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App sorting improved with iTunes 9.0.2 - Cnet Asia
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:16 am Video: Motorola Milestone (GSM Droid) found again, this time in Russia - IntoMobile (blog)
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:15 am UPDATE 2-Ryanair may reverse growth strategy as fares fall* Keeps FY profit f'cast at lower end of 200mln-300mln eurosSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:01 am Blackboard, Northwestern University Partner on Google Apps IntegrationBuilding Block Adds Popular Tools to Blackboard Learn Platform WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) and Northwestern University have...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am Troy Industries On the Move Due to Phenomenal Growth, Thanks Customers With Gear Up SaleWEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of phenomenal growth, Troy Industries, Inc. is expanding operations, moving to a larger facility and gearing up for...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am PBworks Announces Real-Time and Voice CollaborationIntegrated instant messaging, live notifications, live editing, and voice fill out collaboration suite SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- PBworks, the leading provider...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am For September, Book-Related Apps Overtook Games On iPhoneruphus13 writes "In a sign that ebooks are rising in popularity, a recent survey by mobile analytics company Flurry revealed that users may be using the iPhone for more intellectual pursuits, and not just the visual sizzle. The 'book-related' apps on the iPhone overtook games in terms of new apps released. According to the post, 'Book-related apps saw an upsurge in launches in September ... So much so, that book-related applications overtook games in the App Store as a percentage of all released apps. The trend isn't an aberration. In October, one out of every five new applications launching on the iPhone was a book...Because from August 2008 to the same month in 2009, more apps were released in the 'games' category than any other and, as a result, the iPhone (and iPod touch) became a new handheld gaming platform, one that impacted Nintendo DS. '"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am Incident Communication Solutions and Squire Tech Solutions Partner to Introduce the ICS pCom(TM) 355 System for Public Safety, Military and Civilian Federal MarketsORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Incident Communications Solutions, LLC (ICS), an IPCentric mobile and tactical communication solutions provider, announces its newest...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am Pfizer eyes deal with Israel's Protalix-newspaperTEL AVIV, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Pfizer , the world's largest drugmaker, is considering a cooperation deal with Protalix Biotherapeutics and may even try to buy the Israeli company, TheMarker financial newspaper...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:47 am New Sony Ericsson Rachael UI Seen - Techtree.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:40 am And You Thought Ask.com Had an Annoying Jingle–Try "Bing Goes the Internet" [BoomTown]
Now, BoomTown likes a good jingle as much as anyone else, but this new one from Microsoft’s Bing search service is sticking in my head like a piece of chewed gum. Shot at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pa., it uses 400 very adorable sixth graders who are dragooned into one very large “Bing Goes the Internet” dance–complete with logo wear. The kids rock, the advertising jingle not so much. They are using the winning entry in the Bing jingle contest, by Jonathan Mann. I must say, regretfully, stick with vampires, Microsoft (MSFT). In any case, here’s the video, as well as one of the super-duper, migraine-inducing “I Do! I Do!” television commercials from Ask.com–a unit of InterActiveCorp (IACI)–below it: Source: All Things Digital | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:38 am Greenpeace protests atop Barcelona landmarkEnvironmental group Greenpeace was on Monday unfurling a banner on Barcelona's landmark Sagrada Familia church calling for action against climate change, ahead of a UN conference in the...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:31 am Toshiba Fuel Cell Charger Now AvailableWe’ve been hearing for a long long long long loooooooong time now about how fuel cells are going to be the batteries of the future, since they’re instantly rechargeable with a shot of booze...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:31 am UPDATE 4-Human Genome, Glaxo lupus drug works in 2nd trial* Paves way for approval of first new lupus drug in 50 yrsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:07 am Scamville: Zynga Says 1/3 Of Revenue Comes From Lead Gen And Other Offers
Zynga revenue guesses range all over the place, but are likely $250 million a year or more. That means $80+ million/year is being brought in from legitimate offers like Netflix subscriptions, as well as the really smelly stuff like recurring mobile phone and learning CD subscriptions that trick users into paying big dollars for little or no return value. What percentage of offer revenue is scammy? We believe it varies over time, and is heading in the wrong direction. Legitimate advertisers like Netflix and Blockbuster, hit with countless laundered subscriptions from repeat subscripers, are said to be dramatically lowering bounty fees paid on signup. Far less scrupulous advertisers like Video Professor and Tatto take their place. HotOrNot cofounder James Hong said it best in a comment to our post yesterday outlining the scams: “In a nutshell, the offers that monetize the best are the ones that scam/trick users. Sure we had netflix ads show up, and clearly those do convert to some degree, but i’m pretty sure most of the money ended up getting our users hooked into auto-recurring SMS subscriptions for horoscopes and stuff.” Offerpal and others, who provide these offers to game developers, try to downplay the percentage of revenue that comes from scams. Clearly they are obfuscating the truth, to put it kindly. Facebook and MySpace must takes steps to address this. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors 
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:05 am Scamville: Zynga Says 1/3 Of Revenue Comes From Lead Gen And Other OffersA big part of the debate about the lead gen scams plaguing Facebook and MySpace via social games is over how much money is being made on these "offers." Zynga, by far the most successful at building and...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:05 am Top-10 Global Bank Selects Actimize, a NICE Company, in a High7-Digit Deal to Standardize on a Single Enterprise-Wide Anti-Fraud PlatformRA'ANANA, Israel and NEW YORK, November 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Actimize, a NICE Systems (NASDAQ:NICE) company and the largest and broadest financial crime, compliance and risk management solutions provider to the financial services industry, today announced that a top-10 global bank, has selected the company as its strategic partner for fighting financial crime in a high 7-digit deal.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am PBworks Announces Real-Time and Voice CollaborationSAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- PBworks, the leading provider of hosted collaboration solutions for business and education, today announced its upcoming Real-Time Collaboration Update, including true Voice Collaboration.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am Walmart Announces 100 More Toy Rollbacks Including Top Holiday PicksNew toy savings join 100 toys for $10; low prices last through holiday season BENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- From licensed toys to active-play items,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am Incident Communication Solutions and Squire Tech Solutions Partner to Introduce the ICS pCom(TM) 355 System for Public Safety, Military and Civilian Federal MarketsORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Incident Communications Solutions, LLC (ICS), an IPCentric mobile and tactical communication solutions provider, announces its newest self-contained communication solution delivered in partnership with Squire Tech Solutions, LLC.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am Blackboard, Northwestern University Partner on Google Apps IntegrationWASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) and Northwestern University have partnered on an integration to make Google Apps(TM) Education Edition available to students within the Blackboard Learn(TM) platform with a single sign on.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am Aflex Unveils Revolutionary New Hose Design for the Chemical and Process IndustrySOWERBY BRIDGE, England, November 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflex Hose Ltd has today unveiled Corroline, a revolutionary flexible hose developed to stand up to the toughest...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am The luck of the Sapiens: the weird fortuitousness of global warming - True/Slant
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:57 am Internet Gold's Third Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call Scheduled for November 19, 2009PETACH TIKVA, Israel, Nov.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:57 am Hit streaming service Spotify eyes U.S. music fans (Reuters)Reuters - MTV Urge ... Yahoo Music Unlimited ... Virgin Digital ... Since 2003 -- when iTunes launched in the United States -- all of these digital music services have come and gone, without challenging Apple's market dominance, despite the backing of resource-rich parent companies.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:04 am Visioneer returns with two-in-one scanner (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - Visioneer has announced the Strobe 500 two-in-one scanner: It's a desktop duplex color scanner with a 20-page document feeder. Or, with the press of a button, the scanning unit detaches from the feeder to become a stand-alone, portable, sheet-fed scanner.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am Will iPhone Lead the Growth in Portable Gaming? [Voices]By Yukari Iwatani Kane, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal At its media event in early September, Apple threw down the gauntlet to Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. Dedicated gaming gadgets like the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable “seemed so cool,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of marketing, but “they don’t stack up against the iPod touch.” Now an industry research firm has come out with numbers that back up Apple’s challenge. A study by DFC Intelligence, released on Friday, predicts that games for the iPhone and iPod touch (an iPhone without the cellular capabilities) will be the principal drivers for growth in the overall portable and mobile gaming market in five years. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am Walmart Announces 100 More Toy Rollbacks Including Top Holiday PicksBENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- From licensed toys to active-play items, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) announced today 100 additional toy Rollbacks in its intent to help families save more this holiday season.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am Blue Lance Announces Windows 7 Support for LT Auditor+ 9HOUSTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Lance, Inc. announced the immediate availability of LT Auditor+ 9 for Windows Service Pack 4 (SP4), allowing organizations to audit and monitor, in real-time, Windows 7 and all current Microsoft Windows Operating Systems.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am Social Networking and Voucher Code Websites Change the way Consumers ShopLEEDS, England, November 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Social networking and voucher code websites such as VoucherSeeker (http://www.voucherseeker.co.uk/vouchercodes) are changing the way consumer shop.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am Unisys Introducing Software for Private Clouds (PC World)PC World - Unisys announced Monday software and services that will enable organizations to deploy and run their own internal private clouds, as part of its strategy to offer customers a variety of cloud computing options.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:50 am Breathing Chair Makes Plant Cells ComfortableNo matter how many branches you pile on the floor of your living room, you’re not likely to make yourself a comfy chair. As it turns out, the reason for this is simply that you’re not using...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:25 am Britain Gets Tough on drivers who Text while DrivingA hearbreaking story in The New York Times of a young woman who has been sentenced to a high-security womens prison, for killing someone much like herself, while texting and driving. ... Britains new...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:22 am Toyota Develops New Flower Species To Reduce Pollutionteko_teko writes "Toyota has created two flower species that absorb nitrogen oxides and take heat out of the atmosphere. The flowers, derivatives of the cherry sage plant and the gardenia, were specially developed for the grounds of Toyota's Prius plant in Toyota City, Japan. The sage derivative's leaves have unique characteristics that absorb harmful gases, while the gardenia's leaves create water vapour in the air, reducing the surface temperature of the factory surrounds and, therefore, reducing the energy needed for cooling, in turn producing less carbon dioxide (CO2)."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:08 am 30 Predictions for the Future of Twitter [Voices]By Loic Le Meur, Founder, Seesmic At the 140conf conference in LA, Jeff Pulver asked me to think about the future of Twitter and even though I obviously have no crystal ball, I took some risks and here you go, I gathered my predictions here, in the form of “tweet slides” so you might want to watch the video too. Some of those predictions were suggested to me by my friends on Twitter, let me know if I missed one credit as I prepared it… in realtime). Read the rest of this post at the original site Source: All Things Digital | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:05 am SST Unveils World's First Low-Voltage, High-Speed Quad I/O Serial Flash MemorySUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.) (Nasdaq: SSTI), a leader in flash memory technology, today announced the industry's first 1.8V, high-speed quad-bit serial flash memory.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:05 am Illegal Downloaders "Spend the Most on Music", says poll [Voices]By Rachel Shields, Writer, Independant People who illegally download music from the internet also spend more money on music than anyone else, according to a new study. The survey, published today, found that those who admit illegally downloading music spent an average of £77 a year on music – £33 more than those who claim that they never download music dishonestly. Read the rest of this post at the original site Source: All Things Digital | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:04 am One-Handed Computing With the iPhone [Voices]By Jason Kottke, Blogger, Kottke.org The easy single-handed operation of the iPhone1 is not one of its obvious selling points but is one of those little features that grows on you and becomes nearly indispensable. A portable networked computing and gaming device that can be easily operated with one hand can be used in a surprising variety of situations. Read the rest of this post at the original site Source: All Things Digital | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:03 am The Future for Journalism Will Always Embrace Change [Voices]By Jeff Jarvis, Creator and Editor, BuzzMachine Last week, Coventry University ran a video conference whose title asked, “Is World Journalism in Crisis?” Jeremy Paxman appeared, as did I. “Crisis is a journalistic word,” he said. “We love it.” He thought journalism is in such a state. I thought not. Read the rest of this post at the original site Source: All Things Digital | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:02 am Virtual Estates Lead to Real-World Headaches [Voices]By Chris V. Nicholson, reporter, New York Times Two avatars, Leto Yoshiro and Enchant Jacques, met in the virtual world of Second Life in 2005. They married online the same year and built a house together on an island they had brought out of the waves that covered much of that world. Read the rest of this post at the original site Source: All Things Digital | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:01 am Baby And Me Special Edition For Wii Comes With Most Unnecessary Accessory YetBy Andrew Liszewski Well it’s officially official. The whole Wii accessories fiasco can now be upgraded to an epidemic with the release of the special edition of Baby and Me which comes with an...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:01 am SuiteLinq Deploys Industry-First IPVOD Solution at Philadelphia's New Palomar HotelEXTON, Pa., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Palomar Hotel, Philadelphia's newest boutique property, recently opened its doors in the heart of the city's vibrant shopping and dining area.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am 3D printed ban-hammer Chris sez, "I made a thing! This thing did not exist before I decided to make it. John Young called out to me from his universe, 'Make me a Ban Hammer!' So after a little 3D modeling and research, I conjured into existence the worlds only real Ban Hammer. If you are so able and inclined, you can print your own with the instructions given here." Sisters and brothers, these are the first days of a new golden age of kipple. Ban Hammer: 3D printed (Thanks, Chris!)
Previously:
 Source: Boing Boing | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:26 pm 3D printed ban-hammerChris sez, "I made a thing! This thing did not exist before I decided to make it. John Young called out to me from his universe, 'Make me a Ban Hammer!' So after a little 3D modeling and research, I...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:26 pm Minimalist Q2 Cube Radio Is Controlled By TiltingBy Andrew Liszewski If internet radio is your thing, and you often find yourself befuddled by buttons, dials and knobs, design and development firm Cambridge Consultants has just the thing for you! Their...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:23 pm Monster-skin rug Hallowe'en costumeSarah sez, "This Halloween my costume was inspired by Longoland's Monster Skin Rug (which I think is just so awesome). I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing some pics -- I called it the Longo Monster...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:22 pm Monster-skin rug Hallowe'en costume Sarah sez, "This Halloween my costume was inspired by Longoland's Monster Skin Rug (which I think is just so awesome). I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing some pics -- I called it the Longo Monster and got 3rd place for "Scariest Costume" at the 13th Annual North Halsted Halloween Parade here in Chicago. I spent the whole night getting hugged by strangers who thought it was adorable :) The body is a mechanic's jumpsuit covered in scales cut from white fleece."
Longo Monster -- costume inspired by Longoland rug
(Thanks, Sarah!) Anatomical latex Hallowe'en mask Penfold sez, "As a student of medicine and biomedical engineering, I enjoy the chance to make something a little creepy for Hallowe'en. The link shows a homemade anatomically correct latex-moulded mask of the musculature of the human face, as well as an unhappy pumpkin with an exposed brain. Feliz dia de los muertos!" Hallowe'en 2009 (Thanks, Penfold!)
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:13 pm Anatomical latex Hallowe'en maskPenfold sez, "As a student of medicine and biomedical engineering, I enjoy the chance to make something a little creepy for Hallowe'en. The link shows a homemade anatomically correct latex-moulded mask...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:13 pm ClearLite ArmorLite CFL BulbsBy Andrew Liszewski I’m all for the pros when it comes to compact fluorescent lighting, but most people don’t realize just how dangerous mercury vapor can be when a bulb breaks. Not the people...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Nov 2009 | 10:51 pm Vader and Death Star pregnancy costume Two years ago, I blogged Flickr users andibob909's steampunk wedding and now they're about to have a baby! I learned this by admiring the awesome Darth-Vader-and-Death-Star pregosaur costume. That is one lucky foetus and one awesome mom-to-be! Darth Vader and the Death Star
Previously:
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 10:01 pm Surgery Museum Makes You Grateful for Modern HealthcareOld hemorrhoid tools, trepanation devices and bone saws. Your comfy, reclining dentist's chair doesn't look so bad anymore.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm Nov. 2, 1895: Cars Can't Get to First Gasoline RaceJust getting to the starting line was more than most cars could handle. Eventually, the fittest survived, and the race produced a winner.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm The real HAL 9000An IBM sings Daily Bell in 1961. Fails to descend into madness. More! [YouTube] The real HAL 9000An IBM sings Daily Bell in 1961. Fails to descend into madness. More! [YouTube] Find DARPA's Balloons, Win $40Kcoondoggie writes "The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency today offered up a rather interesting challenge: find and plot 10 red weather balloons scattered at undisclosed locations across the country. The first person to identify the location of all the balloons and enter them on the challenge Web site will win a $40,000 cash prize. According to the agency, the balloons will be in readily accessible locations, visible from nearby roadways and accompanied by DARPA representatives. All balloons are scheduled to go on display at all locations at 10:00AM (ET) until approximately 4:00 PM on Saturday, December 5, 2009."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 1 Nov 2009 | 9:18 pm In Soviet uTorrent, bandwidth throttles you!
