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It won’t be long before BBGeeks turns three years old. In those three years we’ve changed a lot, but all along the way we’ve shared tips and tricks for better using your BlackBerry. In the coming weeks and months we plan to revisit a number of tips from our fledgling days. Instead of just reprinting them, though, we’ll expand on them a bit. For instance, take this quick tip from back in 2008: BlackBerry browser shortcuts. We’ve done a number of shortcuts quick tips, and this was among the first. The full list after the jump, with a bonus section: how to view and copy web addresses in your browser.

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Valerie Bertinelli is engaged! The former One Day at a Time star, now 50, and her boyfriend of nearly six years — Tom Vitale — will be married in a ceremony set for later this year.

“After Ed (ex-husband Eddie Van Halen) and I separated, I thought, ‘I’ll finish raising my son, and I’ll go away, have about 40 cats, and just get nice and fat.’ I thought I would be alone for the rest of my life, because I didn’t want the responsibility. Relationships are too hard.”

“We’d talked about getting married,” Bertinelli tells the July/August issue of AARP The Magazine. “But I was still shocked. It was sweet when he asked me, because he was so scared. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

The slimmed-down Jenny Craig spokesmodel is letting Tom plan the nuptials, which are set for this fall.

“He already knows the different kinds of bells he wants to go off during the ceremony,” she says.
There’s more on Val’s upcoming wedding in the new issue of AARP The Magazine, on newsstands May 24.

Check out Valerie on the new TV Land sitcom Hot In Cleveland, premiering next month.

Castor beans and solar panels have had nothing to do with each other, until now. A firm known as BioSolar from California decided to unite the two for saving costs. Using a protective back-sheet for the solar panels, the installation costs of solar panels dropped low, taken that the sheet was made mainly from castor bean resin and is cheaper than the usual back-sheets. The ingredient, known as polyamide resin is made from castor beans.

A whole lot of companies out there are working on increasing efficiency of solar panels and solar technology. The cost too is increasing gradually. Companies like BioSolar discreetly are coming up with ways to help lower the costs of installing solar technology in our homes and the place we work, for a greener future with easy access to green energy.

[Cleantechnica]

GM’s new electric car, Chevy Volt’s OnStar system is in the works to get several Android Apps infused. GM is negotiating a telematics system with Google that will do things like allows owners to open, start and/or adjust their cars and trucks, get electric charge levels; plus locate their vehicle via phone. More is to be revealed this week at Google I/O developers conference.

Mid Europa Partners is considering other investments in east European solar and wind companies, Stefan Tzvetkov, a  London-based director with the private equity fund, tells G.E.R.

With the European Union seeking to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent over the next decade from 1990 levels, (there’s even talk to cut emissions by 30 percent), demand for green power in eastern Europe is poised for growth.

Tzvetkov declined to say how much his firm could invest in greentech over the next three – to – five years,  but highlights that Mid Europa investments typically average  €100 – to – €120 million, ($127 million – to – $152.3 million),  slightly higher than what it put into Czech solar power developer Energy 21. There are no plans to raise a dedicated green fund, adds Tzvetkov.

Earlier this week Mid Europa invested €60 million in Czech solar power developer Energy 21. Tzvetkov says its equity stake in the company is “substantive enough for us to have a say in the company’s short, medium and long-term strategy.” Given certain project development deadlines are met, Mid Europa could increase its equity stake in the company.

Confirming what was probably the least-well-kept secret in Detroit, General Motors said today that it plans to produce a high-performance version of the Regal GS. The Regal GS unveiled earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit was labeled a concept car – but the extensive engineering that went into it clearly indicated GM’s plans for official production.

GM vice chairman Tom Stephens confirmed to the Detroit News that the Regal GS has been green lighted for production, although he didn’t give an anticipated on sale date or any hint about volume.

Stephens also did not indicate which features of the virtually production-ready Regal GS concept would make production.

