If you think the Tauntaun sleeping bag was pretty hard to beat, you are wrong. Play some Barry White, get naked, and jump onto this furry Wampa Rug. You will make your significant other and polar bears worldwide very happy. More »
People – Furry – Wampa – Oceania – United States
A little over a year ago, we discussed the idea that the ebook world needed more “piracy,” noting that the locked down nature of the Kindle actually limited a large part of what might help kick off the real ebook world. History has shown time and time again that so-called “piracy” is often a leading indicator of innovation in areas that people are interested in. But, unauthorized sharing in ebooks was still somewhat limited. Of course, some things have changed over the past year. There was the lawsuit against Scribd (which, last I heard, failed to get class action status) and then sudden totally unsubstantiated articles warning about unauthorized ebook file sharing.
Now, the latest, is the fear that with the success of the iPad in the market that it will become a popular platform for unauthorized sharing of ebooks. Apparently, author Scott Turow has recently taken over the Authors Guild, and has decided that ebook “piracy” is a “big problem” that has to be the focus. Perhaps next time the Authors Guild wants to show itself to be forward-looking and able to change with the times, it shouldn’t put a 60+ year old lawyer in charge. Just a suggestion… Rather than saying that unauthorized file sharing is such a big problem, perhaps Turow should take a look at the music industry more closely. He seems to only be superficially aware of what’s happening in that industry. Instead of recognizing that the industry wasted over a decade fighting what fans wanted, he seems to think that he can magically fight what every other industry has failed to fight. That doesn’t seem like a strategy that has a high likelihood of success.
Perhaps, instead of automatically blaming those involved in file sharing, Turow should take some time to understand why it’s happening, and look at those who have figured out interesting and unique models to provide more value for consumers who want it, rather than just focusing on the impossible task of trying to punish those whose actions the Authors Guild doesn’t like.
Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
When we heard that Palm was asking developers to test their apps against the new SDK, the main emphasis was on testing out PDK apps (i.e. 3D games and other native apps), as the big change is going to be that Palm will be allowing indie developers to submit PDK apps. We also heard that webOS 1.4.5 would bring the PDK and 3D gaming to the Pixi. We’ve just confirmed that with an anonymous source – 3D gaming is definitely hitting the Pixi with webOS 1.4.5.
Not every 3D game will be available on the Pixi. Firstly, there’s the smaller screen resolution to content with. Unlike regular webOS apps, most PDK apps need to be coded for a specific screen resolution and will need adjustment for the Pixi. Secondly, the Pixi does have some different OpenGL support and other hardware differences that may make some of the more intense games on webOS feel a might bit sluggish – so we’re guessing that some of them won’t make the cut.
The release should come in "several weeks."
Thanks anonymous!
Filed under: Coupe, Volkswagen
The current Volkswagen Beetle will be going out of production later this year, but VW has promised an all-new replacement by 2012. So far VW hasn’t released any teasers or sketches that indicate what the New New Beetle might look like, but we have to assume anything that retains that name will have to also have a rounded, bug-like shape. But the problem with any retro design is where do you go next?
Artist David Cardoso has created some renderings of a car that very clearly says Beetle, with its prominent wheel arches and round headlamps and greenhouse. At the same time Cardoso moves those elements forward by stretching the greenhouse and integrating those arches while ringing the headlamps with the de rigueur LED running lights. With VW’s recent jump into the electric vehicle arena, a battery powertrain would be an excellent way to set a new Beetle apart from the crowd, much as the original air-cooled boxer did. If the Beetle were to be a dedicated EV, the compact electric drive system could facilitate some improved interior packaging as well.
[Source: David Cardoso via CarScoop]
Rendered Speculation: One possibility for next-gen New Beetle originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 May 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Via Prison Planet.com » Commentary
Business Insider
May 17, 2010
Tomorrow Rand Paul will take a major step towards being the highest ranking “Tea Party” politician in the country.
Rand — whose father Ron Paul is well-known and beloved by money –appears to be a shoo-in to win his Primary contest in Kentucky.
Current polls have him solidly leading establishment rival Trey Grayson, who was endorsed by sitting Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell. That didn’t help much.
