I’m your best friend – I am your Lucky Strike
I am a better friend than others, for I am made only of mild, fragrant, expensive center leaves. Not a single sharp top leaf nor a single coarse bottom leaf mars my good taste or my uniform mildness. I do not irritate your throat. I am, indeed, a soothing companion, the best of friends.
They Taste Better
Blimp Tows Aquaplane to Give Latest Aquatic Thrill
HITCH hiking behind the Goodyear blimp Volunteer is the latest form of water sport for thrill seekers on the California bathing beaches. One of the most ardent devotees of the sport is Elmer Peck, of Long Beach, holder of the world’s record for endurance on an aquaplane. He is shown in the accompanying photo stunting on an aquaplane in tow of the Volunteer which is flying low over the water at a clip of 60 miles per hour. Stunting like this demands the utmost in nerve and skill.
Photographing Byrd’s Adventures in Little America
by TED MAGEE
Exciting and comic events of daily life in the frozen, blizzard swept Antarctic were preserved in pictures by two daring photographers. Here is their pictorial story of a South Pole expedition.
FROM Antarctica, the bottom of the world, the Robinson Crusoes of Science have returned with Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd with tons of data on the greatest expanse of unexplored land on this earth.
In the desert of ice, blizzards, and darkness of the South Polar regions the second Byrd expedition gathered more scientific knowledge in eighteen months than all the expeditions to the Ross Sea sector during the last 100 years.The results of the expedition will be preserved in the books and lectures of Admiral Byrd, but even those who can not read can witness the actual adventures, the daily life, and the work of the Admiral and his group of explorers.
This record was brought back for millions to see in 135,000 feet of movie film, exposed by John L. Herrmann, chief cinematographer of the expedition, and his assistant, Carl O. Peterson, radio operator.
To obtain this pictorial account, the two photographers worked under all sorts of discouraging conditions and occasionally under obvious danger. Throughout the months of darkness that engulfed Little America during the South Pole’s long night, the photographers obtained their action pictures by means of flares and banks of photoflood lights and entertained the group of explorers with motion picture shows in the Penguin Theater. The Penguin Theater was established in the mess room. After meals the tables were stacked along the walls, the benches placed in rows and the show started. The expedition carried 97 feature length motion pictures from eight Hollywood studios, in addition to comedies and even a travelogue.
“The pictures lasted pretty nearly through the winter night,”
Chief Photographer Herrmann said. “When we had shown them all, we voted on favorites and showed them over again. You can be sure that the Penguin Theater had the most appreciative audience in the Americas — North, South, and Little.
“When daylight finally arrived, we were anxious to get moving. The first few days of twilight were devoted to digging out from the snow drifts. There was a lot of shoveling to be done and everyone had to pitch in.” After five airplanes were dug out of their igloo ice hangars, the work of aerial exploration began. The expedition brought three of the planes to the Bay of Whales, the other two having been left buried in the ice by the previous Byrd expedition. Before the long night descended on the little colony the hangars were dug into the snow. Rectangular snow blocks were cut and used for constructing the walls high enough to clear the top of the wings. The blocks froze in position. When the planes were towed into place by tractors, the front and rear walls were erected. Bamboo poles were placed over the hangars and covered with tarpaulin to form the roof. Blizzards delayed the work twice, and after the storms the men had to dig the planes out from under the snow. Through the long Polar night, the ships rested snugly under a blanket of snow while the mechanics overhauled the engines in a subterranean shop and installed instruments in the ships. When the sun finally rose again, the planes were dug out. Buried for five years under tons of snow and ice, the Fairchild and Ford ships, abandoned by the previous expedition, were found to be in fairly good condition after excavation.
After the planes were dug out of their hangars, the photographers spent a great deal of their time in the air. The two men made 26 flights for pictures. In fourteen months, under the direction of Admiral Byrd and Chief Pilot Harold June, the planes made 142 flights and flew a total of 12,900 miles, using more than 6,000 gallons of fuel and 500 gallons of oil. The fliers, accompanied by scientific members of the expedition, explored more than 100,000 square miles of territory.
In addition to obtaining a photographic record of the terrain for study and mapping purposes and carrying instruments for scientific data, the planes themselves were used to determine the topography of the barren continent of Antarctica. Contour lines were obtained by bringing the planes down every twenty miles until their skids touched the snow and surface altitude checked by reading the altimeter.
