Carnegie Mellon scientist wins international award for computational biology

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
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Contact: Byron Spice
bspice@cs.cmu.edu
412-268-9068
Carnegie Mellon University

Ziv Bar-Joseph to receive Overton Prize, present keynote address

PITTSBURGHThe International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) has awarded its Overton Prize for outstanding accomplishment to Ziv Bar-Joseph, associate professor in Carnegie Mellon University's Lane Center for Computational Biology and Machine Learning Department.

The Overton Prize is awarded annually to an early- to mid-career scientist who has made a significant contribution to the field of computational biology. In recognition of the award, Bar-Joseph will give a keynote address this July at the annual International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology in Long Beach, Calif.

Bar-Joseph, who joined CMU's School of Computer Science (SCS) faculty in 2003, applies machine learning, statistical algorithms and signal processing techniques to the analysis of high-throughput biological data. He has led international research efforts that have identified genes important to human cell division, including a subset associated with cancer cells, which have uncovered new insights into gene regulatory networks.

In a study published last year in the journal Science, he and his colleagues observed methods that have evolved to organize cells during nervous system development. The same methods, they concluded, could be used to improve the deployment of wireless sensor networks and other distributed computing applications.

"It's stunning how he is able to handle such a diverse set of technical methods," said Burkhard Rost, president of the ISCB. "He's a perfect example of a new generation of scientists."

Alfonso Valencia, chair of the ISCB Awards Committee, added that the committee members were impressed not only by the quality of Bar-Joseph's scientific contribution, but by the novelty of the approaches he has developed.

"I am very pleased that Ziv has been chosen for this very richly deserved honor," said Robert F. Murphy, director of SCS's Lane Center for Computational Biology. "Ziv's work represents an outstanding example of computational biology research: the use of novel and appropriate machine learning methods in deep collaborations with accomplished experimental biologists to yield significant biological results."

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Bar-Joseph earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and his Ph.D. in computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for Young Investigators.

The International Society for Computational Biology is a nonprofit scholarly society dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of living systems through computation. The Overton Prize was established by the ISCB in memory of the late G. Christian Overton of the University of Pennsylvania, a major contributor to the field of bioinformatics Follow the School of Computer Science on Twitter @SCSatCMU.

About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (http://www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of a $1 billion fundraising campaign, titled "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Byron Spice
bspice@cs.cmu.edu
412-268-9068
Carnegie Mellon University

Ziv Bar-Joseph to receive Overton Prize, present keynote address

PITTSBURGHThe International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) has awarded its Overton Prize for outstanding accomplishment to Ziv Bar-Joseph, associate professor in Carnegie Mellon University's Lane Center for Computational Biology and Machine Learning Department.

The Overton Prize is awarded annually to an early- to mid-career scientist who has made a significant contribution to the field of computational biology. In recognition of the award, Bar-Joseph will give a keynote address this July at the annual International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology in Long Beach, Calif.

Bar-Joseph, who joined CMU's School of Computer Science (SCS) faculty in 2003, applies machine learning, statistical algorithms and signal processing techniques to the analysis of high-throughput biological data. He has led international research efforts that have identified genes important to human cell division, including a subset associated with cancer cells, which have uncovered new insights into gene regulatory networks.

In a study published last year in the journal Science, he and his colleagues observed methods that have evolved to organize cells during nervous system development. The same methods, they concluded, could be used to improve the deployment of wireless sensor networks and other distributed computing applications.

"It's stunning how he is able to handle such a diverse set of technical methods," said Burkhard Rost, president of the ISCB. "He's a perfect example of a new generation of scientists."

Alfonso Valencia, chair of the ISCB Awards Committee, added that the committee members were impressed not only by the quality of Bar-Joseph's scientific contribution, but by the novelty of the approaches he has developed.

"I am very pleased that Ziv has been chosen for this very richly deserved honor," said Robert F. Murphy, director of SCS's Lane Center for Computational Biology. "Ziv's work represents an outstanding example of computational biology research: the use of novel and appropriate machine learning methods in deep collaborations with accomplished experimental biologists to yield significant biological results."

###

Bar-Joseph earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and his Ph.D. in computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for Young Investigators.

The International Society for Computational Biology is a nonprofit scholarly society dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of living systems through computation. The Overton Prize was established by the ISCB in memory of the late G. Christian Overton of the University of Pennsylvania, a major contributor to the field of bioinformatics Follow the School of Computer Science on Twitter @SCSatCMU.

About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (http://www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of a $1 billion fundraising campaign, titled "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/cmu-cms013012.php

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Genetic regulation of metabolomic biomarkers - paths to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes

Public release date: 29-Jan-2012
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Contact: Dr. Samuli Ripatti
samuli.ripatti@fimm.fi
358-206-108-159
University of Helsinki

In a study to the genetic variance of human metabolism, researchers have identified thirty one regions of the genome that were associated with levels of circulating metabolites, i.e., small molecules that take part in various chemical reactions of human body. Many of the studied metabolites are biomarkers for cardiovascular disease or related disorders, thus the loci uncovered may provide valuable insight into the biological processes leading to common diseases.

Laboratory tests used in the clinic typically monitor one or few circulating metabolites. The researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) used a high throughput method called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) that can measure more than hundred different metabolites in one assay. This provides a much more in-depth picture of circulating metabolic compounds.

"Using this extensive analysis in thousands of people, we could identify a large number of genetic loci regulating the level of compounds circulating in the blood stream", says Dr. Samuli Ripatti, the leader of the study.

