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The University of Pittsburgh (PA) has signed a global licensing deal with Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Madison, MS, covering a series of monoclonal antibodies for cancer. The antibody portfolio targets a variety of cancers through the cell surface chondrotin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4), which plays an important role in signaling pathways regulating tumor cell survival, growth, and motility. Melanoma, triple negative breast cancer, head and neck cancer, leukemia, bone and joint cancer, and brain cancer are some indications present within the scope of the antibodies.

Research indicates the CSPG4 surface antigen is intensely expressed in multiple cancer types and affects downstream signaling. The antigen also is detected on tumor cells with stem cell-like phenotypes, indicating its role in cancer stem cell immunotherapy activity. Under terms of the agreement, Hawthorn will receive an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize the antibody portfolio. “The CSPG4 surface antigen represents a significantly untapped therapy approach which is intensely expressed in a variety of cancers and affects a whole host of downstream signaling activities,” says Rob Lewis, chief scientific officer at Hawthorn.

Source: News Blaze

A tiny silicon chip that works a bit like a nose may one day detect dangerous airborne chemicals and alert emergency responders through the cell phone network. If embedded in many cell phones, the new type of sensor could map the location and extent of hazards like gas leaks or the deliberate release of a toxin, according to Michael Sailor, PhD, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). “This technology could map a chemical accident as it unfolds,” he says. In collaboration with the San Diego start-up Rhevision, Inc., founded by Yu-Hwa Lo, PhD, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UCSD’s Jacobs School of Engineering, Sailor’s research group has completed the first phase of the sensor’s development and begun to work on a prototype that will link to a cell phone.

The sensor, a porous flake of silicon, changes color when it interacts with specific chemicals. By manipulating the shape of the pores, the researchers can tune individual spots on the silicon flake to respond to specific chemical traits. “It works a little like our nose,” Sailor explains. “We have a set of sensory cells that detect specific chemical properties. It’s the pattern of activation across the array of sensors that the brain recognizes as a particular smell. In the same way, the pattern of color changes across the surface of the chip will reveal the identity of the chemical.” The chips already can distinguish between methyl salicylate, a compound used to simulate the chemical warfare agent mustard gas, and toluene, a common additive in gasoline. Potentially, they could discriminate among hundreds of different compounds.

“The beauty of this technology is that the number of sensors contained in one of our arrays is determined by the pixel resolution of the cell phone camera,” Sailor says. “With the megapixel resolution found in cell phone cameras today, we can easily probe a million different spots on our silicon sensor simultaneously, so we don’t need to wire up a million individual sensors. We only need one. This greatly simplifies the manufacturing process because it allows us to piggyback on all the technology development that has gone into making cell phone cameras lighter, smaller, and cheaper.”

Source:  Science Daily

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews

Today, Gartner released first quarter 2010 worldwide mobile phone sales data, and it’s the set that matters. Unlike IDC or manufacturers like Apple, Gartner tracks actual sales to users rather than shipments to carriers or retailers. Shipment data is less accurate, because of unsold inventory in the channel. Based on sales, Apple ranked No. 7 in worldwide mobile handset sales, just behind sagging Motorola. That’s for all phones, not just smartphones.

For smartphones, Android and iPhone OS made huge gains, with Gartner describing them as the “winners” for the quarter. Android rose from 575,300 unit sales to 5.2 million year over year, pushing Windows Mobile down into the fifth position. Because there already is a fair amount of misreporting, such as Apple pushing ahead of Motorola, I will continue the main portion of this post with some quick — and in some instances — corrective facts:

1. Nokia is not in rapid decline. While the manufacturer’s market share dipped 1.2 percent, to 35 percent, unit sales rose by 12.7 million to 110.1 million.

2. Apple did not outsell Motorola. But I’ve been reading this heresy for weeks based on unit shipments. Based on actual sales, Motorola is No. 6 worldwide.

3. Motorola is rapidly declining, however. Year over year, unit shipments plunged from 16.6 million to 9.6 million.

4. Research in Motion moved into the top five, at No. 4, for worldwide phone sales. That’s while competing against cheaper handsets from competitors like Nokia. While growing less than Apple, 45.9 percent year over year compared to 112.2 percent, RIM sales are much stronger.

5. White box competition is sucking sales from major manufacturers. Combined top-five share dropped from 73.3 percent to 70.7 percent year over year. White box manufacturers are mostly shipping from Asia, and some are mimicking handsets like iPhone, while offering more features, such as dual-SIM capabilities.

6. Like early early iPhones, Android-based phone sales are strong in North America — up 707 percent year over year.

7. Distribution mattered to Apple. “Growth came partly from new communication service providers in established markets, such as the UK, and stronger sales in new markets such as China and South Korea,” Carolina Milanesi, Gartner research vice president, said in a statement.

8. Only Android and iPhone OS made year-over-year market share gains among the top-five smartphone operating systems.

9. The quarter’s best performers controlled hardware, software and services — essentially an end-to-end stack, except for carriers. Apple, Nokia and RIM are end-to-end providers.

