Category: News

Hotmail, a free Web mail service, will have a makeover come July or August this year. Microsoft Corp. will introduce new applications that will enhance its messaging system, a major improvement in 12 years.

Microsoft executive Chris Jones, who is also the person-in-charge, admits the web service was not performing that well in comparison with Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc., but the tables may turn.

The changes will require less time in managing incoming messages. Attachments in e-mails containing photos will be displayed as thumbnails. Photo uploads is up to 10 gigabytes that can be stored in Skydrive, Microsoft’s free storage device, and there is a search engine Bing, both connected to the web mail service.

Hotmail holds the record for the world’s most used service, while Yahoomail leads in the US. This breakthrough for Microsoft can level up its performance against Yahoo and Google. We will know when the application becomes available to users.

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There is no way the violence will end in central Bangkok other than through negotiation.This is the proposal of 64 senators in response to the clamor of the mob. But the suggestion may not be as fruitful since even the senators are not united, according to political scientist Somjai Phagaphasvivat, from Bangkok Thammat University.

Nattawut Saikua, acting spokesperson of the protesters, opted for the series of talks believing it may neutralize the violence and avoid more deaths. Around 5,000 poor activists, who are also supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, surround the shopping district. They have been clamoring for elections and change in government. Women and children took shelter in a temple just near the protest site.

Reuters reports there was an attempt to hold an election, however, it was lifted when the “red shirts” rallied even more. Given the current situation, order and reconciliation are very much afloat.

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The NYT reports that huge columns of oil are floating under the surface of the Gulf of Mexico – Giant Plumes of Oil Forming Under the Gulf.

Scientists are finding enormous oil plumes in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, including one as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick in spots. The discovery is fresh evidence that the leak from the broken undersea well could be substantially worse than estimates that the government and BP have given.

“There’s a shocking amount of oil in the deep water, relative to what you see in the surface water,” said Samantha Joye, a researcher at the University of Georgia who is involved in one of the first scientific missions to gather details about what is happening in the gulf. “There’s a tremendous amount of oil in multiple layers, three or four or five layers deep in the water column.”

The plumes are depleting the oxygen dissolved in the gulf, worrying scientists, who fear that the oxygen level could eventually fall so low as to kill off much of the sea life near the plumes.

Dr. Joye said the oxygen had already dropped 30 percent near some of the plumes in the month that the broken oil well had been flowing. “If you keep those kinds of rates up, you could draw the oxygen down to very low levels that are dangerous to animals in a couple of months,” she said Saturday. “That is alarming.”

The plumes were discovered by scientists from several universities working aboard the research vessel Pelican, which sailed from Cocodrie, La., on May 3 and has gathered extensive samples and information about the disaster in the gulf.

Scientists studying video of the gushing oil well have tentatively calculated that it could be flowing at a rate of 25,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil a day. The latter figure would be 3.4 million gallons a day. But the government, working from satellite images of the ocean surface, has calculated a flow rate of only 5,000 barrels a day.

BP has resisted entreaties from scientists that they be allowed to use sophisticated instruments at the ocean floor that would give a far more accurate picture of how much oil is really gushing from the well.

“The answer is no to that,” a BP spokesman, Tom Mueller, said on Saturday. “We’re not going to take any extra efforts now to calculate flow there at this point. It’s not relevant to the response effort, and it might even detract from the response effort.”

The undersea plumes may go a long way toward explaining the discrepancy between the flow estimates, suggesting that much of the oil emerging from the well could be lingering far below the sea surface.

The scientists on the Pelican mission, which is backed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that monitors the health of the oceans, are not certain why that would be. They say they suspect the heavy use of chemical dispersants, which BP has injected into the stream of oil emerging from the well, may have broken the oil up into droplets too small to rise rapidly.

