Last week, we previewed Chomp, a new service that aims to offer a better review and recommendation system for iPhone apps. Today, the service, which is an app itself, has gone live, with its app now available in the App Store.
As we noted, the service is sort of like a Yelp for iPhone apps. But what makes it work is that it’s simple and intuitive. When you load up Chomp, you’re taken to a screen with just four main options: Live App Reviews, Recommendations, Add People, and Bookmarked Apps. As you might imagine, the Live App Reviews are is a stream of new app reviews coming in, in realtime. Recommendations give you a list of apps to download based on the apps you’ve already reviewed. Add People gives you an easy way to connect with others on the service using your real friends on Facebook, “App Celebrities” (high profile users), and top app reviewers. Bookmarked Apps is obviously a way for you to note apps that you may want to download later.
But the key to the service is reviewing the apps. And that’s as simple as doing a search for the app you’d like to review and giving it a heart (good) or a broken-heart (bad) rating. You can also leave a comment with your thoughts about the apps (though it’s not required), but this is limited to only 60 characters, to keep things brief. This review system works well because again, it’s kept simple. And doing these reviews is the key to getting good recommendations. The recommendation area works well also because it allows you to easily get more informations about any app, see its reviews, and of course, download it right from the App Store on the iPhone with a couple clicks if you decide it’s something you want. (And yes, Chomp gets affiliate fees if you do that.)
There are a number of both web-based and iPhone apps out there now doing these types of recommendations. There’s an obvious need for this with well over 100,000 apps now in the App Store. But Chomp is the most intuitive ones I’ve tried yet. And its recommendations already seem to beat the pants off of the App Store’s built-in app recommendation engine. Chomp co-founder Cathy Edwards (also Chomp’s CTO) single-handedly wrote the app recommendation technology which they call AppRank, co-founder Ben Keighran tells us. And the simple Chomp app reviews definitely seem like a better approach than the App Store arbitrary 5 star system, with reviews that are most of the time just spam, or useless.
To help spread word about the app, Chomp has enlisted Digg founder Kevin Rose as one of its first App Celebrities. They’re also hoping to get heavy users tweeting about the service to help spread it virally.
Google’s Nexus One “superphone” was highly anticipated, but now some observers are calling it overhyped. Less than a week after the monumental announcement that some thought would change the wireless industry, the Nexus One is getting more complaints than praise. At least the complaints are louder.
Some of the first customers to get their hands on a Nexus One are decrying its superphone status and Google’s support forums show hot displeasure. Among the chief complaints are that the Nexus One 3G offers poor connections. Of course, that might fall back on wireless carrier T-Mobile more than Google and is reminiscent of the Apple-AT&T saga with the iPhone.
Getting the Runaround?
“My G1 has 3G with full strength, but sitting right next to it, my Nexus has one bar of 3G and keeps switching to Edge. If I let it sit for a while, it may go up to three bars of signal strength, but as soon as I start trying to use it the signal strength drops back down to one bar,” a user who calls himself mbaird wrote on the Google Mobile Help forum. (The G1 also runs on T-Mobile’s network.)
Mbaird apparently got what he thought was a runaround. “I called T-Mobile to make sure that I didn’t need to activate the phone or something to get 3G service,” mbaird wrote. “They said my account looked fine and that they couldn’t give me any more support since I had a Nexus One, that I had to call HTC,” the phone’s manufacturer. When he called HTC, he was told the 3G service is a T-Mobile issue.
Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis, has been using the Nexus One for the past week. Although he’s had some issues with the device, none of them have to do with connectivity. In fact, he reports…
On Saturday, Microsoft complied with a court order to issue a patch for Word 2003. Microsoft previously issued a patch for Word 2007 in December related to the same legal issue. The patch removes custom XML capabilities from the popular software.
“You must install this update if you have been instructed to do so in a separate communication from Microsoft,” the software giant said on its download site. The patches are available on Microsoft’s OEM Partner and Download Centers.
Microsoft’s patches come in the wake of a court order ordering to change the software or stop selling it. In December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington ruled against Microsoft’s appeal of a patent-infringement verdict and gave the company a tight deadline to fix the issue.
The 449 Patent
At the heart of the issue is a Canadian company called i4i. The company claimed Microsoft violated its patents for custom XML in Word 2003 and Word 2007. In August, Texas U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Davis ordered Microsoft to pay in excess of $290 million and issued a permanent injunction against the software giant for what is known as the 449 patent.
The judge ruled that Microsoft willfully infringed on the patent and permanently enjoined Microsoft from selling Word 2003 and Word 2007 in the United States and using any infringing future Word products to open an XML file containing custom XML. The court also ruled that Microsoft can continue to offer technical support to current users of Word, but is not allowed to instruct new users on using the custom XML editor or to sell copies of Word with the disputed feature.
The injunction applies only to copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 sold in the U.S. on or after the injunction date of Jan. 11, 2010….
Here’s one of those stories that serves as a great endorsement for Android and its applications. An Oregon man recently had his house broken into and some of his possessions stolen. Among them was his Motorola Droid. Unbeknown to the thief, this handset was equipped with an app called Lookout, which routinely backs up user information. Once the owner logged on to his account, he noticed a couple of pictures that he hadn’t taken. The images were then downloaded and turned over to the police. We’re sure you know what happened after that.
In the U.S. our housing market has been pretty bad over the past few years. But take heart America: at least you’re not Dubai. Sure it hasn’t had any foreclosures up to now, but that’s only because the laws there have made it difficult for banks to seize property. In fact, reading a report today from Bloomberg, things are far worse for housing in Dubai, and a tidal wave of foreclosures may be set to break.
Bloomberg explains:
Dubai’s housing rout sent prices down 52 percent in the past year, prompting some homeowners to abandon their cars and mortgage payments and flee the country. Not one received a foreclosure notice.
Until now.
Barclays Plc won the sheikdom’s first foreclosure cases in court, clearing the way for lenders holding about $16 billion of Dubai home loans to take action when borrowers don’t pay. Islamic lender Tamweel PJSC, the emirate’s biggest mortgage bank, has several of its own foreclosure claims pending and estimates about 3 percent of its mortgages are in default.
That situation looks a great deal worse than what the U.S. has been dealing with after the housing bubble popped. And it should be: speculation fueled Dubai’s housing bubble to an even greater extent than it did in the U.S.
But even though Moodys expects around 12% of residential mortgages in Dubai to default by the first quarter of 2011, that’s only out of 27,000 total mortgages. That amounts to a mere 3,240 foreclosures. So as bad as this news sounds, given how small those numbers are, the banks involved may have a relatively easy time cleaning up the mess, compared to the millions of foreclosures in the U.S. To put that number in perspective, Palm Beach County, Florida had more foreclosure than that (3,321) in November 2009 alone.