10. Windows Mobile market share declines are somewhat deceptive. While smartphone OS market share fell from 10.2 percent to 6.8 percent, unit sales were flat year over year. Windows Mobile is more standing still than moving backwards, as competitors race by.

Now for some additional data points and quotes from Gartner analysts. Mobile handset sales rose 17 percent year of year to 314.7 million. Smartphone sales rose 48.7 percent to 54.3 million. Smartphones accounted for 17.3 percent of all mobile phones sales in first quarter, up from 13.6 percent a year earlier.

“Increasing sales of white-box products in some emerging regions, in particular India, also drove sales of mobile phones upward. We expect sales of white-box products to remain very healthy for the remainder of 2010, especially outside of China,” Milanesi said in the statement.

What this means: India is one of Nokia’s strongest markets worldwide. Increasing white box popularity could drive down Nokia’s share in India. For all major manufacturers, there will be increasing pressure to stay ahead of white box phone makers and, related, those imitating big-five designs.

“To compete in such a crowded [smartphone] market, manufacturers need to tightly integrate hardware, user interface, and cloud and social networking services if their solutions are to appeal to users,” Roberta Cozza, Gartner principal research analyst said in a statement. “Just adding a qwerty keyboard will not make a device fit the communication’s habits of today’s various consumer segments.”

What this means: Apple, Nokia and RIM have potentially stronger positions, the latter two only if they pull together weak services strategies. Google needs to standardize all Android handsets on one OS version and set of supporting services; even then, Google doesn’t control enough of the stack.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Un rumor que ya tiene algún tiempo, los 1.200 caballos prometidos para el Bugatti Veyron, podrían ser realidad si tomamos al pie de la letra a Ferdinand Piëch, presidente de Volkswagen. En una conferencia que dio en la universidad tecnológica de Viena, hizo mención a que era posible que pudiéramos ver un Veyron de 1.200 caballos. Como si fuera poco, leo un comentario en Autoblog que pudieran ser 1.250 caballos (un dato aportado de oídas, de cierto piloto de pruebas de Bugatti).

Un Bugatti de 1.200 HP no es nada descabellado, teniendo en cuenta que les mostramos hace tiempo un buen ejemplo con un modelo especial llamado Pegaso, preparado por el dueño ruso de un Veyron que no estaba muy conforme con los 1000 caballos.

Todo es una cuestión de orgullo de la legendaria marca italiana, lo cual no significa que semejante bestia no sea bienvenida (y de apresurar a los poderosos poseedores actuales de Veyron, que lo cambien por “el 1200″). Seguramente, desde el momento mismo en que el SSC Ultimate Aero hizo su aparición en ese reducidísimo círculo de los que se acercan a los 420 km/h, los de Bugatti sueñan con quitarse de encima esa espinita clavada en el talón: superar, si es posible al SSC Ultimate Aero y sus 410 km/h.

Vía | Motorline

Carrying a wind turbine around to power up your trips outdoors hasn’t really been a great option before. Well, things are changing, for the better. Here’s a green product that will make sure all your gadgets are powered on while you spend time out, away from home and grid connectivity. The device designed by Cheng Peng, this little look alike of a full scale wind turbine keeps you powered up outdoors. No longer do you need to fear running out of charge on your mobile phone, when you’re camping out there, far away from civilization. The device, known as With The Source, powers up gadgets by harvesting solar and wind energy. With The Source also incorporates a LED torch, just incase you need a bit of light out there. This thoughtful little device is sure to keep you powered on outdoors.
Source

Posted by John Byrne at 12:42 p.m.

Democratic Cook County Board President candidate Toni Preckwinkle said today that she won’t eliminate the rest of a controversial county sales tax increase until 2012 at the earliest.

That’s because budget experts told her next year’s shortfall could reach $500 million due to a poor economy, elimination of federal stimulus cash and the already-approved half-cent sales tax reduction.

 

"I see ahead a very, very difficult budget year," Preckwinkle, the city’s 4th Ward alderman, told reporters at a news conference with Mayor Richard Daley to discuss a trial health care program for city schools.

Preckwinkle, who won the Democratic primary over Board President Todd Stroger and two others in February, campaigned on a pledge to eventually get rid of the entire one-percentage-point sales tax increase. The total sales tax rate in Chicago is 10.25 percent, but that will drop to 9.75 percent on July 1 after commissioners voted to roll back part of the tax hike.

Preckwinkle said she would cut the rest of the sales tax increase over time as she found new sources of revenue and ways to reduce costs. She said one possible way to cut local tax costs is to secure more federal funding for the jail and health system.

The 2011 county budget year starts Dec. 1 — before Preckwinkle would take office if she is able to defeat Republican Roger Keats and Green Party candidate Tom Tresser in the Nov. 2 election. The winner is expected to have a hand in shaping the new budget, which does not have to be approved until after the start of the next president’s term.