The uTP protocol is an extension of the bittorrent protocol, and essentially times packets being transferred and calculates if there is any serious delay. The idea is that this would only kick in when the network is being stressed. We’ll see how this turns out, but who knows what other implementations of this sort we’ll be seeing. The net neutrality battle is likely to be marked by compromises on both sides. Expect to see measures taken in other areas like VoIP. It’s progress… I guess.
Source: CrunchGear | 1 Nov 2009 | 9:15 pm How To Spam Facebook Like A Pro: An Insider’s Confession
Did you know how Mark Zuckerberg supported Facebook in the early days, before he got venture funding? Casino ads. And how about those advertisers who were making over $100,000 a day selling Acai Berry and other weight loss products – they are friends of mine, pioneers of new advertising channels. You see those ads saying “Inbox (5). Nick, someone in San Francisco has a crush on you!” (with your name, profile picture, and city in the ad). I generated millions of dollars from these offers on Facebook – I am not proud of it, but it was very lucrative. I will walk you through how these online scams work on Facebook and other social networks – the mechanics of how the money is made, some of the people involved, and who is actually clicking on ads. If you’re reading this article, there is a good chance that you are not the type of person actually clicking on these spam ads, but are you curious as to who actually is? In June 2007, Facebook opened up their application developer platform so that anyone could build games on top of the social network. By having access to user data, game developers could instantly make engaging, viral games. Rate who is hottest among your friends, share quizzes, race cars, grow vegetables, and so forth – all with a click of a button. Users in one click gave the game permission to access their profile data and they didn’t think twice about it.
Facebook hadn’t consider what was possible when the game developer passed on user name, profile picture, and personal details on to an advertiser – and the kind of deceptive ads that were possible.
These ads looked like they were from Facebook- the blue button, white background, same font. And, of course, they had your profile picture, your name – plus that of your friends, in the ad. If you’re a 15 year old girl, would you know what’s being served by Facebook, the game developer, or the ad network? These same offers have been running for years on MySpace, using tactics such as fake Windows system messages and pop-ups.
But the perfect storm being able to dynamically insert user data into an ad, disguising the ad to seem like part of the application, lack of enforcement by the social networks, and billing the parents’ cell phone – well, it’s no secret what happens next. By early 2008, the platform was generating 400 million impressions a day, as people poked, bit, slapped, kissed, and drop-kicked each other to the glee of a college-age crowd of game developers. These developers weren’t professional corporations – they are college kids who build a game for fun over the weekend and now discovered they could make over $10,000 a day in ad revenue. Yes, we wrote some big checks. The numbers today are much higher. Given the choice of making money versus being ethical, these kids chose money in nearly every instance. Believe me, I tried to do honest optimization—running legitimate flower ads on Valentines Day, Walmart ads on Cyber Monday, auto insurance offers on car racing games, and so forth. For months, I went through over 150 offers across a dozen networks, systematically testing offers, ad copy, targeting, creative templates, and so forth. I couldn’t get a single one to work. And in a previous life I worked on Yahoo!’s internal analytics team—our job was to optimize traffic. I finally came to this realization: People on Facebook won’t pay for anything. They don’t have credit cards, they don’t want credit cards, and they are not interested in shopping. But you can trick them into doing one of three things:
Publishers (game developers) choose whoever makes them the most money. And that led to things like: Showing personal data on landing pages: This got a couple ad networks banned—they took the user name and images and put them on landing pages, which increased conversion. This is the equivalent of steroids in Major League Baseball. Cloaking: This is when you show a different page based on IP address. We and most other ad networks would geo-block northern California—showing different ads to Facebook employees than to other users around the world. One of the largest Facebook advertisers (I’m not going to out you, but you know who you are) employs this technique to this day, using a white-listed account. Our supposition is that it makes too much money for Facebook to stop him. Believe me, we have brought this to Facebook on several occasions. Here’s what this fellow does—he submits tame ads for approval, and once approved, redirects the url to the spammy page. To be fair, players like Google AdWords, have had years more experience in this game to close such loopholes. Sharks who smelled blood: I was contacted by every major ad network to either run their offer and/or help them optimize their ad platform. One CEO (not saying his name, but they’re on Comscore’s list of the top 25 ad networks) threatened physical violence if we didn’t cooperate with him. I got wined and dined like you wouldn’t believe. That’s how much money was at stake—whether on the game inventory or the self-serve ad platform. Weak enforcement: Paul Jeffries, who enforced (or didn’t enforce, depending on your view) the platform rules, wanted to allow a laissez-faire economy, stepping in only when the violations were so egregious that his call center was getting flooded with complaints. He called me into a meeting and told me that my ads were costing him more in customer service than any revenue I was possibly generating. That pre-supposed that he knew what we were generating – in the high 5 figures a day. And most of that was profit, since we paid out only a fraction of what we earned. Remember that we had to beat only what Google AdSense generated. There was no way that Facebook – and definitely not the Federal Trade Commission—could keep up with the “innovation” happening. Witness the virtual currency scam, where users complete the offers mentioned above to earn points in a game. It doesn’t take a genius to know that the quality of such leads is garbage – these users are filling out forms just to get the points. They sign up for Netflix, a platinum credit card, get an auto insurance quote, whatever. The industry term for type of traffic is called “incentivized”. The underlying advertiser is paying for these leads much like they would if they were coming from paid search. They may be told they’re getting incent traffic—or maybe not. Or maybe the ad network, the middleman between the advertiser (company paying for traffic) and publisher (source of traffic) is mixing PPC, email, and incent (also called social) traffic to hit certain quality thresholds. Either way, the advertiser is usually blind—they can’t see the referral data (which is understandably masked) and they probably can’t figure out what’s going on anyway. The three major ad network that deal in incentivized (or virtual currency) are OfferPal, SuperRewards, and Q Interactive. OfferPal is run by Anu Shukla—she and I have sat down before, where she flatly claimed that most of her offer inventory was unique (it was actually brokered from MemoLink, a company down the street from us in Denver). Ms. Shukla also touted her optimization technology, but couldn’t discuss it because of the proprietary nature—I’m sure you understand. You can watch her video with Arrington to judge for yourself. SuperRewards is run by Jason Bailey (aka ChickenHole), who was able to quickly morph himself from Millnic Media to this new company. This fellow would call me up and yell at the top of his lungs, as I wouldn’t refund his money for setting up multiple accounts to game our network. I did refund his money, only once he agreed to a ban on our network. Q Interactive is the quietest, but largest player of group. Formerly coolsavings.com, it’s run by Matt Wise, and is, in my opinion, the most reputable of the bunch. They have Fortune 500 clients and a more massive bankroll and sophisticated technology platform. You won’t find information on their virtual currency platform, as they work with large publishers only. The offers across all of these networks are similar. There is a lot of money to be made if you’re a game developer on the MySpace or Facebook platforms, so choose your ad networks wisely. Ad Networks are not going away soon, as the big brands aren’t there yet and someone must fill that vacuum. In case I have thoroughly disillusioned you of all social advertising, let me prognosticate of a slightly brighter future: When any new platform opens up, the spammers are there first: Traffic is cheap and their untargeted offers are profitable. But as legitimate advertisers come on, they bid the price of traffic up and squeeze out the spammers. The most powerful bit of social advertising, unlike traditional PPC, is the ability to target by interest and by location. And local represents 74% of Facebook’s ad revenues in 2009. That’s a deceptive stat, as it likely includes dating, which is technically “local” – but the point still stands. Facebook will either clean things up or become a MySpace: Users loved the “trust” and “clean look” of Facebook. I believe Facebook will put controls in place on their fledgling platform, as told to me by the executive in charge of their online marketing. I honestly believe from my meetings at Facebook, that they’ve all drunk the Zucker-koolaid and are putting the user experience ahead of earnings. That’s why, if you’re a UK resident, you’re not seeing those sexy Russian dating ads from a couple months ago—but man, were those profitable. But you may continue to see these girls: Deceptive ads will be gradually replaced by trusted ads: The underlying premise of all the advertising techniques we’ve discussed so far is that trickery is profitable. Fool them into thinking the new friend request is from Facebook, lie to them that the miracle skin crème is actually free, tell them they’ll earn points if they just click this button – which then puts their email address on a list that’s resold to the top spammers in the world. Incidentally, if you hate someone, sign them up for one of those free offers – it will burn their email to a crisp. Just kidding – don’t do that. The local and big brand advertisers are slow to react, but will eventually shift their ad dollars to Facebook, as they figure out how to advertise effectively. Facebook is the “other Internet” and represents 25% of all pageviews in the US. What’s possible right now: Imagine getting an ad on your birthday, saying “Happy Birthday, Nick! Mention FBCAKE and get a free slice of cake today at Jim’s Coffee Shop” (yes, you can target people on their birthdays). What if you’re a B2B company and want to hit small businesses? You can target by job title and company. That’s not possible in traditional PPC, where a search for “massage” can be a consumer with stiff muscles, a student looking for a massage school, or a practitioner looking to buy massage supplies. What if you’re Maggianos and want to target folks who like Olive Garden? You can hit precisely those fans—and even narrow down to where they live, how old they are, and if they are married. Then send them to the nearest location to book their wedding anniversary party. Denver liposuction doctor and want to target middle-aged females in upperclass neighborhoods who watch “Desperate Housewives” and like to eat chocolate? What if Farmville could be sponsored by Albertsons and offer real fruits and vegetables on sale? Wouldn’t that be more powerful than clipping coupons from the daily newspaper? It’s going to take a few years, but these legitimate advertisers will push out the scammers and Facebook will put more rules in place. Enforcement will tighten, but spammers are clever with shifting their entities, enough to make us all “dizzy”. We said that when these platforms first launched, earnings were in the 10 to 15 cent range. Then spammers raised the bar and could afford to pay $6 per thousand impressions (or about 20 cents a click) for the same inventory. But when the legitimate guys come with the hyper-targeted local ads, they can afford to pay $10 or even $50 per thousand impressions for that inventory. The spammers will be forced out of this particular game and onto whatever is next. Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 9:07 pm OWLE Hacks The iPhone to Make A Serious, Zooming Video CameraThe OWLE team is back at it again, and they never fail to impress. Just a week ago, they announced the availability of the OWLE Bubo, their first product, which turns the iPhone into formidable video camera. Now, Harold Smith and Graham Mcbain have gone a step further. They’ve figured out how to access the 30 pin connector, the connector on the bottom of your iPhone that you use to charge it with, for more then just charging. What Harold and Graham have come up with today, could make video on the iPhone near broadcast-quality. The idea of the OWLE Bubo is to take your camcorder accessories and let you use them with your iPhone to optimize the iPhone’s video experience. OWLE today posted a video to its YouTube channel (embedded above), explaining what they have achieved. They show a hack of the iPhone that allows it to use audio and video equipment that professionals use for movies. The latest prototype that OWLE has developed, which is different than what they start shipping tomorrow, allows you to use lenses with depth of field and telephoto effects, XLR microphones (both wired and wireless microphones), stereo microphones and more. Basically, it allows you to plug in any professional audio equipment that filmmakers use, on your iPhone. The mics are plugged in through the 30 pin, and the telephoto lens was cobbled together. To develop this working prototype, Harold and Graham took apart numerous other products that had the chips they needed to create what they feel is missing from current products. To be clear, none of these workarounds have been authorized or otherwise approved by Apple, but to see the quality and the possibilities with the iPhone 3GS really makes you think — what if Apple did approve this?
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm In The Fight Between Facebook And Twitter, Which One’s The Mac And Which One’s The PC?
Facebook is much more than a social network. Twitter is much more than an information network or serendipity engine. Each represent a dashboard for your attention, a foundation for conversations and collaboration, and a matrix for your social graph and contextual relationships. In other words, Facebook and Twitter essentially represent the entrée to the future of the social Web as each strive to host, what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and others, refer to as our personal social operating system (OS). What Windows is to PCs and OS X is to Macs, Facebook and Twitter are to our social architecture and enterprise. Certainly there’s a David and Goliath element here depending on which company you immediately view as Microsoft or Apple. However, Mac and Windows are simply operating systems, not networks per se, and that’s where the metaphor of an OS breaks down. Either way, there is the perception that there is a competition between Facebook and Twitter for your attention and your network. Why? At the very least, Twitter and Facebook combine the elements of productivity and interactivity, combining a social OS, a global network, and a platform for open development. The fabric of our online activity stems from a sophisticated social framework that facilitates the exchange of information and sustains professional, conversational, and contextual connections. Facebook and Twitter, like Windows and Mac, allow us to interact cross platform, while hosting dedicated applications that support our engagement, productivity, and communication. As much attention as we pay to this mythical clash between Facebook and Twitter, the truth is that it’s not unprecedented to maintain identities in more than one ecosystem. For example, I use both Mac and Windows-based systems, I use both Facebook and Twitter. Yet according to new data from Hitwise, it appears that the epic battle between the two perceived leaders in Social Media is one-sided—or perhaps better stated, dominated.
As of October 2009, Facebook accounts for 6 percent of all U.S. Internet visits while Twitter represents only 0.14 percent. In fact, visits to Twitter.com peaked at .20 percent between June and July 2009 and has slowly lost attention in the interim, a point TechCrunch has noted as well. At the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco recently, co-founder Evan Williams acknowledged the slowdown in traffic to Twitter.com in the U.S., for now, but he also stated that they are in the process of finalizing new features that will reverse the downward trend. Williams also reminded us Twitter continues to recognize growth in both mobile and abroad.
And, for those who take solace in the hope that traffic is migrating from Twitter.com to mobile clients, there is some truth to the theory. However, new visitors count for everything and Twitter needs to do a better job capturing new users and holding their interests after they register. The company needs to look further than its resident celebrities to attract and sustain traffic. For the time being, regardless of numbers, Facebook and Twitter serve a purpose, and thus, remain the Mac and PC in the lives of many. And, until the day that I am forced or compelled to pledge allegiance to one or the other, I will continue to cultivate relationships across multiple landscapes and suggest that you do the same. But which one’s the Mac and which one’s the PC? Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 7:53 pm NSA Datacenters To Store Yottabytes Of Surveillance Data There's an interesting article in the current New York Review of books (predictably, a book review) detailing the history of the National Security Agency, that shadowy power-behind-the-power to which we surrender much of our privacy. That in itself is interesting, but I found the introduction a bit shocking: the NSA is constructing a datacenter in the Utah desert that they project will be storing yottabytes of surveillance data. And what is a yottabyte? I'm glad you asked.
There are a thousand gigabytes in a terabyte, a thousand terabytes in a petabyte, a thousand petabytes in an exabyte, a thousand exabytes in a zettabyte, and a thousand zettabytes in a yottabyte. In other words, a yottabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000GB. Are you paranoid yet?
The more salient question is, of course, what are they storing that, by some estimates, is going take up thousands of times more space than all the world's known computers combined? Don't think they're going to say; they didn't grow to their current level of shadowy omniscience by disclosing things like that to the public.
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 7:30 pm NSA to store yottabytes of surveillance data in Utah megarepository (update: not so much)
There are a thousand gigabytes in a terabyte, a thousand terabytes in a petabyte, a thousand petabytes in an exabyte, a thousand exabytes in a zettabyte, and a thousand zettabytes in a yottabyte. In other words, a yottabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000GB. Are you paranoid yet? As for the medium on which the data might be stored on, that’s anybody’s guess. Whoever’s making the estimates is probably playing a bit fast and loose with exponential curves, but if any of the alternative storage technologies we cover here on CG are any indication, yottabytes won’t seem so big a few years from now. We can be sure, however, that despite their better dollars-per-gigabyte cost, spinning hard disks won’t be in use as a main medium. The electricity required, mean time before failure, and other maintenance issues are probably unacceptable for an economy-minded government agency — interestingly, it seems that lack of electricity is one of the NSA’s primary concerns. The article mentions that the NSA’s equivalent in the UK, the Government Communications Headquarters, asked that all telecoms providers store and hand over a huge amount of customer data for an entire year. They refused, citing “grave misgivings” and noting that at any rate the level of data collection expected was “impossible in principle.” Tut tut! Those Brits lacked the American can-do spirit. Thus it was that AT&T and other telecoms instantly complied with US mandates following September 11. The extent of the government’s meddling with switches, routers, antennas, and so on may never be fully known, but I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone reading this article isn’t on the record somewhere. Storage capacity of this magnitude implies a truly unprecedented amount of subjects for monitoring. There is talk of the NSA shutting down altogether or being rolled into another agency, but I suspect that the “too big to fail” idea, as well as the “our safety is worth any price” dogma, will prevent that eventuality. It’s more reasonable to ask when or if its expansion will cease being sustainable. These datacenters, and the yottabytes they will hold, are extremely expensive as well as practically having bulls-eyes painted on them to the enemy (whoever he is) — though at under $10bn the NSA’s budget is a footnote compared to other programs and agencies. So is the increasingly (to use a semi-word that is only rarely usable) tentacular NSA a necessary evil of the digital age, or a cancerous money sink born from the colossal intelligence competition of the Cold War? The answer will only be visible in retrospect years from now, perhaps when a sequel to the book being reviewed (The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency, by Matthew M. Aid) is released covering the heavily-redacted records of the early 2000s. In the meantime, it’s probably best to assume that the walls have ears. (Updated with a note on storage medium) Update 2: A commenter points out that in the study cited, yottabytes are only one possible estimate for total storage requirements. The more realistic estimates are in the hundreds of petabytes, which is much easier for a datacenter to accommodate. That said, I’m leaving the post as it is because the speculation still stands with “only” hundreds of petabytes being stored in these datacenters. However, adjust your tinfoil hats accordingly. [via Metafilter]
Source: CrunchGear | 1 Nov 2009 | 7:28 pm Marvel Comics Partners With Panelfly To Bring Mobile Comics To The iPhone
If you are a comics fan, you are going to like this (unless you’re a print purist). Panelfly is partnering with Marvel Comics, one of the largest comic book companies in the world, to bring all your comic book fantasies to the iPhone. Marvel’s line up of comics is quite amazing — the original Spider-Man series, X-Men, X23, Age Apocalypse, and Iron Man. These titles are now being offered in the Panelfly iPhone application, going back to the very first issues. [iTunes Link] If comics are to survive the digital age, they need to become available in electronic form. And that’s exactly what this partnership does. Until now, reading the original Spider-Man or Captain America on your iPhone wasn’t possible. For instance, Stephen Lynch, CTO of Panelfy, says that it’s almost impossible to get your hands on the original versions of some of these comics, but now with this partnership, you can read the very first issue of Spider-Man, X-Men, and Ironman on your iPhone. The application is free, but each issue costs $0.99 to download into Panelfly’s reader. Now, if only Apple hurried up with that Tablet, you could actually read them in full screen. In August, Disney acquired Marvel for $4 billion.
