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Sasha Grey’s major film debut in Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience caused a lot of buzz for the 21-year old adult film actress. In continuation of her rise and possible shift from adult to major film star, Playboy snaps some shots of Sasha for their December issue. The images are what you’d expect from Playboy and Sasha Grey fans would appreciate the stills even if they’re already spoiled from her “other” motion picture appearances.

Continue reading for more images. (NSFW)

Source: Homicidal Insomniac with Image rights belonging to Playboy

It’s the simple things: the Scosche FlipSync iPhone cable rolls up into itself, making it super portable. I like it! [Oh Gizmo!]

As we forecast back in December, BMW delivered the electric car everyone knew was coming today at the NAIAS. The BMW ActiveE Concept is an all-electric vehicle powered by liquid-cooled Li-ion batteries and is based on a 1 Series Coupe. It has rear wheel drive and is expected to boast a range of roughly 160 kilometers (100 miles) on a single charge, while BMW’s ConnectedDrive allows control of the heating and AC system using a mobile phone, which can also be used to access battery information or locate charging stations…

Tags: BMW,
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• Electric Cooled and Heated Seat Cushion
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HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Plunkett Research, Ltd. has released their newest market research and competitive analysis report, Plunkett’s Renewable, Alternative & Hydrogen Energy Industry Almanac, 2010 edition. This carefully-researched book is a …

I don’t know if you’ve been following this “eco” / “depression” Avatar madness or not, but I have and it’s seriously getting out of control. In case you have not heard about all the eco-weirdness surrounding this film following is a round up…

First off Avatar has been labeled as a recruitment for eco-terrorists by some industry groups and right wing pundits. The most insane post I’ve read related to Avatar’s sinister eco-motives is over at Red County where Dr. Richard Swier writes that Avatar, among other things, is, “Pure eco-propaganda released to coincide with the end of the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen.”

Secondly in this freak show of a situation is the case of the Avatar fan forum site “Avatar Forums.” At said forums there’s a topic thread entitled “Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible,” that according to CNN, “Has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope.” The topic is reportedly so popular that a second thread has been opened up on the topic. People are seriously depressed that the imaginary world in the movie is their idea of ideal eco/harmony ethics while real humans continue to kill the planet we actually live on.

WTF?

Ok, one, it’s a movie! A movie. The people who think this movie is eco-propaganda are pushing it big time, and as for the folks who are depressed over the film, it’s not at all necessary. Being an eco-writer I review a lot of green-minded films and documentaries, and while yeah they make me think, I never come away feeling totally hopeless. Disappointed in how many humans act – sure. Disappointed that we even need a movie about saving the planet – yes. But utterly hopeless? NEVER.

Flow for example, was an excellent film, but fairly depressing (if you like the idea of clean water) but rather than feel hopeless about it, I came away from Flow with a feeling of what can I do to create change.

At the risk of sounding mean, my main take on all of these shenanigans is get a grip people. Avatar is very likely not at all about people selling their soul to “eco-terrorists” or about how humans bite it big time when it comes to being good stewards of the earth. It’s a movie; an entertainment tool; a money maker for James Cameron for sure – but all this eco-madness surrounding it, well, that’s just silly.

I should add that plenty of the forum members at the Avatar fan forums (luckily) aren’t on board with killing yourself or even getting yourself too worked up over a flipping movie and have now opened up a thread to discuss what other people are saying about it. Many forum members appear to have a great grip on reality and have spoken out to the people posting about depression and have offered support or simply told them to focus on reality and what you can change, which is exactly what I suggest.

It’s funny because we just discussed green guilt here recently. If you’re interested in creating change instead of feeling guilty or depressed over the state of green then it’s a good post to read. Remember if you zone out or become overly depressed over a movie you aren’t being productive and it’s not helping any eco-friendly cause.

Lastly, while I do find all of this Avatar stuff incredibly odd, I do get that people take things they love seriously. If Avatar really has depressed you to the point where suicide sounds appealing then you need to talk to someone now. Right now.

Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK. NSPL is a 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention service that’s confidential, free, and a much smarter choice then going it alone if you’re depressed.

What do you think about all this Avatar craziness?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Avatar Movie Eco Insanity

La frase potencia sin control no sirve de nada, cobra un mayor significado cuando la aplicamos a un accidente de estas características. Para el que se lo pueda permitir, comprar un Audi R8 no debe ser nada complicado, incluso, creo que con todas las ayudas electrónicas y la fiabilidad de Audi, conducir el R8 tampoco debe ser nada complicado, eso si, siempre que estemos dentro de unos límites razonables.