Preckwinkle said today she will do away with the rest of the Stroger increase, but added that the sharper picture she now has of the county’s financial trouble will cause her to proceed with caution.

 

"Since (the) February 2nd (primary election), we’ve put a lot of energy into figuring out what we’re going to be heading into, and the short answer is, we’re heading into a buzz saw," Preckwinkle said. "So – given the loss of revenues in the way I’ve described… we’re just going to try to get a handle on things when we walk in the door, and look down the road for opportunities to make further cuts in the sales tax."

 

The earliest that could happen would be 2012, she said.

"I’m not sure (I’ll be able to repeal it in 2012)," Preckwinkle said. "I’m hopeful that the economy will pick up, and that a rising tide will lift all boats, and that the finances of local government and state government and national government will improve in part because the economy is improving. We’ll see what happens."

Preckwinkle also reacted to Tribune and Fox-32 reports that the Stroger administration recently awarded a series of census outreach contracts at just below the $25,000 threshold that would require approval from the county board. That’s "not the choice I would make in his place," Preckwinkle said.

Want to slam the Noise for his Clayton Kershaw(notes)
analysis or misguided projections? Humiliate him in 140 characters or
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Setting and following lofty expectations for previously
unseasoned commodities is typically a dangerous practice. Hype trains routinely
derail. Just ask the guy in your league still waiting for the Chris
Davis’(notes) 50-homer binge (The Noise reluctantly raises hand).

But the Dodgers’ John Ely(notes) is one such product worth licking
a poisonous frog to acquire.

In a city known for cultivating buzz, and
Rookie of the Year candidates, frenzied Dodger fans have again reached a
fevered pitch. Move over Fernando and Manny, Elymania has officially arrived in
Hollywood.

Acquired last December from the White Sox in the Juan Pierre(notes) deal, the unheralded prospect has
blown into Los Angeles
with the strength of the Santa Anas. Over 25.2 innings, he’s surrendered a
respectable 10 runs (3.51 ERA) with, get this, a 25:3 K:BB split. Amazingly, Ross Grimsley in 1971 is the only other pitcher since 1952 who has
pitched at least six innings without walking a batter three times in his first
four games.

Naturally, hyperbole has replaced smog over the LA skyline…

Exaggeration No. 1:
Ely was spawned from a chance encounter between Greg Maddux(notes) and Zeus.

For decades Maddux was Picasso with a glove. Despite a pedestrian
fastball, his ability to alter speeds, generate movement and paint corners made
him arguably the greatest pitcher of the 90s. Often it seemed he could hurl a
gerbil into an empty beer bottle from 60 feet away.

Though not nearly as talented, Ely evokes a similar style.
His mid-to-high 80s fastball is often deceptive, especially when combined with
offspeed junk. Many times this young season, he’s humiliated opponents mixing
fastballs with changeups – his best offering (highlights here).

On the farm,
the rookie’s command wasn’t nearly as sharp (4.02 BB/9). Still, many scouts
widely believed he would develop into a control freak. Most probably never figured it would come this quickly.

Exaggeration No. 2:
Not even "The Big One" could rattle Ely’s confidence.

Poised on the mound, the 24-year-old believes he can
dominate anyone. Despite being more of a finesse pitcher, he attacks hitters
aggressively, coaxing abundant weak contact (1.16 GB/FB). From ESPN Los Angeles:

"I’m just out here doing what I have always done,"
Ely said. "I just have complete confidence in what I bring to the table
and the fact that if I execute my pitches the way I want to, I feel like I have
the advantage. That is the way you have to feel every time out. If you doubt
yourself, you’re going to give up hits…"

"We knew what we were getting in Ely, but we never
expected to see him here this quickly," Dodgers general manager Ned
Colletti said. "He knows how to pitch. This is the way he has pitched his
whole life. From my first conversation with him the night we acquired him [on
Dec. 17], you could tell there was a specialness about him."

As a result of his blue collar approach and intense
attitude, Ely simply wins, which he’s done often since his high school days in
suburban Chicago.
Double-digit Ws at the big league level could become routine. 

Exaggeration No. 3:
Ely is so fantastically attractive Alyssa Milano is contemplating divorce.

The smokin’ Dodgers fanatic may not be the only one. Mixed
leaguers who’ve suffered through horrific starts by Josh Beckett(notes), Javier
Vazquez(notes) and Jake Peavy(notes) have understandably sought legal counsel. Because of his
plentiful offensive support, division and pitcher friendly surroundings, there’s
plenty to like. After another mesmerizing start or two, Wooderson wigs (Sans
‘stache, Ely bears a remarkable resemblance) might soon replace Manny dreads in
leftfield. "All right" feelings will surely follow.

However, in this day and age of advanced scouting, opponents
can masterfully outmaneuver even the super, let alone the marginally, talented.
As with any inexperienced player, it’s important to keep in mind turbulence should be expected. But if he continues to exhibit Nolasco-esque accuracy,
banner back of the rotation numbers could be achieved in 12-team mixed leagues.
Right now, he’s slightly more rosterable than fellow NL rookie Mike Leake(notes).