While the economy has shown signs of a rebound, one place it has yet to show up is on state ledgers. As you can see from this chart from the Rockefeller Institute, state tax revenue is doing a true cliff dive, with little end in sight.
Or is there?
One hopeful sign, from history, is that state tax revenues bottom very shortly after recessions end. That would be great news for troubled states like California, Illinois, and New York, though whether a rebound can come fast enough to avoid insanely brutal spending cuts is another matter.
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Situated in the rural English county of Lincolnshire, the Woolsthorpe Manor is a site of profound importance to the history of science. It was at this house and farm that Sir Isaac Newton was born on Christmas day in 1642, only eleven months after the death of Galileo Galilei. The manor also served as the backdrop for the physicist’s famous experiments with light, optics, and gravitation.
In 1665, while Newton was at Cambridge University, an outbreak of the bubonic plague swept through London and threatened the rest of the country. As a precautionary measure, Cambridge released its students and faculty. Newton then spent the remainder of the plague years 1665-1667 at Woolsthorpe developing his theories on nature. Some argue that if it weren’t for the London outbreak and Cambridge’s subsequent dismissal, Newton would never have accomplished the work that made him one of the most influential scientists in history.
At Woolsthorpe, Newton worked on a variety of problems. It was here that he discovered the nature of white light, and that it could be split into its component colors through the use of a prism. Considerable work was also done on his theory of “fluxions,” or what is today called calculus. In fact, by a rather extraordinary coincidence, he German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz was developing his own calculus around the same time. While a bitter dispute later arose from Newton’s and Leibniz’s competing claims to be the first to develop calculus, both men are credited today for its formulation.
Of the work done at Woolsthorpe, however, the most famous was Newton’s effort to explain gravity. According to contemporary accounts from the physicist’s friends, Newton was first inspired to develop a theory of gravitation upon witnessing an apple fall from a tree in the manor’s orchard. There is no evidence, however, that the apple fell on his head. Astonishingly, visitors can see the very same tree today, which continues to produce fruit.
At over 350 years old, the rare ‘Flower of Kent’ apple tree has had its share of misfortunes. Despite the care given to it by many generations of Woolertons (the family that occupied the house between 1733 and 1947), a storm knocked the tree down in 1816. However, as most of it lay intact, the tree was able to be rescued and is now healthy and stable on its third set of roots. The tree also has many offspring that grow at various sites around the world. Descendants of Newton’s tree live in places such as Trinity College at Cambridge, the University of York, and even Tufts University and Babson College in Massachusetts.
The home is currently operated by the National Trust and is open to the public. Period furniture, including some original shelves built by Newton, help recreate English life in the 1600s. Visitors will also have the chance to learn about Newton’s childhood and replicate some of the physicist’s key discoveries.
Following on from its wow factor appeal at the Frankfurt motor show last September, the next model e-tron from Audi is aptly called the Detroit show Audi e-tron, and has been unveiled here in … err, Detroit. Now you’d think it would logically be the same uncompromising purist all-electric sports car from Frankfurt but everything is much more compact with a much shorter wheelbase and gross weight has been cut to 1,350 kg. Two electric motors with a combined output of 150 kW (204 hp) and 2,650 Nm (1954.54 lb-ft) accelerate the coupe with ASF-design aluminum body from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.9 seconds. Most importantly, the Detroit Audi e-tron has “torque vectoring which enables it to distribute its high torque between the wheels entirely as required for unprecedented levels of active precision and traction. Audi claims the e-tron drives like a go-kart – agile, good on bends and neutral right up to its very high handling limits…
Gobierno anuncia para marzo construcción de parque inundable en zona sur de Santiago
SANTIAGO.- Continuando con los anuncios del Gobierno a días de la segunda vuelta presidencial, el ministro de Obras Públicas, Sergio Bitar, dio a conocer que la construcción del parque inundable La Aguada, en la zona centro sur de Santiago, comenzará en marzo próximo, con una inversión inicial de $3.600 millones, de un total de $39 mil millones.
El megaproyecto mitigará las crecidas del Zanjón de la Aguada en periodo de grandes lluvias, evitando que se produzcan inundaciones que puedan afectar viviendas, calles e infraestructura, tales como la Autopista Central y la Línea 2 del Metro.
Al mismo tiempo, gracias a sus 41 hectáreas de áreas verdes (de un total de 60 hectáreas), generará un espacio urbano para la recreación y el esparcimiento, beneficiando a los habitantes de la zona centro sur de la capital, específicamente a las comunas de San Joaquín, San Miguel, Pedro Aguirre Cerda y Santiago.
Al realizar el anuncio, Bitar afirmó que "hemos puesto en marcha una de las obras más importantes para Santiago, un parque de 5 kilómetros de largo en el Zanjón de La Aguada, que siempre significó una división de la capital entre los sectores menos acomodados y aquéllos con más recursos".
"Este parque entrega más igualdad y más calidad de vida, pues se eliminarán estos sitios eriazos y la basura", destacó el ministro, quien hoy recorrió los terrenos donde se emplazará la obra, en compañía del intendente Metropolitano, Igor Garafulic, y alcaldes de las comunas beneficiadas.
En la oportunidad, Bitar explicó que la primera etapa del proyecto involucra a las comunas de San Joaquín y San Miguel y abarcará unos 900 metros de longitud, entre Gran Avenida y calle Pacífico.
El Zanjón de La Aguada es el principal cauce recolector de aguas lluvias de Santiago, al recibir los aportes de 20 comunas. El gran caudal que presenta en invierno producto de las precipitaciones será regulado tanto por la bóveda del Zanjón -reparada por el MOP- y por el futuro parque.
El parque -que replica proyectos construidos en ciudades como Barcelona, en España, y Denver, en Estados Unidos- se construirá entre 2010 y 2014 y se ubicará paralela a Avenida Isabel Riquelme, en una extensión de 4,7 kilómetros desde Avenida Vicuña Mackenna hasta Avenida Club Hípico.
HP has decided to dive into the Android world, and it’s about time. While visiting with the Snapdragon booth (yes, that 1 GHz processor going into some of the newer Android phones) I was tipped off that HP was going to be utilizing the processor for a new product. When I walked over to the HP booth I asked about the product using Android and was directed to a guy named Andy, the Product Manager for HP’s new Android netbook with a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. Sure it isn’t blazing speed when compared to some of the other netbook processors out there, but it’s definitely a good step in the right direction. After seeing the UI, I noticed that HP has decided to add their own flavor to Android. The search widget, clock, and contacts were all different from any of the other UIs I’ve seen. Honestly, it looks pretty bland for right now, but seeing as it’s not even an official product yet, I’m going to give them a chance to sort it out before passing any harsh judgment.P ha
Intorcandu-ma in Romania am facut niste poze pentru SSC-isti ca sa va arat si calitatea drumului. In Ungaria nu am facut poze pentru ca am prins in mare parte noapte si nu ieseau deloc bine.
