I’m sure this is just as the pharaohs intended.
Mammoth Flying Swing to Give Bird’s Eye Pyramid View
Mammoth flying swings erected atop the pyramids, when Egyptian government’s consent is obtained, is amazing project planned by engineers to give tourists a thrilling bird’s eye view of the huge desert structures.
ExiledOnline, Dec. 14: If you want directions to see what happened to the American Dream in the age of globalization, go north on Woodward Avenue. When the empty sidewalks and spiffed-up ghosts of department stores give way to miles of vacant lots, piles of arsonists’ ash and ruined factories, you’ve hit your destination: Highland Park. A beaten-down man in a black vinyl coat was there to greet me. Waving his hands furiously while I drove by, the crack-addicted hustler shouted, “Right here! I got that sh%$ right here!”
While Harvey’s piece could be written off as parachute journalism or “ruin porn”, he manages to go into some depth not usually encountered in such drop-ins.
The picture he paints isn’t pretty, but then again, neither are parts of Highland Park, abandoned by automakers in past decades and taken over by a state-appointed emergency financial manager in 2001.
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Guide Silent Milk Trucks with “Joy Sticks” Like Plane’s
NOISELESS milk trucks, steered with “joy sticks” like those used in the controls of an airplane, have been introduced in Los Angeles, California. They were recently put in operation, and persons living in the residential districts of the city are no longer roused from their slumber at an early hour by the creaking and banging on the pavement of the old type milk wagons. The new trucks have no steering wheels. They are controlled by either of two “sticks” placed on each side of the truck in the driver’s seat. These allow the milkman to operate the truck from the running board so that he does not have to be squeezing in and out from behind the wheel while making his route. This objection to using regular trucks is therefore eliminated. Brake and clutch pedals are also on each side of the car on the running board, and shift levers are so mounted that they, too, can be operated from the side.
She’s Not a Glamorous Beauty, Yet Dozens of Men Whisper “I Adore You”
Into Her Attentive Ear This girl is no stranger to you. She’s the center of attraction in any group.
But she’s not a raving beauty . . . she’s not expensively dressed . . . and she’s not brimful of brains or wit. And yet, when she arrives at any gathering, every man in the place starts straightening his tie and immediately strives for her attention.
The prettier girls ask, “What do they see in her? The answer is obvious. For the popular girl has mastered the simple secrets of charm . . . allure . . . glamour. She has a radiant, magnetic personality— one which draws people to her and incites men to whisper, “I Adore You” into her attentive ear.
Fortunately, her charms can now be acquired by any woman. You can quickly learn the secrets of a captivating personality in the privacy of your own room. For Madame Sylvia, the famous beauty adviser to the Hollywood stars, describes hundreds of ways to develop charm and personality in her new book. This book, Pull Yourself Together, Baby! contains all the secrets on glamour that Madame Sylvia has gleaned from studying the most dynamic personalities of the stage and screen.
A Guide Book to Popularity Make no mistake about personality . . . you can acquire it . . . you can develop it. Not by acting giddy, or by acquiring any foolish frills or mannerisms. But by following the secrets of glamour as described in Sylvia’s new book. And if you think you must be as beautiful as the Hollywood stars or you can’t win the admiration of others—forget it! You can build up charm just as surely as you can build up a thin body.
The tricks and stunts that you can use to send your popularity stock skyrocketing are endless. Such simple things as a proper diet or a stimulating exercise will help tremendously. Then there are many , tricks in make-up that you should know. New stunts for hair grooming. Ways of getting personality into your clothes without spending a fortune. Simple ways to acquire self-assurance and poise. Tips on how to act in company of strangers. New ways to develop a graceful, supple figure. These and hundreds of other personality hints are completely discussed in Sylvia of Hollywood’s new book.
Make a New Start If you’re dissatisfied with your looks, your sex appeal, your popularity, don’t sit back and accept yourself the way you are.
Read Sylvia’s new book . . . apply her secrets of charm and you’ll be a changed person within a short time.
