Now, this is Top of The Curve...Facebook Profile Used to Serve Legal Docs in Australian Case

Facebook profile used to serve legal docs in Australian case By Jacqui Cheng | Published: December 16, 2008 'Tis the season to be in debt, fa la la la la, la la la la. If you've missed a few payments, however, you might find yourself being hunted down by debt collectors and lawyers looking to serve you court papers. And now—at least if you live in Australia—your Facebook account is fair game. The Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court has approved the use of Facebook to serve legal documents to a couple who was otherwise inaccessible at their home or by e-mail, although the couple has since disappeared from the social networking site as well. The unnamed Australian couple had defaulted on their home loan for AUS$100,000 (almost US$67,000), which spurred the bank to seek the services of Canberra-based law firm Meyer Vandenberg. Attorney Mark McCormack was assigned to the case and unsuccessfully attempted to contact the couple several times at their home, and then again via e-mail. With nowhere else to turn, McCormack asked the Australian court to allow him to serve the papers electronically to the couple via Facebook. McCormack argued that he knew he found the right people online because they listed their birth dates, full names, and they had listed each other as friends, according to the AFP. This was apparently enough to convince the judge, who said that McCormack could serve the couple Facebook papers as long as he also left them at their last known address and also via e-mail. His law firm confirmed to the news organization that the papers were delivered today, adding that they believe this is the first time Facebook has been used for such a purpose. "We believe it's certainly the first time in Australia... and we haven't heard of it being done anywhere internationally," the firm said. Of course, Facebook isn't exactly the most reliable way to get in touch with anybody, so it's possible that not much will come of this. In fact, as pointed out by the Associated Press, the couple's profiles have since disappeared from public view (they may have simply made the profiles private or deleted them altogether). Personally, if I had defaulted on a home loan and was attempting to avoid being served, I would have made my profile private a long time ago—but hey, to each his own. Originally from http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081216-facebook-profile-used-to-serve-legal-docs-in-australian-case.html

Gorilla Survival Threatened by Rebels Taking Over Animals' Sanctuary

(CNN) -- The survival of several hundred rare gorillas is threatened by rebel fighters who have taken over the animals' sanctuary, a spokeswoman for the Virunga National Park said Tuesday. (See Top of the Curve post from Tuesday, August 5, 2008: http://topofthecurve.blogspot.com/2008/08/gorilla-paradise-found-may-double-world.html).

File photo: Young gorillas play in Congo's Virunga Park.

The gorilla sector of the park "has been swallowed up in this conflict," said Samantha Newport, communications director for the refuge.

She fears for the animals' safety, not least because mountain gorillas do not always flee the sound of gunfire and mortars, she said.

"There are documented cases of the gorillas getting caught in the crossfire and getting killed," she said. "It's the chaos of war and they are right in the middle of it."

That leaves the situation "extremely precarious" for the critically endangered species, she said.

About 200 of the world's 700 known mountain gorillas lived in the park when rebel leader Laurent Nkunda's men took control of the gorilla section last year, Newport said. At least nine gorillas are known to have been killed in Virunga National Park last year.

There are no mountain gorillas in captivity, she added. "The mountain gorillas live in the wild. They don't reproduce in captivity."

Nkunda's fighters seized the headquarters of the park on October 26, park officials announced last month, a move park director Emmanuel de Merode called "unprecedented."

The seizure forced hundreds of rangers who normally monitor the gorillas to flee.

The rangers "track and monitor the mountain gorillas," freeing them from snares and intervening medically in life-threatening situations, Newport said. "It's really important to keep track on a daily basis."

That has been impossible for weeks, she said. "There has been a complete lack of knowledge about the gorillas for some time. Nkunda's forces control about 50 percent of the park, including the gorilla sector."

The gorilla section of the park lies in a strategically important area near the borders of Rwanda and Uganda, she explained.

Fighting between Congolese government soldiers and rebels led by Nkunda has displaced more than 250,000 people. That's in addition to roughly 800,000 who already had been driven from their homes, according to the United Nations.

On Sunday, even as there was fighting in North Kivu province, Nkunda met with Olusegun Obasanjo, the U.N. special envoy for the area.

"Laurent Nkunda engaged on two things in my presence: the respect of the ceasefire on the one hand and on the other, the maintenance of humanitarian corridors in order to give unconditional access to assist vulnerable populations," Obasanjo said following the meeting.

But Obasanjo said nobody could say for certain what Nkunda wanted to gain from his offensive.

Virunga National Park(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virunga_National_Park) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Africa's oldest national park. It was formerly known as Albert National Park

Originally from http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/18/gorillas/

Sea Sponge is Natural Fiber Optics Expert

By Matt Walke, BBC News

The spicules of sponges viewed under high magnification

Sea sponges can beam light deep inside their bodies, and do so using the natural equivalent of fibre optic cables, scientists have found.

Sponges are among the oldest and simplest of Earth's animals.

The discovery that they use such a futuristic light transmission system has therefore delighted researchers.

The finding, made by a German team, is published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.

