Blog

Are you looking for a special genealogy gift for a friend, family member or for yourself? www.FunStuffForGenealogists.com has some great things for you! Just added and in hot demand are Cotton Gloves for handling those precious artifacts and photos. Also added are birth charts for a boy, girl or a lovely generic tree chart. See Fun Stuff for Genealogists for lots of scrapbooking items as well as jewelry, pedigree charts, archival preservation materials and lots more!

A new report from the federal government looks at public defenders across the country in 2007 and finds a system with staggering caseloads — and some states handling the flood better than others.

More than six million cases flowed through the nation’s public defense offices in 2007, and they were handled by about 17,000 attorneys — that’s an average of 352 cases per attorney that year. Public defense systems are structured differently across the country, and the numbers released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics look only at state and county public defense offices, setting aside appointed and contract attorneys.

Looking at just felony and misdemeanor cases — eliminating civil cases and ordinance violations — public defenders in state-based systems averaged 88 felonies and 147 misdemeanors in 2007, still a hefty number of cases. And only half of the 20 or so states with statewide public defense systems reported that they impose caseload limits on attorneys. A few of the states without limits saw the greatest burden – Colorado, for example, has no limits and 229 felony cases per attorney.

Get all the data here. (PDF)

(more…)

A few folks have sent over some version of the story that the Kindle is outselling every other product on Amazon. Of course, that’s somewhat meaningless, as the folks at Gizmodo smartly point out. Because you can only get the Kindle via Amazon, and that makes the number completely different than other products:

When Amazon tells you that the Kindle is the highest-selling product on Amazon, you’re supposed to think of it as you’d think of anything else: as a strong, reliable metric in gauging how well a product is doing in general. The thing is, there is no “in general” for the Kindle. There is only Amazon. Anyone who wants a Kindle and doesn’t normally shop at Amazon has to make an exception. Anyone who wants a Kindle and doesn’t normally shop online has to make an exception. The Kindle didn’t outsell the iPod Touch–not even close.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Activision has finally announced that Infinity Ward’s re-release of the original Call of Duty, titled Call of Duty: Classic, is finally heading to PSN…

Professional snowboarder, Marie-France Roy, relaxes during the off-season with a session at Camp of Champions, a surf trip to her Vancouver Island retreat, and some big wild mountain lions in the Andes.

Add this to your queue
Added: Tue Dec 01 03:40:05 UTC 2009
Air date: Sun Nov 29 00:00:00 UTC 2009
Duration: 22:07

According to “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009”, prepared for the UN Environment Programme’s, $250 billion was spent globally in 2008 constructing new power generating capacity from all sources.

Of that, $140 billion was for low carbon electricity generation.

That means, for the first time, investment flows into renewables have overtaken flows into fossil fuel power generation.

A big moment!

The first Hydrogen Vehicle Bridge Crossing Event in Europe on November 30 from Malmoe to Copenhagen was the result of a very constructive collaboration between the EHA, HyRaMP, the NEW IG JTI Industry Grouping and the JTI Programme office, coordinated by Danish hydrogen supplier  H2 Logic.  By pulling together the networks of these different organisations, a broad group of stakeholders in Europe were involved to get the cars to Malmoe and Copenhagen and to inform national and international media and key stakeholders.

EHA’s 15 national member associations are able to activate collectively over 250 of the main fuel cell and hydrogen companies in Europe and over a 100 reseach institutes and universities. In addition EHA’s own contact database includes key Members of the EU Parliament, European Commission officers, coordinators of the main EU projects and the main European media. Together with the now 30 members of HyRaMP , a community of dedicated key stakeholders is steadily building and committed local governments are ready to welcome the first commercial applications.

As the EHA is entering its second decade of promoting hydrogen as a clean energy carrier, it will step up its efforts to ensure that a sustainable and efficient European hydrogen infrastructure will be built in key locations of Europe. It will facilitate broad visibility of these developments in Brussels and beyond, identifying technology transfer opportunities with regards to future  Climate agreements.  With the updated EHA website we will also be able to build hydrogen communities online , linking with relevant national and local developments, other EU organisations and digital media and networks.  We therefore invite  new national associations and industries to join our EHA hydrogen community and support our efforts to ensure Europe maintains its role as market leader in this field.

This just in:

WHO is now recommending that ART be initiated at a higher CD4 threshold of 350 cells/mm3 for all HIV-positive patients, including pregnant women, regardless of symptoms.

Which makes eminent sense, of course.  Because if starting HIV therapy might prolong survival in developed countries, why shouldn’t it do the same in the developing world?

In fact, when you consider the higher incidence of TB and invasive bacterial infections in such settings, it could easily be argued — and has been argued — that starting early would net greater survival gains in resource-poor settings than it would here.

Plus, there’s the CIPRAHT001 Study, which proves it.

