Author: Serkadis

There’s been a lot of concern in the UK about how its defamation/libel laws are quite draconian, and are often used for “libel tourism,” (bringing cases in the UK, just because of those stricter laws). This has resulted in a serious backlash and in promises to explore changing UK libel law. UK Justice minister Jack Straw has now released a proposal on updating defamation law in the UK, and while it’s a start, it’s not clear it goes far enough. The good news is that “public interest” and “good faith” would become defenses to libel claims. This is definitely important, but it could go much further. It seems that the burden should actually be on the party claiming defamation to prove that the content was put forth in bad faith. Still, it’s good to see indications that the UK is serious about updating its tragically out of date defamation laws.

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While were still waiting for the summer release of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, it looks like Tetsuya Nomura is already brewing not one, but three new Kingdom Hearts games.
 
 

Traffic in Lisbon condensed in one day [mondeguinho.com] presents several visual experiments that map the routes of about 1,534 (taxi?) vehicles during 24 hours in Lisbon.

Watch the beautiful animations below.

See also 24 Hours of Traffic in the UK, 24 Hours of Air Flight Traffic, Britain from Above, Real Time Rome, Google Ridefinder and Cabspotting.

Via @aaronkoblin.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Eco-Friendly Graduation Gowns

Harper College’s graduation robes will be blue this spring, in honor of the College’s official colors. But they’ll also be green. With an eye on the environment, Harper for the first time will dress its graduates in biodegradable gowns that break down when thrown away. The gowns are made of a natural fiber that comes from renewable, managed forests and decomposes in the soil within a year when discarded; the zipper is made of recycled plastic. The gown’s packaging also is earth-friendly, containing material that facilitates the decomposition process. In the past, the College rented gowns that were collected after the graduation ceremony and dry-cleaned. “Each time those were used, they had to be cleaned, pressed, transported by a truck and wrapped in plastic bags. All of that used an enormous amount of fuel and chemicals,” says Maria Moten, Dean of Enrollment Services and co-chair of Harper’s Graduation Committee. “These new gowns are just as good quality, but they’re eco-friendly, which helps us demonstrate to students the importance of looking out for the environment.” The gowns, from Josten’s, are a first of their kind, and boast the same texture and style of typical graduation gowns. They were approved by Harper’s Green Committee, an employee group tasked with finding new ways for the campus to be eco-friendly, and are a growing trend at colleges and universities across the nation. The gowns are Harper’s latest go-green initiative. The College also practices energy reduction and water conservation; boasts an active student Environmental Club; equips its janitorial staff with green cleaning products; and offers a host of environmental courses, including non-credit certificates for children and adults, credit courses in environmental toxicology, ethics and other issues; and green workshops for designers, architects and contractors.  

Media Note: Samples gowns can be made available for reporters and photographers. 

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected] 

Speech Success

Harper College’s Speech and Debate team finished second among two-year schools in the Illinois state competition this month, taking more than half of its 27 acts to the finals round and boasting one state champion. Sophomore Annie Sauter of Buffalo Grove took first place in the Speech to Entertain category, delivering a 10-minute speech on the dangers of teenage “sexting” – the exchange of provocative pictures and texts via cell phone. It’s her second year on Harper’s award-winning team. “As always, our entire team’s strong public speaking skills, as well as members’ teamwork, helped us achieve this honor,” Coach Jeff Przybylo says. The team will take the stage again at its annual Night Before Nationals performance, a preview of the squad’s acts delivered before members depart for the national competition. That event is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 30 in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $6 for general admission. For tickets, call 847.925.6100 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/boxoffice. Harper’s team has a history of success; the group has won six state titles, and finished sixth nationally in 2009. 

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. 

