Lily Allen has returned to the Twitter World, nearly five months after the British songbird abandoned the micro-blogging site and branded the Internet “destructive.” Allen fell out with many fans with her anti-pirating campaign to stop the illegal download of copyrighted music and made her last post on the site back in September.
Mysteriously, the singer — who collapsed during a show in Perth last weekend — posted her first Tweet of 2010 early Tuesday, remarking: “hello, I’m back….”
Ford Australia’s decision to reintroduce the G6 Limited Edition model for the 2010 model was a great idea, as the customer’s interest in the luxury model is quite large.
The 2010 G6 Limited Edition is just like the 2009 model, except for the prestige paint which used to be an option and now is standard equipment. The car is based on the G6 model, but got some special factory treatment: luxury exterior and interior finishes offered at a remarkable price.
"The overwhelming success of l… (read more)
Sony Ericsson today announced the Aspen, the latest handset in its GreenHeart line of eco-friendly devices. A no-nonsense Windows Phone geared towards business users, the Aspen’s features include a full-QWERTY keypad, 2.4″ QVGA dispaly, 3.2 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and SPB Mobile Shell floating on top of Windows Mobile 6.5.3. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the Sony Ericsson Aspen is scheduled to drop in Q2. And yes, this puppy is available with some US 3G love, albeit only on the 850 MHz band. Oh well. 1900 is teh suck anyway. Right, AT&T?
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Check out the newly-released video “Stay Here Forever,” a new single by Jewel featured on the Valentine’s Day soundtrack.
It looks like the world’s armies are hungry for motorization these days: Earlier today, we reported that a fleet of military Mercedes Benz G-Wagon Vehicles reached the Australian Defense force. Now, Plasan, an Israeli global provider of armor solutions for vehicles, announced the delivery of 25 Sandcat vehicles together with its partner Oshkosh Defense, for the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense.
Plasan signed the contract back in December 2008. Earlier this month, Bulgarian officials were given a… (read more)
Before revealing their 2010 single-seater to the world, Force India Mercedes first wanted to set things straight in terms of drivers’ lineup for the upcoming campaign. The much-anticipated move to sign Mercedes’ DTM works driver Paul di Resta as a reserve driver was finally made official a few minutes ago, during a media event held at Whyte & Mackay’s Glasgow headquarters in Scotland.
The 23-year old will therefore become the team’s 3rd driver for the 2010 edition of the Formula One champions… (read more)
While those initial leaked specs for a Chrome OS-based netbook unabashedly specified a multitouch panel, Google is remaining shy on confirming just what it’s up to in the fingerprint department. When Google’s Senior Product Manager of Search was asked pointedly about touch support in the OS, according to TechRadar he looked nervously at a PR manager before failing to provide a concrete answer. Read that how you will, but the open source wing of the OS, Chromium, has gone ahead and created its own vision of what touching chrome might look like, including a very compelling video we’ve included for you after the break. This includes popup context menus, a selection of finger- and thumb-friendly keyboards, and of course some delicious multitouch support. Interestingly, if the scale of the hands in the video below is anything to go by, the Chromium group expects an eventual Chrome OS tablet to be between three and five feet wide, which might be a little cumbersome for those with diminutive laps.
Google mum on Chrome OS touch support, Chromium devs show us how it might look anyway (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Citrix is something of a storied name in the IT industry, once the leader in remote desktop apps, now looking to make a big return with the Nirvana phone concept. The idea has been around for awhile, but partnership with mobile virtualization gurus Open Kernel Labs gives it new legs. Nirvana phone is just a minimum set of fairly achievable hardware specs (528MHz ARM processor, 256MB ROM, 192MB RAM) required to facilitate remote access to a full desktop. The idea is you simply plug the phone into a monitor, then connect to a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (or use the phone as a touchpad), and, hey presto, you have a full desktop experience without having a full desktop. In theory you could pocket your smartphone and leave that clunky Targus bag in your cubicle, but should duty call while you’re away we’re not entirely sure where you’re going to find a disused monitor and keyboard ripe for the plugging. Still, it’s interesting tech, demonstrated remotely for you below.
