YouTube Turns Eight Today

The youtube.com domain name was activated on February 14, 2005, and the first public preview of the site went live eight years ago today. So...birthday!

More than 100 hours or about four days-worth of video is uploaded to the site every minute now. Which is pretty staggering. On average, 1 billion people, almost half of worldwide internet users, visit YouTube every month. And yes, fine, we get it, there are adorable animal videos on YouTube. They are great. But at this point it's kind of gone beyond that. [YouTube]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/youtube-turns-eight-today-508737205

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FBI searches apartment in ricin letter case

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) ? Authorities in hazardous materials suits searched a downtown Spokane apartment Saturday, investigating the recent discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin.

Few details have been released in the case, and no arrests have been made. Federal investigators have been searching for the person who sent the letters, which were postmarked Tuesday in Spokane.

The letters were addressed to the downtown post office and the adjacent federal building, but authorities have not released a potential motive. They also have not said whether the letters targeted anyone in particular.

Ricin is a highly toxic substance made from castor beans. As little as 500 micrograms, the size of the head of a pin, can kill an adult if inhaled or ingested.

There have been no reports of illness connected to the letters.

FBI agents, Spokane police and U.S. Postal Service inspectors descended on the three-story apartment building Saturday morning and the investigation continued into the afternoon.

FBI spokeswoman Ayn Sandalo Dietrich would not say whether agents were questioning anyone in connection with the case.

"We are not actively looking for a subject," Sandalo Dietrich said. "We are not asking the public's help in bringing someone in."

Despite the hazmat suits, officials said apartment residents were not at risk, and people were seen coming in and out of the brick building in the city's historic Browne's Addition neighborhood.

"There's no public risk," Sandalo Dietrich said.

Sandalo Dietrich would not say specifically why the FBI was searching the apartment.

"Information we developed led us to believe this was a productive spot to search," she said.

Two letters containing the substance were intercepted at the downtown Spokane post office Tuesday.

The Postal Service has received no other reports of similar letters, said Jeremy Leder of the Postal Inspection Service on Saturday.

In a statement following the discovery, the Postal Service said the "crude form of the ricin suggests that it does not present a health risk to U.S. Postal Service personnel or to others who may have come in contact with the letter."

The Spokane investigation comes a month after letters containing ricin were addressed to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator and a Mississippi judge. A Mississippi man has been arrested in that case.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-18-US-Ricin-Letter-Spokane/id-e85a88900a2348929a52a4dd3ef4d906

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Independent Scotland open to Cyprus-style bank risks, says Britain

By William James

LONDON (Reuters) - An independent Scotland would have a vastly oversized financial sector that would leave it vulnerable to a Cyprus-style banking crisis, Britain's finance ministry says.

Before a referendum due in September 2014 on whether Scotland should split from the United Kingdom, the British government is analyzing the impact of independence on Scotland, which has a population of about 5 million.

A report from the finance ministry - or Treasury - says that without the British government's regulatory framework, Scotland would be left vulnerable by having a banking sector that dwarfs its economy, driving businesses out of the country.

"An independent Scotland would have an exceptionally large banking sector compared to the size of its economy - with banking assets of more than 1250 percent of Scottish GDP - making it more vulnerable to financial shocks and the volatility of the sector," said a Treasury statement which contained excerpts from the report, due to be published on Monday.

The Scottish National Party (SNP), which controls Scotland's devolved government and is behind the independence campaign, dismissed the report and said it would produce its own study on Tuesday highlighting the benefits of a split from Britain

"An independent Scotland will be an economic success story, as we will outline this coming week, and the tall tales from the Treasury can't hide that reality," said Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney of the SNP.

Opinion polls indicate the pro-independence movement in Scotland has the support of about a third of voters, while nearly 60 percent want to stay in the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister David Cameron has campaigned against Scottish independence.

At 12-1/2 times the size of Scotland's economic output, Scotland's banking sector would be even more out of proportion to the economy than that of Cyprus, which ground to a standstill earlier this year as the cost of recapitalizing its banks, which had assets worth nine times its GDP, spiraled.

"Overall, the experience of financial crises shows that countries with a large banking sector compared to the size of their GDP are significantly more vulnerable," the Treasury statement said.

Scotland currently benefits from the British government's capacity to support struggling banks.

During the 2007/08 financial crisis, government support for Britain's financial sector peaked at more than 1 trillion pounds' ($1.5 trillion) worth of guarantees and cash injections.

