Author: Serkadis

  • What cities in Scandinavian countries do you know?

    Definition: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia
    Don’t use maps, lists, or other users’ posts.

    Iceland: Keflavik, Reykjavik, Akeuryi
    Norway: Trondheim, Bergen, Oslo, Svarsyearbyen (or something like that)
    Sweden: Stockholm, Uppsala, Umea, Malmo, Gothenburg, Lulea
    Finland: Nykarleby, Vaasa, Oulu, Helsinki, Espoo, Turku, Lahti
    Estonia: Tartu, Taalin

  • Santa Anita Park Race 6 Horse Racing Betting Pick Wednesday 1-6-09

    With our free horse racing selection for Wednesday we are going to play on the 6th race today at Santa Anita. It’s an allowance race for three year olds going two turns at a mile and a sixteenth on the Santa Anita main synthetic surface. With our free pick we will play on #4 The Program to win.

    The Program will be ridden by Garrett Gomez and is trained by Bob Baffert. This three year old is a $310,000 purchase by Harlan’s Holiday. He is coming off a nice fourth place effort across town in the Grade 1 Cash Call Futurity just 1 ½ lengths behind the winner Looking At Lucky. The Program has a win going two turns at Santa Anita breaking his maiden on October 30th. This three year old is making his fourth straight start going two turns. Baffert already has 8 wins in 26 mounts at the current meet.

    Play #4 The Program to win race 6 at Santa Anita 2-1 on the Morning Line.

    Post Time at 6:36PM Eastern Time televised by TVG

    Courtesy of Tonys Picks

  • Amazon Kindle DX Now Available in 100 Countries, Mobile Internet Available Everywhere [E-Readers]

    Amazon just gave their Kindle DX a worldwide launch, plus extended the mobile internet coverage across the globe for content downloads no matter where you’re at. International customers can pre-order now, and it will ship on January 19 for $490.

    Amazon Kindle DX Now for Sale to Customers in More Than 100 Countries

    Kindle DX with a 9.7-inch display now available for pre-order and ships January 19

    SEATTLE—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced that Amazon Kindle DX, the purpose-built reading device that offers Kindle’s revolutionary wireless delivery and massive selection of content with a large 9.7-inch electronic paper display, is available for the first time to customers around the world. With 2.5 times the surface area of Kindle’s 6-inch display, Kindle DX’s larger electronic paper display with 16 shades of gray has more area for graphic-rich content, such as professional and personal documents, newspapers, magazines and textbooks. Kindle DX with Global Wireless is available for pre-order starting today for $489 at www.amazon.com/kindledx and ships Jan. 19.

    “We’re excited to be able to offer Kindle DX to customers worldwide so they can carry all of their personal documents along with their whole library in one slender package.”

    Kindle DX wirelessly downloads books, magazines, newspapers and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution 9.7-inch electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle DX includes a native PDF reader, auto-rotate capability and storage for up to 3,500 books. Kindle DX utilizes the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so you never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot.

    “Kindle DX is great for personal and professional documents, cookbooks and textbooks – anything that is highly formatted. Documents look so good on the big Kindle DX display, that you’ll find yourself changing ink toner cartridges less often and printing fewer documents,” said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “We’re excited to be able to offer Kindle DX to customers worldwide so they can carry all of their personal documents along with their whole library in one slender package.”

    Kindle with Global Wireless, Amazon’s 6-inch purpose-built reading device, was released in October 2009 and has already shipped to over 130 countries. Kindle is the most wished for, most gifted, and #1 bestselling item across the millions of products sold on Amazon.com.

    The Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore) offers international customers over 300,000 English-language books, including New Releases and New York Times Bestsellers, which are typically priced less than physical editions. International customers pay only the listed price of the book – no additional wireless charges or roaming fees. Over 1,000 different rights-holders now have books available in the Kindle Store, including leading publishers Atlantic Books, Bloomsbury, Canongate, Faber and Faber, Harlequin, HarperCollins, Lonely Planet, Penguin, Profile Books, Quercus, Random House, Simon & Schuster and Wiley.