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Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 6:55 pm Asimov Estate Authorizes New I, Robot Booksdaria42 writes "In a move guaranteed to annoy long-term science fiction fans, the estate of legendary science fiction author Isaac Asimov, who passed away in 1992, has authorized a trilogy of sequels to his beloved I, Robot short story series, to be written by relatively unknown fantasy author Mickey Zucker Reichert. The move is already garnering opposition online. 'Isaac Asimov died forty years after they were first written. If he had wanted to follow them up, he would have. The author's intentions need to be respected here,' writes sci-fi/fantasy book site Keeping the Door."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 1 Nov 2009 | 6:20 pm Will the Internet Survive Its 40th? - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 1 Nov 2009 | 4:31 pm Computer Activities for Those with Speech and Language Difficulties?An anonymous reader writes "My girlfriend is training to be a speech and language therapist here in the UK (speech pathologist in the US). A number of clients are guys who enjoy playing computer games, and for a variety of reasons some have no incentive to try and improve their speech. The issue is it can obviously inhibit options for jobs/other aspects of life etc. I was trying to think of fun computer based activities for those with speech and language difficulties that encourage individuals to speak and furthermore to speak with greater clarity. Or games/activities that might encourage them to do more speech work. The first options that sprang to mind were the online games with team speak/team talk for those with mild difficulties. The sampling/accent issue might force them to speak with greater clarity or wish to have that ability. Obviously, they can just type. Any thoughts?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pm uTorrent To Build In Transfer-Throttling Abilityvintagepc writes "TorrentFreak reports that a redesign of the popular BitTorrent client uTorrent allows clients to detect network congestion and automatically adjust the transfer rates, eliminating the interference with other Internet-enabled applications' traffic. In theory, the protocol senses congestion based on the time it takes for a packet to reach its destination, and by intelligent adjustments, should reduce network traffic without causing a major impact on download speeds and times. As said by Simon Morris (from TFA), 'The throttling that matters most is actually not so much the download but rather the upload – as bandwidth is normally much lower UP than DOWN, the up-link will almost always get congested before the down-link does.' Furthermore, the revision is designed to eliminate the need for ISPs to deal with problems caused by excessive BitTorrent traffic on their networks, thereby saving them money and support costs. Apparently, the v2.0b client using this protocol is already being used widely, and no major problems have been reported."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 1 Nov 2009 | 2:50 pm Appletell reviews the NZXT CRYO S Notebook CoolerFROM APPLETELL - The CRYO S does what it’s really supposed to do, which is to elevate your notebook at a comfortable level and keep it from melting. And it does all of this quietly.
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm CrunchGear Week in Review: Monster Mash Edition
Here are some stories you might have missed this week on CrunchGear.
All about the Motorola Droid
Helmet radar: coming to a supersoldier near you
Spooky Tesla Radio in a jar
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 1:52 pm CrunchGear Week in Review: Monster Mash Edition
Here are some stories you might have missed this week on CrunchGear. All about the Motorola Droid
Source: CrunchGear | 1 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pm Appeal For Commuter GPS Logs To Aid Electric Carsholy_calamity writes "A team at Carnegie Mellon University has begun a project seeking to design a kit to cheaply convert secondhand cars into cheap, electric ones suitable for commuting, if little else. They hope to rely heavily on smart management software to extract as much efficiency as possible from regenerative braking, and knowledge of terrain from GPS tracking. But they are hampered by a lack of public data on how commuters actually drive. Their solution is to appeal to GPS users to upload .gpx log files of their commute to the team's site. The data is plugged into a simulator that reveals how much cheaper an electric car could do your journey, and an anonymized public dataset will be created. A programming contest will award a production electric car to the coder who designs the best management algorithm using it."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm An Exquisite ContainerA gold nanocage covered with a polymer is a smart drug delivery systemIn campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or faceted gemstone that can be broken to empty the ring's contents. It is invariably enormous — so large it is rather odd nobody seems to notice it.Lucretia would have given her eyeteeth for the "smart capsule" devised in Younan Xia's laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. A tiny cage of gold covered with a smart polymer, it responds to light, opening to empty its contents, and resealing when the light is turned off. Infinitely more cunning and discreet than Lucretia's ring, the nanocage is too small to be seen — except indirectly: billions change the color of liquid in a test tube.No Lucretia, Xia is a healer rather than a poisoner. The smart nanocage is designed to be filled with a medicinal substance, such as a chemotherapy drug or bactericide. Releasing carefully titrated amounts of a drug only near the tissue that is the drug's intended target, this delivery system will maximize the drug's beneficial effects while minimizing its side effects.The method for making the capsules and tests of their performance appeared online on Nov. 1, 2009, as part of the advance online publications program of the journal Nature Materials.The first step in making a smart capsule is to mix up a batch of silver nanocubes. Tiny single-crystal cubes of silver can be made by adding silver nitrate (AgNO3) to a solution that donates electrons to the silver ions, allowing them to precipitate as solid silver. The addition of another chemical encourages the silver atoms to deposit on some parts of a seed crystal rather than others, coaxing the seeds to form sharp-edged cubes rather than misshapen lumps.A second step clips all eight corners off the cubes.The clipped silver cubes then serve as "sacrificial templates," on which the gold cages take shape. When the silver nanocubes are heated in cloroauric acid (HAuCl4), the gold ions in the acid steal electrons from the silver atoms in the cubes. The silver dissolves and the gold precipitates. A gold skin forms on the silver cubes as the cubes are hollowed out from within. The silver atoms enter solution through pores that form in the clipped corners of the cubes."But the really cool part," says Xia, "and the cool part of nanotechnology generally, is that the tiny gold cages have very different properties than bulk gold." In particular, they respond differently to light.The physicist Michael Faraday was the first to realize that a suspension of gold particles glowed ruby-red because the particles were extremely small. "His original sample of a gold colloid is still in the Faraday Museum in London," says Xia, Ph.D., the James M. McKelvey Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. "Isn't that amazing? It's over 150 years later and it's still there."The color is caused by a physical effect called surface plasmon resonance. Some of the electrons in the gold particles are not anchored to individual atoms but instead form a free-floating electron gas. Light falling on these electrons can drive them to oscillate as one. This collective oscillation, the surface plasmon, picks a particular wavelength, or color, out of the incident light, and this is the color we see.The strong response at a particular wavelength, called resonance, is what makes a violin string vibrate at a particular pitch or lets a kid pump a swing high in the sky by kicking at just the right moment.What's more, the surface plasmon resonance is tunable in much the same sense that a violin is tunable."Faraday used solid particles to make his colloid," comments Xia. "You can tune the resonant wavelength by changing the particles' size, but only within narrow limits. You can't get to the wavelengths we want."The wavelengths he wants are the ones at which human tissue is relatively transparent, so that cages in the bloodstream can be opened by laser light shone on the skin.The color of nanocages can be tuned over a wider range than solid particles by altering the thickness of the cages' walls, says Xia. As more gold is deposited and the shells thicken, a suspension of nanocages shifts from red, to purple, to bright blue, to dark blue, to the wavelengths in the near-infrared.Xia's team wants to hit a narrow window