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Category: News
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Google Video Gets a Little Attention Ahead of the New Year
Googlers are hurrying to finish and launch whatever they’re working on before holidays when, rumor has it, Google is issuing a code freeze until the next year. We’ve certainly seen a fair share of announcements and new features lately, big and small , and it’s not over yet. A couple of new features, spotted by the Google Operating System blog, are the “Cartoons” and “Slideshows” filters making their appearance on Google Video search. Their use is self-evident, it limits the search results to just cartoons or slideshows as determined by Google’s video analysis algorithm. In theory, it sounds OK and the filters make a nice addition to the rather short list, which currently allows users to select between “All Videos,” “Full Length” and “Closed Captioned,” but in practice, they fail to deliver the desired results a surprisingly high number of times. They’re not completely useless though, for most searches they should do a decent enough job.
Still, they’re a rather small update for a service which doesn’t seem to be on the priority list at Google. At most, it looks like something it does because it has to, you can’t have a search engine without a dedicated video search, but that’s pretty much it, when it comes to video, Google onl… (read more)
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Santa’s North Pole Cookbook
When it comes to Santa Claus and food, I’m not alone when I say that I only thought of him eating cookies, milk, hot chocolate and the occasional candy cane. This little idea has been perpetuated in holiday movies, like The Santa Clause, as well. But according to Santa’s North Pole Cookbook: Classic Christmas Recipes from Saint Nicholas Himself there are many more recipes, all traditional Christmas recipes from around the world, in Santa’s repertoire.The cookbook starts off with breakfast and covers breads, appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, drinks and desserts. The origin country of each of the recipes is listed right in the table of contents, with some festive selections attributed to “The North Pole,” such as the Candy Cane Creme Brulee. When you turn to the main page for each of the other recipes, you’ll see a story about the origin of the recipe and the culture it comes from, as well as a discussion of why certain ingredients are used and what makes it a traditional Christmas dish. The recipes are simple and straightforward, and each is accompanied by a tip or two that should help you make them easily.
The cookbook is a great holiday piece, whether it’s for a gift of you just want it to keep around the house. The recipes can be made year round, but it is obviously a great place to look for holiday inspiration and simply to read some stories of other Christmas traditions.
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Pew: The Number Of Americans Who Believe In Ghosts Has Doubled In A Decade
Pew Research has some shocking data on Americans' believe in mysticism, shown below. First of all, almost one in five Americans believes in ghosts (see the middle table). Yet to make things more appalling, this number has actually doubled in just over a decade.From 1996 to 2009, the percent of Americans who claim to have seen or been in the presence of a ghost has risen from 9% to 18%.
This would imply that American educational development could be reversing. The nation is 'un-educating' itself, if you will. It also means that one in five voters believes in ghosts.
Now, fair enough, probably more than one in five investors believes in efficient markets. But still, this Pew data is ridiculous. (Via Modeled Behavior)
Join the conversation about this story »
See Also:
- The American Prospect Savages Matt Taibbi For Savaging Obama
- Anthrax Scare Forces Evacuation Of Three Floors In American Express Tower
- Is Early Childhood Education An Investment In The Future Or A Giant Waste Of Money?
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Toyota officially launches plug-in Prius program, retail sales in 2011
Filed under: Hybrid, Hatchback, Toyota, Electric
Toyota Prius PHEV – click above for high-res image galleryIn Japan today, Toyota officially launched its Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) lease program. Over the next six months, Toyota will be building and deploying 600 examples of the plug-in Prius for testing primarilly in Japan, United States and Europe. The Japanese market will get 230 units, with 150 coming to the States and 200 going to Europe. The cars will be leased to government, commercial, and university fleets for field testing that help to gather more data on how PHEVs are used in the real world.
To accommodate plug-in charging the Prius gets a 5.2 kWh lithium ion battery pack in place of the standard nickel metal hydride unit. The battery and associated charging hardware appear to be the only significant mechanical changes to the PHEV. The motor and other hybrid hardware are apparently carried over intact. Even with the standard motor, Toyota claims a maximum EV speed of 62 mph.
On the Japanese JC08 cycle, the Prius can run about 14.5 miles before depleting the battery. It’s not clear what the performance level will be in EV mode and what sort of driving will trigger the engine to start up while the battery still has available power. Based on that driving cycle, the PHEV is rated at 72 mpg (U.S.) in post-EV hybrid mode which compares with the 50 mpg or so that we typically see in real use. Since the hybrid system is essentially unchanged, the 14 mile range is probably a bit optimistic. The combined efficiency based on a utility factor of .436 (43.6 percent of driving in EV mode) the Prius is rated at 134 mpg (U.S.). The PHEV Prius will undoubtedly get very good mileage, but we suspect that triple digits are unlikely for most people. During the presentation, Toyota also announced a target of retail sales for the PHEV of late 2011 at an “affordable” price. Video of the presentation and the press release are after the jump.