Leftlane reported late last year that there was a possibility of a high-performance Buick Regal coming for U.S. consumption, and now it appears that Buick is very close to making that a reality. Although based heavily on the Opel Insignia OPC, the Regal GS features a unique powertrain tailored to the North American market.

The Buick Regal GS concept car features a 255 horsepower, 295 lb-ft. of torque, direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission that distributes its power to all four wheels through an adaptive all-wheel-drive system. If that wasn’t enough, the GS also features an electronic limited-slip rear differential, a lowered suspension, 20-inch forged aluminum wheels, performance tires, massive Brembo brakes, sport steering wheel and pedals and Recaro racing-style seats.

“We designed the Regal GS to explore the appeal of a high-performance variant of the Regal,” said Craig Bierley, product marketing director for Buick. “Like the Regal, the Regal GS is based on the award-winning Opel Insignia, and we believe it will reinvigorate Buick’s storied Gran Sport legacy.”

Inside, the Regal GS varies from the standard Regal by featuring a completely jet black interior extending all the way up the pillars and into the headliner. There is also a sport shifter for the six-speed manual transmission and a suede-covered, flat-bottom steering wheel like those used in international racing series. The instrument panel displays in ice blue whenever the driver engages the sport mode of the Interactive Drive Control System (IDCS).

“The idea behind the Regal GS was taking the production model in a more aggressive direction to appeal to performance enthusiasts,” said John Cafaro, Buick design director. “But along with its aggressive stance, there’s sophisticated style in the design that complements the driving experience.”

The Buick Regal GS is expected to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under six seconds.

References
1.’GM to make…’ view

Source: Leftlane

A few months back, President Obama publicly stood behind ACTA despite tons of concerns about it from the public. It’s disappointing that as more and more concerns and problems with ACTA have been highlighted, Obama has not reconsidered. He still seems to be taking the position that “more copyright must be good, and ACTA therefore is good.” That’s a naive position. The group Open ACTA points us to a statement made by Obama in Mexico, concerning better trade relations with Mexico, where he again insists that ACTA is a key part of better trade relations:

Innovation and investment in technology and human capital are keys to sustained economic growth and competitiveness in both Mexico and the United States. The protection of intellectual property rights is essential to promote such innovation and investment. With this in mind, the Presidents charged their administrations to work together to formalize and expand the efforts of the existing bilateral Intellectual Property Rights Working Group. These efforts will include industry training (including of small and medium size enterprises); work between Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to streamline patent reviews; and collaboration, training and increased intelligence sharing among law enforcement agencies to enforce intellectual property rights more effectively. The Presidents also reaffirmed their commitment to the negotiation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and charged their administrations to conclude these negotiations soon.

But, this blind assertion that stricter copyright enforcement without key exceptions and consumer protections that actually contribute more value to the economy than copyright restrictions, isn’t just wrong, it goes against the very purpose of copyright law.

Hephaestus points us to a submission to the Australian government, by the Australian Digital Alliance, that does a great job highlighting the negative impact of ACTA (pdf) and how it goes against basic copyright law:

“The text of ACTA does not reflect one of the most important objectives of copyright — to ensure access to information for the benefit of society. Protecting creators to encourage continued innovation is only one half of the copyright equation, ACTA fails to recognise the dual purpose of copyright.”

The whole submission is worth reading, as it highlights all sorts of serious issues with ACTA and the impact it would have:

ACTA might have a negative impact on individuals as Internet citizens and as consumers of digital
technologies because some of its requirements go beyond Australian law. ACTA will facilitate
excessive damages payouts by mandating the controversial ‘lost sale analysis’ for the assessment
of damages and encouraging punitive style statutory damages that set arbitrary amounts for
infringement. ACTA will also broaden the scope of commercial scale infringement to criminalise
purely private acts that occur in the homes of some Australians….

ACTA might have a negative impact on intermediaries that will damage Australia’s digital economy
by diminishing Internet innovation, the free flow of information and legitimate commerce. ACTA
provides for the unqualified award of injunctions against intermediaries, which creates new rights
with significant potential for abuse and cost implications for ISPs. ACTA defines where third party
liability will be imposed, which is a highly controversial issue that requires the flexibility of being
dealt with at a domestic level. ACTA will burden intermediaries with more onerous requirements for
safe harbour protection that may encourage three strikes.

