Blog

Continue reading Hanvon debuts new line of WISEreader e-book readers

Hanvon debuts new line of WISEreader e-book readers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Article

EA’s financial problems from last year, it seems, are continuing to have repercussions. Even after cutting 1,500 employees in November, the publisher is still looking to reduce operating costs. As a result, the company is killing off a number of game servers on three separate dates in the coming months.

February 2 will see the largest number of game servers shut down, followed by a few more on February 9. While many of these games are a few years old and on older systems (such as FIFA 07 for PC), some of the games on the list are shockingly recent. The most surprising shutdown revelation is Madden 09 on all platforms, which will occur on April 6. Of course, no plans have been announced to turn off servers for Madden 10, but fans have got to be wondering if they’re only going to be able to play that game’s online mode for roughly a year before it, too, is shut down.

It makes sense to shut down many of these servers, since they cater to what are—most likely—small numbers of gamers at a significant expense to EA. However, the shutdown of servers for titles like Madden 09 and NASCAR 09 seems like a heavy-handed attempt to force players to pick up newer entries for these series. It’s a shame that EA is having such problems that it is forced to such drastic measures, but it’s even more of a shame that the company is using such tactics on general consumers. Here’s the full list of affected games:

April 6, 2010 Online Service Shutdown

• Madden 09 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360

February 9, 2010 Online Service Shutdown

• FIFA 07 for PC
• Madden 07 for Xbox 360
• Madden 08 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii and Xbox 360
• NHL 08 for PC
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07 for PC
• UEFA Champions League 07 for PC

February 2, 2010 Online Service Shutdown

• Facebreaker for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
• Fantasy Football 09 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
• FIFA 07 for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2
• Fight Night Round 3 for PlayStation 2
• March Madness 07 for Xbox 360
• NBA LIVE 07 for PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360
• NBA LIVE 08 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii
• NBA LIVE 09 for Wii (Europe only)
• NBA Street (2007) for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
• NCAA Football for 08 PlayStation 2
• NCAA Football for 09 PlayStation 2
• NASCAR 08 for PlayStation 2
• NASCAR 09 for PlayStation 2
• NASCAR 09 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (Europe Only)
• NFL Tour for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
• NHL 07 for PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360
• UEFA Champions League 07 for Xbox 360

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Article

LAS VEGAS—After enduring an embarrassing power outage that delayed the start of the event for over 20 minutes, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage to kick off CES 2010. A major theme of Ballmer’s keynote, and also of Consumer Electronics Association head Gary Shapiro’s pre-keynote opening remarks, was that 2009 may have been a frightful year, but the worst is behind us; and as bad as last year was, the industry managed to beat some of the more pessimistic analyst expectations.

Ballmer then started to recap Microsoft’s 2009 successes, starting with the Xbox division. He announced that Project Natal will be released this holiday season, bringing motion control to the 360. At what price? Unknown. With what games? It’s a safe bet we’ll have these questions answered at E3.

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Article

Patti Temple Rocks Brings Experience and Successful Corporate Reputation Building to Agency

Leo Burnett today named Patti Temple Rocks executive vice president and global director of corporate communications responsible for strategic leadership of internal and external communications for the agency.

Temple Rocks assumes her new position effective Jan. 19.

Temple Rocks, 50, formerly served as vice president, global public affairs and reputation at The Dow Chemical Company, where she led a global communications function of over 300 employees in 28 countries.

She is returning to Chicago where she spent much of her career as a senior leader at Golin Harris International, overseeing McDonald’s, BP, Levi Strauss and several other blue-chip accounts.

Over the course of her career, Temple Rocks has worked with and for both traditional and non-traditional agencies and is no stranger to the advertising industry.

“On the heels of adding Susan Credle as our U.S. chief creative officer, Patti’s hiring continues the momentum as Leo Burnett continues to evolve and look forward to an even brighter future,” said Rich Stoddart, president of Leo Burnett USA to whom Temple Rocks will report.

“Patti has led communications efforts for some of the world’s most iconic brands with vision and creative flair that truly moves people. She is an exceptional talent and we are thrilled to welcome her to the Burnett family.”