The team assayed 117 detailed metabolic markers, including lipoprotein subclasses, amino acids and lipids, and conducted the largest genome-wide association analysis of this type, in terms of study sample size of 8330 individuals from six Finnish population-based cohorts and 7.7 million genomic markers studied. They revealed, in total, 31 genetic regions associated with the blood levels of the metabolites.

Eleven of the loci had not been previously shown to be associated with any metabolic measures.

Among the findings were two new loci affecting serum cholesterol subclass measures, well-established risk markers for cardiovascular disease, and five new loci affecting levels of amino acids recently discovered to be potential biomarkers for type 2 diabetes. The discovered variants have significant effects on the metabolite levels, the effect sizes being in general considerably larger than the known common variants for complex disease have.

Also, using Finnish twin pair samples, the researchers indicated that the metabolite levels show a high degree of heritability. "This result suggests that the studied metabolites are describing better the underlying biology than the routinely used laboratory tests. Therefore, the study provides further support for the use of detailed data on multitude of metabolites in genetic studies to provide novel biological insights and to help in elucidating the processes leading to common diseases", Dr. Ripatti says.

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Dr. Samuli Ripatti is a FIMM-EMBL Group Leader at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Finland (http://www.fimm.fi) and a Honorary Faculty Member at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK (http://www.sanger.ac.uk)

The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM is an international research institute focusing on building a bridge from discovery to medical applications. FIMM investigates molecular mechanisms of disease using genomics and medical systems biology in order to promote human health. FIMM is a multi-disciplinary institute combining high-quality science with unique research cohorts and patient materials, and state-of-the-art technologies. Website http://www.fimm.fi

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world's leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease. Website http://www.sanger.ac.uk/

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 29-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Samuli Ripatti
samuli.ripatti@fimm.fi
358-206-108-159
University of Helsinki

In a study to the genetic variance of human metabolism, researchers have identified thirty one regions of the genome that were associated with levels of circulating metabolites, i.e., small molecules that take part in various chemical reactions of human body. Many of the studied metabolites are biomarkers for cardiovascular disease or related disorders, thus the loci uncovered may provide valuable insight into the biological processes leading to common diseases.

Laboratory tests used in the clinic typically monitor one or few circulating metabolites. The researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) used a high throughput method called nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) that can measure more than hundred different metabolites in one assay. This provides a much more in-depth picture of circulating metabolic compounds.

"Using this extensive analysis in thousands of people, we could identify a large number of genetic loci regulating the level of compounds circulating in the blood stream", says Dr. Samuli Ripatti, the leader of the study.

The team assayed 117 detailed metabolic markers, including lipoprotein subclasses, amino acids and lipids, and conducted the largest genome-wide association analysis of this type, in terms of study sample size of 8330 individuals from six Finnish population-based cohorts and 7.7 million genomic markers studied. They revealed, in total, 31 genetic regions associated with the blood levels of the metabolites.

Eleven of the loci had not been previously shown to be associated with any metabolic measures.

Among the findings were two new loci affecting serum cholesterol subclass measures, well-established risk markers for cardiovascular disease, and five new loci affecting levels of amino acids recently discovered to be potential biomarkers for type 2 diabetes. The discovered variants have significant effects on the metabolite levels, the effect sizes being in general considerably larger than the known common variants for complex disease have.

Also, using Finnish twin pair samples, the researchers indicated that the metabolite levels show a high degree of heritability. "This result suggests that the studied metabolites are describing better the underlying biology than the routinely used laboratory tests. Therefore, the study provides further support for the use of detailed data on multitude of metabolites in genetic studies to provide novel biological insights and to help in elucidating the processes leading to common diseases", Dr. Ripatti says.

###

Dr. Samuli Ripatti is a FIMM-EMBL Group Leader at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Finland (http://www.fimm.fi) and a Honorary Faculty Member at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK (http://www.sanger.ac.uk)

The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM is an international research institute focusing on building a bridge from discovery to medical applications. FIMM investigates molecular mechanisms of disease using genomics and medical systems biology in order to promote human health. FIMM is a multi-disciplinary institute combining high-quality science with unique research cohorts and patient materials, and state-of-the-art technologies. Website http://www.fimm.fi

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is one of the world's leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease. Website http://www.sanger.ac.uk/

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uoh-gro012712.php

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Students find man stuck for days in Rio Grande mud

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? A man who tells authorities he was stuck in the mud at the Rio Grande river in New Mexico for three days has been rescued after a group of high school students on a field trip heard him yelling for help.

An Albuquerque Fire Department spokesman tells KRQE-TV (http://bit.ly/A6bCXQ) that the students and their biology teacher heard the man yelling from a marshy wetlands area Saturday morning.

It took swift-water and technical rescue teams about two hours to pull the unidentified man to safety. His name and condition were not released.

The man told the students he'd spent three days stuck in the mud of the old river bend about two miles north of Interstate 40 in Albuquerque.

It wasn't immediately clear how he became stuck, and calls seeking additional information from the fire department weren't immediately returned.

___

Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-01-28-Mud%20Rescue/id-845b3476967644499802816965b8b220

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California orders hike in number of super clean cars

California, long a national leader in cutting auto pollution, pushed the envelope further Friday as state regulators approved rules to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and put significantly more pollution-free vehicles on the road in coming years.

The package of Air Resources Board regulations would require auto manufacturers to offer more zero- or very low-emission cars such as battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid vehicles in California starting with model year 2018.

By 2025, one in seven new autos sold in California, or roughly 1.4 million, must be ultra-clean, moving what is now a driving novelty into the mainstream.

The board also strengthened future emission standards for all new cars, making them the toughest in the nation. The rules are intended by 2025 to slash smog-forming pollutants from new vehicles by 75 percent and reduce by a third their emissions that contribute to global warming.