Book reviewers are enthusiastic in their praise about Pull Yourself Together, Baby! And you’ll prize this book for years and years to come. It’s inspiring . . . brimful of amusing incidents . . . and illustrated with many pointed cartoons. The price is only $1.00. Get your copy today. If unobtainable at your department or book store, sign and mail the coupon below now.
Macfadden Book Company, Inc.
Dept. 2. 205 East 42nd St., New York. N. Y.
While Plastic Logic‘s Que reader is intended for business-minded folks and has a focus on schedules, BlackBerry syncs, and documents, it would still make a fantastic reader due to its size and design. If it weren’t $650, that is.
The Que is the tall and slender beauty among many of the readers on the market. Next to it, the Kindle and Nook both look chubby and tiny. The unfortunate part is that the large screensize comes at a price: $650 for a 4GB version and $800 for an 8GB 3G-enabled model. Each of the versions comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, of course.
Holding the reader is blissful. It’s incredibly light, but feels firm and solid—not at all plasticy or flimsy as I’d expected. While that was a pleasant surprise, the refresh rate of the Que was not. It felt slower than two readers I’ve played around with recently—the Nook and the Kindle.
Either way, if crave for a large screen and don’t want to deal with buttons being in your way while you lay in bed, the Que with its slim, single-button design might be your gal—if you can take the price. The reader will be shipping in April 2010 and can be ordered on the Que website now. [Que]
Black Grape is a diet drink that claims it will improve overall wellness, increase metabolism, and improve energy. This Black Grape review will detail the ingredients contained in Black Grape as well as give you an idea of what you can expect from this product.
Niacin (20 mg) does not cause weight loss.
Vitamin B6 (5 mg) is important to good health, but it does not contribute to weight loss.
Vitamin B12 (4.8 mcg) is another important vitamin, but it will not cause weight loss.
Pantothenic Acid (5 mg) is also known as Vitamin B5. It does not cause weight loss.
Taurine (1000 mg) is often added to energy drinks, but it does nothing for weight loss.
L-Leucine (1000 mg) helps slow muscle degeneration. It sounds like a broken record, but this ingredient does not cause weight loss.
Natural Caffeine (75 mg) is an effective ingredient, but Black Grape does not contain enough to cause weight loss.
Green Tea (50 mg) is an excellent, scientifically proven ingredient. In order for green tea to be effective at causing weight loss, it has to be taken in doses of 300 mg per day. That means you would have to drink 6 cans of Black Grape every day to get enough green tea to cause weight loss.
Guarana Seed (42 mg) has been shown to contribute to weight loss, but ONLY when combined with Damiana and Yerba Mate, neither of which is contained in Black Grape. Therefore, this Black Grape review finds the Guarana contained in Black Grape will not cause weight loss.
Resveratrol (20 mg) is simply another fad. It has not been proven to cause weight loss.
Black Grape costs $49.95 for a case of 24 cans. If you drink 2 cans per day, Black Grape will cost you over $120 per month. This is ridiculous. There is no reason to believe that Black Grape will actually cause weight loss. Put your money into a product that will actually result in weight loss.
The Black Grape website touts a guarantee. However, it is pathetic to say the least. You can get a refund on any unused cans if you return them within 5 days of receiving them. There is no way to know if a product is working after only 5 days (except that there is no scientific evidence to show Black Grape will actually work). So, if you do choose to purchase Black Grape, know that you will not get a refund if you wait more than 5 days.
Like dozens of other diet products, Black Grape offers an Affiliate Program. It is a multi-level marketing company. Basically you get other people to buy the product and you earn $9 per case they buy. Maybe you can earn some money from Black Grape, but you won’t lose weight by using it.
Black Grape has no customer service phone number. I contacted them for more information, but they still have not responded after 3 days. I am always suspicious of companies that make it impossible to contact them. It makes me wonder if they are hiding something.
