Heart attacks are more common during winter months than in any other season. Over at The New York Times’ Well blog, Gretchen Reynolds explains the phenomenon and describes a simple test to check your arteries and overall heart health. Here are some … Read more
Casey lost custody of little Ava because of her erratic behavior.
According to the New York Post, Johnson’s father, New York Jet owner Woody Johnson, had recently restricted Casey’s access to funds because she wouldn’t get her life together. She had been in rehab several times but was unable to clean up her act.
TMZ spoke to Tila Tequila who says that she had gotten into an argument with Casey last week and she left the house. She says that she tried contacting Casey on the 29th but her phone had been shut off since the 29th.
She last tweeted on December 29 at 1:13 AM.
Tila just updated her Twitter with the following message:
Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson. She has passed away. Thank u for all ur love and support but I will be offline to be w family.
Socialite CASEY JOHNSON has died, aged 30.
The body of the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson empire was discovered on Monday morning (04Jan10) in Los Angeles.
The tragic news comes just weeks after Johnson was arrested for grand theft.
She hit the headlines in December (09) when bisexual reality TV star Tila Tequila announced she was engaged to Johnson.
Details about the heiress’ death were not available as WENN went to press.
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Tila Tequila (real name: Tila Nguyen), 28, confirmed the tragic news on her Twitter Monday evening:
“Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson. She has passed away. Thank u for all ur love and support but I will be offline to be w family”
See this touching tribute to other celebs who passed away before their time
Johnson was also mother to a three year-old girl, Ava. Johnson adopted Ava in Kazakhstan in 2007, but the little girl is now in the custody of Johnson’s mother, Sale Johnson, in Manhattan.
Tila spoke to UsMagazine.com Dec. 22 about her relationship with Johnson. “She’s just the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.” The reality star said they gotten engaged “a couple weeks ago,” and that she planned to adopt young Ava.
Socialite CASEY JOHNSON has died, aged 30.
The body of the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson empire was discovered on Monday morning (04Jan10) in Los Angeles.
The tragic news comes just weeks after Johnson was arrested for grand theft.
She hit the headlines in December (09) when bisexual reality TV star Tila Tequila announced she was engaged to Johnson.
Details about the heiress’ death were not available as WENN went to press.
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Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Tila Tequila (real name: Tila Nguyen), 28, confirmed the tragic news on her Twitter Monday evening:
“Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson. She has passed away. Thank u for all ur love and support but I will be offline to be w family”
See this touching tribute to other celebs who passed away before their time
Johnson was also mother to a three year-old girl, Ava. Johnson adopted Ava in Kazakhstan in 2007, but the little girl is now in the custody of Johnson’s mother, Sale Johnson, in Manhattan.
Tila spoke to UsMagazine.com Dec. 22 about her relationship with Johnson. “She’s just the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.” The reality star said they gotten engaged “a couple weeks ago,” and that she planned to adopt young Ava.
Tila Tequila told TMZ that she had not heard from Casey since December 28th. The two had a fight that day. Tila tried to call Casey the next day, but her phone was shut off. Tila hasn’t Tweeted anything yet, but you know her page is about to explode.
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Everyone’s all excited about the Freescale gizmo, but it looks like it may have competition. The Lenovo U1 has a similar convertible design, though with a slightly more rounded look. It’s also different in function: when docked, it runs Windows 7 on the dock’s low-power Intel processor, but once detached it uses an ARM CPU to run a lightweight Linux distro. Not sure how it’s going to handle the segue if you’ve got work in progress and need to dock it, but I’m sure Lenovo has that handled.
Here are the specs, broken down into tablet and dock portions:
Tablet:
Dock:
One other major difference: the U1 starts at a thousand dollars. I get the feeling Freescale might be the more attractive proposition to most people. We’ll see ‘em both at CES, though, so we’ll let you know.
[via PC Magazine]
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A new HourTime watch podcast for your edification. Admit it. You really like it. Right?
Guys? Right?
Download MP3 Subscribe in iTunes
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If you read my recent review of the Contour HD 1080p, you’ll know that one of the issues with the camera is that it’s not very flexible, configuration-wise. You could choose a couple different resolutions and frame rates, but that was all. Well, no longer! This firmware update allows you to change the exposure value, bitrate, and a few other things that will come in handy.
The ability to lower microphone volume is nice, since wind noise is a huge issue at speed without a muffler. You can also change the focus mode, though if you’re bumping around a lot it probably won’t make much difference. This makes a good camera better.
Check out the update here; you’ll need a blank MicroSD card to install it. As of this writing, the page says it’s not for the 1080p model; you might just wait until the page switches over, in case the download link gets updated as well. Wouldn’t want to brick your camera.
