Category: News

Filed under: Concept Cars, Audi

From the front, high three-quarter angle, Daniel Garcia’s Audi A9 concept is a little too reminiscent of BMW’s Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. Yet, as is the case with so many geniune Audis, get to know it a bit more and you discover its beautiful and original secrets. As a concept, it’s full of features like self-repairing panels and a pushbutton that changes the exterior color, but we have to admit we’re digging those electroluminescent, spoked wheels.

Better yet is the exterior, with its inviting proportions, conceivable enough that if someone told us this will be the 2016 A7 Sportback we’d give them the benefit of the doubt. Have a better look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below, and we’ll hope that one of Audi’s coming software apps includes running a program that turns your A8 into this.

[Source: Jon Sibal]

Rendered Speculation: Audi A9 concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 May 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This year has already proven to be the most unpredictable in Connecticut politics in the past four decades with a never-ending pattern of twists and turns.

There has not been a time at least since 1970 when so many positions were open and so many incumbents were retiring from high-profile positions.

That roller coaster ride will continue today with the state party conventions, which will both be held in Hartford – turning the capital city into ground zero for state politics.

The seats that are up for grabs this year are U.S. Senator, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of the state, and comptroller. Those who are not running for re-election this year include U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, Gov. M. Jodi Rell,  Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, and Comptroller Nancy Wyman.

Fedele is running for governor, while Blumenthal is running for U.S. Senate. Wyman is running for lieutenant governor on a ticket with former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy. They are facing the team of Greenwich cable TV entrepreneur Ned Lamont and Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman in the nominations for governor and lieutenant governor.

All the changes have set off a major scramble as virtually anyone with political ambitions has been maneuvering and trying to get into a seat that rarely comes open.

Pac-man 30^th Anniversary is being commemorated today. “Google Pacman”  is what will be seen when you browse Google website. An amazing playable logo will appear on your internet browser… a Google Pacman. From here you will be able to play the Pac-Man game.

Pac-man 30^th Anniversary is celebrated today, May 22. How Pac-man 30^th Anniversary came into reality? Pacman is an arcade game created by Namco and licensed for distribution in the U.S. by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immeasurably accepted in the United States from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is said to be as one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games, and an icon of the 1980s popular culture.

Try Google Pacman! Let’s celebrate the Pac-man 30^th Anniversary!

Related posts:

1. Pac-Man 30th Anniversary: Play Pacman Free Online in “Google Pacman”
2. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man
3. Pac-Man Celebrating its 30th Anniversary

An exciting thing happened to people who actually visit the Google homepage (rather than just using their Web browser’s built-in search box) today. They found Pac-Man, celebrating his 30th anniversary! The Penny-Arcade guys must be freaking out.

Update – Guess what? It works on the iPad.

You click “Insert Coin” and are thrown into a classic game of Pac-Man. I beat the first level and decided that was enough for me.

I do love the careful balance Google maintains between stomping all over your reasonable expectations of privacy and offering up electronic tiddlywinks.

UPDATE – I was curious as to whether this doodle would work on mobile browsers so I fired it up in the iPad. It sat there for a moment but when the Javascript loaded it started up and I was able to play the game by sliding my finger up, down, left, and right on the screen. Pretty fun.

After the Google I/O event and news of Froyo and Google TV in the past couple of days, the big G seems to be on everyone’s mind.  A search provider we don’t hear from as much, Yahoo, may be ready to make take a piece of that mindshare on Monday with a press conference where they are reportedly going to announce a partnership with phone manufacturer Nokia codenamed “Project Nike.”  Kara Swisher of All Things D has announced the new partnership that aims to help Yahoo compete with Google and Bing.  Yahoo, who doesn’t have a mobile existence like Google with Android or Bing with Windows Phone 7, could increase their presence in the mobile space with Nokia. 

Although Nokia doesn’t have a huge piece of the U.S. market, they are a big part of the mobile phone sector worldwide.  However, Nokia is known more for their feature phones than high-end smartphones.  With both companies struggling to stay relevant in the mobile space, a deal like this may be necessary to compete with the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Apple.

Do you think a partnership between Yahoo and Nokia makes sense? Tell us your thoughts!

