Author: Serkadis

  • Prior Velho

    O Prior Velho é uma vila e freguesia portuguesa do concelho de Loures, com 1,61 km² de área e 6 683 habitantes (2001). Densidade demográfica: 4 150,9 h/km².

    Localizada no sudoeste do concelho, a freguesia do Prior Velho faz fronteira com as freguesias de Camarate, a oeste, Portela de Sacavém, a este, Sacavém, a norte (em Loures), e Santa Maria dos Olivais, a sul (em Lisboa).

    Inclui os sítios do Figo Maduro, do Prior Velho e da Quinta da Francelha. Integra ainda no seu território parte do Aeroporto de Lisboa e a Base Aérea de Figo Maduro.

    Foi elevada a vila em 12 de Junho de 2009

    História

    Datam de meados do século XIX as primeiras referências ao sítio do Prior Velho, por haver aí vivido, aparentemente, um prior de já avançada idade. Por essa altura começou a sua industrialização. O desenvolvimento que se verificou ao longo de todo o século XX levou à criação da freguesia, em 1989, por desmembramento de Sacavém. Prior Velho tem como padroeiro da paroquia São Pedro.

    http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prior_Velho

    http://www.jf-prior-velho.pt/

    Localização:

  • 2010 Detroit: BMW Concept ActiveE joins Project i, MegaCity program

    2010 Detroit: BMW Concept ActiveE

    • Key Competitors: Nothing as of yet.
    • Power: Synchronous electric-motor – 170-hp / 184 lb-ft.
    • Performance: 0-37 mph 4.5 seconds; 0-62 mph 9 seconds; top speed 90 mph.
    • Total Range/Charge Time: 100 miles / 4.5 hours.
    • Production: Nothing planned.

    Joining the MINI E, the BMW Concept ActiveE is the latest edition to BMW’s Project i and MegaCity program. As you can see, it is based on the BMW 1-Series Coupe with the power train replaced by a 170-hp electric-motor. BMW has said nothing about production plans for the Concept ActiveE but says that the goal is to test “the use of electric drive for everyday purposes in a vehicle which offers the driving pleasure which is characteristic of BMW automobile.”

    Besides the design and technology, we really like the overall blue illuminated trim on the ActiveE.

    You know the drill – click through for the live high-res image gallery.

    2010 Detroit: BMW Concept ActiveE:

    2010 Detroit: BMW Concept ActiveE 2010 Detroit: BMW Concept ActiveE 2010 Detroit: BMW Concept ActiveE 2010 Detroit: BMW Concept ActiveE

    All Photos Copyright © 2009 Stephen Calogera – egmCarTech.

    BMW Concept ActiveE:

    – By: Stephen Calogera


  • You Can Help During Cervical Cancer Month

    The Promise to Me initiative empowers women to make their health a priority by reminding them to schedule their own annual gynecologic exams and pass the reminder to friends. It’s a promise you make to yourself and a friendly reminder to keep it.

    January is National Cervical Health Awareness Month, and Hologic partnered with the National Cervical Cancer Coalition to help uninsured women get their screenings. Many women who get cervical cancer aren’t routinely screened for the disease.

    cervical-cancer-fund

    A simple way you can help in a snap:

    For every woman who makes a promise, Hologic will donate $1 to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) to fund cervical cancer screenings for uninsured women. Passing the promise to friends extends your ability to help even more.

    Don’t think you need a reminder to schedule your annual exam? If you’re taking the pill, you might remember shortly before your prescription is about to run out, but some doctors get booked up several weeks in advance. That means you’d have to get a new refill over the phone, if possible, and then your annual exams and prescription refill times would be all off kilter! Yip, that happened to me once. Some insurance companies want you to have your annual exam no sooner than a year before your last one, but, of course, if health concerns come up, you’d visit your doc immediately.

    So, maybe you just never, never, ever forget to schedule your appointment. Well, maybe your friends do! After you sign up (just your name and email address), you have the opportunity to also send the message to friends who may need the reminder. The whole process takes under a minute. I did it as I was writing this post.

    Even if you and all of your friends are super organized and don’t need reminders emailed to you, just make the promise anyway to do your part in helping to fund cervical cancer screenings for uninsured women. It’s totally free, and the only email you’ll receive is related to the initiative. Plus, you can unsubscribe whenever you want.

    PS – At Promise to Me, you may also sign up for a reminder to get your mammogram.

    (Image via stock.xchng)

    Post from: Blisstree

    You Can Help During Cervical Cancer Month

  • “The A-Team” Trailer

    A teaser trailer for the new action movie The A-Team has been leaked! The motion picture remake of NBC’s ’80s crime-fighting classic features Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Patrick Wilson, and Jessica Biel.