Citrix Nirvana phone provides the full desktop experience — BYO keyboard and monitor (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
Peripheral manufacturer Logitech has released a free app that lets you turn your iPhone or iPod touch (or probably even your iPad, if you’re Stephen Colbert) into a wireless mouse and keyboard. The free TouchMouse app [iTunes Link] is perfect for those situations where you’ve connected your Mac to a TV and want a way to control it from the comfy confines of your favorite couch.
There are actually two components to TouchMouse; the iPhone app and the Logitech TouchMouse Server software. The latter comes in Mac OS X and Windows (XP, Vista, and 7) versions, and must be installed on the Mac or PC in order to “host” the virtual mouse and keyboard created by TouchMouse.
The “mouse” has three buttons for your “clicking” pleasure, and uses the majority of your iPhone screen as a touchpad. With the touch of a button, you can bring up a keyboard to type on your Mac or PC.
There are other apps that can do the same thing if you’re not a fan of Logitech. Air Mouse Pro [US$1.99, iTunes Link] is probably the most powerful and popular Wi-Fi mouse in the App Store, while Rowmote Pro [US$4.99, iTunes Link] has a large and vocal fan following. If you’re looking for free (and who isn’t?), Logitech’s TouchMouse app can give you a taste of remote control at absolutely no cost.
TUAWLogitech gives away free wireless mouse and keyboard (it’s an app) originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PHILADELPHIA—Martel T. Kirkland, 53, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for conspiracy, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, credit card fraud, wire fraud, uttering a forged security, and aiding and abetting, in connection with an identity theft scheme involving approximately 40 financial accounts, announced United States Attorney Michael L. Levy.
Kirkland pleaded guilty to the indictment in March of 2009.
Between November 2004 and January 2006, Kirkland engaged in a with co-defendants Jay Cohen and Robert Fox, both of Philadelphia, who pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
As part of the scheme, the defendants paid various personal expenses with stolen credit card numbers and bank account information obtained by Kirkland.
Fox paid Kirkland a cash fee, usually 50 percent of the amount of the expenses paid. The transactions in the conspiracy amounted to more than $222,000, most of which were reversed.
Victims US Airways and HSBC Bank were defrauded of $30,616.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond ordered Kirkland to pay restitution in the amount of $30,616 and serve five years of supervised release.
This is Kirkland’s 14th criminal conviction and his fourth federal conviction for fraud offenses, which he committed within two years of being released from prison and while on supervised release for his most recent federal fraud conviction in Detroit.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Minni.
AOL will report its fourth-quarter earnings results tomorrow before the markets open–thanks, CEO Tim Armstrong, from us folks on the West Coast–marking its first Wall Street outing as a newly independent company.
And Wall Street is definitely wary about this close encounter of the first kind.
AOL (AOL), which spun off from parent Time Warner (TWX) in mid-December, has been mightily trying to make itself relevant and innovative, as well as trying to fix its lagging business.
Under former Google (GOOG) exec Armstrong, the focus has been squarely on content and advertising to sell against that content, which remains a dicey proposition.
And, even though online ad sales are looking up, most think it is still a long way from the turn AOL needs to begin growing in any significant way.
To help things along, Armstrong has slashed its workforce by 2,300 employees and has been trying to unload a variety of its less important business units.
On a consensus basis, analysts expect AOL to report an adjusted profit of 62 cents on $763.5 million in revenue in the quarter.
That is why AOL stock, which opened trading at $23.67, has remained around that price, reflecting the widespread wait-and-see attitude around the company by investors.
One query I hope those not-so-good-at-asking-interesting-questions analysts ask on the call: What’s up with renewing its search deal with Google or is Microsoft (MSFT) its new partner?
Until tomorrow, here’s a video of an interview I did with Armstrong right before AOL spun off last year, where I tried to ask good questions:
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By Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron’s, Tech Trader Daily
Blockbuster (BBI) could be running out of time.
GimmeCredit analyst Kin Noland downgraded the firm’s rating on the struggling video store chain to Deteriorating from Stable, pointing to the surprisingly strong Q4 from Netflix (NFLX), as well as the increasingly precarious state of rival Movie Gallery, parent of the Hollywood Video chain.
“DVD rentals and sales are experiencing a secular decline and pricing continues to fall as consumers use their computers and TV’s to start watching movies by instant download,” Noland writes. “This shift in consumer viewing likely will make kiosks less attractive over the long term as well. We remain concerned that Blockbuster is so over-leveraged, it may not be able to turn around and will end up in a debt restructuring.”