Honoring Alumni

The Harper College Alumni Relations Office is seeking nominations for its annual Distinguished Alumni Award, an honor saluting former Harper students for outstanding career and community achievements. The awards first were handed out in 2008 as part of the College’s 40th Anniversary celebration. Ten recipients, representing a variety of educational journeys, have been honored since then. This year, between six and eight Distinguished Alumni will be inducted. Recipients will be lauded at a November reception; they also must agree to return to campus at least one more time within the year to be a guest speaker or participate in a student roundtable. “The recipient of this award will have the opportunity to inspire others, including the students who are now part of the same campus that helped so many alumni get their start,” says Catherine Brod, Educational Foundation Executive Director and Vice President of Community Relations. Previous honorees have included an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, an 80-something retiree still taking – and teaching – courses, a mayor, a fire chief and a National Geographic-honored geoarchaeologist. To be eligible, nominees must have completed Harper credit courses, made notable moves in their career and shown professional growth in their chosen field, and had a positive impact on their community through leadership or volunteering. The deadline for nominations is midnight Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Forms are available at the Alumni Relations Office, Room A317, Building A on the Palatine campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine, or online at www.harpercollege.edu/alumni. For more information, call 847.925.6490.

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].

Disney-Style Success

Disney’s secret to success isn’t magic. It’s a thoughtful approach to customer service, honed over a half-century of experience in the face of fierce competition and the public’s ever-changing tastes and attitudes. Harper College will share tips and tricks from one of the world’s entertainment empires at a special daylong Disney Institute aimed at arming local businesses for success as the economy begins its economic rebound. “Disney’s Approach to Quality Service,” hosted by Disney Institute facilitators, is geared to all types of businesses – from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies – and will help owners and others anticipate customer demands, exceed client expectations, understand the need for consistency and create a service plan that promotes Disney-level quality. “We’re offering a rare chance to get Disney’s success secrets straight from Disney,” says Mark Mrozinski, Continuing Education Dean at Harper. “This program will challenge you to see your organization in a new light, and help you inspire your business leaders, energize your workforce and boost your bottom line.” The session, offered through Harper’s Continuing Education Department, is appropriate for all business sectors – from retail outlets and restaurants to healthcare providers, developers and government organizations. It runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29 at the Wojcik Conference Center on the College’s main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $349. To register or for more information, call 847.925.6300 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/ce. 

Media Note: Disney Institute leaders are available in advance of the program for interviews. They are able to offer tips for finding success amid a down – but rebounding – economy, and offer suggestions for preparing a business to thrive once the recession is over. Contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. 

New Economy Job Help

Making a great first impression is paramount – particularly in a rebounding job market. Harper College will show you how you how to do it, whether you’ve landed an impromptu interview at a job fair or encountered a promising professional lead at a local coffee shop. That’s the subject of the College’s next edition of Career Stimulus, a one-year-old monthly career-boosting program focused on getting local residents the job-hunting and job-nabbing support they need. The March session, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Friday, March 26, will feature nationally recognized image development expert Susan Fignar as its keynote speaker. Breakout sessions will address salary negotiation skills, tips for selling yourself to future employers and proven tactics for finding – or reigniting – a passion for your career. Career Stimulus, launched in March 2009 to provide Northwest suburban residents with post-layoff help in a downturned economy, has drawn 300 regular members and helped hundreds of community members revamp their resumes, energize their job hunt and work toward new careers. “Today, as companies begin to hire again and more people begin to land interviews and get jobs, our local residents are facing different career concerns than they were in the recent past,” Adult Learning Special Assistant Nancy Wajler says. “We’re looking to fill those new needs with even more sophisticated support.” Career Stimulus is free for first-timers. Subsequent sessions are $10. Memberships also are available for $85; they include a year of meetings, one-on-one sessions with one of Harper’s career coaches, workshops, and materials for and admission to an intensive “NetWorthing” session focused on making networking work. For more information, visit www.harpercollege.edu or call 847.925.6438.

Media Note: Previous Career Stimulus participants who found jobs through Harper’s program are available for interviews. Harper’s Adult Learning Special Assistant, Nancy Wajler, also is available for comment on the success of job clubs and how they may need to change as the economy slowly climbs out of its downward spiral. To book interviews, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. 