Cuando sales a dar una vuelta con tu nuevo modelo en la Autobahn alemana, los límites razonables desaparecen, por lo que tu pericia como conductor juega un papel muy importante. No podemos afirmar que el conductor del R8 que os mostramos sea un mal conductor, pero a la vista del resultado y de quién es el conductor, podemos decir que no se trata de un conductor de élite.

Al parecer uno de los miembros de la banda de rock alemana Böhse Onkelz, se disponía a realizar un adelantamiento en la Autobahn cuando perdió en control de su Audi y se estrelló contra un Opel destrozando el R8. Del otro coche implicado no tenemos datos y de su conductor tampoco, pero si sabemos que el causante del accidente abandonó la escena minutos después de producirse la colisión.

Foto | Wrecked Exotics

Look for a boost in smartphone performance and capabilities as the Intel Moorestown platform starts to appear in devices this year. Intel says that the new mobile Internet device (MID) platform will be launching during the first half of 2010, and should begin appearing in consumer devices on the market as early as the third quarter. The specs look promising and Intel was showing off a bevy of prototypes and reference designs at CES 2010, including units from Aava Mobile, EB, Inventec, Open Peak, and Winstron. LG also had a Moorestown-based smartphone on hand at the show…

Tags: CES 2010,
HD,
Intel,
LG,
Smartphone

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What happens when all the PhoneDog editors — Noah, John, Aaron and Adriana — finally meet for the very first time at CES 2010? Wackiness ensues.

The current global economic turmoil poses a future challenge for Developing countries such as Ghana. I believe that Developing countries that strategically position themselves in facilitating renewal energy sector investments and policy development …

Jersey Shore’s Snooki showed those stripper snitches how to really hit a hole while reportedly getting paid $10,000 to party at Florida’s Seminole Hard Rock over the weekend. We hear the petite principessa pocketed five-figure for hosting a “Fist Pumping Competition” at Seminole’s Club Opium on Sunday night.

Vimeo is planning to allow Vimeo Plus members to access videos while using their Android smartphone very soon! According to Andrew Pile, Vice President of Product and Development for Vimeo, “Vimeo believes the creator should choose how people view their content, which is why we are offering both 1080p streaming and mobile viewing options that Vimeo Plus members can select when uploading their video.”  Exciting!

Stay tuned to AndroidGuys for more on this when it develops.

For young budding entrepreneurs approaching graduation this spring, or for those looking to go back for a post-graduate degree, finding the right program for your needs is very important. In their seventh annual joint effort last fall, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review teamed up to rank the top 25 undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship programs in the United States. Only six programs managed to make the top 10 in both lists, securing their spots at the top of the best overall entrepreneurship programs.

Sponsor

#1. Babson College – Babson Park, MA

Finding themselves in the top spot of both top 25 lists is the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Babson’s entrepreneurial programs boast the largest enrollment by far of any of the top schools with over 3,300 total enrolled students, and offers undergraduates a total of over $300,000 in scholarships.

#2. Drexel University – Philadelphia, PA

Drexel’s undergraduate program of the Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship is rated sixth best, but the university’s third-ranked graduate program at the Bennett S. LeBow College of Business has boosted them into the number two spot overall. Drexel offers the most money in scholarships out of the top six, providing $350,000 for both undergraduate and graduate students, and claims that 100% of their faculty are entrepreneurs themselves.

#3 (Tie). University of Arizona – Tucson, AZ

The entrepreneurial programs at the University of Arizona are the most exclusive clubs on this list, enrolling just 100 undergrads and 50 graduate students in it’s McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the Eller College of Management. With $120,000 available in scholarships and low enrollment figures, entrepreneurs at Arizona have an excellent chance at receiving financial aid.

#3 (Tie). Temple University – Philadelphia, PA

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute at Temple’s Fox School of Business ranked 5th and 6th for undergraduate and graduate programs respectively. The school enrolls over 600 students and offers a $29,500 prize in its buisness plan competition.

#5. University of Southern California – Los Angeles, CA

With the second largest enrollment in the top six, the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC’s Marshall School of Business is the home to over 2,000 young entrepreneurs. The undergraduate program is just 10th in the nation, but the school’s stellar graduate program is ranked 2nd, just below Babson College.

