Category: News

This week, Xbox LIVE Gold members can purchase The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition for 400 points. Plus, the official Monkey Island Cotton Swab and Lechuck Pirate Hat Avatar items are also 50% off for the week.

Here is the first rendering of the Volkswagen Rocktan: a brand new crossover in the works that could be based on the Suzuki SX4. The Rocktan will be the first Volkswagen-Suzuki joint project where Volkswagen will take up where Fiat left off with the Sedici – twin to the current SX4.

The Rocktan will be a city SUV and will sit between the CrossPolo and the Tiguan in the Volkswagen range. The model should replace the CrossGolf, which was developed on the base of the Golf Plus, and should compete with Japanese rivals, the Toyota Urban Cruiser and the Nissan Juke. It will also most likely be a low-cost model, with a price somewhere below the 20,000-euro mark.

The Rocktan engine range will have the 1.4-litre TSI fuel engine, and most probably the 1.6 and 2.0 TDI units. Currently, no news is available as to when the Rocktan might be presented, especially as no official green light for production has yet been given. If that does occur, however, the vehicle will be produced at Hungarian facilities in Esztergom.

Source | AutoInternationaal

Oh, how I loves me an alt-med smackdown: at a meeting of the British Medical Association’s junior doctors, Dr. Tom Dolphin, deputy chairman, said:

Homeopathy is witchcraft. It is a disgrace that nestling between the National Hospital for Neurology and Great Ormond Street [in London] there is a National Hospital for Homeopathy which is paid for by the NHS [National Health Service].

Ha! I couldn’t have said it better myself. Despite what homeopaths say, homeopathy has been shown beyond any reasonable doubt to have no effect above that of a placebo. That won’t stop homeopaths from still claiming it works; they’ll use anecdotes, they’ll use evidence distorted and twisted into a Möbius strip, or they’ll simply make stuff up.

At best, belief in provably false things like homeopathy is a colossal waste of money, and at worst belief in homeopathy can kill you. That’s why skeptics are fighting the practice of homeopathy all over the world, from the UK to Australia.

And before you say, “Well, it’s just water so it does no harm, right?” I’ll remind you that people are then drinking plain old water instead of taking real medicine. That’s the real danger of homeopathy (and other alt-med nonsense). So unless the health problem you’re having is dehydration, taking homeopathic “remedies” does in fact do quite a bit of harm.

And that’s why I’m so happy that doctors and the government in the UK are being vocal about this nonsense. Sure, caveat emptor and all that, but when people — especially people with the veneer of a medical imprimatur — are pushing something we know doesn’t work to people who are sick or worried over a sick loved one, then it’s time to step in and do something.

Tip o’ the vial of plain old water to Digg.

Waterglass image from albertopveiga’s Flickr photostream, used under the Creative Commons license.

I saw this large beetle scurrying around the ruins of the roman city of Jerash in Jordan. It was the first live sighting after seeing several of its squashed peers.

Informant. Covertly record meetings, conversations, etc without anyone knowing. Optionally schedule recordings in advance for complete discretion! Features: Record from pockets, on table, etc., no visible indication, Recording paused during phone calls, Optional PIN, Playback and email recordings. Please check local laws before using.

Price: $2.49

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Covertly record conversations
• Schedule record times and lengths
• Can email audio file

Cons

• Features lack: Does not recording in-call voice conversations (however laws govern this feature)

Features:

Informant Android App is a stealthy way to record conversations using your Android phones. It does not record voice conversations while in a phone call, if you want that feature try Google Voice by pressing #4 on dial pad (limited to incoming calls only). This app is more for secretly recording a conversation speak-phone style. Note: if your recorded subject is far away, recording volume will reflect. You can set the app to record a specified amount of time during a set period of time, or record immediately. It works while the phone is sleep. Recordings can be played back and can be sent email. Even place a PIN code password in the case you get busted recording, the evidence would have to be locked.

Usefulness:

Most all use cases I can think of for the app seem to have some legal agenda attached (either that or busting your mate). If using the app for those purposes please check your state and Federal laws as the recording may not be permissible in court. I recently recommended it to a friend whose employer was harassing her behind closed doors.