Presentations:
Gallery: Toyota Prius PHEV concept
[Source: Toyota]
Continue reading Toyota officially launches plug-in Prius program, retail sales in 2011
Toyota officially launches plug-in Prius program, retail sales in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple Delays iMac Shipments, Says Sorry
Back in November we reported on the news that some of Apple’s new 27-inch iMacs were turning up with shattered screens and dodgy “flashing” displays. At the time, the most plausible explanation for the physical damage was that the packaging designed to protect the machines during transit was insufficient. The crazy flashing? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.
Add to the mix an already-lengthy waiting period for order fulfillment and you get a fair number of frustrated customers wondering what they paid $1,700 for.
Over on the Apple Support forums there’s a mammoth (80+ pages!) discussion raging about the very issue. As though that’s not enough, one disgruntled iMac owner created this web site for reporting and tracking other instances of damaged 27 inchers.
Yesterday Apple did what it so very rarely does — apologized. Really: “We apologize.” Wow. I almost fell off my chair.
The apology (I can’t stop shaking my head in wonder as I type that word) was delivered by an Apple spokesperson to CNET and reads, in all its succinct glory;
The new iMac has been a huge hit and we are working hard to fulfill orders as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience or delay this may cause our customers.
Of course, there was no mention of the shattered glass problem. Not a word about blinking displays. But c’mon, you didn’t expect a full and frank confession did you? This is Apple. Still, as Engadget’s Vladislav Savov put it, “Some contrition is better than none.”
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Should You Reduce Your 401(k) Contribution?
Americans are finally saving again, after years of binge spending on houses and stuff to fill them.
That’s good for America, especially in the long term. But are you saving too much?
Most financial advisers will tell you to max out your 401(k) contributions, especially if your employer provides matching funds. But that might not be the best idea for everyone, especially if you don’t anticipate living lavishly in your dotage.
Over at Punch Debt In The Face, personal finance blogger Debt Ninja explains why he is reducing his 401(k) contributions—basically because he wants to give himself a raise while he’s young to increase his standard of living. This will likely make him poorer when he’s older but that not necessarily an irrational trade off.
What’s more, locking money up in a 401(k) may not be all that wise if you consider the possibility of needing money in the short term.
The third, and probably most important, reason I decided to reduce my retirement contribution by 3% is this: I had no plans for the short term. Sure saving 18% for retirement is great, but guess what? That doesn’t make me rich until I’m 60 years old. What if I want to have a good chunk of change accessible in my 40’s? What if I want to retire early, but don’t want to be penalized for withdrawing from my retirement accounts? Well my friends, this is where the ’short-term’ investing game comes in to play. I have to start exploring other means to grow my money. I have been so focused on retirement, I completely forgot to establish a game plan for my 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s.
(via Consumerist)
Join the conversation about this story »
See Also:
- Great News: If You Didn’t Panic, Your 401(K) Is Now Above Water
- The 401(k): RIP?
- 401 Not O(k) — Growing Movement To Ditch Them
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Lazy journalism and the both sides fallacy – Ed Lotterman edition
A classic example of the lazy journalism of false equivalency …
Edward Lotterman – Real World Economics – Pioneer Press (TwinCities.com)
… Unlike in most other industrialized nations, U.S. citizens remain divided on whether climate change is really occurring. Indeed, the proportion that is skeptical is growing rather than shrinking…
…This is not a lack of consensus, but rather a fundamental division that is not likely to be solved in the foreseeable future. For significant portions of both camps, it has become a matter of faith rather than reason…
When one camp is aligned with the overwhelming majority of the peer reviewed and respected scientific literature, and the other camp is not, this is not a “matter of faith rather than reason”.
One camp is on the side of reason, the other camp is faith-based.
This is, at best, a lazy invocation of the easy cliché. Most likely, it’s intellectual cowardice.
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Citi & TARP payback; Fed Funds & Mortgage rates; mortgage broker origination; House passes FIASCO
Repeat after me: Fed Funds are set by the Federal Open Market Committee, don’t vary daily, and have no direct bearing on 30-yr mortgage rates. 30-yr mortgage rates are set by supply and demand through the bond markets, vary every day, and prices are adjusted by what investors & servicers want to see flowing into their portfolios.
