In my humble opinion, conventional wisdom should dictate that any netbook that’s still sporting a 1024×600 resolution should be overlooked immediately. We make an exception today for Acer’s 10.1-inch 532h, which features Intel’s upcoming N450 “Pine Trail” chipset sporting a 1.66GHz Atom CPU (see previous info here).
The main draw of the Pine Trail platform, you’ll recall, is a move from a three-chip architecture to a two-chip architecture. The graphics and memory controller move in with the CPU while the I/O makes up the other chip. The end result is more efficiency, better battery life, and cooler running temperatures.
After all that, though, we’re still dealing with a small-resolution screen here. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, 160GB or 250GB hard drive configurations and, presumably, some flavor of Windows 7. None of this stuff is officially confirmed yet but I’d be willing to be it’ll be outed at CES next week. Pricing would probably fall somewhere in the $299 to $349 range, I’d guess.
Forget the iSlate, an unconfirmed rumor suggests that HTC may have multiple models of a new touchscreen tablet, a device that the Taiwanese handset manufacturer has been secretly working on for the last 18 months, ready for debut. One model of the rumored tablet will feature a Qualcomm processor (Snapdragon?), a touchscreen display (multi-touch?), new software from Adobe (Flash?) and will run Android. The tablet will reportedly be shown to a select group of HTC customers at a private showing next week during CES. HTC has been working closely with Google in the development of the tablet and is expected to roll out a second model of the touchscreen tablet with Google’s Chrome OS. Slap some wireless 3G connectivity onto these slates and HTC may win the prize as the manufacturer with the hottest portfolio in 2010.
In 1752 America September 2nd was followed by September 14th. That’s when the Britain and her colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar.
India still uses the Gregorian calendar, but, not surprisingly, they have many other calendars. The most official one is the “National Calendar of India, sometimes called the Saki calendar.
So what year will on the Saki Calendar when it’s 2010 in America?
… A bewildering variety of calendars have been and continue to be used in the Indian subcontinent. In 1957 the Indian government’s Calendar Reform Committee adopted the National Calendar of India for civil purposes and, in addition, defined guidelines to standardise computation of the religious calendar, which is based on astronomical observations. The civil calendar is used throughout India today for administrative purposes, but a variety of religious calendars remain in use. We present the civil calendar here…
This Fourmilab calendar page claims it’s 1931, but elsewhere I’ve seen 1932. I hope the page is correct, because it has an awesome list of calendars including Julian, Hebrew, Islamic, Persian, Mayan, Bahai, French Republican and ISO-8601 (Y9K but not Y10K compliant):
ISO 8601 permits us to jettison the historical and cultural baggage of weeks and months and express a date simply by the year and day number within that year, ranging from 001 for January 1st through 365 (366 in a leap year) for December 31st. … ISO dates in this form are written as “YYYY-DDD”, for example 2000-060 for February 29th, 2000; leading zeroes are always written in the day number, but the hyphen may be omitted for brevity.
All ISO 8601 date formats have the advantages of being fixed length (at least until the Y10K crisis rolls around) and, when stored in a computer, of being sorted in date order by an alphanumeric sort of their textual representations. The ISO week and day and day of year calendars are derivative of the Gregorian calendar and share its accuracy.
The Fourmilab calendar page is a very cool, very old fashioned web 1.0 page — really a historic document.
So what, you might wonder, is Fourmilab?
Glad you asked …
… This site is developed and maintained by John Walker, founder of Autodesk, Inc. and co-author of AutoCAD. A variety of documents, images, software for various machines, and interactive Web resources are available here; click on entries in the frame to the left to display a table of contents for that topic. Items which span more than one category are listed in all…
John Walker. A wealthy and eccentric geek of the first golden age of computing. Wow.
Panettone is a traditional Italian sweet bread that is served during Christmas and New Year. It’s a fluffy sweet bread studded with candied fruit. And it makes for fabulous bread pudding and French toast this time of year.
My local Trader Joe’s sold out of the boxes of cylindrical panettone a couple of weeks ago. If you don’t already have one, fear not — Trader Joe’s also has loaves of panettone bread that look like raisin bread, sliced like regular sandwich bread. You can use this instead for either recipe. In fact, I prefer using the presliced panettone bread for French toast because it’s a bit firmer and easier to work. It won’t break apart as easily as traditional panettone when it gets wet.
I decided to up the holiday flavors in the bread pudding by using eggnog. Because both the panettone and eggnog are sweet, I opted not to add any other sugar in the bread pudding. But if your tooth is sweeter than mine, you could add a little sugar into the custard mixture.
And with these recipes, we officially close out 2009. Happy New year!
