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Unlike other expense apps that I have seen on the Market, Xpenser stores all the expenses in the cloud. This is done by syncing with Xpenser.com using an Xpenser account you create on startup. This is a nice feature which allows you to log into Xpenser.com and edit or print your expenses.

One differentiating feature of this expense app is the ability to take pictures of receipts and attach them to expenses. This is a very useful feature for the business person that has to file and carry around receipts from business expenses. Now, just snap a picture of the receipt and it is uploaded to Xpenser.com.

On first startup of the app, you are greeted with a login screen where you can use your existing Xpenser account or create a new one. From there, the UI is very user friendly and pleasing to the eyes. You can start entering expenses right away using the Quick Add function, or you can navigate to the Detail Add screen to enter more specifics for the expense and attach a receipt. Xpenser also supports multiple reports. This is a practical feature that gives you the ability separate expenses and allows for a more organized approach to dealing with numerous expense items. With Xpenser, you are also able to use Locale to setup recurring expenses based on specific conditions that are met.

So far, the developer has been very quick to respond to questions and looks to be quickly adding new features to the app.

Future features include:

• Help screen (near future)
• Integrating Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to the receipts to pull in amount, type, and location of each expense
• GPS tags to notes
• Linking phone contacts to reports
• Automated SMS/email notifications of amounts due are other possibilities

What I like about the app:

• Easy to use
• Syncs with Xpenser.com
• Handles multiple reports
• Can attach receipts
• Can use Locale for recurring expenses
• Runs on 1.5

Areas that could use some improvement:

• Add help screen (as mentioned previously, this is in the works)

Final Verdict:
Xpenser is a very useful app for keeping track of expenses which includes many features that are missing from other expense apps on the market. The $1.49 price tag is reasonable and well worth the added organization of expenses it gives you.

This review was conducted using Xpenser v1.2.4 on a Samsung Moment using firmware v1.5 and 2.1 and also HTC G1 using firmware v1.6.

Note: This review was submitted by Craig Isakson as part of our app review contest.

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Josh Lee and Stephen Adams

A team from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Law has won the Giles Sutherland Rich moot court national championship in Washington, D.C.

Composed of third level law student Josh Lee and second level law student Stephen Adams, the team won by a split decision over American University. The team won the Houston Regional to advance to the national finals, where the winners and runners-up from each of the four regions competed.

In the national competition, Lee and Stephens defeated a team from Akron University, which had placed second in the Midwestern Regional, in the quarterfinal round and then a strong team from the University of California-Davis, first in the West, in the semifinal round.

In the final round, the team had a unique opportunity to argue its case before Judges Alan D. Lourie, Alvin A. Schall, and Timothy B. Dyk of the Federal Circuit.

Judge Lourie asked Lee if a case he had cited was still good law in light of a later Supreme Court decision, and noted that he was particularly interested in the answer because he had written the opinion Lee had cited.

“Please join me in congratulating national champions Josh and Stephen for bringing the championship to the University of Tennessee College of Law,” said Gary Pulsinelli, team co-coach and professor in the college. “And thank you to all those who helped out by judging practice rounds, and also to my co-coach, Ken Hoffmeister.”

In its 37th year, the Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial moot court competition is hosted by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and looks at problems in intellectual property law. The competition is named for a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit who was the most distinguished jurist in the field of patent law in the world.

2010 Buick LaCrosse

Earlier we noted that Caterpillar’s (CAT) quarterly earnings could basically be boiled down to: Asia good, America bad.

An 8-K filed later on emphasizes this point, and looking at the chart we’re really perplexed as to how one might consider the US economy — at least when it comes to the kind of earth-moving equipment that Caterpillar says — in recovery.

Join the conversation about this story »

In light of the current BBC-led controversy on whether “brain training” works, we believe it is critical to spend some time discussing the basics of brain functioning and brain-healthy lifestyles, what “brain training” is and isn’t (to be accurate, the BBC didn’t test Brain Training as a category, only the new games that their researchers chose to build from scratch and designate as “brain training” ignoring previous research), what methodologies for brain training are in fact backed up by science (meditation, cognitive therapy, biofeedback, computerized cognitive training) as valuable for a variety of populations and goals, and how consumers and professionals can learn to navigate the growing array of claims. SharpBrains wants to contribute to a healthy conversation by sharing online a new online resource based on the content from the book The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness (May 2009, $19.95), by Alvaro Fernandez and Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg.

