Winckel

:-) - Winckel

"Iran has flexed its military might by showing off what it claims is a new "indigenous" reconnaissance drone capable of reaching Israel and launching a series of anti-warship missiles in the Persian Gulf. In what appears to be a reaction to the recent naval exercise in the region by the US and its allies, Iran's elite revolutionary guards have unveiled an unmanned aerial vehicle, called Shahed-129 (or Witness-129), which is claimed to have a range of up to 2000 kilometres and capable of 24 hour flight. "The new drone... can carry out combat and reconnaissance missions with its 24-hour non-stop flight capability," reported the website of Iran's state-run English language television, Press TV. "The home-made aircraft is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 1,700-2,000 kilometers... [and] can be equipped with electronic and communication systems including cameras which can capture and send live images," it said. Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, which is affiliated to the guards, also reported that the forces have successfully test-fired four anti-missiles in the Persian Gulf. Citing a guards' navy commander, Ali Fadavi, Fars said: "The missiles were fired simultaneously at a sea target as large as a warship and sank it in fifty seconds." News about Iran's new military advances comes as president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a visit to the UN general assembly in New York that his country did not take threats of an Israeli military strike seriously. "We have all the defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves," he added. Despite a plea by the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who warned the Iranian president recently to avoid "incendiary rhetoric", Ahmadinejad once again used his New York visit to make strongly worded statements about Israel, saying the country had no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated". A White House spokesman reacted by describing his comments as "characteristically disgusting, offensive and outrageous". In reaction to increasing western economic sanctions and threats of war, Iran has resorted to sabre-rattling and threats to close the strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway in the Gulf where one-fifth of the world's oil passes in tankers. Recent miltary manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf by the US and its allies are seen as a practice to counter any threat from Tehran to disrupt activities around the strait. "This exercise is about mines and the international effort to clear them," said commander of the US naval forces central command, Vice Admiral John Miller, last week. Last December, Iranian authorities displayed a US unmanned aerial vehicle, believed to be an RQ-170 Sentinel drone, which they claimed to have brought down electronically. Military experts questioned the veracity of Iranian claims, while the US insisted the drone malfunctioned and was not brought down by Iranian forces. Iran previously claimed it would dismantle the US drone in order to study it but it was not clear on Tuesday whether the new Iranian reconnaissance aircraft had any linkes with the RQ-170." - Winckel

Tina, come to UN, give Ahmadinejad a blow job. - ♕Dr. Eynollah ♕

I always raise my eyebrows just a bit when it comes to marketing, but the last time Steve Jobs invoked the Retina Display moniker, the vision scientist in me checked to see if his claims held up and sure enough, they did. This time I was not so concerned withthe technical details of Apple‘s marketing claims, but was more interested in seeing if the displays, viewed up close could be distinguishable between the new iPhone 5 and my older iPhone 4. I’ve been looking at the pixels in the new iPhone 5 over the last few days and it really is a higher quality display than the Retina Display in the iPhone 4. Subjectively, looking at the display there is more contrast, the blacks are blacker and the colors are more intense. The iPhone 4 display is very, very good. So, would the iPhone 5 display be appreciably better? Anyone can subjectively look at photographs and when you do, you can tell that there is more vibrance, but I wanted to get closer by inspecting the pixels in a stereomicroscope. I took both the new iPhone 5 and the older iPhone 4 and placed their screens on maximum brightness, then imaged them with the same settings with my stereomicroscope and a Canon 1D Mk III camera. Magnification was held constant in all captures. The image above gives you some idea for the two displays, but what is more difficult to appreciate from these 2D images is that the pixels in the iPhone 5 are closer to the surface of the glass than in the iPhone 4. This is because Apple has integrated the touch sensor into the display and not layered it on top of the glass. Its hard to appreciate the depth of the pixels without a 3D image that you can move around, but the iPhone 4 pixels are appreciably deeper in the display and thus further away from the surface than they are in the iPhone 5. The iPhone 4 made a huge jump in pixel distance from the glass surface from the iPhone 3, and while this is not such a huge jump in distance as the iPhone 3 to 4, the results can be seen even without benefit of 3D viewing, particularly in the black or dark regions of the display. - Winckel