What’s most frustrating about all of this is that it really does appear that many ACTA supporters are simply going by the boilerplate myth that “stronger copyright protection” is “good for society,” without ever once bothering to understand the details and why such a statement isn’t just wrong, but dangerous.

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You might have noticed your little goldfish, swimming round in endless circles, all day long. Schooling fish in the ocean do just the same, but a few hundreds do the rounds together. So what has a few hundred schooling fish moving round in circles and wind energy have in common? A motion that could enable us to harvest 10 times more energy using wind turbines. Researches at California Institute of Technology (CalTech) have realized that the motion of schooling fish if used in vertical axis wind turbines could increase energy production, 10 times more, in the same amount of space taken. Wind farms are space hungry, and a lack of space proves to be a huge hurdle.

Turbines placed too close lose efficiency because of the vortexes created by the turning blades. So, vertical axis turbines prove to be a much better alternative to the wind turbines we have today. Who knew fish moving round in circles could inspire with energy production!

[Treehugger]

Thurs May 20th 2010
3:15am

We left the hotel in Dubai at 12am local time to catch our 3:30am flight to Kabul.

Looking around the gate, the people waiting to board reminded me of the crowd I’d gotten used to seeing on the flight from Amman to Baghdad: about half locals… the rest western journalists, contractors and private security.

On the bus that took us to our plane, a young woman struck up a conversation with me.

“First time to Kabul?” she asked, and guessed I was “with the news.”

31-year-old Rona is an Afghanistan native who is now living in Sydney, Australia. She and her mother, who spoke no English but flashed me wide smiles, told me they were eager to see their family, especially after the car bomb that killed 18 people in Kabul just a couple of days ago.

On the plane, Rona came to visit me at my seat, and told me more about her past, present, and hopes for the future.

Her family fled Kabul in 1998 because of the Taliban.
She told me about the day her mother and father packed up their nine children and ran from the country, taking the family first to Iran.

Rona left Kabul with just the clothes on her back. Her parents locked up the house with everything they owned inside. Rona says her mother cried as they shut the door, and didn’t stop crying for their first six months in Tehran. The family moved to Australia 5 years ago after the Red Cross helped them get visas.

Rona and her family have come back to Afghanistan to visit several times since leaving 12 years ago. Rona remarked upon how dangerous her home country is right now, saying she expects it to become more dangerous over the next year. But she’s not sticking around to find out.

After this brief visit, Rona is going back to Australia where her fiance will soon join her.

Her fiance is her 20-year-old first cousin, but the marriage was not arranged. He pursued her on one of her previous visits home. But Rona fears all he wants is an Australian visa. She has friends who she says were wooed into marriage, only to be left by their husbands a few days after the wedding. Despite this, Rona did her hair and make-up on the plane in preparation of seeing her fiance at the airport. Her family is encouraging her to marry him because it would get another member of the family out of Afghanistan. In Australia, Rona is studying to be a nurse but isn’t sure if she will ever work as one. She mainly hopes to settle down with her husband and start a family.

On the ground, I saw several men approach Rona and her mother, but I couldn’t tell which one was her fiance.

I caught Rona’s eye so I walked over, hugged her and gave her my email. As I was walking away, I heard her yell something about two weddings and coming to Australia. I think I might just get an invitation.

Tuesday, May 19th 2010
6:30am local Dubai
11:30pm eastern

I’ve been traveling 12 hours so far. But the journey has just begun.

It could take us 4 days to get to final destination: a forward operating base outside a Taliban held town in the southern part of Helmand Province.

That’s where the marines we met at Twenty-nine Palms, the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion are set up.

Right now I am flying from JFK to Dubai, experiencing a sort a decadence I don’t experience in my day to day life and certainly will not experience once on the ground in Afghanistan.

