Pacifica

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom: one of my favorite SF stories, and Cory Doctorow's first novel, is available for free download under the Creative Commons license.

Rhizome

From SLATE: The WSJ fronts a study that apparently found male circumcision reduces the risk that men will contract HIV from an infected woman by 70 percent. The study itself was never concluded because results were so strong that organizers said it would have been immoral to continue without giving the uncircumcised group the chance to have a circumcision. The results have never been published so most are unwilling to discuss it, but the researcher who led the study is expected to present the findings at an AIDS conference later this month. Although previous studies have suggested a link between circumcision and HIV infection, this was the first study using the most rigorous methods of a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

The Israeli paper Ma'ariv has the story of an independent Technion Study that proves the effect of cellphone radiation (not heat) on degredation in vision due to physical damages in the eye and/or its control system. The eye recovers after a while, but not completely, with cumulatively progressive damage seen. The study exposed hundred of cattle eyes to an extended period (50 minutes on/10 minutes off cycles) of the normal radiation levels seen in cell phones. It's the first study that does not try to prove brain impact. Results published in the July 1 issue of Bioelectromagnetics, which has not yet placed it on their website. There is no English version of this artice yet. Their conclusion: strong recomm to limit the duration of cell-phone calls.

AutoRip: first release: May 2000. Second release: July 2005. I am the ubermiester of neglectware. What amazes me is that people still use this thing...