Via All Things D

Though many have said the Nexus One as a whole was a failure, those that purchased the device might tell you otherwise.  The advantages to having purchased an Android device with a carrier-subsidy are rather obvious, but there’s one thing Nexus One owners will always seem to have over their peers – they’re always the first to get updated to the newest iteration of Android OS.  Why?  Because once the update is ready, Google can send it directly to the N1 without any issues, while in every other case there are middlemen such as carriers and custom UIs to deal with.

Yesterday Google officially announced Android 2.2 at the Google I/O developers conference, which we have known for some time now as Froyo.  Not long after the announcement was made, the Google I/O Twitter account updated their status to say: “Froyo on Nexus One soon! (next few weeks).”  So, while there are those who will continue to scoff at Google’s attempt to change the way business was done in the  wireless telecom industry, Nexus One owners will continuously be laughing themselves all the way to faster updates, more features, and greater efficiency.

If you own a Nexus One, do you feel you can safely say “Who’s laughing now?”  Sound off below!

Via PhoneScoop   

We learn that a New York-based project finance banker has exited the energy financing group at German bank HSH Nordbank. He’s joining anoter European project finance bank.

Gregory Hutton, a v.p. with HSH Nordbank’s energy project finance group, is leaving the bank to join the another Euopean bank, an industry source tells us, who declined to name the bank. He’s expected to start in his new position next month.

Hutton joined HSH Nordbank two years ago from French bank Dexia, where he was an assistant  v.p. for origination. We’ve reached out to HSH Nordbank in New York and will post with any updates.

Bruce V. Bigelow wrote:

The latest organization to spring fully formed from the brow of San Diego’s Life Sciences community was not Athena, but the San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange, which Denise profiled in March when the SDEE was preparing to hold its first meeting.

I’d guess close to 140 people turned out earlier this week for the group’s second meeting, which was organized around a case study presentation and discussion among local biotech entrepreneurs who were successful in winning Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the National Institutes of Health. These are small grants. David Larocca, the founder, CEO, and principle scientist of Mandala Biosciences, says a Phase I SBIR “proof of principle” grant is usually limited to $150,000, while a Phase II “commercialization” grant is typically limited to $1.2 million.

But even the smaller figure might be enough to help an early stage biotech survive. Although SDEE’s focus was on SBIRs awarded through the NIH, the Pentagon also awards a big chunk of SBIR grants. (Some local tech entrepreneurs previously talked about their experience here.) SDEE founder and Orphagen CEO Scott Thacher says he founded the SDEE for biotech entrepreneurs like himself who are unlikely to get venture capital funding for their early stage startups. “We try to attract entrepreneurs or people who have lost their jobs or who are trying to get their company to the next level,” Thacher says.

John Finn, the chief scientific officer of Trius Therapeutics, says life sciences startups can’t live by SBIRs alone. In his case study presentation about the early years of Trius, Finn says he potentially saved millions of dollars by acquiring …Next Page »

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UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

The WSJ reports that for the first time, tickets to a movie have reached the $20 threshold. People are apparently paying $20 per adult ticket to see the IMAX version of “Shrek Forever After.”

The theaters showing $20 movies include “the AMC theater in Manhattan’s Kips Bay neighborhood, AMC Loews 34, AMC Loews Lincoln Square and AMC Empire 42nd Street.”

It’s only been a few weeks since the last price increase — when theater operators hiked ticket prices as much as 26% in late March.

There is, of course, some concern that the $20 mark is a price point that psychologically, consumers will find hard to overcome — but there does appear to be a large appetite for 3D and IMAX movies.

The WSJ says that overall box office revenues are up 6% for the year, despite the fact that attendance is down slightly.

Movie Tickets Reach the $20 Mark [WSJ]

Borragem – é depurativa de grande eficácia. Usa-se o suco fresco das folhas.

Erva-alheira (Alliaria petiolata) – O suco fresco da planta é indicada na astenia e fadiga. Muito apropriada para fazer uma cura depurativa.