Pe centura Ljublianei:
Indicator la Ljubliana: au autostrazi foarte bune si in maxim 4 ore treci toata Slovenia in conditii de iarna.
Indicatoare catre Maribor si Zagreb:
Trecand prin Sapanta m-am oprit la Cimiterul Vesel:
Urcand Prislopul am facut niste poze si catre natura:
Drumul de pe Prislop:
Am ajuns sus cam la 1450 de m inaltime:
Inainte sa intru in Pascani:
Romania – Italia:
Inainte de a ajunge la Sighetu Marmatiei, sunt foarte multe treceri peste cale ferata in timp ce in Ungaria pana la Nyiregyhaza treci prin multe sate si nu este ca pe la Szolnok unde le eviti:
Drumul pana la Sighet are oleaca de gropi dar e multe mai acceptabil decat pe Reghin – Toplita (scuzati-ma pentru banner) :
Calitatea carosabilului intre Sighet si Negreasti Oas:
Indicator in Sighetu Marmatiei catre Baia Mare, Satu Mare si Negresti:
Dealurile ucrainiene vazute inainte de intrarea in Sighet.
Satul Teceu Mic in trei limbi:
In Slovenia am prins ninsoare de la Ljubliana la Trieste:
Indicatoare inainte de granita:
Vara e cu siguranta mult mai bun drumul si v-il recomand pentru ca economisiti cateva ora fata de Szolnok – Oradea – Reghin – Toplita – Iasi.
After a long weekend of Las Vegas fanboy salivating, another year of the Consumer Electronics Show has come to a close. Here are DISCOVER’s choices for the most important storylines among the flood of gadget-philia emanating from the desert.
1. OMG, It’s Coming Toward Us!
Between the unstoppable worldwide phenomenon that is “Avatar” and ESPN rolling out 3D broadcasts for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, 3D is back with a force not seen since the crazes of the 1950s and 80s. The bandwagon has close to universal industry ridership‚ almost every major manufacturer is launching 3D sets at CES this week, the Blu-ray format will support 3D and many gaming consoles should soon follow suit [Popular Mechanics]. But unless you’ve got a big wad of extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, you might want to wait a while before taking the 3D dive, tech experts warn. 3D TVs will come with plenty of sticker shock at first, there won’t be very much content to watch on them… and oh yeah, you’ll still have to wear those stupid glasses.
2. Tablets: Loading, Please Wait
Rumors swirled before CES that Microsoft would show off a new tablet-style electronic display. Not wanting to disappoint, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer pulled out a tablet midway into his address, demonstrating an H-P device running e-reader software. But it was only a prototype, and it couldn’t be found on the show floor [CNN Money]. Apple, too, is supposed to be developing a tablet, though the timetable for the secretive company remains unclear.
3. Wireless Power Wows the Crowd
If you’re among the “it’s 2010 and we shouldn’t need wires anymore” crowd, you may have found yourself giddy with excitement over another of 2010’s hot trends, wireless power. Fulton Innovations garnered particular esteem with its system, ECoupled. ECoupled uses a wireless powering technique called “close proximity coupling,” which uses circuit boards and coils to communicate and transmit energy using magnetic fields. The technology is efficient but only works at close ranges [Forbes]. Another promising system is “Venetial hotel tower” by WiTricity, which operates with “highly coupled magnetic resonance.” As proof that it works, an LCD TV is powered by a coil hidden behind an oil painting located a few feet away [Forbes].
4. Baby, You Can Interface with my Car
Ford took best-of-show honors for the automotive category with its redesigned cabin interface. Ford vehicles equipped with MyFord will get two 4.2-inch color LCDs, one mounted in the instrument cluster and one in the center of the dashboard. The instrument cluster display shows vehicle information such as engine speed, temperature, and trip data, and the one in the dashboard shows audio, phone, and navigation information [CNET]. The Fusion Hybrid will be the main testing ground for this new system.
5. The Swagger Is Back, and so Is the Little Guy
Last week’s Consumer Electronics Show returned to its usual over-the-top affair in 2010, with endless proclamations of how this year will see the return of the industry’s growth. Humbled no more by the global recession, electronics makers pulled out all the stops [CNN Money]. But it wasn’t all pomp and spectacle by behemoths like Microsoft: Popular Mechanics has the best of the small companies at CES.
Al igual que en el Foro italiano, me gustaría conocer vuestra opinión sobre las plazas mas hermosas del país, ya sean principales o rincones con encanto. Seguro que hay mas de una :cheers:
pd. si no es el lugar correcto para dicho hilo o tal vez ya existiera, pueden avisar y borrarlo.
During President-Elect Barack Obama’s transition, the Center for American Progress proposed a 10-point clean-energy agenda for the president and Congress that would speed the economic transformation to a clean energy economy. A review of these items today finds that all were adopted or are working their way through the process. This is a startling achievement amidst the worst economy in 70 years, two wars, and an opposition party disinterested in cooperation. President Obama did much of what he promised, and he can do more in 2010 by cajoling Congress to do its part.
These achievements will have real world impact. By 2011, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, P.L. 111-5, will double the generation of renewable electricity from the wind, sun, and earth. ARRA will also lead to energy efficiency retrofits in 1 million homes by 2012. And President Obama’s new fuel economy standards would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil. Additional benefits will accrue as the president and Congress finish some 2009 clean-energy initiatives and additional efforts are launched in 2010.
Here’s a review of progress made by the president and Congress over the past year.
1. Wish they all could be California cars
The Bush administration blocked efforts by California and 16 other states to reduce greenhouse gas pollution from motor vehicles. On May 19 of last year, President Obama announced an agreement with California, the auto companies, and the United Auto Workers to establish the first-ever greenhouse gas limits for motor vehicles. The plan would increase fuel economy standards by one-third by 2016, which would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil. It would also cut greenhouse gas pollution by nearly 1 billion metric tons, which is equivalent to removing 177 million cars from the road. The plan should be final in March 2010.
2. Global warming is a real and present danger
The Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts vs. EPA that the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to require greenhouse gas reductions from power plants and other sources. But first the EPA has to make an “endangerment finding” that global warming poses a threat to Americans’ health and safety. Despite a recommendation from EPA scientists to do so, the Bush administration refused. Under President Obama, EPA followed the science and the law by making the endangerment finding on Dec. 7, 2009.
In March, EPA should finalize its big polluter rule to focus greenhouse gas reductions on large sources-those facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons of GHG pollution annually. The pollution limits will only apply to about 7,500 facilities, and they’ll exclude farms, small businesses, and other relatively small emitters. Unfortunately, big oil and its allies continue to lie by claiming the EPA pollution reduction rules will apply to farmers and Mom and Pop stores.