    More than 100 top newspapers and magazines are also available in the Kindle Store for single purchase or subscription, including The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Financial Times (UK), The Times (UK), Globe and Mail (Canada), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany), Le Monde (France), O Globo (Brazil), Hindustan Times (India), The Mainichi Daily News (Japan), El Pais (Spain), La Stampa (Italy), Shanghai Daily (China), El Universal (Mexico), Moscow Times (Russia) and The Prague Post (Czech Republic).

    Customers around the world can now enjoy the same features that have made Kindle DX a top seller in the United States:

    * Wireless Delivery of Personal and Professional Documents: Customers can take their personal and professional documents with them around the world with Kindle DX. They can even wirelessly receive personal and professional documents while they’re on the road, saving the hassle of searching for a printer or fax machine.
    * Built-In PDF Reader: Kindle DX features a built-in, native PDF reader using Adobe Reader Mobile technology for reading professional and personal documents. Like other types of documents on Kindle, customers can wirelessly receive their PDF format documents on their Kindle if they have wireless coverage or move them over using a USB connection. With a larger display and built-in PDF reader, Kindle DX customers can read professional and personal documents with more complex layouts without scrolling, panning or zooming, and without re-flowing. Everything from annual reports with graphs to flight manuals with maps to musical scores can be viewed on a single, crisp screen with Kindle DX.
    * Auto-Rotation: Kindle DX’s display content auto-rotates so users can read in portrait or landscape mode, or flip the device to read with either hand. Simply turn Kindle DX and immediately see full-width landscape views of maps, graphs, tables and images.
    * 3.3 GB Memory Holds up to 3,500 Books: With 3.3 GB of available memory, Kindle DX can hold up to 3,500 books, compared to 1,500 with Kindle. And because Amazon automatically backs up a copy of every Kindle book purchased, customers can wirelessly re-download titles from their library at any time.
    * Annotation and Bookmarks: The Kindle DX keyboard lets customers add annotations to text, just as they would write in the margins of a book. Customers can edit, delete and export these notes, highlight and clip key passages, and bookmark pages for future use. Additionally, Kindle DX automatically bookmarks the last page a customer reads of any content.
    * Automatically Syncs With Kindle and Kindle-Compatible Devices: Amazon’s Whispersync technology automatically syncs customers’ last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights across Kindle, Kindle DX, and Kindle-compatible devices like Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone, as well as Kindle for Mac coming soon.
    * Incredibly Thin: Kindle DX is just over a third of an inch thin, which is thinner than most magazines.
    * Adjustable Text Size: Kindle DX has six adjustable font sizes to suit your reading preference. You can increase the text size of your favorite book or periodical with the push of a button. If your eyes tire, simply increase the font size and continue reading comfortably. Now every book in your library can be large print.
    * 3G Wireless, No PC, No Hunting for Wi-Fi Hot Spots: Just like Kindle, Kindle DX customers automatically take advantage of Amazon Whispernet to wirelessly shop the Kindle Store, download or receive new content in less than 60 seconds, and read from their library-all without a PC, Wi-Fi hot spot, or syncing. Amazon still pays for the wireless connectivity on Kindle DX so books can be downloaded in less than 60 seconds-with no monthly fees, data plans or service contracts.
    * Extended Battery Life: Kindle DX now offers extended battery life – read for up to one full week with wireless on and up to two weeks with the wireless turned off.
    * Text-to-Speech: Kindle DX offers the experimental read-to-me feature “Text-to-Speech” that converts words on a page to spoken word so customers have the option to read or listen. Customers can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and their spot is automatically saved. Pages turn automatically while the content is being read so customers can listen hands-free. Using the read-to-me feature with books, newspapers, magazines, and personal documents, Kindle DX can read to you.
    * No Setup Required: When customers order a Kindle DX, it arrives from Amazon.com ready to use. There is no software to load or set up. Customers are immediately ready to shop, purchase, download and read from Kindle.
    * Built-in Dictionary and Wikipedia: Kindle has built-in access to The New Oxford American Dictionary, which contains over 250,000 entries and definitions, so readers can easily look up the definitions of words within their reading. Kindle customers also have seamless access to the world’s most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia-Wikipedia.org. With Kindle DX in hand, looking up people, places, events and more has never been easier. It gives whole new meaning to the phrase “walking encyclopedia.”