CURA DEPURATIVA COM XAROPE DE ÁCER^[1]

Da seiva do ácer do Canadá (Acer saccharum Marsh.), também chamado ácer do açúcar, obtém-se o chamado xarope de ácer, que, além de se usar como edulcorante, foi sempre muito apreciado em alguns países para levar a cabo curas depurativas e de emagrecimento. A cura de xarope de ácer é levada a cabo da seguinte maneira:

• A cura tem de durar, pelo menos, 4 dias. É melhor que dure de 5 a 7 dias. Prolongá-la exige que seja feita sob controlo médico, como qualquer outra cura de jejum.
• Toma-se um copo de água com 2 colheradas de xarope de ácer e 2 colheradas de sumo de limão, e bebem-se de 8 a 12 copos por dia.
• A cura complementa-se com infusões de menta (Menta piperita L.) e um consumo abundante de água pura.
• Se não for tomado nenhum outro alimento, esta cura tem um grande efeito depurativo e adelgaçante.

Fonte: Enc. plantas
[1] – Saudelar

By the Betanews Staff, Betanews

Sony Corp. Chairman Sir Howard Stringer concluded a press conference about his company’s forthcoming Android-based Internet TV yesterday with a widely quoted declaration: “This really is a very big deal.” But it wasn’t until his 50-minute sit down with an exclusive group of a dozen journalists and analysts did he get down to explaining why.

The alliance is one of strange bedfellows. Sony and Google are competitors in mobile phones and supporting services. In addition, consumer electronics companies have typically resisted the advances of high-tech companies. Sony also stands apart from many other consumer electronics companies, by pushing its own technologies and standards rather than embracing others. So Sony’s Google embrace is surprising and foreshadowing: Sony is changing its ways.

With the planned fall debut of a standalone “Internet TV” and a set-top box that brings the functionality to existing displays, the TV, Stringer said, “is no longer dumb.” By bringing the Internet and, more importantly, a cornucopia of apps to the TV, the same multimedia extravaganza that most people routinely enjoy alone on a PC or smartphone will finally make its way into the living room where they can enjoy it together.

What’s so special about a Sony-Android TV? “It’s who gets to experience it — the whole family,” Stringer said.

These announcements often come with a ton of hype. You won’t be blamed if you believe the normally understated British exec is making too much of too little. The Internet has been moving onto the TV for quite some time. Sony has itself been making hay with its “internet-connected” TVs for two years now. Moreover, there are already platforms out there such as Apple TV and Boxee. Yahoo has been pressing its connected-TV “widgets.” And Hulu certainly bridged the gap between PC and TV.

But the Sony-Google deal really does make for a King Kong — a behemoth big enough and muscular enough to move IPTV from the fringes into the mainstream of modern life. The duo may be savvy enough to make Internet TV a reality. Google gets computers, search, and the Internet; Sony knows TVs.

But something on the Sony side makes the partnership potentially more potent: Stringer has put the finishing touches on a vast management change in Sony’s TV group by turning its reins over to a group of managers who previously ran Sony’s VAIO PC, PlayStation, networking, and mobile groups.

Stringer refers to these managers as his “musketeers,” and they include Bob Ishida, senior vice president of Sony’s home entertainment group who ran the VAIO business in the U.S. and Japan for years, and Kuni Suzuki, the SVP in charge of Sony’s network products and services group. Stringer said their involvement was calculated: They don’t just get TVs, they get processors, operating systems and applications, too. Plus, they bring a “much more combative” computer industry mentality to the once, but no longer, staid world of consumer electronics. They’ve managed in a highly price-competitive, innovation-driven segment.

The cultural revolution isn’t underway just at Sony’s Tokyo headquarters. It’s also unfolding at its San Diego-based Sony Electronics Corp., which makes TVs, computers, MP3 players, cameras, and more for the U.S. market. Just two weeks ago, Sony named Mike Abary, who spent 10 years with the VAIO group, SVP of its Sony Electronics Home Division, which includes its American TV-manufacturing operation.

Thanks to the VAIO-connected execs, Sony got a jump at working with Google. It began shipping VAIO PCs with Google Chrome in January. And its Sony-Ericsson unit released an Android smartphone to the Japan market in January. As a result, Stringer believes he has a six-month advantage on his rivals.

Not be underestimated either is the fact that Google will be unleashing the thousands of independent developers already aboard the Android bandwagon, who will now be able to create apps for an OS that spans smartphones, PCs, netbooks, tablets, and now TVs.