Ease of Use:

Easy. Choose to either schedule recordings or record now.

Slate: It’s still a problem. As of a few weeks ago, the “hole”—which isn’t so much a gap in the ozone layer as an area of seasonal thinning—is even bigger than it was at the height of the ozone panic in the 1980s. (At the moment, it spans a patch of sky almost the size of North America.) That said, the ozone layer is in much better shape today than it would have been had the world not taken decisive action 20 years ago. It’s just that the damage we did in the old days is going to take a long time to heal.

It’s still a problem. As of a few weeks ago, the “hole”—which isn’t so much a gap in the ozone layer as an area of seasonal thinning—is even bigger than it was at the height of the ozone panic in the 1980s. (At the moment, it spans a patch of sky almost the size of North America.) That said, the ozone layer is in much better shape today than it would have been had the world not taken decisive action 20 years ago. It’s just that the damage we did in the old days is going to take a long time to heal.

You might remember that ozone gas—made from triplets of oxygen atoms—helps shield us from the sun’s harmful UV-B rays. Most of it is in the lower stratosphere, roughly six to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface, where it’s created naturally by the interaction of sunlight and regular oxygen. Other gases, particularly those containing chlorine or bromine, can make ozone molecules break apart. Starting in the 1970s, scientists suspected that the widespread use of industrial chemicals might be putting additional chlorine and bromine into the stratosphere. In particular, researchers worried about the chlorofluorocarbons used in fridges, air conditioners, and aerosol spray cans and the halon gases used in fire extinguishers. (Human technology also creates some ozone, but that stuff tends to stay close to the ground, where it causes a range of health issues.)

By the mid-1980s, researchers knew that ozone concentrations were decreasing around the world, threatening humans with an increased incidence of skin cancer and eye cataracts and endangering plants and other kinds of animals. In 1985, following several years of U.N.-sponsored meetings, 21 nations formally agreed to cooperate on researching and monitoring the issue. It came to a head two months later, however, when a team of British researchers showed that a huge “hole” had appeared in the ozone layer above the Antarctic. What had been a predicament now started to seem like an emergency.

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I’m not a huge fan of video-based art. But give this clip, likely by the same folks who made this clip, 20 seconds. Then prepare for awesome. The grand finale is near-transcendent. [TNW] More »










Video – Arts – Arts and Entertainment – Business – Alternative Video

When experts look at how healthy a country’s finances are, they tend to look at what’s called the public debt-to-GDP ratio rather than the size of one year’s deficit. The IMF, and many others, tend to define “healthy” as anything below a 60% debt-to-GDP ratio.

From an academic standpoint, it’s an appropriate measurement of debt
burden because it accounts for total, not just recent, debt
accumulation, and it weighs that burden against the size of the
country’s economy. From a political standpoint, it’s not a very visceral statistic. Nobody’s going to slap bumperstickers on their cars that say “Recalibrate that Ratio” or “59 or Bust!” So the easier message is “Balance the Budget.”

Robert Samuelson makes a similar point in his column today. But then he writes this:

To stabilize debt to
GDP, you have to aim much lower than the target in good times, meaning
that you should balance the budget (or run modest surpluses) after the
economy has recovered from recessions.

Interestingly, Europe’s experience discredits debt-to-GDP targets.
The 16 countries using the euro were supposed to adhere to a debt
target of 60 percent of GDP. Before the financial crisis, the target
was widely breached. From 2003 to 2007, Germany’s debt averaged 66
percent of GDP, France’s 64 percent and Italy’s 105 percent of GDP.
Once the crisis hit, debt-to-GDP ratios jumped; by 2009, they were 73
percent for Germany, 78 percent for France and 116 percent for Italy.

If most of the countries who are in trouble today blew past the 60 percent target, that impugns the countries rather than the target, right? In fact, it might even be an argument for the target as a valuable indicator of financial health.

Think of it this way: say I’m a teacher and I say students have to get to class 10 minutes early to help them concentrate and do well on the final exam. Most of the class flaunts that rule and half the students fail the final. Does my classroom’s experience “discredit” the 10-minutes-early rule? Not really. It means my students were recalcitrant and I did a poor job enforcing. It might even suggest the rule should be employed more strictly next semester. But that’s not a reason to give it up.

