Before you ask, no, those screenshots aren’t photoshopped. DOOM has returned to the webOS center stage and bringing along with it many future possibilities.
Many will remember how back in June we covered the story of how it was possible to, with a bit work, get DOOM working on the Pre. Well, the webOS has come a long way since then. In webOS 1.3.5, we all learned of the existence of base OpenGL ES files, but it turns out much more was added.
 Providence Business News |
RI, Mass. join pact on low-carbon fuels
Providence Business News … on the amount of carbon that each state can release into the atmosphere and requires power plant operators to bid on permits to offset their emissions. … and more » |
Filed under: Etc., Toys/Games
The Top Gear Cool Wall ranks cars in four categories, from Seriously Uncool to Sub Zero (which is really, really cool), using a highly unscientific method that no one can get an exact grip on. If you’re hooked on trying to figure out whether a car is beyond uncool, like the Fiat Panda, or Sub Zero, like the Ford GT, then there’s an app for that.
It’s called “Cool Wall,” and you can get it over at Apple’s iTunes store. Looks like TG may have released the app before it was finished cooking, however: it’s $1.99 and so far, the reviews are mixed, with purchasers complaining about things like cropped pictures of cars. The app page claims updates are on the way, but buyer beware in the meantime. Thanks for the tip, Bryan!
[Source: Top Gear via iTunes]
Top Gear Cool Wall lands in iTunes app store originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Next week at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft and Kia will both unveil their new product called UVO, the first U.S. based competitor to FoMoCo’s SYNC system. No specific details have been released as of yet, but it is known that UVO will debut on an unnamed Kia model in 2010.
The UVO system will be based on the Microsoft Auto software platform and will have features unique Kia models.
Ford and Microsoft ended their exclusive contract at the end of 2008. In May 2008, Microsoft said that it will be teaming up with Hyundai/Kia to develop a voice-controlled system for the North American market.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
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theodp writes “The USPTO has granted IBM a patent covering the Resolution of Abbreviated Text in an Electronic Communications System, lawyer-speak for translating “IMHO” to “In My Humble Opinion” and vice versa. From the patent: “One particularly useful application of the invention is to interpret the meaning of shorthand terms…For example, one database may define the shorthand term ‘LOL’ to mean ‘laughing out loud.’” So much for Big Blue’s professed aim of stopping “bad behavior” by companies who seek patents for unoriginal work!”
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A draft plan of the Commission , sent to member states the last week of the new year , sets out the rules on allocating the 300 million allowances of the ‘new entrants reserve’ of the EU ETS to CCS and renewable projects. At a carbon price of €20 a tonne, the revenue would amount to about €6 billion, the EU executive estimates. Todays carbon proices are around € 12. The draft proposes to award the allowances through two rounds of calls for proposals: in the first call mature projects, like CCS according to the commission, could receive funding. The impact assessment accompanying the draft argues that in the case of renewables, it would be “preferable” to wait until the second call to allow for a “maximum number of technologies to come to maturity”. However, the draft stresses that there should be a balance between CCS and renewable energy projects. It lists the technologies eligible to receive funding for at least one project in order to ensure that only technologies that are not yet commercially viable but ready for large-scale demonstration qualify. Each member state will be able submit two projects. The draft text requires member states to co-finance the projects by matching the EU ETS investment. They should therefore have the opportunity to decide which projects they will support in their territory, the Commission says, while reserving its right to make the final selection.Countries will send their proposals to the European Investment Bank (EIB), which assesses the financial and technical viability of the projects before making recommendations to the Commission. Member states are scheduled to vote on the text in February.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for approving drugs for medical uses, and the agency has developed a set of expectations for using results from randomized clinical studies to determine (with varying degrees of success) whether a drug is safe and effective. But advances in materials science and miniaturization have led to an explosion in the use of medical implants, which do everything from acting as a replacement for balky knees to restarting arrhythmic hearts. Two new evaluations of the clinical studies used during the implant approval process suggests that the approval process for implants isn’t nearly as rigorous as it might be.