"Today's vote ? represents a new chapter for clean cars in California and in the nation as a whole," said Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols.

Auto manufacturers are uneasy with some of the provisions but generally support the package, which took three years to develop. "We know the board wants to push the automakers," said Mike Love, national regulatory affairs manager for Toyota Motor Sales. "We said we're willing to go along with you and do our best."

The requirements are expected to drive up car prices. The board staff predicts that the advanced technologies needed to meet the new standards will add $1,900 to the price of a new car in 2025. But that would be more than offset by $6,000 in estimated fuel savings over the life of the vehicle, according to the board's staff.

Zero-emission autos now make up a minuscule portion of the more than 26 million cars in California, with just a few hundred fuel cell cars and about 34,000 battery electric autos on the road.

"The fact that we are going to change what consumers can buy is one of the most important things we can do," board member Ken Yeager said before the panel, at the end of a two-day hearing in Los Angeles, voted 9 to 0 to approve the rules.

Manufacturers are poised to introduce a number of new electric and plug-in hybrid models. "This year, two dozen or more new vehicles are going to come out in the market," Love said. "Everyone is trying their idea for EVs (electric vehicles), plug-ins."

Nichols said she has seen "a real change in attitudes on the part of auto companies that have seen the handwriting on the wall.... The reality is that companies see the future is going to be in electric drivetrain vehicles. They're moving there as fast they can."

But automakers do still have concerns, particularly whether consumers will buy the ultra-clean cars.

"Automakers are mandated to build products that consumers are not mandated to buy," said Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which includes Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. "If the electric vehicle infrastructure is not in place, consumers may be reluctant to buy these technologies."

Jack Nerad, Kelley Blue Book market analyst, predicted that "the added expense and lesser versatility of the 'environmental' vehicles" will continue to make them less desirable to consumers. Manufacturers might have to sell clean cars at a loss to meet the requirements, and "buyers of conventional cars will pick up the remainder of the tab," he said. One of the most disputed elements of the rules centered on a clause that in the early years of the mandate gives credits to automakers who reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their fleets more than required. Those credits would cut the number of electric, fuel cell and plug-in hybrids the companies had to offer in California.

Jay Friedland, legislative director of Plug In America, called it "a loophole you can drive a truck through" that will undermine the 2025 goal of having ultra-clean cars make up 15% of the new vehicles sold in the state.

A zero-emission mandate is not new in California. It dates from 1990 but was progressively watered down over the years.

The state's ambitious goals to slash its greenhouse gas production renewed focus on the role that super clean cars could play.

"The steady drumbeat of the need to get off the dependence on petroleum is really what is driving this," Nichols said. "It's taken longer than we've hoped."

Starting with model year 2015, automakers will have to meet tougher standards for smog-forming emissions and, in 2017, greater limits on pollutants that contribute to global warming.

By 2025, the standards are designed to reduce the average smog-forming emissions of new cars and light trucks by 75% compared with those sold today.

The greenhouse gas limits, which would be the same as the federal government has proposed for vehicles nationally, should cut those auto emissions by a third more in 2025 than required under current standards. To meet the new limits, the board staff anticipates the auto industry will make greater use of advanced hybrid technology, stronger and lighter materials and improved emission control equipment.

If oil companies don't reach an agreement with the state to voluntarily install alternative fueling stations, such as for hydrogen fuel cells, the new rules will also require them to do so when a certain number of cars using that fuel is reached. The outlets could be placed at an existing gasoline station or a free-standing site.

"I hope the oil industry will get on board rather than dragging its feet," said board member Hector De La Torre.

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/Wtx2mj-IKg4/la-me-clean-car-20120127,0,7155961.story

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Peter, Paul and Mary bassist Dick Kniss dies at 74 (AP)

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. ? Dick Kniss, a bassist who performed for five decades with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary and co-wrote the John Denver hit "Sunshine on My Shoulders," has died. He was 74.

Kniss died Wednesday of pulmonary disease at a hospital near their home in the Hudson Valley town of Saugerties, said his wife, Diane Kniss.

Kniss was born in Portland, Ore., and was an original member of Denver's 1970s band. He also played with jazz greats including Herbie Hancock and Woody Herman.

Active in the 1960s civil rights movement, Kniss performed at benefits for a range of causes and played during the first celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday.

Peter, Paul and Mary's Peter Yarrow said in a statement that Kniss was "our intrepid bass player for almost as long as we performed together.

"He was a dear and beloved part of our closest family circle and his bass playing was always a great fourth voice in our music as well as, conceptually, an original and delightfully surprising new statement added to our vocal arrangements," Yarrow said.

Visiting hours are set for 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Seamon-Wilsey Funeral Home in Saugerties, with a service at 2 p.m.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_en_mu/us_obit_kniss

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What You Missed While Not Watching The Last Florida GOP Debate (Time.com)

0 minutes. "Only one thing is certain," CNN's opening montage declares. "Expect the unexpected." That hits the spot. We need false hope at a time like this. It's the 19th Republican debate. Everything that can happen probably already has. The screen flickers with a Romney video clip from the campaign trail. "We're not choosing a talk show host," he says. This will need to be fact checked.

3 minutes. Wolf Blitzer. Facebook. Twitter. You know the drill.

4 minutes. Candidates on the catwalk. They walk out like they have done before. Nothing changes. They shake hands, then stand for the national anthem, sung by the local college's chamber singers, who have dressed for the occasion like puritan flight attendants. They sing well, which is totally unexpected. Santorum and Romney sing along. Gingrich, Paul, and Callista Gingrich, who is seen in a crowd shot, keep their mouths closed. Will have to keep an eye on them. You never know.

