What My Father Taught Me: Cory Doctorow

May 28, 2013 3:38 PM Text Size: A . A . A My father learned how to read English from comic books and pulp sci-fi novels. He would tell me stories that were thinly adapted Conan tales. He also exposed me to a lot of technologically utopian thinking.

My grandparents were Eastern European Jews living in Toronto, so it was mandatory they spend their winters in Florida, and we'd go down to seem them. Of course we went to Disney World a lot, and when we were there we'd talk about the robots. My grandfather would always say, "Think of the magic behind it all." And my dad would say, "Think of the computers running these robots." There was this sense of come the revolution, comrade, we all will have a Disney World.

My dad was really good at making me think everything through. The scientific method is a totally counterintuitive thing because it begins by saying: You can't trust your memory or your senses. You have to measure things empirically and write them down because otherwise everything you remember and everything you know is colored by your biases and experiences and hopes and aspirations. And essentially your brain lies to you all the time. This is a very hard thing to get a 5-year-old to understand.

One thing my dad was quite good about was giving me enough rope to hang myself and leaving me alone in front of a computer. When we got an Apple II Plus in 1979 there was virtually no software on it. Basically, we got two floppy disks' worth of demos, none of them super exciting. I remember there was a simulator for running a lemonade stand and a Mad Libs program. But there were magazines like Byte that had thousands of lines of BASIC, which you could type into a computer and use it to make programs?that is, if you could type thousands of lines without making a typo (not easy for a 9-year-old.) He provided me with the technology and handed me an issue of Byte and he turned me loose.

As told to Jennings Brown

Previously: What My Father Taught Me: NASA Chief Technologist Mason Peck

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/what-my-father-taught-me-cory-doctorow-15526233?src=rss

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Americans gather to honor fallen service members

ATLANTA (AP) ? Americans planned to gather at cemeteries, memorials and monuments nationwide to honor fallen military service members on Memorial Day, at a time when combat in Afghanistan approaches 12 years and the ranks of World War II veterans dwindles.

President Barack Obama was expected to lay a wreath Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington. Earlier in the morning, he and first lady Michelle Obama planned to host a breakfast at the White House with "Gold Star" families of service members who have been killed.

In one of several ceremonies honoring Americans killed in Afghanistan, the city of South Sioux City, Neb., planned to unveil a statue honoring Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Douangdara, a dog handler for the SEALs killed in a 2011 helicopter crash. His service dog was also killed in the crash and is memorialized beside him in the statue.

At the American Airpower Museum on Long Island, N.Y., a program was planned to honor Women Air Service Pilots, or WASPs, who tested and ferried completed aircraft from factories to bases during World War II. Thirty-eight died during the war, including Alice Lovejoy of Scarsdale, N.Y., who was killed on Sept. 13, 1944, in a midair collision over Texas.

"It's very important that we recognize not only their contribution to American history, but women's history," said Julia Lauria-Blum, curator of the WASP exhibit at the museum. "These women really blazed a path; they were pioneers for women's aviation. And most important, they gave their lives serving their country and must be honored like anyone else on Memorial Day."

Another wreath-laying ceremony was planned at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island in New York City. The park is a tribute to President Roosevelt's famous speech calling for all people to enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

The holiday weekend also marked the traditional start of the U.S. vacation season. AAA, one of the nation's largest leisure travel agencies, expected 31.2 million Americans to hit the road over the weekend, virtually the same number as last year. Gas prices were about the same as last year, up 1 cent to a national average of $3.65 a gallon Friday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/americans-gather-honor-fallen-members-091220037.html

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U.S. casts doubt on credibility of Iranian election

By Arshad Mohammed

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The United States on Friday called into question the credibility of Iran's presidential election next month, criticizing the disqualification of candidates and accusing Tehran of disrupting Internet access.

On a visit to Israel, Secretary of State John Kerry also warned that time was running out to resolve the deadlock over Iran's contested nuclear program.

Iran's Guardian Council, the state body that vets all candidates, has barred a number of hopefuls from the roster in the June 14 ballot, including former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is seen as sympathetic to reform.

"The Council narrowed a list of almost seven hundred potential candidates down to...officials of their choice, based solely on who represents the regime's interests," Kerry said shortly before flying out of Israel.

"That is hardly an election by standards which most people in most countries judge free, fair, open, accessible, accountable elections."

Most of the remaining eight men left on the Iranian ballot are seen as loyalists to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Kerry, whose country's decades-old rift with Iran has widened over the latter's nuclear ambitions, said Washington saw "troubling signs" that the Iranian government was slowing down or cutting off Internet access to its citizens.

