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OnApril4thanalertwentoutaroundtheUniversityofTexasatAustin.PolicehadreceivedareportofanAsianmaleapparentlycarryingtwoweaponsneartheuniversity’smaingym.Halfanhourlateranupdatecame:thesubjecthadbeenlocated.Hewasamemberofthemilitarytrainingcorpsandthegunswerereplicas.Phew.ButthatisthekindofsituationthathasgunopponentsworriedaboutanewbillworkingitswaythroughtheTexaslegislature.Themeasurewouldallowpeopletocarryconcealedweaponsoncampusaslongastheyhavetheproperlicense.ThatiscurrentlyprohibitedinabouthalfofthestatesincludingTexasalthoughTexasletsindividualuniversitiesoptoutoftheprohibitioniftheyhavetheirheartssetonit.MeasurestooverturnblanketcampusprohibitionshavepoppedupinanumberofstatesthisyearincludingMichiganArizonaNevadaandTennessee.Thisisofcoursecontentious.Gunproponentsarguethatconcealedweaponscanmakepublicplacessafer.Theypointtoanincidentfrom2007whenaheavilyarmedgunmanenteredaColoradochurch.Hekilledtwopeoplebeforeoneofthecongregantsaformerpolicewomanmanagedtoshoothim.Opponentsrespondthatpeoplewithconcealedweaponsmightaccidentallymakethingsworseinfraughtorjustdrunkensituations.AtahearinginAustininMarchdozensofwitnesseswaitedtotestifywithhighemotionsonbothsides.Studentssaidthattheideafrightenedthem.Thoseinfavourspokeoftherighttoself-defence.Buttheissueathandinthesebillsisnotconcealedgunsexactly.Moststatesgivepeopletherighttohavethemalthoughtherearecertainplacessuchasairportsandprimaryschoolswheretherightislimited.Thelogicisthatthesespaceshavespecialsecurityconcerns.ButareuniversitycampusesnotspecialtooCriticsofthelegislationreckonthattheyaregiventheyouthofthepopulationandtheemotionaltensionsoftheenvironment.Thecriticshavenotchedupsomevictories.OnApril18ththegovernorofArizonaJanBrewervetoedthatstate’sbilltoallowconcealedcarryoncampus.EarlierthismonththeTennesseemeasurewasshelvedincommittee.TheTexasbillaftersailingthroughtheHouseseemedtostallinthestateSenate.ButonMay9thitmadeitthroughafterRepublicansattachedittoabillintendedtoraiseextramoneyforstateuniversities.ThatbillpassedandnowgoesbacktotheHouse.ItislikelytopassandthentobesignedintolawbythegovernorRickPerry.IwouldarguethatTexasis[already]aprettygun-friendlystatesaidJohnWhitmireaDemocraticstatesenatorfromHoustonwhilechairingtheMarchhearing.Itlookslikeit.Whatistheauthor’sattitudetowardscarryingconcealedweaponsoncampus
Deep-friedbeermaysoundscrumptiousbutisitpatentableMarkZableaninventiveTexanthinksitis.Toprotecthisnovelproductionprocesswhichinvolvesencasingthealcoholinbatteranddunkingitinafryerherecentlyappliedforapatent.Hewantstoprofitifothersexploithisbeerybrainwave.Withoutpatentstoprotecttheircreationsinventorswouldhavelittleincentivetoinvent.ButsomeAmericansfretthatpatentprotectionhasgrowntoostrong.Thesystembreedssomanylawsuitstheyworrythatitthrottlestheinnovationitissupposedtopromote. ConsiderasuitfiledonAugust27thbyIntervalLicensingafirmownedbyPaulAllenacofounderofMicrosoft.IttargetseveryonewhoisanyoneinSiliconValleyincludingGoogleAppleeBayYahoo!andFacebook.ButnotMicrosoft.Itinvolvesfourpatentscoveringinventionsthatimproveaninternetuser’sonlineexperiencesuchassuggestionsforfurtherreadingrelatedtoanewsarticleandpop-upfeaturesthatdisplayshareprices.IntervalclaimsthesewerepioneeredatMr.Allen’snowdefunctSiliconValleyresearchlaboratoryandthenpatentedbetween2000and2004.Itaccuseseachofitstargetsofviolatingoneormoreofthepatents. Theirresponsehasbeenswift.Facebookcalledthesuit"completelywithoutmerit"whileGoogleharrumphedabout"peopletryingtocompeteinthecourtroominsteadofthemarketplace".InprivatesomeexecutivesaccuseMr.Allenofbehavinglikea"patenttroll"—anamegiventofirmsthatbuyuppatentssolelyinordertosqueezemoneyoutofcompaniesthatallegedlyinfringethem.TechfirmsliketrollsaboutasmuchastheBillyGoatsGruffdid.Anaggressivetrollcanholdupabillion-dollarproductoverapatentworthafractionofthat. BythatstrictdefinitionMr.Allenisnotatroll.ThesuitinvolvesadvancesthatIntervalsaysweremadeinMr.Allen’sownlabnotsomeoneelse’s.ButthecasedoeshavesometrollishfeaturessayMr.Allen’scritics.WhytheyaskdidIntervalwaitsolongtoassertitsrightsWasittemptedbythelargepilesofcashthatsomanytechfirmsbuiltupduringthedownturn "Successfultechcompaniesundoubtedlyfaceaproblemwithout-of-the-bluepatentsuits"saysMichaelJacobsofMorrison&Foersteralawfirmwhonotesthatthevastmajorityofcasesendupproducingformallicensingdealsofsomekindorother.AccordingtoPatentFreedomabodythattrackstheactivityofwhatitcalls"non-practisingentities"oroutfitssuchasAcaciaResearchthatcollectpatentswithoutintendingtousetheunderlyingtechnologyinproductsthenumberofcourtcasesbroughtbythemhasrisensharplyfrom109in2001to470lastyear. Effortstoaddressthisproblemthroughthecourtshavesofarfailed.LegislationdesignedtoimprovemattersisstillstuckinCongress.Socompaniesarelookingforotherwaystoprotectthemselves.RPXafirmthatspecialisesin"defensivebuying"ofpotentiallyproblematictechpatentshasseenitsclientbasemorethandoublethisyeartoalmost60companiesincludingDellandHewlettPackard.Thefirmlicensesitsentireportfolioof1500orsopatentsandrightstoitsmembersinreturnforanannualfeebasedontheiroperatingincome.JohnAmsterRPX’sbosssaysthatalthoughthefirmcan’teliminatepatentriskitoffersacost-effectivewaytoreduceit.Thatisworthcelebrating—perhapswithadeep-friedbeer. Intheopeningparagraphtheauthorintroduceshistopicby
