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The First Draft: White House “gate crashers” to tell their own story By David Morgan (Front Row Washington)
But is there more to the story? The Salahis’ lawyer, Paul Gardner, suggests there is. “My Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:52:33 AM clients were cleared, by the She’s blond and beautiful. He’s White House, to be there. More d e b o n a i r . T o g e t h e r , w i t h information is forthcoming,” he irresistible charm and a voracious says in a statement published by appetite for self-promotion, they the Washington Post. penetrated White House security The now-famous couple also to attend this week’s state dinner plans to appear Monday on f o r I n d i a n P r i m e M i n i s t e r CNN’s Larry King Live. Manmohan Singh and got close Paul Wharton, a friend of the enough to kiss Vice President Joe Salahis, tells ABC’s Good Biden. Morning America that the couple That’s the current media image has had lots of contact lately with of Michaele and Tareq Salahi, Indian officials and has spent a who could be the world’s most fair amount of time in India. celebrated gate crashers since the Could that explain why they were British comedian who attended at a dinner honoring the Indian Prince William’s 21st birthday PM? party at Windsor Castle in 2003 News accounts cast the Salahis while dressed as Osama bin as determined publicity seekers Laden in drag. who posted their wedding on
YouTube and boast an online photo gallery of themselves with loads of celebrities including Britain’s Prince Charles.
Michaele, a former Washington Redskins cheerleader, is being considered for cable TV channel Bravo’s upcoming reality series, The Real Housewives of Washington. In fact, the Post reports that she spent seven hours at a posh salon, TV production crew in tow, getting ready for the big night. The camera crew followed Michaele and Tareq to the White House but couldn’t get in. The Salahis did and wound up being snapped for photos with Biden and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. The Secret Service, which is charged with protecting President Barack Obama and other highlevel officials, says the Salahis were not invited to the dinner. The agency is conducting
a comprehensive review to get to the bottom of one of the most embarrassing security breaches in the history of White House dinners. It’s not clear what could happen to the Salahis if they really did crash the party. But another friend of the couple, Casey Margenau, doesn’t sound too worried. “Whatever they do, they’ll land on their feet,” he tells ABC. “Promotion and parties are part of their life.” Photo credits: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (Michaele and Tareq Salahi); Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (Biden)
Oyule Light Bulbs: The Cheekiest Light Bulb Around [Light] By Dan Nosowitz (Gizmodo) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:00:00 AM
Oyule Light Bulbs are filled with paraffin and use a wick instead of
a filament, so basically they become what the light bulb replaced: A paraffin lamp. To ensure they stay upright, there's a magnet placed in the base of the bulb that corresponds
to one in the acrylic base. But if for $650 each. [ Craziest Gadgets you're stylish and safe enough to via Gizmag] have an open flame on your desk, you'd better be rich, too—there are only 66 sets available, selling
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Geoffrey Moorhouse obituary By Peter Preston (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:52:20 AM
Guardian journalist and author who wrote a bestseller about his Saharan travels Geoffrey Moorhouse, who has died aged 77, was a Guardian journalist of deep integrity who moved out of daily newspapers to write books on a variety of themes, most often invoking the human spirit. One book in particular, The Fearful Void (1974), is remembered some 35 years later in revealing in its author, as one critic put it, a sublime madness. Aged 40, without previous experience of the desert, or of camels, how to navigate or local languages, he decided to attempt the first solo west-to-east crossing of the Sahara, some 3,600 miles. His was not a journey simply to conquer a physical barrier, but more a voyage of self-discovery: he wished to come to terms with his own fears about life. Cross the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Nile, he felt, and he could do anything. After five months and some appalling hardships – not least the death of three camels, the dishonesty of companions (he found that he could not travel alone), dysentery that seemed never-ending, feet that were forever blistered, food ghastly to his western tastes – he gave up
the struggle, still 2,000 miles from his destination. But in many an interview, he said he now understood himself better, even in failure. His account, although not pleasant reading, was a success on both sides of the Atlantic, and in Britain a bestseller, which he greeted with a wry comment about almost having to die before readers took an interest. This was his sixth book, and more than 20 more would follow. As a reporter, Moorhouse had proved himself a generalist who acquired knowledge, as he once confessed to me, as "a jack of all trades". His books showed an eclecticism in his nature but were never less than expert in their research and writing. Born in Bolton, Lancashire (his surname was that of his stepfather), he was educated at Bury grammar school. He once recollected how much he learned at school about composition, but later made what he called his "great discovery through Orwell", that "labouring to develop a distinctive style was a fruitless exercise". He did his national service in the Royal Navy before joining the Bolton Evening News. After two years, and aged 23, he left for New Zealand. He not only worked on newspapers there, but also met his first wife, Jan. He brought her back to England in 1957 and for a few months worked in London for the News Chronicle, by then in decline. In 1958 he moved to
the Manchester Guardian. Finding himself drawn to church affairs as a reporter – he was, he said, "pickled" in the Book of Common Prayer and the Authorised Version of the Bible – he wrote Against All Reason (1969), a highly praised investigation of monastic life. He was also enthralled by architecture and was with the historian Nikolaus Pevsner when he scrutinised the very last entry for his Buildings of England, Butterfield's parsonage at Sheen, Surrey. Later, Moorhouse's inquisitiveness led him to write about missionaries and diplomats, as well as lobster fishermen off the New England coast. At the Guardian, he became chief features writer in 1963, a post he held until he quit in 1970 for full-time book writing. In 1968, he took his turn covering the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia, where he used his knowledge of trains to gain a modest scoop. Frustrated at being one of 500 foreign correspondents held at bay at Košice, some 10 miles from where the Russians were trying to browbeat the Czech leader, Alexander Dubcek, at Cierna, it occurred to him that, as the meeting was taking place at the town's railway institute, there must also be a railway line. The next morning he rose early and circumvented the security cordon by catching a workmen's train, bound for Cierna. Although he
was discovered soon after arrival and returned to Košice, Moorhouse was able to file 800 self-deprecating words of his experience for the next morning's paper. Four of his books were based on the Indian sub-continent. The first, Calcutta (1971), remains a classic and led him to write two other city books, New York (1988) and Sydney (1999) – his metropolitan trilogy, as he called them. In the early 1980s, he travelled in Pakistan to its border with Afghanistan and the result, To the Frontier (1984), won him the Thomas Cook travel book award. It was, though, originally suppressed in Pakistan by the regime of General Zia on the grounds that it was anti-Islamic. He also wrote knowledgably about two sports – cricket and rugby league. His love of cricket (he followed Lancashire all his life) led him to write The Best Loved Game (1979), which won him the Cricket Society award, and, in 1983, Lord's, a study of the home of cricket, particularly the MCC. Moorhouse's volume of essays about rugby league (he supported Wigan), At the George (1989), led him to be made the game's official historian for its centenary in 1997. As he grew older and travelled less – and having survived a near -fatal heart attack – he turned to history, working from his home in Gayle, a village in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. Hell's Foundations (1992) was
about the effect that the Gallipoli campaign of the first world war had on the Lancashire town of Bury, whose young men formed the bulk of the 5th battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers and failed to return. He followed it with three books of Tudor history: The Pilgrimage of Grace (2002), on the popular uprising that almost toppled Henry VIII; Great Harry's Navy (2005), concentrating on the origins of the Royal Navy; and The Last Office (2008), which told of the dissolution of the monasteries through the example of Durham. The praise it received particularly pleased him, as that book brought together many of his life's interests. That year, a novel by the New Zealand writer Janet Frame – Towards Another Summer – was published posthumously. Moorhouse and his first wife, who had given hospitality to Frame in the early 1960s, appear in the novel. Moorhouse thought the portrait of his wife excellent, but hoped he wasn't "as plonkingly earnest" as Frame had drawn him. With Jan, he had two sons and two daughters. The younger daughter, Brigie, died of cancer in 1981. Jan was by then married to another Guardian man, Geoffrey Taylor. Moorhouse married again twice, but each marriage ended in divorce. He is survived by his partner, Susan GEOFFREY page 9
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Gordon Brown plays down Dubai crisis By Graeme Wearden, Nicholas Watt (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:49:26 AM
• Dow Jones index falls 189 points to 10275 in early trading • Relief as Wall Street down less than predicted • London stock market shrugs off early plunge in share prices, and closes nearly 1% higher Gordon Brown claimed today that the Dubai financial crisis would not cause major damage to the global economy. The prime minister said this morning that Dubai's problems were "a setback", during a summit meeting of Commonwealth leaders in Trinidad and Tobago. "My own view is the world financial system is stronger now and able to deal with the problems that arise," said Brown. "I think we will find it is not on the scale of previous problems we have dealt with. I think global recovery has depended on monetary action and fiscal stimulus," he added. Brown was speaking before shares on Wall Street fell less than feared, which helped to drive the FTSE 100 back upwards to close almost 1% higher than yesterday. Brown also said that he had spoken to senior figures in Dubai, and was confident that their plans to redevelop the ports they own in the UK would still
go ahead. "The world economy has put in place mechanisms by which when a problem starts in one country we are in a far better position to monitor it and to gauge the effects," Brown said in Port of Spain. The prime minister said that the major impediment to the plans for British ports were planning restrictions. Dubai World, the government-owned conglomerate that is now struggling to repay its debt, operates through its Dubai Ports World subsidiary container terminals at Tilbury, near London, and Southampton. It owns P&O, and is the thirdlargest port operator in the world. It has plans for regeneration projects include Chelsea Harbour, Regent Quarter at King's Cross, London Gateway Terminal and Shell Haven. Brown said: "The problem essentially for the Dubai ports has been issues relating to planning in Britain. This is potential project for Britain that will bring a large number of jobs. It has to go through a large number of hurdles." Brown attempted to sound an upbeat note as he awoke in Port of Spain – after a late-night flight to the Commonwealth heads of government meeting – to the news from Dubai. "This is a setback but I think you will find this is not on a scale where previous problems have been dealt with," he said. The prime minister said he did
not believe the crisis in Dubai would threaten the world economic recovery. He cited the sophisticated monitoring of financial markets and the unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimuli over the last year. "There is five trillions of fiscal stimulus in the world economy – either had or about to have – and that is what is bringing the economy up. The monetary easing, with low interest rates and with quantitative easing in Britain and America – these have been the most important thing in giving the world economy a boost. "You are obviously going to have setbacks with a bank here or an organisation there that has had problems. But I believe the world has got a better way of monitoring what is happening and measuring the effects of this so that despite setbacks we can be assured we are still moving forward. "You are dealing with one set of issues related to Dubai. Dubai is part of the UAE, it is part of a wider enterprise. We are going to have issues like this because of the fallout over the last two years. But my own view is that the world financial system is stronger now and it will be able to deal with problems as they arise." Calming panic Brown was speaking after the London stock market shrugged off an early plunge in share
prices, following efforts by the emirate's ruling family to calm the panic. After a bout of heavy selling in Asia, the mood in the City was that traders are trying to catch their breath following the shock on Wednesday when Dubai World asked to defer repaying some debts for six months. However, shares did also fall on Wall Street when trading began today, following yesterday's holiday. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, the uncle of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, attempted to calm the situation last night. "Our intervention in Dubai World was carefully planned and reflects its specific financial position," he said in a statement. "The government is spearheading the restructuring of this commercial operation in the full knowledge of how the markets would react. We understand the concerns of the market and the creditors in particular. However, we have had to intervene because of the need to take decisive action to address its particular debt burden." It is still unclear whether Dubai will default on some of its estimated $80bn (£48.8bn) debts, which would be a major blow to the banking sector, or be bailed out by the United Arab Emirates. The FTSE 100 tumbled by 70 points, or nearly 1.4%, to 5123 when trading began. But with share prices volatile, it clawed
back all these losses and closed 51.6 points higher at 5245.7, up 0.99%. There was relief that the Dow Jones fell by less than 2% when the half-day session began on Wall Street, having been closed yesterday for Thanksgiving. The index was just 1.3% lower at 10330 when trading ended in the City. Traders in London were not alarmed by a report that Britain's banks are exposed to almost $50bn of UAE debt, more than any other country. Earlier the Nikkei 225 closed 3.2% lower, with Japan's biggest banks leading the fallers. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell by 5.3%. Major building firms in Asia also fell sharply, as traders anticipated that the Dubai building boom was over. Yesterday, the FTSE 100 suffered its worst day's trading since March, falling by 170 points. Risky business Today, Dubai itself came under more pressure. The cost of insuring the emirate's debt increased again, with five-year credit default swaps jumping by 129 basis points to 670 basis points this morning. Credit default swaps for Dubai World Ports jumped even more, from 608 basis points to 818.5. These changes indicate that the markets believe there is more GORDON page 9
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Australia's wine success story turns sour as cellars overflow By Toni O'Loughlin (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
leave. "We need to take a chainsaw to our national vineyards," said Mark McKenzie, executive Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:03:16 AM director of the Wine Grape A fatal attraction between the Growers' Association. UK and Australia's cheap wines A quarter of the vineyards are has led to a glut, forcing wineries owned by just a handful of big to bulldoze their vineyards companies – Foster's Group, A u s t r a l i a n w i n e r i e s a r e Constellation Brands, Pernod bulldozing and selling vineyards Ricard and Australian Vintage, in a desperate attempt to clear who have begun winding up cellars choked with more than contracts with growers. 100 million wine cases in the Andrew Jefford, a British wine worst glut in two decades. writer who has taken a year-long If the industry fails to uproot position at Adelaide University to 20% of vines at least 200 million research Australia's wine regions, more cases will pile up over the says: "As I travelled around next two years. Australia I saw very glum faces. It will be years before the excess Prices are being cut, contracts are is absorbed, which means British being torn up. It will continue drinkers – who buy 20 million to happening. This is a war of 40 million cases of mostly cheap attrition between large producers wine to quaff annually – will and growers." continue to benefit. Of the nation's 165,000 hectares Australian wines stormed the of wine grapes, about 40,000 UK market in the mid to late hectares need to be destroyed. 1990s and, high on the boom, But some estimate that only wineries and growers were slow 6,000 to 8,000 will be removed to admit the problem in the hope from the market over the next that the good times would return. year. So, five years after the glut first Stephen Shelmerdine, a boutique emerged, the industry's four peak winemaker for Shelmerdine b o d i e s – t h e W i n e m a k e r s Wines in Victoria, says: "Those Federation, the Wine Grape who are passionate won't quit." G r o w e r s ' A s s o c i a t i o n , t h e "I know people working two or Australian Wine and Brandy three jobs in order to keep their Corporation and the Grape and vineyards. I try not to despair," Vine Research and Development he said. C o r p o r a t i o n – h a v e t a k e n In part, Australian winemakers unprecedented action, issuing a are victims of their own success, report instructing their members which Jefford says is "without to rip out unprofitable vines or to parallel in the history of the wine
trade". The offer of cheap, simple wines, marketed aggressively to the big UK retailers, such as Tesco and Sainsbury's, has turned into a "fatal attraction". They "have long had a profitable and happy marriage, but it's turning sour now because the UK retailers are plumping for ever cheaper wine, which is less and less profitable to make," says Jefford. The raging success in the UK of labels such as Hardys and Banrock Station – made by Constellation – and of Lindemans, Wolf Blass, Rosemount and Penfolds – made by Fosters – generated a 10-year export boom. And the big sales lured thousands of investors and growers to the industry, which was also being touted by financial advisers as a haven for minimising taxes. By 2004, signs of a glut were emerging but the industry remained in denial, hoping that seasonal factors, such as drought, would help dry out the glut. In addition, sales to Britain continued to grow, feeding a seemingly insatiable demand for increasingly cheaper wine, postponing the crisis. "Everyone thought market forces would resolve the issue and that they could trade their way out," said the Winemakers Federation chief executive, Stephen Strachan. Then, after peaking in 2007 at $3bn (£1.65bn), Australian
exports to the UK crashed along with world financial markets. Wine exports have fallen by 8 million cases, more than 20%, over the past two years. While British drinkers still buy more Australian wine than any other foreign consumers in the world, they've been replaced by the Americans as Australia's most lucrative market. Bulk wine shipments to Britain now make up 37% of Australia's wine sales to British consumers. As a result, prices have plunged to about 18% to $2.72 a litre. The glut, largely made up of medium-quality shiraz, cabernet and chardonnay, will be cleared, in part, by bulk wine sales – but they could also cripple the industry. Australian winemakers are now trying to break out of a selfperpetuating cycle of increasingly lower prices and deteriorating quality. "Australia is very highly identified with deals and discounts in the UK and it is increasingly synonymous with the wine the new drinkers cut their teeth on," says Jefford. The crisis has pitted Australia's smaller wineries against the nation's giants. Twelve of Australia's oldest winemaking families have banded together, calling themselves Australia's First Families of Wine, to fight the discount binge and preserve the value of their product. "We were being misrepresented
because a lot of people were looking at the mass-produced wines," said Mitchell Taylor, whose family owns Taylor's wines, which trades under the name of Wakefield in the UK. The group will send family emissaries to educate British retailers and consumers about the quality of Australia's wines. Even Fosters is looking for more lucrative markets. It has dumped 37 brands to pursue sales to "more discerning" customers who will pay higher prices. "The reputation of Australian wines isn't as maligned as many say it is," said Fosters communications manager, Troy Hey. But Taylor admits it will be hard to push against market "gatekeepers". "The Sainsbury's and Tescos want wine to a formula and at a price where they can make a margin, because they say their customers want to buy at a certain end of the market," he says. • Food & drink industry • Australia • Food & drink Toni O'Loughlin guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
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Iran told to halt work on nuclear plant By Ian Black (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk) Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:07:02 AM
International Atomic Energy Agency vote could form the basis for a future binding resolution by the UN security council Iran faced a display of rare international unity today when the UN's nuclear watchdog demanded it halt work on a secret uranium enrichment plant whose exposure highlighted concerns that the country is seeking nuclear weapons. Russia and — even more unsually — China lined up with the US, Britain, France and Germany to censure Iran in a vote by the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), passing the first resolution against the Islamic regime since 2006. The 25-3 vote could form the basis for a future binding resolution by the UN security council, which in turn could, in theory, be used to impose sanctions. Gordon Brown, seeking to maintain pressure on Tehran, was quick to warn of punitive measures. "I believe the next stage will have to be sanctions if Iran does not respond to what is a very clear vote from the world
community," the prime minister said in Trinidad and Tobago where he is attending a Commonwealth summit. The Foreign Office called the IAEA resolution "the strongest possible signal to Iran that its actions and intentions remain a matter of grave international concern". Yet it also left the door open for compliance. "We are waiting for Iran to respond meaningfully," a statement said. "But if it is clear that Iran has chosen not to do so, we will have no alternative but to consider further pressure ... in line with the dual-track policy we have been pursuing." The US ambassador to the IAEA, Glyn Davies, called the vote "a signal that patience is running out". In Washington a senior US official warned only of unspecified "consequences" for Iran. The six countries leading negotiations made clear a week ago that they were unhappy with Iran's foot-dragging after talks in Geneva and Vienna, and its apparent rejection of a deal to transfer 75% of its low-enriched uranium abroad to be used by a Tehran reactor that makes isotopes for cancer treatments. Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the IAEA, rejected the vote as "intimidation" and warned that the "hasty and
undue" step would "jeopardise the conducive environment needed for success". Iran's standard response is to warn that it will reduce cooperation if put under pressure, but western diplomats believe it will not want to alienate its supporters by openly acting illegally. Cuba, Malaysia and Venezuela opposed the IAEA resolution. Brazil, Egypt, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey and Afghanistan abstained. The US president, Barack Obama, has warned there could be a package of sanctions against Iran within weeks. But the timing is crucial, not least because of differences on the security council and the key question of how effective punitive measures would be. Russia and China have both balked at talk of sanctions in the past. Sir Richard Dalton, a former British ambassador to Iran, said: "If the present set of talks are even faintly alive I don't think it is in the interests of the six to say 'let's move to sanctions now'. But it's inevitable that sanctions discussions will now get more real." The draft resolution urged Iran to immediately halt construction of the Fordow enrichment plant, located in a mountain bunker near Qom, to clarify its original purpose and confirm it has no
more hidden atomic facilities or clandestine plans for any. Iran denies it wants to build nuclear weapons, saying its atomic energy programme is for peaceful purposes. Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran if diplomacy fails. Gloom about the apparent impasse deepened yesterday as a statement by Mohamed ElBaradei, the outgoing directorgeneral of the IAEA, expressed dismay over Iran's failure, until September, to notify the agency of the Fordow plant it had been secretly building for two years, and its failure to address allegations about a suspected weapons programme. "It is now well over a year since the agency was last able to engage Iran in discussions about these outstanding issues," he said. "We have effectively reached a dead end, unless Iran engages fully with us." • Iran • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) • Nuclear weapons • United Nations Ian Black guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
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Holly Corp. (HOC): A 'potential double' By Steven Halpern (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 11/26/2009 2:00:00 PM
Filed under: Newsletters, Commodities, Oil, Stocks to Buy "Holly Corp. ( HOC), an independent petroleum refiner gave a solid 'Buy' signal a little over two months ago and appears poised to continue moving a lot higher," suggests Mike Turner, editor of the newly-launched advisory service, Mastering the Markets. "Holly Corp. is my top-ranked 'Doubler' -- my list of stocks with the potential to double in price. With regard to HOC's fundamentals, I like the following: "First, Holly has delivered impressive year-over-year earnings growth of +34.8%. I also look at multi-year (3 to 5 years) average earnings growth, as this tells me if a particular company has long-term staying power. In this case, HOC has delivered exceptional five-year average earnings growth of +25.7%. Continue reading Holly Corp. (HOC): A 'potential double' Holly Corp. (HOC): A 'potential double' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Magnitsky's death must be investigated, says Browder
Options Update: HSBC Holdings volatility low; uncertainty of Dubai exposure
By Luke Harding (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
By Paul Foster (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:07:57 AM
Head of Hermitage investment fund demands inquiry into alleged torture of dead lawyer by Russian state The investigation into the death of the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky should be carried out by a team of independent experts, William Browder, the head of Magnitsky's investment fund, Hermitage Capital Management said, today. Browder said there had to be a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Magnitsky's death last week in a Moscow prison. Magnitsky, who was 37, had been held on remand for almost a year and repeatedly refused medical treatment, despite suffering from a serious stomach complaint. "There has to be a public inquiry into what happened to Sergei in the last hours of his life. We need to know who spoke to him in his last hours, who examined him, and who took him from the Butyrka prison to the Matrosskaya Tishina prison. All the questions must be answered," Browder told the Russian news
agency Interfax. The case has provoked widespread domestic and international outrage. Under pressure from human rights activists, Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, called on Tuesday for an investigation into the death of Magnitsky, who was arrested last year for alleged tax fraud. The following day Russia's interior ministry denied all knowledge that Magnitsky had been ill. Yesterday, however, the federal prisons service took the unusual step of admitting that it was partly to blame for the lawyer's death. Alexander Smirnov, deputy director of the prison service, said: "There were clear violations from our side." It was a "serious stain" on the service's reputation, he added. Browder said that virtually all the circumstances surrounding the lawyer's death had been kept secret from Magnitsky's grieving relatives and the public. He said the only document given to his family was a death certificate stating that the lawyer had died from heart failure. Five days previously, however, a cardiogram showed that Magnitsky's heart was normal, Browder said.
Interior ministry officers arrested Magnitsky last November as a suspect in the case against Browder, the co-founder of Hermitage, once Russia's biggest investment fund. Browder has accused the same officials of using Hermitage to carry out a $230m (£140m) tax fraud. Browder has been barred from Russia since 2005. Russian officials accuse him of tax evasion. This week Russian commentators expressed dismayed at what they called Magnitsky's "tragic death". The authorities' refusal to give him medical help after he complained of chest pains meant they were guilty of torture, the economists Sergei Guriev and Aleh Tsyvinsky wrote, adding that today's Russia "evokes disturbing memories of 1937". Writing in the business newspaper Vedomosti, they said: "It is dangerous to be an opposition politician, an independent journalist or a human rights activist in Russia. We thought that it was safe to stay out of politics and simply work in your chosen profession. At least, that is probably what Magnitsky thought. He did not die at the hands of some
unknown hired assassin, but at the hands of the state." In a 40-page affidavit sent to Russia's general prosecutor on 11 September, Magnitsky complained repeatedly about his treatment on remand, detailing how his numerous requests to see a doctor were ignored. The lawyer, who was healthy at the time of his arrest, had been suffering from pancreatitis and advanced gallstone disease. In a prison diary, he also described his appalling living conditions, with rats running in the prison corridors. "At night you can hear them squeaking," he recorded. Magnitsky, who was held in a cramped 8.2 sq metre cell, complained that he was in effect starved during court visits. Officials also refused to allow him to see his wife and two small children. • Hedge funds • Investing • Russia • Human rights • Torture Luke Harding guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:30:00 AM
Filed under: Options HSBC Holdings ( HBC) is recently trading at $57.40 in preopen trading, below its close of $62.07, due the uncertainty of Dubai World; the government investment company sought to delay repayment on much of its debt. HSBC December and January option implied volatility of 29 is below its 26-week average of 36, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement. Market Vector Gold Miners ( GDX) is recently down $2.02 to $50.81 in pre-open trading. Gold is recently down 2.23% to $1162.10. GDX December and January option implied volatility of 43 is below its 26-week average of 49, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement. Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com. Options Update: HSBC Holdings volatility low; uncertainty of Dubai exposure originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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The Dane with green energy for Europe | Jakob Illeborg By Jakob Illeborg (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
earth, although internationally she is probably best known for her continuing showcasing of the melting glaciers on Greenland to Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:00:00 AM world leaders. For some time it E u r o p e ' s n e w c l i m a t e seemed that "tour guide" ought to commissioner was instrumental be her real job description. Just in building Denmark's green about anyone who can call credentials, despite its regressive him/herself a head of state has government had the guided tour around the She said too much when she melting mountains of ice in the congratulated Lykke Friis, who is old Danish colony – as if taking over her job as climate Denmark was the only country in minister of Denmark. "I am the world that had seen the light looking forward to working with and now had been given the you from Brussels," Connie tough task of showing the brutal Hedegaard said, thus indicating evidence to various world players that she would be appointed while making sure the cameras European climate commissioner. were rolling. As is well documented, being a But the somewhat dubious frontrunner for a top job in s t r a t e g y w o r k e d , b o t h f o r Brussels usually means you don't Hedegaard personally and for get it. But not this time. The Denmark's climate reputation. European commission president, T h e m a n y a r c t i c t o u r s José Manuel Barosso, has now undoubtedly helped bolster declared Hedegaard the European Denmark's green credentials climate commissioner. enough to make Copenhagen the Being in the international choice to host what is now limelight is not a new experience k n o w n a s t h e C o p e n h a g e n for Hedegaard. She is included in climate change conference, or Time magazine's latest list of the Cop15. 100 most influential people on But although Hedegaard is
widely respected for her integrity and capability, the government she is representing has a somewhat tainted reputation when it comes to protecting the environment. In fact, many argue that the centre-right government that has been leading Denmark since 2001 has been rather regressive when it comes to green politics. It is well known that several leading ministers for a long time didn't really want to commit to green initiatives, and reversed many of the initiatives that had made Denmark an environment model through the 80s and 90s. This is, however, not her fault. I interviewed her a few years ago and she certainly was doing her best to fight the corner for green issues in Denmark, which was badly needed. Back then the Danish cabinet hadn't realised the enormous economic opportunities that lie in branding Denmark as a green champion. I am not sure that Hedegaard was fully aware of this potential, but this quickly changed as the fight against global warming shot to
prominence. Ever since, she has grown with the task and today has the ear of most influential politicians in Europe and beyond. As such she has the chance to be a capable and visible commissioner. Her farewell gift from her office staff was a mug and some coffee to keep up the steam – as she leads Denmark into the all important conference (she has also been appointed temporary minister for the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen) – and some tea to calm her down once the show is over. She is known as an energetic but also pragmatic minister, and Europe could do a lot worse. • Denmark • European Union • Climate change • Glaciers • Greenland Jakob Illeborg guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
Friday Giveaway: Nixon Newton Watch By John Biggs (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:14:44 AM
Our buddies at Watchismo are offering a Nixon Newton Watch to one lucky commenter. You
have your pick of the litter and you’ll be the most stylish fellow on your cellblock when you pull this watch out of wherever you hid it from the screws! The Nixon normally costs $98
pick one winner at random on Monday. but for you, my friend, it’s free. Simply comment below and we’ll
They made a King of Fighters live-action movie and the trailer looks terrible By Serkan Toto (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:19:48 AM
Since the 1990s, 2D fighting game series King of Fighters has always been the (smaller), and some hardcore gamers say better, counterpart to Streetfighter. Streetfighter saw not one but two live-action movies based on the thin story lines of the games, and now someone in Hollywood decided it’s time for a King of Fighters movie. And does it surprise anybody the promo trailer that was just released looks horrendous? Official plot: The last surviving descendants of three legendary clans are continuously transported to other dimensions to test their martial arts skills against an evil force that seeks to invade and infect the real world. The movie (whose official site doesn’t work for me) is scheduled for release next year in the US and this is a one-minute promo trailer that features the music from Dark Knight of all movies. Maggie Q (the evil woman in Die Hard 4) plays Mai Shiranui. Via Worst Previews
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World/ Gadgets/ Entertainment/
E-reader Newspaper
Filipino mayor from political family charged over massacre By Peter Walker (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
the scene and ordered the killings. "He saw the carnage," she said. Asked whether the witness saw Ampatuan firing a Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:11:39 AM weapon, she added: "Yes." Witness claims to have seen The man was among the militia Andal Ampatuan Jr ordering members and local security killings and personally firing at forces who took part in the c o n v o y o f j o u r n a l i s t s a n d massacre, she added. political rivals Devanadera said the bodies of A senior member of a clan that many of the 20-plus female has ruled a southern Philippine v i c t i m s h a d b e e n s e x u a l l y province for years was directly mutilated, although it was not involved in the massacre of 57 known if the women had been people, including the wife and raped. sisters of a political rival and In a crime that has shocked the d o z e n s o f j o u r n a l i s t s , t h e region, a convoy of vehicles country's justice secretary said carrying supporters of a political today . rival and reporters was ambushed Andal Ampatuan Jr, mayor of a on Monday. The passengers were town in the hill region where the shot at close range and dumped killings occurred, and son of the in mass graves. Investigators governor of Maguindanao, whose believe 15 of those killed were family has close links to the bystanders shot to eliminate country's president, Gloria w i t n e s s e s . U p t o 3 0 w e r e Macapagal-Arroyo, has been journalists or media workers. charged with mass murder for Among the dead were the wife allegedly organising the killings. a n d t w o s i s t e r s o f I s m a e l Speaking in Manila, the federal Mangudadatu, who plans to run j u s t i c e m i n i s t e r , A g n e s against the younger Ampatuan Devanadera, said a witness had for the governorship in elections testified that Ampatuan was at next year.
Following threats, Mangudadatu decided not to travel with the convoy to an electoral office to file candidacy papers. He believed that his relatives, as women, would be spared violence. Separately, Mangudadatu said witnesses who escaped the massacre saw Ampatuan personally flag down the caravan and slap his wife. Ampatuan handed himself in yesterday, following threats that his family compound faced military assault, and is in jail in Manila. He has insisted on his innocence, saying that at the time he was in his office at the town where he serves as mayor. Mangudadatu registered his candidacy today, leading another convoy, guarded by soldiers and hundreds of supporters, along the same route. "Only death can stop me from running," he said as he submitted the papers. Following the massacre, Arroyo expelled Ampatuan family members from her party and pledged justice for the victims. Ampatuan Sr had seemingly been grooming his son
to take over as provincial governor. Maguindanao is a province on the southern island of Mindanao, an often lawless region where a decades-long insurgency by Muslim groups seeking independence within the mainly Catholic country has killed tens of thousands of people. Several of these organisations have previously kidnapped and murdered foreign nationals, as well as many more local people. Ampatuan has blamed the massacre on one of the Muslim groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It has denied this, and the government says there is no evidence of rebel involvement. • Philippines Peter Walker guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
Deal Report: Sound off on great deals you spotted this weekend By John Biggs (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:18:49 AM
View CrunchGear Deals in a larger map Hey, Bargain Hunters, what did you turn up? Report here which stores have the best deals and who actually has inventory. Don’t forget to add city and state info and we can add points to a Google Map this weekend. Don’t forget to check out our Black Friday deals on CrunchGear.
This is why you shouldn't ask people to work ... [Internal Memos] By Ravi Somaiya (Gawker) Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:01:42 AM
This is why you shouldn't ask people to work for free.
Makibishi: Cool interactive Ninja comic game for the iPhone By Serkan Toto (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:40:47 AM
There are more than 100,000
approved apps in the App Store now, making it harder and harder to spot the really good ones. One of these apps that don't get
enough airtime (and that I viewed
a demo of recently) is called Makibishi Comic( iTunes link) and is offered by Tokyo-based GungHo Works(it's available in
Japanese and English).