This Black Grape review finds this product is way too expensive. There is no reason to believe Black Grape will cause weight loss. Go with a diet product that includes clinically proven ingredients in the necessary amounts.
Streamlined Rear-Engine Car Designed for American Market
REVOLUTIONARY features in motor car design, including such innovations as hydraulic steering and a streamlined body with the motor at the rear of the chassis, are embodied in an automobile designed by John Tjaarda, associated with General Motors Corporation. Tests of the novel car are now being carried out, and it is likely that the streamlined automobile will be put in production shortly. Prices of the car in various models, based on the cost of various experimental types, are expected to be remarkably low, ranging from $700 to $1800.
Advantages of the rear-engine type of construction include such features as freedom from noise and engine fumes and heat, more body room, adjustable road clearance, better dynamic balance permitted through elimination of the conventional drive shaft, and improved body suspension.
All four wheels of the car will be independently sprung. This is a feature of design which will no doubt soon be adapted by manufacturers of conventional type cars, many of whom are now experimenting with the idea.
Hydraulic steering gear of simple construction permits the steering wheel to be located on either the left or right side of the driver’s seat so that the car can easily be adapted to export markets where right-hand drives are popular. The chassis is hung from Adams suspension units, which are ingenious rubber mountings giving the utmost in flexibility and strength. As illustrated in one of the accompanying drawings, this unit consists of two toothed disks, between which fits a plate of rubber molded to fit. Lubrication is thus unnecessary, and the unit is noiseless at all times.
It is interesting to note that the streamlined car follows along the line of development predicted in the February issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions. There is nothing strictly original in the idea of a streamlined car, nor in the mounting of a motor at the rear, both of these features having been incorporated in a British automobile designed by Commander Burney of the dirigible R-100 some months ago. But the adaptation of the idea to the American mass market, involving the production of thousands of cars, is a new development. It is not improbable that the flivver of ten years from now will resemble the photographs reproduced on these pages.
Until the perfection of air-cleaning devices, the mounting of the motor at the rear of a car suffered from the inevitable disadvantage of being forced to breathe dust-choked air through its carburetor, causing the motor to wear out too quickly. Some of the first automobiles, twenty years ago, had their motors mounted at the rear, and many of us can remember the days of the “side winder” which was cranked on the side, of the car.
Although designer Tjaarda is associated with General Motors, the promotion of the streamlined car is being carried on by a small group of automotive engineers and manufacturers who will probably place the car on the market as an individual corporation.
Commenting on the new car Mr. Tjaarda says: “Interest prevails at present for rear-engine cars, and for good reasons. The present-day car has almost attained its height of perfection. If streamlining is going to take seriously in the near future as is predicted the arrangement of our cars today affords so many difficulties that it is not worth while to consider such a step. For many years to come there will remain an active market for the type of cars to which we are now accustomed with progress having its way. However, there is no doubt that the rear-engine car is the car of the near future.”
ExiledOnline, Dec. 14: If you want directions to see what happened to the American Dream in the age of globalization, go north on Woodward Avenue. When the empty sidewalks and spiffed-up ghosts of department stores give way to miles of vacant lots, piles of arsonists’ ash and ruined factories, you’ve hit your destination: Highland Park. A beaten-down man in a black vinyl coat was there to greet me. Waving his hands furiously while I drove by, the crack-addicted hustler shouted, “Right here! I got that sh%$ right here!”
While Harvey’s piece could be written off as parachute journalism or “ruin porn”, he manages to go into some depth not usually encountered in such drop-ins.
The picture he paints isn’t pretty, but then again, neither are parts of Highland Park, abandoned by automakers in past decades and taken over by a state-appointed emergency financial manager in 2001.
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Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was joined today by Jody P. Weis, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD); Thomas Dart, Cook County Sheriff; and Bruce Radowicz, Chief of the Burbank, Illinois Police Department, in announcing the arrest of a Chicago man for the December 22, 2009 robbery of the TCF Bank branch, located at 7910 South Cicero in Burbank.
