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High Scalability has a fascinating article up that summarizes a talk by Robert Graham of Errata Security, summarizing the development choices needed to support 10 million concurrent connections on a single server. From a small data center perspective, the numbers he is talking about seem astronomical, but not unbelievable. With a new era of Internet connected devices dawning the time may have come to question the core architecture of Unix, and therefore Linux and BSD as well. The core of the talk seems to be that the kernel is too inefficient in how it handles threads and packets to maintain...

Starship Musings: Warping to the Stars by Paul Gilster on May 2, 2013 by Kelvin F.LongThe executive director of the Institute for Interstellar Studies here gives us his thoughts on Star Trek and the designing of starships, with special reference to Enrico Fermi. Kelvin is also Chief Editor for the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, whose latest conference is coming up. You’ll find a poster for the Philosophy of the Starship conference at the end of this post.Like many, I have been inspired and thrilled by the stories of Star Trek. The creation of Gene Roddenberry was a wonderful...

Guide to Personal 3D Printers 3D Systems’ Cube 3D There is an emerging new category in the gadget world. The products are called 3D printers and although still evolving, they are becoming relatively affordable and quite workable. The term and the idea of a personal 3D printer came from the work of two MIT grad students who in 1995 modified an inkjet printer to deposit layers of plastic in a process sometimes referred to as additive manufacturing. RepRap was also early on the 3D printer scene with an open source 3D printer project that helped inspire an early 3D printer...

A Pennsylvania teenager has figured out a way to not only promote conservative values, but also pay his college tuition – he’s creating his own business. Bryan Thomas, from Mars, Penn., is the founder of “Patriot Type,” a graphic design business that specializes in patriotic typography. And he did it without any help from the federal government. “I’m trying to promote patriotism and conservative ideas through graphic design,” the 18-year-old told Fox News. Thomas said he draws inspiration for his artwork from the Founding Fathers. Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/patriot-type/2012/07/19/young-conservative-launches-patriotic-business#ixzz216C7ovDl

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A teenage girl's sense of style got her in trouble at the airport. Vanessa Gibbs, 17, claims the Transportation Security Administration stopped her at the security gate because of the design of a gun on her handbag. Gibbs said she had no problem going through security at Jacksonville International Airport, but rather, when she headed home from Virginia. "It's my style, it's camouflage, it has an old western gun on it," Gibbs said. But her preference for the pistol style didn't sit well with TSA agents at the Norfolk airport. Gibbs said she was headed back home...

2011 Hyundai Equus On most cars, you only need to press the preset button that was used to save the desired radio station. But on the Equus you need to use voice commands or wade through five steps using the multifunction controller. 1. Starting on the frequency-indicator screen, push the controller knob to the left to highlight the menu. 2. Turn the knob to select "Presets" from the menu. 3. Push the knob down to confirm the selection. The screen displays the station preset list. 4. Turn the knob to highlight the desired preset. 5. Push the knob down to...

When Local Motors won DARPA's XC2V private "crowd-sourced" competition about 14 weeks ago, they secured the right to build a prototype that could eventually serve as a next-gen military vehicle for U.S. armed forces. Not a lot of time! As you can see, however, they delivered. The fruits of their labor are on display above. Now, while a new kick-ass military vehicle is cool, the true goal of DARPA's competition was to see how much faster a crowd-sourced project could go from concept to prototype than traditional means. Turns out the answer was "much faster," with Local Motors completing their...

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A one-of-a-kind natural diamond with the design of the Star of David has been discovered, Hidabroot TV revealed. Hidabroot TV, Israel’s first Jewish-oriented television station, broadcast a YouTube video explaining the amazing 8.53 carat jewel last week. The YouTube video clip appears below, courtesy of Hidabroot, part of the Hidabroot organization established by Rabbi Zamir Cohen to bring and spread the Torah's knowledge in Israel and the world. The video refers to the Star of David and Kabbalah.

The American dollar is in bad need of a makeover. Thanks to the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, we may now have some options. Organized by creative strategy consultant Richard Smith, the Dollar ReDe$ign Project is soliciting ideas for the dollar bill of the future. "Our great 'rival', the Euro, looks so spanky in comparison it seems the only clear way to revive this global recession is to rebrand and redesign," the project notes on its website. Fisher started the project in with the intent of "trying to find a catalyst to restart our economy" he told Fox News. The recent competition...

