Early human bird flu death uncovered in China

Now, this is scary...

New Scientist Breaking News - Early human bird flu death uncovered in China

It's bad enough that we have to worry about bird flu, but that the Chinese researchers who discovered that the H5N1 virus actually existed in 2003 (long before before the Chinese government publicly acknowledged that fact in 2005) tried to withdraw their article after it has been accepted for publication.

Now, WHY would they want to do that? Do they risk losing their jobs (or worse) because it would point out that there might have been a cover-up by the Chinese government? Hmmm....

The attempt at withdrawal also begs a question of research ethics: Do authors have a right to withdraw an article that might have a profound impact on the global community, in the sake of national interest (as might there be in this case)? What is the moral obligation of researchers in such a position?

CWar LAN Event - June 17 2006

I went to the CWar LAN event in Indianapolis this past Saturday. It was the most fun I've had in a long time. Not so much for the game-playing as much as for the socializing. I finally got to meet the chaps I've been chatting with, for going on 3 years.

Visit my personal website to see a few pictures and a short writeup.

"The irresistible rise of cybersex" from the New Scientist

Now, this is going to take on-line interactions to a new level... see the following article published on the New Scientist website entitled:
The irresistible rise of cybersex

Want a glimpse into the not-too-distant future? Check out this little-known but thought-provoking movie: Thomas in Love

NSERC Recognizes Winners of Canada's Top Prize for New Ph.D.'s in Science and Engineering

I'm the secretary of the committee that chose the engineering and computer science prizes of NSERC's Doctoral Prizes. I also set up the commmitee that chose the prizes for math and the natural sciences.

It's gratifying that I was able to contribute, in a small measure, to the selection of these prizes.

From the New Scientist - "Pentagon sets its sights on social networking websites"

Now, this is scary. Not only is Big Brother here, but he's bigger, badder, and better than ever... Check this out...

New Scientist Tech - Technology - Pentagon sets its sights on social networking websites

Which means that CSIS, CIA, etc. may be watching you as you read this blog!!!

Sympatico / MSN : News : CTV.ca: Spring 2006 warmest since records began in 1948

Augh. More good news.

I know that our spring was the warmest it has been in a long time, but I didn't know that the Spring of 2006 in Canada is the warmest since records began in 1948...

When asked by the opposition parties why the current Canadian government what it was going to do to curb greenhouse gas emission, Prime Minister Harper replied: "I don't think the alarmism necessarily helps a serious debate."

No. Five record high yearly averages in the past 10 years is not alarmist - it's a trend. Oh, and an average increase of 3 to 5 degrees C this spring over previous years' seasonal averages is nothing to be alarmed about, is it?

This government seriously needs to talk to some climate scientists, but no, Conservative politicians know so much more than they do...

Da Vinci Code ... much ado about nothing

GAD. I just have to vent.

I CANNOT BELIEVE all the people being taken in by this Da Vinci Code hype.

First: The book sucks. Big time. I was frankly underwhelmed by Dan Brown's book. My take on it: Mediocre writing, re-laundered materials, a stereotypic love-interest, and much exotic or contraversial material (e.g., Opus Dei, albinos, the Louvre, etc.) just made my eyes glaze over. I say re-laundered, since the content dealt with in Brown's book has been known for years - Baigent and Lee were the first to put together this particular conspiracy theory together (see the BBC story for more info) The only thing that pulled in my interest was the little puzzles sprinkled through the book. I would have to score the book a 5.5 out of 10, it was that bad, IM-not-so-HO.

Second, Tom Hanks makes a movie out of it. Hello, Tom, what were you thinking?? I can't believe he was taken in by this trash. Tom, read some better books, for crying out loud! Try reading Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, if you want an original take on a conspiracy novel. (Now, that is an excellent novel that will never be made into a movie, because half the joy / challenge is in taking delight in his prose.)

Gah. How sad.