DEOQUISTO D. DENNIS, age 24, of Chicago, was arrested late Monday by members of the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), without incident, in the 3300 block of West 67th Street.
DENNIS was charged in a criminal complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of Bank Robbery, which is a felony offense.
According to the complaint, DENNIS entered the TCF Bank branch around 2:00 p.m., approaching a teller and handing her a note which announced a robbery and demanded cash.
The note also threatened the teller with harm if his demands were not met. At the time of the robbery, DENNIS was wearing a blue Southwest Airlines sweatshirt and safety vest, commonly worn by ramp workers at the airport.
After receiving just over $700, DENNIS fled the bank on foot. No injuries were reported during the robbery.
Subsequent investigation by the VCTF led to the identification of DENNIS as the robber and the filing of the complaint announced today.
The investigation was also aided by a tip received from a member of the public, who had viewed surveillance photos from the robbery on the Bandit Tracker Chicago Web site.
Though not charged, DENNIS is also a suspect in the December 17, 2009 robbery of a TCF Bank branch, located at 8801 South Ridgeland Avenue in Oak Lawn, and the Dec. 16 attempted robbery of a Chase Bank branch, located at 4730 West 79th Street in Chicago.
DENNIS appeared before Magistrate Judge Geraldine Soat Brown, late yesterday, at which time he was formally charged. DENNIS was released on a secured bond and is under home confinement, pending his next scheduled court appearance.
If convicted of the charge filed against him, DENNIS faces a possible sentence of up to twenty (20) years incarceration.
This case was investigated by the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) which is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the Chicago Police Department and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police.
Additional information about this and other recent Chicago area bank robberies, including downloadable photographs, is available at the Bandit Tracker Web site, bandittrackerchicago.com.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Copies of the criminal complaint filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Special Agent Ross Rice, 312-829-1199
FBI Chicago
It might just be tough talk, but Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has warned the energy industry that expansion could be much harder than under the Bush administration.
Americans should be amply rewarded when companies win exploration and production rights, but let’s hope this doesn’t mean that new exploration will be significantly restricted.
Especially when it comes to natural gas, which could provide the U.S. with an enormous source of relatively cheap energy.
It would seem ridiculous that government, rather than actual exploration companies, would decide where the best resources are:
Reuters: “The difference is in the prior administration the oil and gas industry essentially were the kings of the world,” Salazar said in telephone briefing with reporters. “Whatever they wanted to happen essentially happened and the department essentially was the handmaiden of the oil and gas industry.”
Under the reforms, the department’s Bureau of Land Management, which oversees onshore drilling activities, would take a more active role in deciding which parcels of federal lands should be leased instead of relying on energy companies to nominate the areas they want to explore.
Salazar charged that in the past, the public lands were a “candy store” for the oil and gas industry, where they could “walk in and take whatever they wanted.”
Can’t companies decide where the best resources are and then submit bids? The government could then still reject them if it decided that certain areas should be off limits.
The author owns shares in Chesapeake Energy (CHK), a natural gas related company.
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About two months ago, we heard reports that Mercedes-Benz is considering another stand-alone supercar like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The model, a competitor to the Porsche 911, would be a smaller sports car based on the SLS AMG with V8 power.
According to a company insider that spoke with Drive, the sports car would sit on a shortened version of the SLS platform, but will keep its aluminum construction and ditch the gullwing style doors for a conventional front-hinged access. To put things into perspective, the model will be slightly larger than the next SLK roadster due in 2011.
Power will come from a smaller V8 than the 6.2L V8 that powers the SLS AMG. It will be turbocharged to produce 500-hp, allowing for a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds.
Pricing is expected to come in under $180,000.
Click here for more Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG news.
Refresher: Power for the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG comes from a 6.2L V8 making 563-hp with a maximum torque of 479 lb-ft. Mated to an E-SELECT system that controls the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission, the SLS AMG can go from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds (with the Race Start launch control system) with a top speed of 196 mph.
