Are You Human?

Computer security has made vast improvements over the last ten years.  One of the areas in which the computer security has made a large impact on is online purchasing.  Recently, ideas like CAPTCHA, which stands for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart", have been put in place that prevent robots from making online purchases.  CAPTCHA is also used by online companies like Ticketmaster, so tickets aren't sold out in mere minutes to scalpers using robots.  On the other hand, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ticketmaster thought scalpers found a way to bypass CAPTCHA.  The tickets would be bought out in minutes, despite CAPTCHA, and resold from a different website with a markup.

Aware of CAPTCHA's shortcomings, four University of Michigan Alumni are creating Are You a Human.  This program is meant to be a more successful replacement of CAPTCHA.  It will be more secure, making it much harder to bypass when making online purchases.  It will also be more user friendly than CAPTCHA.  Some people complain about the difficulty of reading the distorted words CAPTCHA uses.  Are You a Human hasn't revealed any specifics yet for business reasons.  Are You Human already have a working test version and hope to have their official version ready this summer.

Are You Human is a clever idea.  I think it could prove to be difficult task to convince companies to buy their product over the popularly used CAPTCHA.  I have experienced annoyances with CAPTCHA making me believe there is a market for Are You Human.  If the final product meets the creators expectations, it will be a huge success.               

http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/captcha-alternative-are-you-a-human-university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-tyler-paxton/

captcha photo

Legal alternative for Steroids. Fair Game?

Almost everybody knows steroids are legally used in medicine for inflammation in the body and  they can also be used to gain muscle mass.  They have dangerous side effects like a weak immune system, glaucoma, and asthma.  Steroids synthetically made and therefore are only legal with a prescription.  Recently, a new dietary supplement has been discovered that has similar effects as steroids.  The only differences are this new supplement C9-T11 is naturally found in an African plant, it's more effective than steroids, and there are absolutely  no negative side effects.  This means C9-T11 is legal.  In fact, it arrived in stores in December of 2012. 

Researchers have found many shocking positive side-effects, for example, C9-T11 lowered bad cholesterol, blood sugar, and triglycerides.  Test subjects taking C9-T11 also lost weight without even changing their diet.  C9-T11 increases lean muscle growth by 700% and strength over 200% after only a month of training and using the supplement.

Even though C9-T11 is 100% legal should it be allowed in sports?  Would steroids be legal in sports if they were legal in the U.S.?

I think C9-T11 should be outlawed in sports even if it remains legal in the U.S..  They are a substantial advantage that not everyone can use.  They have the potential to level the playing field. They erase the importance of natural talent, and hard work that many sports teach.  It takes away the natural separation between the best and the rest.    

http://www.hlifestyles.com/Muscle

ANACONDA!! or python

            Have you ever seen the movie Anaconda?  Recently, in efforts to control the population of the Burmese python in the Everglades, the state of Florida has created a new competition.  This competition offers a total of $2,500 for whoever kills the most and biggest pythons.  About 800 people including the Florida Senator Bill Nelson (a big anit-python activist) have signed up for this competition.  The contest started on January 14th and goes until Febuary 10th. 

            This python isn't indigenous to the Everglades, but thrives in the area because of the ideal climate and lack of natural predators.  The animal was probably introduced to the wild when pet owners couldn't handle the pets any longer and decided to free them. In 2010, a law was enacted that made the buying, selling, and trading of theses snakes illegal.  Now, despite preventative laws, the number of pythons estimated to be living in the Everglades ranges from tens to hundreds of thousands.  A big reason for this growth is that pythons have been found carrying as many as 50 eggs!  This is a big reason their population has grown so rapidly.  Also, the Burmese python has been found as big as 20ft and eats anything from rabbits, to 70 pound deer, to little children.  This are worrisome stats because eventually pythons will over populate the everglades and start moving into neighborhoods.

            I can see how the Burmese python creates such a large problem for the Everglades community.  The idea to make a competition out of killing these snakes is really innovative and relatively inexpensive.  This idea lets the community take the problem into their own hands.  Although very clever, it will only be thought of as a good idea if it is successful.       

  http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/16/senator-to-join-python-hunt/?iref=allsearch

Hi, my name is Mark Nichting. My favorite color is blue. My parents are Tom and Janet. My last name is German and literally means “nothing”. I am about 60% German, some English, some Scottish, and some Irish. I have one older sister. I went to Christ the King grade school for kindergarten through 8th grade. I spend about 90% of my waking hours at school, playing golf, and with friends. Since I am a golf fanatic, the 8th hole at Pebble Beach is the coolest place I've ever been. My other favorite hobbies are sailing and going on RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI is a weeklong bicycle ride across Iowa. I do this every year with dad and my uncle. I learned to sail at camp foster and have liked to ever since. I don’t get to sail very often because we don’t have a lake house. I am a Michigan and Creighton fan because of my parents. Currently, I’m a sophomore at Creighton Prep and life is good.