Buying into hype can often lead owners down Disappointment Street.
But Ely’s strong peripherals, above average pedigree and ideal pitching
environment make the eight-percent owned starter well worth the risk.

Fearless Forecast
(rest of season): 131 IP, 7 W, 3.58 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 116 K

—

Discount Den
Quality commodity owned
in fewer than 20 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Corey Patterson(notes), Bal,
OF (one-percent owned): It seems laughable writing anything positive about Peppermint Patterson. After all, the only accolade he’s recently earned was an All-Handsome Man nomination in 2006. But Seattle’s discarded trash – Patterson failed
to make the team this spring – is treasure for the flightless Orioles.
Baltimore’s latest leadoff man has scorched since his promotion on May 12
going 8-for-26 with two homers, two RBI, eight runs and two steals. Despite a
woeful .291 OBP, Patterson, at 30, still boasts NASCAR wheels. In his last
season with the O’s in ’07, he swiped 37 bags. Owners with a need for speed
should invest, but keep in mind a BA freefall is likely.

Ooh Stream Weaver…
Widely available plug
n’ play starter heading into the weekend.

Jason Vargas(notes), Sea
(5/20 vs. Tor, 21-percent owned): Quietly the Seattle southpaw has amassed sensational
numbers. In seven starts, he’s accumulated a 2.93 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with three
wins. An increased reliance on changeups has led to a spike in K/9 and
groundball percentage. However, his 13.2 line-drive rate and .231 BABIP suggest
an ERA correction will be coming soon. However, don’t expect a regression against the
free-swinging Jays. Collectively, the Canadian Birds are batting .244. Vargas’
stellar stretch of quality starts at Safeco (2.00 ERA, .163 BAA) should
continue.

Middle Relief Magic
ERA/WHIP savior,
potential saves/wins vulture.

Clay Hensley(notes), Fla (three-percent
owned): Playing in front of mosquito hoards instead of fans, the converted starter
has pitched brilliantly in middle relief. Over 21.2 IP, he’s notched an
uncharacteristic 12.05 K/9 (career 6.12). Looking under the hood, his heavy
change/curve use is responsible for the strikeouts jump. Hitters have nibbled
at his offspeed offerings, especially outside, with minimal success. Because
he misses bats and induces numerous groundball outs, spotless performances
could easily continue. He’s the super absorbent Band-Aid to apply to a bleeding staff.  

—

Images courtesy of US Presswire/MLB.com

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a lawsuit against SmartBuy and a group of related companies that allegedly “scammed members of the military” by selling them electronics and other products at markups of up to 325% of the original retail prices, and then “financed the sales” illegally through undisclosed credit lines linked to the soldiers’ bank accounts. According to the AG, the company aggressively targeted members of the military, and “salespeople were trained to specifically seek out people in uniform and people with military-style haircuts.”

“SmartBuy is part of a national network of companies and individuals that seek to profit by defrauding members of the military,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “Our lawsuit not only seeks to bar them from ever doing business again in the state, but also to vindicate the countless soldiers who were preyed upon and defrauded by SmartBuy and its affiliated companies.”

Cuomo’s investigation found that SmartBuy peddled products that were marked up 225 to 325 percent above the original retail price and financed the sales illegally. The sales were made only to members of the military through monthly direct withdrawals from payroll, known as “allotments,” and backed up with agreements giving the company access to the soldiers’ bank accounts. The soldiers were rarely told the final price of the product up front, nor was it explained that they were really opening a line of credit. If a soldier defaulted, SmartBuy and its affiliates illegally contacted the soldiers’ commanding officers. The tactic put service members in an untenable situation because Army regulations forbid soldiers from putting themselves in a financially precarious situation.

Examples cited by the AG’s office included a soldier getting ready to go to Afghanistan who was “told he could get a ‘really good deal’ by ‘bundling’ a purchase including a laptop, iPod, camcorder, and PSP for a monthly $90 direct withdrawal (allotment) from his paycheck. In reality, the final price SmartBuy charged was at least double the normal retail price for the items. Two days later, he attempted to return the unopened items, but he was told by the manager he could not return them without paying a $400 restocking fee in cash.”

The companies named in the lawsuit are Frisco Marketing of N.Y., LLC, doing business as SmartBuy and SmartBuy Computers and Electronics; Integrity Financial of North Carolina, Inc.; Britlee, Inc., doing business as MilitaryZone; GJS Management, Inc. and Rome Finance Company, Inc. and Rome Finance Co. LLC, all owned and/or operated by Fayetteville, N.C.-based John Paul Jordan, Stuart Jordan, and Rebecca Wirt, and Concord, California-based William Collins and Ronald Wilson.