But there’s more — the new WHO guidelines also urge that countries  “phase out” the use of stavudine in favor of less-toxic NRTIs, and that women continue breastfeeding so long as they are also on ART.

Good news all around.

Monk is called to a crime at the location where he first heard the news of his wife’s murder and begins the most important investigation of his life.

Add this to your queue
Added: Tue Dec 01 02:43:05 UTC 2009
Air date: Fri Nov 27 00:00:00 UTC 2009
Duration: 42:57
Closed captions available.

Filed under: Sedan, Audi, Celebrities, Design/Style, Luxury

We’ve just returned from the Audi A8 world premiere here at Miami’s star-studded Design Week, and we’ve got a slew of images of the new range-topping sedan. More evolutionary than revolutionary in style, the new wundersedan is nevertheless an impressive looking piece with the visual charisma to go toe-to-toe with the celebrities that filed in to fawn over its broad shoulders.

Despite the clear heritage link to the outgoing model, there are a number of new technologies under the skin that represent firsts for the brand, including full LED headlamps that adjust their direction and throw based on the navigation system, a new development of MMI that includes a handwriting recognition feature, and an updated 4.2-liter FSI V8 engine with more power (372 horses) and an eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox. Despite being more powerful, the A8 is also more fuel efficient, with a claimed improvement of 15 percent with the aforementioned gas V8.

The slippery new shell once again rests on the brand’s Aluminum Space Frame (ASF), and Audi says the car is longer and wider than its competitors, yet it sits lower. The sleek new bodywork is good for a .26 coefficient of drag. When it comes to America late next year, the new A8 will arrive in both standard and extended-wheelbase models, and we have it on good authority that both TDI and hybrid variants will also come to the States – although the alternative fuel powertrains aren’t likely to happen right away. While you’re waiting, check out our high-res galleries below as well as the official press release. We’re working on uploading video of the new A8 as well, so check back soon.

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading 2011 Audi A8 revealed amidst the stars at Design Miami 2009

2011 Audi A8 revealed amidst the stars at Design Miami 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

With the scheduled demo release right around the corner, Sega and Platinum Games has decided to show off a brand new gameplay video of their upcoming …

There have been a bunch of stories lately about how pictures that people put up on Facebook are coming back to haunt them in unexpected ways. First, we have the case of Adam Bauer, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student who had been careful about who he friended, but chose to accept a friend request from an unknown user, because “she was a good-looking girl.” Turns out that the “good-looking girl” was actually the La Crosse police, who ticketed him for underage drinking because of a photo on Facebook of Bauer holding a drink. This reminds me of a case we wrote about six years ago, involving a woman who posted some naked photos of herself at some locations around Lincoln, Nebraska — leading the police to charge her with violating local no-nudity laws.

The other story that a bunch of folks have submitted was the case of a woman who who lost her disability insurance benefits because of photos on Facebook. She was on sick-leave due to a diagnosis of depression. Yet, somehow the insurance company got access to her Facebook photos that showed her out having fun — at a birthday party, on vacation and the beach and at a Chippendale’s show. Now it’s entirely possible that there was insurance fraud going on. Or, it’s also possible that someone who had been diagnosed with depression was trying to put her life back together. It’s a bit difficult to think that an insurance agent looking at photos online is better at diagnosing the situation than a trained doctor.

In both of these cases, the issue is that photos might not tell the whole story. Making major decisions based just on some photos uploaded to social networks seems fraught with potential problems. I could certainly see using them as part of a larger investigation, but it doesn’t seem like that was the case in either situation. But, in the meantime, it’s a reminder that your privacy is increasingly disappearing — and you may be surprised about decisions that others make about you based on what you assumed was perfectly innocent activities.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Just came across this ultra-mod cat bed by French designer Christian Ghion. I don’t think it’s available for sale anywhere, but it sure is cool! Very Austin Powers.

Thanks to Peter for the find.

Rich Edson on Health Care Reform debate, Glenn Archer of LHD Vending Systems, Don Rainey, Grotech Ventures, Jeff Sloan, Start-Up Nation, Scott Gerber, Gerber Entertainment, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

Add this to your queue
Added: Tue Dec 01 01:49:05 UTC 2009
Air date: Sat Nov 21 00:00:00 UTC 2009
Duration: 49:44

A secret encounter allows Mustang to spark new ambition in an old friend – an ally with loyal troops at his command. Meanwhile, Ed and Al share a chance meeting with their biggest fan – young Selim Bradley.

Add this to your queue
Added: Tue Dec 01 01:39:04 UTC 2009
Air date: Sun Nov 15 00:00:00 UTC 2009
Duration: 24:40

I’m surprised to announce that only after a few months of being on the market, the super thin 52″ Sony BRAVIA XBR10 (aka in Japan as the Sony BRAVIA ZX5) with wireless HD capability is no longer for general availability in the USA. While a few models are left at various brick and mortar SonyStyle stores, the official SonyStyle USA website states, “No longer available for purchase at Sony Style.” We tapped our contacts at SonyStyle who confirmed this information and stated that it was a “limited production model.” Limited production? We’re surprised at that statement, since the TV was not announced as such.