Read the rest of this post on the original site
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The groundhog has spoken….and the news isn’t good. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow as chilly revelers looked on on Tuesday morning. That means Americans can expect at least an additional six weeks of winter weather. Ugh — thanks a bunch, Phil! Perhaps the world’s most famed weather forecaster, Punxsutawney Phil made his annual prediction while being held by Co-Handler Ben Hughes on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 124th Groundhog Day.
German legend holds that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, tradition says spring will come early. The Groundhog Club says since 1887 Phil has predicted more winter weather by seeing his shadow nearly 100 times.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
In a tersely worded release China Mobile has announced the release of its Open Mobile System 2.0, which brings new features such as Scalable Vector Graphics and voice recognition support.
Also included in the release is mention “Windows Mobile API” support, unfortunately without an explanation of what this means.
OMS OPhones use a layer of software adapted to the Chinese market, running on an Android base. The presence of a Windows Mobile API on the software is both mysterious and momentous, and either implies support on the handsets for Windows Mobile applications, or alternatively makes the OMS adaptation layer portable to Windows Mobile handsets.
China is currently involved in spat with Google over alleged government sponsored spying on Google, and we have already seen some Android-based handsets suffering from the fall-out. This latest announcement could be another volley of shots fired at Google by China demonstrating their independence from the search monopoly giant.
Read the announcement at TradingMarkets.com here.
The Deal :
Quoted, 15.8L otr. Discounts : 25k cash + rear parking sensor (Toyota)+ Mats (Toyota) + 26k insurance discount.
The delivery:
Booked the car on jan 4. Delivered on Jan 24, got it today post registration etc. Hassle free experience, thanks to toyota and team-bhp pdi checklist.
The experience:
AWESOME!!!!! The dealer (wasan) is around 20km from home, got out of the dealership at around 5.30pm – into peak traffic. Reset all counters ( instant avg, lifetime avg.). The car just glides. No fuss, no thinking, nothing, smooth. Reached home in 40 min – got an avg of 13.9kmpl. The auto box is brilliant, and a life saver in traffic. It just cuts the stress of driving to zero.
Will do some pictures tomorrow and post.
BMW Group announced that this year it will present for the first time its Award for Intercultural Commitment. In an effort to bridge gaps between cultures, the Germans ask anyone with an idea to promote intercultural understanding to submit it as a proposal by May 31.
During a ceremony hosted in Munich on November 18, the top three applicants will be announced (and their project will be promoted), as BMW will financially support them. The Group’s goal is to back up the winning teams and their… (read more)
Some of the biggest names in UK and American music have joined forces to record a cover of REM’s ’80s classic “Everybody Hurts” in a bid to raise money for a pair of British charities supporting the relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. In the direction of tough-talking music mogul Simon Cowell, the lineup of featured artists includes: Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, Kylie, Rod Stewart, Alexandra Burke, Miley Cyrus, Take That, Joe McElderry, Cheryl Cole, JLS, Mika, Michael Bublé, James Blunt, James Morrison, Susan Boyle, and Westlife.
The track — recorded London and Los Angeles — will split all proceeds between the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) and The Sun Newspaper’s Helping Haiti campaign. The track will be available for download via Amazon.com on Feb. 7.
Approximately 200,000 people died in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the island on Jan.12. Hundreds of thousands more have been left injured and homeless.
Due to a recent surge in IPv4 allocations in Asia, in major part owed to China’s Internet boom, ICANN has recently announced that the total number of available IPv4 addresses has fallen below the 10% mark and is now approximated around the 400 million mark.
Not to cause any panic in IT circles, Rod Beckstrom, ICANN’s CEO and Presiden… (read more)
I spent more than 25 years serving my Country in the Royal Australian Air Force. Any promotions became effective on the first day of the month, and you were always given two weeks notice of promotion. The move in rank to Sergeant was always the big step. It was the first step into Senior Non Commissioned (SNCO) rank, and because of that, you then you moved away from being ‘one of the men’ to a position of middle ranking ‘leader of men’, and because of that, there needed to be some form of detachment. You still stayed as friends, but now it was from a position of responsibility, and one of man management and administration. You also then had the added responsibility of being in control of the work those under you did, because, especially in the Air Force, and working around Military aircraft of all sorts, then the work done on those aircraft, and their equipment that kept them flying, just had to be perfect, and because of that it needed to be independently checked as being done correctly, part and parcel of SNCO rank, again a form of detachment from the personal association with those lower in rank, not a form of elitism, but a form of separation.