Peterson had his closest escape from death during a trip through Marie Byrd land en ‘ route to the Edsel Ford range by tractor. With three men he had set out to record pictures of the journey. Suddenly, after several days journey, a blizzard sprang up. The wind was suffocating in intensity.
As the blizzard grew worse the men pitched a tent next to the tractor, one of them staying in the cab of the latter. The storm grew worse and lasted for a week. The wind blew so hard that it was impossible to venture outside and the man in the tractor cab had to remain in the cab for a week, while the other three took turns holding up the tent. After it was all over, the difficult task then began of digging out from the snow drifts.
Herrmann had his one dangerous experience when he broke the camp rules and ventured off alone in the spring twilight. The haze obliterates everything and without a horizon it is very easy to become lost. Herrmann went down to view the seals, and thought he was returning in the right direction. He wore a wool shirt and a windproof —a very light but warm bit of clothing which largely replaced furs for warmth. It was 22 below zero. For nine hours he tried to find his way back. Finally he began back tracking and reached camp utterly exhausted with one foot partly frozen.
“Both of us were on the scene when the big Fokker high wing monoplane crashed shortly after taking off,” Herrmann said. “I had to pick up my camera and run for fear of being hit, but the shots we got were both close up and distant. The big ship wobbled as it took off. We had our cameras set to take scenes of general activity. When the Fokker began wobbling, we swung our cameras into position. For a moment it disappeared from sight, then re-appeared very close. We were both grinding away as it crashed.
“Speaking of shots, we brought back one scene that is a knockout. One of the boys was given a whip and a chair and made to enter a snow arena. He was told that he would be facing a wild animal. We started grinding the cameras. He came in warily and waited for the animal to be released at another-entrance. Suddenly a Penguin came wobbling out. The result was a scream. You should have seen our valiant expeditioner battling the ferocious beast.”
The penguins in the Antarctic are of two general types, the adelie or smaller penguins and the emperors. Some emperors grow to the size of eight-year-old children. Penguins weighing as much as 80 pounds were encountered.
Granite-sloped mountains 20,000 feet high separated Little America from the South Pole. On one trip Peterson experienced one of his most thrilling moments when the big Condor’s second motor quit at 16,000 feet while they were heading for the Edsel Ford range. Fortunately, the motor picked up again before a crash occurred.
Found Exposed Coal Deposits One party exploring more distant territory found coal deposits lying exposed on the surface. The expedition returned to the United States with conclusive proof that the Antarctic has extremely heavy coal beds beneath its deep cap of snow. Another group reported discovery of three volcanoes which were blowing smoke and fire out of snow and ice.
The bitter cold, even in the underground buildings in Little America, made handling cameras difficult. Moisture freezing in some of the instruments made it necessary to keep some of them near a heater until ready for use.
One of the curiosities of travel in the Antarctic was the frequent changes of time necessary while traveling east or west from Little America. Every fifteen minutes the men would change their watches by one hour because of the converging latitudes.
Peterson Made 21 Flights The cameras were taken on tractor expeditions to supply bases located miles from Little America for the planes on their exploration flights. These trips through blizzards and over dangerous crevasses provided the men with many thrilling adventures. On one occasion Peterson and a group had to dig a tractor out which became lodged in a 35-foot crevasse. They had to build a snow bridge under it and then dig a ramp in the hard-packed snow. The accident nearly cost the expedition one of the six motion picture cameras.
The cameras were taken along on many trips. Peterson made 21 flights with the camera. Herrmann made five. The longest dog team trip by surface was 1,220 miles. One plane flight was approximately that long.
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will be the finale of the Bowl Championship Series, pitting the top two teams in the BCS standings, and will be hosted by the Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, January 7, 2010.
This will be the last BCS game to air on terrestrial television for at least four years. ABC will televise this game, as well as the Rose Bowl, while FOX will televise the remainder of the BCS.
The 2010 games mark the final year of the current contracts with FOX and ABC; ESPN will take over the BCS starting in 2011, includingthe Rose Bowl Game and the National Championship.
This will mark the third time that the Tournament of Roses has hosted the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, and the first under the “plus one national championship game” system. In the 2002 Rose Bowl, Miami (Florida) beat Nebraska 37-14, while in 2006, Texas beat highly favored and defending national champion Southern California, 41-38.Never mind that Boise State belongs to the much-maligned Western Athletic Conference. Don’t two victories against Top 10-caliber teams suggest the Broncos might have a chance against Alabama on a neutral field? To me, they do.
