'Earliest' Evidence Of Modern Human Behavior Found

a) Wooden poison applicator from Border Cave made from Flueggea virosa dated to 24,564 - 23,941 years, with close-up showing notches, and b) adhering residue containing poisonous ricinoleic acid found in castor beans.
c) Kalahari San poison applicators housed at Museum Africa, Johannesburg, showing lumps of organic compounds used for hafting (yellow) and poisoning (black) arrow points, and the notching to prevent slippage of the material.
d) Lump of beeswax from Border Cave containing Euphorbia tirucalli resin and possibly egg, bound with twine, and dated 41,167 - 39,194 years.
e) Bone arrow point from Border Cave and f) Kalahari San fixed bone arrow heads.
Credit: Francesco d’Errico and Lucinda Backwell

'Earliest' Evidence Of Modern Human Culture Found -- BBC

The earliest unambiguous evidence for modern human behaviour has been discovered by an international team of researchers in a South African cave.

The finds provide early evidence for the origin of modern human behaviour 44,000 years ago, over 20,000 years before other findings.

The artefacts are near identical to modern-day tools of the indigenous African San bush people.

The research was published yesterday in PNAS.

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My Comment: Time to rewrite the anthropology books.

No Porn For Missile Defense Agency Employees

Inside the heart of defence: The revelation constitutes a massive security risk because pornographic sites provide perfect cover for criminals and foreign spies to smuggle spying software past even the most sophisticated of firewalls (stock image)

Pentagon Orders Missile Defense Staff To Stop Watching Porn On Office Computers -- Daily Mail

* Workers at the Missile Defence Agency were caught downloading x-rated material on office computers and sharing them with each other via the internal network
* Fears raised that criminals or spies may have hacked agency's mainframe
* Porn sites provide perfect cover for hackers to smuggle spying software past sophisticated firewalls
* MDA is responsible for developing, fielding and upgrading the nation’s ground-and sea-based missile defense programs

The Pentagon has ordered staff at its top-secret missile defence unit to stop watching porn and concentrate on the job in hand.

Military chiefs are furious that workers at the Missile Defence Agency have been wasting valuable hours surfing the web for smut rather than developing state-of-the-art weaponry.

The violation came to light after fears were raised that viruses may have already been smuggled into the department's mainframe through x-rated sites.

Read more ....

More News On The Pentagon Warning Missile Defense Employees And Contractors To Stay Away From Porn Sites

Missile Defense Staff Warned to Stop Surfing Porn Sites -- Bloomberg
Pentagon’s War on Porn Spreads to Missile Defense Machines -- Danger Room
Director wants missile defense workers to stop watching porn at work -- FOX News
Missile Defense Agency warns workers to lay off the porn -- New York Daily News
US missile defense staff asked to stop watching porn at work -- Global Post
Missile Defense Workers Aren't Practicing Safe Porn -- Atlantic Wire

Cybersecurity Bill Fails In The US Senate

Cybersecurity Bill Fails In Senate -- Washington Post

A bill establishing security standards to prevent large-scale cyberattacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure — including water supplies and the electrical grid — failed in the U.S. Senate on Thursday despite strong endorsements from top military and national security officials.

Senators voted 52 to 46 in favor of the bill, coming up short of the two-thirds majority necessary to advance it to final passage. The failure to pass the measure further stalls years of bipartisan efforts to establish stricter security standards and, experts say, could leave the nation vulnerable to widespread hacking or a serious cyberattack.

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More News On The Failure Of The US Cybersecurity Bill

Cyber-security measure fails to pass in Senate -- L.A. Times
Senate fails to approve cybersecurity legislation -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Cybersecurity Bill Is Blocked in Senate by G.O.P. Filibuster -- New York Times
Hopes fade for new U.S. cybersecurity law in 2012 -- Reuters
US Senate blocks Obama-backed cybersecurity bill -- AFP
Political infighting blocks Senate passage of cybersecurity bill despite dire warnings -- Christian Science Monitor
Despite Threat of ‘Cyber 9/11′, Lawmakers Punt Cyber Security Bill -- ABC News
Senators hold out hope that cybersecurity bill can be revived -- The Hill

No Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" For The U.S. Military

'Dark Knight Rises' crew members lifted up what is allegedly a flying bat mobile in the Financial District to shoot a scene for the Batman movie on Sunday. John Taggart for New York Daily News

US Military Shoots Down Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" Idea -- Live Science

When the Dark Knight rises to defend Gotham once more, he literally takes to the skies in a flying vehicle known simply as the Bat. The new nonlethal weapon in Batman's arsenal can hover like a helicopter and pull off aerial maneuvers worthy of "Top Gun" fighter jets — a combination that may seem almost too good to be true.