    The A-Team Movie is scheduled for release in July 2010.


  • Gold in Canada: Bravo Reports Gold Recoveries from 87% to 92% in Metallurgical Test Work at Homestake Ridge BVG.v, GG, NEM, ABX, GDX, GRC.to, RR.v, PG

    Bravo Ventures is moving up from low band channel with signal Buy on Volume and all other indicators in neutral to positive (Slow STO). We have another important piece in this developing Gold deposit in Canada today – positive metallurgy. Last financing and dilution has brought a speed bump for this play, rising gold price and coming new encouraging drilling results will overcome it with a new highs this season.
    We are in agreement that it is time to rotate into Junior mining sector. After this consolidation, once investment public will realise that Gold will stay above 1000 USD/oz and it was not a final blip, money will go into Juniors, which still lack as a sector previous excitement of Bull Legs Up. Silver moves will be more dramatic, as usual, with double drivers of Inflation and Commodity High Tech Recovery play.
    Economy is not rosy at all, but it is our ticket to the Growth. There is always Bull market somewhere. Debts could be only inflated away, do not bet on the Green Fellow – that this counter rally is for real. Orderly decline for Us Dollar is the name of the game.
    Gold recent top coincided with Chinese calling for a Gold Bubble – they will be the buyers and keep it above 1000 USD/oz in a few months from now. Central banks become a Buyers in the Gold market with China, India and Russia now increasing positions. It will be the new driver.”

    Bravo Reports Gold Recoveries from 87% to 92% in Metallurgical Test Work at Homestake Ridge

    Press Release Source: Bravo Venture Group Inc. On Monday January 11, 2010, 1:31 pm
    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – 01/11/10) – Bravo Venture Group Inc. (TSX-V:BVGNews)(Frankfurt:B6INews) announced today that calculated gold recoveries ranging from 87% to 92% were returned from initial metallurgical testing on composite samples from its Homestake Ridge Project, NW British Columbia.
    The company reported that the test work, which was conducted on a blend of composites from three different areas in the Main Homestake deposit, involved combinations of gravity separation, flotation, whole ore cyanidation and concentrate cyanidation to derive four separate process flowsheets. These resulted in calculated recoveries of 87% to 92% for gold and 59% to 70% for silver.
    Gravity recovered 35% of the gold and 20% of the silver into a gravity concentrate. Lock-cycle flotation tests on gravity tails yielded gold, silver and copper recoveries of 85%, 84% and 95%, respectively, while direct cyanidation of gravity tails yielded gold and silver extractions of 87% and 49%, respectively.
    Rougher flotation of gravity tails yielded 92% gold and silver recoveries into a rougher flotation concentrate. Cyanidation of reground rougher flotation concentrate yielded gold and silver extractions of 88% and 60%, respectively.
    Metallurgical work is being conducted at SGS Lakefield Research Limited under the supervision of Melis Engineering Ltd. of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
    President Joe Kizis comments, “We are pleased that our initial metallurgical test work has verified our belief that metal recovery should be quite attractive. Further optimization is necessary, of course, but several acceptable recovery options are available. Metallurgical test work continues, particularly on the Hangingwall Silver horizon portion of the Main Homestake deposit, and we are planning to initiate test work on our new discovery, the Homestake Silver deposit.”
    Detailed Discussion of Results
    Composite ‘HR’
    Test work was conducted on Composite ‘HR’, a blend of three sub-composites from the Main Homestake deposit, which was chosen to test both significant head-grade and to approximate the average mineralogical properties of much of the Main Homestake deposit. The sub-composites, which sampled over 235 metres of mineralized interval, represented higher-grade sulphide-rich mineralization from two different areas of the deposit and shallow, lower-grade siliceous mineralization from a third area of the deposit. The analyzed head grade for Composite HR was 6.24 g/t gold 12.7 g/t silver and 0.14% copper.
    Mineralogical work on samples from Composite HR, which included Scanning Electron Microscopy, revealed that the samples consists mainly of potassium feldspar (35.2%), quartz (27.5%), and moderate amounts of calcite/dolomite (7.8%), sulphides (less than 8.0%), clays (3.2%), chlorite (2.4%), and other minor components. Chalcopyrite, which accounts for most of the copper in the sample, is a minor component at 0.5%. Trace amounts of other sulphides, such as sphalerite, galena, arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite, are also present. Pyrite makes up 92.3% of the sulphides.
    Gold is present as free particles, and attached or locked in particles of pyrite and silicate minerals. Numerous gold grains, some as large as 100 to 150 microns, were observed.
    Silver is present as native silver, electrum, krustelite, hessite, silver tetrahedrite, acanthite, pyrargyrite, and as an alloy with antimony.
    Process Options
    The test work considered four process flowsheets, all incorporating gravity recovery at the front end of the circuit. These included:

