Wikinews interviews World Wide Web co-inventor Robert Cailliau

Thursday, August 16, 2007

The name Robert Cailliau may not ring a bell to the general public, but his invention is the reason why you are reading this: Dr. Cailliau together with his colleague Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, making the internet accessible so it could grow from an academic tool to a mass communication medium. Last January Dr. Cailliau retired from CERN, the European particle physics lab where the WWW emerged.

Wikinews offered the engineer a virtual beer from his native country Belgium, and conducted an e-mail interview with him (which started about three weeks ago) about the history and the future of the web and his life and work.

Wikinews: At the start of this interview, we would like to offer you a fresh pint on a terrace, but since this is an e-mail interview, we will limit ourselves to a virtual beer, which you can enjoy here.

Robert Cailliau: Yes, I myself once (at the 2nd international WWW Conference, Chicago) said that there is no such thing as a virtual beer: people will still want to sit together. Anyway, here we go.

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Wikinews Interview: Experts in IT industry comment about security of WiMAX

Monday, May 5, 2008

Computers and technology make our modern lifestyle more convenient, but they also create new risks like computer viruses and hacking. Many people want to enjoy the convenience of new technology, but they may not be aware of its problems.

WiMAX is being promoted in Taiwan by the Taipei Computer Association, the Industrial Technology Research Institute and the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China. It is considered by some to be the communication standard for the next generation of mobile devices.

Information security companies are concerned increasingly by Internet crime, and some of them question the security of WiMAX. After all, everyone wants to welcome this new technology but is afraid of its potential to cause security issues.

Some companies have analyzed potential security issues which threaten the success of WiMAX. But what have they found?

Taking the opportunity of two press conferences in Taiwan, Wikinews Journalist Rico Shen briefly interviewed both Hsiao-wen Hung, President of Microsoft Research Asia and Li Chang, Deputy Secretary General of Taipei Computer Association. With their experience in the IT industry, they agreed to comment on this question.

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The Key To Long Term Prostate Health

The Key to Long-Term Prostate Health

by

P. RodgersJust because we are alive and our hearts are beating we assume our blood is moving as it should. Each year thousands of men are treated for inflamed prostates, in most cases those cases of prostatitis could have been prevented with the help of supplements for prostate health. The key to long-term prostate health is dietary prevention, fitness and early diagnosis. The good news is that there are dietary and lifestyle factors that may reduce the occurrence and severity of benign prostatic hyperplasia. On the other hand, dietary prevention is recognized as the changes in food consumption patterns necessary to decrease cancer development. Since prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in men, every man should consider trying to improve the health of this vital gland naturally through diet and supplements. But all of you should keep in mind that no multivitamin, or any supplement for that matter, is a valid substitute for a good diet. A diet low in animal meat may decrease your risk for developing prostate and other cancers. Dietary fiber derived from beans, lentils and peas in high quantities have been associated with decreasing prostate cancer risks while promoting prostate health. Diets enriched with wheat bran and guar gum induce 10-20% reductions in serum cholesterol and LDL in both normo- and hypercholesterolemic subjects and have the ability to blunt the hypertriglyceridemic effects of diets high in carbohydrate and low in fiber. A diet of legumes, fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, and eggs is not expensive. Condiments for instance soy and ketchup are element of the indispensable diet. Fitness is the bodies ability to recover from a workload, be it mental or physical. Fitness is a necessity for countless reasons, the least of which may be for coping with our daily lives. True fitness is not about losing weight because of society’s misplaced judgments or trying to fit in with the normal” thin crowd. True fitness is about looking good, having lots of energy all the time, feeling good about yourself, and taking care of yourself. This disease has considerable human, social and economic consequences which require an important development of prevention strategies. While complete prevention of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer may not attainable, strong evidence suggests that dietary changes and supplementation with a variety of nutrients can reduce the incidence and mortality of prostate cancer. The highest prostate cancer prevention rate was found in patients with the lowest baseline selenium levels. Zinc and selenium are two dietary intake markers that have been strongly associated with BPH prevention and diagnosis. It is now commonly recognised by most gerontologists that there is no age limit to an effective prevention action. Supplements for prostate health are not meant to cure disorders, but they can help strengthen a man’s resistance against these conditions. Most supplements for prostate health are found in ordinary natural foods that people can easily get their hands on. In fact, a range of dietary supplements and herbal medicines offers new ways to prevent or treat prostate disease, and cancer in general. Before changing your diet, or adding supplements to your diet, or beginning an exercise program, everyone should consult a qualified and licensed health practitioner; a physician, dietician or similar professional.

The highest prostate cancer prevention rate was found in patients with the lowest baseline selenium levels. Zinc and selenium are two dietary intake markers that have been strongly associated with BPH prevention and diagnosis. It is now commonly recognised by most gerontologists that there is no age limit to

an effective prevention action

.