BothBoeingandAirbushavetrumpetedtheefficiencyoftheirnewestaircraftthe787andA350respectively.Theircleverdesignsandlightweightcompositescertainlymakeadifference.ButagroupofresearchersatStanfordUniversityledbyIlanKroohassuggestedthatairlinescouldtakeamorenaturalisticapproachtocuttingjet-fueluseanditwouldnotrequirethemtobuynewaircraft.TheanswersaysDr.Kroolieswithbirds.Since1914andaseminalpaperbyaGermanresearchercalledCarlWieselsbergerscientistshaveknownthatbirdsflyinginformation—aV-shapeechelonorotherwise—expendlessenergy.Theairflowingoverabird’swingscurlsupwardsbehindthewingtipsaphenomenonknownasupwash.Otherbirdsflyingintheupwashexperiencereduceddragandspendlessenergypropellingthemselves.PeterLissamananaeronauticsexpertwhowasformerlyatCaltechandtheUniversityofSouthernCaliforniahassuggestedthataformationof25birdsmightenjoyarangeincreaseof71%.Whenappliedtoaircrafttheprinciplesarenotsubstantiallydifferent.Dr.KrooandhisteammodeledwhatwouldhappenifthreepassengerjetsdepartingfromLosAngelesSanFranciscoandLasVegasweretorendezvousoverUtahassumeaninvertedV-formationoccasionallyswapplacessoallcouldhaveaturninthemostfavourablepositionsandproceedtoLondon.Theyfoundthattheaircraftconsumedasmuchas15%lessfuelwithaconcomitantreductionincarbon-dioxideoutput.Nitrogen-oxideemissionsduringthecruisingportionsoftheflightfellbyaroundaquarter.Thereareofcoursekinkstobeworkedout.Oneconsiderationissafetyoratleasttheperceptionofit.Wouldpassengersfeelcomfortabletravellinginconvoy’Dr.KroopointsoutthattheaircraftcouldheseparatedbyseveralnauticalmilesandwouldnotbeintheunnervinglyeasygroupingsfavouredbydisplayteamsliketheRedArrows.Apassengerpeeringoutofthewindowmightnotevenseetheotherplanes.Whethertheseparationdistancesinvolvedwouldsatisfyair-traffic-controlregulationsisanothermatteralthoughaworkinggroupattheInternationalCivilAviationOrganizationhasincludedthepossibilityofformationflyinginablueprintfornewoperationalguidelines.Itremainstobeseenhowweatherconditionsaffecttheairflowsthatmakeformationflightmoreefficient.Inzonesofincreasedturbulencetheplanes’wakeswilldecaymorequicklyandtheeffectwilldiminish.Dr.Kmosaysthisisoneoftheareashisteamwillinvestigatefurther.Itmightalsohehardforairlinestocoordinatethedeparturetimesanddestinationsofpassengeraircraftinawaythatwouldallowthemtogainfromformationflight.Cargoaircraftincontrastmightbeeasiertorescheduleasmightroutinemilitaryflights.AsithappensAmerican’sarmedforcesareontheeasealready.Earlierthisyearthecountry’sDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencyannouncedplanstopayBoeingtoinvestigateformationflightthoughtheprogrammehasyettobegin.TherearereportsthatsomemilitaryaircraftflewinformationwhentheywerelowonfuelduringtheSecondWorldWarhutDr.Lissamansaystheyareapocryphal.MyfatherwasanRAFpilotandmycousintheskipperofaLancasterlostoverBerlinheadds.Soheshouldknow.Accordingtothetextwhatisbeyondhumanabilitynowisto______.
Beingunemployedinthewakeoftheworstrecessionsincethe"1930sisenoughtotaxanyone’sfaith.Soagrowingnumberofchurchesparticularlythelargeevangelicalkindareministeringtothejoblessthroughprogrammesofferingspiritualaswellasprofessionalhelp. "Beingoutofworkcanbeatimeoffaithrenewal"saysJayLittonleaderoftheJobNetworkingMinistryatRoswellUnitedMethodistChurchinasuburbofAtlantaGeorgiawhichattractsmorethan400unemployedpeopleofallfaithstoitsweeklytwo-hourgatherings."WebelieveGodshouldbeapartofthejobsearch." Likeotherfaith-basedprogrammesfortheunemployedthathavesprungupacrossthecountrytheoneinRoswellhasallthepassionofanevangelicalservice.Meetingsstartwithtimefornetworkingor"fellowship"followedbyprayeramealandasermon.Thenamesofpeopleinthegroupwhohaverecentlyfoundjobsor"landed"areflashedonvideoscreensoverhead. Participantsthendispersetoattendworkshopsrunbyvolunteersonsuchtopicsaswritingarésuméandmakingan"elevatorpitch"explainingwhyyoushouldbehiredinthetimeittakestorideafewfloorsinalift.Petrolandfoodgift-cardsaregivenouttothosewhohavebeenunemployedthelongest. MarkGodshallisapastoratBaysideCovenantChurchinGraniteBayasuburbofSacramentoinCalifornia.Lastyearhischurchwhichhasacongregationof11000startedfour-dayworkshopsandweeklyprogrammesforthegrowingnumberofjoblessinitsflockaswellasothersfromthesurroundingareawhereunemploymentexceeds12%."It’sinthesemomentswhenyoudon’thaveworkwhenyoucangrowandmakethechangesthatneedtohemadeinyourlife"MrGodshallinsistsgamely. Althoughgainingnewmemberswouldheanobviousbenefitforthechurchesthoseinvolvedsayitisnottheprimarygoal."We’reheretoprovidespiritualsupportandencouragementatatimewhenpeoplecanexperiencefeelingsof"hopelessnessandworthlessness"saysCindyHallaministeratthe1000-memberFirstBaptistChurchinSanfordNorthCarolinawhichstartedasupportgroupforitsjoblesscongregantslastJuly.Employersoftenpostjobopeningswithherfirstratherthaninthelocalnewspapershesays."Iguesstheyknowthekindofpeopleourprogrammeattractstendtobeprincipledandhardworkers"shesays.Whenthetemptationistostayinbedandwatchthesoaps"thesearepeoplewhoregularlycometomeetingsandlistentodevotionals."Amentothat. Theattitudetowardspeoplewhoregularlycometochurchis
A.Forexamplecertainlettersorwordsaremorelikelytooccurtogether—ifanunknownkeystrokefollowsa"t"itismuchmorelikelytobean"h"thanan"x".Similarlythewords"forexample"makelikelierbedfellowsthan"furexample".Inafinalrefinementtheresearchersemployedamethodmanystudentswoulddowelltodeployontermpapers:automatedspellchecking. B.Suchsnoopingispossiblebecauseeachkeyproducesacharacteristicclickshapedbyitspositiononthekeyboardthevigourandhandpositionofthetypistandthetypeofkeyboardused.Butpastattemptstodecipherkeyboardsoundswereonlymodestlysuccessfulrequiringatrainingsessioninwhichthecomputermatchedaknowntranscripttoanaudiorecordingofeachkeybeingstruck.Thusschooledthesoftwarecouldstillidentifyonly80%ofthecharactersinadifferenttranscriptofthesametypistonthesamemachine.Furthermoreeachnewtypistorkeyboardrequiredafreshtranscriptandtrainingsessionlimitingthemethod’sappealtowould-behackers. C.ToprotectagainstthesesonicincursionsDr.Tygarsuggestsasimpleremedy:turnuptheradio.Hiscomputerswerelesssuccessfulatparsingrecordingsmadeinnoisymorns.Ultimatelythoughmoresophisticatedrecordinggearcouldovercomeevenbackgroundnoiserenderinganytypedtextvulnerable.Dr.Tygarthereforerecommendsthattypedpasswordsbephasedouttobereplacedwithbiometricscansormultipletypesofauthorisationthatcombineapasswordwithsomeformofsilentverificationclickingonapre-chosenpictureinaselectionofimagesforexample.Looselipsmaystillsinkshipsbuthisresearchdemonstratesthatanindiscreetkeystrokecoulddojustasmuchdamage. D.NowinablowtoacousticsecurityDougTygarandhiscolleaguesattheUniversityofCaliforniaBerkeleyhavepublisheddetailsofanapproachthatreaches96%accuracyevenwithoutalabeledtrainingtranscript.Thenewapproachemploysmethodsdevelopedforspeech-recognitionsoftwaretogrouptogetherallthesimilar-soundingkeystrokesinarecordinggeneratinganalphabetofclicks.ThesoftwaretentativelyassignseachclickaletterbasedonitsfrequencythenteststhemessagecreatedbythisassignmentusingstatisticalmodelsoftheEnglishlanguage. E.ByrepeatedlyrevisingunlikelyorincorrectletterassignmentsDrTygar’ssoftwareextractssensefromsonicchaos.Thatsaidthemethoddoeshaveonelimitation:inordertoapplythelanguagemodelatleastfiveminutesoftherecordedtypinghadtobeinstandardEnglishthoughinprincipleanysystematiclanguageoralphabetwouldwork.Butoncethoserequirementsaremettheprogramcandecodeanythingfromepicprosetorandomisedten-characterpasswords. F.ThissortofacousticanalysismightsoundliketheexclusiveprovinceofspiesandspooksbutaccordingtoDr.Tygarsuchattacksarenotasesotericasyoumightexpect.HesaysitisquitesimpletofindtheinstructionsneededtobuildaparabolicorlasermicrophoneontheInternet.Youcouldjustpointonefromoutsidetowardsanofficewindowtomakearecording.Andashepointsoutwould-beeavesdroppersmightnotevenneedtheirownrecordingequipmentaslaptopcomputersincreasinglycomeequippedwithbuilt-inmicrophonesthatcouldbehijacked. G.Clatteringkeyboardsmayseemthewhitenoiseofthemodernagebuttheybetraymoreinformationthanunwarytypistsrealize.Simplybyanalyzingaudiorecordingsofkeyboardclattercomputerscientistscannowreconstructanaccuratetranscriptofwhatwastyped—includingpasswords.Andincontrastwithmanytypesofcomputerespionagetheprocessissimplerequiringonlyacheapmicrophoneandadesktopcomputer. Order: 45
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 19
Humansarepeculiarasaspeciessowhatmakesthemsomustbehiddenintheirgenome.Toanalmostdisconcertingextentthoughthehumangenomelookssimilartothegenomesofotherprimatesespeciallywhenitcomestotheparticularproteinsitallowscellstomake.ThepowerfulnewwaysoflookingatthegenomebeingpioneeredbytheENCODEconsortiumthoughprovidewaystoseekoutthesubtlespecies—specificsignals.LucasWardandManolisKellisoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyreportontheresultsofsuchsleuthinginapaperjustpublishedinScience.ThetworesearchersuseddatafromENCODEtoidentifythebitsofthegenomethatactuallydothingsanddatafromthe1000GenomesProjectwhichhasstudiedhuman-genomevariationacrosshundredsofpeopletodiscoverhowmuchthesefunctionalelementsvaryfrompersontoperson.Inparticulartheylookedfortelltalesthatanelementisbeingmaintainedbynaturalselection.IfsomethingisevolutionarilyimportantthenrandomvariationsinitsDNAsequencewillbeslowlyeliminatedfromthepopulationkeepingitonthefunctionalstraightandnarrowinaprocessknownaspurifyingselection.DrWardandDrKellisfoundthatinadditiontothe5%ofhumanDNAthatisconservedbetweenmammalsanadditional4%ofhumanDNAappearstobeuniquelyhumaninthesensethatitispronetopurifyingselectioninhumansbutnotinothermammals.MuchofthisproprietaryDNAisinvolvedinregulatinggeneactivity—forexamplecontrollinghowmuchofaproteinisproducedratherthanchangingthenatureoftheproteinitself.Thisfindingisinlinewithmodernthinkingthatalotofevolutionarychangeisconnectedwithregulatoryelementsratherthanactualproteinstructure.Theresearchersalsofoundthatlongnon-codingsegmentsthatarenotconservedinothermammalsareinfacthighlyconstrainedinhumanssuggestingtheyhavehuman-specificfunctions.Someareasidentifiedasparticularlyhumanaretheregulationoftheconecellsoftheretinawhichareinvolvedincolourvisionandtheregulationofnerve-cellgrowth.Theseprocessesevolvedrapidlyinman’sprimateancestorsbutarenowunderstrongpurifyingselectiontomaintaintheirbeneficialfunctions.Theimplicationsofthatgivenhumanity’smaindistinguishingfeature—itshugebrain—areobvious.DrWardandDrKellishavethuscreatedapowerfultoolforinvestigatingindetailjustwhatitisthatmakesahumanbeinghuman.WhichofthefollowingisthebasisthatDr.WardandDr.Kellisconcludes
BothBoeingandAirbushavetrumpetedtheefficiencyoftheirnewestaircraftthe787andA350respectively.Theircleverdesignsandlightweightcompositescertainlymakeadifference.ButagroupofresearchersatStanfordUniversityledbyIlanKroohassuggestedthatairlinescouldtakeamorenaturalisticapproachtocuttingjet-fueluseanditwouldnotrequirethemtobuynewaircraft.TheanswersaysDr.Kroolieswithbirds.Since1914andaseminalpaperbyaGermanresearchercalledCarlWieselsbergerscientistshaveknownthatbirdsflyinginformation—aV-shapeechelonorotherwise—expendlessenergy.Theairflowingoverabird’swingscurlsupwardsbehindthewingtipsaphenomenonknownasupwash.Otherbirdsflyingintheupwashexperiencereduceddragandspendlessenergypropellingthemselves.PeterLissamananaeronauticsexpertwhowasformerlyatCaltechandtheUniversityofSouthernCaliforniahassuggestedthataformationof25birdsmightenjoyarangeincreaseof71%.Whenappliedtoaircrafttheprinciplesarenotsubstantiallydifferent.Dr.KrooandhisteammodeledwhatwouldhappenifthreepassengerjetsdepartingfromLosAngelesSanFranciscoandLasVegasweretorendezvousoverUtahassumeaninvertedV-formationoccasionallyswapplacessoallcouldhaveaturninthemostfavourablepositionsandproceedtoLondon.Theyfoundthattheaircraftconsumedasmuchas15%lessfuelwithaconcomitantreductionincarbon-dioxideoutput.Nitrogen-oxideemissionsduringthecruisingportionsoftheflightfellbyaroundaquarter.Thereareofcoursekinkstobeworkedout.Oneconsiderationissafetyoratleasttheperceptionofit.Wouldpassengersfeelcomfortabletravellinginconvoy’Dr.KroopointsoutthattheaircraftcouldheseparatedbyseveralnauticalmilesandwouldnotbeintheunnervinglyeasygroupingsfavouredbydisplayteamsliketheRedArrows.Apassengerpeeringoutofthewindowmightnotevenseetheotherplanes.Whethertheseparationdistancesinvolvedwouldsatisfyair-traffic-controlregulationsisanothermatteralthoughaworkinggroupattheInternationalCivilAviationOrganizationhasincludedthepossibilityofformationflyinginablueprintfornewoperationalguidelines.Itremainstobeseenhowweatherconditionsaffecttheairflowsthatmakeformationflightmoreefficient.Inzonesofincreasedturbulencetheplanes’wakeswilldecaymorequicklyandtheeffectwilldiminish.Dr.Kmosaysthisisoneoftheareashisteamwillinvestigatefurther.Itmightalsohehardforairlinestocoordinatethedeparturetimesanddestinationsofpassengeraircraftinawaythatwouldallowthemtogainfromformationflight.Cargoaircraftincontrastmightbeeasiertorescheduleasmightroutinemilitaryflights.AsithappensAmerican’sarmedforcesareontheeasealready.Earlierthisyearthecountry’sDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencyannouncedplanstopayBoeingtoinvestigateformationflightthoughtheprogrammehasyettobegin.TherearereportsthatsomemilitaryaircraftflewinformationwhentheywerelowonfuelduringtheSecondWorldWarhutDr.Lissamansaystheyareapocryphal.MyfatherwasanRAFpilotandmycousintheskipperofaLancasterlostoverBerlinheadds.Soheshouldknow.Whichofthefollowingcansupporttheprinciplesarenotsubstantiallydifferent