    — Option 1 – gravity recovery then flotation of gravity tails to produce a
    gold/silver concentrate with low copper values for sale to a smelter
    — Option 2 – gravity recovery then on-site dore smelting of gravity
    concentrate and flotation of gravity tails to produce a gold/silver
    concentrate with low copper values for sale to a smelter,
    — Option 3 – gravity then whole-ore cyanidation and dore production on
    site,
    — Option 4 – gravity then flotation of rougher concentrate and cyanidation
    of gravity and rougher concentrate and Dore production on site.
    Metallurgical Efficiencies
    Gravity recovery yielded 35% of the gold and 20% of the silver into a gravity concentrate representing approximately 0.05% of the feed weight. Gravity tails thus contained 65% of the gold and 80% of the silver.
    Lock-cycle flotation tests on gravity tails yielded gold, silver and copper unit recoveries of 85%, 84% and 95%, respectively, into a concentrate representing 4.5% of the feed weight. The overall gross recovery of a gravity/flotation circuit was thus estimated at 90% for gold, 87% for silver and 95% for copper.
    Direct cyanidation of gravity tails yielded gold and silver extractions of 87% and 49%, respectively, representing overall gross recoveries of 92% for gold and 59% for silver for a gravity/cyanidation circuit.
    Rougher flotation of gravity tails yielded 92% gold and silver recoveries into a rougher flotation concentrate representing 20% of the feed weight. Cyanidation of reground rougher flotation concentrate yielded gold and silver extractions of 88% and 60%, respectively, representing gross overall recovery values of 88% for gold and 64% for silver for a gravity/flotation/cyanidation circuit.
    Flowsheet Comparison
    Based on the metallurgical test results and a composite head grade of 6.24 g/t gold, 12.7 g/t silver and 0.14% copper, the estimated recoveries for each of the four process options are summarized as follows. Note that recoveries listed in Options 1 and 2 assume that the concentrate is marketable (an assessment of potential smelters will form part of the on-going work for the project) and include deductions for typical copper concentrate smelter payment terms to make the values comparable to recoveries from cyanidation.

    ————————————————–
    Table 1
    Bravo Venture Group Inc. – Homestake Ridge Project
    Estimated Recoveries for Different Process Options
    ————————————————–
    % Recovery Estimate
    ——————————
    Process Option Au Ag Cu
    ————————————————–
    1 87 69 60
    ————————————————–
    2 88 70 60
    ————————————————–
    3 92 59 0
    ————————————————–
    4 88 64 0
    ————————————————–
    Option 1 – Recoveries listed include deductions for typical copper concentrate smelter payment terms for gold, silver and copper assuming the combined concentrate is saleable, based on a combined concentrate representing 4.5% of the feed weight and a calculated concentrate grade of 125 g/t gold, 245 g/t silver and 3.0% copper. These recovery values do not include any deduction for concentrate treatment charges, penalty charges or transportation costs.
    Option 2 – Recoveries listed include deductions for typical copper concentrate smelter payment terms for gold, silver and copper assuming the flotation concentrate is saleable, based on a flotation concentrate representing 4.5% of the feed weight and a calculated concentrate grade of 70 g/t gold, 175 g/t silver and 3.0% copper. These recovery values do not include any deduction for concentrate treatment charges, penalty charges or transportation costs.
    Test work Composite HR is essentially complete except for some tailings analyses and a detailed concentrate analysis, which is due in early 2010.
    Composite ‘SZ’
    Test work was also begun on Composite ‘SZ’, a fourth and mineralogically distinct sub-composite of samples from the Hangingwall Silver horizon of the Main Homestake deposit, and will be completed in early 2010. It will include lock-cycle testing to quantify flotation recoveries under conditions approaching steady state, and mineralogical examination of the composite to determine the mode of occurrence of silver and gold. The assay for this composite is 12.4 g/t gold, 1,366 g/t silver, 0.07% copper, 0.4% lead and 0.91% zinc.
    The mineralogy of Composite SZ is similar to mineralization identified in the newly discovered Homestake Silver deposit, which is located approximately 700 metres to the southeast of the Main Homestake deposit and was the focus of recent drilling by Bravo at the Homestake Ridge Project.
    About Bravo Venture Group Inc.
    Bravo Venture Group Inc. is focused on exploring its precious and base metal-rich Homestake Ridge project in British Columbia, a gold-rich epithermal/VMS-related system within Eskay Creek/Silbak- Premier stratigraphy. Pursuant to the recently announced “Plan of Arrangement”, Bravada Gold Corp. will focus on exploring Bravo’s extensive Carlin-type gold holdings strategically located within the Battle Mountain/Eureka “Cortez” gold trend in Nevada.
    Rob Macdonald (P.Geo.) is the Qualified Person responsible for reviewing the technical results in this release.
    On behalf of the Board of Directors
    Joseph A. Kizis Jr., Director, President, Bravo Venture Group Inc.
    We seek safe harbor.
    The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by management.”
  • Windows Mobile 7 to support ARMv7 instruction set, Hardware Abstraction Layer