1. Cut panettone into 1-inch cubes. You should end up with about 12 cups of bread. 2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add in eggnog and vanilla and blend well. Toss in bread cubes until all pieces are coated. 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let the bread pudding mixture sit to soak in liquids further. 4. Lightly grease 12 ramekins, a muffin tin, or a 9×13″ baking dish. Pour in bread pudding mixture. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the outer pan, being careful not to get water into the bread pudding. This is a water bath and will ensure that the bread pudding cooks evenly without drying out. 5. Bake for 25-30 minutes if making individual pieces, or 50-60 minutes if using a large pan. Cook until bread pudding puffs and top is lightly browned. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top, if desired. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves 12 Panettone French Toast Recipe
6 slices panettone bread 3 eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/2 tsp vanilla Pinch of salt Mascarpone cheese for topping (optional)
1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. 2.
In a cast-iron skillet or other non-stick skillet, heat a tsp or two of
oil over medium-high heat. Add an optional tab of butter for extra
flavor. Soak bread into the egg mixture, letting the bread soak in the liquid on each side. Place soakded break in the skillet. Add another piece or more if there’s
room. 3. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. For a traditional Italian flavor, serve topped with mascarpone cheese. Or serve with maple syrup, whipped cream, or fresh berries.
Words by: Felson Sajonas (Editor-in-Chief)
(Click on image for full review)
I’m sure everyone had their own favorite film of 2009. However, it’s quite difficult to pick just one since there were a lot of great screen gems that came out for this past year. In terms of films at a monumental scale, a few great ones were Avatar and Star Trek. Avatar was James Cameron’s return to familiar territory as he introduces us again into a fascinating new world of aliens, albeit less menacing and more magical than his previous outerspace creatures. Although the plot is nothing new, the special effects and CGI however, is one of the best in the history of film. Star Trek on the other hand gave the franchise’s fans and Star Trek virgins a movie that they both could enjoy. It was great to see the origins of Captain Kirk and Spock, and their budding friendship. What I was most impressed with in the movie however, was its opening sequence. It’s probably one of the most emotionally gripping opening scenes I’ve seen in a while. Interestingly enough, I had very low expectations for both movies, but to my surprise, they were two of the years best and are must sees for fans of the sci-fi genre.
Adding to the list, Inglorious Basterds was everything one can hope for in a Tarantino flick. It had playful dialogue, super-tense moments, over-the-top violence, and great music. Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine was one of the most memorable characters Tarantino has ever directed, and the film’s comic book ending was pure entertainment. Inglorious Basterds was truly an unforgettable 152 minute film experience that can be talked about as the director’s best ever.
In terms of comedies, it felt as if the male bonding experience became the target for bringing laugh out loud moments on to the screen. I Love You, Man and The Hangover were two of the funniest movies of the year. Though light-hearted and more genuine in its study of friendship, marriage, and family relationships, I Love You, Man was funny because of the comedic chemistry between actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Also, you can’t help but laugh when there’s a funny moment involving Lou Ferrigno. The Hangover on the other hand was probably the most talked about comedy of the year. The characters were colorful, and the situations the characters end up in makes you really want to re-think your next Las Vegas experience. If there’s ever a plan for a movie night with just the guys, make sure to grab either of these two on DVD.
For the year’s best film, I had it shortened down to two selections – District 9 and The Hurt Locker. District 9 I felt, reinvented the Sci-Fi genre with its gripping social commentary on racial tensions, war, humanity, and government. With South Africa as its backdrop one couldn’t help but think about the film’s Apartheid Allegory. Despite its societal concerns, at the core of the movie was a sci-fi film filled with captivating characters and powerful action sequences, all while infusing the theme of hope, friendship, and survival in the mix. Also, Sharlto Copley’s performance as Wikus Van De Merwe was truly amazing as he transformed his character from average fun-loving government worker to a surviving alien war machine. To take it a step further, District 9 could possibly the best Sci-Fi film of the decade.
If I were to only pick one out of the two, my nod would go to The Hurt Locker as the best film of 2009. If you thought your job was bad, then you wouldn’t think it is after watching this film. The reality is, we have soldiers in Iraq at the moment whose job is to defuse explosive material such as roadside bombs, car bombs, or pretty much any explosives that will cause harm to soldiers and civilians. What director Kathryn Bigelow has done is she’s captured what the feeling and the surrounding tension would be like during these moments. It gives viewers a sense that these soldiers are of a different breed, but in reality some are starting to develop emotional and psychological issues with their given role. On top of the bombs they have to defuse, there’s also concern of their environment and the people they’re protecting. Soldiers could never really know if the plain clothes civilian on his or her cell phone is either someone just making a call or someone trying to set off a bomb. Forget phrases like “nail biter” or “edge of your seat,” if anything this is movie is a “punch in the face,” that will make you realize that this is unlike any other war movie you’ve ever seen.
