The Rigged-Up Net

Parkinson’s drugs linked to heavy gambling Excessive gambling may be a rare side effect of some Parkinson’s drugs given at high doses, say US doctors. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994044

Truly bump’n tune…. Nelly, P. Diddy – “Shake Ya Tailfeather” Watch the video here: http://www.mtv.com/sitewide/videoplayer/index.jhtml?vid=22501&channelID=1&gateway=charts&s1=&s2=&adPth=/adsetup/charts/&adPN=charts_mtvtop20

Scam Artists Target Riverwalk Customers Organized scam artists are working a scam that targets customers at restaurants along the Riverwalk, 1200 WOAI news has been told. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-44BC367E-E552-4EC8-8DF8-6F015CDA4B5F.asp?0na=x2201351B

Information Pollution Excessive word count and worthless details are making it harder for people to extract useful information. The more you say, the more people tune out your message. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030811.html (Thanks Hilary)

Many Bluetooth gadgets open to wireless snooping A new software tool could allow sensitive data could be pilfered through the air from laptops, mobile phones and handheld computers. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994041

Who’s watching the class? When students in Biloxi, Miss., show up this morning for the first day of the new school year, a virtual army of digital cameras will be recording every minute of every lesson in every classroom. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2003-08-10-webcams-usat_x.htm

“No Call” Law Could Cost Thousands of SA Jobs City’s telemarketing firms endangered. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-86AF9627-3289-4A65-B366-7A35CC4086C6.asp?0na=x2203110B

Mathematical twist reveals the agony of back pain The first comprehensive model of the human spine suggests many injuries are the result of quick twists of the vertebrae http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994027

Dating Top 10: Signs You’re In Love If you’ve forgotten your ex, stop having boys’ nights out and don’t notice babes on the street, this might just be it, buddy. http://www.askmen.com/dating/dating_top_ten_60/79_dating_list.html

When Is 54 Not Equal to 54? A Look at 802.11a, b, and g Throughput Now that the 802.11g standard has been finalized, comparisons with the other standards in the 802.11 family are inevitable. One conclusion that is frequently drawn is that 802.11g offers similar speeds to 802.11a. After all, both products are advertised as […]

Lords’ life story makes for poignant reading Traci Lords. To most, it’s a name synonymous with underage porn, and it still evokes the most taboo of interests — interest in how a 15-year-old girl from the Midwest rocked the porn industry, interest in those early films that sparked an intense three-year FBI investigation, and interest […]

Email experiment confirms six degrees of separation Despite enabling almost instantaneous global communication, email appears not to have made the world a more close-knit community. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994037

Jelly lenses could fix ageing eyes A neat fix for ageing eyes could soon be tested in humans. The treatment, which involves replacing the contents of the lens in the eye with a soft polymer gel, could allow millions of people to throw away their reading glasses. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994025

Swollen Orders Show Spam’s Allure A security flaw at a website operated by the purveyors of penis-enlargement pills has provided the world with a depressing answer to the question: Who in their right mind would buy something from a spammer? http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59907,00.html

Has ‘haven’ for questionable sites sunk? A widely publicized project to transform a man-made platform off the coast of England into a haven for controversial Web businesses has failed due to political, technical and management problems, one of the project’s founders said. http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5059676.html

SBC announces deployment of Wi-Fi service SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC) has announced plans to deploy more than 20,000 wireless fidelity or Wi-Fi hot spots in 6,000 venues during the next three years as part of a plan to create a new wireless service for consumers. http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/08/04/daily18.html

Poll: New Smoking Compromise Likely to Pass A poll of city council by 1200 WOAI news indicates Mayor Garza’s last minute compromise in the smoking issue appears poised to pass city council tomorrow. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-434BF2CD-B790-45BC-9014-7F50C657BCA2.asp?0na=x22131206

IT managers and developers gather at LinuxWorld in San Francisco to learn more about the open-source operating system that is gaining momentum but faces legal threats from SCO Group. http://news.com.com/2009-1001_3-5059815.html?tag=fd_lede1_img

Gay taste? Here’s straight talk Is it true, as some people believe, that gay men have better taste than their straight brothers? http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-08-04-gay-taste_x.htm

Charm school Swasko Jewels rolled out its WineJewels product too early; now the accessory company is coming out with its HipIce swinging The full story about wine charms here: http://houston.bizjournals.com/entrepreneur/2003/08/05/