Cincinnati, BCS No. 3, was blown out by Florida, BCS No. 5, in the Sugar Bowl, leaving both teams with one loss. And the Gators already had lost to Alabama in the SEC title game. So that means Boise State is the most deserving team to challenge the Crimson Tide.
If we could play one more college game in 2010 …
We can dream, can’t we?
Even Texas coach Mack Brown conceded this week that Boise State has a legitimate beef about not getting to play for the national title.
“We finished .0128 out of the (BCS) national championship picture (last year), and we beat a really good Ohio State team (in the Fiesta Bowl) and we said the same thing and nobody cared,” Brown said. “I think it’s about the system. Until our system changes …”
Until the Badly Conceived System changes, there are almost always going to be unanswered questions and controversies at the end of the season.
So, congratulations, Nick Saban, but wipe that smirk off your face. You’re not the only 14-0 team. You’re the only one that was allowed to play for the national title.
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Twitter didn’t disclose the terms of its acquisition of geo platform Mixer Labs in December, but some of the details have since emerged. Today paidContent reports on a new SEC filing that says Twitter issued $5.17 million worth of common stock and Series E preferred stock alongside an acquisition — and connects the dots that it was probably for Mixer Labs. There may also have been cash or additional terms in the transaction that weren’t disclosed in the filing.
We also reported earlier this week that Mixer Labs had raised funding from Sequoia Capital, something the startup hadn’t previously disclosed.
Mixer Labs, which Twitter said it bought to help it understand the local context of tweets, is still offering its GeoAPI keys as “a service from Twitter,” but today it appears that Mixer’s original product, local guide TownMe, has been taken offline.
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will be the finale of the Bowl Championship Series, pitting the top two teams in the BCS standings, and will be hosted by the Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, January 7, 2010.
This will be the last BCS game to air on terrestrial television for at least four years. ABC will televise this game, as well as the Rose Bowl, while FOX will televise the remainder of the BCS.
The 2010 games mark the final year of the current contracts with FOX and ABC; ESPN will take over the BCS starting in 2011, includingthe Rose Bowl Game and the National Championship.
This will mark the third time that the Tournament of Roses has hosted the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, and the first under the “plus one national championship game” system. In the 2002 Rose Bowl, Miami (Florida) beat Nebraska 37-14, while in 2006, Texas beat highly favored and defending national champion Southern California, 41-38.Never mind that Boise State belongs to the much-maligned Western Athletic Conference. Don’t two victories against Top 10-caliber teams suggest the Broncos might have a chance against Alabama on a neutral field? To me, they do.
Cincinnati, BCS No. 3, was blown out by Florida, BCS No. 5, in the Sugar Bowl, leaving both teams with one loss. And the Gators already had lost to Alabama in the SEC title game. So that means Boise State is the most deserving team to challenge the Crimson Tide.
If we could play one more college game in 2010 …
We can dream, can’t we?
Even Texas coach Mack Brown conceded this week that Boise State has a legitimate beef about not getting to play for the national title.
“We finished .0128 out of the (BCS) national championship picture (last year), and we beat a really good Ohio State team (in the Fiesta Bowl) and we said the same thing and nobody cared,” Brown said. “I think it’s about the system. Until our system changes …”
Until the Badly Conceived System changes, there are almost always going to be unanswered questions and controversies at the end of the season.
So, congratulations, Nick Saban, but wipe that smirk off your face. You’re not the only 14-0 team. You’re the only one that was allowed to play for the national title.
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Panasonic (PC) is getting green and mean post its acquisition of solar player Sanyo.
They're gunning to be #1:
The Street.com: Panasonic's outlook on green energy is as bold as it gets: the company said it plans to be the No. 1 green-energy company in the electronics space before its 100th anniversary in 2018. The big alternative energy dreams are part of a new yardstick being used by Panasonic management: it wants to have multiple key products that hold a top market share in the world, for a total of 10 trillion yen or more in sales and 10% percent or more in operating profit and return on equity
Panasonic is trying to become the largest green energy player in the world. Check out their official long-term strategy release that just came out.
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Economists and others weigh in on the drop in nonfarm payrolls amid a steady unemployment rate.
Compiled by Phil Izzo
Once per quarter, international environmental advocacy agency Greenpeace releases its Guide to Greener Electronics, which ranks gadget and computer makers on their efforts to be more ecologically minded. Last time around, Apple had managed only a ninth place finish in October of last year. For this inaugural 2010 survey, it jumps four spots to fifth overall.