#6. DePaul University – Chicago, IL

Ranked 8th and 9th in undergraduate and graduate programs, the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul’s College of Commerce and the Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business rounds out the top six. The programs enroll just under 400 students and like Drexel, 100% of the faculty are themselves entrepreneurs.

Honorable Mention: The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston has ranked in the top 2 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s undergraduate list since 2007.

Honorable Mention: The Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship at Tulane’s Freeman School of Business was ranked #4 in the top 25 graduate programs.

To see the complete lists of the top 25 undergraduate and graduate programs in entrepreneurship, visit Entrepreneur Magazine. If your favorite school isn’t on these lists and you want to see if they have entrepreneurship programs, be sure to look at this list of schools (including international institutions) offering entrepreneurial majors compiled by Saint Louis University.

Photo by Flickr user CarbonNYC.

Discuss

Nevada Geothermal (NGP), the Vancouver, BC.-based developer of geothermal electric power projects, expects to close a $95 million financing with John Hancock Financial Services next month, an industry source tells GER.

NGP plans to tap into part of the facility to refinance a 15-year, $180 million credit facility with a 14 percent interest rate,which it secured in September 2008, at the height of the credit crisis, from the Trust Company of the West (TCW). The funding will also support NGP’s ongoing development of its Faulkner 1 power plant at its Blue Mountain project in Nevada’s Humboldt County.

NGP has already repaid TCW $30 million by tapping into the $57.9 million Department of Energy cash grant it scored last November.

The John Hancock credit facility will substantially cut NGP’s funding cost with pricing on that loan set to hover between 5 percent and 7.5 percent. The loan will be backed by a Department of Energy loan guarantee that John Hancock is in the process of applying for.

NGP’s Faulkner 1 came online last fall and is slated to produce 40 megawatts of power when it reaches full capacity. The facility is backed by a 20-year power purchase agreement with NV Energy, the state power utility. Officials at John Hancock did not return calls.

Vinit Nijhawan wrote:

Delhi, January 5, 2010—The biggest challenge and therefore opportunity faced by India is its demographic dividend: there are over 500 million youth under 25 years of age and 350 million under 15 years. Thirty percent of them are in cities. Only a small percentage of these youngsters will obtain university degrees. The majority will need vocational training.

The government has understood this challenge and has set up the National Skills Development Corporation, which is developing policy to educate 500 million people in the bottom of the pyramid in vocational skills. These people will become retail staff, telecom field workers, commercial vehicle drivers, rural consumer sales, mechanics, factory workers, et cetera.

While the scale of the opportunity is huge, the cost of training these workers has to be extremely low, as most of them don’t have any assets and will either have to be subsidized by the government or will have to take loans. Most come from families that are not in the organized sector—in other words, they do not have any concept of structured employment—so the dropout rate is high. Many entrepreneurs have entered the education market in India—the number of new universities and K-12 schools is staggering—but very few are willing to enter the vocational training market, as it is very difficult to make money.

That is why the national government has begun to take the lead in vocational training. For example, the government has taken 150 of 1,500 government-run Institute of Technology (ITI) and entered into public-private partnerships. Other government departments are paying private sector vocational training companies a fixed amount for every person they train successfully.

Most major US universities are engaged in discussions on establishing some presence in India. MIT has been given a five-year contract to establish a Global Health Institute in Delhi. Rumors are that MIT may establish a joint venture business school in India soon. Bob Brown, President of Boston University, will be in India in a couple of days. Boston University just established a new position, Vice President for Global Operations, to lead BU’s efforts in establishing a global presence. India is a key part of this vision.

The current generation in India is called the “why” generation. After generations of being told what to do and how to think by parents, teachers, and other elders, young people are questioning all aspects of Indian life. In the urban middle class they are driving a consumer culture, similar to America’s: coffee shops, bars, cars, clothes. They are also demanding equality for women and gays and in fact getting laws changed to reflect these new social mores. And they are globally savvy, plugged into Facebook, sometimes working for multinationals and traveling abroad frequently.

But the bottom of the pyramid, particularly in rural areas, is completely disenfranchised from this global reality, and how India deals with them in the next two decades will determine whether it remains a pluralistic democracy. A possible alternative is a populist, labor led, violent revolution.

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