The Treasury report will say any future bank rescues would place a heavy burden on Scottish taxpayers, and could generate concerns about state finances that might discourage firms from basing their operations there.

Previous reports from the British government have said that there is no clear case for an independent Scotland to share use of the British pound, and that it might have to reapply for membership of international bodies such as the European Union.

(Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/independent-scotland-open-cyprus-style-bank-risks-says-083357964.html

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Picking The Best Computer Speakers For you personally ...

In the last 5 years, computer systems completely changed how a world functions, day-to-day lives and also carries out company. Back in the day that just significant organizations as well as places of work has computers as a method of increasing the work they do stream. These days laptops are getting to be standard in most houses in the united states, European countries as well as the Se. Pcs are actually utilized to mail emails, check out along with listen to what is the news, look and in some cases work. Earlier pcs are not considerably regarding media devices however today lots of people make use of pcs to see shows, pay attention and create music along with forms of mass media. Which means they support superior audio as well as online video media greeting cards. The usage of pcs because media gateways has produced another business throughout personal computer equipment for instance sound system along with encompasses sound systemsbest budget?computer speakers, at this point are available in many shapes and sizes.
Quite a few major computer suppliers such as Dell, Compaq, Horse power in addition to Acer many pack top quality speakers using their computer system products. Dell offers audio speakers a part of a number of Processors and there is therefore you don?t need to obtain additional speakers. Other producers have got displays who have top quality loudspeakers in-built directly into all of them as is also normal with Compaq monitors some of which consist of Harman Kardon loudspeakers. Harman Kardon is usually a highly regarded name in your home theatre business. When discussing the issue which computer system loudspeakers work best, we?ve got to check out what they?re likely to be useful for. For most of us, computers usually are regarding browsing the Internet, examining good news in addition to doing gentle inputting not forgetting sending as well as having e mail. People who find themselves with this type will never need sophisticated sound system set up on his or her desktops. Nowadays, lots of people younger than 50 use computers to look at motion pictures, flow new music and online video media also to generate media purposes. Teens are associated with this. Therefore you will find the should make investments much more high-tech audio speakers.
There are several firms that help make?best bluetooth headphones for running. These are also the same h firms which are big names in terms of buyer amusement technological know-how for example new music devices and multichannel surround sound home entertainment programs. Organizations such as The, JVC, Bose, Maxell, Akai, AIWA, Peak, and also Check out the are typical seriously working in the creation of computer sound system. Several are usually low grade returning with a power cable television being coupled to the walls and also a appear interface to get plugged into the PC as well as notebook computer. Other people are a bit more sophisticated and may include an extra guitar amp in addition to tuner. Manufacturers like Inventive Laboratories happen to be producing home cinema items for desktops for quite a while and are a respected identify in this field. Audio speakers familiar with appear in the conventional set of two however, computer speaker makes usually are including home theater ability in home computer audio systems. Even now opt for extended tricky to observe pc speaker systems coming which has a mid-range sub-woofer which has a movie-quality bass and also a number of additional smaller audio speakers for multichannel surround sound efficiency. Good music should accompany you whenever you are running.

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Source: http://matthewbult.fav.cc/picking-the-best-computer-speakers-for-you-personally/

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Why Manhattan's Green Roofs Don't Work--and How to Fix Them

City rooftops covered with vegetation are seen as a way to reduce the urban heat-island effect and cut energy usage--but so far, the results have been unimpressive

By Amy Kraft

Image: Krista McGuire

• 

  Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

  Read More??

On a rooftop in New York City?s Chelsea neighborhood, two students are collecting soil samples from boxes planted with species from two native plant communities: Hempstead Plains, which are grasses belonging to a prairie community originally found on Long Island, and Rocky Summit grasslands,which grow on the tops of mountains and ridges throughout southern New England and all of New York StateThey carefully place the dirt from the soil core into a plastic bag and seal it up to be taken to the lab for analysis.

These two students are part of a research team that is trying to figure out how to maximize the benefits of green roofs. The problem has taken on practical significance as grass and other plants sprout on rooftops all over Manhattan and in other cities. For the past two years, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg?s PlaNYC initiative has offered tax abatements for green roof construction and grant money for projects to capture storm water. Rooftop gardens have the potential of lowering energy usage for heating and air-conditioning as well as reducing rainwater runoff, but their effectiveness is not well established.