    From the CV of a Qualcomm Senior Engineer we hear that Windows Mobile 7 will more closely support the capabilities of today’s latest generation of Qualcomm processors:

    January 2008 to Present

    Senior Engineer 
    Qualcomm, Raleigh, NC
    • Enablement and bring up of Windows Mobile 7 (for Smart phones) on chipsets with the scorpion processor, which have ARMv7 architecture.
    • Software development on bootloader, kernel OEM abstraction layer, modem interface, and various drivers and features.

    The Scorpion chipset is Qualcomm’s version of ARM’s Cortex A8. By being more closely optimised for the chipset the OS runs on it should have greater performance at the same clock rate as the Windows Mobile 6.5, meaning devices like the HTC HD2 will be ven faster once its loaded up with Windows Mobile 7.

    Also interesting is the last line of the entry, stating that the engineer was working on a kernel OEM abstraction layer.  As many readers will know, the Windows Mobile kernel does not come with a HAL, meaning it is directly compiled to the hardware it is meant to run on.  With a HAL it makes the Windows Mobile code more portable, meaning it should be easier for Microsoft to provide updates for smartphones in the future.

    See the CV here.

    Share/Bookmark

  • OpenShot 1.0 – Editor de vídeo opensource

    OpenShotNo mês passado falamos aqui acerca do VLMC, um editor de vídeo opensource e multiplataforma que esta a ser desenvolvido pela mesmo equipa do VLC e que promete ter bastante êxito.

    Esta semana apresentamos-lhe o OpenShot, um editor de vídeo igualmente opensource disponível para Linux que está na sua versão 1.0 final.

    Entre as novidades do editor, estão novos efeitos de transição, novos themes e novos títulos compatíveis com aspect ratio 4:3 e 16:9. O OpenShot 1.0 está disponível agora em 42 línguas e tem bastantes melhorias a nível de novas funcionalidades e de estabilidade.

    Poderá efectuar o download do OpenShot e obter mais informações no blog oficial aqui.

    WebTugaOpenShot 1.0 – Editor de vídeo opensource

  • Lady Gaga “Oprah” Debut Confirmed

    O’s Gone Gaga! Eccentric pop sensation Lady Gaga will tape her inaugural appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show this Friday, Jan. 15, series executive producer Sheri Salata has confirmed.

    lady-gaga-orgasmanna-wintour-oprah-winfrey


  • Vergonha: Empresários querem passagem de ônibus a R$ 3 no ABC

    09.01.2010
    Empresários querem passagem de ônibus a R$ 3
    Tiago Dantas e Vanessa Fajardo
    Diário do Grande ABC

    Os empresários do setor de transporte público do Grande ABC querem subir o valor das tarifas de ônibus para R$ 3. As prefeituras informaram que ainda não têm previsão de mudar o preço das passagens. Já a EMTU (Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos), afirma que a data do reajuste anual dos ônibus intermunicipais não foi marcada.

    Se o aumento for aprovado do jeito que os empresários querem, a passagem de ônibus no Grande ABC será mais cara que a da Capital paulista. Ao subir para R$ 2,70, no início deste ano, a tarifa de São Paulo se tornou a mais cara das capitais brasileiras, segundo pesquisa realizada pela ANTP (Associação Nacional de Transporte Público).

    "O valor ficará mais alto que o da Capital porque o salário (dos motoristas e cobradores) na região é 35% mais alto. E lá as empresas têm subsídio da Prefeitura", explica Baltazar José de Souza, presidente da AETC/ABC (Associação das Empresas de Transporte Coletivo do ABC). Ele se refere ao fato de que, no orçamento de 2010, a Prefeitura de São Paulo pretende gastar R$ 360 milhões em subsídios para o transporte público.

    "Estamos negociando esse aumento para ontem. A tarifa precisa ser, no mínimo, R$ 3, para as linhas municipais e intermunicipais. Já pedimos reunião com o Consórcio (Intermucipal do Grande ABC). Mas ainda não tem data marcada", afirma Baltazar :gaah:.
    O Consórcio não confirma que foi procurado pela AETC/ABC. O órgão fará uma entrevista com os secretários de transporte da região dia 19.