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Filed under: Hardware, OS, Software, Odds and ends, Snow Leopard
We’re well into 2010 (OK, 4 days), but there’s still a few more lists and “top tens” of the last decade to clean up. One of the more interesting Apple-related wrapups is this list by Fraser Spiers, showing off Apple’s best technical feats of the past decade. There’s certainly tons of technical innovations by Apple in “the naughties” to choose from — it was the decade of the iPod and the iPhone. But Spiers’ list actually avoids direct mention of either of those, instead choosing to highlight some more Mac-based technical feats. Bonjour is in there, as is the great Time Machine and Snow Leopard’s Grand Central Dispatch system. Webkit is probably an obvious choice, given all the places it’s shown up in Apple’s various releases.
And there are some more interesting picks on the list as well, including Aperture, the underrated Exposé, and even the unibody laptop design. Some might argue that a few of these aren’t necessarily Apple’s innovations (I wouldn’t necessarily credit them with DVD burning and encoding in the 2000s), but it’s true that all of these were brought into a widespread, acclaimed form by Apple. If nothing else, a list like this shows just how much Apple has done for personal computing in the last ten years — we tend to think first, these days, of their handheld accomplishments, but they’ve had plenty of other technical feats as well.
[via Michael Tsai]
TUAWApple’s top technical feats of the decade originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Peripherals, iPhone
In 2007 I thought that my 8GB iPhone was as large as I would ever need. Two and a half years later and I’ve already filled up the 16GB storage of my iPhone 3GS. Enter AirStash, an expandable flash drive (via SD memory) that you will be able to access from your iPhone. Simply plug AirStash into your Mac, drag and drop some files to the mounted volume, and head then out the door with AirStash and iPhone in your pocket.
How the technology works is currently unclear (expect to see a demo at CES 2010), but a logical solution would be that AirStash automatically syncs its contents with an off-site server — similar to what Dropbox does today. If it truly is as portable as that, it will obviate Dropbox’s (and MobileMe’s) need to install any client software if you are, for instance, using a friend’s computer. Personally, I’d like to see Apple purchase Dropbox and turn MobileMe’s cloud storage into something usable; but in the interim, I’m excited by the prospect that AirStash provides.
[via Engadget]
TUAWAirstash brings wireless storage to iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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[Thanks, Joe]
Google Nexus One support page goes live, quickly dies again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In case there was any sliver of doubt that the so-called LX610 Lotus Elite from LG was a real device ready to fill the original Lotus’ unusually wide shoes on Sprint, feast your eyes on this: a giant billboard covering the side of a Las Vegas hotel pimping the Chocolate Touch, the eXpo, and — yes, that’s right — the Lotus Elite. To be fair, there’s no name mentioned here, but we’ve got a feeling it’s right considering the rest of the intel has ended up panning out. Stay tuned.
LG Lotus Elite’s appearance on a billboard suggests it’s probably real originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tila Tequila (real name: Tila Nguyen), 28, confirmed the tragic news on her Twitter Monday evening:
“Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson. She has passed away. Thank u for all ur love and support but I will be offline to be w family”
See this touching tribute to other celebs who passed away before their time
Johnson was also mother to a three year-old girl, Ava. Johnson adopted Ava in Kazakhstan in 2007, but the little girl is now in the custody of Johnson’s mother, Sale Johnson, in Manhattan.
Tila spoke to UsMagazine.com Dec. 22 about her relationship with Johnson. “She’s just the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.” The reality star said they gotten engaged “a couple weeks ago,” and that she planned to adopt young Ava.
Socialite CASEY JOHNSON has died, aged 30.
The body of the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson empire was discovered on Monday morning (04Jan10) in Los Angeles.
The tragic news comes just weeks after Johnson was arrested for grand theft.
She hit the headlines in December (09) when bisexual reality TV star Tila Tequila announced she was engaged to Johnson.
Details about the heiress’ death were not available as WENN went to press.
Related posts:
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
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espero que gostem e comentem por favor. Um grande abraço e feliz ano novo.
Las informaciones fundamentales son:
Nombre.
N° exacto de pisos.
Uso del edificio.
Dirección.
Cordenadas. Estas las pueden conseguir en el Google Eart.
Informaciones que pueden servir pero que no son Cruciales:
Nombre de la Constructora del Edificio.
Inicio y o Conclusión.
Se necesita una foto de cada edificio, en lo posible grande, para poder hacer los dibujos.
State-versus-state competition is unhealthy
Editor, The Times:
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon lays out a case for Washington being more business friendly to create jobs [“How to keep Washington jobs from flying south — again,” Opinion, Jan. 3]. To do this he suggests less costly unemployment insurance for businesses.