  • Keep All Those Resolutions You Just Made: Try mySomeday

    So, this year, you’ve resolved to lose weight, take a class, learn a new language and buy a better mobile device. Good for you – but we all know how well most new year’s resolutions go.

    If you want to strike while the iron is hot, we’ve found mySomeday, a new tool for solidifying, planning and executing your dreams into realities. The site’s a little bit like Dorthy.com and a little like LetSimonDecide, but it’s also got simple project management tools and interesting social features. Could mySomeday actually help us stick to our resolutions?

    Sponsor

    A while ago, we tested Dorthy.com, a semantic search engine for aspirations that asked users to list goals, share progress and encourage one another. This is quite close to what mySomeday purports to do, as well, albeit through very different mechanisms.

    Calling itself a “goal achievement platform,” mySomeday combines planning tools, social
    networking features and a support community. It makes sense that publicly sharing goals with one’s network has a positive impact on one’s chances of reaching those goals. Also, hacking a dream into a plan with a series of steps and measurable outcomes can help transform a cloud-castle into a reality.

    The site also reminded us of LetSimonDecide, a decision-making platform that helps users analyze their dreams or wishes to determine if they’re optimal, practical and advisable. Once the decision-making process is complete, users can share their conclusions with other site members and make an action plan to implement the decision.

    On mySomeday, users are prompted to set deadlines and receive email reminders, but one of the most interesting features is the option to add multimedia inspirational content, including pictures and videos. Visual reminders have powerful effects – much more than mere words on a glowing screen would, we suspect.

    As part of their business model, mySomeday is offering branded “Expert Plans” for common or niche goals. Currently, Expert Plans are being offered by Seeds of Peace, Flirtexting, BK Farmyards and Nuru International.

    What methods or tools are you using now to keep your resolutions – whether they were made for 2010 or whether they’re just longstanding but dormant goals? Do you think mySomeday is a site you could use? Would the imagery, reminders and community help you achieve your goals?

    And what do you think of the company’s rather unique Expert Plans model? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

    Discuss


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  • Clickfree busts out automatic backup solutions: C2N HDD, Transformer and Traveler SD

    Last year was a relatively quiet one for Clickfree after it showed its cards at CES 2009, but it’s clear the company is looking to start 2010 off with a bang here in the desert. The recently updated C2 backup drive is seeing a significant overhaul at CES, with the C2N acting as a portable backup drive for any computer on your home network. The C2N drive is the company’s first to boast its BackupLink technology, which enables all of your networked machines (Macs and PCs) to be backed up automatically; of course, you’ll only be backing up between 250GB and 640GB of information, but we’re told that larger models are expected later in the year. Next up is the Network Edition of the Transformer, which is apt to be entirely more useful for those of you with capacious USB hard drives already looking for work. Essentially, this touts the same functionality as the aforementioned C2N, but it connects to any USB hard drive rather than providing a drive of its own. Finally, the Traveler SD is a 32GB Secure Digital card with the Clickfree backup software baked in; as you might imagine, this enables computer backups to take place on a card reader, which just might be the perfect solution for travelers who haven’t any room for a spare HDD. You can expect to find all three on store shelves between March and April, with pricing set for $159.99 (250GB) $179.99 (320GB), $199.99 (500GB and $219.99 (640GB) for the C2N, $99.99 for the Transformer Networ Edition and $89.99 (16GB) / $149.99 (32GB) for the Traveler SD card.

