disaster is really it’s center point as this characters slowly figure out who is manipulating who.
3) “Twist”. There is a villain twist that I felt was really well done. Throughout the story you know who destroyed Windwir, Sethbert. No big spoiler here as he pretty much boasts about it from the beginning of the story. However, it’s slowly reveled the someone else was pulling everyone’s, and I mean everyone’s strings. You can kind of guess how it is, but nonetheless, it’s still somewhat of a shock. Even when this person is reveled, you find out that their reason for doing this is for “the greater good”, so to speak. But then, later on, after you think you know what is happening, another bombshell drops.

 Side Notes:
1) Things Left Unsaid. There really were a lot of things that were left unspoken and up to the reader to know what they were. I didn’t know. I didn’t understand what the purpose for leaving out some things that you would think you’d normally would be told, are left up up in the air. It was just weird, but it didn’t really have that big of an impact.
2) About the First 150 Pages. They were a chore to read through. Mostly because of all the name dropping and the awkward sentences. You really have to get past those pages to really start to like the story.
3) Cover Art. It’s bland, generic. It’s like something you’d see in a museum, look at it for a second and move on. It doesn’t catch your eye, the colors are dull and blend into one another. It’s boring, because it’s just so generic. 

Overall: 3/5

Final Thoughts:
This was a really hard book for me to read. I didn’t have any background of the events and people named in the book so at first I really hated it. In fact, when I was in a bookstore and saw this book, all I felt were rage and utter disappointment in it. However, after the halfway point, the story really picked up a little and it did become more and more interesting. It was even hard to put down at times. If you can get past the first half of the book, then it’s a wonderful story. If you can’t, it really isn’t for you.

]]> http://pcnm.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/sonntag-15-11-09/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:08:06 +0000 Nick http://pcnm.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/sonntag-15-11-09/

heute war der größte scheis tag in meinem ganzen leben. Um 9 bei Lasse gewesen um mit dem zum Pfostenberg hochzufahren, alles gut. Umgezogen, warmgemacht, Besprechung und dann geht’s los. 14 Minute. Einfach Flanke von mir aus links, kommt in den 5er. Ich spring nich gescheit hoch (KP warum?!) Krieg den Ball nur noch an die Fingerspitzen. Hintermir hüpft der Ball auf den Boden und ein Nellinger schiebt ihn rein. SCCCCHHHHHEEEEIIIISSSSSEEEE! Dann 2. Tor: Eckball: Ein Nellinger rennt raus um angespielt zu werden. Marcus reagiert nicht und Lasse kam dann auch nicht mehr hinterher. Der rennt auf den kurzen Pfosten zu und schiebt ihn Marcus durch die Beine. Ich seh dann Ball erst als er schon im Netz liegt. Waär ich rausgekommen, wäre die SCHEISE nicht passiert. 3. Tor: Nellinger kommt alleine auf mich zu, und ich stehe an der Strafraumlinie. Er kommt an mir vorbei und ich versuche noch nach hintenweg hinterher zu springen. Dabei holze ich Rico um, der das Tor vllt. noch verhindern hätte können. Scheise #3. Dann schießen wir endlich mal ein Gegentor. Dann 10 Minuten später bekommen wir wieder eine Kiste.. Gut heraus gespielt- Nellinger dribbelt die Linie entlang und kommt dann auf meinen 5er zu. Ich komme raus, doch erwische den Ball nicht mehr. Dann spring ich auf den angespielten Nellinger doch der haut den Ball hoch ins Tor rein. Scheise, aber diesmal nicht mein Fehler. Ein Wunder an dem Scheistag. Spiel endet 1:4 und ich habs versaut. Warum passiert mir sowas überhaupt? Der Nachmittag war dann mehr oder weniger unbedeutend und so hab ich dann mit Jonny PS2 gezockt und abends Transporter 3 angesehen.

Scheis Tag + 15.11.09. “Just make it better”

]]> http://lafinesoltanto.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/vulnerabile-racconto-in-mezzora/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:14:57 +0000 emiliano http://lafinesoltanto.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/vulnerabile-racconto-in-mezzora/

Al clubbino di scrittura del martedì ogni tanto ci diamo alla scrittura estemporanea. Scriviamo in mezz’ora un breve racconto ispirato a un tema, uno stile, ecc. Poi li leggiamo tutti e li commentiamo. Lo scorso martedì abbiamo ripetuto un esperimento già fatto lo scorso anno, ovvero scrivere un racconto ispirato a una fotografia. Ce n’erano 4 o 5, di fotografie. Erano immagini di film (sconosciuti, almeno a me) che potevano ispirare storie di vario tipo (una ragazza di notte in un cimitero – horror; un uomo con delle bambole smontate – fantascienza; quattro uomini in un’officina – quotidiano, ecc.).