"A phone dialer code can hard reset a Galaxy S2, S3, and a bunch of minor devices that use Samsung’s TouchWiz overlay. The idea is that the operator could enter it on the keypad manually to hard reset all of the data. However, it was discovered last month that an SMS could carry the number and reset the device (video above). Now, it seems some folks have tried embedding the call function in a web frame with those numbers. They were able to reset the Samsung Galaxy devices just by having the device visit a website." - Winckel

had this been an iPhone, how much coverage would this have got? - Winckel

It seems like people really hate the new Maps in iOS 6. Now, I'm not disputing that Maps does give a lot of strange results to a lot of people all around the world, but for a large, large number of people, iOS 6 Maps has been a huge improvement over Google Maps. I'm talking about those of us who live in China (you know, the place with 1.3+ billion people and the second-largest economy in the world). Google Maps was always pretty terrible here. In the big cities and tourist centers, it was passable. Once you left China's large metropolises, however, you were pretty much on your own. You could usually see expressways, highways, and even a lot of smaller roads, but there were very, very few shops, restaurants, banks, ATMs, etc. listed. That has changed with iOS 6. Apple has chosen AutoNavi to provide map services within China. That was a smart move, because AutoNavi is a local Chinese company that provides very detailed maps of China. Google was never going to be able to map China as well as it has other parts of the globe because the Chinese government doesn't trust the motives of foreign companies—and it especially doesn't trust Google. (see update below) Well, don't take my word for it. Check out the difference yourself. The first map is Google Maps on iOS 5. The second is Apple's iOS Maps on iOS 6. This shows the same location just outside of Lijiang, Yunnan. Lijiang is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. Both Google Maps and iOS Maps covers the center of the city pretty well. As you can see, though, if you move a couple of miles out of the city center, Google Maps becomes pretty useless pretty quickly. - Winckel

sure, i meant the portion of the map in the pictures. It's hard to get an idea just from those two: i see a difference but not as striking as he implies, also the zoom is not at the same level. Anyway in the follow-up of that post he gave one more example http://anthonydrendel.com/blog... - Aldo Oldo

"A police officer has been charged with misconduct in public office after allegedly contacting the now-defunct News of the World with information, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced. Detective chief inspector April Casburn, who works in specialist operations at the Metropolitan police, has been accused of contacting the paper on 11 September, 2010 after the CPS examined a file sent to them by officers on Operation Elveden investigating alleged inappropriate payments by journalists to police and other public servants. Alison Levitt, QC, the principal legal adviser to the director of public prosecutions, said in statement that Casburn had "wilfully misconducted herself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public's trust in that office". Casburn is due to appear at Westminster magistrate's court on 1 October. The full DPP statement read: "We have concluded, having carefully considered the file of evidence, that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that it is in the public interest to charge DCI Casburn with misconduct in public office. The particulars are that on 11 September 2010, April Casburn, being a public officer, and acting as such, without reasonable excuse or justification, wilfully misconducted herself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public's trust in that office. This charge relates to an allegation that DCI Casburn contacted the News of the World newspaper and offered to provide information." Eight people, including Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor and No10 director of communications, were charged in July with conspiracy to intercept voicemails and will appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing. A further seven individuals, including the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, will appear in the same court on Wednesday for a plea hearing in relation to charges that they conspired to pervert the course of justice by allegedly concealing information from police working on Operation Weeting, the Met investigation into phone hacking." - Winckel

They are clearly the nations finest, true public servants commanding respect and gratitude. Or not :-( - Winckel