According to Fed Chairman Bernanke, the Fed still expects the labor market to improve very slowly, so they are reluctant to remove monetary stimulus by raising rates. Fed officials believe that inflation will remain low for the next couple of years, meaning that there is little short-term pressure to raise rates. But mortgage rates are not set by the Fed, or their thoughts on inflation – they’re set by “the market”.
Hats off to Citigroup, who announced it has struck a deal with the government to return $20 billion in bailout money to taxpayers through a combination of stock and debt, the bulk of which would come from a $17 billion common stock offering. Citigroup received $45 billion of bailout money, and then the government converted $25 billion of its preferred-stock stake in the company into common stock over the summer. That effectively gave U.S. taxpayers a 34% stake in the company. It is nice to see some of “our” investments paying off. This pretty much leaves Wells Fargo as the largest mortgage investor still owing without a plan.
Abu Dhabi, one of the seven United Arab Emirates, will be giving Dubai, another one of the seven, a $10 billion “lifeline” to head off a bond default. T…
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Recipe: Split Pea Soup
It’s soup weather, and split pea soup is one of my personal favorites! It’s so easy to whip up, you’ll never eat it from a can again. Bonus: split peas soften while cooked, so you don’t need to soak them overnight!
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Karen Collins on mussels, use-by dates and weight and menopause
Guest contributor: Karen Collins, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.
Karen Collins holds a B.S. degree from Purdue and an M.S. degree from Cornell, both in nutrition. When she’s not writing or speaking, she conducts a private nutrition practice in Jamestown, New York.Q: I’ve heard that mussels are good sources of omega-3 fat. How do I serve something so complicated?
Mussels are a rich source of omega-3 fat, and preparing them is actually quite easy. When you bring fresh mussels home in a plastic bag, make sure to leave it open enough for them to breathe, and store the mussels in the refrigerator for no more than two days. Keep only those with unbroken shells that are tightly closed or that snap shut when tapped.
Just before cooking, put the mussels in a bowl of cold water to give the mussels time to expel sand from the shells. Use a brush to clean the shells as you rinse them. With a sharp knife, cut off the “beard” (the tough fibers coming out of the shell) and pull back toward the hinge where the shell sections join.
There are lots of ways to cook mussels, but here’s a simple one that is quick and does not require a recipe or measuring. Sauté some regular or green onions with shallots, garlic and/or celery in a little oil until wilted but not browned. Add some canned tomatoes and a small amount of broth or red or white wine.
After a couple of minutes, add the cleaned mussels and herbs like thyme or basil. Cook just until the mussels open, showing they are done, which takes only about five minutes. Serve over pasta or rice or with crusty bread to sop up the broth, accompanied by a simple salad.
Or expand this idea by serving the mussels in a classic dish like bouillabaisse or paella, adding other seafood and vegetables. The key is to watch mussels carefully as they cook, since overcooking will make them tough.
Q: Are the dates on food packages important for food safety or just suggestions for best quality?
These dates — “best by,” “sell by” and “use by” — mean different things and often are not required by federal law to be on the package. Most dates you see on food packages are not related to food safety; they tell you how long the product stays at peak quality. Those foods are safe and useable beyond those dates.
However, there are some important exceptions: Meat and poultry are labeled with “sell by” dates that are related to food safety. They should be cooked or frozen within two days after the sell-by date on the package.
Eggs may or may not have a “sell by” date, depending on state laws. Buy eggs before the date limit and use them within three to five weeks of purchase. As long as you store them properly — in their original carton and in the coldest part of the refrigerator (not the door) — even if the “sell-by” date expires during that time, the eggs are quite safe.
Infant formula and many baby foods are required to carry “use by” dates, which reflect quality as well as nutrient retention. For example, if stored too long, formula can separate and clog the nipple. Don’t buy or use baby formula or baby food after its “use-by” date.
Of course, if foods are mishandled, bacteria can grow and cause foodborne illness regardless of the date on the package. For example, if cold cuts were left at room temperature more than two hours, they wouldn’t be safe even if the date had not expired.
Q: Is it true that a woman’s weight affects her tendency for hot flashes and night sweats during menopause?
The causes of night sweats and hot flashes in the years surrounding menopause are still not completely understood. Women who are more overweight seem to be more likely to have moderate or severe hot flashes, according to a few population studies.
There’s also limited research linking weight gain and lower levels of physical activity to hot flashes. A study that followed 1,659 midlife women for four years showed that gains in body fat were associated with greater odds of hot flashes, even after adjusting for a variety of menopausal factors and hormone levels. Night sweats, however, were not related to body fat changes in this study.
