Category: News

Spike TV will be featuring Tiger Woods’ latest game for PlayStation 3, but in lieu of the usual controller, it will be using the PlayStation Move. Details of this premier were revealed via Sony PlayStation’s official Twitter

A brand new multiplayer demo for Lost Planet 2 is now available on the Xbox 360, with the PS3 version scheduled to arrive tomorrow. But wait there’s more, too boost up the downloads of the demo, Capcom

Filed under: Advice, Health, Hormone Diet

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That’s Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how … Read more

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

It looks like some internal Dell material has spilled out onto the internet, but am I the only one who finds this stuff suspect? I see lots of spelling errors and some questionable features. The vagueness of some of the specs and the very un-Dell phrasing of a lot of this stuff makes me think this is an outside contractor pitching Dell with some design ideas. If they are real, I’m guessing this is a mockup team inside Dell that’s pitching mobile division higher-ups with their idea of where Dell should be heading in the smartphone world. At any rate, there are pretty pictures, so let’s take a look.

Here we go:

Lightning

If this thing is real, it falls under the mystery third chassis category. Portrait slider? Sure, why not? To add to the skepticism, though, the listed specs do not have the mandated minimum of 8GB of onboard storage. Could just be a mistake, but in a presentation like this, to ignore one of the basic specs? Shameful.

Flash, Thunder, and Smoke

Here we have three Android-based smartphones. The Flash (left) looks pretty freaky, with “curved glass” sides and Photoshop errors on the top in that last slide – or reflections, its so hard to tell. Its main thing is going to be a huge screen and media editing on-phone. Good luck doing that with any precision using your big ol’ fingers.

The Thunder (middle) is just a gigantic lozenge with an even bigger screen (4.1″) that will also be used for on-device editing and, perhaps, if you’re good, even a Hulu app. Also has that curved glass somewhere about it, though drat me if I can find it.

Do you like tall phones? Like freaky tall? Then the Smoke (right) is for you. I guess they call it that because it has the same form factor as a cigarette. Seems like the weight of the screen would make it uncomfortable to thumb-type on. And if the screen is 2.8″, that means the whole thing is about 3.5″ diagonal total. Kind of small, I’d say.

My fingers are getting cold, so I can’t get into any more detail.

I don’t know, guys. These just seem a little too freaky, and the writing a little too rough, for them to be any kind of final product if you ask me. My personal vote is “not real,” but we’ll see how the cookie crumbles. Still, if Dell is even tossing these ideas around, they deserve a look, so we’re happy to share the info anyway. We’ll be sure to share any further information as it gets out.

After today mixed action in the US, stocks are selling off in Asia.

• The Shanghai Composite is down 1.2%.
• Japan’s Nikkei is off 1.8%.
• Korea’s KOSPI is down just over 1%.

Gold, meanwhile, continues to be flat, while the S&P is trading off slightly.

Join the conversation about this story »

Thursday should be a very interesting day in the debate over financial reform, as Barack Obama heads to the Cooper Union Institute to deliver what will be a very closely followed speech on financial reform.

Coming as it does on the heels of SEC vs. Goldman Sachs (GS), and at a very late-stage in the game (we’re well past the point of vague generalities), this speech should give a clear indication of the type of bill Obama wants to sign.

Will a hard Volcker rule be in place? Will Blanche Lincoln’s anti-derivative rule make it into the final bill?

We’ll know shortly.

Meanwhile, Mike O’Rourke picks up another interesting, but important tension: that being the growing rift between New York City pols (like Bloomberg) who recognized the need to not kill the Wall Street golden goose.

Writes O’Rourke in his Bedtime With BTIG note

It will be interesting to see the environment and how the speech is received.  Today, the NY State Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli put out a press release titled, “DiNapoli: State Could Run Short of Cash, Releases Final Closing Numbers for Last State Fiscal Year, Warns of Cash Crunch.”  The only reason the state finished the 2009-2010 fiscal year with a positive balance was it postponed payments into the new fiscal year.  The release notes “The state Division of the Budget projects the General Fund will end the months of May, June, July and August with a negative balance.  This is unprecedented in New York’s history, indicating growing fiscal stress and historically low cash flow levels.”   The Comptroller’s annual data was the primary spark for the Wall Street bonus outrage over the past 18 months.  Politicians throughout the country, including many high profile ones in New York, used the data to take a populist approach and bash Wall Street for political gain.