7 minutes. More Blitzer, who repeats the rules we have heard 18 times before. Then he asks the candidates to introduce themselves. (See more on the Florida debates.)

8 minutes. Santorum introduces himself by introducing his 93-year-old mother in the audience, who could easily pass for 81, and makes everyone feel good. She stands, Santorum smiles with pride and the crowd cheers wildly. "I'd better just stop right there," Santorum says. Yes, he should. He should also pick mom for vice president.

9 minutes. More of the expected. Gingrich says he is from neighboring Georgia. Romney says he has 16 grand-kids. Paul says he champions "a sound monetary system," which really has nothing to do with expensive acoustics, though don't tell his college-age voters. The dude is totally rad.

10 minutes. First question on immigration. This is totally unexpected. Immigration is usually asked at the end of the debate. Crazy. To allay this shock, the candidates give answers that are no different. Everyone on stage likes laws, wants to seal the borders, and embraces legal immigration. There are requisite mentions of American Express and MasterCard handling identification cards.

14 minutes. "I don't think anyone is interested in going around and rounding up people around the country and deporting 11 million Americans," says Romney. Oops. He recovers quickly: "Or, excuse me 11 million illegal immigrants into America." Paul follows up by saying he would end U.S. military involvement on the Afghan border to pay for more guards on the Mexican border.

16 minutes. Blitzer asks Gingrich why he called Romney the "most anti-immigrant candidate" in a recent ad. "Because, in the original conversations about deportation, the position I took, which he attacked pretty ferociously, was that grandmothers and grandfathers aren't going to be successfully deported," Gingrich says. This is a backhanded way of accusing Romney of wanting to deport Santorum's sweet mother, if she had no papers. (See more on the GOP debates.)

19 minutes. Romney, who has been giving Gingrich the evil eye, pounces. "That's simply unexcusable. That's inexcusable," Romney says, flip-flopping "un" for "in" in three words. "Mr. Speaker, I'm not anti-immigrant. My father was born in Mexico. My wife's father was born in Wales. They came to this country. The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive." It's the first time in 19 debates that someone has used the word "repulsive." Unexpected and about time. Romney goes on to say he is not going to round-up grandmothers. He is just going to deny them of employment, and hope they leave the country.

20 minutes. Gingrich says he would like Romney to "self-describe" himself, if he is not anti-immigrant for wanting to expel grandmothers. Romney, in full alpha dog mode, is off again. "There are grandmothers that live on the other side of the border that are waiting to come here legally. I want them to come here, too, not just those that are already here," Romney says. So he is not anti-grandma, he just favors some over others. More grandma back and forth follows.

21 minutes. Blitzer asks Romney about an ad he is running that says Gingrich called Spanish "the language of the ghetto." "I haven't seen the ad, so I'm sorry. I don't get to see all the TV ads," Romney replies. Later Romney adds about the ad, "I doubt that's my ad, but we'll take a look and find out." It is Romney's ad, a Spanish language radio spot. Gingrich said it, in a discussion about the importance of learning English, and later admitted that he chose his words poorly.

23 minutes. A question about the influence of China in Latin America. Paul calls for more free trade. Santorum warns of radical Islam in Venezuala and promises to be more involved as president in the continent. Paul and Santorum squabble about the proper reach of U.S. foreign policy.

29 minutes. During the squabble, Blitzer double checks the origin of the Romney ad. "It was one of your ads. It's running here in Florida on the radio. And at the end you say, 'I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this ad.' " Romney has no response. "Let me ask the speaker a question. Did you say what the ad says or not? I don't know," he says instead. "It's taken totally out of context," protests Gingrich. "Oh, OK, he said it," Romney concludes, misrepresenting what Gingrich just said to prove that he had not previously misrepresented something Gingrich once said.

30 minutes. Moving on to housing. How do you get Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae out of housing? Romney attacks Gingrich for once working as a political consultant for Freddie Mac. "We should have had a whistle-blower and not horn-tooter," says Romney. Romney never uses bad words. Maybe this is why "tooter" sounds so naughty.

31 minutes. Gingrich responds by attacking Romney for holding stock in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, as well as investing in Goldman Sachs, "which is today foreclosing on Floridians." Romney shoots back that most of these investments were in mutual funds controlled by a blind trust. Back in 1994, Romney argued that blind trusts were not really blind, since politicians could still direct the investments. But never mind that now. Because Romney then says, "And Mr. Speaker, I know that sounds like an enormous revelation, but have you checked your own investments?" Apparently, Gingrich also owned stock in Fannie and Freddie. Gingrich says, "Right," thereby admitting his whole attack was a giant exercise in hypocrisy.

34 minutes. Gingrich finds his comeback. "To compare my investments with his is like comparing a tiny mouse with a giant elephant," Gingrich says. Never before has "elephant" been used as an insult in a Republican debate. Unexpected.

35 minutes. Paul is asked to comment. "That subject really doesn't interest me a whole lot," he says, to applause. Got to love that guy. He goes on to blame the housing bubble on the Federal Reserve.

36 minutes. Santorum chastises Blitzer for focusing on these issues. "Can we set aside that Newt was a member of Congress and used the skills that he developed as a member of Congress to go out and advise companies -- and that's not the worst thing in the world -- and that Mitt Romney is a wealthy guy because worked hard and he's going out and working hard?" he asks. Not likely. But the crowd applauds. (See more on the State of the Union Address.)

37 minutes. First commercial break. Blitzer promises to talk about space when we return.

40 minutes. We are back to talk about tax returns. Is Gingrich satisfied with the Romney releases? "Wolf, you and I have a great relationship, it goes back a long way. I'm with him," Gingrich says of Santorum. "This is a nonsense question." Blitzer points out that Gingrich recently said of Romney, "He lives in a world of Swiss bank and Cayman Island bank accounts."

