Silly/Odd News Stories from around the World

[SeijiSensei]

I thought this observation I found in the comments section of Bruce Schneier's blog was telling:

In 1985 the much-maligned private screeners found more guns in the first half of the year than the TSA found all of last year, with far fewer total passengers and likely a far smaller budget.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?i...,6538112&hl=en

Now maybe that's just because people are more aware today that they shouldn't carry weapons in their luggage. Both then and now most people with weapons in their carry-on luggage just forgot they were there. If that is true, then perhaps TSA screenings have been an effective deterrent. Still, as one wag observed, "At $8 billion per year, the TSA is the most expensive theatrical production in history."

Schneier himself has long called TSA checks "security theater." Still, back in 2008, he thought they might have some deterrent effect, but these results have given him pause.

Bringing a weapon through security can result in misdemeanor or felony criminal charges depending on whether the person has a permit. In at least one case, "God intervened" and this man's gun was conveniently held for him until he returned from his travels. The notion that a "man of God" carries a revolver with hollow-point bullets gives me the chills, and not in a religious way.

[risingstar3110]

Originally Posted by Fran

Lion kills American tourist driving in S. African park

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lion-kills-ame...151511103.html

comments: moral of the story here is...see LION? don't rolled down your windows...
although i should feel sad and sorry for the lady, but in this case, she should've known better. R.I.P. -_-

To be honest, i am quite surprised at how a lion could manage to jump through a running car window to attack a person inside. I means i guess it's possible, but not what i expected will happen.

Remind me of that gif where the guy not locking the door, and the lion somehow manage to press on the handle to open the car door. Holy crap

[SeijiSensei]

Japan Considers Installing Toilets in Elevators

Japan is looking at installing toilets in elevators and providing an emergency supply of drinking water for people trapped by the nation’s frequent powerful earthquakes, an official said Wednesday.

The move comes after dozens of people were left high and dry, some for over an hour, after a 7.8 magnitude quake on Saturday that stopped lifts.

Most of the elevators automatically stopped at the nearest floor and opened their doors, but 14 were stranded between storeys.

A meeting between officials from the infrastructure ministry and elevator industry bodies agreed to look into providing toilets for emergencies, an official from the elevator makers association said.

These might include collapsible cardboard structures with a waterproof bag or absorbent material inside.

Some new lifts have small seating areas for Japan’s growing ranks of elderly people, and installing facilities underneath the seats is a possibility.

An hour is one thing, but what if it were six or twelve? Will there be a privacy shield of some kind? Deodorizers? The mind boggles.

Will California follow suit?

[SaintessHeart]

Teacher Suspended For Jamming Student's Phones In His Class

Did he build the jammer?

British tank crushes learner driver's car in Germany

[aohige]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Teacher Suspended For Jamming Student's Phones In His Class

Did he build the jammer?

Apparently vast majority thinks he shouldn't be suspended since "his intentions were good".

Do those people not realize the what he did was Federal crime?
Intentions really isn't going to help much there.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by aohige

Apparently vast majority thinks he shouldn't be suspended since "his intentions were good".

Do those people not realize the what he did was Federal crime?
Intentions really isn't going to help much there.

Then the police who advised him should also be charged with incompetence....

[aohige]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Then the police who advised him should also be charged with incompetence....

Sure, as long as they can:
1. Identify the sheriff
2. Prove the conversation took place as stated.

1 will require cooperation from the suspect, and 2 would require one from the alleged.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by aohige

Apparently vast majority thinks he shouldn't be suspended since "his intentions were good".

Do those people not realize the what he did was Federal crime?
Intentions really isn't going to help much there.

Exactly. Though getting the students to get rid of their phones during classes can be quite an issue. My lecturer kicks anyone who used their phone out of the hall with a permaban for the rest of the class. He tells school admin to "deal with it".

I would rather he employ a pulse/timed jammer that snaps on every 10 minutes for 3 seconds, enough to annoy the heck out of any user in the vicinity - less likely of getting caught too.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by aohige

Do those people not realize the what he did was Federal crime?

I think the FCC needs to reconsider this position. I understand that jamming could cause interference problems if the coverage area extends too widely as in this case. Still if someone could develop a jammer that has a very narrow radius, perhaps the FCC could consider setting up a licensing policy for such a device. I think schools have a valid rationale for discouraging cell phone use, but we all know what would happen if schools require little Susie to put her phone in a lockbox during the day. Susie's parents will be on the principal's doorstep complaining about fascism and how Susie "needs" her phone to call them immediately if she has a problem.

I gave my daughter a phone in middle school because I was a single parent in a complicated relationship with my ex. My daughter knew never to use it in class. In fact I can probably count on one hand the number of times she ever called me from school.