Politics/
E-reader Newspaper
GEOFFREY
GORDON
continued from page 2
Bassnett, his daughter, Jane, and sons Andrew and Michael. Peter Preston writes: There were two great feature writers on the staff when I became features editor of the Guardian four decades ago. One was Terry Coleman, master of the full dress interview. The other was Geoffrey. And he was special, too. Geoffrey was quiet, brooding, very northern, always fascinated by time and place, as well as surface events. He was a reporter who delved and pondered, getting the facts right, making sure that the slices of life he portrayed were true. He believed in people and making their lives available for a broader audience. He had a quizzical eye and a gentle, reflective sense of humour. And, whether evoking a street market in Blackburn or Bologna, he was always detailed. It was probably inevitable, as his own life moved on, that he would find the role of author-reporter more fulfilling than that of feature writer on demand, given the latter's requirement of hours rather than months to turn a rich
continued from page 3
idea around. Moving on was a great career move. But the Geoffrey I shall always remember, wry, precise, in no sense overbearing, was and remained a great reporter with the most precious gift a reporter can possess: to be able to write as well as he can observe, to describe what he sees in a way that makes it memorable. WL Webb writes: Geoffrey reminded me recently that I had given him his first byline in the Guardian – a sketch of the kind once known as a "back-pager", about a stroppy curate getting on the wrong side of his Lancashire bell-ringers – and generally encouraged him in the late 1950s to push on and become one of the paper's stars. We spent much time together in 1968, covering the Prague Spring and taking turns to guard jealously from other desperate reporters an ancient teleprinter in a dingy hotel that needed much coaxing to send our copy out. Geoffrey's concentration was ferocious. Once, when I tried to interrupt him in full spate to explain some Czech speech that
Happy Thanksgiving (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 11/26/2009 10:03:27 AM
Happy Thanksgiving to all LGF readers — and let’s also give thanks for the men and women of the US military, many of whom are serving overseas and missing their families.
9
Here’s an outstanding collection of photos from Afghanistan, to remind us what these servicemembers are doing for our country: Photographer Collection: David Guttenfelder in Afghanistan.
had just changed the story, he took a wild swing at me, as I struggled to stop him typing away. The same restless energies drove him on his solo slog across the Sahara and through all his other formidably researched and experienced books, until he came to rest in the Wensleydale he loved and celebrated so warmly in his north country pastorals in the Oldie. • Geoffrey Moorhouse, writer, born 29 November 1931; died 26 November 2009 • The Guardian • Newspapers • Pakistan • Afghanistan • New Zealand Peter Preston guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
chance of Dubai defaulting on its debts. And the value of an Islamic bond issued by Nakheel, Dubai World's property division, and due for repayment in December, almost halved. This is the debt which Dubai World hopes to avoid redeeming for six months. Predictions that Dubai could drag the world economy downwards again knocked $5.50 off the price of a barrel of oil, to $72.49. Many stock markets in the Middle East are closed for the feast of Eid al-Adha, making it harder to know how the region will respond to Dubai's woes. "This certainly proves that the perceived immunity of the Gulf region from the credit crunch is a mirage and also puts doubts in investors' minds on what else they are being economical on the truth with," said Philip Gillett of IG Index. "I think it is the timing that has caused less violent reaction than expected, with the US holiday and Eid, so should be interesting this afternoon," he added. Manus Cranny, senior market commentator at MF Global Spreads, said that some traders in London have been buying into the banking and mining shares in the search for bargains after yesterday's sell-off. "Only time will tell whether this is bottom fishing or if it will turn into a deep-sea dive ... This bounce off the bottom in London
could be a bigger mirage than the daily haze that shrouds Dubai," Cranny said. It also emerged this morning that, according to JP Morgan, Royal Bank of Scotland has been the biggest loan arranger for Dubai World since January 2007. Tough times ahead Analysts at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch said this morning that the statement from the Dubai ruling family indicates that they are determined to restructure Dubai World's debt despite the impact on the financial markets. "The restructuring is likely to make the new issuances for UAE much harder in the short term and the implicit Abu Dhabi support is no longer taken for granted. Hence, we expect a further pressure on the banking sector," they said. • Market turmoil • Dubai • Economic policy • Commonwealth summit • Gordon Brown Graeme Wearden Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions| More Feeds
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Finance/ Sports/
E-reader Newspaper
Before the bell: Futures sharply lower on Dubai's debt problems
Heinz looking good after the second quarter?
By Melly Alazraki (BloggingStocks)
By Steven Mallas (BloggingStocks)
Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:00:00 AM
Filed under: Before the bell, International markets, Wal-Mart (WMT), Market matters, Gap Inc (GPS), Economic data, Commodities, Oil, Financial Crisis U.S. stock futures tumbled this Black Friday morning, as markets resumed trading after the Thanksgiving holiday only to join the world markets' selloff following the Dubai debt problems. With the markets open for half a day, only until 1:00 p.m. Eastern, trading could be thin, which may contribute to the downward move. For now,
futures are indicating Wall Street is set to open sharply lower. The news about Dubai's debt problems broke late Wednesday when the government of Dubai acknowledged it had asked its banks for a six-month stay on its schedule of debt repayments for two of its flagship firms, as they begin restructuring. Dubai World
has liabilities of $59 billion, its subsidiary Nakheel said in August, a large proportion of Dubai's total debt of $80 billion. As markets were struggling to figure out what kind of exposure banks had to Dubai debt, banks outside the Gulf played down on Friday their exposure to Dubai debt. Continue reading Before the bell: Futures sharply lower on Dubai's debt problems Before the bell: Futures sharply lower on Dubai's debt problems originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Turnaround expert: Eight stocks below 1999 highs By Steven Halpern (BloggingStocks) Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:00:00 AM
Filed under: Microsoft (MSFT), Pfizer (PFE), Wal-Mart (WMT), Coca-Cola (KO), Intel (INTC), Home Depot (HD), Newsletters, Walt Disney (DIS), Alcoa Inc (AA), Comcast Cl'A' (CMCSA), Stocks to Buy "We all know that, despite the big run-up recently, many stocks are still below their highs of a year or two ago," observes
turnaround expert George Putnam. In The Turnaround Letter, he suggests, "But what about some of the biggest, best known and best managed companies that are trading below where they were ten years ago? That's pretty tempting to us." Here, he looks at eight stocks that can now be bought at prices below their 1999 highs. "Sure, late 1999 was the last gasp of the Internet bubble, and so that explains some of the tech names.
But our list includes retail, beverage, entertainment, drug and other low-tech businesses. Continue reading Turnaround expert: Eight stocks below 1999 highs Turnaround expert: Eight stocks below 1999 highs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
Submitted at 11/27/2009 10:00:00 AM
Filed under: Earnings reports, Campbell Soup (CPB), ConAgra Foods (CAG), Kraft Foods'A' (KFT) Heinz ( HNZ) reported second quarter results earlier in the week. Should shareholders be thankful for the data in the press release? I would guess that those who aren't the type to buy and sell on a dime, and are holding for the long haul, will find this consumer-products company's numbers good enough. The business made 76 cents per share from continuing operations. Last year, a profit of 86 cents per share was recorded on the same basis. However, as several news items have mentioned, there was a gain of 18 cents per share in the
comparable quarter relating to hedging activities. So, the current quarter actually turns out to look a lot better once a little context is attached. Continue reading Heinz looking good after the second quarter? Heinz looking good after the second quarter? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Orton, Broncos stop free fall by beating Giants By Associated Press (ESPN.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:56:29 AM
Fast Facts • The Broncos won for the first time since Week 6, ending a four -game skid. • Knowshon Moreno rushed 19 times for 88 yards and a touchdown, his third of the
season and first in four games. • The Broncos held the Giants to 57 rushing yards, their fewest since Nov. 20, 2006. • Elvis Dumervil had two sacks, giving him an NFL-high 14 this season. -- ESPN Stats & Information This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Finance/ Gadgets/
E-reader Newspaper
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General Electric's Immelt Why isn't Bank of America updating its shareholders talks to the French government about Areva on CEO situation? By Zac Bissonnette (BloggingStocks)
By Mark Fightmaster (BloggingStocks)
Filed under: Deals, General Electric (GE), Politics General Electric's ( GE) chief executive visited France this week, making what some are calling a "last-ditch bid" to acquire the transmission and distribution arm of Areva, a stateowned French company. Immelt spent some time with two of the closest advisors to French president Nicolas Sarkozy, hoping to convince Sarkozy to ignore political pressure and realize the benefits of GE's $6 billion offer. The French government is rather adamant about keeping the domestic company home, asking a pairing of two French
Apple's Black Friday Sale? [Apple]
Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:00:00 AM
Submitted at 11/27/2009 12:00:00 PM
Filed under: Bank of America (BAC) Earlier this month, it was reported that Bank of America ( BAC) might not announce a replacement for departing CEO companies (Schneider Electric Ken Lewis until Thanksgiving. and Alstom) to rework their Now Thanksgiving has come initial bid, which was the lowest. and gone, and there is still no Continue reading General word of a new CEO for Bank of Electric's Immelt talks to the America. French government about Areva " T h e s e l e c t i o n p r o c e s s i s General Electric's Immelt talks continuing, internal and external to the French government about candidates are being considered Areva originally appeared on and a decision will be made in BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Nov t h e n e a r f u t u r e , " B o f A 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see spokesman Scott Silvestri told our terms for use of feeds. CNBC, which is speculating that Permalink| Email this| Comments
the process could linger on into By Wilson Rothman next year. Continue reading Why isn't (Gizmodo) Bank of America updating its Submitted at 11/27/2009 12:41:25 shareholders on CEO situation? Why isn't Bank of America Oh, it's on. [ Apple] updating its shareholders on CEO situation? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
AM
Engadget's Black Friday giveaway, part three: win an Aliph Jawbone prime! By Laura June (Engadget) Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:30:00 AM
Black Friday is one of those days you wish you could skip right over sometimes. The long lines, the disappointing deals, the stampedes and the arguments over Cabbage Patch Kids. We
can sympathize. That's why we're hanging out here all day, with you! And we decided to pull out some things we stocked up on just to give away to you, our devoted readers. Read the full rules after the break and get commenting to win. Now we've got an Aliph Jawbone Prime. Just
admit it: you want this.
Keep checking back all day -we're going to do one giveaway every hour or so, and we have some great stuff to hand out, including an HP Envy 15! Continue reading Engadget's Black Friday giveaway, part three: win an Aliph Jawbone prime!
Engadget's Black Friday giveaway, part three: win an Aliph Jawbone prime! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
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Gadgets/
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How a Self-Educated HS Dropout Became the Youngest Manager at Apple [Books] By James Marcus Bach (Gizmodo)
programmers starving in the streets of Sunnyvale?" No, actually there's lots of work Submitted at 11/26/2009 8:00:00 PM available. Would I like a job at James Bach, a legend in the Apple Computer, for instance? software-testing field, just "Sounds wonderful. What kind of published Secrets of a Buccaneer work is it?" All feelings of burn-Scholar, the tale of how he out were instantly replaced by a dropped out of school, became a blazing electric neon YES in my self-taught games programmer, heart. and scored a sweet gig at Apple Computer needs me. Apple—all before turning 21. Needs me. I am being called to The book's main purpose, as service. illustrated by the excerpt James The job was managing a team of has kindly permitted us to testers. p u b l i s h , i s t o s h o w h o w "What do you mean, testers?" I education is not about pieces of asked the telephone. paper on the walls, but the The recruiter explained that knowledge you cram inside your t e s t e r s e x a m i n e a p r o d u c t o w n h e a d . H i s b o o k i s a someone else has created and discussion of his mindframe as find problems in it. he embarked on a life of self- "They pay people to do that?" education, as he became what he Interesting. I'd always tested my calls a "buccaneer-scholar." own work. Then again, I'd never Here, in a riveting passage, he worked on a team with more than manages to swing a gig at the two other people. In terms of the hottest company in the Valley, software industry, I was a crazycirca 1987: eyed mountain man. In May of 1987, nearing my On the way to Apple I bought a twenty-first birthday, I was down c o p y o f T h e O n e - M i n u t e to my last hundred dollars, and Manager. It looked thin enough the only marketable skill I had for rapid learning. I skimmed it was for [programming video as well as I could in the hour games,] something I could no before the interview. longer force myself to do. Walking into Apple may have Then a recruiter called. She'd been the first time I ever set foot found a resume I had sent months inside an office building. First before. Would I like a job in t i m e s e e i n g c u b i c l e s a n d Silicon Valley? conference rooms. First time "I thought the industry had taken seeing a carnival-sized cart of a d o w n t u r n . A r e n ' t t h e r e free hot popcorn parked in a
hallway. Imagine working near the smell of melted butter! (Your eyes sting and you come to hate the smell of butter, it turns out.) I'd been worried about my
them and showed the portfolio of games I'd worked on. When they asked me about management, I repeated some of what I'd read in The One-Minute Manager. When they asked me about testing, I said what every programmer says: "I've tested my own stuff." Its not a good answer, but I didn't know that. Neither did they. No one in that room knew much about software testing. There are no university degrees in it. It's one of many new crafts that have emerged along with modern technology. After the interview, I went outside and walked twice around the building. This is where I belong, I thought. I will rock this place. Please please please hire me. A couple of days later, they did. *** I was a nervous man on my first day at Apple. At twenty, I was the youngest manager in the building. In all the gatherings and reorganizations we went through during the four years I worked there, I never met a younger manager. I was younger than many of the interns. Also, I was a contractor. That meant Apple could fire me without notice or severance. I had clothes. I didn't own a suit. But little money and no credit. looking around, I fit right in. The worst thing was that nearly Everyone was dressed like me. everyone around me had a Two guys in a conference room asked me questions. I answered HOW page 13
Gadgets/ Popular News/
E-reader Newspaper
13
HOW continued from page 12
university degree. A good many had graduate degrees. I had to catch up to the college kids. I brooded on it every day. I came to work with desperate fire in my soul to learn. Learn everything. Learn it now. As a manager, I supervised five testers, but no one closely supervised me. My boss, Chris, was in meetings most of the time. He needed me to get on with the work as best I could. This meant I could sneak away and read. I spent part of each afternoon in a donut shop across the street from my building, studying without interruption. Chris was supportive. "You should not just read about software," he suggested. "Try to find solutions to our problems in other disciplines." Maybe Chris was more supportive than he ever knew. I treated that one casual suggestion as permission to spend work time to learn anything. I browsed many of the two hundred or so academic journals that came through the library. Even crazy stuff. I read "Anthropometry of Algerian Women," and "Optimum Handle Height for a Push-Pull Type Manually-Operated Dryland
Weeder." Of course I read every testing book I could find. I discovered software testing standards and studied those, too. I studied most evenings and weekends. At first I thought I would learn a lot from the other testers. There were more than four hundred of them in my building. But talking to them revealed a startling truth: nobody cared. The pattern I experienced at Apple would be confirmed almost everywhere I traveled in the computer industry: most people have put themselves on intellectual autopilot. Most don't study on their own initiative, but only when they are forced to do so. Even when they study, they choose to study the obvious and conventional subjects. This has the effect of making them more alike instead of more unique. It's an educational herd mentality. I talked to coworkers who wanted to further their education, but they typically spoke in terms of getting a new piece of paper, such as a bachelor's degree, a masters, or a PhD. For them, education was about the doors they believed would open because of how they were labeled
by institutions, not about making themselves truly better as thinkers. Buccaneers, on the other hand, don't take labels too seriously. A buccaneer studies in the hope of unlocking Great Secrets! Wonder! Mastery! A buccaneer lives for the excitement of deciphering the mysteries of human experience. A buccaneer wants status, too, but only if that status is justly earned and sustained through the quality of his work. The$13 book is a wonderful read, especially for people who take education into their own hands—or would like to. There are so many brilliant people for whom the structure of school simply doesn't work, and it takes an eloquent geek like James prove to people in similar situations that this isn't their fault, and that they can do something about it. You can check out more on James' website, and you can follow him on Twitter at@jamesmarcusbach. Thanks again, James—and yo ho ho, matey!
Kohjinsha’s futuristic dual-screen notebook By Serkan Toto (CrunchGear)
RAM (upgradeable to 4GB), a 160GB HDD, WiFi, three USB ports, a 1.3MP web camera, Maybe it’s just me, but this dual- Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, slots for screen notebook Kojinsha started S D / m i c r o S D / M M C / m e m o r y selling in Japan today[JP] looks sticks and a digital TV tuner very futuristic (and very cool) to (which will work only in Japan me. The main selling point is that and parts of South America) on you get not one but two 10.1-inch board. Kojinsha says buyers can LCD screens in a compact body expect around 4.5 hours of ( s i z e : 2 8 0 × 2 1 0 × 1 9 4 2 m m , battery life. weight: 1.84kg). And you can Kohjinsha started selling the even buy the DZ6KH16E, which DZ6KH16E in Japan today. looks like a normal notebook People living outside this country when you use just one of the can get the notebook over at screens, if you live outside Japan. G e e k S t u f f 4 U f o r The two sliding LCDs feature $1,111.28(Windows and other 1,024×600 resolution and LED extras make it more expensive). backlights each. The notebook But remember this is a Japanese also has an Athlon Neo MV-40 device, meaning you’ll have to (1.6GHz) with a RS780MN live with a keyboard with a chipset and an ATI Radeon HD Japanese layout. 3200 graphics card, 1GB of Submitted at 11/27/2009 2:20:06 AM
FBI: Ex-doctor in Ohio admitted making pipe bombs (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:27:38 AM
roscoe buzzed up: Diplomats: 11 seconds ago 2009-11Iran censured at UN nuclear 27T09:20:03-08:00 meeting (AP) This content has passed through
fivefilters.org.
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Gadgets/ Tech/
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Black Friday deal roundup: Zhu Zhu mania edition By Joshua Topolsky (Engadget) Submitted at 11/27/2009 12:00:00 PM
Ah, Black Friday. The words send shivers down your spine... do they not? We're sure that you're probably napping right now after a 4AM jaunt to your nearest brick and mortar retailer, where you inevitably trampled some children to get your hands on a Zhu Zhu or that super cheap TV with with a 10:1 contrast ratio (hey, it was really cheap!). Still, there are some hard workin', hard spendin' folks who probably haven't had nearly enough of Capitalism Day, and as such, we're going to round up some of the best or most interesting deals we've seen thus far for their shopping pleasure. We've already done a few posts on the matter prior to the big day, and we'll include those here as well. Oh, and we're going to let you know
about deals that seem too good to be true or just plain bunk to us, because no one wants you wasting your money... beyond what is considered reasonable by polite society. If you guys have any deals you think are notable, use the tip form (or comments) and let us know!
New deals today: Dell Zino HD for $199(buyer beware, it ships with Vista) PS3 Slim (120GB) with inFAMOUS and Killzone 2 + a $10 Amazon gift certificate(different deals also available at other retailers) Westinghouse 32-inch TV for
$246 at Target(it is dirt cheap, but probably looks like crap) TomTom iPhone app 30 percent off until Monday(link goes to App Store) Previous deals: Apple's Black Friday deals Black Friday deals roundup: Best Buy, Lenovo, Verizon and more Black Friday deals roundup: Walmart, Target and NewEgg Black Friday deals bonanza round up Black Friday ads leaking all over town, we've rounded them up Sears Black Friday ad revealed, we'll be sleeping off our tryptophan hangovers Black Friday deal roundup: Zhu Zhu mania edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
NASA tech simulates moon landing (audio slideshow) (CNET News.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:00:00 AM
Report offensive content: If you believe this comment is offensive or violates the CNET's Site Terms of Use, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the comment). Once reported, our staff will be notified and the comment will be reviewed. Select type of offense: Offensive: Sexually explicit or offensive language Spam: Advertisements or commercial links Disruptive posting: Flaming or offending other users Illegal activities: Promote cracked software, or other illegal content Comments(optional): Report Cancel This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
CrunchDeals: Half-off Roku’s HD-XR By John Biggs (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:53:33 AM
Stop! Turn that car around! Roku is selling the HD-XR for half-off. There’s no reason to go to the store! The Roku is one of my favorite living room devices and it just
got better. Now it’s $64.99 plus shipping and lets you watch Netflix, Amazon, and MLB content along with Facebook and Blip.tv videos. Good, good stuff. Click through to figure out how to get the deal. The Roku HD-XR Player retails for $129.99, but will be available
for just $64.99 (plus FREE SHIPPING) on our Black Friday
website when it opens on Friday morning. Details on how the offer will work are below: 1 . G o t o http://blackfriday.roku.com starting at 11:00AM Eastern Standard Time (8:00AM Pacific Standard Time) Friday morning. 2. Follow the instructions and
enter the code “hdxrsteal” at checkout. The code can be applied to one Roku HD-XR Player.
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The Mood Chair Knows Exactly How Your Buttocks Feels [Design] By Rosa Golijan (Gizmodo) Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:00:00 AM
Zemno's $500 DeskBook Pro docking station is strictly for zealots By Darren Murph (Engadget) Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:31:00 AM
It may lack wireless connectivity, but it's sure got the look. Zemno's latest portable docking station is probably the most elaborate that we've ever seen, boasting an Apple-esque appearance that's designed to mesh well with Cupertino's latest MacBook models. The company
claims that any lappie under 15inches in size can be used with its DeskBook Pro, though we're guessing only the hardcore drumbeaters would actually shell out $499.99 for something such as this. As for functionality, the port-laden slate allows for up to two hard drives to be docked simultaneously or any combination of hard drive, battery, or peripheral device with
access to 16 input / output connections. The device also supports ModBays, which are interchangeable accessories designed to conveniently slip in and out of the DeskBook Pro. Hit the read link for the full list of I/O ports, but only if you managed to not be appalled by the aforesaid MSRP. Gallery: Zemno's $500 DeskBook Pro docking station is
strictly for zealots Zemno's $500 DeskBook Pro docking station is strictly for zealots originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Hot Hardware| Business Wire| Email this| Comments
Forget looking at the mood ring on someone's hand to know how she feels. Now it's the chair under her cute bum that'll reveal all. And the LEDs and embedded micro-chips on it are way cooler than bubblegum machine trinkets. The Mood Chair is designed by a company called Aether & Hemera and while it doesn't look too comfortable, it's pretty fun because it changes color based on its environment and users. The only trouble is that there doesn't appear to be a chart explaining which color corresponds to which mood. I really want one of these chairs. Not just because I think they're pretty, but because I want to see if they would stick on the same color like my mood rings did. What does an orange-ish red mean anyway? [ Aether & Hemera via Generate via Technabob]
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Roku HD-XR now 50 percent off... for the first 500 to take the plunge (update: sold out!) By Darren Murph (Engadget) Submitted at 11/27/2009 10:58:00 AM
Astronauts Sneak Turkey Into the Space Station [Space] By Jesus Diaz (Gizmodo) Submitted at 11/26/2009 10:00:27 PM
NASA didn't plan any traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner for the astronauts at the International Space Station, but they had it anyway: Someone sneaked the real thing into the space shuttle Atlantis without anyone from ground control noticing it. A reporter asked about the lack of turkey dinner in the official NASA menu, but mission commander Charles Hobaugh
replied "shockingly, yes, I think it will be" as they flashed some bags with the goodies inside. Hobaugh didn't care a lot: Thanksgiving to me has not always been about the food you eat, but the company you keep, and I'm keeping some outstanding company here. I can't wait to get home and share a late Thanksgiving meal with my family but, in the meantime, I've got a great group of friends and I'm really thankful for that. A NASA spokesman was
Roku's HD-XR doesn't add much to the overall Roku HD equation, but if you've been holding out -- just waiting, patiently -- for the perfect time to snag yourself yet another movie set-top-box, today's the day. Actually, right now is the moment. Roku is offering its newest STB for an unheard-of 50 percent off, but it's only for the first 500 customers who pony up and purchase it through the outfit's website. For this very moment in time (starting at 11AM ET and continuing until 500 HD-XR units are claimed), the box will be priced at just $64.99, and as if that weren't good enough, Roku is also covering the shipping. Need the specifics? Click on past the break. Update: Well, that was fun while
it lasted. All 500 have been claimed, and if you don't believe us, have a gander at the proof after the break. Continue reading Roku HD-XR now 50 percent off... for the first 500 to take the plunge (update: sold out!) Roku HD-XR now 50 percent off... for the first 500 to take the plunge (update: sold out!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
surprised and didn't have any explanation except that some of the ISS crew may have sneaked Dollar and government bonds rally as turkey—smoked and irradiated—candied yam, freeze- investors seek havens dried cornbread stuffing, and (Financial Times - US Markets Commentator green beans packages into the homepage) Published: November 27 2009 station. 07:13 | Last updated: November Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:52:52 AM Meanwhile, this Gizmodo editor 27 2009 16:52 is surprised that he didn't vomit Dollar and government bonds This content has passed through while writing this article, after rally as investors seek havens fivefilters.org. eating between five and three By Jamie Chisholm, Global hundred pounds of turkey today. [ AP]
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Engadget's Black Friday giveaway, part one: win a Wii Nerf blaster! By Laura June (Engadget) Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:00:00 AM
Black Friday is one of those days you wish you could skip right over sometimes. The long lines, the disappointing deals, the stampedes and the arguments over Cabbage Patch Kids. We can sympathize. That's why we're hanging out here all day, with you! And we decided to pull out some things we have stockpiled just to give away to you, our devoted readers. Read the full rules after the break and get
commenting to win. Up first we have a Wii Nerf blaster. Just admit it: you want this. Keep checking back all day --
we're going to do one giveaway every hour or so, and we have some great stuff to hand out, including an HP Envy 15! Continue reading Engadget's Black Friday giveaway, part one: win a Wii Nerf blaster! Filed under: Announcements Engadget's Black Friday giveaway, part one: win a Wii Nerf blaster! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| | Email this| Comments
Engadget's Black Friday giveaway, part two: win a pack of PSP Go accessories! The smartbook patent trolls are By Laura June (Engadget)
Case, and a Cradle / Base. Just admit it: you want this. Submitted at 11/27/2009 10:00:00 AM Keep checking back all day -Black Friday is one of those we're going to do one giveaway days you wish you could skip every hour or so, and we have right over sometimes. The long some great stuff to hand out, lines, the disappointing deals, the including an HP Envy 15! stampedes and the arguments Continue reading Engadget's over Cabbage Patch Kids. We Black Friday giveaway, part two: can sympathize. That's why we're w i n a p a c k o f P S P G o hanging out here all day, with a c c e s s o r i e s ! you! And we decided to pull out Filed under: Announcements some things we stocked up on Engadget's Black Friday just to give away to you, our giveaway, part two: win a pack devoted readers. Read the full of PSP Go accessories! originally rules after the break and get appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 commenting to win. Now we've Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please g o t a p a c k o f P S P G o see our terms for use of feeds. accessories, including: an In-Ear Permalink| | Email this| headset, Component AV cable, Comments Soft Carrying Case, Traveler
selling a $3000 netbook By John Biggs (CrunchGear) Submitted at 11/26/2009 12:21:57 PM
Remember those dudes who are trying to troll on their“smartbook” trademark and are asking bloggers and media not to use the term? Well, they’re selling a 2001 euro netbook. Granted it’s studed in crystals and comes with a bottle of champers, but WTF? Apparently not content in leading as the world most reviled
netbook maker, Smartbook AG is offering this hot mess as a holiday promoition. Best of all, it’s really a horrible netbook:
Thus the “Smartbook Zenide” in the variant of “Crystal” in a limited edition of 20 pieces For the price of cheap 2001, – EUR (in words: Euro two thousand and one), then there is also a bottle of champagne and an expensive suitcase. The fact that it is commonplace for a cheap netbook-from China, but this changes nothing.
Is Apple Missing the E-Reader Boat? (TechNewsWorld.com) (Yahoo! News Search Results for e-readers)
Sorry, readability was unable to parse this page for content. This content has passed through
fivefilters.org.
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Roomba saves child from deadly Viper, challenges Tango to a fight By Joseph L. Flatley (Engadget)
Frida returned to their home in Galilee, which they share with their two children, aged four and Submitted at 11/27/2009 10:30:00 AM seven (as well as several cats and We've always known that the dogs). "We were very lucky," Roomba was something of a bad- said Eli, "If the snake would have ass -- iRobot, after all, has quite a hid in the house and bitten one of reputation within the defense the children it could have ended i n d u s t r y - - s o w e w e r e n ' t badly." surprised when one of the Roomba saves child from deadly autonomous vacuum cleaners Viper, challenges Tango to a took down a certain Vipera fight originally appeared on palaestinae(a venomous snake Engadget on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 found in the Middle East). 10:30:00 EST. Please see our Considered a leading cause of terms for use of feeds. Permalink| snakebites within its geographic BotJunkie, Facebook| Email this| range, the snake was found Comments mangled 'round one of the robot's rotating brushes when Eli and Efi
The Burj Dubai Just Can't Stop Getting Struck By Lightning [Architecture] By John Herrman (Gizmodo)
checking for newness, I noticed something amazing: This Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:00:00 AM happens all the time. A t i p s t e r s e n t a l o n g t h i s Well, not all the time, since spectacular photo of the Burj storms aren't exactly a daily Dubai, the world's tallest, most occurrence in Dubai. In a way, absurdly ostentatious building, though, that makes the sheer getting stuck by lightning. While number of occasions this has
been caught on film all the more impressive. Cue neck hair standing on end... now: A proposal: When the hotel finally opens in January, this should be their advertising campaign. --Thanks, Cuyler!
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Apple's 2009 Black Friday deals: all MacBook Pro models $101 off
Glenn Beck Blames the ADL for Antisemitism
(CNET News.com)
(Little Green Footballs)
Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:09:00 AM
Points of Attack [Cheatsheets] By John Herrman (Gizmodo) Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:00:00 AM
A friendly reminder, about the monsters. Though I do feel that crabs are being unnecessarily victimized here; the only crime they are guilty of is occasional deliciousness. [ A Life Well Wasted via Geek Tyrant via io9]
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Update 2: Apple's US Black Friday sale is up, and while not spectacular, there are some rare discounts to be found. To go back to the same examples we used for the UK and Australian Apple stores, the base model 13inch MacBook Pro is $1,098, down from $1,199. In fact, it looks like all MacBook Pro models are exactly $101 off, while the$999 white MacBook is not discounted at all. The 32GB iPod Touch is $268, down from $299. This sale is good online and in Apple's retail stores and runs until 3am EST on Saturday November 28. Update: Even though it's not quite Black Friday in the US yet, it's past midnight in some other parts of the globe. Notably, Australia and the UK have both seen their respective Apple Web sites updated to reveal Apple's
one-day sale. While we can't say yet that the deals in the US will be exactly the same, there's no reason think they won't be. On apple.com/uk, we saw a 13inch MacBook Pro, originally £1,149, marked down to £1,078. On apple.com/au, the same unit was A$1,868, marked down from A$1,999. Similarly, a 32GB iPod Touch is £208, marked down from £229 on the UK site, while while in Australia, it's A$358, down from A$399. We've also examined some Black Friday deals from other retailers, click here for that. Our original post continues below: According to purportedly leaked documents on the tech rumor site Boy Genius Report, Apple is gearing up to offer a series of post-Thanksgiving bargains on products from iPods to MacBooks. The deal, allegedly good only on November 27, lists "up to"
discounts of 30 percent on iPods (excluding the Shuffle and iPhone), 25 percent on Mac laptops and desktops, and 15percent on accessories, software, and other hardware. The Boy Genius Report Web site says: "One of our connects just hit us up with some intriguing Apple information. According to them, what you see detailed above is a shot of Apple's yearly Black Friday deals. It's reported to be something Apple will email out shortly." Of course, with the vague use of "up to" and no specific products listed, we can't be sure if these will be good deals or not. But if you're interested in being the first in line to check them out, the leaked doc also says that select Apple stores will be opening at 6 a.m. on November 27. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Submitted at 11/26/2009 10:53:57 AM
In their new report on the rise of extremism in the US, the AntiDefamation League singled out Glenn Beck as “most important mainstream media figure who has repeatedly helped to stoke the fires of anti-government anger.” Obviously, Beck didn’t like this very much. So he responded yesterday on his radio show by attacking the ADL, implying that they are responsible for antisemitism. Yes, really.[Video] Notice that Beck goes on and on about what a great friend he is to the Jewish people — as if that’s supposed to excuse his promotion of racist, extremist ideas and conspiracy theories, and immunize him against criticism from the ADL.