We have hot food, fruit, champagne and coffee… And widescreen TVs overloaded with movies, music and television choices. I’m listening to calming sounds of whales and dolphins as I read up on the situation in Afghanistan.

Only days to go and the next American Idol will be crowned next week – battle between Lee DeWyze and Cystal Bowersox. While it is just the beginning of an Idol’s dream, it is Simon Cowell’s time to leave American Idol. Cowell, who is known for his often straighforward and nasty remarks, will bid farewell to the show next week. His take on Lee Dewyze’s performance of Hallelujah shows how much he can influence the talents and the American audience for that matter in choosing the next big winner.

“Going back to Hollywood week, he ripped me apart. I took everything he said into consideration as time went by. I’m glad he sees a genuine person in me,” remarked Dewyze. Cowell showed his side of being able to put across what Idol talents are made of.

His leaving meant a lot. “Simon’s departure is the end of an era on ‘Idol.’ Everybody knows the show is going to lose something big and irreplaceable when he goes,” commented Todd Gold.

Karen DioGuardi described him to have a lot of conviction and does not care what other people say besides the British accent and expressions his known for.

It may be necessary that Cowell be replaced in the Idol but it will be difficult to find someone of equal caliber.

Cowell is listed as the most influential person in reality television in 2009.

Related posts:

1. Say ‘Hallelujah’ to Lee Dewyze
2. Thoughts On Aaron Kelly Being Eliminated On American Idol
3. Watch Lee Dewyze “Hallelujah” video

Avus Performance has released a new sporty kit and performance upgrade for the Audi S4. Avus Performance Audi S4 comes with a threaded spring kit was built in that allows adjusting the height more individually, however still maintaining adjusting possibilities of the Magnetic Ride chassis.

The Avus Performance Audi S4 features mirror caps, front grill, front bumper blades and back diffuser were painted in shiny black, 20-inch wheels, 3-part CC-line rims in connection with Hankook Ventus S1 Evo wheels in 255/30/20. Interior cabin is outfitted with custom leather upholstery and a steering wheel with carbon fiber inserts.

The Audi S4 engine performance was adjusted accordingly. Instead of the standard 333 PS (245 kW; 329 bhp), 430 PS (316 kW; 424 bhp) are on now.

Source: Lincah.Com – New Car and Used Car Pictures

Bieber Fever hits Idol….

Teen sensation and BET Awards nominee Justin Bieber performed a medley of his smash singles “U Smile”/”Baby” on the American Idol semi-finals on FOX Wednesday evening.

Inhabitat has a post on the latest iteration of the Oyster wave power generator – New Oyster 2 Wave Power Generator Unveiled This Morning.

Basically it works like this. The Oyster 2 is anchored to the seafloor about half a mile off shore. Near-shore waves pound against its frame and engage the hinge mechanism. The hinges engage two hydraulic pistons that are connected to hydroelectric plants onshore. Essentially the Oyster turns offshore wave power into onshore water power. The first prototype Oyster 1 was installed and tested in the summer of 2009 and Aquamarine Power used information from that test to vastly improve their design. The Oyster 2 is simpler in design, has fewer moving parts, generates 250% more electricity and is easier to maintain.

A lot of issues developing in the offshore wave power industry have to do with the cost of installation versus the amount of energy extracted. It seems that the Oyster design solves this problem by replacing conventional turbines with hydraulic pistons to create the energy onshore instead of out in the waves. Three Oyster 2s will be deployed and connected to the grid in the summer of 2011 at the European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland. These Oyster 2 farms sound like a productive — and adorable — addition to the renewable energy market.

Ryan McBride wrote:

Seventh Sense Biosystems wants to remove some of the hassle, expense, and pain of collecting blood for medical tests. The secretive startup has recently begun talks with major healthcare companies about its technology, which includes a device for collecting blood samples that almost anyone ought to be able to use without causing pain, says Doug Levinson, the firm’s co-founder and CEO.