41 minutes. Just as Gingrich seems to be succeeding in getting the question dropped, Romney jumps in. "Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't make accusations somewhere else that they weren't willing to defend here?" he says. So Gingrich pivots from bickering with Blitzer, and attacks Romney. "I don't know of any American president who has had a Swiss bank account," he says. "I'd be glad for you to explain that sort of thing."

43 minutes. Romney blames the blind trust. Then he finds words to defend his wealth that have been missing for the last three debates. "I'm proud of being successful. I'm proud of being in the free enterprise system that creates jobs for other people. I'm not going to run from that," Romney says. "I'm proud of the taxes I pay. My taxes, plus my charitable contributions, this year, 2011, will be about 40 percent." The two men go back and forth a bit more.

45 minutes. Some talk about tax rates. Gingrich tries to explain why he both talks about Romney's tax rates in a derogatory way and wants to reduce his taxes to zero, by eliminating the capital gains tax. Gingrich says he wants everyone to pay what Romney now pays in taxes, even if it means reducing Romney's taxes further. "My goal is to shrink the government to fit the revenue, not to raise the revenue to catch up with the government," he says. Santorum chimes in to say he doesn't want taxes quite as low as Gingrich. Paul says he wants to get rid of the 16th Amendment, which gives Congress the power to collect taxes.

49 minutes. Blitzer asks Paul if he will release his health records. "Oh, obviously, because it's about one page," the 76-year-old says. "I'm willing to challenge any of these gentlemen up here to a 25- mile bike ride any time of the day in the heat of Texas." Everyone else on stage agrees to release their health records too.

50 minutes. Space cadet time. Romney is against a moon base, but for a vibrant space program, whatever that means. Gingrich is for a moon base, largely to beat the Chinese, but he says lots of the efforts to get there could be done with private enterprise. Santorum thinks a moon base is too expensive. "Well, I don't think we should go to the moon," says Paul. "I think we maybe should send some politicians up there." Paul is so cool. Maybe his sound monetary policy does have beats after all. (See photos of Obama's State of the Union Address)

56 minutes. Blitzer points out that Gingrich would allow a lunar colony with 13,000 Americans in it apply for statehood, which is probably a pander to the same stoner college vote that Paul has wrapped up. Romney, who is still in alpha dog mode, attacks again. "I spent 25 years in business," he says. "If I had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, You're fired.'" Romney tends to get in trouble when he talks about firing people. Yet he still does it. Then he accuses Gingrich of pandering to Floridians, like he did to South Carolinians, and to New Hampshirites.

59 minutes. Gingrich answers by pandering more. "The port of Jacksonville is going to have to be expanded because the Panama Canal is being widened, and I think that's useful thing for a president to know," he says. He also talks about the Everglades. Then he claims again to have created four consecutive balanced budgets, which is not true. (See last debate recap.)

60 minutes. Paul points out that the balanced budgets Gingrich claims still included deficits, if one accounts for the money that was taken out of Social Security. "I agree with Ron," Gingrich responds, once again undermining his own talking point. "I actually agree with you, and I propose that we take Social Security off budget."

62 minutes. Question from the audience by an unemployed woman without health insurance. She asks what the candidates would do for her. Paul says he would get government out of health insurance. Gingrich says he would repeal ObamaCare and get the economy going again, and create a new health reform that gives her a tax break to buy health insurance.

64 minutes. Romney basically agrees, and then attacks President Obama. This is the first time he has attacked Obama in a sustained way. Last debate this moment came at 71 minutes. In the previous dozen or so debates, he always attacked Obama with just about every answer.

66 minutes. Santorum goes after Gingrich and Romney for supporting ObamaCare-like health reforms in the past. The substance has been well tread in prior debates. But what is notable is that in the tit for tat that follows, Santorum kind of gets under Romney's skin in a way that Gingrich has so far failed to do. "I make enough mistakes in what I say, not for you to add more mistakes to what I say," Romney says at one point. It's meant as a joke. But no one laughs.

72 minutes. As Santorum continues to tear into Romney for the horror of what he did in Massachusetts in 2004, it is worth remembering that Santorum endorsed Romney for president in 2008.

75 minutes. "Congressman Paul, who is right?" asks Blitzer. "I think they're all wrong," Paul says.

76 minutes. The candidates are asked to name Hispanic leaders they could see in their cabinet. They all do. Except Paul. "I don't have one particular name that I'm going to bring up," he says.

78 minutes. Commercial break.

82 minutes. We're back. Candidates are asked to say why their wives are great. Paul says he has been married 54 years, and his wife wrote "a very famous cookbook, 'The Ron Paul Cookbook.'" Romney says his wife has overcome breast cancer and Multiple Sclerosis, and wants to make sure young women don't get pregnant before marriage. Gingrich says his wife plays the French horn, and writes patriotic books. Santorum says his wife has written a couple of books, one about their child who died at birth, and another about training kids to have good manners.

88 minutes. Romney and Gingrich are asked to bicker over who is closer to Reagan. Romney admits that it took him a long time to come around to the Reagan view. "I became more conservative," he says. Gingrich says Nancy Reagan told him the Reagan torch had been passed to him. Then he attacks Romney. "In '92 he was donating to the Democrats for Congress and voted for Paul Tsongas in the Democratic primary," Gingrich says. "In '94 running against Teddy Kennedy, he said flatly, I don't want to go back to the Reagan-Bush era, I was an independent."

91 minutes. "I've never voted for a Democrat when there was a Republican on the ballot," says Romney, which is a pretty misleading thing to say. There was also a Republican primary in 1992. Romney could have chosen to vote in it.