Thank goodness the state Legislature repealed such reductions in 2005 or the many using that insurance now would be in far more desperate circumstances. I challenge Reardon to work federally and to not enlarge the already toxic state-against-state competition.
He says Washington ought to be the cheapest state for business and not the most expensive. That’s an untenable moving target! What if the thinking got bigger? What if federal law started to end the South Carolina versus Washington kind of battles for business?
Maybe relocating businesses ought to pay the state they threaten to depart — perhaps reinvesting tax credits accrued — the way a baseball team must compensate a competitor when it acquires a player from that team. Maybe what business is already doing ought to influence how to level the playing field so that no state, and I mean no state, is left adrift.
— Rev. Bill Kirlin-Hackett, Bellevue
Federal statute worsens problems
Why is it that all of the public officials who get media space or time to decry what Aaron Reardon refers to as “Washington jobs from flying south,” without exception, neglect to even mention the transcendent federal statutory abomination that provides corporate management with the irresistible motivation to move south? The fact that Reardon uses the word “south” in the headline of his article suggests that perhaps he does not understand that the phrase he should use is “right-to-work state.”
Section 14(b) of the Taft Hartley Act is a 44 word provision that was inserted into the act in 1947 by a group of conservative Republicans and Dixiecrat Democrats whose motives were merely to inhibit the growth of the American Labor Movement. Since 1947, 14(b) has morphed into a terribly unfair advantage that allows each state to enact a law that guarantees to employers an employment environment where compensation will be low, benefits minuscule and employees will have no enforceable rights.
It is urgent that a debate be ignited to illuminate the harmfulness of Section 14(b) and the feasibility of its repeal.
— Daniel M. Mahoney, Mercer Island
Obvious step: Obama needs to fulfill $2 billion promise
Thank you for Hal Bernton’s story about Julia Bolz and her struggle to help Afghan girls get an education [“Building a future for girls amid war,” page one, Jan. 3]. The story ends with the haunting quote: “Now, what do we do?”
Given that there are more than 75 million primary-school-aged kids and more than 225 million secondary-school-aged kids around the world who are not in school, the first step seems obvious. Saudi Arabia has been happy to fund Madrassas — religious schools teaching radical fundamentalism and developing Jihadists. While the President has committed 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan at a cost of $30 billion, he has yet to fulfill his promise to begin a Global Fund for Education at a cost of just $2 billion.
That fund would be supported by the developing world and help bring education to kids — particularly girls — who currently have no chance for education and no hope for the future. This would be money well spent and a chance to make a long term difference in the communities and countries benefiting from educated children.
— Bob Dickerson, Seattle
Seattle children educated as well
Thanks for the excellent article about Julie Bolz and her efforts to build schools in Afghanistan. As a parent of two children who became involved in Julie’s project through her collaboration with Coe School, I can tell you that the children in Afghanistan are not the only ones being educated through her efforts. Seattle children have been fundamentally changed by knowing Julie and the students in Afghanistan she has introduced them to.
Despite Julie’s efforts, it remains difficult for our children to comprehend that 75 million children around the world have never set foot in a primary school and may never will. Afghanistan is a prime example of the ways in which a largely uneducated population is easily recruited for terrorist activities and the country stagnates economically without an educated work force.
It is in the United States’ best interests to fund primary education and we can do so by creating a Global Fund for Education, much like the fund that has been successful in coordinating efforts of developed nations to address the AIDS epidemic. Funding global education isn’t a matter of charity. It’s about creating the kind of stability that allows our children — and all children — a chance to coexist and prosper.
— Marsha Hedrick, Seattle
Overcrowded classrooms a problem
Hal Bernton’s compelling article makes the case why a Global Fund for Education is needed. In my visit to Kenya this fall, I observed many classrooms with 60 to 80 students.
During the election campaign, President Obama pledged to budget $2 billion for a Global Fund for Education and catalyze a global movement. This focus on education is critical if we are serious about eliminating poverty, extremism and injustice.
— Linwood Carlson, Seattle
Want a one stop access point for all those extended control panel settings in Windows 7? Well, it’s easy: just use CrunchMode*.
“CrunchMode” is really easy to set up: just create a new folder and then rename it to CrunchMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} and then double click it and you’re rocking. This trick won’t work on 64-bit Vista, but it works like a charm on all the different versions of Win7.
[via HardOCP]
*To be fair, “CrunchMode” is just what we call it. The code is the important part, so you can call it whatever you like, like “IDDQD” for instance.
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Short version: An elegant, functional, and attractive mouse, best suited for those with normal-sized or smaller hands. Aficionados may crave more buttons or a non-ambidextrous design, but the Xai does just fine without. Like other SteelSeries products, it’s a bit expensive, but you knew that.
