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domingo, 29 de junio de 2008

Your brain lies to you

False beliefs are everywhere. Eighteen percent of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth, one poll has found. Thus it seems slightly less egregious that, according to another poll, 10 percent of us think that Senator Barack Obama, a Christian, is instead a Muslim. The Obama campaign has created a Web site to dispel misinformation. But this effort may be more difficult than it seems, thanks to the quirky way in which our brains store memories - and mislead us along the way.

The brain does not simply gather and stockpile information as a computer's hard drive does. Facts are stored first in the hippocampus, a structure deep in the brain about the size and shape of a fat man's curled pinkie finger. But the information does not rest there. Every time we recall it, our brain writes it down again, and during this re-storage, it is also reprocessed. In time, the fact is gradually transferred to the cerebral cortex and is separated from the context in which it was originally learned. For example, you know that the capital of California is Sacramento, but you probably don't remember how you learned it.

This phenomenon, known as source amnesia, can also lead people to forget whether a statement is true. Even when a lie is presented with a disclaimer, people often later remember it as true.

With time, this misremembering gets worse. A false statement from a noncredible source that is at first not believed can gain credibility during the months it takes to reprocess memories from short-term hippocampal storage to longer-term cortical storage. As the source is forgotten, the message and its implications gain strength. This could explain why, during the 2004 presidential campaign, it took weeks for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign against Senator John Kerry to have an effect on his standing in the polls.

Even if they do not understand the neuroscience behind source amnesia, campaign strategists can exploit it to spread misinformation.

To read the article complete click here.

BEsts!!!


Star Wars The Fate of the Duel



Directed, edited and co-shot by Tom Konkle. A lone Jedi (david beeler) wanders a Sith world meeting an evil warrior (tom konkle) who shall decide his fate?......Written by David Beeler. Produced by Dave and Tom. A fan film. Special thanks to Thor Melsted for helping to realize the vision. This is a fan film.

Only in New York (pic)



Ninja squirrel sees you [Pic]

British Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

A British soldier killed in Afghanistan when the vehicle in which he was patrolling overturned was named by the Ministry of Defence.

Warrant Officer Dan Shirley, 32, from Leicester, serving with the 13th Air Assault Support regiment, was on patrol from Sangin to Camp Bastion in Helmand Province when he died on Friday.

The news comes as the Ministry of Defence revealed another British soldier was killed on Saturday in Afghanistan by a mine explosion.

Warrant Officer Shirley leaves two young children.

Defence Secretary Des Browne praised WO Shirley's professionalism and determination. He said: "I know that he will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at what must be the most difficult of times."

The soldier killed on Saturday in Afghanistan by a mine explosion was from B Company 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. He was on patrol in the Lashkar Gar area when he stepped on a "legacy" anti-personnel mine.

He was killed instantly. Next of kin have been informed.

The MoD spokesman said: "He was part of a vehicle checkpoint patrol operating in the Lashkar Gar area when they received a report of an RPG attack on a civilian aircraft at Bost airfield in Lashkar Gar.

"When investigating this they dismounted their vehicles and that is when what is believed to have been a legacy anti-personnel mine detonated, killing the soldier instantly. The soldier's next of kin have been informed and have requested a 24-hour period of grace before further details are released."

The latest death takes to 110 the number of British service personnel who have lost their lives since the start of operations in Afghanistan in November 2001.

ICANN promises new web boom

The recent decision to open up the domain naming system will create the largest boom on the internet since its creation, according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

The group approved a measure on Thursday which will remove the restrictions on domain suffixes, allowing companies to register any word as a URL suffix. Where users were previously limited to 21 suffixes, such as .com and .net, sites will now be able to use such domains as .news or .bank.

ICANN expects the new rules to go into effect some time next year.

"The potential here is huge. It represents a whole new way for people to express themselves on the net," said ICANN president and chief executive Dr. Paul Twomey.

"It's a massive increase in the 'real estate' of the internet."

ICANN plans to allow non-Latin characters as well, opening the door for domains with Chinese and Arabic characters for the first time.

The company also provided further guidance on how the new domains will be distributed and managed. By the second quarter of 2009, ICANN plans to begin accepting applications for new domains.

In the case of a trademark or cyber-squatting spat, the company plans to allow trademark holders to file appeals. The appeals will then be reviewed by ICANN and a decision made.

A similar system will be put in place for dealing with attempts to register potentially offensive sites. Users will be able to file an objection which will then be passed on to an independent, international review board which will base a decision on international treaties

AMY WINEHOUSE



AMY WINEHOUSE LONDON NELSON MANDELA 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

46664 BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR NELSON MANDELA 06/27/08

sábado, 28 de junio de 2008

jueves, 19 de junio de 2008

Taxi Driver Protest





A taxi drivers protest against Mauricio Macri, Mayor of Buenos Aires (19/6/2008)

lunes, 16 de junio de 2008

sábado, 14 de junio de 2008