Paul Rodgers specializes in marketing natural health and beauty products.

Also visit SMARTICO to read more about

Health

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com

Wikinews interviews 0 A.D. game development team

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

0 A.D. is a historical, open source, strategy game, published by Wildfire Games. It focuses on the period between 500BC and 500AD. The game will be released in two parts: the first covering the pre-AD period, and the second running to 500AD. With development well underway, Wikinews interviewed the development team.

Aviv Sharon, a 24-year-old Israeli student responsible for the project’s PR, compiled the below Q&A, which the full team approved prior to publication.

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Details emerge of Honda’s withdrawal from Formula One

Monday, December 8, 2008

More details have emerged over the weekend after the surprise announcement last week of Honda‘s intention to sell its Formula One racing team, Honda Racing F1. The team management, Nick Fry and Ross Brawn, have already announced confidence in their ability not only to find a buyer for the team but also to deliver the performance expected of Honda’s 2009 car. Prices as low as £1 have been put forward as possible prices tags for the Northampton based team, with Honda CEO Takeo Fukui stating that “Just to make the team possible to exist, a small price tag is acceptable”.

On Saturday the Japanese car giant said that before selling the team it was going to offer British driver Jensen Button, who had given the Honda team its only victory, a way out of his recently signed multi-million pound contract with the team so he could try to get a drive with other teams. However, Ross Brawn appears eager to retain the Briton and either retain Brazilian Rubens Barrichello or sign GP2 driver Bruno Senna, nephew of legendary racer Ayrton Senna. At an industry awards dinner, Button indicated his desire for a buyer to be found for Honda, saying any buyer would get “… a great team with excellent facilities. And with the leadership of Ross Brawn, and the whole team as they are, we can come through this and be on the grid in 2009”. Button has also spoken of his shock and pain at Honda’s decision.

Ross Brawn, who was brought into the Honda team with much fan fare before the 2008 season, has spoken of his shock at finding out about the sale of the team. Brawn, who is credited with helping Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dominate Formula One for much of the last decade, indicated he was expected funding cuts and had prepared a reduced budget but hadn’t expected the full withdrawal of support that Honda announced. Brawn has also indicated understanding of Honda’s reasoning, with their sales down 40% in some markets and Honda F1’s £200m+ budget a cost they were unwilling to bear.

Though Honda has committed to providing a budget for the team until March, the budget is lower than that which had been expected and so the team has had to pull out of the crucial winter tests at Jerez. This has denied Formula One hopeful Bruno Senna another test with the team and has combined with the engine implications of Honda’s withdrawal to push the new car’s final testing from January to March, just weeks before the first Grand Prix in Australia. Ross Brawn however remains confident of competing with new Formula One frontrunners BMW Sauber and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has tipped the team as a great buy, saying “I’ve no doubt Honda would have been in top four next year without any problems. They’ve spent a lot of money to put themselves in that position so if anyone does want to be in F1 this is a team they should look to buy. It’s a big opportunity for any company that’s run efficiently to benefit”.

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The Huge Selection Of Restaurants In The Charming Town Of Whitby

The Huge Selection of Restaurants in the Charming Town of Whitby

by

Wendi Krotz

Whitby, the small fishing port situated on the River Esk on the North Eastern coastline of North Yorkshire in England is a great place to spend a holiday vacation or short break.

This North Yorkshire seaside town has witnessed a rise in the tourism industry year upon year possible due partly to the increasing awareness of the attractiveness of the area. The town has been showcased in many television programmes namely the popular series of \’Heartbeat\’ portraying a fictional policeman loosely based on the experiences of an ex policeman under the pen name Nicholas Rhea. The series ran for eighteen years and has been distributed around the world. Because of its association with the fishing industry over the last century, much has been broadcast with regard to the seafood connections in respect of cookery programmes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHpiB3_xm9g[/youtube]

Another reason quite possibly for the popularity of Whitby is its history and the connection with Captain James Cook, the famous explorer who served his apprenticeship in the town before leaving to join the Royal Navy. The iconic Whitby Abbey situated on the East side clifftop founded by King Oswy of Northumbria in 657 AD has captivated historians with its history of the Abbess Hilde and Caedmon, the early English poet. Here was the setting of the Synod of Whitby in 664AD which affirmed the dates on the religious calendar for Easter. The haunting ruins of the Abbey and the nearby St. Mary\’s Church graveyard inspired the writer Bram Stoker. He stayed for some holidays in the town and wrote his most successful novel \’Count Dracula\’ who came ashore from the ship \’Demeter\’ shipwrecked off the Whitby coast whilst taking the form of a large black dog.

