Author: Serkadis

For the longest time, Nintendo has not paid much attention to their digital distribution fronts. Game developers who put games on the online stores have expressed their disappointment with the company seeing as how their games are

How long does it take for a smartphone to go from two hundred bucks on contract all the way down to a big, fat goose egg? If you’re Bell — and the phone is the Palm Pre — the answer is right around five months, apparently. Following its August release and a couple of mid-course pricing corrections, Bell’s now making Palm’s first webOS-based device available for free just as long as you’re willing to commit to three years at a minimum spend of CAD $50 (about $47) a month. The move likely comes on the announcement of the Pre Plus, perhaps as a preemptive strike against any of its competitors planning on carrying it — and if we were Sprint right now, we’d be paying very, very close attention to these guys.

Bell’s Palm Pre now free — in exchange for three years of your life originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What isn’t transformed into an iPhone case these days? Apparently nothing. The latest slider case from Incase is a symbolic gesture of sorts since it symbolizes the Year of the Tiger for the 2010 Chinese New year. As you can see the case has a ‘digitized’ tiger like design down the back of it and will fit any iPhone 3GS/3G and iPod Touch.  So eager to get this tiger beauty? Well you’ll have to take a trip to the Apple store in Sanlitun, Beijing China because that’s the only place you’ll be able to buy it – what about for those who celebrate the Chinese new year here? – Fail!

When we where at CES a few weeks ago Gelaskins had on display only a taste of what their newest collaboration with Marvel was going to look like. Well Gelaskins was nice enough to pass along some more imagery not available at the show and it looks like vintage Amazing Spiderman and Uncanny X-Men drawings never looked so good! The collection will be available the beginning of February and  will retail between $14.95 and $29.95 based on the device. At launch the Marvel designs will only be available for laptops and iPhones but you can use the DIY system and alter the Marvel skin for any of the design templates. From the looks of the high-res quality, the vintage drawings look like they got a new lease on life.

Members of Springfield-based Illinois National Guard Wing Activated to Coordinate Delivery of Supplies

Members of the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield have been activated to support earthquake relief efforts in Haiti in the first such mobilization of Illinois National Guard forces.

Five members of the Springfield-based unit are en route today to U.S. Air Forces Southern Command at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

There they will support the 612th Air and Space Operations Center in coordinating the delivery of disaster relief supplies to Haiti.

An additional 12 members of the unit have been alerted and will be joining their fellow Guard members in Arizona soon.

“I’m proud that the Illinois National Guard has been called upon to support the people of Haiti in their time of need,” said Governor Quinn. “This state will do all that it can to assist in this international effort.”

The Illinois National Guard is ready to help whenever and wherever they are needed, said Maj. Gen. William L. Enyart, the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard.

“I know my troops have been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to help. Our hearts are with the people of Haiti and I’m proud that our hands and heads will now be put to work to assist.”

Andrew Velasquez III, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said Illinois has a lot to offer to the Haitian relief effort.”

The U.S. response to Haiti is a massive effort being coordinated by the federal government,” Velasquez said.

“Today, the Illinois National Guard is answering the call for assistance, and the State of Illinois stands ready to deploy our considerable response assets if other resources are requested.”

Illinois now joins 11 states and Puerto Rico in providing National Guard forces to the relief effort.

En días fríos y tranquilos, nada como un poco de Kings of Convenience para acompañar los enlaces de la semana en los blogs. Ahí van