"Germany's Roman Catholics are to be denied the right to Holy Communion or religious burial if they stop paying a special church tax. A German bishops' decree which has just come into force says anyone failing to pay the tax - an extra 8% of their income tax bill - will no longer be considered a Catholic. The bishops have been alarmed by the number of Catholics leaving the Church. They say such a step should be seen as a serious act against the community. All Germans who are officially registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews pay a religious tax of 8-9% on their annual income tax bill. The levy was introduced in the 19th Century in compensation for the nationalisation of religious property. "If your tax bill is for 10,000 euros, then 800 euros will go on top of that and your total tax combined will be 10,800 euros," Munich tax accountant Thomas Zitzelsberger told the BBC news website. Catholics make up around 30% of Germany's population but the number of congregants leaving the church swelled to 181,000 in 2010, with the increase blamed on revelations of sexual abuse by German priests. Alarmed by their declining congregations, the bishops were also pushed into action by a case involving a retired professor of church law, Hartmut Zapp, who announced in 2007 that he would no longer pay the tax but intended to remain within the Catholic faith. Continue reading the main story Tax on Germany's Christians 25 million Catholics Tax worth 5bn euros (2010) 24 million Protestants Tax worth 4.3bn euros German population 82 million The Freiburg University academic said he wanted to continue praying and receiving Holy Communion and a lengthy legal case between Prof Zapp and the church will reach the Leipzig Federal Administrative Court on Wednesday. "This decree makes clear that one cannot partly leave the Church," Germany's bishops' conference said last week, in a decision endorsed by the Vatican. 'Wrong signal' Unless they pay the religious tax, Catholics will no longer be allowed receive sacraments, except before death, or work in the church and its schools or hospitals. Without a "sign of repentance before death, a religious burial can be refused," the decree states. Opting out of the tax would also bar people from acting as godparents to Catholic children. "This decree at this moment of time is really the wrong signal by the German bishops who know that the Catholic church is in a deep crisis," Christian Weisner from the grassroots Catholic campaign group We are Church told the BBC. But a priest from Mannheim in south-western Germany, Father Lukas Glocker, said the tax was used to do essential good works. "With kindergarten, with homes for elderly or unemployed, we've got really good things so I know we need the tax to help the German country to do good things." While the decree severely limits active participation in the German Catholic Church, it does hold out some hope for anyone considering a return to the fold. Until now, any German Catholic who stopped payment faced eventual excommunication. Although the measures laid out in the decree are similar to excommunication from the church, German observers say the word is carefully avoided in the decree." - Winckel

"If you produce a Bible pickled in urine, you might be a candidate for the Turner Prize.  If you used to be a Catholic but left the church claiming to have been maltreated, and publicly burn a Bible whilst yelling "I hate Jesus", you might get on the local TV.  If you make a movie depicting Jesus having an affair with Mary Magdalene, in full frontal nudity, you might have a hit movie.  But if you burn a Koran, you'll be arrested.  If you depict Mohammed having an affair or naked, you might be arrested, and you'll certainly be condemned by politicians.  No-one will say you are bravely standing up against bullies and oppressors - as they might well say about the ex-Catholic. If you mock the beliefs of Young Earth Creationists or Chakra healers, you might get your own newspaper column.  But if you mock the beliefs of Muslims, politicians will say how strongly they disapprove of you, and though they will declare their support for the principle of freedom of speech, behind the scenes they will put pressure on your newspaper or web-page hoster to take down the offending item. Why do they do that?  Why, when there are riots and murders in response to people's expression of their constitutional free speech liberties, do politicians always say how much they disapprove of the person's actions?  They do it, of course, because they are afraid of inciting more violence and because they are personally afraid of becoming targets.  But every time a politician kow-tows in response to murder and mayhem, she reinforces the notion that there is something special about Islam that means the same rules (quite properly) applied to other religions do not apply to it. Mainstream Muslims (not all Muslims, of course - there are a few that prefer free speech - but the mainstream Muslim line offered publicly is as follows) tell us that the image of Mohammed is special to Muslims (they don't mean Shi'ites, but let's set that point aside), that the Koran is holy.  But do people think Christians are less insulted by the denigration of their God than Muslims of their prophet? No politician ever thinks of saying "I protect such-and-such an artist's right to free speech, but disapprove of the anti-Christian / anti-Sikh / anti-Buddhist nature of his work."  Why?  We all know the reason.  It's because Christians and Sikhs and Buddhists around the world don't engage in murder and mayhem in response to such things.  So politicians imagine their inconsistency is about law and order - akin to disapproving of someone provoking a crowd into a riot.  But the message offered is that Christians and Sikhs and Buddhists want religious protection, they should murder more people and destroy more property.  That's not a healthy message. Muslims around the world need to get it: for those of us that aren't Muslims, the Koran is not a holy book, so if someone wants to smear pig-fat on it and burn it, that's up to him.  That's not how I happen to get my kicks, but I see no more reason to ritually declare I disapprove of someone doing that than I would of someone smearing pig-fat on a copy of the Lord of the Rings and burning that - indeed, probably rather less reason.  And those of us that do not believe in Islam believe that Mohammed is not a prophet of God.  So if someone wants to depict Mohammed naked, or claim he had affairs, or say he didn't get on with his parents, that's up to them.  That's how things work in Western countries.  If Muslims in non-Western countries don't like it, tough! Western politicians need to man up on these issues.  The people abusing the Koran or Mohammed are really declaring "I am not afraid", when by doing so they are at some genuine personal risk from wicked people who seek to oppress and murder.  As politicians and commentators we don't have to praise these people standing up for freedom of thought and expression against the bullies.  But their ritual condemnation is weak, weak, weak." - Winckel