College Savings Aid

Statistics show the cost of college tuition, room and board at four-year public institutions rose by 30 percent from 1998 to 2008 – and it’s still growing. This spring, Harper College will host a free seminar aimed at showing parents, grandparents and others how to financially prepare for higher education. The “Saving for College” session is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 21 in the Wojcik Conference Center on Harper’s main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. The event will offer tips from college experts and professional advisors, who will cover the basics of saving for higher education and provide tools to help attendees navigate the college savings process. “Whether the young person in your life is 4 or 14, it’s not too early – or too late – to start investing in their education,” says Katherine Sawyer, Associate Executive Director of the Harper College Educational Foundation. “Saving that money, though, can be daunting, particularly amid rising tuition and a gloomy economy. This seminar will give attendees the confidence and know-how they need to start saving the right way.” The event, hosted by the Harper Heritage Society’s Professional Advisor group – an offshoot of the College’s Educational Foundation – also will include Harper financial aid experts. To register, visit www.harpercollege.edu/foundation and select the Professional Advisor Seminar Series, or call 847.925.6490 for more details.  

Media Note: Reporters are welcome to attend the event and talk with participants about the task of saving for college amid shrinking financial aid resources and rising tuition costs.  

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. 

Entrepreneur Help

Making a small business flourish can be a daunting task, particularly in a difficult economy. But it’s not impossible. With an eye on helping small business owners compete and excel in a continued rough-and-tumble climate, Harper College is hosting Entrepreneur’s Quest 2010, a daylong seminar filled with expert tips on marketing, sales, branding, business strategies and the latest technology. Social media trends – including details on promoting businesses, boosting sales and improving customer service via networks like Facebook and Twitter – will be among the topics. This year’s edition also will include a panel discussion offering strategies and wisdom from successful, seasoned entrepreneurs. “Staying in business can be difficult struggle for any small business owner anytime, but especially in a time when America is still battling the effects of a devastating recession,” Small Business Development Manager Bonnie Richter says. “This workshop will offer strategies for surviving and thriving despite economic challenges, and competing in the nation’s new business landscape.” If small businesses go out of business, many jobs go, too: more than 70 percent of jobs are created by small business clients like the ones Harper is targeting at the Quest event. Sam Glenn, an author, comedic speaker and founder of the motivational resource company EverythingAttitude.com, will serve as the keynote speaker. Glenn’s new book, “A Kick in the Attitude,” offers tips for using positivity to achieve success. The event also will feature Mike Muldoon, a marketing and management professor and president of a consulting and business coaching practice. Entrepreneur’s Quest 2010 runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24 at the Wojcik Conference Center on Harper’s main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine. The cost is $60 for those who register by April 1, and $75 afterward. That includes lunch. To register or for more details, visit www.harpercollege.biz, call 847.925.6520 or email [email protected]. The event is sponsored by the Small Business Development Center at Harper College, which provides free resources and one-on-one counseling and advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs. For appointments, call 847.925.6520. 

Media Note: The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Harper College has had many success stories, despite the poor economy. To interview successful entrepreneurs for this story or others, or for comments on small business start-up tips, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. 