A quick look at his big issues should be familiar to anyone whose follow Ron Paul: Inflation, debt, sovereignty, guns, and ending bailouts.
Erin Kutz wrote:
Double-Take Software (NASDAQ: DBTK), a Southborough, MA-based maker of software for data protection and recovery, announced it will be acquired by Vision Solutions, an Irvine, CA-headquartered portfolio company of private equity firm Thoma Bravo. The deal has a net value of about $242 million and puts Double-Take common stock at $10.55 a share, a 21 percent premium over its closing share price of $8.71 on April 9, which was the last business day before the company’s board announced its interest in acquisition options. It’s expected to close in third quarter 2010, pending shareholder approval and other customary closing conditions. We wrote about Double-Take a few years back when it announced pricing for its planned public offering, and when it acquired data-protection software maker TimeSpring, for $8.3 million in cash.
UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS
Sandra Diaz-Twine is the only person to win Survivor twice after taking home the $1 million grand prize on Sunday night’s finale of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
The 20th season stranded 20 veteran contestants, divided into tribes of good guys and bad guys, in Samoa.
The ruthless 34-year-old bank teller from Fayetteville, North Carolina overcame fellow villains, Parvati Shallow, 27, and sinister 37-year-old oil company owner Russell Hantz, to win the CBS reality competition and the ultimate bragging right: She’s the first person to win the title of Survivor twice.
This New York Times piece about farmers in Marja voting with their feet is perhaps the clearest evidence yet that the “holding” phase of February’s massive NATO/Afghan invasion of the Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province is going poorly:
Over 150 families have fled Marja in the last two weeks, according to the Afghan Red Crescent Society in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.
Marja residents arriving here last week, many looking bleak and shell-shocked, said civilians had been trapped by the fighting, running a gantlet of mines laid by insurgents and firefights around government and coalition positions. The pervasive Taliban presence forbids them from having any contact with or taking assistance from the government or coalition forces.
“People are leaving; you see 10 to 20 families each day on the road who are leaving Marja due to insecurity,” said a farmer, Abdul Rahman, 52, who was traveling on his own. “It is now hard to live there in this situation.”
More than once, I’ve heard from officials involved in the Marja operation that a key metric for determining success is watching the locals return home and rebuild their lives. It’s worth noting that the farmers fleeing Marja for the relative safety of Lashkar Gah don’t evidently express hostility toward the Marines who spearheaded the February invasion. They express discontent and anger over the inability of the NATO and Afghan government forces to actually protect them from Taliban fighters who are deeply embedded within the structure of Marja:
More Taliban fighters have arrived in recent weeks, slipping in with the itinerant laborers who came to work the poppy harvest and staying on to fight, villagers and officials said. Haji Gul Muhammad Khan, tribal adviser to the governor of Helmand Province, said he had reports of Taliban arriving in the area in the last three or four days.
Everyone in Marja knows the Taliban, since they are village men who never left the area although they quit fighting soon after the military operation. Gradually they found a stealthier way of operating, moving around in small groups, often by motorbike or on foot.
An intimidated population is not going to provide intelligence for NATO or Afghan government forces to adequately distinguish between civilians and insurgents. That makes it less likely to remove the sources of such intimidation. And that’s a downward spiral.
Rumors are telling us that Lebron James’ Mom and Delonte West are having a secret affair. We can’t deny the fact that this news is all over the internet, spreading even wider every minute. Recent news also came in that talked about Lebron wanting to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers just because of what is going on between his mom and Lebrons’ teammate Delonte West.
Considering tha fact that Gloria James is the mother of so famous LeBron, who would not be affected getting news that his mom is sleeping with one of his teammate. Reports say that LeBron found out about this affair during the Celtics’ Game Four matchup vs the Boston Celtics in their recent playoff series.
Everything we are waiting for right now is a statement of any of those involved in this scandal that shocks not only Lebron fans but also people around the globe. Many are asking themsleves if LeBron James will play for the Cavaliers and when this might happen?
No related posts.