"Ultimately the Iranian people (will) be prevented not only from choosing someone who might have reflected their point of view, but also taking part in a way that is essential to any kind of legitimate democracy," he said.

Israel and most Western powers, including the United States, believe Iran is seeking to obtain nuclear weapons - something Tehran has denied.

Israel, which is assumed to have its own nuclear arsenal, has warned it might attack Iran if it does not halt its atomic work, but Kerry said he hoped a diplomatic solution could still be found.

"Our hope is, for the sake of the region, the world, the Iranian people, ourselves, that we can have a peaceful resolution, but it is going to have to be demonstrated much more affirmatively than it has been to date that Iran is interested in that kind of a solution," he said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said this week in a report that Iran was trying to accelerate its uranium enrichment program.

"The clock is clearly ticking," Kerry added.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Crispian Balmer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-casts-doubt-credibility-iranian-election-114156689.html

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Is 10 million in a month less disappointing than 5 million in three days?

The iPhone 5 launched to record sales figures; 5 million units sold to customers in the first three days. Samsung's Galaxy S4 has also launched to strong figures; 10 million units shipped in the first 4 weeks. One of these was a 'disappointment,' yet the other is hailed as a triumph. Seems crazy? Well, maybe it is.

For Samsung, 10 million units shipped makes it their fastest selling smartphone release ever, so for the folks from Korea at least, it is indeed a triumph. But, Apple sold -- not shipped -- 5 million units of the iPhone 5 in the first 3 days. Yet compare these two headlines from Businessinsider:

iPhone 5 opening weekend sales come in worse than expected

Samsung's S4 starts strong: 10 million units in less than a month

One story portrays doom and gloom, and the other a more jubilant atmosphere. Analysts called 6 million units for the iPhone 5 the "worst case scenario" for Apple's opening weekend. And yet, they hit half Samsung's first month sales within three days.

We're not going to knock Samsung's figures, 10 million is a lot of phones. But, it does again ask the question; just how much is 'enough' for Apple?

via CNN Money

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Qlveg6Urpb4/story01.htm

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/m9t_yXDBZ-8/story01.htm

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Finding Achievement With World wide web Marketing and ...

You?ve done it - you?ve created a website, so now it?s time to work on the Internet promotion aspect. You probably have questions on how to start and what to do, but don?t worry, these tips can help you. Listed below are some handy tips that will help you get started with using your site to bring some earnings?in.

Create content within your internet marketing messaging that doesn?t simply push facts onto consumers, but rather, gets them to actively contribute. When consumers participate with your brand, for example, responding to a question you pose or participating in a contest, they are more likely to remember your brand when it comes time to make a?purchase.

There are a lot of free e-books and videos available on the internet to learn about online marketing. Take your time and learn about these methods. If you have the resources, consider hiring someone to do an website marketing campaign for you. You can research the credibility of the person you want to hire by asking them to provide you with a portfolio of past website marketing?experience.

Keep your backlinks meaningful and accurate. If you are reviewing a cast iron pot, make sure your linked text doesn?t go to your page for printer ink. Do not include random backlinks that don?t relate to the topic at hand. You will drive away readers if they feel you are just trying to make?money.

Encourage consumers to go on a review site(s) such as Yelp or Citysearch to discuss their experiences with your product or service. Honest feedback from people who have interacted with your brand makes potential consumers feel safer in engaging with your company since someone has already ?tried you out? for?them.

Use a simple URL for your business website to achieve Affiliate marketing success. You do not want a long complicated name for your site. People need something that is easy to remember so they can find you again. Even if they cannot remember the exact domain name, they will search for the main keywords they can remember. Make sure those words are a part of your?URL.

To stay on top of the online marketing game, pay attention to change. The internet is always moving forward, so the world of internet marketing is always changing, too. Search engines change their algorithms, keywords rise and fall in popularity and a blog design that looks innovative today, may look dated next year. Keep up with trends and make sure to flow with them, because what works today may not work tomorrow. The only way to consistently be successful, is to adapt to the realities of the?market.

Concentrate your efforts on the pages that really matter. Every website has a few pages dedicated to disclaimers, policies or a contact form. If people want to see these pages, they will look for them. Create links to the pages that you want people to see: your home page or a page that presents your?products.

To promote your business with web marketing, look in to free listing pages online. You should not have to pay any fees to get your website included in search results or business listings. There are many free business directories, including SuperPages, YellowPages, InfoUSA, Yahoo! Local and Yelp. Sites like these will help deliver traffic to your business??website.

Constantly evaluate and improve upon the usability of your website. If an individual visiting your site can?t use the site then you will never be successful. The product or service you?re marketing can?t sell if someone can?t figure out how to order it. You can?t gather your client?s contact information if they don?t know how to leave it. Make sure your site is easy to use and running smoothly to best meet your marketing?goals.

An important tip regarding Website marketing is to be sure that you understand what other companies occupy the same market space as you. This is extremely important because before you can even begin to develop your marketing plan, you need to know what your competition is up to. Then, you can base your plan around either filling in gaps left by other companies, or showing how your product is?better.

Create a blog and offer an RSS feed. Blogging is an effective way to market your business and you can quickly and easily add new content without having to learn any HTML. An RSS feeds allows you to syndicate your content to other websites so that you can increase your business?s?exposure.

Never allow software to do what you can do a better job of manually. Most people use software as a shortcut to marketing for no other reason than it provides a shortcut. This is bad for your business in the long run. If you can do a better job at something, put in the extra time to make sure you?re emphasizing?quality.

If you buy a product from someone and you like it you should agree to let them put your testimonial of it on their site. You can ask them if they can include the URL to your web site underneath your testimonial so that it could bring you more?traffic.

As you can see, your presence on the internet can make or break the image and reputation of your business. You should make every effort to ensure your website marketing strategies are more than adequate. These tips should help you modernize your current efforts or start a new internet marketing campaign?entirely.

Source: http://www.aigeanta.net/story/2013/05/11/finding-achievement-world-wide-web-marketing-and-advertising

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Study supports alternative model for personality disorders in upcoming DSM-5

May 10, 2013 ? A new "alternative model" included in the upcoming Fifth Edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM -5) lines up well with the current approach to diagnosis of personality disorder, according to a study in the May Journal of Psychiatric Practice.

The findings lend support to the new "hybrid" model, which combines the "core" dimensions of personality disorder with various maladaptive personality traits found in individual patients, according to the report by Leslie C. Morey, PhD, of Texas A & M University and Andrew E. Skodol, MD, of the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Hybrid Model Compares Well with DSM-IV Diagnosis of Personality Disorders

Experts working on the long-awaited DSM-5 -- to be published later this month -- recommended substantial revisions to the section on personality disorders. Specifically, they proposed a "hybrid categorical-dimensional model" including not only "core impairments in personality functioning" but also various combinations of "pathological personality traits" associated with these conditions. Goals of the proposal included:

• Reducing overlap among personality disorder diagnoses
• Reducing heterogeneity among patients receiving the same diagnosis
• Eliminating arbitrary diagnostic thresholds with little or no research basis
• Addressing the widespread use of the vague "personality disorder not otherwise specified" diagnosis
• Providing diagnostic thresholds that are related to level of impairment in a meaningful way

Although the proposal was endorsed by the DSM-5 Task Force, it was decided that the hybrid model required more research support before being fully adopted. Therefore, the hybrid model will be referred to as an "alternative model" and placed in Section III of the DSM-5, which contains concepts for which further research is needed. Meanwhile, the main body of the DSM-5 will retain the DSM-IV criteria for personality disorders.

A key concern was whether the new model would lead to discrepancies between DSM-IV and DSM-5 definitions of the same disorder -- especially for diagnoses such as borderline, antisocial, and schizotypal personality disorders for which a substantial body of research literature exists. "It is important to evaluate whether thresholds can be established that provide solid continuity between DSM-IV and proposed DSM-5 definitions," Drs Morey and Skodol write.

Their study included a national sample of 337 patients, who were diagnosed under both systems by clinicians familiar with their cases. The results showed appreciable correspondence between the DSM-IV diagnosis of personality disorders and the hybrid categorical-dimensional diagnostic model proposed for DSM-5. The two models agreed well for various subtypes, including borderline, avoidant, obsessive-compulsive, antisocial, narcissistic, and schizotypal personality disorders.

"[T]raditional DSM-IV categories of personality disorder can be rendered in terms of core impairments in personality functioning and pathological personality traits with high fidelity," Drs Morey and Skodol conclude. They believe their findings "should allay fears that translating PDs into personality functioning and trait terms will be disruptive to clinical practice or research."

The researchers add, "[T]he definition of all personality disorders in terms of core impairments in personality functioning and pathological personality traits identifies personality pathology with high sensitivity and specificity and utility for treatment planning and prognosis." If their results are borne out by future studies using other methods and samples, Drs Morey and Skodol believe their findings support adopting the new categorical-dimensional model for clinical diagnosis.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/6LDE3kPhxQg/130510124554.htm

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