Snuff Films

Yesterday, while stumbling around YouTube, I found this great documentary and thought I would pass it on. This is part of a series called "The Dark Side of Porn," and it divulges into the existence of "Snuff Films." This documentary contains no pornographic material, but it is VERY graphic at times, so be warned. After a little bit of internet research, I found that this was created by a group called "Channel 4," and you can see their website here.

Check it out...



Go here to see a larger version of the video.

7 Cures for Cancer

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UPDATE: For those of you who are accessing this blog for the first time via this article, I would like to clarify that this blog is NOT a news blog or a science blog, but the personal blog of a college student. All cures listed below have their sources linked beneath their descriptions.
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As medical technology becomes more and more advanced, its a wonder human life expectancy has yet to reach 100. Today, we find ourselves one step closer to living in the triple digits with these seven, yes SEVEN cures for cancer!

1. Kanzius Machine

This machine was invented by a former businessman and radio technician named John Kanzius. The concept behind this machine seems pretty complicated, but apparently its pretty successful. Here's the formula: Gold + Radio waves = no more cancer. Apparently, by injecting nanoparticles of gold into the blood system, the metal would then bond with the cancer cells while ignoring healthy cells. After this bond has occurred, shooting radio waves at the patient would destroy anything with gold nanoparticles in it. Goodbye, cancer! Non-invasive and successful!

Sources: 1, 2, 3

2. HACE 1 - The Cancer Curing Gene

This one is still relatively new, and research is still in the works, but the concept is pretty amazing. It seems a research group in Canada called the B.C. Cancer Agency has found a gene that can stop cancer, called HACE 1. The Washington Post writes, "Cancerous cells form tumors when HACE 1 is inactive and tumor growth is extensive due to additional stress such as radiation. But activating HACE 1 prevented the formation of tumors, the researchers said." By simply activating this gene in the human body, our own body could turn on the cancer cells.

Sources: 1

3. Modified Rabies - The Anti-Cancer Virus

It may sound like a concept stolen from I am Legend, but this one is for real! Scientists from Yale University have found a way to inject mice inoperable brain tumors with a modified version of the Rabies virus that attacks the cancer instead of the mice. Other scientists from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have been researching a similar cure with the same virus.

Sources: 1, 2

4. Hot Peppers

Researchers from the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in collaboration with colleagues from UCLA have found that the same component used to make peppers hot can also turn prostate cancer against itself. Go figure!

Sources: 1

5. Dichloroacetate (DCA)

This drug is actually already on the market, but companies simply aren't selling it to cure cancer because it would not be profitable! Because the drug has no patent, anyone could produce it for almost nothing. No profit means no interest from drug companies. NewScience.com writes,

"Evangelos Michelakis of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and his colleagues tested DCA on human cells cultured outside the body and found that it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells, but not healthy cells. Tumours in rats deliberately infected with human cancer also shrank drastically when they were fed DCA-laced water for several weeks."

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

6. Cancer stopping bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes)

In 1890, a doctor named William B. Coley accidentally infected one of his patients with a common bacteria named Streptococcus pyogenes. DamnInteresting.com writer Matt Castle writes,

"The records showed that after the wound became infected with a commonplace bacterium, Streptococcus pyogenes, the patient went through several bouts of fever. With each attack of fever the tumor shrank until eventually it disappeared entirely, leaving only a large scar under the left ear. Coley surmised that the infection had stimulated the German’s immune system– as evidenced by the repeated fevers– and that it was this immune response that had caused the eradication of the cancer."

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

7. Synthetic Cancer Suicide Pills

A medicine being researched by Seoul National University and the National center for Toxicological Research have found a synthetic material called "procaspase activating compound one" (PAC-1), that causes cancer to destroy itself.

EurekaAltert.org writes, "Most living cells contain a protein called procaspase-3, which, when activated, changes into the executioner enzyme caspase-3 and initiates programmed cell death, called apoptosis. In cancer cells, however, the signaling pathway to procaspase-3 is broken. As a result, cancer cells escape destruction and grow into tumors."

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Illinois.

Sources: 1,

UPDATE:

I found one more!