of tissue transparency that lies between 750 and 900 nanometers, in the near-infrared. This window is bordered on one side by wavelengths strongly absorbed by blood and on the other by those strongly absorbed by water.Light in this sweet spot can penetrate as deep as several inches in the body."People used to do a demonstration at talks," Xia says, laughing. "They'd put a red diode laser in their mouths, and the audience could see it from outside, because the diode's wavelength is 780 nanometers, a wavelength at which flesh is pretty transparent."Here things get even trickier and yet more amazing. The resonance actually has two parts. At the resonant frequency, light can be scattered off the cages, absorbed by them, or a combination of these two processes.Just as they can tune the surface plasmon resonance, the scientists can adjust how much energy is absorbed rather than scattered by manipulating the size and porosity of the nanocages. Xia illustrates the difference between scattering and absorption with a marvelous Roman artifact, the 4th-century Lycurgus Cup. The cup looks jade-green from the outside but turns pink when lit from the inside.Modern analysis shows the ancient glass contains nanoparticles of a silver-gold alloy that scatters light strongly at a wavelength in the green part of the spectrum. When the cup is lit from inside, however, the green light is absorbed, and we see the remaining light, which is predominantly red, the complementary color to green.It's actually the absorption component that the scientists exploit to open and close the nanocages. When the light is absorbed it is converted to heat, and the nanocages are covered with a special polymer that responds to heat in an interesting way.The polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and its derivatives has what's called a critical temperature. When it reaches this temperature it undergoes a transformation called a phase change.If the temperature is lower than the critical temperature, the polymer chains are water-loving and stand out from the cage like brushes. The brushes seal the cage's pores and prevent its cargo from leaking out. If the temperature is above the critical temperature, on the other hand, the polymer chains shun water, shrink together and collapse. As they shrink, the pores of the cage open, and its contents flood out."It's a bit counter-intuitive," says Xia. "Typically when you go to higher temperature, a molecule will expand, but this one does the opposite."Like everything else about this system, the polymer is tunable. The scientists can control its critical temperature by altering its composition. For medical applications, they tune the critical temperature to one right above body temperature (37 degrees Celsius) but well below 42 degrees Celsius (107 degree Fahrenheit), the temperature at which heat would begin to kill cells.Next comes the fun part. Once they had made their smart capsules, the scientists tested them by loading them with a bright red dye called alazarin crimson, or rose madder. The dye made it easy to detect and measure any release with a spectrometer.The cages were loaded by shaking them in a solution of the dye at a temperature above the critical temperature of the smart polymer. Next, they were dunked in an ice bath to trigger the polymer to close the pores and trap the dye inside the cages. The cages were then opened again by bathing them in the light of a near-infrared laser. Absorbed light warmed the gold cages above the critical temperature and provoked the polymer's phase change. The polymer collapsed, the cages' pores were exposed, and dye spilled out.Next the team loaded capsules with doxorubicin, a common chemotherapy drug and, triggering the drug's release with a laser, killed breast cancer cells growing in wells on a plastic plate.And finally, they loaded the capsules with an enzyme that snips open the cell walls of bacteria and used them to kill a bacterium that is a normal part of the flora of our mouths and throats.Lucretia, eat your heart out. ---Image 1: Lycurgus, King of the Edoni in Thrace, is ensnared by the nymph Ambrosia in the form of a vine. The famous Roman cup looks green when lit from outside but glows pink when lit from inside. Gold nanocages made at Washington University exploit the same physical effect that underlies the cup's color change. Credit: The British MuseumImage 2: Start with a silver (grey) nanocube with clipped corners. Dunk the cube in chloroauric acid (HAuCl4). Because gold (yellow) has greater affinity for electrons than does silver, the gold ions will pull electrons from the silver and precipitate on the silver cube. As this process continues, the silver cube is eroded from within, the silver ions leaving through pores that open in the clipped corners of the cube. As the gold skin approaches the desired thickness, the triangular corners become squared-off holes, a slightly more favorable configuration energetically. Credit: Younan Xia, Washington University in St. LouisImage 3: Attach a smart polymer to your gold nanocage, seen here in cross section with the pores at the corners. To load the cages, shake them in a solution of the drug at a temperature above the polymer's critical temperature. Let the cages cool, so that the polymer chains stand up like brushes, sealing the cage's pores. To release the drug, expose the cages to laser light (the lightning bolt) at their resonant frequency, heating them just enough to drive the polymer over its critical temperature. The polymer chains will collapse, opening the pores, and releasing the drug. The cage can be resealed simply by turning off the light. Credit: Younan Xia, Washington University in St. LouisSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:58 pm Droid Eris looks to come same day as DroidSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  By now we all know that the Motorola Droid is coming to Verizon this Friday, November 6th. Verizon hasn’t been keeping many secrets about the Droid, aside from maybe the fact that Droid is looking to be a full brand rather than just one phone. A leaked document found by Engadget is pointing to a new phone, the Droid Eris, which is made by HTC and is set to be released on the same day. The Droid Eris appears to be a repurposed model of the HTC Hero. It features the same Sense UI as well well as the exact same specs as the Hero. The only real difference comes in the phone’s body, carrier and price. While the Hero sells on Sprint for $180 (after rebates), the HTC Droid Eris will be sold by Verizon for $99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Given the price point it’s obvious that Verizon views it more as the lesser model to the Motorola Droid. The phone does have a less powerful processor, a lower resolution screen, no hardware keyboard and runs on Android 1.5 as compared to 2.0 on the Droid so that viewpoint does make sense. The only real downside to the Droid Eris being on Verizon at such a (relatively) low price-point is that Sprint HTC Hero owners might feel bad about spending the extra $80 on what is essentially the same phone. Verizon could be missing a big point in not marketing the Droid Eris if it is coming in on the same day as the Droid. True, the focus is (and should be) on the Droid, but that doesn’t make the Sense UI any less desirable to many people. It’s clear that Verizon is really getting the Android platform and pushing the newer features, which is definitely a welcome move. Via [Engadget]
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pm PCs shed pounds and CD drives, gain touch screens (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:39 pm Apple Says Booting OS X Makes an Unauthorized Copyrecoiledsnake writes "Groklaw has an extensive look at the latest developments in the Psystar vs. Apple story. There's a nice picture illustrating the accusation by Apple that Psystar makes three unauthorized copies of OS X. The most interesting, however, is the last copy. From Apple's brief: 'Finally, every time Psystar turns on any of the Psystar computers running Mac OS X, which it does before shipping each computer, Psystar necessarily makes a separate modified copy of Mac OS X in Random Access Memory, or RAM. This is the third unlawful copy.' Psystar's response: 'Copying a computer program into RAM as a result of installing and running that program is precisely the copying that Section 117 provides does not constitute copyright infringement for an owner of a computer program. As the Ninth Circuit explained, permitting copies like this was Section 117's purpose.' Is Apple seriously arguing that installing a third party program and booting OS X results in copyright infringement due to making a derivative work and an unauthorized copy?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:39 pm Texting and driving now banned in New York State Residents of New York State, beware: texting and driving is now 100 percent banned. No, it's not the first state to enact such a ban—far from it, actually—but sometimes things don't register till they happen in your backyard. The law goes into effect today, and infractions carry a maximum fine of $150.