Well in france you can't wear a veil if you are muslim but you can if you are catholic - so a different double standard... - Iphigenie

Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah visits his old school, Feltham community college in west London. Farah describes how as a teenager he wanted to be a footballer and was good at running, but not so good at controlling the ball. He says his PE teacher spotted his ability and took him to a local running club - Winckel

:-) - Winckel

a more beautiful plane it would be hard to find - Winckel

nice - نهال

I hope they shook wings and made up after this - Winckel

yalancılarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! - neferteti

classic - the king of the interweb

if it has all the continents must be the Google version - Winckel

:-) - Stephan Planken

++ - amin

"A husband, his parents and his brother-in-law were all jailed for life today after they murdered his pregnant wife in an apparent attempt to rid her of an evil spirit. Mohammed Tauseef Mumtaz, 25, had to be carried out of the dock by his father after he was told he would serve a minimum of 13 years for murdering his wife Naila. Mrs Mumtaz, who was six months pregnant, was smothered at her Birmingham home in 2009. Mumtaz's brother-in-law, Hammad Hassan, was also imprisoned for at least 13 years, while his mother and father, Salma Aslam and Zia Ul-Haq, were both given minimum terms of 15 years by a judge at Birmingham Crown Court. Mumtaz, his parents, both aged 51, and Hassan, 24, had denied charges of murder and manslaughter but were convicted of the more serious offence following a 12-week trial which ended in July this year. The trial heard evidence that Naila, 21, was killed during attempts to render her unconscious as family members attempted to drive out a harmful 'jinn' spirit. Jurors also heard that Mumtaz, whose wife was six months pregnant, told police that she had tried to strangle herself at their home in Craythorne Avenue, Handsworth Wood, after becoming 'possessed' by the spirit. Passing sentence on the four defendants, Mr Justice Keith accepted that they had not intended to kill Naila, who moved to the UK in 2008 after an arranged marriage in Pakistan. Although the jury’s guilty verdicts were consistent with a finding that the victim was deliberately smothered by one or more of the defendants as others held her down, the judge said the panel’s findings did not explain why she was attacked. During his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Keith said: 'The four of you have been convicted of the murder of Naila Mumtaz - she was only 21 years old at the time of her death and had her life ahead of her. 'She was her parents’ only daughter and her death has left a terrible gap in their lives. 'What aggravates the case is that Naila was pregnant at the time of her death, isolated from her family in a country unfamiliar to her, and spoke little if any English.'   More... Woman who 'killed herself and two sons in murder-suicide hours after husband said he was leaving her' Chinese Police chief who tried to cover up murder of British businessman Neil Heywood is jailed for 15 years 'How can you do this? Don’t you have a mother and sister?' Traumatised actress reveals how she begged rapist to stop after he attacked her on park bench Possible motives for the offence raised during the trial were that the defendants believed Naila’s unborn child was not her husband’s - or that she was possessed by a jinn sent from Pakistan. The judge, who ruled that it was unlikely the defendants believed Naila was pregnant by another man, said: 'The other possibility explored in the course of the trial about why Naila was smothered was that the defendants believed that Naila had been possessed by a jinn, which had been sent from Pakistan by Naila’s parents, and that they ... smothered her in order to get rid of the jinn. Jailed: Mohammed Tauseef Mumtaz (left) was given a life sentence for the murder, along with his father Zia Ul-Haq (second from left), mother Salma Aslam (second from right), and brother-in-law Hammad Hassan (right) 'I regard this as a less unlikely explanation for what happened.' The judge urged the prison authorities to house Mumtaz - who suffers from a severe disability - in the same cell as his father so he can be properly supported during his imprisonment. Naila and all four defendants were living at the same house in Craythorne Avenue when paramedics were called to the property in the early hours of July 8, 2009. Ambulance staff did all they could to save the 'ashen' and injured victim, who was found lying on a bed, but she was pronounced dead in hospital. Jurors were told that numerous telephone calls were made to Naila’s relatives in Pakistan, the emergency services and other individuals in the hours before she was taken to hospital. During the calls, it was alleged that Ul-Haq claimed that a spirit had been sent from Pakistan, while a female at the house was allegedly heard to say: 'Don’t call an ambulance yet - we will cure her ourselves'. In his account to police, Mumtaz maintained that injuries to his wife’s body were self-inflicted and claimed that a person was present at the house praying 'to get the spirit out of her'." - Winckel

