Author: Serkadis

We have covered both the Monster Turbines and Turbine Pros and now they have gone ahead and announced a new version called the Turbine Pro Copper. The Copper version promises to up the ante even more in sound quality and even price since it will cost about a whopping $399.95 for a regular pair of in-ear speakers or $429.95 with ControlTalk. For that kind of price we are dying to hear if they are worth their weight in copper! The Turbine Pro Copper Edition will not only come with its renowned SuperTips but with additional foam tips as well. The Turbine Pro Copper edition is bound to make audiophiles mouths water it’s just a matter of time till we can determine if they are indeed worth the astounding price.

Late night comic David Letterman has come under fire from a pair of gay rights advocacy groups over an anti-transgender skit mocking the Obama administration’s appointment of Amanda Sampson to a senior position at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Amanda — who was born Mitch 48 years ago — started her job as a senior technical advisor on Tuesday. Dave and his Late Show crew used the historic appointment to poke fun at gender-bending by featuring a “Trans Panic” spoof that aired on last night’s program. GLAAD and The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, have presented the Late Show’s parent network, CBS, with letters denouncing the controversial sketch.

Both groups are calling for a public apology.

“Depicting people reacting in horror to transgender individuals is a dangerous stereotype for popular media to perpetuate because it contributes to the societal conception of transgender people as abnormal and deceptive, which all-too-often results in anti-transgender violence and/or discrimination when played out in reality,” GLAAD said in a statement Wednesday. “We are reaching out to CBS Late Show with David Letterman with our concerns about this transphobic joke. Please send your concerns to CBS.”

The Human Rights Campaign writes: “You may not be aware that the punch line in your skit has been used as a defense in nearly every hate crime perpetrated against transgender people that has come to trial….Your skit affirmed and encouraged a prejudice against transgender Americans that keeps many from finding jobs, housing, and enjoying freedoms you and your writers take for granted every day. We ask that you apologize publicly to Ms. Simpson and the transgender community for this unfortunate episode.”

The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation will honor five physicians with awards representing the highest ideals of medical service in providing care to underserved and uninsured patients.

These physicians are recognized for their altruism, compassion, and leadership.

The physicians will be presented with awards during the eighth annual Excellence in Medicine Awards dinner on March 1, 2010 in conjunction with the AMA National Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C.

“These five Excellence in Medicine Award recipients embody what it means to be a physician,” said AMA Foundation President Richard Hovland.

“By compassionately sacrificing their time and effort to help underserved, uninsured and disadvantaged populations, these physicians show us that one person can truly make a difference. They are role models for us all.”

Two physicians will receive the Pride in the Profession Award, two physicians will receive the Jack B. McConnell, MD Award for Excellence in Volunteerism and one physician will receive the Dr. Nathan Davis International Award in Medicine.

The awards are presented in association with Pfizer Inc.

The Pride in the Profession Award honors physicians who aid underserved populations in the U.S.

Judith T. Broder, MD

Psychiatrist

The Soldiers Project, Los Angeles, Calif.

Many people in the military are apprehensive to seek help for issues such as PTSD, depression and family problems through military channels, for fear it could adversely affect their careers. Judith Broder, MD launched The Soldiers Project, offering mental health services for the military and their families. All treatment is offered without charge and is completely confidential. Currently, there are 400 licensed therapists participating in the program, and in Southern California alone, over 300 people have consulted these therapists. The program has expanded to Seattle, Chicago, New York City, Sacramento and San Diego.

Javier Davila, MD

Internist and infectious disease specialist

American Indian Healing Center, Whittier, Calif.

It is a common misconception that the health care needs of the American Indian community are met through government programs. In fact, urban American Indians are among the most medically underserved group in the nation. Javier ‘Hawk’ Davila, MD recognized this need and founded the American Indian Healing Center (AIHC) in 2000, providing health care to disadvantaged American Indians in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Today, AIHC serves as a medical home to over 1,500 individuals, providing primary care and health education.

The Jack B. McConnell, MD Award for Excellence in Volunteerism honors senior physician volunteers who increase access to health care in the U.S.

Zaven S. Ayanian, MD

Internist

Parker Family Health Center, Red Bank, New Jersey

In 2000, as the second physician volunteer to be recruited to launch the Parker Family Health Center, Zaven Ayanian, MD has been there from the beginning. The free clinic evolved from a walk-in clinic open two nights a week into a six-day-a-week comprehensive health care source. Now, after nine years of volunteerism, Dr. Ayanian has helped to build an organization that provides 10,000 patient visits annually with support from 200 volunteers.

