Author: Serkadis

Article Tags: Copenhagen Conference, Tom Harris

UN and Danish government incompetence contributed to violence on protest marches

It is not surprising that climate campaigners became increasingly aggressive during 2009, eventually resorting to violent conflicts with police on the streets of Copenhagen at year’s end. While activists had finally succeeded in getting most politicians to sing from the same song sheet – the Earth supposedly stands on the brink of a man-made climate catastrophe, leaders recited one after another at the United Nations climate conference in December – environmental groups have totally failed to convince governments to take actions that are even remotely commensurate with the alleged threat.

Yes, politicians have invested billions of taxpayer dollars ostensibly trying to ‘stop climate change’, an absurd concept on a planet where climate has always changed – after all, the only constant about climate IS change. But, if the climate Armageddon hypothesis was correct, we would need many times the levels of emission reductions currently promised by western governments. Scientists on all sides of the debate know this. Most political leaders do as well. But they seem to think that if they say the right things about the supposed crisis, no one will expect them to really implement the sort of policy that would logically follow if such rhetoric were scientifically justified. No wonder true believers are frustrated. It is akin to world leaders unanimously acknowledging that the planet was about to be hit with a civilization-destroying asteroid but responded by merely pledging tax rebates for citizens to reinforce their roofs.

Source: canadafreepress.com

Read in full with comments »   

Filed under: Cult of Mac, Odds and ends, iTunes, Holidays, MobileMe, Music

January 1 is always a little strange. A quiet time after a night out, a time to take the tree down and deal with all the green light cords that started out so neatly applied and wind up a tangled maze of complexity. Time to get rid of all the holiday wrappings and hope the trash pickup is soon.

It is also a time to reflect on all things Apple and how the ecosystem of products has changed our lives in ways we sometimes forget or are barely aware of.

This morning I was in a melancholy mood and needed some music to match. I thought a good idea was for some music by Eric Ewazen, [iTunes link] who writes some pretty deep and mystical compositions. I had already bought some of his tracks from the Apple Store. In the old days, waking up on a holiday and craving some music you don’t have was a lost cause.

Now I can get what is admittedly an obscure album of music, download it to my computer, put it on my Sonos system with a few clicks and sync it to my iPhone for my morning jog. Basking in the early morning Arizona light I loved hearing Ewazen’s ‘Hymn for the Lost and the Living’ while contemplating a new year with new challenges. Apple enabled much of what I was able to do, and we take it for granted, but when you stand back from it all you can see how changed our lives are.

Some of my other favorite things from this year include MacSpeech Dictate, software that allows me to reliably dictate my emails, some longer reports, and even some of my TUAW posts. It’s truly science fiction in the here and now (or is it ‘hear’ and now?) and some updates in 2009 made it easier to use and far more accurate.

I’ve also enjoyed using Photomatix Pro, software that combines photos shot at different shutter speeds into High Dynamic Range images. You can’t use this software for everything, but used wisely it can really make landscape images quite spectacular.

The updated iPhone 3GS has had a positive impact in my life as well. The little astronomy app Distant Suns has been updated to use the compass on the iPhone, and I can point my phone at the sky and see exactly what I am looking at, properly identified and accompanied by all sorts of background information about the planets, nebula and galaxies it reveals.

iCam [iTunes link] lets me keep an eye on the house, and for 5 dollars coupled with a web cam it features motion detection and recording. It gives me some inexpensive security and peace of mind while keeping an eye on the family pet. Again, another treat enabled by Apple tech and some creative developers.

Find my iPhone was a great idea, and almost made a MobileMe subscription worth it. I’ve already used it a couple of times to find the iPhone around the house. It will really come in handy if it’s stolen, and I can wipe my data.

I can’t forget about iChat. It didn’t have any major upgrades this year, but it certainly got used a lot. I do some Photoshop tutoring, and being able to help someone across the ocean with no charge for the connecting tech is too good to be true. Apple didn’t invent video conferencing, but they made it easy and reliable. Coupled with desktop sharing it’s a great tool and allows you to work in ways that make me feel like George Jetson.

Those are a few of my favorite things (apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein). Did Apple change your life in 2009? We all have our ‘favorite things’ list. Share your thoughts with us, and Happy 2010 from all of us at TUAW.

