The Linkage for Aug. 24th

Here’s a quick look at what I was reading online from Aug. 12th to Aug. 24th:

Wikipedia gives up on the whole “anyone can edit” thing
Officials at the Wikimedia Foundation say that within weeks, the English-language Wikipedia will begin imposing a layer of editorial review on articles about living people. Such restrictions have been in place on the entire German version of the site since last year. Don’t worry though, you can still make up total lies about the dead and publish them with reckless abandon.
Tags: wikipedia technology net_issues

Three years later, Pluto’s backers refuse to give up hope
It’s been three years since the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet, but debate still rages over how to classify the little celestial body. Unwilling to accept the IAU’s ruling, state legislatures in Illinois and New Mexico have decided to take matters into their own hands. Yes, that’s right – state legislators are weighing in on what constitutes a planet and what doesn’t.
Tags: space pluto illinois new_mexico

Dodecamom thankfully just a hoax
A Tunisian health official says the woman who claimed she was pregnant with 12 babies underwent a medical examination that showed she is, in fact, not actually pregnant. Unfortunately, Fox has probably already signed the woman for a tell-all half-hour television special.
Tags: tunisia health

Four seasons aren’t enough for Australia
An Australian scientist says the continent needs five or six seasons to suit its climate instead of the “arbitrary” four seasons it inherited from Britain.
Tags: australia weather geography nature

New battle erupts over the Alamo
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas are seeking to expel two members who have formed a separate nonprofit group to collect donations for preserving the Alamo and who have also publicly questioned the DRT’s management of the historical site.
Tags: texas san_antonio history

Perry, Hutchison take their war to the streets of Waco
It’s only August and the shenanigans are already well underway in the 2010 gubernatorial race. This could be a lot of fun to watch over the coming months.
Tags: texas waco politics governors 2010_election republicans

Oh crap, DNA evidence can be fabricated
Scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases. In response, Dick Wolf and NBC have announced that they’ll soon start casting for their new series, “Law & Order: DNA Evidence Appeals.”
Tags: science israel law medicine

Scientists determine zombies really could kill us all
A group of Canadian researchers have concluded that if zombies actually existed, an attack by them would lead to the collapse of civilization unless dealt with quickly and aggressively. So now you know.
Tags: science canada zombies funny

German group developing new Trabbis
If the VW Beetle could be updated for the new century, why not try and update the most hated, unreliable, piece of crap car that communism ever produced? That’s the challenge facing a German company that’s attempting to launch an updated version of the old East German Trabant.
Tags: automobile germany history cold_war

Federal judge in Tyler says Microsoft can’t sell Word
A federal district judge in Tyler has granted a permanent injunction against sales of Microsoft Word in the United States as the result of a patent infringement lawsuit. At the heart of the matter is how Word reads XML and whether or not that violates a 1998 patent held by a Canadian company. They’ve got 60 days to appeal.
Tags: texas tyler business law microsoft

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