The new resource is available via the Navigation Bar as “HOW-TO GUIDE: all about brain fitness“, and below are its main sections. You can engage in the conversation in this blog, via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Enjoy!

	Debunking 10 Brain Myths You are a lifelong learner. You may also be a caregiver, or a professional in fields such as healthcare, education, or psychology. The goal of this resource is to help you make informed decisions about brain health and cognitive fitness, based on latest scientific findings. First of all, let’s debunk some common myths. Keep reading.
	1. Brain Fitness Fundamentals In order to make informed decisions about brain health and brain training, you need to first understand the underlying organization of the human brain and how it evolves across our lifespan. For example, the brain is composed of a number of specialized regions serving distinct functions, our life and productivity depend on a variety of brain functions, not just one, and there is nothing inherently fixed in the trajectory of how brain functions evolve as we age. Keep reading.
	2. The 4 Pillars of Brain Maintenance Thanks to lifelong neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, our lifestyles and actions play a meaningful role in how our brains physically change. Now, there is no “general solution” or “magic pill” for brain maintenance. A multi-pronged approach centered on nutrition, stress management, and both physical and mental exercise is recommended for better brain health. Keep reading.
	3. Brain Training vs. Mental Activity In this section we focus on mental exercise – which we will call brain training, to distinguish it from mental activity in general. Brain training goes beyond mental activity. It is the structured use of cognitive exercises or techniques aimed at improving specific brain functions, and can be delivered in a number of ways: meditation, cognitive therapy, cognitive training, biofeedback. Keep reading.
	4. Making Informed Brain Training Decisions The state of the research does not allow for strong “prescriptions” of specific products: we want to offer you the best information available today so that you can make better informed decisions. Different people face different cognitive demands, and have different starting points, so there is no general solution for everyone and everything. As in physical fitness, informed consumers and professionals must ask themselves a number of questions. Keep reading.
	5. Brain Fitness through the Lifespan The same way there are many reasons to exercise our bodies (run in a marathon, stay in shape, lose weight, become an Olympian, have strong abdominal muscles, etc.), there are many reasons to exercise our brains. In this chapter, we review a few current and future applications of brain training through the lifespan, including education, corporate wellness, retirement communities, clinical conditions, and more. Keep reading.
	6. Ready for the Future? In this section our aim is to describe the trends we think are important in order to help you be ready for the future. Informed and proactive adults will look for solutions to integrate brain fitness to their everyday activities. Professionals will identify opportunities to offer new services and programs. We hope this chapter will give you ideas as to how to introduce brain fitness in your personal life and/or your workplace. Keep reading.
	7. Opening the Debate Our ultimate goal is to stimulate discussion. In this final section we want to provide you, proud brain owners and ambassadors of brain fitness, with additional food for though. Processing new information is a stimulating intellectual exercise, and discussing insights and open questions with a group of people can be equally if not more stimulating. Keep reading.

WASHINGTON– Setting the record straight: Democratic Illinois Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias–the Illinois treasurer was invited–in his official role as a statewide elected official–to join President Obama at his Wednesday afternoon event in Quincy.

The Quincy stop–where Obama will deliver a speech on Wall Street reform–is on Obama’s Illinois, Missouri and Iowa swing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Giannoulias will attend.

The invitations to all the Illinois statewide elected officials, from Gov. Quinn on down, came from the White House on Monday morning, sent by Chelsea Kammerer, Special Assistant to the Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs ( a shop that at the top is overseen by White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.)

The White House also invited Iowa and Missouri statewide elected officials to Obama stops in their states.

I know there is chatter out there that Giannoulias was somehow snubbed by the White House over the Quincy event that started last week, when Giannoulias said Quincy was not on his schedule. The chatter was fueled by the failure last week of his family-controlled Broadway Bank.

Obama is visiting Illinois, Missouri and Iowa on a government, not a political trip–though the White House will distribute some VIP tickets for local politicos.

Guidance from the White House: On Tuesday, the President will continue the White House to Main Street tour with stops in Iowa. In the early afternoon, he will tour Siemens Energy Inc Facility in Fort Madison and then share ideas with workers for continuing to grow the economy and to put Americans back to work. He will then make a stop in Mt. Pleasant. Later in the afternoon, President Obama will hold a town hall meeting in Ottumwa at Indian Hills Community College. On Wednesday, the President will hold events in Macon, Missouri and Quincy, Illinois. He will return to Washington, DC on Wednesday night.


In news that will leave conservative Republicans everywhere jumping with glee, George W. Bush — whose presidency was marked by the September 11 attacks, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a crippling financial crisis — is penning his memoir.