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My Comment: I understand .... it's just too far fetch.

The Legal Battle That Could Decide How Much Your Next Phone Costs

Photo: The Samsung Galaxy S II

The Legal Battle That Could Decide How Much Your Next Phone Costs: Apple Takes On Samsung As Billion Dollar Court Case Finally Gets Underway -- Daily Mail

* Apple vs Samsung begins in earnest today following legal scuffles across the world

* Jury of ten ready to listen to arguments in trial which is expected to run for four weeks

* Experts say verdict could affect evolution of smartphone market

Today should see the opening shots fired as the billion-dollar Apple v Samsung patent case gets underway in a San Jose courtroom.

The two bitter rivals are arguing over a cluster of phone patents, each alleging that the other is infringing on intellectual property as they vie for top place in the smartphone wars.

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My Comment: Steve Jobs always wanted this battle .... it is a shame that he is not around to see it.

Can Certain Types Of Chilli Be Used As A Biological Weapon?

Dr Anuj Baruah, who cultivates the bhut jolokia chilli, holds a vial containing oily red capcaisin at his lab in Kherti, Assam.

Chilli Used By Indian Army In Weaponry Is Hot Property For Poor Farmers -- The Guardian

Military's demand for bhut jolokia, once the world's hottest chilli, is offering thousands of Assam farmers a way out of poverty.

"Look at this," said Dr Anuj Baruah, holding up a vial containing a few drops of rusty red liquid. "With this I could make you senseless." His nose started twitching; his eyes watered. "Oh dear. I think I may have got some on my fingers," he said, looking remarkably unconcerned that his skin had touched something the Indian government has developed into a biological weapon.

"I know what happens. Your brain starts to not work properly, you become restless … " He scurried off, returning a few minutes later after washing a particularly pungent strain of bhut jolokia chilli concentrate off his hands on his farm-cum-chilli research lab in the north-east Indian state of Assam.

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My Comment: Hmmmm .... I am intrigued .... I love hot and spicy food .... and I love chilli.

On A Sinking Ship It Is Everyman (Not Woman) For Himself

A scene from the 1997 film 'Titanic' directed by James Cameron Photo: Reuters

Every Man For Himself On Sinking Ships -- The Telegraph

As torrents of freezing water gushed onto the Titanic, its male passengers selflessly shepherded women and children to the few available lifeboats in what was described as a typically British act of chivalry.

But although their gallantry was hailed as an example of a moral code shared by all mariners, a new study suggests the situation on board the Titanic, where female survivors outnumbered men three to one, was something of an exception.

Although convention dictates that men should step aside and put "women and children first", history shows that the male attitude is better summed up as "every man for himself".

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My Comment: And then we have stories like this one.

Welcome To The 'Megadrought'

Pinon Pines Near Los Alamos, New Mexico in 2002 (Left) and 2004 (Right) Courtesy Oregon State University via Flickr

The 2000-2004 North American Drought Was The Worst In 800 Years -- Popular Science

Welcome to the 'megadrought'.

An analysis of past climate data published yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience paints a less-than-rosy picture for the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in the 21st century. The 2000-2004 dry spell was the worst drought in the region in 800 years, the researchers claim, and before the century is over we’ll look back on those days as the wetter end of a much larger hydroclimate shift. Dry conditions will become the “new normal.” They invoked the word “megadrought.”

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My Comment: Dry conditions becoming the “new normal” .... not a comforting thought if you live on the plains.

Brain Structures Are Different For Those With Excellent Autobiographical Memory

UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10. (Credit: © James Steidl / Fotolia)

Brains Are Different In People With Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory -- Science Daily

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2012) — UC Irvine scientists have discovered intriguing differences in the brains and mental processes of an extraordinary group of people who can effortlessly recall every moment of their lives since about age 10.

The phenomenon of highly superior autobiographical memory -- first documented in 2006 by UCI neurobiologist James McGaugh and colleagues in a woman identified as "AJ" -- has been profiled on CBS's "60 Minutes" and in hundreds of other media outlets. But a new paper in the peer-reviewed journal Neurobiology of Learning & Memory's July issue offers the first scientific findings about nearly a dozen people with this uncanny ability.