July 23, 2010, 4:03 p.m. EDT Some see white iPhone delay as part of bigger problem Too much focus on design and an arrogant attitude seen by public By Cynthia Lin, MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Apple Inc. users may have shrugged off another push-back in the release of white iPhone 4s, but some of them say the delay adds to a string of recent issues that call the company's priorities into question. Customers outside Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) store in midtown New York who spoke to MarketWatch were mostly unconcerned about white versions being unavailable -- but they thought the delay...

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When it comes to computer technology, thin is always in. It's indisputable that the thinner, lighter, clearer, the better when dealing with the latest computer gadget. This keyboard is the epitome of the high standards expected of the technological version of the fashion industry. It's based on image as well, that is, image recognition technology. It judges clicking depending on the image of the size and where your finger touches the keyboard.

aving established that the universe must have been created by an Intelligent Designer, let us now consider the issue of the origin of life in the universe. Though many believe science has proven that evolution is a fact, we will demonstrate that nothing could be further from the truth. At best evolution is a theory, a “guess” about the origin of life, and many scientists will tell you that there are a lot of unanswered questions. Even Darwin admitted as much in his Origin of the Species: “Long before the reader has arrived at this part of my work, a...

One of the most controversial questions facing American educators today is “Should Intelligent Design be taught as an alternative to the theory of evolution?” The principal argument employed by many educators is that the teaching of Intelligent Design is religion, not science. The purpose of this article is to present scientific evidence that the case for Intelligent Design is at least as plausible as the case for Evolution. Consequently, we will suggest that Intelligent Design and Evolution should be given equal consideration by educators and students in their search for the origin of life in the universe. Although some advocates...

When it comes to computer technology, thin is always in. It’s indisputable that the thinner, lighter, clearer, the better when dealing with the latest computer gadget. This keyboard is the epitome of the high standards expected of the technological version of the fashion industry. It’s based on image as well, that is, image recognition technology.

David Queller and Joan Strassmann, evolutionary biologists at Rice University, recently proposed a new way to describe what makes an organism a unified whole. They defined an organism as an entity made up of parts that cooperate well for an overall purpose, and do so with minimal conflict. But how do parts like these get together, and where does purposeful behavior come from?...

Recently I revisited The Visual Craft of William Golden, a book published in the early-Sixties about the legendary CBS creative director. There is an essay in the book by CBS exec John Cowden that sheds light on Golden’s artistic integrity, and helps to explain why the advertising work created under his guidance remains to this day the strongest body of advertising ever created for a TV network. Golden’s world revolved around graphic design, illustration and advertising, but I find his experiences to be relevant to creative people working in any commercial field, and especially animation. For example, Cowden recounted how...

Plant geneticist Dr John Sanford began working as a research scientist at Cornell University in 1980. He co-invented the ‘gene gun’ approach to genetic engineering of plants. This technology has had a major impact on agriculture around the world...

Feng Shui can help you nurture yourself and bring more prosperity into your life while you get back to work or school this fall. In honoring seasonal changes, you clear out old and bring in new energies which connect you to the natural world around you. Welcome in the new season and get organized, too, with these fall Feng Shui tips: Warm Up Your Environment: Bring some warm tones into the house by switching out pillows and throws. Get your heating system checked; clean the chimneys and fireplace; and stock up on yellow and orange vegetables in your kitchen.

One hundred fifty years ago, Charles Darwin revolutionized biology, but did he refute intelligent design (ID)? In Signature in the Cell, Stephen Meyer argues that he did not. Much confusion surrounds the theory of intelligent design. Frequently misrepresented by the media, politicians, and local school boards, intelligent design can be defended on purely scientific grounds in accordance with the same rigorous methods that apply to every proposed origin-of-life theory. Signature in the Cell is the first book to make a comprehensive case for intelligent design based upon DNA. Meyer embarks on an odyssey of discovery as he investigates current...

