Category: News

Back in October, Jess asked Gov Gab readers what they thought about Congress expanding the first-time home buyer tax credit.
If you remember, the first-time home buyer tax credit gave up to $8,000
to a buyer who has not owned a primary residence during the three years
up to the date of home purchase. The credit was due to end this month.

Congress passed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 which extends
the deadline for qualifying home purchases from Nov. 30, 2009, to April
30, 2010. The Internal Revenue Service web page
has posted details on the changes in the extension law and the big news
is that if you already own a home, you may be eligible for a tax credit
of up to $6,500.

The new law provides a “long-time resident” credit of up to $6,500
to others who do not qualify as “first-time home buyers.” To qualify
this way, a buyer must have owned and used the same home as a principal
or primary residence for at least five consecutive years of the
eight-year period ending on the date of purchase of a new home as a
primary residence.

The extension also permits a rise in income limits and other provisions. The IRS is the best resource to read about all the changes and what you will need to do to receive the credit.

What do you think of the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009?

If you’re stuck in a rut with your girlfriend and have absolutely no imagination, the new Sex Position of the Day iPhone app from Cosmopolitan Magazine could help.

This to-go version of The Cosmo Kama Sutra for the iPhone features 77 sex positions direct from the pages of the famed book along with innovative features including the “Slot Machine Effect” and the “Shake,” each of which provides various sex positions for every day.

Cosmo’s Sex Position of the Day app also includes:

• The Carnal Challenge Rating: the more flames a position displays, the higher the difficulty
• Erotic Instructions: hints to help you make the most of the position and what to look forward to
• Colorful Illustration: tasteful visuals that help you understand what the position should look like

Future updates will include additional positions from Cosmo’s Red-Hot Sex Guide and Cosmo’s Aqua Kama Sutra.

Cosmo’s Sex Position of the Day is available on iTunes for $1.99.

Related posts:

1. Your iPhone Can Now Start You Car
2. 20 Minute Meals on the iPhone
3. Peekababe: The Sexiest iPhone App Ever

Facebook is in the midst of yet another redesign and this time the signs are looking good and most people seem to be favorable to the changes. It doesn’t mean that a lot of people will have a fit, yet again, when the design goes live, as is the case with all Facebook changes but, for the most part, the tweaks will likely be appreciated. Most of the changes are subtle in nature, but a few are significant in what they point out for the site’s future, like the greater emphasis on search and the de-emphasis on Facebook apps.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the upcoming redesign but the new screenshots, published by Gigaom, clarify a few of the remaining elements like the bottom toolbar which has now been trimmed down and hosts only the Facebook Chat.

Great attention has been paid to the top navigation bar which is now a lot cleaner and better laid out. The Facebook logo is at its usual location followed by buttons for Friends, Inbox and the new Notifications section designed for applications. Next there is the search box which is now significantly bigger and occupying a more central position, signaling that Facebook is focusing a lot more on search in the future.

It makes sense too, with a lot more content inside the site, thanks to the huge number of Facebook pages and … (read more)

Now that Michael Schumacher is back in the Formula One picture, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) has one more shot at proving everyone that the favoritism claims regarding the German driver are nothing but simple allegations.

According to former F1 champion Damon Hill, Schumacher was always regarded by his fellow drivers in the paddock as having a warm relationship with the ruling body. Apart from the obvious Jerez episode in 1997 – when he was docked all points in t… (read more)

Millstaetter Lake in Austria has a latest new attraction- the Lightsails. The Lightsails designed by Söhne & Partner Architekten in collaboration with Karl Sodek, are actually illuminators that are visually very appealing and asct as guiding symbols for the lake visitors around the area. But, the asymmetrical structures also have more to it. These generate power from the lakes itself to lighten itself up. The illumination reacts to the surrounding- the more people approaching the sails the more vibrate the light. The illumination is also reacts to the temperature – they constantly change color; the colder the temperature the warmer the color of the light. Since the energy of the lake is trapped, converted and reflected as light the sails work as a transmitter and receiver at the same time.

[Trendhunter]

The four-door Bugatti 16 C Galibier concept design has been patented at the World Intellectual Property Organization, reports AutoCar. Before you get your hopes up, the patent is only for the concept car, showing that Bugatti is merely trying to protect the design of the 16 C Galibier from being copied.