92 minutes. Questions about Cuba. Santorum is against the Obama policy of liberalizing relations. He warns of "Jihadist's who want to set up missile sites" in Cuba or Venezuela. Paul shoots back that he doesn't think the American people "see a Jihadist under the bed every night." If he had any chance of winning, Paul would be seen as the winner of this debate.

95 minutes. Romney attacks Obama's Cuba policy. So does Gingrich.

98 minutes. A self-described Palestinian in the audience, as part of a question about Middle East Peace, says, "I'm here to tell you we do exist." Romney responds by saying, "It's the Palestinians who don't want a two-state solution." This is not true. The Palestinians have gone to the United Nations demanding just such a thing, though they differ with Israel about borders and conditions. Gingrich repeats his previous claim about Palestinian invention. "It was technically an invention of the late 1970s, and it was clearly so. Prior to that, they were Arabs. Many of them were either Syrian, Lebanese, or Egyptian, or Jordanian," he says. By that standard, Americans are an invented people too. But no one points this out.

102 minutes. Question about Puerto Rican statehood. Santorum panders a lot, praising Puerto Rico and its leaders. But then declines to take a position on statehood.

105 minutes. Question about how religious views would affect presidency. Paul says all that matters to him in the job is the Constitution. Gingrich says he would pray for guidance and stop the war against Christianity that is being waged by the "secular elite." Santorum says he understands that rights come from God, not government.

110 minutes. One more break.

113 minutes. Last question. Why are you the person most likely to beat Obama? Paul suggests that he can pick up support from Obama's base, by coming at the president from the left on foreign policy and civil liberties. Romney recites his stump speech. Critical time, social welfare state, etc. Gingrich does a riff about Saul Alinsky, food stamps and appeasement. Santorum says he can win blue-collar Reagan Democrats like Reagan did.

120 minutes. We are done. Pretty much as expected. Now Florida must vote. The outcome will no doubt help to determine how many more debates must be endured.

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Lumia 710 busting through Rogers' door in February for $149 or $99, you call it

Rogers subscribers are about to get their very first taste of Windows Phone, and as you know, it's coming in the form of the Lumia 710. Said to debut during the first week of February, a leaked internal memo has outed the structured price tiers for the lovable runt of Nokia's litter. It can be purchased outright for $254, while those who saddle up for a one, two or three-year commitment can snatch the handset for $149, $99 or $49, respectively. Feel free to run those numbers through your depreciation and amortization schedules, and let us know what you decide.

Lumia 710 busting through Rogers' door in February for $149 or $99, you call it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/lumia-710-rogers-release-date-and-price/

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Rep. Miller will not seek reelection (Politico)

North Carolina Rep. Brad Miller will not seek reelection in 2012, he announced Thursday.

Miller, a House Financial Services Committee member who was first elected in 2002, was drawn into the same seat as fellow Democratic Rep. David Price in redistricting and faced a decidedly uphill path to reelection.

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?Because your support has been so important to me, I wanted you to hear from me that I will not seek another term in Congress,? Miller wrote in a message to supporters.

Republicans controlled all the levers of North Carolina redistricting for the first time in modern political history this time around, and pushed through a map that imperiled Miller and several other Democratic members. Democrats currently hold seven of North Carolina?s 13 congressional seats, but that number could dwindle to as few as two after the coming election. Three other endangered North Carolina Democrats, Reps. Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre and Larry Kissell, have all indicated they will seek reelection.

In his statement, Miller acknowledged that redistricting was a key factor in his decision not to seek another term. The Democrat would have had to run against Price in a Research Triangle-area district that would have included many of Price?s backers.

?Because David has represented Wake County and I have represented none of Orange or Durham, I would be the underdog in a primary with David. I have begun campaigns in the past as the underdog, and campaigned with great energy, enthusiasm and joy,? Miller said. ?There would be no joy in this campaign.?

Miller signaled his unhappiness with Price, who Miller claimed told him after the 2010 election that he would soon retire.

?I told David within a week of the election last year that with Republicans in control of redistricting, we would almost certainly be drawn into the same district,? Miller said. ?And to be honest, since David has broadly hinted to me and others that he would only serve one more term, I believed that he would retire a term earlier than he intended in the circumstances. That obviously has not happened. David has made it very clear that he intends to run again.?

Miller is the 21st House Democrat to not seek reelection. Eleven House Republicans are not running for another term.

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[OOC] The Elder Scrolls: Agents Of Talos

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X-ray laser bakes solid plasma from aluminum foil, brings us closer to nuclear fusion

Nuclear fusion, like flying cars, is one of those transparent, dangling carrots that've been stymying the scientific community and tickling our collective noses for decades. But recent research out of the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory might help us inch a few baby steps closer to that Jetsonian future. The experiment, conducted by a group of Oxford University scientists, utilized the DOE's Linac Coherent Light Source -- an X-ray laser capable of pulsing "more than a billion times brighter" than current synchrotron sources -- to transmute a piece of aluminum foil heated to 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit (or 2 million degrees Celsius) into a cube of solid plasma. So, why go to such lengths to fry a tiny piece of metal at that extreme temperature? Simple: to replicate conditions found within stars and planets. Alright, so it's not that easy and we're still a ways off from actually duping celestial bodies, but the findings could help advance theories in the field and eventually unlock the powers of the Sun. Until that fateful day arrives, however, we'll just have to let these pedigreed pyros continue to play with their high-tech toys.

