[Quote:]

Bullock and others have also shown that some refutations can strengthen misinformation, especially among conservatives.

Political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler provided two groups of volunteers with the Bush administration’s prewar claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. One group was given a refutation — the comprehensive 2004 Duelfer report that concluded that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction before the United States invaded in 2003. Thirty-four percent of conservatives told only about the Bush administration’s claims thought Iraq had hidden or destroyed its weapons before the U.S. invasion, but 64 percent of conservatives who heard both claim and refutation thought that Iraq really did have the weapons. The refutation, in other words, made the misinformation worse.

A similar “backfire effect” also influenced conservatives told about Bush administration assertions that tax cuts increase federal revenue. One group was offered a refutation by prominent economists that included current and former Bush administration officials. About 35 percent of conservatives told about the Bush claim believed it; 67 percent of those provided with both assertion and refutation believed that tax cuts increase revenue.

[Quote:]

“As you can see, it had been shipped on a wooden pallet, no doubt to support the immense weight involved. We tore back the black plastic so that the awesome size of the package on the pallet could be seen.

“When we finally finished taking pictures and falling around laughing we found the package contained one vanilla flavour PS2 mouse. We could only think that it was a much fatter mouse when it was shipped but had lost a lot of weight due to the amount of time it took to arrive.”

Seen on “Sprint Connection”:

[Quote:]

The iPhone shortage may be good news for Sprint, which launched the iPhone-challenging Samsung Instinct in June.

In other words, the more customers AT&T gets, the better it is for Sprint…

[Quote:]

We’ve just had an email from a shaken Stephen Strang who this morning took delivery of a very, very large box from HP:

Click the link to see what was in the box..

[Quote:]

Last week, President Bush signed into law a new GI Bill that doubled educational benefits for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Though Bush had steadfastly opposed the bill, he attempted to steal credit for its passage, and praised Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for helping, despite McCain’s own vocal and ardent opposition to the bill.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) was one of the many conservatives who followed Bush and McCain’s lead. On May 15, Turner joined the majority of House conservatives and voted against the GI Bill.

But now that Bush and McCain have reversed themselves, Turner has followed suit, writing an op-ed in his hometown paper today praising the bill and claiming — three times — that he was “proud to support” it:

It is our responsibility to provide [veterans] with more than just recognition for their service: we must also make certain that they have the skills they need to accomplish their next mission once they return to civilian life. That is why I was proud to support recently passed legislation that expanded the Montgomery GI bill to provide more funding for veterans to receive a college education. […]

With the huge impact the GI bill has had on America and the debt that we all owe our nation’s veterans in mind, I was proud to support recent legislation that dramatically expanded the scope and scale of the educational benefits available to our veterans. […]

I am proud to have supported legislation that will directly provide this benefit for military families and look forward to further working on their behalf in the future.

[Quote:]

A couple years back, there was an apparent public outrage over the infamous Hot Coffee mod which could be found in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The scene, which was the result of some code that had been cut from the final version of the game but not deleted entirely, allowed players to perform sexual acts with an NPC in one specific instance. The incident sparked a firestorm of debate, as well as a class action lawsuit in which Take-Two agreed to pay between $5 and $35 to anyone who had purchased the game and been offended.

Now, well after the fact, both the plaintiffs in the case and Take-Two itself are somewhat shocked that, in spite of millions of individuals having the right to a payout, only 2,676 people have come forward to claim their money. Seth Lesser, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs said that he is “disappointed” by the outcome, and doesn’t understand why so many people don’t care.

So here’s a video game where you can regenerate health with the services of a prostitute, kill her when she gets out of the car, take your money back, kill a cop and steal his cop car, kill national guard members and steal their tank, and you’re surprised so few people are offended by a little nookie in it?

[Quote:]

Hicham Yezza, 30, was arrested last week after he downloaded an al-Qa’ida training manual at the University of Nottingham. He was detained and questioned for six days with a second man, Rizwaan Sabir, a student.

Both men were released on Friday after it emerged that Mr Yezza had printed the document, which was downloaded from a US government website where it was freely available, at Mr Sabir’s request. The university confirmed the document was being used for legitimate research purposes by Mr Sabir for his master’s degree.

Upon release, Mr Yezza was immediately rearrested, served with a deportation order and taken to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre. Mr Yezza, who comes from Algeria, had applied for leave to remain in the UK, where he has lived for the past 13 years. A hearing to decide his application was originally scheduled for July.

[Quote:]

“On Tuesday they read me a statement confirming it was an illegal document which shouldn’t be used for research purposes. To this day no one has ever clarified that point. They released me. I was shaking violently, I fell against the wall, then on the floor and I just cried.”

Remember, kids! Don’t research terrorism, just be afraid! We are at war with terrorism, we’ve always been at war with terrorism! Ignorance is Strength! Academic freedom is slavery!