In fact, Sony’s Abary said Android will become the platform for apps that will turn the TV into an information device as utilitarian as other computing devices — apps in numbers and in kinds we simply “can’t imagine now.”

Stringer paid homage to Google for its quick feet. When Sony called on Google to talk, it was the Google side that first proposed putting Android on Sony TVs — and other gadgets in its portfolio later, he said. Stringer contends the relationship with Google is so far “unblemished” by any major disagreements. “It’s refreshing, ” he said, referring no doubt to the often contentious alliances Sony’s long had with the likes of Microsoft and Intel.

By Stringer’s own admission, partnerships like the one it has forged with Google often turn into love-hate affairs. In an aside before his sit-down began, he said that running a corporation in today’s world of “coopitition” is like “jumping into a Viking boat where you might be handed an oar or you might be handed an axe.” In short, you never know when you’re friend, or when you’re foe.

Today, Google has handed him an oar, he jokes. After this, though, he admits who knows.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

The Federal Trade Commission has finally approved Google’s $750 million deal to acquire AdMob, a mobile advertising network.

This was the right move, and it’s appalling that the government took so long to approve the deal, which was announced in early November.

Why? Because the nascent mobile advertising industry is simply too immature for government regulation. NO ONE knows what direction the mobile ad market will grow in, and it would have been a HUGE mistake for the FTC to reject this deal.

As the FTC notes, Apple’s entry into the market throws everything up in the air, so it’s harmless for Google to acquire AdMob.

Don’t miss: 25 awesome charts on the state of the wireless industry →

Here’s the FTC’s statement.

After Thorough Review, Agency Finds Transaction Not Likely to Harm Competition

The Federal Trade Commission has closed its investigation of Google’s proposed acquisition of mobile advertising network company AdMob after thoroughly reviewing the deal and concluding that it is unlikely to harm competition in the emerging market for mobile advertising networks.

In a statement issued today, the Commission said that although the combination of the two leading mobile advertising networks raised serious antitrust issues, the agency’s concerns ultimately were overshadowed by recent developments in the market, most notably a move by Apple Computer Inc. – the maker of the iPhone – to launch its own, competing mobile ad network. In addition, a number of firms appear to be developing or acquiring smartphone platforms to better compete against Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android, and these firms would have a strong incentive to facilitate competition among mobile advertising networks.

“As a result of Apple’s entry (into the market), AdMob’s success to date on the iPhone platform is unlikely to be an accurate predictor of AdMob’s competitive significance going forward, whether AdMob is owned by Google or not,” the Commission’s statement explains.

The Commission stressed that mergers in fast-growing new markets like mobile advertising should get the same level of antitrust scrutiny as those in other markets. The statement goes on to note that, “Though we have determined not to take action today, the Commission will continue to monitor the mobile marketplace to ensure a competitive environment and to protect the interests of consumers.”

Mobile ad networks, such as those provided by Google and AdMob, sell advertising space for mobile publishers, who create applications and content for websites configured for mobile devices, primarily Apple’s iPhone and devices that run Google’s Android operating system. By “monetizing” mobile publishers’ content through the sale of advertising space, mobile ad networks play a vital role in fueling the rapid expansion of mobile applications and Internet content.

According to the FTC’s statement, evidence gathered by the agency raised important questions about the transaction. Google and AdMob have competed head-to-head for the past few years, with a notable increase in intensity during the past year. This competition has spurred innovation and allowed mobile publishers to keep a large share of the revenue generated from the sale of their ad space. The companies also have economies of scale that give them a major advantage over smaller rivals in the business, the statement says.

These concerns, however, were outweighed by recent evidence that Apple is poised to become a strong competitor in the mobile advertising market, the FTC’s statement says. Apple recently acquired Quattro Wireless and used it to launch its own iAd service. In addition, Apple can leverage its close relationships with application developers and users, its access to a large amount of proprietary user data, and its ownership of iPhone software development tools and control over the iPhone developers’ license agreement.

The Commission vote to close the investigation was 5-0.

Join the conversation about this story »

Mango, raspberry-lime and honey-goat's milk frozen yogurt (AJC Staff)

A few folks have been asking about the frozen yogurt I mentioned in a post the other day. As our friends all know, my family and I eat lots and lots of yogurt during the spring and summer months. Here’s a 2008 story I wrote for the newspaper, with recipes.