Considering that a landmark report on diet and cancer risk by the American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that obesity increases risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, there’s plenty of reason to take action if you see increases on the scale, waist measure or pants size. You can usually stop weight gain with simple steps like reducing daily food and drink choices by 100 or 200 calories and adding an extra 15 or 20 minutes of walking or other moderate activity to your current average.
(This article was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. A registered dietician is available to respond to questions about diet, nutrition, and cancer at the free AICR Hotline at 1 (800) 843-8114 during business hours.)
From the RSS feed of CalorieLab News (REF3076322B7)
Karen Collins on mussels, use-by dates and weight and menopause
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Apple Looking to Have Record iPhone Quarter: Report
According to information gathered from parts suppliers for Apple’s iPhone 3GS, the handset is headed for a record quarter. Apple’s Taiwanese suppliers for the iPhone’s components have reported a 31 percent increase in volume of orders placed for the parts, which should indicate a very healthy spike in sales of the smartphone.
The report comes via Taiwan’s online tech industry publication, the DigiTimes, which has provided ample fuel for the rumor fire regarding various Apple devices in the past, as well as reporting on Apple’s business outlook. In the second quarter, the iPhone sold 7.4 million worldwide, but if DigiTimes’ information is accurate, total sales for the third quarter, which end in December for the Mac maker, could reach the 10 million mark.
Numbers are up all across the smartphone component supply industry, but according to information gathered by the Taipei-based market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC), much of that increase is due to Apple’s strong sales. Which isn’t to say that Apple’s competitors aren’t having any luck challenging its market dominance, according to MIC analyst Edward Lin:
Samsung is currently the largest supplier in the market, as it supplies for the Apple iPhone series models. However, TI, which has exited from the baseband business and now focuses on AP development, has rolled out the OMAP 3430 series, which adopts the Cortex A8 architecture and features a clock speed of 1GHz. This offers processor options other than Qualcomm, enabling terminal vendors to pair together different communications systems, and it has been well received by many brand-name vendors, such as HTC, Palm, etc. As a result, TI’s share in the Taiwanese smartphone AP market increased in the third quarter of 2009.
The ability to use different wireless communication standards is something that’s recently come up in rumors surrounding Apple’s next-generation device, and it looks like that rumor is well in keeping with the pulse of the industry at large. Perhaps it isn’t so far-fetched to imagine that the next iPhone could use both GSM- and CDMA-based networks, allowing it to be offered on Verizon in the U.S. Of course, then some of Apple’s commercials would become factually incorrect.
Regardless of what’s coming, third-quarter sales of 10 million is a huge win for Cupertino. Looking at recent developments, its easy to spot the source of this late-game success. Apple has opened up sales of its device to many more carriers at the international level, expanding into new territory in the UK, Canada and France, to name a few. It’s also finally gained official access to the massive Chinese market, which paves the way for a lot of potential success, despite early setbacks.
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Internet Society Makes Donation to W3C
ISOC (Internet Society) has recently announced a $2.5 million donation to the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) that will span across a period of three years, helping the organization with its recent struggles in restructuring its working groups. The donation was announced on December 11, 2009 in a joint press release.Famous for its Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the ISOC has announced a firm position alongside the W3C in its efforts to bring more complete development standards to an erratic Internet. ISOC, a renowned leader itself in Internet standards, has managed and successfully contributed in developing standard suites like SMTP (Simple MailTransfer Protocol), the Domain Name System (DNS) and the TCP/IP internet/networking protocol suite.
On the other hand, even if not as old as the ISOC, the W3C is responsible for some protocols like HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).
“ISOC and W3C have worked together for years in a number of areas, and have deeply shared values about the Internet’s development,” said Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society. “Our support to the W3C in their transition efforts demonstrates ISOC’s commitment to ensuring the Internet continues to be an open, global platform for… (read more)
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Sigh. Gran Turismo 5 reportedly shooting for Summer 2010 release
Filed under: Toys/Games
The release date for Gran Turismo 5 hops around so much we’re going to call the game The Flea from now on. From a couple of dates late this year to early next year in Japan to possibly, maybe, potentially a Summer release for the U.S. It’s not that we can’t keep up anymore — we might just be tired of trying.
That summer date for our shores isn’t even set: the folks at Sony are “eying” that window. Back in September Polyphony Digital head Kazunori Yamauchi said “I don’t think it’s going to be that different for U.S. and Europe” to get the game around the same time as Japan. Apparently the marketing department, which was given as the reason for the delay, remains deep in “discussing their issues.”
We have but one issue: it’s hard to keep hanging on for the supposed Second Coming (or is that Third? Fifth?) of driving games when the “Coming” part refuses to happen. And we sure hope they’re working on GT6, because at this rate we’re going to be buying that game with our Social Security check.