Attorney General Cuomo Sues Nationwide Network That Scammed Members Of The Military [Press Release]

Scientists for years have warned about the irreversible damage to Appalachian ecosystems caused by mountaintop removal coal mining (which makes sense, considering that the nation’s oldest mountains can’t grow back once they’ve been topped). But don’t tell that to the coal industry.

At a West Virginia hearing yesterday on the EPA’s controversial proposal to veto the permit for the largest mountaintop removal mine in the state’s history, hundreds of industry supporters — including Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) — blasted the agency for threatening jobs in the region. They’re claiming that the proposal to veto Arch Coal’s Spruce Mine puts politics above science — an ironic argument considering that there are clear signs that evidence-based decision-making is returning to the EPA after eight years in the wilderness of the Bush administration.

The Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr. reports:

Supporters of the permit complained that EPA was wrong to step in after a mining permit was already issued, and that such an unusual step means no permit ever issued is safe from being later rescinded.

“EPA wants to take the permit away for what seem like political reasons, not scientific reasons,” said John McDaniel, a top Arch Coal engineer who worked on the Spruce Mine permit for more than a decade.

Rahall weighed in at the gathering as well. “Pursuing this course will have a chilling effect on the coal industry in West Virginia and the Appalachian region,” Rahall said, according to Ward.

“It sends a message to investors that no permit is ever assured and that money they might be willing to put into similar coal mining operations and coal jobs is nothing more than a high-risk bet,” Rahall said.

Spike Maynard, a former state Supreme Court Justice (and close friend of the industry) who’s challenging Rahall in November, was also on hand to rip the EPA’s veto proposal.

“The EPA has changed the rules mid-stream on our miners, and I don’t see how anyone could think that is fair.”

Funny that there were no similar complaints from industry supporters when the Bush White House changed the rules mid-stream on coal miners (see here and here).

Of course, those changes made it easier to blow up the mountains.

Among Android handsets with keyboards, the Droid is the indisputable king. The LG Ally, also on Verizon, doesn’t change this, but it does make buying a Droid tougher to stomach. More »

We were expecting this to hit since the icon was showing in iTunes yesterday, and now the official Twitter for iPhone app has finally landed.  The app is an update to Tweetie 2, so users who already owned Tweetie can find the Twitter for iPhone app in the updates section of their device or in iTunes.  The icon has changed to display the Twitter bird but the interface of the application looks to be largely unchanged from Tweetie 2.  Some new features of Twitter for iPhone include the ability to view top tweets and suggested users, search and view both trends and top tweets without a Twitter account, the ability to retweet from the main action bar, and some other minor tweaks. 

Overall, Twitter for iPhone seems like a worthwhile free download for existing Tweetie users as well as other iPhone and iPod Touch owners who have yet to experience Tweetie/Twitter for iPhone.  What do you think of Twitter for iPhone? Tell us your thoughts!

With a vote on the financial reform bill in the Senate set to occur in less than an hour, sources indicate that Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) has decided not to compromise on derivatives. Yesterday, he introduced a last-minute amendment which would have given a council of regulators and the Treasury Secretary the option to kill a controversial provision that would have forbid banks from dealing derivatives. But now, Bloomberg is reporting that a Senate aide says that he won’t offer the amendment after all. What changed his mind? Here are a few theories.

He Doesn’t Have the Votes With the Compromise

It’s possible that Republicans have decided to band together and vote against the bill, despite the amendment. If that’s the case, then there would be no point in him keeping it. To be sure, the entire purpose of revising the derivatives language was to get Republican votes. If it didn’t accomplish that, then why bother? The vote will fail either way.

He Has the Votes Without the Compromise

On the other hand, he may have determined enough Republicans were on board even without the amendment. If he doesn’t need to compromise for the bill to pass, then why would he? If Republicans were satisfied with the bill as is, then he wouldn’t need this revision.

He’s Protecting Sen. Lincoln

The last-minute introduction of an amendment to water down the derivatives section of the bill was predicted, since it was believed that Democrats were protecting the legislation’s author, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), who was enduring a brutal primary battle. She wanted to appear tough on Wall Street to appeal liberal voters. But she didn’t win on Tuesday. Instead, a run-off was forced. That means she still needs protection. If she convinced Democrats that they can’t alter her provision, then Dodd’s compromise might have been put aside.

That final option seems a little unlikely, mostly because passing financial reform is probably a more important priority than protecting one senator, who could instead just argue that she tried to keep the provision but the Democratic leadership overruled her. If the bill does pass without this amendment — and the derivatives spin-off provision is left intact — then it could still be eliminated during the conference process. Perhaps Senate Democrats find that a politically preferable alternative to killing it now? That is, if they have the votes to pass the bill without the compromise. If they don’t, the decision is baffling.