The former Texas governor has remained relatively quiet since leaving The White House in January 2009 with one of the lowest presidential approval ratings in US history.

Decision Points, will center on 14 decisions Bush made in his eight years as president, including “his flaws and mistakes, as well as his historic achievements.” Bush is expected to embark on a national tour this fall to promote the book, which will sell for $35, Crown Publishing Group said in a statement Monday.

“President Bush brings readers inside the Texas Governor’s Mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11 in the gripping hours after America’s most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; inside the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq…”

The book is also expected to explore the former president’s battle against alcoholism and his love of faith and family.

For us liberals, living through Bush’s reign of terror was enough, but those of you into cruel and unusual punishment can pick up the tome when it hits shelves Nov. 9.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Lee Hyundai Fayetteville

2011 Hyundai Sonata, equipped with a 4 Cyl. engine and an automatic transmission. Enjoy this great car with features like MP3 Player, Electronic Stability Control, Satellite Radio, EBD Electronic Brake Dist, EBA Emergency Brake Asst, Vanity Mirrors, Side Impact Door Beams, and much more.

Enjoy the drive and have peace of mind in this 2011 Hyundai Sonata

2011 New Hyundai Equus

Hyundai aims to break down the barriers of owning a luxury car with the introduction of its all-new flagship, the 2011 Hyundai Equus.

Equus will compete with the best luxury sedans in the world on all levels including amenities, performance, advanced technologies, design and ownership experience when it arrives at select Hyundai dealerships in the late summer of 2010.

Hyundai Equus broadens Hyundai’s lineup of premium vehicles and like Genesis, is built on Hyundai’s world-class rear-wheel-drive architecture.

It is powered by the award-winning 4.6-liter Tau® V8. The Tau inside the Hyundai Equus will produce an estimated 385 horsepower using premium fuel and 378 horsepower using regular fuel. With technology rivaling more expensive luxury sedans, Hyundai Equus showcases features such as a lane departure warning system, electronic air suspension, smart cruise control and a Lexicon® audio system.

When Genesis was introduced, Hyundai promised that its rear-wheel-drive architecture would spawn more products in other segments. Hyundai Equus is the third of those products, this time riding on a lengthened Genesis architecture.

Hyundai Equus is 7.2 inches longer (203.1 inches vs. 195.9 inches) than Genesis. Hyundai Equus boasts an excellent 52/48 front-to-rear weight distribution for exceptional handling and more refined steering characteristics.

Hyundai Equus reduces interior noise levels and improves ride and handling with a stiff, light weight body structure. The use of high-tensile steel in critical areas in the unibody provides Hyundai Equus with significantly higher dynamic torsional rigidity and a lower body structure weight despite having a spacious interior cabin.

Headlining the Hyundai Equus’ performance capabilities is Hyundai’s Tau 4.6-liter V8 engine, a two-time Ward’s 10 Best Engine winner, mated to a ZF 6-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC® manual control.

The Tau V8 delivers an estimated 385 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque (378 horsepower and 324 lb-ft using regular fuel) to fit the demands of luxury consumers. This powertrain combination will launch Hyundai Equus to 60 miles per hour in less than 6.4 seconds. On premium fuel, the Tau V8 produces more horsepower than the powerplants found in the Lexus LS 460, Mercedes-Benz S550, and Audi A8 and nearly the same power as these competitors on regular fuel.

The design of the Hyundai Equus is handsome and pleasing to the eye. The rear-end treatment is progressive with bold taillights, strong shoulders and an overall look of precision. This look is accomplished through fully-integrated asymmetrical exhaust tips and rear LED turn signal indicators.

The side silhouette is refined, with character lines that accent the rear fenders. Up front is a subtle horizontal radiator grille and well-proportioned headlamps with jeweled detailing. LED turn signals are inside the HID headlamps along with an adaptive front lighting system with white LED position lamps.

The lower air intakes are bold and add to the positive reaction of the overall design. To assist in parking, and navigating blind corners and alleys in urban driving, there is an optional forward-view cornering camera integrated into the grille.

Nissan’s, much hyped, all–electric LEAF seems to have hit the right cord with consumers. The LEAF is supposed to be the first ever electric car to be mass produced and made commercially available. According to a Nissan executive more than 6,635 people have booked the LEAF just within two days of opening bookings. However, the more staggering statistic is that Nissan got around 2,700 bookings within the first two hours itself. While, a majority of the bookings are coming in from the western coasts, everyone’s only motive seems to be ‘going green’.Considering the fact that this reservation system has been made available only to the 115,000 people who had registered themselves on the “interest list” until May 15th, Nissan will achieve its target of 50,000 vehicles sooner than estimated.