TUAWJanuary 1 reflections on my favorite things originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Gov. Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law to help protect homebuyers across Illinois.

Senate Bill 1894 increases the education requirements for real estate agents in Illinois and expands an anti-predatory lending program to three new counties.

“Homeownership is a cornerstone of our economy,” said Gov. Quinn.

“This important new law helps protect Illinois’ homebuyers from unscrupulous lenders and ensures that our real estate agents have comprehensive, up-to-date training.”

Under the legislation, the education requirement to become a real estate agent in Illinois increases from 45 to 120 hours by eliminating the “salesperson” licensure category and establishing “broker” as the new entry-level license.

Additionally, the new law requires real estate brokers to complete 12 hours of continuing education every renewal period (two years). The bill also creates the licensure category of “managing broker,” which requires 165 hours of education and 24 hours of continuing education every renewal period.

Senate Bill 1894’s stringent education requirements help ensure that Illinois’ real estate agents are fully trained and up-to-date on Illinois’ real estate laws and homebuyer protections.

The legislation also expands the state’s anti-predatory lending database program to three counties that have among the state’s highest foreclosure rates – Kane, Will and Peoria. Under current law the program only applies to Cook County.

The program requires lenders to provide loan information to the State to determine if the homebuyer should receive loan counseling, prior to approval of the loan. The types of loans that qualify a homebuyer for counseling are those that frequently result in foreclosures.

These include: (1) the loan permits interest-only payments; (2) The loan may result in negative amortization; (3) the total points and fees payable by the borrower at or before closing will exceed five percent; (4) the loan includes a prepayment penalty; or (5) the loan is an adjustable rate mortgage which allows adjustments of the interest rate in the first three years.

Senate Bill 1894 also includes a provision that allows municipalities to place a lien on an abandoned residential property to help cover the cost of clean-up. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Kevin A. McCarthy (D-Orland Park) and Sen. William R. Haine (D-Alton).

“The signing of Senate Bill 1894 provides significant protections to the citizens of Illinois. Maintaining the professionalism of real estate brokers across the state, instituting programs to stop predatory lending, and assisting municipalities in cleaning up abandoned or foreclosed properties will help all of Illinois rebound from the economic difficulties we have faced,” said Rep. McCarthy.

Also today, Governor Quinn signed Senate Bills 253 and 332.

European countries may have long ago banished the use of cellphones while driving to the dark side of the law, but many of the United States persist in allowing their citizens to talk while driving. One reason for their reluctance may be that outlawing something that has become second nature to most people would be both unproductive and tough to enforce. So what do you do? The natural alternative to forcing people to drive attentively is educating them of the reasons why. Never mind the fact that we all kinda, sorta know the risks we undertake while operating a Droid and a Dodge concurrently. The newly minted Distraction.gov is chockfull of scaremongering statistics, topped by a truly epic video which we’ve handily stashed for you just after the break. Go get it while it’s hot.

Continue reading US government launches Distraction.gov, wants to scare you straight (video)

US government launches Distraction.gov, wants to scare you straight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog  |  Distraction.gov  | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Article

Endoscopic sinus surgery can be an intimidating experience with some serious risks involved, yet for some the payoff is big. According to new research, more than 76% of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) reported great quality of life improvements after endoscopic sinus surgery. The findings were published in the January issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

I had endoscopic sinus surgery in July of 2008. I’ll share more on that, but first I want to explain what the procedure is. During surgery, a thin fiber-optic tube called an endoscope is inserted into the nose for visual examination of the openings into the sinuses. Using high-tech micro-telescopes and instruments, ENTs remove abnormal and obstructive tissues. Endoscopic sinus surgery is much less extensive than traditional sinus surgery. In fact, it’s often performed on an outpatient basis.

However, don’t think it’s not an expensive surgery just because it’s outpatient. I was amazed at my hospital charges, even with my insurance covering 90%. And there are some annoying post-surgery things to deal with: feeling like you can’t breathe through your nose and being unable to blow your nose for several days.

