Verbo.se

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated

19/08/2009

This is going around the security networks, but it’s kind of important to everyone else too. Note my emphasis in the quote.

New York Times: 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.

The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person.

â€œYou can just engineer a crime scene,â€ said Dan Frumkin, lead author of the paper, which has been published online by the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics. â€œAny biology undergraduate could perform this.â€

“I’m not with THEM!”

14/08/2009

National Geographic Photo of the Day: My husband and I were exploring Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park-Canada when we stopped for a timed picture of the two of us. We had our camera set up on some rocks and were getting ready to take the picture when this curious little ground squirrel appeared, became intriqued with the sound of the focusing camera and popped right into our shot! A once in a lifetime moment! We were laughing about this little guy for days!!

V8 Lada Niva

06/08/2009

Been a while since I posted a motor. Remember Lada Nivas? This is one. :)

That bollard on Grand Parade

06/08/2009

You know the one. Did you realise it was a cannon? It made perfect sense the minute I read this page on the excellent Cork Past and Present website by Cork City Libraries, but not before!

Cork Past and Present: One of the most familiar pieces of street furniture in Cork is the old cannon gun made from cast iron which now serves as a bollard on the corner of the Grand Parade and Tuckey Street near Bishop Lucey Park. The cannon gun has been dated to the reign of George III of England who reigned from 1760 to 1820. It may have been used as a mooring post for boats in the days when a channel of the Lee flowed along the Grand Parade. In recent times it has been used to secure one end of a skipping rope as youngsters played on the refurbished Grand Parade. Tom Spalding in his book Cork City: a field guide to its street furniture claims that it may be the oldest piece of free-standing street furniture in Cork.

Revenue Bouncy Castles

26/07/2009

When renewing my Revenue On-Line Service digital certificate, I was presented with the following:

In order to renew your ROS digital certificate, ROS requires that you run third-party software provided by the Legion of the Bouncy Castle. The Legion of the Bouncy Castle is a well-respected supplier of security software that is approved by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners for use with ROS.

I’m sure the Legion produces wonderful software, and I applaud the Revenue for using open source software for security, but you’d think they’d be able to afford a developer to hack the source and change the bloody issuer to something a teeny bit less dodgy-looking…