8. Masturbation

BBC News has recently written an article stating that regular masterbation for men could significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer! Now that's science.

Sources: 1

Must be 19 or older to use Google in Alabama

No, the title isn't a typo. In the state of Alabama, you must be 19 to use Google and all of its accompanying web services. Recently, someone over at c|net found a statement in Google's "Terms of Service" that demanded all users to be old enough to sign a contract. To quote:

"You may not use ... Google's products, software, services and web sites ... and may not accept the Terms if ... you are not of legal age to form a binding contract with Google."

That means 18 in most states, and 19 in Alabama (which is the only state in which the legal age is 19 instead of 18). If you're 17, say goodbye to Gmail, Google Calendar, You-tube, and anything else that is owned by Google and requires a login. Not only that, but if Google finds out that you are a minor, then your account gets deleted. A Google spokesperson said,

"We're not in a position to verify the age or legal status of any user, given the tremendous number of users accessing Google services. That said, when we become aware of a user who is violating our Terms of Service, including not being of proper age to accept the Terms of Service, we take appropriate action, which could include the termination of the user's Google Account."

Still, maybe its for the best. You can't blame Google for guarding its own butt.

~Jw

The New Stumbleupon CAPTCHA helps decipher books!

As of March 11, 2008, Stumbleupon users will now have to enter a CAPTCHA code when entering comments on some websites. The decision was made with the intention of cutting back on spammy comments left by fake users and in an effort to help decipher scans of old books. To do this, Stumbleupon has teamed up with reCAPTCHA.com.

The interesting aspect of this new decision is how reCAPTCHA is using the deciphered codes. On their "About Us" page, reCAPTCHA states:

Over 60 million CAPTCHAs are solved every day by people around the world. reCAPTCHA channels this human effort into helping to digitize books from the Internet Archive. When you solve a reCAPTCHA, you help preserve literature by deciphering a word that was not readable by computers.

Don't worry, they claim they're legit... According to their FAQ:

"Are you a spammer using this service to break other CAPTCHAs? You found us out! Ok, just kidding. No, we're not spammers trying to break other people's CAPTCHAs by funneling them through our service and getting our users to solve them for us. reCAPTCHA is a university project with funding from reputable sources. If we were spammers, our department would fire us!"

Since the codes seem to be rather difficult to make out at times, there is also the option to hear a series of number read via audio, that the user can then type into a box below.

Wanna try it out? Then just try to comment on this page with your Stumbleupon account by clicking here. It seems that the reCAPTCHA code appears randomly, so it might not work this particular time. Happy stumbling!

~jw

An interview with Brother Micah

Recently, the University of Alabama campus has been buzzing with talk of a new bible thumper on the block named Brother Micah. Many of the ideas he advocates have been rejected by modern society, so his proclamations concerning the sins of homosexuality and materialism often offend students on campus, and always draw a crowd. Below is a video taken of him during one of his speeches, in which he states that God doesn't hear the prayers of sinners.



As you can imagine, this really riles up the students. Instead of attacking him like most people have done, I decided to take him aside when he finished speaking and interview him. I made an active attempt to remain as neutral as possible. Here's how it went:



Click here to visit his forum (although you must be a registered user to view it).

Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you guys agree or disagree with him? What's your impression?

~Jw

P.S. I've actually approached him about a year ago and presented some arguments against his claims. You can read that post here.

Scientists are one step closer to inventing "The Jetsons" Car

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a car that can fold itself up, similar to the car in "The Jetsons" cartoon show from the 1960s.

The car was designed in an effort to battle the issue of urban parking, and would even be able to drive itself. While the car is far from flight, it will be able to park and drive itself. After the car gets to its destination, it would then fold itself in half and stack like a shopping cart with other cars of the same type.

The car is planned to be built within the next three to four years, and will work on a rental basis in cities. Reuters.com explains how the process would work.

"Hundreds could be stacked around a city and 'you would just go and swipe your (credit) card and take the first one available and drive away...'"

Luckily for us, this means we are one step closer to having a car in a suitcase.


~jw


P.S. Origional Article found here.