Orac has a great post skewering an ambitious gambit over at Age of Autism: One Julie Obradovic lectures us there on how to actually save the vaccine program. Much of the advice has to do with accepting the incorrect premises of the vaccine skeptics, and humoring them. All of Orac’s criticisms are on target, but I actually thought Obradovic wrote one thing worth listening to–at least if we take the more abstract point out of the biased context in which she introduces it. It is this:
Additionally, [vaccine skeptical parents] don’t take kindly to propaganda or threats, and they most definitely don’t like to be insulted. Telling them their choice is to go with the scientific side is juvenile in its approach, suggesting that any parent who researchers [sic] both sides of the debate, personally knows someone with a different experience, and disagrees with the one size fits all approach to vaccination is by default, non-scientific. Brilliant. Well, they actually are unscientific when they do this. However, it probably is true that the confrontational, “you’re clueless and irrational approach” is unlikely to unclog their minds or shatter their misconceptions. Why? Human beings just don’t work that way. We have vast bodies of social science …

Here’s another major loser from the eurozone crisis.

With oil prices in dollars, and Europe a significant source of oil demand, the plummeting euro is making oil more expensive for Eurozone nations.

OPEC’s scared that this will reduce demand, thus pressuring global oil prices to fall in U.S. dollar terms, as Makis Theodoratos highlights:

Hellenic Shipping News:

OPEC members are monitoring closely the situation in Eurozone, and seem to be a little bit annoyed by the late reaction of European Union leaders to the Greek crisis. For the moment cartel members are not considering any urgent measures, such as a new cut on their daily production, and officially insist that better compliance on official exploring quotas can support oil prices to fair levers for consumers and exporters. But if euro’s appreciation against dollar continues, then OPEC will have to face a very serious problem.

It’s another reason for OPEC to be jawboning oil prices right now.

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If you’re one of the many proud owners of the T-Mobile branded BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and have been patiently waiting to upgrade to the highly anticipated 3G version, well then you had better sit down for this one.  Take this with whatever measure of salt you like, but word on the street is that Magenta has decided to pass on adding the BlackBerry Pearl 3G to its lineup.  This a bit difficult to swallow considering the current popularity of the device on T-Mobile as well as the strong reception of the device at WES a few weeks back.

Speculation as to why T-Mobile would pass on the Pearl 3G can be attributed to the possibility of a 3G Curve coming down the pike.  However, the Curve and Pearl have managed to live side-by-side in harmony on T-Mobile for several years, making it difficult to believe that Magenta would ditch one for the other.  But again, this is all a rumor, and truth be told, not a single US carrier has acknowledged they will be carrying the new Pearl.  As usual, father time will be the ultimate judge on this one.

Who’s going to be disappointed if T-Mobile doesn’t pick up the Pearl 3G?  Let us know in the comments!

Via TmoNews

With the nation’s attention focused on the unfolding oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, activists are taking steps to ensure another recent fossil fuel tragedy is not forgotten.

As many as 5,000 members of the United Mine Workers of America are expected to take part in a march and rally today outside Massey Energy’s annual shareholders meeting at its headquarters in Richmond, Va.

They want to draw attention to the company’s troubled safety record — including the deaths of 29 miners last month at the company’s non-unionized Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, W.Va. In all, 52 workers have been killed at Massey facilities over the past decade.

The union members are also demanding that Massey CEO Don Blankenship be held accountable and that the three board members up for re-election be ousted. UMWA President Cecil Roberts and Secretary-Treasurer Daniel Kane will present their case to the board as holders of shareholder proxies.

The AFL-CIO will cover the protest at its AFL-CIO Now blog and via Twitter using the hashtag #firemassey.

Last week, the UMWA along with relatives of the Massey mine disaster’s victims filed a legal challenge against the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration’s refusal to publicly release interviews with witnesses to the disaster.

In addition, the pro-labor group American Rights at Work is collecting signatures on a petition calling on the Massey board to fire Blankenship for ignoring safety regulations and intimidating workers, among other things.

“There are consequences for playing fast and loose with workers’ lives,” the petition states.

Among the consequences Massey is already facing is a 38% decline in the price of its stock since the deadly April blast. Analysts blame the drop on the Department of Justice’s investigation of Performance Coal Co. — the Massey subsidiary that owns Upper Big Branch — for willful criminal activity. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the company for possible bribery of state and federal inspectors.

Two years ago, Massey paid the largest civil penalty ever for water pollution violations at its coal mines in West Virginia and Kentucky following an investigation by the DOJ and Environmental Protection Agency.