• Preguntas más frecuentes sobre la denuncia contra el Estado español por monopolio de las entidades de gestión. Por David Bravo.
• Las estadísticas de Internet en 2009. En Mundogeek.
• La venta de música en España cae un 17% en 2009: ¿la piratería ilegal es la causa? Hipersónica.
• Furilo y primera quedada Pro Bono Público en Madrid.
• SBD y el anuncio del segundo Security Blogger Summit de Panda.
• Twitter cambia la lista de usuarios recomendados. En Uberbin.
• ‘Avatar’ vs. ‘Modern Warfare 2’. ¿Qué ha ganado más, película o videojuego?. En VidaExtra.
• Sandro Rosell y el Barça 2.0. Por Albert Garcia.
• En WeblogsSL buscamos analista de proceso / funcionalidades en Madrid.
• Woorank te ayuda a analizar tu web. En Loogic.
• El grupo OK Go se rebela contra las políticas de YouTube. En Blogoff.
• Mangas Verdes y el análisis de una ley “sencillamente estúpida”.
• Gadgetoblog y un análisis del AR.Done.
• Social media y Realidad aumentada: Interesante experiencia de Nike. Por Dreig.
• Banda Ancha: Andalucía estrena Internet móvil de 3,6 Mbps en todas las poblaciones de menos de 20.000 habitantes.
• Oleada de novedades en Youtube: Music Discovery Project, HTML5 y contenidos de pago. En Genbeta.
• Eduardo Manchón: “dejo Panoramio / Google. Ahora con Askaro.com al 100%”.
• Adrián Segovia y el crecimiento de tráfico engañoso por ser inservible.
• ¿Qué es el símbolo PEGI que aparece en los videojuegos?. En Consumoteca.

Over $12 Million in Federal Recovery Funds Available to Increase the Use of Energy Efficient Appliances

Gov. Pat Quinn today announced the guidelines for the Illinois ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebate Program.

Illinois will receive nearly $12.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to implement the program.

“We’re doing everything we can to help Illinois residents make it through these tough economic times,” said Gov. Quinn.

“The appliance rebate program is a good way to help consumers be more economical and environmentally responsible while also boosting Illinois’ ’green job’ creation.”

The Illinois ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebate Program will provide consumers with a point-of-sale rebate on ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers, dishwashers, room air conditioners, and water heaters, as well as highly efficient heating and air conditioning systems.

Rebates on water heaters and heating and cooling equipment will be available beginning January 31. A 25 percent point-of-sale rebate will be available to purchasers of ENERGY STAR water heaters from participating retailers.

HVAC customers will receive an instant rebate from participating contractors that are listed on the ComEd, AmerenIU, or Participating Energy Efficiency Contractor (PEEC) Network.

The second phase of the program, which will run from April 16 – 25, provides a flat 15 percent rebate to consumers who purchase energy efficient appliances at participating retail stores.

Consumers who turn in their old appliances for recycling will also be eligible for an additional mail-in rebate of $50-$100.

“The average home spends about $2,200 a year on energy bills,” said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Warren Ribley.

“By making small changes and incorporating more energy efficient practices in our daily routine, we can reduce the cost of our energy bills and reduce our impact on the environment. The appliance rebate program provides a three-fold benefit by also providing a much-needed boost to the economy.”

The Illinois ENERGY STAR Appliance Rebate Program will be managed by the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) on behalf of DCEO. The state is also partnering with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) to enroll retailers in the program.

Retailers interested in participating in the program can visit IRMA’s Web site at helpgreenillinois.org.

For complete program guidelines and information, visit illinoisenergy.org or call 877-782-7005.

Three men, including two from Chicago, have been charged in connection with the seizure of 1,500 pounds of marijuana valued at more than $1 million, authorities said.

Juan Torres, 25, of Hammond, and Samuel Garcia, 20, and Santiago Barbosa, 48, both of Chicago, were each charged with dealing marijuana in amounts over 10 pounds, according to Indiana State Police officials.

State police were tipped off earlier this week to suspicious activity at a residence in the 500 block of Detroit Street in Hammond.

The investigation of the residence led authorities to make several traffic stops that resulted in the seizure of about 500 pounds of marijuana, police said.

Police then got a warrant to search the home on Wednesday and found another 1,000 pounds of the drug in the basement, police said.

The suspects were taken to Lake County Jail in Crown Point and charged on Friday, an Indiana State Police spokeswoman said.

– Serena Maria Daniels

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

Mail carrier Richard James Wieting of Hanover Park on Saturday was described as an affable, generous and kindhearted man who loyally worked for 22 years at the Harwood Heights Post Office.

So when he didn’t show up for work on Tuesday morning, his bosses and co-workers were concerned. So was his family. And they immediately began to search for him.