While Samuelson is absolutely right that (1) “balance the budget” is a clearer (if unrealistic) political frame than “stabilize the debt ratio” and (2) we should aim lower than the target in good economic times, it’s not fair to argue that Europe’s experience disputes the debt/GDP statistic.

Germany – International Monetary Fund – France – Italy – Government debt

WASHINGTON–GOP Illinois Senate nominee Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) stumps in Quincy, Ill. on Monday afternoon meeting with hospital administrators, a selection of local and elected leaders at Blessing Hospital there.

A poll taken by Alexi Giannoulias’ Democratic Illinois Senate campaign last week shows Giannoulias even with GOP rival Rep. Mark Kirk, making up for ground lost after the failure of the Giannoulias family-owned Broadway Bank.

Giannoulias, the state treasurer, is even with Kirk, according to his campaign pollsters, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. Their poll of 600 likely November voters — taken May 11-13 — shows a 44-44 tie.

A Giannoulias campaign internal poll of 600 conducted April 27-29, just after federal regulators shut down the bank on April 23, had Kirk at 43 and Giannoulias at 37.

Both polls had a 4 percentage-point margin of error. Each time the question was the same: if the election were today, would you vote for Giannoulias or Kirk.

The Greenberg poll shows that despite taking a hit from the bank failure, Giannoulias is a viable contender, albeit one with an uphill battle.

Giannoulias gained ground between the April and May polls especially in Chicago and its suburbs.

The poll also showed that President Obama has high approval ratings in his adopted state, with 62 percent of all likely voters approving of the job Obama is doing in the White House.

Giannoulias was a vice president of the bank before being elected state treasurer in November 2006, and Kirk seized on Broadway Bank as a major issue having to do with Giannoulias’ competency and credibility.

Giannoulias immediately went on the offensive after Broadway Bank failed, with a round of ads framing Broadway as a victim of the recession — and GOP policies Kirk supported.

Kirk responded with his own $250,000 ad buy to rebut Giannoulias’ claims and continued pounding on Giannoulias over Broadway Bank.

The HTC Mondrian’s ROM has been cracked, and some secrets are spilling out.  The above image has been extracted from “oemavatar.cab by user ‘Fdo35′. Also found in the registry was reference to a "4.3in WVGA Optrex" screen, lack of QWERTY keyboard and customization for the   SnapDragon QSD8650A/B processor which runs at 1.3 Ghz  and supports CDMA and GSM.

Is this device lustworthy enough to overcome any Windows Phone 7 objections? Let us know below.

Source: XDA-Dev via WMExperts.com

While the US entertainment industry continues to insist that Canada’s copyright law is way too “friendly” to would-be infringers, one area where it most certainly is not is in the area of fair use. Up in Canada, they don’t even have fair use, but the much more limited “fair dealing,” which is rigidly defined (unlike fair use) — with one area being “research.” Apparently, the Copyright Board of Canada ruled back in 2007 that the 30-second previews of music found on services like iTunes counted as fair dealing, because it was consumer “research” into whether or not they wanted to purchase the song. In response, the Canadian songwriters group SOCAN disagreed and asked a court to review. According to SOCAN such a broad definition of “research” was not what Canadian copyright law intended. In SOCAN’s view, “research” only meant scientific research (so, only folks in science labs and white lab coats could listen to 30 second previews legally).

Thankfully, the Canadian appeals court disagreed, saying that consumer research definitely can count as “research” under fair dealing:

The legislator chose not to add restrictive qualifiers to the word “research” in section 29. It could have specified that the research be “scientific”, “economic”, “cultural”, etc. Instead it opted not to qualify it so that the term could be applied to the context in which it was used, and to maintain a proper balance between the rights of a copyright owner and users’ interests.

If, in essence, the legal research such as that referred to in CCH has a more formal and rigorous aspect, the same is not necessarily true for that conducted by consumers of a work subject to copyright, such as a musical work. In that context, it would not be unreasonable to give the word “research” its primary and ordinary meaning. The consumer is searching for an object of copyright that he or she desires and is attempting to locate and wishes to ensure its authenticity and quality before obtaining it. I agree with the Board that “[l]istening to previews assists in this investigation”.

