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As the snow piles up here in Chicagoland, I finally got around to doing the best gift giving I could this holiday season. No, it wasn’t last-minute shopping. I started making loans! You’re thinking, “huh?”

I joined Kiva and started making “microloans” to businesses in need all over the world. Truth be told, many of you Arsians beat me to it a long time ago; there’s already an Ars team on Kiva! I ask that you all consider this extremely cool, and extremely important way to stimulate growth in areas of the world that need it badly.

Kiva is simple to use, is a proven success, and can fit all budgets. Kiva members have loaned out more than US$1110,000,000 and seen a repayment rate above 98%. Kiva has reached over 276,000 entrepreneurs in 189 countries.

For as little as $25, you can begin lending money to entrepreneurs in Togo, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Azerbaijan, Uganda, Peru, and more. When thousands of people team up to fund businesses in developing areas of the world, they are helping communities grow stronger. And as these businesses pay back their loans, you get your money back and you can do what you want with it, including investing in other businesses. There is some risk involved, and you can learn more about how Kiva works on their site.

If you do join, be sure to also join the Ars Technica team! As of this posting we have 13 members. I’d love to see a zero tacked on to that!

What is a “Brief” post?”

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Hope that Santa was good to all of you. This week, we’re wrapping the top stories from all across Ars into a single, tidy package. Enjoy!

From Cinepak to H.265: a brief history of video compression. Today’s video-rich Internet wouldn’t be possible without highly efficient compression. Ars rewinds the history of digital video compression to help understand how we arrived at the land of YouTube and Hulu.

How to obtain and install an SSL/TLS certificate, for free. Anyone operating a server on any scale should want a digital certificate to encrypt data between clients and services, whether for personal, office, or public use. Ars tells you how to obtain and install one, for free.

Verizon: $350 ETFs are a good thing, and they help the poor. Verizon tells the FCC that its new jumbo sized early termination fees don’t even compensate the telco for the total cost of VZ’s latest lineup of smart phone devices. The statement comes in response to an FCC letter of inquiry on the matter.

3D high-def movies coming to your living room on Blu-ray. Get ready for the 3D movie revolution to come your your home theater next year. The Blu-ray Disc Association has approved a final spec to deliver high def 3D movies on Blu-ray discs. If you don’t want to spend the cash for 3D hardware, it is thankfully backward compatible with today’s Blu-ray drives.

App Store success several times what Apple likely expected. The success of the iPhone App Store surprised everyone, even Apple itself.

Intel reveals next-generation Atom details. Intel has revealed the launch specs for the first-ever line of x86 products that contain both a GPU and CPU on the same die. Pine Trail, the next-generation Atom platform, will pave the way for future integrated CPU/GPU parts from both Intel and AMD.

Microsoft barred from selling Word, has plan for workaround. A federal appeals court has told Microsoft it needs to stop selling Word on January 11, 2010 due to its patent-infringing support for editing Custom XML.

Apple allegedly preparing devs for mystery demo in January. Apple may be planning to demo a device that’s larger than an iPhone in January of 2010, according to the latest rumors. In fact, some developers may already be preparing their apps for it.

Satellite TV to FCC: we’re special, don’t make us open up. DirecTV says that the new FCC push to bust open video should only apply to cable; satellite is plenty competitive already. Also, a tale of woe from a Comcast subscriber illustrates just why some common video decryption standards are needed.

Has Atari gone Chaotic Evil over D&D publishing rights? Atari is facing a lot of legal drama over the way it has conducted itself lately concerning its Dungeons & Dragons game publishing rights.

Comcast settles P2P throttling class-action for $16 million. Comcast got itself in hot water when it decided to use reset packets to slow down BitTorrent traffic back in 2007. Now, the company has settled a class-action lawsuit in Pennsylvania, promising to pay out $16 million to affected users.

Big Music: damn the numbers, give us antipiracy laws anyway. If P2P use is declining or holding steady without new “antipiracy” laws, are those laws still needed? Music trade groups say yes.

From Australia to the UAE: why games get the banhammer. We’re all used to hearing stories about games being banned in different countries, but what will actually get a game banned outside of the USA? The answers might surprise you.

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It’s the last week of 2009 and time look ahead to all the conferences and events you could be attending in 2010. As always, you can download the entire event calendar in iCal format or import it into your Google Calendar. You can also import individual events using the link beside each entry. This events guide is a weekly feature here on ReadWriteWeb.

Know of an event taking place that should appear here? Let us know in the comments below or contact us.