Apple’s Black Friday Shopping Event Has Begun By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!)
because Apple’s one day special shopping event is now live. As you may have expected from Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:06:05 AM Apple, the savings aren’t huge; Want to buy some of Apple’s the biggest we’ve seen (in b e a u t i f u l g e a r , a n d s a v e absolute amount) is a $101 thousands hundreds dozens of dollars cut for the iMacs and the dollars in the process? There’s no MacBooks Pro. However, if you decent amount of money on better day to do that than today, look closely, you can save a certain items; for example, the 64
GB iPod Touch is now $358.00 (down from $399.00). It’s not only Apple gear that’s on discount; many other Applerelated products are going cheap today in Apple’s online store. For example, Creative Inspire T12 Speakers are only $48.00 (down from $69.95), while the Sanyo
Dual Camera Xacti VPCFH1ABK is $428.00 – a $71.95 discount from the regular price. Tags: apple, black friday
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A Guide to Mobile Web Design Tips and Tricks By Christina Warren (Mashable!)
create mobile versions of your website for you. MoFuse and MoFuse Submitted at 11/26/2009 7:10:09 PM Premium— MoFuse has been Having a mobile-optimized web offering a simple way for site can really make your site bloggers and businesses to easily stand apart from the pack. Even create mobile versions of their though smartphones like the websites for quite some time. For iPhone and Google Android bloggers or smaller sites, the devices can display “the full company offers MoFuse for w e b , ” h a v i n g a w e b p a g e Blogs, which is a free and easy formatted for smaller screens and way to quickly mobilize your with features that can take web site (it uses your RSS feed to advantage of a touch screen, generate the new site) whenever geolocation, or address book it is accessed by going to functionality can make the “ m . y o u r d o m a i n . c o m . ” F o r mobile web browsing experience businesses or larger sites that that much better. want a little more control, Even just a few years ago, MoFuse Premium offers more optimizing websites for mobile customizable options. browsers was a painful and Disclosure: MoFuse powers difficult process, in part because Mashable’s mobile website. of the limitations of most mobile Mippin— Mippin is another free browsers. Today, thanks to the service that can create a quick proliferation of WebKit (which mobile version of your website powers the browsers on the using your RSS feed. The options iPhone, Android and webOS aren’t extensive, but the version d e v i c e s , w i t h B l a c k B e r r y that Mippin creates should be expected to join the mix next viewable on almost any WAP year), it’s much easier to decide compatible mobile phone. on a strategy for making your mobiSiteGalore— website pop on mobile platforms. mobiSiteGalore can create quick We’ve put together a toolkit of mobile versions of websites, resources for the designer and offers users some customization non-designer alike to get you options, and can take advantage started. Did we miss your o f t h e . m o b i T L D . favorite tool or service? Let us mobiSiteGalore will let you know in the comments! create your mobile site from a Services for Optimizing Your computer or from your phone. Content for Mobile Browsers Plugins for WordPress and Other If you don’t have experience Publishing Systems with HTML and CSS (or you Having a WAP-formatted site is don’t have the time), there are a fine, but if you want to be able to number of services that can offer visitors from an iPhone or
the mobile on/off switch at the bottom of each page. WordPress Mobile Edition– Crowd Favorite created this plugin that allows users to easily define what type of devices should be shown a mobile web page (and what shouldn’t — for instance if you want BlackBerry Android device some really great users to see your mobile page but optimized mobile features, you you want iPhone users to see the want to consider creating a full site) and it comes with separate stylesheet for your Crowd Favorite’s Carrington website. For users of WordPress Mobile Theme which is easy on and other publishing systems, t h e e y e s a n d a l s o f u l l y there are a lot of plugin options c u s t o m i z a b l e . available that make adding a WordPress Mobile Pack— The mobile theme to your site WordPress Mobile Pack is from extremely easy. the dotMobi team and it is a WPtouch— WPtouch is a whole suite of tools for mobile fantastic plugin available for web optimization. It includes a W o r d P r e s s . o r g u s e r s base mobile theme, which is very (WordPress.com users can also attractive, a mobile admin panel, take advantage of WPtouch with mobile ad support and the option the recent addition of mobile for visitors to switch between the themes) that automatically makes full and mobile versions of a your site easy to read and access website. from an iPhone or Android WPtap— WPtap is a plugin for device. WordPress, and the site also The plugin is extremely robust offers up some alternative themes and even offers backend features for users who want a more like the ability to set an iPhone customized look and feel to add Favicon (so that when users add to their sites. WPtap looks very your web page to their iPhone’s similar to WPtouch, but the home screen, it has a great emphasis seems to be on offering looking icon), the ability to work pre-built mobile styles. with other WordPress plugins WordPress Mobile by Mobify— like FlickrRSS and Blip.it, This is a plugin for the Mobify support for AJAX, customized service (see description in the headers, and more. What I really n e x t s e c t i o n ) . I t h a n d l e s like about WPtouch is that users automatic redirection of mobile can choose to turn it off and clients to your Mobify mobile access the full version of a view page. website at any time by flicking Mobile Plugin for Drupa l—
Mobile Plugin offers Drupal sites a mobile optimized view, comes with a mobile version of the standard Drupal Garland theme and includes device detection, hooks for adding mobile-specific features and automatic YouTube mobile replacement. OSMOBI— OSMOBI is a service and plugin for Joomla and Drupal users that makes it easy to customize your blog for mobile visitors. The service is free for 150 page views every day but premium plans are also available. Tools for Designers Mobify— Mobify is a really interesting service because it makes it easy for designers or users who know HTML and CSS to painlessly modify and optimize their website for mobile access. The service is free (though paid monthly plans are available for more features) and it works extremely well with systems like WordPress, Drupal, ExpressionEngine and any other system that has predictable URL patterns and well formed HTML. Mobify has a visual editor that lets you see what your content looks like on different device types and you can then modify the CSS and see the changes in real-time. Some sites that have used Mobify to create mobile optimized versions of their content include A List Apart and revered web developers and designers, such as Jonathan Snook and Veerle Pieters. GUIDE page 26
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A wild ride on NASA's massive flight simulator (CNET News.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 4:00:00 AM
NASA Ames' Vertical Motion Simulator, the largest-such simulator in the world, has been used since 1980 to help train pilots to fly helicopters, fighters, and space shuttles. Now, it is being used for training on the next-generation lunar lander.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET) MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-There I was, staking my claim to a pilot's slot in one of NASA's next-generation lunar landers, and to be perfectly frank, I think I'd better not quit my day job. "I think we probably walked away from that," said NASA aerospace engineer Eric Mueller, after one rough touchdown. It was an overly charitable assessment of my performance. I'd hate to know what he was really thinking. If you've been paying attention, you're probably aware that there are no current missions to the moon, and so you know that I wasn't actually trying to land there. But I was piloting the same equipment that real-life astronauts have been using to prepare for potential future lunar trips, and so you'll have to forgive me for being a bit disappointed that my skills are likely not up to snuff. This indulging of my astronaut fantasies was part of a visit last week to NASA's Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS), the world's
largest tool for training those whose actual job is to fly lunar landers, space shuttles, helicopters, Joint Strike Fighters, and even bobsleds on the skills and tricks necessary to get their crafts safely to their destinations. Based in the Aviation Systems Division at NASA Ames
Research Center, the VMS offers those who use it six degrees of freedom, including 60 feet of vertical and 40 feet of lateral motion simulation inside a huge, 100-foot-tall chamber that looks like something over which an auto mechanic would salivate. Those "flying" the simulator (see
video below) have 20 feet of movement in both in the left and right directions, as well as 4 feet forward and back, and 25 degrees of roll, pitch, and yaw. Originally opened in 1980 to enable pilots to test-fly helicopters, the VMS is currently being used, among other things,
to help NASA get ready for what is likely to be its next great mission: a return to the moon with Constellation, the space agency's long-awaited nextgeneration program and the followup to the Space Shuttle WILD page 23
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Thanks to Mashable’s Socially Savvy Supporters By Tamar Weinberg (Mashable!) Submitted at 11/27/2009 4:54:33 AM
Thanks to this week’s advertisers and partners for enabling us to bring you the latest social media news and resources. Mashable’s sponsors are as social media savvy as our readers! Advertise with us and get noticed. Help us to help you. Mashable is seeking out site sponsors for our large, diverse audience — social media users, venture capitalists, early adopters, developers, bloggers, and many more. You’ll receive hundreds of thousands of views a day in addition to weekly recognition to thank you as our premium sponsors. Are you interested? Contact us for more information and to receive our media kit and rate card. This week, our valued sponsors are The NY Times Reader 2.0, Leapfish, Web 2.0 Expo New York, nimbb, MOTOBLUR, Conduit, Clickatell, Influxis, EdgeCast, Microsoft BizSpark, MailChimp, Sun Startup Essentials, and Eventbrite. Times Reader 2.0, powered by Adobe AIR, is a downloadable software application offering a digital experience of The Times that’s very much like reading the printed newspaper. Whether you’re using Windows, Mac OS or Linux, Times Reader gives you everything you’d expect from The New York Times in
print, delivered to your computer in less than a minute. After you’ve synched, no Internet connection is needed, so you can take the most insightful journalism with you wherever you go. LeapFish is an evolved search engine that provides a single, connected, multimedia experience for both searching and sharing traditional, social and real-time content making the new web easier to navigate, more integrated and ultimately more efficient. Nimbb is the easiest way to add video recording to your Web projects. Using our Nimbb Player and API, any developer can integrate webcam video recording in their site easily. Our Flash player can be embedded using a few HTML lines and we host everything on our server. Developers can create a free account and our subscription prices start at only $9 per month. Our company is located in Montreal. We created Nimbb to answer our own needs to have a video recording widget that we could use in many projects to lower our development cost. Anyone that subscribes to our “Platinum” package before November 13th will get 5000 additional videos as a bonus (that’s a $599 value)! To get your videos, simply use our contact form, specify your account’s email, and mention “Free videos with Mashable”. MOTOBLUR from Motorola
was built expressly for the way people communicate today. It’s the only service that automatically delivers and organizes your conversations, contacts and content from all your favorite sites and sources in easy-to-manage streams. Whether it’s Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, text messages, Gmail or work e-mail, MOTOBLUR keeps track of it all and serves it up on a customizable home screen and integrates it through the phone. Plus, with MOTOBLUR you have peace of mind, because all of your info is backed up and secure. Discover MOTOBLUR on Motorola CLIQ available at T -Mobile. It’s time to spend less time managing life and more time living it. The Conduit On-Demand Marketing Platform offers web publishers of all sizes various solutions, including creating and publishing a branded community toolbar, sending your community desktop alerts, sharing and distributing content from the Conduit Marketplace, and much more. The platform is free, easyto-use and very powerful, and is available for Internet Explorer,
Firefox and Safari browsers. Anything you can put on a website can also be deployed on a community toolbar and offered to your users wherever they are on the web, including: your logo, content, gadgets, feeds, social media tools, chat windows, games, services, links, and more. Every community toolbar also comes complete with a searchbox powered by Google, to ensure your users have easy access to the most popular search on the web. Click here for more information on how to set up your own community toolbar, send desktop alerts, and find cool content and gadgets – for FREE! Clickatell offers bulk sms and mobile marketing solutions. Over 700 networks and over 200 countries covered. Influxis is an official Adobe hosting partner and resource for the Adobe Flash Media Interactive Server. Influxis provides Flash hosting plans for all levels of use – beginner to enterprise. With a reputation for exceptional customer service, Influxis provides an extremely reliable international network of FMS servers in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. EdgeCast Networks offers a superior, cost-effective, global content delivery service that gives our customers competitive advantage in the delivery of digital media. Our world-class content delivery platform provides customers the cost benefits and flexibility of
controlling their own content delivery network while liberating them from ISP contracts, capital investments and operational hassles. BizSpark is a program which offers new software businesses and entrepreneurs access to Microsoft design, development, and production tools with no upfront costs for up to three years. Members can also connect with a nationwide community of Network Partners – investors, incubators, service providers, and entrepreneurial organizations – who are keen to help. For more information, or to connect with a Microsoft BizSpark advisor, please visit MicrosoftStartupZone.com/BizS park. MailChimp is a powerful, easyto-use email marketing service. You design, me deliver. If you’re working for a startup, Sun can help you get it off the ground fast. We created the feefree Sun Startup Essentials program offering deep discounts on industry leading, power efficient systems and storage products, optimized open-source software, massively scalable Web hosting services, plus free visibility via Sun’s co-marketing engine. It’s time to build your business on the kind of infrastructure that can scale right along with the skyrocketing demands of success. Find out about Sun Startup Essentials THANKS page 27
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program. Over the years, according to Kathleen Starmer, the deputy director of NASA's SimLabs outreach team, VMS has been used by a wide range of private companies and military agencies that have needed to run vertical motion tests, including Boeing, Lockheed, Grumman, and others. And today, even when the simulator is not set up for faux lunar landings, it is in use 100 percent of available time, Starmer said. Those wishing to use it need only show that their project can offer some benefit to NASA, and be able to pony up about $5,000 a day. Flying Altair But I hadn't come to the VMS to see what it would be like to fly a helicopter. I'd come for a shot at Altair, the next-generation lunar lander, and the one that will be the business end of the Constellation program, at least on the surface of the moon. According to Karl Bilimoria, an aerospace engineer in the VMS program, NASA is now in the process of running its third formal Altair simulation. When reporters aren't being allowed to barely land in the simulator, "pro astronauts," as Bilimoria put it, are coming to Ames and spending full days in the VMS. One reason for that, he said, is that with Altair, the pilots will need to master pinpoint landing accuracy: they'll need to put the craft down within 10 feet of their designated landing sites on the
moon, requiring far more precision than what was required of the pilots of the Apollo age. This is expected to be a difficult task with Altair because one of the design philosophies of the Constellation program will be to shave as much mass as possible off the payload in order to reduce takeoff weight--and save tremendous amounts of money that each additional pound costs to put in space. Bilimoria said NASA hopes to outfit Altair with the smallest possible control jets, a configuration that makes minute control of the landing craft more difficult than was the case with its much sportier Apollo counterpart. Which would mean, of course, that NASA is trying to offset the loss of some of the brute force control that comes with less propulsion on the lander with state of-the-art electronics: advanced control systems and advanced cockpit displays. It might not be possible to achieve the kind of landing accuracy NASA wants with the reduced control jet profile, Bilimoria said, but "before we throw our hands up," it will try to solve the problem with technological advances. "We can always squeeze out a little more," he said. "The question is, is it enough?" To date, Bilimoria said that multiple simulations have shown that technology isn't quite up to the task at hand, and that it could be another year of running tests
in the VMS before it's known if the goal is possible. Of course, any return trip to the moon is many years away, but Mueller explained that NASA is doing this work now in order to have the most advanced notice possible if it's going to be necessary to design Altair with larger control jets. Rough landings Inside the cockpit, I was strapped in and given some quick instruction (see video below) on how to read the two major digital displays and how to use them in conjunction with a set of joysticks to properly land the craft. The space is set up to resemble what an actual Altair interior would look like, down to the view out the window, and the narrow working space that is partially made possible by having both the pilot and co-pilot stand up straight rather than sit down. In fact, the Altair cockpit simulator is one of five separate "interchangeable cabs" used in the VMS to mimic different kinds of vehicles, from rotorcrafts to fighters to transport vehicles. Each cab can be set up with conventional aircraft instruments or advanced avionics, depending on the needs of the client using the simulator. On an Altair pilot's right is what is known as a vertical situation display, which Mueller said is a fairly typical glass cockpit-type display that, for the most part, would be familiar to fixed-wing pilots, and which is new for a
lunar lander. The idea, said Mueller, is that this display provides good cues for landing. On the left side is the horizontal situation display, a newer system that provides Altair's pilots with velocity vectors, and a touchdown display. This system features a set of "bells and whistles" developed at Ames and designed to help the pilot keep a "nice hover" over the landing spot and to improve their hover and descent skills. One display in the cockpit shows the ground and the landing pad, and the lander's progress towards a proper touchdown.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET) And, just to help the pilot with more true-to-life visual cues, there's also a "view" out the front windows, as well as a view from straight down underneath the lander at the ground below. For someone skilled at piloting any kind of aircraft--even simulated ones in video games-landing the faux Altair is not that hard. The visual cues are extremely intuitive--basically, just keep a little dot in the center of the screen by tapping the joystick one way or another--and it's designed to be fairly simple, in the VMS, at least, to land. Adding to the realism, of course, is the fact that the cockpit rocks back and forth and left and right, as it would in real life. So if you overcorrect, get ready to tilt the wrong way. Given my lack of skills, I found myself doing that far more than I should have.
Still, in each of my landing attempts, I managed to get the craft onto the lunar "surface," not even crashing once. The progress of the lander is marked by the green line on the display in this picture. The long, squiggly line is evidence of a rather lengthy and roundabout approach to the lunar surface.(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET) To be sure, though, none of the current or future astronauts have to worry much about me being a competitor for their spots on actual moon missions. Nor would they worry about competition from a CNET colleague who accompanied me to the VMS. As he attempted to fly the lander, his progress was recorded as a long, very squiggly green line on one of the displays, evidence of a remarkable lack of precision. In the control room, two VMS scientists watched my colleague's progress and shook their heads. "We've never seen anything like this," said one, of my colleague's roundabout approach to the ground. "He still hit the pad," said the other. "It's amazing." This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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HP Envy eclipses the Apple MacBook (CNET News.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:35:00 AM
The Hewlett-Packard Envy 13 offers an excellent example of what a cutting-edge ultraportable should be--and it moves past the Apple MacBook Air in some important respects, despite its overly ambitious price tag. First, let me say that I use a MacBook Air as my main machine and am well aware of its merits. That said, it is beginning to look a little long in the tooth when juxtaposed with the Envy 13. I will also draw comparisons with 13-inch MacBook Pro since the Envy seems to fall somewhere between this and the Air. (See CNET review of Envy 13.) Let's start with the Envy's engine. The Envy offers a ULV (ultra-low-voltage) processor option that you won't find in any Apple MacBook: a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo SU9600 that draws a mere 10 watts. This is Intel's highestperformance 10-watt dual-core processor--a crucial powersaving and heat-reducing option for ultra-thin designs like the Envy or MacBook Air. The more widely used SL9600 (which many reviewers mistakenly refer to as "ultra low power") draws 17 watts. But HP charges a premium for this processor, too. Selecting the power-sipping SU9600 adds $200 to the cost of the Envy. But at least it's an option. HP Envy 13 is more advanced
than the MacBook in some important respects.(Credit: Hewlett-Packard) Next, graphics. The Envy has switchable graphics. What does this get you? More battery life. When plugged in, the Envy uses
the "discrete" (standalone) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics processor. When unplugged it switches to the lesspower-hungry--and lower performance--Intel integrated graphics.
The truth be told, most of the time users don't need discrete graphics. But it can be a godsend in Windows 7, for example, when doing transcoding--which converts, for instance, a movie on a PC to a format that makes it
viewable on an iPhone or iPod. And, of course, discrete graphics is needed for playing demanding games. The ATI 4330 graphics seem to ENVY page 25
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ENVY continued from page 24
be more capable than the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics used in both the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Air, according to reviewers. "Technically it is more powerful than the integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400 graphics," according to CNET Reviews. And the Envy has a highresolution screen option, yet another Apple-trumping extra. The 1,600-by-900 resolution screen is a step up from the MacBook Air's and Pro's 13inch, 1,280-by-800 display. In the storage department, the Envy has a more reasonable pricing scheme compared with the 13-inch MacBook Pro. HP has just begun offering an Intel 160GB solid-state drive option. This adds $200 to the standard 5400RPM hard disk drive. Though the 13-inch MacBook Pro offers both 128GB and 256GB solid-state drive options, these add a whopping $350 and $800, respectively, to the price. That's almost a deal-breaker, in my opinion. Especially if a consumer adds this option to the $1,499 13-inch MacBook model. And the $1,799 MacBook Air offers only a 128GB SSD. HP Envy 13: • $1,699
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 -bit • Intel 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo SL9400 (w/ 10-watt SU9600 option) • 250GB 5400RPM hard disk drive (w/ 160GB Intel solid-state drive option) • ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 Graphics w/512MB • 4-cell battery (w/ extra 6-cell battery option) • 3GB DDR3 memory • No built-in optical drive • Weight: 3.8 pounds Apple MacBook Air: • $1,499 • Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard • Intel 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo (w/ 2.16GHz processor option) • 120GB 4200RPM hard disk drive (w/ 128GB solid-state drive option) • Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics • Battery rated at 5 hours • 2GB DDR3 memory • No built-in optical drive • Weight: 3 pounds ( Note: options add cost to the listed Envy and Air base prices.) Battery life may offer the starkest contrast. Here, once
again, the choices that HP offers make the MacBook's feature set look limited by comparison. A 6cell option boosts the battery life to an almost-unheard-of 14 hours, according to reviews. This is roughly three times the battery life offered on the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air, by comparison, delivers, at best, four hours, in my experience. There is one slight drawback, however. Adding the optional 6cell battery bumps up the Envy's weight to just more than five pounds (because the extra 6-cell battery is used in tandem with the built-in 4-cell unit), thereby pushing it out of the ultraportable category. Now we get to the possible deal breaker for the Envy: price. As other reviewers have said-including CNET Reviews--this may be big barrier for some consumers who would be leaning toward the Envy. It starts at $1,699 with a configuration that most consumers won't see as that different from the $1,199 13-inch MacBook Pro. Throw in the Pro's built-in optical drive, at it looks even worse for the Envy. A comparison with the MacBook Air is a little better, but not much. The Air starts at
$1,499 with a 120GB (4200RPM) hard disk drive. Adding a faster processor and solid-state drive to the Air hikes the price to $1,799. Even at that price point, the Air still looks better to me--because it's thinner and weighs almost a pound less-despite the Envy's technological advantages described above. Some consumers looking for the latest and greatest in ultraportable design will of course buy the Envy 13 or its high-powered 15inch cousin, which packs a quadcore mobile Intel Core i7 processor. But HP appears to be artificially elevating the Envy 13 to the rarefied ultra-elite category of laptops like the new Dell Adamo XPS, which offers a truly radical physical design starting at $1,799. If HP drops the price a little it has a very competitive product and may bring prospective MacBook buyers into the HP fold. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Cowboys' offense wakes up, rolls over Raiders By Associated Press (ESPN.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:03:44 AM
Fast Facts
• The Cowboys have won six of seven games overall and improved to 4-0 under Tony Romo on Thanksgiving. • Dallas moved to 27-14-1 all-
time on Thanksgiving. • The Raiders have lost four straight road games. • Romo threw for 309 yards and two scores.
-- ESPN Stats & Information This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Want to Buy a Dual -Screen Laptop? Now You Can By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!) Submitted at 11/27/2009 1:21:04 AM
Remember that snazzy dualscreen laptop prototype from Kohjinsha from about a month ago? While we still can’t decide if it’s a productivity boost or an unnecessary toy, things have gotten a bit more serious, because now you can actually buy it. Looking at the price and the specifications, it actually sounds like a very good deal. The device sports two 10.1-inch TFT displays with a combined resolution of 2048×600 pixels; it’s powered by a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo, 1 GB of memory, ATI Radeon HD 3200, a 160 GB hard disk, and it all weighs 4.09 pounds. If you don’t mind having Linux as the operating system (you can have it with Windows 7 if you add 58 bucks to the price), the price is about $1,110, which is very cool for a novelty gadget like this. Reviews: linux Tags: Dual-Screen Laptop, Kohjinsha
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GUIDE continued from page 20
iPhoney— iPhoney from Marketcircle gives Mac users a pixel-accurate web browsing environment that is powered by Safari. Why does this matter? Because when crafting the mobile version of your site, it’s important to be able to see how the final product will look on your phone. iPhoney hasn’t been updated in a while but is still a really useful tool. iWebKit— iWebKit is a framework of sorts for creating iPhone-optimized websites or web apps that can take advantage of the iPhone’s UI elements and other features. jQTouch— jQTouch is a really innovative jQuery plugin for mobile web development on the iPhone and iPod touch. With it you can create websites or web apps with animations, support for forms, customized UI elements, additional extensions, swipe controls, and more. The developer is really active with the project and some of the stuff you can do with it is amazing. iPhone Compatible CSS Layouts— Matthew James Taylor created a bunch of liquid CSS layouts that are iPhone and iPod Touch compatible and free
for anyone to use. If you’re looking for a starting point for building a mobile optimized site, you might want to give these layouts a look. Other Resources Mobile Web Design by Cameron Moll— This is a really great book (available in print or as an ebook) with tips, best practices, and examples on styling and optimizing your site for mobile content. If it suffers from anything it is that it was written before the iPhone explosion really took off, thus it isn’t as up to date as it could be. Still, for mobile web enthusiasts, there’s a lot of great information here. Craig Hockenbery’s “Put Your Content in My Pocket”— In August of 2007, Craig Hockenberry (from the Iconfactory and one of the brains behind Twitterrific for the Mac and the iPhone) wrote a great article for “A List Apart” and although some of the technologies have evolved, much of what Craig wrote then still applies today. A great read. Smashing Magazines’s Mobile Design Showcase– Need some inspiration? Smashing Magazine did a great roundup of iPhone optimized designs in September.
CSSiPhone— CSSiPhone is a CSS gallery dedicated to iPhone optimized site designs. Like Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal!” Opera Mobile Developer Community— As some of our commenters pointed out, the Opera browser lets you see what a website will look like on a mobile handset by pressing ShiftF11. Also check out Opera’s developer documentation for optimizing pages to be viewed on mobile devices. Opera Mobile and Opera Mini is a common browser on many cellular phones. Your Thoughts What do you think about the direction of mobile web development? Do you have any favorite mobile sites or mobile design tips? Let us know! Reviews: Android, BLIP, Drupal, Joomla, Opera, Safari, Twitterrific, WordPress, YouTube Tags: android, iphone, List, Lists, mobile web, mobile web design, resources, web design, Wordpress
US retailers turn to social media on ‘Black Friday’ (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 11/27/2009 4:52:58 AM
US retailers were on Friday unleashing a traditional barrage of post-Thanksgiving holiday
shopping promotions, with the National Retail Federation expecting 134m Americans to head for the stores. This year, however, the retailers have reinforced their traditional efforts with an array of social-
networking weapons including Twitter, the micro-blogging website. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Is your iPhone your wingman for Black Friday? By Michael Rose (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
isn't immune to sales fever: plenty of games and other apps have reduced or free prices for the weekend. There are also Submitted at 11/27/2009 12:15:00 PM plenty of discounts on Mac apps Filed under: Cool tools, Deals, as well. iPhone, App Store What we'd like to know is this: Happy Turkey Hangover Day -- D i d a n y o f t h i s a d v a n c e d or, as it's otherwise known, t e c h n o l o g y i m p r o v e y o u r shopping chaos day 2009. As experience out in the field today? Mike S. noted earlier, Business Did you use Twitter to share W e e k i s c a l l i n g t h i s bargains or Loopt to track your season"mobile shopping's first buddies down? Did MMS give Christmas," and indeed there are you the power to send pictures of plenty of shopper-assist apps in presents to your spouse, or did the App Store to help you plot, RedLaser[ iTunes link] help you plan and navigate your gift- find a better price at the next grabbing course: destination? Give us the scoop in • Apple's collection of essential the comments below; we'll Black Friday apps highlight the most intriguing • The full suite of apps in the shopping stories in future posts. store tagged 'Black Friday' Photo via Flickr / • ReadWriteWeb's shopper hints p l a i n _ j a n e 5 3 1 7 7 and app list http://www.flickr.com/photos/10 • CNET's list of Black Friday 558398@N02// CC BY-ND 2.0 apps TUAW Is your iPhone your • The BF app from our deal wingman for Black Friday? partners at dealnews[ iTunes originally appeared on The link] Unofficial Apple Weblog • The $2.99 MallMaps[ iTunes (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 link], which has been featured in 12:15:00 EST. Please see our scores of breathless news reports terms for use of feeds. and is now the #1 reference app Read| Permalink| Email this| in the US store Comments Meanwhile, the App Store itself
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Handbrake 0.9.4: Your best deal on Black Friday
THANKS continued from page 22
today! Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of (CNET News.com) There's an old proverb in the video encoding engine. As t h o u s a n d s o f i n d i v i d u a l s , video encoding world: "Speed, always, it has been further hand- businesses and organizations of Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:23:43 AM size, quality: pick two." It means optimized for better performance. all sizes manage, promote and Desperate for a deal after that you always have to make a But it has also gained new sell tickets to their events. Make sleeping right through Wal- trade-off between the time it features like macroblock tree rate y o u r e v e n t a s u c c e s s o n Mart's early-morning Black takes to encode a video, the control and weighted P-Frame Eventbrite. Additionally, thanks to the following partners for Friday frenzy? You're in luck. amount of compression used, and prediction. The best deal this holiday season the picture quality. Well, this T h i s i s h o w o p e n - s o u r c e making Mashable happen: Thanks to ConVerdge for may be just a download away. release of HandBrake refuses to development works: Handbrake implementing our My Mashable T h a t ' s r i g h t : H a n d b r a k e , compromise. It picks all three. focuses on what it does best arguably the world's best video This isn't hype. In my own use (User interface, features like live social network and W3 EDGE transcoder, just hit version 0.9.4. of the software during the past preview, etc.) while leveraging f o r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a n d And boy, is it beautiful. week, performance is noticeably the best of other project's maintenance of Mashable.com Mashable would also like to Handbrake has long been my go- faster and picture quality is strengths. to choice for ripping DVDs to awesome. It's a recipe for a super-easy and thank AttentionPR for their PR my hard drive (saves battery life I m p o r t a n t l y , w h i l e t h e v e r y p o w e r f u l t r a n s c o d i n g support. AttentionPR proves that when watching videos while Handbrake developers have been experience. And at a 100 percent P R t o d a y i s m e a s u r a b l e , traveling and ensures my kids hard at work over the past year to discount now through forever transparent, and yes, social. won't ruin the DVDs), but this update the venerable video (Handbrake is open source and Learn more about AttentionPR. particular version exceeds my transcoder, the team owes a lot to costs nothing to download), now Rackspace is the better way to expectations. Why? Because it developers from the x264 project: is a good time to download it and do hosting. No more worrying d e l i v e r s o v e r 1 , 0 0 0 n e w A large portion of these speed, let 'er rip, whether you run about web hosting uptime. No enhancements while delivering size, and quality improvements Mac(Intel 32-bit and 64-bit, plus more spending your time, energy and resources trying to stay on better picture quality at a smaller come to us for free, from the PowerPC), Linux, or Windows. file size and faster. x264 project. The past year, like This content has passed through top of things like patching, updating, monitoring, backing up Or as the Handbrake developers every year, has seen some fivefilters.org. data and the like. Learn why. say: massive improvements for that ConcentricSky offers web development and strategic consulting services with a focus on emerging technologies such as
Amazon's Black Friday Deals (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 11/26/2009 10:29:04 AM
One of the highlights of Thanksgiving is the day of shopping frenzy that has come to be known as “Black Friday” for
some reason, when retailers across the country offer great bargains. If you don’t feel like braving the crowds of deranged shopaholics at your local mall, an excellent alternative is to shop online at Amazon.
And this year Amazon has some amazing discounts on popular items (prices on some items are reduced up to 80%!): Amazon Black Friday Deals. (Note: if you follow our link to Amazon’s Black Friday page, we
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get a small cut of the price of anything you buy, through Amazon’s Associates program. So you get awesome deals and help support LGF at the same time — a win for all.)
Social Media and iPhone Apps. From simple websites to integrated web applications, we deliver innovative solutions that exceed your expectations – not your budget. We can get your name out there. Contact us for more information about supporting Mashable’s growth and development. Alternatively, visit our advertise section for more details about: -Competitive direct ad sales -Sponsorship Opportunities for Events and other channels -Sponsored giveaways and contests -Custom ad deals and partnerships CPM-based advertising is available through our partner, Federated Media, but if you contact us directly, you’ll be entitled to exclusive unpublished discounts. Reviews: Facebook, Firefox, Gmail, Google, Internet Explorer, Mashable, MySpace, Safari, The Conduit, Twitter, adobe AIR, linux
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ReelDirector can spiff up your holiday iPhone videos By Mel Martin (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:00:00 AM
Filed under: Multimedia, Video, iPhone, App Review A few years ago getting video on a cellphone would have seemed out of the question. Now you can not only shoot passable videos with your iPhone 3GS, you can even edit them in style. What better way to capture those holiday moments without dragging around a lot of equipment? ReelDirector[ iTunes link] has updated the popular iPhone editor to version 2. The U.S. $7.99 app from Nexvio now allows you to do multi-track sound editing and mixing, use stills in addition to video and do a Ken Burns effect. You can also trim and split imported clips. Owners of the older version can update to version 2 for free. Other features include the ability to change the length of opening and closing titles, and automatic flip of clips that came in upside down. I kind of marvel that you can do this all in a phone, but you can and it works pretty well. When
you are done you can email your finished video (there are limits to the size of videos you can mail) or just put in in your camera roll and export it later. There are still some weaknesses to the app. The biggest is an inability to use iTunes music for background sound. Apple does not allow this on the iPhone, but they do allow it in iMovie on the Mac. Go figure. You can record sounds live of course, and always hold the iPhone up to a speaker to get some music, but that is a
pretty low-tech way to get that done. The Ken Burns effect is limited to one simple zoom-in. You also can't title projects in the middle, only at the beginning and the end. Documentation is pretty slim, and the linked video of instructions is for version 1, not version 2. Having said all that, ReelDirector is a remarkable app. No, it's not Final Cut Pro, but it runs on a dang phone! The developers are very responsive to customer suggestions, and this update added a lot of asked-for features. If you want to get those pictures of Uncle George eating his turkey dinner edited and sent out before dessert is served -- and without leaving the table -- you can do it. What a world. TUAW ReelDirector can spiff up your holiday iPhone videos originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
Provision profile expiration time: does it leave you wondering? By Joachim Bean (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 11/26/2009 2:00:00 PM
Filed under: Bad Apple, Developer, SDK Back when the iPhone Developer Program was first announced, developer provisions (the 'permission slips' that allow developers to distribute pre-release builds of apps in progress) lasted one year. It seemed natural to have a one year expiration, as our developer memberships also lasted one year. Everything was all fine, developers created new provision profiles as they grew, and each lasted one year. However, sometime in May of this year, provision profiles seemed to start expiring after 90 days. At first, many thought this was linked to the expiration time of their iPhone developer memberships, which would decrease the time to use a provision. However, it seems that it's been
Street Chic: Paris By ELLE.com (ELLE News Blog) Submitted at 11/27/2009 4:00:00 AM
A sleek blazer and wide belt add polish to an understated dress. Photo: Anne Ziegler Think you are Street Chic? E-
mail us your photo and you could
appear in ELLE.com's Street Chic Daily. Follow ELLE on Twitter. Become our Facebook fan!
set that provisions are only going to last 90 days. Also, distribution provision profiles, which are needed to submit applications to the App Store or distribute applications via ad-hoc, now only last about six months instead of one year. If your provisions are expiring, your iPhone will remind you to renew your provision, and will state when that provision will expire. If this is the way it's going to be, we may have to live with it -- it's just something that I would like to stay consistent, rather than wondering every time I renew a provision whether Apple has swapped out its stopwatch again. TUAW Provision profile expiration time: does it leave you wondering? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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iPhone worm author really goes to work
OS Xbox Pro is the hottest hackintosh ever
By Aron Trimble (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
By Mike Schramm (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
Submitted at 11/26/2009 3:00:00 PM
Submitted at 11/26/2009 4:00:00 PM
Filed under: iPhone, Jailbreak/pwnage While you have to go to quite some lengths to be vulnerable to it, jailbroken iPhones have been under fire for susceptibility to a particular SSHbased type of worm that has seen a lot of press lately. One of the developers, Ashley Towns, who helped to get the "rick" rolling, as it were, has just announced his employment at an iPhone game firm. Sophos is reporting that he'll be taking up shop at mogeneration, the developer responsible for such hits as Xumii[ iTunes link], a cross-social networking communication app, and Moo Shake![ iTunes link], a farmbased activity game for kids. It is an interesting turn of events given that mogeneration even reported on the topic of Ashley's now-infamous rickrolling iPhone worm. I personally think that there is a lot of potential for coders of malware to embark on legitimate careers as developers coding for good. However, I don't favor the thought that malware developers
Filed under: Desktops, Hardware, Mac Pro Warning: some NSFW lyrics on the music in the video above. What do you get when you combine an old Xbox with OS X and some Mac Pro level hardware? This monstrosity. Built by Will Urbina, the OS Xbox Pro is a hackintosh casemodded into an original Xbox dev kit, with some crazy hardware under the hood, including a pair of 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550s, an NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT card, 8GB of RAM, an 16GB solid state drive, and four traditional hard drives -- one boots Windows 7, the other one does OS X (Snow Leopard, we believe -- he bought a copy retail), a
are essentially getting 'rewarded' for their dangerous work. There is nothing from mogeneration to imply that Towns was hired based on the notoriety of his SSH -based worm, but I can't help thinking that there are other, more talented iPhone developers who have stayed below the radar by not writing malware. I want to know what you think. Should developers of intentionally malicious software be given a clean slate and a new life? Or perhaps should they be
feeling the effects of the law's very long arms? [via Techmeme] TUAW iPhone worm author really goes to work originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Ubuntu install in there somewhere, and two other sweet hard drives for video editing. And here's the wacky thing: Total material cost of the system is under $1500. That, combined with the video above, almost makes me want to spend a month of weekends trying to do something like this myself (aside from, you know, fitting it into a dev kit Xbox thing -- although fitting it into an old Macintosh might be a fun build, too). At any rate, awesome build for sure. TUAW OS Xbox Pro is the hottest hackintosh ever originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Dear Aunt TUAW: My "private" APIs... aren't By Erica Sadun (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW))
I don't want to rename my properties because I'm not sure that CoreData will automigrate my renamed items and my users Submitted at 11/26/2009 1:00:00 PM are going to start crying if Filed under: Bad Apple, App everything breaks. Store, SDK Sometimes Auntie Love & snuggles, TUAW gets emails from anxious Lauren iPhone developers. In this case, Read on for Auntie's reply. the correspondent is running into Continue reading Dear Aunt issues with Apple's new TUAW: My "private" APIs... automated checks for private API aren't use in iPhone apps. TUAW Dear Aunt TUAW: My Dear Auntie TUAW, "private" APIs... aren't originally I got an email from Apple's App appeared on The Unofficial Review team saying the code in Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, my iPhone app uses private APIs. code, and thumbnail is actually a 26 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. They pointed to-setOrder, which property for my CoreData class. Please see our terms for use of is a method I created in code, and Any idea why? I don't even have feeds. - s e t T h u m b n a i l , w h i c h w a s a setter for thumbnail, it is just a Read| Permalink| Email this| created automatically from a d y n a m i c p r o p e r t y f o r t h e Comments Core Data property. CoreData class. But those are all from my own
New Trojan Steals World of Warcraft Passwords By Stan Schroeder (Mashable!) Submitted at 11/27/2009 4:55:31 AM
Antivirus company Sophos warns that a new trojan is on the loose, packed in an email that promises photos of sexy girls (don’t they all). The malicious campaign is widely spread out, mainly through emails with the subject line “Do you like to find a girlfriend like me?” with an attachment called “my photos.rar”. Of course, the attachment actually contains a trojan horse called Troj/AgentLVF which tries to steal login info for popular MMORPG World of Warcraft. The email in question contains the following text, written in inexplicably bad English: “Wish to have a boyfriend
Be able to protect me, take care of me Intolerable lonely night and would like to have your care. do you Willing? This is my photos.” If you receive this email, delete it. If you think your computer is infected with the trojan, you can find more information about it over at Sophos. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Talaj Reviews: iStockphoto Tags: trojan, world of warcraft
Apple's one-day sale hits the US store By Joachim Bean (The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)) Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:15:00 AM
Filed under: Apple, Deals After seeing that yellow sticky for just a little while, Apple has posted the Black Friday specials in the US store. The products on sale
include: • iMacs (21.5 and 27 inch) and MacBook Pros (13, 15 and 17 inch) are discounted $101, and start from $1098. • You can save $11 on an iPod nano, which can be purchased from $138 today. • You can also save $21 on a
iPod touch. • You can get an Apple TV for $208, a savings of $21.