The main reason for many of the returning visitors to this historic port is the welcome afforded by the many cafes and restaurants . They pride themselves on the quality and the extensive range of the menus available. From the smallest cafe to the largest restaurant, all aim to serve the very best available. Of course, in a town such as Whitby and its location there will inevitably be a variety of fish on the menu some of which will have been landed on the local fish quay. There are a number of fish and chip shops with their own cafes attached from where a satisfying meal of perhaps \’cod and chips with mushy peas\’ can be enjoyed. Some restaurants are quite famous because of their association with the locally sourced seafood and have many commendations as well as featuring in magazines and the national press. That\’s not to say that there are no meat dishes available, however, they do specialise in the seafood range. Although the cafes and restaurants are situated all around the town, mainly they are to be located around the main shopping areas and along the sides of the harbour. They have a all year round trade but obviously are really busy in the main tourist season.

Differing styles of cafes are on offer from the homely quaint small cafes to the more trendy modern. Some of the cafes have unusual features and decoration and one or two are devoted solely to ice cream or chocolate!

The restaurants of the town cater to all tastes and that includes Mediterranean and Asian cuisine, but, as yet, there are no fast food outlets but that will inevitably follow at some time in the future in line with the rest of the country.

whitby restaurants church streetWhitby Restaurants

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ArticleRich.com

Feverfew compound gets at leukemia roots

Wednesday, February 23, 2005A compound in the common daisy-like plant feverfew kills human leukemia stem cells and could form the basis for newer, more effective drugs for the disease.

American researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York say that it could take months to develop a useable drug from the compound, parthenolide.

However, they are working to do so with chemists at the University of Kentucky who have identified a water-soluble molecule with the same properties. The US National Cancer Institute has also accepted the work into its rapid access program, which aims to speed experimental drugs into human clinical trials.

“This research is a very important step in setting the stage for future development of a new therapy for leukemia,” says Rochester researcher Craig Jordan. “We have proof that we can kill leukemia stem cells with this type of agent, and that is good news.”

Parthenolide appears to target the roots of myeloid leukemia, stem cells, while current treatments including the relatively new drug Gleevec don’t. So, “You’re pulling the weed without getting to the root,” says Jordan.

Used for centuries to fight fevers, inflammation and arthritis, feverfew earned interest from the Rochester researchers after other scientists showed that it could prevent skin cancer in animal models.

So the researchers investigated how a concentrated form of the plant component parthenolide would affect leukemia cells and normal cells.

Comparing the impact of parthenolide to the common chemotherapy drug cytarabine, they found that parthenolide selectively killed leukemia cells while sparing normal cells better.

While the findings suggest that parthenolide is a good starting point for new drugs, people with leukemia aren’t being encouraged to take high doses of feverfew as they could not take enough of the remedy to halt the disease.

The research is reported in the journal Blood.

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Fur fans flock to Toronto’s Furnal Equinox 2019

Monday, March 25, 2019

From March 15 to 17, the Canadian city of Toronto played host to the tenth Furnal Equinox, an annual event dedicated to the “furry fandom.” Wikinews attended. Programming ranged from music to gender, science to art, covering dozens of aspects of the varied subculture. The event’s featured guests were visual artists Moth Monarch and Cat-Monk Shiro, as well as the co-owners of US fursuit costume builders Don’t Hug Cacti.

The event raised nearly CDN$11,000 for Pet Patrol, a non-profit rescue organization in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, run by volunteers. This exceeded their goal of $10,000, the funds needed to finish a rural sanctuary. The furry community is well-known for their charitable efforts. Along with direct donations, the funds were raised through a charity auction offering original artwork, and a fursuit design by guests of honour “Don’t Hug Cacti.” Last year, Furnal Equinox raised funds for a farm animal sanctuary.

While only 10–15% of people within the fandom own a fursuit according to a 2011 study, event organizers reported this year 908 of the 2240 attendees at Furnal Equinox brought at least one elaborate outfit to the event. The outfits are usually based on original characters, known as “fursonas”.

Guests of Honour Cherie and Sean O’Donnell, known within the community as “Lucky and Skuff Coyote”, held a session on fursuit construction on Saturday afternoon. The married couple are among the most prominent builders in the fandom, under the name Don’t Hug Cacti. The scale of their business was evident, as Sean had made over a thousand pairs of “handpaws”, costume gloves.

The couple encouraged attendees to continue developing their technique, sharing that all professional fursuit makers had developed different techniques. They felt that they learned more from failed projects than successful ones, citing the Chuck Jones quote that “every artist has thousands of bad drawings,” and that you have to work through them to achieve. Cherie, known as Lucky, recalled receiving a Sylvester the Cat plush toy from a Six Flags theme park at age 10. She promptly hollowed the toy out, turning it into a costume. Creating a costume isn’t without its hazards: the company uses 450°F (232°C) glue guns. They’re “like sticking your hand in an oven.”

Other programming included improv comedy, dances, life drawing of fursuiters, a review of scientific research by a research group at four universities called FurScience, a pin collector’s social, and workshops in writing.