Anch’io ne ho scelta una. Appena l’ho vista mi è venuta in mente una situazione. E questo è il racconto che mi ha ispirato. Si intitola

 

Vulnerabile

“Hanno la testa così calda. Tutto scorre, qui dentro, tutto va veloce, loro sanno tutto, lo sanno ancora prima di saperlo. È tutto questo ragionare che li fa dormire. Si stancano e devono dormire.”

Le mani della donna accarezzano i capelli sudati dei bambini. La piccola ha un sussulto, prova a girarsi, sta scomoda sulla panca. Edoardo non è abituato a dormire così disteso, lui si rannicchia sempre, e come ora stringe le braccia davanti a sé, sul petto, una mano sul collo, sente il battito del suo cuore e il sangue nelle arterie che si proietta orizzontale.

“Perché li devo amare? Chi l’ha detto che una madre debba amare i propri figli? È giusto che io sia debole, che io mi arrenda, per loro?”

I muscoli delle cosce le si sono addormentati. È la pressione della loro testa, la vita che pesa su di lei, le ha fermato il sangue. Cerca di muovere le gambe ma lentamente, non vuole svegliarli. La piccola apre gli occhi, è un attimo, ricorda dove si trova. Si tira su a sedere e appoggia l’orecchio al seno della madre.

“Mamma…”

La mamma le disfa la treccia e gliela rifà con scatti minimi e svelti.

“Mamma, quando torna?”

“Non lo so, ma non avere paura.”

“Mamma, cosa vuole?”

“Niente, amore, niente, tu non devi avere paura, non ti farà niente.”

“Ma hai sentito cosa ha detto? Hai visto lo schiaffo che ha dato a Edoardo?”

“Sì, l’ho visto, ma la mamma ci ha parlato, si è messa d’accordo, non ti devi preoccupare, non ti farà niente, nessuno ti farà niente, né a te né a Edoardo.”

“Mamma, ma perché…”

La serratura scatta. La bimba smette di parlare, spalanca gli occhi e guarda la madre.

“Non ti preoccupare, non vi succederà niente. Ha promesso.”

La bambina si volta verso la porta. È buio da quella parte, non vede niente. La madre è immobile, la bambina ha ancora l’orecchio appoggiato al suo seno, sente il cuore che batte furibondo, la bambina lo sa, la mamma ha paura, la mamma ha paura. La madre non si muove, accarezza la testa tel bambino, bacia quella della bambina, mamma, non ti alzare, non te ne andare, ma dal buio arriva una voce. Quella voce.

“Cosa aspetti, alzati troia, vieni di là.”

Il bambino dorme. La madre si alza. La bambina la guarda allontanarsi, fa tre passi, uno, due, tre, si volta, sorride.

“Non avere paura. Non vi succederà niente. Ha promesso. Ha promesso.”

 

Ora, che foto vi immaginate?

Per ora immaginatela, appena ho più tempo la scannerizzo e la metto in un post.

Volevo dirvi anche che stasera sarò al Teatrofficina Refugio a vedere lo spettacolo Salud, un “monologo sulla guerra civile spagnola, sulla speranza della rivoluzione anarchica e la disperazione della fine di un sogno”, scritto e diretto da Beppe Casales.

Per un teatro politico.

 

]]> http://secforall.info/2009/11/13/doing-the-copyright-limbo/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:40:59 +0000 Joseph Webster http://secforall.info/2009/11/13/doing-the-copyright-limbo/

Just when you think that the self-appointed copyright Gestapo can’t sink any lower they kick the old limbo stick down another notch. Now before you jump to the conclusion that I’m one of those “content wants to be free” activists, rest assured that I am not. All of my career has been spent as a code monkey writing software for somebody else (as a “work made for hire” in copyright lingo). And trust me, I’m all about getting paid. Which doesn’t happen if my employer goes broke because their products were pirated. I’m also a musician who composes and records original material. Now my attitude towards copyright protection is quite a bit different with my music because, as Cory Doctorow says in the forward material to his latest book Makers [you can download the e-book  here for free] my problem isn’t piracy, it’s obscurity. But what about that piracy notion? I just said that I won’t get paid if my employer goes broke because their products were pirated. Well guess what? That has never happened. Not to me. Not to anyone. In short, I’m not opposed to copyright or copyright enforcement.

What I am opposed to, and baffled by, is a business model that comes down to “we aren’t selling as much of our stuff as we want, so we will go after people who are pirating it.” The most recent episode in this ridiculous jihad against customers is reported by Cory Doctorow in boingboing.