Acing Alpaca

Amanda Joseph is only in her first year of Harper College’s fashion program, and she’s already making a name for herself. The 19-year-old Palatine resident beat out dozens of other competitors from colleges and universities across the nation and Canada to take second place at a recent national competition requiring contestants to design a cutting-edge textile from alpaca fibers. The honor scored Joseph a $750 scholarship, a trip to Nashville, Tenn. to collect the prize, and bragging rights among a field of entrants from schools like the Art Institute of California, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and Kansas State University. Joseph drew inspiration from the image of a melting glacier field to create her piece: a brushed, woven alpaca fabric on which she incorporated an additional technique: marbling the fabric with paints. The annual Fiber to Fashion Design Competition is sponsored by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association. Alpaca, though not widely used in fashion, is similar to cashmere in its substantial price and luxurious texture. “Contests like these draw some of the best talent there is in the area of fashion and textile design,” says Donna Sculley, Joseph’s textiles instructor. “The fact that Amanda won as a first-year student speaks to her notable skill and potential in the industry, and showcases the kind of talent we attract here at Harper. We’re excited to see what the future holds both for her and for us.” Harper students have come up winners at the contest before. Most recently, student Yulia Kersten earned first place in the 2009 competition’s textile category for her felted alpaca fabric, and took home a Consumers Choice Award. In 2008, a trendy knee-length alpaca coat designed by student Olga Pasman of Schaumburg won the top prize in the contest’s fashion category and was manufactured afterward and sold online.  

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. 

Free Ultrasounds

The Harper College Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is seeking volunteers interested in receiving free ultrasounds. Available tests include obstetrical ultrasounds (participants must be at least 18 weeks pregnant; they will receive a copy of the images), carotid artery ultrasounds (participants must be at least 50 years old), venous ultrasounds of the lower legs (participants must be at least 18 years old) and echocardiograms (participants must be at least 18 years old). All exams will be performed by students on state-of-the-art equipment, under the supervision of a registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. The free tests, lasting about an hour each, are non-diagnostic. Volunteers will not receive a medical report, but will be instructed to follow up with a doctor if abnormalities are suspected. Volunteers are needed through May 1. Ultrasounds have been used since the 1950s and have no known harmful effects. Harper’s program conforms to all patient safety regulations. To schedule a free ultrasound appointment, call 847.925.6104.  

Press Contact: Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected]. 

Photo Opportunities

Event: Night Before Nationals Speech and Debate Team performance

Time: 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 30

Location: Performing Arts Center

Event: Career Stimulus program. The program draws large crowds of local job-seekers.

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Friday, March 26

Location: Wojcik Conference Center

Event: Entrepreneur’s Quest 2010 for small businesses

Time: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24

Location: Wojcik Conference Center

For decades, the US has had certain “media cross-ownership” limits to prevent, for example, a single company from owning both a local broadcast network and a newspaper. These rules came about back when those two were basically the only source one could go to for local news. But, of course, that’s not true any more (at all). Instead, you’ve got local media that is struggling, and perhaps it does make sense for them to not be forced into only playing in a single medium. So, for years the FCC has tried to loosen media ownership rules, leading to complaints from people who still don’t seem to recognize that the internet is a pretty big competitor these days with the old media companies. In 2007, the FCC came up with a compromise that very marginally loosened media ownership rules: basically, in just the top 20 media markets, a newspaper could merge with a single radio or TV station but not if that TV station was one of the top 4 in the market. In other words, there was no way this minor loosening of the rules was going to lead to some feared situation of one company dominating the media landscape.

But, still, lots of people protested that suddenly all our news was going to come from Rupert Murdoch, and politicians looked to invalidate the rule while lawsuits were filed. A judge eventually banned putting the rules into effect, but an appeals court has now temporarily lifted the ban. While some are still complaining about this, the impact is likely to be negligible at best. As Editor & Publisher explains:

It’s safe to say that Tuesday’s Third Circuit action — which could prove only a temporary lifting of the ban — won’t set off any buying binge among newspapers.

For one thing, nobody is going to lend newspapers money to buy media these days. That lesson’s been learned until the next bubble comes around. And even if a newspaper had the jack to swing a deal, there’s little point in spending it on the fourth-place — or worse — broadcast outlet in town.

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Ubisoft’s animation director Jan-Erik Sjovall has blamed the God of War series for the poor reception of the recent Prince of Persia games, but is hoping to get them back with upcoming release of Prince of Persia:

The world has stopped for me today. I tried to get my hands on the not so new HTC HD2, but it seems Saint Paul has none left. They say all day people have been asking for the device, or random people shopping see the device and buy it.