Sponsor

11 January 2010: Nashville, Tennessee

Social Fresh Nashville

This is the social media conference that comes to you. Social Fresh is a one-day, case-study-rich conference targeted for marketers. Social Fresh Nashville will have 30+ speakers, including Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer, Gavin Baker of Ruby Tuesday and John Andrews of Collective Bias (formerly of Walmart).

ReadWriteWeb readers get a 15% discount with the code “RWW15”.

14 January 2010: Palo Alto, California

The Founder Showcase

The Founder Showcase, by TheFunded.com, is an open startup pitch and networking event that highlights the newest cutting-edge businesses and helps innovators gain traction among the Silicon Valley elite. On Thursday, January 14th, 10 of the most promising early-stage companies, as selected by over 13,000 registered Founders and CEOs on TheFunded.com, will present to an audience of over 300 investors, founders, and members of the press. A panel of experts will critique the pitches, and an open ballot of those in attendance will determine the Founder Showcase Winner.

ReadWriteWeb readers receive a 10% discount when registering, just use discount code “RWW”.

26 January 2010: San Francisco, California

Catalyst Conference

Vator.tv , a leading platform for entrepreneurs and innovators to broadcast themselves, and provider of news and information through VatorNews, and Girls in Tech, a social network enterprise focused on education and empowerment of influential women in technology, are seeking five women-led startups across any stage to present at the Catalyst Conference on January 26, 2010 at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. To be one of the five, join the Catalyst competition today and win the chance to present.

27 – 28 January 2010: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Enterprise Social 2.0: Rip or ROI?

This senior executive event will bring together decision makers from the Top Fortune companies to discuss innovative strategies on how to maximise business performance through social media engagement. The event will include keynote speeches, best-practice presentations as well as interactive discussion sessions.

The summit will provide excellent opportunities for you to hear international experts discuss best practices on how to drive business performance using Web 2.0 and social media. Key issues to be discussed include:

• How to integrate social media programs successfully into business strategies?
• Building business momentum, visibility and market growth through social media
• Measuring success and influence using metrics and analytics: what are the tools and techniques
• Integrating viral marketing and social media into traditional marketing mix
• Developing and activating audiences using social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs

1 – 5, February 2010: New York City, Berlin, London, San Francisco, Toronto, São Paulo

Social Media Week

The second annual Social Media Week conference will explore the profound impact that social media has on culture, business communications and society at large.

The conference is designed as a series of localized events, which city partners are responsible for organizing. Programs will span a variety of formats, ranging from talks and panel discussions, to interactive workshops, seminars and networking events. Registration will open in January 2010 and the majority of events will be free thanks to the global sponsors and event partners.

You can find more information at http://socialmediaweekny.com.

4 February 2010: San Francisco, California

Vator Splash

Vator.tv, a leading platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to broadcast themselves, is holding its inaugural Vator Splash event on February 4, 2010 at the Cafe du Nord in San Francisco. Catch onstage presenters: Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, Smule CEO Jeff Smith, August Capital VC Howard Hartenbaum and Google Ventures VC Bill Maris. Ten promising startups will also get to present onstage. Enter the Vator Splash competition if you want to present.

ReadWriteWeb readers get a 25% discount on their tickets using the code VatorReadWriteWeb.

8 February 2010: Tampa, Florida

Social Fresh Tampa

This is the social media conference that comes to you. Social Fresh is a one-day, case-study-rich conference targeted for marketers. Social Fresh Tampa will have 30+ speakers, including Chris Barger of GM, Maggie Fox of Social Media Group and John Andrews of Collective Bias (formerly of Walmart).

ReadWriteWeb readers get a 15% discount with the code “RWW15”.

10 February 2010: New York City

Online Community Unconference East

The Online Community Unconference East is a gathering of online community professionals – managers, developers, business people, tool providers, investors – to discuss experience and strategies in the development and growth of online communities. As we have found with our past events, the best source of information on all of these challenges is other knowledgeable practitioners. The event runs from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Digital Sandbox.

11 February 2010: New York City

NYC Venture Capital and Angel Showcase

FundingPost is hosting a VC showcase where 20-plus VC funds and angel groups will be exhibiting their firms during a great cocktail party setting. Each fund will have their own table setup for the sole purpose of meeting great new companies.

Additionally, there will be an optional pitching workshop from 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. The cost to participate in the workshop will be $400. This workshop includes the $125 ticket to the event, and a 1/4 page listing in the Venture Guide Magazine. This event is sponsored by Credit Suisse, and takes place at One Madison Avenue, from 6-9:15 p.m.

