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Facebook Investor DST Taps Another Senior Goldman Sachs Banker As Partner Global investment group Digital Sky Technologies (aka DST), who has famously invested in major Internet companies such as Facebook, Zynga and Groupon, has made another key hire.
The latest finance whiz to join the Russian investment firm as partner is John Lindfors, who will start there next September.
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:09 am How Sybase rescued itself and became worth $6 billion (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - Few companies get a chance at a second life. When John Chen signed on as CEO of Sybase in 1998, the database software vendor was, in Chen's own words, "a very, very dead company." Once a strong competitor to Oracle, Sybase had lost its way, in part because it missed the opportunity to enter the enterprise application market Oracle now leads.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 4:00 am BookRenter Raises $10 Million To Be The Netflix For Textbook Rentals
The idea behind Bookrenter’s service is simple; it essentially aims to be the Netflix of textbook rentals. Students are able to save money by loaning textbooks for a fixed duration, usually a semester, and end up spending only the fraction of the cost of outright purchases. The system is simple: a student searches for a book on the website using a title or ISBN, and places an order by selecting a rental period and delivery option. The book(s) are delivered complete with return UPS labels for easy shipping. The startup also made an effort recently to expand its userbase by opening up its platform to other sites to allow any college or business to launch its own online textbook rental store. Partners, such as universities or campus bookstores, will be able to use BookRenter to set up a virtual store on their sites. Partners have access to the same selection of textbooks available on BookRenter’s site (which are electronically sourced from the largest textbook suppliers.) Since March, BookRenter has enabled 75 bookstore partners serving more than 1.3 million students. Schools with bookstores currently offering a textbook rental store on the BookRenter platform include the University of Texas at Austin, North Carolina State University, the University of Memphis, the City College of San Francisco, and the University of San Diego. BookRenter, which faces competition from Chegg and Barnes and Noble, claims a competitive advantage over its competitors by offering more flexible loan schedules and faster delivery (they offer next-day delivery on many titles, and use UPS). Chegg and BookRenter recently got into a tussle over a trademark to the phrase “#1 In Textbook Rentals.” Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:50 am Nokia unveils 4 cheap phones (Reuters)Reuters - Nokia Oyj unveiled on Thursday four new cheap phone models, and a first bicycle charger from the world's top cellphone maker, aiming to protect its dominant market share on emerging markets.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:48 am Chip giants team up to promote Linux for consumer devices - TG Daily
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:46 am Taiwan's Green Book unveils lightest e-book reader (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:45 am Canada's DMCA, dissectedMichael Geist sez,As expected, the Canadian government today introduced its own DMCA [ed: the US copyright law that has been in place for 12 years, resulting in tens of thousands of lawsuits against Americans without having any effect on infringement or delivering any new income to artists]. Despite a full national consultation and a public rejection of the old Bill C-61, discouragingly some things have not changed. Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore won the internal fight over Industry Minister Tony Clement for a repeat of C-61's digital lock provisions and against a flexible fair dealing approach and today's bill reflects those policy victories.The Canadian Copyright Bill: Flawed But Fixable
 Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:37 am Did bloggers bring down the German president? (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:19 am Invites To Pleet – Like A Plancast For The Near Future, With Offers According to the theory of the Third Disruptive Wave the next phase of innovation will be around mobile platforms, the social graph (particularly Facebook, but it could be any kind) and commerce. So if mobile applications are combined with social and then combined with social/flash ecommerce then in theory you have a killer combination. That at least is the pitch of an interesting new startup which I've seen a preview of, called Pleet (Pleet.me). You can sign up for access to the Alpha version here or log in with a Twitter account.
The simplest way to describe Pleet is that it's a cross between Plancast and Tripit with voucher style offers. Think an "Urban Tripit" for shorter journeys and time spans designed to be a new way to "Plan and Meet" (hence "Pleet"). Initially Pleet plans to launch in the UK and US markets.
Source: TechCrunch | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:11 am Lowdown on the AT&T data plansJohn Gruber explains the good and bad regarding AT&T's new data plans. Short version: 'unlimited' is dead, but it's OK because overage rates are now reasonable. However, tethering is an extra $20, with no extra allocation, meaning they're charging you again for bandwidth you've already paid for.Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:07 am Lowdown on the AT&T data plansJohn Gruber explains the good and bad regarding AT&T;'s new data plans. Short version: 'unlimited' is dead, but it's OK because overage rates are now reasonable. However, tethering is an extra $20,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:07 am Power Players: Portable Charging Solutions AplentyFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- From cell phones, iPods, laptops and PDAs to cameras, camcorders and handheld gaming systems, the needs to power up gadgets while on-the-go can seem incessant.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:06 am Nokia unveils bicycle mobile charger - Reuters
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 3:03 am Nokia unveils bicycle mobile charger (Reuters)Reuters - Dutch cyclists chatting on the mobile phones are an ubiquitous site in the bike-friendly city of Amsterdam and soon they will be able to charge their mobiles with bike power.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:59 am With chiptunes, silicon rocks
Jeffrey Lim's Impulse Tracker, a freeware DOS app popular among chiptune makers in the late 1990s. Though far from the first such site on the web, 8-bit Collective acts like a wiki or repository: anyone can add a new song, and the editorial filtering comes from the comments added by listeners. The vast size of its community--nearly 19,000 registered users--and archive ensures both a constant stream of quality tracks, fertile discussion and an inexhaustible backlist for newcomers to enjoy. Computer-generated music emerged in the 1950s, heralded by what the BBC describes as 'a truncated version of In The Mood.' The success of synthesizers in popular music notwithstanding, an early heyday for music synthesized in real time came in the 1980s, as the soundtrack to a generation of electronic games. Though held back by technology, competition for the pocket money of millions of kids forced developers to make the most of limited resources. "I grew up with a strong love for gaming," said Atlanta musician Judson Cowan, in a 2007 Destructoid interview which neatly describes how old video games inspire new music. Cowan, who releases his albums free-of-charge as Tettix, describes how a childhood affinity became a calling. "I love the musicality of game soundtracks. I love the unabashed hook usage and the freedom that working with such primitive sounds gives to the compositions. When you're not so concerned with creating synths that sound good, with avoiding making things cheesy, it really opens up your options a lot musically." Classics from gaming history are now performed by orchestras to large audiences. But it's also true that those who loved chips sounds have freed the style from its gaming roots: "It's more about the instrumentation," composer Matthew Applegate told interviewer Richard Haugh last year. Brower likes melody, but notes that the collective is home to a lot of music that completely ignores conventions familiar to gamers: "I think chip music can be a really "pure" way to communicate your ideas as a composer. That said, there's a lot of really percussive, atonal chip music. I think that's sort of a testament how colorful the scene is. I think a lot of chip musicians may be too self-conscious to admit it, but the nostalgia factor doesn't hurt either. I'm just really disappointed when people can't see through the novelty of the medium and appreciate some of the incredible songwriting that goes on in the name of chip music." Where to get started, if your own exposure comes from mainstream pop music's mining of the sound, or an occasional video interview? Recent chiptune projects include A Kind of Bloop, a cover album of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. By taking the sound of chip music to a Jazz standard, the artists highlight chip music's expressive power: it can embody even the warmest classics, far from the crashing melodies found in games and Blipfest alike. Project organizer Andy Baio introduced the project thus: "I've always wondered what chiptune jazz covers would sound like. What would the jazz masters sound like on a Nintendo Entertainment System? Coltrane on a C-64? Mingus on Amiga? I've researched the topic quite a bit, and was only able to find four jazz covers ever released." The project reached its funding goal within hours of its announcement, and the resulting album is just $5: download it here. Another new project, however, lives firmly in the retro 1980s zone: 8 Bit Weapon's Tron Tribute takes Wendy Carlos' 1982 analog score and renders it as pure chip music, only to mash it up with a chaotic modern sensibility. Last week, chip artist The Disco King remixed Kansas' '76 prog rock classic Carry On Wayward Son. How well did he distill a track "strewn with complex guitar work and rhythmic changes" into pure melody and white noise? Judge for yourself: hear the result at Music Radar. If you like the sound of all this, 8-Bit Collective's relentless deluge of music beckons. Other interesting sites include 8-bit peoples, the Mod Archive and Chipmusic.org. Game nostaliga-centered sites include Amiga Music Preservation and The High Coltage SID Collection. Kohina offers streaming internet radio feeds. Want to try your hand? Hardcore composers craft new sounds with the old hardware. Others use specialist equipment like the SidStation, which uses the same audio chip found in the Commodore 64. A more approachable method is to buy software that emulates classic machinery, letting you attend the old school with modern apps such as Garageband, Logic Studio and MU.LAB. On the iPad and iPhone, bleep!BOX is a fun place to start: the straightforward interface makes composing a cinch even for beginners. And once you're happy with your first attempt, critique is only an upload away. "I'm honored to have had a hand in the creation of a platform that's given so many people an outlet to express themselves," Brower said. "And if its done anything to increase awareness of this 'movement,' style of music, whatever you want to call it, then I'm more than happy." Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:48 am With chiptunes, silicon rocksJeffrey Lim's Impulse Tracker, a freeware DOS app popular among chiptune makers in the late 1990s.Photo: Dave "SMOKEHARD" Mattt Sine waves, square waves, sawtooth and triangle; white noise for a drumkit,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:48 am AT&T threatens customer with legal action for emailing CEOCompare Apple's Steve Jobs and AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson. Steve Jobs replied personally to Giorgio Galante's angry email about tethering. Randall Stephenson, however, had his lawyers threaten him with a cease and desist order. One of these men is not like the other. [Engadget]Source: Boing Boing | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:44 am AT&T threatens customer with legal action for emailing CEOCompare Apple's Steve Jobs and AT&T;'s CEO Randall Stephenson. Steve Jobs replied personally to Giorgio Galante's angry email about tethering. Randall Stephenson, however, had his lawyers threaten...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:44 am 10 Things Android Does Better Than iPhone OS - TechFreq News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:34 am Zynga Buys Austin-Based Challenge Games [BoomTown]
Zynga, the online gaming powerhouse, has acquired Austin, Tex.-based Challenge Games. The social game start-up will be renamed Zynga Austin and be focused on product development. Backed by Sequoia Capital and Globespan Capital Partners, Challenge focuses on virtual goods games, such as Warstorm. Zynga did not reveal the terms of the deal. The San Francisco-based Zynga has been on a bit of a deal tear of late, inking partnership agreements with both Yahoo (YHOO) and also Facebook recently. Here’s the official release:
Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:26 am Mars Trip Simulation To Lock Up 6 Men In Mock Spaceship For 18 Months - AHN | All Headline News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:11 am Exclusive: Microsoft U.S. Ad Sales VP Domeniconi to Depart, While Exec From MTV Arrives to Run Global Online Sales [BoomTown]
According to sources, Robin Domeniconi (pictured here), Microsoft’s VP for U.S. Advertising Sales, Publishing and Marketing, will be leaving the company. While Domeniconi is leaving, sources said Microsoft (MSFT) is close to hiring MTV Networks’ Carolyn Everson to head up its online ad sales force globally. While the deal is not done, Microsoft has been looking to fill the key slot for more than a year.