3. Green stimulus and recovery
As the economic hurricane gathered force last winter CAP recommended that any recovery plan include $100 billion for clean-energy programs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, which became law on Feb. 17, 2009, includes $70 billion for clean-energy investments in the Weatherization Assistance Program, energy-efficiency in government buildings, states’ efficiency and renewable energy programs, public transit, high-speed rail, advanced battery research, and other programs. ARRA also includes $20 billion in clean-energy tax incentives for residential efficiency measures, wind and solar power, and super-efficient cars. The New York Times called this program “the largest energy bill ever passed.”
The Department of Energy and other agencies adopted safeguards to ensure that these funds are well spent given the unprecedented size and scope of the programs. This took longer than anticipated, so a large portion of clean-energy funds have been allocated but not spent. DOE received $33 billion, nearly half of the clean-energy funds, and it has awarded $23 billion, or about two-thirds of these funds, to eligible states and other grantees. As of December 31, less than $2 billion—or 6 percent—was spent.
The rate of spending, job creation, and energy savings will accelerate in 2010 after the awarded funds are spent. On Jan. 8, for instance, President Obama announced the award of “$2.3 billion in Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits,” which should leverage another $5 billion in private investments. These funds will go to “One hundred eighty three projects in 43 states [that] will create tens of thousands of high-quality, clean-energy jobs and the domestic manufacturing of advanced clean-energy technologies including solar, wind, and efficiency and energy management technologies.”
Vice President Joe Biden released an analysis in December showing that just two ARRA programs—investments in renewable and smart manufacturing, and smart grid technologies—would create more than 800,000 jobs. And based on past experience the $5 billion ARRA investment in low-income home weatherization projects could create another 160,000 jobs.
4. Mercury falling
The Bush administration’s proposal to delay reductions in mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants was struck down by a federal court because it was less protective of public health than required by the Clean Air Act. The Bush EPA, according to The New York Times, “ignored its legal obligation to require the strictest possible controls on the toxic metal.”
EPA reached a settlement in the lawsuit that led to the mercury rule’s rejection, which would require it to propose mercury limits by March 16, 2011, and finalize the limits by Nov. 16, 2011. Power plants would have to meet plant specific mercury reductions.
5. Curb the enthusiasm for greenhouse gases
Scientists recommend developed countries reduce their greenhouse gas pollution 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 to stave off the worst impacts of global warming. They should also reduce emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. These reductions should prevent a temperature rise of 2 degrees C.
In order to work more closely with Congress the Obama administration did not propose its own numeric pollution reductions. Instead, it supported House passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, or ACES, H.R. 2454, which passed the House of Representatives on June 26, 2009. The World Resources Institute, or WRI, estimates that this bill would achieve an overall pollution reduction of 28 percent below 2005 levels and a 16 percent reduction below 1990 levels. By 2050 it would reduce pollution by 71 percent below 1990 levels.
The administration also supported the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, S. 1733, which the Senate Environment Committee passed on November 5, 2009. WRI estimates this bill would reduce emissions by 17 percent and 68 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 2050, respectively. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) are developing comprehensive compromise energy and global warming legislation that would reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 17 percent.
6. The answer is blowing in the wind (and shining in the sun)
Twenty-eight states—including the District of Columbia— require utilities to produce a proportion of their electricity from the wind, the sun, the earth’s core, and other renewable sources. In 2008, CAP recommended that President Obama support and Congress pass a nationwide renewable electricity standard of 25 percent by 2025.
ACES would require utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020, with utilities allowed to meet 3 percent of the target via energy-efficiency measures. The bill also requires utilities to reduce demand by an additional 5 percent.
A wind turbine at the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton County, IndianaVaxomatic via FlickrOn June 17, 2009, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the American Clean Energy and Leadership Act, S. 1462. It would require a 15 percent renewable electricity standard by 2021, which allows utilities to meet 3 percent of this requirement via energy efficiency measures. The bill, however, has a weak enforcement mechanism that may ease noncompliance. An analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists determined that “the amount of renewable energy required under the RES would be less than this level [15 percent], between 7.4 and 10.7 percent. This is worse-or at best-only marginally better than the amount of renewable energy generated without a national RES.” To significantly boost investments in wind, solar, and other renewable power, the Senate must include a more aggressive renewable electricity standard in its energy and global warming bill expected on the floor this spring.
7. Bridge loans to the 21st century
General Motors and Chrysler sought federal assistance to prevent bankruptcy after the November 2008 general election. President George W. Bush provided $17 billion in loans before he left office, and President Obama provided another $62 billion to prevent the destruction of the domestic auto industry, which is responsible for 1 in 10 American jobs. During this process, CAP urged that the companies use this assistance to pursue the development, production, and sale of more fuel-efficient automobiles.
The Obama administration provided loans to these two companies with the provision that they restructure their operations and manufacture “the fuel-efficient cars and trucks that will carry us towards an energy-independent future.”
GM’s assistance and restructuring plan requires it to “have a significant focus on developing high fuel-efficiency cars that have broad consumer appeal because they are cost-effective, have good performance and are reliable, durable, and safe.” Chrysler’s merger with Fiat “could lead to Chrysler manufacturing fuel-efficient vehicles using Fiat’s technology.”
Last year the federal government also launched a “cash for clunkers” program to help speed the recovery of the auto industry, create jobs, and reduce oil use. It created an economic incentive to spur the trade in of old gas guzzlers for new, efficient models, and 700,000 clunkers were taken off the roads. The Department of Transportation determined that the average fuel economy of the new cars was 9 miles per gallon more-nearly a 60 percent improvement. The program also saved or created more than 40,000 jobs.
8. Pick the low-hanging energy fruit
Energy efficiency is called the “low-hanging fruit” of clean energy since technology can be employed in myriad ways to reduce energy consumption and also save money. Efficiency would also reduce global warming emissions to boot. Last year, CAP proposed several new efficiency programs including incentives for states to put energy efficiency on equal footing with new power plants; establishment of a federal “energy efficiency resource standard” that requires utilities to reduce energy consumption; and fully funding the Deployment of Combined Heat and Power Systems, District Energy Systems, Waste Energy Recovery Systems, and Efficient Industrial Equipment program to capture and reuse industrial waste heat.
Photo courtesy kimberlyfaye via Flickr The Obama administration understands the economic and energy benefits of efficiency, and it demonstrated this by investing significant resources in it over the past year. ACES, which the administration supports, includes a 5 percent energy efficiency resource standard. ARRA provided incentives for states to “adopt certain utility regulatory policies to encourage utility-sponsored energy efficiency improvements.” It also included $150 million for nine “combined heat and power” and other industrial waste energy recovery projects. There were 358 other applications for similar eligible shovel-ready projects that would cost $9 billion and create 57,000 jobs. These projects would save the energy equivalent of 160 million barrels of oil annually.