Mayor Releases Smoking Compromise Plan Thursday is the big day when we find out if smoking is banned in San Antonio restaurants. Mayor Ed Garza released his compromise plan on Monday. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-38493995-EB3D-479F-B55C-AF906AF1BEEC.asp?0na=x22014814

You are what your mother ate, suggests study What mothers eat during pregancy could have a fundamental and lifelong effect on the genes of their children, suggests an intriguing new study in mice. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994017

Biggest not always the daddy in mating game Contrary to commonly accepted theory, the females of some species are partial to weedier partners http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994003

Science graduates live long and prosper Science and medicine students go on to live longer and healthier lives than those studying other subjects, according to a survey of men attending university between 1948 and 1968. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994013

Colleges explore legal Net music setups Universities are considering ways to bring legal Internet jukeboxes to dorm rooms, including entering deals with commercial service providers that would see online music charges included alongside tuition fees or picked up by the schools themselves http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5059030.html

Hackers huddle in the desert As the flaws keep flowing in, hackers and security experts gather in Las Vegas to work out what’s needed to keep the Internet safe–and whether it’s time for less talk and more action. http://news.com.com/2009-1002_3-5058213.html?tag=fd_lede1_hed

Virtual reality conquers sense of taste A new device mimics the taste and “mouthfeel” of food from crackers to jelly – its designers say its perfect for designing new foods http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994006

Dixie Chicks Tour Bus in SA Fender Bender At least one band member was on the bus during the 4AM wreck. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-A00E4B82-6787-494D-8242-95C17594B432.asp?0na=x22234501&cp1=1

Texas Number One in Drunk Driving Fatalities Texas leads the nation in the number of fatal accidents caused by drunk driving, according to new figures released by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-1C898EC8-7A6F-4FE2-BB98-0CC73DF7DF7E.asp?0na=x22052A0-

Mayor: Smoking Ban May Fail Garza for the first time acknowledges that the smoking ban may not pass this year. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-41EF7990-5382-447D-9DED-4F678C931B59.asp?0na=x22152B1-

Three San Antonio Roads May Become Toll Roads Toll roads in San Antonio may become reality. TXDOT is coming forward with a new proposal. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-7EBB3055-4DD5-4AB9-8F94-EAF63B63AD41.asp?0na=x22137L0-

Tight ties may be bad for eyes Men who tie their neckties too tightly could be increasing their risk of a sight destroying disease, suggests new research http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993996

‘Crack’ nicotine in cigarettes varies widely The level of the most addictive form of the drug is 35 times higher in some brands than others, researchers find http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993990

Tx Senators On The Run…. Again! Democratic state lawmakers fled Texas on Monday for the second time in three months to thwart a Republican drive to redraw the state’s congressional districts. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-B38ED097-E912-4867-A115-C868266A66B1.asp?0na=x22129W1-

By fusing images, Lehigh professor detects concealed weapons http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-06/lu-bfi062403.php (Thanks Dirk) UPDATE: Ok people – enough with the “where are the pics”… Here’s the link to the slides that show the pics since its a bit hard to find: http://www.ece.lehigh.edu/SPCRL/IF_NonvisualSensors/ImageFusionSeminar.pdf

NEW: Lotto chief says claim Jan. 29 jackpot today or lose it Texas Lottery Commission executive director Reagan Greer made a last-ditch plea today for the winner of the Jan. 29 jackpot to convert the unclaimed ticket to riches. http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=180&xlc=1031803&xld=180

Angelia sent this to me… all this matrix stuff is getting outta hand… http://www.sivanet.idv.tw/siva/kungfu.swf

Self-help genre gets a good mocking You shouldn’t laugh at another’s misfortunes. But it’s so much fun, particularly when those in question deserve it. Who Moved My Soap? is a delightful exercise in schadenfreude ? laughter at the expense of others. http://www.usatoday.com/money/books/reviews/2003-07-27-soap_x.htm

Happiness helps fight off colds Happy people are three times less likely to get a cold, according to researchers who squirted cold virus up the noses of volunteers. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993989

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES Comedy legend dies at age 100, leaving behind wealth of TV, film credits http://www.msnbc.com/news/944998.asp?0na=x2107110-