Category: News

According to the latest issue of GamePro, Killzone 3 will be fully in 3D, at least if you have the hertz for it. Props to them for taking the bull by the horns; let’s hope it’s less of a sham than that last Killzone media frenzy. I’ve heard it said that games are the only worthwhile application for 3D — that’s a statement that I don’t agree with, but perhaps Killzone 3 may be a good example of just how good 3D can be.

An FPS is a natural match for 3D, but I really wonder, given how many people have gotten motion sickness and so on from 3D cinema, whether it might be too much at first. I know people who get sick playing racing games — some people are simply susceptible to it. It’ll be an interesting litmus test. The game will also be playable in non-3D for those of you who don’t have the ’spensive TVs it takes to make the magic happen.

Also, I want to take issue with their claim of being the first full-3D FPS. Have they already forgotten Faceball 2000 for the Virtual Boy?

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) agreed to buy Sterling Commerce from AT&T Inc. for $1.4 billion. The transaction will likely close in the second half of 2010, the companies said.

IBM has spent nearly a lot on deals in the first quarter as it did last year. The company said that by 2015, it would spend $20 billion on acquisitions. Recently, IBM is into the software business, which has been the most profitable and fastest growing segment. IBM is moving away from the hardware business, after dropping its computer business in 2004 to Lenovo.

The Sterling deal ranks among the highest in recent years. Sterling Commerce is a technology company that connects businesses with their suppliers, customers and partners to improve efficiencies.

AT&T expects to gain a $750 million increase on the transaction once it’s completed. 2,500 Sterling employees towill be transferred to IBM.

This acquisition is necessary for IBM to stay on top of the competition with giant companies like Hewlett-Packard Co. and Cisco Systems Inc.

Related posts:

1. IBM expects to double profits in 2015
2. Mirant and RRI Merger- Form Second largest U.S. Power Company
3. AT&T Takes A Giant Step, Plans $1 Billion Charge For Health Care

Motorola is planning to launch 20 Android smartphones this year, so we know there will be a steady flow of releases coming in the second half of this year. We have seen some interesting designs (like the Flipout), but many of us are still waiting to see what Motorola does with their high-end lineup.

We have heard rumors of the Motorola Shadow, but nothing solid has come out on a next generation device yet. Now someone over at Howard Forums has posted an image of the manual for an upcoming Motorola device.

No official product name was provided, but we can clearly see the Droid branding being used. Possible names include the Droid 2, Droid Shadow, and Droid Xtreme.

If the rumors and speculation are true, we will find another Texas Instruments processor inside the next Droid. Look for the 720 MHz OMAP3630, which is an upgrade to the OMAP3430 found in the Droid. The OMAP3630 features a faster clocked CPU and is built on the new 45 nm process which reduces power consumption.

The device is also said to be roughly 9 mm in thickness, so it looks like a physical keyboard is not an option this time around. Four physical buttons are located on the front of the phone and it looks like Motorola has adopted the optical trackball (like we have seen on newer HTC models). We will have to wait and see which version of Android this phone ships with, but expect it to feature the next revision of MOTOBLUR.

If you are on Verizon, does this Motorola device have enough to make you bite? It looks like a pretty even match-up with the Incredible, but I do like the larger display and HDMI out.

Rumored specs of the upcoming Droid include:

• 4.1″ TFT FWVGA screen
• 720 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3630 Processor
• 2GB -8GB internal memory
• Android 2.1 (Eclair), possibly 2.2 (Froyo) upon launch
• MOTOBLUR
• 8 MP camera with 720p video recording
• 1080p output via HDMI port
• Roughly 9mm in thickness

Related Posts

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• The Motorola Shadow re-emerges
• Confirmed: Droid 2.1 update arriving today

You can’t slip much past dedicated amateur astronomers. A month after the United States Air Force launched its space plane, the X-37B, under a veil of secrecy, backyard sky-watchers say they’ve found it, along with clues to its mission.