Fortunately, the 46″ XBR10 is still for sale at SonyStyle and will probably continue to be available through the holidays. But for how long? This sure seems like Sony is clearing the slate for some new BRAVIAs (e.g. XBR11, XBR12), which Sony has stated before they will bring to the market by February.

I’m not surprised that the 52″ model is being phased out, though. Sony has been slipping hard in the USA with their TV sales, falling victim to extraordinary prices, too varied of a lineup (XBR7, XBR8, XBR9, XBR10 are all for sale simultaneously), and consumers being manipulated by the phrase “LED TV.” Last time I looked Sony were tied in a distant fourth place with Toshiba, which placed them far behind Samsung, Vizio, and LG. Consumers may also be confused with the XBR9 and XBR10 line (LCD with edge-lit LCD), which many online have found inferior to the XBR8, which is a LCD with RGB backlit LED.

I still think the XBR10/ZX5 was a true marvel in Sony technology; perhaps ahead of its time (or just simply misplaced for sale in a struggling economy) with its high price, incredible design and wireless 1080P capability.

Anytime over the past year-and-a-half or so, whenever someone asked me what I thought about the CrunchPad, my answer was pretty much always the same: you’ll never get your hands on one. Call me a cynic, but I just found it difficult to believe that Mike Arrington would be able to pull off what no other major consumer electronics manufacturer has been unable to do as of yet. Today, Mike announced that the CrunchPad is dead. No more. Kaput. I’m not surprised.

Let me make myself clear, though. My thoughts had nothing to do with the capabilities of Arrington, FusionGarage, or anyone else involved in the project. I simply felt that there would be an outside influence that would knock the project off-track. Conspiracy theory or not, if a major manufacturer that had a lot of pull in the area where these devices are manufactured (like China) truly wanted to play hardball to make sure a small start-up couldn’t release a device like the CrunchPad because they were going to be releasing something similar, at a much higher price, I bet they could pull that off.

Not to say that this is what happened, I’m just thinking aloud. However, when you read Mike’s post on the matter, you quickly realize that something went on, and it was something strange and sudden. Either way, the CrunchPad is dead. No worries, though, 2010 will be the year that the tablet hits the mainstream.

Tags:
crunchpad,
fusiongarage,
michael arrington,
mike arrington,
tablets,
techcrunch,

Staten Island, New York | Outsider Art

In 1996, the Staten Island Advocate ran a front-page photograph of an odd assortment of stone cairns that had recently appeared on a beach in Mount Loretto State Park. The newspaper asked in its headline if the piles of rocks were a “Sophomoric Prank or Cult Activity?”

In fact, they were neither. Spanning nearly a half mile of beachfront, the stone sculptures were the creation of Doug Schwartz, a zookeeper at the Staten Island Zoo, for whom this unusual outside–and outsider–art has been both a hobby and a passion for more than a decade.

Schwartz can be found working on the beach at least one day a week, making him something of a local celebrity. However, it is for another eccentric Staten Island tradition that he is best known. Schwartz is the keeper of Staten Island Chuck, a groundhog who serves as the fifth borough’s answer to Punxsutawney Phil. For most of the year Chuck lives in a a cage in Schwartz’s office at the Staten Island Zoo. He emerges every February 2nd on Groundhog Day to try to find his shadow.

There are now close to 200 rock towers overlooking Raritan Bay on the southern shore of Staten Island. Some are precariously poised, others are propped up with sticks, or buttressed with old beer cans. For Schwartz, the stone formations are simply a form of self-expression, and a relaxing way to spend a morning at the beach. He has built several benches out of stones and washed up lumber so that visitors can take a load off while they contemplate his slate and ochre garden.

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ford

Though we all owned skateboards in our younger years, we can admit that we were never really any good at riding them. That doesn’t mean we didn’t fantasize about all the great stunts we wished we could perform. And were there any among us who don’t remember sitting in the back seat of a car watching the scenery go by at speed and thinking of all the sweet jumps and flips cars should be able to do?

Filmmaker Jeff Richter undoubtedly has such memories, and Ford was kind enough to let him unleash those inner fantasies with a brand-spanking-new 2010 Mustang. Also along for the ride are street skater Pat Duffy and X-Games gold medalist Jake Brown. A quick blip pops up at the start of the film letting the watcher know that some of the scenes are real and others are computer generated… we don’t think you’ll have too much trouble distinguishing one from the other. Hit the jump to watch the video.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading VIDEO: The Mustang skates in latest episode of Unleashed

VIDEO: The Mustang skates in latest episode of Unleashed originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments