RTFA: http://www.darwinday.org/index.html

Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth.

Rock on with the ultimate bad Oscar, otherwise known as Charles Darwin, on his 200th birthday, February 12th, 2009. Apparently, the Great Wise Dude turns 200 this year, and I couldn’t wait for his birthday to post it. The darwinday.org site is mostly a place to find Darwin Day celebrations near you or tools to help you plan a party yourself. But, also check out www.darwinday.org/learn/ to learn about Darwin’s life and works.

Happy (early) Birthday, Darwin! Thanks to you, I know I am a monkey! (Or, great ape, to be exact)

PS I was turned on to Chuckie’s birthday by reading a new blog favorite: Globe Campus’ Nerd Girl. If you like your academia-focused humor, this chick’ll crack you up. Ha!

PPS The image is an rtfa original, remixed in the style of Lawrence Lessig in honor of our favorite Chuck. Thanks to farkinga for suggesting the base images!

PPPS Original Darwin cartoon image from here.

RTFA: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7023627.stm

Many websites use an automated test to tell computers and humans apart when signing up to an account or logging in.

The test consists of typing in a few random letters in an image and is designed to fight spammers.

Carnegie Mellon is using this test to help decipher words in books that machines cannot read by letting sites use them to authenticate log-ins.

The test, known as a CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart), was originally designed at Carnegie Mellon to help to keep out automated programs known as “bots.”

Can a million monkeys sitting at a million computers even READ Shakespeare?

RTFA: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/09/05/psychological-tortur.html

your jaw may drop when you read the chapter titles:

* The Physiological State of the Interrogation Subject as it Affects
Brain Function

* The Effects of Reduced Environmental Stimulation on Human Behavior:
A Review

* The Use of Drugs in Interrogation

* Physiological Responses as a Means of Evaluating Information

* The Potential Uses of Hypnosis in Interrogation

* The Experimental Investigation of Interpersonal Influence

* Countermanipulation through Malingering

These articles were written by the people who were paid by the US
government, mostly in the 1950s, to research brainwashing and
interrogation techniques by giving people drugs, placing them under
sensory deprivation, hypnotizing them, etc. etc. Many of these
experiments essentially involve torture and are likely to be widely
regarded as highly unethical. This is fundamental research, and if
there was any followup research done, it has not yet been published
for public consumption.

Contains link to original text.