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 17
OurunderstandingoftheEmotionalSystemtodayisstillintheDarkAges.46Thishasitsanalogytothetimewhenpeople’sunderstandingofourSolarSystemwasbaseduponthebeliefthattheSunrevolvedaroundtheEarthasitcertainlyappearedthatway—howeverjustthereversewastrue.TheproblemwasaslongaswebelievedtheSunwentaroundtheEarthwewerelimitedastohowfarwecouldgointheSolarSystem. Wefindthesameconditionexistingtodayinregardtothe"EmotionalSystem.Societybelievesthatouremotionalfeelingsarearesultofourexperiencesinourenvironment.Inessence:somethinghappenedanditmademefeelthewayIdo.Thisbeliefthoughitiscertainlythewayitappearsisjustthereverseofhowitreallyworks. Whathappenstousasweembraceanemotionalfeelingisthatitisfirstreceivedbyourbrainwhichconvertsitintoelectricalenergythatflowsthroughourbodybymeansofthecentralnervoussystem.Wecanoften"feelthecharge"inourbodyassociatedwiththeexperienceofemotions.47Whenthisoccursanelectromagneticfieldisgeneratedaroundourbodywhichattractstousanotherpersonwhohasanidenticalelectromagneticfieldaroundtheirbodyandthesameemotionalfeelingintheirheart. Wehavenotbeenabletomakemuchprogressintheemotionalarea.Let’sfaceitalthoughthisagereflectsgreatadvancementsintechnologythefeelingsintheheartsofmenandwomenarestillplaguedbydarkness. 48Believingthatsomethingorsomeonemadeusfeelthewaywedogivesrisetotheconceptofvictimization.Toseeselfasavictimplacestheresponsibilityforourfeelingsonsomeoneorsomethingotherthanself.Therealproblemwiththisviewisthatifwearenotresponsibleforhavingcreatedourfeelingswearealsounabletochangethosefeelingsandcreatenewanddifferentones. Thisdilemmawefacecreatesquiteastruggleinlife.Althoughwemayexternallystrugglewithdifferentcircumstancesandsituationstheemotionalfeelingsassociatedwiththemarealwaysthesamefrustrationresentmentangeretc.49Itisasifwehavefallenintoquicksandgottenstuckandtheonlywayweknowtoextricateourselvesistostruggle.Whatwefindisthatthemorewestruggletogetoutthedeeperinwesink. Tostateasimplerule:thereisaninverserelationshipbetweenstrugglingwithaproblemandunderstandingtheproblem.50Understandinghowtheemotionalsystemreallyworksallowstheresolutionofproblemswithoutstruggle.ThisunderstandingisthekeytounlockingtheemotionaldoorwaytoenterintotheKingdomofHeavenlyFeelingswithinus. 47Whenthisoccursanelectromagneticfieldisgeneratedaroundourbodywhichattractstousanotherpersonwhohasanidenticalelectromagneticfieldaroundtheirbodyandthesameemotionalfeelingintheirheart.
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 13
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 7
ItisanopensecretinthetechworldthatGoogleandFacebookarehardlythebestoffriends.Butnowtheirrelationsaregoingtosinktoanewlow.AccordingtonumerousreportsappearingtodayBurson-Marstellerapublic-relationscompanyworkingforFacebookhasbeenurgingbloggersandjournaliststowritescathingpiecesaboutthewayinwhichSocialCircleaGoogleofferingthatletsuserssharesearchresultsandotherstuffwiththeirfriendsviolatesusers’privacy.TheFinancialTimes’swebsitequotesBurson-MarstellerassayingthatFacebookhadaskedthePRfillnottorevealwhoitwasworkingfor.Theagencyadmittedthatagreeingtothiswasnotatallstandardoperatingprocedureandisagainstourpoliciesandtheassignmentonthosetermsshouldhavebeendeclined.USATodayiscarryingthesamestatementfromthePRfill.Thereisnoshortageofironyinallthis.ItistruethatGooglehardlyhasastellartrackrecordonprivacymatters.Thecompany’sGoogleBuzzsocialnetworkcameunderfirewhenitwaslaunchedforusingpeople’sGmailcontactswithouttheirpermission.AndGooglefounditselfinthemiddleofanotherstinkwhenitsStreetViewstreet-mappingservicewascaughtsniffingaccidentallyGooglehasclaimeddatafromunprotectedWi-Finetworks.InMarchthefilmreachedasettlementwithAmerica’sFederalTradeCommissionthatrequiresittosubmittoregularexternalauditsofitsapproachtoprivacyissues.ButFacebookisnoangeleitheronprivacymatters.InparticularitgotitsfingersbadlyburntwithitsBeaconservicewhichsharedpeople’sactivitiesonthewebwiththeircontacts.ThiscaseeventuallyledtoFacebookhavingtocoughupmillionsofdollarstoresolvelitigationbroughtagainstitforviolatingtheirprivacy.Ithasalsobeenbashedrepeatedlybyprivacyactivistsforusingdefaultsettingsinitsprivacycontrolsthatmeanusers’dataisautomaticallysharedbroadlyoverthewebunlesstheychangethem.IndeedFacebook’sreputationisarguablyevenworsethanGoogle’sinthisarea—whichmayexplainwhyratherthanconcentratingonimprovingitsownactithaschosentopaythirdpartiestotakeapopatGoogleinstead.ThisBabbage’scoverageofFacebook’sshortcomingse.g.heremayexplainwhyBurson-Marstellerlefthimoffitscalllist.ItispossiblethatGooglemayhavesomequestionstoansweraboutSocialCircle’sapproachtodata-sharing.ButfornowitisFacebookthathaseggalloveritsface.TheworddeclinedLine8Paragraph1isclosestinmeaningto______.
A.Forexamplecertainlettersorwordsaremorelikelytooccurtogether—ifanunknownkeystrokefollowsa"t"itismuchmorelikelytobean"h"thanan"x".Similarlythewords"forexample"makelikelierbedfellowsthan"furexample".Inafinalrefinementtheresearchersemployedamethodmanystudentswoulddowelltodeployontermpapers:automatedspellchecking. B.Suchsnoopingispossiblebecauseeachkeyproducesacharacteristicclickshapedbyitspositiononthekeyboardthevigourandhandpositionofthetypistandthetypeofkeyboardused.Butpastattemptstodecipherkeyboardsoundswereonlymodestlysuccessfulrequiringatrainingsessioninwhichthecomputermatchedaknowntranscripttoanaudiorecordingofeachkeybeingstruck.Thusschooledthesoftwarecouldstillidentifyonly80%ofthecharactersinadifferenttranscriptofthesametypistonthesamemachine.Furthermoreeachnewtypistorkeyboardrequiredafreshtranscriptandtrainingsessionlimitingthemethod’sappealtowould-behackers. C.ToprotectagainstthesesonicincursionsDr.Tygarsuggestsasimpleremedy:turnuptheradio.Hiscomputerswerelesssuccessfulatparsingrecordingsmadeinnoisymorns.Ultimatelythoughmoresophisticatedrecordinggearcouldovercomeevenbackgroundnoiserenderinganytypedtextvulnerable.Dr.Tygarthereforerecommendsthattypedpasswordsbephasedouttobereplacedwithbiometricscansormultipletypesofauthorisationthatcombineapasswordwithsomeformofsilentverificationclickingonapre-chosenpictureinaselectionofimagesforexample.Looselipsmaystillsinkshipsbuthisresearchdemonstratesthatanindiscreetkeystrokecoulddojustasmuchdamage. D.NowinablowtoacousticsecurityDougTygarandhiscolleaguesattheUniversityofCaliforniaBerkeleyhavepublisheddetailsofanapproachthatreaches96%accuracyevenwithoutalabeledtrainingtranscript.Thenewapproachemploysmethodsdevelopedforspeech-recognitionsoftwaretogrouptogetherallthesimilar-soundingkeystrokesinarecordinggeneratinganalphabetofclicks.ThesoftwaretentativelyassignseachclickaletterbasedonitsfrequencythenteststhemessagecreatedbythisassignmentusingstatisticalmodelsoftheEnglishlanguage. E.ByrepeatedlyrevisingunlikelyorincorrectletterassignmentsDrTygar’ssoftwareextractssensefromsonicchaos.Thatsaidthemethoddoeshaveonelimitation:inordertoapplythelanguagemodelatleastfiveminutesoftherecordedtypinghadtobeinstandardEnglishthoughinprincipleanysystematiclanguageoralphabetwouldwork.Butoncethoserequirementsaremettheprogramcandecodeanythingfromepicprosetorandomisedten-characterpasswords. F.ThissortofacousticanalysismightsoundliketheexclusiveprovinceofspiesandspooksbutaccordingtoDr.Tygarsuchattacksarenotasesotericasyoumightexpect.HesaysitisquitesimpletofindtheinstructionsneededtobuildaparabolicorlasermicrophoneontheInternet.Youcouldjustpointonefromoutsidetowardsanofficewindowtomakearecording.Andashepointsoutwould-beeavesdroppersmightnotevenneedtheirownrecordingequipmentaslaptopcomputersincreasinglycomeequippedwithbuilt-inmicrophonesthatcouldbehijacked. G.Clatteringkeyboardsmayseemthewhitenoiseofthemodernagebuttheybetraymoreinformationthanunwarytypistsrealize.Simplybyanalyzingaudiorecordingsofkeyboardclattercomputerscientistscannowreconstructanaccuratetranscriptofwhatwastyped—includingpasswords.Andincontrastwithmanytypesofcomputerespionagetheprocessissimplerequiringonlyacheapmicrophoneandadesktopcomputer. Order: 43
Beingunemployedinthewakeoftheworstrecessionsincethe1930sisenoughtotaxanyone’sfaith.Soagrowingnumberofchurchesparticularlythelargeevangelicalkindareministeringtothejoblessthroughprogrammesofferingspiritualaswellasprofessionalhelp.BeingoutofworkcanbeatimeoffaithrenewalsaysJayLittonleaderoftheJobNetworkingMinistryatRoswellUnitedMethodistChurchinasuburbofAtlantaGeorgiawhichattractsmorethan400unemployedpeopleofallfaithstoitsweeklytwo-hourgatherings.WebelieveGodshouldbeapartofthejobsearch.Likeotherfaith-basedprogrammesfortheunemployedthathavesprungupacrossthecountrytheoneinRoswellhasallthepassionofanevangelicalservice.Meetingsstartwithtimefornetworkingorfellowshipfollowedbyprayeramealandasermon.Thenamesofpeopleinthegroupwhohaverecentlyfoundjobsorlandedareflashedonvideoscreensoverhead.Participantsthendispersetoattendworkshopsrunbyvolunteersonsuchtopicsaswritingarésuméandmakinganelevatorpitchexplainingwhyyoushouldbehiredinthetimeittakestorideafewfloorsinalift.Petrolandfoodgift-cardsaregivenouttothosewhohavebeenunemployedthelongest.MarkGodshallisapastoratBaysideCovenantChurchinGraniteBayasuburbofSacramentoinCalifornia.Lastyearhischurchwhichhasacongregationof11000startedfour-dayworkshopsandweeklyprogrammesforthegrowingnumberofjoblessinitsflockaswellasothersfromthesurroundingareawhereunemploymentexceeds12%.It’sinthesemomentswhenyoudon’thaveworkwhenyoucangrowandmakethechangesthatneedtohemadeinyourlifeMrGodshallinsistsgamely.Althoughgainingnewmemberswouldheanobviousbenefitforthechurchesthoseinvolvedsayitisnottheprimarygoal.We’reheretoprovidespiritualsupportandencouragementatatimewhenpeoplecanexperiencefeelingsofhopelessnessandworthlessnesssaysCindyHallaministeratthe1000-memberFirstBaptistChurchinSanfordNorthCarolinawhichstartedasupportgroupforitsjoblesscongregantslastJuly.Employersoftenpostjobopeningswithherfirstratherthaninthelocalnewspapershesays.Iguesstheyknowthekindofpeopleourprogrammeattractstendtobeprincipledandhardworkersshesays.Whenthetemptationistostayinbedandwatchthesoapsthesearepeoplewhoregularlycometomeetingsandlistentodevotionals.Amentothat.Fromtheunderlinedphraseelevatorpitchwecanknow______.
Directions: Youhavebeenillandhospitalizedforonemonth.Yourteachersandclassmateswenttoseeyou.Writealettertothemto 1thankthemfortheircomingtoseeyou 2expressyourfeelingand 3stateyourpresentcondition. Youshouldwriteabout100wordsonANSWERSHEET2.Donotsignyourownnameattheendoftheletter.Use"LiMing"instead.Donotwritetheaddress.
A.Forexamplecertainlettersorwordsaremorelikelytooccurtogether—ifanunknownkeystrokefollowsa"t"itismuchmorelikelytobean"h"thanan"x".Similarlythewords"forexample"makelikelierbedfellowsthan"furexample".Inafinalrefinementtheresearchersemployedamethodmanystudentswoulddowelltodeployontermpapers:automatedspellchecking. B.Suchsnoopingispossiblebecauseeachkeyproducesacharacteristicclickshapedbyitspositiononthekeyboardthevigourandhandpositionofthetypistandthetypeofkeyboardused.Butpastattemptstodecipherkeyboardsoundswereonlymodestlysuccessfulrequiringatrainingsessioninwhichthecomputermatchedaknowntranscripttoanaudiorecordingofeachkeybeingstruck.Thusschooledthesoftwarecouldstillidentifyonly80%ofthecharactersinadifferenttranscriptofthesametypistonthesamemachine.Furthermoreeachnewtypistorkeyboardrequiredafreshtranscriptandtrainingsessionlimitingthemethod’sappealtowould-behackers. C.ToprotectagainstthesesonicincursionsDr.Tygarsuggestsasimpleremedy:turnuptheradio.Hiscomputerswerelesssuccessfulatparsingrecordingsmadeinnoisymorns.Ultimatelythoughmoresophisticatedrecordinggearcouldovercomeevenbackgroundnoiserenderinganytypedtextvulnerable.Dr.Tygarthereforerecommendsthattypedpasswordsbephasedouttobereplacedwithbiometricscansormultipletypesofauthorisationthatcombineapasswordwithsomeformofsilentverificationclickingonapre-chosenpictureinaselectionofimagesforexample.Looselipsmaystillsinkshipsbuthisresearchdemonstratesthatanindiscreetkeystrokecoulddojustasmuchdamage. D.NowinablowtoacousticsecurityDougTygarandhiscolleaguesattheUniversityofCaliforniaBerkeleyhavepublisheddetailsofanapproachthatreaches96%accuracyevenwithoutalabeledtrainingtranscript.Thenewapproachemploysmethodsdevelopedforspeech-recognitionsoftwaretogrouptogetherallthesimilar-soundingkeystrokesinarecordinggeneratinganalphabetofclicks.ThesoftwaretentativelyassignseachclickaletterbasedonitsfrequencythenteststhemessagecreatedbythisassignmentusingstatisticalmodelsoftheEnglishlanguage. E.ByrepeatedlyrevisingunlikelyorincorrectletterassignmentsDrTygar’ssoftwareextractssensefromsonicchaos.Thatsaidthemethoddoeshaveonelimitation:inordertoapplythelanguagemodelatleastfiveminutesoftherecordedtypinghadtobeinstandardEnglishthoughinprincipleanysystematiclanguageoralphabetwouldwork.Butoncethoserequirementsaremettheprogramcandecodeanythingfromepicprosetorandomisedten-characterpasswords. F.ThissortofacousticanalysismightsoundliketheexclusiveprovinceofspiesandspooksbutaccordingtoDr.Tygarsuchattacksarenotasesotericasyoumightexpect.HesaysitisquitesimpletofindtheinstructionsneededtobuildaparabolicorlasermicrophoneontheInternet.Youcouldjustpointonefromoutsidetowardsanofficewindowtomakearecording.Andashepointsoutwould-beeavesdroppersmightnotevenneedtheirownrecordingequipmentaslaptopcomputersincreasinglycomeequippedwithbuilt-inmicrophonesthatcouldbehijacked. G.Clatteringkeyboardsmayseemthewhitenoiseofthemodernagebuttheybetraymoreinformationthanunwarytypistsrealize.Simplybyanalyzingaudiorecordingsofkeyboardclattercomputerscientistscannowreconstructanaccuratetranscriptofwhatwastyped—includingpasswords.Andincontrastwithmanytypesofcomputerespionagetheprocessissimplerequiringonlyacheapmicrophoneandadesktopcomputer. Order: 41
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 15
Deep-friedbeermaysoundscrumptiousbutisitpatentableMarkZableaninventiveTexanthinksitis.Toprotecthisnovelproductionprocesswhichinvolvesencasingthealcoholinbatteranddunkingitinafryerherecentlyappliedforapatent.Hewantstoprofitifothersexploithisbeerybrainwave.Withoutpatentstoprotecttheircreationsinventorswouldhavelittleincentivetoinvent.ButsomeAmericansfretthatpatentprotectionhasgrowntoostrong.Thesystembreedssomanylawsuitstheyworrythatitthrottlestheinnovationitissupposedtopromote.ConsiderasuitfiledonAugust27thbyIntervalLicensingafirmownedbyPaulAllenacofounderofMicrosoft.IttargetseveryonewhoisanyoneinSiliconValleyincludingGoogleAppleeBayYahoo!andFacebook.ButnotMicrosoft.Itinvolvesfourpatentscoveringinventionsthatimproveaninternetuser’sonlineexperiencesuchassuggestionsforfurtherreadingrelatedtoanewsarticleandpop-upfeaturesthatdisplayshareprices.IntervalclaimsthesewerepioneeredatMr.Allen’snowdefunctSiliconValleyresearchlaboratoryandthenpatentedbetween2000and2004.Itaccuseseachofitstargetsofviolatingoneormoreofthepatents.Theirresponsehasbeenswift.FacebookcalledthesuitcompletelywithoutmeritwhileGoogleharrumphedaboutpeopletryingtocompeteinthecourtroominsteadofthemarketplace.InprivatesomeexecutivesaccuseMr.Allenofbehavinglikeapatenttroll—anamegiventofirmsthatbuyuppatentssolelyinordertosqueezemoneyoutofcompaniesthatallegedlyinfringethem.TechfirmsliketrollsaboutasmuchastheBillyGoatsGruffdid.Anaggressivetrollcanholdupabillion-dollarproductoverapatentworthafractionofthat.BythatstrictdefinitionMr.Allenisnotatroll.ThesuitinvolvesadvancesthatIntervalsaysweremadeinMr.Allen’sownlabnotsomeoneelse’s.ButthecasedoeshavesometrollishfeaturessayMr.Allen’scritics.WhytheyaskdidIntervalwaitsolongtoassertitsrightsWasittemptedbythelargepilesofcashthatsomanytechfirmsbuiltupduringthedownturnSuccessfultechcompaniesundoubtedlyfaceaproblemwithout-of-the-bluepatentsuitssaysMichaelJacobsofMorrison&Foersteralawfirmwhonotesthatthevastmajorityofcasesendupproducingformallicensingdealsofsomekindorother.AccordingtoPatentFreedomabodythattrackstheactivityofwhatitcallsnon-practisingentitiesoroutfitssuchasAcaciaResearchthatcollectpatentswithoutintendingtousetheunderlyingtechnologyinproductsthenumberofcourtcasesbroughtbythemhasrisensharplyfrom109in2001to470lastyear.Effortstoaddressthisproblemthroughthecourtshavesofarfailed.LegislationdesignedtoimprovemattersisstillstuckinCongress.Socompaniesarelookingforotherwaystoprotectthemselves.RPXafirmthatspecialisesindefensivebuyingofpotentiallyproblematictechpatentshasseenitsclientbasemorethandoublethisyeartoalmost60companiesincludingDellandHewlettPackard.Thefirmlicensesitsentireportfolioof1500orsopatentsandrightstoitsmembersinreturnforanannualfeebasedontheiroperatingincome.JohnAmsterRPX’sbosssaysthatalthoughthefirmcan’teliminatepatentriskitoffersacost-effectivewaytoreduceit.Thatisworthcelebrating—perhapswithadeep-friedbeer.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitle
Beingunemployedinthewakeoftheworstrecessionsincethe1930sisenoughtotaxanyone’sfaith.Soagrowingnumberofchurchesparticularlythelargeevangelicalkindareministeringtothejoblessthroughprogrammesofferingspiritualaswellasprofessionalhelp.BeingoutofworkcanbeatimeoffaithrenewalsaysJayLittonleaderoftheJobNetworkingMinistryatRoswellUnitedMethodistChurchinasuburbofAtlantaGeorgiawhichattractsmorethan400unemployedpeopleofallfaithstoitsweeklytwo-hourgatherings.WebelieveGodshouldbeapartofthejobsearch.Likeotherfaith-basedprogrammesfortheunemployedthathavesprungupacrossthecountrytheoneinRoswellhasallthepassionofanevangelicalservice.Meetingsstartwithtimefornetworkingorfellowshipfollowedbyprayeramealandasermon.Thenamesofpeopleinthegroupwhohaverecentlyfoundjobsorlandedareflashedonvideoscreensoverhead.Participantsthendispersetoattendworkshopsrunbyvolunteersonsuchtopicsaswritingarésuméandmakinganelevatorpitchexplainingwhyyoushouldbehiredinthetimeittakestorideafewfloorsinalift.Petrolandfoodgift-cardsaregivenouttothosewhohavebeenunemployedthelongest.MarkGodshallisapastoratBaysideCovenantChurchinGraniteBayasuburbofSacramentoinCalifornia.Lastyearhischurchwhichhasacongregationof11000startedfour-dayworkshopsandweeklyprogrammesforthegrowingnumberofjoblessinitsflockaswellasothersfromthesurroundingareawhereunemploymentexceeds12%.It’sinthesemomentswhenyoudon’thaveworkwhenyoucangrowandmakethechangesthatneedtohemadeinyourlifeMrGodshallinsistsgamely.Althoughgainingnewmemberswouldheanobviousbenefitforthechurchesthoseinvolvedsayitisnottheprimarygoal.We’reheretoprovidespiritualsupportandencouragementatatimewhenpeoplecanexperiencefeelingsofhopelessnessandworthlessnesssaysCindyHallaministeratthe1000-memberFirstBaptistChurchinSanfordNorthCarolinawhichstartedasupportgroupforitsjoblesscongregantslastJuly.Employersoftenpostjobopeningswithherfirstratherthaninthelocalnewspapershesays.Iguesstheyknowthekindofpeopleourprogrammeattractstendtobeprincipledandhardworkersshesays.Whenthetemptationistostayinbedandwatchthesoapsthesearepeoplewhoregularlycometomeetingsandlistentodevotionals.Amentothat.ItisindicatedinParagraph1that______.