The Cambridge, MA-based firm—which counts among its co-founders two of Boston’s medical technology gurus, R. Rox Anderson of Harvard and Bob Langer of MIT—prides itself on putting sophisticated technology into simple-to-use packages. Levinson, a partner at Flagship Ventures, managed to convince his own venture firm and the startup’s other backers at Polaris Venture Partners in Waltham, MA, and Boston-based Third Rock Ventures to invest $4.75 million in its Series A round in 2008 to get the operation rolling. The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic organization, is also supporting infectious disease research at the startup.

Last year at our big XSITE event, Levinson gave us a look at the startup’s unique chemistry that enables polymer particles to reveal certain colors or form into defined shapes when they come into contact with specific molecules in the blood or other bodily fluids. The technology opens the door to potential uses in the diagnostics field such as monitoring drug dosage levels or spotting infection. Yet Levinson was less clear last year how a patient’s blood would be tapped to enable the startup’s chemical invention to alert patients of certain health conditions.

Enter the startup’s TAP (touch activated phlebotomy) device, which is in development. With the push of a button, the system …Next Page »

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UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

The Audi A2 will be back in 2012 as the MPV variant on the new Audi A1. The A2 will share the same platform as the A1, although some technical aspects may still come from the New Small Family platform of the Volkswagen Up!, which is spawning the Volkswagen Lupo, and the same segment cars from Seat and Skoda. The next generation Audi A2 will have the same style and design elements as the A1, including the sloping roof line and similar front and rear.

The A2 will have an extensive engine range, which will include an e-tron electric model, while 2013 could see the arrival of the Audi A2 hybrid. The A2 will mostly have four-cylinder engine units, although if the Volkswagen Up! platform is adopted, three-cylinder may be utilised. Compared to the previous A2, the biggest difference with the new model is its steel and not aluminium chassis, which would result in an increase in price.

Source | Caradisiac

I just watched a thought-provoking BBC documentary called Mental: A History of the Madhouse which follows the history of British psychiatric treatment in the 20th century from the monolithic mental hospitals inherited from the 1800s to the development of ‘care in the community’ at the end of the century.

If you’re based in the UK you can watch it on the BBC’s streaming service but I also notice that it has appeared on various public torrent servers. *cough*

It’s definitely a dissenters look at history as the professional commentators, such as psychiatrist Joanne Moncrieff and psychologist Rachel Perkins, hail from the most critical end of mental health.

It’s probably true to say that 20th century psychiatry was not exactly a litany of success stories, although it would have been useful to hear some of the more positive angles as well.

However, I was interested to hear that one of the major figures in the removal of the old mental hospitals was conservative politician Enoch Powell who secured his place in history with his rabidly anti-immigration 1968 ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech (synopsis: ‘we fought the war and now there are darkies everywhere!’).

Years earlier, however, he gave a speech that cemented his determination to dismantle the old hospital system and he didn’t mince words.

They imply nothing less than the elimination of by far the greater part of this country’s mental hospitals as they exist today. This is a colossal undertaking, not so much in the new physical provision which it involves, as in the sheer inertia of mind and matter which it requires to he overcome. There they stand, isolated, majestic, imperious, brooded over by the gigantic water-tower and chimney combined, rising unmistakable and daunting out of the countryside – the asylums which our forefathers built with such immense solidity to express the notions of their day. Do not for a moment underestimate their powers of resistance to our assault. Let me describe some of the defences which we have to storm…

The speech reads very strangely today as it was clearly the beginning of huge reforms while openly talking about ‘sub-normals’.

The documentary is well worth checking out. It largely focuses on the story of one hospital, High Royds, in West Yorkshire.

Interestingly, the hospital has had two rock tributes to it. The Kaiser Chief’s song ‘Highroyds’ and Kasabian’s album named ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’, riffing on its original name.

Link to info about the documentary.