Robert G. Kendall, MD

Neurosurgeon

Our Health, Inc., Winchester, Va.

Robert Kendall, MD is the catalyst behind Our Health, Inc., which provides coordinated, collaborative, high quality health care to disadvantaged populations. The Our Health model provides ‘one stop shopping’ for low income, uninsured and underinsured citizens of Frederick and Clarke Counties and the city of Winchester. Started in 1999, twenty-nine different agencies are linked together through Our Health. The result is astounding – this network, including 25,000 square feet of office space and a green activity area, serves 15,000 people annually.

The Dr. Nathan Davis International Award in Medicine honors physicians for outstanding international service.

Richard Bransford, MD

Bethany Kids at Kijabe, Kijabe, Kenya

Richard Bransford, MD has spent a lifetime in service transforming the lives of disabled children of Africa. In 2004, he and a colleague founded Bethany Kids Center at Kijabe Hospital, which has become known throughout Africa as a referral center for disabled children. At fourteen outreach clinics across Kenya, nurses and doctors assess new and previously treated patients. African trainee doctors work alongside Dr. Bransford’s team to learn the special operations for this population.

About the AMA Foundation

The AMA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation, is the philanthropic arm of the American Medical Association and is committed to improving the health of Americans through support of quality programs in public health and medical education.

For more information, please visit amafoundation.org.

Last summer, of course, there was a lot of attention paid to China’s announced plans that every PC sold in China needed to include the new “Green Dam Youth Escort” software, which was a client-side filtering program. After international outrage over the plan actually had some sort of impact, the government backed down. A smaller story, that came out during all of this, was that the Green Dam software appeared to copy significant portions of the commercial filter product, CyberSitter. Now, CyberSitter has sued the Chinese government and a bunch of companies for $2.2 billion. The lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles, and I would wonder what jurisdiction a Los Angeles district court has over the Chinese government concerning software that was only to be used in China.

While the lawsuit does include the expected copyright claim, it also goes much further to claim trade secret violations and “conspiracy.” And while the Chinese government is obviously the headline grabber, it also includes Sony, Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, ASUSTek, BenQ and Haier, claiming that these computer makers were in on the conspiracy. While many of those have US operations, it seems like a longshot that (a) the court has jurisdiction over their actions in China or (b) the charge of “conspiracy” has any chance of sticking.

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What emblem best signifies the end of the space shuttle era? NASA has selected its 15 finalists for a mission patch symbolizing the conclusion of the shuttle program, currently scheduled for this fall. The CollectSpace Web site has the whole batch on view.
A panel of judges at the space agency selected the finalists from more than 80 entries that were submitted over the past few months by the shuttle program’s past and present workers. The same judges will select the winning patch in February, after…(read more)

Fastcardtech.com have published this three part customer video review of the Sunno A880 Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone. The device is HTC Magic-looking, but does at least bear the Sunno brand proudly.

The smartphone unusually for a Chinese device is not dual SIM, but if your expectations for performance is low (the processor is only 406 Mhz) it is still a pretty well specified device, with a 3.2 inch HVGA screen, a first for Windows Mobile, WIFI, GPS and EDGE, 5 megapixel camera and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, all for only $179.99.

In part 2 we can clearly see the device is a Windows Mobile 6.5.3 device, suggesting part of the saving may be not paying any license fee to Microsoft and using leaked ROMs.

See part 2 and 3 of the review after the break.

Part 3

Read more about the device at Fastcardtech.com here.

Thanks tjoho for the tip.

Riversimple’s Hybran project, an open-source design for a fuel-cell car that anyone can access and build, has taken one step closer to reality with the publishing of the first engineering drawings now online. Riversimple says that all of its designs will be posted online starting with the car’s rear suspension layout.

Riversimple hopes to speed up development by gathering criticism from analysts and consumers.

“One of our hopes is that the open-source community will speed up development of the fuel cell and electrical network, as well as other key technologies,” said Hugo Spowers, a key partner in the Riversimple project.

Early last year, Riversimple debuted its new two-seater hydrogen-electric city car with an estimated fuel-economy of 300 mpg. Power comes from a 6kW fuel-cell system from Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, which allows the two-seater to travel 240 miles on one small tank of hydrogen.