This is a tough problem, but one that deserves serious consideration by all involved. Just saying that "jamming is illegal" as the FCC does now doesn't really address the issues involved. Decisions like that indicate how the Commission pays more attention to the desires of the carriers and their army of lobbyists than it pays to public opinion.

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

My uni has scanners for when exams are on. They must have really short range apparently, since they have to walk around the room with them to find anyone with a mobile on themselves.

[AnimeFan188]

Brazilian Man Plays Guitar During His Own Brain Surgery:

"Anthony Kulkamp Dias, a 33-year-old Brazilian bank worker, underwent surgery to
remove a brain tumor and played his guitar the entire way through.

Dias played a selection of songs including The Beatles' "Yesterday" and a few
Brazilian country songs while he was kept conscious during surgery at the Nossa
Senhora de Conceição Hospital in the Southern state of Santa Catarina. In a press
release about the procedure, the hospital said that surgeons were better able to
map Dias' brain activity in real time if he was kept conscious, thus avoiding injury
that could compromise important brain functions.

Machado explained that brain surgeries are usually performed with the patient
under general anesthesia, but when the tumor is close to areas that can impact
speech and movement, there's a risk of loss of function if they are injured during the
procedure, so it is important to keep the patient awake."

See:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/b...urgery-n369786

[SeijiSensei]

Today's New York Times profiles 29-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia who appears to have quickly moved ahead of older relatives to become second in line to succeed his father, 79-year-old King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Of interest here is this paragraph from the article:

Associates say he likes water-skiing and other water sports on the Red Sea or during travels. He is a fan of iPhones and other Apple products. And he developed an early and abiding love of Japan, which remains his favorite country, a close associate said. When Prince Mohammed first married several years ago, he took his wife on a two-month honeymoon to Japan and the Maldives. (He recently married a second wife, associates said.)

His most public role was running the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation. Broadly dedicated to developing Saudi youth, the foundation has held conferences on the uses of Twitter and YouTube, and it has explored producing Japanese-style “manga” cartoons to showcase Arab culture.

Prince Mohammed has apparently also been a force pressing for the Saudis' more aggressive military posture in the region. Older members of the royal family and foreign observers have been less impressed with his actions, with one Western diplomat calling him "rash" and "impulsive," off-the-record of course.

I wonder if he has a list at MAL.

It didn't take long for someone to comment at Reddit that his favorite genre must be harems.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

It didn't take long for someone to comment at Reddit that his favorite genre must be harems.

Doubtful. Don't people with actual little sisters dislike anime little sisters?

[HasuMasu]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Doubtful. Don't people with actual little sisters dislike anime little sisters?

That's true, but it would be implausible for there to be no...exceptions...

[maplehurry]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/201...obot-challenge

South Korea bests Japan, other rivals in robot challenge


"South Korean scientists carried home the $2 million top prize Saturday after their robot triumphed in a disaster-response challenge inspired by the 2011 triple meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

...Over the two days, each robot had two chances to compete on an obstacle course comprising eight tasks, including driving, going through a door, opening a valve, punching through a wall and dealing with rubble and stairs.

...The team — from the South Korean city of Daejeon — says the robot’s “uniqueness” is that it can transform from a standing position to a kneeling one designed for wheeled and fast motion."


Damn it, Gundams are much cooler, how come they lose ???

[monster]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Doubtful. Don't people with actual little sisters dislike anime little sisters?

Not to mention most harem genre endings don't seem to actually end with an actual harem, at least from the (relative) few that I've seen.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Doubtful. Don't people with actual little sisters dislike anime little sisters?

What have sisters got to do with this? Prince Mohammed already has two wives. His father had three.

Unless there's some new definition of "harem" I don't see that it requires any sisters be involved.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

What have sisters got to do with this? Prince Mohammed already has two wives. His father had three.

Unless there's some new definition of "harem" I don't see that it requires any sisters be involved.

Those with sisters think anime depictions of sisters are stupid. So I guess that those with harems aren't going to like harem animes.

[monster]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

What have sisters got to do with this? Prince Mohammed already has two wives. His father had three.

Unless there's some new definition of "harem" I don't see that it requires any sisters be involved.

Anh_Minh is comparing people who have actual younger sisters not necessarily liking anime showcasing a younger sister with people who have actual harem not necessarily liking harem anime.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by monster

Anh_Minh is comparing people who have actual younger sisters not necessarily liking anime showcasing a younger sister with people who have actual harem not necessarily liking harem anime.

Seems rather a reach to me, but okay.

I doubt many people with real-life harems watch anime, certainly not so many as have sisters!