2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG:
– By: Kap Shah
Source: Drive
San Francisco, California | Purveyors of Curiosities
Tucked between the Italian bakeries and laundromats of North Beach, San Francisco, Aria Antiques is a unique store, with an old world charm that matches its old world items.
Drawing up images of the kind of old school antique shops found more often in fiction than reality, Aria Antiques is a curio shop for all those interested in procuring European and Early American oddities ranging from old printer’s tiles to an extensive collection of antique biological and zoological charts. Enchanting in its eccentricity, the walls are filled with strange and beautiful pieces that can easily transport one to Parisian street markets past, the atmosphere heady with the music of Tom Waits, Jacques Brel, and Serge Gainsbourg.
Glass eyes, antique keys that don’t look as if they would fit any door, vintage wax mannequin arms, Edwardian doll heads, plates of doll hands, century old Dutch science classroom prints, old maps and globes, mysterious B&W photographs, hand printed menus, postcards and personal letters, watch faces, medicine boxes, astrological charts, and tins of small, unidentifiable objects are just a few of the relics that line the walls and are scattered throughout.
The owner, Bill Haskell, matches his store in storied uniqueness. A kind and fascinating man, traveling often during the year to Europe to obtain new items for his shop. Open to price negotiation and with an unerring eye for design, Bill is knowledgeable about every piece, able to relay at least some of its history and tell the story as to how he obtained it.
A gallery, a museum, a thrift shop – all these things and more describe Aria Antiques. Relatively affordable, the original posters and old natural history objects, though well priced, can still be quite expensive. Only cash and check are accepted.
If visiting, it is recommended that one call the shop ahead of time, as the hours of operation are somewhat erratic, and it can be closed for long periods of time when the owner travels.
Also, if one is looking for something specific and happens to catch him before another buying trip, Bill is known to accept a list of items to search for. While success is not guaranteed, knowing owner Bill Haskell, one might end up with a different object equally marvelous.
In 1985, Dodd and fellow Senator Ted Kennedy were out (with dates) for a night on the town at La Brasserie. Much liquor was consumed–that will come as a shock to those of us familiar with Ted Kennedy–and the two Senators were at one point unaccompanied by their dates. The Senators made a “Waitress Sandwich” out of some poor, unsuspecting waitress.
If you’re not entirely sure what that means, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to be the waitress.
Edward M. Kennedy’s drunken exploits, in which our Sen. Dodd was a regular participant. If you’ve ever wondered what was meant by the term “waitress sandwich,” click on the link and dig in. (Warning: The article is too graphic for children and too gross for many adults.)
Just two delectable quotes:
“It’s not my fault.” — Sen. Dodd, dismissing his involvement in the waitress-sandwich incident.
“Drunks are notoriously poor judges of distance, including the distance between fun and assault.” — Mr. Kelly, offering the obligatory excuse for Sen. Kennedy’s comportment.
For more light reading on Sen. Dodd’s latest fall from grace, visit here and here.
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Say what you will about the possibility of touchscreen MacBooks and “Macbook Tablets,” but this recently unearthed Apple patent application also hints at what kind of technology we could be putting our fingers on in the near future.
As Patently Apple puts it, “Apple’s patent generally relates to displays having pixels that include capacitive elements, and more particularly to displays in which capacitive elements of the pixels that form part of the display system that generates an image on the display also form part of a touch sensing system that senses touch events on or near the display.”
The patent also focuses on displays including pixels with dual-function capacitive elements that translate into fewer moving parts and/or processor steps that could deliver thinner, brighter displays. It involves use of the super-fast LTPS (Low Temperature Crystalline Silicon) screen technology.