Features:
Pros:
Cons:
Full Review:
The fun thing about mice is that there are so many of them. From the tricked-out megamice like Logitech’s MX Revolution and Razer’s Mamba to the slim and elegant Arc Mouse, there’s a huge range to choose from. The Xai sits comfortably in the middle, being a sort of secretly fancy mouse clad in a modest body.
Back to basics
Almost exactly a year ago, at CES, I saw a milled body prototype of this mouse. SteelSeries’ Kim Rom explained that they were going back to basics, and were seeking a kind of fundamental mouse shape. I think they’ve succeeded; the gentle arc and symmetrical design of the Xai are pleasing to both the eye and the hand. While some people will understandably prefer a strongly handed design like the G500 or Imperator, there is something about keeping things basic that is appealing to me. It reminded me of my old Intellimouse 3.0, which I adored.
The downside of the design, a shortcoming the Xai shares with all its ambidextrous ilk, is that a button that is perfectly placed for your thumb will necessarily be in danger of being pressed by your grasping fingers on the other side. Whether you want to disable the buttons or just be careful about it is up to you, but it’s something to consider. If you absolutely need more than four buttons within easy reach, you’d better take other mice into consideration. I find too many buttons counterproductive, but that’s just me.
The buttons are extremely sensitive, and it took me a while to adjust after using the G500 and Mamba, which have a much deeper click. It led to a few accidental selections here and there, but
Semi-freedom from drivers
The configuration of the mouse can be done mostly in the mouse itself, via the little LCD on the bottom. You can switch profiles, set your high and low sensitivities, and adjust the settings like FreeMove and ExactAim, which are movement adjustment settings that reduce jitter and such, if you’re into that. It’s not exactly quick and easy to configure, but it’s all on-mouse and you don’t have to worry about drivers. If you want to set up macros and customize buttons, however, you’ll need the actual configuration app. The number of commands built in is a bit small (no double click? no minimize window?) but you can easily create those and others in the robust macro editor.
It can be a bit time consuming to test out lots of different combinations of these things. I don’t like anything interfering with my mouse’s movements so I knew to put them all at zero, but you’ll find there are more than enough settings to keep the tweaker in you occupied.
One thing that I did not actually try out, but which sounded fun, is trying pro gamers’ mouse configurations. The idea is great: you download the profiles used by champ gamers and try their settings. Maybe it’ll make you a better player, maybe you’ll just be entertained, but it’s a fun idea and I’d encourage people to try it out.
Tracks great, less filling
It’s getting to the point with mice that tracking is pretty much expected to be excellent, so I won’t waste your time here. The Xai tracks very well. I tested it on one of their thin, hard mouse pads as well as on a cloth Razer Goliathus, and lastly on my desk, which is brushed but reflective steel. No problems on anything. The sensor is placed dead center on the mouse; I prefer it forward and to the left a bit, but since it’s ambidextrous they had their hands tied.
The thing I found myself wishing was more sensitivity settings. There’s something to be said for the simple high-low switch, and of course you can configure those settings to a very precise degree, but sometimes you feel like you want something in between. What if I need to do some pixel-by-pixel movements in an image editor? I can’t just zoom down to super-low sensitivity like with a Razer mouse. I’d have to switch profiles or something.
An all-around contender
I like the Xai. It’s compact, elegant, unpretentious, and effective. While I personally prefer a wireless, right-handed device, I found the straightforward design of the Xai refreshing, and of course its performance is beyond reproach. At $90 it’s a bit expensive, though it’s far from the most pricey out there. While for a real tweaker I have to recommend going with one of the many mice with more bells and whistles, the Xai is really an excellent choice for almost anybody.
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It’s the New Year, and it’s time to gear up for all those games pushed back to 2010 instead of being released in 2009. But before all of that, we’re kicking off the year with
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Apple
Here’s an interesting fact that dropped over the weekend: Google Chrome, the browser by the search company with a silly name, actually beat Apple’s Safari browser in overall usage during the last month of 2009 (Chrome first beat Safari midway through the month, but new month-long data shows that Chrome is here to stay). Internet Explorer continues to lose users, but Chrome has been taking over the ranks pretty quickly, moving in above Safari as the number three browser of choice (after IE and Firefox, of course).
Bad news for Apple — after their release of Safari for Windows in 2009, you’d think they’d have hoped for a little more in terms of browser share at the end of the year. But it looks like they’re going to have to do something even bigger than that to fight the current on this one — that is, if they want to do so at all. With a relative newcomer topping Safari so quickly, it’s possible Apple could back off of promoting and upgrading their proprietary browser entirely. Still, with Chrome using Webkit, the fact is that for the average user, things are getting better all the time.
TUAWChrome beat Safari in December originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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