The MPAA has successfully shut down an entire town’s municipal WiFi because a single user was found to be downloading a copyrighted movie. Rather than being embarrassed by this gross example of collective punishment (a practice outlawed in the Geneva conventions) against Coshocton, OH, the MPAA’s spokeslizard took the opportunity to cry poor (even though the studios are bringing in record box-office and aftermarket receipts).

That’s right, the entire public WiFi net of Coshocton, OH. The same net that is used by Coshocton County Sheriff’s deputies to complete a traffic or incident report without leaving their vehicle. The same net that out-of-town business people can park and use their laptops to make connections. The very same net that during festival times, vendors use to check the status of credit cards being used to make purchases. And the same net that has a single address used by many people, so it’s difficult to tell who made the illegal download (although the county plans to investigate the matter).

Great job MPAA! Way to look out for your own financial interests in blatant disregard for the interests of everyone else. So what exactly have the MPAA clowns (I love Cory’s reference to the MPAA’s spokeslizard) accomplished here. Several things come to mind:

1. Users of Coshocton public WiFi will likely never download another pirated movie again… without going through TOR.
2. Users of Coshocton public WiFi will likely never purchase any movie ever again.

As I said before, I’m not a fan of pirating movies. Quite frankly there is so much stuff legitimately available for free or incredibly cheap that I can’t begin to consume everything I might be interested in. But in addition, I can’t for the life of me see how alienating your customers because somebody downloaded a movie and allegedly deprived you of $10 or less (assuming of course that the perp would have actually paid for it anyway) makes any sense at all. What I can say is that cheesy stunts like this almost make me want to fire up bit torrent and snag some episodes of Desperate Housewives. Just on principle. That and I’ve never seen Desperate Housewives. But I can get it from Netflix way easier. And I don’t have to use TOR. But believe me, I’m not going to purchase any movie or TV show. Not now. Not ever.

]]> http://eifelrabe.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/der-zahn-der-zeit/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:07:31 +0000 Der Rabe http://eifelrabe.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/der-zahn-der-zeit/



“Tempus edax rerum.”
(lat. “Die Zeit nagt an den Dingen.”)
Ovid (43 v.Chr.-17 n.Chr.)

]]> http://electroblaster.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/beautiful-to-bad-ass-chiddy-bang-tor-re-work-sufjan-stevens/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:52:12 +0000 electroblaster http://electroblaster.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/beautiful-to-bad-ass-chiddy-bang-tor-re-work-sufjan-stevens/

One of the things I love about the digital age is the proliferation of new music created from old music.  There is no limit on what one can isolate, clip, loop, and lay tracks over these days, and talented people all over the world are using their Mac’s to recycle great music.  Today I bring you two hip hop tracks based on the work of Sufjan Stevens.

Most people who know about Sufjan Stevens‘ work, whether they like modern folk or not, recognize he is a musical genius.  He writes poignant melodies and sophisticated, emotion-laden lyrics.  It’s been a few years since his last official States project album came out, and I eagerly await the next.  In the interim, however, a host of underground hip-hop artists and producers have taken to re-working some of his best songs and making something new and totally bad ass.

This first song just came out recently and it has been in heavy rotation in my iTunes since.  It’s by an electronic/rap crew from Philadelphia called Chiddy Bang.  It derives from Sufjan’s epic “Chicago,” and the hook is awesome.  It sounds like they ran the symphonic melody from the original song through a vocoder, and then chopped it up a little bit for rhythmic effect.  The vocals are entirely original and done by Chiddy Bang.  Anyway,  I just watched the video these guys posted on their Official Website, and my first impression is that these kids could be, like, living in your basement.  Nevertheless, trust me, listen to this: it’s awesome:

  18 All Things Go (w Sufjan Stevens)

If you end up liking this, you can download their entire new mixtape, The Swelly Express, here.



“Chiddy Bang is a four piece hip-hop/electronica outlet from Philadelphia. Currently attending their first year of college, they posses a musical maturity that is far superior to the teen-pop cliche. Chiddy Bang blends hard hitting lyricism from front man Chidera “Proto” Anamege, original electronica afro-beat and jazz influenced production from keyboardist Noah Beresin and drummer Zach Sewall, and additional production and vocals from guitarist Pat Braz.”

The other song I bring you is about a year old, and comes from an entire album of existing hip hop vocals laid over Sufjan’s brilliant music, and spiced up with some hip hop beats.  It was created by the amazing Montreal-based producer Tor.  He took the concept I described above to a whole new level by creating the album Illinoize (a play on Sufjan’s Illinois, obviously).  The whole album is great, and if you like what you hear on Electroblaster: you can download the entire album here.  Enjoy this sample, with Brother Ali used for vocals:

06 Night Zombies _ Talkin My Shit (f. Brother Ali)



]]> http://scndlook.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/9jahriger-puck-kunstler/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:05:06 +0000 Moritz http://scndlook.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/9jahriger-puck-kunstler/

Hier ein kleiner Gastbeitrag von Marc, unserem Mann in Zürich. Enjoy.