These are just some of the films in 2009 that I thought were worth mentioning. They were all great in their own right, and it sets the bar high for 2010 to follow. If you’re looking forward to the films of 2010, here are some films that I’m personally looking forward for as well: Day Breakers, Book of Eli, The Wolfman, Shutter Island, The Crazies, Alice in Wonderland, Green Zone, Clash of the Titans, Repo Men, Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, The A-Team, Predators, Inception, The Expendables, Tron Legacy.
Also here is my complete list of the best films in 2009.
1. The Hurt Locker
2. District 9
3. Star Trek
4. Avatar
5. Inglorious Basterds
6. The Hangover
7. Moon
8. Up
9. 500 Days of Summer
10. Coraline
11. The White Ribbon
12. Zombieland
Words by: Jason Hortillas (Music Contributor), Paul Castillo (Editor), Gerald Flores (Contributor)
(Click on image for full review)
Jason Hortillas (Music Contributor)
Best Music of 2009 Pick: Maxwell ” BLACKsummers’night”
You can blame Maxwell as the catalyst of what music writers coined as Neo Soul in the late nineties. As this genre title faded, Maxwell remains standing. It seems he’s always popping in and out of obscurity just to bless us with another album. The first of his 3 part series of albums after his long absence, “BLACKsummers’night” (caps on the present installment) continued like he never left.
There are no complicated upgrades in his sound. There are no guest rappers, nor duets with any notable ingenues of song. The album speaks of love as obviously most do, some with more explicit detail. In other words, if you were searching for his signature baby making music, you won’t be disappointed. Recently the lead single “Pretty Wings” was nominated for a Grammy which gives all song writers hope that the voting committee actually honors artists for impeccable songwriting.
2010 Music Pick: Sade “Solider Of Love”
There’s a long list of music dropping in 2010, but the long awaited return of Sade dilutes the hype of anyone other release in the new year. The R&B vocals and “quiet storm” Jazz sound have never waned even after a decade since the band’s last studio album “Lover’s Rock.”
A few weeks ago a leak of the single, “Soldier Of Love” resulted in heavy internet buzz , proving that the British native’s fan base remains resilient. The lead single sounds like an updated version of their proven formula, adding to the curiosity of what the have in store for this album. The album, “Soldier Of Love” is set to be released on February 8th on Epic Records. I’ll be there with the rest of the fanboys in line for my copy.
Gerald Flores (Contributor)
2009 was a bittersweet year for music.
Bitter because of all of the great talent that was lost. 09 saw the passing of electric guitar innovator Les Paul, DJ AM and most notably, the death of the incomparable Michael Jackson. Not to say that everyone else who died this year wasn’t significant, but losing MJ was like losing the musical ambassador to the world; a loss that everyone around the globe mourned. A loss which motivated millions to dust off their copies of Thriller, doing level best to keep the King’s memory alive through his iconic music.
09 was also sweet because of the breakout musical acts that had masterstrokes this year. One of my favorite new R&B artists this year that you may haven’t heard of yet is Mayer Hawthorne. His album, A Strange Arrangement, is a varied mix that has inklings of Smokey Robinson and Eddie Kendricks Motown inspiration. If you’re a fan of classic soul and smooth R&B, I highly suggest you download Hawthorne’s debut album or check out his video for Green Eyed Love. Chester French is an under-the-radar breakout act this year whose music sounds like a clash between Outkast and The Beatles. If you haven’t already, definitely get your hands on their debut album Love the Future, which released in April. A new artist that you probably have heard of already, that carved out her own niche in the music industry this year, is Lady Gaga. Whether she’s dancing half naked on stage or just sitting behind a piano, Gaga definitely gave some of the best performances of the year. Gaga’s re-packaged first album, The Fame Monster, earned her five Graammy nods and solidified her as a bona fide artist, definitely someone to watch in 2010.
Paul Castillo (Editor)
2009 was another great year for music. Many artists let their creativity and pure genius shine through (Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – It’s Blitz), others decided to speak their mind for a cause (Thom Yorke crashing the UN climate talks), and others just decided to spaz out for no particular reason (Kanye West during the MTV awards). In between Jay-Z declaring auto-tune was dead, Lady Gaga’s gender ambiguity saga, and the emergence of the indie music scene into mainstream culture, there were moments of sadness and reflection. The abrupt and sudden death of the Michael Jackson, The King of Pop and one of the greatest performers in the history of entertainment, is easily the most poignant and memorable moment of the year in music. 2010 will surely bring us more memorable moments, highs and lows, fascinating talking points, and plenty of new music to keep us nodding our heads and stomping our feet. As far as new material goes, keep an eye out for the highly anticipated releases from Vampire Weekend, Dr. Dre, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Strokes, and Big Boi to keep you busy through out the year.