"For me a single institution of marriage available to any who choose it is a simple matter of social justice. I believe that to use Christian tradition as a means of discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is not only deeply hurtful to them, their families and to any fair minded person, but profoundly contrary to the values of compassion and inclusivity that are the hallmarks of the Kingdom of God. That a church could discriminate in this way is in thrall to ancient prejudices, rather than filled with a liberating and transforming Gospel. I would go farther and accuse the Church of England, from my long association with it, of institutional homophobia. Institutional homophobia refers to the many ways in which governments, businesses, educational, religious and professional organisations systematically discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or identity. One of the ways in which the Church of England  persistently does this is by failing to include openly gay people from advisory groups: the latest being group chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling to advise the House of Bishops on the Church of England's approach to human sexuality. It does it by its demeaning of LGBT people. It’s unchanging position from a General Synod vote in 1987 is “that: homosexual genital acts also fall short of the ideal, and are likewise to be met by a call to repentance”. This is code for claiming that homosexual relationships and physical expressions of love are unnatural and sinful. Whilst the Church tries to claim that it is listening to LGBT people and encouraging debate on these issues, in reality this is its default position – institutionally it has no ears to hear. Meanwhile there are plenty of evangelical organisations and churches keen to offer ‘healing’ to homosexuals in spite of the fact that society and medical practitioners have long since ceased to regard homosexuality as a psychological disorder or illness. A further discriminatory practice I was made aware of recently was that of a single candidate (in this case male) for selection for ordained ministry who received a home visit from the vocations adviser (presumably to check there was no lover under the bed) where a nearby married candidate did not. The debate about equal marriage has enabled the Church to attempt conceal its homophobia behind the claim that the state and its supporters are seeking to undermine society’s and the Church's traditional understanding of marriage. A cluster of traditionalist evangelical groups have been very vocal as part of a Coalition for Marriage. The Coalition is led by the organisation CARE (which has considerable influence at Westminster through the provision of interns and funding for MPs). Here again we meet the ancient prejudices and fears over homosexual sex. Among their 12 compelling reasons for maintaining  ‘traditional’  marriage the Coalition informs us that, “At  the moment marriages  can be declared void  if they have not been consummated but same-sex marriages (like civil  partnerships) are not defined in these terms. Even those who support the redefinition of marriage recognise that the meaning of consummation is such that it is biologically not possible for a homosexual couple to consummate their relationship.” Are we really to believe that there is no other way to find perfect consummation and bliss in intimate relationships other than with a penis? When Jesus’ racial and religious prejudice against a Canaanite woman was challenged by her (Mark 7/Matthew 15) he changed his mind.  I believe that Church tradition is a living tradition which is refreshed and transformed by new encounters, insights and breakthroughs. Jesus challenged Sabbath, purity and other traditions in the name of a bigger vision of the compassion of God  In the early years of the Way St Paul led a new initiative that broke with received Biblical tradition to welcome the Gentiles into God's family, those peoples whom religious tradition had regarded as morally inferior and impure. Many believers found this very difficult to accept, including St Peter who had his knuckles wrapped by Paul  for eating at separate tables. Paul argues (Letter to the Galatians 2)  that we don't become acceptable to God by relying on traditional religious practices.  There are many, many examples through history where the Christian tradition on many matters has evolved to accommodate a bigger vision. The slow acceptance of the teachings of Copernicus, Galileo and Darwin; the abolition of slavery; challenges to the class system and support for the rights of working people; the education of young children and the equality of women. We no longer believe people with epilepsy or forms of mental illness are possessed by demons and we no longer accept the Book of Common Prayer's clear teaching that all illness is a result of sin. I and other ministers don't visit hospitals or hospices telling people that they have cancer because it is God's punishment for their sin. The Church of England, with other churches, has opened up its understanding of priesthood to be inclusive of women, breaking with a tradition of a male closed shop that began in the early centuries (though not the very early Church). I joined with others over the years in campaigning for an inclusive priesthood and always in the face of those same tired old arguments that it was against tradition. Coming from a high church tradition I have always tried to be loyal to my bishop if, on occasions, challenging, I have happily taken the oath of canonical obedience ‘in all things lawful’. But I profoundly believe that the discrimination against LGBT people by the church is inexcusable and unlawful. I rejoiced and wept when I first received communion from a woman. When the state legalises same sex marriage,  as I believe it will,  I shall similarly rejoice and weep the first time I officiate at the wedding of a gay couple, whether the Church sanctions it or not. Ian Stubbs is Vicar of Glossop Parish Church in Derbyshire. He has been a priest  in the Church of England for 41 years and a campaigner for the rights of LGBT people in the Church." - Winckel