8GB iPod touch, $31 on an 32GB iPod touch and $41 on a 64GB
the US store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:15:00 EST. Please see our There's also discounted prices on terms for use of feeds. software, Mac accessories, Read| Permalink| Email this| iPhone and iPod accessories, so Comments there's something hopefully for everyone. TUAW Apple's one-day sale hits
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Sponsored Post: Use Bing to Search for Your Holiday Gifts and Save Money By Sponsored Post (Mashable!)
Mashable’s Ben Parr Gives Facebook Privacy Tips on CNN [VIDEO] By Pete Cashmore (Mashable!)
issue live on air, with Mashable’s Ben Parr weighing in with advice on using the privacy settings Submitted at 11/26/2009 5:32:04 PM page, blocking your page from Facebook, originally a private Google search, or creating lists of network for friends and college friends with different privacy n e t w o r k s , i s i n c r e a s i n g l y settings for each group. Parr’s becoming more open, allowing final tip: if you don’t want your users to make some or all of their mom to see it, don’t post it content public. That’s causing online. some confusion, however, as The segment is a great intro to Facebook’s privacy settings have Facebook’s privacy options, and become more complex over time. a necessary reminder to those of In August, we attempted to clear us well-versed in Facebook’s up the confusion with our most settings page. comprehensive privacy guide to Reviews: Facebook, Google date: Facebook’s New Privacy Tags: facebook Features: A Complete Guide. Today CNN chose to address the
your saving will be rewarded to you by your choice of a deposit to your PayPal account, direct Submitted at 11/27/2009 1:20:26 AM deposit to your bank account, or Bing cashback is a great way for a check in the mail. It’s that you to save money when you simple. And it’s a great way to shop online. Find great deals on save some cash this holiday products from hundreds of brand season. name stores that you know and (This post is brought to you by trust. You’ll earn a percentage of Bing. For more information on the product price as cashback. sponsored posts please read The search advertising fees from here.) Reviews: Bing participating stores are passed on Tags: Sponsored Post to you. After we wait for potential returns and exchanges,
Get a Great Deal on Advice in the Open Thread [Open Thread] By Adam Pash (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:08:51 AM
You've stuffed yourself with Thanksgiving leftovers, and with any luck you've also made the most of Black Friday(even if that means you skipped it altogether). Photo by brokenidols. Now it's time to chat it up with The open thread is your weekly your fellow readers. opportunity to discuss whatever
you want in the comments without worrying about going off -topic. Ask questions, share Thanksgiving successes, pictures, and horror stories, and whatever else you want. All you need to join in is a commenter account. Happy Friday!
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NZ Climate 'Science' Coalition Lies About Temperature Readings (Little Green Footballs) Submitted at 11/26/2009 8:20:21 PM
Here we go again, as the climate denial front group called the “New Zealand Climate Science Coalition” tries to cash in on the stolen CRU email story, by floating another false claim about temperature readings — a claim dutifully circulated by dozens of right wing blogs, of course, with no fact checking. Here’s their press release: New Zealand may have its own “Climategate”, including manipulation of temperature readings, according to a combined research project undertaken by members of the Climate Conversation Group and the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition. The researchers claim that temperature readings from seven weather stations throughout New Zealand have been adjusted to show a higher degree of warming than is justified by a study of the
original raw data. Spokesman for the group, Richard Treadgold, said that recent claims that New Zealand is warming have been proved wrong. “Official information clearly shows that temperatures in New Zealand have actually been remarkably stable since 1850. We got the data from the online National Climate Database maintained by NIWA and we made our own graph, which we compared with theirs. The results are shocking.” Not only is this claim entirely false, the NZ Climate Science Coalition knows that it’s false — because they’ve tried to pull this nonsense before and were exposed. There’s no excuse for this kind of deliberate dishonesty. Here’s the full story of this creepy attempt to defraud the public: NZ sceptics lie about temp records, try to smear top scientist — Hot Topic. So what was Treadgold saying again? The shocking truth is that
the oldest readings have been cranked way down and later readings artificially lifted to give a false impression of warming, as documented below. There is nothing in the station histories to warrant these adjustments and to date Dr Salinger and NIWA have not revealed why they did this. Nothing in the station histories? It’s all there for anyone who can be bothered to look, or to ask politely. But Treadgold and the NZ CSC have no excuse, because the NZ CSC were told about this information at least two years ago, the last time they tried to make a fuss about “adjusted data”. In other words, Treadgold and whoever in the NZ CSC helped him with the data are being more than economical with the truth, they are lying through their teeth. But they keep on digging. One station, Hokitika, had its early temperatures reduced by a huge 1.3°C, creating strong warming from a mild cooling, yet there’s no
apparent reason for it. Yes there is. Another station move. We have discovered that the warming in New Zealand over the past 156 years was indeed man-made, but it had nothing to do with emissions of CO2 – it was created by manmade adjustments of the temperature. It’s a disgrace. The real disgrace here is that the NZ CSC and Richard Treadgold have published a piece of incompetent research and are either too ignorant to notice or are deliberately attempting to mislead the press and public. They have pushed it to the media and the more credulous blogs, and attempted to smear a respected scientist. Read the whole sorry story. This is a perfect example of the dishonest claims of the climate denial industry. They’re lying to you.
Firefox 3.6 Beta 4 Available with Many Fixes [Downloads] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/26/2009 12:30:00 PM
Windows/Mac/Linux: Nobody told Mozilla's developers it's a day off. They've just pushed out a fourth beta of Firefox 3.6, with more than 100 fixes from the last beta and more add-on security and compatibility. There's no reason not to grab this beta if you're a bleeding-edge Firefox fan, as it doesn't seem to remove any features or support (as its predecessor did), and Mozilla notes that more than 70 percent of its add-ons are now compatible with the 3.6 betas. Firefox 3.6 Beta 4[via Mozilla Developer Center]
BitTorrent Tracker MiniNova Goes Legal-Only [BitTorrent] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:00:00 AM
MiniNova, one of the web's goto aggregators for BitTorrent
trackers, has deleted nearly every torrent on its site in response to a court order. Only torrents uploaded by approved partners in its legal distribution network
survived the cull and will
continue to be allowed. There are, of course, plenty of alternatives for torrent fans, and technologies for a steadier BitTorrent future, but excuse us
if we feel a tad bit nostalgic over the quieting of a brand name in torrent distribution. [ TorrentFreak and BBC News]
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The BBC Did Not Receive Stolen CRU Emails (Little Green Footballs)
What next? As you may know, some of the e -mails that were released last In the stolen climatologists’ week directly involved me and email story, the latest claim one of my previous blogs, making the rounds of the right ‘Whatever happened to global wing blogs (originating at warming ?’ Britain’s right wing paper the These took the form of Daily Mail) is that a BBC complaints about its content, and correspondent was sent the stolen I was copied in to them at the emails a month before they were time. Complaints and criticisms made public. of output are an every day part of Sounds juicy, doesn’t it? So life, and as such were nothing out juicy that at least half a dozen of the ordinary. However I felt right wing bloggers took the that seeing there was an ongoing story and ran with it, ranting that debate as to the authenticity of the BBC covered up the stolen the hacked e-mails, I was duty emails even though they knew bound to point out that as I had about them over a month ago. read the original e-mails, then at Just one little problem. The least these were authentic, D a i l y M a i l a r t i c l e w a s although of course I cannot completely wrong. vouch for the authenticity of the P a u l H u d s o n , t h e B B C others. c o r r e s p o n d e n t i n q u e s t i o n , The Daily Mail article took this explains that he was asked to sentence from a previous post by confirm the authenticity of one of H u d s o n , a n d e i t h e r the emails, sent on October 12th, misinterpreted it or deliberately t h a t i n c l u d e d q u o t e s f r o m distorted it: previous emails: BBC - Paul I was forwarded the chain of Hudson’s Blog: ‘Climategate’ - emails on the 12th October, Submitted at 11/26/2009 3:05:40 PM
which are comments from some of the world’s leading climate scientists written as a direct result of my article “Whatever Happened To Global Warming”. By “chain of emails,” Hudson is referring to the quoted emails contained within the one he was sent. Since many of the stolen emails released last week were written after October 12th, there’s no way that Hudson could have been sent the package at that time. The fact that neither the Daily Mail nor the numerous bloggers who posted about this false story even noticed this discrepancy is evidence of their increasingly desperate efforts to keep this bogus “scandal” in the news. Will the Daily Mail and the bloggers who shouted that this was “more proof of a cover-up!” now post corrections? Don’t hold your breath. (Hat tip: Deltoid.)
Global markets hit by fresh Dubai jitters (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:39:19 AM
Stock markets across the globe suffered fresh falls on Friday as global investors scrambled to understand the implications of
Dubai World’s restructuring and unexpected debt standstill. The lack of information about Dubai’s flagship governmentowned holding company, made worse by a religious holiday in the Middle East, prompted indiscriminate selling of stocks
linked to the region. The cost of insuring against default in emerging markets around the world also leapt. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Boxee Remote Widget Controls Your Media Center from a Mac [Downloads] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:30:00 AM
Mac OS X: If you lack for an infrared remote or Boxee remote app, or just like to keep your laptop near your big screen, one intrepid coder has whipped up a remote control widget for the social media center. The widget uses the remote web interface of Boxee to control the media center, which also happens to be the same API that any XBMC-based media center uses—so be sure to let us know if XBMC proper or Plex works
with this widget. Otherwise, it's just a helpful little widget that puts directional controls, typing input, and volume buttons on your desktop. You might need to pin down your Boxee center's host name once, but after that, the widget can find it automatically if you're connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Boxee Remote 1.0 is a free download for Mac OS X systems only. Boxee Remote 1.0 (Dashboard Widget)[Lot 49 via boxee on Twitter]
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How to Fix Your Relatives' Terrible Computer [Tech Support] By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/26/2009 1:00:00 PM
Drop your bags, grab a drink, and grab the XP CD—it's time for the holiday ritual of fixing up your relatives' computer. Here are some tips and downloads to keep handy while you're cursing all the auto-starting crapware. Photo by Justin Marty. For this guide, we're going to do a bit of assuming. We're assuming the relative with the busted computer is running a Windows system, and has an internet connection that works when the computer does. We're assuming all the physical pieces of the computer work—hard drive, memory, disc drives, and anything else that's crucial. We'll also assume the computer's in one of two states: Failing to boot and needing an OS reinstallation, laden with unnecessary system tray/startup applications and/or spy/mal/adware, or just needing a little optimization. Computer won't boot, needs a re-install The problem: Turning on the computer results in a message that states Windows can't boot because something is missing (a boot loader, an important file, etc.) or something is wrong. There are many variations on this message, but they all say basically the same thing: You will not be getting into Windows. Quick-fix triage: Load the original XP, Vista, or Windows 7 (Really? Broken already?) CD or
DVD in the system and boot the system from there, which might require hitting a key to bring up "boot options" or pressing a key when asked to "Press any key to boot from CD." Wait for the CD to load—it may seem like it's installing, but it's just loading a mini-system for installation and, in this case, repair. Follow the prompts to repair an existing installation, or, in the case of Vista or 7, ask it to repair the startup process. What you'll need: • XP, Vista, or Windows 7 installation CD/DVD: It may be from a computer manufacturer and not look like a Microsoftobtained, holograph-packed disc, so look around a bit. If it's a "System Restoration" disc, be sure that you can boot from it and install a full copy of Windows from it.
• USB thumb drive: At least 1GB in size. • External USB drive or blank DVDs: For backing up important files. • Ubuntu Live CD or Knoppix Live CD: Both are Linux distributions, but we're just using them because they run on most kinds of hardware without installing, and can transfer the files you need to your backup media. Ubuntu should work; if it doesn't, give Knoppix a go. You can use the free tool UNetBootin to transfer the ISO you downloaded to a thumb drive, which is necessary if you're backing up to DVDs, and recommended in any case to speed things up. If that doesn't work, and you really feel this system can boot again except for some silly error, try creating an Ultimate Recovery CD, as
detailed at the How-To Geek's home away from Lifehacker. If that worked, hooray! If not, soldier on to the next step. Back up the files: Have your USB hard drive or blank DVDs handy, and remove the Windows CD/DVD from the computer if you tried to use that for a fix. Stick your thumb drive with the Ubuntu (or Knoppix) image into a USB slot, then boot up the computer. You may have to hit F12 or another key to boot from USB, or change a setting in the BIOS (which you can access by hitting a key—written in that fastdisappearing text—at boot-up). You'll be asked to choose a language, then hit the option to "Try Ubuntu without any changes." After some loading, you'll arrive at an Ubuntu desktop. Move your cursor to the "Places" menu, and check to see
that your USB drive (MyBook, in my case) or blank DVD is showing up. You should also see the hard drive Windows is running from. On an XP or Vista system, there's usually just one, but on Windows 7, there are two—a "System Reserved" (fairly small) and a larger, main drive. Check to see that you can open and access those files as well. Ask your relatives which files and documents are important to them. When doing my own tech support work, I usually back up the entire "My Documents" folder (with "My Music" and "My Pictures" included), their Outlook or (yes, sometimes) Outlook Express email data ( explained here), and their Firefox profile or, more likely, their "Favorites" folder for Internet Explorer ( C:\Documents and Settings\ Username\Favorites in XP, or C:\Users\ Username\Favorites in Vista or 7). In any case, always ask, and make sure there isn't any software they can't locate a license for. When you're ready to back up, simply open your USB drive from the Places menu, then open your main Windows drive, and drag files to copy from your Windows system onto the backup medium. If you're burning to DVD, head to the Applications menu in your temporary Ubuntu system, mouse over the Accessories sub-menu, and select "CD/DVD Creator" when it pops HOW page 35
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up. You'll get a folder you can drag files you want to burn into, then hit "Write to Disc" to burn them. When you're all done backing up files, head to the menu with the power icon next to it (labeled "Live user," most likely) and select "Shut Down." You'll eventually be prompted to remove your live CD or USB stick—do so, and swap in the Windows installation CD or DVD. Turn off the system, then turn it back on. Follow the instructions to install Windows on the system, erasing whatever partitions or data exist on there at the moment (assuming you're sure the important stuff is backed up). Clogged with crapware The problem: The computer boots up ... eventually. Programs open very slowly, the hard drive seems to click and whir endlessly, and messages, reminders, and pop-up windows jump onto the screen every few minutes. Quick-fix triage: If you don't suspect there's anything actually malicious and infectious on the system—that is, you're fairly sure they've been running and updating an antivirus and anti-malware client—grab a copy of Revo Uninstaller Portable(direct ZIP file link), and run it off the USB stick you brought with you. Click the "Tools" button, choose the Autorun menu on the left, and look through the items on the right. Uncheck the stuff that's
really unnecessary—most of it, really, unless they constantly use a printer/scanner or run an antivirus app—and remind your host to un-check the toolbars and "helper" apps offered when installing things. If things are much better now, and you don't imagine that malware is an issue, you're all done. Otherwise ... What you'll need: Mostly a small batch of software, recommended by this author and the How-To Geek. You can run these once and remove them, or run them off a thumb drive, in some cases. The last download is one you'll keep installed on the system. • Revo Uninstaller Portable: Completely, utterly removes the programs, toolbars, and other junk apps that aren't needed. • SuperAntiSpyware: For cleaning (you guessed it) spyware. • Malwarebytes(or its portable version): For the clingy cookies, add-ons, and apps that try and do unauthorized stuff. • CCleaner Portable: For freeing up hard drive space and clearing out temp/cache files that bog down the system index. • Microsoft Security Essentials or Panda Cloud Antivirus: The former for a system that's got enough horsepower to be adequate, the latter for a system that's light on resources. The fixing process? It's nothing special, actually—just run the
quick-fix triage in any case, removing the auto-run apps that bog down system resources, and then run these secondary apps, generally in the order they're listed. Keep Security Essentials or Panda Cloud Antivirus installed (not both!), and, while you're being helpful, back up this computer's pictures, music, and important documents. Tuning up and bomb-proofing Maybe everything technically "works," but watching your relatives open emails in Outlook Express and browse on Internet Explorer 6 is just, well, painful. Here are the steps we recommend to get things moving: • Run the basics of the "clogged with crapware" section: The one involving Revo Uninstaller and startup programs, under the "quick-fix triage" sub-section, and installing either Microsoft Security Essentials or Panda Cloud Antivirus. • Install Firefox and make it the default: Be sure to use the bookmark and setting import from Internet Explorer. You could even go with Google Chrome for even tighter security and speed, if your relatives wouldn't mind the abrupt shift in look and feel. • Set up their email in Gmail: Gmail has made it much easier to import email accounts, whether they're AOL, cable company, or other defaults that just stuck
around. You can make a simple switch in the settings to keep your relatives receiving and sending email from their same address (or multiple addresses). Save their Gmail password in Firefox, but make sure they know it, and they'll even get some newfangled email portability. • Physically clean the beast: Stop by the local office store, grab a can of compressed air, and clean out the "dust bunnies", especially if you can hear the exhaust fans over the mid-day football. • Replace cruddy programs with superior alternatives: Gina's 2008 recommendations still hold up, but we updated them a bit, and made them super-easy to install in one shot, with our Lifehacker Pack 2009. Or use Ninite for a similar one-click awesomeware package. That is, at least, how one Lifehacker editor is fixing at least one relative's computer this long holiday weekend. What's your own 1-2-3 process for being the holiday software savior? Share your success stories in the comments. Unless you're writing "Buy them a Mac." In which case, take your truly helpful comments elsewhere, and prepare to get banned.
Review: Survivor Samoa - The First 27 Days By Jackie Schnoop (TV Squad) Submitted at 11/27/2009 2:02:00 AM
(S19E11) Oh my. Evil Russell from Survivor looks like some sort of deranged Buddha gone bad in this screen capture from tonight's episode. Tonight, like every Thanksgiving episode, was the clips show boasting previously unseen footage. It's not surprising that they do this each year. With the format of the show, they can't run a real repeat. And, if they were to air a new episode on the holiday, many folks would end up missing it. I'm usually disappointed with the footage shown, but tonight we did have a few surprises and interesting bits -- nothing earthshattering, mind you. Continue reading Review: Survivor Samoa - The First 27 Days Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews Permalink| Email this| | Comments
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Maximize Your Thanksgiving Leftovers with Leftover Recipes [Recipes] By Jason Fitzpatrick (Lifehacker) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:30:00 AM
It's the day after Thanksgiving, and you've got a pile of leftovers. It's time to take a look at how you can maximize the meals you can make from your leftovers, preferably with the least amount of effort. Photo by Roland. Last year we shared a few leftover recipes and now we're back to share a few more. The absolute easiest method of course is to simply throw servings of your leftovers on the plate and heat them back up. If you love a good Thanksgiving meal you can't go wrong with a basic reheat. That said, we've gathered up a few basic recipes here for you to mix up your left overs. Open-Face Turkey Sandwiches: The open-face turkey sandwich is a staple in the leftover playbook. Take a thick slice of bread—some people put a light layer of mayonnaise with a sprinkling of salt and pepper here—mound it up with turkey, pour some gravy over it, and heat the whole thing up in a
microwave or toaster oven. You can always go easy on the gravy to minimize the mess and slap another piece on top if you've got a deep seated distrust of an openface sandwich. Turkey Dumplings: Dumplings are filling and the recipe is about as simple as it gets. You'll need cooked turkey, all purpose flour, and package of biscuit dough. Cook the turkey in water until a broth forms, drop in some hunks
of biscuit dough, and you're done. You can check out the recipe here. Pilgrim Pie: Rene Lynch, experimenting with her leftovers, saw that she had almost all the ingredients for a shepherd pie. All the ingredients save for the crust, that is. With a little kitchen ingenuity and some sautéd onions and flour she made a simple dish out of leftover cooked vegetables, diced turkey,
and mashed potatoes. You can read more about it here. Turkey Soup: Turkey soup has a moderate number of ingredients but if you already prepared a Thanksgiving meal the chances of you having all of them on hand is pretty high. Prep for the soup is a bunch of chopping and dicing and then tossing it all in a pot. With enough leftover turkey and a big enough pot you can make quite a batch. You can
check out the recipe here. Turkey, Chestnut, and Barley Soup: If you're in the mood for a heartier soup than a simple turkey broth and turkey mix can provide this turkey and barley soup is plenty hearty. You can make it using a can of broth or use the carcass leftover from yesterday's festivities. You can check out the recipe here. Grilled Turkey and Apple Sandwiches: The recipe is actually for chicken sandwiches but turkey is a great stand in. You can grill it in a skillet but it cooks great in a grill press. Flavorful and easy to make, it's a nice way to make leftovers seem less like leftovers. See the recipe here. Our suggestions should get you started on mixing up your leftovers, but it's certainly not a conclusive list of ways to turn your turkey day leftovers into something fresh and tasty. Let's hear about your favorite leftover recipes in the comments below.
Fujii warns about ‘one-sided’ currency movements (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 11/26/2009 11:26:58 PM
Hirohisa Fujii, Japan’s finance
minister, on Friday strengthened his remarks about the weakening dollar, after it dropped sharply to a fresh 14-year low, saying he would contact authorities in the
US and Europe if necessary. The comments came after the dollar slid 2.2 per cent to Y84.83 in volatile early morning trading in Tokyo. This followed on from
the sharp risk aversion overnight in currency and equity markets amid intensifying worries about Dubai’s debt standstill. This content has passed through
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Dell Offers Customized Chrome OS One last Thanksgiving post: Jimmy Fallon writes Build for Mini 10V Netbooks his thank you notes [Downloads] By Bob Sassone (TV Squad)
By Kevin Purdy (Lifehacker)
Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:30:00 AM
Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:00:00 AM
If a Dell Mini 10V netbook was on your Black Friday shopping list, you're in luck—at least if you're the hacking type. A Dell technologist posted instructions on running Google's Chrome OS on the 10V. There are, of course, a caveat or two with this open source tweak, including a rather notable Wi-Fi deficiency. Depending on your hardware, Chromium OS—the open-source Chrome variant compiled here—may take five to ten minutes to start finding and recognizing wireless access points. The OS still boots mighty
So we've hopefully recovered from stuffing ourselves with turkey and pie and wine yesterday, but I wanted to post one last thing about Thanksgiving. This is from Late Night. Jimmy Fallon usually does his "thank you notes" on Fridays fast, according to Dell's Doug Anson and others, and works once the Wi-Fi kinks have smoothed themselves out. Direct image downloads and installation and compilation instructions are available on the Chromium OS Dev forums and
but he wanted to do a special version for Turkey Day. [Watch clips and episodes of Late Night and other shows at SlashControl.] Filed under: Late Night, Video, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments
via links. Got a Mini 10V and have Chrome OS working on your system? Tell us how it's faring in the comments. I now have ChromeOS working on a Dell Mini 10v[Chromium OS Dev (Google Groups) via Liliputing and Download Squad]
What's On Tonight: Ugly Betty, SpongeBob, Monk By Bob Sassone (TV Squad) Submitted at 11/27/2009 12:09:00 PM
• At 8, ABC has a new Supernanny, followed by new episodes of Ugly Betty and 20/20. • PBS has a new Washington Week at 8, then new episodes of NOW and Bill Moyers Journal. • MyNetwork TV has a new
Smackdown! at 8. • HGTV has a new Divine Design at 8. • Nickelodeon has two new episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants at 8, then two new episodes of The Penguins of Madagascar. • At 9, USA has a new Monk, followed by a new White Collar. 9. • Travel Channel has two new • Also at 9: HBO2 has a Bored episodes of Ghost Adventures at To Death marathon.
• At 10, Food Network has a new "best of" Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. • At 11, VH-1 has a new Storytellers with Foo Fighters. Check your local TV listings for more. After the jump, the late night talk shows. Continue reading What's On Tonight: Ugly Betty, SpongeBob,
Monk Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments
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Creathor Venture: European VC Moving to Federated Model for Global Expansion (RWS Interview) By Bernard Lunn (ReadWriteWeb)
could ever do. But to reach people effectively on mobile, you need mobile-native services, built Submitted at 11/26/2009 1:00:49 PM for the limitations and advantages Creathor Venture is a 25-year- of the small screen. (Standard old venture capital firm based in HTML apps retro-fitted to mobile Germany and Switzerland. That are like the talking heads in early makes it unusual. In 1984, when television.) it started, not a lot of VC funds Mobile is inherently social: you were in Europe. So, we decided use it to communicate with to speak with Cédric Köhler in people. It has to be real time (or Creathor's Zurich office. As "just in time" if we want to be innovation accelerates and accurate), because the small globalizes, we wanted to find out screen demands a filter that how a smaller regional fund like shows only what is relevant right Creathor can compete with much now. (Yes, that does pre-suppose larger Valley-based firms that great filtering capabilities.) have a global footprint. And of When Cédric talks about mobile course, we wanted to find out + social + real time, he is what's hot on the European tech thinking about Aka Aki, in which scene. Read on to find out. Creathor has invested. Sponsor The way Cedric puts it, Aka Aki Aka Aki: European Play in the "adds the dimension of time" to Web's Golden Triangle location-based services. This First, what's hot? In short: addresses the question, "Which mobile + social + real time. That of my friends is within shouting sounds like it was created by a distance right now." random buzzword generator. But FourSquare is from New York, the combination can be very and Aka Aki is from Berlin. With powerful. This is what Fred location-based services, location Wilson calls the Web's golden matters. Specifically, density triangle. matters. People will use the When Fred talks about this, service if it connects them to Foursquare is probably at the people they know locally. If I am front of his mind. He is an i n R h i n e b e c k , N e w Y o r k , investor, and Foursquare is as hot discovering that I have friends in as it gets. Manhattan, Zurich and San This area is hot for a reason. Francisco who are online right Mobile devices reach more now does not help me. I am only people and occupy more of their interested in the friends in time than desktops or laptops Rhinebeck.