To bid farewell to 09, I have compiled quick recap of my favorite albums of the year. The list consists of my top 10 plus 5 other albums that I had on heavy rotation. As always, comments and opinions are welcome…
1. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs – It’s Blitz
2. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
3. Mos Def – The Ecstatic
4. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus
5. Madlib – Beat Konducta Vol. 5 – 6
6. Raekwon – Only Built for Cuban Linx, Pt. 2
7. Bear in Heaven – Beast Rest Forth Mouth
8. Japandroids – Post-Nothing
9. DOOM – Born Like This
10. John Mayer – Battle Studies
Words by: Dresden Baluyot (Sports Editor)
(Click on image for full review)
Dresden Baluyot (Sports Editor)
As 2010 approaches, I wanted to take a look back at the biggest stories in sports from 2009.
The city of Pittsburgh was blessed with not only one but two championship trophies…the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Steelers took home the Stanley Cup and the Lombardi Trophy respectively. The Los Angeles Lakers opened the season with only one goal: Win the franchise’s 15th championship; and that they did. As much as the world outside of the Bronx hates to admit it, every year is really about the New York Yankees. In their new stadium, the most important franchise in American sports returned to the top and won their 27th championship ring. In the world of NCAA athletics, the Florida Gators football program took home its second national championship in three years and on the hardwood, the North Carolina Tar Heels ripped Michigan State for the national title. It was UNC’s second national title in five seasons.
There were plenty of headlines that saturated the media but a few stood out more than others. One, UFC sets all-time pay-per-view record. The rapidly growing sport of MMA has grown so much this year that it marked the first in which UFC, not boxing, had the year’s most purchased event, as UFC 100 (1.6 million) topped boxing’s biggest event, Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (1.25 million). Two, tennis contributed one of the biggest news of the year. It didn’t take place on a court or even feature a current player, but when Andre Agassi’s autobiography “Open” hit the stores it sent shockwaves through the sport. The tennis legend admitted to using crystal meth and exposed the story of how his positive test was kept a secret by the ATP Tour. Third, the University of Kentucky made a major splash in the world of college basketball by taking John Calipari away from Memphis. Calipari and his new staff hit the recruiting trail with a vengeance, signing one of the best freshman classes ever led by Mr. John Wall. UK is off to a fast start under Calipari and looks prepared to reach the Final Four for the first time since the Wildcats won the national title in 1998. Another story that has showered the media has been the back and forth catfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Negotiations for a 2010 fight between the two power fighters were surprisingly easy. However, days before Christmas and just as it appeared the fight was going to be formally announced, Mayweather demanded Pacquiao to submit to Olympic-style drug testing administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Pacquiao didn’t want to risk giving blood the week of the fight and refused to accept the demand, potentially leaving the fight of the century on the verge of collapse.
But the biggest sports headline of 2009 has to be the Tiger Woods chronicle. Tiger Woods did not capture a major title but did manage to win the FedEx Cup and also make a remarkable comeback win at the Arnold Palmer’s event at Bay Hill. However, on November 27th, the golf legend’s life took a downward turn. We can go for days recapping all the stories that has smothered the media but ultimately, Tiger Woods cheated on his wife, Elin, and disappointed the millions of fans who have admired him since he changed the game in the late 1990s. No star in golf, perhaps in any sport, has ever fallen faster. How he recovers will surely be the biggest story of 2010. Only time will tell…
2009 Champions:
NHL-Pittsburgh Penguins
NFL-Pittsburgh Steelers
NBA-Los Angeles Lakers
MLB-New York Yankees
NCAA Basketball-Men’s: North Carolina Tar Heels
NCAA Football-Florida Gators
Today is New Year’s Eve and for some of us, we just can’t help but reflect on the many things that impacted the world in 2009. Some highlights include Obama’s first year in office, Michael Jackson’s death, the H1N1 outbreaks, Health Care reform, the Fort Hood shooting, the Philippine flooding, Tiger Woods’ infidelity, and more. While we here at SwipeLife would like to go more in depth about things that happened in the media and around the world, we figured we’d stick to what we know best. Rather than just highlighting the more popular events of 2009 (which the big media entities have already done), Our Year End Review will focus on the topics we’ve always covered – Fashion, Cars, Design, Entertainment, Gadgets, etc.
Please continue reading.
This was SwipeLife’s first full year, and it was quite challenging and fun serving our readers up-to-date material on the things we felt pertained to the modern man’s lifestyle interests. Our editors and contributors did a great job surveying and giving light to the top names, designs, and trends of 2009. As we look back, we’ve noticed the rise in Men’s fashion, not only in the labels and the designs, but also in the way men made fashion more personal and even more theatrical in terms of everyday wear. The automobile industry saw the decline of Automotive giants, but at the same time saw the capabilities of the future in design, energy consumption, and affordability. Gadgets are becoming more and more a necessity, especially with cell phones. Applications and programs that we use on our mobile devices are now helping us run our lives with ease and less stress. Design and Architecture saw the increase of decadence, but also saw the need for utilizing and making efficient the living spaces we already use everyday. Music, sports, and movies all had their crowning moments but none could’ve been bigger than the death of a pop icon, a golf legend’s indiscretions, and the revival of a sci-fi classic.