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Rare Mercedes Supercar With 7.3litre Engine Going To Auction

This rare 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR could fetch up to £1 million in an auction later this month

Rare Mercedes Supercar With 7.3litre Engine And Just 1,335 Miles On The Clock Set To Fetch £1m At Auction -- Daily Mail

A supercar described as being one of the brashest Mercedes ever built is expected to sell for £1million when it is auctioned later this month.

The 1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR will appear at RM Auctions’ Monterey sale in California on August 17 with the hammer expected to go down at around the £1 million mark.

It is a limited edition race car for the road, boasts one of the German company’s boldest designs.

This particular model, which has done just 1,335 miles, was the first of 25 road cars built by Mercedes.

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My Comment: A 1998 car with only 1,335 miles on it .... it's owner obviously did not want to drive it.

The Beginning Of Bioelectronics

Healthcare: Into The Cortex -- Financial Times

Scientific advances on the brain promise to transform the pharmaceutical industry.

Imagine a pharmaceutical company 20 or 30 years from now. Moving beyond conventional drugs that interact biochemically with the body, it will have built a big “bioelectronics” business that treats disease through electrical signalling in the brain and elsewhere.

Neurological problems, from stroke and epilepsy to depression, will be treated through electronic implants into the brain rather than pills or injections. Even diabetes and obesity will be attacked in ways that seem like science fiction today, by sending electrical signals to malfunctioning cells.

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My Comment: An implant inside my brain .... not a comforting thought.

The X-47B Stealth Drone Up Close And Personal

Exclusive Pics: The Navy’s Unmanned, Autonomous ‘UFO’ -- Danger Room

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland — If you saw it in person, you’d probably think it was a UFO, too.

That’s what happened when the Navy trucked its batwing-shaped drone of the future from California to its new testing bed here in Maryland. Across the country, 911 switchboards lit up with reports that mysterious trucks were hauling a spaceship. In truth, it was a demonstration model for something the Navy desperately wants: to launch an armed, spying, stealthy drone from an aircraft carrier, one of the hardest maneuvers in aviation, conducted with the click of a mouse. But up close, you can see why people freaked out.

Read more ....

More News On The X-47B

U.S. Navy reveals deadly stealth plane mistaken for UFO on Washington D.C. highway -- Daily Mail
The X-47B Stealth Drone Will Now Be Flying Over The East Coast -- Business Insider
X-47B unmanned aircraft gets its Pax River wings -- Gizmag
Navy's X-47B UCAV in Debut Flight at Pax -- Ares/Aviation Week

China Aims For The Moon

China To Attempt First Moon Landing -- The Telegraph

China will next year attempt to land an exploratory craft on the moon for the first time, state media reported, in the latest project in its ambitious space programme.

China's third lunar probe will blast off in the second half of 2013, the state Xinhua news agency reported late on Monday. Other reports said it would land and transmit back a survey of the moon's surface.

If successful, the landing would be China's first on the lunar surface and mark a new milestone in its space development. It is part of a project to orbit, land on and return from the moon, Xinhua said.

China said in its last white paper on space it was working towards landing a man on the moon, although it has not given a time frame.

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My Comment: They are being aggressive in their space program .... reminds me of what NASA was like 40 years ago.

Where Do Olympians Go When The Olympics End

Growing ranks of Olympians are choosing to run off with the circus when their bodies no longer allow them to compete. For former gymnasts, divers and synchronized swimmers, Cirque du Soleil is offering many a chance to show off their skills.

The Guy In The Clown Nose? He's An Olympian -- Wall Street Journal

Terry Bartlett is a world-class gymnast who leapt, tumbled and swung for the glory of Great Britain in three Olympic Games.

Today, he is also a world-class clown. Ten times a week, he dons a red nose and floppy shoes to elicit chuckles at "O," a Las Vegas water-themed circus run by Cirque du Soleil.

"It's better than having a real job," says the 48-year-old Bartlett.

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My Comment: This is one of the many reasons why I love living in Montreal .... Cirque Soleil has a top in the old Port where many of these performances are held.

The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell

Free: Mr Allen offered the Octopus for the expedition at no cost to the government

The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell: Billionaire Offers To Fund Recovery So That It Can Be A Memorial To 1,415 Crew Who Drowned When Warship Was Sunk By The Bismarck In 1941 -- Daily Mail

A US billionaire has offered to lead an operation to recover the bell of the sunken battle cruiser HMS Hood, which was sunk in 1941 and killed 1,415 men, for free.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said US philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G Allen has offered his private yacht be used in the search to recover the bell at no cost to it.

