Naked Paul Toast’s Insights

Jack Szostak created …

Biologists on the Verge of Creating New Form of Life

A Harvard team of biologists and chemists have created protocells from fatty molecules. These protocells meet almost all criteria for life, the exception being they don’t replicate completely on their own. They still need a little nudge.

One of the biggest arguments against evolution made by Fundies is “Life must have been created”. Of course evidence is never presented. Positions with out evidence, simply stating something “must have…”, are always a poor arguments. What’s even worse is abiogenesis, has absolutely nothing to do with the mounds of evidence supporting evolution.

But since creationists and ID proponents still insist that abiogenesis could not have happened, and therefore evolution could not have happened. This development brings us one step closer to understanding the natural formation of life.

Described in my previous entry, Google’s newly released browser, Chrome has a major security vulnerability.

Rumor has it, they have a quick fix.

Less than 24 hours after the release of Google’s new web browser, Chrome, a vulnerability has been discovered and released into the wild.

The proof of concept is described in this zdnet article. This carpet-bombing technique allows an unsuspecting user to download and execute a JAR file without warning.

A harmless demonstration can be found on the discoverer web-page.
http://raffon.net/research/google/chrome/carpet.html

Simply browsing to the site in IE, Fx 3 and you will be prompted with the typical download prompt.

Browsing to the site with Chrome and the Java Jar file is automatically download to your host.

I think, I’ll wait for version 2, maybe 3 or 4.

I downloaded and installed Google’s web browser Chrome. So far I am very impressed.

The user interface takes a little getting used to, I’m just not used to the Tabs on top of an almost non-existent bunch of tool bars. It seems speedy, appears to work well with WordPress and all the sites I’ve tried so far.

Ironically, the thing I miss so far from the Google browser is the Google toolbar. I used it all the time for searching. But I used even more so as a Word Finder on web pages If I wanted to look for a word, I would type the word in the search bar, the word would appear on the right of the bar. I could then click on the word and be brought to the first, and successive instances.

Maybe there is some option to turn it on.

I like how it builds, the most visited page. Don’t like the integrated search and URL field.

I’ll give it a whirl and see.

OMG. You can go through all your saved password list, and have it display the plaintext of the saved password. Handy for those who forgt passwords. But cripes, I can now go up to any machine left running, get the website, username and password. The user also need not have actually visited the site in Chrome, when installing Chrome probably imported them from IE.

That’s not a good thing.

It was a beautiful day, I didn’t do anything productive. I should have mowed the lawn, but I didn’t. It was too nice a day, to mow the lawn.

I sat in the shade of my Gazebo, with my laptop. Browsing the Internet, procrastinating work and watching a Praying Mantis. Yesterday, on the roof of the Gazebo, I noticed a him. He hung out there, all day. I took some pics of him with my iPhone. Mantids are probably my favorite bug, they’re absolutely fascinating.

Today, he was still in the gazebo. Standing perfectly still, he would then crawl to a new spot, and return to his statue pose. I assume this is how they hunt, but I didn’t see him catch anything. They are absolutely mesmerizing to watch.
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Often on the GMC, people create topics, wanting to know the best way to automatically update the client for their online game.

It’s a tricky problem. An executable, updating itself is problematic, because while the executable is running, it can’t be overwritten. Suggestions are always cumbersome, awkward and problematic. Typically involving the client downloading the executable, then running another executable, which deletes the original executable, renames the new executable and then runs the freshly updated executable.

Variants of this technique, suggest creating a pause to ensure the original executable has completed before it is deleted, sometimes batch files are involved.
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I was in a Wendys, my second favorite burger joint yesterday. Easily, the hardest working employee in the place was a young man with Down syndrome.

I’ve grown so accustomed to the stamped, sullen faces on most teenagers working in retail, I barely notice how much they don’t want to be there. They don’t even bother with a forced smile anymore. Actually getting a thank you, is a victory.

This was where he was very different from the rest of the Wendys’ employees. He actually seemed genuinely happy to be there. He happily bussed and washed the tables and counters, smiling at everyone. And not the fake, contrived smile that employee of the month candidates adorn, this guy smiled with his whole face. There was one table, with three pretty young ladies, he was especially interested in ensuring their table was clean, he wiped it down three times.
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A few months ago, I brought Science Made Easy. An excellent YouTube video series, by potholer54, describing the scientific process, and explaining how we know, what we know.

Potholer54 has a second YouTube video channel, Potholer54debunks. He deliberately keeps his debunking videos, and videos critical of Christian dogma, in a separate channel. One of the common tactics of the Christian Apologists, to silence critics; is filing false copyright infringement complaints to YouTube. Complain loud enough and often enough, even if the complaint has no merit, and the channel can get shutdown and the videos removed.
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I downloaded the WordPress iPhone app. Decided to create this entry 100% from the iPhone, including an image.

It’s awkward, but I am getting better tapping using the tiny keyboard. I certainly won’t make this a habbit.

The WordPress app is nice, but a mobile device is no substitute for a desktop, proper keyboard and mouse. It is comforting to know that I can blog anytime, anywhere.

It’s more comforting to know, I have the good sense, to know better.

I didn’t stand in line all night for the product launch. I didn’t video and youtube, myself opening the box or activating it. In fact, I’m pretty sure I voted “I have no interest in the iPhone” in Marty’s Seriously, It’s Just A Phone poll. Though, maybe I voted “I don’t have feelings either way“. I can’t remember.

Well, I picked one up the other day. I haven’t put it down.

It really is a cool piece of technology. I just love it. I’ve never had an iPod, only lack luster MP3 players, but the house is full of other people’s iPods and iPod touches. Never really played with them.

My old phone, a Samsung, still works fine, but I knew a while ago that the next phone I wanted I wanted was going to be some kind of smart phone. I use an Palm pilot for Calendar, Scheduling and life management. But, carrying it around, was a bit of a chore. Too often I needed it, and didn’t have it, and had it, without needing it. It was also a pain in the ass to sync with the scheduling software at work.
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