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Content: Halo 3
Price: Check pricing for your region

Availability: All Xbox LIVE Regions
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual". The epic saga continues with Halo 3, the hugely anticipated third chapter in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise created by Bungie. Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Purchase Halo 3 and add it to your Xbox 360 download queue

Content: Saints Row
Price: Check pricing for your region

Availability: Now available in European Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual". Join the 3rd Street Saints in their battle for control of Stilwater in the 1st urban open world game for the Xbox 360! Offering extensive character customization, 13 unique pick up activities, 4 story lines, and a sprawling city that's unlocked from the start, Saints Row is the next evolutionary step in open world gaming. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Purchase Saints Row and add it to your Xbox 360 download queue

Content: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Price: Check pricing for your region
Availability: Now available in European Xbox LIVE regions, Australia and New Zealand
Dash Text: (Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) This game supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual". Sonic The Hedgehog redefines his trademark speed for the most intense, high-velocity adventure yet! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Purchase SONIC THE HEDGEHOG and add it to your Xbox 360 download queue

Content: Need for Speed Carbon
Price: Check pricing for your region
Availability: Now available in Asian Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: This game supports English and Chinese. Download the manual for this game by locating the game on http://marketplace.xbox.com and selecting “See Game Manual". The Battle for the City is Won in the Canyon What starts in the city is settled in the canyons as Need for Speed™ Carbon immerses you in the world’s most dangerous and adrenaline-filled form of street racing. You and your crew must race in an all-out war for the city, risking everything to take over your rivals’ neighborhoods one block at a time. As the police turn up the heat, the battle ultimately shifts to Carbon Canyon, where territories and reputations can be lost on every perilous curve. With online racing and the most advanced graphics and car customization tools ever, Need for Speed™ Carbon is the ultimate next generation racing game. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Purchase Need for Speed Carbon and add it to your Xbox 360 download queue

This is really quite sad, actually. It goes like this: A political satire app feature the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Mark Fiore — the first such award for an online journalist — was rejected from Apple’s App Store because it violated Apple’s policy against "ridiculing public figures." (You’ll note above that we’re not necessarily worried about that policy here.)

Anyhoo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs himself blessed the app, saying the rejection was a mistake. That brings us to today, and Jobs’ response to an Apple customer who expressed concern about Apple playing the role of "moral police." Said customer’s major concern:

"I’m all for keeping porn out of kids hands. Heck – I’m all for ensuring that I don’t have to see it unless I want to. But… that’s what parental controls are for. Put these types of apps into categories and allow them to be blocked by their parents should they want to."

In his response (Jobs sure has been writing back to the commoners a lot lately), he just couldn’t help but fire more blanks at Android.

"Fiore’s app will be in the store shortly. That was a mistake. However, we do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy and [sic] Android phone."

Yes, Steve, we’ll be the first to admit that the Android Market’s a bit of a mess and is badly in need of a makeover, and something needs to be done about all the bad porn apps. (If we’re gonna be stuck with it, can we at least get some quality smut, and maybe put it in a controlled category?)

But for Apple, the maker of arguably the world’s best mobile browser, to pretend that it’s not also the world’s greatest mobile porn portal is petty, misleading and — frankly — more than a bit disappointing. This isn’t the first time Jobs has fired this unloaded gun. And we’re willing to bet it won’t be the last. [TechCrunch via TiPB]

Last week ended on a slow note, but this week blasted off like a rocket. To the moon. Lots of apps, both of the new and updated variety. Which is always a good thing to us. Lots of new stuff. Games from Glu Mobile, quotes from Brighthouse, public domain book collections from Appible, and much much more. Check it out, yo. After the break, naturally.