Everson (pictured here) is currently is EVP of Strategy and Operations for MTV Networks U.S. ad sales department. Interestingly, sources also said Everson was also on the list of candidates that Yahoo is still perusing to fill the key U.S. ad sales jobs after Joanne Bradford departed recently for Demand Media. Domeniconi, a former Time Inc. exec, who came to Microsoft in 2008, announced her departure on Wednesday, said insiders. She has been in charge of executing sales and marketing strategies for Microsoft’s media properties, including MSN, Windows Live, Xbox LIVE and Bing. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment. Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:01 am Internet of Things Business Models: Pachube Partners With Current CostThis week at the 2nd annual Internet of Things 2010 conference in Brussels, British service Pachube announced a partnership with Current Cost - a producer of real-time energy monitors. Current Cost is...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 2:01 am World Cup as Big as Christmas for RetailersLEEDS, England, June 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year is about to begin, and as the World Cup draws ever closer, retailers are claiming it's the best sales opportunity since the Christmas period.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:59 am *AFK*, Engaging Thriller Novel About Second Life DetectivesAFK is a self-published novel about private detectives, surveillance, and other noir-ish subjects, only here, it's set in Second Life. It was written in 2007 by an avatar named Huckleberry Hax, but I'm...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:12 am Customize Your Google Search Page - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:10 am The Coming Renaissance Of Broadcast TV (With Apple?) [Voices]By Quentin Hardy, Silicon Valley Bureau Manager, Forbes Okay, even typing that felt awkward. But a lot of smart and wealthy guys seem to be making that case at the Dow Jones D Conference. They don’t necessary see it coming back in its old form, but they see a lot of value in a business that has been under fire for the past several years. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:05 am Of Course Apple Is Going to Do Search. [Voices]By John Battelle, Blogger, Searchblog …you just have to rethink what “search” really means. Last night Jobs said he had no interest in search. I am quite certain what he meant is he has no interest in HTML, “traditional” search. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:04 am Is Page View Journalism Really A Problem? [Voices]By Mike Masnick, Editor, Techdirt There have been complaints now and again about this concept of “page view journalism” — the idea that in this digital era, reporters will only take on stories that will drive lots of page views. Tom Foremski and Sam Whitmore — two media watchers who I know and respect a lot — recently discussed this issue, worrying that important stories don’t get told because of this. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:03 am USC’s Henry Jenkins on Multimedia Storytelling: What Can Journalists Learn From He-Man? [Voices]By Andrea Pitzer, Editor, Nieman Storyboard When it comes to narrative multimedia, how can we reimagine storytelling from the ground up? What if templates for new models were right in front of us? In a recent post on his blog, University of Southern California professor Henry Jenkins addressed the topic of “He-Man and the Masters of Transmedia.” Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:02 am Offshore Now Needs an $80+ Oil PriceCost increases pre-Deepwater already meant the oil E&P industry needed $80 oil to justify offshore efforts. Mark it higher now, dude."From 2000 to 2004, we saw finding and development, F&D, costs...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am If Steve Jobs is a God, How Could He Be So Wrong About HTML5 vs. Flash For Us Mere Mortals? [Voices]By Alex Blum, CEO, KickApps I, like many of you, was eager to be one of the first to purchase the Apple iPad. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now mostly to read books on long flights but over this past weekend with many of my family members at the house the device transformed from a cool novelty for me into an indispensable part of my life. The iPad was passed around to play games, Google friends and family, watch movies, view picture albums and watch friends’ videos on YouTube and Facebook. Finally, exhausted at the end of the day, I used it to read a book in bed with my son. This all happened without me even thinking about a cool new novelty. It just happened. In a very short period of time, we all instinctively reached for the iPad. Now I’ll need to purchase another to avoid fighting over the one we have. With this as a backdrop, I also can’t look past the sites we visited supporting Flash that did not render as designed. I read Steve Jobs’ blog post, and can’t dispute the accuracy of many of the claims, but I also can’t ignore how Apple’s decision to block Flash also supports their obvious desire to maintain a closed iStore exclusive platform. For those of us who are in the business of publishing rich media web site experiences or creating solutions to help people with this process, Adobe’s Flash is an invaluable de facto standard that makes dealing with the multitude of browsers, devices and operating systems easy. As Web professionals and publishers are scurrying to adopt HTML5, it is impossible to overlook the fact that despite all the promise of a new standard the reality today is that HTML5 represents taking several steps backwards. In a fit of sheer stubbornness Apple is trying to push everyone backwards from a technology perspective. Apple’s market power is impressive, and their passing of Microsoft this week in terms of marketcap is a testament to Steve Jobs’ vision, sense of design, understanding of the consumer, etc. But as I’ve heard from one client after another that their new site would have to be iPad-optimized and Flash-free it occurred to me that Steve may be trying to lead a lemming-like march in the wrong technological direction. The iPad and the Apple vs. Adobe dust-up came at us quickly. The sentiment to kowtow to Apple seemed widespread, but the position was taken without considering the true costs: § First there is the added development work to redesign and modify existing sites. § Second, there is the added cost of trying to replicate rich media experiences easily created with Flash in HTML5. § Next there is the loss in revenue from online monetization based on Flash advertising. § Finally, there is the loss in productivity as web developers are forced to learn new approaches to creating similar or lesser experiences from what’s been broadly available for years. Just as it was looking like game over for Flash, sober minds have begun to realize the significance of these costs and are now taking the brave step of pushing back. It’s going to take a few influential publishers to stand up to Apple for the tide to turn, not divine intervention. I was relieved to read this morning that NBC, TBS and others have announced that they won’t be adopting HTML5 just to have their content on the iPad. If this announcement provides courage for others to stand up and risk being labeled a non-believer at the Apple altar, we will all be better for it. Apple is one of the most influential technology companies in the world, but it is not the only player in the market. As we have seen with Google’s Android operating system, there are alternatives. Twenty years ago, Apple almost ceased to exist because the company would not change to meet the needs of the market. Today, while the company is helping define the market for mobile personal technology, it could easily lose its position if it does not pay attention to what the market wants (see the challenge in mobile device sales using Android vs. iPhone this past quarter). Steve Jobs’ position as technology god is under assault, and if he does not meet the needs of his worshippers his reign may be short-lived. Source: All Things Digital | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am Daily Crunch: Gadget Hooligans Edition
DeLorme announces Earthmate PN-60w, a satellite messaging GPS unit
Source: CrunchGear | 3 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Iridium Pushes Ahead Satellite Projectoxide7 writes "Iridium (IRDM) continues its push into the market for satellite data and telemetry services, as it announced the company that would build its second generation of satellites. Iridium's old network of 66 satellites was designed for voice calls; the new satellites will also be able to handle data more efficiently, and include cameras as well. The company also plans to share the satellite platforms with some scientists for use in studying the Earth."
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Source: Slashdot | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:55 am When An (MBS) Index Eats Its Own TailInteresting musing in Paul Brodsky's latest about the inherent instability in matching mortgage-backed securities indices that don't really exist anymore:Consider, for example, the issues facing large...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:54 am UPDATE 1-Irish drugmaker Elan says CEO to quit in 2012* Change to fixed-term contract; to leave all duties in 2013Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:46 am AT&T dives off the deep end and eliminates unlimited data - TG Daily
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:45 am CORRECTED - CORRECTED-BRIEF-ELAN says CEO agrees to fixed term in companyJune 3 (Reuters) - ELAN : * Elan corporation, plc board announces CEO agreement * Elan corp says Martin has agreed to transition his employment contract from an open-ended agreement to a fixed-term agreementSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:45 am BRIEF-Centrica drills dry Norwegian Sea well -directorateOSLO, June 3 (Reuters) - The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said:Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:44 am Typhonics SP-Tiles Look Like They'll Keep The Party Thumping All Night Long, Actually Do Just The OppositeBy Andrew Liszewski What looks like an amazing set of speakers on a living room wall actually turns out to be a series of sound dampening foam tiles. The SP-Tiles from Typhonics are designed to pretty...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:34 am Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitionsJune 3 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 0600 GMT on Thursday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:31 am UPDATE 1-Chr. Hansen prices IPO at 90 crowns per shareCOPENHAGEN, June 3 (Reuters) - Danish food ingredients group Chr. Hansen priced its initial public offering of stock on Thursday at 90 crowns per share, valuing the company at about 12.42 billion Danish...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:16 am UPDATE 1-Chr. Hansen prices IPO at 90 crowns per shareCOPENHAGEN, June 3 (Reuters) - Danish food ingredients group Chr. Hansen priced its initial public offering of stock on Thursday at 90 crowns per share, valuing the company at about 12.42 billion Danish...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:16 am UPDATE 1-Roche stops enrolment into Avastin trial* Unfavourable risk-benefit assessment of adding AvastinSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:10 am Secret Chandelier MirrorBy Andrew Liszewski This rather plain looking, oak-framed mirror from Designers Anonymous features a series of LEDs that light-up to form the image of a hanging chandelier when switched on. Now to be quite...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:10 am Readings: Oil, Me, Hydropower, Buffett, China, Uncertainty, Facebook, etc.Can oil industry be ready for the next Macondo at 10,000 feet down? (Source)Kauffman launches new interview/discussion series hosted by yours truly (Source) The potential for small scale hydropower development...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:03 am UPDATE 1-Price gap seen in sale of S.Korea KEB -paperSEOUL, June 3 (Reuters) - Contenders for a controlling stake in Korea Exchange Bank , put up for sale by U.S. fund Lone Star [LS.UL], initially offered much less than the market price for the Korean bank,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:01 am Thailand's Great Circle Shipping Deploys FleetBroadband from StratosMobile broadband satellite service successfully deployed on 18 commercial vessels BETHESDA, MD, June 3 /PRNewswire/ - Stratos Global Corporation, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it has successfully deployed the Inmarsat FleetBroadband mobile broadband satellite service on 18 commercial vessels managed by Thailand's Great Circle Shipping Agency Ltd. Great Circle, which provides technical management services for all of the vessels owned by its parent company Precious Shipping PCL, will deploy FleetBroadband on three additional vessels by July.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 3 Jun 2010 | 12:00 am Ranbaxy sees $100 mln rev from S.Africa ops in 2010MUMBAI, June 3 (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy expects $100 million in revenue from its South African operations in 2010, the firm's chief executive said on Thursday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:56 pm Chr. Hansen prices IPO at 90 crowns per shareCOPENHAGEN, June 3 (Reuters) - Danish food ingredients group Chr. Hansen priced its initial public offering of stock on Thursday at 90 crowns per share, valuing the company at about 12.42 billion Danish...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:53 pm D8 Video: James Cameron Talks BP and the "Complicated Problem" [D8 Conference]During his D8 appearance Wednesday evening, director James Cameron discusses the role of underwater cinematography in documenting the BP oil spill and how he assembled a global team of deep submergence and underwater film experts to do just that. [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:48 pm D8 Video: James Cameron Talks Movie Release Windows [D8 Conference]“Avatar” director James Cameron answers Walt’s questions on the pre-Web release strategy that still dominates feature film releases. Walt goes deep with the underwater director on the future feasibility of on-demand and cross-device delivery. [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:39 pm D8 Video: Director Cameron Says "Titanic" in 3-D Coming 2012 [D8 Conference]In his D8 interview with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, “Avatar” director James Cameron announced that he will be re-releasing the original cut of “Titanic” in 3-D. He said the new version will come out sometime in 2012. [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:23 pm "Spiritual acupuncture" against cops fails to save hoodoo-ing housing huckster from hoosegow Ruben Hernandez, a former used car dealer from Downey, CA, was today sentenced to a dozen years in the klink for defrauding banks of about $4 million in home-buying fraud schemes. He was evidently someone who practiced a bastardized form of "applied magic" derived from West African traditions. The particular craft he practiced (reports say it included elements of Palo Mayombe) has become popular among Latin American drug dealers and criminals who wish to exact revenge upon enemies, or protect against prison time. At any rate, the guy's spells weren't very good. Snip from LA Times: "Investigators went into one of the bedrooms, and it was a shrine with a cross and all kinds of skeletons and stuff," said Eugene Hanrahan, a deputy L.A. County district attorney. "The star attractions were these three effigy dolls dunked upside down in this brown liquid. One of them had my name, and the other two had the names of investigators." With the trial finally over, Hanrahan said it's safe to report the apparent spells did not work. But he wasn't always that sure.