    Continue reading Clickfree busts out automatic backup solutions: C2N HDD, Transformer and Traveler SD

    Clickfree busts out automatic backup solutions: C2N HDD, Transformer and Traveler SD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Clickfree aims at the suits with Traveler for BlackBerry auto backup card

    Clickfree already showcased a trio of new automatic backup devices, but it managed to save just one for dexterous crowd: the Traveler for BlackBerry. Similar in design to the Traveler SD, this 16GB microSD card is tailor made to slip inside of your BlackBerry and then backup critical information from your PC or Mac. This one’s aimed primarily at business travelers, who are entirely more likely to have their BlackBerry on them than some random hard drive. If 16GB just won’t cut it, the company is expected to reveal larger versions a little later in the year. The process works as such: slap the card within your phone, connect it to your PC via USB and watch as the software syncs new files and creates a backup of anything that has changed. It’ll start shipping by April for a lofty $89.99 (16GB) / $149.99 (32GB), so make sure you can plop this thing on that corporate card before mashing “go.”

    Continue reading Clickfree aims at the suits with Traveler for BlackBerry auto backup card

    Clickfree aims at the suits with Traveler for BlackBerry auto backup card originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Gateway brings Atom N450 to LT21 line of 10.1-inch netbooks

    Gateway got official with its 15.6- and 11.6-inch EC laptops back in October, and now it’s time for the netbooks to get their shine on. Hot on the heels of Intel’s Atom N450 release, the aforementioned company is rolling out its LT21 series here in Vegas, complete with 6-cell 5,600mAh battery options (for up to ten hours of usage), 802.11n WiFi, an N450 under the hood and Intel’s GMA 3150 handling the pixel duties. You’ll also get a chassis that weighs just 2.76 pounds along with an integrated webcam, Ethernet, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display (1,024 x 600), a 93 percent full-size keyboard and a multi-gesture touchpad to boot. The rest is pretty vanilla: 1GB of RAM, a 160GB or 250GB hard drive, three USB 2.0 sockets, VGA and a multicard reader. The LT21 range will arrive in red, black and white hues, with Windows 7 Starter or Windows XP Home runnin’ the show; check ‘em later this month starting at $299.99. Or don’t, whatevs.

    Continue reading Gateway brings Atom N450 to LT21 line of 10.1-inch netbooks

    Gateway brings Atom N450 to LT21 line of 10.1-inch netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • HP dumps four Pavilion Elite HPE desktops into existence

    HP’s just unleashed four new Paviliion Elite HPE desktops — the 110f, 120f, 130f, and 170f. Terrifically creative naming scheme aside, the HPE series offers a choice of processors, including AMD Phenom II Quad-Core or Intel CPUs, and ATI Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce graphics. The desktops are also configurable for an up to 2TB hard drive, and up to 24GB of DDR3 RAM. Other features of these bad boys include front panel 15-in-1 card readers, DVD burner, wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n, an optional tv tuner, pocket media drive, and Blu-ray. We don’t have pricing or availability yet, but we’ll update you when we do. Full press release and specs are after the break.

    Continue reading HP dumps four Pavilion Elite HPE desktops into existence

    HP dumps four Pavilion Elite HPE desktops into existence originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • HP goes netbooks with Mini 2101, 210 and Compaq 201

    Thought you were done with seeing the latest Pine Trail netbooks? How about some more from HP? The world’s number one computer manufacturer has gone a bit netbook crazy with a slew of new models — the HP Mini 2101, 210 and the Compaq 201 — and that doesn’t even include the business and education focused HP Mini 5102. The most exciting of the bunch are the HP Mini 210 and 2101 which share the same new design, rubbery feeling lid, and chicklet-style keyboard. Starting at $329, the 210 is available in the colors of the rainbow and packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 Starter. The $399 2101 is spec’d the same, but is aimed at a more professional user and is only available in black. Both will be available with Broadcom Crystal HD accelerators. The $229 Compaq 201 totally forgets that Intel has a new Atom chip and uses the older N270 processor, 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 Starter. Hit the break for full PR, some hands-on impressions and video.