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The Obama administration doesn’t want to fight with Afghan President Hamid Karzai anymore. Amb. Richard Holbrooke, the special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the U.S.’s relationship with the Afghan president is in “good shape.” That stuff about Karzai threatening to join the Taliban if he didn’t get to control an election monitor? In the past. (“The waters got roiled a little bit,” Holbrooke said at a press briefing yesterday.) Karzai will visit Washington from May 10 to 14 and soon afterward will hold a “peace jirga,” or national council seeking to establish the contours of a reconciliation offer to the Taliban.

Later yesterday, Holbrooke got in a shot at the United Nations’ former envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide. Eide’s old deputy, the former U.S. ambassador (and Holbrooke ally) Peter Galbraith, accused Eide of placing the U.N. mission in a quiescent position when Karzai committed widespread fraud in last year’s presidential election. After a screening of a forthcoming HBO documentary about Holbrooke’s friend Sergio Vieira de Mello, the revered U.N. diplomat killed in Iraq in 2003, Holbrooke told a panel discussion that he had recently come from a Kabul meeting that included Staffan de Mistura, Eide’s successor, whom he called “a substantial step forward” from his predecessor.

There are countless examples of wonderful, funny or just plain-weird photos in Street View. You may even find a photo of yourself in the online service, if you live in an area covered by Street View. It would be surprising, yes, but not totally unexpected. In fact, that’s exactly what one man in the UK set out to find. He didn’t find any of … (read more)

[JURIST] Two Blackwater contractors working for the US Department of Defense will not face the death penalty for the alleged May 2009 shooting of two Afghans at an intersection in Kabul. Justin Cannon of Corpus Christi and Christopher Drotleff of Virginia Beach, were arrested in January and charged with 13 counts related to the shooting, including second-degree murder, attempted murder, and weapons charges. Federal prosecutors told a district court judge in a hearing on Monday that they will not seek the death penalty. However, if convicted, the men could still face life in prison. The men have pleaded not guilty, and maintain that they fired at the vehicle in self defense, as it sped toward them. The trial is set for September 14.
Last week, a federal grand jury indicted five former Blackwater executives on charges of weapons violations and lying to criminal investigators. In February, the Iraqi government ordered approximately 250 former Blackwater employees to leave Iraq. The government was reacting to a US federal court’s December decision to dismiss charges against five former Blackwater employees accused of killing 17 innocent Iraqi civilians in 2007 because information against the defendants was obtained unconstitutionally. Earlier that month, the New York Times reported that the US Department of Justice is investigating Blackwater, now known as Xe, to determine whether the company bribed the Iraqi government to allow Blackwater to continue operating in Iraq following the 2007 shootings. Blackwater ceased operations in Baghdad in May 2009 when its security contracts for the protection of US diplomats expired.

Mark writes in with a story about how some newspapers are apparently jacking up the prices they charge for death notices (via The Consumerist). The original author balked at paying the SF Chronicle $450 for a 182-word death notice, calling it an exploitation of people who, when dealing with a death, will simply swallow it and pay up. That might be a little extreme, but clearly death notices are an area where papers can try to make up revenues they’ve lost in their classifieds and other areas. The key word here is “try” — by jacking up the cost of death notices, the plan seems to be to replace lots of people paying newspapers a little bit of money with a few people paying them a lot. Which makes perfect sense, right? The problem is that papers are assuming that death notices are something people will keep paying for blindly, when, like so many other parts of their business, they appear to be living on borrowed time. Just like classifieds shifted to the internet, so too are things like death notices, with social networks like Facebook becoming a more popular way for members of younger generations to learn about deaths in their social circles. Charging high fees for death notices seems like an easy way for newspapers to hasten their irrelevance and demise, not a way to grow their revenues.

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Poor Palm — the news coming out of the company just gets worse and worse. Lackluster sales of its webOS handsets and a mass exodus of key executives at the company. It’s like rats leaving a sinking ship in droves. Analysts are quick to point out what Palm has done wrong to put itself in this untenable position, but the fact remains that the way forward is anything but clear. Is it time for Palm to call it quits?