My ENT wanted me to stay in town for a week or so in case I had any bleeding issues. As for pain and bleeding, I had no problems. Yet, perhaps my experience wasn’t typical. My ENT was shocked at how alert I was when he called to check on me after surgery and similarly surprised that I had no bleeding and pretty much zero pain.

If you’re planning on having sinus surgery, know this: You must commit to post-op care. You’ll likely be instructed to start a sinus rinse several days after your surgery and continue it for a few months. (Please note: Your experiences may be different, and you should never start a sinus rinse after surgery unless your ENT has instructed you to do so.) You’ll probably have several follow-up appointments so that the ENT can look into your sinuses with a scope to make sure everything is still fine. Though that’s done in the office, it’s still considered surgery by many insurance companies.

I wasn’t expecting so many follow-up appointments. I’m going back again in May for a final sinus check with the scope, but I’m not complaining. Compared to many surgeries out there, endoscopic sinus surgery was a snap, for me anyway.

Though I did have some problems with CRS prior to the surgery, I wasn’t a miserable sinus sufferer and I didn’t have the surgery primarily for that reason. That means it’s difficult for me to comment on the surgery helping with CRS. However, I haven’t really been sick sinus-wise since the surgery.

If you’ve had endoscopic sinus surgery, were you pleased with results?

(Image via MorgueFile)

Post from: Blisstree

Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Results

Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials

This just in from Hard Numbers News: From 2000 to 2007, an average of 16.8 million vehicles were sold in the States. In 2008, that figure dropped to 13.2 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the tally for 2009 is expected to put the sales needle somewhere around 10.4 million. According to Bloomberg, that would make last year the worst for new car sales since 1982, when there was not only a recession but also 25 percent fewer Americans.

The good news: sales began to rise at the end of 2009, having sustained themselves nicely after the revelry of cash-for-clunkers. The final data isn’t in yet, but Bloomberg’s survey of analysts suggests two months of gains in November and December. Predictions estimate that Ford, Toyota, Honda and Nissan saw increases, with General Motors and Chrysler looking at slipping sales.

The silver lining? Meager sales could “indicate significant pent-up demand.” That kettle of demand is going to take some time to boil, but a rise in household spending is penciled in for late 2010, along with greater availability of credit, and a drop in unemployment numbers is in the forecast as well. The road to recovery will be a slow one, but hopefully with the turn of the calendar year will come a turn in fortunes for the U.S. economy.

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Scott Olson/Getty]

Bloomberg: U.S. auto sales “probably rose” in December originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

See the photo there? That’s just ONE of the items in the $450+ prize pack that Energizer will be giving to one of our lucky readers. The rules are simple, here’s how to win:

1. Become a fan of Energi to Go on Facebook: Facebook – Energi To Go

2. Leave a message on Energi To Go’s wall with the word “CrunchGear” in it.

That’s it. Also check out Energi to Go on Twitter. This offer is open to U.S. residents only.

Here’s what’s in the prize pack:

• The AP1500 – charging case for iPhone 3G/3Gs (retails for $79.99)
• The SP2000 – a solar charger for cell and smart phones, iPod and mp3 players, gaming devices, digital cameras and more (retail at $99.99)
• The XP2000 – a charger for cell and smart phones, iPod and mp3 players, gaming devices and Bluetooth devices (retail at $39.99)
• The XP4001 – charges up to two devices at once, including cell and smart phones, iPod and mp3 players, gaming devices, Bluetooth devices, digital cameras and camcorders (retail at $69.99)
• The XP18000 – charges netbooks and laptops (retail at $179.99)

Happy New Year and Good Luck! The winner will be notified by Energizer directly.

Energi to Go [Energizer]

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple Financial, Internet Tools, iPhone

Now that 2009 is officially behind us, web metrics firm Net Applications has released their final report of the year, which finds Apple up in some areas and down in others. Specifically, the iPhone OS has grown significantly, while Chrome has surpassed Safari.

The iPhone jumped to 0.43 percent of the total OS market in December, a 20% increase over November and the largest monthly gain since its introduction. While holiday sales estimates are still unavailable, its expected that the quarter’s numbers will eclipse the previous quarter’s record-breaking 7.4 million units sold.