Meanwhile, two environmental activists associated with the group Climate Ground Zero were arrested yesterday while blockading the driveway to Massey’s regional headquarters in Boone County, W.Va. The protest took place under a banner that said, “Massey, Profits Before People & Mountains, Fight Back!”

In an open letter to Massey shareholders, protesters EmmaKate Martin and Benjamin Bryant cited the company’s workplace safety record, as well as its involvement in mountaintop removal mining and risky coal sludge storage practices, for their action.

“Massey must be stopped — that is why we are putting our bodies on the line today,” they wrote.

Charged with misdemeanor counts of trespassing, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, obstructing an officer and littering, Martin and Bryant have had their bail set at a staggering $100,000 each by a Boone County magistrate.

Climate Ground Zero’s legal team is reportedly looking into the legality of the unusually high bail, with some activists charging that it’s being used as a punitive tactic and to intimidate others from engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience.

Geothermal power: ready to take off in the U.S.?

EnergySource LLC has broken ground on its $399 million, 49.9-megawatt Hudson Ranch I geothermal project in Imperial Valley, Calif., with financing from a banking consortium and GeoGlobal Energy – a developer backed by New Zealand’s Mighty River Power, Ltd.

The project, which is based on 65 acres of land near the Salton Sea geothermal region, will supply power to the Arizona-based utility Salt River Project for use in the Phoenix area.

Energy Source President Dave Watson called the project “one of the best geothermal resources in North America.”

Mighty River Power, a major geothermal operator owned by the government of New Zealand, will take a $107 million, 20 percent equity stake in the project through through the Denver-based GeoGlobal.

Debt financing for the project was raised by ING Capital, Societe Generale, West LB, Union Bank, MetLIfe, CIBC, Siemens Financial and Investec.

The plant will also receive stimulus funds.

The project, which was first explored in 2004, should come online by late 2011 and could be followed by two to four more phases, EnergySource Vice President of Development Larry Grogan told the Imperial Valley Press newspaper.

Geothermal development has been crawling along relative to other renewables, posting a mere 6 percent gain in capacity for 2009.

Geothermal also faced an image crisis in the winter brought on by reports that drilling in Switzerland and near San Francisco heightened earthquake risk.

But Mighty River Power is an expert operator and its doubling down on the technology: the company also announced that it is upping its commitment to the GeoGlobal Energy capital fund to $250 million and will pursue geothermal projects in Chile.

Mighty River Chief Executive Officer Doug Heffernan told Bloomberg of his company’s relationship with GeoGlobal,

“We think there are some other prospects that they may well bring to the table in the U.S. over the next two or three years.”

Image: Courtesy Mila Zinkova/Wikimedia Commons

The release is out.

Earnings of $.88 were ahead of $.85 expectations.

On the other hand, guidance for the coming quarter is a range of $0.93 tp $0.98. Analysts were already looking for $0.98, so this part isn’t so hot.

Why don’t they see lights-out growth?

Says CFO Tom Schoewe: “This includes the continuing challenging sales environment in the United States.”

Said CEO Mike Duke: “Our customers, particularly in the United States, are still concerned about their personal finances and unemployment, as well as higher fuel prices…Our commitment to reducing prices and managing expenses positions us well across the retail landscape.” 

Shares are up modestly pre-market.

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While the LA Times noted that Hulu would soon be offering Hulu plus by May 24, the $10 will apparently not be rolled out by next Monday, thus allowing you unfettered access to the intellectual produce of thousands of studio employees for a least a few more months.

As you recall, Hulu Plus:

… will be the source for streaming TV. The company is a joint venture of NBC, Fox, and ABC and, as such, has become a clearing house for popular broadcast television. The question here is what constitutes a more comprehensive selection – I suspect full seasons as well as almost immediate simulcasting of broadcast programming – but that has yet to be decided.

via AllThingsD

Game People, in collaboration with the Family Gamer Awards, have announced the winners of their Spring 2010 selection. But it won’t be all about the awards. In addition, the partnership will also donate £100 to charities of

Good news for all you e-book readers out there. Amazon has just announced that and Android version their popular Kindle application will be dropping on the Android market very soon. Kindle for Android will allow users to browse the Kindle store, purchase books directly from the Kindle application, and read directly on their Android device.