“Leo Burnett’s reputation for transforming human behavior through creativity is unparalleled and the opportunity to build on that strong foundation and to be a key player in the future of this agency is a terrific opportunity.

Throughout the course of my conversations with the agency leadership, it became very clear to me that they are extremely committed to communications as a key part of their global growth strategy going forward,” said Temple Rocks, “I can’t wait to get started.”

Temple Rocks joins Burnett as the agency is experiencing a significant rise in creative performance.

Leo Burnett Worldwide was the third-most awarded network at Cannes 2009 and the Third-Most Awarded Creative Network in the World (2009 Creativity Awards Report).

Additionally, the network has been recognized as the #1 Network in New World Thinking (Gunn Report 2008). Its flagship creative office leads by example, continuing to shine at every major creative show in 2009, winning at Cannes, One Show, Clio, D&AD, Art Directors Club of New York and Andy’s.

Leo Burnett also announced today that it has hired Amy Cheronis, 39, as senior vice president, director worldwide corporate communications, effective Jan. 11.

She will report to Temple Rocks. Cheronis was most recently senior vice president, U.S. communications director at DDB in Chicago.

“There are tremendously talented people and a fantastic creative product at Leo Burnett, both here in Chicago and in offices around the world,” said Cheronis.

“I am excited to work with Patti and have the opportunity to tell the Leo Burnett story in a fresh, relevant way.”

About Leo Burnett Company Inc.

Leo Burnett Company Inc. is one of the world’s largest agency networks and the parent company of Leo Burnett and its marketing services arm, Arc. Leo Burnett is a HumanKind communications company.

Our approach is simple and singular: we put a brand’s purpose at the center of our communications in order to truly connect with people.

Then, we activate this human purpose to create what we refer to as “Acts, not just Ads.” In doing so, we make a life-long meaningful relationship between people and brands.

We believe when you create value, you create value for your clients.

That’s why an impressive number of the world’s most valuable brands, including The Coca-Cola Company, Kellogg, McDonald’s, Hallmark, Allstate, Walgreens, Procter & Gamble and Nintendo work with Leo Burnett.

Clients share our purpose-centered approach and, like us, they know that agencies don’t create great brands. People do.

The Guardian predicts the beginning of the end for America’s car romance:

America’s love affair with the automobile could be sputtering to an
end. Some 14m cars were taken out of action in 2009, 4m more than
rolled off the assembly lines and onto the roads, a report from the Earth Policy Institute said today.

It
was the first time more cars were scrapped than sold since the second
world war, reducing the size of the US car fleet from an all-time high
of 250m to 246m.

Fewer cars and more public transportation would be a perfectly fine development — for commute times, and the environment, and our dependence on foreign energy, and so forth. But I don’t know that this doomsday analysis is entirely fair.
The first half of 2009 was so incredibly devastating for car sales — February was the worst month
in 30 years — that it skews the overall numbers. If you include the
government Cash for Clunkers program last summer and the last few
months of car sales, you get something that looks like a recovery.
Overall car and light truck sales were up 15%
in December 2009 over 2008, despite worries that the Cash for Clunkers
program would cram all of the pent-up car demand into the span of a
couple weeks in July. Ford, in particular,  closed 2009 on an incredible run with sales up one-third from 2008.

Jamie Varner suffered quite a few injuries in his last fight back in January 25th last year. To help him recover, his doctor put him on gaming therapy until his fractured bones heal up. Now that he’s

Sitting at the helm of a company that has lost money consistently every year since 2005, GM CEO Ed Whitacre has expressed his optimism that GM will actually show a profit in 2010. GM lost $1.2 billion in the last quarter of 2009, while Toyota and Ford both showed a profit.

Whitacre, who assumed the position of CEO on December 1, intends to focus on sales growth, rather than expense slashing in order to boost profitability. The company has not seen an increase in market share since 2002, and the same has plunged from 44% in 1980 to under 20% in 2009.

“You can always take out more cost, but we are focused on the revenue side if you want to prioritize it,” Whitacre said.