Apple’s score didn’t increase that much, going from 4.9 to 5.1, but some of its competitors did very poorly over the period covered by the rankings, according to Greenpeace’s analysis. What Apple did manage to do was to actually act in a way that was much more environmentally friendly than previous attempts, despite actually moving backwards in its attempts to educate the public about its ecological efforts.
According to Greenpeace’s detailed evaluation, the redesign of the environmental information portion of Apple’s website actually provides less information than before, which counts against it according to the rating criteria the organization has established:
Apple loses a point for providing even less information (on its updated web-pages) about its supply chain communications than before. This criterion evaluates disclosure of information flow in the supply chain. Apple also loses a point for minimal information about its future toxic chemical phase-out plans, reducing its communication on this subject on its updated web-pages.
In terms of practical steps taken to lessen the impact of its actual products on the environment, though, Apple did very well:
Apple does best on the toxic chemicals criteria, where it scores most of its points. It scores substantially less on waste and energy. In this evaluation, Apple wins and loses some points on toxic chemicals, but gains on energy. All Apple products are now free of PVC and BFRs, with the exception of PVC-free power cords in countries where their safety certification process is still ongoing.
The four companies ahead of Apple on the ratings scale are Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Philips. That means that Apple is second among computer makers overall. Nintendo, Microsoft and Lenovo occupy the three bottom spots on the chart, with Microsoft slipping this year for a failure to support strong chemicals legislation. Apple is the only company to have earned four stars in Greenpeace’s new supplemental ratings chart regarding the elimination of harmful chemicals.
Every time these rankings are released, people tend to take issue with Greenpeace’s methods and motivations, and generally naysay the value of the guide. It may be true that Greenpeace has a very clear political aim, but I really don’t think provoking some sense of accountability in consumer-facing electronics companies is really a bad thing, even if you disagree with the methodology involved.
Dell is using CES to offer a glimpse of its first tablet, an Android-based gadget with a 5-inch screen that’s a bit bigger than a smartphone but smaller than a netbook. The company is joining a crush of hardware manufacturers and software developers jumping into a white-hot tablet space, creating a buzz that has expanded beyond the tech sector to attract attention from mainstream media outlets such as USA Today and MSNBC.com. But is there really much demand for these little connected devices that aren’t phones?
source: CNET
At CES this week, Microsoft has trotted out an HP-branded tablet, Lenovo has showcased a laptop/tablet hybrid and Motorola has offered a glimpse of an upcoming tablet product, to name just a few of the companies using the Las Vegas show to flash sleek new offerings. In the meantime, Apple is rumored to be readying a tablet as well. And many of the new tablets run Google’s mobile operating system, which– as Google’s Andy Rubin rightly boasts – offers the flexibility to be leveraged on a host of different platforms (and which, as Om noted, could lead to the Androidification of everything).
But while Apple’s iPod touch — which is kind of a mini-tablet — has been a hit, tablet-like devices offered in the past from Microsoft, Fujitsu and others haven’t managed to find much of an audience. That could change in the next few years given the increasing presence of Wi-Fi and the deployment of 4G networks, and we’re likely to see a host of non-phone gadgets gain traction as connectivity comes to a wide variety of consumer electronics devices. But consumers will be asked to shell out at least a few hundred dollars to carry a gadget in addition to their existing phones — some of which function pretty well as mini-computers. Whether there are enough users willing to do so is far from clear.
I understand that this disease involves three mechanisms, lack of insulin production by the pancreas, insulance resistance of the muscle cells, and glucose production of the liver. I’m finding that my BG levels RISE overnight, sometimes by 20-25 points. I think it must be because of my liver producing glucose. Are other medications better targeted at the liver component than Metformin? Any other suggestions how to deal with the overnight rise? I only have a small snack or nothing to eat after dinner. The rise occurs even when I engage in heavy exercise at night (competitive table tennis).
Talking with some behind closed doors and got a couple of Pm’s regarding information, its such a helpful board. Some are asking about my levels and such maybe i am getting things mixed up so i called my Doctors office and finally got a live person and explained to them that I was going to see a "Support Group" and they needed my sugar levels from my last test.
Test July 22nd 2008 ( which they asked me to come in and get a referal for to get more work done before my feb Dr appointment )
Glucose Tolerance Test – 22.4 mmol/L
Glycohemoglobin – 16.4 mmol/L( refered to this when i asked what my A1C test results where) said A1C was a American term?