At the same time, usage of Google’s Chrome web browser has exceeded that of Apple’s Safari for the first time. As for alternatives to the nearly-ubiquitous Internet Explorer, Firefox is first, Chrome second and Safari third, according to Net Applications. Specifically, Chrome is now at 4.63 percent of browser share and Safari is at 4.46 percent.

The novelty of Chrome probably plays into these numbers, but it’s also a nice product. I’ve been using it on Windows and Mac OS X (in beta, of course) and found it snappy and responsive.

Overall this is a positive report for Apple. Here’s to 2010.

TUAWApple up, down in end-of-year report originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

This past year has brought more and more capacitive displays and it seems like resistive is making its exit, but not yet! A company called Touchco has some technology that brings resistive devices accuracy and ease of use together with capacitive’s sensitivity. The new display–from what I can get out of the video—uses crossed cords that are  constantly updated, and as your finger presses the screen the lines touch and the screen takes that as a press, and it is also pressure sensitive.

The new screen device could bring a lot of changes to Windows Mobile phones and for the better. Capacitive is a very good display, but it does have some down sides like for example it does not support stylus’s and for people like me in the winter up here in MN, we have layers of cloths and we would not be able to use a capacitive device or even worse when you get a capacitive screen really cold and bring it inside your house, it cracks. Those are something that make this cross technology a breakthrough not only for us, but for anyone that wants the best of the two.

Watch the video for a demo:

Source:PN

Fund flows into long term U.S. stock mutual funds have just started to perk up, according to long term mutual fund data from the Investment Company Institute (ICI), which covers over 95% of industry assets.

While an estimated $5 billion flowed out of stocks during the last four weeks, fund flows became positive, ie. net inflows, during the most recent weekly period of data, as shown below in red.

Meanwhile the bond investment frenzy has continued, with substantial inflows each week, shown above in gray.

Viewing ICI data on a longer time scale, from January to November 2009 $30 billion has flowed out of U.S. stocks and $349 billion has flowed into bonds.

If we even go back to the beginning of 2007, we find that a massive $229 billion has flowed out of U.S. domestic equity mutual funds since then... while $485 billion went into bond funds.

Thus in 2009, U.S. stock markets were able to rise despite a substantial fund flow headwind. It's hard to see how mere 'liquidity' could have driven the 2009 rally, as some skeptics claim. At least based on ICI data, U.S. equity fund flows were negative for the year.

Rather, the 2009 rally was probably more the result of sellers becoming unwilling to sell at lower price levels. While buying demand was diminishing, selling demand at lower price levels was probably drying up at an even faster rate. Thus prices had to rise in order to clear the market.

The combination of a rising market with negative fund flows is an encouraging sign for the future. Guess what could happen if fund flows significantly reverse and become a positive tailwind.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Gold ETF Fund Flows Quadrupled In November
• Global Fund Flows Sputter
• Uh-Oh, Commodity Flows Are Slowing

North Carolina, US | Curious Places of Worship

A small church in North Carolina was the first to be graced by large, Italian-style frescoes painted by an American artist who studied with Italian masters.

North Carolina native Ben Long grew up as an artist. After serving in Vietnam as a Marine Corps Combat Officer and Commander of the Combat Art Team, Long went to Florence, Italy to spend 8 years apprenticing in the art of fresco painting. Returning to the US in the mid-70’s, there wasn’t much demand for his newly honed skills. After a chance meeting with and Episcopal minister of two small churches in the mountains, Long offered to gift the churches with his talent, using locals as models for his recreation of the Last Supper painting. It is said that the minister had agreed to the paintings without even knowing what a fresco was.

The result was a series of large scale, lifelike “true frescoes”, meaning that they are painted in the Italian tradition on wet plaster. Also true to tradition, the models for saints and apostles were local citizens.

Long also has paintings on display in such notable collections as the Smithsonian, as well as frescoes in Italy at the Abbey of Montecassino, and 11 other frescoes in the US. More of his work in North Carolina can be seen by following the “Fresco Trail” set up in 2005.

When visiting these small sanctuaries, people often leave comments in a guestbook. Reading the entries reveals the sense of serenity and uniqueness of this generous creative spirit of artistic work.

