Liberty Newsprint Dec-21-09 by Liberty Newspost

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20/12/09 - 21/12/09

Washington Irony Alert! By Deborah Zabarenko (Front Row Washington) Submitted at 12/21/2009 6:47:06 AM

Washington D.C. is usually known as a town that takes itself very seriously. You know, policy, politics, money, relieved by the occasional scandal. President Barack Obama appears to be doing his part to alleviate this metropolitan irony deficiency. As morning TV showed closed airports, closed schools, snarled traffic and grumpy commuters and holiday travelers, there was video from the White House showing First Dog Bo frolicking in the snow left from a massive weekend storm. But Obama didn’t stop there. His official schedule has him delivering remarks on making government more efficient and effective. Who doesn’t want that? It’s only slightly ironic that the

Submitted at 12/21/2009 6:24:00 AM

Employee Mobility, Options Would Increase Under Health Care Reform Bill By Joseph Lazzaro (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:00:00 PM

Filed under: Employees, Politics It's been overlooked -- it's received scant coverage by the popular press -- but it's worth repeating: one benefit of the health care reform legislation will be enhanced employee mobility. federal government is closed expected to head to Hawaii this Don't misunderstand: a bill that prohibits discrimination by today, thanks to the snow piled week for the holidays. up all over the place, most For more Reuters political news insurance companies due to medical condition/history, notably on the city streets. click here. It shouldn’t be too much of a P h o t o provides substantial subsidies for problem for the Obama family. credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst those who don't have health Even though the president said (White-covered White House, insurance from their employer, and that also offers much-needed the other day that a White House December 20, 2009) tax breaks for small businesses covered in white made him feel who do provide coverage, is a at home — he’s used to major accomplishment. It's big Chicago’s mega-snows — he’s change and it's big news. If the health care reform bill passes, it would be the biggest social policy advance by the United Uh-oh. Less than a week after Yelp walked away from a $500 States since the passage of reporting it was practically a million buyout. done deal, TechCrunch has Originally posted at The Social backtracked and now says that

Yelp bails on Google deal? By Caroline McCarthy (Webware.com)

http://www.LibertyNewsprint.com

Medicare in 1965, and it would rank third behind the latter and the establishment of Social Security in 1935 in terms of social safety net significance. Continue reading Employee Mobility, Options Would Increase Under Health Care Reform Bill Employee Mobility, Options Would Increase Under Health Care Reform Bill originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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If you want to know who's to blame for Copenhagen, look to the US Senate | George Monbiot By George Monbiot (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:00:00 PM

Obama's attempt to put China in the frame for failure had its origins in the absence of American campaign finance reform The last time global negotiations collapsed like this was in Doha, in 2001. After the trade talks fell apart, the World Trade Organisation assured delegates that there was nothing to fear: they would move to Mexico, where a deal would be done. The negotiations ran into the sand of the Mexican resort of Cancún, never to re-emerge. After eight years of dithering, nothing has been agreed. When the climate talks in Copenhagen ended in failure last week, Yvo de Boer, the man in charge of the process, urged us not to worry: everything will be sorted out "in Mexico one year from now". Is Mexico the diplomatic equivalent of the Pacific garbage patch: the place where failed negotiations go to die? De Boer might pretend that this is just a temporary hitch, but he knows what happens when talks lose momentum. A year ago I asked him what he feared most. This is what he said. "The worstcase scenario for me is that

climate becomes a second WTO … Copenhagen, for me, is a very clear deadline that I think we need to meet, and I am afraid that if we don't then the process will begin to slip, and like in the trade negotiations, one deadline after the other will not be met, and we sort of become the little orchestra on the Titanic." We can live without a new trade agreement; we can't live without a new climate agreement. One of the failings of the people who have tried to mobilise support for a climate treaty is that we have made the issue too complicated. So here is the simplest summary I can produce of why this matters. Human beings can live in a wider range of conditions than almost any other species. But the climate of the past few thousand years has been amazingly kind to us. It has enabled us to spread into almost all regions of the world and to grow into the favourable ecological circumstances it has created. We enjoy the optimum conditions for supporting seven billion people. A shift in global temperature reduces the range of places which can sustain human life. During the last ice age, humans were confined to low latitudes. The difference in the average global temperature between now and then was 4C. Global warming will have the opposite effect,

driving people into higher latitudes, principally as water supplies diminish. Food production at high latitudes must rise as quickly as it falls elsewhere, but this is unlikely to happen. According to the body that summarises the findings of climate science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the potential for global food production "is very likely to decrease above about 3C". The panel uses the phrase "very likely" to mean a probability of above 90%. Unless a strong climate deal is struck very soon, the probable outcome is a rise of 3C or more by the end of the century. Even in higher latitudes the habitable land area will decrease as the sea level rises. The likely rise this century – probably less than a metre – is threatening only to some populations, but the process does not stop in 2100. During the previous interglacial period, about 125,000 years ago, the average global temperature was about 1.3C higher than it is today, as a result of changes in the earth's orbit around the sun. A new paper in the scientific journal Nature shows that sea levels during that period were between 6.6 and 9.4 metres higher than today's. Once the temperature had risen, the expansion of sea water and the melting of ice caps in Greenland

and Antarctica was unstoppable. I wonder whether the government of Denmark, whose atrocious management of the conference contributed to its failure, would have tried harder if its people knew that in a few hundred years they won't have a country any more. As people are displaced from their homes by drought and rising sea levels, and as food production declines, the planet will be unable to support the current population. The collapse in human numbers is unlikely to be either smooth or painless: while the average global temperature will rise gradually, the events associated with it will come in fits and starts – in the form of sudden droughts and storm surges. This is why the least developed countries, which will be hit hardest, made the strongest demands in Copenhagen. One hundred and two poor nations called for the maximum global temperature rise to be limited not to 2C but to 1.5C. The chief negotiator for the G77 bloc complained that Africa was being asked "to sign a suicide pact, an incineration pact, in order to maintain the economic dominance of a few countries". The immediate reason for the failure of the talks can be summarised in two words: Barack Obama.

The man elected to put aside childish things proved to be as susceptible to immediate selfinterest as any other politician. Just as George Bush did in the approach to the Iraq war, Obama went behind the backs of the UN and most of its member states and assembled a coalition of the willing to strike a deal that outraged the rest of the world. This was then presented to poorer nations without negotiation: either they signed it or they lost the adaptation funds required to help them survive the first few decades of climate breakdown. The British and US governments have blamed the Chinese government for the failure of the talks. It's true that the Chinese worked hard to mess them up, but Obama also put Beijing in an impossible position. He demanded concessions while offering nothing. He must have known the importance of not losing face in Chinese politics: his unilateral diplomacy amounted to a demand for selfabasement. My guess is that this was a calculated manoeuvre guaranteed to produce instransigence, whereupon China could be blamed for the outcome the US wanted. Why would he do this? You have only to see the relief in Democratic circles to get your YOU page 9

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The snow falls – and trains, roads and airlines suddenly freeze By Dan Milmo, Alexandra Topping (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

plans to carry 26,000 passengers between London, Paris and Brussels tomorrow. But the company faces an insurmountable backlog before Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:48:46 AM Christmas and will only run two• Eurostar resumes after 'fluffy' thirds of its normal schedule. flakes disruption Customers who are elderly, • Airport closures pile on misery vulnerable or were supposed to for passengers travel at the weekend will be A limited Eurostar service will given priority as Eurostar wades finally resume tomorrowafter through a backlog of 125,000 snow caused the cross-channel passengers. shutdown, but only one in five of A Eurostar spokesman said: the passengers caught up in days "Hopefully we will be back to of chaos will be able to travel. normal by Christmas Eve but for Meanwhile, train companies and now we will be targeting the airlines are also facing further people who have been most disruption with heavy snow inconvenienced." e x p e c t e d o v e r n i g h t a c r o s s A statement from the company southern England. Gatwick and tonight said trains would run Luton airports were shut this from 7.30am tomorrow until evening, stranding thousands of 6pm. However, services would Ryanair and easyJet passengers, only be open to customers who with disruption also expected at had tickets for travel on Saturday Stansted. Major continental hubs 19 or Sunday 20 December. The were also affected, with Paris company added: "We continue to Charles de Gaulle suffering strongly advise customers whose waves of cancellations due to journeys are not essential not to flight restrictions. travel and to change their tickets The problems at France's biggest for travel on a later date or have airport exacerbated the misery for their tickets refunded." thousands of Eurostar passengers Demand from the thousands of trying to find a way back to the stranded Eurostar passengers and UK. After two days of frantic continuing heavy snow in France testing on trains that suffered continued to disrupt Eurotunnel engine failures in last week's cold services today. The company snap, Eurostar is preparing to operates the car shuttle service brave the icy conditions and under the channel but has been

unable to lay on extra services because so may of its staff are snowed in. Passenger check-in at Folkestone was closed to new customers todayas Eurotunnel warned that demand had reached saturation point. "We have got a system that can cope with the passengers who have pre-booked but not for the extra demand," said a Eurotunnel spokesman. The Eurostar chief executive, Richard Brown, confirmed that the Anglo-French train operator expected to move a "very good number of people" today after two days of tests on trains modified to withstand "absolutely unprecedented" heavy snow in northern France. Eurostar has launched an independent inquiry into a crisis that began last Friday when five trains broke down simultaneously, trapping more than 2,000 passengers for up to 15 hours in the tunnel. Politicians on both sides of the channel berated Eurostar, as President Nicolas Sarkozy held talks with the company chairman and Sadiq Khan, the transport minister, said he was angry at the poor communication with passengers. "This has been a terrible experience for thousands of passengers, both those stranded

on trains and at stations and the many thousands more who face having Christmas plans disrupted," said Khan. A Eurostar executive also gave a variation of that notorious British Rail excuse – the wrong type of snow – by blaming "fluffy" snowflakes for the chaos. "The amount of snow was higher than we experienced before, it was lighter than normal, fluffier, and the temperature inside the tunnel and the humidity was higher than normal," said Nick Mercer, Eurostar's commercial director. Eurostar services are resuming after the company replaced protective sheeting on train power cars. Last week the membrane failed to keep out ice particles, which melted when the trains entered the tunnel and caused short circuits in the engines. There was confusion and anger at the Gare du Nord todayas Eurostar explained to passengers that it could give no assurances about when services would resume. Travellers were handed a sheet of information advising them to transfer their tickets, if at all possible, to a later date and were told supplementary costs for hotels and food would be paid. Those desperate to return to London tomorrowwere told to take trains to Calais and get a

DIY Bedbug Detector Beats Pros By Susan Milius (Wired Top Stories)

With bed-bug infestations on the Dry ice and common household rise, scientists have good news: objects can be fashioned into

your very own bed-bug detector.

ferry or a flight. But by midday todaytrains to the port and outward ferries were full. "There is a total lack of information," said Saze-wei Lu, who was attempting to get to London to see friends and family for Christmas. "Eurostar doesn't seem to be thinking about its passengers, just how it can avoid the press and pay as little as possible," she said. Dimitri Kovrizhin, a doctor of physics at Oxford University, said staff had been kind but were ill-informed and powerless to help. "They say they are doing their best, but in fact they are doing nothing." Having fought off its own nightmare before Christmas by averting a 12-day strike, British Airways emerged as beneficiary of the chaos todayafter flying a packed Boeing 747 jumbo jet on its Heathrow to Paris route. A spokesman confirmed that a jumbo jet will also operate on the route tomorrow following a deluge of calls from people trying to leave Paris. • Transport Dan Milmo Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

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Copenhagen's failure belongs to Obama | Naomi Klein By Naomi Klein (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

the world's biggest emitters: I'll pretend that you are doing something about climate change if you pretend that I am too. Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:30:00 AM Deal? Deal.) The American president has I understand all the arguments been uniquely placed to lead the about not promising what he can't world on climate change and deliver, about the dysfunction of squandered every opportunity the US senate, about the art of the Contrary to countless reports, possible. But spare me the lecture the debacle in Copenhagen was about how little power poor not everyone's fault. It did not Obama has. No president since happen because human beings FDR has been handed as many are incapable of agreeing, or are opportunities to transform the US inherently self-destructive. Nor into something that doesn't was it all was China's fault, or the threaten the stability of life on fault of the hapless UN. this planet. He has refused to use There's plenty of blame to go each and every one of them. Let's around, but there was one look at the big three. Blown country that possessed unique Opportunity No 1: The Stimulus power to change the game. It Package didn't use it. If Barack Obama When Obama came to office, he had come to Copenhagen with a had a free hand and a blank transformative and inspiring cheque to design a spending commitment to getting the US p a c k a g e t o s t i m u l a t e t h e economy off fossil fuels, all the economy. He could have used other major emitters would have that power to fashion what many stepped up. The EU, Japan, were calling a Green New Deal – China and India had all indicated to build the best public transit that they were willing to increase systems and smart grids in the their levels of commitment, but world. Instead, he experimented only if the US took the lead. disastrously with reaching across Instead of leading, Obama the aisle to Republicans, lowarrived with embarrassingly low balling the size of the stimulus targets and the heavy emitters of and blowing much of it on tax the world took their cue from cuts. Sure, he spent some money him. on weatherproofing, but public (The "deal" that was ultimately transport was inexplicably shortrammed through was nothing changed while highways that more than a grubby pact between perpetuate car culture won big.

Blown Opportunity No 2: The Auto Bailouts Speaking of the car culture, when Obama took office he also found himself in charge of two of the big three carmakers, and all of the emissions for which they are responsible. A visionary leader committed to the fight against climate chaos would obviously have used that power to dramatically re-engineer the failing industry so that its factories could build the infrastructure of the green economy the world desperately needs. Instead Obama saw his role as uninspiring downsizer-inchief, leaving the fundamentals of the industry unchanged. Blown Opportunity No 3: The Bank Bailouts Obama, it's worth remembering, also came to office with the big banks on their knees – it took real effort not to nationalise them. Once again, if Obama had dared to use the power that was handed to him by history, he could have mandated the banks to provide the loans for factories to be retrofitted and new green infrastructure to be built. Instead he declared that the government shouldn't tell the failed banks how to run their businesses. Green businesses report that it's harder than ever to get a loan. Imagine if these three huge economic engines – the banks,

the car companies, the stimulus bill – had been harnessed to a common green vision. If that had happened, demand for a complementary energy bill would have been part of a coherent transformative agenda. Whether the bill had passed or not, by the time Copenhagen had rolled around, the US would already have been well on its way to dramatically cutting emissions, poised to inspire, rather than disappoint, the rest of the world. There are very few US presidents who have squandered as many once-in-a-generation opportunities as Obama. More than anyone else, the Copenhagen failure belongs to him. • Read Naomi Klein's blog from Copenhagen at EnviroNation • Climate change • Climate change • Climate change scepticism • Obama administration • Barack Obama • US economy • US foreign policy • United States • US politics Naomi Klein guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

ConAgra Shares Spike After It Posts Strong Q2 Earnings By Trey Thoelcke (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:30:00 PM

Filed under: Earnings reports, ConAgra Foods (CAG) Shares of ConAgra Foods Inc. ( CAG) rose early Monday morning after the packaged foods giant posted strong fiscal second quarter results and raised its fullyear guidance. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company reported net income of $239.7 million, or $0.54 per share, for the three months that ended in November. That compares with $168.4 million or $0.37 per share in the prior-year quarter. However, net sales for the quarter decreased 2.4% from a year ago to $3.17 billion. Continue reading ConAgra Shares Spike After It Posts Strong Q2 Earnings ConAgra Shares Spike After It Posts Strong Q2 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Briton's death sentence upheld in China By Vikram Dodd (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

sentence to be commuted, only to have his appeal rebuffed by China's supreme court. Shaikh was convicted in Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:35:13 AM November 2008 of drug Father of three who is said to smuggling and sentenced to h a v e b i p o l a r d i s o r d e r h a s death. He was originally arrested punishment for heroin smuggling in September 2007 in Urumqi, confirmed north-west China. His legal team A B r i t i s h m a n i s f a c i n g say they have unearthed evidence execution in China within days that he was suffering from a after the country's supreme court mental illness, namely a bipolar today refused to set aside his disorder, which may have caused death sentence. his strange behaviour. Akmal Shaikh, 53, from Kentish As part of his case, the charity Town, north London, will be put Reprieve commissioned a report to death on 29 December after a from Dr Peter Schaapveld, a Chinese court convicted him of forensic psychologist, which said heroin smuggling. it was probable that Shaikh's In a last-ditch bid to halt the s t r a n g e b e h a v i o u r w a s execution which will either be "influenced or caused by" his by firing squad or lethal injection mental illness. Gordon Brown is expected to Shaikh's lawyers say he was set plead directly with the Chinese up by drug smugglers who government for leniency this exploited a condition which left week, the Guardian understands. him vulnerable and delusional. Shaikh's supporters had hoped Reprieve's director Clive Stafford the possibility that he suffers Smith said: "The prime minister from a mental illness would help should speak directly with persuade China's supreme court [ C h i n e s e ] P r e s i d e n t H u , to show leniency. But yesterday e m p h a s i s e t h a t C h i n e s e it refused the appeal from the compassion would be viewed as father-of-three, plunging Britain a great favour to the British and China into a diplomatic row. people, and note the consistent In a statement the Foreign Office view of Chinese and British said it was "deeply concerned" at doctors that a full mental health the news and behind the scenes assessment is vital to assess how UK officials were considering Akmal's illness contributed to the what options they had. Brown offence. has already asked for the death "I just spoke to Akmal's brother

about this terrible news, and it is impossible to imagine what Akmal's family are going through this holiday season. This is no time for pride – they beg the Chinese authorities to show compassion and take Akmal's mental health problems into account." The Chinese supreme court's upholding of the death sentence has put British officials under intense pressure to find a way in the next week to convince Beijing to halt the execution. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We can confirm that Chinese authorities have informed us that Akmal Shaikh is due to be executed on 29 December. We are alarmed and deeply concerned at this news. "This is obviously very distressing news for the family. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time, and we continue to provide them with support. We will be using the next few days to renew and intensify our appeal to the Chinese authorities for clemency. The prime minister and other ministers have been and remain closely engaged. "We deeply regret that mental health concerns had no bearing on the final judgment despite requests by Mr Shaikh's defence lawyer and repeated calls by the prime minister, ministers,

Ford Brings Wi-Fi to the Highway By Chuck Squatriglia (Wired Top Stories)

Starting next year, Sync and a USB modem will make your ride

a rolling hot spot.

members of the opposition, as well as European Union." Shaikh was arrested after a suitcase he was carrying was allegedly found to contain 4kg of the drug, with a value of £250,000. Actor Stephen Fry, who suffers from bipolar disorder, is among those supporting calls for the Chinese government to spare Shaikh's life. Stafford Smith said Shaikh's chances of avoiding a death sentence may be hampered by the row between China and the UK and US at the climate change summit last week in Copenhagen: "Britain and the US chose to make China the scapegoat at Copenhagen which, given US intransigence over the past decade, might be viewed as hypocritical. We very much hope that Akmal Shaikh does not become a victim of the regrettably cold political climate that has resulted." • Capital punishment • China • Drugs Vikram Dodd guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

Bucyrus Mines a Deal for Terex By Tom Taulli (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:40:00 PM

Filed under: Deals Back in March, the shares of the mining-equipment manufacturer, Bucyrus ( BUCY), had plunged to $10.62. But since then, things have been red hot. The stock price is now about $56.00. With such momentum -- and improvement in the business -Bucyrus is warming up to some dealmaking. So this week the company agreed to pay $1.3 billion for the mining division of Terex ( TEX). It's an all-cash transaction. But there's an interestingly clause that allows $300 million to be converted into stock within a few days. Continue reading Bucyrus Mines a Deal for Terex Bucyrus Mines a Deal for Terex originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Loan wolf? Prizewinning photographer faces fakery claims By Robert Booth (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

animal is a wolf called Ossian who lives at a zoological park near Madrid. A wolf expert, quoted by Finnish nature Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:01:30 PM magazine Suomen Luonto, which José Luis Rodriguez accused of revealed the allegations, also said using tame, 'model' animal for the wolf appears to have been c l o s e - u p t h a t w o n h i m trained to jump the gate, because p r e s t i g i o u s £ 1 0 , 0 0 0 a w a r d a wild specimen is likely to It was billed as the moment squeeze between the bars. when a wildlife photographer's Rodriguez could not be reached r e m a r k a b l e p a t i e n c e w a s for comment, but a spokesman rewarded; an image which won for the Natural History Museum, him £10,000 and the year's most which runs the prize with BBC prestigious award. Wildlife Magazine, said he But José Luis Rodriguez is now strongly denied any wrongdoing facing allegations that his or breach of the competition startling close-up image of an rules. apparently wild Iberian wolf "The museum is aware of an vaulting a farmer's fence is in allegation as to the veracity of the fact faked. photograph, Storybook Wolf, by The judges of the Veolia José Luis Rodriguez, specifically E n v i r o n n e m e n t W i l d l i f e that an animal model was used in p h o t o g r a p h e r o f t h e y e a r breach of the competition rules," c o m p e t i t i o n c o n f i r m e d she said. "We are investigating tonightthey were reconvening to this thoroughly with the judging determine whether the Spanish panel and will report back in the photographer had used a tame new year once our investigations and captive "model" animal in are completed. Mr Rodriguez breach of competition rules. strongly denies any wrongdoing They have been sent evidence, or breach of the competition a p p a r e n t l y f r o m r i v a l rules." photographers, that the pictured The rules of the competition,

which attracted 43,000 entries, state that "images of captive animals must be declared. The judges will take preference to images taken in free and wild conditions". Rodriguez had told the judges it took him a long time to find the ideal location, let alone a wolf that would jump a gate. The text accompanying the winning photograph explained: "His chance came when he found a landowner who was happy to have both the wolves and José Luis on his property, and also had the ideal setting: a copse and an ancient, disused cattle corral. "José Luis started by placing meat in the corral. Once he knew a male wolf was visiting regularly, jumping the gate, he began to introduce the bits of equipment needed to set up a camera trap … When the first transparencies arrived back from the lab, José Luis was overjoyed to find he finally had the picture he had dreamt of." One wolf expert, Ilpo Kojola of the Finnish game and fisheries research institute, told the magazine that judging by the

pictures provided in evidence against the Spaniard, Rodriguez's wolf appeared to be the tame Ossian. "The dark, scar-like sign under the right eye seems to be a unique mark of this individual," he said. One judge, Rosamund Kidman Cox, told Luonto judges were looking at details such as differences between images presented of Ossian's right ear and that of the wolf in the photo. The picture of Ossian shows the ear apparently damaged and Kidman Cox speculated this may have been the result of a fight. "But until one bit of evidence can be verified I don't think it's possible to accuse the photographer of cheating," she said. "It's not 100%." • Photography • Wildlife • Museums • BBC Robert Booth guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

The Samsung NX-10, everyone By Matt Burns (CrunchGear) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:00:49 AM

We were totally jealous of that random dude that spotted the

Samsung NX-10 at some random Korean trade show over the summer. Oh how we hated him. But many months later, we heavily-rumored Samsung NXfinally have a good look at the

10. Too bad we don’t have any info on it. That will probably come at CES.

Is Twitter Already Profitable? By Tom Taulli (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 12/21/2009 3:00:00 PM

Filed under: Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) It's going to be a nice Christmas for the folks at Twitter -- as well as the company's investors. Because of its red-hot growth, the website is attracting eager customers. Customers? Yes, Twitter is working on a business model. In fact, according to a report in Bloomberg.com, it looks like the company is already profitable. Continue reading Is Twitter Already Profitable? Is Twitter Already Profitable? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Hugo Chávez renames Angel Falls By Rory Carroll (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

"This is ours, long before Angel arrived there," Chávez said on his weekly television show, in front of a painted mural of the falls and Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:05:05 PM surrounding wilderness. "This is World's tallest waterfall latest i n d i g e n o u s p r o p e r t y , o u r s , s u b j e c t o f m o v e s t o r i d aborigine." Venezuela of western-sounding Henceforth the falls are to be place names and institutions known as Kerepakupai-Merú, Jimmie Angel, an American which means "waterfall of the bush pilot, was searching for a deepest place" in the indigenous river of gold when he came close Pemon language. to flying into a cascade of water "One could say he was the first so high it seemed to fall from the one to see it from a plane," sky. Chávez said of Angel. "But how It was 1933 and the Missouri- many millions of indigenous eyes born aviator was the first outsider saw it, and prayed to it? No one to witness the majesty of the should refer to Angel Falls any world's tallest waterfall, with a more." plunge of 3,212ft, in Venezuela's It was the latest in a series of jungle. He never found the gold presidential initiatives to rename but the timeless natural wonder western-sounding places and was named Angel Falls in his institutions as part of a "21st honour. century socialist revolution". But now time has caught up with Christopher Columbus day has Jimmie in the form of Hugo become indigenous resistance Chávez's socialist revolution. day, and the country is now Venezuela's president has said officially the Bolivarian republic the country's most famous of Venezuela, in honour of landmark should bear an independence hero Simon indigenous name rather than that B o l i v a r . of a gringo adventurer. Angel Falls, known as Salta

Angel in Spanish, is located in the Canaima National Park in the Gran Sabana region bordering Brazil and Guyana, and drops from a dramatic tepui known as Auyan-Tepui, or Devil's Mountain. The landscape of mist-covered plateaus inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World and its famous cascade featured as the centrepoint to the recent Disney/Pixar animated film Up. Jimmie Angel was scouting for a riverbed of ore when he almost flew into it in 1933. "I saw a waterfall that almost made me lose control of the plane. The cascade from the sky!" Two years later, still hoping to find gold, he landed on the top in a Flamingo monoplane, named El Rio Caroni, accompanied by his wife and two other companions. Mud snagged the plane so they hiked back to base for 11 days on foot. Angel died of injuries in a plane crash in Panama in 1956 and at his request the ashes were scattered over the falls. Coincidence or not, on the same

TV show in which he banished the aviator's name, Chávez accused the US of violating Venezuela's airspace with an unmanned spy plane. "These are the Yankees. I've ordered them to be shot down. We cannot permit this." The former tank commander initially said the waterfall was to be called Cheru-Merú, also spelled as Cherun Merú, but corrected himself when his daughter slipped him a note saying that was also the name of a smaller, nearby waterfall. He practised the correct indigenous name, Kerepakupai, for several minutes before declaring he had mastered the pronunciation. • Hugo Chávez • Venezuela • Venezuela Rory Carroll guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds

nook updated to version 1.1: Eh, fixes some things but nothing to got crazy over By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear) Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:27:45 AM

Do you have a nook? Better update the software right now, lest all your friends tease you for running version 1.0. Who wants that?! The update should fix some of the glitches that marred the release of the e-book reader. You know, page numbers being all out of whack, slow page loading, etc. Engadget says this isn’t a huge, OH MY GOD update, but baby steps, folks.

Incyte Hits New 52-Week High on Eli Lilly Deal By Brent Archer (BloggingStocks)

announced it entered into a worldwide license and collaboration agreement with Eli Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:20:00 PM Lilly & Co. ( LLY) for the Filed under: Major movement, d e v e l o p m e n t a n d Deals, Good news, Options, commercialization of Incyte's Technical Analysis Incyte(INCY I N C B 2 8 0 5 0 . T h e d r u g i s - option chain) shares are rising currently being studied in a midtoday after the company stage trial for rheumatoid

arthritis. Incyte stock has been showing support around $7.95 and resistance in the $8.89 range. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on INCY. INCY opened this morning at

$8.88. So far today the stock has hit a low of $8.70 and a new 52week high of $9.00. As of 12:40, INCY is trading at $8.98 up 49 cents (5.8%). The chart for INCY looks bullish. Continue reading Incyte Hits New 52-Week High on Eli Lilly Deal

Incyte Hits New 52-Week High on Eli Lilly Deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Batama Village By Susanna Donald (LWI News Center)

believed the well wasn’t built correctly and that the water was contaminated. The contractor Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:00:31 AM never came back to check on the SIERRA LEONE—Newton, well, never came back to check Batama Village on the people, never trained them GPS: 08 19.192 N, 012 58.309 in proper health and hygiene. W So the people drank from the Like many people in Sierra swamp. For 23 years. Leone, the people of Batama The people in Batama Village Village have very little. There are shared their struggles with our nine houses in the village, even team. Children told us that though more than fifty people drinking from the swamp made live here. It takes one hour to them feel sick. Everyone knew walk from here to the nearest the swamp water was bad, but school, longer to walk to the drinking from the well wasn’t an nearest clinic. option, either. The pipes rusted One thing Batama Village had through and the pad cracked that other communities didn’t years ago. was two sources of water: a As we began repairing the well, community well and a dirty community members worked swamp. Most people in the alongside us, taking turns pulling village gathered their water from pipe, digging the well deeper, the swamp, even though they and making additional casings. It knew it made them sick. Why? wasn’t easy work, but they didn’t Because the contractor who dug stop. At the beginning of each the well had a disagreement with day the villagers would pray with the community. There was no us, and at the end of each day the t r u s t — n o c o m m u n i t y women would serve us meals of involvement. As a result, people rice and soup. While the team

worked with some community members on the well, many of the women and children took part in the hygiene training classes. When the repair was finished, everyone gathered around the well to celebrate. There was a true spirit of cooperation in Batama Village—in everything they did. They didn’t just help our team with the well; they helped each other with their homes, their fields, their crops, their children. With the well repair, they were empowered—offered the keys to their own transformation. Somehow, even though the people of Batama Village have very little, the value of their contribution was far greater than ours. It was their sweat, their time, their effort. They gave what they had. This is their well. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Maine may add warning labels to cellphones By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear)

to remind people that cellphones may be dangerous, and that you would do well to limit your exposure to them.

Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:00:44 AM

Maine could well become the first state in the Union to require cellphone manufacturers to add a

cigarette-like warning to cellphone packaging. The idea is

Found: the jazz purist sought by Wynton Marsalis By Giles Tremlett (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)

being a little coy. "Wynton never planned on it going public," says Jono Gasparro, the star's assistant, who asked the Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:47:16 AM Guardian to help track Gisbert Jazz websites rattle with fierce down. "All I know is that he debate after Wynton Marsalis wanted to send him some music." o f f e r s p r e s e n t t o f a n w h o Perhaps the coyness is because complained at Larry Ochs gig jazz websites are rattling with Well, that didn't take long. If the fierce debate over the time-worn Guardian's crowdsourcers can question of "what is jazz". spend hours trawling through Marsalis has offended a few Tony Blair's complex accounts people, not least the musicians in for the reward of a Steve Bell the Larry Ochs Sax and Drum cartoon, then the offer of a Core who were playing when deluge of Wynton Marsalis Gisbert called the cops. r e c o r d i n g s m e n t i o n e d i n Scott Amendola, one of Ochs's Shortcuts this morning was drummers, accuses Marsalis of bound to have an instant impact. seeking cheap publicity. He The jazz legend wanted to send a suggests we write something l a r g e p a r t o f h i s 7 0 - p l u s about all those who disagree with catalogue of recordings to the the Marsalis view of jazz and anonymous Spaniard who called about how the trumpeter hurts police to a jazz festival because " t h o u s a n d s o f o t h e r ' j a z z ' the music being played was not, m u s i c i a n s i n t h e w o r l d " . he insisted, jazz. Marsalis just Marsalis has Gisbert's phone needed to find him. Now Rafael number and email address. It's Gisbert, a jazz purist from the his move. Madrid dormitory town of • Jazz Alcorcon, has stepped forward. • Spain Credit goes to our friends at El País newspaper, who shared this Giles Tremlett morning's story with us. "All I guardian.co.uk© Guardian News wanted was my money back," & Media Limited 2009 | Use of Gisbert tells me. "I'm honoured this content is subject to our that a great jazzman supports Terms & Conditions| More Feeds me." Marsalis's people are today

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YOU continued from page 2

answer. Pushing a strong climate programme through the Senate, many of whose members are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the energy industry, would have been the political battle of his life. Yet again, the absence of effective campaign finance reform in the US makes global progress almost impossible. So what happens now? That depends on the other non-player at Copenhagen: you. For the past few years good, liberal, compassionate people – the kind who read the Guardian – have shaken their heads and tutted and wondered why someone doesn't do something. Yet the number taking action has been pathetic. Demonstrations which should have brought millions on to the streets have struggled to mobilise a few thousand. As a result the political cost of the failure at

SEC Chair on the Hot Seat? Finra Scandal Could Put Her There

Copenhagen is zero. Where are you. Is this music not to your taste, sir, or madam? Perhaps you would like our little orchestra to play something louder, to drown out that horrible grinding noise. By Zac Bissonnette • Copenhagen climate change (BloggingStocks) conference 2009 Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:30:00 PM • Climate change Filed under: Scandals • United States Veteran Bloomberg reporter • Barack Obama Susan Antilla wonders in her • China latest column whether Securities and Exchange Commission George Monbiot guardian.co.uk© Guardian News (SEC) chair Mary Schapiro is the & Media Limited 2009 | Use of right person to have at the helm this content is subject to our of the SEC. Terms & Conditions| More Feeds Back in 2006, Schapiro was the head of the National Association of Securities Dealers when the organization decided to merge its regulatory functions with the NYSE to create Finra -- the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Now a pair of Finramember firms are suing Finra and Schapiro, alleging breach of

Want To Work For Gawker Tech? [Announcements] By Jason Chen (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:09:04 AM

You're here obviously because you like what we're putting down; we as in the Gawker network of sites, and putting down as in the thing you're in the f i d u c i a r y d u t y , m i s l e a d i n g middle of reading right now. So s t a t e m e n t s a n d u n j u s t why not help out? enrichment. We're looking for a Junior Continue reading SEC Chair on Office IT person in the NYC the Hot Seat? Finra Scandal area. Here are the qualifications. Could Put Her There • Experience maintaining, SEC Chair on the Hot Seat? building, upgrading, diagnosing Finra Scandal Could Put Her and resolving PC and Mac There originally appeared on hardware as well as software BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec issues 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see • K n o w b a s i c n e t w o r k i n g , our terms for use of feeds. Unix/Linux, unix editors (vi Permalink| Email this| Comments preferable) • Willing to work with hardware as well as software • Able to do heavy lifting • Will be mostly doing By Joseph Lazzaro Continue reading Hasbro: A Toy desktop/laptop support, basic (BloggingStocks) Sector Survivor networking in the office with Hasbro: A Toy Sector Survivor By Vince Beiser (Wired Top Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:00:00 PM occasional trips to the data center o r i g i n a l l y a p p e a r e d o n Stories) to assist. Filed under: Hasbro Inc (HAS), BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec • This is a Junior position, the Stocks to Buy Toymaker Hasbro 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see Submitted at 12/20/2009 9:00:00 PM Inc. ( HAS) is more than on the our terms for use of feeds. Controversial vending machine- person must live in or around mend, which is a major reason Permalink| Email this| Comments like dispensers scan the irises or New York City If you're interested, send an I'm reiterating my buy rating for If you bought HAS in June, fingerprints of British cons, then email to techjobs@gawker.com. the company's shares, first you're up 30%. Note: Hasbro is a dole out the right dose of If you email me I will delete your recommended on June 22, 2009 high-risk stock, not suitable for methadone. email, but not before printing it at a price of $24.30. moderate/low risk investors. out and burning it.

Hasbro: A Toy Sector Survivor

British Prisons Dispense SelfService Methadone

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Bag Week Review Round-up By Matt Burns (CrunchGear) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:30:25 AM

Wow, we just burned through 14 bags over the last seven days. We looked at dual-purpose bags, weather-proof backpacks, camera satchels, and even went hands-on with a bag worthy of Batman. Hopefully you were introduced to a few new options. There is no reason why you should still be using that laptop briefcase you uncle gave you for graduation. The whole collection has been conveniently condensed into one giant list after the jump. Also, we’re currently exploring more potential review week topics. Drop any suggestions you might have in the comments below the Bag Week Review Round-up after the jump. Kata CS-17 Camera Satchel • Messenger bag • Dual purpose camera/notebook bag • $140 MSRP • From the review: ”It effectively holds both a notebook and a DSLR at the same time.” Booq Boa Squeeze • Small Backpack • Perfect size for an ultra-portable notebook • $99 MSRP • From the review: ”This bag can be summed up in the amount of pockets it has: 27.” Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home • Satchel bag • Dual purpose camera/notebook bag • $170 MSRP

• From the review: ”The 8MDH might not be for everyone due to its large size, but it will hold a ton of camera gear as well as your laptop.” Booq Boa Flow XL • Huge backpack • Triple purpose camera / notebook / everything bag • $199 MSRP • From the review: ”You could pack for a multi-week European vacation in the bag.” Sumo Messenger Bag • Messenger bag • Nothing fancy, just a low-cost bag • $79 MSRP

• From the review: ”So far the Sumo Messenger Laptop Bag has taken a beating and kept on carrying, although there is plenty of bulking in evidence.” Kata Digital Bag DB-453 • Camera bag • Holds both a DSLR and a 11inch notebook • $50 MSRP • From the review: ”Sure, the bag is $50, which is somewhat steep for a smaller bag. But because it holds my DSLR and 11-inch notebook in such perfect harmony, it has my vote.” Chrome Bags Corsair & Vega

• Messenger and Satchel bags • Weather-proof utility bags • $80 MSRP • From the review: ”What I like the best about both of them is that they are lined with a rubber material which should keep the bag’s contents safe from weather.” Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 • Messenger bag • TSA-friendly • $120 MSRP • From the review: ”For my dollar, the Commute 2.0 is an ideal messenger bag.” Crumpler King Single • Backpack

• Comfy to wear • $155 MSRP • From the review: ”I wouldn’t have any issue recommending it to someone looking for a decent laptop backpack that will last pretty much forever.” Chrome Bags Soyuz • Backpack • Listed as weather-proof, but could pass for water-proof • $180 MSRP • From the review: ”Weatherproof, comfortable, roomy, and understated, it’s the best BAG page 12

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Dear Mixtape and iPod: You Suck. Signed, Mix CD [Y2k10] By Anna Jane Grossman (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:40:00 AM

Armed with stacks of blank CDs and the original outlaw Napster, I spent my college years giving and receiving mixes. As a member of the post-mixtape preplaylist generation, I'd like to say a word in defense of the mix CD. Everyone has a story about some favorite mixtape they had. Books have been devoted to elegiac tales of romance spooled onto Maxell cassettesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;there are countless stories in this world about how each tape told tales of moondances and Lucy in the sky or colored girls who went doodee-doo-dee-doo. They were decorated with Lisa Frank stickers or drawings of Debbie Harry; the songs were grouped in themes, or started out slow and then picked up the beat, or they were about love without ever actually mentioning the word "love." Wasn't it so cute the way you had to use a pencil to wind the tape whenever it got tangled? Or you used scotch tape to fix a break. You have that story, don't you. Well, screw you. I'm sitting over here with an old compilation CD, and he's about had it with all the cassette adulation. The year 2000 was a low period for mixtapes. Today cassettes have become a kind of pop-art

symbol. You can't throw a stone on Etsy without finding a tapeinspired iPhone cozy or ring or soap. Earlier in the decade, however, cassettes just seemed old and silly. Why oh why would you want to make a mix tape when you could fit so many more songs on a CD? What's more, you could add songs using Napster. Oh, Napster. My boyfriend found 30 versions of "Happy Birthday," burned them onto a disc and gave them to me when I

turned 20. He had splurged and bought a computer that could burn discs. I then listened to them using the CD player in my PC! I had a stereo, but putting it in the computer made it feel extra special. The multi-functionality of it all! What could possibly happen next? The coffee maker would probably start making cereal. Today, we expect that each of our gadgets can pinch hit for every other gadget, but back then this kind of versatility actually

Dec. 21, 1898: The Curies Discover Radium By Tony Long (Wired Top Stories)

It guarantees their immortality, a n d c e m e n t s a w o n d e r f u l makes them household names c o l l a b o r a t i o n .

Mount Holyoke. It was mostly filled with Indigo Girls songs, but still. She's not the most technologically savvy person in the world, so I was impressed. Not only had she curated a set of several dozen songs, but she actually went to the computer lab! Just for me. Now that's friendship. My old cassettes are caked with dust on a shelf in a closet. And the mix CD, you ask? The music is in my iPod and the disc itself? It's right here under my coffee mug, working to keep my tabletop unmarred. Like I said: it's all about the multifunctionality. Anna Jane Grossman will be with us for the next few weeks, documenting life in the early aughts, and how it differs from today. The author of Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Oncemeant something. Oh, what is Common Things Passing Us By that you're saying, mix CD? If (Abrams Image) and the creator you broke, you could be replaced of ObsoleteTheBook.com, she unlike your cassette brethren? has also written for dozens of And you could carry how many publications, including the New songs? And no one had to York Times, Salon.com, the constantly jump up to press Associated Press, Elle and the "stop" on the radio when a song Huffington Post, as well as ended. You didn't even need to Gizmodo. She has a complicated use Napsterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you could rip your relationship with technology, but own CDs to MP3s and then put she does have an eponymous hundreds songs on a single disc. website: AnnaJane.net. Follow Hallelujah. her on Twitter at@AnnaJane. In 2000, my friend Daisy made Top CC shot from smohundro me a mix CD. She was junior at on Flickr

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No, Blizzard doesn’t hate your console, leaves open the possibility of developing console games By Nicholas Deleon (CrunchGear)

It’s obviously because we’ve made only PC games for the last 15 years, but there’s a perception, Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:30:17 AM I think, that Blizzard is antiOh, look, I’m taking a single console, and that’s absolutely not remark from a lengthy interview the case. We just want to make and making an entire post about the right game for the right it. It concerns Blizzard, the happened with Halo Wars, platform. Think about StarCraft famed developer of World of compare that to a a proper mouse II. Some real-time strategy games Warcraft and Diablo. You may and keyboard control scheme. have tried to happen on the think of Blizzard as a PC It’s almost not even worth the console. Some of those have developer, but that ignores games effort to re-invent the wheel like been successful, but overall, our like The Lost Vikings. Anyhow, that. experience is that it’s going to be Blizzard has said in an interview What about an MMO, like You a better game on the PC, ergo it’s with Gamasutra, which always Know What? Again, it’s so crazy developed on the PC. does good stuff, that it is not to think that you can effectively So it’s not that Blizzard hates averse to making a console game take a mouse and keyboard and your PS3 or Xbox 360, just that in the future, just that it needs to map it over to a controller for its current big games are so PC be the right game. such a game. Look at how many that it doesn’t make a whole lot An RTS like StarCraft II? That’s buttons this mouse has, and even of sense trying to pigeon-hole probably not the right game: have then it takes a while to get used those onto consoles. you tried to play an RTS on a to it. via Fudzilla console? Even if a developer As for being so damn pro-PC: pulls it off, as pretty much

BAG continued from page 10

backpack I’ve used for years.” Chrome Bags Buran • A true messenger bag • Lots of storage space, but few organizational pockets • $140 MSRP • From the review: ”The construction and materials are top -notch. I bet this bag will out-last me.” Booq Mamba Shift

• Backpack • Batman’s computer bag • $149 MSRP • From the review: ”Made with the technophile in mind. Lots of space, lots of padding,” Kata 3N1 -33 • A backpack/sling • Tons of camera storage • $145 MSRP

• From the review: ”You could probably fit a whole Ritz Camera store in it and still have room for a sack lunch.”

Mega Ultra Gift Guide Roundup Extraordinaire Super [Gift Guide] By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:10:34 AM

During the last month, we've made, literally, hundreds of gift recommendations for every type of person you could possibly know. If you still can't figure out what to buy a loved one or a stranger, it's your fault. MEGA ROUNDUP: GIFTS TO BUY FOR... AUDIOPHILES LUDDITES SUNTANNERS WHITE ELEPHANTERS COMBO GIFTERS DRUNKS BOSSES SKI BUMS GOOD SAMARITANS GAIJIN WEIRD RELATIVES KIDS LOVERS PERVS DESIGNERS PROCRASTINATORS

MANSION OWNERS BAD DRIVERS ASTRONOMERS PET OWNERS TRAVELERS PHOTOGRAPHERS CHEFS RETRO-HOLICS SCIENTISTS APPLE FANBOYS PC FANBOYS GAMERS STRESS FREAKS AGORAPHOBES TINKERERS FILM STUDENTS IDIOTS READERS ATHLETES GRAPHICS CARDERS DSLR WANTERS POINT AND SHOOTERS 5.1 SURROUND SOUNDERS SMARTPHONHERS PC GAMERS NETBOOKERS LAPTOPERS

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Nokia to have private Connecting People event alongside Mobile World Congress By Nilay Patel (Engadget) Submitted at 12/21/2009 3:02:00 PM

CES 2010 might be just around the corner, but it sounds like Nokia's next big move might be at Mobile World Congress in February. Well, not quite at MWC: Espoo actually pulled out of the tradeshow earlier this year, but now we're hearing that there will be a private Connecting People event in Barcelona on the first and second days of MWC. That's particularly interesting because one of the reasons Nokia pulled out of MWC was to increase focus on its own Nokia World conference, so we're guessing nothing major will be coming out in Spain -- but we can't help but agree with this poignant Babelfish translation of Engadget Spanish's post on the same subject: "Fulfilled mission, By Doug Aamoth life as well. Full feature list includes: • Three- or six-cell battery (CrunchGear) Aesthetically, the netbooks will • Intel Atom N450 CPU at • Windows 7 Starter, XP Home, Nokia: you have been able to attract our curiosity." be available “with a fresh new 1.66GHz or Ubuntu Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:30:00 AM Nokia to have private look” sporting “a textured, • 1 0 . 1 - i n c h d i s p l a y w i t h • Starting weight of between C onnecting People event Dell’s line of Mini 10 netbooks smudge-resistant palm rest [and] 1024×600 and 1366×768 options 2.75 and 3.1 pounds with threea l ongside Mobile World will be getting a few boosts here sculpted keys.” You’ll be able to • HDTV tuner and GPS options cell battery Congress originally appeared on and there sometime next month. further personalize the design of • Broadcom Crystal HD GPU • Prices starting at $299 Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 For starters, you’ll be able to get your Mini 10 “with a broad range option for HD videos one outfitted with an Atom N450 of optional colors or hundreds of • 802.11b/g wireless standard, Again, no firm release date yet 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink CPU at 1.66GHz. The six-cell optional custom artwork designs Bluetooth optional except for “early January.” Engadget Spanish| Nokia| Email battery option will apparently available in the Dell Design • 1GB DDR2 memory Press Release this| Comments provide up to 9.5 hours of battery Studio.” • 160GB or 250GB hard drive

Dell Mini 10 netbook line to get specs bumped in January

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58 Photos of Faces Where They Shouldn't Be [Photography] By Mark Wilson (Gizmodo)

sec -Tyler Ball First Runner Up Everywhere I look, I see faces. This image was taken with a The cabinet is looking at me. The Nikon D200 using a 18-200mm lightswitch is looking at me. The lens in aperture mode. ISO was cereal is looking at me. And it's 200, focal length was 80mm all because of your submissions ( 3 5 m m e q u i v = 1 2 0 m m ) . to this week's Anthropomorphism Exposure time was 6 seconds. S h o o t i n g C h a l l e n g e . T h e -Joe Hale winners: One Half Runner Up Second Runner Up "A robot is hiding behind the 1/15 sec., at ISO 200. Death Face on Muni Track in trees" I love walking the streets -Ariel Borremans SF; Nikon D50; 55-200mm; Shot of Shanghai. This picture was Winner at 200mm; ISO: 200; f/5.6; 1/20 taken with my Leica D3, f/2.8, Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:20:00 PM

Camera: Nikon D60; Lens: 50mm F1/8; ISO: 100; "sad Robot" Guess he didn't like the New York Snow... -Jacob Santiago Thanks to everyone for participating. There are so many fantastic shots in the mix, you'll never want to throw out anything again...lest you doom an innocent object to rot away, smiling in a dump.

Twitter? Profitable? Really? By Caroline McCarthy (Webware.com) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:42:00 AM

A report in BusinessWeek says that Twitter will have turned a profit in 2009 thanks to search deals from Google and Microsoft. Legit, or fuzzy math? Originally posted at The Social

Nook 1.1 update hitting now By Laura June (Engadget) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:36:00 PM

Right on schedule, the Barnes and Noble Nook is kicking out a software update (we rebooted to get the download to start). We've heard this will fix some of the issues we had with the unit in our review -- but we'll update you

once we've had a little time to play around with it. Some things we've noticed so far: • Page updating on the E Ink display does seem to be a tiny bit faster. Nothing mindblowing, but a little bit better. • B&N has fixed the page

numbering issues. There is now a

clear number and progress bar along the bottom of the screen. • Overall the navigation and color screen loading times seem improved. The experience is definitely faster -- even scrolling through book covers seems a bit improved. • There is still pausing and lag in the UI. This isn't a sea change,

but it's clear they've cleaned some elements up. [Thanks, anonymous tipster] Nook 1.1 update hitting now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments

PSP-4000 accidentally leaked in print ad over the weekend? By Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:08:00 PM

What's this, then? MCV, a British games industry publication, has run an ad for Little Big Planet game accessories that boasts among its many compelling features

compatibility with the PSP-4000. Of course, there is no PSP-4000, but you have to admit -- this is more than a simple typo. When asked what the dilly was, a rep from Accessories 4 Gamers told Negative Gamer that it was merely a simple "mistake." Sure, but the questions still remain: 4000 doesn't yet exist? You see, was it a mistake because the PSP- we've definitely heard otherwise.

Or was this a mistake because you accidentally spilled the beans on some top secret new handheld game console? If that's the case, you might want to contact us with the details. We won't tell anyone -- promise. Continue reading PSP-4000 accidentally leaked in print ad over the weekend?

PSP-4000 accidentally leaked in print ad over the weekend? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Destructoid| Negative Gamer| Email this| Comments

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Fujitsu MH380 netbook features Pine Trail, secondary scrolling trackpad By Nilay Patel (Engadget) Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:49:00 PM

How To: Play Zune Pass Music on Your WinMo Handset [ZuneHd] By Brian Barrett (Gizmodo)

Player and Windows Media Center. The video above explains the process in detail, but the gist For $15 a month, a Zune Pass is that by using the Zune desktop subscription is a pretty great deal. software, you can sync your The only catch, seemingly, is that downloads to Windows Media you also have to pony up a Player and onto your phone. You couple hundred bucks for a Zune. may miss out on some features Except! Turns out you don't. that the Zune HD carries, like the PocketNow shows how: ability to stream music wirelessly The site makes the excellent and to email your content to point that the music you get on friends, but that's a small price to Zune Pass—unlimited song pay for what you're saving downloads, 10 of which you get y o u r s e l f i n h a r d w a r e . [ to keep every month—is PocketNow via on10] protected under the same DRM supported by Windows Media Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:07:07 PM

Looks like we're going to see a steady trickle of Pine Trail Atom N450-based netbooks before the dam bursts wide at CES 2010, and next up today is Fujitsu, which just officially announced the MH380 that hit the FCC last month. Basic specs are slightly better than usual, with 2GB of RAM, a 250GB drive, built-in Bluetooth and a standard six-cell battery under a 10.1-inch

1366x768 screen, but we're most intrigued by that little divot next to the trackpad, which functions as a scroll wheel. We'll definitely

Augmented Reality Used By Red Cross To Target Japanese Nerdlingers [Augmented Reality] By Kat Hannaford (Gizmodo)

have to check that out in person when we get to Vegas -hopefully Fujitsu will have some pricing and availability details for us then as well. Fujitsu MH380 netbook features Pine Trail, secondary scrolling trackpad originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink I4U| Fujitsu| Email this| Comments

Sunday Afternoon Music: Punch Brothers, 'The Blind Leaving the Blind' (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 12/20/2009 2:53:42 PM

Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:00:29 PM

Man alive, even Japan's Red Cross Society is technologicallysavvy. Commuters rushing through Akihabara station recently were treated to an augmented reality campaign urging them to donate blood. Anime girls in short skirts = instant win for the blood bank. NEC TVs were set up in the Tokyo station and as someone walked past, their image was captured on the screen and superimposed with a blue wig or even a nurse's dress if they were

lucky. What the hell blue hair has to do with donating blood is beyond me, but it's an innovative way to turn heads. Perhaps they should trial it in the Western world, where we're not already desensitized to the image of scantily-clad cartoon characters. [ CrunchGear]

Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile’s band Punch Brothers is creating a new form of acoustic music, related to bluegrass but much deeper and more diverse, drawing on influences from classical, folk, jazz, and rock. Here’s a live performance of an excerpt from the four-part suite, “The Blind Leaving the Blind,” from the album Punch. (Here it is at the iTunes Store.)[Video]

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Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 hits the FCC again, this time with AT&T's 3G bands

First shots of Samsung's NX10 'hybrid' DSLR surface By Donald Melanson (Engadget) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:21:00 PM

This one's been the subject of rumors for months now, but it looks like Samsung's NX10 "hybrid" DSLR (not to be confused with Samsung's NX-10 desktop PC) has finally shown itself -- assuming these shots are indeed the real thing, that is. That "hybrid" bit comes from the fact that this one fits in somewhere between a DSLR and a Micro Four Thirds camera, but there's unfortunately little else known

By Chris Ziegler (Engadget)

those carriers (if any) will brand the unit -- and more importantly, Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:32:00 PM whether any will be on shelves Yes, you might recall a version before frickin' 2011. In the of Sony Ericsson's mighty X10 m e a n t i m e , w e ' r e g u e s s i n g getting FCC approval last week - SonyStyle sales are a lock -- so - but this one isn't quite the same. get your save on. This time around, we've got Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 hits W C D M A 8 5 0 / 1 9 0 0 the FCC again, this time with accompanying the quadband AT&T's 3G bands originally EDGE, which is heartwarming appeared on Engadget on Mon, news for anyone on AT&T, 21 Dec 2009 12:32:00 EST. Rogers, Bell, or Telus, though Please see our terms for use of the complete lack of branding on feeds. Permalink| FCC| Email the FCC's test unit leaves us to this| Comments speculate wildly over which of

about it apart from what you can see on the camera itself. It will apparently come bundled with an 18-55 mm lens, however, and it'll apparently be able to shoot up to 7 frames per second. Hit up the link below for a few more pics to get a better idea of its size. First shots of Samsung's NX10 'hybrid' DSLR surface originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of Eliot Van Buskirk (Wired feeds. Permalink Engadget By Top Stories) Spanish| Digital Photography Review| Email this| Comments Submitted at 12/21/2009 7:27:00 AM

Report: Twitter Finds Profit in Search Deals pocketed $25 million from syndication deals with Microsoft and Google that allow those companies to display tweets in Citing anonymous sources, their search results. Business Week says the company

Magellan's Premium iPhone Car Kit [GPS] By Jason Chen (Gizmodo) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:47:35 AM

It's not the first iPhone GPS car kit, but Magellan's list of features might make this one of the better ones, and it doesn't even require you to use Magellan's own GPS app. It's got a built-in GPS receiver, so it can work with your iPod Touch, as well as a charging port (obviously), Bluetooth for handsfree calling, audio-out for car stereo support, a built-in speaker and a noise-canceling speakerphone. And it's designed to dock with your phone even if you've got a case on it. The price is a bit steep at $130, especially if you're just using this to charge and hold your iPhone, but if you're going to use your iPod Touch as a GPS device, this provides the "GPS" part of the deal. [ Magellan]

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Microsoft CFO heads to new post at GM (CNET News.com)

experience to this job that were unmatched in our search for a new financial leader," said Ed Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell is Whitacre, GM chairman and trading in his old job for a new CEO, in a statement. "Chris will role at General Motors. lead our financial and accounting GM announced Monday that operations on a global basis and Liddell will join the automaker at will report directly to me. We're the start of 2010 as its new vice also looking to his experience chairman and chief financial and insights in corporate strategy officer. as a member of the senior C h r i s L i d d e l l , G M ' s n e w leadership team in helping our CFO(Credit: Microsoft) restructuring efforts." As Microsoft's CFO since May The 51-year-old Liddell has an 2005, Liddell led the company's educational background that global finance group where he includes an engineering degree sibling the Tour, but this device managed a variety of tasks, with honors from the University packs a heck of a lot of punch including acquisitions, corporate of Auckland, New Zealand, and a into a very pocketable package. strategy, treasury activities, tax master of philosophy degree Read past the break for our planning, accounting, internal from Oxford University in extended impressions. auditing, and investor relations. England. He also served with the Continue reading BlackBerry Microsoft said that during this S e c u r i t i e s a n d E x c h a n g e Curve 8530 impressions past fiscal year, it slashed costs Commission as a member on its Filed under: Cellphones by $3 billion and rewarded A d v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e o n B l a c k B e r r y C u r v e 8 5 3 0 By Greg Kumparak investors with $14 billion in Improvements to Financial impressions originally appeared (CrunchGear) dividends and stock buy-backs. Reporting. on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:22:53 AM Liddell announced in November Before joining Microsoft, 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Unlike here in the States, the t h a t h e w o u l d b e l e a v i n g Liddell was finance chief at Permalink| | Email this| iPhone exclusivity deal for the Microsoft at year's end. At the International Paper and, before UK wasn't a big pile of absurd. time, he didn't indicate specific that, chief executive of Carter Comments O2 got exclusivity for 2 years. plans for his next professional H o l t H a r v e y , t h e p a p e r Once that was up, it was an open role, but said he wanted to look at company's New Zealand-based game where just about any opportunities beyond his career affiliate. carrier was free to hop on the as a CFO. Stepping in for Liddell Five Filters featured article: as Microsoft's new CFO will be Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: iPhone - and hop they have. Peter Klein, currently the CFO of PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Microsoft's Business Division. Term Extraction. "Chris brings a depth and A NASA satellite captured an weekend. excellent shot of the blanket of snow left by the blizzard this Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:10:00 AM