Uric Acid – 540 mol/L
Can someone decipher this for me 😀 I will be picking up the lab request tonight after work and hopefully go and get them done this weekend.
From the frozen tundra of Minnesota I hail, not by choice but by birth. I bring with me a head full of useless knowledge and trivia. I know, “Is this guy some sort of Superhero?” No, just an ordinary man, or am I?
I’ve always been a tinkerer and owned many PC’s throughout my life. One day I grew tired of always troubleshooting and wanted to just enjoy the computer. From that point on, I was a Mac user. Using my machines to edit movies and other multimedia content.
I work in Higher Education as an Apple Admin at a college in Minnesota. Since I came onboard, we have been making the switch to becoming a 100 percent Apple campus. Before I was here, there was a big fear of Macs. Now there is a love affair. I created the site ADaMac to journal my troubleshooting experiences and hopefully help other Admins out who had nowhere to turn. A large-scale mixed Apple/Microsoft environment , can be tricky at times. Aside from Apple, I have a wife and two kids that keep me pretty busy. I love music, film & of course video games. I’m also a volunteer Firefighter in my city. My feeling is that I want to have a lot of experiences to look back on.
So how did I become a writer for TheAppleBlog? I guess I sent the right email at the right time because here I am. I’m very excited to have a little part of the site and I will do my best to contribute the best articles I can.
You can follow me (because I’m so interesting) on Twitter @flocchini.
It snowed and snowed and snowed in Britain this week, enough that many people in the country got stuck at home. But some of those people still had a good time. A Web site intended to help restless married people meet one another called IllicitEncounters.com reports a surge in new members over the last few days—more than 2,500 in the last six days—particularly from areas hit hard by the wintry weather, like Hampshire and Berkshire. From Reuters:
“In light of these figures, I’d be interested to see how much work those ‘working from home’ have actually done,” IlicitEncounters.com spokeswoman Sara Hartley said in a statement.
“Perhaps these wives and husbands have just been waiting for a time when they could join, away from the eyes of their work colleagues and, most importantly, their partners…”
Hartley reports that IlicitEncounters.com has taken on extra workers to meet the rush. Apparently, adultery is about the only thing driving job growth anymore.
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Image: flickr / spratmackrel
San Francisco, California | Outsider Architecture
A veritable still life zoo, the Zeum Carousel in San Francisco’s Children’s Museum has been giving rides to delighted children and adults alike for over 100 years. Still operational, it has more than just the common carousel horse: leaping giraffes, ornamented camels, majestic rams in mid run, gilded chariots decorated with elaborate dragons, snakes, and gargoyles. Even the horses are remarkable, each one unique in its design and decorations. But perhaps even more remarkable then the animals which make up the carousel is its storied and well traveled history.
Constructed in 1906 by master carver and builder Charles I. D. Looff (who built the first carousel at Coney Island in 1876, and went on to manufacture over 50 carousels throughout his life, in addition to California’s Santa Monica Pier), it was originally to be placed in San Francisco, but the 1906 fires and Earthquake caused it to be installed at the Luna Park in Seattle, Washington instead. Miraculously it was the only attraction to survive the 1911 Luna Park fire, and in 1913 moved again to its original destination of San Francisco. Installed at the ocean side amusement park Playland-at-the-Beach, where it remained until the close of the park in 1972.
It was then purchased by a private collector and held in Roswell, New Mexico until 1983, when it was transported back to California, set up by Marianne Stevens in Shoreline Village, Long Beach. The City of San Francisco finally purchased the carousel from Ms. Stevens in 1998 and returned it, fully restored and operational, to its current location at Zeum in the Yerba Buena Gardens.
Charles I.D. Looff was the father of the unique Coney Island style of carousel carving, catering and contributing to the vaudeville style attractions that were steadily growing more popular in the early nineteenth century.
Classic circus music plays cheerfully during the 2 for $3 rides, complimenting the character of the carousel. The animals reflect this bright, fanciful, carnival style. Horses are suited up in a saddle and blanket unique to themselves, gem studded with colorful patterns. Real horse hair tails and further elaborate designs adorn each piece. The camels, giraffes, and rams are equally magnificent and lustrous, fine attention to detail in both original and restored carving and painting evident.
The Zeum Carousel is a wonderfully well preserved and restored historical ride, hearkening back to a time when everything was new and exciting, and amusement park rides such as these were as much marveled inventions as they were public entertainment.