 New York City is hardly an enclave of conservatism, but in recent weeks and months, the tone of the main stream print media has shifted in favor of Wall Street (or at least the taxes it pays) and in opposition to Washington.  The charge has been led by Mayor Bloomberg who recognizes the importance of the Financial industry’s tax revenues to the livelihood of the city and the state.  Local media has also turned on Senator Schumer who is being portrayed as trading Wall Street (and thus New York) in favor of landing Harry Reid’s post as Majority Leader if (when) Reid is voted out of office in November.  Currently, the state could not have a weaker Governor, and his likely successor has been among the most aggressive Wall Street bashers, leaving Bloomberg as the only high profile politician in the industry’s corner.  Now, the President heads to New York to spread his message the day after the state comptroller warns of the state’s precarious financial state due to reduced tax revenues.  With an election approximately 6 months away, today’s news should be a wake-up call to all New York politicians to follow Bloomberg’s lead.  If they don’t start to battle for their continuants, then soon they won’t have any.

Napoli’s message, which did not get much attention today, was indeed quite stark.

Here’s the key line:

“The state is starting the new fiscal year the way we ended the old one,” DiNapoli said. “The state’s finances are very shaky. Big bills are piling up, and there may not be enough cash to cover them. We need the Governor and the Legislature to agree on a realistic budget that aligns revenue with spending and isn’t a replay of last year’s buy-time budget. Without a responsible spending plan, our cash shortfalls may be much worse than last year.”

Join the conversation about this story »

It took a bit of a while coming, but European gamers will soon have their hands onthe Tropies for Disgaea 3. NIS America not only confirmed the arrival of the Trophies to the Euro version of the

A V-6 Camaro and a four-cylinder Mustang take on Mitsubishi, Toyota, Audi, and Merkur.

Rumors swirl today about the possibility of a four-cylinder EcoBoost Mustang, but two generations of past Mustang have packed four bangers, including the SVO of 1984–1986. With upwards of 200 hp, the SVO produced comparable power to the Mustang V-8s of the day, but serious turbo lag made the experience quite a different one from that offered by the eight. While the SVO never stared down a Camaro mano a mano, the two met in this mondo eight-car pileup in 1985.
______________________________________

Think of this test as the answer to what to do when you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock is your enthusiasm for things automotive: the tingle you feel in your gut when a Ferrari whistles by. The hard place is what you face each morning as your dreams fide and your baby blues pop open: mortgage payments, career goals, and a couple of yelping rug rats to feed. We know it’s hard to accept, but what you need in the garage these days is something practical.

Keep Reading: 1985: Chevy Camaro Berlinetta vs. Ford Mustang SVO – Archived Comparison

Related posts:

1. 1968: Tunnel Port Ford Mustang vs. Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – Archived Comparison
2. 1975: Chevrolet Monza 2+2 vs. Ford Mustang II – Archived Comparison
3. 2010 Lingenfelter Chevrolet Camaro SS vs. 2010 Roush Ford Mustang Stage 3 – Comparison Tests

MiLi has added to its iPhone accessory line-up with the release of what it bills as the “world’s thinnest external battery and protective case for iPhone 3G and 3GS.” The slender MiLi Power Skin has a 1,200 mAH battery capacity which can provide up to double the battery life of the iPhone, a pass-through USB/mini-USB for syncing and charging without removing the case and is designed to be easily removed for docking…
Continue Reading MiLi’s sleek Power Skin doubles iPhone battery life

Tags: iPhone,
Mobile Phone

Related Articles:

• Stop squinting – MiLi Pro gives iPhones the big picture treatment
• Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 3G now shipping
• Mophie juice pack air doubles iPhone 3G battery life
• myPower charges iPhone on the go
• iPow protects and prolongs the iPhone
• Richardsolo iPod back-up battery

I speak on the Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Unauthorised Vehicle Use) Bill 2010, which amends the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Act 1997 concerning registered operators of vehicles and the detection of offences involving unauthorised vehicle use, and makes consequential amendments to certain other legislation. The bill is very important for the party that I represent, which is concerned about the values of the families of accident victims, who have suffered greatly over the years. My party instructed me to speak very forcefully on this issue and to support the Government in what it is doing.