HMS Hood, which was a state-of-the-art vessel for its time, is the largest Royal Navy vessel to have been sunk, causing the biggest loss of life suffered by any single British warship.

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My Comment: Kudos to Paul Allen for doing this.

US Intelligence: Poverty Will Be Eliminated By 2030

US Intelligence Predicts Poverty Plummet By 2030 -- CBS News

ASPEN, Colo. — Poverty across the planet will be virtually eliminated by 2030, with a rising middle class of some two billion people pushing for more rights and demanding more resources, the chief of the top U.S. intelligence analysis shop said Saturday.

If current trends continue, the 1 billion people who live on less than a dollar a day now will drop to half that number in roughly two decades, Christoper Kojm said.

"We see the rise of the global middle class going from one to two billion," Kojm said, in a preview of the National Intelligence Council's global forecast offered at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

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My Comment: I am skeptical .... but it is also true that wealth creation is spreading in many parts of the world. The National Intelligence Council's website is here.

The Summer Olympics: 1896 vs. 2012

Summer Olympics: 1896 vs. 2012 -- Discovery News

With 116 years separating the first moden Olympics from this year's games, there are bound to be some noticeable changes between the two. Aside from archived photos of the Olympics, one of clearest windows into the first modern Olympics held in 1896 is from G. S. Robertson in an essay titled, "An Englishman at the first modern Olympics" (via Longform.org).

Robertson's account of the 1896 paints a picture of an Olympics in its infancy that, while grappling with the challenges of hosting an international competition without the benefits of modern telecommunications or transporation, still manages to capture what would be described in later generations as the Olympic spirit.

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My Comment: The Olympics have certainly changed over the years.

Meet Kuratas, The Million Dollar Robot Which Weighs Four Tons

Rush hour: If you have grown weary of a traditional commute Kuratas is fully functioning on the road - but will not get you to work any faster as its top speed barely hits 7 mph

Dial Carefully! Meet Kuratas, The Million Dollar Robot Which Weighs Four Tons, Shoots When You Smile And Is Controlled By iPhone -- Daily Mail

* Robot unveiled in Japan today will go on sale for £900,000
* Kuratas can be controlled by motion sensor technology in the one-man cockpit or through any phone with a 3G connection
* As well as auto targeting your enemy it is easy for those looking for sweet vengeance - the robot's heavy artillery fires 6,000 bullet per minute when the pilot smiles

A Japanese electronics company has unveiled a 13ft super-robot which can be controlled by an iPhone.

But be careful with the jokes if you are on the phone to the pilot as the robot, made by Suidobashi Heavy Industry in Tokyo, brings a whole new meaning to ‘trigger-happy’.

'Kuratas' is fitted with a futuristic weapons system, including a gatling gun capable of shooting 6,000 BB bullets a minute, which fires when the pilot smiles.

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My Comment: The Japanese and their robots always make me smile.

Rare 1955 Aston Martin To Be Auctioned

Pricey: This very rare Aston Martin is expected to set a staggering £2.5 million when it goes under the hammer next month

Rare 1955 Aston Martin May Sell For £2.5MILLION To Become One Of The Most Expensive British Cars Ever Sold -- Daily Mail

* The stunning Aston Martin DB3S is one of just 21 built by the iconic British sports car maker
* Classic car enthusiasts regard the orange Aston Martin as 'one of the most attractive and elegantly designed sports racing cars of the post war period'

It is a car which is synonymous with British culture and was even adored by James Bond.

But despite its unique and glowing reputation, the price-tag of this rare Aston Martin still comes as something of a shock.

This bright orange version of the luxury car has been described by experts as a 'masterpiece' and is expected to fetch a staggering £2.5 million when it goes under the hammer next month.

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My Comment: The car and it's color scheme makes this a perfect match.

Facebook Smartphone To Be Released In 2013

Facebook concept design (Source: cdn.pocket-lint.com)

Facebook Smartphone To Be Released In Mid 2013 -- Daily Tech

Facebook will build it with HTC and use its own operating system.

Facebook is set to team up with HTC and join the smartphone arena with its own device as soon as mid 2013.

The new smartphone will be made in joint with HTC and will offer Facebook's own version of a mobile operating system. Some have speculated that Facebook may use a version of the Android mobile operating system, since it can be modified, but that part is unclear for now.

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My Comment: Many Facebook users use a phone to update or check their page .... so the logic is .... why not a Facebook phone. What is my take .... it looks like Facebook is reaching.