Though the military still won’t open up about what the classified X-37B actually is, officers have been insistent about what it isn’t: a space weapon. Indeed, defense experts have guessed recently that the craft is testing next-generation spy satellite tech, and the observations back that up.

The amateur sky watchers have succeeded in tracking the stealthy object for the first time and uncovering clues that could back up the surveillance theory. Ted Molczan, a team member in Toronto, said the military spacecraft was passing over the same region on the ground once every four days, a pattern he called “a common feature of U.S. imaging reconnaissance satellites.” In six sightings, the team has found that the craft orbits as far north as 40 degrees latitude, just below New York City. In theory, on a clear night, an observer in the suburbs might see the X-37B as a bright star moving across the southern sky [The New York Times].

In addition, the plane’s path would carry it over places the U.S. is interested in watching, like Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea, according to Greg Roberts, one of the astronomers to track the X-37B. More than uncovering its secret mission, he was interested in finding the plane because it was difficult. Said Roberts:

“If the data were freely available, we would probably not have bothered with it. I see little sense in tracking objects for which data is freely available. It’s like reinventing the wheel. So as long as there are missions with little or no information, I personally will be interested in the challenge of finding them” [MSNBC].

For more about the Air Force in space, check out DISCOVER blogger Phil Plait’s post at Bad Astronomy.

Related Content:
Bad Astronomy: What Is the Air Force Doing with Space?
80beats: Air Force to Launch Secret Space Plane Tomorrow—But Don’t Ask What It’s For
80beats: DARPA Loses Contact with Mach-20 “Hypersonic Glider” During Test Flight

Image: U.S. Air Force

Simon Monjack, the husband of the late actress Brittany Murphy, was found dead after five months after the Hollywood actress died. Monjack, a 39-year old British screenwriter, was found dead Sunday night in the master’s bedroom at his house in Hollywood Hills, California.
Paramedics responded at his house when Brittany’s mother, Sharon, called 911 at around 9:40pm. According to her statement, she found Monjack unconcious in his bedroom. LAPD detectives and coroner officials that were investigating on the scene had found neither foul play nor criminal acrivities involved.
According to the statement of Sgt. Louie Lozano, the preliminary cause of death of Monjack was said to be natural death like heart attack. Medical examineers confirmed that they have found some drugs that were recovered. But according to them, these drugs were just prescribed. Besides, they have found no traces of drug abuse in his autopsy.
Monjack was credited as co-writer and producer some films like “Two Days, Nine Lives” and he was an executive producer of the 2006 film “Factory Girl.” While Murphy was best known for her major roles in the films “Clueless,” “Girl Interrupted,” and “8 Mile” produced in 2002. She died in December 20 of last yeat, at an age of 32 after collapsing in her home. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office concluded Murphy’s death was accidental, and is likely preventable. Monjack and Murphy married in 2007.

Related posts:

1. Simon Monjack’s Death Bed
2. Brittany Murphy’s Husband, Simon Monjack Found Dead
3. British Scriptwriter Simon Monjack Found Dead

The American author, Mark Twain, will be popular in book stores again. Not because of his written works, but because of his autobiography.

Mark Twain is only a pen name. The real name of the author of “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He became the friend of artists, industrialists, and even presidents. His popularity and his imagination earned praises from critics. He was said to be the “greatest American humorist of his age” and even “The father of American literature” as William Faulkner called him.

Born in Florida, Missouri, Samuel Langhorne Clemens has encountered heartbreaking events like the death of his siblings and his father’s death when he was 11. However, his creative imagination has a big benefit for him since he had written a lot of great stories. When he was four, his family moved to Hannibal Missouri which later turned to be an inspiration for him in creating the fictional town of St. Petersburg in the story of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” however, at that time, Missouri is a victim of slavery so the young Twain became familiar with the institution of slavery.

Twain loves Science and Technology. Twain patented three inventions, including an “Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments” and a history trivia game.