Source: Boing Boing | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:19 pm Doctor Slams Hospital's "Please" PolicyAdministrators at England's Worthing Hospital are insisting that doctors say the magic word when writing orders for blood tests on weekends. If a doctor refuses to write "please" on the order, the test will be refused. From the article: "However, a doctor at the hospital said on condition of anonymity that he sees the policy as a money-saving measure that could prove dangerous for patients. 'I was shocked to come in on Sunday and find none of my bloods had been done from the night before because I'd not written "please,"' the doctor said. 'I had no results to guide treatment of patients. Myself and a senior nurse had to take the bloods ourselves, which added hours to our 12-hour shifts. This system puts patients' lives at risk. Doctors are wasting time doing the job of the technicians.'"
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Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:07 pm Camtek Intends to Aggressively Defend Against New Rudolph Patent LawsuitMIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel, June 3, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Camtek Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: CAMT) ("Camtek" or the "Company"), reported today that, in its recurring attempts to stop Camtek's activities in the United States, Camtek has learned that Rudolph Technologies, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:25 pm Microsoft Rolls Out Impressive Enhancements To Windows Live Essentials Suite
The picture above is a complete fake. But more on that in a minute. Microsoft is giving a preview of a variety of enhancements to its Windows Live Essentials suite – a set of online and desktop services that includes hotmail, messenger, sync, movie maker and photo gallery. Most of the desktop versions of these services are available only for Windows users, although the online components only require a browser from any operating system. These enhancements come after Microsoft’s preview of the online version of Office, which is also within this suite. I had a chance to sit down with Brian Hall, GM of the Windows Live Business Group, today to see some of the changes. Many of the changes are fairly minor, but at least two are going to be big crowd pleasers. First, Microsoft has made changes to their Movie Maker video editing software that allows for the creation of Animoto-like video clips containing photos and videos. They’ve added a variety of transition and effect options, as well as the ability to add music and text, to these clips. But the really interesting changes are around Photo Gallery. Previously Microsoft had a facial recognition feature to allow you to quickly add names as tags to photos. But they are now adding facial recognition as well, and it takes a guess as to the person in the photo. In the demo it worked very well and saves time with tagging – a lot of time. The application also has one click sharing of photos to Facebook and other services and the tags go with it. But by far the most impressive thing I saw today was the Photo Fuse feature that they’ve added. The general idea is you can take a bunch of pictures and turn them into a single photo that’s better than any of the originals. And it only takes a few seconds. The best use case is clearly group photos that you’d take a a wedding or wherever. Someone always has their eyes closed or is looking away. With Photo Fuse you can take the best parts of a number of photos and create that perfect group picture. Hall spent a lot of time today showing me Photo Fuse, which I zeroed in on among all the other new features launching. We even took a few pictures of Hall and his PR people – Michael Celiceo and Bonnie McCracken – and ran them through Photo Fuse. This was the final result – a picture that was never actually taken (the top image – you just can’t tell). The working photos that are real are below it. There’s also a video of the whole process. Fascinating stuff.
The new suite will launch in a few weeks, says Microsoft. In the meantime we’ll give away 100 accounts now – details in the next post. More screenshots from the new products:
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:14 pm EU To Monitor All Internet SearchesXemu writes "The European Parliament is issuing a written declaration about the need to set up an early warning system to combat sexual child abuse. However, the substance of the declaration is to extend the EU data retention directive to search engines, so that all searches done on for example Google will be monitored. If you are a citizen concerned about the right to privacy and freedom on the Internet, you can help by sending e-mail to the MEPs from your country and explaining the issue to them."
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Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:14 pm Xbox 360 to add Hulu?
Gear Live reportedly got their hands on some information about Microsoft’s upcoming announcements at E3. Citing a reliable source that “has never been wrong before”, GL states that Hulu is in fact coming to the Xbox platform. No word about pricing – if any, but undoubtedly – or even how they will charge. I hope that the entire catalog gets released, unlike Netflix’s limited release. We’ll know more in two weeks when E3 begins, and more precisely during Microsoft’s Media Briefing on June 14th at 10am pacific time.
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:05 pm Found Photoshop Contest: Playground of the FutureWhat will your children's children's children play on? What will the slide or the monkey bars be made of? Look like? Wired challenges you to dream up the playground of the future.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Found: The Future of Camping EquipmentThe year is 2021 and you spy a home theater away from home -- for your next camping trip -- in this ad for a tent.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm June 3, 1889: Power Flows Long-DistancePower flows 14 miles along transmission line from Willamette Falls to Portland, Oregon. it proves electricity is a reasonable way to get energy from one place to another.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Roamware Introduces Roaming Intelligence System(TM)SAN JOSE, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Roamware, Inc., a global leader in mobile roaming software and solutions, introduced today, Roaming Intelligence System (RIS), providing telecom operators with a powerful suite of network analytics services enabling insight into their roaming market opportunities on the inbound and outbound roaming revenue streams. The company's RIS solution gathers comprehensive data on inbound market share, enabling companies to measure their market share of inbound roaming from their respective roaming partners and utilize this intelligence, in negotiating preferred roaming relationships and Inter-Operator Tariffs (IOTs).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Citysearch Recasts Itself As CityGrid Media
Ever since the launch of his CityGrid local advertising network at the beginning of the year, Citysearch CEO Jay Herratti has been putting most of his efforts into building out CityGrid as the largest network of local advertisers and local apps. Citysearch is now simply a flagship publisher on the CityGrid network. To reflect this shift in focus, the Citysearch business unit of IAC (which includes CityGrid, Citysearch, Urbanspoon, and Insider Pages) is changing its name to CityGrid Media All of the local listings in Citysearch are available through CityGrid’s APIs so that anyone creating a mobile app or local Website can grab business listings, addresses, phone numbers, photos, reviews, and more and build their own apps around them. CityGrid also matches local advertisers with these local publishers. The geo-local market is developing so quickly that Herratti knows he cannot predict which mobile app or approach will win out in the end. Instead, he wants to scale CityGrid to become the largest network of local advertisers and publishers so that no matter what turns out to be the hot Geo app of the moment, CityGrid ads and content will be at the center of it. CityGrid already has 700,000 paying local advertisers, and is on its way to a million. Some Citygrid partners include YellowPages.com, SuperPages.com, Bing.com, MapQuest, and Loopt.      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 9:59 pm Tech-Orations: Where style is key
Yes, I know. You spend all day at work on a computer. Then you come home and get back on it. So go ahead, show your love for tech and rest your eyes on a Tech-Oration key clock. Comes in two colors with two designs, the pear green CTRL key and the white Enter key. Both are $20 each at modcloth.
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 9:55 pm Marin Raises Another $11.2 Million For Search Engine Management Software Marin Software, a startup that creates search engine management software for advertisers and agencies, has raised an additional $11.2 million in Series D financing. Marin’s venture capital investors include a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/financial-organization/dag-ventures">DAG Ventures, with Focus Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Amicus Capital and Triangle Peak Partners. This brings Marin's total funding to $35 million.
Marin Software, which just raised $13 million last year, offers a browser application to help advertisers and agencies managing paid search advertising campaigns across Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search sites. Marin's software is used by 180 companies including Razorfish, and FreeCreditReport.com. Marin's customers spend at least $100,000 per month on paid search campaigns across the major search engines.
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 9:54 pm Mark Zuckerberg Talks (And Swerves Around) Facebook Privacy
By far the most tweeted about moment of the conversation came around a third of the way through, when Zuckerberg (who was sweating and appeared to be nervous, according to multiple tweets) took off his famous hoodie, revealing it to have Facebook’s mission statement stitched inside. Fortunately the conversation didn’t linger on Zuckerberg’s attire for long — the questions quickly turned toward some more pressing issues like Instant Personalization, and how Zuckerberg goes about making decisions. When asked about the site’s privacy changes, Zuckerberg wasn’t exactly forthcoming. Many tweets, and the official live coverage of the event, noted that Zuckerberg dodged some questions about privacy, resorting to talk about encouraging serendipity through openness and well-worn anecdotes detailing why sharing is important. Zuckerberg also brought up Facebook’s oft-repeated stat that over 50% of users have adjusted their privacy settings, citing it as evidence that users know what they’re doing (this doesn’t convince me in the slightest — that means nearly 250 million people haven’t touched them). With regard to Instant Personalization, Zuckerberg referred back to the News Feed backlash as evidence that innovative features can become immensely successful once the controversy dies down. He predicted that a few years from now, we’ll look back and question why all of these websites weren’t personalized. Asked about leadership and his role at the company, Zuckerberg said that he would remain as CEO after an IPO, though he didn’t know when that would be. He also said that he regularly consults with a “core group” of Facebook employees that he has worked with for years, and that any of them would be capable of steering the company. Toward the end of the conversation, Zuckerberg also noted just how much Facebook manages to accomplish with extremely small teams. Facebook Chat is run by one person. And Facebook search — which Zuckerberg said sees usage that’s on the same order of magnitude as Google search — is run by only twelve people. Not to belittle what Facebook has accomplished with such small teams (really, it is quite incredible), but it’s worth pointing out that the search comparison isn’t really fair. As MobileCrunch editor Greg Kumparak explains:
     
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 9:11 pm Diaspora raises $200,000 for a privacy aware social networkSection: Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking  Diaspora was merely an idea from some college students who wanted a social network that protected users’ privacy. With Facebook’s latest blunder with privacy, the idea was definitely supported by the many who were aware of the shady privacy transitions that Facebook was making right under its users’ noses. After a round of impromptu funding from people supporting the movement, the idea has raised over $200,000 which included a little cash from Mr. Facebook himself, Mark Zuckerburg. Notice I called this whole deal an idea rather than a project because as of now, the NYU students have yet to write a line of code, or even buy the domain name for that matter.