BlackBerry Curve 8530 impressions By Jacob Schulman (Engadget) Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:00:00 PM

We don't know, but it seems like RIM has enlisted a couple more CDMA engineers because the gap between new devices launching on GSM and then making their way to CDMA has been getting noticeably smaller over time. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 was launched on T-Mobile only a few short months ago, and it's already made its way to both Verizon and Sprint. It's not the same powerhouse as its older

East Coast Blizzard Seen From Space By Betsy Mason (Wired Top Stories)

Vodafone UK launching the iPhone January 14th

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Why The Record Labels Are Still Confused: The Difference Between Transformative And Incremental Change

NBA Player Fined For Sending A Happy Twitter Message Too Soon

By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

We've noted that the NFL has instituted its own overly restrictive social media policy that limits how and when players can send Twitter messages, but I hadn't realized that the NBA had done something similar as well. Unfortunately, it looks like Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks ran afoul of those rules and was fined $7,500 for a single Twitter message. What awful thing did he say? Well, he was actually just happy about a victory:"Back to 500. Yess!!! "500" means where doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys." Seems like the sort of thing the NBA should be encouraging. It's a nice connection with fans, who feel that they're getting in on some of the excitement from a player they like. So, what was the problem? Well, the NBA "rules" say no Twittering until after the media sessions are done after the game. So, basically, he was too anxious to spread the excitement to his fans. And this is fine-worthy? It's hard to make sense of a policy that tells players not to connect with fans, and not to let them in on the excitement. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

there were more ways of selling hard copies of recorded music. More places to play them, new A few weeks back, I shared my m a c h i n e s n e e d e d , n e w video on the innovator's dilemma possibilities for the length of (based on Clayton Christensen's music that could be issued in a work). The key point could be single entity (90 minute cassettes summarized as noting that legacy were pretty standard, and some i n d u s t r i e s a r e f i n e w i t h enterprising labels took to incremental improvements, but reissuing 2 albums as one on they run into a huge roadblock cassette, thus breathing new life when it comes to transformative into back catalogue.) changes -- such as disruptive The same happened again with innovations that change the very CDs - more incremental change way that business is done. It's the chance to pretend it was just really really difficult for higher resolution than vinyl (a legacy businesses to comprehend, lie) that it was indestructable (a l e t a l o n e a d a p t , t o t r u e lie) and that you could take it transformative (or disruptive) anywhere with you (true). CDs innovation. Musician Steve were a breath of life to a fairly Lawson recently had a fantastic static industry - suddenly, all the writeup discussing the difference people who were teenagers in the between transformative and 70s at the dawn of stadium rock incremental change in the music w e r e n o w s u c c e s s f u l 3 0 industry, and why it's been so somethings with disposable cash difficult for many of the "old and a deeply fragile sense of self. guard" to understand what's But, of course, what we're seeing happening. He discusses how now is totally different. The previous innovations that the internet presents a disruptive or record labels are used to were transformative change. When you i n c r e m e n t a l c h a n g e s : T h e take an industry that has 4 big invention of cassettes, and 8- costs - recording, manufacture, t r a c k c a r t r i d g e s w a s a n distribution, promotion - and incremental change - suddenly remove 3 of them, that changes Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:42:00 AM

everything. All of the assumptions about how much it costs to make a record, what infrastructure is needed to make a sales team effective, who needs to own the trucks and delivery guys who take your product to shops - they all disappear. They are all now choices that you make, not assumptions. The problem for the industry is that it structured its entire business around the idea that those four big costs are a big problem that any musician needs help with -and they're willing to sign their lives away to get that help. But the transformative change that occurs with the internet is that much of that becomes significantly less expensive, and the need to sign your life away becomes not a need, but a choice -- and the businesses that were built to only work if musicians signed their lives away suddenly find themselves in trouble. As in the innovator's dilemma, however, the labels still don't recognize this. They can only think in terms of the incremental change of "how can we sell more units of music." That's the only change they've ever really

known. They're not prepared for a situation where the selling of music may not even make sense, and the level of control over an artist has changed dramatically. But they still view -- as is often the case in the innovator's dilemma -- as something to be dismissed. The fact that musicians can record for less money... well, it's not as good as having a record label bankroll you hundreds of thousands of dollars. True, but it's pretty damn good and getting better. The fact that you don't have to go through an expensive processing plant to print CDs? Well, it may not look quite as nice, but the technology again gets better and cheaper everyday. The fact that the music can be distributed and promoted for free online? The labels really still don't quite get that part of it, but it's been working great for musicians who know how to use it to their advantage. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

New Movies on DVD & Blu-ray: December 22 (ETonline - Breaking News)

By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 12/21/2009 5:33:00 AM

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Twitter? Profitable? Really? (CNET News.com) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:42:00 AM

This one's a surprise. Twitter will have turned a profit in 2009, a BusinessWeek report claims, citing sources. What happened? Search deals with Google and Microsoft brought in a nice chunk of cash for the company, which has raised well over $100 million in venture capital and has a paper valuation floating somewhere around $1 billion. Considering the company has not yet put forth a long-term revenue strategy, this would be one of those Christmas miracles along the lines of a neurotic mom getting home to her stranded 8year-old by fortuitously hitching a ride with a polka band fronted by John Candy. So let's look at the details. Sources told BusinessWeek's Spencer Ante that Twitter's search deals with Google and Microsoft's Bing brought in $15 million and $10 million respectively, and that Twitter has managed to cut some of the high costs related to text-message functionality. (These costs were so exorbitant that Twitter

temporarily had to restrict some international SMS codes.) OK, cool. Those numbers are decently plausible, and Twitter's strategic hire of a mobile businessdevelopment dude early this year likely had something to do with it. And Ante's article makes it clear that while sources have told him that Twitter will end 2009 on a profitable note, that doesn't mean it's going to be profitable next year. But there's a difference between being cash-flow positive and being profitable, and it's also not totally clear as to what Twitter's other expenses are, or what they will be next year. Ante writes: Now that Twitter has become so popular, it has gained bargaining power with telecom companies and has managed to renegotiate so many deals with carriers that the company pays far less for the services. "Those used to be the biggest line item," says one source. "Generally speaking, those costs have gone away. Now people are the biggest line item." People. Yes. Like the new office space they just moved into, and their still-expanding payroll, and

stuff like that. Also: hardware, and other forms of defensive weaponry against evil whale attacks. The company also sometimes buys stuff, and continues to develop new features--like the current test of "contributors" accounts that it may end up charging for. So even with costs cut via a savvier mobile strategy, there are plenty of other costs that could be escalating simultaneously. What's good news for Twitter is that getting $25 million out of search deals (if that's indeed true) shows that the company could expand that into a stronger longterm revenue strategy. Critics have been lukewarm on the possibility of Twitter attempting to support itself with advertisements or paid accounts, and nobody's really gone into depth on the question of whether the businesses currently raving about Twitter's power of "conversation" will cough up for more in-depth analytics. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Review: Family Guy Embraces Dark Side in Star Wars Spoof By John Scott Lewinsky (Wired Top Stories)

S o m e t h i n g , S o m e t h i n g , MacFarlane and crew hits stores Something Dark Side is the new Tuesday. Family Guy spoof of The Empire Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:00:00 AM Strikes Back. The straight-toA n a f f e c t i o n a t e s e n d - u p , DVD animated movie from Seth

Ford cars to become Wi -Fi hot spots (CNET News.com) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:33:00 AM

Ford cars are about to become true mobile hot spots. The carmaker announced Monday the next generation of its Sync system designed to let Ford owners plug a USB modem directly into a car's built-in WiFi, creating broadband Internet access to all passengers. Those in the car can jump online through any Wi-Fi-enabled device, from smartphone to laptop. Ford said that this factoryinstalled capability will be available next year on certain Sync-equipped cars and that no extra hardware or subscriptions will be needed outside of an existing broadband modem, which the customer supplies. Ford's Wi-Fi system will include WPA2 security, ensuring that only people in the car will be able to hop onto the network. "The speeds with which technology is evolving, particularly on the wireless front, makes obsolescence a real problem," Doug VanDagens, director of Ford's Connected Services Solutions Organization, said in a statement. "We've solved that problem by making Sync work with just about any technology you plug into it. By

leveraging a user's existing hardware, which can be upgraded independent of Sync, we've helped ensure 'forward compatibility' with whatever connectivity technology comes next." Design by Ford and Microsoft, Ford's Sync lets drivers make calls, play music, get directions, grab news and weather, and search for businesses and other information, all using voice and text-to-speech technology. Ford's new Sync edition won't be the first Wi-Fi technology to give people on-the-road Internet. Similar devices have popped up over the past year, some dealerinstalled and some independent. Autonet Mobile designs similar hardware for cars, as does a company called Waav. Autonet does require a subscription fee for its service--$29 a month for 1GB of data or $59 a month for 5GB. But it's an independent device designed to work with different makes and models (though currently available as dealer-installed for Cadillac), while Ford's Sync only comes with certain Ford vehicles. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Resolve to keep better track of client Dozen Daily Deals for billing in 2010 with Time Keeper! December 21, 2009 By Steven Sande (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:00:00 PM

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, App Review For selfemployed consultants and anyone else who charges clients by the hour for their services, keeping accurate track of the time worked on various projects is critical. Time Keeper! [$2.99, iTunes Link] from Netwalk is the newest in a genre of iPhone / iPod touch apps that serve as pocketable billing assistants. Time Keeper! works on a hierarchy of three elements: Clients, Projects (which are assigned to clients), and Times / Costs (assigned to projects). Once the application is launched, you can begin by adding a client at a particular rate. Time Keeper! allows any currency to be entered for the rate, making it easy to charge clients in their local currency. Once you've entered some of the necessary information about the main timekeeping elements, it's time to get to work! When you arrive at a client's office or being work on a project, you can launch the app, enter a title for the work you are performing, and then tap the Start button to begin

an hour:minute timer. You don't need to stay in the app to continue tracking time; if your work requires you to use other iPhone apps, Time Keeper! continues to log the time in the background. For self-employed consultants and anyone else who charges clients by the hour for their services, keeping accurate track of the time worked on various projects is critical. Time Keeper! [$2.99, iTunes Link] from Netwalk is the newest in a genre of iPhone / iPod touch apps that serve as pocketable billing assistants. Time Keeper! works on a hierarchy of three elements:

Clients, Projects (which are assigned to clients), and Times / Costs (assigned to projects). Once the application is launched, you can begin by adding a client at a particular rate. Time Keeper! allows any currency to be entered for the rate, making it easy to charge clients in their local currency. Once you've entered some of the necessary information about the main timekeeping elements, it's time to get to work! When you arrive at a client's office or being work on a project, you can launch the app, enter a title for the work you are performing, and then tap the Start button to begin an hour:minute timer. You don't need to stay in the app to continue tracking time; if your work requires you to use other iPhone apps, Time Keeper! continues to log the time in the background. TUAW Resolve to keep better track of client billing in 2010 with Time Keeper! originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

By Victor Agreda, Jr. (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive for $90 + free shipping • PC Connection: [MacBook] Apple MacBook Core 2 Duo Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:45:00 PM 2.26GHz 13" Laptop for $870 Filed under: Deals'Tis the season after rebate + free shipping shop until your brains melt (or • Meritline: [802.11n Wireless] skip it all entirely, depending on Airlink101 802.11n Wireless your interpretation of the term Mini USB 2.0 Adapter for $16 + holiday). In that spirit, for the free shipping next few weeks we'll be rounding • MacUpdate Promo: [Computer up a dozen daily deals courtesy Software] MacUpdate Holiday our friends at DealNews.com. Bundle: 14 Mac apps for $50 Each afternoon tune in to TUAW • Meritline: [Notebook for this handy summary. Keep in A c c e s s o r i e s ] U S B F o l d i n g mind that while our posts will Laptop Cooling Pad for $3 + free live on, the deals won't. Each is shipping lovingly generated by the deal- • Sony Style: [46" - 47" LCD bot every day, so get 'em while T V s ] R e f u r b i s h e d S o n y they're hot. Enjoy! BRAVIA 46" 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV for $830 + free shipping • MacUpdate Promo: [Home & • Sony Style: [32" LCD TVs] Hobbies Software] Videobox 2 Sony BRAVIA 32" 1080p LCD and MainMenu 2 for Mac HDTV with 3.1 Soundbar downloads for free System for $530 + free shipping • iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / • OfficeMax: [Office Furniture] iPod Apps] App Store Freebies: Bush Vantage Collection Corner Groove Golf Swing, Theme Desk for $160 + free shipping Clock Alarm, TapIt Water, more • Other World Computing: TUAW Dozen Daily Deals for [Store Events] OWC's Garage December 21, 2009 originally Sale: iPod accessories, RAM, appeared on The Unofficial video cards, more Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, • Apple Store: [MacBook] 21 Dec 2009 12:45:00 EST. R e f u r b i s h e d A p p l e M a c Please see our terms for use of Computers from $849 + free feeds. shipping via next day Permalink| Email this| • B&H Photo Video: [USB Hard C o m m e n t s Drives] LaCie Philippe Stark

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TweetDeck deal brings a Sherlock Holmes look (CNET News.com) Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:36:00 AM

TweetDeck gets promotional with a Sherlock Holmes movie theme.(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET) In a sign that both the movie industry and the Twitter industry are adapting to the times, TweetDeck released a promotional version of its Twitter -user software that sports a look and function tied to Warner Bros.' Sherlock Holmes movie and related 221B video game. The Sherlock Holmes promotional version is called TweetDeck Telegram Co. and sports black-and-white icons and a couple period touches that try, but don't really succeed, to make you think you're in the 19th century. It also adds a new column for 221B-related tweets that tie into the online video game. "Alongside the development of our core products we've also been partnering up with a select group

of bands, record labels, movie studios, and media companies to develop themed TweetDecks," said TweetDeck founder and Chief Executive Iain Dodsworth in a blog post Monday. "These special TweetDecks not only offer a potentially radical look and feel but also a dedicated channel straight to the artist or

foundation makes this reasonably easy. But I'd much rather have a TweetDeck skin that does the trick, especially because uninstalling this to go back to regular TweetDeck is another hoop to jump through. TweetDeck, for those unfamiliar with the software, lets you get more out of Twitter by constantly publishing tweets from those you follow, categorizing those you follow, shortening Web addresses, and automating various administrative tasks. It also can act as a front end to Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. Twitter is a free service and TweetDeck is free software to movie alongside the usual use it. Promotional deals are one TweetDeck columns." way to make money off the These special TweetDecks are a ecosystem. Another, apparently, nice idea, especially for a start-up are Twitter's search deals with in search of new revenue sources. Google and Microsoft. But here's what I don't like: you Five Filters featured article: must install a new version of the Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: software. PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Happily, Adobe Systems' AIR Term Extraction. (Adobe Integrated Runtime)

Psystar Wants To Make A Go Of Just Selling You The Tools To Install Mac OS On Your PC By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 12/21/2009 3:38:52 AM

Following Psystar's big loss to Apple over selling PC's with Mac OS installed on them, the company's website has gone dark. However, Psystar claims that it's going to stay in business and try to sell PCs with other operating systems and its $50 Rebel EFI software, which is what can apparently be used to allow individuals to install MacOS on their own. However, Apple still contends that even Rebel EFI is infringing. Again, this doesn't make much sense if you think about it. Why should a piece of software that lets you run another piece of legally purchased software be illegal? Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

Video site Dailymotion gets a pair of iPhone apps (CNET News.com) Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:06:00 AM

Dailymotion was one of the first video providers to come out with support for the iPhone back in mid-2007 through the built-in Safari browser. Earlier this year the company also revamped all of its videos to support HTML5 video tags, a Web standard that

the latest version of mobile Safari can play without the need for any special plug-ins like Adobe's Flash. Apparently that wasn't enough though, because late Sunday the company released its own application that offers a handful of additional features for users with an iPhone or iPod Touch who want a native app instead of

watching videos in their browser. The new solution adds all sorts of goodies like search, 14 themed channels, and a way for users to link it up with their Dailymotion account to mark and view favorites. Owners of an iPhone 3GS handset can also record and upload videos they've taken without leaving the app. Dailymotion says the app works

with 12 million of its videos. In using it, I only ran into a few that would not play. However, just like with the YouTube app, if you're logged in you can mark these to view them when you're back on a computer. This is a nice consolation. The app comes in two flavors, one that's free and has on-screen ads (but no pre or post-roll

advertising), as well as a $5.99 premium version that comes adfree. Below is a video of the company's run-through of what it can do: Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Verizon to FCC: New $350 Termination Fee Is Justified

Chicago Tribune Notices More Accidents Happening At Many Intersections With Red Light Cameras

By Jennifer Van Grove (Mashable!)

By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:53:30 AM

It’s standard practice for wireless carriers to include pricey early termination fees in contracts, but when Verizon recently doubled their fee from $175 to $350 for “Advanced Devices,” most were stunned. In fact, the higher-than-average fee even raised eyebrows at the FCC and prompted a formal inquiry. So what does Verizon have to say for itself? According to The Wall Street Journal, the carrier feels completely justified. In a letter to the FCC on Friday, Verizon writes that the fee “reflects the higher costs associated with offering those devices to consumers at attractive prices, the costs and risks of investing in the broadband network to support these devices, and other costs and risks.” Reading between the lines, one can plainly see that the real costs and risks are losing customer

contracts to other carriers. But does a more data-intense phone warrant a higher penalty? Is it really a riskier investment for Verizon? Mashable Senior Editor Barb Dybwad previously wrote: “The argument goes that because smartphones are even more expensive in actual cost value than that basic, no-frills flip phone you can get cheap or even free, the carrier needs more ‘insurance’ should you decide to duck out early.” The reality is that consumers are demanding more from their phones, especially when it comes to Internet access, applications and the like. It’s a demand that’s only going to increase, which

means that Verizon should be spending the money to invest in broadband to support these devices and their extra load, regardless of which types of phones their customers are buying. After all, aren’t they the same carrier that is ostentatiously pimping the Droid(an Advanced Device by their standards)? Interestingly enough, advertising also happens to factor into Verizon’s rational. WSJ writes, “In its letter, Verizon said the termination fee also covers some operating costs of the business, including some advertising.” As the FCC contemplates taking action around new regulations for cell phone contracts, we have to wonder if more carriers will follow in Verizon’s footsteps. Are we now living in an era in which $350 or more is an acceptable early termination fee? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments. Tags: fcc, verizon

Carrie Underwood Wedding News! (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:24:00 AM

ET has the latest... ET confirms that country music sensation Carrie Underwood is

engaged to her hockey player boyfriend Mike Fisher. "The couple couldn't be happier," a rep tells ET. Last month Underwood said on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"

that her relationship with Fisher was the longest relationship she'd ever had and that their longdistance relationship is as strong as ever.

safety though: (1) increase the length of the yellow and (2) increase the delay (or, for places Dark Helmet was the first of a like California which have no few to send in a Chicago Tribune delay, put in a delay) when lights article looking at redlight camera in all direction are red, before accident rates and seeing (as switching the new direction to many other reports have shown green. Any municipality that before) that in many cases the puts in redlight cameras without number of accidents went up. doing those two things above, The report looked at fourteen and then claims its about "safety" intersections. Seven showed is lying. Bizarrely, though, the increases in accidents, two stayed supporters in the Chicago area the same, and five dropped. are still defending their system: Even more interesting: at one of Even if not reflected in accident the intersections the number of t- statistics, Belwood Police Chief bone "broadside" collisions (the Robert Collins Jr. said he sees ones that defenders of the drivers being more cautious as cameras insist decrease) went up they approach stoplights. "Driver significantly. That was just one behavior has definitely changed," intersection, though. Others saw Collins said... Changed for the the more traditional decrease in worse, apparently. Are we to broadsides, but significant b e l i e v e t h e p o l i c e c h i e f ' s increase in rear-end accidents as anecdotal insistence or what the drivers slam on their brakes. The s t a t s a c t u a l l y s a y ? R o g e r other interesting finding from the Pawlowski, a division chief at the data: contrary to the claims of Oak Lawn Police Department, camera defenders, over time the said the benefits of red-light rate of accidents did not appear to c a m e r a s c a n ' t a l w a y s b e decrease "as drivers learned extrapolated from crash statistics. about the cameras." Ah, then what are we to Once again, we're left wondering extrapolate the benefits of why people still claim the redlight cameras from? Checks cameras increase safety, when cashed by the city? there appears to be no evidence Permalink| Comments| Email to support that at all. There is a This Story clear and proven way to increase Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:52:26 AM

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CONTEST: Win 2 Tickets, Airfare, Sherlock Holmes Turns and Hotel to the NHL Winter Classic to TweetDeck for Film in Boston Promotion By Ben Parr (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:36:24 AM

In partnership with the National Hockey League, Mashable is proud to be offering one lucky reader and a friend the chance to attend the 3rd annual NHL Winter Classic in Boston, MA, between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins! The NHL has been one of the most active sports leagues in the social media realm. They’ve been organizing fan tweetups, creating social networks through Twitter Lists, and of course holding Twitter contests. Now the NHL is reaching out through social media channels in order to get two of our readers to Boston, MA for the NHL Winter Classic Game on January 1st, 2010. On top of that, they’re providing round-trip airfare and hotel for the night of December 31st. Here’s how to enter: 1. Post in the comments below, providing a link to either an

person to get him or her two tickets, plus airfare and hotel accommodations, to the NHL Winter Classic. We’re looking primarily for entertainment value, creativity, and NHL fan spirit. 4. Only one comment per person, please (duplicates will be disqualified). Please use a Disqus account to comment, or sign in as a guest. We’ll need to pull your email address from your image or a video that uniquely comment to notify you if you’ve demonstrates your NHL fandom. won, so Twitter and Facebook This could be a cheer, an outfit, Connect do not work! Contest or anything you can come up Rules and Restrictions: with, but it must focus around You must be 18+ years of age you and the NHL or a specific and currently reside in one of the NHL team. 50 US States. If you would like 2. Make sure that the title of to participate but are not of valid your picture or video includes the age/residence, please note “not hashtag #MashableNHLContest. eligible” in your comment below. Post your media, with the By submitting, you are agreeing hashtag in the title, on a site such to the full rules and restrictions. as Flickr, 12Seconds.TV, or Final entries are due on this post YouTube. by Sunday, December 27th at 3. After the end of the contest on 11:59 PM PT. Sunday, December 27th at 11:59 Tags: contest, NHL, sports PM PT, we will pick our favorite photo or video and contact that

Brittany Murphy Autopsy Details (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:01:00 AM

ET has the latest on Brittany

Murphy's autopsy. L.A. County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter tells ET that Murphy's autopsy will be

conducted this morning. Keep checking back here for the latest on this story.

By Barb Dybwad (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:25:31 AM

One of the many plans the folks at TweetDeck have for their desktop and mobile Twitter clients now includes launching themed versions of film clients. TweetDeck kicked off the series with a Warner Brothers partnership for the studio’s upcoming film version of Sherlock Holmes— the accompanying theme, “ TweetDeck Telegram Co.,” is now available for download. The skin features a classic black and white theme to take you back “to a time before coloured avatars, shiny interfaces and rounded corners.” It also integrates with an interactive game being released to promote the film, called 221b. The twoplayer online game takes you and a friend through the events leading up to the first scene of the movie. TweetDeck says it will be partnering with record labels, bands, movie studios and other media companies to release more themes over the coming year. (In the past, TweetDeck has created skins for bands like Blink 182 as well as Mashable.) Each will present a custom look and feel as well as a dedicated channel for the artist or film alongside the

user’s existing TweetDeck columns. In the Sherlock Holmes theme, the dedicated channel features a window into the 221b game. The new skinning strategy seems like an interesting and sensible business model for TweetDeck. For fans of the partnered artists and movies, themes could offer a fun and relevant way to keep tabs on a favorite band or upcoming release. Users tend to appreciate the opportunity to customize their apps and experiences, and sensible tie-ins with popular media franchises that many people will want to socialize anyway will likely make useful enhancements for fans. Will you make use of the Sherlock Holmes TweetDeck theme? What other themes would you like to see adorn your Twitter client in the coming year? Tags: 221b, business models, Film, sherlock holmes, skins, themes, tweetdeck, twitter, warner brothers

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Rumor: Moscone schedule + Augmented Reality "corporate event" = Verizon iPhone? Advertising Is Here By Ken Ray (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:00:00 AM

Filed under: Rumors, WWDC, iPhone Rumors and speculation are fun. Sometimes 2 + 2 = 4... and sometimes they don't add up to anything. Here's today's equation: Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2010 seems likely to happen at the end of June/beginning of July. The schedule for the Moscone Center, traditional home of WWDC, shows a "Corporate Event" running June 28 through July 2, 2010. This is around when Apple usually holds WWDC. "Corporate Event" has been the WWDC placeholdername on the Moscone schedule in the past, at least until Apple was ready to say, "Hey everybody, we're having a party and here's when!" Additionally, Moscone is booked for all of June and most of July by other companies or organizations. Given that, it's likely that WWDC 2010 will be June 28

through July 2. That space on the calendar may be a big deal. If WWDC goes the way these things normally do, registration and other pre-conference fun will happen on Monday, June 28. The WWDC keynote will take place on Tuesday, June 29 -- three years to the day after the first iPhone was released. Maybe Apple had to settle for that week because the International Stem Cell

Conference and the NACUBO Annual Meeting beat them to the dates they really wanted. But it's also possible that Apple is waiting until its exclusivity deal with AT&T ends -- the exact day its exclusivity deal ends -- before announcing an iPhone for Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint. Verizon's CTO made noise last week about his company being prepared for the iPhone in terms of network capacity, though he said nothing about an actual deal. Do you think 2 + 2 = anything this time? P h o t o b y http://www.flickr.com/photos/par islemon// CC BY 2.0 [via MacNN] TUAW Rumor: Moscone schedule + "corporate event" = Verizon iPhone? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

By Christina Warren (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:09:21 AM

Augmented reality and geolocation really started to gain steam in 2009, and we expect to see even more developments in 2010. Geo-location in particular has really compelling opportunities when it comes to advertising. Already businesses are discovering the benefits they can gain by engaging and promoting services via Foursquare— it was really only a matter of time before bigger companies would start to take notice. Today, Brightkite has launched what it calls the first augmented reality advertising solution in the U.S. Brightkite has partnered with Best Buy to run augmented reality advertisements within the Brightkite app for Android and the iPhone through the end of December. For the last few months, the company has allowed its users to see what their friends are doing around them — as well as photos of and comments about nearby

places. Now the company is just extending that idea to its natural conclusion: advertising. By using targeted information — like names of places you frequently visit and activities you frequently engage in — geotargeted marketing has the potential to be really effective. Of course, it also has the potential to be annoying and invasive. The key to these types of campaigns will be to make the information easy to ignore if necessary and for opt-out clauses to be readily available. What do you think of augmented reality-based advertising? Reviews: Android, Brightkite, iPhone Tags: Augmented Reality, brightkite, foursquare, geolocation, geolocation

Here's the promo for the next season of Survivor By Bob Sassone (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:10:00 PM

So you read Jackie's review of last night's Survivor finale, and

the show had their usual preview of the next season of the show (which starts February 2 so there's hardly any wait at all) which will be a "Heroes &

Villains" edition, former players coming back for another try at the $1 million. Not sure if we can make out who is on the show from the clip

below. For the villains, I'm sure Colby? we'll see Johnny Fairplay, but Filed under: Video, Survivor Richard Hatch was probably in Permalink| Email this| | jail when they started to film it. C o m m e n t s For Heroes, maybe Tina and

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HP’s Facial Tracking Software Fails to Recognize African American [VIDEO] By Jennifer Van Grove (Mashable!)