The 53-year-old Wieting remains missing, although his 2007 black PT Cruiser was found by Chicago police near Foster Avenue and Simonds Road, near Foster Avenue Beach, in Chicago.

About 30 family members and friends held a news conference at Foster Avenue Beach on Saturday to plea for information involving Wieting’s disappearance and to seek volunteers to pass out fliers and search the area.

They will meet again Sunday around noon to do the same, said his daughter Marla Wieting, 26, of Schaumburg.

“This is very out of character for him,” she said.

Wieting is described as 6-foot-2 and about 185 pounds. He was last seen on Monday night at home with his wife of 29 years, Joyce, and their daughter, Michelle, 20, a Harper College student.

The father is on heart and cholesterol prescriptions, which remain at home. So the family is concerned for his health and welfare since he also hasn’t had his medications since he was reported missing, said Marla Wieting.

There were no indications of any problems with her father in prior days and no known threats that would have alerted them to his sudden disappearance. He was in good health and happy, the eldest daughter added.

“He’s the kind of man who would do anything for anyone, so it’s time that we now did something for him to try and find him,” she said.

Messages left with the Hanover Park police on Saturday were not immediately returned. The Chicago Police Department referred all inquiries to the Hanover Park police.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

A broad band of showers was moving into the Chicago area early today, with radar images showing some of the rain could be heavy.

WGN/Tribune weatherman Tom Skilling’s forecast said the chance of rain was 100 percent early today.

The rain, along with some patches of fog, could remain for most of the day, while temperatures remain nearly steady in the lower 40s.

Temperatures will drop in the afternoon into Sunday night, and some of the rain could turn to light flurries or freezing drizzle.

Read the latest conditions and forecasts at chicagotribune.com/weather.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

Three people were shot Saturday night in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side.

At about 11:20 p.m., police responded to shots fired in the 400 block of North Central Avenue, said Police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro.

When police arrived, they discovered three people with gunshot wounds, Alfaro said.

Conditions on the victims were not immediately available, but the victims were taken to area hospitals for treatment, he said.

Alfaro said had no information about the age or gender of the victims.

–Deanese Williams-Harris

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

Article Tags: CO2 Level, Lord Monckton

The authoritative Monthly CO2 Report for freezing December 2009 warns those skeptical of extremist claims about the climate not to crow too soon: the faction profiting from the scare will not give up. Editorial Comment: Page 3. Professor Bill Gray demonstrates that hurricanes have grown less intense as the world has warmed. Pages 4-6. IPCC assumes CO2 concentration will reach 836 ppmv by 2100, but, for nine years, CO2 concentration has headed straight for only 570 ppmv by 2100. This factor alone almost halves all of the IPCC’s temperature projections. Pages 8-9. Since 1980 global temperature has risen at only 2.5 °F (1.4 °C)/century, not 7 F° (3.9 C°) as IPCC predicts. Pages 10-12. Sea level rose just 8 inches in the 20th century, and has scarcely risen since 2006. The oceans are not warming. Pages 13-14. Arctic sea-ice extent is now beyond its summer low, but there was more summer ice than there was in 2007 or 2008. In the Antarctic, sea ice extent reached a record high in 2007. Global sea ice extent shows little trend for 30 years. Pages 15-18. Hurricane and tropical-cyclone activity is almost at its lowest since satellite measurement began. Page 19. A cold start to winter set snow and ice records across the US and Eurasia. Pages 20-21. Sunspot activity is back to normal: but, looking back it was a long – and cool – solar minimum. Page 22. The (very few) benefits and the (very large) costs of the Waxman/Markey Bill are illustrated at Pages 23-26. The Solar Ap Index of geomagnetic activity hits a new low: the graphs are in this month’s Science Focus. Pages 27-28. As always, there’s our “global warming” ready reckoner, and our monthly selection of scientific papers. Pages 29-35. The medieval warm period was real, global, and warmer than the present, as our global map shows. Page 36. And finally … a cartoon that celebrates the extreme cold and snow that marked the end of the Copenhagan affair. Page 37.

Click source to download PDF file to read FULL report by Christopher Monckton

Source: scienceandpublicpolicy.org

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