Skiing isn’t just a snow-white adventure sport anymore. It has a touch of green to it now, in Switzerland. A scarcely populated Swiss village, Tenna, has made use of the sun’s energy in the best way possible. Powering a ski lift using solar energy, shows just how much applicability sustainable sources like these, have in our world today. Placed on top of the drag lift, solar panels will harvest the sun’s energy and will be adjustable to track the sun better, and keep the snow away too. The system is expected to harvest around 0,000 kWh per year, of which only 22,000 kWh will be needed for the operation of the lift. The rest will be used to power up homes. The lift, costing AUD$1.27 million for construction will have its funds donated by sponsors and donations. Tenna deserves a pat on the back for setting an example like this.
Source

No matter how cheap phone calls from landlines and mobiles get, it’s always going to be far more costly than instant messaging, especially when communicating with friends and family abroad. The great thing about instant messaging is that it enables
you to talk to people on a one-to-one basis as well as in groups. Unfortunately, there are so many different
messaging clients available it’s pretty unlikely that all your friends
and family will be using the same one.

Miranda
0.8.23 enables users to communicate with almost anyone, irrespective
of IM network. All status icons are included for other networks and
your contacts are consolidated onto a single list. Unfortunately the
application doesn’t support all advanced features that ship with some IM
tools, but it’s free and you have the convenience of using a
single application.

Miranda
0.8.23 link.

See that? That’s Android 1.6 (or “Andriod”, it seems) and Windows Mobile 6.5, on the same HTC Diamond 2(ish phone). Sure, it’s a knock-off made in China — and sure, it may very well explode into a fiery ball of death mere inches from your face. But if you’re worried about that, than you’re just a.. well, actually, you’re a perfectly reasonable person.

Beyond the hidden fiery-ball-of-death feature, this thing’s actually got some pretty decent specs for a Chinese clone. Tucked behind that 3.2″ display is a 624Mhz processor, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, WiFi, 1650mAh battery, 3.2″ display, 256MB RAM, and a 512MB ROM.

This is where we’d normally link to a product page — but to be honest, I’ve got no idea where the hell to buy one of these online, and it’s sort of hard to link to a Chinese street market.

[Via ClonedInChina]

 

In a move that probably should have happened a while ago, AT&T just released their myWireless Mobile for Android devices (which is currently only the Motorola Backflip). The AT&T myWireless Mobile app allows users to keep track of their AT&T account by being able to view & pay the bill, view usage for minutes, data, and messaging, and even allows users to add or remove features. It’s pretty much the AT&T website re-packaged in a nice tidy mobile app. You’ll have to sign up for a myWireless account to take advantage of the app but we’d suggest you AT&T Android users do that, there’s nothing better than seeing how many Megabytes of data usage you can squeeze from them. [at&t via phonescoop]

Kicking-off a two-day symposium on “Designing Wildlife Habitats” at Dumbarton Oaks, John Beardsley, Director of Garden and Landscape Studies and convenor of the symposium, said landscape architecture has always had an “art camp” and an “ecology camp.” There are a few like “Frederick Law Olmstead, and, now Michael van Valkenburgh, FASLA, and Kongjian Yu, International ASLA, who straddle the two camps.” However, the ecological principles many landscape architects are applying to their habitat restoration projects may now be “outdated, or even misconstrued.” Increasingly, designers need to be mindful of the “full range” of biodiversity. Landscape architects, Beardsley argued, have been successful with plant diversity, but less so to date with other kinds of biodiversity.

As Beardsley outlined in the symposium brief (see earlier post), the world is now undergoing a new wave of extinctions. To preserve species, landscape architects will need to work with biologists, ecologists, and other scientists to recreate wildlife habitat. This will involve complex issues like ”sizing and spacing habitat patches and ecosystems,” productive habitat creation, and restoration ecology. There may also be trade-offs between preservation and restoration.

Beardsley argued that culture and nature “shouldn’t be separate.” “Wildness can’t be separated from management and stewardship of the environment, or we can’t create an ethical and sustainable relationship.” Furthermore, while designing wildlife habitats, the science can’t be so artful that it’s no longer functional. The model must be “complex, adaptable,” and science can provide a set of parameters. 

Lastly, “we must ask why are we recreating habitat? Can these designs be agents of broader ecological change? Are we restoring for educational reasons, or to generate ecosystem services? “Do we value diversity for its own sake?” There are a range of philosophical issues.

To root the conversation in cutting-edge science on biodiversity and ecosystems, and explore the concept of ecosystem services, Shaheed Naeem, Professor of Ecology and Chair, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, provided an ecological framework. Naeem, author of a seminal book on ecosystem services,
said “nature is structured to govern the distribution of species. Evolution governs these structures.”

Biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) is the framework that enable us to analyze the complex functional distribution of nature. Naeem said there are competing views on biodiversity function, including (1) every species is special, (2) nature is totally chaotic so we can’t tell, and (3) we can lose some species and still maintain appropriate levels of biodiversity. Naeem implied the idea of just discarding some species was a bit simplistic. He used an analogy. “Imagine knowing nothing about a car, and lifting up the hood and pulling out little pieces.” The car may still function for a period of time, but eventually the entire “car system” could break down. Ecosystems, in the same way, are complex machines with  inputs and wastes, processes and food chains that are difficult to understand. 

