UN: Contraception access a universal human right

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15 November 2012
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For the first time, the United Nations says access to contraception is a universal human right.

In its annual report released Wednesday, the UN Population Fund says family planning could dramatically improve the lives of women in poor countries and declared any legal, cultural or financial barriers to contraception an infringement of women’s rights.

Women who use contraception are generally healthier, better educated, more empowered in their households and communities and more economically productive, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the fund, wrote in a statement obtained by CBS News. Women’s increased labour-force participation boosts nations’ economies.

The report is not binding and has no legal effect on national laws — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Calm down genes treat epilepsy in rats

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15 November 2012
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Adding calm down genes to hyperactive brain cells has completely cured rats of epilepsy for the first time, say UK researchers.

They believe their approach could help people who cannot control their seizures with drugs.

The study, published in the journal Science Translation Medicine, used a virus to insert the new genes into a small number of neurons.

About 50 million people have epilepsy worldwide.

However, drugs do not work for up to 30% of them. The alternatives include surgery to remove the part of the brain that triggers a fit or to use electrical stimulation — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Irn Bru firm AG Barr and Britvic agree merger

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15 November 2012
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Soft drink rivals AG Barr and Britvic have agreed the terms of a merger which creates one of Europe’s largest soft drinks companies.

Irn Bru maker AG Barr and Tango producer Britvic opened discussions about a merger in September.

The new combined company will be called Barr Britvic Soft Drinks plc and will have annual sales of more than £1.5bn.

The merger is likely to see about 500 jobs cut from combined headcount of just over 4,000 people — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Stanford creates touch-sensitive, conductive, infinitely-self-healing synthetic skin

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15 November 2012
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Stanford University material scientists have devised the first synthetic, plastic skin that is conductive, sensitive to touch, and capable of repeatedly self-healing at room temperature. The most immediate applications are in the realm of smart, self-healing prosthetic limbs that are covered in this synthetic skin — but in the long term, the plastic might be used to make self-healing electronic devices, or you might even elect to replace your fingertips (or other piece of skin) with the synthetic, bionic equivalent.

There are two important innovations here: a synthetic material that can repeatedly self-heal, and the fact that it’s electrically conductive — meaning it can detect changes in pressure and temperature (ie: its sensitive, like real skin). We’ll tackle the self-healing bit first — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Enigma coding machine beats auction estimate in London

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15 November 2012
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A rare Enigma encoding machine has sold at auction in London for £85,250.

That is more than its £40,000-£60,000 estimate, but less than the £131,180 price an Enigma sold for last year.

The typewriter-like devices were used by the Nazis in World War II to encrypt and decode messages sent between the military and their commanders.

Interest has been high as this is the centenary year of Alan Turing’s birth — the British mathematician who played a key role in breaking the Enigma code — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Sharp Suits

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15 November 2012
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Ireland’s creative community got together to release a lot of pent up anger and sadness through the medium of the A3 poster, all in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

Ad creatives, designers, animators, directors, illustrators and more took time out to dress up their favourite worst feedback from clients, transforming quotes that would normally give you a twitch, into a diverse collection of posters — via Sharp Suits

Bulldog / Vilner

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14 November 2012
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Best known for its custom cars and a client list full of Russian oligarchs, Vilner occasionally turns its hand to custom motorcycles. And this is the latest creation from the Bulgarian company, a Triumph 1050 Speed Triple called Bulldog — via Bike EXIF

IDI Web Accessibility Checker

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14 November 2012
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Welcome to AChecker. This tool checks single HTML pages for conformance with accessibility standards to ensure the content can be accessed by everyone. See the Handbook link to the upper right for more about the Web Accessibility Checker

Nautical Cricket / Vulcain

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14 November 2012
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Vulcain Nautical Explained from HODINKEE on Vimeo.

A cursory glance at the Vulcain Nautical Cricket might leave you scratching your head. Seemingly random numbers litter the inner dial space, there’s a long aperture revealing even more numbers. It’s a lot to take in right off the bat and can be intimidating to the casual wearer. What’s all this about? These arrangements of numbers are decompression times for divers descending to depths beyond 20 meters. Again, useful stuff for divers in the 60’s or those who go deep sans dive computer. Turning the crown at 4 o’clock adjusts the long aperture on the inner dial, revealing different sets of numbers that correlate necessary decompression times based on the depth of your dive — via HODINKEE