Apple just reported that it sold more than 5 million iPhones over the iPhone 5's opening weekend. This is a very disappointing number. It's below top Apple analyst Gene Munster's estimate of 6 million to 10 million. Worse, it indicates that growth may be slowing at Apple. Take a look at this chart. Opening weekend sales grew 70 percent between the 3GS and the iPhone 4, and then an astounding 135 percent between the 4 and the 4s. That's acceleration. iPhone 5 sales, meanwhile, grew only 25 percent. That's massive deceleration. Nicholas Carlson/Business Insider Digging deeper into the numbers, we find more bad news. Check out this second chart. Apple sold the iPhone 5 in nine countries over its opening weekend. It sold the iPhone 4S in seven. It actually sold fewer iPhones per country this year than the last. That's not just deceleration, that's shrinkage: Decelerating growth is not good for a company like Apple, which despite a modest P/E ratio, has one of the most generous trailing 12 month revenue multiples of any hardware company on the public markets. - Winckel

It's a disaster a catastrophe! It may be the most successful smartphone launch of all time, 5m sold in a few days and one million more in transit, constrained only by production, but it's a shambles! [Thoughtful pause] If you would like to email Nicholas, the author, to say things like "Nick, you're a dick", or "Nick, you're worse than Henry B., with a reputation to match", or "Nick, even preschoolers can see what's just plain silly about your second chart", please feel free to - [email protected] :-) - Winckel

"The Wikipedia profiles of women in technology and engineering will be updated at an "edit-a-thon" held at the Royal Society next month. The profiles chosen to be updated will all be of historical figures. Those unable to attend the session in London on 19 October will be able to take part online. The event has been organised as part of annual celebrations to celebrate the work of Ada Lovelace. She worked with mathematical engineer Charles Babbage on his "analytical machine" in the early 19th Century. The machine, which was designed but never actually built, is considered to be the foundation for modern computers. Among the profiles being considered for the edit-a-thon are Dame Kathleen Lonsdale, a crystallographer who discovered the chemical structure of oil component benzene, and Dr Elsie Widdowson who oversaw the introduction of vitamin supplements to food during World War II rationing. Another candidate, Mary Buckland, is mentioned only in her husband William's Wikipedia entry although the pair worked together as palaeontologists finding, recording and identifying fossils in the 1800s. Leading ladies Uta Frith, professor in cognitive development at UCL and a fellow of the Royal Society, will be leading a panel discussion after the edit-a-thon. "The Wikipedia idea struck a real chord in me because I read about a year ago that the typical person who writes entries for Wikipedia is a man. That really started alarm bells ringing because we don't think about it - who is doing all this work?" she said. Prof Frith is concerned about the visibility of women in the fields of science and technology. "Can you immediately come up with a handful of names of female staff in technology? Is that because there aren't any or because they're sort of invisible?" she said. "It's a catch-22 - if you can't find them easily in a place like Wikipedia, you won't know anything about them. You'll think they are not important." Prof Frith told the BBC she intended to personally create a profile for Mary Buckland at the event. "She did the most exquisite anatomical drawings of fossils, we have some of them at the Royal Society," she said. "I hope this event will be the start of many more, where we can also improve the visibility of living female scientists."" - Winckel

:-) - Winckel

nu - Pimpi

great series :-) - Winckel

yes, iconic, and bad and good, with great music :-) - Winckel

;-) Cannot stop like it from 4 years, when I "discovered" it for the first time. - Slavomira

I find Pogue unconvincing. He has a firm eye on his own reputation. Gruber is a more insightful and intellectually honest guy. - Winckel