Whereas other animals pass electrical currents around their bodies using nerve cells, sponges appear to be the only animals capable of transmitting light around their bodies in this way, the group says.

This may help explain why some sponges are able to grow so big, and also clear up a long-standing mystery about how other, much smaller organisms are able to live deep within the bodies of large sponges.

Glass skeletons

Sponges mainly live in the sea, and are extremely primitive organisms. They lack muscles, nerves and internal organs, for example, and are essentially a diverse set of cells supported by a hard exoskeleton.

Two of the three major types of sponge build their skeletons using special structures called spicules. These are made from silica and are basically glass rods. Previous experiments suggested that light can pass along these structures.

Now, Franz Brummer, of the University of Stuttgart, and colleagues have proved that living sponges use these internal glass rods as light conductors.

Photosensitive paper was placed inside sponges of the species T. aurantium

Light reaching the surface of the sponge is reflected off the insides of each spicule in much the same way light bounces along the inside of a fibre optic cable used to transmit electronic data. In doing so, light is beamed deep into the sponge.

Brummer's team made the discovery using living sponges of the species Tethya aurantium. They collected the sponges from shallow waters off the coast of Croatia, and then transferred them to tanks of seawater.

They then implanted light sensitive paper deep inside each sponge. They did so under dark conditions and then exposed the surface of the sponge to light. When they checked the paper, they found it was covered in spots, which corresponded exactly with where light would exit each spicule.

Shared existence

In a control experiment, the researchers tested another sponge that does not grow using glass spicules. No light entered deep within it, showing that spicules are necessary to transmit the light.

"Sponges are fascinating animals and there're lots about them we are waiting to discover," says Brummer.

He suspects that deep-sea sponges may use giant natural fibre optic arrays to harvest what little light reaches them. "Sponges in the deep sea can form spicules up to one metre long and two centimetres in diameter," he explains.

Beaming light deep inside their bodies may explain why some sponges grow to such large sizes, and develop rounded shapes.

To grow big, sponges need essential nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen and other metabolites. These are provided by smaller organisms such as algae and cyanobacteria, with which the sponges have a symbiotic relationship.

But these smaller organisms need light to survive. Because of this they usually live on the outside of sponges.

In 1994, however, researchers discovered that algae sometimes do live deep within the bodies of sponges, creating a mystery as to how they survive there. The answer, as Brummer's team has now confirmed, is that they live off light beamed down to them. Origianlly from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7720836.stm

Microsoft Considers WebKit Transplant for IE?

Chicago (IL) – Microsoft’s focus on a proprietary browser engine worked well when the Internet Explorer (IE) dominated the direction of the online world. But long update cycles and a somewhat neglected core technology is now backfiring as the company sees itself trailing other browser engines such Apple's WebKit, Mozilla's Gecko, and Opera's Presto, all of which follow web standards more closely than IE. According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (Not my favorite American Executive. See post from June 3), the company may consider moving IE to the open-source WebKit browser engine. Such a move may have a tremendous impact on web development trends and help IE get back on track.

Microsoft’s top executive made the off-beat comment in Sydney, where he spoke at the Power to Developers event. According to a Techworld article, when confronted by a student who questioned that Microsoft could maintain proprietary browser engine when there are open source engines that can respond to changes in web standards faster, the executive said: "That's cheeky, but a good question, but cheeky." Although he defended IE's proprietary add-ons, Ballmer said IE "may need to have a rendering service" in the future. The executive then hinted at a possible switch to an open-source alternative browser engine called WebKit.  "Open source is interesting," he said. "Apple has embraced WebKit and we may look at that, but we will continue to build extensions for IE8." Ballmer's acknowledgement of the fact that web standards do matter is good news for all people using the Internet in one way or the other. Why do web standards matter? Just consider the fact that web developers (Like me, your Top of the Curve Editor!) these days spend a lot of time and money to write extra code that makes web pages look right in IE.

Originally from...http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/40099/140/

Obama Advertising In Online Racing Video Games, Attempts To Pick Up Crucial Xbox 360 Vote

Barack Obama has begun advertising on billboards within the virtual world of an online video game in what appears to be a first for a presidential campaign. Players of the online racing video game Burnout Paradise on the Xbox 360 Live network noticed billboards promoting Barack Obama and the website VoteForChange.com, which helps people determine how to register to vote and where to vote. This was later confirmed by a representative for the game's publisher, Electronic Arts, who said: "Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates. Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.” John McCain, as far as we can tell, doesn't know what a video game is. Get the details. Originally from http://jalopnik.com/5062960/barack-obama-advertising-inside-online-racing-video-games-attempts-to-pick-up-crucial-xbox-360-vote