 I’m sure we would all love to see an alternative to Facebook that is secure and even open sourced. But at this point, trying to take down Facebook might be a little much. But what do I know, they do have 200 grand sitting in their pockets to make a site that could very well be the next Facebook. If anything, these 4 college students have managed to time their idea perfectly. Read [TechCrunch] Full Story » | Written by Hunter Clarke for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 9:10 pm Facebook CEO Discusses Privacy - Wall Street Journal
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Jun 2010 | 9:08 pm The Famicom claw game: yet another reason to go to Japan
[via GameFuse]
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 9:00 pm Ceramic seed grenade calls chia pet a wuss
Anybody can take seeds out of packet and strew them across the soil; it take a real man to spread your flower seeds via a hand grenade. The Flower Grenade is a project from UK artist Tony Nguyen, and is currently only available from the site Suck UK, but I love the concept. Lob a few of these out into that abandoned lot down the block, and then sit back and enjoy the colors as your urban guerrilla warfare grows up. The only issue I have with the concept is that the ceramic doesn’t break down (resulting in sharp ceramic shards left behind), and let’s be honest, getting caught importing a case of grenades into the US is sure to raise some questions with Homeland Security. The Flower Grenade is available in a three pack from the Suck UK website, and will set you back a hefty $18 plus shipping. Happy planting! [via Make]
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 8:30 pm Researchers Pursue Plasmonics And Photonics Technology For Optical ImprovementsAir Force Office of Scientific Research-funded Professors Mark L. Brongersma of Stanford University and Stefan A.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 8:22 pm Going Underground To Monitor Carbon DioxideA technique originally, applied to monitor the flow of contaminants into shallow groundwater supplies, has been repurposed to monitor carbon dioxide pumped deep underground for storage.Electric Resistance Tomography (ERT) has been installed to track where a plume of injected CO_ moves underground in an oil field (Cranfield Oilfield) near Natchez, Miss.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 8:09 pm Android Rootkit Is Just a Phone Call Awayalphadogg writes "Hoping to understand what a new generation of mobile malware could resemble, security researchers will demonstrate a malicious 'rootkit' program they've written for Google's Android phone next month at the Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas. Once it's installed on the Android phone, the rootkit can be activated via a phone call or SMS message, giving attackers a stealthy and hard-to-detect tool for siphoning data from the phone or misdirecting the user. 'You call the phone, the phone doesn't ring, and when the phone realizes that it's being called by an attacker's phone number, it sends him back a shell [program],' said Christian Papathanasiou, a security consultant with Chicago's Trustwave, the company that did the research."
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Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 8:09 pm Nature Cover Study Provides New Standards For Reliable FisheriesPreserving population diversity stabilizes fisheries, ecosystems and the economies that depend upon themThe many populations of sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska act like a diversified portfolio of investments, buffering fisheries and incomes from the ups and downs of particular stocks.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 8:08 pm ORNL Sows Seeds With New Agricultural Carbon Accounting ToolCarbon dioxide emissions from agricultural activity in the United States can now be tracked with unprecedented resolution because of a method developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.A team led by Tristram West uses satellite remote sensing, computational resources and high-resolution national inventory datasets to pinpoint agricultural-based carbon emissions nationwide.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 8:05 pm Dual-screen 14-inch tablet, the Kno debuts at D8Section: Computers, Mobile Computers  When Microsoft confirmed and promptly cancelled the Courier, many of us were heartbroken. The idea of a dual screen tablet was enticing, especially with what the product videos showed off. The Kno may not be the Courier exactly, but it does promise a dual-screen tablet that has the chance to make it to market. The Kno is a Tegra 2-powered dual 14-inch tablet running on a custom Linux build. Both screens are IPD with a 1440x900 resolution and accept touch and stylus inputs. The main idea behind the Know is to make a digital textbook for students. Kno already has many textbook publishers like Pearson, McGraw Hill Education, Cengage Learning and Wiley who have agreed to ut their textbooks onto the device. The textbooks will be interactive with video and hyperlinks. Students can use both screens for the texts or just one screen with the other screen a web browser, notes or any other app. Of course this also means students can just have notes on on screen and the web on another. There are claims that the tablet will run for six to eight hours. Each screen will be just over half an inch thick, and it will weigh about 5.5 pounds. The Know will only have 16 GB of flash storage, though that’s probably enough for a few semesters of textbooks. There is one downside, however, the only price Kno will say is “under $1000,” which usually manes $999, though not always. If the Kno does cost $999, the impracticality of the screen sizes paired with the price would likely mean it’ll be dead in the water. Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s no market. Having just left college I can say that the idea of being able to carry all textbooks around as well as a computer without all the extra bulk would have been very nice. It would mean that textbooks would likely be more expensive due to the lack fo used market, but the convenience of having so much less to carry or remember to bring would be much easier. There’s something nice about the idea of just throwing something like the Kno in a bag and not much else and rushing off to class. Read [NY Times] Via [Engadget]
Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 8:04 pm Apologies May Fuel Settlement Of Legal DisputesApologies may be good for more than just the soul, according to research by a University of Illinois professor of law and of psychology.Jennifer Robbennolt says her studies show that apologies can potentially help resolve legal disputes ranging from injury cases to wrongful firings, giving wounded parties a sense of justice and satisfaction that promotes settlements and trims demands for damages.“Conventional wisdom has been to avoid apologies because they amount to an admission of guilt that can be damaging to defendants in court,” she said.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:59 pm doubleTwist Launches A Slick Media Player For Android Devices
Android is notorious for coming with a clunky default media player, and doubleTwist easily bests it, sporting a much cleaner interface, the ability to import iTunes playlists, and support for audio/video podcasts. That said, there are already plenty of third party solutions that also beat the stock Android player. So what makes doubleTwist different? CEO Monique Farantzos says that the new doubleTwist Android player works directly with doubleTwist’s desktop software, in much the same way that the iPod and iTunes work together. Users can transfer ratings, playcounts, and other information back and forth between their phone and computer. Farantzos also says that online radio and support for wireless media sync (which would be big) are coming in the near future. It’s worth pointing out that Android will soon allow users to stream their music from their PCs without having to physically connect their devices, but I suspect there will still be plenty of people looking to store and manage their media locally. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:52 pm Dell Streak coming to US unlocked, for $500 at the end of JulySection: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile, Computers, Mobile Computers  On June 4 those of us in the US can finally buy the EVO 4G from Sprint, while those in the UK can buy the Dell Streak. The Streak has long been said to be coming to the US, with the latest statements from Dell before today being “late summer.” Now we finally have a release month, if not an exact day. Today, at the D8 conference Dell announced that we’ll be seeing the 5-inch smartphone/tablet at the end of July. The Streak will come straight from Dell’s website for $500. Just like the iPhone, the Streak will be unlocked. So, unlike the UK version, US owners fo the Streak don’t have to use it as a phone, and just use it as a small WiFi tablet. For those unaware, the Streak has a 5-inch screen with the same 800x480 resolution of the EVO 4G. It has 3G with 7.2 HSDPA, a 5MP camera with dual LED flash, a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and 16 GB of internal memory. Given the EVO 4G, the difference could be questionable. The jump from 4.3-inches to 5-inches could be a deal, but the pixel density is a bit lower. Dell is quick to point out that the Streak’s screen is double the size of most smartphone screens. It’s not the same as the size difference between the average smartphone and the iPad, but it is certainle easier to carry around than the iPad. It’s hard to say too much about how good a deal a $500 Streak is without having much to compare it too, but it’s nice to have even a small Android tablet. Read [All Things D] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:40 pm Atmospheric Scientists Start Monthlong Air Sampling CampaignAirplanes, ground instruments, and weather balloons to study effect of airborne particles on climateMore than 60 scientists from a dozen institutions have converged on this urban area to study how tiny particles called aerosols affect the climate.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:39 pm Scientists Clarify Origins Of Potato Germplasm Neo-TuberosumA recent study conducted by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and cooperators shows the potato germplasm Neo-Tuberosum, used by potato breeders to develop new cultivars, has origins that can be traced to Chile, not to the Andes as previously believed.Native "landrace" potatoes come from two areas: lowland central Chile and the Andes mountains from Venezuela south to northern Argentina.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:37 pm Financial Literary Bailout For The Younger GenerationIn the aftermath of the global financial crisis, financial literacy is still low among young adults.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:36 pm Don't Call The Guatemala Sinkhole a SinkholeCalling the hole in the capital city a "sinkhole" is a misunderstanding that masks a much more dangerous reality for over a million people who live in the area.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:34 pm Despite Efforts, Not All Latino Immigrants Accepted As 'White'While some Latino immigrants to the United States may be accepted as "white" by the wider society, a new American Sociological Review (ASR) study finds that many of them face discrimination based on skin color.In fact, the research showed that relatively darker-skinned Latinos earned less than their lighter-skinned counterparts.The results suggest that the rapid influx of Latino immigrants will shift the boundaries of race in the United States, but will not end skin-color-based discrimination."It is likely we will see change in our racial categories, but there will not be one uniform racial boundary around all Latinos," said Reanne Frank, co-author of the study and assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University."Some Latinos will be successful in the bid to be accepted as 'white'—usually those with lighter skin.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:26 pm FTC Cracks Down on Spyware Seller (PC World)PC World - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with Florida spyware vendor CyberSpy Software, two years after suing the company for selling "100 percent undetectable" keylogging software.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:10 pm Five things to expect from the new iPhone (Appolicious)Appolicious - When Steve Jobs gives the keynote address Monday at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, we know he will introduce a new iPhone that runs on an updated operating system, dubbed the iPhone OS 4. But we don't know all the specifics (and surprises) those two developments will include.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:07 pm Twitter Testing Users ‘You Both Follow’ Feature
The “You both follow” feature is pretty much what it sounds like. When you click on a contact it will show you the common people you both follow on the right sidebar of the page, just above the “following” tab. It’s actually surprising the feature hasn’t been turned on sooner, considering how useful it is in showing your social connections between other Twitter users. “You both follow” is similar in theory to Facebook’s friends in common feature, which has been around for some time now. The feature no doubt makes Twitter a little more of an interconnected social network and it should be interesting if the microblogging network takes it a step further. For example, Twitter could start recommending people to follow based on who your friends are following. UPDATE: Twitter API engineer Marcel Molina says in a Tweet that he’s formed a new team with Kallen to “build rapid prototypes.” I think this means we should be expecting more feature updates in the neat future. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:05 pm Here are some classy wood iPad, iPhone stands
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 7:01 pm RadioShack prepares for HTC EVO 4G launchSection: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile  On June 4, the highly anticipated Sprint HTC EVO 4G will become available for the general public. RadioShack is making a few preparations for the hyped launch of the latest Android phone on the Sprint network. Over 1,600 RadioShack retail stores will open its doors at 6 A.M. in order to activate the smartphone for those who pre-ordered it. Since the customer took the time to pre-order the phone, RadioShack wants them to be able to enjoy the phone as soon as possible. In addition, all customers that arrive early to their local RadioShack will be eligible for a 15% discount off accessories, but many of these people will already have a $20 discount because they pre-ordered the phone. With such an expensive and innovative phone, accessories become necessary to protect the phone as well as enhance it. Naturally, RadioShack will set aside an unknown number of HTC EVO 4G’s for new or current Sprint customers to purchase with a new two year contract for $199. In case you want to test out the phone before committing to it, some RadioShacks will have the EVO 4G on display and/or an online simulator of the phone. Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:59 pm Behind The Scenes, Location Turf Wars Have Begun