Worldwide handset shipments rose 13.8 percent in the first quarter of 2010 over the same period a year ago, but the rising tide isn’t lifting all boats, according to the most recent iSupply report, titled ”Mobile Handset Industry Foresees End of the Recession.” Motorola continues to leak market share, dropping to the eighth spot from sixth in the span of 12 months — the handset maker sold 8.5 million phones during the first quarter of 2010 vs. 14.7 million in the comparable three months of 2009, a decline of 42.2 percent. Research In Motion, Apple and ZTE all leapt past Motorola in terms of sales in the most recent quarter.
Sales in thousands. Source: iSupply
The data reflects all types of handsets, but the numbers show the growing importance of the smartphone, sales of which is expected to surpass feature phones in the U.S. by the end of 2011. And that trend is both hurting and helping Motorola. On the one hand, the company hit a home run with its Motorola Droid handset that debuted on Verizon’s network in October of last year, with nearly a million units sold, or 8.33 percent of all Motorola sales, according to iSupply’s fourth-quarter 2009 data. But other recent at-bats have been singles at best. The Cliq, Backflip, and Devour aren’t selling like the Droid has, perhaps because they lack the advertising push it received.
It has to be tough for the Devour (see our video review here) to compete with the Droid on the same network — Verizon customers can purchase the Droid right now for $199 and get a second one free. Priced at $149, the Devour only saves customers $50, uses the older Google Android 1.6 software and doesn’t net you a second, free Devour, though Verizon will throw in up to three free feature phones. The Backflip faces similar challenges on AT&T’s network: it runs the much older Android 1.5 software and is priced at $99, for which a customer could grab an 8GB iPhone 3G. For Motorola to reverse momentum, it needs to find another Droid.
Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):
Who Owns Android’s Future — Google or Apple?
KNOXVILLE — More than 240 students from the College of Engineering officially became graduates of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as about 2,000 parents, friends and relatives watched them walk across the stage inside Thompson-Boling Arena on May 12.
In his commencement address, Raja Jubran, founder and chief executive officer of Denark Construction Inc., offered five suggestions for a successful future: be a leader; stand up for what you believe in; make the right choices; take care of your family; and take care of your community and give back to it. Jubran also reminded graduates to thank everyone who helped them along the way — parents, community, alumni and faculty.
Jubran earned his civil engineering degree from UT Knoxville in 1981. He has led the management team of Denark, a general contracting and engineering company, since its incorporation in 1985. He is also a former member of the college’s Board of Advisers and the recipient of its 2004 Nathan W. Dougherty Award for outstanding achievements in engineering.
As its top students, the college recognized Zachary Dixon, an aerospace engineering major; Mark May, a chemical engineering major; and Timothy Wentz, a computer engineering major.
Daniel Smith was recognized as the winner of a Society of American Military Engineers Award. This Society Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Award of Merit is a national award given to only 20 ROTC Air Force cadets in the nation by central military service board.
Lt. Col. Michael S. Angle, a professor of aerospace studies at UT Knoxville, officially commissioned seven graduates into the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. Brittany Arnold, Andrew Jackson, Garrett Karnowski, Sharon King, Christopher Riley, Smith and Benjamin Yeager are now second lieutenants.
Wayne Davis, dean of engineering, led the ceremony’s academic procession which included associate deans, department heads and faculty representatives. Susan Martin, provost and senior vice chancellor, and Brad Fenwick, vice chancellor for research, also attended the ceremony.
—
C O N T A C T :
Kim Cowart (865-974-0686, [email protected])
For weeks there have been reports that the FBI is investigating Massey Energy for possible criminal neglect following last month’s deadly mine explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va. On Friday, that news was confirmed, when the DoJ warned the Labor Department, which is investigating possible civil charges, not to interfere with the agency’s criminal investigation.
“Given the ongoing criminal investigation, we request that MSHA petition the … judge for a stay of the pending civil actions pertaining to UBB until the criminal matters are resolved,” U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller wrote to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Part of the criminal probe, Miller noted, “involves whether Performance Coal and its directors, officers and agents engaged in willful criminal activity at UBB.”
