One in five U.S. adults continues to smoke cigarettes -- a percentage that hasn't budged since 2005 -- suggesting that more aggressive efforts are needed to reduce smoking-related diseases and deaths, the CDC said.
Data from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicated that 20.6% of Americans 18 and older reported being current smokers, according to an early-release report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
In 2005, smoking prevalence stood at 20.9% -- not significantly different from the 2009 figure or the rate for any year in between, according to the MMWR.
"There has been no progress in reducing that number in five years," said Thomas Frieden, MD, director of CDC, in a conference call with reporters.
MedPage Today
September 7, 2010
September 3, 2010
September 2, 2010
6 Baffling Flaws in Famous Sci-Fi Technology
As a species, we are tool makers first and foremost. That's why we love to see gadgets in our movies, and to watch our Captain Picards and Batmans and David Hasselhoffs defeat the bad guys with technology we know we'll never own.
But in the course of trying to dazzle us with their fancy spaceships and battle vehicles, sometimes Hollywood forgets to make sense.
Cracked.com
However, in response to #3 (The Batwing), the flaw is explained away by a Jungian analysis of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman by Robert E. Terrill found here (PDF) - entitled, "Put on a happy face: Batman as a schizophrenic savior."
But in the course of trying to dazzle us with their fancy spaceships and battle vehicles, sometimes Hollywood forgets to make sense.
Cracked.com
However, in response to #3 (The Batwing), the flaw is explained away by a Jungian analysis of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman by Robert E. Terrill found here (PDF) - entitled, "Put on a happy face: Batman as a schizophrenic savior."
August 27, 2010
Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets
"Just as food nourishes us and we need it for life, so too — in the 21st century and the modern age — we need technology. You cannot survive without the communication tools; the productivity tools are essential. And yet, food has pros and cons to it. We know that some food is Twinkies and some food is Brussels sprouts. And we know that if we overeat, it causes problems. Similarly, after 20 years of glorifying technology as if all computers were good and all use of it was good, science is beginning to embrace the idea that some technology is Twinkies and some technology is Brussels sprouts." —Matt Richtel
August 25, 2010
Pentagon computers attacked with flash drive
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon says a foreign spy agency pulled off the most serious breach of Defense Department computer networks ever by inserting a flash drive into a U.S. military laptop.
The previously classified incident took place in 2008 in the Middle East and was disclosed in a magazine article by Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn and released by the Pentagon Wednesday. The Pentagon did not say what nation's spy agency was involved.
He said a "malicious code" on the flash drive spread undetected on both classified and unclassified Pentagon systems, "establishing what amounted to a digital beachhead," for stealing military secrets
He did not say what, if any, information was taken.
Washington Post
The previously classified incident took place in 2008 in the Middle East and was disclosed in a magazine article by Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn and released by the Pentagon Wednesday. The Pentagon did not say what nation's spy agency was involved.
He said a "malicious code" on the flash drive spread undetected on both classified and unclassified Pentagon systems, "establishing what amounted to a digital beachhead," for stealing military secrets
He did not say what, if any, information was taken.
Washington Post
August 23, 2010
Worst traffic jam ever? Gridlock spans 60 miles
A traffic jam stretching more than 60 miles in China has entered its ninth day with no end in sight, state media reported.
Cars and trucks have been slowed to a crawl since August 14 on the National Expressway 110, which is also known as the G110, the major route from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, Xinhua News reported.
Officials expect the congestion to continue until workers complete construction projects on September 13, the report said.
State media reported that Chinese drivers have become accustomed to the severe delays, noting a similar jam in July that slowed traffic for close to a month.
Britain's Sky News reported that the snarls have been commonplace since May as a result of a spike in the number of trucks using the roads, with the daily peak reaching about 17,000.
"Insufficient traffic capacity on the National Expressway 110 caused by maintenance construction since August 19 is the major cause of the congestion," a Beijing Traffic Management Bureau spokesman told the Global Times.
Chinese national radio reported Sunday that minor traffic accidents and broken-down vehicles have complicated the traffic mess, Xinhua reported.
Approximately 400 police officers are patrolling the road 24 hours a day in an effort to keep the situation calm, Sky News said.
Concerts?
Motorists have taken to card games or chess to pass the time, Sky News reported. Others joked that "concerts should be held at each congested area every weekend, to alleviate drivers' homesickness," the report said.