Source: CrunchGear | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:35 pm Hot gaming news for the week of 10-25-2009Section:  No need to scour the interwebs for hot gaming news, Gamertell‘s already done that for you! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories…
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:32 pm Texting and driving now banned in New York State
Residents of New York State, beware: texting and driving is now 100 percent banned. No, it’s not the first state to enact such a ban—far from it, actually—but sometimes things don’t register till they happen in your backyard. The law goes into effect today, and infractions carry a maximum fine of $150. One thing to keep in mind is that the new law is a secondary enforcement law, meaning that a state trooper isn’t going to pull you over because he sees you texting while at a stop light. No, the officer will have to have another reason to pull you over (maybe you’re driving erratically, or speeding) and then he finds that you have an iPhone in your lap that’s at the text messaging interface with a half-written text message. That’s when you can expect to be hit with a fine. Of course, the best way to avoid any such fine is to ignore your phone while on the road. What could be so important that you need to take your eyes off the road as you’re hurtling several tons of matter though spacetime at high speeds? Really, you don’t need to reply to every single text message within eight seconds; your friends will understand. Now you know, fellow New Yorkers! Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Source: MobileCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm Think the Term “Supply Chain” Is Unsexy? Meet the Kinky King of Beijing
For Chicago-native Brian Sloan, it was about the time he was being questioned by police for trafficking and dismembering human skulls. Sloan seems normal. Even boring. I met him with some other Beijing entrepreneurs last week over hot pot and he refused to eat anything out of the spicy side of the pot. He has a slight build, non-descript features, and mousey brown hair. He even has a law degree from Penn State. But his life took a more interesting turn in 2004 or so when he started to scour antique shows and auctions for things he could sell for more money on eBay. What motivated him? “Making money,” he says. Not so much for the cash itself, but the chase, the deal and the challenge. Buying something undervalued—even weird— and figuring out who would highly value it. Long story short: He starting to realize China was a treasure trove of things to buy low and sell high—among them, human skulls that he imported in a box marked “TOYS” and then boiled, cleaned, broken apart and screwed back together and detailed for medical students. A good skull would cost about $100 each and he could sell it for as high as $800. (What makes “a good skull”? Turns out it’s the number of teeth.) It all went well until the day an eccentric Chicago puppeteer named JoJo Baby came by the house to buy some mannequins and saw some skulls boiling on the stove. He naturally assumed Sloan was a serial killer and called the cops. This YouTube video (also embedded below) pretty much says the rest. It bears noting, Sloan was never actually arrested or charged, although he still complains that he never got his “inventory” back from the mustachioed, gum-smacking Chicago brass who spent days trying to work him over Law-and-Order-style while TV satellite trucks camped out in front of his apartment. Sloan moved to China soon after. It was considerably closer access to the things he was selling and, let’s just say after the skull incident, filled with more open-minded people. “In China, people respect what I do as a business,” he says. Which would be a boon in his next career move… making latex fetish-wear. (Link very NSFW.) And that’s where the Chinese supply chain magic came in. He was able to tailor nearly any outfit in any size and ship it at a healthy mark-up. Some outfits go as high as $800. But even that pales next to his new business. How should I put this and still be a lady? The product is called “AutoBlow” and it has nothing to do with cars. Here’s the site. Warning: It’s very, very Not Safe For Work. (Yes, I’m spelling the letters out this time, just in case.) Like a lot of entrepreneurs in China, Sloan is cagey about what I can and can’t say about how the operation works. That’s not because it’s illicit—it’s because it’s so incredibly lean, flexible and outsourced that he doesn’t benefit if competitors realize exactly what he’s pulled off business-wise. But suffice to say with a small army of employees peppered around the globe, Sloan—aka the “Kinky King of Beijing”—is looking at an incredibly profitable business that’s already generating more than $1 million in revenue and growing quickly. He’s exploited what each region does best: Romanians are his programmers and SEO, Indians and Brazilians do his Web design, and China does the manufacturing and fulfillment. He hired his whole staff without leaving his living room. His next act? Finding new products and following the same playbook. My point here isn’t to write a salacious post about skulls and sex toys—as much as I enjoy watching Michael Arrington squirm. My point is that for all the talk about how much harder it is for a Westerner to do business in China, in a lot of industries there are far fewer barriers to entry than anywhere else I’ve seen in the world. And – huge 1.3 billion person domestic market aside—that’s what is making China such a Mecca for scrappy, pioneering entrepreneurs right now. You may find Sloan’s ventures distasteful, indeed he says his mother still changes the subject when friends ask what her son does for a living. But change the nature of what he’s selling and Sloan thinks just like any good entrepreneur pushing the boundaries in any pioneering market. We like to think that outsourcing manufacturing to China or call centers to India revolutionized American business. But America hasn’t seen anything like the truly flattened, profitable, deconstructed and then ingeniously reconstructed businesses I’ve seen in China in the last few weeks. People who say China is all about outsourcing the supply chain and not innovation have it backwards—the deconstructed supply chain is precisely what’s opened China up to a world of innovation. Imagine the way the Web democratized media and content and now apply the same ability to break a staid practice into Lego-like pieces to any physical hard goods industry whether its sex toys or iPods or pharmaceuticals. We’ve only seen the first few innings of what this means for global business and smart entrepreneurs in China – whether expats or locals—have the advantage.
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:16 pm YouTube Down For Maintenance. Right.
“YouTube is down for maintenance and will be back shortly,” says the site. The site first went down at around 9:30 California time. Or possibly earlier, we’re sorting through the Twitter barrage – “is down” is a trending topic right now. Most companies plan maintenance for short periods in the middle of the night, so our guess is this is maintenance of the unplanned sort. 2+ hours and counting isn’t a trivial amount of downtime. We’ve asked Google for a statement on when it might be back up, and what caused the outage. Update: Erictric says this may be part of a YouTube store rollout. I’m dubious. Update 2: A YouTube spokesperson says: “We are aware that some users are having difficulty accessing videos on YouTube. We are working hard to fix the issue and will have the site back to normal as soon as possible.” Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Source: TechCrunch | 1 Nov 2009 | 12:10 pm Let’s Kill “Viral”: It’s Time For a New Word
Four months before my latest book hit store shelves, my publisher wanted to change the title. Viral Loop might be catchy, and reflect what the book is about—and isn’t that what a title is supposed to do?—but Hyperion worried that some readers would be put off by the word “viral.” Would they shrink away for fear it was about “swine flu”? The book looks at entrepreneurs who built multimillion- and in some case billion-dollar businesses from scratch by incorporating virality into their products and businesses. Many iconic companies of our time, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, eBay, PayPal, Flickr and rising stars like Twitter are prime examples of a “viral loop”—to use the product, you have a strong incentive to spread it. At some point, as the number of users doubles, then triples, the company achieves what’s known as a “viral loop,” when the product spreads even if the company does nothing to promote it. The trick is that they all created something people really want, so much so that their customers happily spread the word about their product for them. The result: Never before has there been the potential to create wealth this fast, on this scale, and starting with so little. Fears of swine flu as a reason to change a book’s title may sound inane to TechCrunch’s audience, but from Hyperion’s perspective you are anything but representative of a mass audience (sorry). Every publisher wants to maximize its chances of sparking a bestseller. The challenge is to create a title that would not only appeal to those in the know but also induce a regular human being (read: non-geek) browsing the stacks in Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy, sample text and carry it to the checkout aisle. (Insider’s tip: That’s why editors place such great emphasis on the first 50 pages of a book.) Hyperion suggested we call the book “Share,” because that’s what Web-based viral dissemination is, when you get down to it: Users sharing links, memes, observations and ideas with one another. Since I would be following Wired Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson’s Free in its publishing lineup—and his first book, The Long Tail, was a bestseller—Hyperion believed a title like Share would be more likely to succeed. I refused since I had invested tens of thousands of dollars into a social marketing campaign with Viral Loop as its centerpiece. More to the point, I believed Viral Loop perfectly encapsulates what the book is about. (I didn’t invent the term; I first heard it from Marc Andreessen, who I interviewed for a Fast Company cover story.) Now that Viral Loop is out, and I’m in full book pimping mode, doing radio and TV interviews with interviewers who don’t have a clue what social media is, I wonder if Hyperion might have been right. On ABC News Now, the anchor referred to Digg as “Dij”—apparently he’d never heard of it. A septuagenarian radio host cracked a string of borscht belt jokes about diseases and the flu after introducing my book. (Him: What’s that word that means you’re doing a lot of things at the same time? Me: Multitask? Him: Multicask?) While I want to talk about viral coefficients, viral business plans and success stories, and the entrepreneurs who founded these businesses, mainstream interviewers want to know how to sign up for Twitter. Clearly there are the social media “haves” and the social media “have nots.” How do you reach the latter without alienating the former? The problem, I think, is the word “viral,” which comes from biology and was retrofitted to cover the phenomenon of word-of-mouth—or on the Web, so-called “word-of-mouse”—dissemination of ideas. I propose we kill it and replace it with something better. (Where’s Don Draper when you need him?) If I had my druthers I’d also change the word “blog,” which sounds like the noise someone makes after scarfing down a plate of nachos after tipping back a few too many tequila shots. But one thing at a time. With that in mind I’ve created a Change the Term Viral contest. If you have a better term for “viral” a.) post your suggestion to the comments thread of this post, and b.) email it to viralloopbook@gmail.com. The winner will get props for his or her genius in the forward of the next edition of the book and win $250. The runner up gets $100. Third prize is $50. Each participant must post to the comments thread because that way the community can weigh in. The reason for the email is so I can contact the winners and arrange payment. Winners will be announced on viralloop.com next week. Learn more about Viral Loop on Amazon. Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:30 am Nothing To Fear But Fearlessness Itself?theodp writes "In a post last August, Robert X. Cringely voiced fears that Goldman Sachs and others were not so much evil as 'clueless about the implications of their work,' leaving it up to the government to fix any mess they leave behind. 'But what if government runs out of options,' worried Cringely. 'Our economic policy doesn't imagine it, nor does our foreign policy, because superpowers don't acknowledge weakness.' And now his fears are echoed in a WSJ opinion piece by Peggy Noonan titled 'We're Governed by Callous Children.' She writes, 'We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but they're not optimists — they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They don't even notice.' With apologies to FDR, do we have nothing to fear but fearlessness itself?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:28 am Sleek Audio announces more affordable SA1 in-ear earphonesFROM APPLETELL - Sleek Audio has announced their newest addition to their already stunning line of earphones—the SA1—trying to satisfy the need for great audio without depleting your savings account.