Over the past several months I’ve moderated or been on a number of panels with many of the top players in the location space. A common theme keeps recurring. When someone brings up rivalries between any of the companies, it is always downplayed in favor of an “everyone wins” message. I’ve been skeptical of that since day one, but as the space has exploded, there have been signs that a lot of companies are winning (as evidenced by both usage and fundraising). But now, as the space matures and larger rivals enter, things are starting to get more testy. The most obvious rivalry is between Foursquare and Gowalla. Even as the two battled for supremacy at the SXSW conference this year, both sides downplayed the rivalry. But the fact is, there is a rivalry (and they even play it up for next month’s UK edition of Wired magazine — see: pic above). Foursquare and Gowalla don’t talk to one another — in fact, their two leaders, Dennis Crowley and Josh Williams, had never met until a panel I moderated at Where 2.0 after SXSW this year. That’s not to say they hate one another, but they’re also not out there holding location potlucks to discuss how they can work together for the betterment of everyone. On Monday, another competitor in the space, Loopt, released its latest location app, Loopt Star, which asks users to check-in places to engage with brands. Crowley wasn’t a big fan of this (to say the least), and let it be known on his blog. “Check out Loopt’s foursquare knock-off. Points for checkins and “boss” instead of “mayor,”” he wrote. He continued:
Earlier today, Loopt CEO Sam Altman tweeted out that he thought Foursquare was blocking the IP address of his office. Crowley responded on Twitter that it wasn’t intentional as far as he knew. But the block is still in place. Crowley’s criticism of Loopt Star is very similar to a post he did back in January in response to Yelp entering the check-in space. At the time, Crowley wrote:
Of course, nearly 6 months later, we have yet to see this Leaderboard 2.0 stuff that he keeps referring to (Foursquare has undoubtedly been distracted by scaling issues and Yahoo acquisition offers). As the company generally seen as the frontrunner in this space right now, of course Foursquare is going to have others gunning for it. But they’re hardly the only ones getting testy with rivals. Behind the scenes, a number of these companies seem to have a growing dislike (or at least, distrust) for one another. They may say the right things when they’re on stage or on panels, but it’s a different story when the spotlight is off. All of this is to be expected. As the location space continues to be validated, each company is out to prove that it’s the one that will be the next big thing — the one people will remember. And as more people are beginning to understand that they can’t use all of these services all the time, some are going to be forced out. And there’s a larger concern for many of these companies: it’s still far from proven that each can survive as their own businesses. Some are starting to make revenues, but those can quickly dry up if larger networks like Facebook or Google start to copy features and entice brands to sign up with them instead. And plenty of the larger companies out there still view the location startups as features rather than stand-alone products. If that thought starts panning out, many of these locations startups will be fighting to position themselves for quick exits. Indications right now are that Facebook won’t enter the space in a major way (but will have simple check-ins), and instead will federate other location services’ data. But that will cause tensions too as each location service tries to become the preferred method that Facebook’s nearly 500 million users choose. The next time you’re at an event and your hear one of these guys say that in the location space “everybody wins,” don’t believe them, because they don’t believe it either. That may have been the case in the early days, but we’re beyond that now. And all of these companies know it and are starting to act like it. [photo: flickr/dpstyles]      
Source: TechCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:43 pm Verizon announces new BlackBerry Bold 9650Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Starting tomorrow (6/3), Verizon will be offering the BlackBerry Bold 9650 for sale online. Starting June 10, the latest BlackBerry smartphone will be available in all Verizon retail stores. One of the most notable features of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 is its support of GlobalAccess Connect. Basically, the GlobalAccess Connect service allows you to tether the smartphone to any netbook or laptop to use the wireless Internet service in over 200 countries worldwide. The main features include Push to Talk, VZ Navigator 6, VZ Navigator Global, 2.45 inch display, optical trackpad, and a 3.2MP camera. It is worth noting that a non-camera version of the phone will also be available. It also supports the common BlackBerry services such as BlackBerry App World, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Media Sync, quick and convenient access to social networking such as Facebook, MySpace, and Flickr. It comes with an on board memory of 512MB, coupled with a 2GB SD card and can be further expanded to 16GB via microSD card. In terms of pricing, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 will be available on a new two year contract for $149 after a $100 MIR. Read [PR Newswire] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:31 pm Official Ghostbusters Proton Pack Backpack
Back to school season doesn’t start for a few more months, but 80stees.com has gone ahead and released images of its new backpack. It’s the official Ghostbusters Proton Pack; with removable “Neutrona Wand” used to aid in the weakening of ghosts ‘n stuff – or to store your pens and colored pencils. For only $40 we want one bad, but so far this particle accelerator is listed as coming soon. Can’t wait to start capturing the spirits.
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:30 pm SonicWALL Enters into Merger Agreement with Thoma Bravo and Ontario Teachers' Pension PlanSAN JOSE, Calif., June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SonicWALL, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:30 pm Rumor: Microsoft to reveal Hulu for the Xbox 360 at E3 2010FROM GAMERTELL - A rumor floating around the internet suggests that a Hulu subscription service could be headed to the Xbox 360, and Microsoft is preparing to announce it at E3 2010. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:28 pm International Game Technology to Participate in the Goldman Sachs Lodging, Gaming, Restaurant and Leisure ConferenceLAS VEGAS, June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT), a global leader in creating the games players love and network systems that improve the player experience, will participate in the Goldman Sachs Lodging, Gaming, Restaurant and Leisure Conference on June 7 and 8, 2010 in New York City. About IGT International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a leader in the design, development and manufacture of gaming machines and systems products worldwide.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:20 pm Dell ‘Streak’ Tablet U.S. Debut in July for $500
iPad holdouts, here’s a real alternative. Dell’s first tablet, the ‘Streak’ aka ‘Mini 5′ is set to go on sale towards the end of next month in the U.S. The device will be available unlocked through Dell’s website and will cost $500 –the same price as an entry level iPad. The Streak releases later this week in the U.K. and includes a plan that offers the device free with a mobile phone and data contract. The Streak will be the first real challenger to the Apple iPad. Since Apple launched the iPad in April, it has sold more than 2 million devices. The demand for tablets has spurred other PC makers including Asus, MSI and HP to introduce tablets. But so far, none have made it to the market. The Streak’s pricing on par with the iPad is a bold move by Dell considering the device feels somewhere between a smartphone and a tablet. The Streak has a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen, a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, a front facing camera for video chat, 3G and Wi-Fi capability. The device also has a Micro SD slot expandable up to 32 GB. It will run Google’s Android operating system, version 2.0 or higher. Interestingly, Streak has a SIM card slot so you could use it to make phone calls, as long as you don’t feel awkward holding an electronic slab to your ear. Already AT&T has said it will support the Streak on its network. Specs wise, the Streak is pretty impressive but the question is will the screen size fly with potential tablet users who have seen the 9.5 inch of gorgeousness that the iPad offers? Check out the demo of the Streak from the D8 conference. See Also:
Photo: Dell Streak/Dell 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:10 pm Mutant Gene Link To West Nile Virus In HorsesThe same mutated gene that makes humans more susceptible to the potentially fatal West Nile virus is also responsible for the virus affecting horses, according to scientists at the University of Adelaide, Australia.A naturally occurring mutation of the OAS1 gene has now been confirmed as increasing the vulnerability of horses to the West Nile virus, thanks to a study led by Professor David Adelson (University of Adelaide) and conducted by PhD student Jonathan Rios (Texas A&M University).The results of the study were published last month in the online peer-reviewed science journal PLoS One.West Nile virus causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, resulting in paralysis and death in humans, horses, birds and other species."Horses have been seriously affected by the West Nile virus, especially in North America where vaccinations, treatments and the loss of horses have cost countless millions of dollars to horse owners, industry and the community," says Professor Adelson, who is Professor of Bioinformatics and Computational Genetics at the University of Adelaide's School of Molecular & Biomedical Science."The OAS gene cluster in horses most closely resembles that of humans.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:09 pm Econophysicists Develop and Test "Bubble Index"eldavojohn writes "Oh if only we could identify the bubble markets as they appear, but with all the random variables, it would take some sort of econophysicist to build predictions for that! Well, a team has released a definition of a 'bubble index' that led them to make predictions of bubbles sixth months ago that would pop between then and now. The four bubbles they selected were the IBOVESPA Index of 50 Brazilian stocks, a Merrill Lynch Corporate Bond Index, the spot price of gold, and cotton futures. Two out of the four were bubbles, with Merrill Lynch being a bubble already popping and cotton continuing to soar into even bubblier status. Still, for your first try, 50% isn't bad. The team learned a lot of new things from the first run, revised their method, selected their predictions for the next sixth months, and sealed them. Only time will tell if they are truly onto predicting crashes."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:07 pm Day 2: Dolby and HP’s great laptop giveaway
We had huge response yesterday and I’m pleased to report that it was a rousing success. Today, however, I’m going to allow CrunchGear readers a shot at the prize and, instead of being inundated by good-time Sallies and Salvadores, we’ll just post the offer here. Read on, incidently, for yesterday’s winner. The details, again: HP and Dolby would like to give you one of three HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition laptops complete with Blu-Ray player and Dolby Advanced Audio. Here are the details:
What do you do to win? It’s so simple even a child to could do it.
First, however, congratulate Steven Magelowitz, our first winner. Now, on to how to win. Answer this question of the day: What is the first movie you’ll watch on the Pavilion to experience virtual surround sound from Dolby? Answer in comments and leave your real email address (Facebook logins don’t really work). Enter once and only once from one IP address. We will pick one winner at random tomorrow at 5pm Eastern. We have three total to give away so don’t give up. The contest is limited to the US and Canada, sadly.
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:04 pm Got hot hands? You need a keyboard with a built-in fan
http://us.aving.net/news/view.php?articleId=158320&mn_name It could also be useful if you just live somewhere hot. The keyboard itself doesn’t look like any great shakes — kind of like a downmarket Sidewinder X4 — but that fan could be a lifesaver if things start getting slippery. It’s called the Challenger, from Thermaltake (who else?) and no one’s sure if it will be available here in the US, or for how much. HOWEVER if you live in a cold area, you might want to get this red-hot (not actually heated) Aivia keyboard from Gigabyte. It’s actually really, really cool looking, though whether that shape is practical, I don’t know. I’m using a 7G right now, which is about as traditional as it gets.
I think they were trying to evoke Ferrari, right down to the little badge. Works for me.
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm Decode: Solve the Ultimate Blockbuster PuzzleTry piecing together the name of an upcoming big-screen mega epic from a snippet of a screenplay.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm ClearPath Delivers First Automated Immigration Filing SolutionBETHESDA, Md., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearPath Immigration, LLC (on the web at www.iclearpath.com), the leading SaaS immigration filing provider, today announced that it has released its first suite of commercially available products.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm Gallery: Dentistry Goes DigitalThis ain't your grandma's dentist parlor. Wired.com shows you how future dentists are learning their craft in the 21st century.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm Washington D.C. Hosts Global Random Hacks of Kindness HackathonWASHINGTON, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Google, Microsoft, NASA, the World Bank and Yahoo! are unlikely partners in a progressive initiative called Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) with the mission to mobilize a global community of technologists to solve real-world problems through technology.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:50 pm Amazon to Sell Its E-Reader at Target - New York Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:48 pm Searching for apps is fun and easy with Google Mobile Search™
This will actually be pretty handy, since the Android Market is slow as hell on my G1. iPhone users… well, you might like it. At any rate, it’s better than not getting app results when you search for them.