The first 10 Hybran prototypes are planned to be on the roads by the end of 2011. Riversimple plans on producing 5,000 units a year for the UK.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: AutoCar

The Samsung E6 and E101 are the first eBook readers with electromagnetic resonance stylus that let you take notes and scribble as you read, with what Samsung claims is vastly improved functionality over competitive models.

Samsung’s partnership with Google Books means that there’s a lot of content that will already be loaded at launch, and the two readers support both Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth.

The screens aren’t backlit, which according to Samsung will provide a more natural reading experience, and it looks like you’ll have your choice of stylus thickness.

The E6 and E101 will both be available early this year, for $399 and $699, respectively.

SAMSUNG UNVEILS ITS FIRST E-BOOK FOR READING, WRITING AND SHARING ON-THE-GO

Samsung’s New E-book Series Boasts First-of-its-Kind Functionality with a Precision Stylus Pen

Las Vegas, January 6, 2009 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, today unveiled its first e-book devices, with six-inch and ten-inch screen size offerings, at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The E6 and E101 further solidify Samsung’s position as a global leader in display technology by raising the bar on the quality of writing capabilities for e-books.

“We’ve used our expertise to create a high-quality e-book with today’s on-the-go consumer in mind,” said Young Bae, director of display marketing, Samsung Information Technology Division. “Samsung is addressing a common frustration that users experience with many of today’s digital readers with a stylus that allows them to annotate their favorite works or take notes. Coupled with wireless functionality that enables sharing of content, this is a truly multi-faceted device..”

Handwriting Capabilities

Unlike other e-book devices, Samsung’s E6 and E101 enables handwriting directly onto the display, allowing users to annotate their reading selections, calendars and to-do lists with a built-in electromagnetic resonance (EMR) stylus pen. This dedicated pen prevents mistypes caused by hands and other objects that may graze the screen’s surface. A variety of pen and eraser thicknesses make the Samsung e-books perfect for drawing and writing.

Low Power Consumption

The Samsung e-book displays reflect light naturally and deliver an appearance similar to that of printed paper, allowing people to read more naturally than they would with other backlit electronic paper devices. The E101 boasts a ten-inch screen, while the E6, is the more portable sibling at six inches. Because Samsung’s e-book is not backlit, the power consumption is lower than that of other portable display devices. Only four hours of charging prepares the battery for up to two weeks of use, depending on the extent of daily use.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Wireless

Samsung’s e-books are equipped for wireless connectivity as well. Wi-Fi 802.11b/g allows users to download content such as books and newspapers from a server wirelessly, as well as to share certain content with other devices. Bluetooth 2.0 is also a built in feature.
The Samsung E6 and E101 will be priced at $399 and $699, respectively. They will be available in early 2010.

Let’s start with the good news: In 2009 cleantech became the dominant category in venture capital investing, attracting$5.6 billion in new investments worldwide. That’s more than IT or biotechnology, which until recently attracted the majority of VC investments. So says a report released today by the Cleantech Group and Deloitte.

Dallas Kachan, managing director of the Cleantech Group, tells the New York Times’ Green Inc.:

Clean-tech went from a niche category to become the dominant category in venture capital investing.

Now the for the bad news. The $5.6 billion that flowed into renewable energy startups last year, actually represented a 33 percent drop from the $8.5 billion invested in 2008. Investments in cleantech have retreated to 2003 levels, according to the Cleantech Group /Deloitte report — see table below.

The investment drop can largely be blamed on the global financial crisis and the dearth of funding that ensued.

The Cleantech Group and Deloitte report has tracked 557 cleantech investments in 2009 from 567 deals in 2008, and 488 in 2007.

In cleantech, the solar sector got a majority of the early stage funding, securing $1.2 billion. Solyndra, the California maker of thin-film photovoltaic cells, raised $198 million last year, the largest amount of venture cash raised. It also secured a $535 million Department of Energy loan guarantee to build a solar panel plant. Some $1 billion went to startups that develop energy efficiency technology.

Venture capitalists invested $331 million in China last year — a modest amount compared to the $3.5 billion invested in North America, which is a 42 percent drop compared to a year ago.

The Ford F-Series pickup has been the best selling pickup and the best-selling vehicle for as long as we can remember (way, and we mean way before even egmCarTech was established).

Ford announced today that its F-Series has been the best-selling truck for 33 straight years, outselling its closest competitor by more than 97,000 units. Not only that, but the F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for the past 28 years.

