1

Guest Book / Text is Half Russian

« on: 23/05/2013 12:15:03 »

I dunno if this is a fault or someone attemping to rename the monstrous POIS thread



The half-Russian link goes here ... http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=6576.msg411727;boardseen#new

2

Geek Speak / Can you have Windows-Linux dual-boot on a Windows-8 computer ?

« on: 23/05/2013 00:31:42 »

Windows-8 has a secure booting system which apparently can prevent dual-booting with Linux ...

http://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/205255/windows-8-oem-specs-may-block-linux-booting

Is it possible to dual-boot Windows-8 & Linux, (e.g. Linux Puppy on a USB stick) ?,

3

Just Chat ! / Dr Chris & Dr Karl are on SoundCloud

« on: 18/05/2013 23:25:05 »

I'm new to SoundCloud and just noticed Dr Chris & Dr Karl are there ...

https://soundcloud.com/primediabroadcasting/20130419nakedscientist

https://soundcloud.com/drkarlontriplej

4

Just Chat ! / They're having a giraffe : it's a ferret

« on: 17/05/2013 05:28:16 »

Man gets shock of his life when he buys two toy poodles for $150 only to be told by a vet that they are actually GIANT RODENTS pumped up with steroids to look like dogs

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305310/Man-gets-shock-toy-poodles-turn-GIANT-RODENTS-steroids.html

5

Just Chat ! / NASA ditches Microsoft-Windows for Linux

« on: 12/05/2013 19:45:57 »

http://gizmodo.com/the-iss-has-ditched-windows-entirely-for-linux-499593441

6

Just Chat ! / optimum beard length if you're lookin' for lurve

« on: 05/05/2013 15:39:54 »

10 days growth apparently ...

The role of facial hair in women's perceptions of men's attractiveness, health, masculinity and parenting abilities

... Women judged faces with heavy stubble as most attractive and heavy beards, light stubble and clean-shaven faces as similarly less attractive.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513813000226

7

Just Chat ! / A new product from the people who brought you "cheetah"

« on: 08/04/2013 06:25:06 »

New product from the people who brought you "cheetah"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFrjrgBV8K0

8

Geek Speak / Is there a free non-Adobe PDF-reader which can decrypt 256-bit encrypted PDFs ?

« on: 27/03/2013 21:38:45 »

Is there free PDF-reader software, other than Adobe reader, which can decrypt 256-bit encrypted PDFs ?

Free Non-Adobe PDF readers can deal with 128-bit encryption, but here doesn't seem to be a free one which can decrypt a PDF which has been encrypted using the latest 256-bit AES.

9

Just Chat ! / Rubber-Johnny 2.0

« on: 26/03/2013 10:33:59 »

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/26/bill_gates_wants_better_condoms/

10

Just Chat ! / Take the strain out of crucifixion ...

« on: 03/03/2013 19:12:15 »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2285872/Now-THATS-cross-bear-Christian-spends-26-years-hauling-12ft-crucifix-thousands-miles-world.html

Statics question : what fraction of the weight of the cross is he actually carrying ?

11

Just Chat ! / TNS “may contain nuts” disclaimer missing "necessarily" ?

« on: 06/02/2013 11:00:30 »

I just noticed the “may contain nuts” type disclaimer on the bottom of the new front page of TNS ...


Information presented on this website is the opinion of the individual contributors and does not reflect the general views of the administrators, editors, moderators, sponsors, Cambridge University or the public at large.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/

Shouldn’t it read “does not necessarily reflect”  rather than “does not reflect” as some opinions of some contributors may be shared by “ the administrators, editors, moderators, sponsors ...” ?.

It should only read “does not reflect” if all the contributors were considered to be as nutty as a fruitcake.

12

Just Chat ! / Polar bears also hate impenetrable transparent plastic packaging

« on: 05/01/2013 08:32:09 »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbtmMBDU2JE

13

Geek Speak / Has PDF encryption been cracked ?

« on: 19/10/2012 00:50:51 »

Is PDF encryption crackable other than by trial and error methods, (e.g. brute force, dictionary attack).

i.e. is there a cryptographic flaw ?.

The quote below could just be scaremongering to drum up business ...

One site ... will decrypt Adobe PDF files regardless of whether they have user or owner passwords set and regardless of whether they are protected by 40 bit or 128 bit encryption.

http://www.locklizard.com/pdf-encryption-security.htm

Attached is an encrypted PDF I created, feel free to try to open it

14

Just Chat ! / Have you seen the invisible bicycle helmet ?

« on: 26/09/2012 16:58:15 »

http://vimeo.com/43038579# [fast forward to 2min 55 sec]

15

Just Chat ! / sewage tsunami

« on: 26/09/2012 07:11:58 »

Many residents of Zimbabwe's second city have simultaneously flushed their toilets, as part of an official attempt to prevent blocked sewage pipes.