For 2010 we hope to keep doing what we feel we do best. In the beginning of this year, we were still working out a few kinks. We wanted to make our everyday material interesting, but more importantly we wanted it to be relevant, accessible, and fun. As we look back, we’re definitely more than happy to be in the position we’re in, and we have our talented staff and especially our readers to thank for it. We have a lot in store for 2010, and some changes will be made that you’ll find more interesting and more personal. There’s a lot more room for improvement here in SwipeLife so all we could really say is that we hope you’ll stick with us for 2010.
Editor-in-Chief
Felson Sajonas
2009 YEAR END REVIEWS
FASHION – Jason Rodriguez, Omar Mussa, William Rees
MUSIC – Jason Hortillas, Paul Castillo, Gerald Flores
The great controversy of 2008 was the lack of hardware graphics drivers on HTC’s latest devices. At the end of 2009 we can very reliably say a device will have at the very least OpenGL drivers, allowing smooth user interfaces such as TouchFlo3D also SPB Mobile Shell to amaze us with transitions, flips and fades.
While we have not seen much other software taking advantage of this, it is only a question of time before many great games such as Xact and Experiment 13 become standard on Windows Mobile, elevating the whole field.
Now I know drivers are still controversial due to imperfect implementations, but if one look the huge ruckus 18 months ago, one can really appreciate how far we have come.
The offices of the Illinois Department of Employment Security will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1 2010, in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday.
However, all services will be available. People still will be able to file for first-time unemployment benefits, certify for benefits which is necessary to receive payment, and switch that method of payment to direct deposit.
Because Friday is a federal banking holiday, the availability of some benefit payments might be delayed. The IDES does not determine federal banking holidays.
The Department encourages direct deposit. Direct deposit is a simple, smart and secure way to receive benefits. Debit cards also are available.
There are no fees associated with a debit card when used inside more than 5,000 Illinois banks that accept Visa, or point-of-service counters across the country that accept Visa, such as grocery stores, drug stores and convenience stores.
Customers can request cash back after qualifying purchases. Fees likely will be assessed when using out-of-network ATM machines.
Career planning, training and job placement assistance are available at Illinois workNet centers.
The services encourage individuals to assess their current skills and identify the training or education needed to augment those skills so they are ready to re-enter the workforce when a national recovery brings job growth to Illinois.
The Department also administers tax credits and bonding programs that reward employers who hire specific workers, such as military veterans and the formerly incarcerated.
The Department hosts free workshops to help employers better understand how unemployment insurance claims are evaluated, what is required of a successful challenge, and other services to help businesses evaluate current and future growth potential.
The seasonally adjusted national unemployment rate for November is 10 percent. The same November rate for Illinois is 10.9 percent. The unemployment rate is not the same measurement as those collecting unemployment benefits.
The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and seeking employment, regardless if they are eligible for unemployment insurance. Workers collecting unemployment benefits are counted separately.
Therefore, a person who exhausts unemployment insurance benefits or is ineligible for unemployment insurance would still be reflected in the unemployment rate if they are seeking employment.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security supports economic stability by administering unemployment benefits, collecting business contributions to fund those benefits, connecting employers with qualified job seekers, and providing economic information to assist career planning and economic development.
It does so through nearly 60 offices across the state, including the Illinois workNet Centers.
Remember the last time Samsung went more than a few days without launching a new phone? Yeah, neither do we – so you’ll have to pardon us if we sound a bit skeptical here. When we got word that Samsung Mobile was holding their CES press conference at the ungodly hour of 7:30 A.M on the Day 2 of CES (otherwise known as Day 1 of being hungover), my curiosity was piqued. I mean, who the hell launches a new phone at 7:30 in the morning, halfway through a show? Not Samsung, it seems.
We reached out to a source who has never steered us wrong with the Samsung-related knowledge before, in hopes that they could shed some light on what ol’ Sammies prepping for launch. Their response? There’s nothing to shed light on. As of this morning, roughly a week before what is quite easily the most important electronics show in the US, we’re told Samsung Mobile has no plans to launch any handsets at CES. Expect TVs-a-plenty from Samsung – but unless something changes soon, all will be quiet on the mobile front.
Crunch Network: CrunchBasethe free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Perhaps Google will still be able to surprise people with its news about the Android-based, Google-designed Nexus One cell phone that will be announced on Tuesday. But a considerable amount of information has already flooded the web, including videos of how the Nexus One operates.
One of the things you’ll immediately notice is this phone is fast. You click on something to make the screen change and it happens instantly. Whether it’s playing games or taking photos, the phone is very responsive. The phone uses a new Qualcomm chip, and so it may spark an arms race in performance gains in cell phones. That’s sorely needed because smart phones have been particularly slow at loading, and touchscreens, even on the iPhone, aren’t up to the highest standards yet.
The first video is a short one from a French blogger that shows off the game-playing abilities of the phone. The video shows a game playing at a fast speed and getting a Benchmark 3D Neocore score of 26.7 frames per second. That means the 3-D graphics capability of the phone is pretty good compared to other smart phones.
The second video is nearly 10 minutes and shows many more features of the phone. The touchscreen of the Nexus One is clearly more responsive than the original HTC G1 from T-Mobile, which debuted a year ago. As with the iPhone, you can effortlessly swipe sideways on the screen to make the user interface shift. You can tap on the buttons at the bottom of the phone, or tap on the lower corners of the screen itself to make things happen. The screen color is vibrant and the backgrounds, such as one where you are tapping into water, are cool.
Tasmanian devils have given rise to a weird new quasi-form of life: a cancer that spreads from animal to animal like a parasite. In tomorrow’s New York Times, I report on the latest analysis of devil’s facial tumour disease, published in this week’s Science. Scientists have now tracked down the cancer to its progenitor: nerve cells known as Schwann cells.
Now scientists can use this evolutionary history to design diagnostic tests for the cancer and perhaps even vaccines. Let’s hope they succeed–the cancer has wiped out 60 percent of all Tasmanian devils since 1996 and has the potential to drive the whole species extinct in a matter of decades.
For more on cancer as a new form of life, check out my earlier blog post on the only other documented case in the wild: a tumor that jumps from dog to dog. (The one major update to that post is that it now looks as if the tumor escaped its original dog host thousands of years ago, instead of hundreds as previously thought.) While dogs and Tasmanian devils are so far the only known hosts to these sorts of cancer, free-ranging tumors may actually be more common than we know right now. They may be particularly likely to arise in small, inbred populations. The similar immune systems of these animals may be easy for the cancer to evade, allowing it to spread quickly. Another hint that infectious cancer isn’t all that rare is the violence with which we reject transplanted organs. Why should our bodies be so well-primed to attack the cells of other humans? One possibility is that invasive cancers have been a long-term threat to the health of our ancestors.
Reference: EP Murchinson et al, “The Tasmanian Devil Transcriptome Reveals Schwann Cell Origins of a Clonally Transmissible Cancer.” Science http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1180616
The history of science is filled with lucky breaks, cases where researchers have stumbled across something unexpected that ended up leading to a major breakthrough—it was a scientist, after all, who said “chance favors the prepared mind.” But a perspective published today in Science brings the year of astronomy to a nice end by discussing just how often luck has played a role in the progress of that field.
One of the stories, of course is Galileo—it’s the anniversary of his first use of a telescope. But it’s easy to forget that the first instrument wasn’t actually intended to be a telescope at all; instead, it was a spyglass that was expected to find use as an instrument of war. Nor was Galileo especially intent on completely upsetting Europe’s view of its place in the Universe when he pointed the spyglass at the skies. That just happened to be a side effect of seeing comets and the moons of other worlds for the first time.
Melting snow and rain on the roof of the Iowa Genealogical Society building, during the first major blizzard of the winter, has caused a roof collapse. A month ago, the December 2009 eNews had a section dealing with the need for roof repairs, and a campaign for funds called “Raise the Roof.” It seems that the roof is now needed more than ever!
The following teaser from the KCCI.com website gives us an idea of the magnitude of the problem. See the latter portion of the blog for updates…
DES MOINES, Iowa — Officials with the Iowa Genealogical Society Library said Thursday that the roof of the building that houses their library partially collapsed.
The collapse happened during the first major blizzard of winter, officials said. The library at 628 East Grand Avenue in Des Moines suffered extensive damage.
Officials said that in the days before Christmas, melting snow and rain on the flat roof caused the collapse. The ceiling in a storage room, office area and parts of the library itself were damaged.
Officials said volunteers worked to cover books and equipment, including protecting “endangering irreplaceable family history volumes.”
A roofing project had been planned prior to the collapse, but it was delayed by the early winter weather.
About this time every year, news outlets like ours wax nostalgic over the past year, compiling the highlights, lowlights, bloopers, and everything in between that happened in the last 365 days. Notes are compared, calendars dates are circled, lists are conjured. Understandably, other than leaving you with 100 of our greatest automotive photographs this year, we’d largely prefer to forget this year in automotive history altogether, soaked as it is with red ink and spattered with the blood of fallen brands.