Last we heard anything on the four-door Bugatti concept, it was reported that the car has been given the green light for production with a $1.4 million price tag. However, director Alisdair Stewart says that the decision to put the Galibier into production won’t be taken until next spring after the concept has been through a world tour at auto shows to gauge prospective customers.

He said that if Bugatti decides to put the 16 C Galibier into production, expect to see a limited run of 300 units by 2013.

Power for the concept comes from a 8.0L W16 flex-fuel engine with twin-turbochargers and is estimated to produce around 800-hp. Top speed figures have yet to be confirmed but Bugatti says that the model will be the fastest sedan in the world if produced.

Bugatti 16 C Galibier Concept:

– By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoCar

Though some of you may consider it a bit frustrating, the whopping price tag of $22.7 million (£14.2 million) set by German custom bike builders House of Thunder for what they claim is the world’s most expensive chopper also includes a 45-meter luxury transoceanic yacht.

The Germans worked on building the yacht with a rear garage that houses a rescue boat, two jet skis and a custom Harley-Davidson, built and painted to match the boat’s livery, with Turkey-based Yacht manufacturer … (read more)

Lots of folks have sent in various versions of Amazon’s hyped up press release about how it sold more ebooks on Christmas than physical books. While this ought to make some publishers reconsider their hatred of ebooks, there are two points that make this rather meaningless. First, how many physical books are usually sold on Amazon on Christmas day? My guess is not very many. Books are purchased before Christmas day. However, I’m sure plenty of people did get new Kindles on Christmas, and quite a few then went and “purchased” an ebook or two to test it out.

But, again, since this is the Kindle we’re talking about, shouldn’t Amazon make the distinction between purchased and rented? When someone buys a physical book from Amazon, they then own that book and can do pretty much what they want with it, including reselling it or giving it away. When they “purchase” an ebook from Amazon, that’s not the case at all. They’re quite limited in what they can do with it. They can’t resell it. They can’t share it with a friend (unless they give up their entire Kindle and all the books on it). And, of course, Amazon can make the ebook disappear at will — though, it insists it will never do this again. Even though it can. So, congrats to Amazon, for renting more books on a day when such rentals are to be expected and when physical book sales are probably at their very lowest.

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‘Israel has invited tenders for
construction of more housing units in the occupied East Jerusalem
Al-Quds, Israel’s Channel 10 says. The
housing ministry has sought bids for building a total of 696 new homes
in the settlements of Neve Yaacov, Pisgat Zeev and Har Homa, the
channel said. The expansion of Israeli settlements is considered the main hindrance to the resumption of peace talks.’

Read more…

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Stanford University has come up with a unique photovoltaic chip to provide partial vision to the blind. The existing artificial implants have faced a roadblock when passing of the data to a processing retinal chip and onward to the brain was concerned. But a research team at Stanford has deviced this solar cell array in the eye that not only generates power but also passes the data. Called the sub-retinal implant, it is placed behind the retina and generates power and passes the image data across the eyeball for the brain to process. The system includes a video camera to capture the image, a pocket PC to process the image real time, and a bright near-infrared LCD screen. This is where the solar feature comes into play, when the LCD screen produces enough light to enter the eye and charge-up the solar cell array.

The photovoltaic system gives vision of 20/100, which is enough to recognize faces and read large print. When I read about such wondrous things, my faith in science always gets more and more instilled!

[Greenmuze]

When the big boys say it, it’s always heard. What better way than to start the new year with the super good news that Ferrari is finally going to be coming out with its gas-electric supercar early next year. Rumors say it is building a hybrid based on the 599 GTB Fiorano with a variation in the kinetic energy recovery system in its F1 cars. Some say the system uses a V12 engine up front with an electric motor at the rear transaxle and a lithium-ion battery. The concept car could appear at the Geneva auto show in March.

[Wired]

A hybrid car may be on the wish list of many, but those long price tags make them out of reach. These vehicles tend to cost more because of the technology they use. However according to John German, an author and ex-engineer, the latest breakthrough in the field of clean energy storage, the Lithium ion battery, will enable hybrids to be more affordable in future. These batteries may not help plug-in hybrid vehicles and full electric vehicles to a great extent, since they do not store any more energy than the ones available, and hence will not increase the drivable range of EVs and PHVs anymore then they currently are. According to German, hybrid vehicles that use this technology will find a stable place in the automobile market in the next 10 to 15 years. This may seem far fetched, but the wait seems worth. The lithium ion technology will, hopefully, replace those CO2 puffing vehicles in your drive way with cleaner hybrids in the future!