“Um mal ein paar andere Sportarten auf scndlook in den Blickpunkt zu rücken, kannst Du ja folgendes Video posten.

Ein neunjährigen Knirps hat ein absolut geiles Tor geschossen. Eishockey ist hier in der Schweiz halt mindestens Sportart Nr. 2, deswegen ein kleiner Support von meiner Seite aus “

]]> http://neuesausgumtow.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/halloween/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:39:57 +0000 Renate http://neuesausgumtow.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/halloween/

Guten Tag, meine Lieben!

An einem der letzten Wochenenden feierte meine Freundin Gertrud aus Bad Salzuflen ihren Geburtstag bei mir in Gumtow. Es war der 31. Oktober, also Reformationstag – auf neudeutsch Halloween. An diesem Abend ziehen auch in Gumtow verkleidete Kinder durch die Straßen, klingeln, sagen „Gib uns Süßes, sonst gibt´s Saures“ (sehr geistreich) und bekommen Süßigkeiten. Ich hatte mir eine Tüte voller Bonbons zurechtgelegt und ging hinaus, wenn es klingelte. Dabei hatte ich im Dunkeln nicht gesehen, dass Stella mit hinaus-, aber nicht wieder mit hineingekommen war. Plötzlich ging das Telefon: “Renate, dein Hund sitzt vor dem Tor!“ Da saß sie tatsächlich und grämte sich, sie bellt ja nicht wie andere Hunde, um sich bemerkbar zu machen. Sie schmiss sich in ihren Korb und sah mich vorwurfsvoll an – wie konnte ich sie vor dem Tor vergessen! Das Telefon ging nochmal: „Dein Hund ist draußen, hoffentlich läuft er nicht vor ein Auto!“  “Danke, sehr lieb”, entgegnete ich, “ist schon erledigt.” Bei der Lautstärke im Haus – wegen der Feierei – hörte ich manchmal das Klingeln nicht, aber als ich wieder hinausmusste, fragten die Kinder: “Ist Stella wieder da?“

Ihr seht, man hat ein Auge auf mich (bzw. auf meinen Hund), das ist sehr beruhigend, finde ich.

Ich hoffe, dass es auch in eurem Leben Menschen gibt, die auf euch achten – macht´s gut, eure Renate

]]> http://follygirlsphotoworld.wordpress.de/2009/11/12/15-minuten-renees-fotoaktion-2/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:07:37 +0000 Follygirl http://follygirlsphotoworld.wordpress.de/2009/11/12/15-minuten-renees-fotoaktion-2/

Ich habe gestern (wie immer den besten aller Ehemänner abgeholt) Bilder auf dem Parkplatz der Firma gemacht.

 Ich habe ca 5 Minuten dafür gebraucht und insgesamt 11 Bilder. (Ich weiß leider nicht mal genau, wie die Kamera heißt, sie ist auf jedenfall von >Jenaoptik< und ist son kleines Knipseldings).



 Ein Blick von unten, unter meinem Auto durch….(Ja, ich mache gerne sone schrägen Dinger mit Blick  von ganz unten…).



 Die Laterne vor dem Werkstor…



 Parkplatz durchs Beet…..



 …und da eine neue Regenfront auf uns zu kam….ja, da wurde so recht nichts aus den geplanten >Parkplatzansichten< , sondern es wurde eine Reihe  >Himmelsansichten< , wenn das Wetter umzieht, so richtig dramatisch wars…Die Woklen jagten über den Himmel und es wurde immer dunkeler.

Ein letztes Bild aus dem Auto heraus…der Himmel war eindeutig interressanter als der Parkplatz.

 //Eine private Anmerkung, die Bilder sind dunkel und bedrohlich, genauso ist die Stimmung in dieser Firma seit vielen Monaten. Das fiel mir aber erst später auf.//

    :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 Gleicher Tatort, aber andere Baustelle….(andere Kamera, auch da weiß ich nicht wie die genau heißt, sie ist von >Maginon< und ist auch son kleines Knipseldings).



 Dieses Bild soll nur zeigen, wo die folgenden Fotos entstanden…auch hier ca 5 Minuten und ich habe 10 Bilder gemacht.



 Das ist ROST, der über lange Jahre immer wieder auf den Boden getropft ist. Ich finde er sieht irgendwie unwirklich aus.



 Das Tor wurde schon sehr lange nicht mehr bewegt und ist auch ganz zugewachsen.