Looking at the numbers, it seems that anyone who wants the LEAF in the first year will have to book it as fast as possible. The success of this car will also have a great effect on the environment as it will reduce carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes.
[gas2]

2011 Hyundai Accent Verna

This new Accent Looks Amazing , makes the last gen accent look 10 year old. The Toyota Yaris is got nothing on this one, I think hyundai has been doing a very good job on their new fluedic sculpture design of their new vehicles

One of the “greenest hotels” in the world, the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, has an interesting new option. If you ride one of its new electricity-generating exercise bikes long enough to generate 10 watt hours or more of electricity (not long), you get a free meal worth about $45.

The bikes have iPhones on the handlebars that can tell you how much power is being produced and fed into the hotel. Fun!

(more…)

Howard Lovy wrote:

Beringea, a Farmington Hills, MI, venture capital firm, has invested $6 million in InTouch Health, a telemedicine company based in Santa Barbara, CA, which plans to use the Series D financing round to open an engineering research and development center in Michigan, according to an announcement today. The investment was made through Beringea’s InvestMichigan! Growth Capital Fund. InTouch plans to hire a team of advanced robotics engineers for the new Michigan center, according to Beringea.

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UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

2011 Chevrolet Volt

In a recent press conference with the media, Chevrolet Volt engineers said that they were averaging 40 miles on battery power alone as promised. General Motors has put together a short video (with some cool Google Maps usage) showing us just how much an individual can do with the Volt without ever using gas.

Check out the short video after the jump.

Click here to read our first drive impressions of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

Refresher: The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is powered by 16-kWh, “T”-shaped lithium-ion battery that powers the electric drive unit, which allows it to drive 40 miles on battery power alone. According to GM’s preliminary specs, the system puts out 150-hp and a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft, allowing the Volt to go from 0-60 mph in about 9 seconds, hitting a top speed of 100 mph. The battery can be re-charged by plugging into a household outlet and takes less than 3 hours to recharge on 240 volts, and about 8 hours on a standard 120-volt outlet. The Chevrolet Volt also carries a 1.4 4-clyinder engine that allows the five-door, FWD sedan to travel additional miles while averaging a fuel-economy of 50 mpg. A fully charged battery and full tank of gas will allow the Volt to travel 300 miles.

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt:

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt:

– By: Kap Shah

How could a dog ignore a web site called LACurbed.com?

I learned of this great site this morning after being struck by a Dog Trainer post about one of the silliest projects floating around this crazy city.

The project concerns a lot of green space – which I love for a variety reasons, mostly scatological.

But Curbed L.A., while its story was picked up by the Dog Trainer, has nothing to do with dog training, which was a bit of a disappointment.  I’m into self-improvement.

The story – thank God! — also has nothing to do with the DWP, the mayor, the City Council, the controller or that Nuch guy – at least not yet.

The project in question is to build something like New York’s Central Park over the 101 freeway just east of the 110 in downtown Los Angeles.

According to Shelby Grad, the Dog Trainer investigative reporter who stole the story from Curbed LA:

“There are no firm design plans for the freeway cap — nor is there a firm price tag. The concepts show meandering open space and new high-rise development in and around what is now the 101. Backers are bullish, likening it to L.A.’s version of New York’s Central Park.

“Preliminary concepts say the park would likely be built as part of a public-private partnership that would involve some new high-rise construction. A community meeting on the project is scheduled for May 13 at Caltrans headquarters, according to Curbed L.A.”

Grad didn’t even steal the funniest part of the Cubed LA post:

“While we don’t know what designs are currently on the table, interns at EDAW AECOM created plans for the project in 2008 that called for a half-mile cap with ‘an iconic gateway and overlook at Grand Avenue’ that would include the tallest structure on the west coast.”

Interns? The tallest structure on the West Coast?

One of the comments on Curbed called the project “architectural masturbation,” a term I hadn’t come across before, but obviously familiar to Curb’s audience, which seem to know a lot about building things.

Another one of these things is apparently planned for the Hollywood Freeway.  That idea has been kicking around for a while.

First, it’s insulting that Caltrans is spending a dime on this idiocy.  But more frightening is the idea of waking up one morning to the Garcetti Skating Rink or the Lake LaBonge.

Let’s kill this one in the cradle.