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 9
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 5
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 11
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 3
OurunderstandingoftheEmotionalSystemtodayisstillintheDarkAges.46Thishasitsanalogytothetimewhenpeople’sunderstandingofourSolarSystemwasbaseduponthebeliefthattheSunrevolvedaroundtheEarthasitcertainlyappearedthatway—howeverjustthereversewastrue.TheproblemwasaslongaswebelievedtheSunwentaroundtheEarthwewerelimitedastohowfarwecouldgointheSolarSystem. Wefindthesameconditionexistingtodayinregardtothe"EmotionalSystem.Societybelievesthatouremotionalfeelingsarearesultofourexperiencesinourenvironment.Inessence:somethinghappenedanditmademefeelthewayIdo.Thisbeliefthoughitiscertainlythewayitappearsisjustthereverseofhowitreallyworks. Whathappenstousasweembraceanemotionalfeelingisthatitisfirstreceivedbyourbrainwhichconvertsitintoelectricalenergythatflowsthroughourbodybymeansofthecentralnervoussystem.Wecanoften"feelthecharge"inourbodyassociatedwiththeexperienceofemotions.47Whenthisoccursanelectromagneticfieldisgeneratedaroundourbodywhichattractstousanotherpersonwhohasanidenticalelectromagneticfieldaroundtheirbodyandthesameemotionalfeelingintheirheart. Wehavenotbeenabletomakemuchprogressintheemotionalarea.Let’sfaceitalthoughthisagereflectsgreatadvancementsintechnologythefeelingsintheheartsofmenandwomenarestillplaguedbydarkness. 48Believingthatsomethingorsomeonemadeusfeelthewaywedogivesrisetotheconceptofvictimization.Toseeselfasavictimplacestheresponsibilityforourfeelingsonsomeoneorsomethingotherthanself.Therealproblemwiththisviewisthatifwearenotresponsibleforhavingcreatedourfeelingswearealsounabletochangethosefeelingsandcreatenewanddifferentones. Thisdilemmawefacecreatesquiteastruggleinlife.Althoughwemayexternallystrugglewithdifferentcircumstancesandsituationstheemotionalfeelingsassociatedwiththemarealwaysthesamefrustrationresentmentangeretc.49Itisasifwehavefallenintoquicksandgottenstuckandtheonlywayweknowtoextricateourselvesistostruggle.Whatwefindisthatthemorewestruggletogetoutthedeeperinwesink. Tostateasimplerule:thereisaninverserelationshipbetweenstrugglingwithaproblemandunderstandingtheproblem.50Understandinghowtheemotionalsystemreallyworksallowstheresolutionofproblemswithoutstruggle.ThisunderstandingisthekeytounlockingtheemotionaldoorwaytoenterintotheKingdomofHeavenlyFeelingswithinus. 49Itisasifwehavefallenintoquicksandgottenstuckandtheonlywayweknowtoextricateourselvesistostruggle.Whatwefindisthatthemorewestruggletogetoutthedeeperinwesink.
OnApril4thanalertwentoutaroundtheUniversityofTexasatAustin.PolicehadreceivedareportofanAsianmaleapparentlycarryingtwoweaponsneartheuniversity’smaingym.Halfanhourlateranupdatecame:thesubjecthadbeenlocated.Hewasamemberofthemilitarytrainingcorpsandthegunswerereplicas.Phew.ButthatisthekindofsituationthathasgunopponentsworriedaboutanewbillworkingitswaythroughtheTexaslegislature.Themeasurewouldallowpeopletocarryconcealedweaponsoncampusaslongastheyhavetheproperlicense.ThatiscurrentlyprohibitedinabouthalfofthestatesincludingTexasalthoughTexasletsindividualuniversitiesoptoutoftheprohibitioniftheyhavetheirheartssetonit.MeasurestooverturnblanketcampusprohibitionshavepoppedupinanumberofstatesthisyearincludingMichiganArizonaNevadaandTennessee.Thisisofcoursecontentious.Gunproponentsarguethatconcealedweaponscanmakepublicplacessafer.Theypointtoanincidentfrom2007whenaheavilyarmedgunmanenteredaColoradochurch.Hekilledtwopeoplebeforeoneofthecongregantsaformerpolicewomanmanagedtoshoothim.Opponentsrespondthatpeoplewithconcealedweaponsmightaccidentallymakethingsworseinfraughtorjustdrunkensituations.AtahearinginAustininMarchdozensofwitnesseswaitedtotestifywithhighemotionsonbothsides.Studentssaidthattheideafrightenedthem.Thoseinfavourspokeoftherighttoself-defence.Buttheissueathandinthesebillsisnotconcealedgunsexactly.Moststatesgivepeopletherighttohavethemalthoughtherearecertainplacessuchasairportsandprimaryschoolswheretherightislimited.Thelogicisthatthesespaceshavespecialsecurityconcerns.ButareuniversitycampusesnotspecialtooCriticsofthelegislationreckonthattheyaregiventheyouthofthepopulationandtheemotionaltensionsoftheenvironment.Thecriticshavenotchedupsomevictories.OnApril18ththegovernorofArizonaJanBrewervetoedthatstate’sbilltoallowconcealedcarryoncampus.EarlierthismonththeTennesseemeasurewasshelvedincommittee.TheTexasbillaftersailingthroughtheHouseseemedtostallinthestateSenate.ButonMay9thitmadeitthroughafterRepublicansattachedittoabillintendedtoraiseextramoneyforstateuniversities.ThatbillpassedandnowgoesbacktotheHouse.ItislikelytopassandthentobesignedintolawbythegovernorRickPerry.IwouldarguethatTexasis[already]aprettygun-friendlystatesaidJohnWhitmireaDemocraticstatesenatorfromHoustonwhilechairingtheMarchhearing.Itlookslikeit.Theincidentof2007iscitedbygunproponentstoillustratethat______.
Humansarepeculiarasaspeciessowhatmakesthemsomustbehiddenintheirgenome.Toanalmostdisconcertingextentthoughthehumangenomelookssimilartothegenomesofotherprimatesespeciallywhenitcomestotheparticularproteinsitallowscellstomake.ThepowerfulnewwaysoflookingatthegenomebeingpioneeredbytheENCODEconsortiumthoughprovidewaystoseekoutthesubtlespecies—specificsignals.LucasWardandManolisKellisoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyreportontheresultsofsuchsleuthinginapaperjustpublishedinScience.ThetworesearchersuseddatafromENCODEtoidentifythebitsofthegenomethatactuallydothingsanddatafromthe1000GenomesProjectwhichhasstudiedhuman-genomevariationacrosshundredsofpeopletodiscoverhowmuchthesefunctionalelementsvaryfrompersontoperson.Inparticulartheylookedfortelltalesthatanelementisbeingmaintainedbynaturalselection.IfsomethingisevolutionarilyimportantthenrandomvariationsinitsDNAsequencewillbeslowlyeliminatedfromthepopulationkeepingitonthefunctionalstraightandnarrowinaprocessknownaspurifyingselection.DrWardandDrKellisfoundthatinadditiontothe5%ofhumanDNAthatisconservedbetweenmammalsanadditional4%ofhumanDNAappearstobeuniquelyhumaninthesensethatitispronetopurifyingselectioninhumansbutnotinothermammals.MuchofthisproprietaryDNAisinvolvedinregulatinggeneactivity—forexamplecontrollinghowmuchofaproteinisproducedratherthanchangingthenatureoftheproteinitself.Thisfindingisinlinewithmodernthinkingthatalotofevolutionarychangeisconnectedwithregulatoryelementsratherthanactualproteinstructure.Theresearchersalsofoundthatlongnon-codingsegmentsthatarenotconservedinothermammalsareinfacthighlyconstrainedinhumanssuggestingtheyhavehuman-specificfunctions.Someareasidentifiedasparticularlyhumanaretheregulationoftheconecellsoftheretinawhichareinvolvedincolourvisionandtheregulationofnerve-cellgrowth.Theseprocessesevolvedrapidlyinman’sprimateancestorsbutarenowunderstrongpurifyingselectiontomaintaintheirbeneficialfunctions.Theimplicationsofthatgivenhumanity’smaindistinguishingfeature—itshugebrain—areobvious.DrWardandDrKellishavethuscreatedapowerfultoolforinvestigatingindetailjustwhatitisthatmakesahumanbeinghuman.WhichofthefollowingisTUREaccordingtothetext