This is a good start for the T-mobile powerhouse device. The whole country has been waiting for it, and the first days sales are higher than expected.

I am proud of the device. I was a little sceptical of the device’s place in the market, but after this performance on the first day, I have one word “NICE!!!.”

What do you think about this? Do you think I should go out and hit the first person I see with a T-mobile HD2 and run away? Do you know why I am asking you all these questions? Comment below.

We’ve pointed out a few times that there are great similarities between the way China censors the internet and the provisions in the leaked drafts of ACTA. They’re both based on increasing secondary liability to try to get third parties to silence a certain form of expression. Of course, the same is also true of the Digital Economy Bill in the UK (which is sort of a mini-ACTA for the UK). Kevin Marks did a brilliant job comparing and contrasting the language of Rebecca MacKinnon’s Congressional testimony on the effects of internet blocking in China — compared directly to language in the Digital Economy Bill. He also makes the tie-in with Bono’s statements from a few months back, suggesting that countries implement Chinese-style censorship to stop copyright infringement — noting that’s exactly what the DEB tries to do. Basically, the DEB enables a very similar form of censorship in the UK that the Chinese government has put in place in China — it’s just that it seeks to censor potentially infringing expression, rather than political expression. And, of course, don’t be at all surprised when China uses these laws as justification for its own censorship policies. And, yet, it’s still stunning to see US politicians heavily involved in condemning China’s online censorship while actively supporting similar forms of censorship at home.

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Filed under: Classics, Etc., Celebrities

Odds are, your nickname is not “The King of Cool.” Of course, odds are that you never ran away from the farm to join the circus, worked as a towel boy in a brothel, jumped ship from the merchant marines in the Dominican Republic, were a lumberjack, joined a street gang or bought your first motorcycle with winnings from motorcycle racing. Nor were you busted down to private seven times while a Marine only to redeem yourself by saving the lives of five men in frosty arctic waters and then being assigned to guard Harry Truman’s yacht. Oh, and you’re first film role wasn’t in a Paul Newman movie. In other words, we know something about Steve McQueen, and you’re no Steve McQueen. Sadly, neither are we. For that matter, neither is anyone else. Oh, and today would have been his 80th birthday.

McQueen is most famous for being a Hollywood heartthrob and anti-hero, rising to prominence as a hunky, square-jawed outsider. His first big screen success happened when none other than Frank Sinatra replaced (none other than) Sammy Davis Jr. with McQueen in a film called Never so Few where McQueen’s character was required to drive a Jeep at high speeds. Then came one of his most memorable roles as Vin in John Sturges classic western The Magnificent Seven, where he shared the screen with Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, James Coburn and Robert Vaughn. Then came The Great Escape and the rest, as they say, is history.

Being supremely and ridiculously cool is all well and good, but it’s still not enough to get your birthday mentioned on Autoblog. No, you’ve got to have a pretty strong connection to cars to wind up here. Did we mention Steve McQueen was the car guy’s car guy?

Continue reading Happy 80th Birthday, Steve McQueen

Happy 80th Birthday, Steve McQueen originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Playstation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on May 11, 2003 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in the PAL region on September 1, 2005. 17 million units of the PSP system have been sold in the U.S. to-date.

The PlayStation Portable is the first handheld video game console to use an optical disc format, Universal Media Disc (UMD), as its primary storage medium. Since 2005, more than 245 developers have created software titles for the platform since launch. To date, users can choose from more than 520 software titles available in the U.S. on UMD and more than 300 titles on the PlayStation Network. With award-winning first-party software titles including God of War: Chains of Olympus, Gran Turismo, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance: Retribution, and SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo, and triple-A third-party franchises such as FINAL FANTASY (Square Enix, Inc.) and Grand Theft Auto (RockStar Games), the PSP software library features a variety of titles from every major publisher.