Species loss affects ecosystem function. Naeem said recent analyses demonstrate that “preserving as much biodiversity as possible” is the best path. To prove this, ecologists must “bring reality into the system,” and apply real world variables into their models. This involves taking managed or restored ecosystems to a higher-level of biodiversity function.

Getting to a higher-level of biodiversity function means addressing “ecological poverty.” Naeem argued that just as there are very few very rich people and many poor people, in nature, there are very few rare species and many common, poor ones. “It’s a lognormal distribution, not a bell curve.” Relating rare species to rich people, Naeem asked: why should we care about those very rare species if the vast majority are plentiful? “This is where the question of biodiversity lies.”

Most ecosystem functions are invisible, so, it’s actually the poor, invisible, “common” species, which are most plentiful, that “we need to focus most of our attention on preserving.” Poor species are the ones that get out-competed. They have attributes of common species but changing conditions lead to changes in the ecosystem that adversely impact them. Naeem called for a campaign to “champion the rare, special, and poor.”

Naeem argued that humans have managed landscapes for a long time.  Even the American grassland, an iconic landscape, has borne human “mixing,” because the original grassland ecology disappeared long ago. The American prarie is more of an “American religion” than a natural system. “Native Americans were managing it eons ago.” So, there is a case that nature can be “disassembled,” broken down into essential components. “We can remix them. Monocultures can be remixed as polycultures, creating new ecosystems that have never existed before.” However, some still say the “soul of nature” is torn down when you start from scratch.

Ecosystem services may provide a way forward for preserving nature’s valuable and often invisible (at least to our eyes) biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Nature is estimated to provide some $38 trillion in services to humans per year, but all of this is largely provided for free. Naeem asked: “What if fungi could send us a bill? What is microbes could unionize? They are working all the time.” To take ecosystem service from a conceptual framework into reality, a price on carbon is needed so the true value of trees, fungi, microbes, and other natural services can be incorporated into existing natural resource markets.

This is part one in a three-part series on the “Designing Wildlife Habitat” symposium recently at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.

Image credit: National Geographic

Verizon’s latest netbook nearly completes its collection. The 10.1-inch HP Mini 210 offers the N450 1.66GHz Atom CPU along with 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. Windows 7 Starter edition powers the netbook and it can be yours for for $149 with a 2-year data contract. Of course $50 more will get a larger screen and Windows Home Premium with the HP Mini 311.

Now the big red V has the Windows XP-powered Gateway LT at the $50 price point, the new HP at $149, and the more potent HP Mini 311 rounding out the group at the $199 mark. Now all Verizon needs is a tablet of some sort. Say, maybe, one by RIM?

Earlier we linked to the Bloomberg piece about Goldman’s top trades for 2010, and how almost all of them have done horribly for clients.

Seven of the investment bank’s nine “recommended top trades for 2010” have been money losers for investors who adopted the New York-based firm’s advice, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from a Goldman Sachs research note sent yesterday. Clients who used the tips lost 14 percent buying the Polish zloty versus the Japanese yen, 9.4 percent buying Chinese stocks in Hong Kong and 9.8 percent trading the British pound against the New Zealand dollar.

It just so happens we published the top trades last year.

So, without further ado, we present Goldman’s horrible top trades for 2010.

(Note: these were published in December, 2010)

Bet on moderating S&P volatility

Goldman writes:

Short S&P 500 Dec10/Dec11 Forward
Starting Variance Swap, at 28.20, Target 21

At current levels, forward variance suggests that the
coming years will be as volatile as 2009. But this past
year was the 8th most volatile year on record (2008 ranks
as number three), and our recent work on the 2004-
template suggests that even in a sluggish recovery and a
range-bound equity market, as macro-driven uncertainty
declines, volatility can continue to moderate.

Realized 1-
month S&P 500 volatility is currently at 16, towards the
low end of Buzz Gregory and team’s near-term macro
driven forecast range of 15-19, and front-month VIX is at
about 25.50. And the upward-sloping term structure has
kept forward variance higher still. 

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Go Russia!

Ignore all that political risk, and everything else you might have your head about Putin’s state. Bet on Russia!

Russia’s economic growth profile is among the most
robust in the region. After a steep 9.5% decline in 2009,
Russia’s economic turnaround will be sharp, with GS
economists expecting real GDP to rebound to +4.5% in
2010 and to accelerate towards the end of the year. And
the Russian stock index also has significant commodity
exposure, which we like given our still bullish long-term
view on energy and the broader commodity complex.
Moreover, we expect continued easing in monetary policy
with at least 100bp of further cuts in interest rates this
coming year (compared to +100bp cumulative hikes
priced into the forwards). 

Compared with other developed and emerging equity
markets Russian equities have been the laggards in
recouping the losses since last year. Our models suggest
that Russian CDS should compress from 204bp to a fair
value of 150bp, which may also provide a tailwind. In
general, Russian exposure does not seem to be “over-
owned”. We are also exposed to RUB strength relative to
the USD.