“When it comes to trucks, only one stat matters – how customers vote with their wallets,” said Doug Scott, truck group marketing manager. “And the results are clear – the capability, productivity, technology and value of Ford F-Series is unmatched.”

Ford F-Series sales totaled 413,625 in 2009.

Hit the jump for the press release.

Press Release:

FORD F-SERIES DOES IT AGAIN: BEST-SELLING TRUCK FOR 33 STRAIGHT YEARS; BEST-SELLING VEHICLE FOR 28 YEARS

* Ford’s F-Series is America’s best-selling truck for 33 straight years, outselling its nearest rival by 97,000 units, largest margin in three years
* December sales for F-Series were 48,209, a 16 percent increase over last year and the best sales month since March 2008

Dearborn, Mich., Jan. 6, 2010 – For the 33rd year in a row, Ford’s award-winning F-Series is America’s best-selling truck with 2009 sales of 413,625. F-series outsold its nearest truck rival by more than 97,000 units, the largest margin in three years.

In addition, for the 28th consecutive year, F-Series is once again America’s best-selling vehicle of any type – car, crossover, SUV, truck or van.

F-Series sales for 2009 totaled 413,625, which increased its segment share by 4 percentage-points. December sales for F-Series were 48,209, a 16 percent increase over December 2009 and the best sales month since March 2008.

The F-150 was redesigned inside and out for 2009 and set a new benchmark for full size pickups with new high-strength, lighter-weight chassis that delivers more class-leading towing and hauling capability and unsurpassed fuel economy.

During the past six years, the “core trucker” – those who use their truck’s towing and hauling capability for work and play – has jumped to 40 percent from 30 percent of the light-duty full-size pickup market. In the commercial/fleet portion of this core trucker sub-segment, Ford F-Series continues to dominate. The F-150 has 44 percent of the light duty commercial/fleet market; and Super Duty is stronger still with over 56 percent of heavy duty commercial/fleet market.

New to F-Series for 2010 is the F-150 Harley-Davidson and the off-road F-150 SVT Raptor, winner of the 2009 Truck of Texas.

F-Series also offers the industry-first Ford Work Solutions, an innovative suite of options including an in-dash computer with Internet access, Tool Link to track tools, Crew Chief technology to dispatch workers and reduce vehicle operating costs and Cable Lock to improve security of tools and equipment.

When the 2011 F-Series Super Duty hits dealership showrooms this spring, it will feature an all-new Ford-designed, Ford-engineered and Ford-built 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbocharged V-8 diesel engine.

The top-selling Ford truck dealerships in the country are located in Texas, Nebraska and Missouri. Among them: Woodhouse Ford, Blair, Nebraska; Philpott Ford, Port Neches, Texas; Planet Ford, Spring, Texas; Midway Ford Truck Center, Kansas City, Missouri.; Five Star Ford, North Richland Hills, Texas; Sam Pack’s Five Star Ford, Carrollton, Texas.

– By: Omar Rana

Filed under: Software, Open Source

There are many options for running Windows programs on the Mac. Boot Camp, for instance, is included with OS X for installing Windows on a separate partition. Parallels, VMware, and Sun offer virtualization software that let you run your Windows programs without logging out of OS X. And then there’s Wine.

TUAWHow to run Windows apps for free with Wine on OS X originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most cervical cancer deaths are preventable

In recognition of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Damon T. Arnold, Illinois Department of Public Health Director, is urging women over the age of 21 to be screened regularly for cervical cancer.

“Almost every cervical cancer death is preventable through early detection, treatment and follow-up.

Families and friends don’t have to lose loved ones to cervical cancer and women don’t have to suffer if they take care of themselves and routinely get screened for cervical cancer,” Dr. Arnold said.

According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, about 10,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and about 3,700 women die each year from this disease.

The latest data for Illinois shows in 2006, 572 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer.

That same year, 173 women died of cervical cancer.  In 2010, it is estimated that 610 women in Illinois will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 180 women will die.

“Increasing awareness of cervical cancer and preventive steps women can take is extremely important.  Regular exercise, a healthy diet and routine screenings are proactive efforts women can take that may reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Avoiding risk factors for cancer, like smoking, may also help reduce the chances of developing cancer.

However, there are other factors, such as genetics, that cannot be avoided.

Women need to educate themselves about cervical cancer and what they can do to stay healthy,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Women’s Health Deputy Director Shannon Lightner.