Indian Rhinoceros / Rotterdam Zoo

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14 November 2012
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On 3 November a bouncing bundle of joy was delivered at Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands. Indian Rhino Mom Namaste gave birth to a happy, healthy female calf. The yet-to-be named baby Rhino was walking and drinking milk within 30 minutes of her birth. Namaste is an experienced mum and has given birth to 5 babies so far. Indian Rhinoceroses are threatened by illegal poaching. Today they can only be found in some nature reserves in Northern India and Nepal — via ZooBorns

R2-D2 Vespa / Morgan

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13 November 2012
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Don’t underestimate that little scooter. He’s saved the rebellion more than once. Morgan, a Geekologie reader, rides this glorious Vespa:

This was done with adhesive vinyl, some meticulous cutting and a 12-pack of beer. It gets a lot of looks and thumbs up, and often times while I am sitting at a stop light someone crossing the street will pause to take notice. The rear trunk is a real vintage piece and I removed the original faded travel stickers and replaced them with various retro style Star Wars art and posters that I found on the internet.

— via Neatorama

Using a Hosts File To Make The Internet Not Suck / Dan Pollock

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13 November 2012
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Use this file to prevent your computer from connecting to selected internet hosts. This is an easy and effective way to protect you from many types of spyware, reduces bandwidth use, blocks certain pop-up traps, prevents user tracking by way of web bugs embedded in spam, provides partial protection to IE from certain web-based exploits and blocks most advertising you would otherwise be subjected to on the internet.

Kuggen / Wingårdh Arkitektkontor

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13 November 2012
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A cylindrical, distinctive building [Wingårdh Arkitektkontor] in the middle of the town square is an urban planning motif with roots in the Italian Renaissance. The form offers lots of floor space in relation to the amount of exposed exterior wall surface, and the upper floors project out over the lower—more on the south side than on the north, so that the building partially shades itself when the sun is high in the sky. A rotating screen shades the top floors, following the sun’s path around the building — via ArchDaily

Censorship row over Russian internet blacklist

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13 November 2012
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Russian internet users warned on Monday that a new law aimed at blacklisting websites devoted to drug use, suicide promotion and paedophilia was being used as a tool for censorship after two popular sites were banned.

More than 180 sites have been banned since the law came into effect on 1 November, RIA-Novosti, a state-run news agency, reported. No official public register of the blacklist exists, though the government has opened a portal where users can check to see if specific sites are on it.

Analysts have warned that the vaguely worded law could be manipulated to crack down on the Russian internet, the one media platform untouched by the Kremlin’s heavy hand — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Goatse.cx opens up again – as an email provider

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13 November 2012
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Notorious shock site of a bygone internet Goatse.cx has pulled opened its doors as an email provider.

An Aussie IT consultant, who paid $10,200 for Goatse, will attempt to recoup his costs by selling email addresses using the domain: anyone interested in one can bag an @goatse.cx addy provided they can stretch to $5 a year.

Honestly, it’s safe to look at now: goatse.cx is just an email sign-up screen.

Between 1999 and 2004, the domain hosted hello.jpg, an infamous image that showed a stark-naked bloke bending over to expose his rather cavernous back pasage to the camera. The pic spread on Usenet, was hosted on the goat-sex .cx domain as a whim in 1999, and then linked to from all over the internet to troll victims, particularly those on Christian dating sites, who were not expecting to see an xxx-rated gaping rear-end. It became a defining image of Web 1.0 — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Egypt baby trafficking ring broken up in Cairo

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12 November 2012
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A child-trafficking ring that sold 300 babies over three years has been broken up in Cairo, Egyptian police say.

Two nurses and a doctor at a Cairo hospital are among five people arrested and police say they are still searching for the hospital manager.

The babies were reportedly sold to childless couples after Caesarean sections were performed on women carrying unwanted children.

Babies were said to have been sold for up to 3,500 Egyptian pounds($570;£360).

According to Egyptian media reports, women who had come forward too late for an abortion were offered a Caesarean section and their babies were then sold on, apparently at a profit — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Rare Panda Cubs / Cotswold Wildlife Park

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12 November 2012
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After three months secluded in their nest-box, two rare Red Panda cubs have finally emerged from the den, much to the delight of Cotswold Wildlife Park keepers and visitors alike. These striking twins are the first Red Pandas to be born at the Park in ten years. The as yet unnamed cubs were born to first-time parents, Doodoo and Scarlet, on 24 June 2012. The births came as quite a surprise to keepers, unaware that Scarlet was even pregnant! Red Pandas only have a small window of opportunity for breeding every couple of years when the female is receptive. Being incredibly shy and secretive animals, keepers did not observe any mating between the adult Pandas and Scarlet’s thick fur hid any tale-tale signs that she was about to give birth — via ZooBorns

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