Olive oil - Winckel

"The US Senate unanimously passed a bill on Saturday that would shield US airlines from paying for their carbon emissions on European flights, pressuring the European Union to back down from applying its emissions law to foreign carriers. Since January, the European Commission has been enforcing its law to make all airlines take part in its Emissions Trading Scheme, which aims to combat global warming. The Senate approved the bill shortly after midnight, as it scrambled to complete business to recess ahead of the 6 November congressional and presidential elections. Republican senator John Thune, a sponsor of the measure, said it sent a "strong message" to the EU that it cannot impose taxes on the United States. "The Senate's action today will help ensure that US air carriers and passengers will not be paying down European debt through this illegal tax and can instead be investing in creating jobs and stimulating our own economy," Thune said in a statement. The House of Representatives has passed a similar measure, and could either work out differences with the Senate's version or accept the Senate bill when Congress returns for a post-election session. Nearly all airlines have complied reluctantly with the EU law, but Chinese and Indian carriers missed an interim deadline to submit information required under it. Earlier this year, China threatened retaliation – including impounding European aircraft – if the EU punished Chinese airlines for not complying with its emissions trading scheme. The dispute between China and the EU froze Airbus purchase deals worth up to $14bn, though China signed an agreement with Germany for 50 Airbus planes worth over $4bn during Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Beijing last month. The Senate bill gives the US transportation secretary authority to stop US airlines from complying with the EU law. But new amendments agreed to during negotiations among lawmakers said the secretary could only do so if the EU trading scheme is amended, an international alternative is agreed to or the United States implements its own program to address aviation emissions. This increases pressure on the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to devise a global alternative to the EU law. Connie Hedegaard, the European climate commissioner, said on Saturday that while the bill encourages the United States to work within the UN organization for a global deal on aviation emissions, she is skeptical that Washington will accept such a deal. "It's not enough to say you want it, you have to work hard to get it done," she said. "That means that the US needs to change its approach in ICAO and show willingness to actually seal a meaningful global deal that will facilitate action." Annie Petsonk, a lawyer for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the bill would put pressure on the UN body, which has been working on a global framework for years. "Passage of the Thune bill amps up the pressure on ICAO to move swiftly to reach a global agreement on addressing aviation's global warming pollution," she said." - Winckel

I hope the EU simply squeezes the US into submission. The US often seems to have an exaggerated view of its own importance. - Winckel

:-) I like pdf "Who owns the Sky"..."...would put pressure on the UN body, which has been working on a global framework for years....""....The dispute between China and the EU froze Airbus purchase deals ...." - Slavomira

a nice ad. technology for life rather than for its own sake. - Winckel

#yay - Shinta

"Nokia UK just posted the graph above on FB along with the caption “Good things come to those who wait”, hinting for people to hold off the iPhone 5 and “wait” for the super amazing Lumia 920 (if only we knew when it was coming). Notice that this graph doesn’t take any cheap shots at the iPhone 5, nor is it calling it an inferior device, in fact it almost shows a sort of “respect” to their competitors; a tone that is almost definitely lost on Samsung and HTC. My only complaint about the chart is the inclusion of the “JBL PlayUp  & Monsters” under accessories; unless they’re being offered as a bundle with the phone they DO NOT belong there, since Apple rules the kingdom of 3rd party accessories. All in all I like that Nokia’s social marketing is addressing the fact that other devices exist out there, and are proving why their devices are better, rather than pretending that they’re the only ones who make phones." - Winckel

they forgot volume and weight :-) - Winckel

they forgot the number of available apps in their markets too. - Smeerch

The chart is still referring to the 30-pin connector, that's not accurate. - Stephan Planken

"One would expect that a significant number of people would quickly adopt Apple’s iOS 6. After all, it’s a free update, and it packs a bunch of useful features. However, new data from Chitika shows a massive adoption in just the first 24 hours that the software was available. The firm said that, within the first day, iOS 6 peaked at more than 15 percent of Web traffic to its mobile ad network, and has remained at that level. That doesn’t mean that 15 percent of devices are using the new operating system, since presumably those upgrading on the first day are heavy users more likely to access the Web on a daily basis. Still, it’s a staggering achievement. By comparison, Chitika notes that the latest version of Android — Jelly Bean — achieved just a 1.5 percent adoption in its first two months. Android, of course, uses a different distribution method, with Google making a version available to device makers who then test and customize the operating system, which must be then tested again by cellular carriers before being allowed on the network. Past versions of iOS also gained ground fast, but not as fast as iOS 6. With iOS 5, which itself was a record-breaking launch, it took nearly three days from its release date on October 12th to reach the 15 percent threshold." - Winckel

Carriers probably don't care about the OS once they sold the customer their device. In that respect iOS definitely has the advantage. - Stephan Planken

#ios6 - Winckel