Kindle for Android will sync with your Kindle Device, or Kindle for PC app to save the page you last read so you can easily transition between places without having to remember where you had left off. The Kindle app will include the ability to edit text size, add bookmarks, and view created annotations from your Kindle or Kindle from PC. More details can be found on the press release in the source link below.

Expect to see the Kindle for Android app detailed the Google I/O 2010 conference, which begins tomorrow. The final app then should be release shortly thereafter, so hopefully we will be able to download this by the end of the month. We will post a full review shortly after the app is released into the wild.

Avis used car sales is a good place to look for cheap and reliable used cars if you are hunting car rental companies that offer great used car sales. Avis is a famous car rental company that you can easily find it at most of the tourist place around the world. This has included the famous places like UK, United States, Canada, Aberdeen, Australia, and among others. Under Avis used car program, all the vehicle you wish to rent are available for sale with reasonable price. Check out how!

Avis used car sales

Car rental companies buy new cars every one or two years to replace previous models that have been rented out. The company has to sell of the previous models that will be replaced with new models. Therefore, this has created an opportunity where you can stand a chance to get cheap and reliable used cars from famous car rental company like Avis.

Buying a car requires a lot of consideration before decision was made. You will need some car buying strategies and some tips on buying a car especially buying a used car from car rental companies. Here are some pros and cons of buying these cars.

Pros of used rental car sales

Those cars are typically in good condition and well maintained by reputable car rental company.

You can get cheaper price for newer cars if compared to second hand cars dealer.

Avis used car sales program consists thousand of cars from sedan car to MPV to four wheel drives.

Cons of used rental car sales

People who rent a car usually are traveler or tourist. It is often they will not take good care of the car as it is not their own car.

The mileage of the car is usually higher than other car.

Where to find Avis used car for sales

So, where to find Avis used car for sales? Avis website is always the best place to look for the car you want, the price you wish, and the condition you expected. The website is http://www.avisnj.com/sales.htm.

Some of the used cars is cheaper than market price and it’s only few year old. However, there are some disadvantages of buying used car from car rental companies. Most of the cars has been travel very far and have very high mileage on the ODO meter. Thus, you will have to go for reputable company if you are planning to buy a used car from car rental company. It is often a reputable company will maintain their cars follow the car maintenance schedule.

Avis that offer all the cars a minimum of 30 day bumper to bumper warranty and a 12 months, 12,000 miles full engine warranty backed by Avis. Besides, Avis has a list of workshop that will remove dirt and polished the car to look brand new before the car was send to new owner. This definitely attracts a lot of car buyer. In other words, one of the great used car sales programs to look for cheap used cars is Avis used car sales.

Source: Cars, Fast Cars, Cool Cars, Sports Cars

Android 2.0+ Let’s face it people, the stock Android launcher is straight up boring. You can’t configure it, and on most phones, you can’t have more than 3 home screens. Luckily, LauncherPro [Market link] has arrived, and although it’s very similar to Helix, it’s got some strengths of its own. The first thing I noticed was the speed – this thing is blazing fast. Everything from sliding through the screens to pulling up the app drawer is much faster than stock. Let’s check it out after the break.

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WASHINGTON–Susan Sher, chief of staff for First Lady Michelle Obama, will deliver the commencement address Saturday at the Loyola University Law School in Chicago. Sher, an alumnus of Loyola, will address graduates at the Gentile Center, on the Lake Shore campus.

Microsoft unveiled yesterday the new version of it’s Hotmail email service, which the company has strived to provide users with the tasks of sharing photos, videos and other items, such as Office documents or allow them to update their social networks through the mailbox.

In this way, debuts the ability to upload photos, presentations or other files using Microsoft’s SkyDrive service, allowing to send links to to download up to 10GB instead of the physical files or access to photos and videos third parties such as Flickr, Hulu or YouTube without leaving the service. This will solve many problems related to the size that often make it difficult to share.