I'm in the news!

About a week ago, I posted an article about how I believe New Years Day should be a holiday. Well, a couple of days later, a facebook group formed to support my cause. Ok, so maybe I made the facebook group. The point is, the group exists. Anyway, yesterday I got a phone call asking if the campus newspaper could do an article on New Times Day! Check it out... Click to make it bigger.



Cool, huh? I'm semi-famous. Still, its a shame they didn't mention my blog... :-(

~John Wesley

The Pros and Cons of Net Neutrality (and yes, there are cons)

What is "Net Neutrality?"

In a nutshell, "Network Neutrality," or "Net Neutrality" for short, is an idea centered around preventing ISPs (or Internet Service Providers) from deciding which websites can be accessed by the user. Check out more information on it here.



What are the "Pros?"

First off, the "Pros" have been discussed time and time again, so I will try to keep this portion short. For a more detailed description of reasons to support Net neutrality, check out the Save the Internet foundation.

In a nutshell, the main concern of Advocates of Net Neutrality is that big companies might one day force users to use one web service over another, effectively online equality and free speech.

Example: One day, users of MSN's internet service will only be able to search with MSN Search instead of Google, while users of Comcast can only use Yahoo and not MSN. Users might have to pay more money for what they get now for free. Neutrality would pretty much guarantee that this scenario could never happen.


What could possibly be the "Cons?"

This is where the issue gets interesting. There are a couple main points of views advocating the end of Net Neutrality.

The first view is that charging different rates for different sites can be compared to purchasing cable television, and this makes sense to a lot of the internet providers who also provide cable and phone services. Pay more to get more, right?

The second view is that Net Neutrality isn't necessary in America because of the Free Market. Micro-Economics 101 teaches us that competition will lower the price of any good until it meets demand. Basically, if the mainstream Internet providers offer surcharges for the "good" websites, then some small third party company will offer everything for the same price to steal the customers back.

So, after hearing from both sides of the argument, where do you stand?

~jw

The Future of Mobile Phones

Mobile phones seem to be taking over the world. Only 15 years ago, the "car phone" was the next big thing. Now-a-days, even kids in Elementary School have cell phones!

Recently, the cell phone market has taken what I believe to be a rather predictable turn toward unlimited plans. Phone companies have become very focused on the technology behind the phones verses the prices of phone plan, hence the popularity of the iPhone and other new "smart phones." I am calling it, here and now, that in another 5 or 10 years, all mobile phone carriers will have "unlimited" everything plans for under $50 monthly. As competition drives prices down, it is only logical that a single rate for unlimited use will eventually rise dominant, and the phone itself with be the distinguishing feature behind which company is right for you.

Already, several carriers have plans for Unlimited minutes, like T-mobile's $99 a month plan. It's just a matter of time until this becomes the norm.

~John Welsey

Wii Firmware Update!

As of Today, Februrary 26, 2008, Wii users will be asked to update to the newest Wii Firmware, Version 3.2u.

I've just updated, and from what I can tell, all it does is allow new Parental Settings and for the Wii to update from Game Disks. Rumor has it that this version fixes some minor bugs (bye bye custom code?) and allows for new Parental Controls.

Not too impressive, but perhaps it is necessary for the amazing online play that everyone is expecting with the new Smash Brothers and Mario Kart game coming out in the following months. Keep it up, Wii!

~John Wesley

Cancer sucks. Help fight back.

It's not often I make a post so serious, but this one is important.

I made this video to help raise money for Relay for Life, which is a group dedicated to fighting cancer. If you wish to donate money to our cause, CLICK HERE.

Please, donate anything. Even 50 cents would help... If you can't donate, send this video to a friend to help gather support for the cause! This means a lot, guys... It really does.

~jw

P.s. If you missed the link, this is it --> http://tinyurl.com/2kwpl3

EDIT: Yes, it is me singing and playing piano.

Best. Breakup. Ever.

This is one way to breakup with your girlfriend!

According to Reuters.com, a man in Germany got so mad with his girlfriend for smoking in their apartment that when she lit her cigarette, he decided to put it out his own way... with a fire extinguisher.