Vancouver Olympics Demands All Copyrights And Royalties From Musician Just To Hear Her Song

Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:56:21 AM

HP’s webcam software boasts a face-tracking feature that claims to keep facial images centered and proportioned on the screen. It’s a bit curious then that a YouTube video purports, with video evidence, that the software By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) And, of course, acting in a And, of course, it would also c a n ’ t r e c o g n i z e A f r i c a n maximalist manner also means grant them the ability to do A m e r i c a n f a c e s . Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:33:00 AM little respect for anyone else's whatever they wanted with the In the video, Wanda (Caucasian) Ah, the Vancouver Olympics. intellectual property or free song. and Desi (African American) The example of intellectual speech rights. We've already Now, I recognize that many — t w o e m p l o y e e s a t w h a t property entitlement insanity that noted that some musicians have folks in these sorts of business a p p e a r s t o b e a c o m p u t e r just keeps on giving and giving complained about a contractual will not listen to/view/read/etc. electronics store — expose a flaw and giving. It's no secret that the gag order, that forbids any any sort of "unsolicited" material in the webcam software. V a n c o u v e r O l y m p i c s h a s musician performing at any for fear of later running into a As depicted, the software has no c o n v i n c e d t h e C a n a d i a n Olympics event to speak ill of the legal fight if something they do is problem recognizing Wanda’s government to grant it extra Olympics ever. However, it similar. But, as such you just face, with the webcam following special intellectual property appears that the Vancouver make it clear that you refuse to her face around as she moves up, rights that go way beyond what Olympics folks are taking the pay attention to any unsolicited down, in, out and around. No would be allowed for any normal m a x i m a l i s m e v e n f u r t h e r . material sent in. You don't send such luck for Desi, however, as business. This includes getting Michael Scott points us to a a contract that would require the the camera remains completely special control over words like complaint from a musician who c r e a t o r t o h a n d o v e r a l l s t a t i c r e g a r d l e s s o f a n y "2010," and "Vancouver" if you wrote a song which she thought copyrights and royalties in a m o v e m e n t . use them in any way associated the Olympic committee might work. I guess, if you're the The side-by-side portrayal is with the sporting event known as like. She sent it to them, and was Olympics, however, you do quite jarring and paints a strong the Olympics (also protected). surprised to get back a contract exactly that. case in favor of Desi’s It's using these extra rights to demanding she sign over all Permalink| Comments| Email conjecture: “I think my blackness stop ticket reselling and to take o w n e r s h i p a n d r o y a l t i e s This Story down signs they don't like(even associated with the song before on private property). they would even listen to it.

Anthony Marshall Gets Jail Time [Justice] By Gabriel Snyder (Gawker)

Brooke Astor's son Anthony Marshall has been sentenced to

one to three years in prison.

is interfering with the computer’s ability to follow me,” and assertion that, “Hewlett-Packard computers are racist.” Both Desi and Wanda have a sense of humor about the matter, but the somewhat hilarious and sad punchline is that Desi has already purchased an HP computer for Christmas. Thanks to the viral video, HP is now aware of the glitch. They’ve posted a public forum update saying that they’re investigating the matter. Part of HP’s response reads, “We believe that the camera might have difficulty ’seeing’ contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting.” Watch the video for yourself below. Tags: humor, viral video

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Holiday giveaways: Ollie the Twitterrific bird By Michael Rose (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

By Brenna Ehrlich (Mashable!)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:35:00 AM

Filed under: Odds and ends, Holidays Yes, it's that time of year when we empty out the TUAW swag vaults and pass the savings on. Our candidate today: He's avian, he's blue, and he might be coming to you.... Yes, it's the icon come to life who chirps his way into your heart, Ollie the Twitterrific bird. The Iconfactory's chatty quasimascot has been rendered into toy form (both in regular and limited-edition flocked versions) by designer David Latham and Strangekiss Art Toys, and we've got four of the wee blue birdies to give away to our lucky readers. Leave a comment below telling us about your favorite childhood toy, and you'll be entered into the giveaway. One entry per person please! We'll ship out the birds after the first of the year, so they won't make it under the tree, but they'll keep you company for all of 2010. (Bonus geek cred to anyone who rigs their Ollie up with a USB speaker and Growl to announce incoming tweets.) The rules:

Block of Cheese Makes the Perfect Holiday iPhone Dock [PIC] Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:12:02 AM

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. • To enter leave a comment describing your favorite childhood toy. • The comment must be left before Wednesday, December 23, 11:59PM ET. • You may enter only once. • Four winners will be selected in a random drawing. • Prize: One of four Ollie dolls

I’m going to refrain from any horrible “cheesy” jokes right off the bat — but there currently exists a holiday Hors d’œuvre centerpiece that boasts an iPhone shoved into a block of cheese. There, the device presides over the festivities, streaming Christmas images downloaded via the app Santa’s Little Helpers[iTunes Link]. We’ve seen a lot of iPhonethemed holiday gear as of late, but Ally Fontaine’s “Santa Baby (regular or flocked). Doll type Cheese Dock” takes the fruit selected at random. ARV of cake. Husband Joel Fontaine and prize: $19.95 regular, $26.95 his friends are reportedly “total iPhone freaks,” so one can only flocked. imagine the fervor with which • Click Here For Official Rules. the centerpiece was met at the TUAW Holiday giveaways: couple’s holiday party. O l l i e t h e T w i t t e r r i f i c b i r d Ray Basile over at The iPhone originally appeared on The Savior (who broke the snack Unofficial Apple Weblog story on his site) offered (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 Mashable these tips, should any 11:35:00 EST. Please see our of you wish to create your own terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

centerpiece: “A small gully was cut for the chord around back [of the pepper jack] and then a hole on top for the dock connector. That part needs to be very tight in order for the iPhone to stand up.” Also, NB everyone: “Cheese should be nice and cold to work with.” What do you think of using technology to pimp out the holidays? How would you utilize your iPhone to stir up holiday cheer? Make like a mechanical Martha in the comments. [img credit: Photo Giddy/ The iPhone Savior] Tags: humor, iphone

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TUAW Talkcast live tonight at 10pm Eastern By Mike Schramm (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 12/20/2009 6:15:00 PM

Filed under: Humor, Software, Odds and ends, TUAW Business, Holidays Sunday night means it's time for our world famous talkcast, and tonight's going to be a good one. I'll be hosting the last preChristmas show, so I'm sure we'll fit in some last minute gift discussion, and we'll chat about the most popular posts of the past week, including Operation Chokehold, AT&T's thoughts on it, and the aftermath, our favorite free Mac apps of the year, and why iPhone users are delusional. And of course we'll have a nice panel of TUAWers on board -I'm told Joachim Bean, Kent Pribbernow, and Steve Sande should be on the line to chat live.

It starts at 10pm Eastern / 7pm Pacific this evening right over on Talkshoe -- it's just the thing you need to have a nice enjoyable night of Apple news discussion right before the holiday season takes over later this week. See you tonight! To participate on TalkShoe, you

advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 - during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the TalkShoe 'ShoePhone' VoIP client or with the free Gizmo (now a Google product) or X-Lite SIP clients; basic instructions are here. Talk with you soon! TUAW TUAW Talkcast live tonight at 10pm Eastern originally appeared on The can use the browser-only client, U n o f f i c i a l A p p l e W e b l o g the embedded Facebook app, or (TUAW) on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 the classic TalkShoe Pro Java 18:15:00 EST. Please see our client; however, for maximum terms for use of feeds. fun, you should call in. For the Read| Permalink| Email this| web UI, just click the"TalkShoe Comments Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (take

Brittany Murphy's Family Reveals Actress Was Ill Before Death (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:40:00 AM

ET has the latest... Brittany Murphy's family is now speaking out about the late actress' health before her shocking death on Sunday. The Los Angeles coroner's office tells ET that her family revealed she had been suffering from flulike symptoms days before she died and that prescription medications were taken from her home. Murphy's autopsy is being conducted Monday morning and the cause of her death will not be determined for a number of weeks.

Australian Domain Authority Circumvents Standard Process To Shut Down Site Critical Of Australian Internet Filters By Mike Masnick (Techdirt) Submitted at 12/21/2009 7:17:00 AM

With the news that Australia has decided to censor the internet, a group of protesters decided to set up a website complaining about this effort by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy (who

laughably called internet filters "100% effective" based on absolutely no metrics). In setting up this protest site, they were able to register the domain stephenconroy.com.au. Not surprisingly, that got some press attention, and suddenly the Australian domain authority,

AuDA, took notice. As Slashdot points out, AuDA completely circumvented its usual due process mechanism, and it gave the holders of the site a grand total of 3 hours to defend themselves. When they asked for more time, they were shut down. Now, there are legitimate

questions about whether or not they deserve this domain name. But you would think that AuDA would be willing to at least give them the normal amount of time to craft a reply and defend why the site is legit. The speed of the takedown certainly suggests political motivations -- more than

a typical review process -- and highlights the very problem the site was set up to illustrate: why it's bad when the government can suddenly snuff out websites with views it does not like. Permalink| Comments| Email This Story

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Vodafone UK to start iPhone sales Jan. 14, 2010 By Ken Ray (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

Tapulous making a million a month off the App Store By Mike Schramm (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))

on the release of said game back in October, and he told us that the game's in-app purchase features (you get the game for cheap, and Submitted at 12/21/2009 3:00:00 PM then have a chance to buy lots of Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, extra music to play in packs and iPod touch bundles) would be the "first big Well, even with rampant piracy, test of in-app commerce at a review craziness, and that funky much grander scale." Looks like approval process, it's good to the test was a success. hear that someone can still make Of course, there's not too many a truckload of cash on the App details on how exactly that Store. According to Reuters, that million dollars comes in -- I'm someone is Tapulous, who is sure there was a flurry of sales apparently making almost a right around the release of the million dollars a month thanks to app (as press was dropping), and twenty million downloads of you'd expect them to be a little their Tap Tap Revenge game. We higher during the holidays (sales recently talked to Andrew Lacy of video games usually are, no

matter what platform you're talking about). So it's not completely proven that this kind of income is necessarily sustainable. But still, it's good to hear from the folks at Tapulous that someone can release a game and roll in the cash from Apple's platform. TUAW Tapulous making a million a month off the App Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

an 8GB iPhone 3G to £239 for a 32GB iPhone 3GS. Vodafone will also offer a £35 a month/24 Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:00:00 AM month contract that will include Filed under: iPhone Vodafone a n 8 G B i P h o n e 3 G a t n o announced in September that it a d d i t i o n a l c o s t . would start iPhone sales in the Data usage for both business and UK in early 2010. Two weeks consumer contracts will be into the new year is pretty early. capped at 1GB a month. The The BBC says Vodafone will company will also offer tethering start its UK iPhone sales January at launch with plans starting at £5 14, 2010. a month. V o d a f o n e U K C E O G u y Thanks Simon for the tip! Laurence says his company has TUAW Vodafone UK to start been prepping its network for the iPhone sales Jan. 14, 2010 added demand the iPhone will originally appeared on The bring for over a year. Unofficial Apple Weblog The new player's prices seem to (TUAW) on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 be in line with rivals O2 and 09:00:00 EST. Please see our Orange. Vodafone UK's lowest terms for use of feeds. plan is £30 a month for 24 Read| Permalink| Email this| months, with additional charges Comments for iPhones ranging from £59 for

DC chief slams officer over gun at snowball fight (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:24:53 AM

Chuckie buzzed up: Who wins, 13 seconds ago 2009-12- Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: who loses in Senate health bill 21T12:19:52-08:00 PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, (AP) Five Filters featured article: Term Extraction.

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Hulu’s Caption Search Lets You Find Clips With Just One Line By Christina Warren (Mashable!) Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:32:35 AM

Last month, Hulu added sitewide tags to its service, a nice augmentation of traditional search that makes it much easier to find clips when you don’t know specific title or episode information. Today, the company is amping up its search capabilities again, this time adding “caption search” to all shows that support closed captioning. Just search for a particular word or phrase in the captions tab on a supported show and you’ll get back results that you can immediately access. The captions search results show up with thumbnails, so you can visually select the part of the clip you want to watch (which is helpful for more generic searches). Hulu has also

Village People Threaten Chef Jamie Oliver For Dressing Up Like Cowboy, Indian, Cop, Construction Worker, Etc... By Mike Masnick (Techdirt)

implemented a “Heat Map” that shows the portions of an episode that contain the words or phrases you are searching for. You can click on the blue lines in the map to go straight to those sections or more generally visualize your searches’ placement in the clip. Captions search has the potential to add an incredible amount of convenience to Hulu. Suppose you remember a line from a show but not the episode title — this is a quick fix. Tags: captions, captions search, hulu

if you want to dress up like them for a commercial purpose, you Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:59:29 AM need to pay up. However, Kaden writes in to let us know Oliver's people are noting that that celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is they don't think he violated any facing some legal threats from trademark, and they doubt that The Village People for dressing the lawyer member of The up like them in a promotion for Village People (the one in the O l i v e r ' s n e w T V s h o w . suit) will actually go through Apparently a lawyer representing with the lawsuit... the band said that they've Permalink| Comments| Email trademarked their costumes, and This Story

Amazon Gift Cards (Little Green Footballs)

for Christmas Eve delivery. A really nice thing about Amazon gift cards is that they have no If you still need a few stocking fees and no expiration dates. stuffers for friends or family, a (Note: if you click through to good way to let them get what Amazon from one of our links, they want or need is to send an LGF gets a small percentage in Amazon Gift Card. referral fees on all qualifying I bought a couple today myself; merchandise, without raising the you can have them delivered by cost to you, so you get terrific email, or if you order today you deals and help support us at the c a n c h o o s e f r o m s e v e r a l same time.) Christmas designs and have them personalized and mailed in time Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:23:46 AM

WaPo-ABC Poll Shows Strong Support for Global Warming Reductions (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 12/20/2009 12:41:09 PM

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released last Friday shows that a substantial majority of the American people are in favor of federal regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even if it raises their monthly expenses — an unexpected result during a serious recession. Climate Progress has more on this surprising poll.

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Malkin Links to 'Buzzworthy' Anti-Israel Rant at White Nationalist Website

The new Target Christmas ad is funny, but in an uncomfortable way

(Little Green Footballs)

By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:46:16 AM

Since I made a public break with the rabid right, wingnut blogs all over the web have been sending love (read: vicious attacks) my way, which isn’t surprising since one of the reasons I listed for my departure was the vicious hate speech found everywhere on wingnut blogs. And one of the common themes that bubbles to the surface in these smear attacks is that since I’ve renounced the right, it’s now only a matter of time before I “abandon support for Israel.” So imagine the irony, if you will, when one of the right wing’s iconic heroes, Michelle Malkin, who also owns wingnut blog Hot Air, linked this morning to the following “Buzzworthy” post at white nationalist website VDARE.com: The article to which Malkin linked is a deranged antisemitic screed by conspiracy theorist and

9/11 Truther Paul Craig Roberts, accusing Israel of committing “genocide” and ranting crazily about the “Israel lobby.” Who’s “abandoning Israel” now? (And note that right below the link to a white nationalist hate site, there’s a link to white supremacist blogger Robert Stacy

McCain.) VDARE.com: 12/13/09 - For Palestinians, Every Day Is Kristallnacht. “Settlers attack West Bank mosque and burn holy Muslim books” was a London Times headline on December 11, 2009. These attacks, together with the demolition of Palestinian homes,

the uprooting of Palestinians’ olive groves, the innumerable checkpoints that prevent Palestinians from accessing schools, work, and medical care, the Israeli Wall that denies Palestinians access to the land stolen from them, and the isolation and blockade of the Gaza Ghetto, are part of the Israeli government’s policy of genocide for the Palestinians. The Israel Lobby has such power over America that even former President Jimmy Carter, a good friend of Israel, is demonized for using the polite term—apartheid—for the genocide that has occurred over the decades during which American “Christian” preachers, together with bought-and-paidfor politicians, justified Israel’s policy of slow genocide for Palestine. (Hat tip: Thanos.)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:29:00 PM

This new Target Christmas commercial makes me uncomfortable. The people playing the parents are great, but there's something about the mom's smile that makes me think this Christmas Day isn't going to go well at all. One thing that doesn't quite make sense: this television is kinda big. Why does the husband seem shocked by what it is? Didn't he see the package under the tree beforehand? And if the wife hid it from him until the last minute, she must think she did something wrong too. Filed under: Video, Commercials, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

Firefox 3.5 Takes the Top Spot Worldwide By Mike Melanson (ReadWriteWeb)

analytics service StatCounter. This comes on the heels of statistics we saw earlier this Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:29:00 AM month, which showed Firefox Firefox hit a new milestone overtaking IE for overall usage in today, as version 3.5 overtook Germany. Internet Explorer 7.0 with nearly Sponsor 22% of the browser market, While IE still dominates the according to statistics from web browser market - with 55% of

people using some version - all combined versions of Firefox occupy 32% and have been steadily gaining ground. Released

at the end of June, version 3.5 of Firefox has quickly climbed the charts. IE 8, on the other hand which was first released in beta more than a year earlier, with a full release in March 2009 - now holds a similar 20% of the market to that of Firefox 3.5's 22%. It would seem that a majority of

Firefox 3.5 users were already using 3.0 and upgraded, as the 20% drop in 3.0 use almost directly correlates to the 22% increase in 3.5. Discuss

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Regarding Barrett Brown's Offer to Debate White Supremacist Robert Stacy McCain (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 12/20/2009 5:05:59 PM

You have to wonder why white supremacist blogger Robert Stacy McCain won’t even acknowledge Barrett Brown’s invitation to an email debate on McCain’s numerous racist connections and statements — when Brown has offered to print the entire unedited email exchange in his upcoming book. If McCain really has nothing to be ashamed of, this would seem like the perfect opportunity to set the record straight and explain how it is that he happened to meet recently convicted neo-Nazi Bill White at the 2002 meeting of the openly white nationalist group American Renaissance, or why he wrote an article for the

American Renaissance website using a name based on a proslavery Confederate general, or why he used that same name to post numerous links at Free Republic to racist and neo-Nazi websites and then had all of his posts deleted. To name just three examples; there are many more. Instead, McCain chooses to sling clumsily written insults at his blog, post obscene comments at other blogs, and dodge all of these issues like a running back hopped up on steroids. It’s kind of amazing that anyone could read his diversionary posts and not see that he never addresses any of this stuff with anything approaching honesty — but of course, that’s far from the only issue about which right wing bloggers are in total denial.

Barrett Brown’s latest piece for True/Slant reiterates his invitation to McCain, and also takes a look at a couple of other blog posts about McCain; Patterico, for one, seems to be almost trying to understand the issues, but can’t help joining the right wing blogosphere groupthink and dismissing the most important points that have been brought up about McCain’s ugly racist views. (With a couple of off-handed insults directed at yours truly, which is all the rage these days. Love you too, guys!) Here’s Barrett’s post, worth reading as always: A Reply to Donald Douglas and a Restatement of My Offer to R.S. McCain.

Submitted at 12/21/2009 3:55:00 AM

HTV was on the solemn scene on Sunday at the foot of the driveway of the Hollywood Hills home actress Brittany Murphy shared with husband Simon Monjack. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter spoke to the

press, announcing his department is "involved in an investigation in Brittany Murphy's death." He further explained the situation: "She was transported to Cedars-Sinai hospital where she passed away. We're conducting a death investigation. We requested the assistance of LAPD…We'll probably be doing an autopsy

By Lisa Hoover (Lifehacker)

to keep track of monthly chores, and then skip over to the Kitchen category to snag a shopping list With busy lives, it's easy to let or weekly menu. Also be sure to chores around the house slip check out the yearly housework through the cracks. Corral the reminder sheet, project planning details into this customized pages, and the chore chart that's p l a n n e r t o h e l p y o u t r a c k good for adults or kids (why let everything from daily chores to them off the hook?). when you need to change the Once you decide what size you furnace filter. want your planner to be—full- or Organization guru Donna Young half-size— just print them out c r e a t e d d o z e n s o f p l a n n e r and pop them in a binder. You template pages in a two sizes that can use the forms just as they are, let you create a household or convert them to DOC format planner system that works for for further editing. Most of the you. All the templates are free templates are blank so you'll need tomorrow or Tuesday. Of course and download as PDF files that to fill in the blanks yourself. If the final results will be pending can be opened with any standard you need some ideas for what toxicology and further tests." PDF reader. needs to get around the house on Winter also spoke on behalf of Planner categories are broken a daily, weekly, and monthly Brittany's loved ones, saying, down by calendar style and use. bases, we've got you covered. "The family, of course, is very For instance, you might want to Donna Young Printables distraught over this." He said that grab a two-page block calendar funeral arrangements have not yet been made.

Authorities and Neighbor Speak Outside Brittany Murphy’s Home (ETonline - Breaking News)

Printable Household Planner Keeps Your Home Running Smoothly [Printables] Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:00:00 AM

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The Lifehacker Guide to 64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems [Windows] By The How-To Geek (Lifehacker) Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:00:00 AM

You're probably aware that 64bit and 32-bit versions of your operating system exist, but apart from ascribing to a bigger-isbetter philosophy, you may have no idea what separates the two. The question: Should you use a 64-bit version of Windows, and why? More and more frequently, users are installing the 64-bit version of their operating system of choice over the less capable 32bit version. But most people don't really have a full understanding of what the difference really is. Below, we're taking a look at the most important differences so you can better understand what you gain (and potentially lose) if you upgrade to the 64-bit version of your OS. (The post focuses on Windows.) We've already explained whether you really need 4 GB of RAM, a question that touches on the 64-bit issue, but now let's tackle it in more detail. Which Version Do I Have? To figure out which version of Windows you are running, just head into the System properties in Control Panel, or you can take the easy route and right-click on your Computer icon in the start menu or desktop, and choose Properties from the menu.

Windows 7 or Vista users will be able to check the System type in the list, while the few XP users with 64-bit will see it on the dialog. Keep in mind that your CPU must support 64-bit in order to be running a 64-bit operating system—if you're running a modern CPU you should be fine, but some of the budget PCs don't include a 64-bit processor. Does 32-bit Really Have a Memory Limit? In any 32-bit operating system, you are limited to 4096 MB of RAM simply because the size of a 32-bit value will not allow any more. On a 32-bit system, each process is given 4 GB of virtual memory to play with, which is separated into 2 GB of user space that the application can actually use at a time. Savvy readers might point out

that modern chips support PAE, a processor technology that allows the operating system to use a little bit more memory—up to 64 GB, but it also requires special application support that most applications don't have or necessarily need. A common misconception is that this is a Windows-specific problem, when in fact 32-bit Linux and Mac OS X have the same limitations and the same workarounds. 32-bit Linux uses a mapping table to allow access to the extra memory, and OS X Snow Leopard actually ships by default with a 32-bit kernel that can't access all the memory on older systems, even though most of the rest of the OS runs 64-bit processes. The 4 GB limit for Windows, at least, is also a factor of licensing—the home versions of

About 64-Bit? While 32 bits of information can only access 4 GB of RAM, a 64bit machine can access 17.2 BILLION gigabytes of system memory, banishing any limits far into the future. This also means that your video cards and other devices will not be stealing usable memory space from the operating system. Windows 64bit Home editions are still limited to 16 GB of RAM for licensing reasons, but the Professional and Ultimate versions can use up to 192 GB of RAM, so keep that in mind when building that killer 3 2 - b i t W i n d o w s , w h i l e system. technically being able to support The per-process limit is also PAE, have a hard limit of 4 GB greatly increased—on 64-bit f o r l i c e n s i n g a n d d r i v e r Windows, instead of a 2 GB compatibility reasons. More limit, each application has access Problems with 32-Bit to 8 TB of virtual memory Not only does 32-bit have a hard without any special API, a huge limit for the amount of memory it f a c t o r w h e n y o u c o n s i d e r can address, there's also another applications like video editing or problem: your devices, like your virtual machines that may need to video card and motherboard use enormous amounts of RAM. BIOS take up room in that same On Windows, the 64-bit versions 4 GB space, which means the also come with a technology to underlying operating system gets prevent hijacking the kernel, access to even less of your RAM. support for hardware-enabled W i n d o w s e x p e r t M a r k data execution protection, and Russinovich found that a desktop mandatory digitally signed 64-bit running 32-bit Windows with 4 device drivers. You also won't be GB of RAM and two 1 GB video able to use your 16-bit apps cards only had 2.2 GB of RAM anymore, which hardly seems available for the operating l i k e a l o s s . D o 3 2 - b i t system—so the bigger and better Applications Work on 64-Bit? your video cards get, the less of that 4 GB will be accessible on a LIFEHACKER page 33 32-bit system. What's Different

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The vast majority of your 32-bit applications will continue to work just fine on 64-bit Windows, which includes a compatibility layer called WoW64, which actually switches the processor back and forth between 32-bit and 64-bit modes depending on which thread needs to execute—making 32-bit software run smoothly even in the 64-bit environment. There are some exceptions to that rule, however: 32-bit device drivers and low-level system applications like Antivirus, shell extensions that plug into Windows, and some media applications simply won't work without a 64-bit equivalent. In practice, the vast majority of your favorite applications will either continue to work, or provide a 64-bit version you can use instead—but you should check to make sure. Does 64-Bit Use Double the RAM? A common misconception about 64-bit Windows is the amount of RAM that is actually used—some people seem to think it will use

double the RAM, while others incorrectly assume a 64-bit system will be twice as fast as 32 -bit. While it's true that 64-bit processes will take a little extra memory, that is a result of the memory pointers being a little bigger to address the larger amount of RAM, and not an actual double in size. Imagine, if you will, an ancient library filing system that has a card to tell you where to find the book in the library—if you got a bigger box to hold the cards, the library would not double in size, you'd just be able to find the book you were looking for more easily. What will increase with 64-bit Windows is the amount of drive space needed for the operating system—with a compatibility layer in place, the base OS will take up a few extra GBs of space, though with today's massive hard drives that should hardly be a concern. The Bottom Line, Which Should I Use? If you are ordering a new PC with 4 GB or more of RAM, you

should probably be running a 64bit version of Windows so you can use all of the available memory, especially if you want a rig with a large video card—just keep in mind that the Home versions only support 16 GB of RAM (for most people a 16GB limit won't be a problem, but it's worth keeping in mind). If you're running Mac OS X, you don't need to worry about 32-bit vs 64-bit, and if you're running Linux, you probably know this stuff already. What about you? Have you made the switch to a 64-bit operating system? Let's hear what you're using, and how long you've been living the 64-bit life, in the comments. The How-To Geek has banished 32-bit operating systems entirely from his house. His geeky articles can be found daily here on Lifehacker, How-To Geek, and Twitter.

Gawker Media Seeks Junior Office IT Helper [Announcements] By Adam Pash (Lifehacker) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:30:00 AM

Gawker Media seeks a Junior Office IT Helper to get down and dirty with the cogs and springs that keep sites like Lifehacker and Gizmodo up and running. Qualified applicants should: • Have experience maintaining, building, upgrading, diagnosing, and resolving PC and Mac hardware as well as software issues. • Know basic networking, Unix/Linux, unix editors (vi

preferable). • Be willing to work with hardware as well as software. • Be able to do heavy lifting. The work entails mostly desktop/laptop support and basic networking in the office with occasional trips to the data center to assist. This is a Junior position, and the qualified applicant must live in or around New York City. Think you might fit the bill? Send an email to techjobs at gawker (dot) com.