The new Hotmail is being optimized for mobile devices, so manufacturers like Nokia and RIM are already creating special applications for Microsoft’s service. The software maker will also add the option to allow users to send emails using an encrypted HTTPS connection.

Two features that are not part of the summer update, but are on the horizon, are the ability to have multiple email aliases on one account, and an option to update an email with a new name.

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“For the last, my dear friends, we have come to the final chapter, but I’m afraid our hero has fallen victim to a terrible curse…” this was the opening line of Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) in the trailer of Shrek Forever After or Shrek: The final episode. More exciting events will be shown in the movie and for sure, you will have fun watching this with your family!

After all his extreme adventures, Shrek (Mike Myers) became very bored with his life as a family man. It is unusual for him as an ogre on how he deals with people, because instead of scaring them away, he signs autographs for them. With this, he became depressed and said “sometimes I wish to have just one day to feel like an ogre again”. With this, Shrek fell into the trick by the devilish Rumpelstiltskin (Walter Dohrn) as he let him sign a contract. Because he thought that the smooth-talking deal maker can be trusted, Shrek agreed to the deal. Relaxation was also his motive in signing this deal because he was tired of his unexciting life. How ever after signing the contract, Shrek knew that he was tricked thus he must face the consequences of the act that he have done.

What made the movie interesting? Shrek finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away! The small, evil, tricking Rumpelstiltskin became the king of Far Far away and ogres were hunted for near extinction. All of Shrek’s friends even his wife forgets who he is in their lives.

This hilarious and comedy movie is a must see and for the fans of Shrek out there, Shrek’s final movie will be coming out in every big screen near you on May 21, 2010.

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Paypal is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to pay for things online, offering strict security encryption of your personal data and the convenience of being accepted at most major online retailers. Paypal is also a very good way for organizations or groups to accept donations, or for some employers to pay their employees. It’s also a good way for small/home businesses to accept credit card payments.

Paypal has released an app to help Paypal users view their current Paypal balance, send money from your paypal account, and view your transaction history, all conveniently from your Android phone. The balance tab is overly minimalistic, with a snapshot view of your current account balance.

The history section looks at–obviously– your historical transactions. An added bonus here is that positive transactions (such as money transfers from your bank to your Paypal account) are black in color, whereas money out is in orange lettering. This makes for an easy to read and pleasant viewing experience, and is very helpful for keeping track of your purchases.

Finally, Paypal allows you to send money to anyone, with convenient contact book integration for easy payment to individuals in your contact list. The send money tab also features the ability to…err…send money in many different currencies for added convenience for all of you international types. Users also have the option of attaching a short note to their donation.

The Goods

• Minimalistic UI. Lacks polish but does the job well.
• Convenient access to your Paypal account while on the go.
• Transaction view allows you to figure out what you’ve been spending money on.

The Bads

• Can’t really use this app for online shopping. Tighter integration with the Android platform would be nice, though not essential since you can pay via paypal through many stores via the browser.

Final Verdict: The Official Paypal app is a very good 1.0 release and promises easy management of your Paypal account while on the go. Though somewhat simplistic, it gets the job done and does it pretty well.

Paypal can currently be found for free on the Android Market. It should support all Android platforms, but as usual please let us know if you have trouble accessing the app.

GetJar, the world’s second largest app store behind Apple, is calling for nominations for the best apps across all major smartphone platforms for their first ever “The Gettie Awards 2010“.

A panel of five judges including prominent industry heavyweights, press and analysts will first select three (3) nominees within each category from all submissions of files/applications. Winners from each category will be determined by review of the actual physical applications. The Gettie Award winner will be determined by a combination of popular vote and judge’s votes. Developers get the chance to be the best within each category and best for overall application at this prestigious event.

The deadline for entries is June 25, 2010. Submissions after this date may not be eligible for consideration.

7 total awards will be given for:

• Best Android application
• Best Blackberry application
• Best iPhone application
• Best Java application
• Best Symbian application
• Best Windows Mobile application
• The Gettie Award for best overall application

Winners get $15,000 in pay-per-download credits from GetJar, 80 hours of free testing from Device Anywhere worth. Head over to nominate your favorite Android App!