Copyright Coalition: Piracy more serious than burglary, fraud, bank robbery

"Our law enforcement resources are seriously misaligned," NBC/Universal general counsel Rick Cotton said. "If you add up all the various kinds of property crimes in this country, everything from theft, to fraud, to burglary, bank-robbing, all of it, it costs the country $16 billion a year. But intellectual property crime runs to hundreds of billions [of dollars] a year." Cotton's comments come in Paul Sweeting's (http://www.contentagenda.com/blog/1500000150/post/100034610.html) report on Hollywood's latest shenanigans on Capitol Hill. To me, this is an excellent example of how out-of-touch with the real world the corporate elitists are. Like the guys at Lehman. In both cases, the individuals acted consistently with narcissim and sociopathy. It's what they call in psychiatry 'antisocial'. Narcissists might utilize lying, cheating, stealing and abusing to suit their needs without really thinking through what it does to others. A malignant narcissist glories in the service she compels and the turf she marks, because it means she is important. A benign narcissist basks in the admiration he receives, because it means he is valuable. (That is, beloved, talented, cool, fill in blank.) A sociopath is an extreme narcissist with a sadistic, jealous, vindictive dark side. They have a need to hurt people. They will rationalize and justify their behavior toward other people. They are lynch mobs. They don't communicate and talk out problems, but have a NEED to believe other's are malicious so that they don't have to feel guilty. Doesn't that perfectly describe NBC/Universal general counsel Rick Cotton's statement above? Does the above statement mean that rape is far less important a crime because it doesn't cost anybody any money? Do you feel the RIAA or MPAA are narcissitic or sociopathic? Discuss.

In advertising, this selling technique is referred to as 'borrowed interest'

Originally from http://pzrservices.typepad.com/advertisingisgoodforyou/2008/01/in-advertising.html

SpinSpotter

I thought this was the coolest Web 2.0 thingy I have seen since Adobe Air. SpinSpotter’s goal is to tap the wisdom of the crowd to flag media bias... All the news that's fit to de-spin. Spin doesn't belong in the news. It's like putting motor oil in the mojito. We have tremendous respect for journalists, but who would argue that the media circus isn't out of control? A full 66% of Americans think the press is one-sided. Now there's a website and software tool that exposes news spin and bias, misuse of sources, and suspect factual support. At SpinSpotter, you'll experience the news in a profound new way. Yes, the truth is back in town. http://spinspotter.com/home

NASA goes Back to the Future

Young Doc: No wonder this circuit failed. It says "Made in Japan". Marty McFly: What do you mean, Doc? All the best stuff is made in Japan. NASA is talking business with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to purchase units of the Japanese H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV) as successor to its space shuttles that are scheduled to retire in 2010, the Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday. The acquisition of the H-2 unmanned transfer vehicle, which is developed by JAXA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and others and costs 14 billion yen ($131 million), would mean the biggest such deal in Japan’s 50-year space development history.The Japanese H-2 Transfer Vehicle has been in works since early 1990s, and was originally intended for its first space trip in 2001. However, the launch has been delayed until 2009, when the vehicle measuring 10 m in length and 4.4 m in diameter is scheduled to pay a visit to the International Space Station.[Photo] The HTV can carry up to 6 tons of supplies, although it has been suggested it could carry up to 7.6 tons, and was designed for a total of eight International Standard Payload Racks. The vehicle itself weighs 10.5 tons and will be launched into space from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.The deal between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency hasn’t been confirmed yet, but according to the Japanese newspaper, NASA’s proposal was driven by concerns that after the retirement of its shuttles, the U.S. will be unable to carry supplies to the International Space Station. Japan is currently contributing to the International Space Station mission with the KIBO laboratory and three astronauts. So far, the necessary equipment and supplies for the astronauts on the ISS has been ensured by Russia and the United States, but things will change once the development process of the H-2 vehicle is completed. According to JAXA, the operations of HTVs will not only offer low-cost and reliable means of transportation to the ISS, but it will also serve Japan as basis for future technological projects on the Space Flyer Unit and manned transportation. Image Credit: www.jaxa.jp Origianlly from: http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_NASA_In_Talks_With_JAXA_For_The_Acquisition_Of_Space_Shuttle_Successor_20674.html

Introducing Ubiquity

An experiment into connecting the Web with language. It Doesn’t Have to be This Way You’re writing an email to invite a friend to meet at a local San Francisco restaurant that neither of you has been to. You’d like to include a map. Today, this involves the disjointed tasks of message composition on a web-mail service, mapping the address on a map site, searching for reviews on the restaurant on a search engine, and finally copying all links into the message being composed. This familiar sequence is an awful lot of clicking, typing, searching, copying, and pasting in order to do a very simple task. And you haven’t even really sent a map or useful reviews—only links to them. This kind of clunky, time-consuming interaction is common on the Web. Mashups help in some cases but they are static, require Web development skills, and are largely site-centric rather than user-centric. It’s even worse on mobile devices, where limited capability and fidelity makes this onerous or nearly impossible. Most people do not have an easy way to manage the vast resources of the Web to simplify their task at hand. For the most part they are left trundling between web sites, performing common tasks resulting in frustration and wasted time. Enter Ubiquity Today we’re announcing the launch of Ubiquity, a Mozilla Labs experiment into connecting the Web with language in an attempt to find new user interfaces that could make it possible for everyone to do common Web tasks more quickly and easily. Don't walk. Run! http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/