18 February 2010: Silicon Valley, California

Future of Funding

Active limited partners, top rated venture capitalists, and successful entrepreneurs are invited to Silicon Valley on February 18, 2010 to discuss the Future of Funding. The venture capital bubble has burst, and change is coming. Now is the time to have a constructive dialog about the future with all of the stakeholders at the table.

Don’t miss the opportunity to partake in this exclusive event hosted by TheFunded. Please visit www.futureoffunding.com to see speaker and event details.

ReadWriteWeb readers use the code “RWW” and get 10% off.

15 – 16 March 2010: London, England

2nd Annual Social Networking World Forum — London

The 2nd Annual Social Networking World Forum takes place at the Olympia Conference Centre in London. The two-day event features four dedicated conference streams:

1. Social Networking World Forum
2. Enterprise social media
3. Social TV World Forum
4. Mobile Social Networking Forum

The event features key speakers from global brands, organizations, social networking publishers and developers, pioneering social media leaders, top agencies, content producers, and more.

• Full workshop program within exhibition area
• Evening networking reception
• Pre-show online meeting planner for delegates
• Free pass for exhibition only

11 May 2010: San Francisco, California

FinovateSpring

FinovateSpring 2010 will again showcase the most cutting-edge financial and banking technology innovations to Silicon Valley and the world. With Finovate’s signature mix of short, fast-paced onstage demos (no slides are allowed) from handpicked companies and intimate networking time with their executives, this conference packs a ton of unique value into a single day.

Come see the cutting edge of banking and financial technology and network with hundreds of the leading financial executives, venture capitalists, press, industry analysts, bloggers and fintech entrepreneurs. Early bird registration rates are available.

5 October 2010: New York City

FinovateFall

FinovateFall will return to Manhattan on Tuesday, October 5 to showcase dozens of the biggest and most innovative new ideas in financial and banking technology from established leaders and hot young companies. The Fall event is the original and largest Finovate and features a single day packed with our special blend of short, fast-paced onstage demos (no slides are allowed) and intimate networking time with top executives from the innovative demoing companies.

FinovateFall is a unique chance to see the future of finance and banking before your competition and find the edge you need in today’s market. Early bird registration rates are available.

Download this entire events calendar in iCal format.

Discuss

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Mazda, Rumormill

The rumormill just can’t stop churning out stories of an impending Mazda RX-7 revival. We’ve been hearing that we should expect the rotary-powered sports car any day now… for the last few years. It’s still yet to show its smiling face. Still, here we are with another report indicating that the next RX-7 is just around the corner, this time as a 2011 or 2012 model.

Inside Line reports that the birth of the two-seat Mazda RX-7 will mean the death of the current four-door, four-seat RX-8 that’s been in circulation since 2004. Furthermore, the gang in Santa Monica says that next-gen rotary sportscar may not up the performance ante of either the last twin-turbo RX-7 or even the current RX-8’s 1.3-liter 232-horsepower Renesis engine. This, despite earlier rumors that the latest 1.6-liter 16X powerplant was kicking out as much as 350 horses while still achieving superior fuel economy over its forebears.

Mazda could instead return to the ethos of the first RX-7 from 1979, fielding a lightweight two-seater powered by a new version of the Wankel producing somewhere between 200 and 250 horsepower. If true, we can expect the next RX-7 to cost somewhere around $25,000 and be positioned against cars like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the upcoming RWD Toyota/Subaru.

[Source: Inside Line]

Mazda RX-8 to die as RX-7 resurfaces for 2012? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The feasting and festivities of the holidays is over. Having over-indulged, many of us have made resolutions to cut back on or cut out certain foods and alcohols during January. So how can we reduce our alcohol intake, whilst still enjoying a glass or two of wine?

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Tarde o temprano, este momento tenía que llegar. Anunciar un modelo híbrido de parte de Ferrari no es tarea fácil y será difícil para los tiffosi aceptarlo. La marca debe adaptarse a los tiempos, en que los clientes demandan coches “amigables” con el medio ambiente. Ferrari presentará en Ginebra un 599 híbrido, llamado Concept 599.

La revista Quattroroute muestra un artículo sobre el híbrido que se estará preparando en Maranello, con algunos detalles generales sobre el modelo. Contará con baterías de litio y un motor eléctrico para propulsarlo a baja velocidad, mientras el V12 sirve para regimenes elevados. Por suerte, el V12 seguirá estando presente en el 599, a pesar de la electricidad y las baterías.