This is an argument for a territory-based expansion model. You become dominant in one area, and then expand to neighboring areas. This is the way business worked for centuries before the Internet. Then the Internet heralded the death of distance. You could create a site and get readers from all over the world. With mobile location-based services that connect you to people in the real world, the old territory-based expansion is returning - with a twist, of course. German, Then French, Then English? Aka Aki started in Berlin. As this blog from March 2007 shows, it was early to the game of mobile + social + real time. It got its first round of funding from Creathor in December 2007. Then, in October of this year, it got a second round from INNOVACOM, the leading French VC (with Creathor joining in that round as well). That is a natural expansion model. Aka Aki did well enough in Germany to raise a second round and then uses that to grow geographically. In this context, bringing on a French VC made a lot of sense. Insta-Site: The No-
Barrier-to-Copying World Cédric gave us a good perspective on the early-stage investing scene in Europe. Like other European VCs, he pointed to the rash of copy-cat ventures in the Web 2.0 era. These have been referred to, more politely, as "concept arbitrage": someone sees a service doing well in one location and creates a version for their location. While "copy cat" is a derogatory term, Cedric was keen to point out that it has been a valid strategy in the past. As he puts it, "If I have a successful pizza shop in one location, I could probably create a successful one in another location". In the Internet business, many successful exits have been based on this model. But VCs around the world who we have spoken with tell us that this game is pretty well over. The reason? Well, it's all our fault. Bloggers and tweeters spread ideas so fast that the time needed to exploit a concept arbitrage has shrunk to nothing. The tools for building and deploying a website have also dramatically shrunk the time and cost to market. 1. Get idea on Monday, 2. Launch on Friday, 3. Move out of dorm room on Sunday. In the world of close-to-$0 instasites, the copy-cat model is being challenged. This is just like the arbitrage strategies on Wall Street. When friction goes,
profits eventually wither as well. But Don't Underestimate Local Nuance We can still see big wealthy countries where the US Internet giants have not become dominance for one reason or another. For example, Google does not dominate search in Korea or China. What looks like a tiny bump from 30,000 foot can be a massive obstacle when you are in the war on the ground. This is even more true in the world of social media. By definition, social involves cultural norms, and they differ around the world (thank goodness for that, homogeneity is terribly boring). When social + mobile + real time connects people in the real world, the differences can be even more striking. We are all humans with similar basic needs, but the cultural differences between, say, Germans, the French, Americans, Brits, Chinese, Indians and Koreans (to name just a few) are significant. The Globalization Challenge for VCs The top-tier VCs on Sand Hill Road know that innovation is going global and that the biggest markets and best ventures may no longer reside within a few miles of their office. So, the big VC funds are setting CREATHOR page 42
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How to Prepare Your iPhone for Black Friday By Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)
without the company's consent. Although today's paper is likely to now reveal those leaked deals Submitted at 11/26/2009 1:06:22 PM to the world, we already trusted The holidays are now upon us their accuracy thanks to a Best and after today's turkey is Buy employee who fact-checked digested, it will be time to strap a few of them against what he on your most comfortable shoes knew would be on sale. Spot on, and prepare for an early day of he told us. marathon shopping. "Black The Black Friday app is simple Friday," the unofficial retail to use as there are only three holiday that lands the day after buttons to deal with: a deals Thanksgiving, kicks off the buttons that lets you scroll s e a s o n w i t h d e a l s a n d through a long list of tomorrow's doorbusters...not to mention bargains, a Black Friday button crowds and chaos. that list deals by store, and a However, those of you with an shopping list button which stores Apple iPhone can get a leg up on the save while browsing through the other shoppers who have to the other two sections. A search fumble through old-fashioned box at the top of the stores listing newspaper printouts that list each also lets you find a store by name store's bargains. You can have all instead of having to scroll for the deals at your fingertips, even faster lookups. Another t h a n k s t o n e w i P h o n e bonus about this app is that its applications that list everything life extends beyond Black Friday. on sale. And that's not all, either. After tomorrow, the app will be R e a d o n f o r o u r g u i d e t o updated to show you Cyber preparing your iPhone for Black Monday and After-Christmas Friday and the holiday shopping sales, as well as year-round deals. season beyond. Other contenders: Powered by Sponsor TGI Black Friday and 1. Apps That List Black Friday DealCatcher.com, another great Deals app(iTunes link) lists deals and First and foremost, you need to stores, too. Plus, this app lets you download the apps that list this search by category and browse year's Black Friday Deals. Our through the latest ads. 2. Price favorite is the Black Friday Comparison app(iTunes link) put out by Having already established itself Dealnews. This app not only on other mobile platforms, features the "official" deals ShopSavvy(iTunes link) finally a l r e a d y r e v e a l e d t h r o u g h made its way to the iPhone just in company press releases, but also time for Black Friday. This includes "leaked" deals that have barcode scanning application lets found their way to the net you know if you're really getting
details to the app for you to view. 3. Store-Specific Apps A few big name brick-andmortar retailers also have their own iPhone applications listed in the iTunes App Store. With these store-specific apps, you can search for deals, reserve products, check local availability, makes lists, and more. Some of the best apps in this genre include the following: a deal by comparing the store's • B&N Bookstore: Browse price with more than 20,000 products or search through other retailers who provide their millions of books, DVDs, and pricing data to ShopSavvy. The CDs. You can also use your app isn't limited to online deals, phone's camera to snap a photo either. It also compares prices of the cover of the item in with local stores so you can find question to get product details, out if it's just a matter of heading reviews, ratings, and local down the street to save a few availability. more bucks. ShopSavvy works • Best Buy: The electronics on all iPhones (2G, 3G, and r e t a i l e r o f f e r s t w o i P h o n e 3GS). Just aim the red laser over applications - Best Buy Weekly any barcode and the pricing info Deals and the Best Buy Gamers will automatically appear on the Club. The Weekly Deals app lets you scour through the weekly ads screen. O t h e r c o n t e n d e r s : R e d (great for after Black Friday is Laser(iTunes link) is another over, too) to get product details, p o p u l a r b a r c o d e s c a n n i n g read reviews, see the ratings, and application for the iPhone, but even purchase using a special unlike ShopSavvy which is free, mobilized version of the Best t h i s a p p c o s t s $ 1 . 9 9 . T h e Buy website. The Gamer's Club Amazon Mobile app(iTunes link) app is similar, but focuses just on is nice to have as well thanks to video games, consoles, and its experimental feature called accessories. "Amazon Remembers." Using • Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart does have your phone's camera, you can an app, but it's nothing to get too snap a picture of an item to store excited about since it just focuses it in a virtual shopping list. The on electronics. And when you app will then seek out that item need to get more details, it on Amazon's website and post redirects you to the company's mobile website. However, it's the pricing information and other worth installing if only to remind
you to compare that big screen TV you're eyeing with the often cheaper prices found at WalMart. • Target: Target's app is a bit better since it lets you search for all products at your local store. You can check availability and it even shows you where inside the store the item is located. Great for scoping out your Black Friday route in advance! Plus, if you don't know what to get someone, a handy gift finder feature will make recommendations based on age, gender, price, or other attributes. • Toy "R" Us: The Toys "R" Us app lets you virtually shop through the company's "big book" for toys by popularity or category. You can see product details, read reviews, and add toys to a list of favorites which can later be emailed to you. A "Find a Store" button also helps you find the closest store to your current location. 4. Don't Get Lost - Download Mall Maps to Your iPhone MEDL Mobile's Mall Maps app(iTunes link) is an essential download for Black Friday shoppers. Featuring the maps and store lists for over 1,000 shopping centers across the U.S., this app saves you time as you no longer have to fight the crowd gathered around the mall's directory board. Instead, you can view detailed floor plans and HOW page 40
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The ReadWriteWeb Thanksgiving Day Parade By Jolie O'Dell (ReadWriteWeb)
the holiday season to encourage users around the world to spread the love. A great idea from a Submitted at 11/26/2009 5:20:59 PM couple of great people! Helping Like us, you've probably just the Hungry Through YouTube come out of a tryptophan- Videos inspired coma on a relative's Most of the Americans reading couch and are jonesing for some this are probably ridiculously tech news. Unfortunately, the stuffed with turkey and the newsmakers are likely in the associated edibles, but the good same position. While we cull the folks at YouTube recognized our t u b e s f o r I n t e r n e t - r e l a t e d annual gluttony as a great happenings, check out this opportunity to help the less panoply of sites, apps, curiosities, fortunate. trends and more. Using their own homepage and Happy Thanksgiving! blog as a platform, the site asked Sponsor users, a.k.a. Video Volunteers, to "Somewhat" Frank Gruber Is create videos to promote the Thankful For His New Web hunger-related nonprofit of their Project choice. along with the Our good friend Frank Gruber organization Feeding America h a s b e e n w o r k i n g o n and special curator David T h a n k f u l f o r . c o m , a s o c i a l Arquette, YouTube has selected gratitude journal. three submissions on the site. Gruber writes that he and partner Here's one we liked: Jen Consalvo wanted to create "a Next week, curator Morgan forum for expressing gratitude Freeman will kick off another routinely as a foundation for round of submissions, this time happiness and well-being." focusing on human rights. Search Frank and Jen with Sir Richard Traffic Gets Seasonal, Economy Branson earlier this year. Remains Slow "People come to the site and post Hitwise research director what they are thankful for to their Heather Dougherty writes that personal journal of thanks. year after year, Thanksgiving is People can also choose to send the peak day for Internet visits to each Thankfulfor post to their m a j o r r e t a i l w e b s i t e s , social network on Twitter (each outstripping Black Friday, the post starts with the #thankfulfor day after Christmas, and other hashtag) extending the good traditional big shopping days. vibes far and wide." Typically, for search engines, During the holiday season, Thanksgiving also marks a peak Gruber's hosting a Gratitude in user searches for major Challenge for the remainder of retailers.
cleverly presented bargains succeeding in these times of woe and want? This seems to be the case. SocialVibe's Facebook App Aims to Feed Folks in Need SocialVibe is all about helping brands and users create positive social change. In a typical SocialVibe setup, a brand "sponsors" users, who take small actions and engagements to raise money for the charity of their choice. The new SocialVibe Facebook app involves partnerships with multiple brands and allows users to help feed the hungry through the UN World Food Programme. Users create virtual Thanksgiving tables, choose one However, yearly trends show of three decor themes, pick food significant drops in traffic and items to bring, and and invite searches between 2007 and 2008. friends. By engaging in simple, And, Doughtery writes, "The free brand interactions, users are daily visits to the Retail 500 are able to furnish their and their down compared to last year friends' tables with turkeys, leading up to the big holiday mashed potatoes, and all the weekend." Check out the purple traditional dishes - and best of line on this graph; it represents all, each food item in the app search traffic for major retail equates to a specific number of brands leading up to the holiday, meals the UN World Food and it's measurably lower than in Programme will be able to provide to hungry families and previous years: Also, the orange line on this individuals. That wraps up this year's graph shows site traffic stats for the same group of retailers. It, Thanksgiving around the web. too, shows a decline from traffic W h a t n e w s i t e s , a p p s , o r campaigns did you notice and in previous years. Take heart, online retailers! Stats love this year? Tell us all about for traffic coming from email them in the comments! Discuss marketing are actually quite robust. Are email marketers with
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store lists with corresponding numbers all within the palm of your hand. This app isn't free (it's $2.99), but committed shoppers will agree the price is worth it. 5. Didn't Find It? eBay It Instead If your shopping expeditions left you empty-handed, there's still eBay. But now you don't need to be at a computer to find items, bid, watch, or makes purchases. The latest update to the eBay Mobile app(iTunes link) also takes advantage of the iPhone's pop-up notifications to remind you when an auction is about to end or if you've been outbid. A new eBay app called eBay Deals specifically focuses on finding you deals based on personalized searches that you can create, edit, and save. This is handy if you're looking for a hard -to-find item that isn't always available on the site or if you like regularly browsing a particular category or genre. Like the main application, eBay Deals is also free. Discuss
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Dell Releases Customized Version of Chrome OS By Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb) Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:48:36 AM
Dell has just released a customized version of Chromium OS, the open source code behind Google's new operating system called Chrome, in a build designed specifically for Dell Mini computers. According to a blog post on the Dell Community site, several company employees were inspired create this custom version after seeing Engadget's video showing Chrome OS running on a Vostro A860 netbook. After tinkering around with the code, they were able to create their own version of Chromium OS, complete with functional Wi-Fi drivers, and have made the build available for download as a USB key image file from the Direct2Dell blog. Sponsor About Google Chrome After last week's sneak peek at Google's upcoming operating system dubbed Google Chrome OS, tech enthusiasts everywhere have been playing with the open source code which Google released to the community on the day of the press conference. This code, called Chromium OS, lets anyone take the basic building
blocks of Google's operating system and customize it for their own purposes. Going the open source route isn't just an example of Google's desire to "not be evil," but protects the company from anti-trust, anti-competitive claims surrounding the new project - a project which is basically an OS that runs only one web browser: Google Chrome. In fact, Google's browser is the operating system in its entirety. No desktop applications will be supported on this web-based, Wi-Fi only machine. As Google's VP of Product Management, Sundar Pichai, said during the press event, if any other browser maker wants to build their own version of the OS using their own browser, they can. Since the launch of the Chromium OS source code, there have been a number of articles explaining how to run the operating system in a virtual machine on your own computer as well as how to boot the operating system from a USB flash drive. But up until now, these efforts have been steered by enthusiastic technology users and not those associated with any large computer manufacturer such as Dell.
USB image file to a USB flash drive, but unfortunately the directions are aimed only at those who have access to another Linux machine. We're not sure why Windows and Mac users couldn't just modify the instructions found on this website to make their own Dell Chromium OS USB keys by substituting the Dell build for the one hosted on that site. And while the Dell Chromium In addition, if you're interested build isn't exactly an "official" in trying out the Dell version of company product, it's noteworthy Chromium OS, there are a couple for the fact that it was designed of things you should know: by company employees, posted • You'll need a hefty USB key publicly on a Dell website, and is drive - 8 GB minimum. customized to run specifically on • It may take 5-10 minutes for Dell Mini computers. Dell's the Chromium OS network Chromium OS Build connection manager to "see" the According to the Dell blog post, Wi-Fi access points. the USB key image file • Some issues with the ( a v a i l a b l e h e r e : connection manager are still http://linux.dell.com/files/cto) present. If it gets hung, reboot only works on Dell Mini 10v and try again. computers. Most importantly, the • And by the way, there's no b u i l d m a k e s t h e b u i l t - i n "reboot" - you have to press the Broadcom Wi-Fi adapter on these power button on the Mini laptop. machines functional, a feature • The Dell build is unsupported needed when running a web- and minimally tested - use at based OS. After all, what good is your own risk. a cloud operating system if you have to be tethered to an ethernet If you're still feeling brave, the cable? download is available here. T h e b l o g p o s t i n c l u d e s Discuss instructions on how to copy the
Review: Nip/Tuck Alexis Stone II By Jonathan Toomey (TV Squad) Submitted at 11/26/2009 5:44:00 PM
( S06E07)"That's why we need to play dirty." - Sean Gotta give credit where credit is due -- despite the fact that Teddy's story was so poorly wrapped up, Ryan Murphy and Co. crafted a helluva one-two punch to make us forget about it. At first, I was a little disappointed with the return of Erica last week, but it turned into what's arguably been the best arc of the season. If this ends up being the last time we see Vanessa Redgrave on Nip/Tuck, at least she went out with a bang. Continue reading Review: Nip/Tuck - Alexis Stone II Filed under: OpEd, Nip/Tuck, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments
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up branch offices around the world. This is the traditional multi-national model. The problem is that it might not work By Dana Oshiro Mouse. (ReadWriteWeb) 6. MakerSHED: If you've got a as well in the VC world, where DIY geek you need to buy for, personal relationships matter so Submitted at 11/26/2009 1:50:22 PM then MakerSHED is a great place much and yet you have to make It's tough to find a great geek to find arduinos and build-your- decisions very fast. The multipresent during Black Friday own robot kits. The site offers a national model does not easily sales. Thousands wait in line at number of cool weekend projects square that circle. Venture capital is not a naturally scalable department stores and electronic for the entire family. shops 7 . M a c M a l l : M a c M a l l i s business. VC funds have to decide in the hopes of scoring a bargain currently offering a $300 dollar on laptops, netbooks and mobile discount on the MacBook Air as between staying local (i.e. being accessories. For the shy netizen, well as more than 400 other deals a small firm of partners who can meet face to face every Monday the idea of facing these crowds 3. Amazon Electronics: In just a on Mac-related products. can be daunting. Rather than few hours Amazon's Black 8. B&H Photo Video: This site in their office) and going global. scouring the malls for holiday Friday features will begin offers a good selection of e- The business does not scale well. presents, consider returning to churning out deals on web cams, readers, Apple products and of If you bring in more partners, your web-based roots. Below is video recorders and Apple course, cameras. Some unique you won't be able to maintain the ReadWriteWeb's list of 10 desktop computers. products include this car mount situation in which all partners gadget, gear and geek gift sites. 4. Woot: While there's no camera and a selection of agree on every deal. That would create way too much overhead Sponsor mention of a Black Friday deal, camcorders for divers. 1. ThinkGeek: From T-shirts Woot maintains its ability to 9. Hammacher Schlemmer: and friction. Fast decisionfitted with wi-fi signal displays to provide salivating geeks with a While the non-electronic gifts in making overrides the standard portable solar chargers, this site deal per day on electronics. Users this site are a little lame, the layers of corporate management offers gadgets, clothing and a can follow the Woot Twitter company carries a number of approval. On the other hand, if local selection of strange oddities account for the latest deals as cool items including this light including these plush sushi- they appear. progression alarm clock and this p a r t n e r s a r e m a k i n g t h e investment decisions, what value shaped pillows. 5. Best Buy: There are already iPod controlled pico projector. 2. Steam: If you're looking for a people waiting in line for the 10. CheapTweet: While not a would they get from being part of good gift for gamers, you may Best Buy door buster sale. shopping site per se, this service a big global fund (one in which want to check out Steam. For the Nevertheless, if you want an easy aggregates deal-related links the folks way over at head office next 5 days the company is geek gift without the hassle of from Twitter and offers them up take a big chunk of their profit)? Is branding really that important? rolling out 25-80% off deals on line ups, consider checking the in one long stream. t i t l e s l i k e B a t m a n : A r k h a m Best Buy Outlet Center for deals Photo Credit: Zac Bowling Smart entrepreneurs know that a fund's name (i.e. its brand) is Asylum and Far Cry 2: Fortune's on electronics or track the sales Discuss much less important than the Edition. on items like the coveted Magic
individual partner who they deal with. This is a strategic dilemma for big funds. Federated Best-ofBreed VC Creathor, along with other smaller regional funds, is moving towards a federated model. As Cedric puts it, "We are partnering more with other funds." In one sense, this is nothing new. VCs have always worked together on deals. But in the past, this usually meant two VCs on Sand Hill Road meeting at a Palo Alto coffee shop. Now, it means a Swiss fund working with a French fund (or a New York or Indian or Chinese fund). European VCs have to innovate in this way. They cannot win on the multi-national model: their funds are not big enough for that. As the markets move East - to China and India, for example VCs have to "be there." Similarly, a VC in Asia needs to work with VCs in Europe and America. It will be interesting to see how the globalization of innovation plays out and what new models emerge. Discuss
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New Website Publicizes iPhone App What's Hot on SlashControl: Q&A with Rejections Stargate's Brian J. Smith By Sarah Perez (ReadWriteWeb)
of his own as to how certain things could be improved, but he clearly isn't on any sort of Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:00:26 AM vendetta against the company. A new website aims to publicize Instead, each post details pointthe details surrounding the muchblank exactly why a particular maligned iPhone application application was rejected, review process - Apple's examining information about the secretive procedures that have sometimes seemingly arbitrary, APIs used or rules broken in each been under heavy scrutiny this vetting process for new apps. case. The site also documents year, especially since the FCC's According to the site's About when formerly rejected apps involvement regarding Apple's page, Martin writes that "it's now finally make it through to the rejection of the Google Voice gone from 'easy' to 'tricky' to A p p S t o r e i n p o s t s t i t l e d application. Notable iPhone avoid getting your app rejected "approved" or "overturned," the developers have publically called by Apple." And since Apple has latter referring to apps whose o u t t h e c o m p a n y f o r t h i s refused to document or discuss developers started some sort of "broken" process and some have t h e m a t t e r o f a p p l i c a t i o n appeal process. even announced their retirement rejections, he was inspired to Although the site is brand-new, from creating iPhone apps, create this website as a place to with only two pages of posts so i n c l u d i n g F a c e b o o k a p p collect all the known application far, it could easily become an developer, Joe Hewitt, based on rejections. invaluable resource for iPhone philosophical differences with The App Rejections site itself is developers confused by Apple's the perceived tyranny of the in the format of a basic blog. murky review process which can There aren't catchy headlines, sometimes lead to apps sitting in Apple gatekeepers. images, or accompanying snarky limbo for months on end before Sponsor On the recently launched site, commentary in the individual any word from Apple is had. A p p R e j e c t i o n s , i P h o n e p o s t s a s y o u w o u l d f i n d Developers looking to have their developer turned blogger Adam elsewhere in the tech blogosphere personal experience documented Martin, has begun to document - especially on TechCrunch on the site are advised to contact individual app rejections in an where documenting high-profile Martin via his company's Twitter effort to help the development app rejections has become a c c o u n t , @ r e d g l a s s e s a p p s . community understand what they somewhat of a pet project of D i s c u s s can and cannot expect from the blogger MJ Siegler. At the most, c o m p a n y ' s s t r i n g e n t , a n d Adam may inject a few opinions
By Jane Boursaw (TV Squad) Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:02:00 AM
Are you watching Stargate Universe? I know it's gotten a bad rap from some fans of the Stargate franchise, but I think it's pretty good. Then again, I haven't watched the entire franchise from the beginning, so don't have a lot of the expectations of long-time fans. Brian J. Smith, who plays First Lt. Matthew Scott, sat down to answer fan questions. He said it's a little overwhelming joining a well-established franchise, but he tries to focus on the day to day aspects of filming. "You try not to think so much about the big picture," he said. "You try to just enjoy what you're doing as an
actor each day." He also talked about the most admirable quality of his character. "I think it's a sense of empathy," he said. "He's got a very rare quality, which is that he's able to really put himself into the shoes of other people. When he goes on missions and he's leading away teams on other planets or even on the ship itself, he takes the safety and wellbeing of the people he's with incredibly seriously. He's a really emotional guy, and I like that about him." Here's the Q&A straight from our sister site, SlashControl. Filed under: Video, Stargate, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments
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More Trouble for File Sharing: Virgin to Monitor in UK
Doctor Who star to play John Lennon
By Jolie O'Dell (ReadWriteWeb)
By Brad Trechak (TV Squad)
Submitted at 11/26/2009 6:20:51 PM
Virgin Media, one of the UK's leading providers of television / broadband / mobile / phone services, has announced plans to use deep packet inspection technology to track illegal filesharing activity among around 40 percent of its UK users. Users whose activities are being monitored will not be informed of this fact. The tech comes from Detica, a company better known for working with government data and intelligence agencies than media files and P2P networks. Their CView product is designed to help put an end to illegal filesharing, and with ISPs showing interest, it's unlikely that Virgin's deal will be the last we hear about. Sponsor
In a lengthy document on illegal filesharing, Detica outlines how CView can be used to baseline the level of illicit filesharing then continue to measure the same activity as punitive measures are rolled out. The company believes that every ISP has an obligation to reduce illegal filesharing "by an agreed percentage over a period of time," a goal that can only be achieved through accurate, thorough measurement of user activity - this is the very reason Detica created CView. Beyond measuring user activity on P2P networks, CView will not collect data on individual users. Raw traffic data and
identification information is reportedly deleted in the closed system and cannot be accessed by a human operator. CView gathers data on peer-to-peer packets in user traffic and then inspects the packets to see whether the content is being shared illegally. Although the tech only examines aggregate traffic data, and although a Virgin spokeperson states that records will not be maintained on individual users, privacy concerns are right behind raining-on-our-parade concerns when one examines the question of monitoring user behavior. Isn't warning, fining, censoring and/or restricting access for infringing users the next logical step? Give us your doomsday scenario - or your vote of confidence for the Detica/Virgin partnership - in the comments. Discuss
Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:30:00 AM
Former Doctor Who lead Christopher Eccleston will be playing John Lennon in an upcoming British television drama commissioned by BBC Four about the life of John Lennon between 1967 and 1971. To further the Doctor Who connection, former Torchwood star Naoko Mori (who played Tosh on the show) will be playing Yoko Ono. There is a lot of crossover between Doctor Who fans and Beatles fans, so there is sure to be some interest in the series. The roles I know Eccleston best for are those of the Doctor and Destro from G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra, so the question is if he can pull off a Liverpudlian accent. Since in the aforementioned roles he's done a Northern British accent (I believe his natural one) and a Scottish
accent, he's likely capable of it. So what do you think? Is Eccleston a good choice for the role of John Lennon? Filed under: OpEd, Doctor Who, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free Permalink| Email this| | Comments
Getting set for Big Love's return with a new promo video By Allison Waldman (TV Squad) Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:03:00 AM
You want to talk about holiday cheer and gifts that keep on giving, take a look at what we have to expect from TV starting in January. For instance, Big
Love is coming back to HBO on January 10. But that's not all. Leverage announced a return date this week, and there's also Burn Notice and The Closer, NBC has Chuck. And Breaking Bad is returning to AMC in March. How great is all that TV - and I
haven't even mentioned Lost or
24! Advice to all television fans; if you don't already have the best equipment in your TV room, if you're hankering for HD or have been worried about your DVR, upgrade your stuff now - ask Santa Claus for what you want and get ready for the new year bounty.
Continue reading Getting set for Big Love's return with a new promo video Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Video, RealityFree Permalink| Email this| | Comments
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Pie Guy: Web Apps as Viable Alternatives By Olly Farshi (TheAppleBlog)
it’s just as polished and professional as we’d expect, but perhaps rarely find, from a native Pie Guy is an excellent little premium app. game that’s causing a small stir What’s amazing is seeing what among developers. The game has has been achieved without the completely bypassed the App A p p S t o r e . A g r e a t u s e r S t o r e a n d i s a v a i l a b l e t o experience and a great product, download, right now, as a Web all without running natively. App. Plus, it even works offline, It’s a cute 8-bit-era game with despite being a web app. It’s deliciously retro graphics that worth noting though Pie Guy is clones Pacman with a pie-themed iPhone 3GS only, the app twist. Eat the pies, don’t get apparently takes advantage of the caught by the cooks, and try to significant improvements Apple beat your high-score. The game made to WebKit performance on can be installed for free simply the device. b y v i s i t i n g Of course, iPhone web apps are http://mrgan.com/pieguy/ on your nothing new. Way back when, iPhone’s browser. before the glorious mess that is The surprising thing is that all of the App Store, Jobs announced this was achieved without the that developing on iPhone was App Store. I’ve never come effectively as simple as creating a across an iPhone web app that web site. feels so much like a native app. After a rather disgruntled From the install process, to the r e a c t i o n f r o m t h e d e v icon and graphics, the attention to community, and much purported detail is impressive. rushing on Apple’s part, we Admittedly, Pie Guy is no ended up with the App Store. The Rolando, but nevertheless it’s very notion of web apps, on the just the sort of 99 cent app I’d other hand, seemed to get tossed expect to find riding high in the aside in the free-for-all gold-rush App Store charts. Except it’s not that ensued. in the App Store — Pie Guy is Many months later, attention is free from the constraints and beginning to swing back around anguish of Apple approvals and to the untapped potential of web Submitted at 11/26/2009 10:00:38 AM
apps. It may be that developers are looking for a route to take their concepts to users without running the rejection gauntlet that is Apple’s app approval process. However, it’s also likely that developers want to take advantage of those handy WebKit performance improvements on the 3GS. Earlier this week on Twitter, David Kaneda, a WebKit developer, claimed, “I could write a pretty competitive Tweetie clone, pretty quickly.” Loren Brichter, developer of iPhone Twitter-client Tweetie, promptly responded by saying, “I dare you.” What resulted from the ensuing exchange was a coder battle that may go some way in illustrating the real potential of WebKit, with Kaneda already producing promising results. In the meantime though, users are caught between a somewhat chaotic App Store and a predominantly lackluster selection of web apps. There’s clearly room for improvement in both arenas and it’ll be interesting to see what developers manage to squeeze out of WebKit in the coming months.
Don't Just Sit There — Go and Shop! [Gray Thursday] By Ravi Somaiya (Gawker)
recession, but: "The consumer is confused. They don't know whether to spend or Big retailers are opening today not," said Marshal Cohen, senior (maybe to mitigate Black Friday analyst at retail consultant NPD tramplings). Does this mean that Group. next year they'll open yesterday? Because everyone wants your Is this gray Thursday? Anyway, money anyway Wal-Mart, Gap, people are tired of being broke so Radio Shack, Walgreens, Old they're buying stuff. Navy and doubtless some other Reuters report that: stores that sell stuff have opened While traffic to stores on the their doors. This meant that lots Thursday is relatively light, of store staff and some poor people who do make it out are Reuters reporter had to a) work mostly hard-core shoppers and today and/or ask people about highly likely to buy. their shopping habits. If you have But also that no-one has any idea a desperate need for discount what's going on with those slacks, iPod cables or TheraFlu shoppers tomorrow and in the then go my people! Stimulate the future — people are tired of the economy! Submitted at 11/26/2009 12:22:04 PM
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Apple’s In-Store Black Friday Deals ET Exclusive: Insider to White House Party Crashers Tells All By Liam Cassidy (TheAppleBlog)
The 1TB Time Capsule, Airport Extreme Base Station, Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple InSubmitted at 11/27/2009 7:08:47 AM Ear Headphones all get a little of So it’s finally Black Friday and the Black Friday treatment. Not retailers across America are to mention a whole lot of stuff slashing their prices and nobody cares about. And there’s welcoming hordes of hysterical no discount on a MobileMe shoppers. The question, of subscription, which is what I was course, is how generous is Apple hoping to see happen. being this year? Is it – as it teased Altogether now… “Meh.” earlier in the week – a “happy” The same percentage discounts Friday for the Apple-buying The iPod Nano starts at $138 have been rolled-out to Apple’s today, a saving of $11. public? international stores, but T h e a n s w e r i s ( n o t The iPod Touch enjoys a $41 ultimately equate to the same unsurprisingly) No. Not if you discount, cost today: $178. small-time savings. None of this iMacs buy from Apple it isn’t. is new — Apple just doesn’t While Apple observes the Black The 21.5 and 27 inch iMacs start “do” discounts. It’s not in its Friday custom, it never really at $1098, a saving of $101. DNA. Where the Real Action Is embraces it. It’s been said before, MacBook Pros If you want a genuine discount Apple unashamedly sets higher- 13, 15 and 17 inch MacBook that makes a real difference to t h a n - a v e r a g e p r i c e s o n i t s Pros also get a $101 discount and your bank balance, you need to products (particularly when so also start at $1098. No savings leave Apple’s stores behind and MacBooks are compared to run- on the MacBook or MacBook go to its authorized resellers. of-the-mill Windows computers) Air, sadly. That’s where the real action is and just isn’t interested in doing All manner of Apple accessories this Black Friday. AppleInsider bargain-basement deals. I guess and software get moderate has a great roundup(including that’s why they have sixty discounts. If you’re interested in side by side comparisons) of the picking up the latest edition of top Apple-approved resellers and bajillion in the bank. A n y w a y , h e r e ’ s a q u i c k iWork, Apple’s productivity their best one-day-discounts. rundown of some of the more software suite, a single user If you’re out shopping for an noteworthy price-cuts among the license will cost only $49 today, Apple bargain today and stumble meager discounts Apple has on a saving of $30. (Actually, this across a fantastic deal, why not isn’t a bad discount, given how share the news in the comments offer just for today. sophisticated iWork is.) Apple TV below? But only after you’ve This’ll rock your world (not); The new Magic Mouse gets a helped yourself, naturally. No save $21 on an Apple TV, now measly $5 shaved off the asking one expects retail-altruism on a only $208. I bet that has you price (today’s cost to you – $64 – day like this… reaching for your credit card… is still way too much for this mouse). iPods
(ETonline - Breaking News) Submitted at 11/26/2009 1:48:00 PM
ET has an exclusive interview with the stylist of the aspiring reality stars, who was with the couple moments before they reportedly crashed the White House State Dinner Tuesday night. Polo-playing socialites Tareq and Michaele Salahi posted a pic on their joint Facebook account of Michaele mingling with Vice
President Joe Biden among other photos, but a White House official told the Washington Post that the couple were not invited to the dinner and were never seated at a table in the South Lawn tent. In addition to their upcoming stint on Bravo, the couple is also known for their family feud over a Fauquier County winery, according to the newspaper.
Sneak a Peek! The Oh-SoSexy Styles of the Victoria's Secret 2009 Fashion Show! (ETonline - Breaking News)
the supermodels rocked the runway in their over-the-top, fantastical bedroom fashions to The best bods in the business -- the rockin' beats of The Black Marisa Miller, Selita Ebanks, Eyed Peas. Get an eyeful of the Doutzen Kroes and of course lingerie-clad vixens as they show Heidi Klum-- strutted their sexy off the latest trends and make you stuff down the catwalk for the wish you hadn't had that second Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -- serving of pumpkin pie! and ET has all the sizzlin' pics! The Victoria's Secret Fashion Walking to the sweet musical Show airs on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at stylings of The Black Eyed Peas, 10 p.m. on CBS. Submitted at 11/26/2009 9:41:00 AM
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Apple Commands Almost Half of All U.S. Desktop Revenue By Liam Cassidy (TheAppleBlog)
machines from manufacturers) became available. And let’s not forget the state of the economy. Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:51:09 AM This recession has had a Nearly half of the money spent significant impact on PC sales. in America in the last year on Stephen Baker, NPD’s vice desktop computers went to Macs. president of industry analysis, According to NPD, and reported told Wilcox: this week by BetaNews, Apple’s You’re comparing the [iMac] October desktop PC market share launch month this year to the was 47.71 percent, a huge month last year when people increase on the previous year’s stopped going into stores to buy figure of 33.44 percent. things,” Baker said. “To some BetaNews’ Joe Wilcox writes: extent it’s a little bit apples and It’s a stunning number, given oranges.” just how many Windows PC Still, it makes for great companies combined command headlines, and I’m sure Apple so much more market share, won’t fail to wedge appropriate while competing for the same charts (sans actual numbers) into revenue share. Steve’s next keynote The numbers are impressive, but p r e s e n t a t i o n . a little perspective goes a long It’s worth noting that the way. The economy has seen sales numbers go the other way when of new computers decline, comparing Laptops. Apple’s particularly in the run-up to the share of the laptop market was 34 launch of Windows 7. Customers percent in October this year, in search of a new computer held down on last year’s 38 percent. -back on purchases while they That said, laptops (Apple and waited for the new OS (and the otherwise) have come a long way newer Windows 7-sporting in terms of power and price, (in
2008 it overtook desktops for the first time in global shipments) and dominating over a third of that market in North America is no small feat. It’s even more impressive than that — NPD also says that the average selling price (ASP) of Mac laptops in October this year was $1,410, more than
twice the $519 ASP of Windows laptops. Of course, there’s still the fiddly question of sustainability; now Apple has achieved these heady figures, can it keep them? The most probable answer is, no, not really. These figures are the result of unique conditions in the
Shut Up PETA [Shut Up Brooklyn] By Ravi Somaiya (Gawker) Submitted at 11/26/2009 4:31:23 PM
PETA just will not shut the fuck up about animals and stuff. Even on Thanksgiving! Here's a commercial that NBC refused to run about the treatment of
turkeys. It was probably big in the Safran-Foer household. Look, we get it. Some people don't want to eat meat. Great. Enjoy. Splendid. But they just can't live and let live and keep their ridiculous vegan faces out like their sweaters knitted from of our kitchens. We might not muesli and their sustainable
yurts. Are we putting up commercials like this about it? Please spend the money on reforming factory farming instead.
market (after all, global recessions and major Windows OS releases tend not to coincide, never mind on an annual basis) and it seems practical to conclude that Apple’s desktop market share is bound to decline in the next year, barring, of course, any surprising changes in that market. (Y’know, like Windows 7 inexplicably failing, or half the world’s PC manufacturers going out of business overnight… in other words, the sort of major surprises that are really, really unlikely.) One thing you can be certain of; this time next year, as the economy strengthens and OEMs lower the prices of their nolonger-new Windows 7 machines, Apple’s share of desktop retail revenue will likely drop back to more ‘normal’ levels. And can you guess what the headlines will be when that happens?
