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Hoping to be a major player in virtual goods, Viximo Network is announcing today it has appointed game media veteran Dale Strang as its chief executive. The company also says that its virtual goods solutions are now used on web sites with more than 60 million users.

Based in Cambridge, Mass., the company focuses on providing virtual goods created by a pool of thousands of digital artists. Viximo’s partners sell the virtual goods in apps that run on social networks — much like Facebook’s virtual gifts platform.

Among its new partners are BlackPlanet.com, SmartDate.com, and FanIQ.com. Viximo has more than 40 brands and two dozen web publishers using its virtual goods system — including virtual goods, virtual currency, analytics, and a micro-transaction payment system.

The company last raised a round of $5 million in May, 2008, when it appointed its previous acting chief executive, Dayna Grayson, a partner at North Bridge Venture Partners. Grayson replaced the previous CEO, Rob Frasca, who left to pursue other options.

The company competes with rivals such as Live Gamer, PlaySpan, Jambool and others. Strang was publisher of Ziff Davis Media and and general manager of IGN Entertainment. He has more than 20 years of experience in consumer media, games and digital distribution.He was most recently co-founder of an ad network, 5to1.com.

The virtual goods market is expected to grow from $1 billion in 2009 to $1.6 billion in 2010, according to Inside Network.

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Christopher alerts us to the news of an Apple patent application (20090325603) that was just published that appears quite similar to Google’s location tracking service, Google Latitude. What makes this story more interesting is the fact that Apple barred Google Lattitude from the iPhone app store. Of course, Apple has a history of barring competitive apps, but that’s also brought about regulatory scrutiny from the federal government over whether or not Apple is abusing its market position. Blocking an app while patenting the same thing certainly doesn’t look good. But, of course, isn’t that what patenting is all about? It’s a government granted system for blocking competitors.

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STAR Ananda office staff:
Channel has got some sharp faces of reporters & anchors & producers like Suman, Reshmi, Amit, Kuntal, Dipak, Ritabrata, Bitanu, Amit, Rajat, Sounak and the ad-sales team of Rajesh, Gautam, Amitosh, Atish, Binu, Trina, have ensured that the channel garner maximum share of the advertising revenues.
Market shares of STAR Ananda :
With an over 40 per cent majority market share in the Kolkata and West Bengal markets amongst all news channels in launch week, STAR Ananda continues to consolidate, adequately reflecting the aspirations of the Bengali people.
Latest News on West Bengal Election Results :

In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is leading in seven out of ten assembly seats, while the CPM is leading in just two assembly constituencies. In Uttar Pradesh, the BSP is leading in eight out of eleven assembly seats.

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2. Star Ananda Live Tv, Star Ananda Live Tv Kolkata STAR Ananda office staff: Channel has got some sharp faces…
3. Jyoti Basu Dead, Jyoti Basu Dead Today He was admitted to hospital following pneumonia and his condition…

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Solar heat trapped at the bottom of a solar pond and used to power a membrane distillation system using an artificial salt –gradient stratification process is being worked on by Fransico Saurez. Using solar energy, the system desalinates water and makes it drinkable and free from salts and impurities. This system will help maintain the ecological balance of closed-basin lake regions. In places like these, due to the high amount of
evaporation and no out-flow of water, a high concentration of minerals and salts behind, rendering the water inconsumable.

At the lower levels of the pond, the hot brine can exceed temperatures of up to 195 degrees. This heat energy is used to heat the water in this system. This system will help out save on costs and energy resources. The heat energy obtained will also have other uses like desalinization of water and other thermal applications. This low cost membrane system has been patented recently by the University of Nevada.

[Physorg]

“Why do you read Shakespeare? And you don’t learn plumbing and electrical work because they are useful in daily life, do you?” responds Harvard University professor L Mahadevan when he’s asked about the relevance of mathematics in daily life. He strongly disagrees with suggestions that mathematics is the toughest subject to learn for students or that the concepts are hard to grasp as teachers do not make the subject interesting…

Read more here (The Times of India)

Apple and Google haven’t exactly been seeing eye to eye lately. The two are increasingly stepping over each other’s feet, mostly Google so far, and it’s creating friction between the once very friendly companies. Which makes this latest post from Google, on the Public Policy blog, all the more surprising, at least at first glance. The search giant, or rather, the advertising giant is congratulating Apple for its latest acquisition of the mobile advertising company Quattro.

What this, you say, Google lauding one of its increasingly fierce competitors for a move in a market itself is very, very interested in? How incredibly gallant of Google, very sporting indeed. Not so fast though, while Google may be one of the most likable tech giants even it isn’t so well mannered. The praise has a more practical and self-serving interest, one that isn’t that obscure and one that Google doesn’t try to hide either.