WASHINGTON – If you think your kids spend a little too much time on their laptops, take heart: Michelle Obama has the same problem. The first lady made the rueful revelation as she feted the nation's top innovators and designers in fields as diverse as architecture, technology, fashion, and communications — winners of the annual National Design awards — at an East Room luncheon Friday. "What would we do without our laptops?" asked Mrs. Obama, addressing one of the winners, Bill Moggridge, who designed the world's first laptop. "My kids would die," she said to laughter. "They'd be — they...

Fathers, Brothers and Sisters: Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! Thanks to the good offices of George and Ashley Weis of Tekeme.com, veritable Michaelangelos of computer graphics design, Vivificat and Vivificat en Español now display a brand new template that I hope better conveys what this vehicle of self-expression is all about. They worked with me at every step of the way and got to know me, in order to better capture the essence that I wanted to convey and share with all of you. Visit the blogs at http://www.vivificat.com/ and http://vivificar.blogspot.com/ and see for yourselves. The new template...

Dirty Dozen Ugliest and Lamest Cell Phones Ugly only begins to describe what is wrong with these cell phones. Some of them lack such phone basics as keypads and displays. Daniel Ionescu, PC World Sunday, May 03, 2009 10:00 PM PDT Twelve Cell Phones We Love to Hate Some cell phones really look great, but are impossible to use. Other cell phones have cool features, but are ugly ducklings. Then there are those rare mobile monstrosities that fail at both looks and usability. Some have pricing issues as well. Now to be fair, many cell phone makers fail when they...

IRBIL, Iraq, May 7, 2009 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division used a partnership with emergency room doctors in designing a new hospital here. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resident engineer design team in Irbil, Iraq, incorporated preconstruction input from emergency room doctors into the construction plan for a $12.6 million facility that will serve as the area’s primary access point for treating emergency patients. U.S. Army graphic  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Irbil resident engineer design team incorporated preconstruction input from the doctors into the construction plan for the $12.6 million,...

Fashion Time: What’s the strangest handbag you’ve ever seen? Danielle DiFerdinando: It would have to be this bag I saw in a vintage store. The bag was made from Crocodile skin, and it still had the animals arms on it. I know that was once in fashion, but it definitely freaked me out. Fashion Time: Which designer, dead or alive, would you like to have lunch with, dishing fashion ideas? Danielle DiFerdinando: Tomas Maier. He’s such an inspiration to me. I love Bottega Veneta. His designs are so beautiful and classic.

I think we need to have a contest and design our next automobile.If GM is now Government Motors, and we the people are the employers of the governmant, we should have some input on how to design a car.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3 We've all heard the story: God created the world out of nothing. At His command. Nothing to something. First there was God. Then he reached into the void to create something out of nothing. Essentially, it's the creation story. Intelligent design is the fancier, more modern phrase for it. Even as an unbeliever when I was growing up, I had a sense that there was a God in heaven who could pretty much...

Darwin’s arguments against God How Darwin rejected the doctrines of Christianity by Russell Grigg Charles Darwin Charles Darwin grew up embracing the ‘intelligent design’ thinking of his day—William Paley’s renowned argument that the design of a watch implies there must have been an intelligent watchmaker, and so design in the universe implies there must have been an intelligent Creator.1 Concerning this, Darwin wrote, ‘I do not think I hardly ever admired a book more than Paley’s “Natural Theology�.2 I could almost formerly have said it by heart.’3 Nevertheless, Darwin spent most of the rest of his life attempting to...

In anticipation of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth today, yesterday, Gallup released a new poll revealing that only 4 in 10 (39 percent) Americans actually believe the theory of evolution. Meanwhile, 25 percent do not believe the theory, and 36 percent have no opinion either way. Not surprisingly, the poll also shows the percentage of individuals adhering to Darwinian evolution spikes considerably among those with advanced education degrees. For example, while 21 percent of those with high school educations or less believe in evolution, 41 percent with some college and 53 percent of college graduates hold to the...

A sage once said, "It's not what you know you don't know that's the problem; it's what you don't know that you don't know." When Charles Darwin advanced his theory of biological evolution, there was a lot of biology he didn't know. Some of it he recognized. But there was much he never even thought about. During the 150 years since then, scientific advance has yielded important understanding about life's origin, history and characteristics. These accomplishments provide the framework for modern biology. Even more, they are causing scientists to question his theory. Learning what scientists know will equip Christians with...