Como el V12 no sería usado más que para circular a un determinado número de revoluciones, se espera un ahorro de combustible de un 35% en el ciclo urbano. En fases de desaceleración y frenado, la batería cargará al motor eléctrico, junto con un incipiente KERS que también equipará al 599 Concept.

Y hablando de las baterías, engrosarán el peso total del Ferrari en 50 kg, a menos que en el futuro se coloque en su lugar una baterías más livianas para no penalizar el peso y las prestaciones. Al fin y al cabo, un Ferrari no es para ahorrar combustible, sino para quemarlo y en cantidad.

Vía | Quattroroute

Filed under: Deals

‘Tis the season to shop until your brains melt (or skip it all entirely, depending on your interpretation of the term holiday). In that spirit, for the next few weeks we’ll be rounding up a dozen daily deals courtesy our friends at DealNews.com. Each afternoon tune in to TUAW for this handy summary. Keep in mind that while our posts will live on, the deals won’t. Each is lovingly generated by the deal-bot every day, so get ‘em while they’re hot. Enjoy!

• AT&T Wireless: [iPhone] Refurbished Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB for $49 + free shipping, 32GB for $149
• OfficeDepot: [Office & Supplies] Office Depot coupon: 10% off select items in-store
• eForCity: [Electronics] eForCity.com Boxing Day Sale: Free shipping sitewide
• HP Home & Home Office Store: [Mice/Trackballs] 2 HP Wireless Optical Mobile Mice for $5 + $5 s&h, 3 for $8
• Shop4Tech: [iPod Accessories] Nyko iTop iPod Button Relocator for $2 + free shipping
• ThingFling: [802.11g Wireless] Philips 802.11g Wireless LAN 3.5dB Desktop PC Antenna for free + $6 s&h
• Dell Home: [46″ – 47″ LCD TVs] Samsung 46″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $778 + free shipping
• Best Buy: [23-Inch LCD] Acer 23″ 1080p Widescreen LCD Display with HDMI for $140 + pickup
• Verizon Wireless: [Bluetooth Headsets] Jawbone Prime Bluetooth Headset for $64 + free overnight shipping
• Abe’s of Maine: [Digital Cameras] Canon PowerShot A1100 IS 12MP 4x Zoom Digital Camera, Case for $120 + free shipping
• Dell Home: [23-Inch LCD] Dell SP2309W 23″ Widescreen LCD Display with Webcam for $219 + free shipping
• eBay: [Plasma TVs] Panasonic VIERA G10 46″ 1080p THX-Certified Plasma HDTV for $1,050 + free shipping

TUAWDozen Daily Deals for December 26, 2009 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By this time next week, it’ll be next year—and too late to turn a great investment in your work life into a lower tax burden in April. Splurge wisely on yourself with these write-off-friendly wishlist items.

Photo by jnyemb.

We have to point out that none of the Lifehacker editors are tax preparers, accountants, or financial advisors. Most of us pay taxes as freelancers, and have grown used to the idea of deducting everything we use to get our jobs done from our independent income. If you’ve got a sideline or freelance business, or itemized business deductions, shopping for some of these purchases—if you need them—could make a lot of sense before the year is up, but consult with a professional before dropping any serious cash in the hopes of a big tax move.

For another take on end-of-year tax moves, check out Gina’s list of essentials for 2009.

10. Plants, lights, and other soft touches

It’s easy to think that the only way to upgrade an office is to come home with a box from OffiStapleDepot. Grab some plants that produce better air or are hard to kill. Give your office some ambient rope lighting, or better sunlight coverage with a mirror. Buy some paint, tarps, and rollers and clear up a Saturday afternoon. You can do a lot for your office without breaking out a single screwdriver or USB cable.

9. A better keyboard and mouse

Your keyboard and mouse still work, but do they actually feel good to use? Do they just function, or do they manage to get entirely out of your way and reduce friction between thought and computer action? Enough said—check out the best mouse and keyboards our readers have used, and invest not only in your tax liability, but your wrists, fingers, forearms, and long-term comfort.

8. Second (or third) monitor

ZDNet columnist and writer of all-things-Microsoft Ed Bott recently tweeted that the loss of his second monitor saw “productivity plummet,” and he wondered how anyone worked with one monitor. It sounds ridiculous—unless you’ve gotten used to the ease of having more than one screen. The easy example is when you’re writing or chatting about something: you keep it open, full-size, on one screen, and use the other to type. You can monitor inboxes and browse on one monitor while injecting thoughts into documents on another, keep files and windows from two different projects separate but within arm’s reach, and, of course, rock much cooler wallpaper. Need more convincing? Check out Gina’s guide to making the most of your dual monitors for how-to inspiration.