[Autobloggreen]

Wind power will soon let you ski in peace without causing adverse effects to the environment. Mass Megawatts Wind Power Inc, a company currently testing the wind turbine generator, will ensure that wind power is used more efficiently in ski resorts. These developments will help improve the efficiency of the Multi-Axis Turbosystem wind power generator. The Multi-Axis Turbosystem is basically a stack of turbines connected to a generator with benefits of reduced vibrations, noiseless operations and maintenance costs. Also, unlike the usual three blade wind turbines, the Turbosystem has its drive train and generator at ground level and uses less steel to build. The use of wind power in mountainous regions is very practical. Since ski resorts are always up there, where the wind blows the most.

Energy is used on a large scale to power up chair lifts, hotels, lodges and other equipment in ski resorts. These wind powered generators can be used efficiently to satisfy these energy needs. So let’s hope the wind blows the right way, and these tests are successful in providing a cleaner energy source for ski resorts!

[Cleantechnica]

British Museum

Maria Carmela Gatto
British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan 13 (2009): 125–45

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

PalArch

Gregory Bearman* & William A. Christens-Barry

Bearman, G. & W.A. Christens-Barry. 2009.
Spectral Imaging of Ostraca
Palarch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 6(7) (2009), 1-20.

ABSTRACT
By analogy with ancient texts, infrared imaging of ostraca has long been employed to
help improve readings. We report on extensive spectral imaging of ostraca over the visible and near infrared. Spectral imaging acquires the complete spectrum for each pixel in an image; the data can be used with an extensive set of software tools that were developed originally for satellite and scientifi c imaging. In this case, the spectral data helps explain why infrared imaging works to improve text legibility (and why not in some cases). A better understanding of the underlying imaging mechanism points the way for inexpensive methods for taking data either in the fi eld or at museums.

Egyptology News Blog, Andie Byrnes

Toyota joined the club of companies developing solar powered services with its plans to build solar charging stations for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Toyota Industries Corp has designed the station to have a solar panel with an output of 1.9kW and a storage battery with a capacity of 8.4kW. The converter has a maximum output of 3.2kW in grid-connected operation and 1.5kVA in self-sustained operation. The charging station compromises of a solar photovoltaic system and storage system to store the energy reaped from the sun. When the energy from the storage runs out, the electricity derived from the grid is used as a backup. This enables vehicles to be charged undisturbed at any time. When energy is in excess, the power station is capable enough to transfer the extra power to utility companies. Twenty one such charging stations will be built at eleven places by the municipal government of Toyota City in Japan which will be operational in April 2010. Toyota’s plans will certainly help increase the use of cleaner vehicles and reduce the pollution created due to emission of greenhouse gases in future.

[Techon]

The Congressional Budget Office has released final budget numbers for fiscal year 2009. The numbers allow us to take a last look at the Bush administration’s record on spending from a statistical point of view.

The following three charts show annual average real (or constant dollar) outlays during the tenures of recent presidents. Presidents were in office for either 4 or 8 budget years, except JFK (3 years), LBJ (5 years), Nixon (6 years), and Ford (2 years).

President George W. Bush’s last year was fiscal 2009. Outlays that year were $3.522 trillion, according to the CBO. However, $108 billion was spending for the 2009 economic stimulus package passed under President Obama. Bush was thus roughly responsible for $3.414 trillion of spending in 2009, which includes outlays for the financial bailouts enacted under his watch. (For FY2009, $154 billion for TARP and $91 billion for Fannie and Freddie).

Read the whole story at Cato@Liberty — >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Morgan Stanley: Interest Rates Set To Soar 40% As Bond Vigilantes Make Geithner And Obama Pay For Their Mess
• Shocker: Washington DC Got More Stimulus Money Per Capita Than Any State In The Union
• The Government Is Still Spending Money On WWI

Somebody at Palm is working late. Most of the apps included in the round-up for yesterday landed after this blogger hit the sack last night, so much so that half of them say they were uploaded to the Catalog today. Anyway, Sprint says that webOS 1.3.5 is coming today, and even though their changelog doesn’t mention the app limit fix, we know it’s there. Rejoice, the end of at least one of our webOS gripes is near! So hop on after the break and check out the new apps you’ll be able to download once Palm expands our app corrals.

read more

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