The bill will amend the principal Act to enable photographs taken by certain approved camera devices to be tendered and used in evidence for certain offences involving unauthorised vehicle use, such as the use of an unregistered or uninsured vehicle; to confirm that generally only one person may be recorded as the registered operator of a registrable vehicle in the Register of Registrable Vehicles maintained under the Act; and to consolidate in one section all the provisions currently in the Act relating to the maintenance of the register.

The Roads and Traffic Authority estimate that 1.2 per cent of vehicles on New South Wales are unregistered and uninsured, which represents more than 65,000 vehicles. In 2002, 44 unlicensed drivers were involved in fatal accidents. Police assessed that 38 of those drivers were at fault, causing 44 deaths. In comparison, only 55 per cent of the 698 validly licensed drivers involved in fatal accidents were at fault. Those issues particularly concern the Family First Party because it has a deep and ongoing commitment to ensuring that children, many of whom are killed in accidents, survive. Of the 44 unlicensed drivers, the 18 who were disqualified or cancelled were assessed to be at fault in all fatal accidents in which they were involved.

The Motor Accidents Authority advises that personal injury claims caused by unregistered vehicles represent about 2 per cent of all compulsory third party [CTP] claims, cost on average $18.5 million each year, and add approximately $6 to the average annual CTP premium. In addition, unregistered vehicles are generally not insured against property damage. Accidents involving unregistered vehicles impose an unquantified cost on other road users through property damage and ultimately through higher insurance premiums.

The 2003 report by the New South Wales Audit Office entitled “Dealing with Unlicensed and Unregistered Driving” recommended that red light and speed cameras be used to detect unregistered vehicles. In all other jurisdictions, except the Australian Capital Territory, enforcement cameras are used to detect unregistered vehicles. Consultation on the reforms in May 2008 had been undertaken with the Motor Traders Association, the Motor Accidents Authority and compulsory third party insurers.

Consultations on the current reform have been conducted with the New South Wales Police Force, the Attorney General’s Department and the State Debt Recovery Office in relation to the camera detection of unauthorised driving and these agencies support the proposal. I will refrain from addressing the agreement in principle speech as it has already been said and I am sure it is absolutely correct. The key objective in using cameras to detect unauthorised driving is to ensure that all vehicles using the State’s roads are registered and insured.

This benefits the entire community in that it protects registration revenue and ultimately funding for road construction and maintenance. It will also reduce the costs on the insurance industry, and ultimately on motorists, from accidents involving uninsured vehicles. This legislation brings New South Wales into line with other States and Territories. On behalf of Family First I wholeheartedly support the Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Unauthorised Vehicle Use) Bill and I commend it to the House.

A title match for the 1983 heavyweight crown, one-on-one, winner takes all.

The shackles of emissions regulations began to come off in the ’80s—or rather, car companies began to understand how to work within the constraints of the rules. By the time the Mustang and Camaro met up for a head-to-head in June of 1983, their V-8s (302 and 305 cubic inches, respectively) had, uh, improved to175 and 190 hp. Thank goodness (well, and massively improved computer controls and engine technologies) for today’s 400-plus-hp pony cars.

______________________________________

These are serious cars. It used to be you could make fun of American cars with big V-8s like this, but these days you think twice before uncorking the brew beneath the hood. What’s more, these cars go around corners. Machines like this aren’t for sissies anymore.

Keep Reading: 1983: Ford Mustang GT vs. Chevrolet Camaro Z28 H.O.

Related posts:

1. 1968: Tunnel Port Ford Mustang vs. Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – Archived Comparison
2. 2010 Lingenfelter Chevrolet Camaro SS vs. 2010 Roush Ford Mustang Stage 3 – Comparison Tests
3. 1975: Chevrolet Monza 2+2 vs. Ford Mustang II – Archived Comparison

Warning: I can’t find any promises of a volume 2 (or 3, 4, or more!) anywhere in, on, or around this book. Nothing in the publicist’s note, either! Uh-oh … how can we sleep at night not knowing what will happen to the world’s balance – not to mention if the co-Defender is an unknown Chinese cousin or Caroline who never complains about being in a wheelchair? But I’m jumping ahead, huh?