Access to PlayStation Store was introduced to PSP owners in 2007 and has since helped to establish PlayStation Network as the premier destination for downloadable gaming and entertainment content. Today, PlayStation Network offers PSP owners tens of thousands of digital entertainment choices, including over 20,000 movies and TV episodes, “minis,” digital comics, original programming, as well as more than 300 games, many of which are exclusive.

PSP hardware has continued to evolve from the original PSP-1000 system, which boasted a best-in-class, 4.3 inch high-resolution LCD display, more than 125 games at launch, and built-in wireless communications. In 2007, SCE released the PSP-2000 system, which was 33 percent lighter than the original model. In 2008, the PSP-3000 system debuted, which featured an enhanced LCD screen with five times the color contrast ratio of previous models. In fall 2009, the PSP go system was made available in North America, becoming the first and only all-digital, full-game handheld entertainment system on the market.

Sales of the PSP have (with cyclical exceptions) lagged behind its main competitor, the Nintendo DS. Nevertheless, the console is “the most successful non-Nintendo handheld game system ever sold.”

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Paris Motor Show, Bentley, Luxury

Our intrepid spy shooters caught the 2011 Bentley Continental GT unwrapped for an all-too-brief moment, and managed to snap off a handful of shots before a VAG security team snatched their camera away and deleted all the images… save one.

However, this singular shot proves Bentley is taking considerable pains to update the aging GT with some new sheetmetal, a noticeably revised fascia and a sloping roofline that terminates into a more sculpted hatch.

From what we can see, the front end garners the majority of the changes, with a new set of LED headlamps inspired by the all-new Mulsanne. The hood looks slightly longer and the fascia combines an upright grille with a pair of sweptback fenders and more sculpted intakes.

The prominent swage line that runs the length of the GT appears slightly toned-down, particularly above the front wheel arches, and the mirrors look more aerodynamic than those fitted to its predecessor.

The overall appearance comes off as more planted and suitably swoopy, and unless our eyes (or the angle) are deceiving us, it looks like the 2011 GT’s wheelbase is a shade longer than the current model. We should know all the facts when the 2011 Continental GT debuts later this year, likely at the Paris Motor Show this fall.

Spy Shots: Bentley Continental GT gets a new nose, more swoop for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 is the best car we’d never buy

Sure, the all-new Shelby GT500 is on the way, but we wanted to take one last spin in the ultimate ‘Stang before its successor arrived.

GM developing twin-turbo 3.0L V6 to fight EcoBoost

The turbo wars have finally come Stateside, and the newest entrant comes in the form of a new twin-turbo’d six from The General.

GM unveils three futuristic, urban EN-V concepts

The future of urban mobility is here, at least in concept form, courtesy of General Motors.

Also of interest:

• 2011 Buick LaCrosse drops 3.0L V6, adds four-cylinder
• All-wheel-drive BMW Alpina B7 xDrive slated for New York debut
• Tell your best Yugo story, win a signed copy of the Yugo book
• Cadillac XTS confirmed for production
• Walkinshaw Performance releases the Pontiac G8 wagon we’ve always wanted… in Australia

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 3.24.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By Steven Chu

America is on the cusp of reviving its nuclear power industry. Last month President Obama pledged more than $8 billion in conditional loan guarantees for what will be the first U.S. nuclear power plant to break ground in nearly three decades. And with the new authority granted by the president’s 2011 budget request, the Department of Energy will be able to support between six and nine new reactors.  What does all of this mean for the country? This investment will provide enough clean energy to power more than six million American homes. It will also create tens of thousands of jobs in the years ahead.  Perhaps most importantly, investing in nuclear energy will position America to lead in a growing industry. World-wide electricity generation is projected to rise 77% by 2030. If we are serious about cutting carbon pollution then nuclear power must be part of the solution. Countries such as China, South Korea and India have recognized this and are making investments in nuclear power that are driving demand for nuclear technologies.  Click here to read more…

Does this look familiar?