Residents from communities alongside the expressway have seen opportunity in the traffic slowdown, setting up food and drink kiosks for the drivers.
Some drivers have complained of price gouging. One truck driver, identified by his last name Huang, told the Global Times that "instant noodles are sold at four times the original price while I wait in the congestion.
"Not only the congestion annoys me, but also those vendors," he added.
MSNBC
Cars and trucks have been slowed to a crawl since August 14 on the National Expressway 110, which is also known as the G110, the major route from Beijing to Zhangjiakou, Xinhua News reported.
Officials expect the congestion to continue until workers complete construction projects on September 13, the report said.
State media reported that Chinese drivers have become accustomed to the severe delays, noting a similar jam in July that slowed traffic for close to a month.
Britain's Sky News reported that the snarls have been commonplace since May as a result of a spike in the number of trucks using the roads, with the daily peak reaching about 17,000.
"Insufficient traffic capacity on the National Expressway 110 caused by maintenance construction since August 19 is the major cause of the congestion," a Beijing Traffic Management Bureau spokesman told the Global Times.
Chinese national radio reported Sunday that minor traffic accidents and broken-down vehicles have complicated the traffic mess, Xinhua reported.
Approximately 400 police officers are patrolling the road 24 hours a day in an effort to keep the situation calm, Sky News said.
Concerts?
Motorists have taken to card games or chess to pass the time, Sky News reported. Others joked that "concerts should be held at each congested area every weekend, to alleviate drivers' homesickness," the report said.
Residents from communities alongside the expressway have seen opportunity in the traffic slowdown, setting up food and drink kiosks for the drivers.
Some drivers have complained of price gouging. One truck driver, identified by his last name Huang, told the Global Times that "instant noodles are sold at four times the original price while I wait in the congestion.
"Not only the congestion annoys me, but also those vendors," he added.
MSNBC
Alien hunters 'should look for artificial intelligence'
Seti, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has until now sought radio signals from worlds like Earth.
But Seti astronomer Seth Shostak argues that the time between aliens developing radio technology and artificial intelligence (AI) would be short.
Writing in Acta Astronautica, he says that the odds favour detecting such alien AI rather than "biological" life.
Many involved in Seti have long argued that nature may have solved the problem of life using different designs or chemicals, suggesting extraterrestrials would not only not look like us, but that they would not at a biological level even work like us.
BBC News
August 19, 2010
Reverse-Engineering of Human Brain Likely by 2030, Expert Predicts
Reverse-engineering the human brain so we can simulate it using computers may be just two decades away, says Ray Kurzweil, artificial intelligence expert and author of the best-selling book The Singularity is Near.
It would be the first step toward creating machines that are more powerful than the human brain. These supercomputers could be networked into a cloud computing architecture to amplify their processing capabilities. Meanwhile, algorithms that power them could get more intelligent. Together these could create the ultimate machine that can help us handle the challenges of the future, says Kurzweil.
Wired
It would be the first step toward creating machines that are more powerful than the human brain. These supercomputers could be networked into a cloud computing architecture to amplify their processing capabilities. Meanwhile, algorithms that power them could get more intelligent. Together these could create the ultimate machine that can help us handle the challenges of the future, says Kurzweil.
Wired
August 3, 2010
Boeing offers a glimpse of air travel 30 years from now
What kind of planes will we ride in 30 years from now? While Airbus not too long ago offered a wild vision full of holographic projections and morphing seats, Boeing is keeping it real after an 18-month-long study on the future of air travel.
So, what can we look forward to? Well, quieter, more efficient planes that don't take as long to take off, according to Boeing. The company is calling the hypothetical plane the "SUGAR Volt," which, according to Boeing, "which includes an electric battery gas turbine hybrid propulsion system." That'll have the aircraft burning up to 70% less fuel, which would mean cheaper energy costs overall. Electronic systems will also be improved, and airplanes will use half the power for their electronics as they do now.
DVICE
So, what can we look forward to? Well, quieter, more efficient planes that don't take as long to take off, according to Boeing. The company is calling the hypothetical plane the "SUGAR Volt," which, according to Boeing, "which includes an electric battery gas turbine hybrid propulsion system." That'll have the aircraft burning up to 70% less fuel, which would mean cheaper energy costs overall. Electronic systems will also be improved, and airplanes will use half the power for their electronics as they do now.
DVICE
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