Aliera Carstairs (what a name!) carries a weapon with a ruby handle. She’s been fencing since she was 11, and is headed to the Nationals … if she can keep her concentration. But when the gorgeous, athletic, charming Avery Castle appears in 10th grade, he’s got everyone swooning, including Aliera. Paired as his lab partner – “Carstairs and Castle. We sound like a dance team,” he remarks with an irresistible grin – Avery cuts (the poor gray sacrificial frog), while Aliera records. “Protect the heart, Aliera,” she reminds herself, repeating her fencing coach’s admonitions, over and over again …

When Avery asks Aliera out on a first date (ever!), she has to skip out on part of her fencing practice, as well as miss her usual Saturday night role-playing game with cousin Caroline. “We play with much more passion than it deserves. Than either of us really understood.” But that is soon to change!

Aliera hurries to Grand Central Station to meet Avery, who finally shows up incredibly late … but by then, Aliera’s been having visions of dragons, fairies, not to mention the glowing lady with wings. What’s real? What’s not? And who really is that too-handsome Avery anyway? And if Aliera is color-blind, where did all that technicolor suddenly come from? Get ready for a wild, eye-opening ride indeed!

Readers: Middle Grade

Published: 2010

Filed under: ..Middle Grade Readers, .Graphic Novels/Memoir/Manga/Manwha, Nonethnic-specific Tagged: Adventure, Coming-of-age, Family, Fantasy, Friendship, Girl power, Love, Sports

All right, robots: you’ve bested our professional wrestlers and our penalty kickers. But as long as San Francisco 49ers kicker Joe Nedney has anything to say about it, field goals belong to the humans. More »

Press Release: Today from its annual All Hands Meeting in Seattle, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) unveiled more information about its forthcoming Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0, with the hallmark feature of low energy technology. Bluetooth v4.0, expected to be brought to market by the end of Q2, will feature a powerful low energy mode designed to enable expansion of the technology in m-health, sports and fitness, security and home entertainment scenarios where button-cell battery devices proliferate.

"Bluetooth v4.0 throws open the doors to a host of new markets for Bluetooth manufacturers and products such as watches, remote controls, and a variety of medical and in-home sensors. Many of these products run on button-cell batteries that must last for years versus hours and will also benefit from the longer range enabled by this new version of the Bluetooth specification," said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG.

Bluetooth v4.0 is like three specifications in one – Classic Bluetooth technology, Bluetooth low energy technology, and Bluetooth high speed technology– all which can be combined or used separately in different devices according to their functionality. For example, sensors like those in pedometers and glucose monitors will run only low energy technology, thus saving power, cost and space within the device. Watches will take advantage of both low energy technology while collecting data from fitness sensors on the body as well as Classic Bluetooth technology when sending that information to a PC, or separately displaying caller ID information when wirelessly connected to a mobile phone. Mobile phones and PCs, which support the widest range of uses, will utilize the full package with Classic, low energy and high speed technology running side by side.

As with previous versions of the specification, the range of the Bluetooth v4.0 radio may be optimized according to application. The majority of Bluetooth devices on the market today include the basic 30 foot, or 10 meter, range of the Classic Bluetooth radio, but there is no limit imposed by the Specification. With Bluetooth v4.0, manufacturers may choose to optimize range to 200 feet and beyond, particularly for in-home sensor applications where longer range is a necessity.

Bluetooth v4.0 was recently named one of the "10 Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2010 and 2011" by Gartner, Inc. Technologies chosen for the list were selected on their potential to evolve and impact short-term mobile strategies and policies. Specifically, Bluetooth v4.0 is cited to have significant impact on the fitness, healthcare and environmental control industries.

Availability

The specification for Bluetooth v4.0 with the hallmark feature of low energy technology was first introduced in December 2009. Samples of sensors utilizing this specification are available from some silicon manufacturers today. Integration of Bluetooth low energy wireless technology within the Bluetooth specification will be completed before June 30, 2010. Upon completion, mobile phone and PC manufacturers may enhance their Bluetooth product offerings with support for Bluetooth low energy wireless technology.

End-user devices with Bluetooth v4.0 are expected to reach the market in late 2010 or early 2011.

