Day 325

Facebook Lite Launch

Facebook launched a "cut-down" version of its popular social networking site.  FBL is aimed at areas with limited broadband capabilities.  At the rate the facebook brand is going, I predict it will reach Disney status.  

Day 290

North Korea Suspected of Cyber Hacking

Apparently there was a cyber attack on various government agency sites in the US and South Korea.  US sites affected include: The Treasury Department, Secret Service, and The Federal Trade Commission.  

South Korea's National Intelligence Service, the nation's main spy agency, told a group of South Korean lawmakers Wednesday it believes that North Korea or North Korean sympathizers in the South were behind the attacks, according to an aide to one of the lawmakers briefed on the information.

The aide spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the information. The National Intelligence Service — South Korea's main spy agency — said it couldn't immediately confirm the report, but it said it was cooperating with American authorities

Day 271

Mattrixx Initiatives, Inc.

I first heard of Zicam, a Mattrixx Initiatives, Inc. cold remedy product, from my roommate who swore by its effectiveness to ward off colds.  It was very busy time leading up to our thesis exhibition and a cold was the last thing any of us needed.  Today in the news, the FDA issues a warning to the drug company to file a new application on the product after receiving 130 complaints regarding a anosmia, or loss of smell.  

Stocks for the company plummeted 70%.  

Day 265

Day 264

XXX

Porn stars' risky behaviour increases risk at contracting HIV.  I wasn't going to highlight this story, but I was just told by someone that the Internets and HD technology would be nothing without the porn industry.  Nothing could be closer to the truth.

Safari 4

Safari 4 tops 11 million downloads in 3 days.  I'll be the next to download my browser of choice as soon as I get a better internet connection.

Day 259

Daniel James Murray

Day 214

Craigslist

The "Craigslist Killer" and Boston University medical student, Philip Markoff, has sparked concerns about services provided by the popular online community forum.  CL is expected to implement strategies to prevent advertisements for erotic services.  

Day 197

IBM and SUN

Talks for IBM's acquisition of Sun Microsystems has faltered sending Sun's stocks southbound. 

I've always liked IBM's logo.  It reminds me of the old school dot matrix printers that would print one line at a time while emitting a violent screech.  The Sun logo is pretty smart as well- very microchip-esque.

Day 190

Cyber- Spying

This is a very interesting article about Cyber-spying on the Dali Lama.  The virus-based virtual spy network, dubbed GhostNet, has been linked to the Chinese government...

"Investigators say the link to China emerged when the Tibetans learned that a foreign diplomat who had received an invitation from the Dalai Lama's office was contacted by the Chinese government and warned not to meet with the Tibetan spiritual leader." 

Hitting the Ground Running

I am extremely happy to read of Obama's progress as our President. Three of the top five stories today are about the new administration. Headlines:

• Shhh. Obama Repeals the Abortion Gag Rule, Very Quietly; TIME; 9:00 am
• How Obama Will Use Web Technology; Washington Post; 8:45 am
• Obama Fleshes Out Further Details of Stimulus Plan; Washington Post; 8:45 am

The abortion article is especially interesting with its analysis of the the Mexico City policy and each administration's role in the enactment and repealing of the controversial policy.

A few excerpts from the article:

The Mexico City policy, as it is known, has been one of the most visible differences between the two major political parties on the issue of abortion, in part because incoming Presidents have taken action on it within days of entering the White House. Bill Clinton repealed the policy on Jan. 22, 1993, citing his concern that the ban prevented women and children from receiving health services. Eight years later, George W. Bush reinstated the policy on Jan. 22, 2001. "It is my conviction," Bush said, "that taxpayer funds should not be used to pay for abortions or advocate or actively promote abortion, either here or abroad." (View new fronts in the abortion battle.)

Bush's statement is one being echoed by supporters of the policy today. But in fact, since 1973, federal law has banned the use of U.S. taxpayer funds for abortions in other countries. What the Mexico City policy did was take that prohibition several steps further. Under the policy, NGOs that applied for family-planning funds from the U.S. Agency on International Development (USAID) had to refrain from using any of their own funds to provide abortion (with exceptions for cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother). The organizations also were not eligible if they lobbied to make or keep abortion legal in their own country or if they provided abortion referrals — a requirement that led many opponents of the policy to dub it a "global gag rule."

As a result of the policy — which is named for the city in which the Reagan Administration first announced it at the 1984 United Nations International Conference on Population — some groups, including Planned Parenthood organizations in Romania and Colombia, altered their activities in order to qualify and continued to receive funding. But at least 16 developing nations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have been affected, with all NGOs in those countries denied U.S. funding to help provide contraceptives and other much needed services.

Day 124

Stem Cell Research

The Food and Drug Administration is in the news again as it approves the world's first study on embryonic stem cell therapy.  Geron Corp., a California based biotech will start clinical trials to regrow nerve tissue in spinal cord injury patients.  

The article mentions the vast difference in support for stem cell research between the Bush and Obama administrations.  I think it marks how significant and how quickly the pervading ideology of our leadership can affect policy- Obama has been in office for three days.

Who knows what the new research will accomplish. At bare minimum, at least the microscopic images of stem cell have some visual appeal.