Meet Karl Lagerfeld’s new role: dish designer. He has designed a champagne coupe that was inspired by Queen Marie Antoinette’s breasts and comes in the form of a new breast-shaped bowl modeled after the bosom of supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

What is Naturalism? From Principles of Natural Theology (1923), pg. 511--517. George Hayward Joyce, S.J. What then is naturalism? It is a system whose salient characteristics is the exclusion of whatever is spiritual, or, indeed, whatever is transcendent of experience from our philosophy of nature and of man. Huxley, for long its most prominent exponent in this country, expressed this in some often-quoted words: "Any one who is acquainted with the history of science, will admit that its progress has, in all ages, meant, and now more than ever means, the extension of the province of what we call...

Proteins need a protected space to fold, and the cell provides it: the GroEL-GroES chaperone (see 05/05/2003, 06/07/2006, and 02/13/2007). More details keep coming in about this “protein dressing room” as scientists continue to probe its secrets. Two new papers in PNAS by a team at University of Maryland and College Park reveal that this is no passive cavity. The system acts like a two-stroke engine with two timers...

Matt Bernson shoes for Walter and Zac Posen A Shoe Designer to the Stars, Bernson is an American success story, who has led an interesting life with a career path that took him from travel writer to construction to a propitious journey to India, where he developed a fascination for footwear design, culminating in a full fledged line of designer shoes for women and men. And fervent acceptance by trend setting stars such as Gisele Bundchen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Gwen Stefani, Courtney Cox, Hills stars Lauren Conrad and Audrina Patridge, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Gossip Girl...

What Darwin Didn't Know an RTB conference in our nation's capital. February 12, 2009 marks Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of his book, On Origin of Species. People worldwide will engage in Darwin Day celebrations honoring Darwin’s influence on science and culture. The Reasons to Believe, Washington D.C, Network and Christ Church on Embassy Row are proud to announce an RTB Regional Conference addressing this all-important event. Hear RTB scholars Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples, Jeff Zweerink and Hugh Ross present the latest evidence that challenges Darwinism and supports the Christian faith. October 24-25 2008 Register at http://www.cconembassyrow.com/rtb.html...

Big Science has expelled smart new ideas from the classroom. What they forgot is that every generation has its rebel! Attacked by pro-evolution scientists and others, this film, Expelled exposed the prejudice leveled against scientists who reject Darwinian thinking, and took almost $8 million at the box office at around 700 theaters earlier this year, making it the 12th most successful documentary of all time.

The Plain Man's Argument from Design Charles J. Shebbeare Of the various arguments devised in past times to prove the existence of God -- and incidentally to refute a Naturalism like Mr. Russell's -- the clearest and simplest is the familiar "Argument from Design." This argument points to certain facts of Nature which look like evidences of design or arrangement; and draws the conclusion that the world is so like a plan that it must really be one; that is, that it resembles a work of intelligence in too many respects for this resemblance to be accidental. At the...

PRINCETON, NJ -- There is a significant political divide in beliefs about the origin of human beings, with 60% of Republicans saying humans were created in their present form by God 10,000 years ago, a belief shared by only 40% of independents and 38% of Democrats. Between 43% and 47% of Americans have agreed during this 26-year time period with the creationist view that God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so. Between 35% and 40% have agreed with the alternative explanation that humans evolved, but with God...

The Voices of Babel John Gerard S.J. IF one thing should be clearer than another to students of modern scientific literature, it is that the philosophers of our generation are in process of building an edifice more enduring than bronze, and more lofty, not only than the ancient pyramids of kings, but than anything that men or demigods ever yet contrived to rear upon the earth. The unceasing discoveries of science, not only give us knowledge of the facts of Nature, but, cemented and compacted by exact thought, grow into a stately pile which has already pierced the clouds...

Man as the Representative of the SupernaturalThe Duke of Argyll THE denial and exclusion of what is called "The Supernatural" in our explanations of nature, is the same doctrine in another form as the denial and exclusion of anthropopsychism. The connection may not be evident at first sight, but it arises from the fact that the human mind is really the type, and the only type, of that which men call the supernatural. It would be well if this word were altogether banished from our vocabulary. It is in the highest degree ambiguous and deceptive. It assumes that the...