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:45 pm To do in LA: Rich Fulcher's "Eleanor" show (tonight thru Fri.), Mighty Boosh docu debut
If you don't know who "Eleanor" is, watch this. For readers in or near Los Angeles: Cinefamily is hosting a three-night series of live one-man shows with Rich Fulcher as "Eleanor" starting tonight, Wednesday June 2 and continuing tomorrow and Friday: "An Evening with Eleanor: Tour Whore." On Friday, Cinefamily will hold the LA premiere of a new documentary about the Mighty Boosh tour (very much hot off the presses--I believe the final cut was just finished this week). More about "Eleanor," the live show... Rich Fulcher, co-star of the freaky British import "The Mighty Boosh" (seen on Adult Swim) and the savage BBC3 cult comedy hit "Snuff Box"! presents Eleanor, the world's greatest groupie and self-professed "tour whore", a filthy and outrageous character first brought to life on "Mighty Boosh" and now embodied in the flesh on our stage. Decked out in overly tight tights, she's made Neil "Young" again, put the "Wood" in Woodstock, and now she tells all -- the Z-list musicians she's bedded, the litany of her glorious past excesses, instructions on sleeping your way to the top -- through song, dance, audience participation and X-rated confessional monologue. Her decadent and surreal stories will leave you feeling freshly molested, so join the legendary slut and prepare to be pounded like yesterday's beef!I caught Fulcher's improv show last week, and can enthusiastically recommend his live shows to anyone near LA over the next few nights as a rare and must-see delight. Tickets to the live "Eleanor" show are here (they start at $15), and here's more about the documentary "Journey of the Childmen (a film by Oliver Ralfe), and tickets to the LA premiere on Friday are only $10. Video: Watch the Boosh documentary trailer after the jump!
Source: Boing Boing | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:45 pm Smokescreen Does Flash Without Flash (PC World)PC World - Smokescreen is a new open-source project that is working toward getting Flash onto the iPhone and iPad--but not in the way that you might expect. Rather than do some jailbreak hack or complain about Apple's Flash ban, though, the people behind Smokescreen decided to tackle the problem head-on by bringing Flash to the iDevices without requiring the Flash plugin.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:43 pm Motorola officially announces the Flipout with MotoblurSection: Communications, Smartphones, Mobile  Motorola looks to be showing Microsoft how a square phone with social networking integration is done. While Microsoft has the Kin One as the low-end with social networks built in and no apps to speak of, Motorla is debuting the Flipout, based on Android complete with Motoblur. The Flipout is a square smartphone with a hinge that twists the keyboard out, similar to the Nokia Twist. What the Flipout adds is the power of the Android platform and Market, as well as Motorola’s Motoblur that we’ve seen most recently on the Motorola Backflip. Unlike most phones with a physical keyboard, the Flipout features a five-row keyboard witha separate row for number keys. The square form factor, while providing for that extra row of keys, shrinks the screen to 320x240, which is a strange 4:3 ratio not seen on many phones. Given the screen, it’s questionable how some apps will run on the phone. Chances are most will at least be a tight fit even without the virtual keyboard taking up part of the screen. The smartphone runs on Android 2.1, though it has a special browser with Flash enabled. The integrated music player is also a bit different, allowing for full screen lyrics, which could just mean it has TuneWiki installed, or something similar. The camera is 3MP, tough Motorola is saying it has incorporated Kodak Perfect Touch for “better, brighter pictures.” There’s no price or carrier announced for the Motorola Flipout yet, though it will be launching in Europe in Q2 2010. Maybe Motorola can have more success with the Flipout than Microsoft is having with the Kin. Read [Motorola] Read [Motorola Fact Sheet] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:41 pm Porn actor slash web designer suspected of slashing porn co-worker to death with "Samurai sword"Susannah Breslin reports grisly news out of Porn Valley today: a part-time web designer, part-time porn actor (who'd just lost both jobs and his residence) is the primary suspect in "a stabbing rampage with what is purported be a movie prop Samurai sword." The murder took place last night. The victim was a co-star of the suspect in at least one adult film, and a self-described "multimedia consultant" whose final tweets included mention of tinkering around with Wordpress files late at night. The murder suspect had a history of violent behavior, as evidenced in his social networking profiles. Susannah writes:There's much more in her report about the online bread crumbs that trail back to the suspect, including ominous MySpace profile messages about death and killing people. Also, links to some of the adult films in which the suspect performed. Susannah adds, While I don't recall having ever met Hill, his type is familiar: a porn fan who became so obsessed with the industry that he managed to find a place in it, a hanger-on who never got farther up than the bottom rung, a loose cannon among loose cannons who one day went off.Porn star murder suspect may have had a history of violence (True/Slant. Report is work-safe, but includes links to material that is graphically sexual) Screengrabs of final tweets by the murder victim, whose profile has since been disabled on Twitter, follow.
Source: Boing Boing | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:41 pm Google Wants to Know Where You AreWiFi-sniffing technology turns your cell phone or laptop into a virtual GPS, which Google can use to locate you right down to your exact latitude and longitude.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:39 pm A DIY pen holder for your Moleskin (or other overpriced) notebook
Source: CrunchGear | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:30 pm Steve Jobs takes the stage at the D8 Conference [video]FROM APPLETELL - At this years All Things Digital Conference, Steve Jobs took to the stage to discuss many of the current stories surrounding Apple, including Flash, their relationship with Google and the Gizmodo iPhone story. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:10 pm Microsoft Talks Back To Google's Security ClaimsKilrah_il writes "Yesterday there was a piece about Google ditching Windows for internal use because of security concerns. Now Microsoft is fighting back, claiming its products are the most secure — more than Google's and Apple's. 'When it comes to security, even hackers admit we're doing a better job making our products more secure than anyone else. And it's not just the hackers; third-party influentials and industry leaders like Cisco tell us regularly that our focus and investment continues to surpass others.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:06 pm Server Technology Launches the Next Version of Sentry Power Manager With New Streamlined Operating System, Interoperability and Improved SecurityRENO, Nev., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Server Technology, Inc., the industry leader for Power Distribution Unit and Power Management Solutions, today introduced the latest version of the Sentry Power Manager (SPM) software, version 4.2.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Jun 2010 | 5:03 pm Gadgetell Hands On: Microsoft KIN ONE and KIN TWOSection: Communications, Cellphones, Mobile
We got our hands on Microsoft’s KIN ONE and KIN TWO and what we found was a unique phone and an even more unique presentation. If there has ever been a device created that does not know it’s own identity, these phones may have single-handedly done it. Both phones present themselves as a share all platform and clearly catering to a specific marketing segment - the budget buyer and ferocious texter. We explain a little more below. From the OutsideFirst off the screens, the KIN ONE shows a 2.6-inch, 320 x 240 QVGA touchscreen and the KIN TWO with 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 HVGA touchscreen. Both are satisfactory in color quality but nothing worth writing home to mom about. Exterior buttons were kept simple with a volume rocker, dedicated camera button, standby/power and bottom set gunmetal Home Key on each phone. Design of the KIN ONE may look eerily similar to the Nokia 7705 Twist minus the awkward rotating face. Slide the ONE’s keyboard up to expose a fully QWERTY keyboard with quick reference search button and convenience emoticon button where 16 expressions on readily available. Take that EMOJI. The TWO brandishes the exact same hardware however with an ugly duckling Palm Pre look. Why the TWO over the ONE - take into consideration your thumb size and storage needs. The KIN ONE limits you to 4GB of non-expandable storage and the TWO 8GB of non-expandable. Software Designed to ShareThis is where things get tricky. Starting up the phone for the first time you are prompted to enter your account information supporting most popular e-mail clients (Gmail, Yahoo!) assuming this will begin downloading your personal e-mail. Not so fast. What you have done is sent authorization off to KIN which then sends you an e-mail to the provided account that you have now registered a Windows Live account so you may access your KIN Studio backup. Still with me? Your home screen is divided into three sections, navigation screen one of three is your Loop. This is where a feed from Facebook, Twitter and MySpace is displayed and live updated every 15 minutes. At the bottom of this screen something called Spot. Spot serves as a drag and drop point for anything you wish to share that pops up on your Loop feed allowing you to blast out to either a social network, MMS or SMS. Slide right of the home screen and you are presented with your favorites. Displaying in an odd uneven grid pattern, these are the people you choose to talk to most and would like to quickly reference without scanning through your entire address book. Depending on which phone you have, the KIN ONE allows for up to nine favorites where the TWO populates 15. Slide left of the home screen to see the apps. Unfortunately these are not the apps of today’s language as the terminology here is deceptive. Here you will find phone settings, color schemes, access to the Zune Marketplace, your e-mail and even an RSS reader. Regardless of the page, populating the bottom left and right corners are two small buttons one titled Recent and the other showing the clock. Tapping recent allows for quick recall of where you last on the phone for a quick switch over. Touch the clock and battery life, signal strength, date/time and current ringer volume are displayed. Convenient and useful. CameraBoth the KIN ONE and TWO have been heavily marketed as media sharing phones so not surprisingly the ONE is equipped with a 5 megapixel and the TWO with an 8 megapixel each supported by a white LED flash. But here is the kicker, the TWO shoots video in 720p - that’s impressive. For the RecordThe keyboard is plasticy, the in-hand feel is awkward, the side-function buttons are inconveniently placed, the OS feels underdeveloped and the web browser was ported from 1994, but here’s the hook - if you are looking for a reliable phone with long lasting battery life, efficient means to keep up with your friends on most popular social networks, a chronic camera phone user and insist on a QWERTY keyboard for under $100, you really can’t beat the KIN ONE or TWO. Affordability with many extras offered the big guys plus Verizon’s network, you really can’t go wrong. Pricing will run you $49.99 for the KIN ONE and $99 for the KIN TWO with a new two-year contract and $100 rebate but others vendors appear to already be slashing prices. Full Story » | Written by Aaron Thacker for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:35 pm Noise Pollution Could Frustrate FishAfter years of growing concern about the effects of marine noise on whales, scientists are finally asking what noise could do to fish. Whether they're harmed isn't yet known, but researchers say it's certainly a possibility.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:35 pm RateMyCop User Ensnared in 'Dumbest Case Ever'A man spends three hours in jail, then two years fighting a Florida law making it illegal to publish personally identifying information of police officers. He says he's involved in the "dumbest case ever."