Just another thing Massey shareholders can discuss tomorrow, when they meet in Richmond for their annual meeting.
h/t: The Charleston Gazette.
Recently, Mr. Jackson gave a slide show talk at the hugely popular, annual TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference. The picture he paints of the current state of our oceans, and where they are heading, is anything but pleasant or comforting. (more…)
Mihoko Obunai-Truex
Mihoko Obunai-Truex announced today that she will take over as chef and owner of Repast Restaurant — a position she has shared with her husband, Joe Truex, since the restaurant’s inception in 2006.
Truex will leave by the end of the month to pursue a new Atlanta-area venture.
“The menu will have a different format with a lot of new dishes,” Obunai-Truex said, “but we’ll still keep a number of the Repast signatures, such as our crab cake and hanger steak.”
I got a look at the new menu, which is a fair bit less expensive than the current menu and thick with small plates and dishes to share. A number of items reflect Obunai-Truex’s Japanese heritage, such as tako-yaki (soft dumplings with octopus) and blistered shishito peppers with Okinawan sea salt. Other new dishes will include pork tonkatsu with shiso cheese, miso-cured foie gras with sansho pepper, and pork belly steamed buns with house-made ramp kimchi. Meat and seafood entrees will be served with sauces …
Remedy took their time to fine-tune Alan Wake to the best it possibly could be, but unfortunately, the Xbox 360 exclusive settled for #2 in the UK. It’s fellow new releases, Lost Planet 2 and Skate 3, landed
As the oil has continued to leak into the Gulf of Mexico, bad news about the attempts to stop the flow has continued to leak out, too. But this weekend, finally, brought a ray of good news: BP succeeded in installing a mile-long pipe that will siphon some of the oil up to a tanker on the shore, slowing down the rate of oil flow into the water.
The current strategy involves snaking a tube snugly into the leaking pipe. The tube is bent at one end like a hook and equipped with thick rubber fins intended to keep oil from leaking out around the edges [Wall Street Journal].
BP officials say the pipe is working well so far, but they don’t yet what percentage of the oil they’ll be able to capture with this method. And the siphoning pipe is a temporary solution. As the oil company presses on with the months-long process to drill a relief well to relieve the pressure on the leaking area, its engineers are also hunkered down designing a way to deliver the “junk shot” made of tires and golf balls that potentially could seal of the leak.
Meanwhile, more bad news: We reported late last week that several scientists are now saying BP and the government grossly underestimated amount of oil leaking into the Gulf. Now, a team working out in the Gulf has backed up that assertion. They found large plumes of oil hidden from normal view, deep under the surface of the water. Samantha Joye, one of the oceanographers on board the research vessel Pelican, says:
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 [The New York Times].
The likeliest explanation for the drop in oxygen levels, says Joye, is that oil-eating bacteria are devouring the plumes, and consuming large amounts of oxygen in the process.
Rather than being thick pockets of oil moving deep in the water, these plumes are probably partially dispersed, and some could be the consistency of salad dressing. And their movements have scientists worried that they could spread far beyond the already-large area of the oil slick in the Gulf.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned over the weekend that plumes of oil already spilled and suspended beneath the water surface might, as soon as Tuesday night, start to get picked up by the powerful “loop current.” The current could carry the oil to the Florida Keys and beyond, scientists fear [Washington Post].
The coral near the Keys are especially under threat, both from the lack of oxygen caused by the plumes and from the oil itself.
Depending on the oil exposure, they can be smothered by the pollutants or become more susceptible to bleaching, which hinders reproduction and growth. While the warm temperatures of Florida could speed the recovery of damaged reefs there, some problems could be seen for a decade or more. In the deeper reefs in colder water closer to the spill, the damage could last even longer [AP].
Our recent posts on the BP oil spill:
80beats: Scientists Say Gulf Spill Is Way Worse Than Estimated. How’d We Get It So Wrong?
80beats: Testimony Highlights 3 Major Failures That Caused Gulf Spill
80beats: 5 Offshore Oil Hotspots Beyond the Gulf That Could Boom—Or Go Boom
80beats: Gulf Oil Spill: Do Chemical Dispersants Pose Their Own Environmental Risk?
