Court Rules Google’s Search Results Qualify As Free Speech

wabrandsma writes with this news from Ars Technica: The regulation of Google’s search results has come up from time to time over the past decade, and although the idea has gained some traction in Europe (most recently with “right to be forgotten” laws), courts and regulatory bodies in the U.S. have generally agreed that Google’s search results are considered free speech. That consensus was upheld last Thursday, when a San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Google’s right to order its search results as it sees fit. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Visit site:
Court Rules Google’s Search Results Qualify As Free Speech

Walgreens to offer quick, affordable and needle-free blood tests in all its stores

You might still think of Walgreens as a corner drugstore chain, but the company aims to be much more than that. In its quest to become a “healthcare leader, ” Walgreens recently teamed up with Silicon Valley startup Theranos, which boasts a new and innovative blood testing method developed by founder Elizabeth Holmes (above). In fact, a Walgreens in Palo Alto started offering blood tests from within its premises earlier this year, followed by over 20 stores in Phoenix. Now, the company has announced that it plans to make this in-store blood test available in all its 8, 200 locations — a move that has huge implications, as Theranos’ tests are much cheaper, quicker to do and a lot more efficient than its more traditional counterparts. Holmes, who dropped out of Stanford at 19 years old to build Theranos, devised a way to perform up to 70 different blood tests using just 25 to 50 microliters of blood. The startup seriously needs so little blood from patients, that all it takes to draw a sample is a nearly painless fingerprick. Plus, the minuscule vial it uses to keep blood in is called a “nanotainer, ” which you can (barely) see in the image above. Even better, the company has vowed to keep its prices (which are fully displayed on its website) below 50 percent of Medicare’s reimbursement rate for each procedure. With Theranos testing kits accessible in every Walgreens, people can just walk in, get their finger pricked, get results to their doctors within hours and save a ton of money in the process. Walgreens hasn’t revealed a timeline for this expansion yet, but seeing as the company wants to be known as a leader in healthcare within five years’ time, the rollout will likely start soon. Other than its partnership with the startup, Walgreens is also working on a cloud-based EHR (electronic healthcare record) containing all customers’ info that can be accessed across stores, among other projects. PS: Holmes is pretty secretive when it comes to Theranos’ testing process, but you hear her talk about the company below. Filed under: Science Comments Source: Forbes

Continue reading here:
Walgreens to offer quick, affordable and needle-free blood tests in all its stores

Microsoft Releases Out-of-Band Security Patch For Windows

mrspoonsi writes Microsoft has announced today that they will be pushing an out-of-band security patch today. The patch, which affects nearly all of the company’s major platforms, is rated ‘critical’ and it is recommended that you install the patch immediately. The patch is rated ‘critical’ because it allows for elevation of privileges and will require a restart. The platforms that are affected include: Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT and Windows RT 8.1 and Windows 10 Technical Preview customers are affected, too. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read the original:
Microsoft Releases Out-of-Band Security Patch For Windows

Rooftop Solar Could Reach Price Parity In the US By 2016

Lucas123 writes: The cost of rooftop solar-powered electricity will be on par with prices of coal-powered energy and other conventional sources in all 50 U.S. states in just two years, a leap from today where PV energy has price parity in only 10 states, according to Deutsche Bank’s leading solar industry analyst. The sharp decline in solar energy costs is the result of increased economies of scale leading to cheaper photovoltaic panels, new leasing models and declining installation costs, Deutsche Bank’s Vishal Shah stated in a recent report. The cost of solar-generated electricity in the top 10 states for capacity ranges from 11-15 cents per kilowatt hour (c/kWh), compared to the retail electricity price of 11-37 c/kWh. Amit Ronen, a former Congressional staffer behind legislation that created an investment tax credit for solar installations, said one of the only impediments to decreasing solar electricity prices are fees proposed by utilities on customers who install solar and take advantage of net metering, or the ability to sell excess power back to utilities. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read More:
Rooftop Solar Could Reach Price Parity In the US By 2016

Square merchants can now make their own gift cards

It’s simple: Square arms small-business owners with an arsenal of weapons they need to do battle with larger (chain) competitors. In turn, you, the consumer, reap a variety of benefits . Now, the company’s furthering that entrepreneurial spirit with its own Square Register -integrated gift cards program. Starting today, any Square merchant can order custom-designed cards at $1.50 apiece, without having to worry about future subscription, redemption or transaction fees. What’s more, when a customer buys a gift card, the funds are immediately transferred into the seller’s back account, rather than sitting in limbo until they’re redeemed. For shopkeepers, it’s a simple, inexpensive way to entice customers. Filed under: Misc , Software Comments Source: Square

See the article here:
Square merchants can now make their own gift cards

Watching carnivorous plants eat bugs is strangely therapeutic

There is just something unexplainably awesome about carnivorous plants eating things. It’s like nature’s revenge mixed with some alien imagination, like if these plants were grown from a different planet. Watch these carnivorous plants grow and chomp at bugs in this wonderful time lapse. Read more…

Read More:
Watching carnivorous plants eat bugs is strangely therapeutic

BitTorrent Now Lets Anyone Release an Album as a Paid-For Bundle

Earlier this year, Thom Yorke released his new album on BitTorrrent , selling it in a package that had to be paid for. Now, BitTorrent will let any artist release an album as a paid-for bundle. Read more…

Visit link:
BitTorrent Now Lets Anyone Release an Album as a Paid-For Bundle

Inside the Blood Factory That Keeps Track of the World’s Rare Donors

When most of us think of “rare blood, ” we think of Type O-negative. But it turns out there are far, far rarer types than that. In Filton, England, there’s a lab that handles blood donations from across the UK—and identifies this super-rare blood. Read more…

Read the original:
Inside the Blood Factory That Keeps Track of the World’s Rare Donors

1 percent of recording artists earn 77 percent of recorded music revenue

Thanks to the internet, there are now more ways than ever to get music. But this hasn’t allowed smaller artists to get a bigger share of the financial pie. In fact, the top 1 percent of artists now collect 77 percent of all revenue from recorded music. Read more…

Read More:
1 percent of recording artists earn 77 percent of recorded music revenue

Spray-On Soy Sauce Ensures Your Sushi Isn’t Soaked In Salt

Did you know there’s a proper way to eat sushi that doesn’t involve completely soaking the rice in soy sauce? You’re only supposed to dip the fish, which can be tricky if you’re not skilled with a set of chopsticks. So Fukuma, a Japanese soy sauce manufacturer, is now packaging the salty brown side in tiny spray bottles so you can perfectly spritz your sushi. Read more…

Link:
Spray-On Soy Sauce Ensures Your Sushi Isn’t Soaked In Salt