 Mir gefällt das Blatt, der Kontrast… Vergänglichkeit…



 Ein letzter Blick, auf das ist das Teil vom Schloß, wo das Tor normalerweise zugemacht wurde…(hat bestimmt auch einen Namen, ich weiß ihn leider nicht).

 Mich fazieniert alles was mit ROST & Vergänglichkeit  zu tun hat, deshalb konnte ich an dem Tor nicht vorbei gehen.

 So, nun DANKE ich für Euere Geduld, und vor allem RENEE für diese schöne Aktion…

………………………………………………………………………………………….Petra………………….

>>>   HIER    gehts zu der Liste mit den anderen Fotokünstlern…

]]> http://everydaymusic.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/illinoize/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:45 +0000 everydaymusic http://everydaymusic.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/illinoize/ http://michls.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/ost-vs-west-at-its-best/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:10:38 +0000 zuecho77 http://michls.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/ost-vs-west-at-its-best/ http://maniacgeek.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/hadopi-au-niveau-mondial/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:45:00 +0000 achille52 http://maniacgeek.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/hadopi-au-niveau-mondial/

J’ai lu sur plusieurs blogs qu’il y a un projet initié par les américains pour tenter de créer un projet visant à protéger les droits d’auteurs indépendamment du pays. Une sorte d’Hadopi mondialisé où les fournisseurs d’accès à Internet seraient responsabilisés pour les actes de leurs abonnés. Aussi invraisemblable que cela puisse paraitre, c’est un projet qui risque de voir le jour, et on peut dire que le roman 1984 d’Orwell n’était qu’une broutille à coté. La plupart des utilisateurs d’Internet pensent qu’il accèdent à une liberté totale d’expression, mais ce type de projet risque encore plus de les ficher sur les organisations gouvernementales.

L’inefficacité d’un projet Hadopi-like

Même pour l’Hadopi voté en france, la plupart des experts sont sceptiques sur son inefficacité contre le téléchargement illégal, en effet, avant même l’adoption de la loi, des réseaux pair à pair cryptées existaient déjà dans d’autres pays, et ce n’est qu’une question de temps avant qu’ils soient généralisés. Au lieu de se battre contre des moulins à vent avec des buldozers, les responsables devraient envisager des solutions payantes, mais à un prix abordable pour proposer du contenu parfaitement légal. Une étude montre que les pirates achètent plus de contenu légal que les personnes  honnêtes , car malgré l’attrait de la gratuité, les oeuvres illégales manquent souvent de qualité. Aussi, ces derniers servent uniquement comme un mécanisme de découverte pour envisager un achat plus mature. Dans une vue simpliste, on pourrait le considérer comme une pub à grande échelle. De plus, un programme surveillant tous les activités des utilisateurs serait un gouffre financier, sans compter la réticence de nombreux pays qui ne veulent pas qu’on mettent le nez dans leurs affaires.

L’utilisateur est le Roi de l’Internet

Les fournisseurs, les constructeurs et les grandes entreprises oublient qu’ils doivent leur richesse et puissance aux utilisateurs qui les ont fait confiance. Et c’est comme cela qu’on les remercie ?? Même à l’époque de l’ère statique, des entreprises comme Google ou Microsoft sont devenus des géants grâce à nous, les artistes sont milliardaires grâce aux millions de fans qui les supportent. Le Web 2.0 et bientôt le Web 3.0 va donner encore plus de puissance à l’utilisateur, pas uniquement avec les réseaux sociaux et la convergence numérique, mais grâce à la bidouillabilité qui est en vogue ces derniers temps. Ce terme indique la capacité d’un utilisateur à modifier un produit selon ses besoins, et à les faire partager au reste de sa communauté. On pourrait le comparer au modèle Open Source qui permet de modifier librement le code source, mais c’est plus simple. Ainsi, même un novice en programmation peut changer un logiciel intégrant cette bidouillabilité. En fait, ces nouvelles solutions ne servent plus à utiliser un logiciel, mais à le commander telle la devise d’Ubiquity qui est un module de Firefox allant dans ce sens.

Les dangers d’Hadopi-like pour les libertés fondamentales.

Les pires des projets ont toujours débuté par de bonne intentions, et on nous bassine avec la protection des droits d’auteurs. Mais qu’est-ce qui se passera quand on mettra cette technologie de surveillance au service de pays qui attaquent leurs propres citoyens ? Est-ce que les champions de la Démocratie vont laisser passer en disant que c’est pour le bien de tous, signifiant pour le compte en banque de quelques Majors de l’industrie du spectacle ? Car l’absurdité d’un tel projet n’aura qu’une seule conséquence, la multiplication des dérives autoritaires. On pourra utiliser les Hadopi-like pour contrecarrer toute velléité d’opposition, comme c’est le cas actuellement pour le terrorisme. N’est-ce pas ce qui s’est passé en Chine avec la répression des Ouigurs ?