“When we announced our planned acquisition of AdMob in November, we noted that the mobile advertising space is highly competitive — with more than a dozen mobile ad networks,” Paul Feng, Google’s Group product manager, writes. “Today’s news that Apple is acquiring one of AdMob’s competitors, Quattro Wireless, is further proof that the mobile advertising space continues to be competitive. And… (read more)

Looney Alert: A woman who claims she married Michael Jackson in the 1970s is making a bid for part of the late singer’s estate.

Shellie Doreen Smith claims she secretly exchanged vows with the King of Pop in a private ceremony at a New York hotel more than 30 years ago and has filed legal papers for the singer’s cash, TMZ.com reports.

According to Smith, who says she struggles to remember when and where the wedding took place, the only witnesses to the nups were hotel employees.

Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994 before his second marriage to nurse Debbie Rowe in 1996.

Sustainability has been the most used word for the last few decades now. To make a sustainable environment involves nourishment of the nature apart from the basic supply of necessities and support. And so Danish architects Cobe, in collaboration with Sleth modernism, Polyform and Rambøll are in the process of the facilitating the largest urban Scandinavian transformation on Copenhagen’s northern harbor, called as the Nordholmene. This project is said to be fully complete by the next 40 to 50 years and will be equipped to house and employ up to 40,000 people.

The islands will be all interconnected and will spot an array of livable and commercial value. Several new artificial canals will be dug out for the industrial landscape. Heavy emphasis on fuel-free and public transportation will be levied. The 200 ha sized project will lay more stress on holistic living and all dock sides will provide ample greenery and beautiful landscapes.

This project will use a combination of alternative energy resources for generating heat, ethanol and electricity which include, use of geothermics and heat pumps for storing energy produced by local wind turbines and ‘sea lettuce’ which is a fast-growing algae which can absorbing CO2 emission from power plants. The plan was recently presented as a lighthouse project at the COP15 climate conference at Copenhagen in December 2009 and has been awarded with top honors at an International competition in 2008 as well.

[Designboom]

Ouchy. Fresh from the company that brought you the Uzi comes the TacPen. Made of high-grade aircraft aluminum, it’s got two attachments up top to stab your assailant while gathering his or her DNA. I’ve got DNA harvesters too. Fingernails.

[Defense Tech]

The folks at 4chan have decided to kick off the new year the right way by declaring today, January 6th, YouTube Porn Day.

On this glorious day hundreds if not thousands of people will “create videos of porn mixed with work safe images, preferably childrens cartoons, games, sport highlights, Jonas Brothers, music videos, montages, etc”, according to a poster making the rounds. The porn splice will be well hidden within the safe looking video, so it won’t be obvious which videos will have embedded porn and which will not.

These videos will then be uploaded on mass, likely overwhelming the YouTube censors who presumably have to manually view videos to spot the porn.

So for some fun NSFW action, head on over to YouTube and keep your eye out for innocent looking videos. You might just find a porn surprise inside.

The action by 4chan comes in response to YouTube suspending the account of user Lukeywes1234. This regular YouTube user was seemingly randomly targeted by 4chan’s users who proceeded to mass follow him and make bizarre tributes to him like this one:

Happy YouTube Porn Day everyone!

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OPTODYNE’S LICS-100 Laser Calibration
System calibrates CNC machine tools, CMM’s
(Coordinate Measuring Machines), and other
precision measurement machines and stages.

This new compact calibration system, is a box containing the opical componen and the USB interface, all the computing functions are performed by the PC. The results is a grate combination of efficiency and cost reduction.

This interferometre, based on the
patented Laser Doppler Displacement Meter
(LDDMTM) technology, is designed for easy setup
and operation. The basic system, including
WindowsTM software, automatic compensation, for
air temperature, barometric pressure, and material
thermal expansion and accessories are packaged at
an extremely compact and affordable price. The
system has only two main components and fits in one
small carrying case.
The WindowsTM software, running on any Notebook
computer, is user friendly and is designed to collect
and analyze data in accordance with a variety of
industry standards, such as NMTBA, VDI, ISO and
ASME B5.54. The laser system is calibrated and
traceable to NIST.

Typical application is the position accuracy of the movement (tool displacement) and eroor compensation.
Easy to use can be utilized by everybody , it is particurarly suited for service, field installation and retrofittingeven not an expertize.

To know the errors in advance, TODAY cost less than repair or complaining.