So instead of rehashing the past, we’d like to hear what your automotive-themed New Year’s resolutions are for 2010. Do you plan on buying a new car? Finally taking up autocrossing? Mastering the art of the Scandanavian Flick? Take the fam on a road trip that follows the route in National Lampoon’s Vacation? Perhaps you have more modest goals – learning how change out your spark plugs, say, or finishing that Testors model kit gathering dust on that shelf in the basement. Maybe it’s just scraping out that crud that has mysteriously congealed in your cupholders or finally beating your nephew at Mario Kart. No matter how big or how small, we want to hear about your automotive plans for 2010. Drop us a line or two in Comments… and have a safe and happy New Year’s!
2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery
The North American International Auto Show is typically the big show for Detroit-based automakers and 2010 appears to be no different for General Motors. Chris Preuss, GM’s vice president of communications, has hit Twitter confirming that each of the General’s four brands will have at least one vehicle to display at the Detroit Auto Show next month. As expected, Cadillac will unveil the 2011 CTS-V coupe along with a concept version of its XTS sedan, a model slated to replace the aging DTS in the next year or two. GMC will unleash the Granite, which, according to earlier reports, will be based on the Delta platform and the forthcoming Chevrolet Orlando.
Chevrolet figures to have a somewhat quieter show, with its big reveal being the Aveo RS, which we hear is all-new and very little like the narrow and unattractive B-Segment hatch GM is selling now. Buick will be chasing the ghosts of Grand Nationals and T-Types past with a performance variant of the 2011 Regal that may share a lot of parts with the 325-horsepower Opel Insignia OPC. We can hardly wait for January 11.
The media’s coverage of mixed economic news led to a marginal rise in the Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) in December. The ESI rose to 38.7, up only minimally from 38.3 in November.
This slight rise is the ESI’s third weakest performance in a year and much less convincing than increases in October and November.
While the ESI ends the year significantly higher than the 22.4 level it registered in January at the start of the year, December’s weaker performance means the indicator failed to break back above the level it held before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008.
The Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator aims to predict the health of the U.S. economy by analyzing the broad coverage of 15 major daily newspapers in the U.S. During December, media coverage that included references to better-than-feared holiday retail sales was outweighed by articles referencing mixed or negative economic news including continuing double-digit unemployment and slower economic growth.
“The ESI’s significantly slower rate of improvement in December suggests the U.S.’s economic rebound could be starting to level off and that non-farm payrolls neither advanced nor declined by much during the month,” Dow Jones Newswires ‘Money Talks’ columnist Alen Mattich said.
The ESI represents one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching examinations of media coverage as an economic indicator.
The ESI’s back-testing to 1990 shows that the ESI clearly highlighted the risk that the U.S. economy was sliding into recession in 2001 and 2008 and suggests the indicator can help predict economic turning points as much as seven months in advance of other indicators.
Unlike some other indicators where 50 is a clear break-point between recession and recovery, the ESI needs to be read with reference to longer trends.
Based on the ESI’s performance since 1990, previous recoveries have been marked by substantial month-to-month gains, with a jump of three points seeming to be a sign of significant improvement. A drop below 50 marks the point at which there is a clear risk of a slowdown.
The Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator is calculated using a proprietary algorithm through Dow Jones Insight, a media tracking and analysis tool. More information about the Economic Sentiment Indicator and its development is available at dowjones.com/esi.
Dow Jones Insight uses innovative text mining and analytic technologies to help organizations keep informed about relevant issues, news, conversations and trends emerging in mainstream, Web and social media.
Dow Jones Insight’s global content collection includes more than 25,000 news and information sources as well as blogs, message boards, and posts from YouTube and Twitter.
About Dow Jones
Dow Jones & Company is a News Corporation company. ( NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV; newscorp.com) Dow Jones is a leading provider of global business news and information services. Its Consumer Media Group publishes The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, MarketWatch and the Far Eastern Economic Review.
Its Enterprise Media Group includes; Dow Jones Business & Relationship Intelligence, Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Factiva, Dow Jones Client Solutions, Dow Jones Indexes and Dow Jones Financial Information Services.
Its Local Media Group operates community-based information franchises. Dow Jones owns 50 percent of SmartMoney and provides news content to radio stations in the U.S.
The Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator is provided for analysis purposes only and Dow Jones makes no representation that the indicator is a definitive predictor of sentiment or the health of the U.S. economy. This report does not in any way reflect an opinion of Dow Jones regarding the U.S. economy or the suitability of any investments.
Sometimes, it feels like terms we thought had some meaning really don’t apply as much anymore.
Take the term “social media,” as an example.