Of course, this is somewhat similar to ASCAP down here in the US recently trying to claim that those same 30-second previews required a performance license — which, thankfully, was also rejected. Both situations show the ridiculous lengths that some of these organizations will go to, in their attempts to squeeze money out of places that are clearly promotional and where it should be obvious that the uses aren’t just “fair use” or “fair dealing,” but in the best interests of the songwriters in getting their songs heard and known.

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Last week the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities partners met to kick off their NTIA-funded initiative. We were excited to get some words of encouragement from Senator Amy Klobuchar on our efforts. It was inspiring to hear how much Senator Klobuchar “gets it” in terms of understanding about broadband access and adoption as advantages that will help Minnesota flourish. We are thankful that she was kind enough to allow us to share her video here…

It was great to get all of our project partners in the same room; truly the whole seems much more powerful than the sum of the parts. We are very optimistic about how broadband and the MIRC community can support Minnesota – especially rural Minnesota. Thanks to the Ultra High Speed Broadband Task Force Minnesota now has specific broadband goals to shoot for, and we are eager to add MIRC’s “horsepower” to that effort.

It was an intense meeting, but energizing. Many participants showed up with a vague recollection of what they had signed up for last summer – but the details, practicalities and even partners were less familiar. So we slogged through the nitty gritty details such as reporting required for a federal contract – made understandable and even friendly by some of our fine Blandin accounting experts. Then we used some of the Open Space techniques we learned last year at the Minnesota Voices Online Unconference to introduce the partners to each other and initiate relationships that will hope and think will pave the road to collaboration for this project and beyond. In fact, one of the ways Blandin will define success for this project is the strength of relationships built among the partners of Regional Development Centers, town leaders, business service providers and others.

We asked partners how they would define success for this project and capture their answers on video. (One non-video answer we have to share was a hope for serendipitous results – love the idea and the eloquence.) You can see all of the videos on our YouTube channel. Here’s a sample…

The dime novel was popular before my time, back before a TV was in every home and folks looked for cheap entertainment. These novels were sold as a serial, with a chapter released every so often for a nickel or a dime. They were quite popular as the story was doled out in small enough pieces to hook the reader to get them coming back for each episode. Dime Novel Publishing is hoping to revive the concept in digital form.

This serial approach is perfect for the e-book form, as new episodes can be purchased and read immediately upon release. There’s no searching around to see if the store has it yet, a notification tells you it’s available and you go get it. That’s if you can afford it. Each episode in the Dime Novel portfolio is $0.99, which sounds pretty cheap until you realize each novel consists of 23 episodes. The first one is free to get you hooked but you pony up the cash for the other 22 episodes. Yes, each complete novel will cost you $21.78. Not quite a dime novel, is it?

There are three serials currently available, and they look to be aimed at young readers. A new episode for each is released every 10 days and sold through Smashwords.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req’d): Irrational Exuberance Over E-Books?

Science Daily: Nitrous oxide has now become the largest ozone-depleting substance emitted through human activities, and is expected to remain the largest throughout the 21st century, NOAA scientists say in a new study.

For the first time, this study has evaluated nitrous oxide emissions from human activities in terms of their potential impact on Earth’s ozone layer. As chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which have been phased out by international agreement, ebb in the atmosphere, nitrous oxide will remain a significant ozone-destroyer, the study found. Today, nitrous oxide emissions from human activities are more than twice as high as the next leading ozone-depleting gas.

Nitrous oxide is emitted from natural sources and as a byproduct of agricultural fertilization and other industrial processes. Calculating the effect on the ozone layer now and in the future, NOAA researchers found that emissions of nitrous oxide from human activities erode the ozone layer and will continue to do so for many decades.

The study, authored by A.R. Ravishankara, J.S. Daniel and Robert W. Portmann of the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) chemical sciences division, appears online today in the journal Science. ESRL tracks the thickness of the ozone layer, as well as the burden of ozone-depleting compounds in the atmosphere. It maintains a large portion of the world air sampling and measurement network. NOAA scientists also conduct fundamental studies of the atmosphere and atmospheric processes to improve understanding of ozone depletion and of the potential for recovery the ozone layer.