Continue reading X-ray laser bakes solid plasma from aluminum foil, brings us closer to nuclear fusion

X-ray laser bakes solid plasma from aluminum foil, brings us closer to nuclear fusion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E.U. Oil Embargo: Will Iran Discard Its Nuclear Ambitions? (Time.com)

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The European Union has raised the stakes in the standoff over Iran's nuclear program. E.U. Foreign Ministers on Monday adopted the most far-reaching package of sanctions yet on the Islamic Republic, including an embargo on the oil exports that are Iran's economic lifeline and measures against the country's central bank that will restrict its ability to engage in international trade. European governments have now adopted an immediate ban on all new oil contracts with Iran, and a gradual phaseout of existing contracts between now and July 1. The measures also ban trade in all petrochemical products, gold, precious metals, diamonds, banknotes and coins.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the oil embargo was part of "an unprecedented set of sanctions," and he urged Iran to "come to its senses" and resume negotiations on its nuclear program. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the concern underlying the new measures was "not a question of security in the region, it is a question of security in the world." And E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the sanctions aimed to "make sure that Iran takes seriously our request to come to the table." Although Iranian officials have signaled a readiness to hold new talks, Ashton says Tehran has not yet formally responded to the letter she sent in October calling for a new meeting between Iran and the group known as the P5+1, comprising the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

Adopting the new measures carries a significant cost for Europe. The top European customers for Iranian oil are also those currently facing the most serious financial crises: Greece buys about one-third of its oil imports from Iran, while Italy and Spain each rely on Tehran for a little over 10% of their own supply. Although Saudi Arabia and other suppliers are expected to fill any shortfall in available output, the International Energy Agency has warned that replacing Iranian oil will not be an easy task for Europe. (Read "Amid New Sanctions, Obama Confronts the Challenges of Diplomacy with Iran.")

But the key question is the effect sanctions will have on Iran. Oil accounts for around 90% of all Iranian exports to the E.U., and European countries together make up Tehran's second largest market after China. More broadly, oil makes up over three-quarters of Iran's total economic output, and the country sells roughly 2.5 million barrels a day, with Europe accounting for about one-quarter of it last year. Indeed, Iran is already suffering from the existing European and American sanctions: the Iranian rial has fallen about 40% against the dollar since December, inflation is at 40%, and youth unemployment is at around 50%.

One way Iran may try to offset the impact of the European embargo is by selling more oil to China, India and other Asian countries, inducing them by offering major discounts -- a possibility made easier for Iran while the price remains above $100 per barrel. For that reason, Western powers hope to persuade Asian countries to reduce their own purchases from Iran.

Yet all this effort may still fail to dissuade Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions. Sanctions are often a blunt political instrument: even if they succeed in imposing significant costs on the regime and exacerbating public frustration over economic hardships, they could further entrench Tehran's regime and its intransigence. Says Paul Stevens, a senior research fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank: "Given the crucial role of oil in Iran's deepest political DNA, the E.U. embargo would put the population solidly behind the current regime. It would greatly strengthen the Ahmadinejad regime at a time when it is under considerable pressure, especially with parliamentary elections looming in March." (See photos of Iranian protesters storming the British embassy.)

The new sanctions come just as a U.S. naval flotilla accompanied by British and French warships is patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, inevitably ratcheting up tensions. Two Iranian lawmakers on Monday responded to the E.U. decision by threatening to close the strait, through which some 40% of the world's oil shipments pass en route to market. Despite the new sanctions, however, some analysts maintain Tehran is more likely to heed the threat of military action. European Council on Foreign Relations policy fellow Richard Gowan warns, "It's hard to believe that these sanctions will cause Iran to discard its nuclear ambitions. Iran will remain much more focused on decisionmaking in Israel and the U.S. over the possibility of a military strike this year."

E.U. officials accept that sanctions are no silver bullet. But coupled with robust diplomacy and a credible military presence in the region, they believe economic pressures can create diplomatic leverage. The problem for the West is what happens if Iran fails to buckle as sanctions reach their peak.

J?rg Himmelreich, a senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund in Berlin, says the measures can only buy time. "At best, sanctions might force a change of regime, but not the nuclear program, which reflects a widely shared sense national pride and self-consciousness," he says. "It may be pessimistic, but I see the next step as accepting Iran as a nuclear power." If that is the way the Iran conundrum is heading, Europe's sanctions may simply be the last throw of the dice.

See photos of smuggling activities between Iran and Iraq.

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Summary Box: Siemens quarterly net down 17 percent (AP)

LOSING STEAM: Industrial equipment maker Siemens AG said Tuesday that net profit fell 17 percent to euro1.46 billion ($1.89 billion) in the final quarter of 2011 due to delays in major wind-power and rail projects.

EUROPE DEBT IMPACT: CEO Peter Loescher said the result showed that troubles In financial markets from Europe's debt crisis "have left their mark on the real economy" through weaker demand.

WORLD VIEW: Siemens fortunes are a clue to demand in the global economy, since the company is active far beyond its German home ? in the U.S., Asia and the developing world.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_germany_earns_siemens_summary_box

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Anonymous' Tweet Asks People 'What to Hack Next' [Anonymous]

YourAnonNews' Twitter—currently the largest Anonymous account with 371,000 followers—recently posted this: "Just out of curiosity, what would YOU like to see #Anonymous hack next? Tweet and let us know." More »

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Storm blankets Northeast with a few inches of snow (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? A weekend storm blanketed the Northeast with a few inches of snow Saturday, creating slippery conditions and some delays at airports, though the storm was expected to move out to sea overnight.

The National Weather Service predicted 4 to 6 inches in New York City before the snow stops in the afternoon. Early Saturday morning flurries and freezing rain showers were expected for the Washington area. Philadelphia is under a winter weather advisory and could receive up to 4 inches of snow.