Upon promotion to Sergeant, that very first day was spent on an introduction to life in the Sergeant’s Mess, called that, but in reality the gathering place for all those ranks above that of Sergeant. On a large operational base of two thousand or more men and women, there would only be a couple of hundred men and women of that rank at the most, and the Mess, even though a place where they ate their meals, was more of a Social place where members of those ranks could gather. Each month there was a Members Dining In night where all members gathered on a Friday evening for 6 hours in a semi formal way for a meal. It may seem like a ritual, but those gatherings were always very well thought of not as a ritual, but where we could gather and have a great night together. We had to be attired in our Mess Kit, a special uniform only for these Mess gatherings. Every second month there would be a Mixed Dining In night, where those married members could bring their wives with them. It was basically the same, only less formal. These gatherings were always looked forward to by the ladies, as they could dress up and gather with good friends, and in fact, the wives usually looked forward to them more than the SNCO’s themselves. There were also the Summer and Winter Balls, more formal again, and also highly looked forward to by all members. All these gatherings were always well attended, but the Members Monthly Dining In nights were compulsory, and you needed a pretty good reason to not attend.
Upon promotion to Sergeant, on that first day of the Month, all new Sergeants had to attend the Mess for start of work on that day until time to go home, Stand To to Stand Down, a period of 9 hours. There were usually six to ten new Sergeants, and this day was a day of intensive orientation. The Chairman of the Mess Committee, (CMC) a senior Warrant officer, was the guide for the day, and it was a crash course on how things went in the Mess.
Where does this fit in with Suicide Bombers?
The very first thing done on that day of orientation, after the necessary paper work was a morning tea. CMC then told us the first rule of The Mess. When gathered together, on any occasion whatsoever, three things were NEVER discussed.
Politics, Religion, and Sex.
Even work was sometimes not discussed, but in the main, those three things were absolutely verboten. Not only was this the first thing he mentioned, he then further reinforced it numerous times throughout the day. This was a place of relaxation for SNCO’s away from everyday life, where we could gather as friends and not be subject to the requirements of rank in the workplace, and the semi detachment that the SNCO rank required while at work. It was also a place for relaxation, for not getting into heated arguments, something that these three things normally entailed, so the talk was always friendly and done in a friendly environment with no underlying things that might detract from that relaxation.
It was something that actually worked too, because in all my time, as member of four different Messes on four bases, and in my visits to Messes on half a dozen other bases, those things were very rarely mentioned, if ever. It was just not done.
Because of that, it has carried over into my life outside the RAAF, since retiring.
At a Blog like this, I am free to make any and all comments about Politics that I wish, but when I am out in Company, then I never even mention those three things. It’s something that, while at first a discipline thing that you had to carefully keep in check, has now become second nature.
Of those three things, the touchiest by far would have to be that of religion. Even here at a Blog, it is still something I assiduously avoid talking about. That in the main is a discipline (now second nature) reinforced from that earlier time, but in these days of political correctness especially, as soon as any form of religion is mentioned, you immediately open yourself up to being labelled as racist, or other things along that same line, and that is one thing I most definitely avoid, because in a way it tends to colour what people may think of you by so blatantly and obviously taking a positional stance on the subject.
However, sometimes it is actually worth mentioning, not out of bloody mindedness, but to make a salient point, and this is one of those occasions.
This story was in the news media today, and even though the mention of suicide bombers has become almost a daily thing that has tended to take the edge of such stories, and after hearing of so many similar stories, virtually on a daily basis, they tend make us a little more immune from the horror we felt at the first time we became aware of them, so now, it just seems to be another daily news story.
This story is of a woman in Northern Baghdad who strapped explosives to her body under her clothing and then blew herself up in a public place, taking the lives of 54 innocent people going about their daily lives. Another 117 people were badly injured. Among the dead were 18 women and 12 children.