Sales of the Palm Pre and then the Pixi never set Sprint sales records. Palm then put big hopes on the updated Pre Plus and Pixi Plus, with its exclusive deal in the U.S. with Verizon. But in the quick paced smartphone space timing is everything, and Palm’s appearance on the Big Red network followed the carrier’s move into the hot Android market. The Verizon advertising campaign for the Droid Android line was massive, and the Palm phones arrived at Big Red with a whimper, not a bang.

The sales numbers for Palm get worse and worse; it’s clear the webOS platform is not saving the company as hoped. The company goes public that it is shopping for a buyer, and key executives are leaving by the shuttle bus load. Palm offers big bonuses to keep other executives from leaving the sinking ship, but that’s not enough either. The loss of a major distributor for Palm phones (RadioShack) proves how bad it is, and signals that it is only going to get worse. Palm is even waiving the developer’s $99 fee to submit webOS apps to the App Catalog, a move that smells of “too little too late”. There doesn’t seem to be a way forward for Palm, a sad situation for any company.

My Palm Pre is sitting forlornly on its Touchstone charger, a great phone but no longer sure when (or if) it can expect any further software updates. The Pre is a testament to how good the webOS platform really is, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to save Palm. That Touchstone charger is the single most innovative phone accessory to be released by anyone for years, yet it’s not enough either. It is a clear indicator of just how difficult the competitive smartphone market has become, when one of the best OS platforms coupled with great technology cannot turn the tide for Palm.

I have stated in the past that the only thing that can save Palm is an innovative (non-phone) product. A webOS tablet would at least break Palm out of the smartphone doldrums. Palm’s line of phones has not been enough to stave off disaster, so my thinking was that a radically different product would at least have a chance to make an impact. Now I’m not so sure, due to that timing thing. The iPad is selling like hotcakes, and as it’s the biggest competitor for a Palm webOS tablet, it’s probably too late.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

How To Clean Up the Mobile OS Mess

Some HTC Desire owners are starting to run into aggravation over the inability to download select apps from the Android Market.  Apparently, Google yet to “sign off” the new HTC Desire ROM and it’s hiding copy protected applications from users when browsing the Android Market.  Notable missing applications include Paypal, Twidroid, Skype, and the brand new Runkeeper. 

A couple of threads have started over in the official Android (UK) help forum with customers detailing their frustrations.  According to few accounts, HTC has been very quick to respond and address the situation, if not to toss a little blame at Google.

“Dear Andrew The explanation we have been given is that for all new ROMS released we have to supply Google with a “fingerprint” that identifies the ROM and this needs to be updated in their database with compatibility info and such so that the correct apps can be shown. Such as the market filtering out incompatible apps. We do supply these before relaese (sic) of all our ROM’s and devices however we have no say over how long it takes for Google to update their database. Best regards, Bjorn D HTC”

As irritating as this might be for some, we can’t imagine this situation will go on much longer.  The best advice we can offer at this point is to monitor the Android Market threads and periodically check to see if the apps show up.  We’ll be sure to pass along any news that comes our way.

Might We Suggest…

• Android Market Now 38,000 Apps Deep, Nexus One Profitable
  It seems like we were just talking about hitting 30,000 apps only a few days ago, doesn’t it?  Well, the semi-official word out of Google today is that the Android Market is over 38,000 applications s…

Want to know when your pre-ordered iPad will arrive? April 30th. If you planned to buy one from an Apple Store? That’ll be the same day, starting at 5pm. PM. So sleep in, nerds. More »

I love applications that have a simple premise, because they tend to be the most useful. So when I got an email announcing the release of Tungle for BlackBerry, it took me only a few seconds to realize the utility of the application. The premise: it’s tough to schedule meetings because you just never know when the other party is free. Even if you do manage to schedule something, the possibility of a double-booking still looms. Tungle helps avoid these conflicts by creating a system of invitations and shared calendars, which makes scheduling meetings and appointments a bit easier.