A CULTURED TREAT

My first batch of homemade frozen yogurt resulted, I recall, from a creative cleaning out of the fridge, which explains the unusual flavor combination: honey-lime-vanilla-goat.

It was also a bribe for my chore-averse children. If they would not only clear the dinner table but fill the dishwasher and put the leftovers away without bickering or stalling, then I would provide dessert. That seemed fair.

Working quickly, I flavored a half carton of goat’s-milk yogurt (bought on a whim, never finished) with the aforementioned ingredients and poured them into an ice cream maker. I had no idea what I was doing but figured something cold and sweet …

According to EPFR Global, investors yanked $4.81 billion out of European equity funds and $7 billion out of U.S. funds during the week ending May 19th. This probably isn’t too surprising given the negative market action we experienced.

What is surprising is that the flight from stocks wasn’t global in the most recent week. Pacific equity funds saw net inflows of $147 million, which was the highest level in 30 weeks. As shown by the chart below, the cumulative fund flow into Asia is now moving towards an all-time high.

While Asian stocks have been under substantial pressure during the last month, sentiment is starting to turn around… even if prices haven’t quite yet. MSCI Asia shown below.

Meanwhile, commodity funds saw net inflows of $1.03 billion, though most of this was gold. The majority of commodities experienced outflows.

A final notable segment was high yield bonds, which enjoyed a substantial bout of investor love last year. Outlfows remain ugly, at over -$1 billion despite overall positive inflows into global bond funds.

Join the conversation about this story »

From Green Right Now Reports

Five hybrid aerial-lift trucks were unveiled today at Verizon’s Long Island headquarters, the first of 160 alternative-energy vehicles that the company said it will add to its fleet in New York this year.

The five vehicles, also known as bucket trucks, have batteries that help power the engine and also provide the sole power for the mechanical boom that raises a four-sided platform, or “bucket,” to enable a technician to work on overhead telephone lines or other equipment. In the traditional versions of Verizon’s bucket trucks, the mechanical booms are powered by the trucks’ gasoline or diesel engines.

Heavy-duty chargers that plug into an electrical outlet are used to recharge the hybrid trucks’ batteries. The batteries will be recharged at night, when power demand from the nation’s grid — generally the cleanest and most efficiently produced energy — is low, Verizon said.

(Video from Verizon)

On an annual basis, each of Verizon’s five plug-in hybrid trucks is expected to use 750 to 1,500 fewer gallons of fuel and cut greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7 to 14 tons over the traditional models they replace. Verizon said the hybrid system is also quieter than traditional models, which helps cut noise pollution. The five trucks will be based at the company’s Woodbury garage and primarily serve the northern and central areas of Nassau County.

“Using lower-carbon alternatives to power our fleet and our highly intelligent broadband networks are just some of the ways we’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon, said in a statement. “We’re proud of the fact that as we increase the sustainability of our business we’re also contributing to improved air quality in New York.”

Verizon also said it will roll out more than 1,100 alternative energy vehicles across the country this year, and increasing use of biodiesel and flex-fuel (E85) to power 470 vehicles. The company will operate approximately 250 alternative energy vehicles in New York by the end of 2010.

Bret Michaels, an American singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison, was brought back to the hospital once again. He was brought to the hospital last April for the reason of having a brain hemorrhage just a week after he had an emergency appendectomy.

This time, the cause of his admission to the hospital is not related to the brain hemorrhage he got. But earlier in this week, Michaels felt numbness in his arm, which he thought that it might be because of his rehabbing twice a day. The finding was said that he had a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), or what they call “warning stroke”. While he was at the hospital, the doctors had discovered that Michaels has a patent foramen ovale, which is a small hole in his heart. Doctors say that there is nothing to worry because his condition is treatable.

Michael’s was even scheduled to appear on the finale of NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice on May 23.

Related posts:

1. Brett Michaels back in hospital after a “Warning Stroke” – Update in his Condition
2. Bret Michaels Re-Hospitalized Because Of Possible Stroke
3. Back to the Hospital: Bret Michaels’ Stroke or Warning?