ARRA included a total of $25 billion in spending for private efficiency measures and government programs. President Obama also issued Executive Order 13423 to promote “federal leadership in environmental, energy, and economic performance.” It would require federal agencies to slash their greenhouse gas pollution, “increase energy efficiency, reduce fleet petroleum consumption,” and take other steps to promote efficiency and sustainability.
On Dec. 8, 2009, President Obama proposed including residential and industrial efficiency programs as part of any job creation package considered by Congress to combat unemployment. The program would create economic incentives for owners to retrofit their homes or buildings to become more energy efficient. On Dec. 16, the House passed the Jobs for Main Street Act, H.R. 2847, which expands existing energy loan guarantee programs to include large-scale residential and commercial energy efficiency projects. The Senate should include a more vigorous version of the House measure with a “Home Star” or “cash for caulkers” program in its job creation package. The programs would provide economic incentives to homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient via improved air sealing and insulation, advanced building materials, and state-of-the-art appliances. This would quickly create hundreds of thousands of jobs in construction and manufacturing. It would slice participants’ energy bills by 20 percent or more.
9. Green the wires
The lack of transmission capacity is a significant impediment to the broad expansion of renewable energy. Grid modernization must accompany increasing renewable energy generation, including the ability to incorporate intermittent renewable electricity generation. ARRA provided $4.5 billion to DOE for smart grid deployment and transmission line enhancement, and DOE just awarded $60 million for “transmission planning for the country’s three interconnection transmission networks.” This is the first step to enhancing the U.S. electricity transmission network.
What’s more, the American Clean Energy and Leadership Act, includes an “‘interstate highway system’ for electricity by creating a new bottoms-up planning system for a national transmission grid.” The bill allows “states to take the initial lead in deciding where to build high-priority national transmission projects,” but if this process
doesn’t yield siting and construction of high-priority transmission projects then the federal government can step in. This proposal should significantly hasten the planning, siting, and building of new transmission capacity. It should be included in the energy and global warming bill the Senate plans to debate this spring.
10. Rise of the new machines
Research, development, and deployment of new clean-energy technologies were woefully underfunded by the Bush administration. An important element of the clean-energy agenda for the incoming Obama administration was to resume significant investments in the clean-energy technologies of the future. ARRA included nearly $9 billion for the Advanced Research Project Agency for advanced energy technology research, carbon capture-and-storage technologies to remove and store carbon pollution from power plants, advanced batteries, and other projects.
The year ahead
Overall, President Obama’s first year included unprecedented successes and efforts to speed the transformation to a 21st century clean energy economy. In addition to launching the aforementioned investments, he overturned a number of energy decisions made by the Bush administration that ignored sound science while favoring big oil and other special interests.
His success was led by a clean energy all-star team, including Assistant to the President Carol Browner, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, and Science Advisor John Holdren.
The unprecedented achievements in year one must continue in year two. The top priority is enactment of comprehensive clean-energy and global warming legislation that would create jobs, increase American energy independence, restore our economic competitiveness, and cut pollution.
To build on the outstanding first year, President Obama and Congress should accomplish the following goals:
Congress should enact clean-energy jobs and global warming pollution reduction legislation, beginning with Senate passage of a bill.
The final bill that lands on Obama’s desk should include:
At least a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gas pollution by 2020 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. A robust renewable electricity standard. Significant investments in energy efficiency. Clean-energy job creation programs. Significant investments in clean-energy manufacturing competitiveness. Jumpstarting electricity transmission siting and construction efforts. An independent Clean Energy Deployment Administration (green bank). Incentives to increase natural gas use for transportation and electricity with new safeguards for shale gas production. Pollution reductions through strong participation in international efforts to cut deforestation in half by 2020. Aggressive oil savings measures.
Strengthen the Copenhagen Accord as a legally binding agreement that makes sure developed and developing nations commit to sufficient pollution reductions to keep global warming to 2 degrees C by 2050.
Make sure EPA finalizes the clean car and major greenhouse gas polluters rules.
Ensure EPA proposes greenhouse gas pollution limits for large industrial polluters.
Other items on Obama’s energy to-do list should include investing in clean-energy research, implementing efficiency measures, boosting renewable energy production, and implementing clean-energy job training programs. The administration should continue to pursue clean-energy economic development strategies for inner cities and rural areas.
Obama and Congress’ efforts on clean energy over the past year were an unprecedented about face from the Bush administration’s big oil approach. They should continue to speed along the clean energy path this year.
Besides showing its new 2011 Audi A8, the German automaker today surprised the media with a new version of the e-tron concept. Smaller than its original e-tron sibling, this two-seater iteration of the e-tron measures 154.72 in long, 70.07 in wide and 48.03 in tall. Could this be our first look at the much-rumored R4? Don’t get your hopes up just yet.
Unlike the R8 sized e-tron, the two-seater e-tron will not be entering production (at least for now).
Power comes from two electric motors with a total output of 204-hp, allowing the mini e-tron to go from 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds. A sprint from 37 to 75 mph takes just 5.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 124 mph.
Like its older brother, the two-seater e-tron can be charge in 11 hours, but in heavy current, the e-tron concept can hit full charge in just two hours. On a full charge, the small e-tron can travel 155 miles until the batteries run out.
Keep your browser here as we update you with more coverage from the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.
The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron shows another variant of an electric vehicle developed by Audi
DETROIT, Mi., Jan 11, 2010 – Audi is showing an uncompromising purist compact sports car with all-electric drive at the first major auto show of 2010. The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron is the name of this 3.93 meter (154.72 in) long and 1.78 meter (70.08 in) wide but just 1.22 meter (48.03 in) tall two-seater; just a few months after the debut of the Audi e-tron at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, this is now the second electric concept vehicle from the brand with the four rings.
Coupled with the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron’s low gross weight of around only 1,350 kilograms (2976.24 lb), high-torque power units driving the rear wheels guarantee commensurate road performance. Two electric motors with a combined output of 150 kW (204 hp) and 2,650 Nm (1954.54 lb-ft) accelerate the coupe with ASF-design aluminum body from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 5.9 seconds. The Audi e-tron accomplishes the sprint from 60 to 120 km/h (37.28 – 74.56 mph) in a mere 5.1 seconds.
The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron is able to distribute its electric motors’ high torque between the wheels entirely as required. Its “torque vectoring” is the key to a thrilling level of active precision and excellent traction. Thanks also to its low weight, short wheelbase and perfect weight distribution for dynamic handling, the Audi e-tron has all the drivability of a go-kart – agile, good on bends and neutral right up to the very high handling limit.
Lithium-ion batteries, located for an optimal center of gravity behind the passenger compartment and ahead of the rear axle, make an effective energy content of 45 kilowatt-hours available. This makes an operating range of up to 250 kilometers (155.34 miles) realistically possible.