In order for the government to completely recoup its investment, GM would have to go public, and Whitacre said that is not necessarily contingent upon profitability, though it would be helpful.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: CNN Money

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, Nissan, Design/Style

If you thought Nissan was joking with its barmy Qazana at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, think again. The same basic form that had us likening the concept crossover to something French or a vehicle “reverse-engineered from a Paris-Dakar rally special,” is evident in this first teaser shot of what Nissan is now calling Juke.

The Juke will be unveiled in Geneva this March, and is expected to moon bounce roll onto European dealer lots this autumn. However, it is rather unlikely that the Juke will make its way to North America, as the compact crossover will be built in the UK.

From what we can see, the major styling elements of the polarizing Qazana concept have made it into this production-ready vehicle, including the wacky fluted front lighting, tapered greenhouse and cartoonishly oversized wheel arches – the latter of which appear to have been minimally toned down. From the teaser point’s vantage, we can’t see if the Juke will retain the Qazana’s 370Z-inspired boomerang taillamps, let alone its motorcycle seat-and-tank aping center console, but we hear that both are in the mix.

Yes, it’s bizarre, and no, it isn’t pretty. But we still kind of want one. Will the Juke be a sensation, or will it go down in bizarrely shaped flames like the Isuzu Vehicross, Patron Saint of Eccentric Quasi-Offroaders? Official Nissan press release viewable after the jump.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan’s Qazana-based Juke shucks and jives its way out of the darkness, headed for Geneva

Nissan’s Qazana-based Juke shucks and jives its way out of the darkness, headed for Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ninja magnets!! And cinnamon bun bread for when you don’t have time to make cinnamon rolls. Plus a new gadget from the makers of that crazy singing Al Dente operatic pasta timer.

Read Full Post

In a departure from his normal discussion on soverign debt and commodities, analyst Dennis Gartman today addresses the market rally that’s been in play since March ’09. Essentially, going long U.S. equities is a great bet, but make sure you properly hedge.

The Gartman Letter: Share prices have fallen from their highs and as we write stock index futures here in the US are trading lower, led downward by the sharp decline in Chinese stocks following the decision by the People’s Bank to tighten monetary policy, as discussed at some length above.

We are bullish of shares here in the US, but we’ve “hedged’ that bullishness by buying dollars against them, and for now we are quite happy to sit tight, but we are “antsy” in light of the weakness in Chinese shares. It is reasonable “antsy-ness:”

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Hedge Funds: Still Super-Long Equities
• Investors Storming Out Of U.S. Equities
• Did Barrick’s De-Hedging Call The Top In Gold?

In recent times, hair loss has become a common condition, especially among men although, the exact cause of hair loss is still a mystery. Some research studies have linked hair loss with the lack of iron, the condition of the skin on the scalp, an excess of the hormone DHT and probably an under active thyroid gland.

The hair, although it is thought of as dead, is a good indicator of general health and it is the first indicator that shows signs of ill health or lack of essential vitamins and minerals within the body. Oily hair can be a sign of vitamin B deficiency, brittle or dry hair can be an indicator of essential fats deficiency, dull hair color and poor growth can be signs of zinc deficiency and hair loss can be an indicator of lack of vitamin C, vitamin B1, iron and lysine. Grey hair comes with age and has no link to body health or nutrition and in most cases nutrition cannot be used to reverse it.

Although certain types of medicine are known to slow down the process of hair loss and even help with some form of hair re-growth, experts say that natural hair loss treatment can yield some of the best benefits for anyone concerned about the health of their hair.

Most people choose to treat their hair loss with medications or surgery, such as Minoxidil, Rogaine or a hair transplant. What these people fail to realize is that medication and surgery are costly and may carry some harmful side effects and risks. The safest and most cost effective form of hair loss therapy is natural hair loss treatment, which includes healthy dieting, herbal remedies, exercise and proper hair care techniques.

A fundamental principal in natural hair loss treatment is that the same foods that are good for your health are good for your hair. Hair loss can be caused by several factors, but lack of proper nutrition plays a vital role for most people. Foods that are high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and have reduced fat content can help in maintaining healthier hair and preventing hair loss. For example, essential fatty acids, found in spinach, walnuts, soy, tuna, sardines, sunflower seeds and canola oil, are important dietary essentials useful in keeping hair healthy. The omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids contain anti-inflammatory properties that are useful in maintaining healthy hair. Insufficient levels of these essential fatty acids could lead to quicker hair loss.