Twain had many great works and he had contributed a lot in our history. He even tried to change the political world by stating in the New York Herald “I wanted the American eagle to go screaming into the Pacific …Why not spread its wings over the Philippines, I asked myself? … I said to myself, Here are a people who have suffered for three centuries. We can make them as free as ourselves, give them a government and country of their own..” These were some of his great words that were striking since he wants to awaken the Americans to let the Filipinos have freedom instead of colonizing them.

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Simon Monjack, the husband of the late actress Brittany Murphy, was found dead after five months after the Hollywood actress died. Monjack, a 39-year old British screenwriter,  was found dead Sunday night in the master’s bedroom at his house in Hollywood Hills, California.

Paramedics responded at his house when Brittany’s mother, Sharon, called 911 at around 9:40pm. According to her statement, she found Monjack unconcious in his bedroom.  LAPD detectives and coroner officials that were investigating on the scene had found neither foul play nor criminal acrivities involved.

According to the statement of Sgt. Louie Lozano,  the preliminary cause of death of Monjack was said to be natural death like heat attack. Medical examineers confirmed that they have found some drugs that were recovered.  But according to them, these drugs were just prescribed. Besides, they have found no traces of drug abuse in his autopsy.

Monjack was credited as co-writer and producer some films like “Two Days, Nine Lives” and he was an executive producer of the 2006 film “Factory Girl.” While Murphy was best known for her major roles in the films “Clueless,” “Girl Interrupted,” and “8 Mile” produced in 2002. She died in December 20 of last yeat, at an age of 32 after collapsing in her home. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office concluded Murphy’s death was accidental, and is likely preventable. Monjack and Murphy married in 2007.

No related posts.

I’ve got the world on a string/ I’m sitting on a rainbow/ Got the string around my finger/ What a world, what a life—I’m in love! More »










Astronomy – Amateur – Stringed – Music – Guitar

Filed under: Paris Motor Show, Crossover, BMW, Design/Style, Luxury

The 2010 Paris Motor Show may be five months out at this point, but that isn’t stopping manufacturers like BMW from getting the ball rolling on the long, slow, aggravating striptease of new models. The German manufacturer has just dropped a few sneaky shots of the all-new 2011 X3 for the motoring world to start speculating over. So what do we see? A hood, a taillight, a few body lines and not much else.

It’s clear that the hood now wears similar styling to what you’ll find on the 3 Series and 5 Series thanks to a few more contours than the previous piece. Beyond that, we don’t know too much about the new Bavarian high-rider other than it can whip up a bomb scare in a hurry.

Judging from the spy shots we’ve come across thus far, we aren’t expecting particularly dramatic changes to the X3’s exterior. A reworked fascia is likely to join the new hood and taillights, and there is some talk of a four-cylinder engine making its way under the hood for the first time.

[Source: BMW]

BMW teasing 2011 X3 well in advance originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 May 2010 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of Engadget’s tipsters was digging through an HTC site designed for internal component bidding and unearthed a few new product codenames. You can now add Glacier, LED, and Vision to the list of possible future Android phones. We say possible only because HTC is still committed to Windows Mobile handsets as well. The Vision model has “TMO” listed next to it which could indicate a T-Mobile release. As to whether this means T-Mobile UK or T-Mobile USA remains to be seen. According to Engadget their source was also able to dig up the Incredible and Legend codenames far in advance of official releases.

Might We Suggest…

• First Glimpes of Espresso Sense UI
  

  The first few images of Android 2.1 and Sense UI hit the net around 3 weeks ago.  Shortly after, the ROM was leaked to forums for users to download.  Inside this ROM was a lineup of upcoming HTC…

Former Will & Grace star Sean Hayes will host this year’s Tonys.

Hayes has been tapped to emcee the 64th Annual Tony Awards — live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City — on Sunday, June 13, BroadwayWorld.com said Monday.

This is the first hosting stint for Hayes, who is also a nominee for in the category of Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in the hit stage play Promises, Promises. He was also nominated by the Drama League and Outer Critics Circle.