Bargteheide – Throughout the world, manufacturers of cranes equip all crane types and sizes with efficient and safe drive technology from NORD DRIVESYSTEMS. Now, there is a new web address dedicated to this industry. The cranes.nord.com microsite presents solutions and products and provides access to NORD’s extensive online services, e.g. individual configuration of drive systems. Additionally, NORD’s large sales network ensures optimal avail-ability and individual consulting and support.
Cranes and trolleys employ NORD’s helical parallel-shaft geared motors with power ratings up to 200 kW and a wide range of gear ratios. Speeds are about 80 m/min for crane movement and 32 m/min for trolley movement, with an acceleration of 0.2 m/sec. Two or three-stage basic types are available with hollow or solid shafts, in foot mounted, flange mounted, or face mounted ver-sions, each with the same housing. The UNICASE concept enables high per-formance helical parallel-shaft gear units with extremely compact dimensions. They can be combined with many components from the modular NORD sys-tem.
A further emphasis in crane applications is on helical-bevel gear units, usually with hollow shafts and torque arms. With this drive version, the large range of standard components also allows the gear unit to be precisely matched to the requirements of the application. In addition to the high efficiency of gear units with helical, parallel shaft, bevel and worm gears, there are further essential benefits to operators: maximum operational reliability, high output torques, high axial and radial load capacity, quiet running, high efficiency, minimal maintenance, and long operating life. Products with protection classes IP55 and IP66 as well as rust and dust-protected versions with a special coating are optionally available. Furthermore, gear units can be filled with synthetic oil, if cranes are to be used in high temperatures, e.g. in foundries.

Bargteheide – Since the beginning of 2010, Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Jendryschik com-pletes NORD Drivesystems’ management team as Managing Director of Tech-nology. After a transitional period, G.A. Küchenmeister, the company’s founder and Managing Director, will retire from active work. This means that NORD will continue to be led by an executive team of five members, that also includes Jutta Humbert, Ullrich Küchenmeister, Peter Dittmers and Jens Paulsen. Dr.-Ing. Jendryschik’s last position was with a major German manufacturer of frequency inverters. A strategic leader who coordinates all technical developments, he will continue to maintain NORD’s established strengths in drive mechanics but also focus the company’s efforts on its electronics range. NORD Drivesystems has been manufacturing electronic drive technology since 1984 and has become a leading manufacturer for several product segments. These include decentralized frequency inverters that offer exceptional functional flexibility, for example through a choice of several fieldbus connection options, which has found great demand. Dr.-Ing. Jendryschik’s aims include expanding NORD’s product range, thereby systematically increasing such successful de-velopments.

The FISCHERSCOPE X-RAY XAN 150 instruments are compact and universally applicable energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometers for nondestructive thickness measurements and material analysis.

The XAN 150 is especially well suited for measuring and analyzing thin coatings, even with very complex compositions or small concentrations.

Typical areas of application are:
– Measurement of functional coatings, starting from a few nanometers, in the
electronics and semiconductor industries
– Trace analysis for consumer protection, e.g. lead content in toys
– Analysis of alloys with highest requirements of accuracy in the jewelry and watch
industries and in metal refineries
– Research in universities and in the industries

To create ideal excitation conditions for every measurement, the XAN 150 features electrically changeable apertures and primary filters. The modern Silicon-Drift-Detector (SDD) achieves high accuracy and good detection sensitivity.

Using the fundamental parameter method, coating systems as well as solid and liquid samples can be analyzed standard-free. It is possible to detect up to 24 elements in a range from aluminum (13) to uranium (92) simultaneously.

The instrument has an excellent accuracy and long-term stability, which among other things is reflected in a significantly reduced calibration effort. For high accuracy tasks calibrations can be performed at any time.

Excellent ergonomics, easy operation, fast calculation and data presentation are all features of the instrument.

The FISCHERSCOPE X-Ray XAN 150 is now available at all FISCHER offices around the world.

One of the Zippy’s most popular IP67 switches has a modified version with a screw fixing hole. DW guarantees 500,000 operations in 0.1mA. Due to its ultra miniature size, 19.75 X 5.4 X 12 (mm^3), with the screw fixing hole and different types of pillars, our users can better mount the switch on their devices!