"After the woman ignored his request not to smoke, the 42-year-old sprayed the contents of the extinguisher all around the flat shouting abuse, police said.

'He said he wasn't bothered by the damage it caused,' the spokesman said. 'And that he's through with his girlfriend.'"

Technically, he was using the extinguisher to put out a "fire," and it was his apartment, too, so I suppose you could say he was justified in his actions. At least he left her with a bang!

~jw

P.S. The story came from here

Harvest Moon for the SNES is now available on the Wii virtual console!

GOOD NEWS! Time to celebrate!

As of February 11th, 2008, Harvest Moon for the SNES is now available for download from the Wii virtual console in the USA! Get to playing, yo!


This game is one of the most coveted SNES game of all time. Here's the wiki... at the current market price of about $57 - $95, $8 is quite a deal! Get it while it's hot!

~jw

P.S. Price estimate HERE. Its a good read, check it out!

A brief History of "Anonymous"

Everyone is talking about Anonymous' war on Scientology these days, so I thought I would take the time to create a brief explanation of who Anonymous is.

In the beginning, there was internet. Then there was Anonymous. Anonymity is one of the key factors of the internet that allows people to be the douche bags they are. Perhaps thats why online dating is so dangerous.

It all started when users who posted content without an account were branded with the simple title of Anonymous. Before long, 4chan.org (link NSFW) came into existence (4chan users, pun not intended). The concept was the simple idea of creating a message board were anyone could post anything, anonymously. In recent history, the "random" section (simply entitled /b/, link ESPECIALLY NSFW) has become famous for its total insensitivity and just plain despicable content. Eventually, people began to take notice.



One very famous Youtube video (above) shows exactly how misunderstood the forum was. When amateur computer users were tricked into revealing their Myspace or other important passwords, /b/ attacked. This then caused the group known as "Anonymous"to be dubbed as hackers. Because of this title, actual hackers began to act under the title.

Recently, a video emerged on Youtube of Tom Cruise professing his dedication to the Church of Scientology. The video was immediately criticized by all, and was quickly taken down from the site. Unfortunately for the church, it has been reposted all over the web.



Anonymous responded with their own video, seen below.



So, now that Anonymous has declared war, whats left? Well, so far they have succeeded in temporarily shutting down the Scientology website, and on February 10, 2008, they protested outside of most Scientology buildings in masks. The war has been dubbed "Project Chanology" and is now in full swing.

Where it goes from there, we'll soon find out. Many people suspect that the protest will simply loose support and die, while others believe this war will continue till the Scientologists simply give up. I guess for now all we can do is wait and see...

~jw

Mokeys are one step closer to Domination!

Well, it's official. The world is now officially one step closer to the future predicted in the documentary Planet of the Apes. (I know its a documentary because they once aired it on the History Channel. TV never lies.) None the less, it ends up that recent research has shown that monkeys are equal with college students when asked to perform math problems in their heads!

In the study done over at Duke University, both students and monkeys were asked to add the number of dots that flashed briefly onto a computer screen as quickly as possible. The students weren't allowed to count out loud or write anything down. Just like in high school.

One researcher even asserted that "when you take language away from a human, they end up looking just like monkeys in terms of their performance." Nice one, lady. You just slammed your own species.

On the bright side, we can talk and monkeys can't. YOU HEAR THAT MONKEYS?? Well, it doesn't matter because you don't know what I'm talking about anyway...

Dirty stinkin' apes...

~jw

P.S. In case you missed the link:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2007-12-18T145253Z_01_HAR853484_RTRUKOC_0_US-CHIMPS-MATH-ODD.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2

Uranium for sale

What do you get an Evil Genius for Christmas?

How about some radio active Uranium Ore? Only $22.95 on Amazon.com! Perfect for little Stewie after all that work trying to be a... good boy.


I have a feeling this is a limited time offer, so you better hurry up and try to catch some now before supplies are depleted by the citizens of Gotham City.

If anyone buys this, let me know how that works out for you. Oh, and good luck with the cancer.

~jw

P.S. If you missed the link, thats
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000796XXM/