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iPhone App Rejections Get Highlighted on New Site By Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:30:11 AM
The App Store is known for a few things, including the sheer volume of apps available, the tremendous success it’s brought some independent developers, and, most notoriously, for the constant stream of rejections that it issues with remarkable frequency. Now one scorned developer has taken it upon himself to make sure a record of the worst among those rejections is kept. AppRejections.com is a simple blog that tracks App Store rejections, mostly via user submissions. It also points out the blatant hypocrisy of some of Apple’s rejection policies, highlighting what look an awful lot like different standards for higher profiles devs and studios (read: cash cows). For example, the most recent article at the time of this writing is about how Star Wars Trench Run was accepted despite containing a huge image of an iPhone, something which has been a pretty boilerplate reason for rejection of apps put out by much smaller studios and independent devs before now. In fact, Apple put out a blanket ban on the use of the exact bitmap which features prominently in Trench Run’s control layout help
Larry Brown says Allen Iverson shouldn't give up and retire By ESPN.com news services (ESPN.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:46:56 AM
Barkley Speaks Out On Iverson's Future Barkley Speaks Out On Iverson's Future CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Larry Brown has a message for Allen Iverson: Don't give up. Iverson's former coach said Friday that he believes the 10time All-Star "still has a passion screen. problem of Apple’s pell-mell to play" and shouldn't retire. An It’s early days yet for the blog, review policy. If you’re a dev online report this week indicated with only 14 posts thus far, and it who has a story to share, head on Iverson had decided to end his isn’t much to look at, but the idea over to the site and let Adam career after receiving little behind the site is a fantastic one. know what exactly happened. interest from NBA teams. Brown, now coaching the A c c o u n t a b i l i t y i s s e v e r e l y The more points of data he can lacking in the App Store approval collect, the more complete a Charlotte Bobcats, said he has process, and till now, efforts to picture he can paint of App Store talked to Iverson's agent and is seeking to get in touch with him track and analyze rejections have injustice. been scattered at best. Despite the If Martin can keep it up and directly. s t o c k t e m p l a t e l o o k o f create a really thorough record of Brown said he understands that AppRejections.com, site creator Apple’s various hypocrisies "it's a pretty humbling thing" that Adam Martin, himself an iPhone r e g a r d i n g A p p S t o r e teams haven't jumped to sign him developer from the U.K., is doing management, it’s possible we’ll since he was waived by Memphis a great job of tracking down and s e e s o m e k i n d o f c h a n g e on Nov. 17. soliciting stories of Apple eventually, owing to a shift in Commentator Stephen A. Smith running afoul. public opinion, or increased published a statement on his Web Martin also tracks what apps get rancor from the developer site Wednesday attributed to let back into the App Store, and community. Do I think that’s the Iverson that said the guard w h y , a n d a l s o w h a t t h e most likely outcome? No, but planned to retire. implications are for users who one can hope. managed to grab apps that eventually got pulled before that actually happened. It’s a truly comprehensive approach to the
Iverson played three games this season with Memphis before taking a leave of absence to attend to personal matters. He was waived after the two sides agreed to part ways. It was the second straight ugly ending for Iverson, who was unhappy last season playing for the Pistons. In both instances, he was upset that Detroit coach Michael Curry and Memphis coach Lionel Hollins used the former MVP as a reserve. Iverson's old team in Philadelphia has been struggling at the gate and has a fresh void at guard after losing Lou Williams for an estimated eight weeks with a broken jaw, but sources with knowledge of the 76ers' thinking told ESPN.com on Friday that the Sixers do not intend to pursue Iverson, preferring instead to give more minutes to rookie guard Jrue Holiday. Information from ESPN.com's Marc Stein and The Associated Press was used in this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Apple Opens Doors to iTunes LP for WVU vs. Pitt: Them's Indie Labels and Artists Fightin' Words By Darrell Etherington (TheAppleBlog) Submitted at 11/26/2009 8:03:49 PM
Apple said it was going to allow independent content producers open access to the tech and process behind iTunes LP and iTunes Extras, and it has done good on that promise, as TUAW reports. Today Apple has created a dedicated page on its website that offers devs interested in the format “everything you need to know to create a rich, interactive experience around your music and movies. All right in iTunes.” For those who may have missed it, Apple introduced the iTunes LP and iTunes Extras rich media formats for albums and movies when it released the latest major update to iTunes, version 9. Both LP for music, and Extras for movies, package extra content with a customer’s purchase, including videos, behind-the-
scenes info, commentary and more. There was some speculation shortly after the launch that Apple was purposely keeping the enhanced formats closed, and letting only major labels in on the party, in exchange for a $10,000 per album/movie admission charge. Apple denied the allegations, and it turns out it wasn’t lying. Anyone who wants to can now head over to Apple’s site and
check out three documents that should help even well-motivated amateurs work their way through the creation of the new value-add formats. There’s a template for both, and also a template how-to document that provides step-bystep instructions about how to create your LP or Extras. For now, each and every artist and label that wants to create either an LP or an Extra for their album or movie will have to go through a manual submission process. And that’s only if you’re able to submit at all. The submission process is currently limited, with Apple directing people to contact their label or studio reps to see if they have access. Apple intends to have automated, electronic submission in place in the first quarter of 2010, but until then, most people will probably be stuck creating without any real hope of publishing.
By Brett McMurphy (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/26/2009 9:00:00 PM
by Brett McMurphy Filed under: Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Big East MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh is one of the best -- and better named -rivalries in college football. And it's also home to the Big East's rudest fan bases, according to a survey of college football fans by SI.com. The survey of 33,144 fans nationwide voted West Virginia and Pittsburgh as the favorite stadiums to visit in the Big East - 23.2 percent voted for WVU's Milan Puskar Stadium and 19.5 percent voted for Pitt's Heinz Field. However, West Virginia and Pitt fans also were the overwhelming choices as the league's rudest
fans. WVU received 34.9 percent of the vote, followed by Pitt at 25 percent. Friday night when Pitt visits West Virginia, there might be more late hits in the stands than on the field. WVU vs. Pitt: Them's Fightin' Words originally appeared on Fanhouse NCAA Football Blog on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments
Tide's Offensive Line a Success Story By Jim Henry (FanHouse)
Antoine Caldwell and opened the year with three first-time starters, the Tide's unit has come together by Jim Henry just fine this season, thank you. Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, The o-line will get another SEC opportunity to show off in AUBURN, Ala. -- It just might Friday's Iron Bowl against an be Alabama's biggest success Auburn defense that ranks last in story this season. the SEC in scoring defense (27 "I don't know if it was as much of For an offensive line that lost All points per game) and ninth in a motivating factor as much as we just knew that we had to -Americans Andre Smith and total defense (359.2 ypg). Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:00:00 AM
come to work," senior left guard Mike Johnson said of preseason questions surrounding the line
and if those concerns served as motivation. Tide's Offensive Line a Success Story originally appeared on Fanhouse NCAA Football Blog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments
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Happy Thanksgiving everybody! (Scripting News) Submitted at 11/26/2009 9:30:42 AM
Over the years, starting in 1994, I've written Thanksgiving messages. Essays, lists, whatever. Every year the message is the same. Thanks. It's a message that never goes out of style. Thanksgiving is the best holiday. You don't have to believe in any particular god to be part of it, or even believe in god at all. This holiday includes everyone. All you have to do to participate is be thankful. We have other inclusive holidays. July 4. Veterans Day. Martin Luther King's birthday. But Thanksgiving is the one that's about thanks. This being the year of Twitter lists, I made a list of the people on Twitter who I'm thankful for. It's a dynamic thing. I'll be adding to it over the next few days but I'm not going to point to it though, because it'll be a shortlived thing. Rather than make a big list here on the blog, I've whittled my Thanksgiving thought down to one idea that I'd like to express thanks for. The mystery of life. At some point in childhood we realize we don't have a clue what existence is about, or the limits of existence. I think everyone reaches this point, whether or not they believe in god or an afterlife. I think religion is a way to
bundle up the confusion in a box and put it Over There so we can get on with living. Every so often something happens, a family member or friend dies, and that makes the confusion come front and center. And once in a lifetime someone as close as a father dies, and that floors you. You get knocked down, and as you come back up, you're not the same person you were before. The mystery of life and the question of existence after life, they're always there, but they loom much larger after a loss. I am not a member of the church of "I Know There's Nothing" after death. My father, however, was a member. He said he knew there was nothing. Me, I'm a mystic about What It All Means. I celebrate the mystery of it. I think, by extrapolation, that every species thinks it's the highest form of life. Largely because they can't experience the existence of higher forms of life, even when they're there. An example. Think about a bird. We think we're more conscious and more intelligent than a bird. Maybe we are. But is the bird aware that we exist? Not sure about that. Maybe we're like weather to birds? Or earthquakes or locusts. Does the bird acknowlege our superior intellect? More doubtful. Now
just go down the hierarchy a few steps and sooner or later you reach a species that isn't aware that we exist. And assume it's true that we are superior, that means that a superior form exists for them that they are not aware of. So now put your focus on the human species. How could it be that we are the most advanced species there is? That would seem pretty lucky. And if we weren't the most advanced, if there were superior beings walking among us, would we even be aware of them? I think we wouldn't. 8/28/96: "Do they have bee priests and doctors to provide spiritual context, or to shrug their shoulders and say that nothing can be done?" And with mysteries that we can identify but have no clue how to explain (like the conflicting theories of the universe that apply in black holes) -- is it impossible that there are species in the universe who have figured it out? And if they have, what capabilities does that knowledge give them that we can't even imagine? Think back to the human species before Einstein formulated the Theory of Relativity. In some ways we haven't changed, but in others, we're a whole new species just because of that one discovery. Physicists believe there is a
theory that pulls all existence together into a single framework, and it's not hard to imagine that the knowledge that flows from that theory will lift our species to a new level. Maybe right there, at that moment, we will become a higher form of life? Hard to know until it happens. Okay, so what does all this mean? Well, there's an arrogance to saying you know that there's no existence before or after life. That our soul, the core of our being, our awareness, is just wasted when we die. That there is no purpose to living. No purpose at all. It's arrogant to think you know that. Because the fact is you don't know. It also betrays a pessimism that is all too common in our species. Maybe it's just survivors and refugees like my father who had this pessimism. Hard to know. I think it's clear that the only rational answer to all the questions that our species is not yet equipped to answer: Who Knows. Put them in a box, over there, close the box and go on living. And once a year, on Thanksgiving Day, thank the box, and hug someone close to you, eat too much food, watch some TV, go for a walk and get ready for Christmas. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
No Reason to Snub Manhattan Frosh With 'The Nub' By Lisa Olson (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:00:00 AM
by Lisa Olson The first player with one hand to play NCAA Division I college basketball admits there is one thing he definitely can't do. "The monkey bars," Kevin Laue says. "I've tried to swing and catch myself with the same arm before, but it just doesn't work." No Reason to Snub Manhattan Frosh With 'The Nub' originally appeared on Fanhouse - Lisa Olson on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments
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Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition's new enemy is all kinds of creepy By Xav de Matos (Joystiq) Submitted at 11/26/2009 10:00:00 PM
Capcom has updated its official Japanese Resident Evil 5 site, revealing the new enemy featured in the upcoming Gold Edition retail and (assorted) DLC release of the game. The new nemesis is an unnamed and extremely grotesque behemoth who carries a large key-like anchor, stalking the underground of Spencer's Mansion in the content's Lost in Nightmares episode. According to an English translation of the character card, players can hunt down the beast to obtain heavy weapons such as a sickle. If the design proves one thing, it's that Capcom continues to create characters with terrible skin in the series second week on all three categories versus the afflictions. Someone get this guy O c t o b e r 9 , 2 0 0 9 . T h o u g h series highs October 9. an ointment. average viewers have recovered Nielsen Ratings Data: ©2009 [Via Andriasang] the last two weeks from the lows The Nielsen Company. All Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition's on November 6, the overall trend Rights Reserved. All ratings new enemy is all kinds of creepy for household rating, 18-49 rating above Live+SD (live viewing originally appeared on Joystiq on and average audience is still plus same day DVR viewing). Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. down. The latest episode, This content has passed through Please see our terms for use of “Life”, retained about 80% of the fivefilters.org. feeds. premieres household rating and Read| Permalink| Email this| viewers, and almost 90% of the Comments 18-49 rating, and around 80% in
Stargate Universe: SGU ratings for first half of Season 1 By Robert Seidman (TVbytheNumbers)
comprehensive “ratings” info available, here’s a table with the household rating/share, 18-49 Submitted at 11/26/2009 9:38:44 PM rating/share and average Perhaps a bit premature because audience through last Friday’s the first half of season one of episode, “Life.” S t a r g a t e U n i v e r s e d o e s n ’ t I’ll update it with the results for actually finish until next Friday, “Justice” somewhere around December 4. But since there is December 7. no new SGU this week and since – I saw some mutterings in the As you can see, the show had its Twitter-verse that there was no ratings and average viewers peak
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Did an Indian Diplomat Help the Salahis Crash the Whitehouse? [Gatecrashersgate] By Adrian Chen (Gawker) Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:49:42 AM
The Secret Service is currently investigating how fameballs Michaele and Tareq Salahi crashed Obama's first state dinner, Bravo camera crew in tow. We have a theory: Their polo buddy, Indian ambassador Arun K. Singh, got them in on the DL. In the photo album Michaele Salahi posted on her Facebook page after the event, one photo stands out among al those of the crashers smiling next to famous media personalities, politicians and Joe Bidens: A picture with one "Ambassador Singh": This is Arun K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Indian Embassy, and he has chilled with the Salahis before. Here they are drinking wine at a September 9th event hosted by the Indian Embassy to announce America's Polo Cup, a 2010 India Vs. USA polo match organized by Tareq Salahi and co-sponsored by Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar: A (terribly reduced) picture of the three even made October edition of the Indian Embassy's
newsletter. Ambassador Singh is quoted in an Indian Express article as saying "the polo match between India and the US next year to be played at the National Mall reflects another dimension of the growing relationship between the two countries." In that same article, Michaele Salahi is quoted as saying the match "aspires to bring the love of the game to a wider audience and bring international cultures
together..." So, Singh and the Salahis are polo buddies. They go way back. Furthermore, Tareq Salahi's only statement to the Washington Post's Reliable Source blog after crashing the state dinner was "India is the challenger in the America's Polo Cup World Championships June 11/12 2010, and they are very excited in this first ever cultural connection being hosted on the DC National
Mall since Polo is one of the primary sports in India." This suggests a polo-motivated party crashing. Based on this knowledge, here are a couple theories of how Singh helped the Salahis crash the White House. 1) Singh invited the Salahis to the dinner as a reward for their work on the India Vs. USA polo match, but for some reason their names didn't make it on the
official guest list. When they showed up and were turned away (Brian Williams told the Times the couple's car was turned away by the first ring of Secret Service, after which they "hopped out") they called up Arun K. Singh: "Dude, you said we were on the list!" Singh spoke to the Secret Service and got them in. 2) The Salahis showed up uninvited, confident that they could use their Singh connection to get in the party. After being turned away, they either namedropped Singh or got him to vouch for them to the Secret Service. Either way, the Salahis weren't just some randos who showed up at the White House and schmoozed their way past the Secret Service with their fancy clothes. The Salahis knew somebody; they likely leveraged their connection to Arun K. Singh—the Indian Embassy's polo liaison—to crash the state dinner and successfully roll their way to immortal fameball-dom. The Salahis will be appearing on Larry King Live Monday, where they will maybe prove our theory correct. Stay tuned!
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Marauding Camels to be Rounded Up and Strafed From Helicopters, Palin Style [Shoot Em Up] By Azaria Jagger (Gawker) Submitted at 11/26/2009 11:50:22 PM
A plague of thirsty camels has overrun a small, drought-ridden town in the Australian outback. The only way to survive: Round thousands of those suckers up and gun 'em down from choppers. Lest you think Australia's dromedary holocaust is inhumane, the Associated Press explains that the situation is "critical," and it's mankind's fault for bringing the hump-backed menaces to the Outback in the first place: "The community of Docker River is under siege by 6,000 marauding, wild camels," local government minister Rob Knight said in Alice Springs, 310 miles (500 kilometers) northeast of Docker. "This is a very critical situation out there, it's very unusual and it needs urgent action." The camels, which are not native to Australia but were introduced in the 1840s, have smashed water tanks, approached houses to try
to take water from air conditioning units, and knocked down fencing at the small airport runway, Knight said. ... Camels were first brought to Australia to help explorers travel through the desert, and now an estimated 1 million roam wild across the country. Here's how the camelpocalypse is going down: The government plans to use helicopters to herd the camels about nine miles (15 kilometers) outside of town next week, where
thirsty camel could be laying siege to Alice Springs, Australia as we speak.* Consequently, the people of Alice Springs are probably not thinking rationally, having long ago entered "fight or flight" mode (prompting them to use flight to fight), much like the terrifying middle scenes of Jurassic Park, when the dinosaurs take over and everyone runs around screaming and getting crazy violent. It should also be noted that whoever gets stuck flying the helicopters and aiming the guns they will be shot and their i s g o i n g t o b e s e r i o u s l y carcasses left to decay in the traumatized. Now here's a picture desert. The state government will o f a s t r a p p i n g g e n t l e m a n give a 49,000 Australian dollar traversing the Outback on camel ($45,000) grant for the cull and in the 1920's. This fiasco is his to repair damaged infrastructure fault. * Sure, they aren't all fully grown in the town. That is going to smell so bad. A man-camels, but when a small, vocal opposition calls the plan drought-ridden town is under "barbaric," citing "terrible attack from 6000 camels, I feel it distress" and "terrible suffering." is best to give them the benefit of On the other hand, grown man- doubt. Also, I once rode a camel camels weigh 2000 lbs. and are 7 at the zoo, and it was large, feet tall, which means up to bulky, and painful. 12,000,000 lbs. of enraged, [ Associated Press]
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Ariz. English Teacher Vanishes in Germany After Concert (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:39:01 AM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. A 22year-old Arizona man who teaches English overseas has been missing since he attended a concert in Germany last weekend. Devon Hollahan was last seen at around 3 a.m. Nov. 21 after a concert in Frankfurt, Germany. He was traveling back to a hostel with a friend, who stopped to ask for directions. When the friend turned back around, Hollahan was gone. Hollahan's father, Jeff Hollahan, told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that hearing his son had vanished is "every parent's worst nightmare." Jeff Hollahan plans to travel Sunday from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., to Germany to help search for his son. Devon Hollahan had been teaching English in Prague since July. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
France triumphs with plum Brussels job (Financial Times - US homepage) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:04:39 AM
France scored an important political victory as jobs in the
new commission were handed out on Friday – securing influence over the European Union’s banking and financial services policy, as well as the broader internal market portfolio,
for the next five years. After months of intense French lobbying, Michel Barnier, its nomination, will get the internal market commissioner’s job, becoming the top political figure
in charge of the dossier. The Frenchman, who served as commissioner for regional policy in the Prodi commission between 1999 and 2004, is a well-known figure in Brussels – and is
currently a member of the European Parliament. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Glenn Beck Dismisses Palin-Beck 2012 Because Sarah Belongs 'in the Kitchen' [Wing Flap] By Azaria Jagger (Gawker) Submitted at 11/26/2009 2:38:55 PM
For his pre-Thanksgiving radio broadcast, Glenn Beck made a joke about how Sarah Palin belongs "in the kitchen," and how he's sick of her "yapping." It's why he won't consider PalinBeck 2012, but Beck-Palin is a different story. The Palin-Beck drama began when the former governor of Alaska told Newsmax she considers Beck "a hoot" and would be open to running with him. She repeated the coy "we'll see..." wink-nudge invite on Fox and Friends, prompting the king of televised weeping to dismiss Palin as frivolous, strident, and exceedingly female. First he asks her to stop using the word "hoot": BECK: I don't think things are hoots. I don't. I don't think it's a hoot. I would never use the word hoot, and I respectfully ask that every time my name is brought up she would stop using the word "hoot." And then he puts her in her
place, the kitchen. He adds a note of self-irony about "evil conservative stereotypes," but does that actually redeem it? BECK: I'm just saying, BeckPalin, I'll consider. But PalinBeck—can you imagine, can you imagine what an administration with the two of us would be like? What? Come on! She'd be yapping or something, and I'd say, "I'm sorry, why am I hearing your voice? I'm not in the
kitchen." I mean, you'd have to live up to the evil conservative stereotypes, you'd have no choice, you'd have to. Look, I talked to the woman about it, I don't even know what she was saying. Listen here: Palin has a hair-trigger reaction to sexist slights—see Newsweek Cover Melodrama, The—so I would predict a wingnut feud, but in this case, Lady Alaska's
martyr complex is going to conflict with her effusive love of right-wing media. Also, Beck's producers will likely pressure him to make nice. She's way too valuable to them. Then again, if this most schadenfreude-rich year has taught us anything, it's that the only predictable thing about the Thrilla from Wasilla is her ability to hold grudges, so I'm going to call a 50-50 split on whether she flies into attack mode or sits back, arches an eyebrow, and quietly snubs him, instead. Hooray, now we have something to look forward to for after the holiday! Beck's Sexist Reason For Ruling Out Palin-Beck Ticket: She'd Always Be ‘Yapping' Like We're ‘In The Kitchen'[Think Progress] Correction: An early version of this post said Beck's Palinslamming broadcast occurred today, but in fact it was yesterday.
Thanksgiving plates By Zack Sheppard (Flickr Blog) Submitted at 11/26/2009 8:24:30 PM
A few of the delicious looking Thanksgiving dinner plates uploaded today. Let’s eat! Photos from J. Bedhead, karma1221, mlephotos, william couch, Roadsidepictures, b.campbell65, RG of CS-in a dark place, Iohnathaneric, jerdlngr, JulieFrick, akki14,_rockinfree, aaronisnotcool, equusignis, w9jim, BillRhodesPhoto, Marissa Babin, jetgirlart, sameold2008, sharkbayte, k a y l a m a e, marytsao, pbenmay, LDHNY, and catchinglights. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Mass Effect 2 vids profile Tali and Adept class By Alexander Sliwinski (Joystiq) Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:30:00 AM
What is it about BioWare and its dismissive implementation of races starting with the letter Q?
Think about it: Tali the Quarian from Mass Effect and Sten the Qunari from Dragon Age: Origins-- on average, did anybody really use either for extended periods of time? It's Qu -acism, we tells ya! Perhaps Tali,
who returns in Mass Effect 2, will prove invaluable when the going geths tough. Head past the break to see a video of the Adept class, which has been granted some flashy new tricks.
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (11-0609) Continue reading Mass Effect 2 vids profile Tali and Adept class Mass Effect 2 vids profile Tali and Adept class originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27
Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Have You Puchased Your James FrancoEndorsed Sarah Palin Slambook? [Thanksgiving Guilt]
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No. 3 Texas prevails in shootout vs. Texas A&##x26;amp;M By Associated Press (ESPN.com)
By Foster Kamer (Gawker) Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:44:54 AM Submitted at 11/26/2009 5:45:00 PM
Drunk yet? Good. Now, grab your wallet, and beat the Black Friday crowds to the best present ev-ar: our James Franco and National Book Award winnerendorsed Gawker Sarah Palin Slambook. It's awesome, and it's for a great cause. Bidding for the book is already at $710. Seriously. All money from the auction is going directly to Save The Children, who've done great work in all areas providing everything from shelter to education to medical care for kids who aren't within reach of it, for whatever reason. Despite being a nonreligious, independent charity, even Barbie put on a Burkha for them recently, they're so goddamn great. Their work on domestic children's literacy programs is excellent stuff, and by no means do you have to buy the book to give a buck. Someone already did this. We owe a big, big shoutout to commenter Matty McBoy (aka, Mr. Matt Carlton). Matt tried to win the book in one fell swoop,
and his accountant freaked the fuck out and tried to strangle him. So he donated $250 to Save The Children anyway. Dear Matt (and Matt's Accountant): On behalf of everyone here, and the American economy: You're a mensch. Thank you. May we all have accountants so anal. And the rest of us can be thankful our reading abilities enable us to read this website! Starting to see the subtext behind all of this? This auction will raise
money to help children read...Gawker Media properties! And click on them a bajillion times and give my bosses more money. That's the idea here, you know? Really, how else do you think I got away with this? #KIDDING. Thankfully, Save The Children doesn't have a literacy program encouraging children to end their reading capabilities at hashtags or dick jokes about Glenn Beck or color commentary on Lady Gaga's Hidden Appendages. It's why we
picked them. Hopefully, children will read books. Any of 'em, lots of 'em, thousands at a time. And if they don't start with Colum McCann's, it's okay. And speaking of which, some parting Thanksgiving wisdom from National Book Award winner (and Sarah Palin SlamBook Signee), Let The Great World Spin author Colum McCann: Have a great holiday, catch you all on Saturday. Don't forget to bid.
McCoy, Longhorns get best of Johnson, Aggies in Texas shootout COLLEGE STATION, Texas -Colt McCoy and Jerrod Johnson embraced at midfield after their Texas shootout Thursday night. McCoy still has his eyes on a national title and the Heisman Trophy. And if Johnson's dazzling display was any sign of things to come, the Texas A&M quarterback could be a leading contender next year for college football's most prestigious award. Fast Facts • In the 116th meeting between the schools, they combined for 88 points -- the most in series history. • Colt McCoy rushed for a career -high 175 yards and a TD and completed 24 of 40 passes for 304 yards and 4 TDs. It was McCoy's 44th win as a starting QB, extending his own school record. • The Longhorns finished the regular season 12-0 and will face Nebraska in the Big 12 championship. • Jerrod Johnson passed for 342 yards with 4 TDs and an interception. He also rushed for NO. page 57
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger plans to play Sunday against Baltimore Ravens By Associated Press (ESPN.com) Submitted at 11/26/2009 2:27:02 PM
PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger played one of the worst games of his NFL career one week after sustaining a concussion in 2006. He is days removed from his fourth concussion in four years, an uncommonly high number even for an NFL player. Regardless, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is going through "a normal week" of preparation for a pivotal game at Baltimore on Sunday night and has every intention of playing. AFC North blog ESPN.com's James Walker writes about all things AFC North in his division blog. • Blog network: NFL Nation "It's part of the nature of the beast of playing this game. It's a violent, physical contact sport and there's a chance you're going to get hit," Roethlisberger said Thursday. "You guys don't talk about the bruises we have all over our body. If I showed you a bruise on my shoulder and a bruise on my shin, it wouldn't get talked about as much. It's a violent sport we play." Roethlisberger, who is having
his best season statistically despite the Steelers' erratic play, is evidence of that. The two-time Super Bowlwinning quarterback's latest concussion occurred when his head accidentally struck the knee of Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson while he was being tackled during Pittsburgh's 27-24 overtime loss Sunday. The play was subsequently wiped out by a holding call. "It just kind of felt like I got hit pretty hard. Kind of said, 'Let me catch my breath real quick,' and by that time the trainers were out there, so I didn't get a chance to get up," Roethlisberger said. The concussion was his second resulting from a hard hit in 12 months; he also was hurt during an unimportant end-of-season game against Cleveland on Dec. 28. A third concussion occurred in Atlanta in 2006, only four months after a motorcycle crash in which he wasn't wearing a helmet left him with a concussion and numerous other injuries. There is evidence of a cumulative effect on players who receive multiple concussions. In 2005, Kevin Guskiewicz of the University of North Carolina published a study of retired pro football players that determined
players who had three or more concussions had a heightened risk of mild cognitive impairment after age 50. Despite that, the NFL's mostsacked quarterback since 2004 isn't concerned about returning so soon because Steelers players must pass post-concussion tests before they can play again. The tests, developed by doctors and researchers based in the same sports medicine complex where the Steelers train, measure a player's memory, reaction and attention span before and after a concussion. "I'm not worried because we have the best doctors," Roethlisberger said after going through his second full practice of the week. "If I can go out and pass thousands of these tests and show that I'm fine, then I'm not worried about it." Both of last season's Super Bowl quarterbacks plan to play a week after getting concussions -- Kurt Warner of Arizona does, too. Only this week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell informed teams he is examining potential rule changes to reduce head impacts. The league also plans to urge players to wear the most technologically advanced
helmets, something Roethlisberger has balked at doing in the past. The last time Roethlisberger played so soon after getting a concussion, he threw four interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns -- during a 20-13 loss to Oakland in 2006. He appeared to anticipate sacks several times, ducking before pass rushers arrived. Former coach Bill Cowher blamed the interceptions on poor judgment, not the concussion or any hesitancy. With the Steelers (6-4) a game behind the Bengals (7-3) in the AFC North but effectively trailing by two games with six to play because of the tiebreaker, Roethlisberger no doubt feels an urgency to play Sunday. It's also an important game for the Ravens (5-5), who might be playing for their season. Roethlisberger probably could have picked an easier week to return, given that the SteelersRavens rivalry is one the NFL's most physical. Last season, the Steelers lost running back Rashard Mendenhall and guard Kendall Simmons to seasonending injuries in the first of their three games against Baltimore. "This has been a rivalry that's
been heated and well-coached, well-played since I've been here, so it's going to be no different on Sunday," said Roethlisberger, who ranks fourth with 2,867 yards passing and third with a 68.9 completion percentage. Roethlisberger also is third with 29 sacks, and his 221 sacks since 2004 easily lead all players. Except for the Rams' Marc Bulger(205 sacks), no other quarterback is within 47 sacks. That's a lot of cumulative wear and tear on any player, even one as relatively young as the 27-year -old Roethlisberger. Not surprisingly, the Steelers anticipate Baltimore bringing considerable pressure, despite the fact the Ravens rank only 17th with 21 sacks. "It's the same old Baltimore, it's the same story. Everybody wants to hit the quarterback," left tackle Max Starks said. "It's our job to keep him as clean as possible and have time to make throws." Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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97 yards for the Aggies, who lost three of their last four. -- ESPN Stats & Information McCoy threw four touchdown passes and dashed 65 yards for another score, and No. 3 Texas overcame a huge game by Johnson to wrap up an undefeated regular season with a wild 49-39 win over the Aggies. "What a treat to watch two quarterbacks like that," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "Fans around the country on Thanksgiving got a treat to see two quarterbacks play that well, two offenses play that well." The Longhorns (12-0, 8-0 Big 12) have only next week's conference championship game against Nebraska standing between them and the BCS title game. For a while, it seemed as though Johnson just might rally the Aggies (6-6, 3-5) to a gigantic upset, opening the door for TCU and Cincinnati to vault into the national championship picture. "I can't say enough about Jerrod Johnson," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "He's probably under the radar for what he has been able to do. He managed the game very well." Jeff Fuller caught three of Johnson's four touchdown passes, the last with 7:10 left to cut Texas' lead to 42-39. But Marquise Goodwin returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and the Longhorns could finally breathe easy when Randy Bullock missed a 23-yard
field goal with 3:05 left. "We were fortunate to come out on top. I'm so thankful to get a win," McCoy said. "You have to give A&M credit. I thought Jerrod Johnson played tremendous. A&M hung in and fought, and that's what you're going to get in a rivalry game." McCoy completed 24 of 40 passes for 304 yards and ran for a career-high 175 yards, a splendid all-around performance that could boost his Heisman chances. He went 18 for 26 for 222 yards with three TD passes in the first half, and his career-best 65-yard run up the middle early in the second quarter was the thirdlongest rush by a Texas quarterback. McCoy had 111 yards rushing by that point, already a career high. The Longhorns piled up 398 yards by halftime against the nation's 100th-ranked defense, but only led 28-21. The Aggies took a surprising 7-0 lead on the third offensive play, a 70-yard pass from Johnson down the sideline to Fuller. It was the second-longest play from scrimmage against the Longhorns this season. Early on, though, the Aggies' defense couldn't get close to McCoy even when they blitzed, and he tied it with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Shipley with 3:42 left in the first quarter. The Longhorns' defense, meanwhile, had just as much trouble controlling the quick-
footed Johnson, ranked 10th in the nation in total offense (293.9 yards per game) coming into the game. Johnson's 14-yard TD pass to Howard Morrow with 1:11 left in the half tied it 21-all. The Longhorns hadn't given up 21 points in a game since a 34-24 win over Texas Tech on Sept. 19. "We feel we can match up with anyone in the country," Johnson said. The Aggies left just enough time for McCoy to answer. He threw two passes to Shipley for big gains, then found James Kirkendoll for a TD with 5 seconds left before the break. Tre Newton had a 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for Texas before a scary collision hushed the crowd of 84,671 at Kyle Field. Aggies defensive back Anthony Lewis and Texas defensive back Deon Beasley collided on the ensuing kickoff, and both players initially lay motionless. Lewis was helped off the field, but Beasley was put on a stretcher. He rejoined his teammates after the win and was given the game ball. Johnson broke a 43-yard run but then was picked off in the end zone by Texas safety Earl Thomas, his school-record eighth interception this season. Bullock's 31-yard field goal cut the deficit to 35-24, and the Aggies took over again at midfield after McCoy started to misfire. Michael spun off a Texas
defender for a 16-yard touchdown, and Johnson completed a pass to Tannehill for the 2-point conversion to make it 35-32. "Our production on offense was almost perfect," Johnson said. McCoy had missed on seven straight passes before hitting Kirkendoll on a short route. Freshman defensive back Steven Terrell couldn't make the tackle and Kirkendoll raced the final 40 yards for a touchdown with 12:04 left. Just when it seemed as though the Longhorns had put A&M away, Johnson marched the Aggies down the field again. He found freshman Ryan Swope for a 27-yard gain, then lofted a 20yard TD pass to Fuller with 7:10 to go. But Goodwin returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, and Texas escaped. The Longhorns were upset by Texas A&M in 2006 and '07, but they've won twice since Sherman replaced Dennis Franchione as Aggies coach. Texas has eight of the last 10 meetings against its archrival. This one, however, will go down as one of the most exciting in the 116-game series. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Edgar Martinez Presents Interesting, Tough Call for Hall of Fame By Ed Price (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:00:00 AM
by Ed Price Filed under: Mariners, MLB Hall of Fame The Mariners, to their credit, recently sent out a document to potential Hall of Fame voters setting forth the case for Edgar Martinez. With this year's Hall ballot coming out Friday (2 PM ET a n n o u n c e m e n t a t www.bbwaa.com) and Martinez scheduled to be on it for the first time, it will also be my first time examining his candidacy. I don't know anyone in the Baseball Writers' Association of America that has a Hall of Fame vote and doesn't agonize over it - pore over the numbers, consult with other writers or baseball people, makes lists and charts -before casting his ballot. People who criticize the results should know this; those of us who vote understand the implications of our vote and take in very seriously. EDGAR page 58
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Hungry Broncos Shove Giants Aside
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Edgar Martinez Presents Interesting, Tough Call for Hall of Fame originally appeared on Fanhouse MLB Blog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments
By Thomas George (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/27/2009 2:10:00 AM
by Thomas George Filed under: Broncos, Giants, NFL Analysis DENVER -- When one team is angry and the other appears content, when one team can stay on schedule and the other is scattered, and when one team insists it is all about attitude when the other team mentions altitude, well, you get the pounding the Denver Broncos put on the New York Giants here at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium on Thanksgiving night. The Giants were carved and shredded, 26-6. The Broncos made them look silly. When there was a battle between receiver and defensive back, the Broncos won it. When there was a tussle to see which team would
win the bruising running game, the Broncos won that, too. You pick it, Denver dominated it. More: Check Box Score| NFL Network Sorry for 'Terrible Mistake' By Terrance Harris Hungry Broncos Shove Giants (FanHouse) Aside originally appeared on Fanhouse NFL Blog on Fri, 27 Submitted at 11/27/2009 1:00:00 AM Nov 2009 02:10:00 EST . Please by Terrance Harris see our terms for use of feeds. Filed under: Texas A&M, Texas, Permalink| Email this| Linking BCS, Big 12 Blogs| Comments COLLEGE STATION, Texas -The third-ranked Texas Longhorns still have their undefeated record and BCS national championship hopes intact. But the Longhorns found themselves in a much tougher than expected shootout with rival Texas A&M before pulling away for a 49-39 win Thursday night at Kyle Field in their regular-season
Longhorns Survive Aggies' Best Shot finale to keep their dreams alive. Texas, which finished 12-0, 8-0 in Big 12, is a win away from a likely BCS national title bid provided the Longhorns make it past Nebraska in next week's Big 12 Championship Game. Texas 49, Texas A&M 39: Box Score Longhorns Survive Aggies' Best Shot originally appeared on Fanhouse NCAA Football Blog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments
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All Eyes on Florida's Brandon Knight By Jim Henry (FanHouse) Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:00:00 AM
by Jim Henry Filed under: Recruiting College basketball coaches will be watching Brandon Knight's every move the next four months. Knight, a senior at Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest High, is widely considered the top point guard and top overall player in the Class of 2010 by recruiting services. Knight has visited Connecticut, Kentucky, Kansas and, most recently, Florida; he also has Syracuse and Miami on his list of favorites. Since Knight's not expected to make a final decision concerning college until the spring signing period, the interest in Knight's play should only increase. The Panthers split two exhibition games and open their regularseason next Tuesday.