    Continue reading HP goes netbooks with Mini 2101, 210 and Compaq 201

    HP goes netbooks with Mini 2101, 210 and Compaq 201 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • HP debuts a clutch of new, eco-friendly displays

    Companies love to fly their “green” flags, regardless of whether or not manufacturing (or, indeed, operating) consumer electronics can ever truly be eco-friendly. That said, HP is quick to remind us that “white is the new green,” in this case the low power, mercury-free, solid state White LEDs featured in the HP Compaq LA22f (22-inch) and HP Compaq LE19f (19-inch). Otherwise, the HP ZR22w (21.5-inch) and HP ZR24w (24-inch) are LCD displays with integrated 4-port USB hubs. All of these bad boys feature HDCP compliant DVI inputs, VGA, and optional USB graphics adapter for up to six simultaneous displays. Pretty sweet, right? No word on a price or release date, but you’ll know as soon as we do — promise. PR after the break.

    Continue reading HP debuts a clutch of new, eco-friendly displays

    HP debuts a clutch of new, eco-friendly displays originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • OCZ unveils ultraslim USB 3.0 external SSD, Vertex 2 and new PCI-e SSDs

    OCZ has a thing for pumping out some pretty swank concepts at trade shows, and sure enough, the company’s storming onto the CES floor with a number of drool-worthy introductions. Up first (and dearest to our hearts) is the ultrathin USB 3.0 external solid state drive, which offers up a 5Gb/sec transfer rate and should ship in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities. Someday, for some price. The outfit is also dishing out the Vertex 2 line of MLC-based internal SSDs as well as a second-generation PCI-Express design that’s aimed for the enterprise crowd. Specifics are few and far between, but we’re hoping to get a little hands-on time (with as many details as we can gather) soon. Really soon.

    OCZ unveils ultraslim USB 3.0 external SSD, Vertex 2 and new PCI-e SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • HP TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet slims down and spruces up

    No hard feelings, tx2, but there was always something just a little “behind the curve” about your design and feature set, and we’re kind of glad HP decided to go all-new with its TouchSmart tm2 followup. The 12.1-inch laptop is powered by new Intel Core 2 Duo procs and even discrete ATI Mobility Radeon graphics if you’re man enough, and claims 9 hours of battery life off its standard 6-cell. Most importantly, the capacitive multitouch screen is finger and pen friendly. The physical design takes some cues from HP’s new Envy laptops, including the controversial unibutton touchpad and lovable aluminum build, and seems decently thinner, lighter and stronger than the tx2. The laptop should be out on January 17th with a starting price of $949.

    We played around with the laptop, and outside of the slightly suspicious touchpad, we were pretty impressed by the laptop. The build quality is great, in both feel and confidence-building (a must for a convertible tablet like this), but HP’s also really beefed up the software aspect, pre-loading the new Netflix-inclusive version of its TouchSmart software and the wild, almost-useful BumpTop 3D desktop. Tossing in a finger friendly version of Corel Paint and an interactive dolphin screensaver was also a nice touch. Check out a quick video hands-on after the break.

    Continue reading HP TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet slims down and spruces up

    HP TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet slims down and spruces up originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • HP Mini 5102 has optional handle and touchscreen; the drive to succeed

    HP’s netbooks can have a tendency to really creep up in price as you pile on the specs, but you can’t fault them for options. Particularly this new Atom N450-based Mini 5102, which is aimed at business and education use. You can tweak the 10-inch laptop with a WSVGA or WXGA screen, Broadcom HD video acceleration, and just about any OS you could think of: FreeDOS, SUSE Linux, Windows XP and Windows 7 (Starter and Home Premium). You can also squeeze a capacitive multitouch screen into the 0.9-inch form factor and take your pick from a 4-cell or 6-cell battery. Like we said, lots of options.