    As prefeituras de Santo André, São Bernardo, São Caetano e Diadema informaram que o assunto ainda não entrou na pauta de discussões dos municípios. Mauá, Ribeirão Pires e Rio Grande da Serra não responderam.

    O último reajuste na tarifa de ônibus da região ocorreu em dezembro de 2008. As passagens passaram a custar R$ 2,30 em São Caetano e Rio Grande da Serra. Nas outras cidades, o valor da viagem subiu para R$ 2,50.

    Fonte: http://www.dgabc.com.br/default.asp?…c=1&id=5787377

  • 2010 Detroit: 2011 Audi A8 makes auto show debut in Detroit

    2010 Detroit: 2011 Audi A8

    • Key Competitors: BMW 7-Series, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS, Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
    • Power: 4.2L FSI direct-injection V8 – 372-hp / 328 lb-ft.
    • Transmission: 8-speed tiptronic automatic.
    • Performance: 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds; top speed 155 mph.
    • Availability: Late 2010.
    • Pricing: TBA.

    The 2011 Audi A8 sedan made its auto show debut today at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Sales of Audi’s flagship sedan will start in late 2010 along with the long-wheel-base version. Production will take place in Neckarsulm, Baden Wuertemberg, Germany.

    Being one of the most favored full-size luxury sedans, we were wondering whether or not you would choose the new 2011 model over its competitors. Have your say in the poll below.

    Hit the jump for more high-res photos from the show floor.

    2010 Detroit: 2011 Audi A8:

    2010 Detroit: 2011 Audi A8 2010 Detroit: 2011 Audi A8 2010 Detroit: 2011 Audi A8 2010 Detroit: 2011 Audi A8

    All Photos Copyright © 2009 Stephen Calogera – egmCarTech.

    2011 Audi A8:

    – By: Stephen Calogera


  • David Rosenberg Says Stocks Are Way Overvalued, But Be Wary Of His Reasons

    (This guest post originally appeared at the author’s blog)

    A recent research note from Gluskin Sheff’s David Rosenberg highlights the high valuation, high sentiment, and technicals  of the equity markets to highlight his bearish case:

  • Fully 85% of S&P 500 stocks are now above their 50-day moving averages and;
  • The median P/E multiple is now a whopping 22.2x.
  • The degree of bullish sentiment in the latest Investor Intelligence Poll is a huge 72%;
  • Of course, much of this has been the case throughout the rally. While the technicals appear somewhat extended this is not unusual during a major market rally.   As we can see in the chart below, stocks have been well above their 50 day moving average for much of the rally and this has not served as an impediment:

    chart

    As for earnings, we all know my thoughts here.  Earnings hit such a deep trough and estimates spiked so low that this has actually been fuel for the fire.  It might sound counter-intuitive, but the trough in estimates actually led to very poor earnings expectations which has fueled the rally higher.  As we’ve explained before, using the PE ratio to time investment decisions is a recipe for disaster.  The PE ratio is nothing more than a moving price target (which rarely reflects the true market value) divided by the guesstimates of the analyst community.  If we’ve learned one thing over the last 6 months it is that analysts can’t guess their way out of a wet paper bag.  The result is, in my opinion, one of the most misleading and overused investment indicators of all time.

    In terms of sentiment we continue to see conflicting messages.  While the Investors Intelligence poll remains overly bullish we continue to see bearish data from the CFTC’s commitment of traders report, neutral data from the AAII and neutral data from State Street’s Institutional Money poll.  Cherry picking one report doesn’t mean sentiment is overly bullish.

    There are real fundamental reasons to worry about the long-term viability of this rally, but these three should be taken with a grain of salt for now.

    Read more market commentary at The Pragmatic Capitalist — >

    Join the conversation about this story »

    See Also:

  • Salão de Detroit: Novo GMC Granite Concept

    GMC

    Trazendo bastantes novidades este ano a GMC surpreendeu colocando um compacto como a grande estrela do Salão de Detroit.

    Ainda não foi confirmado se o modelo será fabricado em grande escala para a comercialização, mas sendo aprovado pela marca, o modelo será o menor vendido pela marca que fabrica caminhões e camionetes grandes.

    Por ser um compacto o modelo tem um bom espaço em seu interior, excelente para as grandes cidades. Já sua dianteira será bastante alta, estilo os caminhões da GMC que dá um ar de musculoso ao carro, além disso as portas abrem no estilo “suicida”.