(more…)

Joan Rivers has been cross with Mel Gibson ever since the actor’s bizarre anti-Semitic rant a few years back. And because she’s Joan Rivers, naturally she’s not shy about sharing her contempt for her fellow star.

We’d love to be a fly on the wall the next time these two are in the same room!

When cornered by TMZ this week with a request to share her thoughts about Mel’s recent split from his Russian baby mama, Joan responded by callously remarking that Mel should “fucking die” and urged filmgoers not to see his movies.

She went on to call the Lethal Weapon actor “anti-Semitic, anti-black, anti-everything!” before angrily stomping off.

Damn, tell us how you really feel, Joan!

On Tuesday next week, 27th April 2010, the residents of the Birmingham Northfield constituency will get the chance to grill their local candidates for the upcoming general election.

The Northfield Ecocentre and Northfield Churches Together are hosting the election hustings at the Northfield Baptist Church from 7:30pm-9:30pm.

Why not Ask the Climate Question? For more information on Oxfam’s issues or to get some inspiration on what to ask at the hustings, go to our dedicated webpage: www.oxfam.org.uk/election.

Filed under: Happiness, Healthy Eating

We’ve all accepted that fast food is bad for our waistlines. But recent studies show that access to convenient, quick meals could be having an impact on our personalities too. Recent studies have led researchers to conclude that fast food makes us … Read more

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KNOXVILLE – University of Tennessee Knoxville faculty, students and staff were recognized for their service and accomplishments at the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet held Monday at the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center.

Hosted by Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, the annual event honors members of the campus community. Among the top awards presented were:

Macebearer: Bruce Ralston is associate department head of geography and has been with the university since 1976 in numerous administrative roles. The Macebearer — the top faculty honor — leads the faculty in processionals during commencement exercises for a full academic year. Ralston’s research specialties include GIS systems, geospatial analyses and transportation geography. Ralston currently is building a suite of mapping tools for use with the 2010 Census and recently began developing tools for free mapping services, such as Google Earth. For the past 25 years, Ralston has helped students learn the most state-of-the-art technologies and techniques, often attending seminars that he funds personally, as well as working closely with industry to prepare students for employment in the field.

Alexander Prize: Professor Daniel Roberts is responsible for teaching Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, a required course for all biology majors. His consistently positive student evaluations, innovative teaching tools and impressive research record have distinguished him as a caring, yet challenging teacher. Named for former UT president and now Sen. Lamar Alexander and his wife, Honey, the award recognizes superior teaching and distinguished scholarship.

Jefferson Prize: Lynn Sacco, assistant professor of history, specializes in 19th- and 20th- century gender history. Her book, “Unspeakable: Father-Daughter Incest in American History,” combines the medical, legal and social history of a crime whose taboo status for the most part kept it out of the historical record. Made possible by an anonymous donor, the Jefferson Prize honors the principles of Thomas Jefferson and his pursuit of freedom and knowledge.

L.R. Hesler Award: Peter Liaw, professor of materials science and engineering and the college’s Ivan Racheff Chair of Excellence, joined the faculty in 1993. His pursuit of research funding has resulted in more than $20 million in education and research funds for the university, including a multi-million dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to create the International Materials Institute. The award is named for the longtime department head and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Torchbearer award is the highest honor given to a student. Cheek presented the 2010 Torchbearers with medals, and they each passed the ceremonial torch at the event. The honorees are:

John DiChiara, a political science major from Pinson, Tenn., is in his fourth year as a resident assistant. He served as an orientation leader and as a counselor for the Center for Courageous Kids Medical Camp in Kentucky, where he facilitated programming for 50 campers with varying medical needs. He been accepted into the Teach for America Program and will be working in Chicago for two years after graduation.