    As far as fit and finish, the laptop isn’t that far divergent from the Mini 5101, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. We love the quality, no-frills feel and look, and the optional handle (which has to be picked at the time of order, since it’s integrated) is surprisingly nice and handy. If we had one gripe it would be the oppressive screen bezel, but at least it leaves room for a 95%-sized keyboard, and the brushed aluminum screen back is a nice touch.

    Continue reading HP Mini 5102 has optional handle and touchscreen; the drive to succeed

    HP Mini 5102 has optional handle and touchscreen; the drive to succeed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • UK & Europe Icy snowy weather to go ON & ON by Piers Corbyn, WeatherAction.com

    Article Tags: Headline Story, Met Office, Piers Corbyn, UK Winter Forecast 2009/10

    How much colder would you like it, Minister?

    As the UK & Europe reel under more deluges of ice & snow Environment Minister Hilary Benn launched 5th Jan an initiative for good farming practice and Emission – CO2 – Reductions! He believes CO2 causes warming so one must ask: How much colder would he like it to be? His initiative would be hilarious (!) but for the fact the religious belief in the failed & false science of man-made Global Warming /Climate Change and consequent policies and the stupid Met Office Global Warming – ‘mild winter’ forecast are causing suffering & death. Low salt stocks consequent to Met Office mild winter forecast have left roads unsalted causing crashes – some fatal.

    Click source to read FULL report by Piers Corbyn

    Source: weatheraction.com

    Read in full with comments »   


  • Popcorn Hour Has New Media Streamer – the popbox

    Popcorn Hour just a few months ago showed off their new, do-it-all Popcorn Hour C200 media player that I reviewed and gave away here at GeekTonic.  And now they have yet another hardware device.  This one is smaller, without an internal drive bay, costs and is awkwardly named the popbox.

    popbox-lg2

    Key Facts:

    • Cost: $129
    • Shipment ETA: March 2010
    • Newer UI than current C200
    • Size: 15.9 Oz, 8”x6”x1.25”
    • 1 USB 2.0 on front and 1 USB on back
    • SD Card Slot on back (2GB SD Card included)
    • Video: M1V, M2V, M4V, MP3G1, MPEG2, TS, TP, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MTS, AVI, ASF, WMV, MKV, MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4, FLV, F4V
    • Video Output: HDMI (1080p/720p/480p) and Component Y/Pb/Pr
    • Apps: Netflix 2.0, Shoutcast, Revision3, Twitter etc
    • Network: Ethernet 10/100, WiFi 802.11 N/B/G (option), and UPnP

    You can find out more about the popbox at the following locations:

    Official Website: http://popbox.com

    Full Forum Thread

    Engadget has a video of their hands-on with the device

    popbox-lg10popbox-lg3popbox-lg1

    To me it looks very similar to the SageTV HD200 in size and similar in specs too.  Definitely a competitive price that should make waves.


  • Kool And The Gang, Kool And The Gang Songs

    To be able to attend the Orange Bowl, Hartman said, the troupe held various fundraisers, including a Yankee Candle sale, a jewelry sale and clothing drive. For every pound of clothing the girls brought in for donation, the company donated money toward their trip. The clothing was then sent to impoverished countries overseas.
    A recruiter for Bowl Games America, the company hired by the Orange Bowl Committee to select dance, drill and cheer teams for the halftime show, brought the CATS on board after seeing them perform at a national dance competition in Dallas.

    The 13-member troupe will perform in front of more than 70,000 fans at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Tuesday. The game has the U of I pitted against Georgia Tech.

    The CATS will perform a dance by hip-hop choreographer Shane Sparks, while Kool & The Gang headline the Seminole Hard Rock Orange Bowl Halftime Show with hit songs like “Celebration.”

    “The girls work so hard every day and they’re such a small, elite group. It’s like, ‘Wow!’ Someone realized they’re good and that this is something they truly love,” said Annette Peterson, 45, of Runnells. Her daughter, Rebecca, 13, is on the team. “These girls have worked all their life dancing, and now they’ll be in front of millions of people.”

