guttermaw's comments

guttermaw | 12 years ago | on: German president to boycott Olympics in Russia over human rights

I found and article [1] that features an English translation of the law.

"Here is what Article 6.21 actually says:

Propaganda is the act of distributing information among minors that 1) is aimed at the creating nontraditional sexual attitudes, 2) makes nontraditional sexual relations attractive, 3) equates the social value of traditional and nontraditional sexual relations, or 4) creates an interest in nontraditional sexual relations.

If you’re Russian. Individuals engaging in such propaganda can be fined 4,000 to 5,000 rubles (120-150 USD), public officials are subject to fines of 40,000 to 50,000 rubles (1,200-1,500 USD), and registered organizations can be either fined (800,000-1,000,000 rubles or 24,000-30,000 USD) or sanctioned to stop operations for 90 days. If you engage in the said propaganda in the media or on the internet, the sliding scale of fines shifts: for individuals, 50,000 to 100,000 rubles; for public officials, 100,000 to 200,000 rubles, and for organizations, from one million rubles or a 90-day suspension.

If you’re an alien. Foreign citizens or stateless persons engaging in propaganda are subject to a fine of 4,000 to 5,000 rubles, or they can be deported from the Russian Federation and/or serve 15 days in jail. If a foreigner uses the media or the internet to engage in propaganda, the fines increase to 50,000-100,000 rubles or a 15-day detention with subsequent deportation from Russia."

I think that this says that advocating for equality is a crime. Scary.

[1] http://www.policymic.com/articles/58649/russia-s-anti-gay-la...

guttermaw | 12 years ago | on: The Neuroscientist Who Discovered He Was a Psychopath

This scientist seems to be using this Just So Story for self-promotion, and he has done so for years.[1][2]

He has also attempted to profit personally.[3]

He seems to have the expertise to know that this story is flimsy, and not well-founded in science. Using an unvalidated method in this way could be considered unethical itself. [4]

Dr. Fallon's record of behavior might suggest a pattern of anti-social behavior. His job as a tenured UC professor is, in part, to educate the public. Instead he seems to give us sci-fi.

Of course, I'm just being totally silly, and so is he (not sure about all the writers he has duped over the years.)

[1] http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1278889...

[2] http://www.ted.com/talks/jim_fallon_exploring_the_mind_of_a_...

[3] http://www.amazon.com/The-Psychopath-Inside-Neuroscientists-...

[4] http://neurocritic.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-ethics-of-public...

guttermaw | 12 years ago | on: The Decline In Male Fertility

Any reference on that second part? Because I'd guess that the phone wakes you up, and insufficient sleep affects concentration.

IOW, you'd need to blind the experiment.

guttermaw | 12 years ago | on: Police admit they're 'stumped' by mystery car thefts

I agree. The technique described differs from anything OP linked. The fact that thieves are smashing windows to get at diagnostic ports suggests that this method of entering the vehicle is fairly novel.

Exploits have been demonstrated by researchers, but are mostly pretty make/model specific.

Certainly, I'd bet that every car with bluetooth/wifi integrated has some sort of flaw whereby it might be possible to use that to bridge to the cars Canbus and request a door unlock. That doesn't mean that these are easily exploitable by individuals willing to commit petty theft.

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