Amanda Fortner is a speech pathology student from Lobelville, Tenn. Her community service includes working with families at the Ronald McDonald House and assisting the elderly in her hometown. On campus, Fortner holds leadership positions in SGA, Mortar Board, her sorority and as an orientation leader.

Ashley Hughes, a psychology major from Knoxville, serves as president of the United Residence Halls Council and as the housing liaison for Student Government Association. In addition to her roles within student housing, Hughes has served as an orientation leader, a member of the Dance Marathon morale committee, and was chosen as an Emerging Leader, a selective interdisciplinary leadership program offered to only 25 students each year.

Samuel Mortimer, a fifth-year architecture student from Chattanooga, is an advocate for issues of environmental and social concern. As SGA senator for the College of Architecture and Design, Mortimer led a drive to change the HOPE Scholarship, successfully lobbying the legislature for the scholarship to cover the final year of studies in five-year programs. Recently, he served as lead designer on a UT team participating in the Environmental Protection Agency’s P3 Competition, earning a top honor nationally for the sustainable design project.

Jamil Price is a journalism and electronic media major from Lebanon, Tenn. He serves as press secretary for SGA, student representative on the Student Affairs Council, chair of the Student Alumni Associates, and as an Ambassador Scholar and orientation leader. He also serves on the Dean’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Council for the College of Communication and Information.

Todd Skelton, a College Scholars student from Surgoinsville, Tenn., has served as president of the Honor’s Council for two years. Skelton founded and chairs the Honors Ambassador Program and Host-a-Student program and currently serves as the founding editor-in-chief of “Pursuit,” the university’s undergraduate research journal.

Jeff Wilcox, from Fayetteville, Tenn. graduated from the university’s enterprise management program in the fall. During his time at the university, Wilcox served as president of the Student Government Association and on nearly 20 university committees, as well as being heavily involved in Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity.

The full list of all faculty, staff and student awards is available online.

—

C O N T A C T :

Beth Gladden (865-974-9008, [email protected])

[JURIST] Milan judges presiding over the tax fraud trial of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi suspended the trial Monday while consulting with a Constitutional Court on the legitimacy of a new law that Berlusconi has invoked to postpone criminal proceedings against him for 18 months. The case is the second to be suspended this month, with the corruption trial postponed last Friday. The law in question was passed in March and allows cabinet officials to postpone criminal proceedings against them for up to 18 months if the charges constitute a “legitimate impediment” to performing public duties. The judges are questioning whether the new law violates the Italian Constitution because it improperly creates a new faculty for cabinet members through a law rather than by constitutional amendment, and because it alters the equality of citizens under the law. Berlusconi maintains that the proceedings are politically motivated.
Earlier this month, Italian prosecutors sought to indict Berlusconi on additional fraud and embezzlement charges involving his media company Mediatrade, despite a new law granting the executive temporary immunity. In January, hundreds of Italy’s judges walked out of their courtrooms to protest the passage of a law that placed strict time limits on the trial and appeals process. The law was criticized for being tailored for Berlusconi’s benefit.

Wikipedia is no doubt one of the most commonly used websites for reference. It is the first place people turn to when looking to explore a new topic. However, reading all those pages online is not always easy, so, here is a way to organize multiple Wikipedia pages into a PDF book that can be downloaded, printed and read on your favorite mobile device.

Here are a few short steps you need to take to turn any set of pages into an eBook:

1. Go to Wikipedia and create a free account.

2. Enable the Beta interface.

3. Under the Print/Export menu on left side-bar, click on Create a book.

4. Now every article you visit will have an Add this page to your book option. Click on that to add as many articles to your book as you want.

5. Once done, click on the show book button to see and download your book.

You can also give your book a title, create chapters, sort it alphabetically and download it as an OpenDocument. If you want to have it printed and delivered to you, there is an option to do that as well costing $7.90 for a book of up to 100 pages. While managing your book, you can simply drag and drop the items to re-arrange their order or click on the trash button to remove them quickly.

[Via DigitalInspiration]

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