Woof!

DJIA: Up one point to 11,204.

NASDAQ: Down 7 points to 2522.

S&P 500: Down 5 points to 1212.

Commodities:
Oil: Down 1.39% or $1.18 to $83.94 a barrel.
Gold: Down 0.05% or $0.60 to $1153.10 an ounce.
Silver: Up 0.56% or $0.10 to $18.33 an ounce.

Now here’s what you need to know as you leave work today:

• Financial stocks slid today over uncertainty as to what provisions would be included in the government’s financial reform package. Both regional (KRE) and larger financial (KBE) ETFs were hit on the eve of the first reform bill vote tonight.

• BlackRock took a significant hit today due to disappointing earnings at the asset management giant. The below expected earnings were a result of the continuing struggle to fully adjust to the acquisition of Barclays Global Investors. 

• Caterpillar produced impressive earnings results and returned to growth notching its first profit increase in seven quarters. Caterpillar bettered estimates and is expecting a street beating $38 to $42 billion in sales in 2010.

• Greece continues to dominate global market concerns as the country has yet to receive funds from the proposed IMF-EU bailout. Pimco’s El-Erian feels that Greece’s problems could quickly spread to other PIIGS states if action is not taken soon.

• Tomorrow, Goldman Sachs faces significant headline risk as several employees take the stand in the U.S. government’s inquisition into the causes of the financial crisis. Testimony will be given by Lloyd Blankfein and Fabrice “Fabulous Fab” Tourre.

Join the conversation about this story »

Tras la múltiple actividad del fin de semana pasado en el mundo de la competición, este nos ha tocado algo más de tranquilidad tanto en los circuítos como en las carreteras del WRC aunque no así en despachos y cuarteles generales de los equipos, que si han tenido mucha actividad que empezamos a resumiros a continuación.

Tras el GP de China de Fórmula 1, los equipos tuvieron que hacer bastantes peripecias para volver a Europa debido a la nube volcánica que tenía cerrado el espacio aéreo. En cualquier caso, este problema está solucionado y el GP de España, próxima prueba, no corre peligro. El director del Circuito de Cataluña habló estos días de como van los preparativos y también se comentó el buen ritmo de venta de entradas que ya ha hecho que se agoten para algunas zonas del circuito.

La llegada de la F1 a Europa significará el estreno de mejoras en la mayoría de escuderías. En el caso de Ferrari, esperan estar al a altura de los Red Bull y por el momento parece que ya han encontrado el problema de fiabilidad en sus motores.

Las nuevas escuderías también quieren seguir mejorando y por ejemplo Lotus introduce mejoras que espera le ahorren un segundo por vuelta mientras que Hispania Racing estrenará la caja de cambios

Por otra lado, también continúan los movimientos de cara a la próxima temporada. Por ejemplo, Stefan GP sigue con el sueño de estar en la parrilla y esta semana presentó el completo Stefan Technology Park, que servirá como cuartel general de la escudería y en el que se tiene prevista la construcción de un circuito propio.

El tema de los neumáticos también continúa dando que hablar. Al interés de Michelin se sumó el de la marca estadounidénse Avon Tyres y con ambas la FIA ya está en negociaciones. Además, la marca italiana Pirelli también parece interesada y deja la puerta abierta a una posible negociación.

En el WRC, semana tranquila tras la resaca del Rally de Turquía. Sebastien Loeb comentó sus impresiones tras su triunfo en una entrevista y ahora todo el mundo está a la espera del Rally de Nueva Zelanda, para el que WRC.com ha creado un sorteo con el que se invitará a dos personas a asistir en directo a la prueba de forma completamente gratuita.

Donde si hubo competición desde la que nos llega una desgraciada noticia fue en Nurburgring donde el piloto Leo Löwenstein tuvo un mortal accidente con el Aston Martin que conducía.

Os recodamos que en Recta de Meta podéis encontrar de forma detallada tanto éstas como todas las noticias que aparecen alrededor del mundo de la competición.

Vía | Recta de Meta

Last Friday night, California’s Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team entered editor Jason Chen’s home without him present, seizing four computers and two servers. They did so using a warrant by Judge of Superior Court of San Mateo. According to Gaby Darbyshire, COO of Gawker Media LLC, the search warrant to remove these computers was invalid under section 1524(g) of the California Penal Code. More »

Intel’s refreshed Convertible Classmate PC’s never going to be your everyday laptop, but it’s more than equipped to be your kid’s. And it may be showing up in his or her school before you know it. More »