Bulawayo Mayor Thaba Moyo told the BBC the "big flush" would keep pipes wet and so prevent them getting clogged up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19704766

16

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Is it possible to walk a tightrope with an “80mph” sidewind ?

« on: 21/08/2012 01:23:42 »

The physics of crazy slackline walk between trucks at 80 mph
Woman's feat is a YouTube sensation; here is what is involved in the daring stunt

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48731067/ns/technology_and_science-science/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXwOoeGzys#t=1m


Maybe the quoted  “80mph" is incorrect ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXwOoeGzys#t=2m28s

17

Just Chat ! / snake handling by god-botherers , a dying art

« on: 18/08/2012 18:43:29 »

Mack Wolford, a flamboyant Pentecostal pastor from West Virginia whose serpent-handling talents were profiled last November in The Washington Post Magazine , hoped the outdoor service he had planned for Sunday at an isolated state park would be a “homecoming like the old days,” full of folks speaking in tongues, handling snakes and having a “great time.” But it was not the sort of homecoming he foresaw.

Instead, Wolford, who turned 44 the previous day, was bitten by a rattlesnake he owned for years. He died late Sunday ...

Wolford was 15 when he saw his father die at age 39 of a rattlesnake bite in almost exactly the same circumstances.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/serpent-handling-pastor-profiled-earlier-in-washington-post-dies-from-rattlesnake-bite/2012/05/29/gJQAJef5zU_story.html

One way or another the phrase "snake handler" should be a term of abuse

18

Physiology & Medicine / Is this "undiagnosed condition" Proteus syndrome ?

« on: 14/07/2012 16:21:29 »

Main image ... http://en.chinafotopress.com/index/onegroup?gid=7154412  [ ID:429902432 ]

Monochrome inset ... http://syndromepictures.com/proteus-syndrome-pictures/  [ bottom of page ]

19

Just Chat ! / Make that 102

« on: 04/06/2012 15:20:53 »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePNdcdNm9fY



 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101_Uses_for_a_Dead_Cat ]

20

Geek Speak / How can I boost the range of my home wifi for free?

« on: 31/05/2012 18:18:17 »

well for the price of a square foot of aluminium (kitchen) foil and a bit of cardboard ...


http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/index.html

admittedly coverage is directional with this Blue-Peter style addon, (previously omnidirectional).

21

Just Chat ! / New EU Cookie law, (is TNS compliant ?)

« on: 25/05/2012 09:38:09 »

New European cookie law means websites have to ask if it's OK to store a cookie on your computer ...

New EU cookie law (e-Privacy Directive)

The law which applies to how you use cookies and similar technologies for storing information on a user’s equipment such as their computer or mobile device changed on 26 May 2011 ...

Our latest guidance (May 2012) sets out the changes to the cookies law and explains the steps you need to take to ensure you comply. The updated guidance provides additional information around the issue of implied consent:

    Implied consent is a valid form of consent and can be used in the context of compliance with the revised rules on cookies.
    If you are relying on implied consent you need to be satisfied that your users understand that their actions will result in cookies being set. Without this understanding you do not have their informed consent.
    You should not rely on the fact that users might have read a privacy policy that is perhaps hard to find or difficult to understand.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electronic_communications/the_guide/cookies.aspx

22

Just Chat ! / Helium-filled inflatable-missiles :-)

« on: 21/05/2012 02:22:23 »

http://cslacker.com/images/view/6315

23

Just Chat ! / ingenious use of static electricity ...

« on: 28/04/2012 01:34:03 »

https://imgur.com/gallery/CNycl

24

Just Chat ! / sounds like a line from "Star Wars"

« on: 16/04/2012 01:04:57 »

Supreme Leader ... ordered the establishment of the high council of cyberspace

http://tehrantimes.com/politics/96186-leader-orders-establishment-of-high-council-of-cyberspace

25

Just Chat ! / David Cameron wants to inspect your packet :¬o

« on: 05/04/2012 16:22:31 »

April 3, 2012 | By Trevor Timm
UK Government Proposes Law Monitoring Every Email, Phone Call, and Text Message

On Sunday, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister David Cameron and the Interior Ministry were forced to defend a sweeping wiretapping proposal, which would aim to monitor every single email, text message, and phone call flowing through the whole country. The proposal would likely force all UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to install “black boxes” on their systems that use Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology, which would give authorities access to all communications data without a warrant or any judicial oversight.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/uk-government-proposes-law-monitoring-every-email-phone-call-and-text-message

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_packet_inspection#Deep_Packet_Inspection_by_governments