“The dramatic reduction in CFCs over the last 20 years is an environmental success story. But manmade nitrous oxide is now the elephant in the room among ozone-depleting substances,” said Ravishankara, lead author of the study and director of the ESRL Chemical Sciences Division in Boulder, Colo.

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Ryan McBride wrote:

Stemgent, a provider of consumable research materials for stem cell scientists, has raised $5.6 million of a planned $10.1 million round of equity funding, according to an SEC filing. The funding includes the conversion of promissory notes. The company, which has offices in Cambridge, MA, and San Diego, previously raised $14 million in March 2009 from HealthCare Ventures and Morgenthaler Ventures.

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UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2010

DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR
MONDAY, MAY 17, 2010

In the morning, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing and meet with senior advisors in the Oval Office. These meetings are closed press.

Later, the President will sign the Freedom of Press Act in the Oval Office. The signing will be pooled press.

In the afternoon, the President will welcome the NCAA champion University of Connecticut women’s basketball team to the White House to honor the Huskies for their second straight NCAA Championship and back-to-back undefeated seasons. The President will deliver remarks in the Rose Garden. This event is open press.

In-Town Travel Pool
Wires: AP, Reuters, Bloomberg
Wire Photos: AP, Reuters, AFP
TV Corr & Crew: CBS
Print: National Journal
Radio: VOA

EDT

9:00AM Pool Call Time

10:00AM THE PRESIDENT receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:30AM THE PRESIDENT meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:35AM THE PRESIDENT signs the Freedom of Press Act
Oval Office
Pooled Press (Gather Time 11:30AM – Briefing Room)

1:05PM THE PRESIDENT welcomes the NCAA champion University of Connecticut women’s basketball team to the White House
Rose Garden
Open Press (Pre-set 12:05PM – Final Gather 12:45PM – North Doors of the Palm Room)

Briefing Schedule

1:30PM Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

##

Jessica Biel’s ready for her close-up — on The Great White Way. Biel — who shares a home with boyfriend Justin Timberlake in the City That Never Sleeps — is preparing to show off her musical talents on the city’s famed theater district after landing a role in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, a stage musical based on Antonio Banderas’ hit 1988 Spanish comedy of the same name.

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar directed the screen adaptation of the film and is confident that Biel has a wonderful voice that will be welcomed by theater fans. He also reveals that everyone connected with the production is excited about Jessica’s casting.

This isn’t the first time JB will be gracing the live stage: The stunning star took secret singing lessons in 2009 to prepare for a role in a production of Guys & Dolls at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles last summer.

Breakdown opens on Broadway this fall.

Todos reconhecem que o principal ponto negativo dos carros movidos eletricamente é a necessidade de recarregar as suas baterias, processo que pode durar até 8 horas. Pensando nisso, a empresa japonesa da cidade de Yokohama, JFE Engineering Corp, criou o inovador sistema de recarregamento das baterias de carros elétricos.

Segundo informações da publicação japonesa Nikkei, o sistema de recarregamento da companhia é capaz gerar 50% da carga de uma bateria em apenas 3 minutos, gerando uma perda infinitamente menor que os atuais sistemas de recarregamento de baterias, possibilitando uma maior praticidade aos veículos elétricos.

De acordo com a fabricante JFE, todos os veículos elétricos poderão utilizar de seu sistema com a necessidade de apenas atualizar e ajustar alguns parâmetros em seus softwares, complementando que a parte física do carro, como sensores e circuitos elétricos, não necessitarão ser substituídos.

Sua chegada ao mercado pode não demorar tanto, já que as especulações são de que a companhia poderá lançar o dispositivo no Japão ainda nesse, ainda que em fase de testes.

Fonte: AutoPortal

Most of the robots out there have one common problem: They can only move in a slow, mechanical and chopping motion. In other words, the vast majority of robots lacks “elegance” and basic maneuverability. But not so this unnamed, fan made mini robot from Japan.

Find embedded below two videos that show the little guy performing a perfect back flip. The robot somehow reminded me of the Ropid we’ve shown you last year.

This short clip shows the back flip:

This video shows the move in slow motion and is much cooler:

Via Plastic Pals via FrostyDesign [JP]