Comment

The question of what’s next for our smartphones come up occasionally.  At present it appears to be largely about integrating with online services, but the rise of location-based services start bringing the technology closer to home, and eventually technologies like Bluetooth 4.0 will allow us not just to interact effectively with services on the internet, but also with your DVR and running machine and fridge. In the coming future, it appears we will be welded even more to the phone we carry in our pocket.

Via Engadget.com

Today I will speak about an excellent organisation based at Macquarie University called Macquarie Customised Accessibility Services—M-CAS for short. Its Centre for Flexible Learning is doing wonderful, innovative work making university studies available to students with a wide range of print and learning disabilities. Directed by Sharon Kerr with a dedicated staff of 70, M-CAS is committed to providing its specialist services directly to students at Macquarie University and other universities, as well as to educational institutions throughout Australia.

It works this way: M-CAS disability liaison officers work closely with students from the start to find out what types of support they need and they then contact all the lecturers to obtain the required study and support materials of each course, which they proceed to convert into alternative formats for use with assistive technologies preferred by the student. Text can be converted into speech, complex diagrams can be presented in tactile forms, and information can be produced in Braille or other formats.

The philosophy of M-CAS is to recognise students as individuals who have their own access issues and needs and have developed their own preferred methods for learning. Various levels of support are required by students to achieve their independence as learners. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. As one student remarked:

I no longer actually have a disability once I am equipped with the same access to the study materials that all the other students have. I am competing on an equal footing, and that is great!

M-CAS also directly assists educational institutions across the country by ensuring that all recommended accessibility guidelines are met for its campuses. M-CAS is also able to assist with curriculum development and the review process. It can help with the testing of emerging technologies for students using assistive technologies and can provide resources such as checklists, guidelines and legislation overview, as well as provide training and support materials to university staff. M-CAS is committed to supporting all educational staff in their efforts to develop and deliver accessible curriculums in accordance with legislative requirements.

Most academic staff do not have specialist training regarding education for people with a learning or print disability, and many university lecturers have said that the work of M-CAS frees them to do what they do best, that is, prepare their course materials and continue their research. They can leave all the organising and technical conversion of course materials into the formats needed by students with a disability to the M-CAS staff. They know it will mean that their students will be able to participate fully in class, having access to all the same materials as other people.

The work of M-CAS benefits not only students. Business leaders with whom I have spoken are well aware that, with one in 20 people in the community having a disability, they now can reasonably expect to have a workforce reflecting the same statistic—and, with such accessibility to university studies that M-CAS makes possible, their future employees with a disability can be expected to have completed advanced education and to be as productive as employees without a disability.

That is good news for business. It also requires that initial commitment by management to make their workplaces accessible, along with the investment in assistive technologies, with the outcome being a win-win situation for everyone in the workplace and in the community.

I have toured the M-CAS headquarters and facilities of the cognitive sciences branch at Macquarie University; and I came away very impressed with the dedicated director and her staff undertaking this vital work. One student who is benefiting from the program is my friend Mr Jim Bond, the dedicated dyslexia advocate with whom I have worked for some years. Having not being able to read or write throughout his life, Jim is now thrilled to be completing an arts degree majoring in political science, made possible with the wonderful assistive technology and liaison officers at M-CAS. That is a real accomplishment for Jim, and for all other students who suffer from such learning difficulties.

I commend Macquarie Accessibility Services for the excellent work it does for students with a learning disability and all the institutions involved in their education.

O modelo foi flagrado fazendo testes nas ruas da Califórnia, onde está sendo flagrado constantemente. Além disso, já a alguns rumores dizendo que a Audi irá lançar o modelo primeiro na Califórnia, mas isso ainda não passa de “conversas”.

O protótipo flagrado é equipado com um motor V10 o mesmo usado na versão anterior do R8. As rodas e escape também são os mesmos usados na versão anterior, o que deverá mudar no modelo é a asa traseira e seu peso, que deve cair bastante em relação a versão anterior.

A Audi já anunciou que o R8 GT vem com o destino traçado, que é disputar mercado com a Lamborghini Gallardi LP550-2 Balboni, modelo que também está chamando muito a atenção no mercado de super maquinas.

A marca ainda não anunciou detalhes oficiais sobre o R8 GT, mas deverá dar seu parecer nos últimos dias, pois o modelo deverá ser lançado após o meio desse ano.

Fonte: The German Car Blog