LittleBigPlanet getting online create mode on Nov. 30 By Andrew Yoon (Joystiq)
All Eyes on Florida's Brandon Knight originally appeared on Fanhouse NCAA Basketball Blog on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink| Email this| Linking Blogs| Comments
In addition to the online Create mode, "Leerdammer" also Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:30:00 AM rewrites LBP''s network code for S i n c e t h e g a m e ' s l a u n c h , improved performance and LittleBigPlanet fans have only smarter matchmaking. The LBP been able to create new levels save system has also been offline. Over a year after initially revamped, allowing players to p r o m i s i n g a p a t c h , M e d i a store more community items than Molecule is finally ready to ever before. Finally, a slew of unveil its online Create mode. minor tweaks are also included in C o m i n g i n t h e 1 . 2 1 the patch, which you can read "Leerdammer" patch, online about after the break. C r e a t e w o r k s e x a c t l y a s [Thanks, Pumapayam!] expected: you'll be able to invite Continue reading LittleBigPlanet friends to your Pod and work getting online create mode on collaboratively on new levels. Nov. 30 The most important improvement LittleBigPlanet getting online over the offline Create mode is c r e a t e m o d e o n N o v . 3 0 the camera: each player gets his originally appeared on Joystiq on or her own camera, allowing Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. them to work on different parts Please see our terms for use of of the level simultaneously. For feeds. veteran creators, this should Read| Permalink| Email this| speed up the process quite Comments significantly.
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Deus Ex 3 PC exclusivity rumored, doubted, dismissed By Ludwig Kietzmann (Joystiq) Submitted at 11/26/2009 9:00:00 PM
An Eidos Montreal community spokesperson has put a dent in rumors of Deus Ex 3 being developed exclusively for PC. "Only the PC version has been announced so far," he wrote on the official Eidos forums, diplomatically addressing a story that originated from a (now corrected) article on Bit-Tech. "I dunno where that website is getting its info from!" We dunno if these comments preclude an exclusivity announcement in the future but, DEUS page 60
Call of Duty now a $3 billion franchise By Justin McElroy (Joystiq)
lifetime. As all but the densest among you have likely deduced, CoD was put over the top by the Activision announced this release of Modern Warfare 2, morning that, according to data which moved $550 million in its g a r n e r e d f r o m t h e N P D , first five days on sale. ChartTrack, GfK and internal For a bit of perspective, $3 estimates, the Call of Duty billion is pretty darn close to the comparison that's especially franchise has accumulated $3 gross domestic product of the appropriate when you realize that billion-with-a-b in sales over its K i n g d o m o f S w a z i l a n d , a 54 percent of Swazis have a Submitted at 11/27/2009 10:15:00 AM
"access to clean water." Sorry, smudge on the page. Call of Duty now a $3 billion franchise originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Gamerscore over 20,000. ... Oh, Read| Permalink| Email this| w a i t , t h i s d o e s n ' t s a y " a Comments Gamerscore over 20,000," it says
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Lucidity update adds checkpoints to address difficulty concerns By Justin McElroy (Joystiq)
Listen, LucasArts, we respect what you're doing here, we do. But please, for all our sakes, be Writing in a recent Workshop careful. Listening to the internet blog post, LucasArts responded is a slippery slope, one that ends to complaints that its XBLA and in everyone hurling dung and PC puzzle-platformer, Lucidity, racial epithets at each other. And can be "particularly punishing." if you don't agree with that, A new update, which adds you're a Nazi. checkpoints in an effort , has Lucidity update adds been launched on PC and is set to checkpoints to address difficulty via an update set to arrive on concerns originally appeared on Xbox Live within the coming Joystiq on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 weeks. "We feel that there is so 12:00:00 EST. Please see our much great content in Lucidity terms for use of feeds. that we want to open it up and Read| Permalink| Email this| make it more accessible for Comments people to experience." Submitted at 11/27/2009 12:00:00 PM
Philanthropic rockers playing 1,000 Rock Band songs for Child's Play By Griffin McElroy (Joystiq)
Child's Play Charity. So, instead of buying that set of Growing Pains-themed salt We know you've probably shakers simply because they're already spent an irresponsible 75 percent off, why not lend a amount of dough this morning on helping hand to four guys who, in hot Black Friday deals, but 80 hours, are going to have the there's a unique gaming marathon worst blisters anyone's ever had, for charity (a charithon?) taking ever? place right now that could use Philanthropic rockers playing some help meeting its $3,000 1,000 Rock Band songs for donation goal. Check out the web Child's Play originally appeared page of Clan of the Gray Wolf, on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 w h e r e f o u r g e n t l e m e n a r e 11:00:00 EST. Please see our attempting to play 1,000 Rock terms for use of feeds. Band songs for approximately 80 Read| Permalink| Email this| hours, all the while collecting Comments money for Penny Arcade's Submitted at 11/27/2009 11:00:00 AM
as John Walker notes on Rock Paper Shotgun, the situation isn't a conspiracy so much as "a matter of crossed wires." The Deus Ex franchise is certainly no stranger to consoles and, considered from a commercial viewpoint, it seems likely that Eidos and Square Enix would want to share their collaborative efforts with as wide an audience as possible. Deus Ex 3 PC exclusivity rumored, doubted, dismissed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read| Permalink| Email this| Comments
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Food banks go high-tech to feed the hungry (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
The Athena Project, which started rolling out this summer, will let food banks upgrade and SEATTLE – Food banks across standardize accounting, inventory the country are undergoing a high and donor software, take full - t e c h r e v o l u t i o n , a d o p t i n g advantage of the Internet, and sophisticated databases, bar manage pickups and deliveries coding, GPS tracking, automated much the same way FedEx or w a r e h o u s e s a n d o t h e r UPS track packages. Chicagotechnologies used in the food b a s e d F e e d i n g A m e r i c a i s i n d u s t r y t h a t i n c r e a s i n g l y installing the systems at no supplies their goods. charge and separately from its It's a long way from handing out operating budget, thanks in part macaroni and canned soup from a t o f i n a n c i a l a n d i n - k i n d church basement. donations, says Kevin Lutz, vice While more people can be fed president for technology. through these innovations, food For local pantries and kitchens bank directors say it's also a sad — and the people at their doors acknowledgment that hunger has — it should mean more food and become a huge and seemingly the kind they actually like and unending problem. need, Pruitt and others say. "What we tell people a lot is that Donors, from agribusinesses to we are a food distribution the 10-year-old collecting cans at business wrapped in an altruistic a birthday party, can be assured skin," says Jan Pruitt, president that less is being spent on and CEO of the North Texas overhead and more on helping Food Bank in Dallas. the hungry. Her food bank, along with Food "We are going to gain so much Lifeline in Seattle and the Food efficiency," says Linda Nageotte, Bank of Central New York in Food Lifeline's president and East Syracuse, are testing a $60 CEO. "We're going to be able to million effort by Feeding p r o v i d e s o m u c h b e t t e r A m e r i c a , a n u m b r e l l a accountability, and this also organization for about 200 U.S. really increases our credibility." food banks, to create a state-of- Lutz says that when the project t h e - a r t n a t i o n a l c o m p u t e r is completed in five years, it n e t w o r k t h a t w i l l g r e a t l y could save food banks up to four automate services. times its $60 million cost — Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:40:42 AM
money that could go toward food and other services. Since the first food bank, St. Mary's in Phoenix, opened in 1967, many in the movement hoped they would soon work themselves out of business, Pruitt said. Instead, most agencies have become mainstays of their communities, supplying tons of food to pantries, soup kitchens and other local programs. "In 1982, when this food bank opened, their first year of distribution was 400,000 pounds," Pruitt said, of her Dallas -based organization. "We now do that in one day." The recession has only made things worse. Pruitt estimates food demand in her area has grown by a third in the past year. Nationally, Feeding America says the 63,000 local agencies served by its food banks aid more than 25 million people annually. Without the new technology, "We just simply couldn't do what we do," says Carol Schneider, spokeswoman for the Food Bank For New York City. In 2002, the food bank, which handles about 60 million pounds of food each year, replaced its paper system with a bar code system and wireless network at its 90,000 square-foot warehouse in the Bronx.
Food banks are trying to provide more fresh meat and produce, much of it gathered unsold from supermarkets. Pruitt says that means her 17 trucks have to quickly reach 126 individual stores in addition to distribution centers and scores of food drives each week — almost impossible without computer scheduling. Besides New York, some larger food banks, including St. Mary's and, not surprisingly, Silicon Valley's Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, have already embraced technology. The problem, Lutz says, has been making it widespread, standardized and interconnected. For Nageotte, it can't come soon enough. In September, Food Lifeline received all new computers and enterprise management software— a huge change, she said, from years of making do. "We had a cobbled-together system — some new computers, some old, some worked well, some were barely limping," she said. Records were in five separate databases "and none of them talk to one another." Athena, she and others say, opens a world of possibilities: • GPS tracking and instant communication to send trucks on
the most efficient routes. Lutz says this alone can cut transportation costs by 40 percent. Food Lifeline is equipping drivers with smart phones that eventually could scan in donations as they are picked up. • Inventory management systems to track every food item, from truckloads of potatoes to individually donated cans. This not only saves time and reduces waste, but is a safeguard for product recalls. • Generating lists of food, money and volunteer hours for donors, handy at tax time. • Common software and backup computer servers, allowing agencies to trade or divert food, share donor information or step in if a food bank is overwhelmed by a disaster. Such innovations aid a strategy that "needs to be twofold," she says. "It needs to be about feeding the people who are standing in line better and it needs to be about making the line shorter." This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Commonwealth talks target climate (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:50:26 AM
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The Queen told delegates tackling climate change gave them the "opportunity to lead once more" Commonwealth leaders have begun meeting in Trinidad with climate change high on the agenda in the last major summit before the Copenhagen climate talks. For the first time, a number of other world leaders have been invited to take part in the biennial meeting. UN chief Ban Ki-moon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Danish PM Lars Rasmussen are attending to give weight to any statement on climate change. Another key issue will be Rwanda's bid to join the Commonwealth. The 60th anniversary Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Port of Spain will also discuss the issue of the venue for the 2011 Commonwealth summit - with the UK vowing to block Sri Lanka's bid. Rising sea levels The global summit on climate change is due to start in Copenhagen on 7 December, and the topic is the only issue on Commonwealth summit's agenda for the first day. UK Prime Minister Gordon
Brown has described the meeting as "an important springboard towards Copenhagen". Opening the Trinidad meeting, Queen Elizabeth II said the Commonwealth had an opportunity to lead once more on climate change. "The threat to our environment is not a new concern but it is now a global challenge which will continue to affect the security and stability of millions for years to come," she said. "Many of those affected are among the most vulnerable and many of the people least well able to withstand the adverse effects of climate change live in the Commonwealth." About half of the Commonwealth's members are
island states, many of them threatened by rising sea levels. Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who is hosting the three-day meeting, said he hoped the summit could boost momentum for an agreement on carbon emissions at Copenhagen, amid "concerns about the way the negotiations were going". "We hope to arrive at a political statement that can add value to the process that will culminate in Copenhagen next month... what we can do is raise our voices politically," he said. The Commonwealth's 53 nations comprise about two billion people, a third of the planet's population. The leaders are meeting days
after pledges by the US and China to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, amid concerns that the Copenhagen meeting could fail to agree substantial cuts. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Conservationist Dennis Sammy shows James Robbins the effects of climate change on Trinidad & Tobago India has admitted that China's decision to unveil emissions targets two weeks before the Copenhagen summit has put it under pressure. Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said China's decision was a "wake-up call to India". But in another Commonwealth
country, Australia, the government's plans to enact a law for an emissions trading scheme have been thrown into chaos by a revolt within the opposition Liberal Party, whose support is required to pass the bill. Rwanda membership The summit will also discuss Rwanda's entry into the Englishspeaking club. The Francophone nation has been seeking membership following disagreements with France over events leading up to the 1994 genocide. The issue is likely to be controversial. The nation's entry bid has received strong backing from some member states. However, some rights activists are angry that entry would reward a nation they say is guilty of abuses dating back to the 1994 genocide. BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins, in Trinidad, says the leaders are expected to admit Rwanda. He says most of the leaders apparently believe that if Rwanda is admitted, then they will be able to apply peer pressure to improve the lives of its people. Zimbabwe's possible re-entry could also be brought up at the meeting. Sri Lanka controversy The UK has indicated it will try to block Sri Lanka's bid to host the next Commonwealth summit over its handling of the recent COMMONWEALTH page 63
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Holiday Shopping Season Revs Up With Black Friday Sales
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war. A UK government source said Mr Brown had "real concerns (FOXNews.com) televisions, around 4 a.m. Friday. figured we'd be able to save more shoppers spent a little more, but about Sri Lanka's bid". Robin Fryman, 47, of Mount money," she said. stores say they've seen a sales The source said: "We simply Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:33:15 AM Orab, Ohio, said she and her Most of the Walmart stores were slowdown since Halloween, cannot be in a position where Sri Shoppers crowded stores and daughter, a friend and her open on Thanksgiving to prevent putting merchants more on edge. Lanka - whose actions earlier this malls in the wee hours Friday, husband got out at 6:30 a.m. for the mad dash for the 5 a.m. The promotional blitz typical for year had a huge impact on some after spending the night deals at Best Buy. Her hours as a opening. the traditional start of the holiday civilians, leading to thousands of waiting in line, to grab early food worker were recently cut At Macy's flagship store in New shopping season has high stakes displaced people without proper morning deals and hard-to-find from 40 to 25 per week. York, which opened at 5 a.m., for retailers who've suffered humanitarian access - is seen to items. "I've definitely cut down. You d o z e n s o f w o m e n w e r e through a year of sales declines. be rewarded for its actions." The nation's retailers expanded have to cut down, because you rummaging through a bin of It's also important for the broader The UN estimates the conflict their hours and offered deep have to eat," Fryman said. "It's purses marked 40 percent off the economy, which could use a with Tamil Tiger rebels left at discounts on everything from definitely made a difference in original price. Jean Howard, from k i c k s t a r t f r o m c o n s u m e r least 7,000 civilians dead with 150,000 people still displaced toys to TVs in hopes of getting the way I'm shopping." Cork, Ireland, said she planned to s p e n d i n g . consumers, many of whom are She said she usually shops on buy for her three children and Black Friday gets its name and living in camps. w o r r i e d a b o u t h i g h Black Friday, but got out earlier s p e n d t h e s a m e t h i s y e a r , because it traditionally was the At a state dinner ahead of the the Queen unemployment and tight credit, this year to find a camera for her regardless of the weak economy. day when huge crowds would s u m m i t , to open their wallets. daughter. They bought a $300 "We have a recession back home push stores into "the black," or acknowledged her hosts by A number of stores, including Nikon camera for $172. Other in Ireland, as well, but our list is profitability. But the weekend wearing a gown featuring two of Walmart and many Old Navy than that, she's focusing mostly still the same," Howard said. doesn't provide a forecast for the the Caribbean nation's national l o c a t i o n s , o p e n e d o n on practical items like clothing. "We don't get depressed when r e s t o f t h e s e a s o n , w h i c h birds and its national flower. Thanksgiving, hoping to make At the Walmart store in Valley we're shopping!" accounts for as much as 40 At the banquet in the grounds of the most of the extra hours. Toys Stream, N.Y., where a security Howard's shopping list also percent of annual sales and P r e s i d e n t G e o r g e M a x w e l l Richards' official home in Port of R Us opened most of its stores guard was trampled to death in a i n c l u d e d t r a c k s u i t s a n d profits for many stores. just after midnight Friday. Black Friday stampede last year, T i m b e r l a n d c l o t h i n g . Still, retailers closely study S p a i n , s h e p a i d t r i b u t e t o But worries about jobs clearly heavy turnout filled the store to After suffering the worst sales b u y i n g p a t t e r n s f o r t h e Trinidad's efforts to combat drug were on top of shoppers' minds capacity, leading to a snaking decline in several decades last Thanksgiving weekend to gauge trafficking. as they focused on big bargains line hundreds of people deep holiday season, the good news is shoppers' mindset — what kinds Print Sponsor on TVs and practical gifts. Many around 4 a.m. The store was that the retail industry is heading of items they're buying, what This content has passed through fivefilters.org. shoppers said Friday they plan to letting shoppers a few at a time into the Christmas selling period deals are luring them. spend less this year than they did as other shoppers left amid a armed with lean inventories and Stores need to perform well for last year. heavy security presence. more practical goods on their the traditional start because At a Best Buy in suburban The store's sales brought many shelves that reflect shoppers' new chances are slim they'll be able to Cincinnati, store officials said shoppers out for the first time, psyche. make up for lost sales for the rest some people starting camping out among them Sheirra Henderson Still, with unemployment at 10.2 of the season. w i t h t e n t s a t 5 : 3 0 p . m . of Queens, N.Y. She was there percent, many analysts expect This content has passed through Wednesday. The store started for $7 Nintendo Wii games and a that total holiday sales will be at fivefilters.org. handing out tickets for big items, netbook as gifts for her kids. best about even from a year ago. l i k e l a p t o p c o m p u t e r s a n d "We're in a recession, so I Optimism rose in early fall as
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Man Who Died in Utah Cave Wasn't First to Get Trapped
2 rescued earlier at site of Utah cave tragedy (AP)
(FOXNews.com)
(Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
successfully pulled two people from the same spot in the 1,500foot-long cave during the same SALT LAKE CITY The week in 2004. medical student who died in a " C a v i n g i s n ' t g e n e r a l l y U t a h c a v e w a s t h e t h i r d considered to be a dangerous spelunker in recent years to get sport," Cannon said. "But I think stuck in the same tiny crevice but you can safely say this is a the only one to die — an dangerous spot in that cave." outcome that devastated the Nutty Putty is now closed until a dozens of rescuers who worked decision is made about its future, for more than a day to save him. Leavitt said. Cannon said the John Jones, 26, of Stansbury sheriff's office wouldn't give an Park, died early Thursday, nearly opinion about whether it should 28 hours after he got stuck in remain open. Nutty Putty Cave, a popular Family members described Jones spelunking site south of Salt a s a n o u t d o o r s l o v e r a n d Lake City. It was the first known experienced caver who was fatality since cavers began looking forward to the birth of exploring the 1,500-foot cave's his second child next year. narrow passageways in the "He had explored many caves 1960s, cave access manager and maneuvered is way through Michael Leavitt said. many tight spaces before," the Utah County sheriff's office Sgt. family said in a statement issued Spencer Cannon said rescuers, late Thursday. who numbered well above 50 at For the past two years, the St. times, were shocked and deeply George native was attending saddened by the outcome. medical school at the University "It's a tough" situation, Cannon of Virginia, hoping to pursue a said. "It's not very often where career as a pediatric cardiologist. you come in, you have high Jones, his wife Emily and their hopes and you are going into an 13-month-old daughter had come operation you have done before h o m e t o U t a h f o r t h e with success and then you get Thanksgiving holiday and to into a situation where it doesn't share the news that another baby go as you planned." is expected in June. Search and rescue workers Family said they knew Jones Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:18:53 AM
fought to survive throughout the rescue effort and was commended by rescue crews for "his remarkable good spirits and resilience to the end." Exploring Nutty Putty, which is privately owned by Utah's State Institutional Trust Land Administration, requires reservations, an access pass and, for safety reasons, either caving experience or an experienced guide. The Jones group of 11 explorers, including some of his four brothers, met all three of those criteria, Leavitt said. "They've never been to Nutty Putty before, but they toured many harder caves in the Logan area that required vertical climbing skills," said Leavitt, one of dozens of cavers who volunteered with the rescue effort. "They were qualified, John was qualified. I'm sure he went into this passage hoping it was going to open up into one of the larger rooms." The 6-foot-tall, 190-pound Jones got stuck with his head at an angle below his feet about 9 p.m. Tuesday in an L-shaped area of the cave known as "Bob's Push." The area is only about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high. On Wednesday, teams used drilling equipment, rope and a
pulley system to try to free Jones. At one point, they had moved him roughly 12 feet out of the tight crevice, far enough to give him some food and water. But he slipped back into the space when an anchor in the cave roof that supported the pulley system failed, Cannon said. "We all were very optimistic and hopeful. But it became increasingly clear last night after he got re-stuck that there weren't very many options left," Jones' brother, Spencer Jones, 30, of San Francisco, told The Associated Press. After he succumbed early Thursday, rescuers suspended efforts to recover his body as they considered the options to do so, Cannon said. He said the cause of death would be released later by the medical examiner. A memorial service is planned for Saturday. Spencer Jones said his family is "remarkably strong," but is struggling to make sense of what happened. "It's just you just never expect any thing like this," he said. "We don't understand it." This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:42:44 AM
SALT LAKE CITY – The medical student who died in a Utah cave was the third spelunker in recent years to get stuck in the same tiny crevice but the only one to die — an outcome that devastated the dozens of rescuers who worked for more than a day to save him. John Jones, 26, of Stansbury Park, died early Thursday, nearly 28 hours after he got stuck in Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking site south of Salt Lake City. It was the first known fatality since cavers began exploring the 1,500-foot cave's narrow passageways in the 1960s, cave access manager Michael Leavitt said. Utah County sheriff's office Sgt. Spencer Cannon said rescuers, who numbered well above 50 at times, were shocked and deeply saddened by the outcome. "It's a tough" situation, Cannon said. "It's not very often where you come in, you have high hopes and you are going into an operation you have done before with success and then you get into a situation where it doesn't go as you planned." Search and rescue workers successfully pulled two people from the same spot in the 1,500RESCUED page 67
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Police: Pregnant woman killed at holiday dinner (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
no criminal record, police said. The others killed were Merhige's twin sisters, Carla Merhige and JUPITER, Fla. – Police were Lisa Knight, 33, and an aunt, searching Friday for a man Raymonde Joseph, 76, according suspected in the Thanksgiving to police. shooting deaths of his twin Authorities said a fifth victim, sisters, aunt and a 6-year-old Merhige's brother-in-law Patrick c o u s i n d u r i n g a f a m i l y Knight, was being treated at a celebration. hospital. His condition was not One of the sisters, Lisa Knight, available. Another man, Clifford 33, was pregnant, said Jupiter Gebara, 52, was grazed by a Police spokeswoman Sally bullet and was treated by Collins-Ortiz. She did not say p a r a m e d i c s a t t h e s c e n e . how far along the woman was in Police across South Florida and her pregnancy. the U.S. Marshals Service were Police said 17 relatives were in searching for Merhige. Pascarella the Palm Beach County house said Merhige is believed to be when the shootings were reported driving a blue 2007 4-door around 10 p.m. Thursday in Toyota Camry with Florida Jupiter, a small beach town about license plate W42 7JT. 90 miles north of Miami that is Pascarella said police received a b e s t k n o w n a s a h o m e t o 911 call from a neighbor shortly celebrities including Michael after 10 p.m. Police then received Jordan and Burt Reynolds. a second 911 call from someone The little girl was sleeping in her within the home, which is owned bed when she was shot, police by a local TV videojournalist and said. A fifth man was critically his wife. Makayla Sitton is the wounded and a sixth was treated photojournalist's daughter. at the scene for a gunshot graze. Pascarella said the shootings J u p i t e r P o l i c e S g t . S c o t t took place inside the house. He Pascarella said officers were s a i d t h a t s o m e t i m e a f t e r l o o k i n g f o r P a u l M i c h a e l Thanksgiving dinner, Merhige Merhige, 35, of Miami. Merhige left the residence and returned is a cousin of the 6-year-old shortly afterward with a handgun. victim, Makayla Sitton, and has "What led to this incident, we're Submitted at 11/27/2009 9:11:20 AM
not quite sure," said Pascarella. "It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting." Pascarella said there was an "ongoing resentment" in the family, but didn't know the nature of the problem or whether the victims were specifically targeted. Police said the home was owned by Jim Sitton, a photojournalist for WPTV-TV. Sitton told WPTV his daughter was in bed when she was shot. He was at the party at the time of the shooting but was not wounded. Yellow crime scene tape was stretched around Sitton's salmoncolored house, located in a wellkept subdivision of stucco homes. Several cars were parked in the driveway, and a crime scene van sat in front. Sitton told local media that his daughter was supposed to perform Friday in a holiday production of " The Nutcracker." "God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body," Sitton said. "She's just our life. I don't know how we are ever going to recover." The relationship between Sitton and Paul Merhige was unclear, police said. Phone calls to a number listed
for Paul Merhige were not answered. A phone call to Sitton also was not returned. At a house in southwest Miami-Dade where family members had gathered late Friday morning, relatives declined to comment. Neighbors in the Palm Beach County community were shocked. "Our kids walk the streets by themselves," said Nicole Kemp, 67, who did not know any of the victims. "I thought it was the safest place to live. I guess it doesn't matter, if there's a maniac here." It's unclear where the adult victims lived. Carla Merhige was a real estate agent in Miami, said a co-worker. "She was a wonderful agent," said Joanna Sherman, a manager at Coldwell Banker Residential real estate. "She was very active in the community and in charities. She was just a genuine, beautiful individual. She always had a smile for everybody." ___ Associated Press writers Suzette Laboy and Tamara Lush in Miami contributed to this report. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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UK hacker to appeal over extradition (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 11/26/2009 11:13:05 PM
The "devastated" lawyers for computer hacker Gary McKinnon are to challenge the home secretary's decision not to block his extradition to the US. They said they would make a last-ditch attempt after Alan Johnson said medical grounds could not prevent it. Glasgow-born Mr McKinnon, 43, who has Asperger's syndrome, is accused of breaking into US military computers. He says he was seeking UFO evidence. Now of Wood Green, London, he faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted. 'American poodle' His lawyer, Karen Todner, said: "It's a devastating blow but we are not going to give up. We are certainly coming to the end of the road. "We're just hoping at some point someone sees sense and steps in. All the legal team do know is we cannot give up because in some ways it's like dealing with a death row case, and we genuinely believe that Gary's life is at stake here." Please turn on JavaScript. Media HACKER page 68
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Space shuttle Atlantis, 7 astronauts back on Earth (AP) (Yahoo! News: U.S. News)
space station. Fellow crew member Randolph Bresnik's baby Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:51:28 AM daughter was born last weekend. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – "Everybody, welcome back to Space shuttle Atlantis and its Earth, especially you, Nicole," seven astronauts returned to Mission Control radioed. Earth with a smooth touchdown Hobaugh and his crew spent a Friday to end an 11-day flight week stockpiling the space that resupplied the International station. They delivered big spare Space Station. parts and performed three With bright sunlight glinting off spacewalks to install equipment it, the shuttle swooped through a and carry out maintenance. clear sky and landed on the The pumps, gyroscopes and runway right on time. Mission storage tanks should keep the Control said no one could outpost in business for another r e m e m b e r s u c h w e l c o m i n g five to 10 years, long after conditions; there were no clouds Atlantis and the two other in sight for the midmorning shuttles are retired. arrival, and the temperature was Stott was feeling the full effects in the 50s. of gravity for the first time since "Couldn't have picked a clearer she rocketed to the space station d a y , " c o m m a n d e r C h a r l e s at the end of August. Her mission Hobaugh said during the final lasted 91 days. approach. Mission Control Hobaugh said she was doing congratulated him on a "picture "great." perfect" landing. Stott was reunited quickly with "We really had truly an amazing her husband and 7-year-old son, mission," Hobaugh said after who were at Kennedy Space exiting the shuttle. Center for the landing. She said It was an especially sweet throughout the flight that she also homecoming for two of the crew. was looking forward to some Astronaut Nicole Stott was away pizza and icy cola. for three months, living at the Bresnik had even bigger plans:
to hold his infant daughter for the first time. Abigail Mae Bresnik was born Saturday night, right after her father took his first spacewalk. But he'll have to wait until Saturday to see her. Bresnik's wife, Rebecca, stayed home in Houston with Abigail and 3-yearold big brother Wyatt. Atlantis — which brought back broken equipment from the space station's water-recycling system — logged 4.5 million miles and circled Earth 171 times. This was Atlantis' next-to-last mission. Only five shuttle flights remain, all to the space station next year. Station construction will essentially end at that point, so NASA used the trip to send up as many hefty spare parts as possible. None of the other visiting spacecraft — from Russia, Japan and Europe — can carry so much in a single load. Atlantis, which delivered nearly 15 tons of gear, left the space station 86 percent complete. NASA's next shuttle flight is in February. Endeavour will deliver a full-fledged module to the space station, complete with a
cupola for prime Earth gazing with a domed chamber that has seven windows. The five remaining space station residents, meanwhile, may have to dodge a piece of space junk this weekend. NASA said Friday that flight controllers were monitoring a large piece of an old Delta rocket that could pass within an uncomfortably close six miles of the outpost Saturday afternoon. The rocket was used to launch NASA's Stardust spacecraft in 1999 to gather comet dust samples. A decision on whether to move the space station to avoid a possible hit was expected Friday evening. ___ On the Net: N A S A : http://www.nasa.gov/mission(un derscore)pages/shuttle/main/inde x.html This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
4 Killed During Thanksgiving Family Gathering in Florida (FOXNews.com) Submitted at 11/27/2009 8:34:02 AM
JUPITER, Fla. Three women and a child in bed were shot to death during a family Thanksgiving gathering in South Florida and a male relative was being sought early Friday. Police said 17 relatives were in the house when the shootings were reported around 10 p.m. Thursday in Jupiter, a small, well -off beach town about 90 miles north of Miami that is best known as a home to celebrities including Michael Jordan and Burt Reynolds. Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott Pascarella said officers were looking for Paul Michael Merhige, 35, of Miami. Merhige is a cousin of the 6-year-old victim, Makayla Sitton, and has no criminal record, police said. The others killed were Merhige's twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, 33, and an aunt, Raymonde Joseph, 76, according to police. Authorities said a fifth victim, Merhige's brother-in-law Patrick Knight, was being treated at a hospital. His condition was not available. Another man, Clifford Gebara, 52, was grazed by a bullet and was treated by paramedics on the scene and released. Police across South Florida and KILLED page 67
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foot-long cave during the same week in 2004. " Caving isn't generally considered to be a dangerous sport," Cannon said. "But I think you can safely say this is a dangerous spot in that cave." Nutty Putty is now closed until a decision is made about its future, Leavitt said. Cannon said the sheriff's office wouldn't give an opinion about whether it should remain open. Family members described Jones as an outdoors lover and experienced caver who was looking forward to the birth of his second child next year. "He had explored many caves and maneuvered his way through many tight spaces before," the family said in a statement issued late Thursday. For the past two years, the St. George native was attending medical school at the University of Virginia, hoping to pursue a career as a pediatric cardiologist. Jones, his wife Emily and their 13-month-old daughter had come home to Utah for the Thanksgiving holiday and to share the news that another baby is expected in June. Family said they knew Jones fought to survive throughout the rescue effort and was
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commended by rescue crews for "his remarkable good spirits and resilience to the end." Exploring Nutty Putty, which is privately owned by Utah's State Institutional Trust Land Administration, requires reservations, an access pass and, for safety reasons, either caving experience or an experienced guide. The Jones group of 11 explorers, including some of his four brothers, met all three of those criteria, Leavitt said. "They've never been to Nutty Putty before, but they toured many harder caves in the Logan area that required vertical climbing skills," said Leavitt, one of dozens of cavers who volunteered with the rescue effort. "They were qualified, John was qualified. I'm sure he went into this passage hoping it was going to open up into one of the larger rooms." The 6-foot-tall, 190-pound Jones got stuck with his head at an angle below his feet about 9 p.m. Tuesday in an L-shaped area of the cave known as "Bob's Push." The area is only about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high. On Wednesday, teams used drilling equipment, rope and a pulley system to try to free Jones. At one point, they had moved
him roughly 12 feet out of the tight crevice, far enough to give him some food and water. But he slipped back into the space when an anchor in the cave roof that supported the pulley system failed, Cannon said. "We all were very optimistic and hopeful. But it became increasingly clear last night after he got re-stuck that there weren't very many options left," Jones' brother, Spencer Jones, 30, of San Francisco, told The Associated Press. After he succumbed early Thursday, rescuers suspended efforts to recover his body as they considered the options to do so, Cannon said. He said the cause of death would be released later by the medical examiner. A memorial service is planned for Saturday. Spencer Jones said his family is "remarkably strong," but is struggling to make sense of what happened. "It's just you just never expect any thing like this," he said. "We don't understand it." This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
the U.S. Marshals Service were searching for Merhige. Pascarella said Merhige is believed to be driving a blue 2007 4-door Toyota Camry with Florida license plate W42 7JT. Pascarella said police received a 911 call from a neighbor shortly after 10 p.m. Police then received a second 911 call from someone within the home. Pascarella said the shootings took place inside the house. He said that sometime after Thanksgiving dinner, Merhige left the residence and returned shortly afterward with a handgun. "What led to this incident, we're not quite sure," said Pascarella. "It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting." Pascarella said there was an "ongoing resentment" in the family, but didn't know the nature of the problem or whether the victims were specifically targeted. Police said the home was owned by Jim Sitton, a photojournalist for WPTV-TV and father of the little girl killed. Sitton told WPTV his daughter was in bed when she was shot. He was at the party at the time of the shooting but was not wounded. Yellow crime scene tape was stretched around Sitton's salmoncolored house, located in a wellkept subdivision of stucco homes. Several cars were parked in the driveway, and a crime scene van sat in front. Sitton told local media that his
daughter was supposed to perform Friday in a holiday production of "The Nutcracker." "God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body," Sitton said. "She's just our life. I don't know how we are ever going to recover." The relationship between Sitton and Paul Merhige was unclear, police said. Phone calls to a number listed for Paul Merhige were not answered. A phone call to Sitton was also not returned. Neighbors in the Palm Beach County community were shocked. "Our kids walk the streets by themselves," said 67-year-old Nicole Kemp, who did not know any of the victims. "I thought it was the safest place to live. I guess it doesn't matter, if there's a maniac here." It's unclear where the adult victims lived. Carla Merhige was a real estate agent in Miami, said a co-worker. "She was a wonderful agent," said Joanna Sherman, a manager at Coldwell Banker Residential real estate. "She was very active in the community and in charities. She was just a genuine, beautiful individual. She always had a smile for everybody." This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Rich 'should help Amazon forests' (BBC News | Americas | World Edition) Submitted at 11/26/2009 6:01:54 PM
Nine nations in the Amazon region have called on rich countries to provide poorer nations with the funds to preserve forests. The nations, meeting in Manaus, Brazil, also discussed supporting a 40% reduction in global emissions by 2020. The meeting comes shortly before the key global summit on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Amazon nations agreed on broad principles rather than concrete steps, correspondents said. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva chaired the meeting of delegates from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Surinam, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy representing French
Guiana. Slowing deforestation Presidents Sarkozy and Lula said richer nations must increase their aid to help the poorer countries fight global warming. "The poor need to be supported without any country giving up its sovereignty," President Lula said. The BBC's Paulo Cabral reports from Manaus that for the past few days diplomats have been negotiating a common position to be presented by the Amazon countries and France at the conference in Copenhagen. The common statement agreed in Brazil establishes broad principles rather than fresh or concrete proposals, he adds. He says most of the presidents invited did not come to Manaus, though diplomats say that the ministers and ambassadors sent in their place were in a position to close a deal. Brazil proposed fighting deforestation in the Amazon
basin with financial backing from wealthy nations. "Let no gringo [foreigner] ask us to let an Amazonian starve to death under a tree," Mr Lula said in a speech ahead of the meeting. "We want to preserve [the forests], but [other countries] have to pay for that preservation." At the summit, the Brazilian government presented its efforts to reduce destruction in the Amazon as a key part of its strategy to combat climate change. Earlier this month, Brazil's government said the rate of deforestation in the Amazon had dropped by 45% - and was the lowest on record since monitoring began 21 years ago. It said that just over 7,000 sq km (2,700 square miles) had been destroyed between July 2008 and August 2009. Brazil is seeking an 80% reduction in the deforestation rate by 2020.