A new book is out which may interest some Freepers: The Patristic Understanding of Creation, An Anthology of Writings from the Church Fathers on Creation and Designby Dembski, Downs, and Frederick. From Erasmus Press: The Patristic Understanding of Creation encapsulates what the Church Fathers had to say, in their own words, on the topic of creation. Going back to Roman and Byzantine times, the writings of the Church Fathers are basic to Christian theology and provide a benchmark for how Christians have traditionally understood creation. This understanding of creation, however, faces tremendous challenges in our day, especially in discussions at...

Where Do the Dinosaurs Fit? Figuring out when the dinosaurs lived relative to man isn't really so difficult. by Mario Seiglie "I don't believe in the Bible because dinosaurs lived a long time before man ever did."Have you ever heard a statement like that? I certainly have—many times. In fact, this was one of the principal reasons Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, eventually rejected the Bible. Many have followed suit. Most people believe you can't reconcile dinosaurs and the Bible—but they are wrong. This erroneous idea is based on the supposition that either you have to...

NEW YORK: News that scientists have for the first time genetically altered a human embryo is drawing fire from some watchdog groups that say it’s a step toward creating "designer babies". But an author of the study says the work was focused on stem cells. He notes that the researchers used an abnormal embryo that could never have developed into a baby anyway. "None of us wants to make designer babies," said Zev Rosenwaks, director of Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The idea of designer babies is that someday, scientists may insert particular genes...

What is it?" Kelly Charles asked as he walked to his job as a custodian in downtown Los Angeles and gazed up at a rather odd construction project. "A roller coaster?" As I wandered the neighborhood, other guesses were: A ski jump. A toboggan run. A water slide. What's got everyone talking is the odd-looking tower that rises 140 feet above the 101 Freeway, directly across from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The futuristic metallic edifice, with a wraparound spiral Dr. Seuss would love, is not part of a theme park. It is the signature adornment on...

As schools and museums celebrate the 199th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birthday today, a new push is being made to inject religion into the nation’s science classrooms. But it’s not coming from those you might think. After years of accusing Darwin’s critics of trying to insert religion into biology classes on the sly, leading defenders of evolution are now campaigning to incorporate religion explicitly into classroom lessons on evolution. Eugenie Scott, head of the pro-evolution National Center for Science Education, recommends having biology students read statements endorsing evolution by theologians. She further suggests assigning the students to interview ministers about...

In the year 2108, after the general collapse of society, Washington residents will flee the violent decay of the city and migrate to utopian "ecohubs" in the middle of the Potomac River. There, civilization will be reborn amid renewed natural resources, wind- and solar-generated power, clean water and man-made wetlands brimming with wildlife. Or, a century from now, Washington will be ringed by 2,000-foot towers -- erected on the sites of 28 Civil War forts -- where rain will be collected for water, power will be generated by wind and sunlight, and multitiered hydroponic farms will grow food for the...

Dainty. Floral. Romantic. Fun. Fifty years ago, at the high-water mark of steel and glass modernism, those adjectives described architectural no-no's. You didn't decorate a building. You stripped it of ornament (or at least you made it look that way). You didn't speak of beauty, which sounded old-fashioned and subjective. You spoke of objective truth and of an architecture that would be the inevitable byproduct of its industrialized epoch. But in a provocative new architecture and design show at the Art Institute of Chicago, all those notions are turned on their right-angled heads. The exhibition, "Figuration in Contemporary Design," skillfully...

THE STARTLING ARTICLE appeared on Dec. 9, 2004. “A British philosophy professor who has been a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century has changed his mind,” Richard Ostling of The Associated Press wrote. “He now believes in God — more or less — based on scientific evidence and says so on a video released Thursday. At age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake, Antony Flew has concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. A superintelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the...

Two engineers about to go on trial for allegedly stealing confidential computer chip designs from their Silicon Valley employer and a partner firm were indicted Wednesday on the rare and more serious charge of economic espionage, prosecutors said. The indictment returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in San Jose accuses Lan Lee, 42, of Palo Alto, and Yuefei Ge, 34, a Chinese national living in San Jose, of orchestrating the computer-chip plot so they could go into business with the Chinese military. The men are accused of stealing secret data sheets and other confidential documents from NetLogic...