Yeah, it’s kind of confusing unless you are an expert in the field, but hey…what about that touchscreen Macbook and Macbook Tablet thing? [Patently Apple via 9to5Mac]
Wade Roush wrote:
Manchester, NH-based Dyn Inc., which provides DNS services to leading companies like Twitter, Meetup, 37Signals, and Stylefeeder, said today that it has acquired San Francisco-based rival EveryDNS. DNS services resolve customers’ URLs into Internet protocol addresses that are readable by Web servers and Internet routers. EveryDNS is 12-year-old Dyn’s first acquisition; the terms of the purchase weren’t revealed. Coinciding with the acquisition, Dyn said it has relaunched DynDNS.com, the home- and small-business-oriented version of its DNS platform.
This is an excellent lesson in internet marketing, both what to do & what not to do. Of course, the promotion is an excellent idea, however if they can’t execute it, then they may wind up generating more resentment than customer loyalty.
We’ll just have to see what happens over the next hour or so. I’ll post a follow up, if I ever get through.Nobody gives away a free physical thing. There’s always a catch. So up front: you have to pay shipping. Other than that, it’s open season.
* $100 max per household
* You pay shipping
* Limit of $100,000 in giveaways for the day
* Starts 9AM MST January 7th, 2010
* Ends 11PM MST January 7th, 2010 (or when we hit $100k, whichever comes first)
* Rainchecks for popular items will be allowed
There really are no catches, but there are a few rules for fairness’ and logistic’s sake:
* $100 max per person (cheating kills kittens)
* You pay shipping
* Limit of $100,000 in giveaways for the day
* Starts 9AM MST January 7th, 2010
* Ends 11PM MST January 7th, 2010 (or when we hit $100k, whichever comes first)
* Rainchecks for popular items will be allowed
* There is no special code to type in. But you get only one order on Free Day, so spend it well!
* Only one $100 credit per household. We ask that you respect this limit and don’t try to abuse this gift.
* There is no minimum or maximum order. You can spend more than $100, the balance of which will be charged to your method of payment.
* Only Credit Card and Paypal orders will be eligible for the $100 credit. We don’t want to have people tying up inventory with POs, wire transfers, checks in the mail, or lost faxes.
* You will see whether or not your order qualifies for a credit in the checkout process.
* Free Day does not apply to our distributors. Sorry!
* Gift Cards cannot be bought on Free Day.
* Any returns from Free Day will be exchanged for the same item.
* Every order isn’t going to ship on Free Day, or for a few days after. We’ve got extra tape guns on hand, but please be patient and give us some time to catch up!
* We are ratcheting up inventory for Free Day, but backorders (a.k.a. rainchecks) are allowed on most items (some items we simply can’t get anymore). We’ll get you your goodies just as soon as we can get them back in stock.”
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You could’ve seen this one coming a mile away—the high seas tensions between Japanese whalers and the environmental groups that harass them degenerated into downright naval warfare this week. A Japanese whaling ship collided with a environmental group’s boat in waters near Antarctica yesterday, sparking finger-pointing, international bickering, and even more bad blood.
The collision late yesterday damaged the Ady Gil, a powerboat that is part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society protest against the Japan’s annual whaling expedition to the Southern Ocean. Six crew members were rescued by another protest vessel and the boat may sink, Sea Shepherd said in a statement [Business Week]. The governments of Australia and New Zealand say they plan to investigate the crash; the Ady Gil is registered in New Zealand, which opposes the Japanese whaling.
Unsurprisingly, each sides blamed the other. The Japanese boat released a video shot from its deck. The video shows a frothy wake coming from the stern of the Ady Gil, although it is unclear whether the trimaran (the Ady Gil) was moving. The Shonan Maru 2 was directing a water cannon at the Ady Gil before and during the collision, which is clearly seen on the video, and the bow of the Ady Gil was sheared off [The New York Times]. However, the Sea Shepherd people released their own video which shows the whalers veering to intercept. Take a look:
Sea Shepherd boats routinely dog the Japanese whaling vessels, which operate under a loophole in the international moratorium on whaling that allows a certain amount of whale killings for research purposes. DISCOVER has documented complaints by American scientists that killing whales isn’t necessary for the research Japanese scientists are conducting, and also the stealthy killings of other cetaceans, like bottlenose dolphins. The International Whaling Commission continues to try to figure out how to amend its rules to contain Japan’s whaling efforts, thus far without success.