Firefox 3.5 Inches Past IE7 As World's Most Popular Browser [Web Browsers] By Adam Pash (Lifehacker) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:30:00 AM

According to global analytics web site StatCounter, Firefox 3.5 has edged past Internet Explorer 7 as the most popular browser on

the market today. Keep in mind that the stats in question are differentiating by version, so it's actually kind of a lucky swing for Firefox at the moment, as Internet Explorer users continue to migrate from IE7 to IE8. (IE8

will most likely surpass Firefox

3.5 shortly.) If we were comparing browser share but ignoring version numbers, we'd be looking at a very different picture(though IE continues its steady decline while Firefox and Chrome usage appears to be

steadily growing). Either way, it's a small victory for the nondefault browser market. [ StatsCounter via Mashable]

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Confessions of a Public Speaker Demystifies Your Fear of Public Speaking [Public Speaking]

Report: Twitter Made a Profit in 2009

By Gina Trapani (Lifehacker)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 7:32:04 AM

Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:30:00 AM

Getting up on stage, taking a microphone, and facing an expectant audience scares the crap out of most mere mortals. Scott Berkun's new book, Confessions of a Public Speaker, explains why, how, and what goes on before and after a great speech. Rock star public speakers from Al Gore to Tony Robbins inspire and inform thousands of people with their talks–-and charge $30,000 an hour to do so. Berkun's book makes a little more sense of their seemingly superhuman skills. "Good public speaking is based on good private thinking," Berkun writes in Confessions, where he recalls years of his own successes and failures traveling the country giving presentations. Preparation is the key to reducing your anxiety about public speaking, Berkun says, as is the awareness that humans are literally wired to fear the situation. Our brains, for all their wonders, identify the following four things as being very bad for survival:

• Standing alone • In open territory with no place to hide • Without a weapon • In front of a large crowd of creatures staring at you In the long history of all living things, any situation where all the above were true was very bad for you. It means odds are high you will soon be attacked and eaten alive. Many predators hunt in packs and their easiest prey are those who stand alone, without a weapon, out on a flat area of land

where there is little cover (e.g. a stage). Our ancestors, the ones who survived, were the ones who developed a fear response to these situations. Just knowing that I had sweaty palms, a pounding heart, and a serious adrenaline rush up on stage at Web 2.0 Expo because the primitive cave woman version of myself thought I was about to get eaten alive made the situation more amusing than desperate-–which relieved a lot of the tension. In Confessions, Berkun outlines practical advice for softening your body's natural fear response to speaking situations, as well as how to write and prepare your material so that you can up your chances of nailing it. If public speaking is a part of your job–-and it is, in some capacity, whether or not you're Barack Obama–-this book is a worthy read. It's converted at least one person who has turned down speaking engagements because the idea was too scary to someone excited about getting better at a special and important skill. Confessions of a Public Speaker[Amazon]

By Frederic Lardinois (ReadWriteWeb)

According to a report by Business Week's Spencer E. Ante, Twitter's search deals with Google and Microsoft made the company about $25 million enough to turn Twitter into a profitable business in 2009. According to these reports which Twitter did not comment on - the deal with Google made Twitter about $15 million this year and a similar deal with Microsoft generated about $10 million in revenue. Sponsor The idea that Twitter made a profit from these deals is based on the assumption that the company's annual operating costs are roughly $25 million. Twitter, of course, doesn't release any information about its operating costs or the revenue it made from these deals, so we have to take this estimate with a grain of salt. Bringing Costs Down Business Week's Spencer E. Ante also argues that Twitter was able to reduce operating expenses by renegotiating its deals with the telecom carriers that support the service's text message system. Until this year, the cost of

supporting the SMS system represented Twitter's largest expense, though according to one source quoted by Bloomberg, "now people are the biggest line item." Generating More Income Earlier this year, Twitter also announced that it plans to create a revenue-sharing scheme that would allows Twitter to share in the profits generated by thirdparty applications and vice versa. The details of this plan are still under wraps, however, though at LeWeb, Ryan Sarver, Twitter's Director of Platform, announced that the company would announce details about this plan early next year. Chances are that Twitter is still looking into creating revenue from advertising as well. If the company really managed to be profitable based on the search content deals with Microsoft and Google, however, then Twitter will at least have a longer runway before it has to open up this revenue channel, which is likely to alienate quite a few users. Discuss

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Drink Lighter-Colored Liquors to Avoid Hangovers [Alcohol]

Brittany Murphy Cause of Death May Be 'Deferred'

By Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker)

(ETonline - Breaking News)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:00:00 AM

If you're anticipating a night of hard partying, skip the bourbon if you'd like a better morning-after. Photo by Experiment 33. The best way to avoid of hangover is, obviously, to not drink. Barring that, you can opt to drink lighter-colored liquor to decrease the effects of morningafter hangover. Researchers at Brown University liquored up nearly a hundred study participants with various alcoholic drinksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all the different shades of alcohol were mixed into caffeine-free cola to mask the color and flavor of the particular alcoholâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and observed them. All the participants that consumed alcohol slept worse

and performed worse on cognitive tests than the participants that didn't, but the participants that drank lightercolored liquor had less hangover related symptoms the next day. Overall, bourbon drinkers reported feeling worse than

vodka drinkers, rating higher on scales that measure the severity of hangover malaise, including headache, nausea, loss of appetite and thirst. It should come as no surprise that alcohol drinkers said they felt much worse than those who had drunk only tonic water.

One reason for the different effects of vodka and bourbon, Rohsenow says, could be that bourbon contains 37 times more toxic compounds than vodka does, including nasty organic molecules such as acetone, acetaldehyde, tannins and furfural. A good rule of thumb for liquors, she says, is that the clearer they are, the less of these substances they contain. If you're reading this and you're already worse for where after a night on the town, you might want to make yourself a bacon sandwich to shake that hangover. Have your own tips or tricks for hangover prevention and recovery? Let's hear about them in the comments. Dark Liquor Makes for Worse Hangovers[Wired]

Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:29:00 AM

The Los Angeles Chief Coroner Investigator tells ET that Brittany Murphy's cause of death may be "deferred" for several weeks. Craig R. Harvey, CEO for the Department of Coroner County of Los Angeles, tells ET that the autopsy has begun and that they will need time to determine the results. "I can say that the death appears to be an apparent natural death, the cause or causes remain to be determined," Harvey says. "The examination is underway at this time and the final cause of death quite possibly may be 'deferred' for several weeks as additional tests are performed as part of the process."

Impress The DIYers on Your Christmas List with a Gimlet Set [Stuff We Like] By Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:00:00 PM

If you want to impress a DIYer on your holiday shopping list with an extremely useful addition to their toolbox, you'll score big by giving them a gimlet set. What's a gimlet? Gimlets are an old-fashioned, but extremely

practical, hand tool. You use them to make pilot holes for screws without having to use a drill. You put the half-circle handle in the palm of your hand and press into the surface you want to make the pilot hole in. A few turns later and you've got your pilot hole without the risk of boring too deep with a power drill or the hassle of trying to

make the pilot with a screw and screwdriver.

A set of seven gimlets covering a wide range of common screw sizes will only set you back $15. Have a favorite inexpensive gift that is far more useful than its small price tag would have you believe? Let's hear about it in the comments. Set of Seven Gimlets[via Cool Tools]

Sponsor Post: Mashery's Tips to Enrich Your Editor's note: we offer our longSPONSOR page 36 Developer Community term sponsors the opportunity to

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write 'Sponsor Posts' and tell their story. These posts are clearly marked as written by sponsors, but we also want them to be useful and interesting to our readers. We hope you like the posts and we encourage you to support our sponsors by trying out their products. The holidays are underway and 'tis the season of flowing eggnog, overgenerous meals, and contemplation of both the year gone by and the year to come. Reflecting on 2009, it's obvious that there has been phenomenal growth in the business of APIs with recognized sites Best Buy, Netflix, Etsy, New York Times, CBS Interactive, PayPal, LinkedIn, and others keeping busy ramping up their API platforms to extend their businesses in new directions. Sponsor What's not so obvious is that cool, compelling API offerings are only part of the equation. The true key to a successful API platform is successful developers. Launching an open API platform requires a holistic strategy that includes a value proposition for developers as well as your company, plus an actionable plan for cultivating a community inspired by economic opportunity. Here we present you with some thought-starters to help you with your 2010 developer community resolutions: Give the gift of selfhelp documentation and support Developers are smart. They are motivated to find the answers

themselves. Establish your developer portal as the face for your API platform. Supply effective tools and the latest information about your API to give developers the answers that they are seeking. Always start with a value statement about your platform that answers the question: "Why would a developer want to build an application on this API?" Consider both new and experienced developers and cater the value proposition so you can provide a reason for developers to build once... twice... and keep on building in order to grow your application portfolio. Your portal is the knowledge gateway to your community, whether they are new to your API offer or seasoned partners who want to get the latest status and release information -"Gee, I wonder when that bug fix will be taken care of so I can pick up development?" Achieve this by applying a threepronged approach to your developer portal and community tools: • Developers go to your forums to search for answers, not to ask basic questions and wait days for the answers. Optimize search and prune your threads so that your discussion boards are a living knowledge base of accurate FAQs for your API platform. • Always add a status dimension to your discussion boards. Badges, exposing number of posts, and user ratings are a simple way to provide your most

knowledgeable and active community members with a stamp of expertise. Offer small incentives to your experienced posters who are willing to handle the newbie questions. Their help will free up your resources to focus on the more complex issues. So keep 'em happy. • Include an open source dimension to your tools and documentation. Solicit input and suggestions, verify and proof the activity, publish or deny the post, and alert the contributors of the action. Open sourcing allows your API platform to support a greater breadth in coding languages and get updates updated more frequently.

need to make the best decision. Developers may say otherwise but they do respond to marketing that gives them useful information. Elevate and showcase the voices of developers who find information about your API useful. In many cases all you have to do is add a dimension of developer participation in marketing you are already doing. • Feeds, Feeds, Feeds. Customizable, automated, realtime feeds. Blogs, Twitter, and RSS status alerts are simple to implement and create a stream of multi-channel activity that can be maintained with a lean team. Additionally, comments, retweets, and @replies are easy Above all, if you launch an API w a y s t o t r a c k c o m m u n i t y p l a t f o r m , s u p p o r t i t . B y interest, opinions, and trends. establishing the developer portal • Be sure to list your API on you are making a commitment ProgrammableWeb, a high-traffic that someone on your team will directory and news source for the be there to respond to the w o r l d o f A P I s . developer community you are ProgrammableWeb is a prime attempting to grow. Always resource for developers looking c o n t i n u e t o m o n i t o r a n d for new APIs. contribute to the discussions, and • Look into adding a customerprovide updates when and where centric Net Promoter Score(or relevant. Stay factual, be helpful, NPS) metric to measure your and don't hit send if you're program success. Knowing if feeling defensive. Moderators your developer community s h o u l d b e s t r o n g l i s t e n e r s would recommend your service because lessons from your to others adds an important community are the best feedback satisfaction metric to gauge for successful growth. Marketing adoption and activation. is not a bad word • Join the events bandwagon. No Don't be afraid of marketing. need to earmark non-existent Bad marketing is a used car funds for massive, impersonal salesman trying to sell you developers conferences. Aim for something you don't need. Good an intimate, well-organized, and marketing is information you focused event to activate dormant

developers into friendly evangelists. • Recognize, celebrate, and reward good behavior. The more positive interactions you can create enables and grows ambassadors who do the job for you. Build a team of evangelists and allow developers to reap the rewards from their hard work. Provide developers with compelling incentives and data sets to create value Yes, of course, the business comes first. The decision of what data to expose with your API platform needs to support and align with your corporate and product strategy. But don't develop an API platform ecosystem built only to maximize value for your company positioning developers as the contributors. All stakeholders both contribute and extract value from a sustainable, healthy ecosystem. Don't forget to consider the value that your platform will provide to developers. Who are the customers of your platform and what are their needs? What monetization models would create the best incentives? What is the economic appeal of participation to developers? A popular API provides a compelling value proposition to the platform provider, the platform participants, and end users. Know what to measure and why you're measuring it SPONSOR page 38

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Best LittleCo of 2009 & Most Promising for 2010 By Richard MacManus (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 12/21/2009 6:30:00 AM

Don't worry, it's not Twitter! For our Best LittleCo of 2009, we've chosen a small company whose product launched in 2009 and quickly became a leading example of one of the year's big trends: the real-time web. Our pick for Most Promising is something that could change the way people search on the Web. Last week we announced that Google was our choice for Best BigCo of 2009, due to its product innovation in 2009. Today we're announcing Best LittleCo and Most Promising Company, as selected by the ReadWriteWeb writers. Sponsor This is the 6th year we've done this and many of the small companies we choose each year go onto much bigger things. Here's a quick look back at previous winners: • In 2008 we chose web office vendor Zoho as Best LittleCo and Brightkite as our Most Promising. Zoho is still competing well above its weight bracket against office software giants like Microsoft and Google. However it's fair to say that Brightkite hasn't delivered as much on its promise as we thought it might, due in part to the emergence of Foursquare as 'the next big thing' in mobile social networking. • In 2007 Twitter was Best

LittleCo and in a break from tradition we named"the open source movement" as most promising. Twitter, of course, has since gone on to make a huge impact on the Web and media. • In 2006 YouTube was Best LittleCo and Sharpcast Most Promising. YouTube was acquired by Google in October of that year. • In 2005 37Signals was Best LittleCo and Memeorandum(now Techmeme) and Digg were joint Most Promising. • In 2004 Ludicorp, creators of Flickr, was Best LittleCo and Feedburner Most Promising. Both went on to be acquired, by Yahoo! and Google respectively.

Web released in November, we described how it works: "You can ask Aardvark any question, and it will try to find a person in your extended social circles who knows about that topic and is available to answer at that moment. Aardvark facilitates these conversations through a Now let's find out who is very polite IM bot, an iPhone app ReadWriteWeb's Best LittleCo of with push notifications, the 2009. Then on page 2 we name company's website, Twitter or our Most Promising company for email. Instead of broadcasting 2010. Best LittleCo of 2009: your question to every one's Aardvark stream of information, Aardvark Aardvark(our initial review and delivers the question only to then a comparison review) is a people who are relevant and s o c i a l s e a r c h e n g i n e t h a t available." combines artificial intelligence, Unlike Yahoo Answers or natural-language processing and s i m i l a r s e r v i c e s , A a r d v a r k presence data to create what the doesn't keep a repository of company calls "the real-time frequently asked questions. The Web of people." The company service's mission is to get you was founded in 2007, but the current answers from experts in product only launched in March your own social networks. On 2009 at SXSW. It quickly most days, over 85% of all became one of the companies we questions get answered. point to most when we discuss As we noted in our report, the Real-Time Web, one of the Aardvark's got an all-star team of most significant trends of this engineers from Google and year. Yahoo and high-profile investors. In our report on the Real-Time

It's already cutting deals with major tech brands and is rumored to be on Google's acquisition list. Whatever happens to the company, the use cases for Aardvark are just beginning to be explored. In short, Aardvark impressed us a lot this year and it made no fewer than 3 of our 2009 best-of lists: • Top 10 Consumer Web Apps of 2009 • Top 10 Real-Time Technologies of 2009 • Top 10 Startup Products of 2009 Aardvark's iPhone app was also popular with our writers, two of them putting it in their top 5 mobile web applications of the year. Next page: ReadWriteWeb's Most Promising Company for 2010... Most Promising: Wolfram|Alpha Wolfram|Alpha launched in May and ended up making our list of the Top 10 Consumer Products of the year. It was also the most hyped, with the possible exception of Google Wave. Inevitably, Wolfram Research's "computational knowledge engine" disappointed many who were looking for a Google killer. But Alpha introduced a new paradigm for search engines: Instead of giving you a long list of links, Alpha tries to give users an answer based on information from reputable sources. It also enables users to compute and

calculate things off that information. While it isn't useful for everybody yet, the Wolfram Alpha team has worked hard to expand Alpha's knowledge. If you are an engineer or scientist, Wolfram Alpha might just be the most useful web app for you. For the rest of us, Alpha's ability to solve anagrams, aggregate weather data and tell you the distance between two cities proves to be useful, too although not as useful as the service's ability to solve complex math problems. Wolfram|Alpha also launched a $50 iPhone application in October. Even though Wolfram Alpha's web interface is available for free, the company insisted that its mobile application offered enough new features to justify this price. We listed some initial use cases for Wolfram|Alpha in July, but it's a safe bet to say that the best of this product will be seen in 2010 and beyond. If Web 2.0 was about creating data (user generated content, to use the most familiar term for this), then the next generation of the Web is all about using that data. Wolfram|Alpha is premised on using and computing data, so we think it's a product to watch in 2010. Now let us know your thoughts on our picks for Best LittleCo (Aardvark) and Most Promising (Wolfram|Alpha). Discuss

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Location-Based Ads Come to Augmented Reality in the US

SPONSOR continued from page 36

A community for community's sake is a beautiful idea. But when backed by company resources, By Marshall Kirkpatrick become increasingly common in the community should exist to (ReadWriteWeb) recent months as a gimmick in create value and opportunity print ads that can be held up to a around your API. Have the Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:35:57 AM webcam to display a 3D image, foresight to build in the right measurement tools to validate the Location-based social network added to Brightkite annotations but we're unaware of previous effort. Consider your budget Brightkite announced this experiments like what Brightkite of the camera view of users, decision makers and track for morning that it has added what it designating the location of is doing on Layar. success. calls the first mobile Augmented Is the advertising industry nearby BustBuy stores. The Start with straightforward Reality advertising for US e x c i t e d a b o u t m o b i l e A R circles join the clearly different q uantitative numbers: live markets to its AR layer in the annotations for text messages and advertising? Blake Robinson, applications, developers that Layar augmented reality browser. D i r e c t o r o f R e s e a r c h a n d photos posted by nearby users. signed up for the program, API Augmented Reality (AR) is a T h e a d s a r e r e l a t i v e l y Measurement at social media keys distributed; then calculate class of technologies that place marketing firm Attention, says he unobtrusive for now. the activation rate percentage data from the web on top of a These ads appear in all search is. "If the question is whether or (number of live applications / camera view of the physical not money will be pumped into results pages, whether they are total developers). world. Layar is a browser for a relevant or not. For example, no mobile AR advertising," he Identify any revenue figures wide variety of AR data layers, says,"I'd say it's a question of if, one has posted on Brightkite attributable to your API. from real-estate listings to about "pizza" within miles of me but when - and I'd say soon. Depending on your API government data to messages for the last 3 days, but a search "For the first time in a long time monetization strategy this could posted to networks like local businesses could be given for pizza displays a number of be through direct sales, revenueBrightkite. It is available for search results on my phone's opportunities by advertisers to share, advertising, affiliate Android phones and was radar. It turns out those are the reach not just potential patrons programs, or another creative available on the iPhone until it BestBuys in my area. The same but people who are literally at model. was withdrawn from the results appear in searches for their doorsteps. There is a lot of Look into positive qualitative marketplace last week due to "love" and "flatulence" - it's all potential for good here, a lot of feedback and voices of members excessive crashes. BestBuy. I f a d v e r t i s i n g potential for irritation too, but I'm of your community - posts, The Brightkite ads appear to be proliferates on platforms like this more excited than daunted." just for electronics retailer then it's going to have to become Will consumers find the ads BestBuy so far and are displayed more useful than invasive? contextual. as unique markers in your field These are the early days in That's an age-old question in the of view when pointed towards mobile Augmented Reality relationship between advertisers one of the stores. advertising, but the field is and consumers. Discuss Sponsor expected to be big. AR has been Big round circles have been

Street Chic: New York By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 12/21/2009 4:00:00 AM

A two-tone palette spotlights her seriously chic footwear. Photo: Kelly Stuart Think you are Street Chic? E-

mail us your photo and you could

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tweets, comments - items that can showcase developer appreciation, interest, and evangelism. This feedback should be monitored year-round and shared with the platform team and executives on a regular basis. It's a human reminder of the intrinsic value the community work brings to the brand and business. Would you host a holiday soiree and forget to prepare for your guests? So there it is. Don't fall into the "build it and they will come" mentality. It's no fun to stand on the sidelines watching other communities have all the fun; you need to invite them to your developer party! Whether you are newly launching or extending your community efforts, try some of these approaches to propel your API platform strategy in the direction of growth in 2010 and beyond. Discuss

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Kynetx: Powerful Cross-Platform Tool for Creating Firefox, IE & Chrome Extensions

YouTube Competitor Dailymotion Comes to the iPhone

By Frederic Lardinois (ReadWriteWeb)

type of extension. The system is best suited for building plugins that add additional information to Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:59:33 AM a website. Kynetx's extensions Kynetx offers developers a Sponsor use Action Cards to augment single platform for building For now, of course, only the these sites with additional extensions for multiple browsers. Windows version of Chrome information. One example for Developers write their code in s u p p o r t s e x t e n s i o n s , b u t such a plugin is this app that K y n e t x ' s o w n r u l e - b a s e d extension support for the OSX reminds users when a company language and the service builds and Linux version is scheduled to offers a discount through AAA. the actual extensions. Originally, arrive soon. For some more details about the Kynetx only supported Firefox Kynetx is a universal browser company, have a look at this and Internet Explorer, but a few e x t e n s i o n t h a t h a s a f e w video interview Robert Scoble days ago, the company also similarities to Greasemonkey. did with the company's founder announced support for Google The programming language for and CTO. The company also C h r o m e . T h a n k s t o t h i s , the extension is the Kynetx Rule offers a good tutorial and developers can now use Kynetx's Laguage (KRL) and the company documentation here. AppBuilder tool to build and offers an online editor for writing AppBuilder Tour View more deploy custom extensions for the apps on top of Kynetx. presentations from knightfour. three top browsers that offer a We should note that Kynetx Discuss doesn't allow users to build every built-in plugin architecture.

Submitted at 12/21/2009 6:49:39 AM

Dailymotion, the Paris-based video sharing portal that is extremely popular in Europe, just launched its first set of iPhone applications. Dailymotion launched two apps: a free adsupported version ( iTunes link) and a paid version for $5.99 ( iTunes link) that does not feature any ads. The apps allow iPhone users to play videos from Dailymotion's catalog of roughly 12 million videos. Dailymotion users can also use the apps to upload videos directly to the service. Sponsor Until now, the only way to access Dailymotion from the iPhone was through a mobileoptimized web interface. Given

YouTube's position as a default app on the iPhone, this put Dailymotion at a significant disadvantage. In terms of content, Dailymotion can't really compete with YouTube, where users now upload more than 24 hours of video per minute, but the app can easily compete with those from other streaming video services. One feature of the app we especially like is how easy it is to browse through different categories. This is also where Dailymotion's international focus shines through, as the app also makes it very straightforward to restrict searches to popular videos in a specific country. Discuss

Paley Center next in line to try and kill the Emmy elephant By Danny Gallagher (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:29:00 PM

The Emmys have been the reigning king of awarding television excellence and snubbing true television excellence since the dawn of the

medium. Many have tried to topple the immovable giant, but none have succeeded. That doesn't mean no one is willing to still try. The Paley Center for Media is shopping their own television awards show to the networks. have made an official deal and So far, none of the networks

the Center denies that their show is attempting to knock Emmy off the face of the Earth, but the timing seems to suggest otherwise. The Emmys' deal with the network runs out next year and has grown tired of its stale ratings and favoritism towards the cable shows. Well maybe if

the networks stopped airing the Emmys, they would have more time for shows that are actually good. Filed under: Awards, Emmys, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

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Small Biz Corner: Email Campaign Software By Matthew Bookspan (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 12/21/2009 6:00:58 AM

Welcome to a new monthly series from TheAppleBlog. Each month we will cover a a specific topic specific to Small Businesses who use Macs. As a small business owner/sole proprietor, connecting with customers is hard. There are all sorts of communication tools available, with social media being the most prevalent today. However, as old-school as it might seem, email is still the killer-app for the web. And, given that, you must have a strategy to connect with your customers via email. Thankfully, there are many tools on the Mac available to help you do just that. What type of email campaigns might you use? Some examples might include: • Marketing Slicks • Press Releases • Newsletters • Advertisements • And more For the purpose of this article, let’s look at both Pro editions of Direct Mail from e3 Software and MaxBulk Mailer from MaxProg. Both applications are relatively easy to use, although I found Direct Mail to be a little easier to work with overall. Each version has more features than their basic counterparts. To see a

comparison list between the standard and pro features, please read here(Direct Mail) and here(MaxBulk). Direct Mail Pro 2.2.3 When you first launch Direct Mail Pro, you receive a warning about sending SPAM. This is noteworthy, because of the two apps, only Direct Mail Pro mentions this as a potential issue. SPAM nanny screen from Direct Mail Upon agreement, you are presented with the main application and can see the options available. Direct Mail Pro automatically detects and uses any email accounts already present on your computer. To get started, I created a sample email (I copied the HTML from another email) and then added Mail Merge tags for the date and first name (there are tags available): Direct Mail Initial Window with an example Email - credit comes from U2.com Direct Mail Pro integrates with the Address Book, Microsoft Entourage and Daylite (as well as others) so that you can easily add users or groups. Once the users are added, click Send Message… Direct Mail Pro includes (for a significant upgrade fee of $60) an email delivery service if you would rather not use your own email account. Send Message Dialog Box After you click Send, you’ll

receive another SPAM warning. In some ways, this is irritating, although I can understand the precaution from the developer. Frankly, there should be an option to not see this dialog box. SPAM nanny dialog box, round II With the included e3 Delivery Service in Direct Mail Pro, you can track emails and view reports that include the email message, statistics, any hyperlinks, if the email was received by its audience as well as any potential bounced emails: Direct Mail Pro History Tab with Reports/Results MaxBulk Mailer Pro 7.1 When compared to Direct Mail Pro, MaxBulk Mailer Pro is a similar, yet different animal. MaxBulk takes a more hands-on approach to solving the email campaign problem. There is much more configuration involved than Direct Mail Pro, and with that configuration comes a little more flexibility. There are no SPAM warnings when you first run MaxBulk Mailer Pro. The application window is very similar to Direct

Mail Pro in that you have main some main tabs and simple toolbar for managing your email creation. In the example below, I have created a plain text email and provided some initial tags and specified formatting. MaxBulk Mailer Pro Message Window with Tags Unlike Direct Mail Pro, you do have to configure your email settings in the Settings tab. This is more cumbersome and can take some trial and error to ensure you have the right configuration prior to sending your message. Further, there is a preview tab that displays what the final message will look like and allows you to render your message in a browser. Once your message has been sent, you receive a confirmation email with the relevant statistics: MaxBulk Mailer Pro Delivery Report A unique feature to MaxBulk Mailer Pro is that you can configure your own server to process the results of any email campaigns you send (this takes a little more configuration and advanced knowledge of database and FTP setup). Compared to Direct Mail Pro which includes its e3 Delivery service (and for a $60 premium), this is a nice feature. MaxBulk Mailer Pro MLM Installation Dialog Box Conclusion Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do

you like tools that do the work for you? If you’re the former, then I recommend MaxBulk Mailer. If you’re the latter, then I recommend Direct Mail Pro. Of course, there are other factors you need to consider, including: Pricing • MaxBulk Mailer Pro is $59.90, which includes the ability to track email messages that you set up on your own server. • Direct Mail Pro is $119, but it includes the ability to track email messages, handle bounced emails and more without any extra work on your end. Application Integration • Native: Apple Address Book, Microsoft Entourage, Apple Mail, CSV files and more. • Via a separate plugin, you can import contacts from Marketcircle’s Daylite as well. As for me, I chose Direct Mail Pro. I find the product is more polished and it makes email creation and management easier. In the end, I don’t think you will fail to accomplish your customer communication goal with either program. FTC Disclaimer: Not-for-resale copies were provided for this review.