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The environmental group Greenpeace has welcomed the latest drop but says there is still too much destruction in the rainforest. Earlier this month, Brazil said it aimed to cut its carbon emissions by at least 36% below 1990 levels by 2020. Do you live in the Amazon region? What can the Copenhagen summit do to help you and your country? Send us your comments. You can send a video comment to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text it to 61124, or if you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
Family shot dead at Thanksgiving (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
The victims are a six-year-old girl who was shot in her bed, the man's twin sisters and his 76-year Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:50:35 AM -old aunt. Police in the US are searching Police said 17 relatives were for a man after four relatives - gathered at the home for dinner including a child - were shot dead on Thursday. The motive for the at a family Thanksgiving dinner killings is unclear. in Florida. Authorities said a fifth victim, Paul Michael Merhige, 35, is Mr Merhige's brother-in-law, was considered armed and dangerous, being treated in hospital for police in the small Palm Beach unspecified wounds. town of Jupiter said. Father's grief
Sgt Scott Pascarella said police had received emergency calls after 2200 local time. "What led to this incident, we're not quite sure," said Sgt Pascarella. "It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting." Mr Merhige, who has no criminal record, is the cousin of six-year-old Makayla Sitton, AP said quoting police officials. Police said the girl's father, Jim
Sitton, owned the home in Jupiter, some 150km (90 miles) north of Miami. "God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body," Mr Sitton said. "She's just our life. I don't know how we are ever going to recover." Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
requires JavaScript to play. She said she would issue judicial review proceedings next week - a process she said she was given just seven days to complete, rather than the more normal three months. If that failed, they would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, she added. Mr Johnson said he had carefully considered the representations but concluded that sending Mr McKinnon to the US would not breach his human rights. "Due to legitimate concerns over Mr McKinnon's health, we have sought and received assurances from the United States authorities that his needs will be met," he said. But Ms Todner said he had gone against independent legal advice which said he could have used his discretion. Mr McKinnon admits hacking into 97 US government computers, including Nasa's and the Pentagon's, during 2001 and 2002. He has told the BBC he was on a "moral crusade" to prove US intelligence had found an alien craft run on clean fuel. His mother, Janis Sharp, told the BBC she was "devastated" by the news and that her son, who has a form of autism, had reacted "very badly". "It's a disgusting decision. Gary has been in a heightened state of terror for almost eight years. HACKER page 69
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"To force a peaceful, vulnerable, misguided UFO fanatic like Gary thousands of miles away from his much-needed support network is barbaric," she said. She said she was not comforted by the home secretary's advice that her son would not be held in a "supermax" jail, which hold the highest-security prisoners. Extradition treaty Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said it was appalling the government placed a higher value on a "deeply unfair" extradition agreement than on the welfare of a British citizen. "The home secretary should stop
being an American poodle and start being a British bulldog," he said. And Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "The shoddy treatment of this vulnerable man should demonstrate that our rotten extradition laws need urgent reform." Mr Johnson had last month agreed to study new medical evidence before deciding on the extradition. The High Court had previously refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Mr McKinnon has been the focus of a campaign to prevent his removal to the US. Earlier this month, the
Commons' Home Affairs Committee said the move should be halted owing to his "precarious state of mental health". They concluded there was a "serious lack of equality" in the way the extradition treaty deals with UK citizens compared with US citizens. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
US man 'locks sons in car boot' (BBC News | Americas | World Edition)
enjoyed "playing" in there, court records show. He has pleaded not guilty to two Submitted at 11/26/2009 3:49:37 PM counts of assault and reckless A man has appeared in court in endangerment of a child and was the US state of Massachusetts released on bail. accused of locking his two sons The children are now in the in the boot of his car while he custody of their mother. visited a sailing shop. 'Distraught' Fall River police say that The boys were spotted in the M i c h a e l M o n a h a n l e f t t h e boot by a man who works in the children alone in the Pontiac sailing shop. Trans Am for several minutes. He later called the police who He told investigators the tracked down the family. children, aged three and six, Mr Monahan's lawyer told the
Fall River District Court judge that the 35-year-old loved his children. Referring to his client, his lawyer said: "He's extremely distraught about this your honour." Mr Monahan is due to reappear in court on 19 January. Print Sponsor This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Tech.view: Scamalot (The Economist: Daily columns)
over 80% of all infected web pages are nowadays found on legitimate websites, says Sophos, Submitted at 11/26/2009 11:11:29 PM an online-security firm. Like Tech.view other online swindles, the aim is N o v 2 7 t h 2 0 0 9 | L O S to dupe people into parting with ANGELES their credit-card details, or to get From Economist.com More than them to download malicious ever, shoppers need to be wary software (“malware”) such as online viruses, worms, key-loggers and W I T H A m e r i c a ’ s h o l i d a y Trojan horses that feed back bank shopping season kicking off -account passwords and other today, two out of three people in confidential information stored the country are expected to go on their computers. online in search of presents for One of the nastiest little tricks is family and friends. The day after to send people who click on an Thanksgiving—known as “Black infected web link, or merely open Friday” because of the profits a compromised web page, a earned by retailers and the traffic warning that their computer has a snarls created in the process—is virus infection—and that, to one of the busiest shopping days remove it, they need to download of the year. It is also one of the a special anti-virus program most profitable times of year for costing $30 or so. Those who cybercriminals and other ne’er- waste their money on such fake do-wells. security software (“scareware”) Shoppers going online this finish up getting their computers season need to be especially thoroughly infected with keywary. Cyber-scams have started loggers and Trojans that steal to evolve into something far information. Unbeknown to its more devious than previously owner, an infected computer can encountered. Although most also team up with thousands of users have learned to shy away other similarly infected zombie from get-rich wheezes and offers machines to form armies of robot from Nigerian princes that come networks (“botnets”) used by unsolicited by e-mail, they are criminals to launch “phishing” less likely to doubt the attacks on millions of provenance of things they see on unsuspecting internet users. popular websites such as Google, What makes the latest turn of Yahoo!, Twitter or YouTube that events so worrying is the way the they visit regularly by choice. black-hat brigade—renegade Yet many of these trusted programmers who make their websites have lately become livings by developing “exploit targets for criminals who lay TECH.VIEW: page 71 traps for the unwary. Indeed,
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This week's top stories [27 November 2009] (The Economist: News analysis) Submitted at 11/27/2009 6:00:34 AM
The EU presidency Nov 19th 2009 | BRUSSELS From Economist.com Two minor but competent figures will be president and high representative of the EU A MAN who has been Belgian prime minister for less than a year and a British technocrat who has never held elected office were chosen by European Union leaders on Thursday November 19th to represent their 27 countries around the world, and lead their policymaking at the highest level. It seems odd to appoint people as little-known as Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton to such big jobs. For nearly a decade, EU politicians have been wrangling about a new rule book, calling for Europe to equip itself with leadership posts that would help their club to stride the world stage. Yet by the time national leaders arrived at a Brussels summit to fill the new posts of president of the European Council and EU foreign-policy chief, or high representative, their boasts and ambition were a sad memory. The leaders went into the
summit amid predictions that they might fail to reach agreement, after long rounds of telephone consultations between national governments had exposed differences about what the posts were even for. Britain had formally proposed that Tony Blair, an ex-prime minister, should be the first president, arguing that the job needed a heavyweight figure who could “stop the traffic” in Beijing or Washington, DC. Other countries, especially smaller ones, argued that the post should be modest, amounting to little more than a chairman of leaders’ summits. The path was cleared for Mr Van Rompuy and Lady Ashton after the British government at last accepted what had been obvious for weeks: that there was scant support for Tony Blair, and there was near-consensus for a chairman-style presidential post. Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, threw in the towel at a gathering of fellow centre-left political leaders just before the main summit, accepting that Mr Blair’s candidacy was finished. In return, he bowed to a plan stitched up between panEuropean socialists and the European People’s Party, the main conservative block in the EU, to give the council
presidency to someone from the centre right and the foreignpolicy job to the centre left. In return for dropping Mr Blair, Mr Brown secured the foreignpolicy post for Lady Ashton, a career Labour party technocrat who has served as the EU's trade commissioner since October 2008. Although Britain is normally seen as an awkward customer in EU affairs, resisting deeper political integration, it has traditionally been rather open to European countries pooling their diplomatic and military clout on a case-by-case basis, to gain global influence. That meant that several important countries were prepared to give the foreignpolicy post to a British candidate, if that might lock in British support for much more ambitious developments in diplomacy and foreign policy. David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, had been the first choice of many leaders for the EU post. For a while, he appeared tempted, but eventually decided to stay in British politics and focus on domestic ambitions, rumoured to include the leadership of the Labour Party. The British deal on Lady Ashton meant that centre-right governments, led by France and Germany, were free to impose their favoured candidate, Mr Van
Rompuy. There was also swift agreement on a Swedish-drafted plan to limit the president’s powers, more or less excluding any foreign-policy role for the new chief. Mr Van Rompuy, a haikuwriting ascetic and devout Roman Catholic, has little experience of EU summitry, but years of training in the management of fractious partners, thanks to long service in multilingual coalition Belgian governments. Even his own officials admit he has little charisma. Lady Ashton came to Brussels from a career spent as a Labour Party appointee, rising smoothly through ever more senior posts in British public bodies, health authorities and education agencies. Appointed a life peer in the House of Lords, she held junior ministerial posts before becoming leader of the upper house of Parliament, a big job with cabinet status, where she earned a reputation as a shrewd political manager. Ironically, one of her biggest coups in the eyes of her political masters was shepherding the Lisbon Treaty through the House of Lords, paving the way for the creation of the job she now holds: a thought that cannot possibly have occurred to her at the time. Even
as she accepted a bouquet of flowers and the congratulations of EU leaders, Lady Ashton appeared rather stunned at becoming, in effect, Europe’s foreign minister. She has no experience of foreign affairs, though she has earned respect, it is said, from trade negotiators as EU commissioner. Two lessons can be drawn from the selection of these new top officials. Europe’s national leaders are not ready to share the world stage with real rivals. With the Lisbon Treaty, those same national leaders have also ceded far more power than they realised to pan-European political parties, who imposed on them the deal dividing up the two posts, backed by the threat that nominees not to their liking would not be approved by the European Parliament in a vote early next year. Not all national governments are happy about the apparent shift of power: expect tussles as national leaders attempt to push back. Back to top ^^ Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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kits” for cybercriminals to do their nefarious deeds—have started combining socialnetworking tactics with tricks of the trade used by businesses to entice visitors to their web sites. One of the more popular examples of the former is the fake profile of a celebrity such as Paris Hilton or Britney Spears on a social network like Twitter or Facebook. Criminals post malicious links on them either to distribute junk mail (“spam”) for online pharmacies peddling phoney Viagra and the like, or to redirect visitors to fraudulent websites where they get infected with malicious Javascripts. Of the various marketing ploys used in business to promote websites, the most controversial is a technique known as searchengine optimisation. Several years ago, web developers found they could boost search-engine results for their clients by stuffing their web pages with all sorts of popular keywords and phrases, many of which bore no relationship to the actual content. Now Google, Yahoo! and others are wise to such marketing gambits, the riggers have started stuffing a web page’s metatags (hidden attributes of a web page
that describe its content) with words that score highly on search engines. As a further refinement, they bury phoney keywords in the web page’s actual programming where they cannot be filtered out but can still boost the page’s ranking. Such tricks are now being adopted widely by cybercriminals. The process works like this. Scam artists scan headlines on the internet for breaking news and select keywords that are likely to rise to the top of the rankings on Google Trends over the coming days. The news can be anything—from the expected carbon cuts in Copenhagen to Toyota’s change of heart in its biggest recall ever—so long as millions of people will be plugging the topic into their favourite search engine to find out more. Meanwhile, rogue web pages are “optimised” to include numerous copies and variations of the newsworthy keywords. Unwittingly, the web crawlers deployed by Google, Yahoo! and others to sift the outpourings of cyberspace then do the rest. Within hours, bogus links have been carried near to the top of the listings, waiting to be clicked on
by thousands of hapless victims. Normally the most dangerous keyword to search for is “screensavers”. In a study of 2,600 popular keywords using the five leading search engines by McAfee, an online security firm, searching for this term (presumably, the sites returned purported to be of scantily clad starlets) and clicking on a link presented a three-in-five chance of becoming infected. Lyrics to popular songs were the next riskiest thing to search for. The keyword that elicited the fewest risky sites was “Viagra”. Clearly, adolescents have no interest in father’s little helper. At this time of the year, however, the riskiest keywords to search for are likely to be “turkey” or “gift”. So, remember this as you go online looking for presents to buy: the cyber-crooks will have anticipated your every need—and manipulated malicious links to the best deals for digital cameras, gourmet food baskets, woolly sweaters and what have you, to be near the top of the search-engine rankings. How do you protect yourself? It is difficult to say. But there are a few obvious things you can do to practice safe surfing. First, never
click on links to unfamiliar websites—especially those that promise unbelievable deals. If you must visit them, type the web address manually into the browser’s address bar yourself. Second, know the retailer. Even if an unfamiliar site looks legitimate, if the company appears to be based in America or Canada, check it out on Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) before visiting it. Third, use a credit card, not a debit card. Most credit cards at least limit your liability for bogus charges. Also, consider a “single-use” credit card. All leading card companies issue single-use numbers to save customers from having to use their real credit-card numbers online. Then monitor your credit status, especially at this time of the year. As a final precaution, install and continually update all the necessary security software. That means not just anti-virus programs, but also anti-spyware, anti-phishing and anti-rootkit software as well as link scanners and e-mail scanners. Your paranoid correspondent updates his operating system with all the latest security patches religiously. He also uses the
highly regarded Zone Alarm firewall, plus the latest versions of Grisoft’s AVG Internet Security Suite and Webroot’s Anti-virus and Spy Sweeper, as well as Microsoft’s much improved Security Essentials. And he makes sure they are updated with the latest virus signatures on a daily basis. Even so, he still had to purge a rogue piece of software from his network recently. A bootlegged clip from the latest vampire movie (“New Moon”) downloaded by his tweenage daughter had a particularly virulent payload buried in its code. He dreads to think what nasty things the online shopping season is about to bring into his home. Back to top ^^ Readers' comments The Economist welcomes your views. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Research Brief: Automobile Ad Spending On the Rise (MediaPost | Media News) Submitted at 11/27/2009 5:15:30 AM
According to a new report from Borrell Associates monitoring the pulse of local ad spending by U.S. auto dealers, dealer associations, and manufacturers, US auto manufacturers will increase their online local ad spending by 14% in 2010, while new- and used-car dealers will increase their ad spend online by 8.6%. The total effect will result in an 11.4% increase in newvehicle online ad spending next year. Overall, Borrell Associates predicts that US ad spend for new cars will rise to a total of $19.2 billion from the low of $18.4 billion in 2009, experiencing a 4% growth rate across all media. These numbers represent declines from 2008 spending, following a precipitous drop in automotive ad spend of 31% in the first half of 2009, during which Chrysler and GM declared bankruptcy and the recession forced a significant decline in new auto sales. Online ad spend, says the report, which grew only 5.2% in 2009, will likely surpass all other media for new-vehicle advertising next year, driven by email, social networking and especially streaming audio and video campaigns, which will grow significantly. Borrell says in the report that "Revenue from display banners, pop-ups and classifi-ed listings is
dropping 20% this year, while spending by auto marketers on email and social networking campaigns is growing by 20%; a cross-over is expected next year, but it is streaming audio and video that will show the most growth this year and is positioning itself for "break-out" growth in 2010." In assessing the impact on other media, the report shows that newspapers (-28.5%) and broadcast TV (-22.8%) have been hit the hardest this year, though they are expected to experience slight recovery in 2010, growing 3.8% year-over-year in 2010, while broadcast TV will rise 1.9%. Directories, (-8.1%) and other print media (-0.5%) will continue to see negative growth in 2010. Though a relatively small piece of auto advertising, cinema advertising is expected to experience the highest growth rate, 18%, and rise from $65 million this year to $77 million in 2010. Projected 2009 New Vehicle Ad Spending, by Media Choice(All Projections in $ Millions) Ad Spending by Revenue Source Media Choice Dealers Dealer Associations Auto Manufacturers Newspapers $20.43 $4.29 $14.72 Other Print $4.32
$1.38 $9.18 Directories $1.05 $1.05 $0.74 Broadcast TV $7.59 $12.47 $31.26 Cable $4.71 $6.07 $2.31 Radio $5.55 $2.54 $0.91 Outdoor $1.06 $1.39 $1.39 Cinema $0.82 $46.28 $0.89 Direct Mail $17.55 $1.99 $1.72 Online $8.20 $2.74 $41.77 Telemarketing $1.11 na $1.60 Source: Borrell Associates, November 2009 Citing a study from Northwood University for AutoTrader.com, Borrell notes that the increase in expected Internet spending is the
result of the fact that the internet is the leading media driver of w a l k - i n t r a f f i c . MediaBuyerPlanner added that, though most customers interviewed by Northwood University stated it was ads on the web that instigated their foot traffic, dealers themselves attributed 30% of foot traffic to the web, with the rest coming from newspapers, radio and direct mail, Sanford C. Bernstein says smaller dealers are being squeezed out of the market by economies of scale, with only 20,000 dealers are left in the US. And, despite a difficult last few years, the report does point to additional signs of a marginal recovery and lasting change that will begin in 2010: • Dealerships are getting leaner and, as a result, cars sold per dealership are increasing. • Manufacturer co-op spending is turning the corner and will begin to rise. • Independent dealers are -finding new sources of revenue. • Large dealers will continue to gain share in the used-car arena Borrell reports that in 2010 the dealer share of online ad spend will be 39.4%, the association share will be 9.2%, and the manufacturer share, including coop spending, will account for 51.3% of all ad spending on new vehicles. Projected 2009 Per Vehicle
New Car Ad Spending By Dealership Employee Range Dealership Employee Range Ad $ per Vehicle Sold Vehicles Sold 2009 Ad $(Million) Ad $ Share Under 5 $500 53,980 $0.45 0.6% 5 to 20 $548 134,870 $0.99 1.4% 21 to 50 $530 1,348,350 $7.69 10.6% 51 to 100 $440 3,454,380 $17.60 24.3% 101 to 200 $425 2,188,810 $8.10 11.2% 201 or More $400 9,695,780 $37.56 51.9% Average/Total $427 16,876,170 $72.39 100% RESEARCH page 73
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Sources: NADA, 2009; Dun & Bradstreet, 2009; Borrell Associates, 2009 General Motors announced in August that it planned to increase ad spend for the rest of 2009 and 2010, after having cut ad spend by 15% in 2008. GM is now the third-largest advertiser in the country, behind Procter & Gamble and Verizon Projected 2009 New Motor Vehicle Sales by Dealer Employee Range Employee Range Under 5 5 to 20 21 to 50 51 to 100 101 to 200 200or More US New Car Totals/Averages New Car Dealership Locations
120 60 90 90 30 600 990 Average Cars Sold: 2009 Projection 450 2,248 14,982 38,382 72,960 16,160 17,047 Total Cars Sold: 2009 Projection 53,980 134,870 1,348,350 3,454,380 2,188,810 9,695,780
16,876,170 Projected New Car Sales Share 0.3% 0.8% 8.0% 20.5% 13.0% 57.5% 100% Sources: NADA, 2009; Dun & Bradstreet, 2009; Borrell Associates, 2009 For complete information and access to charts and graphs, please visit Borrell Associates here. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.
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Americans at Odds With Recent Terror Trial Decisions (All Gallup Headlines) Submitted at 11/26/2009 8:00:00 PM
PRINCETON, NJ -- By 59% to 36%, more Americans believe accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed should be tried in a military court, rather than in a civilian criminal court. Most Republicans and independents favor holding the trial in a military court, while the slight majority of Democrats disagree. These findings come from a Nov. 20-22 USA Today/Gallup poll conducted a week after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Mohammed's case would move from a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, where the admitted terrorist was originally charged, to a federal court in New York City."Despite their sharp differences over how to bring Mohammed to justice, Republicans and Democrats largely agree that, if found guilty, he should pay the ultimate price." Public opinion is a bit less contrary to Holder's decision regarding the venue for the trial. Although the majority of Americans (51%) say Mohammed should face trial somewhere other than New York City, 42% -- slightly higher than the percentage favoring a civilian trial -- support holding the trial in the city where the vast majority of Americans lost their lives on Sept. 11. The legal framework of Mohammed's case has clearly
New York (51% say it should be held elsewhere) and a larger proportion disagree with his decision to move the case to a civilian court (59% would prefer to have it held in a military court). Democrats are generally supportive of the Obama administration's changes in these respects, while Republicans and independents take opposing views. At the same time, relatively few Americans (particularly Democrats and independents) are very concerned that the trial will give Mohammed a publicity platform, and most Americans are confident he will be found guilty. Sign up for Gallup e-mail alerts or RSS feeds shifted along with the new Overall, 59% of Americans are should get the death penalty if he Get Gallup news on Facebook jurisdiction, as he will now be at least somewhat concerned that is found guilty, slightly higher and Twitter granted certain constitutional a trial will give Mohammed such than the percentage telling Gallup Survey Methods rights and protections that would a n o p p o r t u n i t y ; h o w e v e r , in October (65%) that they favor Results are based on telephone not have been afforded him in a significantly fewer -- 34% -- are the death penalty for persons of interviews with 1,017 national military tribunal. Nevertheless, 7 " v e r y c o n c e r n e d . " A m o n g convicted of murder, in general. adults, aged 18 and older, in 10 Americans -- including a p a r t i s a n s , m o s t o f t h e Despite their sharp differences conducted Nov. 20-22, 2009. For high proportion of all party differentiation in views on this over how to bring Mohammed to results based on the total sample groups -- believe it is very likely q u e s t i o n i s s e e n i n t h e j u s t i c e , R e p u b l i c a n s a n d of national adults, one can say Mohammed will be found guilty. percentages very concerned, Democrats largely agree that, if with 95% confidence that the Only 6% think a guilty verdict is r a n g i n g f r o m 5 0 % o f found guilty, he should pay the maximum margin of sampling unlikely. R e p u b l i c a n s t o 3 4 % o f ultimate price. error is Âą4 percentage points. The possibility that the federal i n d e p e n d e n t s a n d 2 1 % o f Bottom Line Interviews are conducted with trial would give Mohammed and D e m o c r a t s . Two weeks after Attorney respondents on land-line the four others to be tried in New Little Disagreement Over General Holder announced his telephones (for respondents with York a platform for airing their Pursuing Death Penalty decision to try the five leading a land-line telephone) and political views was raised last Holder announced last week that 9/11 terrorism suspects in federal cellular phones (for respondents week, after a lawyer for one of the Justice Department will seek c o u r t i n N e w Y o r k C i t y , who are cell-phone only). the accused announced that the the death penalty for Mohammed controversy about those decisions In addition to sampling error, five defendants intend to plead and four other men accused of abounds. question wording and practical not guilty for the express purpose plotting 9/11, and Americans A slight majority of Americans difficulties in conducting surveys of being able to "get their broadly agree with this. Three- disagree with Holder's decision message out" in the trial. quarters (77%) say Mohammed to hold the Mohammed trial in AMERICANS page 75
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Tech Buyer's Guide: Netbooks By Mark Spoonauer (Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now)
optical drive. The Mini 311’s Ion graphics chip will also help video editors, enabling users to transcode clips about five times as fast as on Submitted at 11/27/2009 7:56:33 AM netbooks without Ion inside. And In an excerpt from our new Tech although demanding 3-D games Buyer's Guide, learn everything like Far Cry 2 will be too choppy you need to know to pick up the to play, Ion can easily handle perfect netbook this holiday more mainstream titles like TECH continued from page 75 season Spore. The only tradeoff is that USB ports but carry data six Each day this week leading up to you get about half an hour less times as fast as USB, allowing Black Friday, we'll excerpt a battery life than netbooks without for lightning-fast backups to chunk of our new Tech Buyer's Ion. external eSATA-equipped hard Guide here on the site to arm you Other welcome features include with the skills and the picks to a keyboard that’s 92 percent of drives. A backlit keyboard seems like a get the most from your weekend full size, a roomy touchpad, an minor detail, but notebooks like shopping madness. Here are our integrated webcam, three USB the MacBook Pro and Dell XPS picks and our buying advice for ports and a 5-in-1 memory-card 16 are a lot easier to type on netbooks. Check out the guide r e a d e r . A n d u n l i k e m o s t when you’re in a coffee shop, an for our picks in full-size laptops, netbooks, the Mini 311 boasts airplane or even on the sofa as well as in 15 other product Altec Lansing speakers, which categories. deliver loud and clear sound. watching TV at night. Take your pick from a black • A multitouch touchpad lets you The PopSci Pick: HP Mini 311 swirl pattern or, for an extra $20, do things like rotate photos and From $400; Amazon.com Blurring the line between a white swirl. scroll Web pages with two The Splurge: Sony Vaio X fingers, and you’ll want a netbooks and notebooks, HP’s t o u c h p a d t h a t s u p p o r t s latest Mini pairs Intel’s low- Series m u l t i t o u c h g e s t u r e s . W e power Atom processor with high- $1,300; Sonystyle.com recommend that you try the octane Nvidia Ion graphics, Measuring a mere 0.55 inch notebook out before you buy, giving this sleek 3.2-pound thick and weighing 1.6 pounds, h o w e v e r , b e c a u s e s o m e system enough oomph to be your the VAIO X Series makes the touchpads can be finicky. What primary Windows 7 PC. You can MacBook Air (0.76 inch, 3 enjoy high-definition video on pounds) look bloated. Sony You Can Skip • Blu-ray drives are often an the 11.6-inch display (1,366 x a c c o m p l i s h e d t h i s f e a t b y option for about $150 more than 768) or output 1080p content to a w r a p p i n g t h e b o d y i n a n your standard DVD burner. But b i g - s c r e e n m o n i t o r o r T V ultralight carbon-fiber shell. And given that you can download or through the HDMI port. Plus, the the LED-backlit 11-inch display stream high-def content from an i n c l u d e d A r c S o f t S i m H D (1,366 x 768) is as easy on the increasing number of sources, it’s software converts standard-def eyes as the aluminum milled video to near high-def quality on keyboard. The system sports a rarely worth it. • Mobile broadband is available the fly. You can even turn this relatively fast 2.0-gigahertz Intel netbook into a Blu-ray player if Atom processor, two gigabytes of TECH page 76 you spring for the $129 external RAM (plenty to run Windows 7
Premium) and a 128-gigabyte solid-state drive that runs circles around standard hard disks. Sony covers all the connectivity bases by packing the VAIO X with 802.11n Wi-Fi, GPS and Verizon Wireless 3G broadband (for an additional $60 per month). The Bargain: Acer Aspire One D250 From $300; Amazon.com Available in red, white, blue or black, this 2.4-pound netbook fulfills the netbook promise: It handles basic tasks like Web surfing perfectly well, and it’s cheap. It features a 10-inch display (1,024 x 600 pixels) and all the usual netbook specs, including a 1.6-gigahertz Atom processor, one gigabyte of RAM and a 160-gigabyte hard drive. You also get a built-in webcam and memory-card reader. The included three-cell battery lasts about three hours on a charge, but you can double that endurance if you spend $50 more for the six-cell model. That version now includes an option to boot nearly instantly into Google’s Android OS, so you can start surfing without waiting for Windows XP to load. Buying Advice: Stats That Matter • PROCESSOR: You’ll find Intel’s 1.66- gigahertz Atom N280 processor in nearly every netbook, which is fine for surfing the Web, word processing and even streaming video (although you’ll likely see jerkiness at full screen).
• RAM: Windows XP (or Linux) users can still get by with just one gigabyte. If you’re stepping up to Windows 7, you’ll want at least two. • HARD DRIVE: Since it’s typically meant to be a second machine, the netbook standard of 160 gigabytes is fine, but if you plan to carry a lot of data, you can sometimes upgrade to 250 gigabytes for very little extra money. • DISPLAY: Don’t settle for anything smaller than a 10-inch display, most of which have 1,024 x 600 resolution. If you want high-def video, step up to an 11- or 12-inch netbook with 1,166 x 768 pixels. • GRAPHICS: It used to be that you had to suffer with Intel’s integrated graphics, but now ASUS, HP, Lenovo and Samsung all have models with Nvidia’s Ion chip, offering full high-def video playback, zippier video editing and better gameplay. Expect to pay at least a $50 premium. Features to Look For • HDMI comes in handy when you want to output video and audio through a single cable to a bigger monitor or HDTV. It’s great for catching up on your favorite TV shows on Hulu or other sites at full screen. DisplayPort is also gaining in popularity, but the LCDs that support this connector tend to be more expensive. • eSATA ports often double as a TECH page 75
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on USB 3G modems for free on contract, so there’s no need to spend $125 or more to have it built into your notebook. Plus, you can use that modem across multiple PCs. • Windows 7 Ultimate offers some unique features over vanilla Windows 7, like the ability to run in XP mode and the ability to back up to a home or business
network, but the Home Premium Edition has everything most consumers need. See more in our free Tech Buyer's Guide here