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:30 pm For new AT&T users, no more 'all you can eat' data (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:22 pm Robotic Fish Lead Schools of Fish From DangerMan has created a dangerous world for poor, unsuspecting fish. Now, man has also created a robot to guide the creatures away from peril.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:19 pm Chrome OS Strives to Replace Desktop Culture - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:19 pm The fact that accidents happen =/= no reason to try to stop accidents from happeningBP and federal regulators (Those guys at the Minerals Management Service. You know, the ones who were also sleeping with the people they regulated?) knew about problems at the Deepwater Horizon site as far back as June of 2009. Despite problems, BP still sought—and received—dispensations to operate outside of ostensibly mandatory safety regulations. We've got a name for this kind of behavior: Criminal negligence. Source: Boing Boing | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:18 pm What happens when you flip a starfish wrong side upMore starfish videos than you can shake a bumpy-skinned arm at on the Echinoblog. Source: Boing Boing | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:08 pm India Attempts To Derail ACTAAdmiral Justin writes "Ars Technica is reporting that India is attempting to gather support from other large countries that have been intentionally left out of the ACTA process to actively protest it. India fears that ACTA will eventually be used against it and other countries that were given no chance to be a part of the process drafting it. Among the primary concerns are the possibility of medical shipments being seized if they use a port in transit that is controlled by a country with a patent on the pharmaceuticals."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:06 pm Japan Import: Nintendo announces DS price drops, new DSi colorsFROM GAMERTELL - If you want a Japanese DS, get it after June 19, 2010. Nintendo’s dropping the price on the DS, DSi and DSi LL (DSi XL) then. It’s also releasing three new DSi LL colors - green, yellow and blue. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:02 pm AT&T’s Limited Data: Should You Care? Vote in Our Poll
First, the basics: The new un-unlimited data plans offers options of 200 MB for $15 a month and 2 GB for $25 a month. If 2 GB ain’t enough, you can tack an extra $10 to your bill for every extra gig. Keep in mind that if you’re already a current AT&T smartphone user (that includes whiny iPhone customers), your unlimited data plan is still available. These changes only directly apply to brand new AT&T smartphone users, who no longer get the option of unlimited data. Current AT&T customers can opt for the cheaper limited plans as well, but be careful: Once you switch, you can’t go back to the unlimited plan. Here’s why we think this isn’t a big deal. Even the biggest nerds we know barely ever surpass 300 megabytes a month. So 2GB is probably more than you’ll ever need — and it costs less than the current $30 unlimited data plan. We’ve criticized AT&T on a number of occasions in the past, but we think these new options are beneficial for the vast majority of wireless customers. Don’t believe us? Check out your data usage for the past six months, like so: After you do that, average your results for the past six months and vote in our poll. Just how much data do you use? My monthly average for the past half year is 267 MB, meaning I’m most likely going to be switching to the $25 a month plan and saving some bucks. UPDATE: If you use more than 4 GB per month, let us know in the comments how you do it. Because, frankly, we’re not believing the early returns, which show more than 20 percent of respondents fall in this category. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:01 pm Snails on meth have better memories
Snails that are high on methamphetamine remember simple "this happens when I do that" lessons longer than sober snails put through the same trials. Interesting for somebody like me, who takes Ritalin to treat the symptoms of ADHD. Studies have shown that ADHD is linked to lower levels of dopamine in the brain and that stimulant drugs—in low, keep-your-teeth, no-turning-tricks-behind-a-7-11 doses—bring those brains back up to into the "normal" range. I've long wondered whether the improvements I see when I take Ritalin have more to do with getting around to doing certain tasks, or simply remembering to think about doing them at all (it's sometimes hard to tell a difference). The researchers on this snail study are hoping for some insights into the biology of addiction, but I'd imagine there's something to learn about ADHD treatment from this line of questioning, as well. Image courtesy Flickr user, via CC Source: Boing Boing | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm AT&T's Limited Data: Should You Care? Vote in Our PollAT&T institutes new limited data plans for smartphone customers. How does this affect you? Calculate your average monthly downloads and vote in our poll.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm AT&T's Limited Data: Should You Care? Vote in Our PollAT&T institutes new limited data plans for smartphone customers. How does this affect you? Calculate your average monthly downloads and vote in our poll.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Caffeine Addicts Get No Additional Perk, Only a Return To BaselineDthief writes "Bristol University researchers found that drinkers develop a tolerance to both the anxiety-producing and the stimulating effects of caffeine, meaning that it only brings them back to baseline levels of alertness, not above them. 'Although frequent consumers feel alerted by caffeine, especially by their morning tea, coffee, or other caffeine-containing drink, evidence suggests that this is actually merely the reversal of the fatiguing effects of acute caffeine withdrawal,' wrote the scientists, led by Peter Rogers of Bristol's department of experimental psychology."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 3:19 pm Is Hulu in the Offing for Xbox LIVE? (PC World)PC World - The latest pre-E3 game-a-palooza rumor has it that Microsoft's planning to announce Hulu support for Xbox LIVE during its press conference at the show on Monday June 14.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Jun 2010 | 3:17 pm Searching for the 2010 Stanley CupAlthough it feels like summer in many parts of the world, this week much of the North American sports community is focused squarely on ice hockey. That’s because the Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers kicked off over the weekend. Today, the series shifts to Philadelphia, and the Flyers look to even the series.We’ve always shared the world’s interest in ice hockey, and have expressed that through our 2010 Olympic Ice Hockey doodle, NHL scores in search results and our content partnership with the NHL on YouTube. And this year a few Googlers in Chicago tried to grow their own playoff beards to get in the spirit of the games. We see a surge of search queries related to the Stanley Cup every May, and this year is no exception. As each of the two teams get closer to hoisting Lord Stanley’s cup, we’re taking a look at what people from Chicago and Philadelphia as well as around the world are searching for related to the Cup. Globally, searches for [blackhawks] trump searches for [flyers] in the sports category although both are experiencing an unprecedented spike compared to past years.  In both Philadelphia and Chicago, the [blackhawks] and [flyers] were top of mind last week:  Top sports searches in Philadelphia  Top sports searches in Chicago Searches for [patrick kane] of the Chicago Blackhawks lead the way among searches for players involved in the Stanley Cup Finals.  After each goal scored in Chicago, the Blackhawks play the song “Chelsea Dagger” by the Fratellis. Accordingly, searches for [chelsea dagger] are surging, with Google users in Illinois topping the list and sparking a resurgence of the song across America.  With Googlers in our offices in both Illinois and Pennsylvania, we’ll be watching like the rest of the world to see who wins the greatest trophy in sports. Just make sure you don’t touch the Cup until you actually win it!  Posted by Jim Lecinski, Managing Director, U.S. Sales (and rabid Blackhawks fan)    
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 2 Jun 2010 | 3:05 pm WebOS Apps Stand Out Because There’s Less Competition
Hungry to earn a buck, many programmers are making apps for the two leading mobile platforms: Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android OS. But a few developers say they feel luckier playing with the underdog: Palm.
Ma submitted five apps to Palm’s Hot Apps challenge, a contest designed to attract developers to the comparatively diminutive WebOS platform serving apps to Pre and Pixi customers. The incentive? A $1 million prize pool rewarding up to 221 apps based on their ranking. The top-ranked app will win $100,000, the next 20 apps will earn a $20,000 reward, and the subsequent 200 apps will win $1,000 each. Currently, the top-ranked app in the competition is Pandora, a popular music-streaming service. Ma says his apps are in the running for the smallest of the awards. Though many credit Palm for pioneering the smartphone, the company has struggled in the mobile space for the past few years. And as an app platform, Palm’s WebOS barely registers. Apple’s iPhone currently leads the app race with a massive 200,000 apps, and Google’s Android platform follows with 50,000 apps. Palm’s WebOS App Catalog, by comparison, serves about 2,800 apps. A Palm spokesman estimates that there are more than 1 million WebOS users total. That number is pitiful compared to the 90 million iPhone OS users (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad customers). Meanwhile, Google says 100,000 Android phones are activated every day. Given Palm’s smaller customer base, it’s unlikely we’ll hear phenomenal success stories where WebOS developers generate six-figure incomes with a hot-selling app. By contrast, a few lucky iPhone App Store developers have struck it rich. However, HP’s acquisition of Palm may lay the groundwork for a bigger customer base, which could eventually lead to more serious dough. An HP exec recently said the company is working on a WebOS-based tablet due out in October. Before the platform gets bigger, Ma encourages developers to get an early start on WebOS, when there’s less competition. In fact, Ma laughed at the admittedly poor quality of his apps. One app called Fantasy Chat, a jokey program to chat with a robot, is ranked number 211, putting Ma in range to win $1,000. Another app, Playboy Covers, currently ranked 240, is on track to win Ma cash by next week. Three other apps will likely hit the top 221 soon as well, according to Ma’s estimations, based on average downloads. The cash prizes are only a temporary incentive, as the contest ends June 30, but Ma said the quick escalation of his apps in the WebOS App Catalog are a testament to the potential to succeed in a store with fewer competitors. “People should give WebOS a chance,” Ma said. “It’s a great platform if they’re lacking downloads on either Android or iPhone. Nobody was downloading my Android app.” A Palm representative said the purpose of the Hot Apps challenge was not only to increase visibility of the WebOS platform, but also to raise awareness of the flexible tools that Palm developers can use. For example, the Palm’s Plug-in Development Kit allows people who have already coded iPhone apps with C++ to easily port their apps over to WebOS. So even if coders are already invested in the iPhone OS platform, they can make a simple tweak to their app and share it with the WebOS audience as well. Palm offers a 70-percent cut to developers for each app sale — the same as the App Store’s model. Also, developers have the choice between serving their apps through the official WebOS App Catalog, which involves undergoing an approval process similar to the App Store’s, or they can self-publish their apps on the web. “What we’re hoping to do is give developers a choice in how they develop and a choice in how they distribute their application,” the spokesman said. The Los Angeles Times offers a news app for WebOS, and developer Ken Schwencke said he enjoyed the simplicity of the platform. However, he said he was wary of investing more in the WebOS app in the near term, despite HP’s pending acquisition of Palm. “I’m excited to see what HP has in store for WebOS, but honestly, I’m cautious about spending more development time on the app right now given the uncertainty surrounding WebOS’s future,” Schwencke said. “I’d say if you’re developing a suite of apps on other platforms, it’s worth it — if nothing else for the exposure and the good will it will generate with users.” Photo of Palm Pre and Palm Pixi: Jim Merithew/Wired.com. Photo of Pete Ma courtesy Pete Ma. See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:45 pm WebOS Apps Stand Out, Because There's Less CompetitionA Palm developer boasts about his moderate success in the WebOS app store. He argues that HP's acquisition could make the WebOS platform a greener pasture than the crowded iPhone App Store and Android market.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:45 pm WebOS Apps Stand Out, Because There's Less CompetitionA Palm developer boasts about his moderate success in the WebOS app store. He argues that HP's acquisition could make the WebOS platform a greener pasture than the crowded iPhone App Store and Android market.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:45 pm Why You're Not Done With 'Super Mario Galaxy 2' YetDon't put down that Wiimote. This great game saves its most creative wonders for after the end credits roll.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:36 pm Visualizing System LatencyChelleChelle writes "Latency has a direct impact on performance — thus, in order to identify performance issues it is absolutely essential to understand latency. With the introduction of DTrace it is now possible to measure latency at arbitrary points; the problem, however, is how to visually present this data in an effective manner. Toward this end, heat maps can be a powerful tool. When I/O latency is presented as a visual heat map, some intriguing and beautiful patterns can emerge. These patterns provide insight into how a system is actually performing and what kinds of latency end-user applications experience."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:33 pm Canadian Man Fights African Witchcraft MurdersAfrican albinos are being murdered and dismembered because of belief in magic and witchcraft.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:31 pm Sticky Rice Is the Key To Super Strong Mortarlilbridge writes "For over 1,500 years the Chinese have been using sticky rice as an ingredient in mortar, which has resulted in super strong buildings, many of which are still standing after hundreds of years. Scientists have been studying the sticky rice and lime mortar to unlock the secrets of its strength, and have just determined the secret ingredient that makes the mortar more stable and stronger. The scientists have also concluded that this mixture is the most appropriate for restoration of ancient and historic buildings, which means it is probably also appropriate for new construction as well."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:08 pm Video: Orb Blends Art, TechnologyThe Orb is a persistence-of-vision illusion that blends technology with art. It uses 216 lines of resolution on an 18-inch-diameter sphere, and sports over 1 million colors.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Jun 2010 | 2:00 pm Droid Xtreme struts its solid, metallic stuff
Ever since childhood, I’ve always thought that adding metal to something automatically made it that much cooler. Slap some tin foil on a few paper towel rolls for example, and you’ve got yourself a nifty homemade Star Wars blaster. Ditto for enhancing your punching power with a roll of quarters when facing a bully on the playground. Someone in Motorola’s design division must have felt the same way, since newly-leaked photos of the new Droid Xtreme (or X, or Shadow, or whatever) reveal a new solid metallic frame that’s sure to be a welcome addition to the Verizon’s Android lineup.