Apple/ TV/

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Rumor Has It: WWDC 2010 Set for June 28-July 2

Nick Jonas Joins Kelly Ripa As Guest Co-Host On “Live! With Regis and Kelly” on January 8, 2010

By Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog)

By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:00:19 AM

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is as inevitable as the changing of the seasons, but that doesn’t stop me from getting excited when we get word of a firm date for the event. The Moscone Center’s booking schedule today reveals a block between June 28 and July 2 reserved for a “Corporate Event.” The timing fits perfectly with Apple’s traditional schedule for the event, which always falls somewhere in late June/early July. In addition, Apple has in the past used the bland “Corporate Event” as the stand-in title for the WWDC. Taken together, this amounts to more than just a rumor, but it remains speculation on the technicality that Apple hasn’t officially commented. The WWDC keynote speech, which will in all likelihood take place Tuesday, June 29, if history is any indication, has seen the introduction of a new iPhone for the past three years. Most, if not all, industry watchers expect this time around to be no different in

that regard. What people don’t agree on is what the new iPhone will have in store for consumers. TUAW points out one interesting possibility: The keynote would mark the debut of a new iPhone exactly three years later than the release of the first, which many suspect is when Apple’s exclusive contract with AT&T ends. If true, the timing seems remarkably suited for the announcement of a new partnership with another

provider, be it Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint. The international trend has been toward more iPhones on more providers, and Apple would be able to benefit from opening up the sale of its device in terms of both subscriber count and improved service quality, so I’d say a new partnership announcement is likely to be in the offing.

tours, awards galore and a box office smash 3-D concert film, Nick Jonas chose to forgo a Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:25:34 AM vacation and step back into the via press release: studio. His new project, Nick NICK JONAS JOINS KELLY Jonas & the Administration, RIPA matches him with an “A-Team” AS GUEST CO-HOST ON of musicians, and their first “LIVE! WITH REGIS AND album will debut on February 2, KELLY” 2010. Their debut CD, “Who I FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010 Am,” radically expands the NEW YORK, NY – Nick Jonas b o r d e r s o f N i c k ’ s m u s i c a l is best known as a member of ambitions, with ten strikingly one of the most successful bands soulful new songs, all written or of all time … and he’s now co-written by Nick. striking out on his own with a The Nick Jonas & The brand-new project, Nick Jonas & Administration Tour will kick off the Administration … but on in Dallas on January 2, 2010, and Friday, January 8, 2010, he’ll be will feature songs from the new part of a duet as he joins talk album as well as some surprise show host Kelly Ripa as guest co cover songs and a handful of -host of “LIVE! with Regis and Jonas Brothers songs. Kelly.” “LIVE! with Regis and Kelly” is Although Jonas Brothers hosted executive produced by Michael the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, Gelman, and is distributed by this will be Nick’s first time D i s n e y - A B C D o m e s t i c taking on hosting duties in a talk Television. Produced by WABCshow format. Among the guests TV in New York, “LIVE! with he and Ripa will welcome will be Regis and Kelly” airs every actor Zach Braff, star of the ABC weekday morning in more than comedy “Scrubs” and actress 200 markets across the country. Marion Cotillard from the film # # # “Nine.” Five Filters featured article: After a two-year-long wild ride Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: t h a t s a w J o n a s B r o t h e r s PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, skyrocket to fame with albums Term Extraction. that raced up the charts, sold out

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App Store External Games Rating Pressure Mounts By Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog)

What's On Tonight: The Sing-Off, Find My Family, Monday Night Football By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:00:07 AM

Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:07:00 PM

Apple implemented its own games rating system when it introduced iPhone OS 3.0, one that’s designed to let consumers know what kind of content they’re in for when they buy any kind of software from the App Store. But according to some notable critics, it isn’t enough. South Korean regulators, for instance only allow games to be sold in the country that are reviewed and rated by the official government Games Ratings Board, and so the Korean App Store actually doesn’t include a “Games” category or any of the apps therein. The blanket blocking policy isn’t a perfect solution, though, since many games are still available through the “Entertainment” section, or by using the App Stores of other countries, something which is very easy to

• TBS has a Family Guy marathon all night. • At 8, ABC has I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown, followed by a new Find My Family. • NBC has the two-hour season do using a fake U.S. address and market — some 150,000 units finale of The Sing-Off at 8, then temporary Visa gift card, for have been sold in the three weeks a new Jay Leno Show. example. The Ratings Board is since it was launched — tension • At 8:30, Food Network has a worried about the violent and between the Ratings Board and holiday episode of Good Eats, then a holiday episode of sexual content that slips through Apple is expected to grow. these cracks. Another country notorious for its U n w r a p p e d . Speaking to the Korea Herald, game ratings, Australia, is also • ESPN has Monday Night one official for the video game seeking to gain the ability to Football at 8:30, the Giants vs. regulatory group said that they’d review content before its offered the Redskins. approached Apple to discuss the for sale to consumers via the App • At 9, TNT has the season finale possibility of opening up the App Store. Sooner or later, I expect of The Closer, followed by a new Store’s games to review and Apple will have to address these Men of a Certain Age. classification by the board, but requests, but I imagine it’ll wait • USA has a new Monday Night that Apple had yet to respond. As until some organization or RAW at 9. the iPhone continues to gain legislation forces its hand. • At 9:30, History Channel has three new episodes of Pawn ground in the South Korean

Brittany Murphy's Father: I Don't Understand How She Died (ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 12/21/2009 7:33:00 AM

ET has the latest... Brittany Murphy's father is speaking out about the death of

his daughter saying, "I can't believe this is happening. She was a young 32. She wasn't supposed to die like this." Her father, Angelo Bertolotti, tells Us Weekly that he hadn't

seen his daughter in three years, blaming their estrangement on her marriage to Simon Monjack. "Ever since she married that Simon, I lost contact with her," he tells Us. "But I always kept

track of her to make sure she was OK in case she needed me. She married him and everything changed. After that, we weren't so close."

Stars. • At 10, A&E has a new Hoarders. Check your local TV listings for more. After the jump, the late night talk shows. Continue reading What's On Tonight: The Sing-Off, Find My Family, Monday Night Football Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

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Streaming Lots of High Quality Video Wirelessly to My Big Screen TV By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:49:42 AM

A few weeks ago, I had a moment of new computer envy and upgraded my machine to a Dell Windows 7 OEM machine available at Best Buy. It’s not a top of the line desktop, though it’s not shabby either: • Intel i7 860 processor • 8GB of RAM • 1 GB Video card (middle of the road) • 1 TB hard drive (definitely not high end speed wise) • Windows 7 Home premium $1,019 bucks on sale before tax. For whatever reasons, it was a few hundred dollars more expensive to configure a Dell Studio XPS 8000 as above directly via Dell. The machine is no longer $100 off, but as of this writing is still available from Best Buy for $1,119, which is still at least a couple hundred dollars cheaper than a similarly configured machine directly from Dell. I have a nearly 3 year old 1080p 24” monitor that’s still perfectly fine for my purposes so I didn’t upgrade that. I Wasn’t Expecting Much From The Upgrade Other Than Satisfying New Computer Envy! I wasn’t expecting to notice much improvement beyond

performance improvements when heavily multitasking and satisfying my computer upgrading jones. I had an almost 3 year old OEM Vista machine and perhaps because it was OEM, I never had any of the issues with Vista that many people had as far as stuff not working. With the new machine, visibly I didn’t notice much of a change beyond performance both when multitasking and for video. The new middle of the road video card is MUCH better than the

video card I’d had on my Windows desktop the last few years. I could turn on some features of “Aero” I had turned off on the old machine, so my desktop was a bit prettier, but otherwise there was not much change and there wasn’t much in the way of “new car smell” with this upgrade. I was happy with the upgrade though. I saw the improvements during multitasking I’d hoped to see and though I really didn’t probably need to upgrade, I

rationalized it as a good decision. FYI, the upgrade process was pretty seamless. I backed up all the documents, e-mail and media I wanted on the new machine to a USB hard drive and basically just plugged it and the Internet into the new computer. I turned it on and it worked. Did a new install of Microsoft Office, and downloaded and installed a couple of things like Firefox and iTunes. As upgrades go, it was absolutely pain-free. And as far as all that goes, I

figured that was the end of the story. I predicted the upgrade would be non-eventful and it was non-eventful to the point of being nothing to write home about. Until recently when… There I Was Playing Tiger Woods Golf on The PS3 Tiger before the scandal! Immortalized in video form. Anyway, at some point I clicked out of the game to the PS3 menus and was scrolling through them when I noticed a Windows Media Player icon. So I clicked on that. And I thought, wow, that’s pretty cool – the PS3 just sees my media on the new machine. So I ran it through the paces. Starting out with viewing pictures from my desktop computer on my big screen wirelessly through the PS3 and then moving to music. Both worked flawlessly. But my experience with beaming music and pictures to my TV had always been pretty good. So I moved on to video, where my experiences hadn’t been as good. Very surprisingly to me, it just worked. Flawlessly. A Brief History Of Streaming Media From My Desktop To My Television I first became enamored with such capabilities in 2004. I even bought a wireless media extender for the sole purpose of sending STREAMING page 46

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“Spartacus” Renewed for 2nd Season on Starz before 1st Season Premiere By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:16:22 PM

via press release: STARZ RETURNS TO THE ARENA WITH MORE ‘SPARTACUS’ Second Season of Highly Anticipated Action Adventure Series Gets Green Light Prior To January 22 Premiere Burbank, Calif. – December 21, 2009– In a bold vote of confidence, Starz executives announced plans today to order a second season of the groundbreaking new original series“Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” set to premiere Friday, January 22nd at 10 pm ET/PT. The unusual timing of the renewal, more than one month prior to the debut of the highly anticipated program, gives returning executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight (who is also the head writer on the show) the green light to start production in New Zealand on 13 new episodes in the first quarter of 2010. “We couldn’t be happier with the first season. Spartacus delivers on all levels – action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement,” said Starz Entertainment EVP, Programming, Stephan

Shelanski. “Spartacus is the most ambitious original project we’ve ever undertaken, and speaks to the commitment to our subscribers to provide truly original programming along with our unmatched lineup of theatrical features.” “Steven S. DeKnight and his team of writers have created a rich narrative that lays the groundwork for more great stories,” added Executive Producer Rob Tapert. “The slave rebellion led by Spartacus and the oh-so-current political

well as fresh faces. The series is shot utilizing virtual environments in the graphic novel style of such successful features as 300 and Sin City. The process gives the show a fresh narrative approach and a hyper-realistic look that is unlike anything yet seen on TV. It’s an entirely new vision of the ancient legend. Debuting exclusively on Starz,“Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is produced by Starz Media with Executive Producers Rob Tapert ( The Grudge,“Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”), Sam Raimi ( Spider-Man and The Evil Dead), Joshua Donen ( The Quick and the Dead) and Steven S. DeKnight (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). About Starz Media Starz Media, LLC, is a programming production and intrigue and personal dynamics “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” distribution company operating laid out in the first season features Australian newcomer worldwide. It includes the Film provide rich source material for Andy Whitfield as the title R o m a n , A n c h o r B a y the second season and beyond.” character, a Thracian fighting to E n t e r t a i n m e n t , a n d M a n g a The title of the second season is return to his wife after being sold Entertainment brands. Its units expected to be “ Spartacus: into slavery at a gladiatorial create animated and live-action Vengeance,” but other details are school. He is joined by Lucy p r o g r a m m i n g — i n c l u d i n g being kept under wraps, so as not L a w l e s s ( “ X e n a : W a r r i o r t h e a t r i c a l f i l m s — a n d to spoil any of the sure-to-shock P r i n c e s s , ” “ B a t t l e s t a r : programming created under plot twists the first season Galactica”) as the deceptive c o n t r a c t f o r o t h e r m e d i a promises to deliver. Lucretia, John Hannah ( The companies. It distributes that Nearly 4 million moviegoers Mummy movies) as her power- programming, and programming saw the new “ Spartacus: Blood hungry husband Batiatus, Peter acquired from outside producers, and Sand” trailer in theaters over Mensah ( 300) as the head of the the weekend and it is expected to gladiatorial school, Doctore, “SPARTACUS” page 45 hit wide online today. along with a cast of familiar as

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Disney XD picks-up Live-Action Comedy Series “Pair of Kings” By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:28:36 AM

via press release: DISNEY XD ORDERS A NEW LIVE-ACTION COMEDY SERIES “PAIR OF KINGS” – Mitchel Musso (“Hannah Montana,” “Phineas and Ferb”) and Doc Shaw (“The Suite Life on Deck,” “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”) to Star – Disney XD orders “Pair of Kings” a live-action comedy series for kids and families about two fraternal twins who are living a typical teenage life in Chicago, but unbeknownst to them, are the successors to the throne of The Island of Kinkou. The multi-camera series will begin production in Hollywood in March 2010 and begin airing in Fall 2010 around the world. Starring are popular actor and Walt Disney Records recording artist Mitchel Musso (“Hannah Montana,” “Phineas and Ferb”) as Brady and Doc Shaw (“The Suite Life on Deck” and “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”) as Boomer. The series follows 16-year-old fraternal twins, Brady and Boomer, who lead a typical

teenage life while being raised by their aunt and uncle in Chicago. But when Mason, the Royal Secretary to the Throne of the Island of Kinkou, arrives at their High School to inform the stunned boys of their extraordinary lineage, their lives are about to change drastically. Now, Brady and Boomer must relocate to the island to claim their throne as joint Kings of an island filled with odd superstitions and customs –while trying not to cause havoc at every turn. Their efforts are often helped and hindered by Mason’s adorable daughter, Mikayla, and a disgruntled cousin and wannabe king, Lanny, who’s out to sabotage them and steal the throne. Rounding out the cast is Geno Segers (touring production of Disney’s “The Lion King”) as Mason, Kelsey Chow (“One Tree Hill”) as Mikayla and Ryan Ochoa (Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”) as Lanny. The series was created and executive-produced by Dan Cross and Dave Hoge from Disney XD’s “Aaron Stone” and the UPN’s “One on One.” Matt Wickline (“Frank TV,” “The Hughleys”) will also serve as executive producer, Leo Clarke

(“Frank TV,” “The Steve Harvey Show”) as producer and Don Beck (“Reba,” “8 Simple Rules”) as consulting producer. “Pair of Kings” is produced by It’s A Laugh Productions, Inc. Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for Kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. Disney XD branded content spans television, online, mobile and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and shortform, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches over 74 million households via its basic cable affiliates. Disney XD recently launched in the UK, France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Latin America and Japan. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

“SPARTACUS” continued from page 44

through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media ( www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group. About Starz Entertainment Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.3 million and 30.7 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD,

Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment ( www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz (NASDAQ: LSTZA), a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Topshop and Harrods: Future Neighbors By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog)

space big, the amount of traffic from people who travel to the area is expected to bring in major Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:20:30 AM profits for the brand. Brompton Topshop is coming to tony Road plays home to every shop Knightsbridge and staking out you can imagine, from Zara to major real estate right across the Harvey Nichols to Burberry and street from Harrods. Jaeger, so Topshop is going to fit The new retail site, which will right in. reside at 70 Brompton Road, — Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin stands to be one of the most Follow ELLE on Twitter. impactful UK openings for the Become our Facebook fan! High Street king. Not only is the

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STREAMING continued from page 43

pictures, music and video from my desktop to my TV. But 2004 was now 2 computers ago, and the hardware has gotten much better. By the time I upgraded my XBOX to an XBOX 360 the next year, the 360 essentially served as a wireless media extender (provided you hooked up the wireless adapter to it) and it was a better extender than the extender that had no other purpose than being an extender. But while I could get everything to work, it required a lot of futzing around on the desktop machine and installing this and that and tweaking this and that. And I could never get HD video to stream wirelessly reliably (of course, in 2004 and 2005 the wireless hardware was not as good as they are now). Sometime back when I saw the PS3 had added into its OS the ability to stream media to it from a desktop, I played around with it a bit (and this is separate from my earlier playing around with Sony’s “Slingbox” equivalent the “Location Free Player”) but it required installing things on my

desktop and tweaking and tweaking, all things which I once upon a time enjoyed a lot, but now have moved into my my Roger Murtaugh years. I am getting too old for this s—t. When Things Just Work, That’s Pretty Cool And in this case, quite unexpected. While Computer technology has come a long way, all my prior experience with the tweaking necessary to make beaming video around the house from the desktop work did not leave me thinking it would improve anytime soon. Part of the problem is there are so many ways to encode video into digital format. Part of the problems were networking and correctly configuring wireless routers and whatnot. But I guess part of the problem was hardware that could re-encode high definition video for streaming fast enough. Hardware that apparently I now finally have. To Windows 7’s credit it all just worked without my needing to do anything. I didn’t need to install any universal codec

software and I didn’t need to tweak anything at all on my computer. Earlier, I’d already shared my media library with my home network. I didn’t dust off the XBOX 360 (I’ve been in the mode where all the new games I’ve bought have been for the PS3) and I’m sure that works equally well. And I didn’t try to stream video I’d bought on iTunes – I’m guessing due to copyright protection there might be some issues, but I will probably play around with that over Christmas. I have quite a bit of content in stored digitally in high definition that I’d been meaning to get around to watching. Now I can watch it from the couch. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Lea Michele reflects on singing Streisand By Allison Waldman (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:38:00 PM

I have to admit that from the first time I saw Glee, I loved Lea Michele. The character of Rachel Berry, that "determined to be a star and I don't care who knows it" attitude appealed to me. I recognized that feeling, too, because I remember watching Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl in the movies and having the same feeling of identification. When Streisand finished singing "I'm the Greatest Star" as Fanny Brice, I was convinced. Well, Lea feels it, too. She's a major Streisand fan and she loved singing a Barbra song on Glee. Every time Lea Michele has had a chance to go diva -- like "Maybe This Time" and "Defying Gravity" -- she's displayed that Streisandesque musical power. So when the winter finale had the New Directions show choir at sectionals and Rachel stepped up

to sing "Don't Rain on My Parade," I was on the edge of my seat. I wondered if Lea would pull it off. I say that because it's a very hard song to do, everything is on the offbeat and it's a driving melody that requires a big voice and a lot of stamina. Continue reading Lea Michele reflects on singing Streisand Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free, Glee Permalink| Email this| | Comments

No Fines Likely for Ochocinco, Marshall By Dave Goldberg (Fanhouse Main) Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:23:00 AM

Filed under: Bengals, Broncos The NFL is unlikely to fine Chad Ochocinco, Brandon Marshall or

any other player who paid tribute to the late Chris Henry of Cincinnati during Sunday's games. Ochocinco, who originally wanted to wear his teammates number 15 against the San Diego

Chargers, carried Henry's jersey

onto the field before the game. Then he fell to his knees in the end zone and looked up at the heavens after scoring on a 49yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer during the game. Marshall, who wears No. 15 for

Denver, warmed up in a Jersey with "Henry'' on the back although he wore his own name during Sunday's game with Oakland.

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NFL on FOX Doubleheader Posts 9% Overnight Ratings Increase By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers) Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:26:33 AM

via FOX Sports: N F L O N F O X DOUBLEHEADER POSTS 9% OVERNIGHT RATINGS INCREASE East Coast Snowstorm Moves Two Games to Late Window Forcing Regionalization Changes Severe weather on the east coast made for a chaotic NFL weekend, with the end result being solid ratings for the NFL on FOX’s WEEK 15 DOUBLEHEADER. A massive blizzard forced 1:00 PM games in Philadelphia (vs. SF) and Baltimore (vs. Chicago) to be rescheduled for 4:15, giving FOX two early games and four late games. The NFL on FOX REGIONAL GAME earned an 8.5/17 average household rating/share as the Atlanta-NY Jets game originally assigned to 24% of the U.S. was eventually delivered to 86%, while the Arizona-Detroit audience increased from 3% to 8%. Later in the day the NFL on FOX NATIONAL GAME earned a 15.1/28. The Green BayPittsburgh game was originally slated to be seen in 90% of the country, ended up in 42%, while

Ghost Intervention joins the ranks of paranormal stalkers By John Scott Lewinski (TV Squad) Submitted at 12/21/2009 3:02:00 PM

I confess I've written more than my fair share of posts complaining about the neverending march of paranormal, ghost busting shows haunting TV these days. You know the shows I refer to -- the "documentaries" promising to prove the existence Tampa Bay-Seattle switched the 4.7/13 rating for the Raiders- of ghosts without ever finding from 7% to 6%. Scheduled to be Broncos game on CBS. This is anything resembling actual proof. seen by 51% of the country at the third time this year where two Every time I've written 1:00 PM, the SF-Philadelphia local teams have played games something bemoaning the arrival went to 42% at 4:15, and head-to-head, the other two of another such show, I think it Chicago-Baltimore, also moved instances being Giants-Jets head- has to be over soon. There can't from early to late, saw its to-heads in Week 3 and Week 8. b e a n o t h e r h o u r o f c l o d s audience decrease from 16% to FOX NFL SUNDAY delivered a stumbling around in night vision 7%. Yesterday’s regional and 3.4/8 yesterday, a +3% bump and reacting to sights and sounds national games combined to over last season’s 3.3/8, a solid the audience doesn't get to average an 11.8/23, a +9% gain number given that the re-jiggered experience. over last year’s 10.8/22 for schedule provided only two 1:00 But, they keep coming. They singleheader coverage. Season- PM games as a lead-out. Season- keep finding nothing. But, to-date FOX is now averaging a to-date FOXNFL SUNDAY is up evidently, people keep watching 12.7/25 in the metered overnight +3% in the overnights (3.4/8 vs. them. Now, we have Ghost markets, up +5% over 2008’s 3.3/8). Intervention-- running through 12.1/24. Five Filters featured article: December. The 4-part docuThe rescheduling of the Niners- Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Eagles game made for a rare PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, scenario in San Francisco, Term Extraction. where 49ers and Raiders games went head-to-head, with 49ers posting a 13.9/38, nearly tripling

series from TLC "chronicles a case manager and a team of women with psychic abilities as they try to help different families who are struggling with paranormal activity in their homes." Continue reading Ghost Intervention joins the ranks of paranormal stalkers Filed under: Other SciFi/Supernatural Shows, Documentary, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments

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More Staffers Leave the New York Observer [Media Crack] By Hamilton Nolan (Gawker)

this be a lesson: Always blame editors for everything. Hilton Hotels has a flack named In your merry maudlin Monday Flack! "' A film like this has a media column: Changes on the truly global reach and allows NYO's political beat, Washington global marketing,' Mr. Flack Post copy editors are a joke, a said." Now we've seen flack named Flack, and a reporter everything! braves Wal-Mart, for journalism. Let's just salute the intrepidity The New York Observer' s new (word?) of NYT reporter editor Kyle Pope is already Stephanie Rosenbloom, who making changes. On the politics in his own way, as well. On his spent an entire shift as a worker beat specifically. Political writer honeymoon with Ivanka Trump: at a Wal-Mart in New Jersey, Steve Kornacki is ending his So, everyone's pitching in! being forced to endure mandatory days as a full time employee and For the record: the Washington employee pep rallies complete becoming a contributor. And Post reporter who wrote the story with hip-wiggling and cries of fellow political writer Jimmy that led to the year's dumbest "whoo whoo," in relation to the Vielkind is leaving the NYO and correction, in which the paper fact of being employed at Walmoving to a political writing job thought Public Enemy's "911 Is a Mart. By our reckoning hers is at the Albany Times Union. Joke" referred to 9/11, was not the second-worst time ever had Meanwhile, NYO owner Jared responsible for the mistake. It by a reporter at Wal-Mart. Kushner is overcoming adversity was a copy editor's fuckup. Let Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:21:09 AM

Top TV Stories of 2009: The Real Housewives were everywhere By Allison Waldman (TV Squad)

fashion shows, potential husbands dying suddenly ... and that was just on one installment. Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:02:00 PM Let's take a look back, show by The Bravo network has had a lot show, shall we, starting with the of success with reality TV, newest bunch of merry wives, the especially the Real Housewives Jersey girls. Their specialty was of Orange County, which begat table flipping. the Real Housewives of New Continue reading Top TV York City, which begat the Real Stories of 2009: The Real Housewives of Atlanta... and in Housewives were everywhere 2009, the Real Housewives of Filed under: Other Reality New Jersey. It's been quite a year Shows, Programming, OpEd, for the women, and believe me, Video, Ratings they all made news. Permalink| Email this| | There were hit songs, wigs being C o m m e n t s pulled, economic strife, dueling

Roy's Tongue Commits UNC Turnovers By Terence Moore (Fanhouse Main) Submitted at 12/20/2009 3:22:00 PM

Filed under: North Carolina First, I thought it was me. Guess not. Looks like Roy Williams really is out of control. And don't look now, but Williams' North Carolina basketball team will spend

Tuesday night playing the first of three consecutive home games when (yawn) Marshall comes to

town. Which means the Dean Dome will have plenty of empty seats. Which means you should be able to hear a Marshall fan yell something at a North Carolina player at the foul line such as -- oh say, "Don't miss it, Deon." Which means Smith may embarrass himself again.

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News of First Major Progressive Legislation in 30 Years Enrages Liberals [Shut Up] By Pareene (Gawker)

remember that because it was a joke we were making about how you have lost all sense of Ugh. Shut up, bill-killing perspective.) liberals. You know who has more What happens when Alan liberal cred than all of you? Grayson is elected president, Bernie Sanders, who secured $10 exactly? His sharp tongue billion for community health and embarrasses Ben Nelson into then voted for cloture. supporting a woman's right to He would prefer universal single choose? A well-timed quip -payer! He introduced an convinces the Republican party amendment to that end! It did not to give up on a scorched-earth even make it to a vote, though, style of obstructionist opposition because of parliamentary tactics, that will probably yield them whee. But he decided, "this bill electoral victories next year? He will help poor and working would pull the troops out. There's people, and no bill will hurt that! Maybe you would like some them," and so he is using his members of his cabinet a little leverage to attempt to improve it, more! like a good socialist senator. But what we actually need, if He is not throwing a tantrum Olbermann and Matt Taibbi are Grayson 2012 primary challenge you like Alan Grayson, is more (though he does get shouty all elected to a new kind of against Obama? Obama, who is Alan Graysons in the House and sometimes!) and inventing a new Senate that only needs three not just "Bush-lite" but Bush- in the Senate. (Well, what we reality in which this bill's failure votes to pass legislation and they same!(Remember when Bush need is the complete abolition of means we'll totally get a better declare us Canada for Christmas" a t t e m p t e d t o n e g o t i a t e a n the Senate too, but let's start health care bill next year or option. international climate deal, pass a small and aim big, the way something. I mean, what? The Look â&#x20AC;&#x201D; we like Alan Grayson. jobs-focused economic stimulus, progressives did things in the options are literally "pass this We will defend him against those reform the nation's health care d a y s b e f o r e a m i l l i o n a i r e HANDOUT to the insurance centrist "oh but Democrats have industry, and come up with a sportscaster was their spiritual industries (that they are still to play nice" assholes who say he hopefully coherent plan to end leader.) The last couple guys lobbying against!) that will insure goes too far when he says the Afghanistan war in one year? broke the nation, basically, and millions of people and improve truthful things about Rush And remember how his attempts Barack Obama's best quality the social safety net for those in Limbaugh. Alan Grayson gives at all those things were stymied might be that he has a very danger of losing their insurance" good quote and is a credit to the b y a n u n c o o p e r a t i v e a n d realistic idea of how to begin or "fuck off home to let people House of Representatives. He undemocratic Senate, but he still going about fixing some shit. continue to die because we got should continue to let his freak managed to make real and super mad at Senator Fuckface flag fly. tangible gains on each of them? from Connecticut." There is not a But jesus, christ, an Alan Oh, no, you probably don't third " Alan Grayson and Keith Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:30:15 AM

Andrei Markov Could Carry Montreal to the Playoffs By Christopher Botta (Fanhouse Main) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:00:00 AM

Filed under: Canadiens Of all the injuries to big-time players this NHL season, the Canadiens' loss of defenseman Andrei Markov may have been the most underrrated by measure of impact to the team. Perhaps it's because Markov is a brilliant player but not a star. Maybe it's because the quiet Russian does not grab headlines. Or it could be that he plays in the minor hockey town of Montreal. (Just kidding about that last one). Whatever the reason, sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone. And boy, did the Canadiens miss Markov's 24minutes of sterling two-way play.