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglyrealisticespeciallythoseinvolvingarmedcombat.America’sarmedforceshaveevenusedvideogames1recruitmentand2tools.Butthedesiretoplaygamesisnotthe3whytheUnitedStatesAirForcerecently4aprocurementrequestfor2200SonyPlayStation3PS3video-gameconsoles.Itintendstolinkthem5tobuildasupercomputerthatwill6Linuxafreeopen-sourceoperatingsystem.Itwillbeusedforresearchincludingthedevelopmentofhigh-definitionimagingsystemsforradarandwillcostaroundone-tenthasmuchasaconventionalsupercomputer.Theairforcehasalreadybuiltasmallercomputer7aclusterof336PS3s. Thisismerelythelatestexampleofan8trend.Thereisalongtraditionoftechnologydevelopedformilitaryusefiltering9toconsumermarkets:satellite-navigationsystems10toguidemissilescanalsohelphikersfindtheirwayandhead-updisplayshave11fromjetfighterstofamilycars.Buttechnologyisincreasinglymovingintheother12tooasconsumerproductsare13formilitaryuse. Traditionallythemilitaryhaspreferredtodevelopandcontrolitsowntechnologynotjustfortacticaladvantagebutalsoto14thatequipmentwastoughand15enoughforthosewhoseliveswoulddependonit.Thatbegantochangeafterthecoldwarasdefencebudgetsbecame16andthedevelopmentof17industrialandconsumerproductsaccelerated.Assomeofthesetechnologieshavebecomecommoditizedproductswhichare18toeveryone—friendandfoealike—thereseemsless19nottobuythemandusethesavingsformorecriticalequipmentthatneedstobebuilt-to-order.Andconsumerproductscanoftenbetweakedtomakethemmoreruggedor20whennecessary. 1
Deep-friedbeermaysoundscrumptiousbutisitpatentableMarkZableaninventiveTexanthinksitis.Toprotecthisnovelproductionprocesswhichinvolvesencasingthealcoholinbatteranddunkingitinafryerherecentlyappliedforapatent.Hewantstoprofitifothersexploithisbeerybrainwave.Withoutpatentstoprotecttheircreationsinventorswouldhavelittleincentivetoinvent.ButsomeAmericansfretthatpatentprotectionhasgrowntoostrong.Thesystembreedssomanylawsuitstheyworrythatitthrottlestheinnovationitissupposedtopromote.ConsiderasuitfiledonAugust27thbyIntervalLicensingafirmownedbyPaulAllenacofounderofMicrosoft.IttargetseveryonewhoisanyoneinSiliconValleyincludingGoogleAppleeBayYahoo!andFacebook.ButnotMicrosoft.Itinvolvesfourpatentscoveringinventionsthatimproveaninternetuser’sonlineexperiencesuchassuggestionsforfurtherreadingrelatedtoanewsarticleandpop-upfeaturesthatdisplayshareprices.IntervalclaimsthesewerepioneeredatMr.Allen’snowdefunctSiliconValleyresearchlaboratoryandthenpatentedbetween2000and2004.Itaccuseseachofitstargetsofviolatingoneormoreofthepatents.Theirresponsehasbeenswift.FacebookcalledthesuitcompletelywithoutmeritwhileGoogleharrumphedaboutpeopletryingtocompeteinthecourtroominsteadofthemarketplace.InprivatesomeexecutivesaccuseMr.Allenofbehavinglikeapatenttroll—anamegiventofirmsthatbuyuppatentssolelyinordertosqueezemoneyoutofcompaniesthatallegedlyinfringethem.TechfirmsliketrollsaboutasmuchastheBillyGoatsGruffdid.Anaggressivetrollcanholdupabillion-dollarproductoverapatentworthafractionofthat.BythatstrictdefinitionMr.Allenisnotatroll.ThesuitinvolvesadvancesthatIntervalsaysweremadeinMr.Allen’sownlabnotsomeoneelse’s.ButthecasedoeshavesometrollishfeaturessayMr.Allen’scritics.WhytheyaskdidIntervalwaitsolongtoassertitsrightsWasittemptedbythelargepilesofcashthatsomanytechfirmsbuiltupduringthedownturnSuccessfultechcompaniesundoubtedlyfaceaproblemwithout-of-the-bluepatentsuitssaysMichaelJacobsofMorrison&Foersteralawfirmwhonotesthatthevastmajorityofcasesendupproducingformallicensingdealsofsomekindorother.AccordingtoPatentFreedomabodythattrackstheactivityofwhatitcallsnon-practisingentitiesoroutfitssuchasAcaciaResearchthatcollectpatentswithoutintendingtousetheunderlyingtechnologyinproductsthenumberofcourtcasesbroughtbythemhasrisensharplyfrom109in2001to470lastyear.Effortstoaddressthisproblemthroughthecourtshavesofarfailed.LegislationdesignedtoimprovemattersisstillstuckinCongress.Socompaniesarelookingforotherwaystoprotectthemselves.RPXafirmthatspecialisesindefensivebuyingofpotentiallyproblematictechpatentshasseenitsclientbasemorethandoublethisyeartoalmost60companiesincludingDellandHewlettPackard.Thefirmlicensesitsentireportfolioof1500orsopatentsandrightstoitsmembersinreturnforanannualfeebasedontheiroperatingincome.JohnAmsterRPX’sbosssaysthatalthoughthefirmcan’teliminatepatentriskitoffersacost-effectivewaytoreduceit.Thatisworthcelebrating—perhapswithadeep-friedbeer.Whichofthefollowingistrueofthetext
Humansarepeculiarasaspeciessowhatmakesthemsomustbehiddenintheirgenome.Toanalmostdisconcertingextentthoughthehumangenomelookssimilartothegenomesofotherprimatesespeciallywhenitcomestotheparticularproteinsitallowscellstomake.ThepowerfulnewwaysoflookingatthegenomebeingpioneeredbytheENCODEconsortiumthoughprovidewaystoseekoutthesubtlespecies—specificsignals.LucasWardandManolisKellisoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyreportontheresultsofsuchsleuthinginapaperjustpublishedinScience.ThetworesearchersuseddatafromENCODEtoidentifythebitsofthegenomethatactuallydothingsanddatafromthe1000GenomesProjectwhichhasstudiedhuman-genomevariationacrosshundredsofpeopletodiscoverhowmuchthesefunctionalelementsvaryfrompersontoperson.Inparticulartheylookedfortelltalesthatanelementisbeingmaintainedbynaturalselection.IfsomethingisevolutionarilyimportantthenrandomvariationsinitsDNAsequencewillbeslowlyeliminatedfromthepopulationkeepingitonthefunctionalstraightandnarrowinaprocessknownaspurifyingselection.DrWardandDrKellisfoundthatinadditiontothe5%ofhumanDNAthatisconservedbetweenmammalsanadditional4%ofhumanDNAappearstobeuniquelyhumaninthesensethatitispronetopurifyingselectioninhumansbutnotinothermammals.MuchofthisproprietaryDNAisinvolvedinregulatinggeneactivity—forexamplecontrollinghowmuchofaproteinisproducedratherthanchangingthenatureoftheproteinitself.Thisfindingisinlinewithmodernthinkingthatalotofevolutionarychangeisconnectedwithregulatoryelementsratherthanactualproteinstructure.Theresearchersalsofoundthatlongnon-codingsegmentsthatarenotconservedinothermammalsareinfacthighlyconstrainedinhumanssuggestingtheyhavehuman-specificfunctions.Someareasidentifiedasparticularlyhumanaretheregulationoftheconecellsoftheretinawhichareinvolvedincolourvisionandtheregulationofnerve-cellgrowth.Theseprocessesevolvedrapidlyinman’sprimateancestorsbutarenowunderstrongpurifyingselectiontomaintaintheirbeneficialfunctions.Theimplicationsofthatgivenhumanity’smaindistinguishingfeature—itshugebrain—areobvious.DrWardandDrKellishavethuscreatedapowerfultoolforinvestigatingindetailjustwhatitisthatmakesahumanbeinghuman.Thedisconcertingextentsuggeststhat______.
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