To avoid hair loss and have good healthy hair, a good nutritional diet is needed. This diet needs to be rich in organic whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds which are a rich source of vital nutrients needed for healthy hair roots and the protein keratin. Try not to skip meals, reduce salt, sugar, tea, coffee and chocolate intake, avoid stress, comb your hair gently and avoid using strong chemicals on your hair such as perms and color treatments. Vegetarians are prone to hair loss because their diet generally lacks the important nutrients, vitamin B12, iron and lysine. Vegetarians need to be aware of this and supplement their diet.

Besides taking the right diet pattern, several natural herbs are known to be very good in the prevention and treatment of hair loss. These herbs in most cases are safe; without harmful side effects and also cost effective. Among such herbs include nettles, usually taken in the form of Nettle Root Extract, which has been shown to be effective in preventing and treating hair loss. Nettles are rich in vitamins A and C that are beneficial in inhibiting DHT production and promoting hair growth as a natural hair loss treatment. Other traditional herbs that are useful as natural hair loss treatments are green tea, liquorice extract, horsetail, ginger, psoralea seeds, apple cider vinegar, rosemary and sage tea.

One important herb making the rounds in medical cycles is Saw Palmetto. Although most studies of Saw Palmetto have been for the treatment of prostatic disease, more recent studies have been conducted on its effectiveness in treating hair loss. The herb has been found to work in fighting benign prostatic disease by lowering levels of DHT, which is a known cause of androgenic alopecia, the medical term for male or female pattern hair loss. While there are no clinical trials supporting this herb’s usefulness as a natural hair loss treatment, there is some reliable research proving that it can slow down androgen activity within the hair follicle.

The following supplements may help if you are suffering from hair loss.

B complex

Evening primrose oil

Fish oil

Kelp

Lysine

Multivitamins and multiminerals

Vitamin C

Hair loss is a common occurrence in almost everyone, though more pronounced in some people. If you are battling with this condition it would be wise to find treatment in your day to day items instead of spending a fortune on medical remedies that come with tons of side effects. Natural remedies are always safe, reliable and very cost effective, all you need is the right knowledge.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Related posts on HAIR
• Stupid Celebrities Gossip » Kate Gosselin's New Long Hair …
• How Does Provillus Hair Loss Treatment Work?
• Ways To Improve Your Chances For Growing Hair | Younger In Seconds

• Related posts on LOSS
• Taco Bell runs weight loss campaign – Philippines News On Queue
• Walking For Weight Loss – Helpful Info To Be Aware Of | Acai Berry …
• The benefits of dieting: not just weight loss – Creston News …

• Related posts on NATURAL
• Natural Skincare, natural skin care in the UK – Why It's So …
• Natural Hair Loss Treatment: Why It's the Best Option
• A Definition of Natural Beauty « Hair Beauty

>> Homies 2009

A big THANK YOU to all of the blogs and readers who participated and voted in this year’s Homies Awards. This contest is our chance to honor the hard-working bloggers out there who help to make the online shelter world a richer place, award them a little bit of money ($50 to the winner of each category), and send them some link love. The 2009 winners are…

Read Full Post

Wade Roush wrote:

MicroCHIPS, the Bedford, MA-based startup developing wireless medical implants containing chemical sensors or drug reservoirs, has raised $16.5 million in Series C venture funding, according to a company announcement today. Existing investors Polaris Venture Partners, Novartis Venture Fund, Flybridge Capital Partners, Medtronic, Saints Capital, Intersouth Partners, Care Capital, and CSK Venture Capital were all on board for the new round, which also included new investor InterWest Partners.

Diabetes is the first health condition the company hopes to target. The company says it will begin initial clinical tests this year of an implant designed to monitor blood glucose levels and deliver the data wirelessly to a mobile device. Such a system could help diabetes patients maintain blood sugar levels more consistently. A second implantable device in development would treat osteoporosis by delivering doses of a bone-building hormone directly to the spine, freeing patients from pills, patches, or self-injections.

