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Google’s annual I/O conference is still over four months away, but the company is already ramping up for the event. Google has just posted 60% of the sessions that will be featured, and has opened sales for its early bird tickets. Tickets run $400 up until April 23, when they jump to $500. There’s also a $100 academic price that’s first come, first served. The event takes place May 19 – 20 in San Francisco.

The main topics of discussion? Enterprise, Chrome (including Chrome OS), and Android. Eric Tholome, Director of Product Management for Google Developer, says that Enterprise is a key focus because companies are quickly beginning to adopt the web stack and cloud computing. Chrome will be in the spotlight as Google talks about Chrome OS, developer tools, extensions, and HTML5. And Android will be a hot topic because Android growth is rapidly accelerating.

Tholome says that this year’s conference will retain the same highly technical focus as we’ve seen in past years. However, he says that there will be a new addition: the day before the conference begins, Google will offer a special ‘pre-event’ that features more basic, 101 courses. Tholome says that admission will be included with your I/O ticket, but says that Google doesn’t expect a very large turnout (he says most developers are interested in the more technical sessions).

Google I/O has been home to some major announcements for the company, including the debut of Google Wave. Last year also saw Google’s Oprah Moment, when it gave a phone to everyone in attendance.

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We all know Gran Turismo 5 is one of the hotly anticipated titles of the year, but how hot is hot? If this is any indication, the Time Trial Challenge (qjnet/playstation-3/coming-soon-the-gran-turismo-5-time-trial-challenge.html) has been downloaded a million times

Jackson Twp. OKs exception for biofuel plantistockAnalyst.com (press release)12–Dirty vegetable oil and algae oil could soon be converted into fuel in a Jackson Township biodiesel production facility. Thomasville-based MPG Biofuels …

New Jersey, US | Eccentric Homes

Since 1989, when Ricky Boscarino stumbled upon the cabin in the woods and began transforming it into Luna Parc, it has been a massive work in progress.

Filled with mosaics influenced by Klimt, Gaudí and Hundertwasser, the house looks as if it had been plucked from some colorful dreamscape and deposited in the backwoods of New Jersey. Artist, designer and “King-o-Luna,” Ricky Boscarino, has transformed the house both inside and out, with the interior of the house covered in his collections of homemade lamps, bottle caps, Buddhas, taxidermy, miniatures, stringed instruments, stained glass and religious icons. Currently Boscarino is collecting Mrs. Butterworth bottles and blue glass for new outdoor sculptures.

A skilled artist in many mediums, among other projects, Boscarino created a four panel stained-glass mural for his bathroom depicting the journey of life from spermatozoa to skeleton. When not working on his house, Boscarino makes and sells art and jewelry (much of it miniature versions of everyday objects, though you can get a miniature fetus and enema bag in gold and silver) and throws two large parties a year in fall and spring.

Luna Parc is not open to the public except for during spring and fall open houses, but there is a virtual tour available on the website.

Fitch has been updating its delinquency data on various classes of real estate assets. Today it’s jumbo residential mortgage-backed securities. Again, it isn’t pretty.

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  More  U.S. prime jumbo borrowers are falling and staying behind on their
  monthly  mortgage  payments,  with states such as California and Florida
  driving the elevated underperformance, according to Fitch Ratings in the
  latest  edition of its U.S. RMBS delinquency updates through Performance
  Metrics.

  Overall,  prime  RMBS  60+  days delinquencies rose to 9.2% for December
  2009,  up almost three times compared to the same period last year (3.2%
  in  December  2008).  The 2006/2007 vintages combined rose to 12.7% from
  4.3%.

  The five states with the highest volume of prime jumbo loans outstanding
  (California,  New  York,  Florida,  Virginia,  and  New Jersey) comprise
  approximately  two-thirds of the loans in question. Prime jumbo RMBS 60+
  days  delinquencies  for  these  states  at  December  2009  compared to
  December  2008,  and their approximate share of the $388 billion market,
  are as follows:

  –California: 10.8%, up from 3.5% (44% share)
  –New York: 5.8%, up from 1.8% (7% share)
  –Florida: 16%, up from 7.3% (6% share)
  –Virginia: 5.4%, up from 2.3% (5% share)
  –New Jersey: 7.1%, up from 2.3% (4% share)

  Prime  jumbo  borrowers that were current on their mortgage the previous
  month  but  missed  a  payment the following month (roll rates) averaged
  about  1%  a  month  for the last 12 months, reaching a seasonal high of
  1.3%  in  December  2009. ‘While some of these borrowers caught up, many
  either  remained  a  payment  late  or  became  more  delinquent  in the
  succeeding months,’ said Managing Director Vincent Barberio.

  Despite  some  improvement  in  home prices and a slowdown in employment
  loss,  roll rates have not improved primarily due to the number of prime
  jumbo  borrowers  who  owe  more  on  their mortgages than their home is
  worth.  ‘Over  one-third  of  prime  jumbo borrowers that are current on
  their   mortgages  also  are  ‘underwater’  on  their  mortgages,’  said
  Barberio.

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See Also:

• FITCH: Check Out The "Payment Shock" ALT-A Mortgage-Holders Are About To Feel
• Jamie Dimon: The Commercial Real Estate Trainwreck Is A Thing Of The Past
• Commercial Real Estate Delinquencies Are Up 5x Already And They Still Won’t Peak Until 2012

Parachute Jumper Gives Imitation of a Flying Squirrel

IN a startling imitation of a flying squirrel, Rex G. Finney, parachute juniper of the Curtiss-Wright Flying Service, demonstrated his stunt of becoming a human glider before the public recently with great success.

A triangular piece of sail cloth sewn between the legs of his flying suit acts upon the air in the same manner as the membranes of the flying squirrel, enabling him to perform thrilling glides and stalls while in the air.

As he jumps from the plane, Finney stretches his legs apart, and the wind, acting upon the web between his outstretched legs in much the same manner as it acts. upon the elevators of a plane, enables him to glide a steep angle. By doubling his knees he is thrown into a climbing stall.

Novel ‘Land Yacht’ Carries Retired Naval Officer to Work

“YOU can take a sailor away from the sea but you can’t take the sea away from a sailor,” runs an old adage, long known among seafaring men. Such seems to be the case with W. H. Slater, a retired naval officer of Kent, England, who has constructed a novel land yacht with which to travel the five miles to and from his job, which is that of lighting wharf lamps along the riverside. Mr. Slater’s novel land yacht is made from an old truck chassis, and is powered by canvas sails, as shown in the photo at the right. Traveling over the rails of a former colliery, the yacht develops a speed between ten and twenty-five miles per hour, depending upon the winds. Although such a vehicle does not heave and roll like a ship in rough seas, it undoubtedly brings back memories to an old sailor as he shifts his sails to take advantage of every puff of wind, to say nothing of the wear and tear it saves on his legs. In a dead calm, of course, the yacht won’t travel.

Clearing an airfield of snow is no easy task…

Increased funding in the fiscal 2010 budget will allow the National Guard to
modernize and equip its forces for state and federal missions, Guard officials
announced today…

Several members of the New York Army National Guard teamed up with 10 of the fastest
race car drivers in the world for the fifth annual Lucas Oil Geoff Bodine Bobsled
Challenge this past weekend…

The Army announced last week that nine additional medevac companies would be added
to the reserve component…

Mississippi Air National Guardsmen showcased a new intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR) platform training facility here Jan. 9 for the director of the
Air National Guard…

General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz does not like fuel economy rules, once declared that hybrid cars made no sense to sell or buy, and on Monday said he sees a lot of value in a steady rise in gasoline tax, CNNMoney.com reports.

Why?

Lutz can’t stand how fluctuating gas prices drive consumer preferences. Gas goes down, Americans buy big cars. Gas goes up, small cars are back in fashion. Matching supply to demand becomes impossible.

Another reason for Lutz’s support of a higher gasoline tax, he stated Monday, is his belief that conventional internal combustion engines will dominate the auto industry regardless of advances in electric vehicles.

While Lutz may be right, it’s a strange message to send on the first day of the International Auto Show, where your company is heavily promoting the new electric Chevy Volt.

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See Also:

• Detroit Is Partying Again: Photos From The Detroit Auto Show
• See? Bankruptcy Works — GM Predicts A Profit This Year

KNOXVILLE — Now more than ever, parents and students want strong academics at an affordable price when it comes to choosing a college education.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, offers just that according to The Princeton Review’s “Best Value Colleges for 2010″ list released today, which ranks the university among the 50 best values in higher education in the country.

The Princeton Review ranks American colleges based on undergraduate academics, affordability and financial aid for the “best value” list. The 50 public and 50 private colleges and universities were selected from among more than 650 public and private colleges and universities.

“We are proud to be nationally recognized for the value that a UT Knoxville education provides to students,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “From our merit and need-based scholarship programs to the support we give to help students maintain their scholarships and achieve, we deliver a first-rate academic and collegiate experience at a great value.”

The Princeton Review is a New York City-based education services company known for its test-prep courses, college and graduate school admission services, books and education programs. The company is also known for its annual college, business and law school rankings.

The Princeton Review describes UT Knoxville’s “dynamic campus” as having a “vibrant academic atmosphere located in one of the country’s best and most eclectic college towns.” Several of UT Knoxville’s nationally recognized programs are mentioned, including business administration and education. The profile also highlights the campus’ research facilities as being “among the best in the country” and that with such a diverse student life, “everyone is bound to find his or her own niche.”

UT Knoxville also is recognized for strong financial aid support.

The HOPE Scholarship is available to Tennessee high school graduates who earn at least a 21 on their ACT and have an overall weighted grade-point average of 3.0 or better. About 95 percent of UT Knoxville’s in-state freshmen received the HOPE Scholarship in 2009.

In recent years, UT Knoxville has created several need-based scholarship programs that supplement the HOPE Scholarship and help ensure that money isn’t a stumbling block for academically eligible students who want to attend.

The Tennessee Pledge scholarships help students from low-income families attend the university and allow those students to graduate debt-free by paying for mandatory college costs not covered by other federal or state aid. The Tennessee Promise scholarships target students from high schools that have not traditionally sent many of their graduates to UT Knoxville.

In addition, the university has launched the “Achieve the Dream” program that makes grant money available to Tennessee students from lower-middle-income families whose incomes are too high to qualify them for Pell grants or the Pledge scholarship, but who still need financial help with college costs.

Again this year, The Princeton Review teamed up with USA Today to present its “best value” colleges list. Previously, the list was reported on its Web site and in its book, “America’s Best Value Colleges.”

The Best Value Colleges for 2010 rankings are available online.

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C O N T A C T :

Kristi Hintz (865-974-3993, [email protected])