@YourBuddy
 I’m at the Apple Store Palo Alto in Palo Alto http://gowalla.com/spots/9591
 about 7 hours ago via Gowalla

It looks all too familiar to me. And these messages are increasing in frequency in inboxes and social sites. What’s going on here is that a fairly new kind of app, the "location check-in" service, is starting to get more traction among early adopters, and the usage is resulting in rapidly increasing "10-20" updates. Last week, the SXSW conference was ground-zero for this battle, as two of the hottest players, Foursquare and Gowalla, battled it out a year after both launching at the same event. Gowalla, behind for most of the year, gained steam at SXSW, winning a SXSW Web Award. Gowalla launched an updated app in Austin…and that’s where my trouble began.

It seems that many of my social contacts have decided to try Gowalla this past week, and as a result, my Status Updates from my Contacts in LinkedIn, and "What’s Hapenning" in Twitter are getting stuffed with spammy updates of every time one of them shows up at some coffee shop. This is the worst of social…the anecdotal "I’m brushing my teeth now" update that we all made fun of before we discovered the real value of Twitter.

What has happened is that these Check-In apps are degrading the average value of the messages my friends send. As a "follower", I tend to only follow people who put tight filters on their tweets, usually offering some deliberate thought about politics, telecom, or technology. But once these people connected Check-In apps to Twitter, their deliberate, pensive, witty tweets are being overrun by location spam. I’m not your mom, and I don’t care where you are!

To be fair, the Check-In apps, by themselves, are not bad, and can be quite cool. I like being able to sign into locations, leave virtual notes there, leave pictures on a virtual board, rate the place, get discounts. Many of the uses are fun, informative, and even whimsical. I like the goofy competition for "being the mayor" of the bubble tea shop. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, Shane Snow over at Mashable describes the leading apps well, including a head-to-head feature chart. So while the apps can be engaging, it’s just the optional connection of these apps to automatic outbound messages that is problematic and can generate too much chaff.

Not only can automated messages add up in quantity, but they can occasionally send the wrong signals, or be cause for embarassement. On one funny occasion, my wife visited someone at the hospital, and she turned on Foursquare. Because of the lingo of these apps, her Facebook page and friends were pushed the message "Liz just checked-in @ Kaiser Permanente Medical Center – Walnut Creek". Now, much as we liked the free flowers, we’re not sure she was sending the right signals.

Like email and spam in the 90s, the good-quality, human written missives are being substituted by pointless, automated messages. It’s far easier for a server to crank me out a message than for a person to type out 140 characters, so I predict this unfortunate trend to continue. An increasing number of status updates will be coming – not from your friends – but from machines they’ve allowed to send on their behalf. Too bad. I wanted to stay in touch with my friends, not their software.

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2010Mar24: Sea levels in the Bay of Bengal rose about 3 millimeters a year until 2000, but have been rising about 5 millimeters annually over the last ten years, according to oceanographer Sugata Hazra, a professor at Jadavpur University in Calcutta (Associated Press, 2010).

Reference: Associated Press story that appeared in the Toronto Sun http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/03/24/13339981.html

Image Description: Morning in Bangladesh. Fishing off coast. Photo by bk, 2008Mar27. Image Location: Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fishing_-_Bay_of_Bengal_%282411561405%29.jpg Image Description: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic  license.

2010Mar24: New Moore island, an island about 3.5 kilometres long and 3 kilometres wide in the Bay of Bengal, is now under water due to rising sea levels. India and Bangladesh had argued over who owned the island for 30 years. “What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking, has been resolved by global warming,” said oceanographer Sugata Hazra, a professor at Jadavpur University in Calcutta (Associated Press, 2010). New Moore Island is also called South Talpatti Island and Purbasha.

Reference: Associated Press story that appeared in the Toronto Sun http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/03/24/13339981.html

Image Description: Location Of South Talpatti Island in Bay of Bengal. Image Location: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:South_Talpatti_Island.jpg Image Permission: The copyright holder of this work, hereby releases it into the public domain. This applies worldwide.