7. USB car adapter

This one’s not much in the way of cost, unless your family’s got a fleet. Then again, you’ll be glad you can charge any gadget that accepts any kind of USB connection as a power source, all for the price of two fancy coffee drinks. Want the sleeker solution? This iLuv model goes for $15, and almost fits flush with your car charging port, so it looks like your car was just made to power everyone’s phones, cameras, iPods, and other devices. (Original post)

6. Label maker

Why do label makers capture the hearts of geeks and make organizing actually, sometimes, enjoyable? Because handwriting is often awful and looks unprofessional, and because cutting Post-It notes into little strips is monotonous. Gina has shown us how her Brother changed her life, and many of our readers can vouch for other models, as well.

5. Filing cabinet makeover supplies

If you don’t have a filing cabinet, buy one. If you have one that’s just acting as a side table for your papers and coffee mugs, you need to whip it into shape. That involves folders, labels (and maybe a label maker), and supplemental storage, such as airtight bings, for the files you still need to keep around. After the initial purge, you’ll also need a shredder to start getting a filing system workflow down. Among the safest items you can claim as a home office expense, a filing cabinet is a decidedly un-sexy, but necessary, purchase.

4. Serious, extra battery for a laptop or smartphone

It’s the smartest thing I’ve ever done for myself, at least as far as computers are concerned. My ThinkPad came with a standard six-cell battery, that held a decent charge, at first. But since it’s my main work computer, it sat with a charge constantly connected, and didn’t age that well when consistently exposed to the system’s own heat, or some other abuse I leveled upon it. So I bought a bigger nine-cell battery, wrote it off, but kept it in my laptop bag, not the computer. I keep it charged at about 80 percent, use it only when I’m going to away from a power plug for some time, and it continues to be my steady backup. If you’ve got a laptop or smartphone with a kind of “meh” battery, you should do the same.

3. External hard drives and online storage

If you’ve got a Time Machine capsule or a big enough USB drive, and you remember to back it up constantly, then you’ve got your data security training wheels on. If you don’t have a storage space in a separate physical location, you’re still just practice pedaling. There are lots of free options, and for most home users, Mozy or Carbonite should fit the bill just fine. Then again, if you don’t have all that much to back up, or it’s not super-private stuff, a simple Dropbox upgrade can be very liberating.

2. A really nice office chair

You and your office chair are probably pretty close. Find a chair that’s not an expense-account-draining special, like certain brands fronted with a particular gentleman’s name (what is it, German Ziller?), but does more for your back than just stand behind it. You can find chairs that offer the same kind of lumbar support and breathe-able fabric, as we once did, and consult our readers’ office chair show-and-tell session for some great ideas. Image from commenter unleashed.

1. Pay for apps you’ve put off buying

We’ve always felt that great software can, and should, be free, but some great software can be made better with a premium edition or subscription. Among the apps we’ve paid for, or reviewed in spite of costing (gasp!) actual money, are virtualization solutions like Parallels 5 and VMware Fusion 3, both of which make Windows a smooth, easy part of the Mac life. Universal capture tool Evernote offers faster transcription and more storage to premium users (along with new offline capabilities on iPhones), while Remember the Milk offers access to its very cool iPhone and Android apps. Speaking of mobile apps, there are quite a few worth considering, including many Pro/Premium versions of our most popular iPhone apps. Point is, if there’s a premium app you’ve put off buying that might actually make a significant impact on your ability to get things done, consider taking the plunge.

What business or office purchases have you previously made with the end of the year in sight? How are you spending your no-time-left funds next week? Give us your game plan in the comments.

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Frankly, we haven’t heard much noise coming from the XBMC camp in quite some time. All that changes today, as the project has just launched its latest major update in v9.11. The so-called Camelot build is now available for download on Windows, OS X and Linux, with the most notable changes including a revamped user interface, DirectX support by default in Windows, a “complete reorganization of the settings menus, automatic video information extraction, and smoother video playback.” You’ll also find updated scrapers, expanded remote control support and updated codecs. Tap that source link for the download and condensed changelog — though, we should caution you that the live installer seems to be causing issues for some, so try and stay positive, okay?

XBMC 9.11 ‘Camelot’ now available for download, huge changelog in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smoke belching from a coal powered power plant on the outskirts of Linfen, in China’s Shanxi province. China’s national assembly has signalled the country’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by adopting a law supporting its renewable …