[Quote:]

For all the high-tech tactics colleges have employed to slow or block students’ illegal file sharing activity, few have actually turned to methods used in the classroom to get the message across. A university in Missouri thinks it’s found the right solution, combining an age-old teacher’s tool with a dash of discipline.

Last academic year, Missouri University of Science and Technology, in Rolla, received some 200 Digital Millennium Copyright Act “takedown” notices from the recording industry, notifying the institution that users of its network had made copyrighted works available for download. This academic year — at a time when colleges across the country have been experiencing sudden spikes in copyright complaints — the university received eight. Karl F. Lutzen, a systems security analyst at the university, chalks it up to Missouri S&T’s unusual method of regulating students’ network usage: In order to download (or upload) files on any peer-to-peer network whatsoever, all on-campus users have to pass an online quiz on copyright infringement.

But not just once. Passing the test — with a perfect score — enables peer-to-peer access for six hours on the user’s on-campus registered machines, presumably enough time to download that (legal) song, TV show or e-book. The next time, the student, staff or faculty member has to go to the intranet Web page and take the randomized test again

Test software: Hello Mr. Manson, 1) Is murder legal?
Charles Manson: no
Test software: 2) Is murder bad?
Charles Manson: yes
Test software: 3) Would you feel bad if you murdered someone?
Charles Manson: yes
Test software: 4) Do you presently feel like murdering?
Charles Manson: no
Test software: 5) murder, Murder, MURDER!!!
Charles Manson: no, No, NO!!!

Test software: Congratulations, you have scored 100%. You now have 6 hours of access to the cutlery drawer.

On a side note, take a look at the website the university created, which states:

If you have downloaded copyright-protected files without paying for them then you have violated an author’s property rights.

which is of course utter and total bullshit. Here, let me list a few sites where you can download copyright-protected files without paying for them, and without violation the author’s rights:

http://www.debian.org
http://www.gentoo.org
http://mandriva.com
http://www.redhat.com
http://www.slackware.com
http://www.suse.com
http://www.freebsd.org
http://www.netbsd.org
http://www.openbsd.org
http://www.gnu.org
http://www.apache.org

More are listed here, but I think I’ve already listed at least half of all the software used on internet servers today.

If your university pulls crap like this, you’re not getting your money’s worth of education, I suggest you go find another place to learn.

[Quote:]

The U.S. government has injected hundreds of foreigners it has deported with dangerous psychotropic drugs against their will to keep them sedated during the trip back to their home country, according to medical records, internal documents and interviews with people who have been drugged.

The government’s forced use of antipsychotic drugs, in people who have no history of mental illness, includes dozens of cases in which the “pre-flight cocktail,” as a document calls it, had such a potent effect that federal guards needed a wheelchair to move the slumped deportee onto an airplane.

Is there anything that the Soviet Union used to do that the GOP still has to catch up on? Except for big furry hats, that is?

[Key phrase in this article:]

Insurers covering Mazda’s losses wanted to be sure the company wouldn’t resell any cars or parts

[Quote:]

Ah, insurance, how capitalism loves thee! If there were still any question about your magnificent inefficiency and beautifully pointless waste, this ought to put it to rest forever. Thank you, oh brave and stalwart middle-man, thank you!

This is making the rounds, and it is claimed to be an internal microsoft video.

I think it is so astonishingly bad, I somehow doubt it is real. But if it is real, it tells you a lot about Microsoft today…

[Quote:]

When attempting to install The Print Shop® 22, an error that includes the message “Error 1335…” appears. A conflict during the installation may cause this issue. Completing a clean installation of the program will help to prevent conflicts that can occur. The remainder of this note describes the procedure.

Complete the steps below to reduce conflicts during the installation.

Clean the CD or DVD

1. Place a small amount of nonabrasive, liquid soap on the shiny side of the CD or DVD.
2. Using your fingertips and warm water, gently rub the soap on the disc in a circular motion.
3. Rinse the disc thoroughly and dry it using a clean, soft T-shirt or lint-free towel. Do not use paper towels or tissue paper.
4. Install the program.

I wonder what the phrase “from scratch” would mean for those people

via

[Quote:]

Adams School District 50 is defending its decision to punish a third grader for sniffing a Sharpie marker.

Eight-year-old Eathan Harris was originally suspended from Harris Park Elementary School for three days. Principal Chris Benisch reduced the suspension to one day after complaints from Harris’ parents.

Harris used a black Sharpie marker to color a small area on the sleeve of his sweatshirt. A teacher sent him to the principal when she noticed him smelling the marker and his clothing.

[..]

Benisch stands by his decision to suspend Harris, saying it sends a clear message about substance abuse.

“This is really, really, seriously dangerous,” Benisch said.

[Quote:]

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between drug warriors and child molesters.

[Quote:]

An 80-year-old church deacon was removed from the Smith Haven Mall yesterday in a wheelchair and arrested by police for refusing to remove a T-shirt protesting the Iraq War.

From: support@customersservices.net
Subject: Confirm Your E-mail Address Upgrade Your Mail Account
Date: Fri 28 Mar 2008 12:51:45 GMT+01:00
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Reply-To: custormercareservice1@strompost.com

Dear valued customer,

We are currently performing maintenance for our Digital Webmail Customers. We intend
upgrading our Digital Webmail Security Server for better online services.
In order to ensure you do not experience service interruption,Please you must reply to
this email immediately your account in order to prevent any unauthorised
account access following the network intrusion we previously communicated.
and Check out your new features and enhancements with your new and improved Webmail
account,

To enable us upgrade your Account for better online services please reply to this mail
we have found the vulnerability that caused this issue, and have instigated a system
wide security audit to improve and enhance our current security,

in order to continue using our services you are require to update you account details
below.

To complete your account verification, you must reply to this email
immediately and enter your account details below.

Username: (**************)
password: (**************)

Failure to do this will immediately render your account
deactivated from our database.

We apologise for the inconvenience that this will cause you during
this
period, but trust you understand that our primary concern is for our
customers and for the security of their data.
our customers are totally secure

[Quote:]

In using Apple Software Update to slip his Safari browser onto millions of Windows PCs, Steve Jobs didn’t just undermine “the security of the whole Web”. He’s made a mockery of end user licensing agreements.

As spotted by our Italian friends at setteB.IT, Apple’s Safari license says that users are permitted to install the browser on no more than “a single Apple-labeled computer at a time.” This means that if you install Safari for Windows on a Windows PC, you’re violating the license.

Imagine getting a pyramid scheme scam, where you’re asked to paypal money to the top of a list of email addresses, add your address to the list, and send it on. Pretty classic scam, right?

Now imagine that you forward that mail to “abuse@paypal.com” address. After all, you try to be a helpful citizen, right?

Wrong. Over the past few days, every few hours I get a couple of identical auto-replies like the one below. I’ve had well over twenty so far, and it doesn’t stop, despite several complaints to the “correct” addresses.

So guess what I will think next time I get a scam email that paypal should know about?

Correct: fuck them, I don’t give a shit any more.

Oh, and by the way, Paypal, the method you mention in this auto-reply doesn’t work either. The forms are broken. And now for the bonus question: guess wether I care enough about you now to report that…

——-

************************************************************************
Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address will not
be answered.

************************************************************************

PayPal appreciates you bringing any suspicious activity to our
attention.

Unfortunately, we are unable to properly respond to any emails that are
sent to this address. Please follow the instructions below in order to
report any suspicious activity involving PayPal or its customers.

If you are able to log in to your PayPal account:

1. Log in to your account at https://www.paypal.com
2. Select the “Resolution Center” subtab.
3. Click “Open a dispute.”
4. Select “Unauthorized transaction,” then click “Continue.”
5. Enter or select the transaction ID for the transaction you would like
to dipute, then click “Continue.”
6. Complete the report for Unauthorized Use on a PayPal Account, then
click “Continue.”
7. Confirm that the claim is correct, then click “Submit.”

If you cannot log in to your account, follow the instructions below to
report an unauthorized transaction associated with your PayPal account:

1. Go to https://www.paypal.com/
2. Click on the “Security Center” link located at the bottom of any
page.
3. Under the “Report a Problem” column, click on “Unauthorized
Transaction.”
4. Click “Continue” under “Unable to log in?”
5. Confirm that the transaction in question is unauthorized, then click
“Continue.”
6. Complete the report for Unauthorized Use on a PayPal Account, then
click “Preview.”
7. Confirm that the claim is correct, then click “Submit.”
8. Confirm your account ownership by entering the financial information
requested, then click “Continue.”

If you have received a suspicious email, including the header
information - or the site’s URL, we are requesting that you forward a
copy of the email to us at spoof@paypal.com.

Rest assured, PayPal will promptly investigate the activity you have
reported. We thank you for your concern and assistance in making PayPal
one of the most trusted online Payment services on the internet.

Thanks,

PayPal, Inc.
________________________________________________________________________
This email is sent to you by the contracting entity to your User
Agreement, either PayPal Inc, PayPal Pte. Ltd or PayPal (Europe) S.à
r.l. & Cie, S.C.A. Société en Commandite par Actions, Registered Office:
5th Floor 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg RCS Luxembourg B 118
349.
________________________________________________________________________
PayPal and its representatives will NEVER ask you to reveal your
password. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy. If anyone claiming to
work for PayPal asks for your password under any circumstances, by email
or by phone, please refuse and immediately contact us via webform at
https://www.paypal.com/ewf/f=sa_pass.

**********************************************

[Quote:]

[Quote:]

The bunch of guys have came for some fishing. They parked their cars and went to the frozen lake to make some holes and enjoy the process. But when they got back it came out that the lake was not so frozen.

(more pictures at the link)