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am Scenting the Dark: outstanding debut short story collection from Mary Robinette Kowal, exploring our relationship to technology and each other
"Scenting the Dark," Mary Robinette Kowal's debut short story collection is slim and spare and eminently satisfying. Kowal writes science fiction that uses our relationship to technology to expose our relationships to one another. Kowal is one of science fiction's most celebrated new writers, a winner of the Campbell Award for best new writer and a current Hugo nominee, all on the strength of her short fiction (she has two novels forthcoming from Tor), and it's easy to see why.
For me, the standout story here was Jaiden's Weaver, a tale that combines the astronomical reality of life on a ringed planet with a subtle and moving coming-of-age story. Like the other stories in this volume, it epitomizes Kowal's gift for using rigorous science fiction as a lever for prying open the subjective reality of the people who inhabit the futuristic world of now. "Scenting the Dark" is a slim, handsomely made hardcover volume from the specialist house Subterranean Press, a great gift and a great treasure for yourself. Be sure to check out Kowal's website for readings of her work (she's a talented and accomplished voice actor and puppeteer -- she read my story After the Siege for Subterranean's podcast), free downloads (she's a copyfighter, too!), and other supplementary material.
Scenting the Dark and Other Stories
Office Max Black Friday deals leakedSection: Gadgets / Other
Stay tuned to Gadgetell for more Black Friday deals and leaks! Read [BlackFriday.info] Via [Gizmodo] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 1 Nov 2009 | 10:33 am 1,600 Names Suggested Daily For FBI's Watch Listschwit1 writes with this excerpt from the Washington Post: "During a 12-month period ended in March this year, for example, the US intelligence community suggested on a daily basis that 1,600 people qualified for the list because they presented a 'reasonable suspicion,' according to data provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee by the FBI in September and made public last week. ... The ever-churning list is said to contain more than 400,000 unique names and over 1 million entries. The committee was told that over that same period, officials asked each day that 600 names be removed and 4,800 records be modified. Fewer than 5 percent of the people on the list are US citizens or legal permanent residents. Nine percent of those on the terrorism list, the FBI said, are also on the government's 'no fly' list."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Gizmodo | 1 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am So Hot Right Now: Top 10 Gadgetell posts for the week of October 25, 2009Section: Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 1 Nov 2009 | 9:02 am Heavy illegal downloaders buy more musicA new British independent poll conducted by Ipsos Mori concluded that the people who do the most illegal downloading also buy the most music. This is in line with many other studies elsewhere and is easy to understand: people who are music superfans do more of everything to do with music: they see more live shows, listen to more radio, buy more CDs, buy more botlegs of live shows, buy more t-shirts, talk about music more, do more downloading -- all of it.And of course, these are the people the music industry's supergeniuses have set their sights upon for bizarre enforcement regimes like the one that British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson has promised: anyone who lives in a house that generates three or more copyright infringement notices will be barred from Internet access. "The latest approach from the Government will not help prop up an ailing music industry. Politicians and music companies need to recognise that the nature of music consumption has changed, and consumers are demanding lower prices and easier access," said Peter Bradwell, from the think-tank Demos, which commissioned the new poll conducted by Ipsos Mori.Illegal downloaders 'spend the most on music', says poll (Thanks, Libbi!)
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 1 Nov 2009 | 8:07 am Sunday CrunchWord Puzzle!
It’s back! Here’s the latest CrunchGear-themed crossword puzzle. You can find the answers to the clues spread throughout this week’s posts. Enjoy! CrunchWord Puzzle for Sunday, November 1st
Source: CrunchGear | 1 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am ‘Year of the Tiger’ Poses Risks For Endangered AnimalNext year is the ‘Year of the Tiger’ according to the Chinese calendar, but conservationists say signs are ominous for the endangered animal.They worry the Chinese zodiac may actually speed the tigers’ demise, with demand for its skin and body parts enticing poachers to hunt the few tigers that remain in the wild."The Year of the Tiger will put more pressure on wild tigers," Michael Baltzer, head of the WWF Tiger Initiative, told the AFP news agency."The use of tiger parts in traditional Chinese medicine has fallen, but the trend of giving tiger parts as gifts and souvenirs is growing," said Baltzer during a tiger conservation conference in Kathmandu.He said he expects demand will grow next year."There is a certain consumer group who want to use tiger parts to show how wealthy they are, as a status symbol, and this group of people is increasing."Just 3,200 tigers now survive in the wild, according to experts with the Save the Tiger Fund. That figure is down from 100,000 a century ago, primarily due to poaching and the loss of habitat in southern Asia.Tiger hunting is illegal worldwide, and the international trade in tiger parts is prohibited under a treaty binding 167 countries, including China. Nevertheless, experts say the illicit trade is still thriving.Despite the formal ban on trading tiger body parts China enacted in 1993, the nation still has 6,000 tigers on 14 farms across the country, said Li Zhang, program director of Conservation International in Beijing.These farms can produce roughly 1,000 cubs a year.China has been pushing for an agreement to resume the trade in tiger products. Delegates at Kathmandu said Chinese officials had raised the issue during last week’s conference, which was organized by the Global Tiger Initiative and drew more than 200 delegates from 20 countries.Tiger skins, which can sell for high prices in China and elsewhere in Asia, are used for furniture and for decoration.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Nov 2009 | 4:50 am
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A big part of the debate about the 
Apologies for the headline, but it was too appropriate to resist. It seems that there is a feature of uTorrent 2.0 now in beta that automatically detects network congestion and 
Method #3, getting their phone number, has been the most lucrative thing on Facebook, even more than the fake weight loss offers, for the last 2 years. As an ad network, we are at the mercy of what the game developers want—more money. Here’s what 
The more salient question is, of course, what are they storing that, by some estimates, is going take up thousands of times more space than all the world’s known computers combined? Don’t think they’re going to say; they didn’t grow to their current level of shadowy omniscience by disclosing things like that to the public. However, speculation isn’t too hard on this topic. Now more than ever, surveillance is a data game. What with millions of phones being tapped and all data duplicated, constant recording of all radio traffic, 24-hour high definition video surveillance by satellite, there’s terabytes at least of data coming in every day. And who knows when you’ll have to sift through August 2007’s overhead footage of Baghdad for heat signatures in order to confirm some other intelligence?
I’ve met a lot of expats in my time in China. Some decided to move during an Asian studies class in college. Others decided to move when they saw Mandarin-speaking colleagues getting a promotion over them at work. Still others may have promised a Chinese parent on his or her deathbed to return to the homeland.
This guest post is by Adam L. Penenberg, author of 
It’s that time of year again. The holidays are coming, and that means Black Friday. The Black Friday ads are starting to leak and one of the first is from OfficeMax. As many experts predicted, the shaky economy is causing many consumers to rethink holiday gift giving and reign in spending, and that means retailers will be offering better deals than ever this year. OfficeMax’s ad reflects this. Deals include an Acer Aspire One netbook for $149, an HP OfficeJet All-In-One Wireless printer for $79, a Compaq Dual-Core desktop with 3GB of RAM and 500GB HD for $239, a Nikon 10MP Digital Camera for $79, a Memorex portable DVD player for $29, and more. Keep in mind that quantities are likely to be very limited so plan on getting out very early. It’s doubtful they’ll be offering rainchecks so if any of the listed deals are a must have for you, get out there early and brave the long lines!