Gallery: Gran Turismo 5
[Source: Joystiq]
Sigh. Gran Turismo 5 reportedly shooting for Summer 2010 release originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft DRM Locks You Out Of Your Own Documents
In case you haven’t been paying attention, there’s yet to be a good reason put forth for using DRM that I can remember. We’ve seen over and over again how DRM seems to interfere with legitimate actions, but does nothing at all to slow down “pirates.” Slashdot points to a rather scary situations for those who used Microsoft Office 2003 to DRM certain documents for their own use. Apparently, a screwup on the part of Microsoft (oops) means that many people got locked out of their own documents. Basically, Microsoft let a certificate expire, and that’s made life difficult for lots and lots of people. So what good is DRM again?
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Europe getting Final Fantasy XIII Limited Collector’s Edition
Seems like Europe’s getting quite a few limited editions these days. There was that Death Edition Dante’s Inferno pack yesterday, and now we’re hearing talk about
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First Augmented Reality App for Windows Mobile Appears
Found under: Windows Mobile, Augmented reality, Software, GPS, Compass, Camera,
Read more in mobile format
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Making Your Blog Mobile: Testing the Web Strategy iPhone App
Experimenting With Mobile Apps
It’s clear that content can become more contextual and personalized as it transects with location based devices. A few weeks ago the folks at the company MotherApp, created a “Web Strategy iPhone App (download in iTunes)” to take on the go. This isn’t just a “m.” mobile website that shows essential content minus heavy graphics, this is a true iPhone app, with the native interface of Apple products, see screenshots below. I’m not the only one, they created the app for Tim Ferris (iTunes), Guy Kawasaki (iTunes) and Brian Solis (iTunes) and others.
Above: Screenshots of the Web Strategy iPhone App, featuring latest Tweets and Options
Above: Screenshots of the Web Strategy iPhone App, featuring latest blog posts details and summary of posts
Mobile Based Apps Offer Content On The Go
The content can be accessed on an iPhone, even if there’s no internet connection, the content is downloaded. Secondly the content is in a clean Apple native user interface making it easier to read and navigate, rather than some clunky “m” looking site. Also, you can serve up a variety of content sources related to your brand. Also, the app has location based content, I’m looking at Brian’s app, and it can serve up Fan comments based on location (it asks you for your current location, first). In the future, it would be interesting if two fans of Brian Solis’s app would be signaled to each other they are in proximity, resulting in unique engagements. Brian’s app links directly to his amazon page, where his books (products) are available for sale.
Brian Solis’s Apps Requests To Access Your Location
Brian Solis’s Apps Filters Fan Wall Shout Outs By Proximity.
Conversion: Brian Solis’s App Promotes His Books, With Links to his Amazon Store.
What’s the downside? The URLs and comments are visible, only my voice. In the future, I’m sure these will be native into the app, so the community can talk back. The barriers to entry are still high, you’ll need to find an app developer to build this for your iPhone or other mobile device.Apps for Events and Corporate Conferences
It’s not just personal brands, I recently noticed the Forrester Consumer Forum iPhone app that listed out the schedule, top topics “What’s hot” based on attendee votes (I think) and the ability to create a schedule of tracks to attend. LeWeb has the most impressive event iPhone application, with links to previous videos, session list, news, maps, and speaker roster. Nearly the entire event website was ported to the device on the go.
Forrester’s Consumer Forum App Highlights the “Hot” sessions. No doubt, of course, it’s Josh Bernoff.
LeWeb IPhone App Streams Archived Videos
Key Takeaways- Expect majority of top blogs to have mobile apps within the next few months, at first they will be custom created, then a platform will emerge allowing them to quickly ported to multiple platforms (blackberry, droid, etc).
- This platform will emerge that will create this blog network, and new advertising opportunities will emerge who are able to cascade the information to the mobile devices. Players like Federated Media, Blogher, should move quickly.
- Content will become location-based, as blog posts, tweets, and other content is based on a specific area (a foodie blog, reviewing restaurants in Mission district, SF) the content will auto-surface to the application when needed.
- A standard will be set for all conferences and events to have a mobile based event that encourages members to find out about sessions, find other attendees, and even tweet from it.
I’ll continue to experiment with the Web Strategy brand in a variety of mediums, to test, and report back to you what works and what doesn’t.
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What We’re Eating Right Now: Cara Cara Oranges
Attention shoppers: Should you see a pile of bright cara cara oranges in the store, fill a basket. A big one. They make look like your average navels, but they’ve got a surprise—sweet, salmon-colored flesh that is about the most delicious thing we’ve eaten this week.