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Poetry in the Machine: 'Mismatched Plates' [Free Verse] By Brian Moylan (Gawker) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:52:38 AM

Seed, the AOL Media Borg that will destroy journalism, is still alive, despite our best efforts. Today we launch another missile of creativity at its hull. It asks what to do with mismatched plates, and we respond with a poem. That's right, Seed is a horrible awful mad robot brain that comes up with headlines based on the things that people are searching for on the internet. If this were an old library, they would take the most worn cards out of card catalog and cut them up to create little ransom notes. Once the headlines are made, it asks the fledgling writers at home to write articles based on them so that If we spent more time together, they'll have plenty of fresh I think you'd really like me, content to feed all their starving I'll take you to the Tastee Diner websites. This will crush all our oh so quaint and quirky. souls, and the only thing we have We pick on the pretentious to combat it with is poetry so that waiters this beast will come to a dressed like they're on the street creaking, grinding halt, like the and when ask what we'll be Tin Man before Dorothy found eating, him. Let us see how the ax falls we'll order something sweet today. Like pie or ice cream or Mismatched Plates*

chocolate mocha cream tarts and when it gets to the table that's my favorite part. Cause nothing comes on the same saucer, plate, or tray. "LOOK AT ME I'M DIFFERENT!" the china seems to say. The flotsom flatware tries so

hard like a hipster on parade that I wish I could blow it all up with a glittery grenade. But instead I grab your right knee beneath the table top and when my hand moves thighward you don't make me stop. Your corduroys are soft and fleshy I want in them soon, And none of this bullshit will matter when the dish runs away with the spoon. Original, actual assignment: What can you do with a set of mismatched dishes if you don't want to serve on them? Can you decorate your home with them? How? Can you make something with them? What? TARGET KEYWORDS: crafts. OTHER: Use embedded links where appropriate, with preference for links to relevant AOL properties. TONE: Friendly, informative, authoritative but not intimidating. SUGGESTED LENGTH: 300 Words. PAYS: $25 USD. [ Image via Catskills Grrl's Flickr]

Mistwalker's Sakaguchi to discuss new project next Spring By Ben Gilbert (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:30:00 PM

We've got a double dose of disappointment in Mistwalker news for you today, folks. Not only is Hironobu Sakaguchi's most recent blog post completely devoid of any Lego building advice, but it also appears that the game he's been working on -a game said to be nearly done-won't be announced until "around Spring next year." According to a translation by Siliconera, the Final Fantasy veteran apologized for his lack of communication on the title and the further delay in any real information. Unfortunately, it seems we still have a bit longer before that Lego Lost Odyssey announcement finally occurs. On second thought ... we can actually wait on that news. [Via Siliconera] Mistwalker's Sakaguchi to discuss new project next Spring originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Nightlife is New York City's Only Substantial Export [Nightlife]

MediaDailyNews: TAG Heuer Keeps Tiger Woods

By Brian Moylan (Gawker)

(MediaPost | Media News)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:45:37 AM

The Box is opening in Moscow! Amy Sacco is still going strong in London. Looks like Manhattan's party scene is better in other countries than here. But get ready, along with the "new Beatrice," 2010 is bringing a reopened Bungalow 8. On Daily Intel, Spencer Morgan alerted us to an email that Little Miss Sacco sent out last Friday that said, "SAVE FEB FASHION WEEK FOR THE GRAND REOPENING OF THE NEW BUNGALOW 8 NYC!" She had to use all caps, because she was screaming it from across the Atlantic. Ever since rumors of the

once 端ber-exclusive club closing started in earnest, Sacco started telling everyone she was just redoing the venue. Now she's either sticking to the party line or she's actually going through with it. More curious is Lower East Side burlesque palace The Box's move to Moscow, which Morgan jokes would be "first installment in [coowner Simon] Hammerstein's vision of a worldwide chain." He didn't have many details on what to expect, other than that it would target oligarch money (duh) and be tamer than the NYC version, which means patrons will only be allowed to smoke cigarettes inside and the vaginas on stage will not be allowed to sing or

dance like they often do in Manhattan. We circumstantially corroborated the Moscow deal with a reader sighting of Richard Kimmel, the executive director of

The Box, "at T.G.I. Fridays in friggn' Moscow airport with douchebag entourage that won't stop leaning on my chair and talking loudly about themselves." Looks like a worldwide chain is Richard Kimmel's favorite kind of place. Since we don't manufacture anything in the city anymore, at least we can still ship our glamour to foreign shores. We can't wait for the opening of Beijing's Beatrice Inn and Jakarta's Boom Boom Room. We're so there. [ Image via Getty]

Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:06:07 AM

TAG Heuer will maintain its relationship with golfer Tiger Woods, but modify his role in the coming months' marketing programs. Woods became a TAG Heuer brand ambassador in 2002. TAG is a leader in prestigious sports watches and chronographs. The company, like his other sponsors, will continue to support the Tiger Woods Foundation. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Reuters Will Kill a Story If a Hedge Fund Manager Asks Nicely [Journalismism] By John Cook (Gawker)

Cohen engaged in insider trading in the 1980s. According to Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:55:27 AM Talking Biz News' Chris Roush, According to Talking Biz News, Cohen got the story killed last editors at Reuters killed an week by calling Devin Wenig, investigation into embattled the CEO of Thomson Reuters hedge fund manager Steven Market Division, which oversees Cohen after Cohen called its the firm's journalism arm, to CEO to complain. complain. Reporter Matthew Goldstein had Cohen's ex-wife accused him in been looking into allegations, a lawsuit last week of profiting raised most recently in a lawsuit from insider information about filed by Cohen's ex-wife, that GE's purchase of RCA in 1986,

and Goldstein reported earlier this month that B.J. Kang, the lead FBI agent on the Galleon case, looked into Cohen's firm

SAC Capital Advisors two years ago. Given the PR Cohen has been facing of late, Goldstein's story must really have been a

standout to merit an effort to quash it through corporate channels. A Reuters spokeswoman told Roush that all the company's decisions are made "purely on journalistic grounds"; Goldstein told Gawker, "As you can imagine I can't comment on this."

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Give Us Your Best Holiday Travel Horror Stories [Christmas Crash] By Brian Moylan (Gawker) Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:55:46 AM

There are plenty of stressful things during the holidays—office parties, shopping, family—but there is nothing worse than travel. We want to hear your worst holiday travel stories, and we want them now. All aboard! The combination of horrible weather and too many people trying to get home to the warm embrace of the family hearth in time for December 25 makes this a perfect storm of logistical nightmares. Thanks to this weekend's snowstorm, I got stuck spending a bit more time in Connecticut than originally planned. I was there so long, my father beat me at cards—and then

he beat me. I'm scarred! But that is nothing compared to what has happened to you, dear readers. We know you got some fucked up families, so now we want to hear about cars getting stuck in snow banks, being stranded at the Omaha airport for

three weeks, and your family leaving on a European vacation while you slept upstairs and then defending your house from two evil, evil crooks who were trying to make off with all your worldly possessions. Now this is not a contest for

actual holiday stories about misbehaving families, shitty gifts, burnt dinners, or the time your Aunt Fanny tried to slip you the tongue under the mistletoe. No, that contest will be coming later this week. But in the spirit of the current Great Christmas Commute, we're going to ask you to tell your travel terror tales in the comments section. The winner will get a $50 MetroCard ( Standard Contest Rules apply; and yes you can have the cash if you'd prefer). The subway is no treat, but if you have to travel, you might as well do it within Manhattan. Alright boys and girls, the contest starts now. [ Image via Zimpenfish's Flickr]

Who Should We Trust in Wobbling NFC? By Jay Mariotti (Fanhouse Main)

sentiment that the Vikings are the NFC's most complete team given their playmakers on offense, Submitted at 12/20/2009 3:59:00 PM difference-makers on defense and Filed under: NFL Editor's Note: the fact Brett Favre's arm hasn't This column has been updated fallen off as his gray beard from its original version. reveals flecks of -- would you In this year of the fraud, from believe? -- white. Tiger to A-Rod to Balloon Boy, But then, just as we started to we now confront the question of envision the world's first Allwhich football team is the bigger Apolis Super Bowl, Minnesota tease: the Saints or Cowboys. It's laid its own rotten egg Sunday entirely possible both will crash night against Carolina. It was the in the postseason, which should second time in three games that confirm a once-common the Vikings looked like

Moore-- Matt Moore? -- find the forgotten Steve Smith enough to hand Minnesota its third loss. As for Favre, he was tortured the entire game by Julius Peppers and last was seen winging an interception in the end zone, as he did so often last winter in his Meadowlands meltdown with the Jets. wannabes. They couldn't run the ball with Adrian Peterson, couldn't stop the run, fell flat in the fourth quarter and let Matt

This Wednesday: 0 Day Attack on Earth attacks XBLA By Richard Mitchell (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:30:00 PM

As the final shopping days before Christmas begin to fly by, digital gift givers will have one more potential gift from Xbox Live Arcade. That gift is 0 Day Attack on Earth(at least it is according to Square Enix). Quick description: It's a twin-stick shooter that uses real-world satellite imagery for its environments (we suppose that's the "earth" part). For a slightly longer description, you can check out our hands-on with the game at the Tokyo Game Show earlier this year. We don't want to spoil it for you, but we walked away less than impressed. We'll update this post as soon as Microsoft confirms this week's XBLA title and price. Gallery: 0 Day Attack on Earth (XBLA) This Wednesday: 0 Day Attack on Earth attacks XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Henry’s Memory Lingers Over Week 15 (WSJ.com: The Daily Fix) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:54:09 AM

After a season defined largely by the yawning gap between the league’s haves and have-nots, parity seems to be creeping back into the NFL just in time for the postseason push. Week 15 was marked by a number of hardfought and emotional games, from the New Orleans Saints’ fall from the ranks of the undefeated against the Dallas Cowboys to the back-and-forth slugfest between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, two of the NFL’s worst teams. The most emotional games of the weekend, though, involved two reeling teams from the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers avoided becoming the first defending Super Bowl champs to lose six straight by winning a shootout with the Green Bay Packers. And the Cincinnati Bengals, still grieving the death of teammate Chris Henry, hung tough before falling to the San Diego Chargers. Getty Images Cincinnati’s Chad Ochocinco looks to the sky after scoring a touchdown Sunday. He was also seen weeping on the sidelines, days after the death of teammate Chris Henry. The Steelers and Packers traded scores right up to the last whistle in Sunday’s 37-36 Pittsburgh win, but some eye-popping passing from Ben Roethlisberger helped the Steelers salvage a win despite another lackluster

defensive effort. Roethlisberger finished with 503 yards and connected with wide receiver Mike Wallace on a gamewinning touchdown pass as time expired. In the Pittsburgh PostGazette, Ron Cook is in awe of Big Ben’s big day. “Each week, we get to watch one of the game’s all-time greats. Each week, we know the Steelers are never out of a game because of him,” Cook exults. Roethlisberger’s heroics rescued Steelers coach Mike Tomlin from the consequences of a controversial decision — opting for an onside kick after a goahead score late in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Packers to score on a shortened field and take back the lead. At Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner blog, MJD explains Tomlin’s thought process. At his blog Advanced NFL Stats, Brian Burke says it was the right call. No explanation was necessary for the Bengals’ evident heartache during Sunday’s game against the Chargers. Television cameras caught receiver Chad Ochocinco sobbing on the sidelines after a first-half touchdown catch, and the entire team played with a striking combination of purpose and sadness. At Sports Illustrated, Jim Trotter examines the team’s fractured psyche by focusing on Ochocinco’s game-day experience. At Fox Sports, Mark Kriegel explains why Ochocinco backed down from his earlier

pledge to play the game in Henry’s No. 15 jersey. Congratulations to everyone who bet that Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Harrison would put up the third-best single -game rushing performance in NFL history on Sunday and push Jim Brown out of the Cleveland Browns franchise record books. You know, Jerome Harrison, Cleveland’s 2006 fifth-round pick? Right, that guy rushed for 286 yards in Cleveland’s 41-34 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Harrison led college football in rushing during his senior season at Washington State and has long argued that he deserved a chance to start in Cleveland, or somewhere. “The funniest part: After years of telling everybody and anybody that he just needed a chance and he could do this — well, maybe not this — Harrison tried to play it cool Sunday night,” the Kalamazoo Gazette’s Graham Couch writes. Aiding Harrison’s efforts to downplay his achievement was the fact that his offensive explosion may not even have been the most impressive showing on his own team in the game. Joshua Cribbs returned two kickoffs 100 yards and 103

yards, respectively, both for touchdowns, giving him an NFLrecord eight career scores on kickoff returns. In the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jodie Valade caught up with Cribbs after his record-setting performance.* * * There are gay men in pro sports, the military, or whatever toughguy job you choose. While surely there are still some people out there clinging to the crude, old stereotype of the limp-wristed gay man, it’s worth remembering that the stereotype is just that: crude and old. It is also, thanks to the emergence from the closet of living rugby legend Gareth Thomas, looking just a little bit more outdated today. The Welsh rugby star, 35, captained the Wales and British Lions rugby teams during an accomplished career before retiring from international competition, but remains active with Britain’s Cardiff Blues. Thomas’s sexuality had reportedly been an open secret in the sport for many years, but is a secret no longer. “If you bend it like Beckham, or for that matter, if you can create mayhem on a rugby field, there is no room for denial. You may have a black skin, but that won’t hide your abilities,” Simon Barnes writes in the Times of London. “But if you can’t hide skin colour, you can certainly hide sexuality — and that has been sport’s secret for years. The rest of the world has changed: sport is, slowly, grudgingly, in its own time, catching up with the

society it caters for. Let us salute Gareth Thomas and look forward to the day when the courage he showed is no longer necessary — or even comprehensible.” In the Independent, Emily Dugan situates Thomas’s coming out in the context of the current British sporting scene.* * * As is true of many traditions, there’s less history and less provable merit behind the NBA’s de rigueur morning shootarounds than you’d expect. The practice originated not in the early years of pro basketball but in the early 1970s, and, thanks to different perspectives on the need for sleep (among other things), it may be on its way out. “For 38 years, the morning shoot -around has been an unquestioned staple of the N.B.A. game-day routine,” Howard Beck writes in the New York Times. “It may soon be extinct, another dusty exhibit in basketball history, next to the peach basket, the two-handed set shot and John Stockton’s short shorts. … A growing interest in sleep science — and a recognition that players need more time to recharge — is fueling the trend. Simply speaking, N.B.A. players often fail to get enough sleep.”* * * We were playing as Pete Incaviglia instead of an Elf Wizard, but for dorks of the preInternet era whose tastes ran more to baseball bats than HENRY’S page 56

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Jimmie Johnson named AP Male Athlete of the Year By Associated Press (ESPN.com) Submitted at 12/21/2009 8:48:10 AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- There was little recognition outside the racing world when Jimmie Johnson won his first NASCAR championship. Same with his second, and again with his third. But four straight championships? That's a different story. Johnson, the first driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive titles, earned mainstream recognition Monday when he was honored as the Male Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press. Johnson received 42 votes from editors at U.S. newspapers which are members of the AP. Tennis star Roger Federer(30 votes) and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt (29) were the only other athletes with totals in the double- digits. Although Tiger Woods was named Athlete of the Decade, the golfer received only nine votes for Athlete of the Year. He was tied with NBA star Kobe Bryant

and slugger Albert Pujols. For Johnson, the first race car driver to be named the AP's Athlete of the Year in its 78-year history, the award is the validation he's been waiting for since he began his historic run in 2006. "We'd been wondering the last few years, 'When is this going to hit?" he said. "It seems like the answer is now. The wave is finally peaking, and we don't know where it's going to take us. The fourth-straight title takes it out of our sport and makes it a point of discussion -- like, 'Wow, a race car driver won this thing." The 34-year-old Californian again schooled the competition, winning four of his seven races this season when the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship began in September. Two-time champion Tony Stewart dominated the "regular season," but it was Johnson and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team that turned it up when the stakes were highest. In the 10 Chase races, Johnson finished outside the top-10 only once: when he wrecked at Texas with Sam Hornish Jr. three laps

into the eighth race. The crash proved Johnson's mettle, as he sat inside his car, helmet on, for more than an hour as crew chief Chad Knaus led a total rebuild of his Chevrolet so that Johnson could return to the track. Although the 38th-place finish decimated his cozy lead in the standings, he shrugged off any potential challenge by rolling into Phoenix the next week and leading 238 of the 312 laps en route to a victory that turned the season finale into a low-key Sunday drive for Johnson. "I'm pretty sure that dude's Superman," said teammate Mark Martin, who finished second in the standings, 141 points behind Johnson. The march into the record books has attracted attention for Johnson far behind NASCAR's insulated garage. HBO Sports' award-winning "24/7" program has tabbed Johnson for a fourepisode series that will chronicle his preparation for the 2010 season-opening Daytona 500. And he received widespread attention earlier this month when he donated $922,000 in educational grants to 26 schools

in California, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Now comes the AP honor, which Johnson said reinforces what he's always believed -- that even though he's a race car driver, he's "100 percent" an athlete. "I've looked at other sports, particularly baseball, and I've seen plenty of out-of-shape, fat players," said Johnson, who counts among his close friends former NFL player Jason Sehorn, and MLB players Brian and Marcus Giles. "So to anyone who wants to go head-to-head with me in athletic ability, let's go. I talked a lot with Jason Sehorn about this, and I don't know how exactly you measure athletic ability, but I know my 5-mile run time will destroy most NFL players." As Johnson boasted of his personal best -- 34 minutes, 55 seconds -- his wife, Chandra, yelled "Overachiever!" in the background. It's a bit of a joke between the two since Johnson gave a two-year commitment to a New York City-based trainer he calls "the Chad Knaus of the body." His focus can be fanatical, but

Johnson still finds time to maintain his work hard/play hard attitude -- and proved it with a raucous South Beach celebration after the season-finale. The bash left him admittedly weary during the next few days, during a round of media appearances. And when the New York City mayor's office designated a "Jimmie Johnson Day" earlier this month, the champion suggested "everyone should have the day off and go have margaritas." It's a balance between play and work that he's mastered, and firmly believes he can ride to a fifth title. Johnson recently signed a five-year deal to drive for Hendrick through 2015, and Knaus has predicted the team can keep up its rate of success over the next several years. "The cool thing," Johnson said, "is we're not done yet." Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Rumor: Heavy layoffs at Heavy Iron Studios By Alexander Sliwinski (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:30:00 PM

Heavy Iron Studios will allegedly let go of 60-70 of its over 100 employees. Kotaku was

informed by sources that the layoffs will occur at the former THQ subsidiary this week. The company previously handled much of THQ's movie tie-in titles. Attempts to confirm the layoffs

with the studio have been met by

ominous e-mail bounce-backs -not to mention, our complete inability to navigate the company's labyrinthine phone system. Rumor: Heavy layoffs at Heavy Iron Studios originally appeared

on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Brett Favre of Minnesota Vikings questions Brad Childress over attempt to pull him from game

Hundreds Line Up for Oral Roberts' Memorial Service

By ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com)

(FOXNews.com)

surface? More Podcasts » Television footage showed Favre Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:13:23 PM and Childress in an animated Trouble Brewing In Minnesota? discussion on the sideline during Trouble Brewing In Minnesota? the third quarter, while the VIDEO PLAYLIST Vikings were still leading 7-6. • T r o u b l e B r e w i n g I n With the offensive line struggling Minnesota? Trouble Brewing In to contain Panthers defensive end Minnesota? Julius Peppers, Favre was getting • Favre Refuses To Come Out hurried and knocked down. Of Game Favre Refuses To Favre did not come out of the Come Out Of Game game. But The (Minneapolis) • Countdown Daily Recap: Star Tribune reported that Vikings-Panthers Countdown a c c o r d i n g t o p e o p l e w i t h Daily Recap: Vikings-Panthers knowledge of the situation, Childress also tried to remove Brett Favre didn't want to come Favre early from the Vikings' 27out of Sunday's 26-7 loss to the 10 victory over Detroit on Nov. C a r o l i n a P a n t h e r s . H e l e t 15. Favre eventually did come Minnesota Vikings coach Brad out of that game. Childress know about it. And In comments Sunday after the after the game he let the media game against the Panthers, Favre know about it. left it vague whether the The Herd with Colin Cowherd motivation was to prevent him Chris Mortensen discusses Brett from getting hurt or to try and Favre and Brad Childress not spark an offense that had been seeing eye to eye in Minnesota. able to put only seven points on Mort thinks Mike Shanahan will the board. be the Redskins next coach. Plus, NFC North blog where might other coaches ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert writes

about all things NFC North in his division blog. • Blog network: NFL Nation "Yeah, there was a heated discussion, I guess you would call it," Favre said of the exchange. "No secret, I was getting hit a little bit. I felt the pressure on a lot of plays. We had seven points. So I think everyone in the building was like, 'They're not moving the ball, they're not getting points.' Brad wanted to go in a different direction and I wanted to stay in the game. "We were up 7-6. Yeah, it's not 70-6, but we're up 7-6," Favre added. "So I said, 'I'm staying in the game, I'm playing.' I don't know if it was exactly to protect me, or we had seven points, I'm not sure. That's his call. But we talked it out. We didn't have time, I didn't have time to sit there and say why or what. My response was, we've got to win this ballgame and I want to stay in and do whatever I can. Now, unfortunately, I didn't do that, but

that was my intention." Childress, who spoke to the media before Favre did after the game, downplayed the exchange. "We were just having a good conversation about the game was heading at that point and time," Childress said. "And what we needed to do to head the other way." Childress has pulled Favre from six games this season, usually when the Vikings had a big lead late. Favre, whose play this season has helped Minnesota clinch back -to-back division titles for the first time since 1977-78, was 17 of 27 for 224 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. The Vikings managed only 10 first downs and went 1-for-10 on third-down conversions. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Submitted at 12/20/2009 11:18:46 PM

TULSA, Okla. Hundreds of people are waiting to get into the memorial service for evangelist Oral Roberts. Among the early arrivals for the afternoon service at Oral Roberts University were husband and wife Mark and Paula Sterns, alumni who flew from Dallas for the event. Mark Sterns says Roberts changed their lives forever, adding that 19 members of their families attended the university at some point. Roberts died last week in California at age 91. Roberts chartered ORU in 1963 as a place where Pentecostals could live, study and pray together. The school became the first Pentecostal university in the world, taking the fiery brand of Christianity to the mainstream through radio and television. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Now Playing: December 21-27, 2009 By James Ransom-Wiley (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:15:00 PM

Go ahead, jump. Jump!

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list: Last updated: Monday, 2:19 PM Continue reading Now Playing: December 21-27, 2009

2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our Now Playing: December 21-27, terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this|

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Jim Brown: Eric Mangini of Cleveland Browns deserves another season

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HENRY’S continued from page 53

broadswords, Strat-O-Matic Baseball was every bit the equal of Dungeons and Dragons in both popularity and depth of player absorption. While more advanced simulations and fantasy baseball By ESPN.com news services an executive advisor for team Packers to two Super Bowls, have cut into Strat-O-Matic’s (ESPN.com) o w n e r R a n d y L e r n e r , s a i d winning one. popularity and notoriety Mangini should be back in 2010. The Browns had no immediate somewhat, the original card-andSubmitted at 12/21/2009 11:51:10 AM Brown believes the team is u p d a t e o n M o n d a y a b o u t dice baseball simulation game is Holmgren Deal With Browns improving with "a lot of young Holmgren. Mangini is scheduled still very much alive. In the Los Close To Done Holmgren Deal people who we don't know who t o h a v e a 2 : 3 0 p . m . n e w s Angeles Times, Kevin Baxter With Browns Close To Done are playing good football." c o n f e r e n c e . reports on the game’s most recent CLEVELAND -- Hall of Fame Brown also said he didn't want to Cleveland has won consecutive breakthrough: the development, running back Jim Brown thinks contradict his boss. games for the first time since last by accidental baseball historian embattled Cleveland Browns An NFL source told ESPN season, adding another wrinkle to Scott Simkus, of player cards for coach Eric Mangini deserves s e n i o r N F L a n a l y s t C h r i s Mangini's uncertain future. The Negro League stars that match another year. Mortensen that Holmgren's coach could use the Browns' late- the high standards for accuracy Mangini improved to 3-11 in his pending deal with the Browns s e a s o n s u r g e a s p r o o f t o of other Strat-O-Matic cards. first season in Cleveland with a was expected to be worth $50 Holmgren -- or whoever is “That’s a theory that can be win at Kansas City Chiefs on million, possibly over 10 years. Cleveland's next top executive -- tested now, since Simkus’ Negro Sunday, but he could be fired if Holmgren was expected to let the that he should be given more League cards were based on the Mike Holmgren accepts an offer Browns know of his decision by time. same statistical and probability to head the Browns' football Monday, The (Cleveland) Plain However, if Holmgren wants to formulas as Strat-O-Matic’s operations. Dealer reported. coach again, then Mangini would AFC North blog Holmgren said on a radio show be fired for the second straight ESPN.com's James Walker on Friday that he would give year. He was dismissed by the writes about all things AFC Lerner an answer "sooner than New York Jets after last season. North in his division blog. later." A possible move to Information from The • Blog network: NFL Nation Cleveland became more plausible Associated Press was used in this (Financial Times - US Holmgren did not rule out a on Saturday when Holmgren report. homepage) return to the sideline when he turned down a front-office Five Filters featured article: said Friday that Cleveland's offer p o s i t i o n w i t h t h e S e a t t l e Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: Submitted at 12/20/2009 11:47:30 PM would include "any and all" of Seahawks, the team he coached PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, President Barack Obama’s the titles of president, general for 10 seasons and took to its Term Extraction. administration is moving rapidly manager and coach. only Super Bowl appearance. closer to passing sweeping Following Sunday's win, Brown, Holmgren guided the Green Bay healthcare reforms this week, after the Senate voted in the early hours of Monday morning to close debate on a bill that will extend coverage to 31m uninsured Americans. The 1am vote, the toughest test

regular-season and Hall of Fame editions,” Baxter writes. “Therefore, Strat-O-Matic founder [Hal] Richman says, Gibson’s card will perform against Tim Lincecum just as the player would have in his prime. And Paige will have the same success against Ty Cobb on the top of a card table that he would have had facing him on a ball field.” Quickly, to the basement! Found a good column from the world of sports? Don’t keep it to yourself — write to us at dailyfix@wsj.com and we’ll consider your find for inclusion in the Daily Fix. You can email David at droth11@gmail.com.

Democrats eye Christmas healthcare vote on the way to an expected 7pm Christmas Eve ballot on whether to pass the bill, went through with a 60-40 vote along partisan lines. The Senate will effectively be in session for 24 hours a day this week as Democrats hurtle towards their self-imposed December 24 deadline. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Texas Longhorns coach Mack Brown reinstates freshman kick returner D.J. Monroe By Tim Griffin (ESPN.com)

conference blog. • Blog network: College Football Nation AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Monroe's charges were freshman k i c k o f f dismissed after he accepted a returner/receiver D.J. Monroe charge of obstruction of a was reinstated to the Longhorns passageway. team Monday after his driving Monroe was arrested on Nov. 15 while intoxicated charges were in Hays County, south of Austin, dismissed late last week in Hays after playing against Baylor the County. previous day. After his arrest, The announcement was made Brown suspended him for the Monday by Texas coach Mack Longhorns' final three games of Brown. It will mean that Monroe the season. will be back for the Longhorns' Before his arrest, Monroe ranked J a n . 7 C i t i B C S N a t i o n a l second nationally with a 35.79 Championship game against yards per kickoff return average. Alabama. He returned kickoffs for "I had a long talk with D.J. touchdowns against Louisianayesterday," Brown said. "We Monroe and UTEP. looked at the punishment he had, He is listed as a receiver for the what will affect them in 15 years Longhorns but did not account and what it does to the attitude of for a reception. Monroe produced the team. And we felt that a three 110 yards on 20 carries, typically -game suspension for the charges on reverse plays and sweeps. that were dropped, that he should Brown said that Monroe's be reinstated." primary role will be as a kick Big 12 blog returner. ESPN.com's Tim Griffin writes Monroe's return for the bowl about all things Big 12 in his game will be huge for the Submitted at 12/21/2009 12:12:09 PM

Longhorns, returning their fastest player back to the roster for the game. His speed could be critical in special teams and also as a spot player in certain situations against the Crimson Tide. It will also reduce some of the demands for Texas All-America receiver Jordan Shipley, who saw his production drop when he added kickoff returns to his punt return and receiving duties with Monroe's suspension. Shipley averaged 13.5 yards per catch over the first nine games of the season but saw that production drop to 10.7 yards per catch after Monroe’s suspension. Tim Griffin covers Big 12 football for ESPN.com. You may c o n t a c t h i m a t espntimgriff@yahoo.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Foot surgery to shelve Florida Gators kick returner Brandon James for Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati Bearcats By Associated Press (ESPN.com)

Florida coach Urban Meyer says Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps and Joe Haden will take over James' Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:11:15 AM punt and kickoff return duties GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida's against unbeaten Cincinnati (No. Brandon James, who leads the 3 ESPN/USA Today, No. 4 AP) team in all-purpose yards, will on New Year's Day. not play in the Allstate Sugar James finished with 1,324 total Bowl after having surgery on his yards and two touchdowns this right foot. season. He had 109 yards SEC blog rushing, 215 yards receiving and ESPN.com's Chris Low writes a s c o r e , 7 5 6 y a r d s a n d a about all things SEC in his touchdown on kickoff returns conference blog. and 244 yards on punt returns. • Blog network: Copyright 2009 by The College Football Nation Associated Press J a m e s , a s e n i o r f r o m S t . Five Filters featured article: Augustine, broke a bone in foot Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: a g a i n s t A l a b a m a i n t h e PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Southeastern Conference title Term Extraction. game and had surgery last week.