    De baixo do capô o modelo conta com um motor de 1.4 litros Turbo que será utilizado tambem pelo Cruze vendido na america. A GMC afirmou que o modelo não passa de um prototipo, mas que tem grandes chances de ser comercializado.

    Fonte: Motor Pasion


  • Sprint Officially Launches 4G After Coming Out Party At CES


    Sprint Hosts Splashy Event To Show-Off 4G and Overdrive Modem

    At an event like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, gadgets are like candy and the creme de la creme are the thinnest TVs, like the ones in the LG (SEO: 066570) booth, or the coolest and most advanced technology, like 3D-video recording and playback. So, when Sprint (NYSE: S) made a big deal out of its brand new wi-fi router that runs on both its 3G and 4G network, many rolled their eyes and moved on to the next thing.

    But Sprint’s splashy press conference represented much more than a the roll-out of a modem that’s capable of connecting all of your wi-fi devices to either its 3G or 4G network – it was the official coming out party for Sprint’s consumer launch of 4G. In an interview, Sprint’s President Steve Elfman told mocoNews: “Our communications group is showing a little leg…You’ve just seen the biggest thing we’ve done on 4G. We’ll do a lot more. We’ve got to go on the road and are still explaining.”

    To be sure, Sprint could have done a better job of getting the message out. The 8 p.m. event was a bit muddled and left already-tired journalists wondering why Steve Ballmer was there if he wasn’t going to announce anything. Not to mention, cooking demonstrations by Chef Mario Batali and a Comedy routine by Frank Caliendo only provided more distractions from the real message.

    Here was the point: Sprint’s 4G network is ready for prime time, and now there’s devices in the market that consumers will actually clamor for…Up until now, it’s been a little unclear what the network, which is actually being built by Sprint’s joint venture partner, Clearwire (NSDQ: CLWR), is for when consumers just started understanding the benefits of 3G. So, an important part of the event was showing how the network would be marketed. Elfman: “The concept we are selling is that this is not like 3G, where you are going to get your next cool phone, it’s a lifestyle. Consumers are not prepared to pay another monthly recurring charge for each electronics device.” Instead, the Overdrive modem will connect five of your wi-fi-enabled devices at a time for a set price.

    In different sectors of the massive hall Sprint rented, it built several scenarios around different themes. One area looked like a dorm, where a student could connect an iPod Touch, use Skype to make phone calls, and stream a move from Hulu or Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) to their laptop. In the home, Sprint demonstrated how you can bypass your cable provider and stream HD movies to your TV; connect your Xbox 360 to the internet, and move pictures from your camera to a digital picture frame. In the theoretical office, you can video conference and download large files, and while on the go, you can watch movies on your laptop, connect a portable gaming device, like a PSP, and download music to your Zune. The Overdrive will be available starting Jan. 10 and will cost $99 with a two-year contract. The monthly contract will run you about $60 for service. That is the same price Sprint is currently charging for a 3G-only contract. Elfman explained that it is able to offer such low prices because the traffic is running on Clearwire’s network, not Sprint’s, which is a huge cost savings (even if they have to share a piece of the revenues with Clearwire).

    Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse, who also made a brief appearance at the event, said: “2010 is the year of Sprint 4G. By the end of the year, we’ll cover about 120 million people. It’s not just about speed—although it can be up to three times faster. 4G means four times the value, four times the amount of gigabytes you get monthly. If your device has wi-fi, Sprint wants you to be free to connect that wi-fi device anywhere.”

    Related


  • Detroit 2010: Anti-Tea Party Protesters make their voices heard in the cold

    Filed under: ,

    While sucking down one of our favorite stimulants in the frigid air outside Cobo Hall, we heard a lone voice across the street scream, “Screw the tea-baggers!” Naturally, we had to investigate.

    Unlike the Tea Party protesters assembling outside General Motors’ Renaissance Center to voice their criticisms about the government’s bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, this ragtag militia of union officials and automaker employees assembled to support the Fed’s financial infusion.

    “We’re here to thank Barack Obama for his support of the automakers,” George Hardy, the vice president of UAW Local 174 told us, going on to say that the cash injection has helped him and his members retain their jobs in one of the worst employment environments in 30 years.

    Hardy was adamant that the government’s detractors refused to see the benefits of the bailouts, simply saying “The Tea Party has it wrong.”

    Detroit 2010: Anti-Tea Party Protesters make their voices heard in the cold originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

  • Balloon Boy Dad Richard Heene Begins 90-Day Jail Sentence

    The Colorado man who admitted orchestrating the Balloon Boy Hoax last fall reported to jail Monday to begin a 90-day jail sentence. Richard Heene drew national attention last October, when his 6-year-old son Falcon was believed to be trapped in a flying saucer-like balloon soaring over the Rockies.