Earlier this month, the Emmy-winning actor was targeted in a controversial Newsweek article criticizing gay actor’s ability to portray straight characters.

The Tony Awards will air live on CBS (8PM-11PM) next month.

European markets were mixed in today’s trading, but Spain’s IBEX was noticeably lower, off around 1.3%, on concerns over the country’s bailout of regional lender CajaSur.

• UK FTSE, flat.
• German DAX, down .5%.
• French CAC, flat.

IBEX, down around 1.3%:

See why Spain’s problems are just beginning here >

Join the conversation about this story »

Muchos gracias everyone who chipped in during our Consumerist $10 for $10,000 donation drive. We only got to $6,318.17, but hey, for a recession, that’s still pretty great. You can donate at any time throughout the year, just hit the “donate” button at the top of the page, or visit Donatetoconsumerist.com (FAQ). Thanks again! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.

TX or DC area pref., FPL Group

FPL Energy Services, Inc., a growing Energy Service Company with two federal contracts, and a subsidiary of FPL Group – the US leader in energy from wind and solar systems.

The Federal Sales Executive will have the following responsibilities: Develop and execute strategic and tactical sales plans to drive profitable revenue growth while meeting operating targets for Federal performance contracting sales. Collaborate with marketing, operations, legal, finance, and other key stakeholders to improve customer acquisition, service, and retention. Develop Federal segment account management plans and build and expand customer relationships to maximize long term account growth. Monitor the market and territory and proactively prospect to develop new business opportunities and a strong pipeline. Understand new technologies and products/services and sell a full portfolio of FPLES ESCO (Energy Services Company) solutions. Maintain an accurate and updated opportunity pipeline, and provide accurate forecasting information by utilizing CRM system. Consistently execute the Performance Contracting sales process, and fully apply consultative sales methodologies and techniques to drive competitive differentiation and deal closure. Monitor external environment, competitive trends, and Voice of the Customer info to communicate to marketing about new product/services. Lead and develop RFP response drawing from technical writers, engineering, construction, purchasing, business development and management ensuring that the voice of the customer and requirements are incorporated and having primary accountability for accuracy and delivery of the response. Ensure proper controls and compliance in accordance with corporate policy and procedures. Needs experience in negotiating ESCO sales with the federal government. This position requires extensive travel. Flexible on position location.

*Bachelors degree in engineering, business or a similar field. MBA preferred
*Minimum of six years of related commercial or governmental work experience, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
*Technical and financial expertise to effectively and independently qualify and sell energy solutions and service product lines.
*Related professional certifications preferred (e.g. CEM, LEED AP, etc.).
*A proven relationship-builder with C-level executives.
*Technical consultative sales.
*Practical knowledge of state and federal energy regulations.
*Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills, ability to liaise with colleagues and customers at all levels.
*Proven history of develop/deliver presentations
*Proficiency with MS Office Suite

I woke up to find it raining on the west side of the house, and snowing on the east. Globally it may be warm, but not here in Bozeman.

The NAR reports: Existing-Home Sales Rise

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 7.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.77 million units in April from an upwardly revised 5.36 million in March, and are 22.8 percent higher than the 4.70 million-unit pace in April 2009…

Total housing inventory at the end of April rose 11.5 percent to 4.04 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.4-month supply at the current sales pace, up from an 8.1-month supply in March.

Keep reading at Calculated Risk >

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It looks like Kindle firmware 2.5 is trickling out to certain Kindle DX owners right this very second. This ought to mean that the update will hit a Kindle near you rather shortly.

You’ll recall that this update brings Facebook and Twitter applications to the e-reader. Can’t imagine either being too useful beyond the initial “hey let’s check this out” honeymoon, but here we are.

Yup, that’s it. Quick little story, this.

Flickr’d

Google’s advertising programs have been highly successful for the company and helped it become the giant it is today, a little over a decade after it launched. The biggest share of its ad revenue comes from its search engine, but a significant part also comes from the ads it serves on third-party sites. The AdSense program has been doing gr… (read more)