As previously with the first e-tron concept car shown in Frankfurt, Audi again bases all components in this electric vehicle on an integral concept with many revolutionary details: a heat pump as an efficient means of heating up and maintaining the interior temperature. The drive system, power electronics and battery have innovative thermal management – crucial for maintaining a high operating range coupled with outstanding interior comfort.
Design and package
Audi is presenting a further variant of an electric vehicle in the form of the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron. The vehicle body has a powerful, wide and muscular stance on the road, and looks extremely compact and puristic not least thanks to the typically short sports car wheelbase of just 2.43 meters (95.67 in) – a whole 22 centimeters (8.66 in) shorter than the R8.
The sweeping line of the front end and the flat curved roof immediately identify the two-seater as an Audi. The sides reveal familiar contours: The way the dynamic line is tailored above the sill and the prominent wheel arches, as is typical for an Audi R, combine the front, side and rear into a monolithic entity and strongly emphasize the typical Audi feature of round wheel arches enclosing the large 19-inch wheels. The highly tapered front end gives the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron distinctly wedge-shaped basic proportions.
1.78 meters (70.08 in) wide, just 3.93 meters (154.72 in) long and 1.22 meters (48.03 in) tall – those are the classic proportions of a sports car. That leaves space ahead of the rear wheels for the 399 kilogram (879.64 lb) battery unit, with converter and power electronics.
The two electric motors, which have their own cooling system, are mounted on the rear axle. This special package, featuring a 40:60 weight distribution, ensures perfect balance, which contributes to the driving dynamics of the Audi e-tron.
The trapeze of the single-frame grille dominates the distinctly wedge-shaped front end and is flanked by two large air intakes. The top of the grille merges into the flat strips of the adaptive matrix beam headlight modules with their clear glass covers. All light units use ultra-efficient LED technology.
The headlights are the core of a fully automatic light assistance system that reacts flexibly to any situation. The new technology recognizes weather conditions and adapts the illumination to rain or fog. The technology at the heart of the light assistance system is a camera that works together with a fast computer to detect oncoming traffic, recognize lanes and measure visibilities, such as in the event of fog.
If there is oncoming traffic, the high beams are turned off in the corresponding section of the illumination field. The cornering light system analyzes data from the navigation system and illuminates corners before the driver steers into them. The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron does not have conventional fog lamps that consume additional power. It intelligently varies the low beams instead; in fog, for example, it produces a wider, more horizontal illumination field, thus significantly reducing the glare from the car’s own lights.
The variability of the headlights is also reflected in their design. The LED elements change appearance and thus the character of the front end of the vehicle depending on the speed driven and the ambient conditions. The innovative lighting technology now offers the Audi designers almost as much design freedom as the shape of the body does.
One design element that is specific to electric vehicles developed by Audi – such as the Audi e-tron – are the air intakes in the single-frame grille and behind the side windows on the C-post. They are closed flush under normal circumstances and opened by retracting slats when additional cooling air is required. The slats above the drive unit then also open to provide a better through-flow of air. These measures, too, maximize efficiency – the concept car is outstanding for an already low drag coefficient that is further improved when the flaps are closed.
The ASF body
Systematic lightweight construction is an even more important prerequisite for efficiency and range with electric vehicles than for conventionally powered automobiles. Lightweight construction is moreover the key to thrilling handling characteristics. Audi developers focused on a core competence of the company when creating the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron: The body structure is based on Audi Space Frame technology (ASF), with a hybrid design approach adopted. All add-on parts – doors, lids, sidewalls and roof – are made of a fiber-reinforced plastic.
The combination of aluminum and carbon fiber-reinforced composite material guarantees supreme rigidity coupled with low weight. Audi will soon use this technology in a similar form for future production vehicles. Despite the complex drive system layout with two electric motors and a high-capacity battery system, the total weight of the Audi e-tron showcar on display in Detroit is only around 1,350 kilograms (2,976.24 lb).
Interior and operating concept
Visual and functional references to the new drive concept characterize the purist interior design. They establish a connection between proven Audi genes and new formal hallmarks. Typical for the Audi design idiom is the reduction of the architecture, controls and information output to the essentials in favor of visible lightweight construction and a tidy overall impression.
The slim dash has a curve that extends laterally into the door panels. With no need to allow for a transmission, shifter and cardan tunnel, the designers took advantage of the opportunity to create a particularly slim and lightweight center tunnel and convex, arching center console. The flush gear selector, with which the driver chooses between the modes forward, reverse and neutral, emerges from the tunnel when the vehicle is started.
The Audi e-tron’s cockpit, which represents a further development in an electric vehicle, is also oriented toward the driver – a further characteristic Audi trait. Instead of the classic instrument cluster, the concept car is the first Audi to be equipped with a large built-in central display with integrated MMI functions. It is flanked by two round dials.
The MMI is controlled via a scroll pad with a touch-sensitive surface on the steering wheel (”MMI touch”) – an element inspired by modern smartphones. The steering wheel itself is clearly flattened off at both the top and bottom, in a clear reference to motor sport.
A smartphone that can be integrated into the front section of the center console interfaces between the vehicle, the driver and external information sources. The driver can use a suitably equipped conventional smartphone as a car phone, address database, navigation system and video player. At the same time they can also use it as an operating unit for many specific on-board systems in the Audi e-tron. Many phones that are suitable for these functions are already available from various manufacturers.
The driver can then enter their route plan or adjust the sound system to their individual preferences, all from the comfort of their own home, for example. The Smartphone and vehicle communicate via the mobile communications network, even over considerable distances.
The system also provides a security function for the owner; within the range of the WLAN it can constantly monitor the current status of the vehicle, for instance whether all windows and doors are closed. If the Audi e-tron showcar on display in Detroit is parked at a charging station, for example, it also sends details of the current charge status to the driver’s smartphone.
While an analog speedometer on the driver’s right provides speed information, the instrument dial on their left tells them how much power is being drawn. The central display shows the range in the status bar and presents all key information from the infotainment and navigation systems. It also provides the driver with relevant data from the vehicle’s communication with its surroundings. The instruments combine the analog and the digital worlds into a single unit.
Characteristic for the concept of the Audi e-tron – and therefore also characteristic for a further development in an electric vehicle – is the near total elimination of switches and small components such as the ignition. The climate control unit is located to the right above the steering wheel. The display provides temperature and ventilation information. Again drawing inspiration from a smartphone, the system is controlled by means of a touch-sensitive sliding control.
The equally racing-inspired lightweight bucket seats combine excellent lateral support with comfort. Two contrasting colors delineate the various zones of the interior. The colors and the high-quality materials combine elegance and sportiness.
Drive system and energy supply
Two asynchronous electric motors with a total output of 150 kilowatts (204 hp) give the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron the performance of a genuine sports car. The concept car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 – 62.14 mph) in
5.9 seconds if necessary, and goes from 60 to 120 km/h (37.28 – 74.56 mph) in 5.1 seconds. The torque is distributed selectively to the wheels based on the driving situation and the condition of the road surface, resulting in outstanding traction and handling.