Génération code barre

Est-ce que nous nous dirigeons vers une société dictatoriale qui veut transformer ses sujets en des consommateurs apathiques qui ne font qu’obéir aux ordres ? Les solutions pour faciliter nos vies sont également des menottes numériques qui asservit au profit de quelques intérêt économiques. Les puces, l’explosion des téléphones portables, la géolocalisation sont des solutions pour notre confort, mais nous incite également à rester dans le cadre d’une société qui ne tolère pas les rebellions. Évidemment, des initiatives existent pour surfer anonymement, et effacer ses traces, mais elles ne sont que partielles. Je pense qu’un gouvernement démocratique doit garantir la sécurité des citoyens, et par sécurité, j’englobe également l’identité numérique.

]]> http://olexii.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/tor-project/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:26:20 +0000 olexii http://olexii.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/tor-project/

Tor project is yet another solution to get anonymity in the WWW.  Here what they say:

Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships.

Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location. Tor works with many of your existing applications, including web browsers, instant messaging clients, remote login, and other applications based on the TCP protocol.

I have never been used Tor for myself. But idea as I get it is very good and approach of its realization is interesting. You can read more about it on Tor’s overview page. In few words it works like this. There is a set of computers that have installed Tor and all of them are united in one network. Instead of establish direct connection to some web site you can use that network. Thus you request and site’s respond go through the network of several computers. Each time you request another web page the overall path is changing. So it looks like the fluid proxy network.



Tor work process

]]> http://lazowski.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/koniec-neutralnosci-sieci-w-polsce-nie-jest-w-koncu-tor/ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:56:22 +0000 lazowski http://lazowski.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/koniec-neutralnosci-sieci-w-polsce-nie-jest-w-koncu-tor/

Jeżeli wierzyć doniesieniom prasowym to wkrótce będziemy mieli w Polsce drugie Chiny. Rząd Donalda Tuska chce, wzorem Chin, Iranu i Australii, zmusić dostawców Internetu do blokowania wybranych adresów www. Adresy mają być wskazywane przez UKE, policja, służby specjalne i Ministerstwo Finansów. Czyli cenzura internetu stanie się faktem. Kto wie może niedługo gg i poczta znajdą się na celowniku inteligentnych inaczej z rządu. Za nim do tego dojdzie chciałem pokazać prosty sposób jak poradzić sobie z tego typu sankcjami. Wszystko pięknie i anonimowo będzie działało jednak niesmak zostaje po tym jak przypomnę sobie na kogo głosowałem…

Tor, bo o nim będzie mowa, jest programem działającym w otwartej sieci, która pomaga chronić użytkowników przed inwigilacją, zagrażającej anonimowości i prywatności w sieci.
Tor chroni cię, przekazując twoją komunikację poprzez rozproszoną sieć przekaźników sieciowych uruchamianych przez wolontariuszy na całym świecie: zapobiega to odkrywaniu, jakie strony odwiedzasz poprzez podsłuchiwanie twojego połączenia internetowego i zapobiega to odkrywaniu twojego miejsca pobytu przez strony, które odwiedzasz. Tor działa z wieloma już istniejącymi aplikacjami, łącznie z przeglądarkami internetowymi, komunikatorami, zdalnym logowaniem i innymi, opartymi na protokole TCP.

Instalacja :
Edytujemy naszą source.liste :
pico /etc/apt/sources.list
Dodajemy dwa wpisy :
deb http://mirror.noreply.org/pub/tor jaunty main
deb-src http://mirror.noreply.org/pub/tor jaunty main

Aktualizujemy nasze repozytoria i instalujemy TORa i privoxy :
# apt-get update
# apt-get install tor privoxy

Jeżeli podczas instalacji pokaże nam się taki komunikat, to będziemy musieli ściągnąć jedną paczkę
Następujące pakiety mają niespełnione zależności:
tor: Wymaga: libevent1 (>= 1.3e) ale nie da się go zainstalować
E: Pakiety są uszkodzone

ściągamy ją :
# wget http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/libe/libevent/libevent1_1.3e-3_i386.deb
# dpkg -i libevent1_1.3e-3_i386.deb

i wracamy do naszej instalacji :
# apt-get install tor privoxy

Edytujemy plik konfiguracyjny privoxy :
# pico /etc/privoxy/config
Dodajmy ten wpis ( obojętnie gdzie ) :
forward-socks4a / 127.0.0.1:9050 .
kropka na końcu jest ważna !
I haszujemy tą linijkę :
logfile logfile
( #logfile logfile )
w pico szuka się po wciśnięciu CRTL+W