Sanofi-Aventis to buy Chattem for $1.9bn (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 12/21/2009 10:57:52 AM

Sanofi-Aventis, the French

pharmaceuticals group, has agreed to buy Chattem, a US consumer healthcare company, in a $1.9bn cash deal that will strengthen its diversification

away from prescription medicines. The Paris-based company will pay $93.50 a share for Chattem, which sells products such as

Gold Bond powder, Icy Hot cream and Selsun Blue antidandruff shampoo, pushing Sanofi from the sixth to the world’s fifth largest consumer

healthcare group by revenues. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Report: Elin Wants Full Custody, Half of Everything Tiger Has

Grief-Stricken Bengals Fall in San Diego

By Ryan Wilson (Fanhouse Main)

By Nancy Gay (Fanhouse Main)

Submitted at 12/21/2009 4:00:00 AM

Filed under: Current Events, Golf First, some good news for Tiger Woods: no new mistresses came forward this weekend so the list unofficially stands at 14. And John Daly has even offered his counsel. Now the bad news: Tiger's mother is apparently"angry and disappointed" by her son's behavior. And rumors persist that Elin Nordegren will seek to divorce Woods, probably sometime after the holidays. Via the New York Post: "She wants 100 percent divorce, 100 percent custody of the children, and half of everything. And she won't be changing her mind," a confidant of the Swedish stunner told the British tab[loid News of the World]. The hard-line stance stems from Woods' refusal to seek help for his twin addictions to sex and pills, the paper reported. ...

things (via SbB): Woods and a group of buddies, including some golfers, have left North Palm Beach, according to a source who has seen the golfer's 155-ft. luxury yacht. "Tiger's boat Privacy has been docked at Old Port Cove in North Palm Beach for more than a week," the source tells People. "On Saturday morning, after stocking up on provisions from Costco on Northlake Blvd., the boat left town." Another source tells People that Woods, 33, is going to cruise in "Tiger was supposed to be the Bahamas for a few days after working on getting better, and he hanging around the Palm Beach hasn't done anything," said Gardens area this past week. Nordegren's pal. "Elin is livid Whatever happens to Tiger off that he hasn't checked into rehab the course, the consensus seems and gotten himself off his drugs. to be that he should get back to playing golf as soon as possible, He's acting like a big baby." T h e P o s t p u t s " h a l f o f take the media glare off his everything" at $300 million. As personal problems, and focus on for Woods, who hasn't been seen winning tournaments. Daly was in public since halftime of the right: "... As soon as he comes Cal-Stanford game on Nov. 21, out he's probably going to win, People.com's Linda Marx hears a n d t h e n e v e r y t h i n g ' s forgotten..."

Submitted at 12/20/2009 1:57:00 PM

Filed under: Bengals, Chargers, AFC North, AFC West SAN DIEGO -- Much of Chad Ochocinco's media-savvy life is carefully crafted for maximum exposure. Sunday was not. Sunday, the actions and emotions were spontaneous. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver did not wear his friend Chris Henry's jersey onto the field at Qualcomm Stadium, but he took a piece of his late teammate's soul with him. He hung the No. 15 jersey in a locker stall next to his. A "15" nameplate appeared above the empty locker. "Surreal," Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer called the past few days. There is no script for how NFL

teammates should act and react after a teammate suddenly dies. Henry, 26 and still finding his way in life after years of wrong turns, fell out of the bed of a moving pickup truck driven by his fianceĂŠ last Wednesday. Police described the incident in Charlotte, N.C., as a domestic dispute. He sustained catastrophic injuries.

Divinity 2 demo available on PC and Xbox 360 By JC Fletcher (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/21/2009 1:00:00 PM

If you're a fan of fantasy RPGs and yet, somehow, are not completely sated by the gigantic Dragon Age: Origins, why not take Divinity 2: Ego Draconis for

a spin? It's got Dragon in the title, sort of. A demo for the Divine Divinity sequel is now available on Xbox Live everywhere, with the exception of Japan. This is your chance to decide whether or not to shell out early for fancy armor!

If you'd prefer to begin rising

through the ranks of the Dragon Knights on your PC, you can do that as well! Our friends at Big Download have just the 1.77GB file you're looking for. Shortcut: Add the Divinity II Demo to your 360 download queue

Divinity 2 demo available on PC and Xbox 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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Favre Upset With Attempted Benching By Chris Burke (Fanhouse Main) Submitted at 12/20/2009 6:45:00 PM

Filed under: Vikings, NFL Quarterbacks The Vikings failed to get anything going offensively in a 26-7 loss to Carolina on Sunday night. Adrian Peterson totaled just 35 yards rushing, while the Panthers sacked Brett Favre four times and knocked him down on several other occasions. By the third quarter, Minnesota coach Brad Childress had enough of Favre taking shots, and despite the Vikings clinging to a tenuous 7-6 lead, tried to pull his QB from the contest. That, of course, did not go over well with Favre. "Yeah, there was a heated discussion, I guess you would call it," Favre said after the game, according to the Minneapolis Star

-Tribune. "We were up 7-6 at the time. No secret, I was getting hit a little bit. I felt the pressure on a lot of plays. We had seven points. So I think everyone in the building was like, 'They're not moving the ball, they're not getting points.' Brad wanted to go in a different direction and I wanted to stay in the game.

EGM relaunches with April issue, explains digital content By Ben Gilbert (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/21/2009 3:15:00 PM

EGM Media this morning announced the distribution of its upcoming magazine via an "agreement" with Time/Warner Retail Sales and Marketing (former EGM/Ziff Davis Media distributor), alongside intentions to release its first issue with an April cover. Though no specific date was given other than "March 2010" for the newsstand relaunch of Electronic Gaming Monthly, the press release detailed the "weekly interactive version of the magazine," named

"EGMi: The Digital Magazine" (rolls right off the tongue!). Accessed by a "special code" included with each issue, the digital extension of the magazine will be made up of "exclusive article extensions and original content." Also of note, game previews and reviews will make up at least part of the premiere issue, with notorious rumormonger Quartermann, ex-EIC Dan "Shoe" Hsu (as previously announced), and prankster Sean "Seanbaby" Reiley all contributing content as well. Publisher and prez of EGM Media, Steve Harris, claimed the

digital content "is complementary to the print magazine" and gives editors "a way to communicate with our readers and update the print product in an ongoing manner." We'll see how his claims play out when the magazine arrives this March. EGM relaunches with April issue, explains digital content originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments

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2 Brothers Drown After Trying to Save Dog in Calif. Lake (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 12/20/2009 11:27:59 PM

MCARTHUR, Calif. Authorities say two brothers drowned after falling into icy waters while attempting to rescue a dog that fell into a Northern California lake. The coroner's office identified the men Monday as 38-year-old Noel Smith of Burney and 32year-old Nathan Smith of Citrus Heights. Authorities say the men ended up in the water Saturday evening upcoming trial -- which means after their dog fell through the ice that you shouldn't delete your at Big Lake in Shasta County. MAG data yet! The beta is shortOne of the men was submerged lived, lasting only until January for about 20 minutes and the 10, so be sure to get your fill of other for about 50 minutes. 64-player "Sabotage" and 256Rescuers pulled them out but player "Domination." Or, at least, were unable to revive them. be sure to play enough to tide A third man in their group also you over for sixteen days. went into the water, but managed Gallery: MAG to swim back to shore. He's being MAG beta open to all on treated for severe hypothermia. January 4 originally appeared on The dog survived. personalized music if you want. Five Filters featured article: Joystiq on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 By ELLE.com (ELLE News Love your newly styled look? Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: 14:00:00 EST. Please see our Blog) Purchase it in seconds through PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, terms for use of feeds. Submitted at 12/21/2009 9:49:16 AM the “buy-now” capability and Term Extraction. Read| Permalink| Email this| New for the fall collection, share it with friends and family Comments Ralph Lauren is introducing a on Twitter and Facebook. So go a “Make Your Own” Rugby Ralph head and run the show, it’s a Lauren fashion show on their good time! website., www.rugby.com. You —Jade Frampton, Market Editor now have the option of dressing Follow ELLE on Twitter. models in your favorite looks and Become our Facebook fan! watching them strut down the catwalk, even to your own

MAG beta open to all on January 4 By JC Fletcher (Joystiq) Submitted at 12/21/2009 2:00:00 PM

Exciting news for those of you who were unable to get into the MAG beta via Sony employee status, email invitation, Qore subscription, GameStop preorder, Europe-only signup, or Joystiq contest! Now Sony has announced a MAG beta for everyone -- including the people who, somehow, didn't get into it already! The new beta file will be available for download on PSN starting January 4. Existing beta members will be able to update their files now to prepare for the

Make Your Own Fashion Show, Rugby Style

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Storm-walloped East Coast returns to work slowly (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)

been worse, even if it left people trapped in their homes all weekend. NEW YORK â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Millions of East Thomas Standers, of New Coast commuters returned to Rochelle, N.Y., was feeding work Monday over slick roads dozens of Christmas cards into a a n d i c y s i d e w a l k s a f t e r a mailbox at the train station in weekend winter storm dropped Pelham early Monday. record snowfall, interrupted "If we hadn't been stuck inside all holiday shopping and stranded weekend, these would never have travelers. gotten done," he said. "Now we The storm crept up the coast on have a fighting chance they'll get Saturday and Sunday, walloping there by Christmas." states from the mid-Atlantic to Many schools and offices were New England, causing hundreds closed Monday, making traffic a of delayed or canceled flights, little lighter on slow-moving widespread power outages and roads and lessening the strain on treacherous driving conditions. beleaguered transit systems. The weather was blamed for at Highways were largely clear, but least seven deaths, including a s e c o n d a r y r o a d s r e m a i n e d snowmobile driver who crashed t r e a c h e r o u s . head-on into a horse-drawn In Washington, federal agencies buggy in Pennsylvania's Amish were closed Monday and bus country. service was running behind Meanwhile, airports in the schedule, but the Metro finally Northeast that were jammed up was able to open all 86 of its rail this weekend were working their stations. Subways had been way back to normal. On Monday, limited to underground stations t h e F e d e r a l A v i a t i o n for two days. Administration was reporting that Joy Ricasa, 59, a bookkeeper, all major airports on the East said she drove from her home in Coast had average flight delays Upper Marlboro, Md., to the of less than 15 minutes. Largo Metro station early Still, three major airports in the M o n d a y t o c o m m u t e i n t o N e w Y o r k C i t y a r e a w e r e Washington. The roads were expecting an unusually busy "coated with ice," she said. holiday travel week as many who "I was very careful. I don't want were stranded by the cancellation to have an accident," Ricasa said. of 1,200 flights over the weekend In New York City, the Long t r y t o m a k e i t t o t h e i r Island Rail Road urged its riders destinations. to allow extra time; several Despite the storm's powerful passengers said the ride itself was punch, many took solace in the fine, but getting to the train was a fact that the timing could have problem. Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:04:48 AM

"The roads are a mess," loan officer Sophia White, 42, said Monday morning after she took the train from Queens to Manhattan, enroute to Jersey City, N.J. "The plow truck came through but it's very icy still." J. Silhan worked an overnight shift at the Gurney's Inn oceanfront resort in Montauk, N.Y., after spending all day Sunday plowing and digging out people's houses with his father-in -law. "I've been up 24 hours," Silhan said Monday morning. "I'm going to go crash" â&#x20AC;&#x201D; hastily emphasizing that he meant "sleep." Commuters also found it slow going in Philadelphia, where many residential streets were still snow-covered and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority suspended service on some bus routes. Even as some workers returned to the job Monday, their children were being given the day off. Philadelphia's public and Roman Catholic schools were closed to give the city another day to clear streets and sidewalks. Schools also were closed Monday in Baltimore, Roanoke, Va., most of Washington's suburbs and many Long Island towns, among other areas. Washington, D.C., public schools were already scheduled to be on winter break Monday. On the rails, Amtrak canceled some trains in the East on Monday because of the storm and

warned that long-distance trains to the South and West faced substantial delays. Power outages remained an issue. More than 130,000 people were without power in West Virginia and Virginia as of Monday morning. The storm came on the last weekend before Christmas, and merchants feared they'd take a hit as the storm blew through, shutting people indoors. Crowds were unusually light Sunday morning at the Providence Place mall in downtown Providence, where Reuben Tillman III, a salesman at Champs Sports, said he had made only one sale in his first couple of hours at work. "But I do have a theory: Everybody who's here has a SUV," he said. "This is happy truck day." Tillman predicted that business would be booming closer to Christmas, with people who opted to stay home on Sunday doing last-minute shopping on Tuesday and Wednesday. The storm yielded record snowfall totals at several locations. The 16 inches recorded Saturday at Reagan National Airport outside Washington was the most ever for a December day. Philadelphia, which recorded 23.2 inches, had its second-largest snowfall since it began keeping records in 1884. The storm began wreaking misery Friday in South Florida, where it caused flooding and knocked out electricity in the

Carolinas before turning to snow as it moved north. Four people were killed in accidents on snow-covered roads in Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Another death in Virginia is believed to have been caused by exposure, and authorities there said the weather may have contributed to another traffic death. In Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon when the snowmobile he was driving crashed head-on into a horse-drawn buggy. The two people in the buggy were unhurt. In western North Carolina, a man was killed when his car slid down an embankment. A plow truck driver was found dead in his truck with the motor running Sunday on New York's Long Island, but it was unclear whether his death was related to the storm, police said. Black ice will be a concern Monday night after sunshine and "a little bit of melting," said Richard Castro, of the Weather Service in Upton, N.Y. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Providence, R.I.; Jim Fitzgerald in Pelham, N.Y.; Kiley Armstrong, Deepti Hajela and Ula Ilnytzky in New York City; and Nafeesa Syeed in Washington contributed to this report. STORM-WALLOPED page 64

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Economy, Obama inauguration: Top stories of 2009 (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 12/21/2009 11:04:54 AM

NEW YORK – The convoluted American economy — restoring windfalls to a lucky few while leaving millions jobless and distraught — was the top news story of 2009, followed closely by the inauguration of President Barack Obama, according to U.S. editors and news directors voting in The Associated Press' annual poll. The economy, which has superseded other issues as Americans' No. 1 concern, received 61 first-place votes out of 117 ballots cast for the top 10 stories. A related saga, the tribulations of the U.S. auto industry, was voted the No. 4 story. In 2008, the top story was Obama's election as the first African-American president. His inauguration this year was No. 2, receiving 45 first-place votes, while the bruising battle in Congress over a health care overhaul was No. 3. For the first time, the AP also enabled members of the general public to select their list of top stories, setting up a separate vote on Facebook. Those voters, 1,410 in all, reversed the order of the editors' and news directors' top two stories — placing Obama's inauguration first and the economy second, but the two Top 10 lists had eight stories in common. One notable difference was that

Michael Jackson's death was No. 3 among Facebook voters, instead of seventh on the AP members' list. Here are 2009's top 10 stories as voted by the U.S. editors and news directors: _1. THE ECONOMY: Despite a $787 billion federal stimulus package, much of the U.S. economy continued to sputter throughout the year. The jobless rate topped 10 percent, scores of banks failed, the federal deficit tripled to a record $1.4 trillion, and stocks fell to their lowest levels since 1997 before rallying. Yet investment banks' profits surged, triggering public anger and efforts in Washington to crack down on Wall Street bonuses. _2. OBAMA INAUGURATION: Inauguration Day in January was a moving moment for many Americans, as the nation's first black president took the oath of office. But Obama soon confronted the sobering realities of governing as he struggled to get the economy back on track and win support for his ambitious legislative priorities. _3. HEALTH CARE: A sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health care system, extending coverage to millions of Americans now without it, was a top priority for Obama and majority Democrats in Congress. But Republicans were almost unanimously opposed, leading to complex, bitterly partisan showdowns in both chambers.

_4. AUTO INDUSTRY: It was an immensely challenging year for America's Big Three automakers. General Motors and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, GM's CEO Rick Wagoner was ousted by the government, and Chrysler was pressured into an alliance with Italy's Fiat. Ford avoided bankruptcy, but its worldwide sales — like its competitors' — fell sharply. _5. SWINE FLU: Swine flu struck tens of millions of people worldwide, worrying governments as supplies of vaccine failed to meet demand. In the United States, according to federal authorities, swine flu sickened an estimated 50 million people, hospitalized close to 200,000 and killed 10,000. _6. AFGHANISTAN: Casualties on all sides mounted as U.S. forces, with their Afghan and NATO allies, battled the resilient Taliban. President Obama, after lengthy deliberations, opted to send 30,000 more troops. His decision was complicated by the disputed Afghan election, which prompted allegations of widespread fraud but resulted in President Hamid Karzai taking office for a second five-year term. _7. MICHAEL JACKSON DIES: The "King of Pop" died at the age of 50, triggering grief and nostalgia among his legions of fans around the world. His doctor became the focus of a Los Angeles police homicide investigation after telling

investigators he administered propofol, a powerful operating room anesthetic, to help the pop star sleep. _8. FORT HOOD RAMPAGE: An Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, was accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, a sprawling military base in Texas, before being seriously wounded by police gun fire. Investigations were launched to determine if authorities missed warning signs that might have prevented the rampage. _9. EDWARD KENNEDY DIES. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who carried on the family legacy after the deaths of his three older brothers, died of brain cancer after a distinctive political career filled with highs and lows. Though his own presidential aspirations were thwarted, he earned bipartisan respect for decades of hard work in the Senate. _10. MIRACLE ON HUDSON: A US Airways passenger jet, both its engines disabled, made an emergency ditching in the Hudson River, and all 155 on board survived in what was dubbed "The Miracle on the Hudson." The veteran pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, was hailed as a hero for averting a disaster. Just missing the Top 10 was the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. The war and political turmoil in Iraq was voted the No. 16 story, the first time since 2001 that Iraq

was not in the Top 10. The results of Facebook voting closely resembled the AP members' choices; each Top 10 list had only two stories not on the other list. Sotomayor's confirmation and Iran— the tensions related to its election and nuclear program — were in the Facebook Top 10 but not the members' Top 10. The Fort Hood rampage and Afghanistan did not make the Facebook Top 10. In both cases, several write-in votes were cast for a development that occurred too late to be included on the ballot — the scandal enveloping golfer Tiger Woods after he crashed his car outside his home early one morning and eventually confessed to marital infidelity. Here are the Facebook voting results: _1. Obama's inauguration. _2. The U.S. economy. _3. Michael Jackson dies. _4. Miracle on the Hudson. _5. Swine flu. _6. Health care overhaul. _7. Edward Kennedy dies. _8. Auto industry woes. _9. Iran. _10. Sotomayor joins Supreme Court. The Facebook voting, conducted on a non-scientific basis, was for entertainment purposes only and shouldn't be considered an accurate reflection of public opinion. Five Filters featured article: ECONOMY, page 64

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Millions Face Dicey Commutes After Record Snowfall (FOXNews.com)

fact that the timing could have been worse, even if it left people trapped in their homes all NEW YORK Millions of East weekend. Coast commuters returned to Thomas Standers, of New work Monday over slick roads Rochelle, N.Y., was feeding a n d i c y s i d e w a l k s a f t e r a dozens of Christmas cards into a weekend winter storm dropped mailbox at the train station in record snowfall, interrupted Pelham early Monday. holiday shopping and stranded "If we hadn't been stuck inside all travelers. weekend, these would never have The storm crept up the coast on gotten done," he said. "Now we Saturday and Sunday, walloping have a fighting chance they'll get states from the mid-Atlantic to there by Christmas." New England, causing hundreds Many schools and offices were of delayed or canceled flights, closed Monday, making traffic a widespread power outages and little lighter on slow-moving treacherous driving conditions. roads and lessening the strain on The weather was blamed for at beleaguered transit systems. least seven deaths, including a Highways were largely clear, but snowmobile driver who crashed s e c o n d a r y r o a d s r e m a i n e d head-on into a horse-drawn t r e a c h e r o u s . buggy in Pennsylvania's Amish In Washington, federal agencies country. were closed Monday and bus Meanwhile, airports in the service was running behind Northeast that were jammed up schedule, but the Metro finally this weekend were working their was able to open all 86 of its rail way back to normal. On Monday, stations. Subways had been t h e F e d e r a l A v i a t i o n limited to underground stations Administration was reporting that for two days. all major airports on the East Joy Ricasa, 59, a bookkeeper, Coast had average flight delays said she drove from her home in of less than 15 minutes. Upper Marlboro, Md., to the Still, three major airports in the L a r g o M e t r o s t a t i o n e a r l y New York City area were Monday to commute into expecting an unusually busy Washington. The roads were holiday travel week as many who "coated with ice," she said. were stranded by the cancellation "I was very careful. I don't want of 1,200 flights over the weekend to have an accident," Ricasa said. t r y t o m a k e i t t o t h e i r In New York City, the Long destinations. Island Rail Road urged its riders Despite the storm's powerful to allow extra time; several punch, many took solace in the passengers said the ride itself was Submitted at 12/21/2009 6:51:44 AM

fine, but getting to the train was a problem. "The roads are a mess," loan officer Sophia White, 42, said Monday morning after she took the train from Queens to Manhattan, enroute to Jersey City, N.J. "The plow truck came through but it's very icy still." J. Silhan worked an overnight shift at the Gurney's Inn oceanfront resort in Montauk, N.Y., after spending all day Sunday plowing and digging out people's houses with his father-in -law. "I've been up 24 hours," Silhan said Monday morning. "I'm going to go crash" â&#x20AC;&#x201D; hastily emphasizing that he meant "sleep." Commuters also found it slow going in Philadelphia, where many residential streets were still snow-covered and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority suspended service on some bus routes. Even as some workers returned to the job Monday, their children were being given the day off. Philadelphia's public and Roman Catholic schools were closed to give the city another day to clear streets and sidewalks. Schools also were closed Monday in Baltimore, Roanoke, Va., most of Washington's suburbs and many Long Island towns, among other areas. Washington, D.C., public schools were already scheduled to be on winter break Monday.

On the rails, Amtrak canceled some trains in the East on Monday because of the storm and warned that long-distance trains to the South and West faced substantial delays. Power outages remained an issue. More than 130,000 people were without power in West Virginia and Virginia as of Monday morning. The storm came on the last weekend before Christmas, and merchants feared they'd take a hit as the storm blew through, shutting people indoors. Crowds were unusually light Sunday morning at the Providence Place mall in downtown Providence, where Reuben Tillman III, a salesman at Champs Sports, said he had made only one sale in his first couple of hours at work. "But I do have a theory: Everybody who's here has a SUV," he said. "This is happy truck day." Tillman predicted that business would be booming closer to Christmas, with people who opted to stay home on Sunday doing last-minute shopping on Tuesday and Wednesday. The storm yielded record snowfall totals at several locations. The 16 inches recorded Saturday at Reagan National Airport outside Washington was the most ever for a December day. Philadelphia, which recorded 23.2 inches, had its second-largest snowfall since it began keeping records in 1884.

The storm began wreaking misery Friday in South Florida, where it caused flooding and knocked out electricity in the Carolinas before turning to snow as it moved north. Four people were killed in accidents on snow-covered roads in Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Another death in Virginia is believed to have been caused by exposure, and authorities there said the weather may have contributed to another traffic death. In Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old man was killed Saturday afternoon when the snowmobile he was driving crashed head-on into a horse-drawn buggy. The two people in the buggy were unhurt. In western North Carolina, a man was killed when his car slid down an embankment. A plow truck driver was found dead in his truck with the motor running Sunday on New York's Long Island, but it was unclear whether his death was related to the storm, police said. Black ice will be a concern Monday night after sunshine and "a little bit of melting," said Richard Castro, of the Weather Service in Upton, N.Y. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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Monster snowstorm melts into sea (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 12/21/2009 6:29:07 AM

The US north-east is slowly emerging from a huge winter storm which dumped up to 2ft (60cm) of snow in the Washington area over the weekend. One of the worst blizzards in decades had sprawled 500 miles (800km) over a dozen states, causing six deaths and widespread disruption to services. Government offices in Washington were due to operate on Monday, and all rail stations were working, officials said. But in Philadelphia, schools were shut as streets were still buried in snow. Power outages are still affecting nearly 200,000 people in North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. More than 500 people remain in shelters. The storm proved milder for New York, which saw 1ft (30cm) of snow. All three major airports in the city are working their way back to normal after the cancellation of 1,200 flights over the weekend. Record snow Washington DC earlier saw the

largest snowfall ever recorded in a single December day and southern New Jersey its highest single-storm snow in almost four years. Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky and Delaware, along with Washington and Philadelphia, at some stage all declared emergencies. Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty expressed confidence that most city streets would be cleared by Monday. New York Mayor Michael

In Virginia, several hundred motorists were earlier stranded in their vehicles and had to be rescued by the National Guard. Three people died in Virginia. One was killed when a car hit a tree, a second died of exposure and a third was also apparently killed in a road traffic accident. In Ohio and Pennsylvania, three people died in accidents on snow -covered roads hit by the same storm system. It originated over the Gulf of Mexico, unleashing flash floods in much of the US south-east. More details from BBC Weather Have you been affected by the snow storm? Send us your stories, pictures and video. Send your pictures and video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to Bloomberg remained upbeat, train. +44 7725 100100 or if you have saying the snow fell too late on A i r p o r t s i n W a s h i n g t o n , a large file you can upload here. Saturday to affect Christmas Baltimore and Boston also Read the terms and conditions trading severely. experienced severe problems. The BBC may edit your "Hopefully, we'll have a little bit Please turn on JavaScript. Media comments and not all emails will of a white Christmas," he said. requires JavaScript to play. be published. Your comments Some tourists were happy. Snowstorm blankets US East may be published on any BBC Briton Kevin Sanders said: "We Coast media worldwide. just came off the Statue of The storm also brought wind Print Sponsor Liberty when [the snow] came gusts of up to 60mph (96km/h). Five Filters featured article: down last night, and look this T h e G r e y h o u n d b u s f i r m Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: morning. It's amazing. It gives it cancelled services on nearly 300 PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, the Christmas feel as well." r o u t e s a c r o s s t h e e a s t e r n Term Extraction. Others suffered more difficulties seaboard, while Amtrak trains - about 150 people were stranded were hit by cancellations and for five hours on a Long Island major delays.

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D.C. Cop Off Streets After Drawing Gun at Snowball Fight (FOXNews.com)

gathered for the snowball fight on a major street during Saturday's snowstorm. WASHINGTON Washington's "It is very obvious to me that the police chief criticized a veteran officer pulled his service weapon detective Monday for pulling a in response to the snowballs gun during a mass snowball hitting his vehicle. I have no fight. Authorities said the officer doubt about this, nor has the is on desk duty while the case is officer denied the accusations," under investigation. said Lanier. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy One video posted on YouTube Lanier said she had watched showed a man holding what video clips from the weekend appears to be a gun in the snowy confrontation and has no doubt street. Another video shows the that the off-duty officer pulled same man telling people he is his gun after snowballs hit his "Detective Baylor" and that he p e r s o n a l v e h i c l e d u r i n g pulled his gun because he was hit Saturday's record snowfall. by snowballs. Click here for video of the event. Videos also show a uniformed "Let me be very clear in stating police officer holding his gun by that I believe the actions of the his side before holstering it again. o f f i c e r w e r e t o t a l l y Police said in a statement Sunday inappropriate!" Lanier said in a that the uniformed policeman statement. "In no way should he was there in response to a call have handled the situation in this about an armed man, acted manner." appropriately and did not point Hundreds of people were his weapon at anyone. Submitted at 12/20/2009 11:56:06 PM

Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham told reporters Monday that the detective has been placed on desk duty and his badge and weapon have been withdrawn. He did not identify the officer but described him as a veteran detective with more than 25 years of experience. "He has a very good reputation," he said. There could be a recommendation to discipline the detective, which could range from a reprimand to removal, he said. Click here for more from MyFoxDC.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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over a 1977 case of unlawful sex with a minor. The California 2nd District Court of Appeal announced the decision on its website, saying three justices had agreed to reject the petition. Lawyers had argued alleged misconduct of the case meant it must be dismissed. They allege a Los Angeles judge, now deceased, engaged in "backroom manipulations" while handling the case in 1977. Judges' concern Despite rejecting the appeal, the justices did state that they remained "deeply concerned that these allegations of misconduct have not been addressed by a court". And they continued: "Polanski's allegations urgently require full exploration and then, if indicated, curative action for the abuses alleged here." Switzerland is expected to decide whether or not to extradite Polanksi within weeks, but he could appeal. The film director, who holds both French and Polish citizenship, fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with an underage girl. He has been fitted with an electronic bracelet by the Swiss

authorities to prevent him absconding. The Swiss Federal Criminal Court granted the Oscar-winning director $4.5m (ÂŁ2.7m) bail, pending proceedings for his possible extradition to the US. The director of films such as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist was arrested after travelling to Zurich on 26 September to pick up a lifetime achievement award. Polanski was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl after plying her with champagne and a sedative during a modelling shoot in 1977. He was initially indicted on six counts - including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy - but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse. Polanski fled the US on the day he was to be sentenced, and has lived in France since then. Print Sponsor Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.