The top speed is limited to 200 km/h (124.27 mph), as the amount of energy required by the electric motors increases disproportionately to speed. The range in the NECD combined cycle is approximately 250 kilometers (155.34 miles).
The energy storage unit is charged with household current (230 volts, 16 amperes) via a cable and a plug. The socket is behind a cover at the back of the car. The charging time when the battery is empty is around 11 hours, but heavy current (400 volts, 32 amperes) cuts this to around just two hours.
The battery is charged not only when the car is stationary, but also when it is in motion. The keyword here is recuperation. This form of energy recovery and recharging of the battery is already available on many Audi production models. During braking, the alternator converts the kinetic energy into electrical energy, which it then feeds into the on-board electrical system.
The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron in its further developed version goes one decisive step further into the future; an electro-mechanical brake system means the potential of electric motors for energy recovery can now be exploited. A hydraulic fixed-caliper brake is mounted on the front axle, with two novel, electrically actuated floating-caliper brakes mounted on the rear axle. These floating calipers are actuated not by any mechanical or hydraulic transfer elements, but rather by wire (”brake by wire”). In addition, this eliminates frictional losses due to residual slip when the brakes are not being applied.
By virtue of being isolated from the brake pedal, the Audi e-tron’s electric motors can convert the entire deceleration energy into electric current and recover it. The electromechanical brake system is only activated if greater deceleration is required. These control actions are unnoticeable to the driver, who feels only a predictable and constant pedal feel as with a hydraulic brake system.
An automotive first: the heat pump
The heat pump, too – which made its first appearance in an automobile on the Audi e-tron concept car shown in Frankfurt – helps to boost efficiency and range. Unlike a combustion engine, the electric drive system generally does not produce enough waste heat to effectively heat the interior. Other electric vehicles are equipped with electric supplemental heaters, which consume a relatively large amount of energy. The heat pump used by Audi – and commonly used in buildings – is a highly efficient machine that uses mechanical work to provide heat with a minimum input of energy.
A high-efficiency climate control system is used to cool the interior. It works together with the thermal management system to also control the temperature of the high-voltage battery. This is because the battery, power electronics and electric motors must be kept at their respective ideal operating temperatures to achieve optimal performance and range.
As soon as the vehicle is connected to a charging station the vehicle is preconditioned as appropriate by the thermal management and other associated systems. In cold conditions the drive system is preheated, and in hot conditions it is cooled. This preconditioning can also be extended to the interior, if necessary, so that the passengers can step into a cabin that has been heated or cooled as appropriate for their comfort.
Driving dynamics
The drive system’s power is transferred to the road by the rear wheels, reflecting the Audi e-tron’s weight distribution of 40:60.
Both the individual motors, which are installed behind the wheels close to the vehicle’s center line as wheel drives, also enable the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron’s lateral dynamics to be intelligently controlled. This also boosts traction. Similar to what the sport differential does in conventional Audi vehicles, torque vectoring – the targeted acceleration of individual wheels – makes the newly developed electric drive of the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron even more dynamic while simultaneously enhancing driving safety.
Understeer and oversteer can be corrected by not only targeted activation of the brakes, but also by precise increases in power lasting just a few milliseconds. The concept car remains extremely neutral even under great lateral acceleration and hustles through corners as if on the proverbial rails.
The chassis has triangular double wishbones made of forged aluminum components at the front and rear axles – a geometry that has proven in motor sports to be the optimal prerequisite for high agility, uncompromising precision and precisely defined self-steering behavior. A taut setup was chosen for the springs and shock absorbers, but it is still very comfortable.
The direct rack-and-pinion steering gives finely differentiated feedback. Its electromechanical steering boost varies with speed, so that the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron only has to provide energy while steering, but not while driving straight ahead.
As befits its status, the Audi concept car rolls on 19-inch wheels of 35-spoke design. 235/35 tires up front and 255/35 tires at the rear provide excellent grip. Another special feature of the tires: Audi designers created the profile specifically for the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron.
For years before Hurricane Katrina laid waste to the Gulf Coast, scientists, engineers, and journalists warned that New Orleans’ levees might not withstand the inevitable “Big One.” Yet government officials at every level ignored the warnings and cut the programs designed to fortify the city’s defenses. So when disaster finally struck in late August 2005, government agencies were woefully unprepared to deal with the devastation. Into this breach waded nonprofits and businesses. The American Red Cross, for instance, spent more than $2 billion and deployed 220,000 volunteers to assist 1.2 million families, reports a Congressional committee.1 Smaller nonprofits like PRC Compassion also sent their best. This group of ministers distributed more than 62 million pounds of food, clothing, and other aid. Likewise, businesses large and small raised funds and donated profi ts to the relief effort. General Electric, for example, donated $22 million in cash, goods, and services, and raised an additional $50 million for the Red Cross, reports the Philanthropy Journal.2 In total, private donations for Katrina relief came to $3 billion— the most ever donated for a single event in the United States—with corporate donations making up about one-third of that sum. Yet the private sector’s unprecedented outpouring…
Jamendo, servicio que plantea hacer negocio con música Creative Commons, ha quemado la inversión recibida y busca compradores (Tc Europa). Es una noticia a analizar por lo que supone de fracaso en lo que a ejecutar un modelo diferente alrededor de la música, en el que se hace negocio sólo a partir de los usos comerciales de la misma y la publicidad en el sitio y en la que se comparten ingresos al 50% entre artista y distribuidor. De hecho tienen un servicio para bares con música disponible 24 horas pagando menos de 100 euros al año, una alternativa mucho más económica que pagar SGAE.
No está claro que Jamendo vaya a desaparecer, pero sí que está lejos de las expectativas que había desde su gestación. Y si hay que buscar un culpable de ello no señalaría a la ejecución del servicio o en la calidad de los artistas que utilizan la plataforma, más bien apuntaría a quien está eclipsando a su mayor herramienta de marketing: la música gratis en la red. La propuesta de publicar en Jamendo o en servicios similares bajo licencia Creative Commons es invertir para tratar de conseguir atención, eliminar barreras entre creador y oyentes. Pero cuando toda la música está disponible gratis y es fácil de compartir (redes P2P antes, Spotify y Youtube más tarde), esta ventaja se evapora. Cierto que quedan sectores en los se sigue viendo a Jamendo como una opción valiosa – los podcast y videoblogs que necesiten música que admita usos comerciales, esos bares que no quieren pagar SGAE – pero al oyente medio no le interesa la licencia de una canción.
Os dejo con una de las canciones más escuchadas en Jamendo, “Painted Dream” de “The Dada Weatherman”
John Crowley, a 1992 Notre Dame Law School alumnus, is the subject of “Extraordinary Measures,” a movie that tells the true story of Crowley’s search for a treatment for Pompe Disease. Two of Crowley’s three children have the life-threatening genetic defect. Actor Brendan Fraser plays Crowley, and Harrison Ford plays the researcher that discovered the treatment.