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Go Britain, and forget the Kiwis

The pain in the UK pound, and the strength of the New Zealand Dollar have both been overdone. So, time to reverse that trade.

Top Trade #3: Long GBP/NZD at 2.29, target 2.60
In the context of our ‘growth differentiation’ investment
theme, our FX research has been highlighting the need to
look for strong out-of-consensus views. One currency
cross that stands out in this respect is short NZD/GBP.
We are considerably more bullish on Sterling, linked to
stronger cyclical momentum in response to a large easing
in financial conditions. At the same time we expect rates
to rise a lot more slowly in New Zealand than the
consensus. 

Beyond the cyclical differentiation relative to consensus,
we think there are additional factors arguing for the NZD
to underperform. Firstly, the positive terms-of-trade
impact on New Zealand has only been about half as large
as in Australia due to the different commodity mix. But
both currencies have performed similarly this year and, in
fact, NZD is at least 5% more overvalued than the AUD.
Secondly, in order to re-balance the economy, the
authorities in New Zealand appear to be considering
dampening domestic demand through tighter fiscal policy
with the explicit aim of weakening the currency.

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Bet on UK/Australia convergence

Another similar theme as the UK/Kiwi trade.

Top Trade #4: Pay 2-yr UK Rates vs Australia 1-yr
Forward at -268.5bp, Target -150bp. The UK has
been far closer to the epicentre of the credit crisis than
Australia. But markets expect this macro divergence to
extend and the forwards price policy rates to rise much
faster in Australia than in the UK. This looks too
aggressive to us. Overall financial conditions have eased
far more in the UK than in Australia, the damage to UK
house prices has been smaller than initially feared and
our forecasts envisage a steep acceleration of UK GDP
growth into 2011. We see cumulative tightening of
300bp in the UK by end-2011, starting in mid-2010,
compared with just 125bp in Australia. 
updated on a monthly basis.

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Here comes a Turkish recovery

Get ready for strong growth and higher interest rates in Turkey:

Top Trade #5: Pay 2y Rates in Turkey at 8.77%,
Target 12%. Real policy rates in emerging markets are
at record-low levels. This is particularly true in Turkey,
where the market is pricing that real policy rates will
decline from about 1.5% currently (ex-post) to about
1.0% in 12 months. Turkish growth should continue to
recover strongly, while inflation normalises to about 7%
next year. We expect the CBRT to hike by 250bp in the
second half of 2010 from 6.5% currently, more than the
forwards. As tightening begins, we expect the forward
premium to increase. There is a large negative carry and
roll-over cost of 375bp, but we are confident that the
switch in monetary policy will occur in the next few
quarters.

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Short Spain, Long Ireland

Credit default swaps on Irish sovereign debt are still wider than Spain’s. This will coverge.

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Growth will diverge all around the world

The basic idea: bet on growth rates being wildly different all around the world.

This theme can be implemented in the form of our
Growth Current (Bloomberg ticker: GSCUGROW). As a
reminder, the Currents are tradable long-short baskets of
currencies that aim to capture certain macro themes in the
FX markets. The Growth Current specifically makes its
selection of currencies based essentially on how fast
countries are closing their output gaps. The FX Growth
Current currently contains long positions in INR, IDR,
CNY, AUD, PLN, PHP and short positions in MXN,
RUB, TRY, TWD, HUF, MYR, but given the dynamic
nature of the basket the composition will change
frequently. Currencies currently included in the short
basket could easily appear on the long side later in the
year (see the Global Viewpoint dated July 20, 2009 for
more details on our FX Currents). 

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Go long Poland vs. Japan

The final one is another odd pair trade:

Polish growth is currently accelerating strongly, running
at a forecast sequential rate of more than 4%qoq
annualised in the current quarter after 2% qoq annualised
in Q3. Poland has only experienced one single quarter of
negative growth during the crisis. The Polish Zloty is
undervalued to the tune of 14% against the EUR,
according to our GSDEER model. Strong export demand
partly linked to the cheap currency but also linked to the
recovery in Germany has kept the trade account close to
zero despite the strong pick-up in domestic demand. 
In sharp contrast, the Japanese Yen is significantly
overvalued. The resulting exceptionally tight financial
conditions in Japan have raised the downside risks to
growth from an already anaemic starting point. Moreover,
the new government appears to focus increasingly in the
negative growth impact from Yen overvaluation, as
signalled by recent MoF communications. We also think
there is reasonable chance that the Bank of Japan
proceeds to quantitative easing measures soon in order to
alleviate economic pressures. This could serve as a
catalyst for JPY weakness.

Now, see what Morgan Stanley says about 2010 >>

Source: Goldman Sachs: Unveiling Our Top 10 Trades For 2010

Buy Hong Kong

(Unfortunately we don’t have the exact call ont his one, and are relying on Bloomberg’s report to indicate that it was 9th of the firm’s recommendations.)

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