    The girls practice for two hours every Thursday and a couple of hours on Sundays. Some also take ballet and dance on competition teams for other dance studios and high schools.

    “We give up a lot of our free time and we put a lot of energy into it. Not only does it require practicing the moves like this, but also watching the choreography on DVD at home and listening to the music and going through the counts in your head,” said Delaney Rhoads, 15, of Des Moines.

    The halftime performance presents a new set of challenges for the girls. Instead of their normal two-minute-and-15-second performance, the girls will perform for close to nine minutes at the Orange Bowl.

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  • Kool And The Gang, Kool And The Gang Orange Bowl

    To be able to attend the Orange Bowl, Hartman said, the troupe held various fundraisers, including a Yankee Candle sale, a jewelry sale and clothing drive. For every pound of clothing the girls brought in for donation, the company donated money toward their trip. The clothing was then sent to impoverished countries overseas.
    The group of 11- to 18-year-olds learned in March 2008 that they’d be performing during the bowl’s halftime show along with 19 other dance troupes from around the country.

    A recruiter for Bowl Games America, the company hired by the Orange Bowl Committee to select dance, drill and cheer teams for the halftime show, brought the CATS on board after seeing them perform at a national dance competition in Dallas.

    The 13-member troupe will perform in front of more than 70,000 fans at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Tuesday. The game has the U of I pitted against Georgia Tech.

    The CATS will perform a dance by hip-hop choreographer Shane Sparks, while Kool & The Gang headline the Seminole Hard Rock Orange Bowl Halftime Show with hit songs like “Celebration.”

    “The girls work so hard every day and they’re such a small, elite group. It’s like, ‘Wow!’ Someone realized they’re good and that this is something they truly love,” said Annette Peterson, 45, of Runnells. Her daughter, Rebecca, 13, is on the team. “These girls have worked all their life dancing, and now they’ll be in front of millions of people.”

    The girls practice for two hours every Thursday and a couple of hours on Sundays. Some also take ballet and dance on competition teams for other dance studios and high schools.

    Share/Save/Bookmark

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  • Now THAT is a SuperPhone!

    Check out the Nexus One that was on display today at the Android event.  Built precisely to scale, the phone is 12 times bigger than an actual Nexus One and features a 1920×1080 46-inch LED-backlit display.

    It’s CNC milled to the exact specs of the phones original CAD model multiplied 12 times it’s original size. 46″ LED display screen with HDMI connection to a MAC mini running Windows. 1080 x 1920 HD video played back on Obscura’s proprietary video playback software.  It does not have touch-screen capabilities at this time. – SearchEngineLand

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_NYWTkR4lQ&feature=player_embedded


  • Five Biotechnologies That Will Fade Away This Decade

    Stephen Friend wrote:

    [Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of posts from Xconomists and other technology leaders from around the country who are weighing in with the Top 5 innovations they’ve seen in their respective fields the past 10 years, or the Top 5 disruptive technologies that will impact the next decade.]

    We look at amazement at strange technologies from the past. How did people function in worlds with quill pens or connect with each other by Morse code and telegrams? Within biotechnology’s short history, we have already seen approaches from the ’90s such as Southern blots that look at sizes and amounts of DNA, and antisense therapies, are being replaced. I guarantee you at least 50 percent of what we think of as the enabling technologies and approaches to biological knowledge will be relegated to museum displays in the next five (OK, maybe 10) years.

    Here are five that are ready to be replaced:

    1. Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) studies based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This is the approach that does high-speed scanning for markers across the complete sets of DNA, or genomes, among many individuals to spot small variations that might be associated with a particular disease. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) analysis isn’t going to last long as a major driver of biologic insight. Within the next one to two years, people will wake up to “ITEGS”—”It’s the entire genome, stupid.” Technologies are poised to allow analysis of variations in thousands to even hundreds of thousands of people. Do not be surprised when all the people with a disease such as Huntington’s are analyzed for DNA alterations across their entire genome. Groups such as Cure Huntington’s Disease Initiative are already preparing for this world.