The leading-edge ultrasonic generators DIGITAL SE-09 BOX series are designed and assembled to be employed in the ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic material pieces. These generators are totally digital and incorporate all the most important and typical regulation features of modern generators.
The generator metal frame has been studied to be installed inside the electric board directly, with easy wiring and equipped by connectors. It is possible the fixing in horizontal or vertical position, with double cooling fan. The generator programming can be carried out by operator panel equipped by display and rotating selector switch for all the functions selections or by the Can Bus interface.
One of the most important features of these generators is certainly the absolute reliability.

Workholding fixtures and sub-plates for 400 / 500 / 630 / 800 pallets
up to 850mm high

Tradition and innovation in the machine equipping
Gerardi’s modular workholding fixtures made of G30 cast iron cylinder block casting, have a double stress relieving heat treatment and surfaces 43-45mm thick.
This choice guarantees high stability and vibration absorption in the processing.
When the weight reduction is determining, we propose the execution in aluminium alloy.
Shapes available are:
Square cubes
Rectangular cubes
Crank-webs
Angles
Basic and modular plates
Shelves and special models on demand
The following types of processing and finishing are proposed:
* Rough milled cast irons cylinder block casting
(5mm of stock)
* Rough milled with tailor-made base face cylinder block casting
* Finished tombstones, accuracy ±0,02mm
* With modular plates
* Grid tombstones with calibrated holes and solid threats
* Grid tombstones with centering bushings and helicoils
* Preset for the rapid removal of workholding systems

Gerardi: quality at the right price

… receive clean-room capability certification

The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart has carried out cleanliness tests and clean-room suitability tests on zwicki-Line universal testing machines. As a result of these tests, zwicki-Line materials testing machines may be used in clean rooms with Class 7 air cleanliness to DIN EN ISO 14644-1.
A large percentage of medical or pharmaceutical items are produced in clean rooms, in which the concentration of airborne particles is maintained at the required low level. EN ISO 14644 describes the requirements for clean rooms and associated clean-room areas.
Different classifications are allocated to clean rooms according to the size and number of particles present (see graphic).
Medical components are mostly produced under air cleanliness Classes 8 and 7, meaning that zwicki-Line materials testing machines can be used directly in these production areas or in associated testing areas.

For more demanding clean-room requirements such as those found in the pharmaceutical industry, Zwick can supply a specially adapted clean-room edition of the zwicki-Line which may be used in clean rooms with Class 6 air cleanliness to DIN EN ISO 14644-1.

With more than 50 years experience in cam design and manufacturing COLOMBO FILIPPETTI spa, can offer its customers the best support in design development and in executing application solutions.
Thanks to continuous technological updating, we can produce any type of cam according to customer’s drawing and certify the precision when required. The cam profiles, outline or slotted, single or complementary, can be milled or ground after heat treatment, with surface finish up to 0.2 Ra.

Cams can be produced flat, cylindrical, globoidal and spherical from very small to very big dimension. Moreover, we produce:

° Conical cams
° Barrell shaped cam
° Three dimensional cams
° Z-shaped cams
° Cams for copyng machines

For quality control of electrical installations
Measurement is the key link when conducting an energy efficiency project. DIRIS N analysers are part of a global response developed by SOCOMEC designed for installers, integrators and operators in the industry and service sectors.

With the deregulation of the energy market, the analysis of the quality of electrical energy – known as qualimetry – is becoming increasingly important among operators. It makes it possible to ensure that the promised mains quality is reached and to avoid any penalties written into their contracts in the event that the network is contaminated with polluting loads. It also allows the integrity of the process to be maintained: spurious tripping, production disruption, etc.

With DIRIS N, SOCOMEC now offers you an innovative, modular and comprehensive analysis system that can diagnose the quality of your energy in compliance with standards CEI 61557-12, EN50160 (specification) and 61000-4-30 (measuring and precision method).
A complete solution for measuring and processing information, the DIRIS N optimises the operation of electrical networks by helping to improve the output of the installation, reduce production losses and optimise operation and maintenance costs.

Each user can create their own network analysis system

The DIRIS N 300 and 600 are stand-alone acquisition, processing and backup modules. They are fitted at the end of a cabinet, on a DIN plate or rail. Equipped with Ethernet, RS 485 and USB communication ports, they can communicate with each other, with other equipment or with a monitoring unit. In particular, they can be interconnected with COUNTIS and DIRIS A units from which they can receive and transmit information (see picture).

The N300 model provides the standard qualimetry functions. The N600 model also performs the analysis of transient events, the measurement of inter-harmonics and the flicker calculation. It also makes it possible to develop a summary report that is totally compliant with the EN 50160 standard.

Local or remote viewing of the functions of the DIRIS N300 and N600 is ensured by the DIRIS D600 remote graphic display. The display can also be remotely sent to a PC.

Software supplied as standard allows the analyser to be configured, or data to be viewed, from a PC.