It’s like every SEO marketer decided that “social media,” was the ticket to a sweet consulting gig. Just look at Twitter. You find a lot of social media experts with tens of thousands of followers. Kind of feels like you are looking down a street filled with hucksters.
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Editor’s note: This story is part of a series we call Redux, where we’ll re-publish some of our best posts of 2009. As we look back at the year – and ahead to what next year holds – we think these are the stories that deserve a second glance. It’s not just a best-of list, it’s also a collection of posts that examine the fundamental issues that continue to shape the Web. We hope you enjoy reading them again and we look forward to bringing you more Web products and trends analysis in 2010. Happy holidays from Team ReadWriteWeb!
Social media once served as a term to help people understand the concepts that have risen over the past several years. It helped people understand the tools that can be used to gain a web presence. But the term took too broad of a meaning.
At some point, a nervous rush ensued. Everyone needed a social media strategy. In the process, the term and the rush for “social media” adoption became ripe for satire:
A More Holistic Approach
But that’s only part of the story. The other, more accurate story, reflects a trend toward a more holistic approach in the enterprise. Social media may only represent the tools we use but social computing reflects a deeper view of how the enterprise will adopt this new generation of lightweight technologies. We disagree that executives will continue to shun the term “social.” If they continue to do so, they will be swept out by a generation of far more modern managers.
Still, companies lack the capabilities and the discipline to develop operations that integrate lightweight applications into the enterprise. They need help. They use the new tools available but lack the experience for implementation. There is a need for more community managers who can help with the overall approach. These people are not “social media” managers. They use social media tools to help join a culture that is fragmented in part due to the “data silo” approach that has become predominant in the enterprise.
We spoke with the people behind two consulting companies about their approach to social computing in the enterprise: Pragmatic Enterprise 2.0 and the Dachis Group.
Pragmatic Enterprise 2.0
Pragmatic Enterprise 2.0 is a new consulting company started by Dion Hinchcliffe and Michael Krigsman. The enterprise, in their view, is still wary of social computing. They are primarily concerned about risk, control and trust.
To succeed with social computing, the enterprise has to work toward three major goals:
Address key business concerns
Demonstrate business value
Acquire social computing competency
Both Krigsman and Hinchcliffe are respected members of the Enterprise 2.0 community. Hinchliffe is the founder of Hinchliffe and Associates. Krigsman leads Asuret, a company that focuses on project intelligence and risk navigation. They work exclusively with Socialtext, led by Ross Mayfield. Socialtext predates the Enterprise 2.0 movement.
Their approach is a combination of Hinchliffe’s 20 years of experience as an enterprise architect and Krigsman’s long time work examining IT failure. Socialtext is their de-facto technology environment, which they chose after a review of about 70 companies.
The company begins its project by gathering intelligence, followed by tool integration, community management development and a degree of project intelligence to define the risks involved.
“We gather strategic intelligence to avoid the downsides and reduce project waste,” Krigsman said in an interview. “We leverage best of breed social tools and build social computing competency.”
Dachis sees the enterprise going through an age-old transformation. Traditional software is essentially adapting to a new age. They call their approach: “Social Business Design.”
Social Business Design, as they view it, is the process of creating socially calibrated and dynamic business systems, process and culture. That’s a mouth full but it reflects the enterprise demand for measured systems that show people are being productive and getting the work done.
Unlike Pragmatic Enterprise 2.0, Dachis is technology agnostic, partnering with vendors when it makes sense.
The Dachis approach puts a large emphasis on the need to focus on process, culture and technology. This means creating a plan for systems architecture, helping companies adapt to the cultural changes involved and all the aspects of the enterprise that need to be taken into consideration. This means understanding issues about governance and having a pretty keyed in measurement strategy.
Here’s their slide deck. It’s a long one but it moves along. Pretty good, overall:
Social media is still a term we use. But it has become so cliche that it is somewhat of a turn off. It’s important to distinguish that the people who have championed the cause for social computing are often deeply involved with the “social media” community. They are important people in the enterprise who should be sought for leadership in bringing the world of social computing to the ways we conduct business.
Social media sounds too much like buzz hype. We need to get down to business. Social computing is a good thing. But even better is the proof that these practices work so we may use tools that help get the work done.
The offices of the Illinois Department of Employment Security will be closed on Friday, Jan. 1 2010, in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday.
Perhaps Google will still be able to surprise people with its news about the Android-based, Google-designed Nexus One cell phone that will be announced on Tuesday. But a considerable amount of information has already flooded the web, including videos of how the Nexus One operates.
funds called “Raise the Roof.” It seems that the roof is now needed more than ever!
The media’s coverage of mixed economic news led to a marginal rise in the Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) in December. The ESI rose to 38.7, up only minimally from 38.3 in November.
Sometimes, it feels like terms we thought had some meaning really don’t apply as much anymore.