Thanks to DroidLife, we can see that the Droid [insert awesome adjective here]’s sleeker frame isn’t the only thing worth gossiping about. It also features a 4.1 inch capacitive touch display (which we’re certainly big fans of around here), Android 2.2, 8 GB of internal storage, and HDMI out. For a phone that has some serious flagship potential, it seems a peculiar choice for Motorola to run with a 700 MHz OMAP processor instead of something like a Snapdragon, but as long as it manages to strike a respectble balance between power consumption and performance, you won’t see us complaining too much. [via DroidLife]
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 1:43 pm 'Drunk' Parrots Litter Australian TownThese seemingly inebriated birds are presenting a mystery for veterinarians struggling to explain their behavior.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 1:35 pm Freeze frame!From iGoogle’s debut in 2005 to our more recent launch of stars in search in March, we’ve enjoyed making your search experience more relevant, useful and fun through personalization. Today, we’re introducing a new feature that brings a whole new level of personalization to Google by letting you add a favorite photo or image to the background of the Google homepage. You can choose a photo from your computer, your own Picasa Web Album or a public gallery hosted by Picasa which includes a selection of beautiful photos. An example homepage featuring artwork by Jeff Koons, photographed by Sandy Volz  A second example page, featuring artwork by Tom Otterness, photographed by Cesar Perez We are beginning to roll out this new feature to users in the U.S. over the next few days, so if you don’t see a link in the lower left-hand corner of Google.com now, check back soon. For those of you outside of the U.S., you can expect to see this new feature in the coming days as we roll it out internationally to offer similar, consistent experiences globally. And if you’ve customized your look with a fun personal photo we’d love to see what your new homepage looks like. Tweet a picture of your page with the hashtag #myGooglepage and share it with us! We hope you enjoy this fun new feature and that it makes Google search more your own. Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP Search Products & User Experience   
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 2 Jun 2010 | 1:18 pm Next-Gen iPhone shows its white rear on camera
Have you been having trouble sleeping ever since you saw those supposed shots of the iPhone 4 bearing an all-white face? I understand. I mean, come on: What about the back? WHAT ABOUT THE BACK? You can now rest easy. Third party Apple repair shop PowerbookMedic claims to have received the above piece of case from their parts supplier. Real? Perhaps. Fake? It’s certainly possible — but given that the iPhone has come in both black and white for the past 2 years, it’d be surprising if something just like this isn’t announced at WWDC next week. [Via MacRumors]
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 12:52 pm Are Tsunamis Predictable?Tsunami modeling technology has made huge strides in recent years, and scientists are learning a lot from the Chilean tsunami that rippled through the Pacific Ocean in February.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 12:37 pm Motorola Flips Out Its New Android Phone
The Flipout will have a 2.8 inch screen, 3 megapixel camera, video recording capability, Wi-Fi and GPS. It will run the Android 2.1 version of the operating system. The phone will also have the Motoblur Android skin that we have already seen on other Motorola devices such as the Cliq and Backflip. Motoblur aggregates e-mails, messages and status updates from different social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace to present it as a stream of data on a single screen. With its square form and social networking features, the Flipout seems like a good alternative to Microsoft’s recently launched Kin Two phone. But it is not clear if the device will make it to the U.S. Motorola already has Backflip, a device with a nifty mode that allows its to be placed on the desk like an alarm clock and the Cliq, the first of its phones featuring the Motoblur skin. Sure, its about giving consumers choice but with the Cliq, Backflip, Devour and Droid already out, is there such a thing as too many phones from a company? Especially when the features start to blur and minor tweaks in hardware design are all that sets one device apart from the other. The Flipout will launch in the next few weeks in “certain regions around the world,” says Motorola. The company won’t disclose pricing either but that’s likely to depend on the deals it can ink with the wireless service providers. See Also:
Photo: Flipout/Motorola 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:57 am Steve Jobs Ushers in Post-PC Era - PC Magazine
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:54 am AT&T iPhone tethering to cost $20 a month extra, requires you to ditch your unlimited data plan
Gather round, everyone! It’s time for this week’s edition of “Good news, bad news” — only this week, “bad news” is being supplanted by “terrible news”. The good news: As we touched upon earlier, AT&T has finally confirmed that iPhone tethering will launch this summer. The
Here’s how the new set up works:
As AT&T points out: before (AT&T-supported) tethering is factored in, less than 2% of people actually manage to go over 2 gigs — and, in some sense, those that do are the ones bogging down the network the most. Squeeze them out (or at least mellow their downloading habits), and the network speeds up for everyone else. And back to the downside: Good luck staying under 2 gigabytes a month if the rumors like 3G video calling and iTunes streaming pan out. Your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:52 am Young Mountaineer Meets His Death on EverestPeter Kinloch's team was forced to make a tragic decision: leave him behind or die themselves.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:48 am Be thankful that AT&T is looking out for our best interests
Today I am proud to be an earthling. AT&T has announced that it will finally lift the burden of unlimited data plans for smartphones. No longer will I have to say to myself, “I am tired of trying to make the most of what I pay for.” Like a wise king, AT&T has decided for us, its loyal subjects, that all we need really in life, in the totality of existence, is 2GB of data per month—or, for some of us, only 200MB of data! Either one! You see, AT&T simply knows more than any of us could ever hope to know. Thank you, AT&T, for being a shining beacon of hope in our otherwise bleak, bleak world. After all, who could ever hope to use more than 2GB of data per month while using the mobile Internet? Nobody uses Netflix, nobody uses Hulu, nobody uses YouTube, nobody watches Major League Baseball, nobody listens to Pandora, nobody listen to Sirius XM, nobody uses turn-by-turn navigation with full color maps. There’s no need for any of that in a smartphone! Why else do we see things like “200MB of data is enough to send hundreds of e-mails…”? Obviously it’s only accurate, honest, and sincere to measure people’s Internet usage in the year 2010 by how many plain text e-mails they can send. I mean, Wi-Fi is so prevalent, right? Sure, the days of unprotected access points surrounding us have long since come to a close, and you’re lucky to find an access point at, say, an airport that doesn’t charge $20 per hour for the privilege of reading ESPN.com, but come on! Not only that, but AT&T is directly passing the savings to us! Now, instead of $30 per month for the headache of unlimited data, we only have to pay $25! And no more headache! I hate headaches! That’s a $5 savings. That’s enough to buy, I don’t know, two gallons of milk, or maybe one giant Slurpee. Hmm… unlimited data to use the Internet as intended or enough sugar to kill an elephant? No contest. The Free Press says that “today’s heavy user [of data] is tomorrow’s average user.” Nonsense! We will always, now and forever, be content with a 2GB cap. Anyone who needs more is simply being greedy and has no regard for their fellow man. Hopefully Verizon Wireless and the other providers follow AT&T’s brave lead. And hopefully developers and start-ups stop trying to come out with fun and exciting and useful Apps that require more than a couple kilobytes of data. Maybe if these people would look at this from AT&T’s perspective, and realize that it’s simply not practical to invest the billions of dollars in profit it rakes in every year to upgrade and maintain its network. There’s billions of galaxies in the known universe. I’m just happy that I happen to live in the one galaxy that has AT&T looking out for my best interests.
Source: MobileCrunch | 2 Jun 2010 | 11:45 am Oil Spill Threatens Gulf SeafoodSeafood lovers can take comfort in the fact that oil has yet to have a major impact on catches in the Gulf -- at least for now.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 2 Jun 2010 | 10:40 am The 5 best features of the HTC EVO 4G
1. The screen
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Textbooks are an incredibly expensive investment. And the majority of the time, you only need the textbook for a short duration. College textbook rental startup 
Today during an interview at AllThingsD’s D8 conference, Facebook CEO 
Need yet another reason to go to Akihabara? Check out the Famicom claw machine. For a mere ¥100 (about $1.10) you can take your chance and try and win a cartridge. Of course, you could probably pick up a cartridge around the corner from the machine for about the same price, but where’s the fun in that. 
My wife loves to grow flowers. It’s difficult here in Nevada, and I’m usually a little less than supportive of her projects (I get really tired of trays of plants strewn throughout the house in the early spring). Here however, is a seed distribution device I can get behind. 
According to a 
Google has 
Stephen Hill, 30, who performs in adult movies under the name Steve Driver, whose middle name, the LAPD confirmed in a phone call this afternoon, is Clancy, and whose last known residence is Canoga Park, fatally stabbed a coworker at Ultima DVD Inc. The Van Nuys company specializes in fetish videos in which men are abused by women. News reports state Hill was a sometimes porn actor and a web designer for the adult video production company and distributor. The incident took place in the back of the building at approximately 10:20 pm Tuesday evening. Hill was upset because he had been told he was losing his job and had been evicted from the company's building, where he had been living. The first victim was stabbed with what has been described as a "machete-like" weapon or "Samurai sword." Two coworkers who attempted to come to the first victim's aid were also stabbed. Hill fled the scene. He was last seen driving a 1996 blue Toyota RAV4 with right-side damage and license plate 5YTC423.
(...) The victim who died is reportedly someone at least known in the business as Tom Dong.
Ironically, the two men appear together on the box cover of a "Cuckold Abuse and and Femdom Humiliation." In the movie, the husband (Dong) must bear witness as his wife has sex with an "ethnic" man (Hill). It appears Dong was on Twitter, as well. His handle: @
“I made some of the crappiest apps for the Pre, and Palm is giving me $1,000 for each,” software programmer Pete Ma (right) bragged to Wired.com last week during a developer conference, adding that each of his five apps took less than an hour to code.
Motorola is set to rival HTC in the ability to crank out Android phones at a breath-taking pace. Motorola has introduced a new phone called Flipout that features a pivoting pop-out keyboard and a compact touchscreen display.
The Fibonacci sequence, you’ll no doubt remember from school, starts with 0, 1 and continues by adding the previous two numbers together: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and so on. It can then be used to make shapes. Plotting squares whose sides are the length of successive Fibonacci numbers and then drawing an arc through their opposite corners will give the Golden Spiral, a shaped found in nature: the nautilus shell, for example. By making this shape, along with others suggested by the sequence, Schmallenbach came up with the design
Motorola love trying out new 
Today is a sad day in data land. AT&T have just announced two new mobile data plans with one glaring omission: no more unlimited data.