Researchers are trying to identify the best plant species suitable to green roofs, with an eye to designing ones that fulfill their promise. A 2007 study in the journal BioScience found that green roofs can potentially help manage stormwater runoff, reduce urban heat-island effects and regulate building temperature. To deliver these benefits, rooftop vegetation has to be able to survive the high winds, prolonged UV radiation and unpredictable fluctuations in water availability. To resist these harsh environments, a majority of green roofs are planted with sedum, a non-native species that can survive wind and long periods withoutrainfall. A roof planted with sedum, however, is no greener, from the standpoint of sustainability, than is ordinary tar or asphalt.

Sedum does not absorb water as efficiently as other plant species, according to Scott MacIvor, a PhD student in biology at York University in Toronto who studies bee and wasp habitats on green roofs there, and co-wrote the city?s new guidelines for biodiverse green roofs. At certain times of the year, he sayssedum actually absorbs heat instead of reflecting it. ?The problem is that sedum plants aren?t really performing on green roofs,? he notes. ?They?re just there.? One of the plant?s biggest failings, it turns out, is that it does not encourage biodiversity of plant species on the roof. According to MacIvor?s research, green roofs provide the most benefit when they are planted with a diverse group of species that are adapted to local conditions.

Krista McGuire has taken sedum?s inadequacy as a challenge. The assistant professor of biological sciences at Barnard College wanted to see if a variety of native plants could survive on green roofs and how well they would deliver the desired benefits. Since 2010, the year Bloomberg announced his green roof initiative, McGuire has been comparing soil samples from 10 roofs planted with native vegetation with soil from five city parks spanning New York?s five boroughs, seeking to identify the microbial communities that thrive on green roofs to better to understand how healthy rooftop ecosystems sustain themselves.

Her study, published in PLoS ONE last April, found that green roofs have distinct fungal communities that help plants to thrive in harsh, polluted environments and filter heavy metals. On average, 109 different types of fungi were present on each roof including Pseudallescheria fimeti, a fungus that grows in polluted soils and human-dominated environments. Rooftop soil also contained fungi from the genusPeyronellaea, which live in the tissues of plants to help them take in nutrients.

McGuire hopes her research will be able to help inform green roof companies on planting the best species for each rooftop. Three of the rooftops, which received more intensive sampling, showed that fungal communities are different from one roof to another. Roofs are microclimates, McGuire says. Fungal growth depends on the position of the roof, pollution levels in the area, temperature and how much rainfall it receives. ?Plant species are adapting to new environments,? she says. ?Without the fungi, the plants would not be able to grow and survive.?

?In the long term, this information may help individuals decide which types of soil microbes to amend on their green roofs, so that they can maximize plant survival and minimize management,? she says.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a754f6377759cb50dc6cc2208c1ed48f

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Egypt police close Gaza border to protest kidnap

RAFAH, Egypt (AP) ? An Egyptian security official says policemen at the country's main crossing point into the Gaza Strip have closed the border on their own initiative to protest the abduction of their colleagues.

The official said Friday that the guards will keep the border closed until four of their colleagues, who were abducted in the Sinai peninsula Thursday with three others, are freed. He spoke anonymously according to the rules.

Authorities believe the kidnappers are militants, who acted after another militant was alleged to have been tortured in prison. Officials have said negotiations with the kidnappers are underway.

Gaza's Interior Ministry confirmed the closure in a statement. Sinai militants are believed to have contact with other groups in the coastal territory.

____

AP writer Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-police-close-gaza-border-protest-kidnap-094451774.html

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Google Axed SMS Search Thinking People Wouldn't Notice

Shocking no one, or very very few people, Google turned off its SMS search service on Friday. Reports of the outage have begun to sloooowly trickle in on Google forums and Reddit, but for the most part the spacetime continuum seems to be holding up.

Google created SMS Search as a way for users with limited or no data on their phones to access search information. You could text a search query to 466453 and receive an SMS reply containing only text, no links. It was useful to a lot of people back in the day, but it's not surprising that the service has been losing popularity. A Google employee finally commented on the situation in a forum thread:

Hi everyone,

Closing products always involves tough choices, but we do think very hard about each decision and its implications for our users. Streamlining our services enables us to focus on creating beautiful technology that will improve people?s lives.

Thanks,
Jess

Fine. Be like that Jess. All that level-headed, allocation of resources mumbo jumbo doesn't change the pain people FEEL INSIDE. [Ubergizmo, TechCrunch]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/google-axed-sms-search-thinking-no-one-would-notice-503805896

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