    He pleaded guilty in November to a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant.

    Richard turned himself at the Larimer County Detention Center in Fort Collins, Colorado on Monday morning. Prosecutors said he and his wife, Mayumi Heene, staged their son’s disappearance to generate publicity for themselves because they wanted to star in a television reality show. During an appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live last week, Heene denied that the Balloon Boy Saga was a hoax and insisted he and his wife only plead guilty to save her from deportation back to her native Japan.

    Mayumi will begin serving a 30-day jail term later this year.


  • Droid doesn’t. Have touchscreen accuracy, that is…

    Filed under: ,

    Now there’s a nicely-documented fact that you can throw back in the face of that annoying friend of yours who got a Verizon Droid and who keeps saying “It’s just like an iPhone!”

    According to a report cited on AppleInsider this morning, the touchscreen accuracy of the iPhone is much better than that of three Android phones: the Motorola Droid pushed by Verizon, the HTC Droid Eris, and the new Google Nexus One. Why is that important? Well, when you’re trying to tap a link on a website, for example, chances are very good that you’re going to be successful on the iPhone and not on the the Android phones.

    The tests, performed by MOTO Development Group (no relation to Motorola), measured touchscreen accuracy with a simple test. On each device, a drawing app was launched and a tester drew straight diagonal lines in both directions across the screens with a finger. iPhones showed straight lines in situations with both light and medium finger pressure, while the Android phones showed zig-zag wavy lines across the screen. MOTO stated:

    “On inferior touchscreens, it’s basically impossible to draw straight lines. Instead, the lines look jagged or zig-zag, no matter how slowly you go, because the sensor size is too big, the touch-sampling rate is too low, and/or the algorithms that convert gestures into images are too non-linear to faithfully represent user inputs. This is important because quick keyboard use and light flicks on the screen really push the limits of the touch panel’s ability to sense.”

    Several user comments on the MOTO site validate the findings. Have any TUAW readers been able to compare touchscreen accuracy on an iPhone and an Android device? Leave a comment below.

    [via AppleInsider]

    TUAWDroid doesn’t. Have touchscreen accuracy, that is… originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • New Firefox 3.6 Release Candidate…One Last Time?

    firefox_logo_150.jpgAs we reported last week, Firefox’s latest version of 3.6, release candidate 1, has been released to the general public. This time around, however, Mozilla has issued a more general release, as the new version will not only be available for download but also part of an automatic update for those already running Firefox. The release is one more sign that we’re getting closer by the day to a full-on sparkly new version of Firefox.

    For those of you worried about updating, Mozilla has assured us that “over 75% of the thousands of Firefox Add-ons have now been upgraded by their authors to be compatible with Firefox 3.6,” so go ahead and take that leap. But what will you find on the other side?

    Sponsor

    Firefox 3.6 RC1 Features

    In addition with offering this release as an automatic update, Mozilla has offered a synopsis of what it sees as the most important new features to be found in what the company hopes to be a near final version.

    While wallpapering Firefox with the latest blockbuster movie may be an attractive addition, we are looking forward to a faster and more stable Firefox. Loading scripts asynchronously should speed up some page load-times dramatically by letting faster scripts run while slower ones continue to do their work in the background – something our computers have been doing for a long time now. And the changes to third-party software integration should offer a huge boost to the browser’s stability by keeping the core components of the browser safe from being modified.

    For the web developers out there, increased support for CSS, DOM and HTML5 is always a welcome addition, and the addition of the WOFF font format may further help page load-times and give web designers a greater range of choice.

    Discuss


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  • ADA 2010 Dietary Guidelines

    [This should be USDA Dietary Guidelines, not ADA]

    I’ve been scanning these Comment Summary Reports and I find them really interesting. There’s a war being engaged, and it’s a visible albiet hard-to-find one:

    Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010

    Carbs: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publication…Oct28-2009.pdf

    One example

    Quote:

    Comments Summary Report
    Submission Date Between 04/24/2009 and 10/28/2009
    Key Topic: Carbohydrates
    000652
    09/25/2009

    Educational Institution
    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Adele
    Hite
    MPH/RD candidate
    Carbohydrates, Evidence-based Review Process, Fats, Protein
    Contradictions exist between the science contained in the 2005 Dietary Reference Intakes (Macronutrients) and the current nutritional recommendations and prevailing wisdom.
    Y
    Submission Date:
    Comment ID:
    Organization Type:
    Organization Name:
    First Name:
    Last Name:
    Job Title:
    Key Topic:
    Sub Topic:
    Attachment:
    Comment:
    000580
    08/16/2009
    Individual/Professional
    Laurie
    Weakley
    Carbohydrates
    Low carbohydrate
    My father has had heart disease for over 20 years, He has been eating very low carb for the last 2 years and his doctor is thrilled with his lipids. My whole family joined him on
    this diet and we have seen some surprising improvements in our health.
    I think all the guideline panel members should read Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories.