No one on board the Ady Gil died this time around, but one activist reported cracked ribs. The vessel’s six crew members were rescued from the stricken craft by the crew of the Bob Barker, a former Norwegian whaler recently purchased and refitted with a $5-million donation from Bob Barker, who hosted the TV game show “The Price Is Right” for 35 years [Los Angeles Times]. In the aftermath of the close call, a détente seems far out of reach. Sea Shepherd spokesman Paul Watson said the incident had turned the confrontations into a “real whale war” [BBC News].
Related Content:
80beats: Is the Whaling Ban Really the Best Way to Save the Whales?
80beats: Controversial Deal Could Allow Japan To Hunt More Whales
80beats: Commando Filmmakers Expose Secret Dolphin Slaughter in Japan
Discoblog: Japan Whaling Redux: American Scientists Say Slaughter Was Unnecessary
Discoblog: Say What? Japanese Whaling Ships Accuse Animal Planet of Eco-Terrorism
Keeping pace with quickly changing demands in the information technology world usually results in a wild ride, akin to navigating a white-water river raft through a Class 6 set of rapids–and 2010 likely will set a prime example.
Lev Gonick, Case Western Reserve University’s vice president for Information Technology Services and chief information officer, says dramatic change is happening, even with campus finances generally tight across the United States. His view is that what seems normal one day rapidly is becoming the “new normal.”
About four years ago, Gonick decided that blogging a look back on each year’s tech developments didn’t set any agenda for change. So he decided to become a seer of the year ahead, a task much more challenging. He blogs about technology at Bytes From Lev in which he has posted “2010: The Year Ahead for IT in Higher Education.”
Indeed, his views have an online following, as evidenced by his Top 10 predictions for 2010 posted Thursday at Inside Higher Education‘s online site.
“The portfolio of managing requirements for operational excellence, customer service and even more selective innovation activity has never been more challenging,” Gonick writes in his blog. Happenings in IT lead him to “portend for a wild river ride ahead in 2010.”
Here are Gonick’s Top 10 developments, each explained in further detail in his blog:
Research campuses, such as CWRU, often lead the way to the new normal. To navigate of the developments, any IT wild river rafter had better also reach for a cloud.
Cloud services are a wide range of hosted services and solutions that migrate from a campus data center to hosting environments somewhere on the Internet. The “somewhere” is now thought of as the cloud, which holds much more than e-mail or calendar functions. Many kinds of content, including lectures, performances and student video postings, are now reliably served up in the cloud.
“In 2010, we will likely see the next frontier of these tools, and even turnkey solutions. Expect new private cloud services that allow the same economies of scale associated with public cloud services, yet are protected with a layer of privacy and regulatory ability,” Gonick said.
Billions of dollars in federal stimulus funding for important research at universities in 2010 may spark a national call and strategy for scientific renewal and advancement, leveraging the next generation cyberinfrastructure, Gonick said.
For those on a campus or elsewhere who still are endeared to a PC, the raging river seems headed in a different direction.
“In 2010, it will become more obvious than ever that the PC as we have known it for the past quarter of a century is obsolete,” Gonick said, pointing instead to a “clearly emergent” hardware platform for learning, the mobile smart pad, including smartphones, e-book readers, next generation iPods and “what will likely be a bevy of smart pad entrants in the market in the year ahead.”
We know nothing about this “Slate Concept” by Dell, other than, you know, it looks like a 7-inch tablet and it’s running Android. One more shot:
Pretty, right?
That Android eReader that John Hermann was getting excited about a couple of days ago, goes by the name of Spring Design Alex, I believe.
Well, it’s due date is February 22 – my big brother’s birthday, huzzah! – and it will be retailing for the sum of $399 and zero cents. Maybe I’ll get him one.