MicroCHIPS founder and CEO John Santini formed the company in 1999 around technology developed in the laboratories of MIT professors Robert Langer and Michael Cima. We profiled Santini in 2007; this month he’s heading to Davos, Switzerland, for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, which recently named MicroCHIPS and five other Boston-area companies as “Technology Pioneers.”

Comments (1) | Reprints | Share:  

 
 
 

Jive Software has acquired Filtrbox, a Boulder-based startup that monitors the social Web to help clients understand and better participate in online conversations.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Jive sought a social media monitoring company to bring into its Social Business Software (SBS) platform. The goal is to extend the social footprint of the Jive platform. Jive sees the market becoming far more oriented around conversations on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. These conversations affect everything from product development to sales strategies. Monitoring is critical to following and capitalizing on the conversation flow.

Sponsor

Jive looked at several companies in the space before deciding to approach Filtrbox. The choice came down to the Filtrbox user experience; its collaboration features; the scalable architecture and the social intelligence baked into the product.

The Filtrbox architecture may be the greatest value to Jive. Filtrbox Founder Ari Newman said its architecture is a hybrid that leverages the cloud. He would not say much more about it though its business model reflects a cloud based approach.

Services that leverage the cloud effectively let users scale up and down, depending on demand. Many charge on a per use basis. Newman said Filtrbox charges $10,000 per year for up to six users. Customers get unlimited use of the platform.

How companies leverage the cloud will determine how they fare in the market. The ability to crunch large amounts of data is vital for understanding the real-time nature of how conversations flow. Jive seems to understand this and appears to be moving more toward a cloud-based strategy.

Initially, Jive will market Filtrbox through its Jive Market Engagement solution along side Radian6. Jive and Radian6 formed a partnership back in September. Here’s what Jeremiah Owyang and his colleague, R “Ray” Wang had to say about the partnership.

Radian6 and Filrtrbox are essentially in the same space. it is unclear how the relationship between Jive and Radian6 will be affected by the Filtrbox purchase.

Filtrbox will be fully integrated into the Jive SBS platform in the second quarter of this year.

Discuss

Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]

Read Original Article

When we saw these edge-of-your-cup gingerbread houses from Not Martha last month, we squealed. Yes, squealed. Sorry to admit it, but there you are.

Read Full Post

Luke Timmerman wrote:

ZymoGenetics, the Seattle-based biotech company, said today it has raised about $79 million after expenses from an underwritten stock offering. The company (NASDAQ: ZGEN) sold 14 million shares at $6 apiece, and also offered its underwriters a 30-day option to buy another 2.1 million shares. Leerink Swann was the sole book-running manager of the offering, while Wedbush Morgan Securities, William Blair & Co., Canaccord Adams, and McAdams Wright Ragen served as co-managers. The price represents an 11 percent discount for investors from yesterday’s close of $6.77 a share. ZymoGenetics had about $103 million of cash and investments on hand as of the end of September, its most recent financial report.

Comments | Reprints | Share:  

 
 
 

Whatever the pegged yuan-dollar rate may be, have little doubt that a $65 billion company like McDonald’s does its own homework on currencies. The Chinese yuan is now a whopping 50% undervalued according to the latest Big Mac Index.

Economist: The most overvalued currency against the dollar is the Norwegian kroner, which is 96% above its PPP rate. In Oslo you can expect to pay around $7 for a Big Mac. At the other end of the scale is the Chinese yuan, which is undervalued by 49%. The euro comes in at 35% over its PPP rate, a little higher than half a year ago. (Via Abnormal Returns)

It’s interesting to see the Danish Kroner and Swiss Franc significantly over-valued. Viewed as a safe haven currencies these days, perhaps they’ve become too much so.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Wen Jiabao: A Weak Yuan Is Awesome For the World
• Albert Edwards: Here Comes A Trade War, A Yuan Revaluation, And A Stunning Chinese Trade Deficit
• Huge Surprises In 2010: An American Third Party, A Major Yuan Devaluation And The VIX Falling To 14