Restartujemy privoxy :
# /etc/init.d/./privoxy restart

Na koniec zostaje nam już tylko pobrać dodatek do FireFoxa. Torbutton daje użytkownikowi przycisk do szybkiego i bezpiecznego włączania i wyłączania korzystania z Tora przez przeglądarkę. Od wersji 1.1 Torbutton dostarcza mechanizmy zaawansowanej prywatności i izolacji stanu przeglądarki, które czynią ją bardziej prywatną i bezpieczną w używaniu Tora niż jakiekolwiek inne rozszerzenie do zmiany proxy.
https://addons.mozilla.org/pl/firefox/addon/2275

Przy wyłączonej wtyczce Torbutton :


Oraz po jej włączeniu :


Linki:
http://osnews.pl/koniec-neutralnosci-sieci-w-polsce/
http://www.torproject.org/index.html.pl
http://wiki.noreply.org/noreply/TheOnionRouter/TorifyHOWTO

]]> http://comuniotipps.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/torjubel-auch-noch-nicht-gesehen/ Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:32:57 +0000 admin http://comuniotipps.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/torjubel-auch-noch-nicht-gesehen/
]]> http://sebastianheier.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/die-schwabische-leidenszeit-geht-weiter-abstiegskampf-statt-%e2%80%9ekonigsklasse%e2%80%9c/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:04:27 +0000 sebastianheier http://sebastianheier.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/die-schwabische-leidenszeit-geht-weiter-abstiegskampf-statt-%e2%80%9ekonigsklasse%e2%80%9c/

Wann ist die Uhr von Markus Babbel zum Stehen gekommen? Gestern, vorgestern oder schon vor ganz langer Zeit? Angefangen hatte die Stuttgarter Leidenszeit schon mit dem Anpfiff der neuen Bundesliga-Saison – mittlerweile befindet sich der Champions League- Teilnehmer im öffentlich ausgerufen Abstiegskampf und die „Königsklasse“ ist längst zu einem lästigen Anhängsel geworden.

Von Sebastian HEIER

Stuttgart. Wie gut, dass es endlich vorbei ist! Dienstagabend, 20.52 Uhr: Der DFB-Pokal ist für den VfB Stuttgart zu einem weiteren Kapitel in der „Erfolgsstory“ der Saison 2009/10 geworden – ausgerechnet in der Spielzeit eins, nach dem der erneute Sprung in die Spitzengruppe der Bundesliga gelang. Vieles von heute erinnert an die Geschehnisse von vor zwei Jahren, auch damals folgte nach dem Hoch der tiefe Fall.

Parallelen zu 2007

Die Schwaben, die sich noch im Sommer 2007 über die deutsche Meisterschaft freuten, kamen ein Jahr nach diesem Triumph nur auf den sechsten Platz in der Abschlusstabelle. Auch beim genaueren Hinsehen sind die Parallelen vom Herbst 2007 zum jetzigen Herbst zu erkennen: Nach zehn Spieltagen belegten die Stuttgarter damals den 14. Tabellenplatz – so auch jetzt, allerdings mit noch zwei Zählern weniger auf dem Konto.

Auch 2007 zogen die VfB-Akteure in die große „Königsklasse“ ein. Das Champions League-Parkett wurde allerdings zu einem peinlichen Desaster. Sechs Spiele, drei Punkte, Platz vier und das Aus. Zum Vergleich, so sieht jetzt, nach der Hälfte der auszutragenden Spiele, aus: Drei Spiele, zwei Punkte, Platz drei und das Aus droht. Die „Königsklasse“, eigentlich eine Krönung für jeden Fußballer, ist zu einem lästigen Anhängsel geworden.

„Babbelmänner“ verabschieden sich

Eines ist jedoch bei all den Vergleichen mit der Vergangenheit anders: Am Dienstagabend verabschiedeten sich die „Babbelmänner“ bereits im Achtelfinale aus dem nationalen Pokalwettbewerb – vor zwei Jahren kam man immerhin noch bis ins Viertelfinale, wo die Endstation FC Carl Zeiss Jena hieß.

Muss Babbel gehen, damit es besser läuft?

Markus Babbel, der Europameister von 1996, erlebte es erst vor knapp zwölf Monaten als Assistent hautnah mit, wie der VfB-Trainer Armin Veh nach einer Krise entlassen wurde und wie es danach deutlich besser lief bei den Schwaben. Muss jetzt bald auch Markus Babbel seinen Platz räumen, damit es wieder besser läuft?

]]> http://wayapapaya.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/how-to-access-banned-websites5-simple-steps/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:46:11 +0000 wayapapaya http://wayapapaya.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/how-to-access-banned-websites5-simple-steps/
This entry goes out to the lovely softies and James.