The significance of the FDA’s approval is made clear by the authors of one of the evaluations, which was published yesterday by the Journal of the American Medical Association. As is the case with drugs, many physicians view the FDA’s acceptance as an indication that a device is safe and effective, as do many insurance companies. The makers of the implants, for their part, often view approval as a sign that it’s safe to begin a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign for their product.
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It’s safe to say that most college football fans didn’t expect to see Stanford and Oklahoma face each other in a bowl game this season. The Sooners (7-5, 5-3 Big-12) started the season ranked No. 3, led by 2008-09 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford at quarterback. Stanford (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10), on the other hand, started the season unranked and picked to finish in the bottom half of the Pac-10 Conference.
Their seasons may have had different trajectories, but both teams find themselves in the same spot New Year’s Eve when they face off at the Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tx.
“We’re ready to go,” Coach Harbaugh told GoStanford.com. “There’s only one thing left to do and that’s play the game. We are looking forward to this challenge.”
Both teams may be without their starting quarterbacks, which will likely affect the Cardinal more than the Sooners, seeing as the Sooners lost Bradford for the season after he sprained his right shoulder in the opening weekend against BYU. Freshman Landry Jones has done a serviceable job stepping in for Bradford since his injury with nearly 3000 yards, 23 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions to show for, but it’s clear that the Sooners are just not the same team without their star.
Stanford may have more to worry about in regards to its quarterback situation, however. Redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck, a huge key to the Cardinal’s success this season, is still recovering from surgery on his right index finger, which he broke in a 45-38 win over Notre Dame on Nov. 28. The Cardinal coaching staff named senior quarterback Tavita Pritchard as the tentative starter for Thursday’s game weeks ago, but Stanford just might get lucky, as Coach Harbaugh said during Wednesday’s press conference that the freshman still had a viable chance of seeing the field against the Sooners. Either way, it will be a game-time decision.
At this point, though, Pritchard is still the likely starter. Bringing home a win against Oklahoma would be a great bookend to the senior’s career, as his first career start resulted in the stunning and historic 24-23 win over then-No. 2 USC in 2007. That said, Pritchard seems to be less confident in the pocket than his freshman counterpart, whose passing skills have made defenses pay when they tried to hone in on senior running back and Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart.
Oklahoma comes into Thursday’s game as a ten-point favorite, largely due to the uncertainty of the Cardinal’s quarterback situation. That number still seems a bit hefty when you compare the two team’s records and whom they have beat this season, but with the nation’s perception of the Pac-10 going down by the second (No. 20 Arizona was taken to the woodshed Wednesday to the tune of 33-0 by another Big-12 team, No. 22 Nebraska), the difference may not seem as outrageous.
In any case, if the past is any indication, Coach Harbaugh will have his team ready to play in the program’s first bowl game since 2001. Whether it’s Pritchard or Luck leading the Cardinal, Stanford should be ready to solidify its place in the Sun.
WheelSTO ha introducido una serie de modificaciones en el serie 1 Coupé permitiendo extraer de su motor de doble turbo de seis cilindros una potencia de 414 CV en vez de los 300 CV de serie. Sin embargo también existe la posibilidad de ediciones con menos potencia con 376 CV y 327 CV.
Además junto con la pintura en color negro, WheelSTO añade más cambio en el exterior del coupé, así destacan unas sencillas faldas y un difusor de fibra de carbono diseñado directamente por 3D Design contando con cuatro tubos de escape Bastuck.
En cuanto a su suspensión y amortiguación lo configuran unos muelles H&R Sports. Cuenta con unas llantas ligeras de 19 pulgadas de Advan RZ montadas en unos neumáticos de alto rendimiento con las siguientes medidas 225/35/19 y 255/30/19.