    2. Proteomic Approaches as an end solution to understanding diseases: Many people believe that following quantitative proteomic analysis which looks at a wide array of proteins that carry out the functional instructions from DNA, will be the key to the next wave of biologic insights. Many today yearn for a world where we could know the levels of all the proteins in a cell to finally functionate the cell—as if knowing all the elements allows one to understand all chemical structures—NOT. It’s unlikely the levels of protein components are the sufficient keys to the puzzle. It’s more likely they will become yet another layer of key information along with readouts on metabolites and RNA. The real decoding of diseases will be driven by those that know what to do with the component lists—be they DNA, RNA, or proteins. The next wave of insights will be in the hands of those that can build network models of what went wrong in the disease states.

    3. Biomarker signatures as commercially viable robust markers akin to cholesterol or estrogen receptor positivity for breast cancer. Identifying signatures of certain genes or proteins is currently all the rage among those finding the right drug for the right patient. For the most part, these signatures are done on populations of hundreds to thousands of patients. Many hope to turn these into definitive markers that will guide treatment over decades. But hey VCs, you might want to try …Next Page »







  • Incoming Viximo CEO Sees a Burgeoning Economy of Virtual Goods

    Viximo Logo
    Wade Roush wrote:

    Online publishers who want to let their users exchange virtual gifts—think singing Santa e-cards at Christmas or animated hearts for Valentine’s Day—can turn to Viximo, a two-year-old startup in Cambridge, MA, for both the virtual goods themselves and the microtransactions system needed to distribute them. And now Viximo is turning to a new leader to spearhead its expansion.

    The company announced today that Dale Strang, an online media and advertising veteran, has taken over as CEO. Strang replaces acting CEO Dayna Grayson, a principal at Viximo backer North Bridge Venture Partners, who had stepped into the CEO role after the departure of Viximo’s first CEO, Rob Frasca, last spring.

    A virtual good is any digital object—a video, an icon, a piece of clothing for a game avatar—that helps people express themselves in an online interaction, add bling to their online persona, or increase their enjoyment of a game. U.S. consumers spent $1 billion on such items in 2009, according to Inside Network, a market research company focused on Facebook and social gaming sites. Strang says he sees these purchases as a potential substitute for dying revenue streams (such as subscriptions) in the publishing world.

    “In the print world we used to take it for granted that users were willing to pay for certain interactions,” Strang tells Xconomy. “They’d buy a copy of a magazine, for example, or a subscription. That made for a healthy, balanced business model. But the Internet hasn’t had that. I view the virtual goods microtransaction explosion as an answer for that.”

    "Girl's Best Friend" virtual gift

    Strang says more and more online publishers are looking at online communities where there is a brisk trade in virtual goods, such as MySpace and Facebook, and deciding that they want to build their own virtual economies. But it’s harder than it looks, he says.

    “Some people have implemented an online currency, but they can’t quite get it right. Other people may have problems integrating their currency with a payment system. Others may have huge holes in the content that they provide. The strategy that has evolved for Viximo is to do all the hard parts for our partners, while they do their main job, engaging with the audience.”

    Viximo’s clients have 60 million network members in aggregate, with social networking sites BlackPlanet.com and SmartDate.com and sports site FanIQ among the newest users of the Viximo platform. The startup offers customers a soup-to-nuts solution, including a huge catalog of virtual items designed by freelance digital artists; currency systems that let people buy virtual currency with cash or earn rewards through various online activities; payment systems that ensure that the money from currency purchases makes it back to publishers; and analytics software that shows publishers which items are selling best.

    Just how “micro” are the microtransactions involved in virtual goods exchanges? That varies. Interscope Records, the label behind rock singer/songwriter phenom Lada Gaga, uses Viximo’s technology to power the Lady Gaga Gift Shop on Facebook. Most items in the store, such as an animated picture of Lady Gaga wearing TV-shaped sunglasses, cost …Next Page »