    There seems to be a range of submissions from individuals to industry to academic. Perhaps some DFers might want to get involved too¿ But it’s definately worth a scan!

  • China Mobile Looks Attractive On Cheap Valuation, Dividend [Voices]

    By Lorraine Luk, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

    China Mobile Ltd. may have been the worst performing blue chip stock in Hong Kong last year, but now may be an opportune time for investors to revisit the stock.

    An attractive dividend yield, cheaper valuation compared to its competitors, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. and China Telecom Corp., as well as improving growth prospects with the launch of more advanced third-generation telecom services likely means a much better year for the telecom operator in 2010.

    “Undeniably, China Mobile’s net profit growth has slowed down. But at current low valuation, we see values in the stock given its strong brand and huge subscriber base,” said Kevin Yim, an analyst at Guococapital.

    Shares of China Mobile, the world’s biggest telecom operator by subscribers, have largely underperformed the broader market due to worries over rising competition after a government-mandated industry restructuring merged China’s six telecom operators into three nationwide full-service operators in late 2008. Due mainly on those concerns, its shares fell 6.4 percent in 2009, while the benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 52 percent. The company’s shares rose 0.5 percent Monday, to 74.85 Hong Kong dollars (US$9.65) each. But at current levels, China Mobile is trading around 10 times 2010 price-to-earnings multiple, much lower than China Unicom (Hong Kong)’s 30 times and China Telecom’s 15 times.

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  • AOL Begins Firing Employees Who Wouldn’t Leave [MediaMemo]

    In November, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said he needed 2,500 “volunteers” to give up their jobs, but not enough of them got the message — only 1,100 walked away on their own.

    Now Armstrong is entering the second phase of his corporate slimdown, and is firing some 1,000+ employees.

    AOL officials say the company has begun notifying European employees of its plans to shut down many of its offices there, and has started tapping some American workers as well. The bulk of the US layoffs are slated for this Wednesday, the company says.

    The goal is to cut the company’s payroll costs by a third.

    The layoffs have been in motion for many months: Armstrong came board as CEO last spring, and it’s been clear since then that he would need to cut costs either before or after the company spun off from Time Warner (TWX).

    The company hasn’t released a breakdown of cuts by territory or by department. But I’m told that the company’s editorial/content production staff, which Armstrong and his lieutenants have been emphasizing as a priority in recent months, will not remain untouched.

    Here’s AOL statement explaining the cuts:

    Since we’ve talked in the past about AOL’s restructuring effort, I want to update you. As you know, in November, we announced that the company would take a $200 million charge and that we planned to decrease the size of our global workforce by one-third. Late last year, we offered Voluntary Separation Program to enable employees to decide what was in their best personal and professional interest. We had approximately 1,100 employees opt to join the Voluntary program. At that time we announced the Voluntary program we noted that if we didn’t reach our target reduction of a third we would need to follow the voluntary program with an involuntary action. We did not reach that target.

    The next phase of our restructuring plan will include an involuntary layoff.  Our process internationally varies by country and is subject to local laws. We began meeting with employees throughout Europe today. For example meetings have already taken place in the UK, Germany and France, and we announced plans to shut down many of our offices in Europe, beginning with those in Spain and Sweden.  In addition, we will be beginning the consultative process with the Workers’ Councils in relevant countries this week.

    In the United States, we will begin notifying a limited number of individuals impacted by the involuntary layoff today, with the majority of notifications taking place in the U.S. on Wednesday, January 13.  As of this point, this layoff will not trigger the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) in any of our locations.  For many of the employees impacted in the U.S., Wednesday will be their last day in the office.

    As you know from covering the company, since April, we have been moving through a process that started with strategy, then focused on structure, and has most recently been centered on aligning our costs with the company’s strategy and structure. As a part of this process, we’ve looked at every aspect of this business. We evaluated our competitive position and product portfolio in every market – and we asked the hard questions about areas that were no longer core to the strategy and our profit profiles in the businesses and countries where we operate.

    We will be offering packages to impacted employees in the U.S. that will include severance, benefits and outplacement assistance, among other things.

    All of our cost alignment work is about ensuring AOL’s sustainability and future success. Project Everest is the completion of phase one of AOL’s turnaround.

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