Vía | worldcarfans
Filed under: Motorsports, Rumormill
Ralf Schumacher entered Formula One six years after his brother Michael, with the same Jordan team that introduced his sibling to the grid. That’s about where the similarities end. After an 11-year career with Williams, Jordan, and Toyota, Ralf retired in 2007 and ended up in the DTM series. He was a good driver and had a decent car early in his Williams tenure, but he simply didn’t have the edge. He ended up with fewer race wins, six, than his brother did World Championships.
Now that Michael has returned to the circus, it looks like Ralf wants his turn under the Big Top again. Ralf said, “I know that my reputation suffered during my time at Toyota but I left that behind me. I know what I can do and I feel ready to do it again.” Having turned down a race seat with one of the new teams, other rumors suggest that he’s talking to Toro Rosso, where he would replace Jaime Alguersuari and partner Sebastien Buemi. Toro Rosso and Renault – and Sauber, depending – are essentially the only teams who have openings and a chance of giving Ralf a car he can do something with.
[Source: GP Update | Image: Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty]
Is the other Schumacher pondering a F1 comeback too? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Stewart Lyman wrote:
Well, 2009 did not turn out to be the biotechnology disaster here in Seattle that many people had predicted.
By my reckoning, only four of the local biotech companies that I track on my website went bust in 2009 (Eden Biosciences, VizX Labs, Northstar Neurosciences, and Rosetta Inpharmatics). This last blow was softened when Microsoft bought some of Rosetta’s assets from Merck (it’s biosoftware division) and hired a number of its employees. Many of the VizX employees (along with its GeneSifter software) were absorbed by Geospiza. The loss of four companies put Seattle on a roughly equal footing with Boston, which saw at least five companies fold, and San Diego, where at least six companies went under.
Although we didn’t lose quite as many companies, it was still a very tough year locally for those employed in the biotech sector. At least nine companies reported significant layoffs, including Cardiac Science, CMC Icos, Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Cell Therapeutics, Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Targeted Genetics, ZymoGenetics, and VLST.
On the positive side, Dendreon moved much closer to being able to sell sipuleucel-T (Provenge), their novel treatment for prostate cancer, and has been on a hiring frenzy. OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals had a breakout year with its own prostate cancer treatment. Partnerships were both formed and broken at a dizzying pace, with Seattle Genetics, ZymoGenetics, MDRNA, Alder Biopharmaceuticals, Arzeda, Ikaria, Kineta, Trubion, and Nanostring among the notable participants. Amgen won its long running patent fight with Roche and was able to block them from selling generic erythropoiesis stimulating drugs in the U.S. Some top executives moved around, with Immune Design gaining part-time help from ex-Zymo CEO Bruce Carter, and with Peter Thompson leaving Trubion and Stewart Parker departing Targeted Genetics.
Other notable events: PATH won the $1.5 million Hilton Prize, the world’s biggest humanitarian award, for it’s work improving health in poor countries, and local biotech Omeros was successful in launching their IPO (although the stock price has dropped some 25 percent since then).
A number of new companies launched or moved into the area, including Arrowsmith Technologies, Beat Biotherapeutics, Qwell Pharmaceuticals, ImaRx, Novo Nordisk, AVI Biopharma, Covance, Arzeda, Xori, Presage Therapeutics, Integrated Diagnostics, Sage Bionetworks, and Genzyme (via its acquisition of Leukine from Bayer). Chris Rivera got off to an excellent start as he took over the head job at the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association. The State’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund expenditures were cut by 41 percent to help balance out the state budget deficit.
In 2010, at least three companies that operate in Seattle will hope to have their drugs approved: Dendreon’s sipuleucel-T (Provenge) for prostate cancer, Amgen’s denosumab (Prolia) for osteoporosis, and Cell Therapeutics’ pixantrone for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Here’s hoping that they all fair well.
Health care reform is sure to bring numerous changes to the industry. One key change likely to be enacted via legislation in 2010 will define a regulatory pathway for the approval of follow-on biologics, which are generic versions of biologic-based drugs. This has the potential of providing significant savings for consumers, although such benefits will depend on the period of market exclusivity awarded to innovator drugs.