Up to 7 inches was predicted for southeastern Massachusetts, not much by the standards of a New England winter but noteworthy in a season marked by a lack of snow.

The storm was just the second significant snowfall of the season for some Northeasterners, including in New York City and Philadelphia. A rare October snowstorm knocked out power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses in the region.

Road conditions were fair Saturday morning, officials said. Crews in Pennsylvania and New Jersey began salting roads around midnight and plowing soon after. By midmorning, the snow had turned to sleet in Philadelphia north through central New Jersey.

Few accidents were reported on the roads, helped by the weekend's lack of rush hour traffic, but New Jersey transportation spokesman Joe Dee cautioned drivers to build in more time for trips. Though temperatures will warm up this afternoon he said, forecasters expect the wet ground to freeze again overnight.

Flights arriving at Philadelphia Airport were delayed up to two hours because of snow and ice accumulation, but most departing flights were leaving on time, a spokeswoman said.

New York City had 1,500 snow plows at the ready, each equipped with global positioning systems that will allow supervisors to see their approximate location on command maps updated every 30 seconds, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a morning news conference.

The equipment was installed last year following a disaster of a storm that struck the day after Christmas of 2010, when even the city's plows were stuck and stranded in drifts, and streets remained impassable for days. Bloomberg said the GPS system has already led to "vastly improved communication" between supervisors and plow operators.

As always, some welcomed the snow.

Enough accumulated through the week for snowmobiling and ice fishing in New Hampshire, where cross-country ski trails and snowshoeing were open at Bretton Woods and other trails.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_us/us_winter_weather

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'Extinct' monkey rediscovered in Borneo by new expedition

Friday, January 20, 2012

An international team of scientists has found one of the rarest and least known primates in Borneo, Miller's Grizzled Langur, a species which was believed to be extinct or on the verge of extinction. The team's findings, published in the American Journal of Primatology, confirms the continued existence of this endangered monkey and reveals that it lives in an area where it was previously not known to exist.

Miller's Grizzled Langur (Presbytis hosei canicrus) is part of the small primate genus Presbytis, found across Borneo, Sumatra, Java and the Thai-Malay Peninsula. In Borneo, P.h. canicrus is only found in a small corner of the county's north east and its habitat has suffered from fires, human encroachment and conversion of land for agriculture and mining.

The team's expedition took to them to Wehea Forest in East Kalimantan, Borneo, a large 38,000 ha area of mostly undisturbed rainforest. Wehea contains at least nine known species of non-human primate, including the Bornean orangutan and gibbon.

"Discovery of P.h canicrus was a surprise since Wehea Forest lies outside of this monkey's known range. Future research will focus on estimating the population density for P.h. canicrus in Wehea and the surrounding forest," said Brent Loken, from Simon Fraser University Canada. "Concern that the species may have gone extinct was first raised in 2004, and a search for the monkey during another expedition in 2008 supported the assertion that the situation was dire."

By conducting observations at mineral licks where animals congregate and setting up camera traps in several locations, the expedition confirmed that P. h canicrus continues to survive in areas west of its previously recorded geographic range. The resulting photos provide the first solid evidence demonstrating that its geographic range extends further than previously thought.

"It was a challenge to confirm our finding as there are so few pictures of this monkey available for study," said Loken. "The only description of Miller's Grizzled Langur came from museum specimens. Our photographs from Wehea are some of the only pictures that we have of this monkey."

"East Kalimantan can be a challenging place to conduct research, given the remoteness of many remaining forested areas, so it isn't surprising that so little is known about this primate," said Dr. Stephanie Spehar, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. "We are very grateful to our local partners. This discovery represents the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of Western and Indonesian scientists, students, NGOs, as well as local communities and government."

"While our finding confirms the monkey still exists in East Kalimantan, there is a good chance that it remains one of the world's most endangered primates," concluded Loken. "I believe it is a race against time to protect many species in Borneo. It is difficult to adopt conservation strategies to protect species when we don't even know the extent of where they live. We need more scientists in the field working on understudied species such as Miller's Grizzled Langur, clouded leopards and sun bears."

###

Wiley-Blackwell: http://www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell

Thanks to Wiley-Blackwell for this article.

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Neil Young company sued over warehouse fire

SAN CARLOS, Calif. (AP) ? A company founded by Neil Young is facing a lawsuit over a fire in the San Francisco Bay Area that authorities say started in a vintage car the rocker had converted into a hybrid vehicle.

The San Jose Mercury News reports (http://bit.ly/ytJtkW) that Unigard Insurance Co. sued LincVolt LLC this week, accusing the company of negligence for converting the 1959 Lincoln Continental to run on electricity and a biodiesel-powered generator.

The suit seeks nearly $500,000 that Unigard says it paid to the owner of a building damaged in the 2010 blaze in San Carlos.

Fire officials say the blaze started in the car, dubbed the LincVolt. Young converted the car into a hybrid vehicle in a highly-publicized project to promote fuel-efficiency.

He did not respond to a request for comment.

___

Information from: San Mateo County Times, http://www.sanmateotimes.com

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-20-Neil%20Young-Memorabilia/id-3dffdde39a624278855e6e32af7c182c

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Will Interactive iBooks Be The Next Big Booty For Pirates?

With the shift from print books to digital books come a few nasty side effects. Sure, it's much easier much easier to acquire and read books when you don't even have to get out of your chair, but those digital copies can be cracked and disseminated for free with only a little more effort. As ebook sales expand, so does ebook piracy, so I have to wonder if Apple's concerted efforts in creating a new kind of iBook experience will open them up to unwanted attention from digital pirates.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/LcEJDOE0wf0/

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