Just like the PS Store update, this week’s PlayStation Network video store update is a bit sparse. There’s a pair of scary movies in there, including that incredible triumph in sequel titling, The Final Destination.There’s also a
Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that it has accepted the Oshkosh Defense military truck that will carry a Boeing-built laser beam control system for the U.S. Army’s High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) program.
Boeing received the Oshkosh Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) on Dec. 17 at the Oshkosh facility in Oshkosh, Wis.
“This demonstration program has successfully transitioned from the design phase to the fabrication phase,” said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems’ Directed Energy Systems unit.
“This transformational, solid-state laser weapon capability will provide speed-of-light, ultra-precision capability that will dramatically improve warfighters’ ability to counter rocket, artillery and mortar projectiles.”
The eight-wheel, 500-horsepower HEMTT A4, a widely used military tactical vehicle, will be shipped to Boeing’s facility in Huntsville this spring for integration with the laser’s rugged beam control system (BCS).
The program has already begun receiving BCS components from suppliers.
“These hardware deliveries show that the program is making great progress and getting closer to demonstrating its revolutionary capability,” said Blaine Beardsley, Boeing HEL TD program manager.
The BCS will acquire, track and select an aimpoint on a target during the same time frame in which the system also will receive the laser beam from the laser device, reshape and align it, and focus it on the target. The system includes mirrors, high-speed processors and high-speed optical sensors.
HEL TD testing against real targets, but using a low-power surrogate for the high-energy laser, is scheduled for fiscal year 2011 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. HEL TD is a cornerstone of the Army’s high-energy laser program and will support the transition to a full-fledged Army acquisition program.
Boeing is developing laser systems for a variety of U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy warfighter applications. Besides HEL TD, these systems include the Airborne Laser, Free Electron Laser and Tactical Relay Mirror System.
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles.
About Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Marc Selinger, 703-872-4240
Boeing Missile Defense Systems
[email protected]
One of the many hassles with digital media is always trying to get your content such as pictures and videos off of your phone, out, about and useful. Sure uploading to YouTube or Facebook is cool, but a lot of the time you want to get those items out at home for personal use. Or how about the other headache and constant struggle to untether the content that you own from the boxes they are stored on, allowing sharing of YOUR media anywhere in your home? If you have ever tried that, you know it can be a headache.
Well, not anymore for Android users! PacketVideo, the makers of Twonkymedia have announced at CES 2010 a free, mobile version of their media gateway server. The app is going to allow Android users to have the ability to stream media from their handsets to other devices on their home networks, and vice versa! Freedom for your media at your grubby little Android powered finger tips! Imagine having the ability to watch a video you took with your brand spanking new Nexus One on your big screen plasma at home with all your friends with the touch of a button. Entirely possible with the Twonkymedia app.
The Android app works in conjunction with the Twonkymedia server application which runs on Windows boxes as well as Mac’s and Linux builds. The home version costs a VERY reasonable $29.95, and is worth looking at. It covers a LARGE number of devices, and allows you to stream media all over your house. Granted, it is possible to do this without a program if you are a tech guru, but with something that is written and geared for media sharing like this program, it may be worth it to not have to hassle with the guesswork.
Since the Android app is free, it is worth taking a look at and seeing if it fits your needs!
Twonkyserver Mobile is the name of the app and is available right now for download from the Market. Use the barcode below to scan and download right now.
Android seems to be the weapon of choice at CES this year. As the best mobile platform for open source development and modifications, it only makes sense that as many developers as possible would want to get their hands on the OS- and yet, Dell’s Android-powered tablet came way out of left field.
Sporting a 5-inch screen, Dell’s Streak practically defines medium-scale, falling somewhere between an Archos 5 and a myTouch 3G in terms of size, and as Gizmodo puts it, looking like a large iPod touch. While the device isn’t a phone, the inclusion of a SIM-card slot leads me to believe that you’ll be using a cell provider’s data plan for network service, in a fashion similar to the Nook’s AT&T 3G.
(via Pocket Lint)
When your country is about to go bankrupt and get kicked out of the EU, what do you do for an instant increase in tax revenue? Simple: you tax booze and cigarettes.
BBC: The Greek government has announced increases in taxes on alcohol and tobacco as it seeks to counter the country’s debt crisis.
For most drinks, tax per litre of alcohol will rise from 11.4 euros (£10.23) to 13.7 euros with immediate effect. Tax on a pack of cigarettes will rise from 57.5% to 70% on 12 January.
The Finance Ministry said the measures would increase revenues. The government has ruled out increasing VAT. Value added tax currently stands at 19%.
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