Continuing economic problems indicate to me that 2010 will also be a very challenging year for biotech companies in Seattle and beyond. I expect to see many more deals for the acquisition of product candidates, but not so many acquisitions of companies. I wish all of you on the local biotech scene a productive and successful year in 2010.
Quite by accident, just the other day I found myself embroiled in a controversy on Twitter of my own making. I made an offhand mention that the decade would be ending in a few short days. That seemed obvious enough to me, but apparently not so to many others. What ensued was something of a firestorm of people, many of whom disagreed with me. However, I maintain that I was right all along. Here’s the scoop.
My claim is that December 31, 2009 — today, as this is posted — is not just the last day of the year, but the last day of a decade. Now, I don’t mean that in the trivial sense that any moment is the last moment of the past ten year period — you can always talk about the last ten years that end at any time.
I meant, and still mean, specifically the first decade of the 2000s. That does in deed and in fact end today.
What people were arguing over were things like centuries and millennia, and how there was no year 0, and therefore the last day of the decade is actually December 31, 2010. But that’s not relevant because we don’t measure decades the same way we do centuries.
Certainly, the last day of the 20th century was December 31, 2000. In that case, there was no year 0, so the first year of the 1st century ended on December 31, 1 A.D. Doing the math, it’s easy to see that 1999 more years needed to elapse to end the 20th century, and so its demise was on that last calendar day of 2000. January 1, 2001 marked the first day of the 21st century.
But we don’t reckon decades like that. We refer to them by the tens place in the year’s numerals: the 70s, the 80s, the 90s. And since we do, clearly, today is the last day of the decade we will call the aughts or zeroes or whatever.
Actually, looking at this now, it seems to me that centuries are more formal, with an actual method of naming them, whereas decades are more of a nickname, a handy handle to use when referring to a time period.
Also, you wouldn’t say that 1990 was part of the 80s, would you? I think it’s clear that December 31, 1989 was the last day of the 80s, just as December 31, 2009 is the last day of whatever term we’ll wind up using to refer to the first 10 years of the 2000s.
Confusing this a bit is that we might refer to something happening in the 1900s versus saying it happened in the 20th century. Those terms are synonymous, barring the year of 1900, which was in the 19th century, and 2000, which was in the 20th century but not in the 1900s.
If we did reckon decades the same way as centuries then a point would be made that the decade ends in 2010. But we don’t, and in this case there truly is a year 0: the year 2000. So once again, the first decade of the 2000s ends today.
A couple of people pointed out that this means the first decade in our calendar only had 9 years: AD 1 – 9. I suppose that’s true, and so it’s not really a decade then in the strict definition of the word. But since we’re not using a rigorous naming convention, and references to decades are more like nicknames. Plus, who talks about the first ten years of our calendar that way anyway?
Confusing this even more was the case someone made that when you are 30, you no longer say you are in your 20s (unless you’re lying). But all during that last year, when you say you are 29, you are actually living your 30th year on Earth. After all, when we say a baby is 1, really they have already been around 12 months. We change the number after the fact, so when you turn 30 you’ve already lived out your 30th year. The whole time you are 29, you’re plowing through your 30th year.
Perhaps it would lessen the issue if, when asked how old you are on your birthday, instead of saying “I am 30,” you say “I have just completed my 30th year.” I suspect that won’t catch on, however.
Still, be all that as it may, when you are 29 you are still in your 20s, and when you turn 30 you ain’t.
The lessons here are many fold. One is that, and pardon my repetition, the first decade of the 2000s ends today. A second is that people are still terribly confused about how to delineate centuries. A third is that this can be generalized to people being confused on how we delineate time.
Fourth is that this is all arbitrary and a bit silly. But we do make rules, and sometimes those rules have to make sense, and sometimes it’s fun to talk about them even when it means some people disagree.
And fifth? People shouldn’t argue with me on Twitter. At least not until the next decade starts.
And if I may indulge myself, one final thing:
Happy new year!
And happy new decade. May the 10s and teens treat us all better — and may we make them better — than the aughts.
As attorneys specializing in auto accidents for more than 50 years, we have seen countless accidents occur at the hands of negligent drivers. While all of these cases are tragic, some of the most heartbreaking are car accidents caused by drunk drivers. These crashes are completely preventable, and it’s never an “accident” when someone gets behind the wheel while impaired.
According to MADD, in 2007 12,998 people were killed by drunk drivers who had BAC of .08 or greater. And during the holidays, the percentage of drunk-driving incidents jumps. Drinking and driving should never be an option. Remember, one careless moment behind the wheel can change lives forever.
On this New Year, Michigan Auto Law would like to give you a handful of important safety tips:
1. Plan ahead: When planning your New Year’s Eve festivities, be sure to include the ride home during the preparation. You can choose a designated driver, have someone who hasn’t been drinking pick you up, or reserve a cab.
2. Drive home a friend who’s had too much to drink: If you have not been drinking, do not let an intoxicated friend get behind the wheel. That way you’ll know your friend didn’t accept a ride from a stranger, drive himself or risk his life and the lives of others.
3. Invite a friend who has had too much to drink to spend the night: He won’t have to return for his car until the next day, and everyone remains safe.
4. Take the keys: Be calm and firm, but be certain to take away the keys from a friend who drinks too much and intends to drive. You can be proactive and take the keys early in the evening.
5. If you don’t know the person well, enlist help: Ask a bartender for help obtaining a drunk person’s keys. Many bars have plans to deal with drivers who drink too much, especially on New Year’s Eve. Don’t hesitate to ask a friend, a host or a family member for assistance.
6. Be aware of drunk drivers: Drunk drivers may weave within their lane, wander from one lane to another, run off the pavement, stop too quickly or slowly, drive too quickly or slowly, disregard traffic signals and signs or drive on the wrong side of the road.
7. Be prepared to drive around intoxicated drivers: When you see a suspected drunk driver, put as much distance as possible between yourself and the suspected drunk driver, advises the State of Michigan. Avoid passing a suspected drunk driver. Let the suspected drunk driver pass you, especially when approaching rapidly. Avoid his uncertain actions. Stay alert. (Here are more safe driving tips.)
8. Don’t become personally involved: If you encounter a suspected drunk driver on the road, get an accurate description of the vehicle and license plate number. Call 911 or an operator for police help. You are most likely to encounter other drivers who have been drinking or using drugs at night or early morning, particularly from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.; on the weekends, especially on holidays.
In a nationwide effort to discourage drunken driving, highway safety agencies will be stepping up law enforcement on the roadways until January 3. For more information on substance abuse and driving, including drunk driving laws, penalties, charges and sentences, visit the State of Michigan Web site.
Please, do not get behind the wheel if you’ve had something to drink, it’s simply not worth it. The lawyers of Michigan Auto Law wish you a very happy, and safe New Year. If you have been in a car accident at the hands of a drunk driver, call (800) 777-0028 for a free consultation with an auto accident lawyer.
— Steven M. Gursten is recognized as one of the nation’s top experts in serious car and truck accident injury cases and automobile insurance no-fault litigation. Steve has received the largest jury verdict for an automobile accident case in Michigan in four of the past seven years, including 2008, according to Michigan Lawyers Weekly.
– Photo courtesy of Creative Commons, by Jesse 757
Related Information:
Michigan’s Auto Accident Law Protects Drunk Drivers
Mother of Boy Injured by Drunk Driver Speaks Out
Michigan Auto Law is the largest law firm exclusively handling car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state. We have offices in Southfield, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Sterling Heights to better serve you.
ABC News reports on an unusual and tragic case of a heart attack triggered by blasting music. A British teenager died shortly after complaining of loud music at a London nightclub, according to reports. Details are sketchy but U.S. doctors suspect a genetic condition may be to blame.
From ABC News:
“Any time someone in a setting of excitement has a sudden cardiac arrest, especially at a young age with a seemingly normal heart, you have to consider [an inherited condition] such as long QT,” said Dr. Richard Page, chair of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and president of the Heart Rhythm Society. “One of the genetic variants is especially predisposed to having an arrhythmia when exposed to loud sound.”
Long QT, an inherited affliction, is named for the points Q and T on a heart monitor. Longer-than-usual intervals between these points is one
major marker of this syndrome. People with QT can go into cardiac arrest when exposed to loud sounds such as alarms, music or sirens. Although it’s a rare disorder, it’s also deadly if left untreated. Fortunately, EKGs and genetic tests can detect most cases and pacemakers have been proven to help considerably.
As for the sad case of the British teenager, the world may never know if loud music killed him. Only an autopsy can confirm this and his family
is keeping mum for now.
Related Content:
Discoblog: Health Hazard Alert: Head-Banging May Hurt Your Brain
80beats: Seriously: Frank Sinatra Songs Restored Eyesight to Stroke Patients
80beats: Clubbers More Likely to Give Cigarettes If You Ask Their Right Ears
Image: flickr / Kaloozer
Most pregnant women wind up taking at least one prescription drug. But, because no one wants to subject pregnant women and their unborn children to a clinical trial, there’s very little clear evidence about the unique risks some prescription drugs may pose during pregnancy.
So the FDA is funding an analysis of data on prescription drug use and pregnancy outcomes from a bunch of health systems that collectively recorded roughly one million births between 2001 and 2007. Researchers from Harvard, Vanderbilt and Kaiser Permanente, among others, will work on the project.
In the current system, women and their doctors rely in part on letters the FDA assigns to prescription drugs as a shorthand for what is known about a drug’s effect on pregnant women and their babies. The letters are explained here. A 2004 study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that more than a third of pregnant women take prescription drugs from category C, which means the effects on human fetuses are unknown.
The FDA described the new reserach project in a statement yesterday, but didn’t say when it expects results from the analysis.
Hat Tip: Pharmalot; Image: iStockphoto
I don’t have a lot of New Year’s Resolutions. My life has been in so much flux in the past few years that I think my main resolution is to survive in a healthy manner and be a good example to the kids.
So far so good!
But, it is impossible to go into the New Year without thinking of changing some things about yourself and your life. I will be divorced in 2010. I never thought it would happen to me. I had been married for 30 years and I thought that we were working out the glitches that seem inevitable at midlife. I have to admit some pride in the fact that I had been married for so long, that we were a family that according to statistics no longer exists. It was humbling to become a statistic.
The idea of building another relationship from scratch was and is frightening to me. The idea that someone could find me attractive at age 49-almost-50 is a bit of a stretch for me, too. Yes, I will get married again if things work that way because I like being married. I like everything about being a wife. And I like sharing parenting duties much more than being the single decision maker.
My goals in 2010 are simply to be more and more the woman that God created me to be and to create the best life I can with what He allows in my life this year. Whether you believe in God or not, that is a simple and yet important goal. Be more of who you really are; create the best you can with what you are dealt.
To do this I must forgive. I must encourage myself to heal. And I must look at those things I did to contribute to the demise of my marriage. In order to move into the future I must let go of the past.
Imagine yourself caught between your past and your future. You can’t go back…it just isn’t possible. You can’t move forward because the weight of all the years behind you is not letting you move. The only wise thing to do is admit the past is past and open your hand to let it go. Cry as it slips away from you if you must but turn your eyes toward all that you have to look forward to. The past is largely a perception created in your own mind. The future is the same. The present is the only reality that you get and while you can’t use it to change your past you can use it to create a stellar future if you want to. After all, in order to raise healthy kids we must be healthy parents.
So, while everyone else is making resolutions? Just say goodbye and walk into 2010 with freedom. I think it is going to be a very good year. What about you?
image: marye audet
Post from: Blisstree