The “Dealer’s Den” hall was expanded this year, with even more retailers and artists. While many offered “furry” versions of traditional products, at least one business focused on “pushing the boundaries of fursuit technology.” Along with 3D printing a bone-shaped name tag when Wikinews visited, Grivik was demonstrating miniature computer screens that could be used as “eyes” for a fursuit. The electronic displays projected an animation of eyes looking around, blinking occasionally. The maker has also developed “a way to install a camera inside suit heads, to improve fursuiter visibility.” He hopes the tech would reduce suiting risks and accidents. Without the need for eyeholes, fursuit makers would have “more options for building different eyestyles.”

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Living with HIV during COVID-19: Wikinews talks to HIV-positive sex workers about how pandemic has affected their lives

Sunday, October 18, 2020

The spread of coronavirus led to a global pandemic, affecting various daily activities. Originated in Wuhan, China, the virus spread globally, and by March, drastic measures were taken by the Indian government. Some branches of the South Western Railway of India had started taking precautions by distributing masks to ticket collectors and guards from as early as March 8. Some colleges were suspended by March 13, their exams post-poned as the government introduced lockdown and enforced social distancing.

Announced in the evening, Indian Prime Minister asked the countrymen to get the essential products and avoid going out as much as possible. Long queues outside the grocery shops, people in masks, some in N-95 masks, and hand sanitisers at the gates of megamarts were a common sight. There were reduced items in the shops, and some stores had a limit of number of customers allowed in the store at any given time. Food delivery services, and taxi services were on haitus — workers who dependent on the profession for their daily income, while software engineers were working from home. Physical classes in schools and colleges were replaced by online lectures to prevent social gatherings.

While many relied on technology for continuing their work and earn their livelihood, Wikinews reached out to sex workers in Mysore in June who unlike others can’t maintain social distancing for their work. Two sex-workers, Akram Pasha, and Jaya (a pseudonym), who were a part of sex-worker’s group called “Ashodaya Samithi” discussed how their lives had been affected by the coronavirus, the lockdown and the restrictions they had faced.

[edit]

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What Do Home Appraisers Look For When Doing An Appraisal For A Mortgage Refinance

By Amy Nutt

When undergoing a mortgage refinance, one step in the process is acquiring an appraisal of your home. An appraisal is a written estimate of the market value of your property. Mortgage lenders will use an appraisal to determine the amount one qualifies for the mortgage. The appraisal will also establish how much equity there is in a home. It gives an estimate of the price that can be obtained by selling the property. An appraisal is a necessary step when refinancing existing mortgage because it assures the lender or bank that the property will sell for at least the amount which they will be providing as a home loan. This protects them in the event of a mortgage default by ensuring they will get their money back if they have to repossess the house and sell it.

The mortgage lender will normally arrange for the appraisal. It often depends on the mortgage company’s policy for obtaining appraisals. A home appraisal is different from a home inspection. Appraisers look for value in a home. Lenders need to know the home is worth what you want to borrow. The appraiser is a licensed professional that will do a market analysis of the sale price of a home. The appraisal will require a thorough inspection of your home inside and out. The appraiser will look for problems in the property.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH0klSpwY0M[/youtube]

Appraisals generally include: evaluating the condition of your home, details of the property, a comparison of the property with other properties in the area, an evaluation of the real estate market in the area, the type of area where the property is located, and an estimate of how long it will take to sell. Although it may vary among appraisers, generally speaking, they take home sales within about a 1/4 mile within the last 4 – 6 months and average them per square foot. They then multiply that number by the square footage of the home being appraised.

The appraiser will assess the actual home. He or she will measure the outside of your home, look at the inside, take pictures of both the outside and inside and determine a market price for your home based on the most current previous sales of nearby homes. Such aspects that affect a home value include: kitchen, number of bedrooms, size of rooms, finished basement, new roof, number of bathrooms, new windows, and a solid foundation. They will also measure the property line to get the amount of square feet on the outside. They will then notify the lender or person who requested the appraisal. The lender uses all of the information to determine the amount of the refinance loan.

The appraiser’s assessment of a home is an extremely important part of refinancing a mortgage. It is important to inform the appraiser of any new additions such as a garage or patio deck. Before an appraiser arrives, make sure that you have all repairs completed that can affect the value of your home. Factors that can affect the value can include poor upkeep of the property and any damage to the home. Because of the low interest rates being offered by banks and other lenders, this is a great time to refinance. Knowing what appraisers look at when assessing a home and neighborhood will increase the likelihood that you will get a great refinance loan.

About the Author: Get the current listing of GIC rates currently in effect for your investment needs at Ontario credit union. Providing mortgage refinancing options, mortgage loan and investment options for all your financial requirements.

Source: isnare.com

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