Filed under: Retail, Apple, Holidays

In some more bright, shiny, and happy Apple news for this first day of 2010, Computerworld is reporting that Apple’s online store took top honors for customer satisfaction in terms of the holiday shopping experience at a computer or electronics manufacturer’s site.

The numbers from Michigan-based ForeSee Results showed Apple’s satisfaction rate at 82%, four percentage points higher than those in 2008. The market research firm measures customer satisfaction by surveying more than 10,000 visitors to the top 40 retail Web sites as ranked by annual sales revenue.

The two closest computer and electronics sites to Apple were Newegg.com and TigerDirect.com, posting scores of 81% and 80%. Dell and HP came in at 79% and 78%, respectively, while the least satisfying shopping experience was provided by Circuit City’s Web site at 73%.

While Apple led computer and electronics Web sites in terms of satisfaction, the company wasn’t even in the same ballpark as Amazon.com. The online shopping giant grabbed a whopping 87% customer satisfaction rating in ForeSee’s survey figures. Other companies that were ahead of Apple in the rankings were Netflix (86%) and QVC.com (83%).

The ForeSee report also notes that the biggest retailers are getting both larger and better, at the expense of smaller online retailers. The big boys on the block can offer larger discounts, free shipping and better customer support that can’t be matched by the small fry.

TUAWApple’s online store brought the Merry into the 2009 Christmas season originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM

A top Apple Inc. executive is reportedly be being considered for the chief executive officer post at General Motors. Over the last couple of years as the Detroit auto industry descended into financial oblivion, numerous observers from (mostly) outside the business promoted the idea of hiring Apple CEO Steve Jobs run GM. However, for a variety of reasons – not the least of which was Jobs’ health – that never came to fruition.

This time around, according to an (admittedly unsubstantiated) rumor on Silicon Alley Insider, rather than Jobs, executive search firm Spencer Stuart is said to be promoting Tim Cook. Cook is the chief operating officer at Apple and second in command to Jobs, filling the CEO slot on an interim basis last year while Jobs was on medical leave.

Cook would certainly be an interesting choice, and if hired, would join fellow tech industry vet and new GM CFO Chris Liddell who is coming over from Microsoft. It’s not clear, however, if he would be the best choice. As COO, Cook has had plenty of operational experience at Apple, and by all accounts, he has done an outstanding job running day-to-day operations. However, according auto industry analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics, the CEO at GM is traditionally the big picture/visionary position. In that respect, Cook would seem better suited to the President/COO role, a job recently awarded to Mark Reuss.

[Source: Silicon Alley Insider]

Rumormill: Apple COO Tim Cook for General Motors CEO slot? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Honda

As the 2011 Honda CR-Z gets prepares its assault on your heart and pocketbook, it is showing its face in more and more places.

This time, the 126-combined-horsepower hybrid eco-runner has been spotted in a video, from which a number of stills have been taken. While there aren’t any additional specs to come with it, you can at least see what you’ll look like driving down the road while you get somewhere above 50 miles per gallon. We note that while we still look forward to its tidy packaging and (hopefully) nimble dynamics, the front-end looks rather unfortunate with a U.S.-sized number plate.

The car is expected to bow for the first time in Japan sometime next month, but we hear it could show up earlier at the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, find all the images below in the gallery.

[Source: Gazoo via Carscoop]

Yes, There’s More: 2011 Honda CR-Z video captures leak out originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

Not everyone wants a super duper smartphone, some people prefer the simplicity of a feature phone and it looks like LG may be sending such a phone to AT&T. A series of leaked spy shots show a customized LG Arena KM900 sporting AT&T branding.  The GT950 will feature a 3 inch, 800×480 touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, 8GB of internal memory and LG’s whizbang S-Class UI. No word on pricing or launch date but from the finished look of the product it could be quite soon. Hit the jump for a few more spy shots.

[via PhoneArena]

Read

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

O OnLive é um sistema que possibilitará jogar qualquer jogo em praticamente qualquer plataforma sem a necessidade de comprar o CD/DVD físico, instalação ou download do jogo.

O jogo é basicamente enviado via streaming utilizando um algoritmo de compressão bastante eficaz, veja o vídeo acima e fique surpreendido pela potencialidade deste sistema.

WebTuga – [Video] OnLive – Jogos On Demand