80beats: Is the Gulf Oil Spill Headed for Florida & North Carolina?
Image: NASA
Joslyn James, the porn star, was Tiger Woods’ Mistress No. 8. She is still recovering from what had happen between the two of them. James stated that Woods is a liar, and he made her give up her career. He told her, she was the only woman in her life and that he loves her so much. Who would not hurt if these things are told to you and you’ll know that it was all a lie? Woods has done it again for the 8th time. He had lied to many women just because he has the power over them. Money, popularity and all the things he is saying are his key in gaining woman’s heart. But he does not have loyalty; much more he should not be called as a good player.
Rumors said that Woods’ first mistress Rachel Uchitel, was said to be paid $10 million for her silence, but James got nothing. But how did her relationship end with Woods? Josyln said she texted the married father of two to say Happy Thanksgiving and never heard from him again.
James stated that she regretted her relationship with Woods and she feels mad at herself. She allowed herself to be taken in. She had done everything in order to show him that she loves him. She had been faithful unlike him, and she stopped doing porn because she stated that Woods was jealous. When she heard that there are other women of Woods out there in spite of her faithfulness, she said “I was &%$-ing livid,”.
On the other hand, James predicts that Woods and his wife Elin will get a divorce. She says that Woods is not happy with his wife. They are always arguing and that is because of their life as a family with children.
No related posts.
It’s not easy living next door to a diva: Tyra Banks, who recently plopped down $10 million to purchase four apartments in Manhattan’s Battery Park City Development, has such intense construction going on at the property, her new livid neighbors are already calling the cops on her.
Well that’s nothing to “smeyes” about!
The America’s Next Top Model star plans to transform the property into one single-family home, but the ongoing work to join all four apartments together has infuriated other residents, who have filed dozens of complaints with police about the ear-splitting noise coming from Tyra’s place, according to The New York Post.
White House Internet wizard Jesse Lee writes to defend the record of the solicitor general and Supreme Court nominee:
Most prominently, a handful of Republican Senators and conservative commentators have attempted to portray Kagan as “anti-military” due to her opposition to “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” during her tenure as Dean of Harvard Law School, citing her continuation of Harvard’s non-discrimination policy that required employers using the recruiting services provided by the Office of Career Services to agree not to discriminate based on sexual orientation or other criteria. Of course Kagan’s opposition to the policy was in no way anti-military — just as opposition today from figures such as General Colin Powell or Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen is rooted in admiration for all those who serve, so too was Kagan’s. Indeed, Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, dean of the academic board at West Point, described such characterizations of Kagan as “ludicrous.”
A common claim from these critics is that the military was “banned” from the campus altogether during Kagan’s tenure as Dean – in fact, not only was the military allowed to continue to recruit in classrooms on campus and through the Harvard Law Students Veterans Association, a review of the recruitment figures has shown that recruitment kept completely on pace with previous years during Kagan’s time. Even more absurdly, some have claimed that Kagan’s upholding of Harvard’s nondiscrimination policy somehow violated the law – in fact, there has never been a law requiring that campuses allow military recruiters, only that the government was empowered to deny federal funds if military recruiters were not given access, so this claim is preposterous on its face. As the New York Times reported, “Her management of the recruiting dispute shows her to have been, above all, a pragmatist, asserting her principles but all the while following the law.”
It would certainly be ironic if a line of conservative attack against Kagan is that she was far too inflexible about adhering to the letter of existing policy and existing law. That said, the guy who first concocted the idea that Kagan had a problematic relationship with the military because of the way she handled Harvard’s position on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a liberal (and my former boss), Peter Beinart.
I blogged last year about Jason Kubel’s grand slam that completed a cycle against the Angels, and wondered then if it was even more exciting than the the one that capped this epic game against the Red Sox in 2006. Yesterday Jace added another memorable entrant to a pretty impressive assortment of game-winning four-run shots. Kubel knocked a pretty big monkey off of the Twins’ backs, after losing a bunch straight in the Bronx.
Of course there’s no place like New York to knock a monkey off of something.
Filed under: Miscellaneous 