Notre Dame will host a screening of the movie in Browning Cinema of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Crowley will be on hand to introduce the movie at the 6:30 showing. The event is free but ticketed. Call the ticket office at 574-631-2800 to reserve tickets.
The movie is set for nationwide release in theatres on January 22, 2010.
For a preview of the movie and additional background about Crowley, visit http://extraordinarymeasuresthemovie.com/. The screenplay is derived from a 2006 book about Crowley by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Geeta Anand entitled “The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million- and Bucked the Medical Establishment- in a Quest to Save His Children.” (www.thecurebook.com).
Pompe Disease, which affects just 10,000 people worldwide, causes progressive muscle weakness throughout the body and affects various body tissues, particularly the heart, skeletal muscles (including those involved with breathing), liver, and nervous system.
Principal Cuts on More Lender Menus as U.S. Foreclosures Rise – By John Gittelsohn and Prashant Gopal – Bloomberg – BusinessWeek
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Irrevocable Trusts and the Reverse Mortgage Opportunity – Reva Minkoff – Irrevocable trusts can now be used for reverse mortgages, according to Paul N. Lovegrove Esq., President of Attorney Trust Review. …. “Nothing in the HECM guidelines that says you can’t use an irrevocable trust.” Although lenders cant sell a reverse mortgage with an irrevocable trust to Fannie Mae, the recent growth of Ginnie Mae’s HMBS program has provided an opportunity for HECMs. – Reverse Mortgage Daily
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Subprime Mortgage Securities Projected to Return Two Thirds of Their Original Principal on Average – Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has released its most recent assessment of projected principal recoveries for residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) in prime, Alt-A, and subprime transactions. These show that in the most likely scenario, subprime securities would return two thirds of their original value, while Alt–Securities would return almost 80%. – Research Recap ————
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FOMC Minutes: … The housing sector has shown some signs of improvement over recent months. Household spending appears to be expanding at a moderate rate, though it remains constrained by a weak labor market, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. … With substantial resource slack likely to continue to dampen cost pressures and with longer-term inflation expectations stable, the Committee expects that inflation will remain subdued for some time. …Read if all here.
and Mortgage Program Splits Fed Officials – By JON HILSENRATH – … with some saying a weak economy could warrant expansion and at least one arguing for scaling back, according to minutes of the meeting released Wednesday. The minutes show some officials worried the housing recovery could be cut short next year when the Fed stops buying mortgage debt and when other federal support programs — such as a government housing tax credit — expires. … – WSJ Economy and FOMC Hints at MBS Purchase Program Extension. GSE Reform is Real Issue – by Adam Quinones – Mortgage News Daily
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Walk Away From Your Mortgage! – Roger Lowenstein – John Courson, president and C.E.O. of the Mortgage Bankers Association, recently told The Wall Street Journal that homeowners who default on their mortgages should think about the “message” they will send to “their family and their kids and their friends.” … He was speaking about the rising number of folks who are voluntarily choosing not to pay. … – NY Times
and Go Ahead, Walk Away From Your Mortgage! – Henry Blodget – Roger Lowenstein gives Americans permission to do what companies do every day: … By the way, one advantage of this move, aside from saving underwater homeowners from pouring money down a rat hole, is that it will help fix the housing market faster. If underwater homeowners walk away, the banks willl be forced to take a writedown on the bad loan instead of pretending that it’s worth what they say it’s worth. This will help the bank clean up its balance sheet faster. So think of walking away as helping to force banks to do what the government refused to make them do–take their losses! … – Business Insider ————
Out Of Work Americans Clear Out Of Apartments, Driving Vacancy Rates To 30 Year High – John Carney – Unyielding job losses and a renewed government push to expand home buying dealt owners of rental apartments a savage blow in 2009. – Money Game at Business Insider
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Foreclosure.com Files for Bankruptcy – (HowIronic.) – “The parent company of Foreclosure.com and a stable of more than 150 other Web sites says its doors will remain open after two lawsuits forced it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.” – Surly Trader ————
Fannie Mae to bend rules for some Florida condos – By Al Yoon – annie Mae, the largest funder of U.S. home mortgages, on Thursday said it is making it easier for some Florida condo buyers to qualify for loans in a bid to stabilize one of the worst-hit real estate arkets. The housing finance giant said it is reassessing hundreds of Florida condo projects to see if they are “sufficiently stable” enough to qualify for funding, even if they don’t meet current requirements, Fannie Mae said in a statement. – Reuters ————
Ginnie Issues $130M BofA Reverse Mortgage REMIC – by DIANA GOLOBAY – Ginnie Mae guaranteed and issued its first real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC) composed of Bank of America (BofA) (BAC: 16.93 0.00%) reverse mortgage securitizations late last year, a spokesperson tells HousingWire. – HousingWire
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Implement More Than 405,000 – HAMP Mods; Refinance 4 Million Loans Through November 29 pages – FHFA Press Release and Report
I have been “discussing” (read: arguing) with a friend who recently got a Nexus One the benefits and disadvantages of Windows Mobile and Android. One of the things that often crops up is OS updates. Android gets lots of updates (they’re on version 2.1 already!) but do they actually add anything
The thing is, the changes between most Android OS versions are fairly minor (the same is true for the iPhone with things like copy and paste added, which really should have been there in the first place), and the same can be said of WM6.0 to WM6.1 and WM6.5, but Windows Mobile is actively evolving.
We’ve seen lots of the WM6.5.3 goodness, with what is in essence a brand new UI, and WM7 is essentially a rewrite of the OS, which as far as I know, neither Android nor iPhone are likely to get. The frequency of updates may be less, but the substance is more.
My point is, it’s not necessarily the frequency of updates that matters, but the substance. Which would you prefer? Frequent (if unsubstantial) OS updates, or occasional significant updates? Let us know in the coments!
Oh, and Windows Mobile natively supports on device updates with full user data retention. More on that soon!
Last week, we previewed Chomp, a new service that aims to offer a better review and recommendation system for iPhone apps. Today, the service, which is an app itself, has gone live, with its app now available in the App Store.
Here’s one of those stories that serves as a great endorsement for Android and its applications. An Oregon man recently had his house broken into and some of his possessions stolen. Among them was his Motorola Droid. Unbeknown to the thief, this handset was equipped with an app called 
After a long weekend of Las Vegas fanboy salivating, another year of the 
John Crowley, a 1992 Notre Dame Law School alumnus, is the subject of “Extraordinary Measures,” a movie that tells the true story of Crowley’s search for a treatment for Pompe Disease. Two of Crowley’s three children have the life-threatening genetic defect. Actor Brendan Fraser plays Crowley, and Harrison Ford plays the researcher that discovered the treatment.