This was not a case of an attack on what is perceived as foreigners who have supposedly invaded their Country. This was not an attack on Western influences. This was not an attack on soldiers of an Army. This was an attack on ordinary people, and in fact, her own Country men and women, and children. People in the same situation as she herself was.
What it was however, was an attack on a gathering of Shi’ite pilgrims, all of them. The woman in question was most probably from the Sunni following, one of the branches of the same Muslim religious following.
So this was Muslims killing other Muslims. Not one religious faith with different followings arguing openly as is sometimes the case. Not agreeing to disagree, not openly criticising the other following, but strapping explosives to her body and then going amongst unsuspecting people and killing them en masse. She hid the explosives under her Abaya, a complete, black, head to toe covering, with just a slit at eye level, and sometimes referred to in other areas as a Chador or a Burqa. Whilst waiting to be checked for explosives, she detonated the bomb, causing this mass havoc.
The comment I wish to make here is this. Some of you readers may attend Churches of different faiths in your own Communities. Tell me, when was the last time you were in a meeting with your Minister or Pastor, or Priest, and he exhorted you to kill members of any, or all other faiths? When did that Church leader explain to you how to go about doing this. When did that Church leader actively tell those gathered with him that this would result in your immediate ascension into Paradise. When did that Church leader tell you that as women you would be less suspected in matters like this. When did that Church leader actively recruit people to do this sort of thing. When did that Church leader tell you that was acceptable, and in fact necessary. When did that Church leader tell you that if you did this, you would be a martyr and have the respect of others for doing it. When did this Church leader tell you that you, as followers must do this, not him as a Church leader, but YOU as his followers. Point me in the direction of one Christian Church that does anything that even remotely approaches this.
When a religious faith has as its creed ‘Death to the infidel’, and when everybody outside their religious faith is considered an infidel, then this has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with religious faith.
This is murder, plain and simple, and most definitely not a religious faith.
Filed under: Crimes Against Children, Crimes Against Humanity, Fanatics, Fear-mongering, Iraq, Islam, Islamic Terrorists, Middle East, Personal, Politically Correct, Propaganda, Public Opinion Tagged: Islam Atrocities, Islamic Extremism, Islamic Faith, Shiite Muslims, Suicide Bombers, Sunni Muslims 
Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) director Charles Johnson announced today that oral history is this month’s theme for the year-long campaign 2010: Year of the Engaged Older.
Director Johnson is leading a statewide initiative to improve the health and lives of older adults and increase their involvement in volunteering, education and working.
Out of the initiative came a year-long campaign for the year 2010 to engage citizens, especially those ages 50 and older, and tap their talents to benefit their communities and the entire state.
Each month of the year will offer a theme with the purpose of creating stronger connections among the generations.
Log on to law.siu.edu/GenServeGen for information or ideas.
“Documenting history can be as simple as talking to family members about the things they remember. Or it can be more elaborate by documenting stories by date, place and time. Either way it’s important to have the input of older adults to document our history.” said Director Johnson.
One such elaborate oral history project is presented by the Center for Creative Aging at Harold Washington College, in Chicago.
The exhibit is on display through Feb. 5 and features eight Chicagoans with vivid memories of the Great Depression who tell their stories on videotape in a project called “Hard Times, Yesterday and Today: Living Chicagoans’ Experience of the Great Depression and the Current Recession.”
Jacquelyn A. Mattfeld, Ph.D., is the director for the Center for Creative Aging. She says it’s important to document our stories and to use them as a learning tool.
“Through this oral history project we wanted to tell the stories of how people survived through this country’s worst economic crisis and we wanted to focus on lessons can they teach us today about survival, resilience and hard work,” Mattfield said.
The oral history exhibit is one example of activities that will be planned this month across the state.
The team of dedicated professionals in Illinois who have been working to map out the best strategies to get older adults involved in community and to encourage more interaction between the generations include representatives from the Illinois Department on Aging, Intergenerational Initiative-SIU School of Law, AARP, Serve Illinois Commission, Retirement Research Foundation, Corporation for National and Community Service, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Senate Higher Education Committee, Illinois Community College Council of Presidents, Chinese American Service League, Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and McCormick Foundation.
For more information about program services to assist older adults in Illinois and their caregivers, call the IDoA Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 or for TTY (hearing impaired use only) call 1-888-206-1327.