Been fustrated this few weeks due to the restriction to your favourite sites? Always wanted to visit that delicious-looking site but couldn’t due to it being blocked?

 

5 simples steps to regain access to all your favourite sites!

 

Step 1: Download TorBundle http://www.torproject.org/dist/vidalia-bundles/vidalia-bundle-0.2.1.20-0.2.5.exe and install it.



Choose Full Installation

 

 

Step 2: Open the program. Go to Start>Programs>Vidalia Bundle> Vidalia

 

 

Step 3a: (For Internet Explorer users)Next, go to Tools>Internet Options>Connections>LAN Settings>Check the option box for Proxy server – Advanced. 



Change your settings to what you see here

*Remember your initial settings, you will need it to revert back to your previous settings later

 

Step 3b: (For Mozilla users) Install Tor Button https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2275/ and follow the settings above as well.

 

 

Step 4: Check that the icon is green in colour. If it is yellow, restart the program. Make sure the pear is green.



Make sure the pear is green

 

 

Step 5: Open up your Internet browser and starting surfing! (To revert back to the previous settings, undo Step 3)

 



]]> http://mentatjack.com/2009/10/28/new-collection-halo-evolutions/ Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:36:18 +0000 mentatjack http://mentatjack.com/2009/10/28/new-collection-halo-evolutions/

Check out the cover art for the new Halo short story collection and associated press release. I’ve read zero HALO fiction, but I love Buckell, Nylund, and VanderMeer’s other writing, so I’m very much looking forward to this.



Press Release

HALO: EVOLUTIONS will feature a wide variety of tales set across the span of the Halo universe. High-resolution images of the jacket art are now available by request. A full list of contributors, including brand-new original stories by New York Times bestselling Halo novelists Eric Nylund and Tobias Buckell, as well as Halo newcomer and #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss, follows below:

TOBIAS S. BUCKELL, the New York Times bestselling author of HALO: The Cole Protocol and Sly Mongoose. [Buckell's contribution is a novella titled, "Dirt." (source)]

B.K. EVENSON, the Edgar and Horror Guild International nominated author of Last Days and The Open Curtain.

JONATHAN GOFF, writer and artist with 343 Industries.

KEVIN GRACE, writer and Managing Editor of 343 Industries.

ROBT McLEES, Bungie game developer and writer on Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3, as well as the upcoming Halo: Reach.

ERIC NYLUND, the New York Times bestselling author of Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, and most recently a new non-Halo series that begins with Mortal Coils.

FRANK O’CONNOR, the Franchise Director for Halo at 343 Industries.

ERIC RAAB, writer, and Tor editor of the Halo novels since 2004.

KAREN TRAVISS, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of her own Wess’har series as well as Star Wars and Gears of War novels.

JEFF VANDERMEER & TESSA KUM: Vandermeer is the World Fantasy award-winning writer of City of Saints and Madman as well as Shriek: An Afterword and Finch. Kum is the author of 7wishes and editor for Weird Tales and the Best American Fantasy series. [The writing process for their novella, "The Mona Lisa."]

FRED VAN LENTE, the New York Times bestselling author of Incredible Hercules (with Greg Pak) and Marvel Zombies 3, as well as Cowboys and Aliens and the upcoming Marvel comic series Halo: Blood Line.

The collection also features original art by Gabriel “Robogabo” Garza and Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier of 343 Industries.

“We sought out writers who came to the table with an obvious passion for Halo and amazing story ideas.” says Eric Raab, Tor editor. “We got stuff for every kind of Halo fan from straight up action with the Master Chief to glimpse into the Elite mindset post Halo 3, and some really cool explorations of some other familiar faces like Cortana, the Gravemind, and Admiral Preston Cole, and some awesome new stuff that wander into unexplored territory of the Halo mythos.”

“The chance to explore corners of the Halo universe, whether obscure or popular, is something we are always excited to do, but the chance to shine light on these dark corners with the talents of these wonderful luminaries is a pleasure indeed,” says Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director, 343 Industries. “The combination of fresh eyes and old hands guarantees a brilliant continuation of a Halo tradition.”

---

I couldn’t resist the urge to add as many links as possible to this post. I’ll pass along the complete Table of Contents as I discover it. I’m excited that the Buckell and VanderMeer entries are novellas. I like that length of story.
]]> http://razorbladetackle.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/goal-of-the-week/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:57:57 +0000 bergnerp http://razorbladetackle.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/goal-of-the-week/ http://spywriter.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/internet-censorship-and-espionage/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:14:28 +0000 spywriter http://spywriter.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/internet-censorship-and-espionage/